Cycle time calculation device

Abstract

To provide a cycle time calculation device capable of virtually calculating cycle time.SOLUTION: Cycle time calculation devices 10 disclosed in the present description are provided correspondingly to respective work resources 110, and include: a plurality of resource processing units 17 which virtually determines the progress of processing performed at the corresponding work resources 110; a process control unit 12 which dynamically determines operation start timing of the plurality of work resources 110 and instructs the resource processing unit 17 to start processing in accordance with determination results; an accumulation management unit 21 which measures time during which a resource state SI of at least one of the resource processing units 17 is under operation; and a cycle time calculation unit 26 which calculates, based on results of the measurement made by the accumulation management unit 21, cycle time Tc as time required for actually executing machining according to a sequence program.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This specification discloses a cycle time calculation device that calculates a processing time by a processing cell. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a processing cell having multiple work resources has been known (for example, Patent Document 1, etc.). A work resource is something that performs some kind of processing on a workpiece, and examples of work resources include a processing machine that cuts the workpiece and a robot that transports the workpiece. By using such a processing cell, multiple workpieces can be produced efficiently.

[0003] Incidentally, some processing cells dynamically determine the operation start timing of multiple work resources based on the operation status of each of the multiple work resources. In this case, the processing cell may operate two or more work resources in parallel depending on the operation status of each of the multiple work resources. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-077910 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Here, operators want to know in advance the time it takes to execute all the processes specified in a sequence program (hereinafter referred to as "cycle time") in order to consider setup and determine whether the sequence program needs to be improved. However, in the case of the above-mentioned processing cell, it is difficult to predict the start timing of a process in advance, and depending on the situation, multiple processes are executed in parallel. Therefore, the cycle time cannot be calculated accurately by simply adding up the estimated time for each process.

[0006] Of course, the exact cycle time can be determined by actually executing the sequence program. However, in this case, it is necessary to actually execute machining on the workpiece in order to calculate the cycle time, which is wasteful. In particular, when repeatedly modifying the sequence program according to the cycle time, it is necessary to actually machine the workpiece each time the program is modified, which is wasteful.

[0007] Therefore, a cycle time calculation device capable of virtually calculating a cycle time is disclosed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The cycle time calculation device disclosed in this specification has a processor and a memory, and the processor is configured to function as a plurality of resource processing sections, each of which corresponds to a plurality of work resources constituting a processing cell, and which virtually judges the progress of processing in the corresponding work resource based on the elapsed time since receiving an instruction to start processing and outputs the judgment result as a resource status; a process control section that dynamically determines the operation start timing of the plurality of work resources based on a sequence program specified by an operator and the resource status of the plurality of resource processing sections, and instructs the resource processing sections to start processing in accordance with the decision result; a cumulative management section that measures the time during which the resource status of at least one resource processing section is in operation; and a cycle time calculation section that calculates the cycle time, which is the time required to actually execute processing in accordance with the sequence program, based on the measurement result by the cumulative management section.

[0009] In this case, the resource processing unit may calculate a processing time based on the elapsed time from receiving the instruction to start processing, and determine that the processing in the corresponding work resource is completed when the processing time reaches a specified resource setting time.

[0010] In addition, the resource processing unit may calculate, as the processing time, a value obtained by multiplying all or a part of the time elapsed since receiving the instruction to start processing by a specified speed-up factor and adding the result to the remaining time elapsed since receiving the instruction to start processing, and the cycle time calculation unit may calculate, as the cycle time, a value obtained by multiplying all or a part of the time measured by the accumulation management unit by the speed-up factor and adding the result to the remaining time measured.

[0011] The resource processing unit includes a resource preparation processing unit that virtually judges the progress of a preparation process in the corresponding work resource, and a resource operation processing unit that virtually judges the progress of an operation process that the corresponding work resource executes after the preparation process, and the resource preparation processing unit measures the time that has elapsed since the instruction to start the process as a resource preparation processing time, and judges that the preparation process has ended when the resource preparation processing time reaches a predefined resource preparation setting time, and the resource operation processing unit measures the time that has elapsed since the instruction to start the process separately into a resource operation processing time and the resource preparation processing time, When a resource operation shaping time, which is the sum of a value obtained by multiplying the resource operation processing time by a specified speed-up factor and the resource preparation processing time, reaches a specified resource operation setting time, the accumulation management unit may measure the time during which at least one of the resource operation processing units is measuring the resource operation processing time as a cumulative operation processing time, and measure the time during which at least one of the resource preparation processing units is measuring the resource preparation processing time as a cumulative preparation processing time, and the cycle time calculation unit may calculate the sum of the value obtained by multiplying the cumulative operation processing time by the speed-up factor and the cumulative preparation processing time as the cycle time.

[0012] In this case, the processor is further configured to function as a processing switching unit, and when the resource state of at least one of the resource preparation processing units is in operation, the processing switching unit may instruct the currently operating resource operation processing unit to measure the elapsed time since receiving an instruction to start processing as the resource preparation processing time, and may instruct the cumulative operation management unit to temporarily suspend measurement of the cumulative operation processing time.

[0013] Further, the resource processing unit includes a resource preparation processing unit that virtually judges the progress of a preparation process in the corresponding work resource, and a resource operation processing unit that virtually judges the progress of an operation process that the corresponding work resource executes after the preparation process, and the resource preparation processing unit measures the time that has elapsed since receiving an instruction to start the processing as a resource preparation processing time, and judges that the preparation process has been completed if the resource preparation processing time reaches a predefined resource preparation setting time, and the resource operation processing unit measures the time that has elapsed since receiving an instruction to start the processing as a resource operation processing time, and judges that the operation process has been completed if a value obtained by multiplying the resource operation processing time by a predefined speed-up factor reaches the predefined resource operation setting time. When it is determined that processing has been completed, the cumulative management unit includes an cumulative preparation management unit that measures the time during which at least one of the resource preparation processing units is measuring the resource preparation processing time as a cumulative preparation processing time, and an cumulative operation management unit that measures the time during which at least one of the resource operation processing units is measuring the resource operation processing time as a cumulative operation processing time, wherein the cycle time calculation unit calculates the sum of the cumulative operation processing time and the cumulative preparation processing time multiplied by the speed-up factor as the cycle time, and the resource operation processing unit may temporarily suspend measurement of the resource operation processing time and the cumulative operation processing time during a period during which at least one of the resource preparation processing units is measuring the resource preparation processing time.

[0014] Another cycle time calculation device has a processor and a memory, and the processor includes a plurality of resource processing sections, each of which is provided corresponding to a plurality of work resources constituting a processing cell, the plurality of resource processing sections virtually judging the progress of processing in the corresponding work resources based on the elapsed time from receiving an instruction to start processing and outputting the judgment result as a resource status, a process control section dynamically determining operation start timings of the plurality of work resources based on a sequence program specified by an operator and the resource statuses of the plurality of resource processing sections, and instructing the resource processing sections to start processing in accordance with the judgment result, and a cumulative time measuring section for measuring the time during which the resource status of at least one resource processing section is in operation. a management unit, and a cycle time calculation unit which calculates a cycle time, which is the time required to actually execute machining in accordance with the sequence program, based on the measurement results by the cumulative management unit, wherein the resource processing unit calculates the processing time as a value obtained by multiplying all or part of the elapsed time from when the instruction to start processing is received by a specified speed-up factor, plus the remaining time elapsed from when the instruction to start processing is received, and further calculates the overtime as a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined resource operation setting time from the processing time, and the cycle time calculation unit calculates the cycle time as a value obtained by subtracting the accumulated overtime from the accumulated processing time.

[0015] Another cycle time calculation device has a processor and a memory, the processor being a plurality of resource processing sections each provided corresponding to a plurality of work resources constituting a processing cell, the plurality of resource processing sections virtually judging the progress of the work in the corresponding work resource based on the elapsed time from receiving an instruction to start processing, and outputting the judgment result as a resource status, a process control section dynamically determining the operation start timing of the plurality of work resources based on a sequence program specified by an operator and the resource status of the plurality of resource processing sections, and instructing the resource processing sections to start processing in accordance with the determination result, a cumulative management section measuring the time during which the resource status of at least one resource processing section is in operation, and a process control section based on the measurement result by the cumulative management section. and a cycle time calculation unit that calculates a cycle time, which is the time required to actually execute machining in accordance with the sequence program, wherein the resource processing unit calculates the processing time as a value obtained by multiplying all or part of the elapsed time from when an instruction to start processing is received by a specified speed-up factor plus the remaining time elapsed from when an instruction to start processing is received, and the resource processing unit terminates the process of multiplying all or part of the elapsed time by the speed-up factor when a difference between a predetermined resource operation setting time and the processing time becomes less than a value obtained by multiplying the speed-up factor by a control period, and then adds the actual elapsed time to the processing time until the processing time becomes the resource operation setting time. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the technology disclosed in this specification, the cycle time can be virtually calculated. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a cycle time calculation device and a machining cell. [Diagram 2] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a cycle according to a sequence program. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a cycle time calculation device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a control flow of a process control unit. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a control flow of a resource processing unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of another cycle time calculation device. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the first half of the control flow of the process control unit. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the latter half of the control flow of the process control unit. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a control flow of a process switching unit. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a control flow of a resource preparation processing unit. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a control flow of an accumulation preparation management unit. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a control flow of a resource operation processing unit. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a control flow of a cumulative operation management unit. [Figure 14] 7 is an image diagram showing how a cycle time Tc of the cycle shown in FIG. 2 is calculated by the cycle time calculation device shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example in which a process sequence is changed due to partial speed-up; [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of a portion of another cycle time calculation device. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a control flow of a resource operation processing unit of the device in FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a control flow of an accumulated overtime management unit of the apparatus of FIG. [Figure 19] 13 is a diagram illustrating a case where a resource operation processing time exceeds a resource operation setting time. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] The configuration of the cycle time calculation device 10 will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0019] The machining cell 100 has a first work resource 110_1 and a second work resource 110_2, and performs various machining operations on a workpiece. In the following description, when there is no need to distinguish between the first work resource 110_1 and the second work resource 110_2, they will simply be referred to as "work resource 110." The same applies to other members below.

[0020] The processing cell 100 of this example includes a first task resource 110_1 which is a robot and a second task resource 110_2 which is a processing machine. The first task resource 110_1 (i.e., the robot) grasps and transports a workpiece. The second task resource 110_2 (i.e., the processing machine) performs various cutting processes on a metal material. The processing cell 100 further includes a work pallet 106 for storing a plurality of workpieces, and a transfer table 108 for temporarily placing a workpiece in the process of being transported. Note that such a configuration of the processing cell 100 is an example, and may be changed as appropriate. For example, the task resource 110 may include another processing machine, a robot, a measuring device, a processing device, etc. in addition to or instead of the processing machine and the robot.

[0021] The operation of the machining cell 100 is controlled by a cell controller (not shown). The cell controller is physically a computer having a processor 30 and a memory 32. The cell controller issues commands to the work resources 110 constituting the machining cell 100 in order to produce the required number of products of the required items according to a sequence program specified by an operator. The sequence program records the contents of multiple processes required for product production, the execution conditions of each process, and the priority of each process. For example, the execution condition of the "process of machining a workpiece with a processing machine" is set to be performed after the "process of conveying the workpiece to the processing machine by a robot". The sequence program also specifies the priority of each process. For example, consider a case where the priority of a certain process I is set higher than the priority of another process II. In this case, when both process I and process II are executable, the cell controller executes process I with priority. The cell controller monitors the operating status of the multiple operating resources 110, and dynamically determines the execution order and execution start timing of the processes according to the operating status. Hereinafter, a series of processes for producing the required number of products of an item specified by an operator in the processing cell 100 according to a sequence program will be referred to as a "cycle," and the processing time required to execute this cycle will be referred to as the "cycle time Tc."

[0022] An example of a cycle according to such a sequence program will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The first column L1 in Fig. 2 shows a process executed by a first work resource 110_1 (i.e., a robot), and the second column L2 in Fig. 2 shows a process executed by a second work resource 110_2 (i.e., a processing machine).

[0023] 2, the first task resource 110_1 executes processes I to IV of transporting a plurality of workpieces between the work pallet 106, the transfer table 108, and the processing machine. The second task resource 110_2 executes a process V of moving the axis of the processing machine prior to receiving the workpieces, and a process VI of performing cutting on the received workpieces.

[0024] The execution order and start timing of each process are dynamically determined by the cell controller according to the operating status of the work resources 110 and the priority of each process. In parallel with the processing of one workpiece, the processing of other workpieces is also performed. For example, in the case of FIG. 2, during period P1, the processing of the first workpiece (process VI) and the transport processing of the second workpiece (process I) are performed in parallel.

[0025] There is a demand to know the time required for such a series of cycles, that is, the cycle time Tc, in advance. By knowing the cycle time Tc in advance, the operator can decide the setup and consider modifying the sequence program. However, as mentioned above, the execution order and start timing of multiple processes are dynamically determined by the cell controller, so it is difficult for the operator to know such information in advance. Also, since multiple processes are often executed in parallel, the accurate cycle time Tc cannot be obtained by simply adding up the approximate times of each process.

[0026] Of course, if the machining cell 100 is actually operated according to the sequence program, and thus the workpiece is actually machined, an accurate cycle time Tc can be obtained. However, actually machining the workpiece just to grasp the cycle time Tc is inefficient. Also, if the sequence program is modified with reference to the cycle time Tc, the workpiece must actually be machined every time the sequence program is modified, which is very inefficient.

[0027] The cycle time calculation device 10 is a device that acquires the cycle time Tc without executing the machining of the workpiece by the machining cell 100. As shown in FIG. 1, the cycle time calculation device 10 is a computer having a processor 30, a memory 32, a communication I / F 34, and a UI device 36. The communication I / F 34 performs data communication with other devices (e.g., a cell controller or a personal computer operated by an operator) as necessary. The UI device 36 accepts instructions from the operator and presents information to the operator. Therefore, the UI device 36 includes input devices such as a keyboard, a touch panel, a mouse, and a microphone, and output devices such as a display and a speaker. The cycle time Tc calculated in the process described below, the start timing of the process, and the like are provided to the operator via the UI device 36.

[0028] 1 illustrates the cycle time calculation device 10 as a single computer independent of the machining cell 100. However, the cycle time calculation device 10 may be configured by combining a plurality of computers that are installed physically apart. Also, a part or the whole of the cycle time calculation device 10 may be incorporated into the machining cell 100. For example, a cell controller may function as a part or the whole of the cycle time calculation device 10.

[0029] 3 is a functional block diagram of the cycle time calculation device 10. The cycle time calculation device 10 includes a first resource processing unit 17_1, a second resource processing unit 17_2, an intra-cell state management unit 16, a process control unit 12, a cumulative management unit 21, and a cycle time calculation unit 26.

[0030] The first resource processing section 17_1 and the second resource processing section 17_2 have the same basic configuration, and therefore will not be distinguished from each other and will be referred to as the "resource processing section 17" below. One resource processing section 17 is provided corresponding to each of the multiple work resources 110 of the processing cell 100. Thus, the first resource processing section 17_1 corresponds to the first work resource 110_1, and the second resource processing section 17_2 corresponds to the second work resource 110_2.

[0031] The resource processing unit 17 virtually judges and outputs the progress of processing in the corresponding work resource 110. To judge this progress, the resource processing unit 17 stores in advance the processing time of the process executed by the corresponding work resource 110 as a resource set time T*. For example, the first resource processing unit 17_1 stores the processing time of process I, the processing time of process II, and the processing time of process III in Fig. 2 as the resource set time T*. Such resource set time T* may be obtained in advance by actually operating the first work resource 110_1, or may be logically calculated by some kind of simulation or calculation.

[0032] The resource processing unit 17 also has a timer 40 that counts the time that has elapsed since it received a processing start signal PS from the process control unit 12. When the resource processing unit 17 starts counting with the timer 40, it outputs an execution signal ES, meaning the start of operation, to the intra-cell state management unit 16. The resource processing unit 17 also outputs the elapsed time counted by this timer 40 as a resource processing time Tn. The resource processing time Tn is the virtual operating time of the corresponding operation resource 110.

[0033] The resource processing unit 17 compares the output resource processing time Tn with the resource set time T*, and when the resource processing time Tn becomes equal to or greater than the resource set time T*, outputs a completion signal FS, which signifies the end of the process, to the intra-cell state management unit 16. When Tn≧T*, the timer 40 stops counting and resets the timer 40.

[0034] In this example, the actual elapsed time is regarded as the resource processing time Tn. However, in some cases, the value obtained by multiplying the actual elapsed time by a specified speed-up factor K may be regarded as the resource processing time Tn. That is, if the elapsed time is Ta, Tn=K×Ta may be used. With this configuration, the progress of each process can be judged at a higher speed, and the time required to calculate the cycle time Tc can be significantly reduced. In the following, regarding the value obtained by multiplying the elapsed time by the speed-up factor K as the resource processing time Tn is referred to as "speed-up". In addition, the speed-up factor K is not particularly limited, and may be set arbitrarily by the operator between about 1 and 2000, for example.

[0035] The intra-cell state management unit 16 manages the state (hereinafter referred to as "resource state SI") of each of the multiple resource processing units 17. Specifically, the intra-cell state management unit 16 manages flags for the multiple resource processing units 17. When the intra-cell state management unit 16 receives an execution signal ES from one of the resource processing units 17, it switches the flag corresponding to that resource processing unit 17 to High, and when the intra-cell state management unit 16 receives a completion signal FS from that resource processing unit 17, it switches the flag corresponding to that resource processing unit 17 to Low. Therefore, if this flag is High, it can be determined that the corresponding resource processing unit 17 is virtually in operation.

[0036] The process control unit 12 dynamically determines the operation start timing of the multiple work resources 110, and outputs a process start signal PS to the resource processing unit 17 according to the determination result. More specifically, the process control unit 12 monitors the resource state SI managed by the cell internal state management unit 16 at a predetermined control period. Then, the process control unit 12 determines the start timing of each of the multiple processes based on the resource state SI and a sequence program specified by the operator. The algorithm for this timing determination is the same as the algorithm installed in the cell controller. Therefore, the cell controller installed in the processing cell 100 may be used as the process control unit 12.

[0037] When it is determined that a process needs to be started, the process control unit 12 outputs a process start signal PS to the resource processing unit 17 corresponding to the process and to the accumulation management unit 21 described later. When all processes defined in the sequence program are completed, the resource processing unit 17 outputs a process end signal PF to the accumulation management unit 21.

[0038] The accumulation management unit 21 counts the time during which at least one resource processing unit 17 is in operation. For this counting, the accumulation management unit 21 has a timer 40, and outputs the time measured by the timer 40 as an accumulated processing time ΣTn to the cycle time calculation unit 26. The cycle time calculation unit 26 calculates the cycle time Tc required to actually execute the sequence program based on this accumulated processing time ΣTn.

[0039] If the resource processing time Tn is not calculated at high speed, i.e., if the elapsed time Ta is regarded as the resource processing time Tn, then Tc = ΣTn = ΣTa. On the other hand, if the resource processing time Tn is calculated at high speed, i.e., if Tn = K × Ta, then Tc = ΣTn = Σ(K × Ta).

[0040] Next, a control flow of cycle time calculation by the cycle time calculation device 10 will be described. Fig. 4 shows a control flow of the process control unit 12. The process control unit 12 first reads a sequence program specified by an operator (S10). The process control unit 12 checks the resource state SI of each of the multiple resource processing units 17 managed by the cell state management unit 16 (S12).

[0041] Next, the process control unit 12 executes steps S16 to S28, but executes these steps in parallel for each of the multiple resource processing units 17. Specifically, the process control unit 12 judges whether or not a process related to the n-th resource processing unit 17_n should be started based on the sequence program and the resource state SI (S14). If the result of the judgment indicates that the process needs to be started, the process control unit 12 outputs a process start signal PS to the n-th resource processing unit 17_n and the accumulation management unit 21 (S16, S18). After outputting the process start signal PS, or if the process does not need to be started, the process control unit 12 judges whether or not all the processes specified by the sequence program have been completed (S26). If they have not been completed, the process control unit 12 returns to step S12 and repeats the same process. On the other hand, if the sequence program has been completed, the process control unit 12 outputs a process end signal PF to the accumulation management unit 21 (S28).

[0042] Next, the control flow of the resource processing unit 17 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. In Fig. 5, no speed-up is applied to the calculation of the resource processing time Tn, and the elapsed time Ta is regarded as the resource processing time Tn. The resource processing unit 17 waits until it receives a processing start signal PS from the process control unit 12 (S30). When the processing start signal PS is received, the resource processing unit 17 outputs an execution signal ES to the intra-cell state management unit 16 (S31). As a result, the intra-cell state management unit 16 switches the flag corresponding to this resource processing unit 17 to High, which indicates "in operation."

[0043] Next, the resource processing unit 17 adds a specified control period Δt to the current resource processing time Tn (S32). This addition process is repeated until the resource processing time Tn becomes equal to or greater than a predefined resource setting time T* (S34). The resource setting time T* may be changed depending on the type of process. In this case, the resource processing unit 17 stores the process identification number and the resource setting time T* of the process in association with each other. Furthermore, the process control unit 12 outputs the identification number of the process to be started to the resource processing unit 17 together with the process start signal PS.

[0044] If Tn≧T*, the resource processing unit 17 resets the resource processing time Tn to "0" (S36). The resource processing unit 17 also outputs a completion signal FS to the intra-cell state management unit 16. This causes the intra-cell state management unit 16 to switch the flag corresponding to this resource processing unit 17 to Low, which indicates "waiting". Thereafter, the resource processing unit 17 returns to step S30 and waits again until it receives the processing start signal PS. In this way, the resource processing unit 17 can output the virtual progress status of each process by monitoring the elapsed time Ta since receiving the processing start signal PS.

[0045] The accumulation management unit 21 measures the time from when it receives a processing start signal PS to when it receives a processing end signal PF from the process control unit 12 as an accumulated processing time ΣTn. The cycle time calculation unit 26 calculates the cycle time Tc from this accumulated processing time ΣTn.

[0046] As is clear from the above description, in this example, the execution order and start timing of multiple processes are determined using an algorithm similar to that of the actual machining cell 100. Then, the processing time is measured while virtually determining the progress of the multiple processes. As a result, according to this example, the cycle time Tc can be properly calculated without actually machining the workpiece. In addition, in the above example, the actual elapsed time Ta is regarded as the resource processing time Tn, but if the value obtained by multiplying the elapsed time Ta by the speed-up factor K is processed as the resource processing time Tn, the time required to calculate the cycle time Tc can be significantly reduced. As a result, the operator can more efficiently consider the setup and modify the sequence program.

[0047] Next, the configuration of another cycle time calculation device 10 will be described. In the above description, the progress of one process is judged without dividing it. However, a process usually includes a preparatory process and an operational process. The preparatory process is a process required before the operation resource 110 is actually operated, and includes, for example, a communication process between the cell controller and the operation resource 110, and a selection command for an operation program. The operational process is a process that actually operates the operation resource 110. Usually, the time required for the preparatory process is sufficiently shorter than the time required for the operational process. For example, the time required for the preparatory process is about several milliseconds to several hundred milliseconds, while the time required for the operational process is several seconds to several tens of minutes.

[0048] When calculating the cycle time Tc, the resource processing unit 17 does not actually execute the operation processing, but judges the progress of the operation processing from the elapsed time Ta. Therefore, when judging the progress of the operation processing, the above-mentioned speed-up is applied. On the other hand, the resource processing unit 17 executes processing similar to the actual preparation processing. That is, the resource processing unit 17 communicates with the process control unit 12 and receives a selection command for an operation program. Therefore, when judging the progress of the preparation processing, it is difficult to apply the above-mentioned speed-up.

[0049] Therefore, it is conceivable to judge the progress by applying speed-up to the operation processing and not applying speed-up to the preparation processing. However, in this case, since the speed of time elapses is different between the operation processing and the preparation processing, the execution order of the steps may differ from the actual execution order. This will be described with reference to FIG. 15. FIG. 15 is an example in which the order of steps changes due to partial speed-up. The upper part of FIG. 15 is the same cycle as the cycle shown in FIG. 2. The lower part of FIG. 15 shows a cycle in which speed-up is applied only to the operation processing among the cycles in the upper part. In the example of FIG. 15, the operation processing is measured at three times the speed, that is, the speed-up factor K in the operation processing is set to "3". In FIG. 15, the gray hatched band indicates the preparation processing, and the white band indicates the operation processing.

[0050] Attention is focused on a period P2 when the speed-up is not applied to the operation processing (i.e., the upper part of FIG. 15). In the first resource processing unit 17_1, a process IV of transporting the workpiece from the transfer table 108 to the workpiece pallet 106 is virtually executed. In parallel with this process IV, the second resource processing unit 17_2 virtually executes a process VI. The process VI is a process in which the processing machine processes the workpiece.

[0051] At the stage where process IV is completed, process VI continues. Since process VI is a process in which the processing machine processes the workpiece, it is natural that process III in which the robot removes the workpiece from the processing machine cannot be executed in parallel with process VI. Therefore, if high-speed processing is not applied to the operation processing, the first resource processing unit 17_1 virtually starts process I, not process III, after process IV is completed.

[0052] On the other hand, when speed-up is applied only to the operation processing, as shown in the lower period P2, when step IV ends, step VI also ends. In this case, the process control unit 12 instructs the start of execution of step III, not step I, after step IV. In other words, when speed-up is applied only to the operation processing, the steps are executed in an order different from the actual cycle, and there is a risk that the cycle time Tc cannot be calculated accurately.

[0053] 6 is a functional block diagram of a cycle time calculation device 10 that addresses these problems. The physical configuration of this cycle time calculation device 10 is as shown in FIG.

[0054] In the cycle time calculation device 10 of FIG. 6, each resource processing unit 17 includes a resource preparation processing unit 18 and a resource operation processing unit 20. The resource preparation processing unit 18 virtually judges the progress of the preparation processing. Specifically, the resource preparation processing unit 18 measures the time elapsed since the processing start signal PS was received as a resource preparation processing time Tr. The resource preparation processing unit 18 also stores in advance a resource preparation setting time Tr*, which is the time required for the preparation processing. Then, when the measured resource preparation processing time Tr becomes equal to or longer than the resource preparation setting time Tr*, it is judged that the preparation processing is completed. When the resource preparation processing unit 18 starts processing and when the processing is completed, it outputs an execution signal ES and a completion signal FS to the intra-cell state management unit 16, respectively.

[0055] Moreover, the resource operation processing unit 20 virtually judges the progress of the operation processing. Specifically, the resource operation processing unit 20 measures the elapsed time from receiving the processing start signal PS, dividing it into a resource operation processing time Tp and a resource preparation processing time Tr. When the resource state SI of at least one resource preparation processing unit 18 is in operation, the resource operation processing unit 20 counts the elapsed time as the resource preparation processing time Tr. On the other hand, when none of the resource preparation processing units 18 is in operation, the resource operation processing unit 20 counts the elapsed time as the resource operation processing time Tp. With this configuration, the cycle time calculation device 10 as a whole does not measure the resource operation processing time Tp in parallel with the resource preparation processing time Tr. When the resource preparation processing time Tr is being measured in any of the resource preparation processing units 18, the other resource operation processing units 20 stop measuring the resource operation processing time Tp and measure the resource preparation processing time Tr. In order to enable such measurement, the resource operation processing unit 20 has two types of timers (reference numbers are omitted in FIG. 6).

[0056] The resource operation processing unit 20 calculates the resource operation shaping time Tpa by multiplying the resource operation processing time Tp by the speed-up factor K and adding the result to the resource preparation processing time Tr. That is, Tpa=K×Tp+Tr. Then, the resource operation processing unit 20 determines that the operation processing is complete when the resource operation shaping time Tpa becomes equal to or greater than the resource operation setting time Tp*. The resource operation processing unit 20 also outputs an execution signal ES and a completion signal FS to the intra-cell state management unit 16 when the processing starts and ends, respectively.

[0057] The accumulation management unit 21 measures the accumulation of time during which at least one of the multiple resource processing units 17 is operating, by dividing it into an accumulated preparation processing time ΣTr and an accumulated operation processing time ΣTp. Specifically, the accumulation management unit 21 includes an accumulation preparation management unit 22 and an accumulation operation management unit 24. The accumulation preparation management unit 22 measures the time during which the resource preparation processing time Tr is counted in any of the resource preparation processing units 18 as the accumulated preparation processing time ΣTr. Furthermore, the accumulation operation management unit 24 measures the time during which the resource operation processing time Tp is counted in any of the resource operation processing units 20 as the accumulated operation processing time ΣTp.

[0058] The cycle time calculation unit 26 calculates the cycle time Tc by multiplying the cumulative operation processing time ΣTp by the speed-up factor K and adding the result to the cumulative preparation processing time ΣTr. Therefore, Tc=K×ΣTp+ΣTr.

[0059] The process control unit 12 dynamically determines the start timing of preparation processing and operation processing of the multiple work resources 110, and outputs a processing start signal PS to the resource preparation processing unit 18 and the resource operation processing unit 20 according to the determination result. Furthermore, this process control unit 12 outputs a preparation processing start signal RS to the processing switching unit 14 at the start timing of preparation processing, and outputs a preparation processing end signal RF to the processing switching unit 14 at the end timing of preparation processing.

[0060] The processing switching unit 14 instructs the resource operation processing unit 20 and the cumulative operation management unit 24 to switch the counting mode. That is, as described above, the resource operation processing unit 20 measures the elapsed time from the start of processing by dividing it into a resource operation processing time Tp and a resource preparation processing time Tr. Furthermore, the cumulative operation management unit 24 must suspend measurement of the cumulative operation processing time ΣTp while any of the resource preparation processing units 18 is operating. The processing switching unit 14 instructs the resource operation processing unit 20 and the cumulative operation management unit 24 to switch this measurement mode.

[0061] Specifically, when the processing switching unit 14 receives a preparation processing start signal RS from the process control unit 12, it outputs a preparation time start signal CS to the currently operating resource operation processing unit 20 and the cumulative operation management unit 24. When the resource operation processing unit 20 receives the preparation time start signal CS, it suspends measurement of the resource operation processing time Tp and starts measuring the resource preparation processing time Tr. Also, when the cumulative operation management unit 24 receives the preparation time start signal CS, it temporarily suspends measurement of the cumulative operation processing time ΣTp.

[0062] Furthermore, when the processing switching unit 14 receives a preparation processing end signal RF from the process control unit 12, it outputs a preparation time end signal CF to the currently operating resource operation processing unit 20 and the cumulative operation management unit 24. When the resource operation processing unit 20 receives the preparation time end signal CF, it interrupts measurement of the resource preparation processing time Tr and starts measuring the resource operation processing time Tp. When the cumulative operation management unit 24 receives the preparation time end signal CF, it resumes measuring the cumulative operation processing time ΣTp.

[0063] Next, a control flow for cycle time calculation by the cycle time calculation device 10 shown in Fig. 6 will be described. Figs. 7 and 8 show a control flow for the process control unit 12. As in the case of Fig. 4, the process control unit 12 first reads a sequence program specified by the operator (S40). Next, the process control unit 12 executes steps S42 to S72. These steps S42 to S72 are executed in parallel for each of the multiple resource processing units 17. In step S42, the process control unit 12 checks the resource state SI managed by the intra-cell state management unit 16.

[0064] Next, the process control unit 12 judges whether or not to start preparation processing for the process related to the n-th resource processing unit 17_n based on the sequence program and the resource state SI (S44). If the result of the judgment indicates that preparation processing needs to be started, the process control unit 12 outputs a processing start signal PS to the n-th resource preparation processing unit 18_n and the accumulation preparation management unit 22 (S46, S48). Furthermore, the process control unit 12 outputs a preparation processing start signal RS to the processing switching unit 14 (S50), and then proceeds to step S72.

[0065] The process control unit 12 also determines whether or not to start the operation processing of the process related to the n-th resource processing unit 17_n (S52). If it is necessary to start the operation processing, the process control unit 12 outputs a process start signal PS to the n-th resource operation processing unit 20_n and the cumulative operation management unit 24 (S54, S56). Then, the process proceeds to step S72.

[0066] The process control unit 12 also determines whether the preparation process for the process related to the n-th resource processing unit 17_n has been completed (S58). If the preparation process has been completed, the process control unit 12 outputs a process end signal PF to the n-th resource preparation processing unit 18_n and the accumulation preparation management unit 22 (S60, S62). The process control unit 12 also outputs a preparation process end signal RF to the process switching unit 14 (S64), and then proceeds to step S72.

[0067] The process control unit 12 also determines whether the operation processing of the process related to the n-th resource processing unit 17_n has ended (S66). If the operation processing has ended, the process control unit 12 outputs a process end signal PF to the n-th resource operation processing unit 20_n and the cumulative operation management unit 24 (S68, S70). Then, the process proceeds to step S72.

[0068] In step S72, the process control unit 12 checks whether the sequence program has ended. If the check result shows that the sequence program has not ended, the process returns to step S42. If the sequence program has ended, the control flow of the process control unit 12 ends.

[0069] Next, the control flow of the process switching unit 14 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. The process switching unit 14 checks the resource state SI recorded in the intra-cell state management unit 16 (S76). Next, the process switching unit 14 executes steps S78 to S86 in parallel for each of the multiple resource processing units 17. That is, the process switching unit 14 checks whether the n-th resource operation processing unit 20_n is in operation or not (S78). If it is not in operation, the process switching unit 14 returns to the beginning of the flow (i.e., step S76) and continues checking the resource state SI.

[0070] On the other hand, when the n-th resource operation processing unit 20_n is in operation, the process switching unit 14 checks whether or not a preparation process start signal RS has been received (S80). When the preparation process start signal RS has been received, the process switching unit 14 outputs a preparation time start signal CS to the n-th resource operation processing unit 20_n and the cumulative operation management unit 24 (S82).

[0071] In step S80, if the preparation process start signal RS is not received, the process switching unit 14 checks whether or not the preparation process end signal RF is received (S84). If the preparation process end signal RF is received, the process switching unit 14 outputs a preparation time end signal CF to the n-th resource operation processing unit 20_n and the cumulative operation management unit 24 (S86).

[0072] On the other hand, if neither the preparation process start signal RS nor the preparation process end signal RF has been received, the process switching unit 14 returns to the beginning of the flow and continues checking the resource state SI.

[0073] In other words, when any of the resource operation processing units 20 are operating and preparation processing has started or ended in any of the resource preparation processing units 18, the processing switching unit 14 outputs signals RS, RF notifying the same to the resource operation processing unit 20 and the cumulative operation management unit 24.

[0074] Next, the control flow of the resource preparation processing unit 18 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. When the resource preparation processing unit 18 receives a processing start signal PS from the process control unit 12 (Yes in S90), it outputs an execution signal ES to the intra-cell state management unit 16 (S91). Thereafter, the resource preparation processing unit 18 starts measuring the resource preparation processing time Tr. That is, it adds a control period Δt to the current resource preparation processing time Tr (S92). When this resource preparation processing time Tr becomes equal to or greater than a preset resource preparation setting time Tr* (Yes in S94), the resource preparation processing unit 18 resets the resource preparation processing time Tr to zero (S96) and outputs a completion signal FS to the intra-cell state management unit 16 (S98). The resource preparation processing unit 18 repeats the above processing until the sequence program ends.

[0075] Next, the control flow of the cumulative preparation management unit 22 will be described with reference to Fig. 11. When the cumulative preparation management unit 22 receives a processing start signal PS from the process control unit 12 (Yes in S100), it starts measuring the cumulative preparation processing time ΣTr. That is, it continues to add a control period Δt to the current cumulative preparation processing time ΣTr (S102). During this process, when the cumulative preparation management unit 22 receives a processing end signal PF from the process control unit 12 (Yes in S104), it interrupts the measurement of the cumulative preparation processing time ΣTr and returns to the beginning of the flow (i.e., step S100). That is, when the cumulative preparation management unit 22 receives a processing end signal PF, it interrupts the measurement of the cumulative preparation processing time ΣTr until it receives a processing start signal PS again.

[0076] Next, the control flow of the resource operation processing unit 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 12. When the resource operation processing unit 20 receives a processing start signal PS from the process control unit 12 (Yes in S108), it outputs an execution signal ES to the in-cell state management unit 16 (S109). After that, the resource operation processing unit 20 measures the elapsed time by dividing it into a resource operation processing time Tp and a resource preparation processing time Tr (S110 - S124). Specifically, the resource operation processing unit 20 checks whether it has received a preparation time start signal CS (S110). If it has not received the preparation time start signal CS (No in S110), the resource operation processing unit 20 measures the elapsed time as the resource operation processing time Tp. That is, it calculates a value obtained by adding the control cycle Δt to the current resource operation processing time Tp as the new resource operation processing time Tp (S112).

[0077] Subsequently, the resource operation processing unit 20 calculates a resource operation shaping time Tpa (S114). The resource operation shaping time Tpa is a value obtained by adding a value obtained by multiplying the new resource operation processing time Tp by a prescribed speed-up ratio K and the current resource preparation processing time Tr. If this resource operation shaping time Tpa is less than a prescribed resource operation setting time Tp* (No in S116), it returns to step S110.

[0078] On the other hand, in step S110, when the resource operation processing unit 20 receives the preparation time start signal CS, it then checks whether it has received a preparation time end signal CF (S118). If it has not received the preparation time end signal CF, the resource operation processing unit 20 measures the elapsed time as the resource preparation processing time Tr. That is, the resource operation processing unit 20 calculates a value obtained by adding the control cycle Δt to the current resource preparation processing time Tr as the new resource preparation processing time Tr (S120). After that, the resource operation processing unit 20 calculates the resource operation shaping time Tpa (S122) and compares it with the resource operation setting time Tp* (S124). If Tpa < Tp*, it returns to step S118 and continues measuring the resource preparation processing time Tr.

[0079] If the resource operation shaping time Tpa becomes equal to or greater than the resource operation setting time Tp* in step S116 or step S124, the resource operation processing unit 20 resets the resource operation processing time Tp, the resource preparation processing time Tr, and the resource operation shaping time Tpa to 0 (S126). After that, the resource operation processing unit 20 outputs a completion signal FS to the intra-cell state management unit 16 (S128). After that, the resource operation processing unit 20 repeats the processes of steps S108 to S128.

[0080] Next, the control flow of the cumulative operation management unit 24 will be described with reference to Fig. 13. When the cumulative operation management unit 24 receives a processing start signal PS from the process control unit 12 (Yes in S130), it measures the cumulative operation processing time ΣTp (S132 to S140). However, if a preparation time start signal CS is received during the measurement, the measurement of the cumulative operation processing time ΣTp is temporarily interrupted.

[0081] Specifically, after receiving a processing start signal PS, the cumulative operation management unit 24 checks whether or not it has received a preparation time start signal CS (S132). If it has not received a preparation time start signal CS, the cumulative operation management unit 24 calculates a new cumulative operation processing time ΣTp by adding a specified control period Δt to the current cumulative operation processing time ΣTp (S134). Thereafter, it continues to measure the cumulative operation processing time ΣTp until it receives a processing end signal PF (Yes in S136) or a preparation time start signal CS (Yes in S132).

[0082] On the other hand, if a preparation time start signal CS is received (Yes in S132), the cumulative operation management unit 24 suspends measurement of the cumulative operation processing time ΣTp until a preparation time end signal CF is received. If a preparation time end signal CF is received (Yes in S138), the cumulative operation management unit 24 proceeds to step S134 and resumes measurement of the cumulative operation processing time ΣTp. In either case, if a processing end signal PF is received (Yes in S136 or Yes in S140), the cumulative operation management unit 24 returns to the beginning of the flow (i.e., step S130) and waits until a processing start signal PS is received.

[0083] Next, an example of cycle time calculation by the cycle time calculation device 10 shown in Fig. 6 will be described. Fig. 14 is an image diagram showing how the cycle time Tc of the cycle shown in Fig. 2 is calculated by the cycle time calculation device 10 shown in Fig. 6.

[0084] In Fig. 14, area A1 shows the progress of each process. In area A1, the gray band shows preparation processing. Also, in area A1, the white band shows operation processing to which speed-up has been applied, and the cross-hatched band shows operation processing to which speed-up has not been applied.

[0085] 14, area A2 shows how elapsed time is measured in each of the processing units 18, 20 and the management units 22, 24. In area A2, the time continued in each of the processing units 18, 20 and the management units 22, 24 is shown by bars. Of these times, the bars corresponding to the measurement times to which speed-up is applied are three times higher than the bars corresponding to the measurement times to which speed-up is not applied.

[0086] As shown in Fig. 14, the resource preparation processing unit 18 and the cumulative preparation management unit 22 measure the time from when they receive the processing start signal PS until when they receive the processing end signal PF without speeding up. Also, the resource operation processing unit 20 measures the time from when they receive the processing start signal PS until when they receive the processing end signal PF. However, if a preparation time start signal CS is received during this time, the elapsed time until when they receive the preparation time end signal CF is measured as the resource preparation processing time Tr, that is, the time without speeding up. Also, if the cumulative operation management unit 24 receives a preparation time start signal CS during the time from when they receive the processing start signal PS until when they receive the corresponding processing end signal PF, they interrupt the measurement of the cumulative operation processing time ΣTp.

[0087] 14, the process control unit 12 transmits a processing start signal PS to the first resource preparation processing unit 18_1, the second resource operation processing unit 20_2, the cumulative preparation management unit 22, and the cumulative operation management unit 24. In addition, the processing switching unit 14 transmits a preparation time start signal CS to the second resource operation processing unit 20_2 and the cumulative operation management unit 24.

[0088] In this case, the first resource preparation processing unit 18_1 and the cumulative preparation management unit 22 measure the elapsed time until receiving a processing end signal PF. Moreover, the second resource operation processing unit 20_2 measures the elapsed time as a resource preparation processing time Tr to which speed-up is not applied. Then, when the second resource operation processing unit 20_2 receives a preparation time end signal CF at time t4, it measures the elapsed time as a resource operation processing time Tp to which speed-up is applied. Moreover, the cumulative operation management unit 24 suspends measurement of the cumulative operation processing time ΣTp from time t3 when the preparation time start signal CS is received to time t4 when the preparation time end signal CF is received.

[0089] 14, the second resource operation processing unit 20_2 receives the preparation time start signal CS and therefore measures the elapsed time as the resource preparation processing time Tr to which the speed-up is not applied. The cumulative operation management unit 24 suspends measurement of the cumulative operation processing time ΣTp from time t5 when the preparation time start signal CS is received to time t6 when the preparation time end signal CF is received.

[0090] With this configuration, at time t7 when process IV ends, process VI in which the workpiece is machined by the processing machine continues. Therefore, process I starts after process IV. In other words, unlike the case of FIG. 15, process III in which the workpiece is removed from the processing machine does not start after process IV. As a result, according to this example, although speed-up is applied to some processes, the execution order of the processes is the same as the actual cycle shown in FIG. 2. As a result, according to this example, the time required to calculate the cycle time Tc can be shortened, while the cycle time Tc can be accurately calculated.

[0091] In addition, when paying attention to time t5 to t10 in FIG. 14, the cumulative operation management unit 24 receives the processing start signal PS at time t5, t6, and t8, respectively, and then receives the processing end signal PF at time t7, t9, and t10, respectively. In such a case, if the control flow of FIG. 13 is applied as it is, the cumulative operation management unit 24 ends the measurement of the cumulative operation processing time ΣTp at time t7 when the processing end signal PF is first received. However, as is clear from FIG. 14, the cumulative operation processing time ΣTp needs to continue until time t10 when the third processing end signal PF is received. Therefore, the cumulative operation management unit 24 may have a counter that counts up when the processing start signal PS is received and counts down when the processing end signal PF is received. The cumulative operation management unit 24 may start measuring the cumulative operation processing time ΣTp when the count value of the counter changes from 0 to 1, and end the measurement of the cumulative operation processing time ΣTp when the count value changes from 1 to 0. With this configuration, the cumulative operation processing time ΣTp can be measured more accurately.

[0092] Furthermore, the configurations described so far are all merely examples, and other configurations may be changed as appropriate as long as they include the configuration described in claim 1. For example, in the above description, the resource operation processing unit 20 measures the elapsed time during the period when any of the resource preparation processing units 18 is operating as real time (i.e., as the resource preparation processing time Tr). However, the resource operation processing unit 20 may temporarily suspend measurement of the elapsed time during the period when any of the resource preparation processing units 18 is operating.

[0093] For example, the resource operation processing unit 20 may always measure the elapsed time as the resource operation processing time Tp. After receiving the preparation time start signal CS, the resource operation processing unit 20 may temporarily suspend the measurement of the elapsed time (i.e., the measurement of the resource operation processing time Tp) until receiving the preparation time end signal CF. In this case, the resource operation processing unit 20 has only one timer 40, and when the value obtained by multiplying the resource operation processing time Tp by the specified speed-up factor K reaches the specified resource operation set time Tp*, it is determined that the operation processing is completed. With such a configuration, although some error occurs, it is possible to calculate a cycle time Tc with a certain degree of accuracy with a simple configuration. In addition, in the above description, the work resources 110 and, in turn, the resource processing unit 17 are described as being two, but more work resources 110 and more resource processing units 17 may be provided.

[0094] 6, the resource operation processing time Tp is calculated by adding the control period Δt for each control period, and the resource operation shaping time Tpa is calculated by adding the resource operation processing time Tp multiplied by the speed-up factor K to the resource preparation processing time Tr. In this case, depending on the values ​​of the control period Δt and the speed-up factor K, the resource operation shaping time Tpa may exceed the resource operation setting time Tp*.

[0095] Regarding this, it will be described with reference to FIG. 19. FIG. 19 is an image diagram showing a case where the resource operation shaping time Tpa exceeds the resource operation setting time Tp*. In FIG. 19, for the sake of explanation, it is assumed that the resource preparation processing time Tr does not occur. FIG. 19 shows a case where the resource operation shaping time Tpa of an operation with a resource operation setting time Tp* = 5000 msec = 5 sec is counted with a control cycle Δt = 4 msec and an acceleration ratio K = 1000. In this case, the resource operation processing unit 20 counts the resource operation processing time Tp at the timing when the control cycle Δt = 4 msec has elapsed (that is, Tp = Δt), and the resource operation shaping time Tpa is Tpa = Tp × K = Δt × K = 4000 msec. At this point, since Tpa < Tp*, the resource operation processing unit 20 advances the timer 40 for one control cycle (that is, Δt = 4 msec), and the resource operation processing time Tp becomes Tp = Tp + Δt = 2 × Δt. As a result, at the timing t2, the resource operation processing unit 20 counts the resource operation shaping time Tpa as Tpa = Tp × K = 2 × Δt × K = 8000 msec. As a result, the resource operation shaping time Tpa that should originally be counted as 5 sec is counted as 8 sec, and an error of 3 sec occurs.

[0096] FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram showing a part of the cycle time calculation device 10 for solving such problems. The cycle time calculation device 10 in FIG. 16 has a process control unit 12, a process switching unit 14, and a cell internal state management unit 16, similar to the cycle time calculation device 10 in FIG. 6. However, in FIG. 16, these illustrations are omitted.

[0097] In addition, the cycle time calculation device 10 in FIG. 16 is basically the same as the configuration and processing of the cycle time calculation device 10 in FIG. 6, except for the configuration and processing related to the overtime To described later. Therefore, below, mainly the configuration and processing related to the overtime To will be described, and other descriptions will be omitted.

[0098] 16, the resource operation processing unit 20 has an overtime calculation unit 50 that compares the resource operation setting time Tp* with the resource operation shaping time Tpa and calculates the difference between them as the overtime To. Then, the resource operation processing unit 20 outputs the calculated overtime To to an accumulated overtime management unit 52.

[0099] The accumulated overtime management unit 52 calculates the accumulated overtime ΣTo by accumulating the input overtime To. When the overtime To is input from a plurality of resource operation processing units 20 at the same time, the maximum value of the plurality of overtime To is added to the accumulated overtime ΣTo.

[0100] The cycle time calculation unit 26 calculates the cycle time Tc by subtracting the accumulated overtime ΣTo from the sum of the accumulated operation processing time ΣTp multiplied by the speed-up factor K and the accumulated preparation processing time ΣTr. Therefore, Tc=K×ΣTp+ΣTr-ΣTo.

[0101] Next, a description will be given of the processing of the resource operation processing unit 20 and the accumulated overtime management unit 52. Fig. 17 is a flowchart showing the latter half of the processing of the resource operation processing unit 20. Note that the processing upstream of step S200 is the same as steps S108 to S124 in Fig. 12, so the description here and illustration in Fig. 17 will be omitted.

[0102] 17, the resource operation processing unit 20 ends the measurement by the timer 40 when Tpa≧Tp* is established (Yes in S116). Next, the resource operation processing unit 20 calculates the value obtained by subtracting the resource operation setting time Tp* from the resource operation shaping time Tpa as the overtime To (S200). Of course, when Tpa=Tp*, To=0.

[0103] The resource operation processing unit 20 initializes Tp, Tr, and Tpa (S126), and then outputs a completion signal Fs to the intra-cell state management unit 16 (S128). Furthermore, the resource operation processing unit 20 outputs the calculated overtime To to the accumulated overtime management unit 52 (S202).

[0104] Next, the processing of the accumulated overtime management unit 52 will be described with reference to Fig. 18. The accumulated overtime management unit 52 waits for processing until overtime To is input from the resource operation processing unit 20 (S210). When the accumulated overtime management unit 52 receives n overtimes To from n resource operation processing units 20 (n is a natural number equal to or greater than 1) (Yes in S210), it specifies the maximum value of these multiple overtimes To as a representative value To# (S212). Then, the accumulated overtime management unit 52 calculates a value obtained by adding the specified representative value To# to the accumulated overtime ΣTo as a new accumulated overtime ΣTo (S214). Thereafter, the same processing is repeated.

[0105] As is clear from the above explanation, according to the cycle time calculation device 10 of FIG. 16, the portion of the resource operation shaping time Tpa that exceeds the resource operation setting time Tp* due to the speed-up processing is calculated as the overtime To. In addition, the cumulative operation processing time ΣTp is multiplied by the speed-up factor K and the cumulative preparation processing time ΣTr are added together to calculate the cycle time Tc by subtracting the calculated cumulative overtime ΣTo from this added value. This makes it possible to calculate the cycle time more accurately. In the above example, the operation processing time and the preparation processing time are measured separately. However, the process related to the overtime To can also be applied to a device that measures the operation processing time and the preparation processing time without separating them, such as the cycle time calculation device 10 of FIG. 3.

[0106] Also, in order to remove the influence of the overtime To, the overtime To may not be generated instead of being measured. For example, in the process flow of FIG. 12, the speed-up process continues until the timing when the resource operation shaping time Tpa becomes equal to or greater than the resource operation setting time Tp*, that is, the timing tt when S116 becomes Yes. However, the speed-up process may be terminated one cycle before this timing tt. That is, the process may transition to step S126 when Tpa>(Tp*-Δt×K), and thereafter the actual elapsed time may be added to the resource operation shaping time Tpa. Also, when at least one resource operation processing unit 20 has terminated the speed-up process, the other resource operation processing units 20 also temporarily suspend the speed-up process.

[0107] With this configuration, it takes time to calculate the cycle time because the high-speed processing is terminated one cycle before, but the cycle time can be calculated more accurately because the processes proceed in the same order as the actual execution order. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 10 cycle time calculation device, 12 process control unit, 14 processing switching unit, 16 cell internal state management unit, 17 resource processing unit, 18 resource preparation processing unit, 20 resource operation processing unit, 21 accumulation management unit, 22 accumulation preparation management unit, 24 accumulation operation management unit, 26 cycle time calculation unit, 30 processor, 32 memory, 34 communication I / F, 36 UI device, 40 timer, 50 overtime calculation unit, 52 accumulated overtime management unit, 100 machining cell, 106 work pallet, 108 change table, 110 work resource.

Claims

1. A cycle time calculation device, A processor and a memory, the processor comprising: a plurality of resource processing units each provided corresponding to a plurality of work resources constituting the processing cell, each of which virtually judges the progress of a process in a corresponding work resource based on an elapsed time from receiving an instruction to start the process, and outputs a result of the judgment as a resource state; a process control unit that dynamically determines operation start timings of the plurality of work resources based on a sequence program designated by an operator and the resource states of the plurality of resource processing units, and instructs the resource processing units to start processing according to the determination results; a cumulative management unit that measures the time during which the resource state of at least one resource processing unit is in operation; a cycle time calculation unit that calculates a cycle time, which is a time required to actually execute the machining according to the sequence program, based on the measurement result by the cumulative management unit; A cycle time calculation device configured to function as a

2. 2. The cycle time calculation device according to claim 1, the resource processing unit calculates a processing time based on an elapsed time from receiving the instruction to start the processing, and when the processing time reaches a prescribed resource setting time, determines that the processing in the corresponding work resource is completed. A cycle time calculation device comprising:

3. 3. The cycle time calculation device according to claim 2, the resource processing unit calculates, as the processing time, a value obtained by multiplying all or a part of the elapsed time from when the instruction to start the processing is received by a specified speed-up factor and adding the result to the remaining time of the elapsed time from when the instruction to start the processing is received; the cycle time calculation unit calculates, as the cycle time, a value obtained by multiplying all or a part of the time measured by the accumulation management unit by the speed-up factor and adding the result to the remaining time of the measurement. A cycle time calculation device comprising:

4. 3. The cycle time calculation device according to claim 2, The resource processing unit includes: a resource preparation processing unit that virtually determines a progress of preparation processing in the corresponding work resource; a resource operation processing unit that virtually determines a progress of an operation process that the corresponding work resource executes after the preparation process; Including, the resource preparation processing unit measures a time that has elapsed since the instruction to start the processing is received as a resource preparation processing time, and when the resource preparation processing time reaches a predefined resource preparation setting time, determines that the preparation processing has been completed; the resource operation processing unit measures the elapsed time from when the instruction to start the processing is received, by dividing it into a resource operation processing time and the resource preparation processing time, and determines that the operation processing has ended when a resource operation shaping time, which is the sum of a value obtained by multiplying the resource operation processing time by a specified speed-up factor and the resource preparation processing time, reaches a specified resource operation setting time; the cumulative management unit measures a time during which at least one of the resource operation processing units measures the resource operation processing time as a cumulative operation processing time, and measures a time during which at least one of the resource preparation processing units measures the resource preparation processing time as a cumulative preparation processing time, the cycle time calculation unit calculates, as the cycle time, a sum of a value obtained by multiplying the cumulative operation processing time by the speed-up factor and the cumulative preparation processing time. A cycle time calculation device comprising:

5. The cycle time calculation device according to claim 4, The processor is further configured to function as a process switching unit, When the resource state of at least one of the resource preparation processing units is in operation, the processing switching unit instructs the currently operating resource operation processing unit to measure the elapsed time from when the instruction to start the processing is received as the resource preparation processing time, and instructs the accumulation management unit to temporarily suspend measurement of the accumulated operation processing time. A cycle time calculation device comprising:

6. 3. The cycle time calculation device according to claim 2, The resource processing unit includes: a resource preparation processing unit that virtually determines a progress of preparation processing in the corresponding work resource; a resource operation processing unit that virtually determines a progress of an operation process that the corresponding work resource executes after the preparation process; Including, the resource preparation processing unit measures a time that has elapsed since the instruction to start the processing is received as a resource preparation processing time, and when the resource preparation processing time reaches a predefined resource preparation setting time, determines that the preparation processing has been completed; the resource operation processing unit measures the elapsed time from when the instruction to start the processing is received as a resource operation processing time, and determines that the operation processing has ended when a value obtained by multiplying the resource operation processing time by a prescribed speed-up factor reaches a prescribed resource operation setting time; The accumulation management unit includes: a cumulative preparation management unit that measures the time during which at least one of the resource preparation processing units measures the resource preparation processing time as a cumulative preparation processing time; a cumulative operation management unit that measures a time during which at least one of the resource operation processing units measures the resource operation processing time as a cumulative operation processing time; Including, the cycle time calculation unit calculates, as the cycle time, a sum of a value obtained by multiplying the cumulative operation processing time by the speed-up factor and the cumulative preparation processing time; the resource operation processing unit suspends measurement of the resource operation processing time and the accumulated operation processing time during a period in which at least one of the resource preparation processing units is measuring the resource preparation processing time; A cycle time calculation device comprising:

7. A cycle time calculation device, A processor and a memory, the processor comprising: a plurality of resource processing units each provided corresponding to a plurality of work resources constituting the processing cell, each of which virtually judges the progress of a process in a corresponding work resource based on an elapsed time from receiving an instruction to start the process, and outputs a result of the judgment as a resource state; a process control unit that dynamically determines operation start timings of the plurality of work resources based on a sequence program designated by an operator and the resource states of the plurality of resource processing units, and instructs the resource processing units to start processing according to the determination results; a cumulative management unit that measures the time during which the resource state of at least one resource processing unit is in operation; a cycle time calculation unit that calculates a cycle time, which is a time required to actually execute the machining according to the sequence program, based on the measurement result by the cumulative management unit; It is configured to function as the resource processing unit calculates, as the processing time, a value obtained by multiplying all or a part of the elapsed time from when the instruction to start the processing is received by a specified speed-up factor and adding the result to the remaining time of the elapsed time from when the instruction to start the processing is received, and further calculates, as an overtime, a value obtained by subtracting a predefined resource operation setting time from the processing time; the cycle time calculation unit calculates, as the cycle time, a value obtained by subtracting the accumulated value of the overtime from the accumulated value of the processing time. A cycle time calculation device comprising:

8. A cycle time calculation device, A processor and a memory, the processor comprising: a plurality of resource processing units each provided corresponding to a plurality of work resources constituting the processing cell, each of which virtually judges the progress of a process in a corresponding work resource based on an elapsed time from receiving an instruction to start the process, and outputs a result of the judgment as a resource state; a process control unit that dynamically determines operation start timings of the plurality of work resources based on a sequence program designated by an operator and the resource states of the plurality of resource processing units, and instructs the resource processing units to start processing according to the determination results; a cumulative management unit that measures the time during which the resource state of at least one resource processing unit is in operation; a cycle time calculation unit that calculates a cycle time, which is a time required to actually execute the machining according to the sequence program, based on the measurement result by the cumulative management unit; It is configured to function as the resource processing unit calculates, as the processing time, a value obtained by multiplying all or a part of the elapsed time from when the instruction to start the processing is received by a specified speed-up factor and adding the result to the remaining time of the elapsed time from when the instruction to start the processing is received; the resource processing unit terminates the process of multiplying all or a part of the elapsed time by the speed-up factor when a difference between a predefined resource operation set time and the processing time becomes less than a value obtained by multiplying the speed-up factor by a control period, and thereafter adds an actual elapsed time to the processing time until the processing time becomes the resource operation set time. A cycle time calculation device comprising:

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