Cable status management system

Abstract

To provide a cable state management system that can surely manage the breakage progress state of a cable and can efficiently suppress failures of a device caused by a defect of the cable.SOLUTION: A cable state management system 1 includes: a main data management device 120 which targets at least a partial cable in multiple cables routed in each of multiple management object devices 110 as a management object cable 2, and acquires main data for estimating the breakage progress state of the management object cable 2; and a cable state management device 400 which estimates the breakage progress state of the management object cable 2 on the basis of the main data acquired by the main data management device 120. The management object cable 2 has a conductor 21a consisting of twisted conductors obtained by twisting multiple metal strands. The cable state management device 400 is configured to be able to communicate with the main data management device 120 through the network.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cable condition management system.

Background Art

[0002] In industrial robots installed on production lines in factories, etc., regular maintenance (hereinafter referred to as regular maintenance) is performed to prevent the production line from stopping due to sudden failures (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In industrial robots, cables are routed so as to pass through joints which are movable parts. In such cables, since they are repeatedly bent and twisted at the movable parts, the integrity of the cables, that is, the progress state of disconnection in the cables, is inspected during maintenance. The progress state of disconnection in the cables can be determined, for example, by measuring the conductor resistance of the cables.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, it was not possible to know the progress state of disconnection of the cable in an actual machine.

[0006] By managing the progress state of disconnection of the cable, for example, safety measures such as appropriately prompting cable replacement according to the progress state of disconnection can be taken, and failures caused by cable defects can be efficiently suppressed.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a cable state management system that can manage the progress state of cable disconnection and efficiently suppress failures caused by cable defects.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The present invention aims to solve the above problems. At least, some of the plurality of cables wired to each of the plurality of devices to be managed are defined as cables to be managed. A main data management device acquires main data for estimating the progress state of disconnection of the cables to be managed. A cable state management device estimates the progress state of disconnection of the cables to be managed based on the main data acquired by the main data management device. The cables to be managed are cables having a conductor composed of a stranded conductor formed by stranding a plurality of metal strands. The cable state management device is configured to be able to communicate with the main data management device via a network, and the input destination of the main data is only the main data management device. The cable state management device acquires the main data from the main data management device at an appropriately set timing and then estimates the progress state of disconnection of the cables to be managed, thereby providing a cable state management system.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cable state management system that can manage the progress state of cable disconnection and efficiently suppress failures caused by cable defects.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] [Embodiment] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cable state management system according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the cable state management system 1 is a system that manages the disconnection progress state of a cable 2 used as wiring for a device to be managed.

[0013] Here, the case where the device (= device to be managed) for wiring the cable 2 is an industrial robot 110 will be described. The industrial robot 110 is provided in a factory or the like and is used in an arbitrary manufacturing process, and has a plurality of joint parts 111 as movable parts. Hereinafter, the user using the industrial robot 110 is referred to as a robot user (corresponding to the device user of the present invention), the manufacturer manufacturing the industrial robot 110 is referred to as a robot manufacturer (corresponding to the device manufacturer of the present invention), and the manufacturer manufacturing the cable 2 is referred to as a cable manufacturer.

[0014] (Cable 2) Cable 2 is a cable (= cable to be managed) that manages the disconnection progress state, and is a cable for a movable part wired to pass through a joint part 111 which is a movable part of the industrial robot 110. When the joint part 111 which is a movable part is operated, bending and twisting according to the operation of the joint part 111 are applied to Cable 2. Cable 2 is used, for example, as a power supply line for supplying power to a motor or the like that drives the joint part 111 of the industrial robot 110, or a signal line for a camera or sensor (not shown) provided in the industrial robot 110.

[0015] Note that there is at least one Cable 2, and there may be a plurality of them. In the case of a plurality of Cables 2, all of the Cables 2 may be set as the cables to be managed, or some of the plurality of Cables 2 may be set as the cables to be managed. Regarding the latter "some of the plurality of Cables 2", several (including one) Cables 2 that are considered to be easily disconnected may be selected from the plurality of Cables 2. By configuring in this way, the cables to be managed can be minimized, and the load on the system of the cable state management system 1 can be reduced.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cable 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the cable 2 includes, for example, four electric wires 21 and a holding tape 24 wound helically around a cable core 23 formed by twisting the four electric wires 21 and a filamentous intervening member 22 made of a spun yarn, a jute yarn, or the like. The cable 2 also includes a sheath 25 covering the periphery of the holding tape 24. Each electric wire 21 includes a conductor 21a formed of a stranded conductor obtained by twisting a plurality of metal strands made of copper or a copper alloy, and an insulator 21b covering the periphery of the conductor 21a. Note that the structure shown in FIG. 2 is merely an example, and the specific structure of the cable 2, such as the number of electric wires 21, is not particularly limited. That is, the number of electric wires 21 may be one, several, or dozens or more. When there is one electric wire 21, the intervening member 22, the holding tape 24, and the sheath 25 are often eliminated. In this case, the cable 2 and the electric wire 21 represent the same thing.

[0017] (Method for estimating the disconnection progress state of the cable 2) In the present embodiment, a method for estimating the disconnection progress state of the cable 2 will be described. When the cable 2 is repeatedly bent (or twisted), a disconnection occurs in any one of the plurality of metal strands constituting the conductor 21a. Then, when the operation of repeatedly bending (or twisting) the cable 2 is continued, the number of broken metal strands gradually increases. The "disconnection progress state of the cable 2" as used in this specification refers to the disconnection ratio indicating to what extent the plurality of metal strands constituting the conductor 21a are disconnected, that is, the number of broken metal strands among the plurality of metal strands constituting the conductor 21a. Note that the disconnection progress state of the cable 2 may also be indicated by the ratio (%) of the number of broken metal strands to the total number of all the plurality of metal strands.

[0018] The progress of the disconnection of such a cable 2 can be estimated, for example, by measuring the resistance value of the conductor 21a of the cable 2. However, when the number of broken strands of the metal wire constituting the conductor 21a is small, the variation in the resistance value is very small, so the influence of noise according to the environmental temperature and the operating conditions of surrounding devices (such as a servo motor) becomes large. It may be difficult to accurately determine the progress of the disconnection of the cable 2 simply by measuring the resistance value of the conductor 21a.

[0019] Here, as shown in FIG. 3, consider the case where the cable 2 is repeatedly bent at a cycle of 1 second with the bending angle being plus or minus 90°. In this case, the frequency at which the repetitive operation is performed (hereinafter referred to as the operating frequency) is 1 Hz.

[0020] When the cable 2 is repeatedly bent, the interval between the disconnection points (reference numeral 21c in the figure) of the metal wires of the conductor 21a is periodically deformed according to the bending, and accordingly, the resistance value of the conductor 21a fluctuates periodically. At this time, the resistance value of the conductor 21a fluctuates at a frequency equal to the operating frequency. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, detect the time-series change in the resistance value of the conductor 21a when the cable 2 is periodically and repeatedly operated, extract the resistance value fluctuation component of the operating frequency in the detected resistance value data (hereinafter referred to as resistance value data), and based on the magnitude of the extracted resistance value fluctuation component (the amplitude of the resistance value fluctuation in FIG. 4 described later), it becomes possible to estimate whether a disconnection has occurred in the metal wires of the conductor 21a of the cable 2. Note that this estimation method is detailed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-164272 filed by the present applicant.

[0021] When the present inventors further investigated, it was confirmed that as the disconnection of the plurality of metal wires constituting the conductor 21a progresses and the number of broken metal wires increases, in the above resistance value data, the resistance value fluctuation component also increases at a higher frequency that is n times the operating frequency (n is a natural number of 2 or more) in the same manner as the operating frequency. Then, the present inventors found that the change in this frequency spectrum can be used as an index of the progress of the disconnection state.

[0022] As an example, Fig. 4(a) shows the magnitude of the resistance value fluctuation component when the bending is repeated with an operating frequency of 1 Hz and the change in the magnitude of the resistance value fluctuation components of its higher-order frequencies (2 Hz, 3 Hz, 4 Hz, ···). Also, an enlarged view of region A in Fig. 4(a) is shown in Fig. 4(b). In the examples of Figs. 4(a) and 4(b), when the number of bending cycles is about 5000 and the magnitude of the resistance value fluctuation component (amplitude of resistance value fluctuation) at the operating frequency of 1 Hz becomes rapidly large, it can be determined that an initial disconnection has occurred. Also, as shown by the broken line B, when the number of bending cycles increases and the number of broken metal wires constituting the conductor 21a increases, and disconnections occur at multiple locations in the bent portion of the cable 2, resistance value fluctuation components of higher-order frequencies gradually occur from lower-order to higher-order in proportion to the number of broken wires, and the magnitude of those resistance value fluctuation components increases. Therefore, by extracting the magnitude of the resistance value fluctuation component of each higher-order frequency of the operating frequency and comparing the magnitude of each extracted resistance value fluctuation component of the higher-order frequency with a preset threshold value respectively, and extracting the order of the frequency exceeding the threshold value, it is possible to estimate the progress state of the disconnection of the cable 2 (that is, to grasp the number of broken metal wires among the plurality of metal wires constituting the conductor 21a).

[0023] When applying to the cable 2 wired to the industrial robot 110, first, measure the time-series change in the resistance value of the conductor 21a when the joint portion 111 as a movable part is periodically and repeatedly bent (or twisted), and acquire it as resistance value data. At this time, it is also possible to acquire the resistance value data of the conductor 21a of all the electric wires 21 included in the cable 2, or it is also possible to acquire the resistance value data of the conductor 21a of a specific electric wire 21 (for example, 1 electric wire 21 out of 4). Furthermore, a disconnection detection wire (or dummy wire) for estimating the progress state of the disconnection may be provided in the cable 2, and the resistance value data of the conductor constituting this disconnection detection wire may be acquired.

[0024] Thereafter, the resistance value variation component of the operating frequency and the resistance value variation component of its higher order frequency in the obtained resistance value data are extracted, and based on the magnitudes of these extracted resistance value variation components, the disconnection progress state of the cable 2 is estimated. Note that the specific method for estimating the disconnection progress state of the cable 2 is not limited to the method using the frequency spectrum described above. For example, it is also possible to use a method of simply measuring the resistance value of the conductor 21a.

[0025] (Robot User Site 100) Returning to FIG. 1, the cable state management system 1 is configured to be communicably connected to a robot user site 100 belonging to a robot user, a robot manufacturer site 200 belonging to a robot manufacturer, a cable manufacturer site 300 belonging to a cable manufacturer, and a cable state management device 400 described later via a network 500 such as the Internet.

[0026] The robot user site 100 includes a plurality of industrial robots 110, a user-side data management device (corresponding to the device user-side data management device of the present invention) 120, a user terminal 130, and a user mobile terminal 140. Each of the plurality of industrial robots 110 has a robot control device (robot controller) 112 as a control device for controlling the operation of each joint portion 111 of the industrial robot 110. The robot control device 112 is configured by appropriately combining arithmetic elements such as a CPU, memories such as a RAM and a ROM, software, an interface, and the like.

[0027] In the present embodiment, a resistance value detection unit 150 is mounted on the robot control device 112. The resistance value detection unit 150 detects the time-series change in the resistance value of the conductor 21a when the movable part (here, the joint part 111) is periodically and repeatedly operated. The robot control device 112 has a function of periodically and repeatedly operating the movable part (here, the joint part 111) of the industrial robot 110 according to a preset inspection operation sequence during regular maintenance or the like.

[0028] In this embodiment, the resistance value detection unit 150 is mounted on the robot control device 112 associated with the industrial robot 110. However, the resistance value detection unit 150 may be mounted on the internal board or the like of the industrial robot 110, and the resistance value detection unit 150 only needs to be configured to be able to output the detected resistance value data to the user-side data management device 120. By mounting the resistance value detection unit 150 on the robot control device 112 (or the industrial robot 110 itself), operations such as taking out the terminal portion of the cable 2 and measuring the resistance value as in the prior art are no longer required, and the workability during regular maintenance and the like is improved. Further, when taking out the terminal portion of the cable 2 as in the prior art, the state becomes strictly different from the state in which the cable 2 is wired to the industrial robot 110. However, according to this embodiment, since the measurement can be performed in the state in which the cable 2 is wired to the industrial robot 110, the measurement can be performed in a state closer to the usage state, and the disconnection progress state and the like described later can be estimated accurately.

[0029] FIG. 5(a) is a circuit diagram showing an example of the resistance value detection unit 150. The resistance value detection unit 150 shown in FIG. 5(a) includes a resistance value measurement unit 150a that measures the resistance value of the conductor 21a of the cable 2, and an A / D converter 157.

[0030] The resistance value measurement unit 150a includes a DC signal source (for example, a DC constant voltage source) 151, an input resistor 152, and a resistance value detector 153. When a DC constant current source is used as the DC signal source 151, the input resistor 152 is unnecessary. The DC signal source 151 applies a DC signal (here, a DC voltage) to the cable 2 via the input resistor 152. In response to this, a modulation signal (for example, a voltage signal) including a resistance value fluctuation component having an operating frequency as shown in FIG. 3 is output from the cable 2. The resistance value detector 153 detects, for example, a time-series change in the resistance value of the conductor 21a by amplifying this modulation signal with a predetermined gain. The time-series change in the resistance value detected by the resistance value detector 153 is output to the A / D converter 157 as an output signal from the resistance value detector 153 and is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 157. The resistance value data, which is the data converted into the digital signal, is output to the user-side data management device 120.

[0031] Note that the specific configuration of the resistance value detection unit 150 is not limited to this and can be changed as appropriate. For example, as shown in FIG. 5(b), a frequency analysis unit 150b may be provided between the resistance value measurement unit 150a and the A / D converter 157.

[0032] The frequency analysis unit 150b is a so-called lock-in amplifier and includes a carrier signal generator 154, a mixer 155, and a low-pass filter 156. As an example, when extracting the resistance value fluctuation component of the operating frequency, the carrier signal generator 154 has, for example, a carrier frequency ωc equal to the operating frequency and generates a carrier signal having the same phase as the fluctuation of the resistance value. The mixer 155 multiplies (in other words, synchronously detects) this carrier signal and the output signal from the resistance value detector 153 to output a signal in which a signal of the DC component and a signal of the 2×ωc component are superimposed. The low-pass filter 156 blocks the signal of the 2×ωc component from the output signal from the mixer 155 and allows only the DC component to pass through. The intensity of this DC component signal represents the magnitude of the resistance value fluctuation component of the operating frequency. In the carrier signal generator 154 shown in FIG. 5, when sin(ωct) is assumed to have ωc = 2πf, the resistance value fluctuation component of the operating frequency can be extracted. By having the frequency analysis unit 150b, the resistance value detection unit 150 can be added with a function of extracting the resistance value fluctuation component of a desired frequency (the resistance value fluctuation component of the operating frequency and the resistance value fluctuation component of its higher-order frequencies (the resistance value fluctuation component of the nth frequency composed of the carrier frequency of n×ωc)), and the frequency analysis process in the disconnection progress state estimation processing unit 405 described later can be omitted.

[0033] Returning to FIG. 1, the user-side data management device 120 is for managing data (= main data) for estimating the disconnection progress state of the cable 2. In the present embodiment, the data (= main data) for estimating the disconnection progress state of the cable 2 corresponds to at least the resistance value data input from the resistance value detection unit 150 and the operation data which is the data of the operation status of each joint portion 111 of the industrial robot 110. The user-side data management device 120 is configured to be able to communicate with a cable state management device 400, which will be described later, via the network 500.

[0034] The user-side data management device 120 includes a control unit 121 that performs input / output processing and the like of each data including the resistance value data and the operation data which are the main data, and a storage unit 122. The user-side data management device 120 is constituted by a computer such as a server device, and is configured by appropriately combining arithmetic elements such as a CPU, memories such as a RAM and a ROM, storage devices such as a hard disk, software, interfaces, and the like.

[0035] During regular maintenance or the like, the control unit 121 acquires resistance value data from the resistance value detection unit 150 mounted on the robot control device 112, acquires operation data from the robot control device 112, and stores it in the pre-update data storage unit 122a of the storage unit 122. Regarding the operation data, it is preferable to obtain the cumulative operation data from the time of acquisition of the previous resistance value data to the time of acquisition of the current resistance value data. The control unit 121 may be configured to obtain operation data based on, for example, control data for controlling the operation of the industrial robot 110 in the robot control device 112. Here, the operation data is acquired from the robot control device 112, but it is not limited to this. For example, a sensor or the like may be provided at the joint portion 111 of the industrial robot 110, and the operation data may be obtained directly from the detection result of the sensor or the like (that is, without passing through the robot control device 112). Further, the operation data includes the number of bending times of each joint portion 111, data on the bending state (data such as bending radius, bending angle, bending speed, etc.), the number of twisting times, data on the twisting state (length of the twisting portion, twisting angle, twisting speed, etc.), and the like. For example, for a joint portion 111 where only bending is performed, the number of twisting times and twisting state data can be omitted, and the items of operation data to be used can be appropriately set according to the specific operations of each joint portion 111.

[0036] Note that the resistance value data and the operation data may be acquired for each joint portion 111 (each movable part) where the cable 2 is wired, or may be acquired at only one location where the operating conditions are the most severe. When acquiring resistance value data for a plurality of joint portions 111, for example, it is also possible to collectively acquire the resistance value data of the plurality of joint portions 111 by varying the operating frequency for each joint portion 111. Details of this point will be described later.

[0037] The pre-update data storage unit 122a stores the main data (resistance value data, operation data, etc.) before the data update process by the cable state management device 400 described later. After the data update process is performed, the control unit 121 transfers the main data (resistance value data, operation data, etc.) stored in the pre-update data storage unit 122a to the post-update data storage unit 122b. The various main data stored in the post-update data storage unit 122b may be subjected to compression processing or the like, or may be configured to appropriately delete the main data after a predetermined period has elapsed. For example, the main data within a predetermined period (for example, a period of several days, several months, or several years) since the main data was transferred to the post-update data storage unit 122b may remain stored in the post-update data storage unit 122b, and the main data for which the predetermined period has elapsed may be configured to be deleted from the post-update data storage unit 122b. In this way, the main data stored for a predetermined period can also be used as backup data for the resistance value data and operation data stored in the cable state storage unit 401 described later.

[0038] Also, after acquiring the resistance value data and operation data, the control unit 121 may be configured to transmit an update signal requesting a data update process to the cable state management device 400. As a result, it becomes possible to quickly perform the data update process by the cable state management device 400 in accordance with the actual data acquisition, and smoother operation becomes possible.

[0039] The user terminal 130 is a terminal device belonging to a robot user, and is configured by, for example, a personal computer. The user terminal 130 is configured to be able to communicate with a cable state management device 400 described later via a network 500. The user terminal 130 may be configured to be able to access disconnection progress state data and cable life prediction data (hereinafter also referred to as life prediction data) described later stored in the cable state storage unit 401 of the cable state management device 400 via the network 500. However, due to the access restriction process of the cable state management device 400 described later, the user terminal 130 can only access the disconnection progress state data and cable life prediction data of the cable 2 related to the robot user to which the user terminal 130 belongs (that is, the cable 2 used in the industrial robot 110 used by the robot user). Note that the disconnection progress state data and cable life prediction data of the cable 2 used in the industrial robot 110 used by the robot user may be transmitted to the user terminal 130 via the robot manufacturer terminal 201 or the cable manufacturer terminal 301. Further, the user terminal 130 may be configured to be able to perform various settings of the user-side data management device 120, and may also be configured to be able to view main data such as resistance value data stored in the storage unit 122.

[0040] The user mobile terminal 140 is a terminal device belonging to the robot user. Similar to the user terminal 130, it may be configured to be able to perform various settings of the user-side data management device 120, and may also be configured to be able to view main data such as resistance value data stored in the storage unit 122. Since the user mobile terminal 140 can be held by an operator who performs regular maintenance, having the user mobile terminal 140 enables on-site confirmation of whether the main data such as the acquired resistance value data is correct. Note that the user mobile terminal 140 is not essential and can be omitted. The user mobile terminal 140 may be configured to access the cable status management device 400 via the user-side data management device 120 or directly via the network 500 to view the disconnection progress status data of the cable 2 and the cable life prediction data belonging to the robot user site 100. Thereby, the operator can timely grasp the disconnection progress status and the cable life of the cable 2 belonging to the robot user site 100, and can smoothly perform replacement of the cable 2 and the like.

[0041] Note that in FIG. 1, illustration is omitted and only one robot user site 100 is shown. Actually, a plurality of robot user sites 100 are connected to the network 500, and the user-side data management device 120 and the user terminal 130 belonging to each robot user site 100 are communicably connected to the cable status management device 400 via the network 500.

[0042] (Robot manufacturer site 200) The robot manufacturer site 200 is a site belonging to a robot manufacturer that manufactures industrial robots 110, and has a robot manufacturer terminal 201. The robot manufacturer terminal 201 is interconnectedly communicably connected to the cable state management device 400 via the network 500, and is configured to be able to access the disconnection progress state data and cable life prediction data stored in the cable state storage unit 401 of the cable state management device 400. However, due to the access restriction process of the cable state management device 400 described later, from the robot manufacturer terminal 201, only the disconnection progress state data and cable life prediction data of the cable 2 related to the industrial robot 110 manufactured by the robot manufacturer to which the robot manufacturer terminal 201 belongs (that is, the cable 2 related to each robot user using the industrial robot 110 manufactured by the robot manufacturer) can be accessed.

[0043] Note that in FIG. 1, the illustration is omitted and only one robot manufacturer site 200 is shown. Actually, a plurality of robot manufacturer sites 200 are connected to the network 500, and the robot manufacturer terminals 201 belonging to each robot manufacturer site 200 are interconnectedly communicably connected to the cable state management device 400 via the network 500. Note that the robot manufacturer terminal 201 corresponds to the device manufacturer terminal of the present invention.

[0044] (Cable manufacturer site 300) The cable manufacturer site 300 is a site belonging to a cable manufacturer that manufactures the cables 2 used in the industrial robots 110, and has a cable manufacturer terminal 301. The cable manufacturer terminal 301 is interconnectedly communicably connected to the cable state management device 400 via the network 500, and is configured to be able to access the disconnection progress state data and cable life prediction data stored in the cable state storage unit 401 of the cable state management device 400.

[0045] In this embodiment, the cable manufacturer terminal 301 is used as the host terminal. Therefore, in the access restriction process of the cable state management device 400 described later, the cable manufacturer terminal 301 is permitted to access the disconnection progress state data of all robot manufacturers and the cable life prediction data. That is, the cable manufacturer terminal 301 can access all the data and all the information stored in the cable state storage unit 401. Further, the cable manufacturer terminal 301 may be configured to be able to perform various settings of the cable state management device 400 and transmit an update signal for executing data acquisition processing.

[0046] (Cable state management device 400) The cable state management device 400 includes a cable state storage unit 401 that stores disconnection progress state data indicating the disconnection progress state of the cable 2, and a control unit 402. The cable state management device 400 is configured by a computer such as a server device, and is configured by appropriately combining arithmetic elements such as a CPU, memories such as a RAM and a ROM, storage devices such as a hard disk, software, interfaces, and the like. Further, the cable state management device 400 may belong to any of the robot user site 100, the robot manufacturer site 200, and the cable manufacturer site 300, but since it is a device substantially managed by the cable manufacturer, it is preferably to belong to the cable manufacturer site 300.

[0047] The control unit 402 of the cable state management device 400 includes a setting processing unit 403, a data acquisition processing unit 404, a disconnection progress state estimation processing unit 405, a cable life prediction processing unit 406, and an access restriction processing unit 407.

[0048] (Setting processing unit 403) The setting processing unit 403 performs various settings for the cable state management device 400. In the setting processing unit 403, for example, it is possible to set information related to various controls, such as the method of data acquisition processing by the data acquisition processing unit 404 and the setting of the acquisition time. Also, in the setting processing unit 403, it is possible to register, update, delete, etc. various information stored in the cable state storage unit 401. Examples of the information stored in the cable state storage unit 401 include the following information. For the input of various information, etc., an input device (not shown) or the cable manufacturer terminal 301 can be used. · Product information of cable 2 (product number, length, outer diameter of conductor, number of stranded wires, etc.) · Information of the industrial robot 110 in which cable 2 is used (model number, identification number and name of the robot manufacturer, etc.) · Information of the robot user (identification number and name, information of the workplace such as location and the usage area of the industrial robot 110, etc.) · Host input information (number of confirmed disconnected wires, presence or absence of abnormal data, etc.) described later

[0049] (Data acquisition processing unit 404) The data acquisition processing unit 404 communicates with the user-side data management device 120 via the network 500, and acquires the resistance value data and operation data stored in the storage unit 122 (pre-update data storage unit 122a) of the user-side data management device 120. The acquired resistance value data and operation data are stored in the cable state storage unit 401 (that is, the database stored in the cable state storage unit 401 is updated). The timing at which the data acquisition processing unit 404 performs the data acquisition processing can be set as appropriate. For example, it may be configured to perform the data acquisition processing at a time set daily. Also, the data acquisition processing unit 404 may be configured to perform the data acquisition processing in a batch when it receives an update signal from the cable manufacturer terminal 301 (for example, perform the data acquisition processing in a batch for all or specified robot users). Further, the data acquisition processing unit 404 may be configured to perform the data acquisition processing individually for each robot user when it receives an update signal from the user-side data management device 120 belonging to each robot user site 100.

[0050] (Disconnection progress state estimation processing unit 405) The disconnection progress state estimation processing unit 405 estimates the disconnection progress state of the cable 2 based on the resistance value data acquired by the data acquisition processing unit 404. In the present embodiment, the disconnection progress state estimation processing unit 405 estimates the disconnection progress state of the cable 2 based at least on the magnitude of the resistance value variation component of the operation frequency in the resistance value data when the frequency at which the joint part 111, which is a movable part, is repeatedly operated periodically is defined as the operation frequency.

[0051] More specifically, the disconnection progress state estimation processing unit 405 first performs a frequency analysis of the resistance value data to perform a frequency analysis process of extracting the resistance value variation component of the operating frequency and the resistance value variation component of the higher-order frequency that is n times the operating frequency. Then, based on the magnitude of the extracted resistance value variation component of the operating frequency and the magnitude of the resistance value variation component of the higher-order frequency that is n times the operating frequency, it is estimated whether a disconnection has occurred in the conductor 21a of the cable 2 and to what extent the metal strands are disconnected. For example, it is estimated that a disconnection has occurred when the magnitude of the resistance value variation component of the operating frequency is greater than the threshold value. Also, for example, by comparing the magnitudes of the resistance value variation components of the higher-order frequencies with the threshold values respectively and checking at what multiple of the operating frequency the magnitude of the resistance value variation component of the higher-order frequency becomes greater than the threshold value, the disconnection progress state is estimated. The disconnection progress state estimation processing unit 405 stores the estimation result in the cable state storage unit 401 as disconnection progress state data.

[0052] In addition, for example, as described above, when the operating frequencies are made different for each joint part 111 in order to collectively acquire the resistance value data for a plurality of joint parts 111, the magnitude of the resistance value variation component (each resistance value variation component of the operating frequency and its higher-order frequencies) corresponding to the operating frequency of each joint part 111 is obtained, and the disconnection progress state at the position of each joint part 111 is estimated based on the magnitude of each obtained resistance value variation component. Note that the specific method for estimating the disconnection progress state by the disconnection progress state estimation processing unit 405 is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to simply measure the resistance value of the conductor 21a and estimate the disconnection progress state of the cable 2 based on the measurement result.

[0053] Regarding the timing at which the disconnection progress state estimation processing unit 405 estimates the disconnection progress state of the cable 2, it can be set as appropriate. For example, after the data acquisition processing unit 404 performs the data acquisition processing (that is, after the database stored in the cable state storage unit 401 is updated), it can be configured to estimate the disconnection progress state of the cable 2 for which the data has been updated.

[0054] Here, the case where the disconnection progress state estimation processing unit 405 is mounted on the cable state management device 400 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the disconnection progress state estimation processing unit 405 may be mounted on the cable manufacturer terminal 301 which is a host terminal. In this case, the disconnection progress state estimation processing unit 405 mounted on the cable manufacturer terminal 301 acquires resistance value data from the cable state management device 400 via the network 500, estimates the disconnection progress state based on the acquired resistance value data, and transmits the disconnection progress state data which is the estimation result to the cable state management device 400 and stores it in the cable state storage unit 401.

[0055] (Cable life prediction processing unit 406) The cable life prediction processing unit 406 performs machine learning based on the operation data acquired by the data acquisition processing unit 404 and the disconnection progress state data estimated by the disconnection progress state estimation processing unit 405, and predicts the life of the cable 2. More specifically, the cable life prediction processing unit 406 includes software such as a learning algorithm for self-learning the correlation of the disconnection progress state data with respect to each parameter (for example, the bending state such as the number of bending times and the bending angle) included in the operation data by machine learning. The learning algorithm is not particularly limited, and a known learning algorithm can be used. For example, so-called deep planning using a neural network having three or more layers can be used. What the cable life prediction processing unit 406 learns corresponds to a model structure representing the correlation between the operation data of the joint part 111 which is a movable part (that is, the bending / twisting condition of the cable 2) and the disconnection progress state of the cable 2.

[0056] Based on the operation data and the disconnection progress state data, the cable life prediction processing unit 406 repeatedly executes learning based on a data set including an explanatory variable (operation data) and an objective variable (disconnection progress state data), and automatically interprets the correlation between the two. At the start of learning, the correlation is unknown, but as learning progresses, the correlation between the objective variable (disconnection progress state data) and the explanatory variable (operation data) is gradually interpreted, and by using the learned model obtained as a result, the correlation between the objective variable (disconnection progress state data) and the explanatory variable (operation data) can be interpreted.

[0057] Then, based on the learned model that is the result of learning, the cable life prediction processing unit 406 predicts the explanatory variable (operation data) at which the objective variable (disconnection progress state data) reaches a preset life setting value (the value of the disconnection progress state data for determining that the conductor 21a has disconnected), and considering the past usage status of the industrial robot 110 (such as the driving frequency of the joint part 111), etc., predicts the time when the life is reached, that is, the cable life. Here, the "cable life" means the time when the disconnection progress state data (the disconnection ratio of the metal strands in the conductor 21a) reaches the disconnection ratio determined as the preset life. The cable life predicted by the cable life prediction processing unit 406 is stored in the cable state storage unit 401 as cable life prediction data.

[0058] Here, the disconnection progress state data (that is, the disconnection ratio of the metal strands in the conductor 21a) is used as the objective variable, but it is not limited to this. As long as it can predict the disconnection of the conductor 21a, for example, the magnitude of a specific frequency component (each resistance value fluctuation component of the operating frequency or its n - fold higher - order frequency) in the resistance value data may be used, or simply the resistance value of the conductor 21a may be used. The "preset cable life" referred to in this specification is set, for example, to a state where the resistance value increase rate of the conductor 21a constituting the cable 2 (the increase rate of the resistance value with respect to the initial resistance value of the conductor 21a) exceeds 20%, and the disconnection progress state at this time (the disconnection ratio of the metal strands in the conductor 21a) is, for example, 80% or more (= the disconnection ratio determined as the life).

[0059] In addition, the "disconnection ratio for determining the service life" used for service life prediction may be set at different ratios for each cable 2, each industrial robot 110, each robot user, or each robot manufacturer. As a result, for example, for an industrial robot 110 that particularly needs to have a large safety margin, it is possible to set a small "disconnection ratio for determining the service life" to make a judgment on the safe side, and it becomes possible to individually set a safety margin for each cable 2 to be managed.

[0060] In addition, in the present embodiment, the case where the cable life prediction processing unit 406 is mounted on the cable state management device 400 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cable life prediction processing unit 406 may be mounted on the cable manufacturer terminal 301 which is a host terminal, similarly to the above-described disconnection progress state estimation processing unit 405. In this case, the cable life prediction processing unit 406 mounted on the cable manufacturer terminal 301 acquires operation data from the cable state management device 400 via the network 500, and acquires disconnection progress state data from a device or the like on which the disconnection progress state estimation processing unit 405 is mounted. Based on the acquired operation data and disconnection progress state data, the cable life is predicted, and the cable life prediction data as a result is transmitted to the cable state management device 400 and stored in the cable state storage unit 401.

[0061] (Access restriction processing unit 407) In the cable state management system 1 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of user terminals 130, a plurality of robot manufacturer terminals 201, and a cable manufacturer terminal 301 are configured to be able to access the disconnection progress state data and cable life prediction data stored in the cable state storage unit 401. However, for example, it may be a problem for an arbitrary robot manufacturer to disclose technical data of an industrial robot 110 related to another robot manufacturer. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the access restriction processing unit 407 sets different access levels for robot users, robot manufacturers, and cable manufacturers, respectively, and is configured to suppress access to unnecessary data.

[0062] More specifically, the access restriction processing unit 407 performs access restriction on each robot manufacturer terminal 201 so that it can access only the disconnection progress state data and cable life prediction data of the cable 2 related to the industrial robot 110 manufactured by the robot manufacturer to which the robot manufacturer terminal 201 belongs. Further, the access restriction processing unit 407 performs access restriction on each user terminal 130 so that it can access only the disconnection progress state data and cable life prediction data of the cable 2 related to the industrial robot 110 used by the robot user to which the user terminal 130 belongs.

[0063] And the access restriction processing unit 407 does not perform access restriction on the cable manufacturer terminal 301. That is, the access restriction processing unit 407 permits access to the disconnection progress state data and cable life prediction data of all robot manufacturers for the cable manufacturer terminal 301.

[0064] The access restriction processing unit 407 may identify whether the access source is a user terminal 130 belonging to which robot user, or a robot manufacturer terminal 201 belonging to which robot manufacturer, or a cable manufacturer terminal 301 by the IP address. Also, when accessing the cable state management device 400, it may be configured to request input of an ID and a password, and identify the access source from the input ID. Based on the identified access source, when the access source is a robot user (user terminal 130), the access restriction processing unit 407 makes it possible to access only the information related to the robot user, when the access source is a robot manufacturer (robot manufacturer terminal 201), it makes it possible to access only the information related to the robot manufacturer, and when the access source is a cable manufacturer (cable manufacturer terminal 301), it enables access to all information. The access restriction processing unit 407 is configured to extract accessible information according to, for example, the information (name, identification number, etc.) of the robot user and the information (name, identification number, etc.) of the robot manufacturer in the cable state database DB described later, and provide it to the access source.

[0065] (Other elements in the cable state management device 400) Although not shown, when the estimated disconnection progress state data of the cable 2 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the cable state management device 400 may have a warning unit that issues a warning to at least one of the robot user using the cable 2, the robot manufacturer of the manufacturer, and the cable manufacturer. The warning unit issues a warning, for example, by transmitting a warning signal to the user terminal 130, the robot manufacturer terminal 201, and the cable manufacturer terminal 301, or by sending an email to a pre-registered email address. The warning unit may be configured to issue a warning when the period from now until the predicted life of the cable 2 is equal to or less than a predetermined number of days.

[0066] Further, the cable state management device 400 may further include an encrypted communication processing unit that encrypts the communication between the cable state management device 400 and each of the terminals 130, 201, and 301. The encrypted communication processing unit performs encryption processing that can be encoded and decoded only by, for example, the robot user, the robot manufacturer, and the cable manufacturer.

[0067] Based on the disconnection progress state data and the cable life prediction data, when the cable state management device 400 replaces the management target cable (here, the cable 2) wired to the management target device (here, the industrial robot 110) with a new management target cable, the cable state management device 400 may have a reset processing unit for performing a reset process for storing in the cable state storage unit 401 that the management target cable wired to the management target device has been replaced. In the reset processing unit, at least when the management target cable wired to the management target device is replaced with a new management target cable, the cable state storage unit 401 stores, as exchange information, that the management target cable wired to the management target device has been replaced.

[0068] In the reset process, it is advisable to keep the data related to each management target cable that was wired to the device under management before replacement as old data without deleting it from the cable state storage unit 401. By keeping the old data stored in the cable state storage unit 401, it can be used for machine learning and the like to obtain the disconnection progress state data and cable life prediction data of the management target cable newly wired to the device under management or other management target cables already wired to the device under management.

[0069] After the reset process is performed by the reset processing unit, it is advisable to perform setting processing for the management target cable newly wired to the device under management.

[0070] (Cable State Database DB) In the cable state storage unit 401, various data for all cables 2 to be managed in terms of cable state are integrated and stored in one database. Hereinafter, this database is referred to as the cable state database DB. An example of the cable state database DB is shown in FIG. 6.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 6, the cable state database DB is a database that stores data for all cables 2 to be managed in terms of cable state, and includes robot information, user information, cable information, operation data, resistance value data, disconnection progress state data, cable life prediction data, host terminal input information, data update date, and the like.

[0072] The robot information is information about the industrial robot 110 to which the cable 2 is applied, and includes information about the robot manufacturer (name, identification number, etc.) and the model number of the industrial robot 110. The user information is information about the robot user who uses the industrial robot 110, and includes information about the robot user (name, identification number, etc.), information about the workplace where the industrial robot 110 is used (location, usage area, etc.), and the like.

[0073] The cable information is about the cables wired to the industrial robot 110 (= the device to be managed), which is the information of the cable 2 (= the cable to be managed) to be managed, and includes the part number, length, outer diameter of the conductor, the number of strands of the conductor 21a, etc. When a plurality of electric wires 21 of the cable 2 are to be managed, it may include information for identifying the electric wires 21 (such as wire numbers and the color of the insulator 21b). Also, when a plurality of cables 2 included in the industrial robot 110 are to be managed, it may include information for identifying the cables 2 (such as cable numbers and the color of the sheath 25).

[0074] The operation data is the operation information of the movable part to be managed and is the information used for predicting the cable life. Also, the operation data is the information acquired from the user-side data management device 120. The operation data includes operation information such as the number of bending and twisting times, bending radius, bending angle, bending speed, length of the twisting part, twisting angle, and twisting speed for each joint part 111 to be managed. In the illustrated example, a case where a plurality of joint parts 111 are to be managed for one cable 2 is shown, but the number of joint parts 111 to be managed may be one. Also, the operation data may include information on the acquisition date and time of the operation data.

[0075] The resistance value data is the information on the resistance value of the conductor 21a of the cable 2 and is the information used for estimating the progress state of disconnection. Also, the operation data is the information acquired from the user-side data management device 120. The resistance value data includes, for each joint part 111 to be managed, the operating frequency, the resistance value variation component (primary component) of the operating frequency, the resistance value variation component (n-th component, where n is a natural number of 2 or more) of n times the operating frequency, etc. Although not shown in FIG. 6, the values of each resistance value variation component of the resistance value data, etc. may include past history. Also, the resistance value data may include the measured data detected by the resistance value detection unit 150 (the measured data itself, or information such as a link to the file of the measured data and the file name). Furthermore, the resistance value data may include information on the acquisition date and time of the resistance value data.

[0076] The disconnection progress state data is the data of the disconnection progress state of the cable 2 estimated by the disconnection progress state estimation processing unit 405. More specifically, it is the disconnection ratio of the conductor 21a estimated by the disconnection progress state estimation processing unit 405. For example, when the disconnection progress state data is 50%, it is estimated that half of the metal strands constituting the conductor 21a are disconnected. Although not shown, the disconnection progress state data may include information on the estimated date and time of the disconnection progress state of the cable 2.

[0077] The cable life prediction data is the data of the life (cable life) of the cable 2 predicted by the cable life prediction processing unit 406, and is information indicating the time when the disconnection ratio for determining the preset life is reached. Therefore, the cable life prediction data serves as a guideline for prompting the replacement of the cable 2. Although not shown, the cable life prediction data may include information on the date and time when the cable life was predicted. Also, when the "disconnection ratio for determining the cable life" is set to different ratios for each cable 2 (or for each industrial robot 110, robot user, or robot manufacturer), the cable life prediction data may include information on the "disconnection ratio for determining the life" used for predicting the cable life.

[0078] The host terminal input information is the information input from the cable manufacturer terminal 301 which is the host terminal, and includes information such as the maintenance result when the cable manufacturer performs detailed maintenance, etc., and whether an abnormality is recognized when the cable manufacturer checks the data. In the present embodiment, the host terminal input information includes the number of confirmed disconnected cables which is the actual number of disconnected cables confirmed during maintenance, and information on the presence or absence of abnormal data. By having the information on the number of confirmed disconnected cables, for example, it becomes possible to verify whether the estimation of the disconnection progress state data is performed accurately. Also, by having the information on the presence or absence of abnormal data, for example, when abnormal data is included, it becomes possible to take measures such as not using the resistance value data related to the cable 2 in the machine learning by the cable life prediction processing unit 406. Note that the host terminal input information is not limited to the illustrated items and may appropriately include other items.

[0079] As described above, in this embodiment, the cable state management device 400 has a cable state database DB in which the operation data of the movable part (joint part 111) where the cable 2 is wired, the resistance value data of the cable 2, the disconnection progress state data, and the cable life prediction data are database-ized for each robot user and each robot manufacturer.

[0080] In order to accurately predict the life of the cable 2 (cable life), a large amount of data is required. Conventionally, in many cases, data such as data at the time of maintenance is only managed by the robot user, and it has been difficult to accumulate a large amount of data. For example, it is conceivable to collect a large amount of data by a robot manufacturer or a cable manufacturer making a business trip to perform maintenance on the industrial robot 110, but it is not realistic considering the labor and cost. On the other hand, according to this embodiment, a large amount of data can be integrated into the cable state database DB by associating the operation data and the resistance value data, and the prediction accuracy of the cable life of the cable 2 can be improved.

[0081] (Control Flow) (Main Routine) FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the control flow in the cable state management system 1. In FIG. 7 and FIGS. 8 to 12 described later, the arrow indicated by a solid line represents the control flow, and the arrow indicated by a broken line represents the input / output of signals and data. As shown in FIG. 7, when the cable manufacturer terminal 301 performs, for example, setting of the data acquisition time which is the time for performing the data acquisition process and input of the host terminal input information, etc., it transmits a setting signal to the cable state management device 400 (step S100). The cable state management system 1 determines in step S201 whether a setting signal has been input. If it is determined to be YES (Y), the setting process is executed in step S202. Details of the setting process will be described later. If it is determined to be NO (N) in step S201, the process proceeds to step S203.

[0082] When the cable manufacturer terminal 301 updates resistance value data or operation data, it sends an update signal to the cable state management device 400 (step S101). Also, when the user-side data management device 120 acquires resistance value data or operation data, etc., it sends an update signal to the cable state management device 400 (step S301). In step S203, the data acquisition processing unit 404 of the cable state management device 400 determines whether an update signal has been input. If it is determined to be YES in step S203, after performing the data acquisition process in step S205, the process proceeds to step S206. Details of the data acquisition process will be described later. If it is determined to be NO in step S203, in step S204, it is determined whether the current time is the data acquisition time. If it is determined to be YES in step S204, after performing the data acquisition process in step S205, the process proceeds to step S206. If it is determined to be NO in step S204, the data acquisition process, etc. are skipped and the process proceeds to step S208. Here, a case is shown where control is performed so that the data acquisition process is carried out every day at the data acquisition time, but step S204 can be omitted. When step S204 is omitted, when it is determined to be NO in step S203, the process may proceed to step S208.

[0083] Thereafter, in step S206, the disconnection progress state estimation process and in step S207, the cable life prediction process are sequentially performed, and the process proceeds to step S208. Details of the disconnection progress state estimation process and the cable life prediction process will be described later. Here, when the data acquisition process is performed, the disconnection progress state estimation process and the cable life prediction process are configured to be executed. However, for example, the disconnection progress state estimation process and the cable life prediction process may be appropriately executed in response to the input of an instruction signal from the cable manufacturer terminal 301, etc.

[0084] When the cable manufacturer terminal 301 checks the disconnection progress state of the cable 2 or the cable life, it transmits a data request signal to the cable state management device 400 (step S102). Similarly, when the user terminal 130 or the robot manufacturer terminal 201 checks the disconnection progress state of the cable 2 or the cable life, it transmits a data request signal to the cable state management device 400 (steps S303, S401). Note that for a robot user, a data request signal may be transmitted from the mobile user terminal 140 to the cable state management device 400.

[0085] In step S208, the cable state management device 400 determines whether a data request signal has been input. If it is determined to be YES in step S208, data output processing is performed in step S209, and then the process returns. Details of the data output processing will be described later. If it is determined to be NO in step S208, the process returns without performing the data output processing in step S209.

[0086] (Setting process) As shown in FIG. 8, in the setting process of step S202, first, the setting data input by the cable manufacturer terminal 301 is transmitted from the cable manufacturer terminal 301 to the cable state management device 400 (step S110). The setting processing unit 403 of the cable state management device 400 performs various settings according to the received setting data (step S211). Thereafter, appropriate processing such as update processing of the cable state database DB is performed in accordance with the various settings in step S211 (step S212), and the process returns.

[0087] (Data acquisition process) As shown in FIG. 9, in the data acquisition process of step S205, first, the data acquisition processing unit 404 of the cable state management device 400 transmits a data update signal to the user-side data management device 120 that acquires data (step S221).

[0088] In the user-side data management device 120, in parallel with the data acquisition process, the data transmission and reception process in step S302 is being performed. In this data transmission and reception process, first, in step S321, the user-side data management device 120 determines whether a data update signal has been input from the cable state management device 400. If it is determined as NO in step S321, it returns. If it is determined as YES in step S321, in step S322, it is determined whether there is pre-update data (resistance value data (measured value), that is, data indicating the time-series change of the resistance value for which frequency analysis has not been performed) and operation data in the pre-update data storage unit 122a. If it is determined as NO in step S322, after transmitting an updated signal to the cable state management device 400 in step S323, it returns. If it is determined as YES in step S322, in step S324, the data before the data update (resistance value data (measured value) and operation data) stored in the pre-update data storage unit 122a is transmitted to the cable state management device 400. Then, in step S325, in the user-side data management device 120, the resistance value data (measured value) and operation data transmitted to the cable state management device 400 are moved from the pre-update data storage unit 122a to the post-update data storage unit 122b and stored in the post-update data storage unit 122b as the post-update data. Then, it returns. Note that the post-update data (resistance value data (measured value) and operation data) stored in the post-update data storage unit 122b is processed such as compression and storage / deletion for a predetermined period in the post-update data storage unit 122b.

[0089] Return to the data acquisition process. After transmitting an update signal in step S221, in step S222, it is determined whether an updated signal has been input. If it is determined as YES in step S222, since there will be no new resistance value data or operation data, it returns without performing data acquisition.

[0090] If it is determined as NO in step S222, after receiving the resistance value data and operation data from the user-side data management device 120, in step S223, the data acquisition processing unit 404 stores the received resistance value data in the cable state storage unit 401. In the present embodiment, the measured value of the resistance value data is exchanged in the data acquisition process. However, when exchanging the resistance value data (resistance value fluctuation components of the operating frequency and its higher-order frequencies) that has been frequency-analyzed, in step S223, the resistance value data is registered in the cable state database DB.

[0091] Thereafter, in step S224, the data acquisition processing unit 404 registers the received operation data in the cable state database DB. At this time, a process of extracting only the operation data necessary for the management of the cable state may be appropriately performed. Then, return.

[0092] (Disconnection progress state estimation process) As shown in FIG. 10, in the disconnection progress state estimation process of step S206, first, in step S231, the disconnection progress state estimation unit 405 of the cable state management device 400 performs a frequency analysis of the resistance value data acquired in the data acquisition process. In step S232, the resistance value fluctuation components of the operating frequency and its higher-order frequencies are acquired and registered in the cable state database DB. Note that when the disconnection progress state estimation unit 405 performs a frequency analysis of the resistance value data, time-series data of resistance values that are somewhat aggregated is required. Therefore, although not shown, it is preferable to perform a process of confirming whether the resistance value data necessary for performing the frequency analysis has been acquired before performing step S231.

[0093] Thereafter, in step S233, the operating frequency and the magnitude of the resistance value fluctuation component of its higher-order frequencies are respectively compared with a preset threshold value, and in step S234, the order of the frequency exceeding the threshold value is extracted. Thereafter, in step S235, the disconnection progress state of cable 2 (the disconnection ratio of the metal strands in conductor 21a) is estimated from the comparison results. Thereafter, in step S236, the estimated disconnection progress state of cable 2 is registered (or updated) in the cable state database DB as disconnection progress state data, and then the process returns.

[0094] Although not shown in the figure, the disconnection progress state estimation processing unit 405 may transmit a notification signal to the user terminal 130 of the corresponding robot user or the robot manufacturer terminal 201 of the robot manufacturer to notify that the disconnection progress state data has been registered (or updated).

[0095] (Cable life prediction processing) As shown in FIG. 11, in the cable life prediction process of step S207, first, in step S241, the cable life prediction processing unit 406 of the cable state management device 400 performs machine learning based on the operation data obtained in step S205 and the disconnection progress state data obtained in step S206 to update the learned model. Thereafter, in step S242, the life of cable 2 (cable life) is predicted using the updated learned model. Thereafter, the predicted cable life of cable 2 is registered (or updated) in the cable state storage unit 401 as cable life prediction data, and then the process returns.

[0096] Although not shown in the figure, the cable life prediction processing unit 406 may transmit a notification signal to the user terminal 130 of the corresponding robot user or the robot manufacturer terminal 201 of the robot manufacturer to notify that the cable life prediction data has been registered (or updated).

[0097] (Data output processing) As shown in FIG. 12, in the data output process of step S209, first, in step S251, the access restriction processing unit 407 of the cable state management device 400 identifies the transmission source of the input data request signal. As a method for identifying the transmission source, for example, a method of identifying using the IP address of the transmission source, the ID at the time of login, etc. can be appropriately used. Then, in step S252, it is determined whether the transmission source identified in step S251 is the user terminal 130. If it is determined as YES in step S252, in step S253, data X (requested data X such as disconnection progress state data X and cable life prediction data X) of cable 2 related to the robot user of the transmission source is extracted from the cable state database DB. Then, in step S254, the data extracted in step S253 is transmitted to the user terminal 130. Then, return. The robot user receives the disconnection progress state data X and the cable life prediction data X at the user terminal 130. At this time, the disconnection progress state data X and the cable life prediction data X are displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 130 (step S351). The robot user performs predictive maintenance (= replacement of the cable to be managed, etc.) of the industrial robot 110 using the received data. Note that the predictive maintenance of the industrial robot 110 may be performed as necessary based on the received data.

[0098] If it is determined as NO in step S252, in step S255, it is determined whether the transmission source specified in step S251 is the robot manufacturer terminal 201. If it is determined as YES in step S255, in step S256, data Y (required data Y such as disconnection progress state data Y and cable life prediction data Y) of cable 2 related to the robot manufacturer of the transmission source is extracted from the cable state database DB. At this time, for example, it may be possible to extract only data related to a specific robot user (however, limited to a robot user who uses the industrial robot 110 manufactured by the robot user of the transmission source). Then, in step S257, the data Y extracted in step S256 is transmitted to the robot manufacturer terminal 201. Then, return. The robot manufacturer receives the disconnection progress state data Y and the cable life prediction data Y at the robot manufacturer terminal 201. At this time, the disconnection progress state data Y and the cable life prediction data Y are displayed on the display unit of the robot manufacturer terminal 201 (step S451). The robot manufacturer uses the received data to perform predictive maintenance (= replacement of the cable to be managed, etc.) of the industrial robot 110 of each robot user, or supports the implementation of predictive maintenance. Note that the predictive maintenance of the industrial robot 110 or the support for predictive maintenance may be performed as necessary based on the received data.

[0099] If it is determined as NO in step S255, in step S258, it is determined whether the transmission source specified in step S251 is the cable manufacturer terminal 301. If it is determined as NO in step S258, since the transmission source is not any of the user terminal 130, the robot manufacturer terminal 201, and the cable manufacturer terminal 301, return without performing data output. If it is determined as YES in step S258, in step S259, all data Z (required data Z such as disconnection progress state data Z and cable life prediction data Z) in the cable state database DB is transmitted to the cable manufacturer terminal 301. At this time, for example, only data related to a specific robot user or robot manufacturer may be extracted and transmitted. Then, return. The cable manufacturer receives the disconnection progress state data Z and the cable life prediction data Z at the cable manufacturer terminal 301. At this time, the disconnection progress state data Z and the cable life prediction data Z are displayed on the display unit of the cable manufacturer terminal 301 (step S151).

[0100] After the data output process in FIG. 12 (step S209), a reset process may be performed. In the reset process, when the cable to be managed (cable 2) is replaced, it is stored in the cable state storage unit 401 as replacement information that the cable to be managed has been replaced. Also, in the reset process, it is preferable to keep each data related to the cable to be managed that was wired before replacement stored as old data without deleting it from the cable state storage unit 401. This old data can be used, for example, for machine learning to obtain the disconnection progress state data and cable life prediction data of other cables to be managed. Further, after the reset process is performed by the reset processing unit, setting processing for the cable to be managed newly wired to the device to be managed may be performed.

[0101] (Operation of the Cable State Management System 1) The service (referred to as the cable state management service) realized using the above-described cable state management system 1 is basically provided by the cable manufacturer. The robot manufacturer or robot user enters into a service provision contract with the cable manufacturer and pays the cable manufacturer the consideration for the provided service. For example, the consideration can be set monthly according to the number of cables 2 for which cable state management is performed, or appropriately managed such as setting the consideration according to the number of data provision items, which is the number of items of data such as disconnection progress state data and cable life prediction data provided.

[0102] (Actions and Effects of the Embodiment) As described above, in the cable state management system 1 according to the present embodiment, there is a cable state management device 400 having a cable state storage unit 401 that stores disconnection progress state data representing the disconnection progress state of the cable 2, belonging to a robot user who uses the industrial robot 110, a user-side data management device 120 that manages main data for estimating the disconnection progress state of the cable 2, a robot manufacturer terminal 201 belonging to the robot manufacturer that manufactures the industrial robot 110, and a cable manufacturer terminal 301 belonging to the cable manufacturer that manufactures the cable 2. The user-side data management device 120, the robot manufacturer terminal 201, and the cable manufacturer terminal 301 are connected to the cable state management device 400 via the network 500, and at least the robot manufacturer terminal 201 and the cable manufacturer terminal 301 are configured to be able to access the disconnection progress state data stored in the cable state storage unit 401.

[0103] By configuring it in this way, not only robot users but also robot manufacturers and cable manufacturers can manage the disconnection progress state of cable 2 with high precision even from a remote location, and it becomes possible for the three parties of robot users, robot manufacturers, and cable manufacturers to carefully manage the disconnection progress state of cable 2. As a result, even in the case of robot manufacturers and cable manufacturers, it is possible to take safety measures such as monitoring the disconnection progress state of cable 2 and appropriately prompting the replacement of cable 2 according to the disconnection progress state, and it becomes possible to efficiently suppress the failure of industrial robot 110 caused by the defect of cable 2.

[0104] In addition, conventionally, various attempts have been made to accumulate IoT (Internet of Things) data at the usage site of industrial robot 110 to estimate the disconnection progress state of cable 2 and predict the cable life, but they have not reached practical use for various reasons. According to this embodiment, it is possible to easily collect and accumulate data (such as resistance value data and operation data) related to the state of cable 2 across multiple robot users or multiple robot manufacturers, and it is also possible to estimate the disconnection progress state of cable 2 and predict the cable life with high precision even from a remote location by utilizing the accumulated data.

[0105] (Modification example) In the above embodiment, the resistance value data of the cable 2 is actually measured, and the disconnection progress state of the cable 2 is estimated based on the measured value. However, it is also possible to configure the system to estimate the disconnection progress state of the cable 2 based only on the operation data without actually measuring the resistance value data of the cable 2. In this case, in the cable life prediction processing unit 406, a pre-trained model with high accuracy (a pre-trained model of the disconnection progress state data for the operation data) is constructed in advance, and the disconnection progress state of the cable 2 is estimated from the operation data using this pre-trained model. Note that both robot users who actually measure the resistance value data (that is, those who install the resistance value detection unit 150 on the industrial robot 110) and robot users who measure only the operation data (those who do not install the resistance value detection unit 150 on the industrial robot 110) may be connected to the cable state management device 400 via the network 500, and the disconnection progress state estimation method may be configured to be set according to the input data. Also, robot users who do not measure the operation data may be included. The resistance value data used for estimating the disconnection progress state of the cable 2 and predicting the cable life may be the resistance value detected in members other than the conductor 21a constituting the cable 2.

[0106] Also, in the above embodiment, the case where the input destinations of the resistance value data and the operation data for the cable state management device 400 are only the user-side data management device 120 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cable state management device 400 may be configured to be able to input the resistance value data and the operation data from the robot manufacturer terminal 201 or the cable manufacturer terminal 301. Thereby, for example, the resistance value data and the operation data measured by the robot manufacturer or the cable manufacturer on a business trip or the like can be brought back, and after performing appropriate processing such as data sorting, data input can be performed from the robot manufacturer terminal 201 or the cable manufacturer terminal 301, improving convenience.

[0107] In the above-described embodiment, the case where the industrial robot 110 is used as the device to be managed where the cable to be managed, which is a cable for managing the disconnection progress state, is wired has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the industrial robot 110. That is, the device to which the cable 2 is applied may be any device to which a cable (= cable to be managed) that repeatedly undergoes operations such as bending, twisting, and swinging is applied. For example, it may be factory equipment other than the industrial robot 110, or even an automobile or the like. In particular, in recent years, some automobiles are capable of communicating via the Internet, and it can be configured to transmit resistance value data and operation data to the cable state management device 400 using such communication. For example, in the case of an automobile, the present invention is applied to a cable around the wheels (for example, an electric parking cable, an ABS sensor cable, or an electric brake cable), and when periodic vibrations (for example, vibrations during highway driving) are applied to the automobile, the resistance value data of the cable that periodically undergoes swinging is measured. In this case, the frequency corresponding to the period of the vibration (the period during which the cable swings) corresponds to the operating frequency. Therefore, the operating frequency and the resistance value fluctuation components of its higher-order frequencies can be extracted from the measured resistance value data, and by comparing the magnitudes of the extracted resistance value fluctuation components with a threshold value, the disconnection progress state of the cable can be estimated.

[0108] In the above-described embodiment, the case where the user terminal 130 and the user-side data management device 120 are configured separately at the robot user site 100 has been described. However, the user terminal 130 and the user-side data management device 120 may be integrally configured. Furthermore, the robot control device 112 associated with the industrial robot 110 may be directly connected to the cable state management device 400 via the network 500. In this case, the function as the user-side data management device 120 is mounted on the robot control device 112 (that is, the robot control device 112 also serves as the user-side data management device 120).

[0109] In the above-described embodiment, the case where the cable manufacturer manages the cable state management device 400 has been described. However, the management of the cable state management device 400 may be performed by a specialized operator other than the cable manufacturer.

[0110] (Summary of the Embodiment) Next, the technical idea grasped from the above-described embodiments will be described by referring to the reference numerals and the like in the embodiments. However, each reference numeral and the like in the following description are not limited to the members and the like that specifically show the components in the claims in the embodiments.

[0111] [1] A cable state management system (1) for managing the disconnection progress state of a cable (2) used as wiring for a management target device (110), the cable state management system (1) having a cable state storage unit (401) that stores disconnection progress state data representing the disconnection progress state of the cable (2), a device user-side data management device (120) belonging to a device user who uses the management target device (110), a device manufacturer terminal (201) belonging to a device manufacturer that manufactures the management target device (110), and a cable manufacturer terminal (301) belonging to a cable manufacturer that manufactures the cable (2), and being connected to the cable state management device (400), wherein at least the device manufacturer terminal (201) and the cable manufacturer terminal (301) are configured to be able to access the disconnection progress state data stored in the cable state storage unit (401) via a network (500).

[0112] [2] The cable state management system (1) according to [1], comprising a resistance value detection unit (150) capable of detecting a time-series change in the resistance value of the cable (2) when the cable (2) is periodically and repeatedly operated, the device user-side data management device (120) having a storage unit (122) for storing resistance value data that is the detection result of the resistance value detection unit (150), the cable state management device (400) having a data acquisition processing unit (404) for acquiring the resistance value data stored in the storage unit (122) of the device user-side data management device (120), and the disconnection progress state of the cable being estimated based on the resistance value data acquired by the data acquisition processing unit (404).

[0113] [3] The cable state management system (1) according to [2], wherein the cable state management device (400) has a disconnection progress state estimation processing unit (405) for estimating the disconnection progress state of the cable based at least on the magnitude of the resistance value variation component of the operating frequency in the resistance value data when the frequency at which the cable (2) is periodically and repeatedly operated is the operating frequency.

[0114] [4] The resistance value detection unit (150) is mounted on the device under management (110) or the control device (112) of the device under management (110) associated with the device under management (110), and is configured to be able to output the resistance value data to the device user-side data management device (120). The cable state management system (1) according to [2] or [3].

[0115] [5] The device user-side data management device (120) is configured to store operation data, which is data on the operation status of the cable (2), in the storage unit (122). The data acquisition processing unit (404) of the cable status management device (400) is configured to acquire the operation data stored in the storage unit (122) of the device user-side data management device (120). The cable status management device (400) performs machine learning based on the operation data and the disconnection progress status data, predicts the lifespan of the cable (2), and stores the predicted lifespan of the cable (2) as cable lifespan prediction data in the cable status storage unit (401). At least the device manufacturer terminal (201) and the cable manufacturer terminal (301) are configured to be able to access the cable lifespan prediction data stored in the cable status storage unit (401). The cable status management system (1) according to any one of [2] to [4].

[0116] [6] A plurality of the device manufacturer terminals (201) belonging to different device manufacturers are connected to the cable status management device (400) via a network (500). The cable status management device (400) has an access restriction processing unit (407) that performs access restriction so that each device manufacturer terminal (201) can only access the disconnection progress status data of the cable (2) related to the management target device (110) manufactured by the device manufacturer to which the device manufacturer terminal (201) belongs. The cable status management system (1) according to any one of [1] to [5].

[0117] [7] The access restriction processing unit (407) permits the cable manufacturer terminal (301) to access the disconnection progress status data of all the device manufacturers. The cable status management system (1) according to [6].

[0118] [8] The device to be managed (110) is an industrial robot (110), and the device manufacturer is a robot manufacturer that manufactures the industrial robot (110). The cable state management system (1) according to any one of [1] to [7].

[0119] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the embodiments described above do not limit the invention according to the claims. It should also be noted that not all combinations of the features described in the embodiments are essential for the means for solving the problems of the invention. Further, the present invention can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from its gist.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0120] 1… Cable state management system 2… Cable (cable to be managed) 21… Electric wire 21a… Conductor 100… Robot user site 110… Industrial robot (device to be managed) 111… Joint part (movable part) 112… Robot control device (control device) 120… User-side data management device (device user-side data management device, main data management device) 122… Storage unit 130… User terminal (device user terminal) 150… Resistance value detection unit 200… Robot manufacturer site 201… Robot manufacturer terminal (device manufacturer terminal) 300… Cable manufacturer site 301… Cable manufacturer terminal 400… Cable state management device 401… Cable state storage unit 402… Control unit 403… Setting processing unit 404… Data acquisition processing unit 405… Disconnection progress state estimation processing unit 406… Cable life prediction processing unit 407... Access restriction processing unit 500... Network

Claims

1. at least, a main data management device that designates some cables as management target cables from among a plurality of cables wired to each of a plurality of management target devices, and acquires main data for estimating a progress state of a disconnection of the management target cables; a cable status management device that estimates a progress state of a disconnection of the cable to be managed based on the primary data acquired by the primary data management device; Equipped with The cable to be managed is a cable having a conductor made of a stranded conductor formed by stranding a plurality of metal wires, the cable status management device is configured to be able to communicate with the primary data management device via a network, the primary data is input only to the primary data management device, the cable status management device acquires the primary data from the primary data management device at an appropriately set timing, and then estimates the progress of a disconnection of the cable to be managed; Cable health management system.

2. The main data is Resistance value data representing a time-series change in the resistance value of the cable to be managed; Operation data representing an operation status of the managed device; Including, The cable status management device includes: a disconnection progression state estimation processing unit that estimates a disconnection progression state of the managed cable based on the resistance value data; a cable life prediction process for predicting a cable life of the managed cable based on the estimation result by the disconnection progress state estimation processing unit and the operation data; having The cable status management system of claim 1 .

3. The cable to be managed is a cable that is prone to breakage among the plurality of cables. The cable status management system of claim 1 .

4. the managed device is an industrial robot, The cable to be managed is a cable for a moving part that is wired to a moving part of the industrial robot. The cable status management system of claim 1.

5. the managed device is an automobile; The managed cable is a cable in an undercarriage. The cable status management system of claim 1.

6. The cable status management device is not directly connected to the plurality of managed devices. The cable status management system of claim 1.

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