Discrimination system, discrimination method, and discrimination program

Abstract

To provide a technology that can easily discriminate between production objects.SOLUTION: A discrimination system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a detection unit, a calculation unit, and a discrimination unit. The detection unit detects one or more types of pulse signals used in production equipment that produces production objects. The calculation unit calculates at least one of a pulse interval, a pulse width, and a pulse count for one or more types of pulse signals based on the detection result by the detection unit. The discrimination unit discriminates the type of production object based on the calculation result by the calculation unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a discrimination system, a discrimination method, and a discrimination program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known techniques for identifying the operating status of production equipment. For example, a technique has been proposed for identifying the type of a production object using time-series data covering one cycle from the start to the end of production processing for that object (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this technique, the time-series data used to identify the type of production object is time-series data of continuous physical quantities, such as the power or current consumed or vibration generated when the production equipment executes processing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-250382 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology described in Patent Document 1 determines the type of production object from the power and current consumed or vibrations generated when the production equipment performs production processing, so the amount of time-series data required for one cycle is large, making it difficult to easily identify the production object.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a technology that makes it easy to distinguish between production objects. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A discrimination system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a detection unit, a calculation unit, and a discrimination unit. The detection unit detects one or more types of pulse signals used in production equipment that produces production objects. The calculation unit calculates at least one of a pulse interval, a pulse width, and a pulse count of the one or more types of pulse signals based on the detection result by the detection unit. The discrimination unit discriminates the type of production object based on the calculation result by the calculation unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to easily distinguish between production objects. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing by the discrimination system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a server in the determination system according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of master information stored in a storage unit of the server according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating another example of the master information stored in the storage unit of the server according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example of master information stored in the storage unit of the server according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing yet another example of master information stored in the storage unit of the server according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the pulse intervals and pulse widths of the same type of pulse signal calculated by a calculation unit in a processing unit of a server according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining pulse intervals and pulse widths of a plurality of types of pulse signals calculated by a calculation unit in a processing unit of a server according to an embodiment. [Figure 9]FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a plurality of types of pulse signals whose pulse intervals and pulse widths are calculated by a calculation unit in a processing unit of a server according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a management screen displayed on the display device by a display processing unit in the processing unit of the server according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the management screen displayed on the display device by the display processing unit in the processing unit of the server according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing yet another example of the management screen displayed on the display device by the display processing unit in the processing unit of the server according to the embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of information processing by the PLC according to the embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of information processing by the processing unit of the server according to the embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of type determination processing by the processing unit of the server according to the embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a processing unit in a server according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of a discrimination system, a discrimination method, and a discrimination program disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the disclosed technology is not limited to these embodiments.

[0010] <1. An example of discrimination processing> Processing by the discrimination system according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of processing by the discrimination system.

[0011] 1, the discrimination system 100 includes a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) 2 and a server 3, and discriminates the type of an object to be produced by a production facility 200 that produces the object to be produced. The production facility 200 is a production facility that produces a plurality of types of object to be produced, and is controlled by a control device 201.

[0012] The production object is, for example, a workpiece or a product produced on a production line in a factory. The type of the production object is the type of workpiece when the production object is a workpiece, and is the model of the product when the production object is a product, but is not limited to such examples.

[0013] The PLC 2 includes a detection unit 20 that detects one or more types of pulse signals used in a production facility 200 that produces the production object. The one or more types of pulse signals include at least one of a pulse signal that controls the production facility 200 and a pulse signal that indicates the operation of the production facility 200.

[0014] The pulse signal that controls the production facility 200 is, for example, a pulse signal output from the control device 201 to the production facility 200. Furthermore, the pulse signal that indicates the operation of the production facility 200 is, for example, a pulse signal that is output from the production facility 200 when the production facility 200 is operating.

[0015] The detection unit 20 can detect one type of pulse signal or multiple types of pulse signals, and detects at least one of the rising edge and the falling edge of one or more types of pulse signals.

[0016] The rising edge of a pulse signal may be referred to as a rising edge, and the falling edge of a pulse signal may be referred to as a falling edge. When referring to the rising and falling edges of a pulse signal without distinguishing between them individually, they may be referred to as the edge of the pulse signal or simply as the edge.

[0017] The detection unit 20 outputs a detection result, which is information indicating the result of detecting an edge of a pulse signal. The detection unit 20 outputs a detection result each time it detects an edge of each type of pulse signal, but it can also output multiple detection results together.

[0018] The detection result includes pulse type information, edge type information, and detection time information. The pulse type information is information indicating the type of pulse signal detected by the detection unit 20. The edge type information is information indicating the type of edge, either the rising edge or the falling edge of the pulse signal, detected by the detection unit 20. The detection time information is information indicating the detection time, which is the time when the edge was detected by the detection unit 20.

[0019] When there is only one type of pulse signal to be detected, the detection result output from the detection unit 20 does not need to include pulse type information. When there is only one type of edge detected by the detection unit 20, the detection result output from the detection unit 20 does not need to include edge type information.

[0020] The detection unit 20 can also include count value information in the detection result instead of the detection time information. The count value information is information indicating the count value, which is the value of the counter when an edge is detected. The detection unit 20 can also not include the detection time information or the count value information in the detection result. In this case, the detection result includes pulse type information as information indicating the detection of a pulse signal, but may also include multiple pieces of pulse type information.

[0021] The server 3 includes a storage unit 31 and a processing unit 32. The storage unit 31 stores master information. The master information includes, for each type of production object, discrimination criterion information, which is at least one of the discrimination criteria: pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count.

[0022] The pulse intervals indicated by the master information are pulse intervals of one or more types of pulse signals, and include at least one of pulse intervals of the same type of pulse signal and pulse intervals between multiple types of pulse signals. The number of pulses is the number of pulses of the same type of pulse signal in a predetermined period TA. The predetermined period TA is, for example, n times the period of one cycle from the start to the end of production processing for a specific product. The specific product is, for example, the product produced in the smallest number in the predetermined period TA. n is, for example, a number greater than or equal to 3, but may also be a number less than 3.

[0023] Based on the detection result output from the detection unit 20, the processing unit 32 calculates at least one of the pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count of one or more types of pulse signals detected by the detection unit 20. For example, the processing unit 32 calculates at least one of the pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count of one type of pulse signal.

[0024] The processing unit 32 also calculates at least one of the pulse intervals, pulse widths, and pulse counts of the multiple types of pulse signals. For example, the processing unit 32 calculates at least one of the intervals between the multiple types of pulse signals and the intervals between the multiple types of pulse signals as the pulse intervals. The processing unit 32 also calculates the pulse widths of the multiple types of pulse signals and the pulse counts of the multiple types of pulse signals. The calculation of the pulse counts can also be performed using, for example, a counter.

[0025] The processing unit 32 determines the type of the production object based on the calculation result described above. For example, the processing unit 32 acquires master information stored in the storage unit 31, and determines the type of the production object based on the result of comparing the master information with the calculation result described above.

[0026] For example, assume that one of pulse interval information and pulse width information, which serve as discrimination criteria, is included in the master information as discrimination criteria information for each type of product. In this case, the processing unit 32 calculates one or more of the pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count of one or more types of pulse signals detected by the detection unit 20 based on the detection results by the detection unit 20. The processing unit 32 compares the calculated one or more of the pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count with one or more of the pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count for each type of product indicated in the master information, and discriminates the type of product based on the comparison result.

[0027] Furthermore, it is assumed that one or more pieces of information on the pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count, which serve as discrimination criteria, are included in the master information as discrimination criteria information for each type of product. In this case, the processing unit 32 calculates one or more of the pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count of one or more types of pulse signals detected by the detection unit 20 based on the detection results by the detection unit 20. The processing unit 32 compares the calculated one or more of the pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count with one or more of the pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count for each type of product indicated in the master information, and discriminates the type of product based on the comparison result.

[0028] The master information shown in FIG. 1 includes information on pulse intervals that serve as discrimination criteria for each of the types of production objects, such as models A, B, C, and D, including information indicating the reference pulse interval and information indicating the allowable error.

[0029] 1, the interval between the rising edge of one pulse and the rising edge of the next pulse of the pulse signal detected by the detection unit 20 is 45 seconds. Therefore, the processing unit 32 calculates the pulse interval as 45 seconds and compares the calculated pulse interval with the pulse interval for each type of production object indicated in the master information.

[0030] Since the calculated pulse interval is 45 seconds and the pulse interval for model C is between 43 and 47 seconds, the processing unit 32 determines that the production object being produced in the production equipment 200 when the pulse signal is detected by the detection unit 20 is model C.

[0031] In this way, the discrimination system 100 can discriminate the type of production object in the production facility 200 based on at least one of the pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count of one or more types of pulse signals used in the production facility 200 that produces the production object.

[0032] Therefore, the discrimination system 100 can more easily discriminate the type of production object compared to discriminating the type of production object from the power or current consumed or vibration generated when the production equipment 200 performs production processing.

[0033] The processing unit 32 causes the display device 101 to display information including pulse information indicating the relationship between one or more types of pulse signals detected by the detection unit 20 and the times at which the one or more types of pulse signals were detected by the detection unit 20, and discrimination information indicating the discrimination result by the processing unit 32. The display device 101 is an example of a display unit. This allows the discrimination system 100 to present the discrimination result and discrimination content by the processing unit 32 to a manager or operator of the production facility 200.

[0034] 1, the pulse information includes information indicating the relationship between one type of pulse signal and its detection time, and the discrimination information includes information indicating that the production object being produced in the production facility 200 is model C as a result of discrimination by the processing unit 32. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the information displayed on the display device 101 includes master information and the like.

[0035] An example of the configuration of the server 3 in the determination system 100 according to the embodiment will be described in more detail below.

[0036] <2. Server 3 Configuration> 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server 3 in the discrimination system 100 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG.

[0037] <2.1. Communication Unit 30> The communication unit 30 is connected to the PLC 2 via a wired or wireless connection, and transmits and receives information to and from the PLC 2. The communication unit 30 is realized by, for example, a communication module. The communication module is, for example, a communication module that communicates with the PLC 2 using an Ethernet (registered trademark)-based communication protocol, but may also be a communication module that communicates with the PLC 2 using another protocol.

[0038] <2.2. Storage section 31> The storage unit 31 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk.

[0039] The storage unit 31 stores master information, pulse information, discrimination information, detection results, etc. The master information includes discrimination criterion information for each type of production object, which is at least one of pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count, which serve as discrimination criteria.

[0040] The pulse intervals indicated by the master information are pulse intervals between one or more types of pulse signals, and are at least one of pulse intervals between pulse signals of the same type and pulse intervals between multiple types of pulse signals.

[0041] The pulse intervals of the same type of pulse signals are the intervals between the edges of the pulse signals, for example, the pulse intervals of the same type of pulse signals are the intervals between edges of the same type or the intervals between edges of different types.

[0042] The interval between edges of the same type is the interval between the rising edge of one pulse and the rising edge of the next pulse in a pulse signal, or the interval between the falling edge of one pulse and the falling edge of the next pulse in a pulse signal. The interval between edges of different types is the interval between the falling edge of one pulse and the rising edge of the next pulse in a pulse signal.

[0043] The pulse interval between multiple types of pulse signals is the interval between the edges of different types of pulse signals; for example, in the case of two types of pulse signals, it is the interval from the falling edge of the pulse of one pulse signal to the rising edge of the pulse of the other pulse signal.

[0044] Furthermore, the pulse interval between the multiple types of pulse signals may be the interval from a specific type of edge of a pulse of one of the two types of pulse signals to a specific type of edge of a pulse of the other pulse signal, where the specific type of edge is either a rising edge or a falling edge.

[0045] The pulse width is the period during which a high level state continues in the same type of pulse signal, and is the interval between the rising edge of one pulse in the pulse signal and the falling edge of that pulse. The number of pulses is the number of pulses in the same type of pulse signal in a predetermined period TA, and is specified by, for example, the number of rising edges or the number of falling edges in the pulse signal.

[0046] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of master information stored in the storage unit 31 of the server 3 according to the embodiment. The master information shown in Fig. 3 is information including, for each model of an object to be produced, information indicating the model name, information indicating a reference pulse interval, and information indicating an allowable error.

[0047] 3, the information on the pulse interval serving as the discrimination criterion for model A includes information indicating that the reference pulse interval is 30 seconds and information indicating that the allowable error is 1 second. Therefore, it is indicated that the pulse interval serving as the discrimination criterion for model A is between 29 seconds and 31 seconds.

[0048] 3, the information on the pulse interval serving as the discrimination criterion for model B includes information indicating that the reference pulse interval is 33 seconds and information indicating that the allowable error is 1 second. Therefore, the pulse interval serving as the discrimination criterion for model B is between 32 seconds and 34 seconds.

[0049] 3, the information on the pulse interval serving as the discrimination criterion for model C includes information indicating that the reference pulse interval is 45 seconds and information indicating that the allowable error is 2 seconds. Therefore, the pulse interval serving as the discrimination criterion for model C is between 43 seconds and 47 seconds.

[0050] 3, the information on the pulse interval serving as the discrimination criterion for model D includes information indicating that the reference pulse interval is 80 seconds and information indicating that the allowable error is 1 second. Therefore, the pulse interval serving as the discrimination criterion for model D is between 79 seconds and 81 seconds.

[0051] The master information is not limited to the information shown in Fig. 3 and may be, for example, the information shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing another example of master information stored in the storage unit 31 of the server 3 according to the embodiment. The master information shown in Fig. 4 is information including, for each model of production object, information indicating the model name, information indicating a reference pulse interval, information indicating an upper limit value, and information indicating a lower limit value. The pulse interval serving as the discrimination criterion for each model shown in the master information in Fig. 4 is the same as the pulse interval serving as the discrimination criterion for each model shown in the master information in Fig. 3.

[0052] 3 and 4, the master information is information that defines the pulse interval of one type of pulse signal, but it may be information that defines at least one of the pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count of one or more types of pulse signals, and is not limited to the examples shown in Figures 3 and 4. For example, the master information may be information that defines the pulse interval of two or more types of pulse signals, or information that defines the pulse interval and pulse width of one or more types of pulse signals.

[0053] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing another example of master information stored in the storage unit 31 of the server 3 according to the embodiment. The master information shown in Fig. 5 is information including, for each model of the product to be produced, information indicating the model name, information indicating the reference number of pulses, and information indicating the allowable error.

[0054] 5, the information on the reference pulse count, which is the pulse count serving as the discrimination criterion for model X, includes information indicating that the reference pulse count is 3 and information indicating that the allowable error is 0. Therefore, it is indicated that the pulse count serving as the discrimination criterion for model X is 3.

[0055] 5, the information on the reference pulse count for model W includes information indicating that the reference pulse count is 5 and information indicating that the allowable error is 0. Therefore, the discrimination reference pulse count for model W is 5.

[0056] 5, the information on the reference pulse count for model X includes information indicating that the reference pulse count is 7 and information indicating that the allowable error is 1. Therefore, the discrimination reference pulse count for model X is 6 to 8.

[0057] 5, the information on the reference pulse count for model Y includes information indicating that the reference pulse count is 10 and information indicating that the allowable error is 1. Therefore, the discrimination reference pulse count for model Y is 9 to 11.

[0058] The master information specifying the number of pulses is not limited to the information shown in Fig. 5 and may be, for example, information shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing yet another example of master information stored in the storage unit 31 of the server 3 according to the embodiment. The master information shown in Fig. 6 is information including, for each model of production object, information indicating the model name, information indicating the reference number of pulses, information indicating the upper limit of the number of pulses, and information indicating the lower limit of the number of pulses. The number of pulses serving as the discrimination criterion for each model shown in the master information in Fig. 6 is the same as the number of pulses serving as the discrimination criterion for each model shown in the master information in Fig. 5.

[0059] The pulse information stored in the memory unit 31 includes the detection results of the detection unit 20 and information calculated by the processing unit 32. For example, the information calculated by the processing unit 32 includes at least one of information on the pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count of one or more types of pulse signals calculated by the processing unit 32, and information indicating the time range of the pulse signal that is the subject of the calculation.

[0060] The discrimination information stored in the storage unit 31 includes information indicating the type of each production object discriminated by the processing unit 32 and information indicating the discrimination time.

[0061] <2.3. Processing Unit 32> The processing unit 32 realizes or executes the functions and actions of information processing described below. As shown in Fig. 2, the processing unit 32 includes an acquisition unit 40, a calculation unit 41, a determination unit 42, a display processing unit 43, an operation reception unit 44, and a setting unit 45. Note that the internal configuration of the processing unit 32 is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 2, and may be any other configuration that performs the information processing described below.

[0062] <2.3.1. Acquisition part 40> The acquisition unit 40 acquires the detection results of one or more types of pulse signals by the detection unit 20 from the PLC 2 via the communication unit 30. The acquisition unit 40 adds the acquired detection results to the pulse information stored in the storage unit 31.

[0063] The detection results acquired by the acquisition unit 40 include pulse type information, edge type information, and detection time information. The pulse type information includes information indicating the type of pulse signal detected by the detection unit 20. The edge type information includes information indicating the type of edge, either rising or falling, detected by the detection unit 20. The detection time information includes information indicating the time at which the edge of the pulse signal was detected by the detection unit 20.

[0064] In addition, if there is only one type of pulse signal to be detected, the detection result does not need to include pulse type information, and if there is only one type of edge detected by the detection unit 20, the detection result does not need to include edge type information.

[0065] The detection result may also include count value information instead of detection time information. The count value information includes information indicating the count value of the detection unit 20 when the edge is detected by the detection unit 20. The count value of the detection unit 20 is, for example, a counter value incremented by the detection unit 20 at predetermined time intervals. The detection result does not necessarily include detection time information or count value information. In this case, the detection result includes pulse type information as information indicating the detection of a pulse signal, but may also include multiple pieces of pulse type information.

[0066] As described above, the pulse signal detected by the detection unit 20 is at least one of a control pulse signal and an operation pulse signal. The control pulse signal is a control pulse signal output from a control device (not shown) to the production facility 200 in order to control the production facility 200. The operation pulse signal is a response pulse signal output from the production facility 200 to the control device in order to indicate the operating state of the production facility 200.

[0067] Since the control pulse signal and the operation pulse signal are pulse signals that are predetermined as specifications of the production facility 200, the discrimination system 100 can discriminate the production object without newly modifying the production facility 200. Note that the control device that outputs the control pulse signal may be provided within the production facility 200. Also, the production facility 200 does not need to have one of the control pulse signal and the operation pulse signal defined as a specification.

[0068] When the production facility 200 is a resin molding device, the types of pulse signals include, for example, a mold clamping signal, a plasticizing signal, a nozzle signal, an injection signal, a pressure holding signal, a cooling signal, a mold opening signal, and an ejection signal.

[0069] The mold clamping signal is, for example, a control pulse signal that instructs the production equipment 200 to clamp the upper and lower molds of the resin molding device, or an operation pulse signal indicating that the operating state of the resin molding device has entered a state of mold clamping operation between the upper and lower molds. The plasticizing signal is, for example, a control pulse signal that instructs the production equipment 200 to heat and melt the resin, or an operation pulse signal indicating that the operating state of the resin molding device has entered a state of operating to heat and melt the resin. The nozzle signal is, for example, a control pulse signal that instructs the production equipment 200 to bring the nozzle into close contact with the injection port of the mold, or an operation pulse signal indicating that the operating state of the resin molding device has entered a state of operating to bring the nozzle into close contact with the injection port of the mold.

[0070] The injection signal is, for example, a control pulse signal that instructs the production equipment 200 to inject molten resin into a mold through a nozzle, or an operation pulse signal that indicates that the operating state of the resin molding device has entered an operating state of injecting molten resin into a mold through a nozzle. The pressure holding signal is, for example, a control pulse signal that instructs the production equipment 200 to maintain the pressure applied to the resin in the mold, or an operation pulse signal that indicates that the operating state of the resin molding device is maintaining the pressure applied to the resin in the mold. The cooling signal is, for example, a control pulse signal that instructs the production equipment 200 to cool the resin in the mold, or an operation pulse signal that indicates that the operating state of the resin molding device is cooling the resin in the mold.

[0071] The mold opening signal is, for example, a control pulse signal that instructs the production equipment 200 to open the upper and lower molds of the resin molding device, or an operation pulse signal that indicates that the operating state of the resin molding device has entered a state for opening the upper and lower molds. The ejection signal is, for example, a control pulse signal that instructs the production equipment 200 to perform a process for pushing out the molded product from the molds, or an operation pulse signal that indicates that the operating state of the resin molding device has entered a state for pushing out the molded product from the molds.

[0072] <2.3.2. Calculation unit 41> The calculation unit 41 calculates at least one of the pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count of one or more types of pulse signals detected by the detection unit 20 based on the detection results acquired by the acquisition unit 40.

[0073] As described above, the detection result acquired by the acquisition unit 40 includes pulse type information, edge type information, and detection time information. The calculation unit 41 calculates at least one of the pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count of the pulse signal based on the pulse type information, edge type information, and detection time information.

[0074] The detection result may include count value information instead of detection time information, in which case the calculation unit 41 calculates at least one of the pulse interval, pulse width, and number of pulses of the pulse signal based on the pulse type information, edge type information, and count value information.

[0075] The pulse intervals calculated by the calculation unit 41 are pulse intervals between one or more types of pulse signals, and are at least one of pulse intervals between pulse signals of the same type and pulse intervals between multiple types of pulse signals. The pulse intervals between pulse signals of the same type are intervals between edges of the pulse signals.

[0076] 7 is a diagram illustrating the pulse intervals and pulse widths of pulse signals of the same type calculated by the calculation unit 41 in the processing unit 32 of the server 3 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, for example, the pulse intervals of pulse signals of the same type are intervals T1 and T2 between edges of the same type, or interval T3 between edges of different types.

[0077] The interval T1 between edges of the same type is the interval between the rising edge of one pulse and the rising edge of the next pulse in the same type of pulse signal. The interval T2 between edges of the same type is the interval between the falling edge of one pulse and the falling edge of the next pulse in the same type of pulse signal. The interval T3 between edges of different types is the interval between the falling edge of one pulse and the rising edge of the next pulse in the same type of pulse signal.

[0078] The pulse interval between multiple types of pulse signals is the interval between the edges of different types of pulse signals; for example, in the case of two types of pulse signals, it is the interval from the falling edge of the pulse of one pulse signal to the rising edge of the pulse of the other pulse signal.

[0079] Furthermore, the pulse interval between the multiple types of pulse signals may be the interval from a specific type of edge of a pulse of one of the two types of pulse signals to a specific type of edge of a pulse of the other pulse signal, where the specific type of edge is either a rising edge or a falling edge.

[0080] The pulse intervals between the multiple types of pulse signals are the intervals between edges of different types of pulse signals. Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining the pulse intervals and pulse widths of the multiple types of pulse signals calculated by the calculation unit 41 in the processing unit 32 of the server 3 according to the embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 8, pulse signal P1 and pulse signal P2 are shown as the multiple types of pulse signals.

[0081] 8, the pulse intervals of the multiple types of pulse signals P1 and P2 are, for example, intervals T10 and T11 between edges of the same type, or interval T12 between edges of different types. The interval T10 between edges of the same type is the interval between the rising edge of pulse signal P1 and the rising edge of pulse signal P2.

[0082] The interval T11 between edges of the same type is the interval between the falling edge of pulse signal P1 and the falling edge of pulse signal P2, and the interval T12 between edges of different types is the interval between the falling edge of pulse signal P1 and the rising edge of pulse signal P2.

[0083] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of multiple types of pulse signals whose pulse intervals and pulse widths are calculated by the calculation unit 41 in the processing unit 32 of the server 3 according to the embodiment, and shows an example in which the production equipment 200 is a resin molding device.

[0084] In the example shown in Figure 9, when the production equipment 200 is a resin molding device, the multiple types of pulse signals shown include, for example, a mold clamping signal, a plasticizing signal, a nozzle signal, an injection signal, a pressure holding signal, a cooling signal, a mold opening signal, and an ejection signal.

[0085] The example shown in FIG. 9 shows the pulse interval and pulse width of the pulse signal calculated by the calculation unit 41 when the detection unit 20 detects the rising edge of the rising and falling edges of each type of pulse signal as the edge to be detected.

[0086] Pulse interval T20 is the interval from the rising edge of one pulse of the mold clamping signal to the rising edge of the next pulse. Pulse interval T21 is the interval from the rising edge of the mold clamping signal to the rising edge of the plasticizing signal. Pulse interval T22 is the interval from the rising edge of the plasticizing signal to the rising edge of the nozzle signal.

[0087] Pulse interval T23 is the interval from the rising edge of the nozzle signal to the rising edge of the injection signal. Pulse interval T24 is the interval from the rising edge of the injection signal to the rising edge of the holding pressure signal. Pulse interval T25 is the interval from the rising edge of the holding pressure signal to the rising edge of the cooling signal. Pulse interval T26 is the interval from the rising edge of the cooling signal to the rising edge of the mold opening signal.

[0088] Pulse interval T27 is the interval between the rising edge of the mold opening signal and the rising edge of the ejection signal. Pulse width T28 is the pulse width of the holding pressure signal, and pulse width T29 is the pulse width of the cooling signal. The longer the holding pressure time, the larger the pulse width of the holding pressure signal. Similarly, the longer the cooling time, the larger the pulse width of the cooling signal.

[0089] In the example shown in FIG. 9, the detection unit 20 detects the rising edge of each type of pulse signal, but the edge detected by the detection unit 20 may be the falling edge of each type of pulse signal, or may be both the rising edge and the falling edge of each type of pulse signal.

[0090] The calculation unit 41 calculates one or more of the average value, distribution, variance, and standard deviation of at least one of the pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count for each type of pulse signal or for each combination of two or more types of pulse signals.

[0091] For example, calculation unit 41 calculates, for each type of pulse signal, one or more of the average value, distribution, variance, and standard deviation of at least one of the pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count for each predetermined period TB. The predetermined period TB is, for example, a period in days, but may also be a period in hours.

[0092] In addition, the calculation unit 41 can also calculate, for each predetermined production quantity of the production object, one or more of the average value, distribution, variance, and standard deviation of at least one of the pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count for each type of pulse signal or for each combination of two or more types of pulse signals.

[0093] <2.3.3.Discrimination unit 42> Based on the calculation result by the calculation unit 41, the discrimination unit 42 discriminates the type of production object being produced in the production facility 200 when the pulse signal is detected by the detection unit 20. The discrimination unit 42 adds the discrimination result to the discrimination information stored in the memory unit 31.

[0094] For example, the discrimination unit 42 discriminates the type of production object being produced in the production equipment 200 when a pulse signal is detected by the detection unit 20 based on the comparison result between the calculation result by the calculation unit 41 and the master information stored in the memory unit 31.

[0095] Furthermore, the discrimination unit 42 may be configured to use a classification model to discriminate the type of the production object from the calculation result by the calculation unit 41. The classification model is, for example, a linear regression model, a convolutional neural network, or the like, but is not limited to these examples.

[0096] The classification model is generated using learning information that includes, for each pulse information, pulse information including at least one of pulse intervals and pulse widths of one or more types of pulse signals, and information indicating the type of product to be produced. The information indicating the type of product to be produced is used as a label.

[0097] The discrimination unit 42 includes a comparison processing unit 50 and a discrimination processing unit 51. The comparison processing unit 50 compares master information including discrimination criterion information for each type of production object, which is at least one of pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count as discrimination criteria, with the calculation result by the calculation unit 41. The discrimination processing unit 51 discriminates the type of production object based on the comparison result by the comparison processing unit 50.

[0098] For example, assume that the master information is in the state shown in Fig. 3 or 4. In this case, if the pulse interval calculated by the calculation unit 41 is in the range of 29 to 31 seconds, the comparison processing unit 50 determines that it is included in the pulse interval of model A indicated in the master information, and the discrimination processing unit 51 discriminates model A as the type of the production object. Also, if the pulse interval calculated by the calculation unit 41 is in the range of 32 to 34 seconds, the comparison processing unit 50 determines that it is included in the pulse interval of model B indicated in the master information, and the discrimination processing unit 51 discriminates model B as the type of the production object.

[0099] Furthermore, if the pulse interval calculated by the calculation unit 41 is in the range of 43 to 47 seconds, the comparison processing unit 50 determines that it is included in the pulse interval of model C indicated in the master information, and the discrimination processing unit 51 discriminates model C as the type of the production object. Furthermore, if the pulse interval calculated by the calculation unit 41 is in the range of 79 to 81 seconds, the comparison processing unit 50 determines that it is included in the pulse interval of model D indicated in the master information, and the discrimination processing unit 51 discriminates model D as the type of the production object.

[0100] Also, for example, it is assumed that the one or more types of pulse signals detected by the detection unit 20 are the multiple types of pulse signals shown in Fig. 9. In this case, the master information includes discrimination criterion information for each type of production object, which includes information on multiple pulse intervals and information on multiple pulse widths that serve as discrimination criteria, and information for defining the ranges of each of the multiple pulse intervals T20 to T27 and pulse widths T28 and T29.

[0101] In this case, the comparison processing unit 50 compares the plurality of pulse intervals T20 to T27 and the plurality of pulse widths T28, T29 calculated by the calculation unit 41 with the discrimination criterion information for each type of production object included in the master information. The discrimination processing unit 51 discriminates the type of production object based on the comparison result by the comparison processing unit 50.

[0102] For example, assume that the master information is in the state shown in Fig. 5 or 6. In this case, if the number of pulses calculated by the calculation unit 41 is three, the comparison processing unit 50 determines that this is included in the number of pulses for model V indicated in the master information, and the discrimination processing unit 51 discriminates model V as the type of the production object. Also, if the number of pulses calculated by the calculation unit 41 is five, the comparison processing unit 50 determines that this is included in the number of pulses for model W indicated in the master information, and the discrimination processing unit 51 discriminates model W as the type of the production object.

[0103] Furthermore, if the number of pulses calculated by the calculation unit 41 is in the range of 6 to 8, the comparison processing unit 50 determines that it is included in the number of pulses of model X indicated in the master information, and the discrimination processing unit 51 discriminates model X as the type of the production object. Furthermore, if the number of pulses calculated by the calculation unit 41 is in the range of 9 to 11, the comparison processing unit 50 determines that it is included in the number of pulses of model Y indicated in the master information, and the discrimination processing unit 51 discriminates model Y as the type of the production object.

[0104] If the type of production object cannot be uniquely determined based on the comparison results by the comparison processing unit 50, i.e., if the production object cannot be narrowed down to one type, the discrimination processing unit 51 discriminates two or more types as candidates for the type of production object.

[0105] For example, if the calculation results of the calculation unit 41 satisfy the conditions indicated by two or more pieces of discrimination criteria information, the discrimination processing unit 51 discriminates each of the two or more types corresponding to the calculation results of the calculation unit 41 and the two or more pieces of discrimination criteria information as candidate types of the production object.

[0106] For example, when one pulse interval is calculated by the calculation unit 41, it is assumed that the calculated pulse interval falls within the pulse width ranges defined by two or more pieces of discrimination criterion information among the discrimination criterion information for each type of production object included in the master information. In this case, the discrimination processing unit 51 discriminates each of the two or more types corresponding to the two or more pieces of discrimination criterion information for which the calculated pulse interval falls within the defined pulse width range as a candidate type of production object.

[0107] Furthermore, when the calculation result of the calculation unit 41 does not satisfy any of the conditions indicated in the discrimination criterion information for each type of production object, the discrimination processing unit 51 discriminates each of two or more types corresponding to two or more pieces of discrimination criterion information that are close to the conditions indicated in the discrimination criterion information as a candidate type of production object. Close to the conditions indicated in the discrimination criterion information means, for example, being within a predetermined range from the range indicated by the conditions indicated in the discrimination criterion information, but is not limited to this example.

[0108] For example, when one pulse interval is calculated by the calculation unit 41, the calculated pulse interval is outside the range of pulse widths specified in the discrimination criterion information for each type of product included in the master information. In this case, the discrimination processing unit 51 discriminates each of two or more types corresponding to two or more pieces of discrimination criterion information whose calculated pulse interval is close to the specified pulse width range as a candidate type of product. "Close to the specified pulse width range" means, for example, that the calculated pulse interval is within a predetermined range from the specified pulse width range, but is not limited to this example.

[0109] The greater the number of pulse intervals and pulse widths calculated by the calculation unit 41, the more accurate the discrimination of the type of product by the discrimination unit 42 can be.

[0110] In addition, the discrimination processing unit 51 starts discriminating the type of production object based on the calculation result by the calculation unit 41 after the pulse interval of at least one type of pulse signal among the one or more types of pulse signals detected by the detection unit 20 becomes equal to or greater than a threshold value.

[0111] For example, when one or more types of pulse signals detected by the detection unit 20 are the multiple pulse signals shown in Figure 9, the discrimination processing unit 51 discriminates the type of production object based on the calculation result of the subsequent pulse interval T20 by the calculation unit 41 after the pulse interval T20 becomes greater than or equal to the Tth threshold.

[0112] The pulse interval T20 is the interval from when production of one or more production objects begins in the production equipment 200 to when production of the next one or more production objects begins, and can also be called the production cycle of one or more production objects.

[0113] The pulse interval T20 becomes equal to or greater than the threshold value Tth when the type of production object is changed in the production facility 200, and time is required for tasks such as changing jigs and changing program settings. The threshold value Tth is k times the production cycle when the same type of production object is produced continuously. k is, for example, a value of 2 or greater, but is not limited to this example.

[0114] The discrimination processing unit 51 can determine whether the type of the object to be produced in the production facility 200 has changed by determining whether the pulse interval T20 has become equal to or greater than the Tth threshold. After the pulse interval T20 has become equal to or greater than the Tth threshold, the discrimination processing unit 51 discriminates the type of the object to be produced based on the calculation result of the calculation unit 41 for the subsequent pulse interval T20. This eliminates the need for the discrimination processing unit 51 to discriminate the type of the object to be produced each time one or more types of pulse signals are detected by the detection unit 20, thereby reducing the processing load.

[0115] Furthermore, when the number of times that the calculation results for each production cycle by the calculation unit 41 are substantially the same consecutively is p or more times, the discrimination processing unit 51 can start discriminating the type of the production object based on the calculation results by the calculation unit 41. p is, for example, an integer of 5 or more.

[0116] For example, when there are multiple calculation targets to be calculated by the calculation unit 41, if the state in which the variation in the calculation results of all the calculation targets is within the threshold value is maintained for p production cycles, the discrimination processing unit 51 starts to discriminate the type of the production object based on the calculation results by the calculation unit 41. This eliminates the need for the discrimination processing unit 51 to discriminate the type of the production object every time one or more types of pulse signals are detected by the detection unit 20, thereby reducing the processing load.

[0117] Furthermore, when the moving average value of the calculation results for each production cycle by the calculation unit 41 changes by more than a threshold value, the discrimination processing unit 51 can also start discriminating the type of the product based on the calculation results by the calculation unit 41. In this case, the discrimination processing unit 51, for example, discriminates the type of the product for each of the multiple calculation results that were the subject of the calculation of the moving average value.

[0118] For example, in a case where there are multiple calculation targets to be calculated by the calculation unit 41, when the rate of change of the moving average value of one or more of the multiple calculation targets becomes equal to or greater than a threshold, the discrimination processing unit 51 starts discriminating the type of the production object based on the calculation results by the calculation unit 41. This eliminates the need for the discrimination processing unit 51 to discriminate the type of the production object every time one or more types of pulse signals are detected by the detection unit 20, thereby reducing the processing load.

[0119] Furthermore, when the detection unit 20 detects a pulse signal that is not generated during continuous automatic operation of the production facility 200, such as when a program is changed or a stop button is operated, the discrimination processing unit 51 can also start discriminating the type of the production object based on the calculation result by the calculation unit 41. This eliminates the need for the discrimination processing unit 51 to discriminate the type of the production object every time one or more types of pulse signals are detected by the detection unit 20, thereby reducing the processing load.

[0120] <2.3.4. Display Processing Unit 43> The display processing unit 43 causes various types of information to be displayed on the display device 101. The display processing unit 43 causes the display device 101 to display, for example, determination information indicating the determination result by the determination unit .

[0121] For example, the display processing unit 43 causes the display device 101 to display information including pulse information indicating the relationship between one or more types of pulse signals detected by the detection unit 20 and the detection time of the one or more types of pulse signals by the detection unit 20, and discrimination information indicating the discrimination result by the discrimination unit 42.

[0122] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a management screen displayed on the display device 101 by the display processing unit 43 in the processing unit 32 of the server 3 according to the embodiment. The management screen 60 shown in FIG. 10 includes a pulse information display area 61, a pulse interval display area 62, and a discrimination information display area 63.

[0123] 10 shows the pulse waveform of pulse signal P1 as information indicating the relationship between pulse signal P1 detected by detection unit 20 and the detection time of pulse signal P1 detected by detection unit 20. Pulse interval display area 62 includes information indicating the pulse interval calculated by calculation unit 41. Discrimination information display area 63 includes information such as the character string "Model C" as information indicating the discrimination result by discrimination unit 42.

[0124] Furthermore, the display processing unit 43 causes the display device 101 to display information indicating two or more types of candidates discriminated by the discriminator 42 so that one of the two or more types of candidates can be selected.

[0125] 11 is a diagram showing another example of a management screen displayed on the display device 101 by the display processing unit 43 in the processing unit 32 of the server 3 according to the embodiment. A management screen 70 shown in FIG. 11 includes a pulse information display area 71, a pulse interval information display area 72, and a register button 73.

[0126] The pulse information display area 71 shown in Figure 11 displays the pulse waveforms of pulse signals P11, P2, and P3 as information indicating the relationship between the pulse signals P1, P2, and P3 detected by the detection unit 20 and the detection times of the pulse signals P1, P2, and P3.

[0127] The pulse interval information display area 72 shown in FIG. 11 shows "30" as the pulse interval between pulse signals P1 and P2 detected by the detection unit 20, and "45" as the pulse interval between pulse signals P2 and P3 detected by the detection unit 20.

[0128] Furthermore, multiple types of candidate information are selectably included in pulse interval information display area 72. In the example shown in Fig. 11, pulse information display area 71 displays, for each of models A, B, and C, the pulse interval between pulse signals P1 and P2 and the pulse interval between pulse signals P2 and P3 as the pulse intervals that serve as discrimination criteria indicated by the master information.

[0129] A manager or operator of production facility 200 can select the type of production object from the multiple candidate types shown in pulse information display area 71 by operating operation device 102. In the example shown in Fig. 11, a manager or operator of production facility 200 operates operation device 102 to select model C from the multiple candidate types shown in pulse information display area 71.

[0130] The manager or operator of the production equipment 200 operates the operation device 102 to select the type of production object from multiple candidate types and selects the registration button 73, whereby information indicating the type of production object is added to the discrimination information stored in the memory unit 31 together with information indicating the detection time.

[0131] Furthermore, the display processing unit 43 causes the display device 101 to display information for creating discrimination criterion information to be included in the master information when, for example, the master information is not stored in the storage unit 31. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing yet another example of a management screen displayed on the display device 101 by the display processing unit 43 in the processing unit 32 of the server 3 according to the embodiment.

[0132] Management screen 80 shown in Fig. 12 includes a pulse information display area 81, a pulse interval display area 82, a type selection area 83, a create button 84, and a register button 85. Pulse information display area 81 shown in Fig. 12 displays the pulse waveforms of pulse signals P1, P2, and P3 detected by detection unit 20, similar to pulse information display area 71 shown in Fig. 11.

[0133] In addition, the pulse interval display area 82, like the pulse interval information display area 72, displays the pulse interval between the pulse signals P1 and P2 detected by the detection unit 20 and the pulse interval between the pulse signals P2 and P3 detected by the detection unit 20.

[0134] In the type selection area 83, information showing multiple candidate types of the production object is displayed so that one type can be selected. In the type selection area 83 shown in Fig. 12, models A, B, and C are displayed as multiple candidate types of the production object, and the manager or operator of the production facility 200 can select the type of the production object from among models A, B, and C.

[0135] When a manager or operator of the production facility 200 wants to add a type other than the types shown in the type selection area 83 as a candidate type of production object to the type selection area 83, the manager or operator of the production facility 200 selects the create button 84. After selecting the create button 84, the manager or operator of the production facility 200 can add the new type to the type selection area 83 as a candidate type of production object by performing a predetermined operation.

[0136] Furthermore, the manager or operator of the production facility 200 operates the operation device 102 to select one type in the type selection area 83, and then selects the register button 85. When the register button 85 is selected, the display processing unit 43 displays on the display device 101 a setting screen for setting discrimination criteria information.

[0137] The setting screen displays configurable reference pulse intervals, upper and lower limits, etc., and the manager or operator of the production facility 200 can set the pulse intervals, upper and lower limits, etc. of the selected type by operating the operation device 102. This allows the manager or operator of the production facility 200 to add discrimination reference information for the selected type of production object to the master information.

[0138] The display processing unit 43 can also cause the display device 101 to display information indicating one or more of the average value, distribution, variance, and standard deviation calculated by the calculation unit 41. For example, the display processing unit 43 causes the display device 101 to display information indicating one or more of the average value, distribution, variance, and standard deviation calculated by the calculation unit 41 for each candidate type or for each combination of two or more types of pulse signals. This allows the manager or operator of the production facility 200 to easily select the type of production object being produced in the production facility 200 from multiple candidate types.

[0139] For example, the display processing unit 43 can add information indicating one or more of the average value, distribution, variance, and standard deviation calculated by the calculation unit 41 to the above-mentioned management screens 60, 70, and 80 for each candidate type or for each combination of two or more types of pulse signals. This allows the manager or operator of the production facility 200 to accurately set the errors, upper limit values, lower limit values, etc. of the pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count.

[0140] Furthermore, when the number of pulses is calculated by the calculation unit 41, the display processing unit 43 causes the display device 101 to display pulse information indicating the relationship between the one or more types of pulse signals detected by the detection unit 20 and the number of pulses of the one or more types of pulse signals. For example, the display processing unit 43 causes the display device 101 to display information including information indicating the type of pulse signal and information indicating the number of pulses for each type of pulse signal.

[0141] <2.3.5. Operation Reception Unit 44> The operation reception unit 44 receives operations on the operation device 102 by a manager or operator of the production equipment 200. The operation device 102 includes, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, and a power button. If the display device 101 is a touch panel display, the operation device 102 includes the touch panel.

[0142] The operation accepting unit 44 can, for example, accept the selection of one type in the pulse interval information display area 72 shown in Fig. 11 or accept the selection of the register button 73 shown in Fig. 11. Furthermore, the operation accepting unit 44 can, for example, accept the selection of one type in the type selection area 83 shown in Fig. 12 or accept the selection of the register button 85 shown in Fig. 12 as a request to register the discrimination criterion information.

[0143] Furthermore, the operation receiving unit 44 receives, for example, the selection of the create button 84 shown in FIG. 12 and the subsequent operation of adding a new type as a type creation request.

[0144] <2.3.6. Setting section 45> The setting unit 45 performs various settings. For example, the setting unit 45 sets master information based on a setting operation received by the operation receiving unit 44, and stores the set master information in the storage unit 31.

[0145] For example, when the operation receiving unit 44 receives a request to register discrimination criteria information, the setting unit 45 can add discrimination criteria information for the type of production object indicated in the registration request to the master information.

[0146] For example, when a type creation request is received by the operation receiving unit 44, the setting unit 45 can add type information to which information indicating the new type has been added to the master information.

[0147] 3. Example of Processing Procedure of Discrimination System 100 Next, a procedure of information processing by the determination system 100 according to the embodiment will be described. First, a description will be given of processing by the PLC 2. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of information processing by the PLC 2 according to the embodiment.

[0148] 13, the PLC 2 determines whether or not a pulse signal has been detected (step S10). In step S10, the PLC 2 detects the pulse signal, for example, by detecting an edge of the pulse signal. The edge of the pulse signal detected by the PLC 2 is at least one of the rising edge and the falling edge of the pulse signal.

[0149] When it is determined that a pulse signal has been detected (step S10: Yes), the PLC 2 transmits a detection result, which is information indicating the result of detecting one or more types of pulse signals, to the server 3 (step S11). The detection result includes, for example, pulse type information, edge type information, and detection time information.

[0150] When the process of step S11 is completed or when it is determined that a pulse signal has not been detected (step S10: No), the PLC 2 determines whether or not it is time to end its operation (step S12). The PLC 2 determines that it is time to end its operation when, for example, the power supply of the PLC 2 is turned off.

[0151] If PLC2 determines that it is not time to end the operation (step S12: No), it proceeds to step S10, and if it determines that it is time to end the operation (step S12: Yes), it terminates the processing shown in Figure 15.

[0152] Next, a description will be given of an example of processing by the processing unit 32 of the server 3. Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of information processing by the processing unit 32 of the server 3 according to the embodiment.

[0153] 14, the processing unit 32 of the server 3 determines whether or not the detection result transmitted from the PLC 2 has been acquired (step S20). If the processing unit 32 determines that the detection result has been acquired (step S20: Yes), the processing unit 32 stores the acquired detection result in the storage unit 31 (step S21).

[0154] When the processing of step S21 is completed or when it is determined that the detection result has not been acquired (step S20: No), the processing unit 32 determines whether or not the timing for type determination has arrived (step S22).

[0155] The type determination timing is, for example, the timing when the waiting time becomes equal to or greater than a threshold value or the timing when the pulse interval of a specific pulse signal becomes equal to or greater than a threshold value Tth. The waiting time is, for example, the timing from when the production of one product ends to when the production of the next product starts. For example, when multiple types of pulse signals are detected by the detection unit 20, the processing unit 32 determines that the production of one product has ended when all types of pulse signals have been detected.

[0156] When it is determined that the timing for type determination has come (step S22: Yes), the processing unit 32 performs type determination processing (step S23). The type determination processing of step S23 is the processing of steps S30 to S33 shown in Fig. 14, and will be described in detail later.

[0157] When the processing of step S23 is completed or when it is determined that the timing for type determination has not arrived (step S22: No), the processing unit 32 determines whether or not a request for registration of discrimination criteria information has been received (step S24). When it is determined that a registration request has been received (step S24: Yes), the processing unit 32 performs a registration process of adding discrimination criteria information for the type of production object indicated in the registration request to the master information (step S25).

[0158] When the processing of step S25 is completed or when it is determined that a registration request has not been received (step S24: No), the processing unit 32 determines whether a type creation request has been received (step S26). When it is determined that a type creation request has been received (step S26: Yes), the processing unit 32 executes a type addition process to add a type according to the type creation request to the master information (step S27).

[0159] When the process of step S27 is completed or when it is determined that the type creation request has not been received (step S26: No), the processing unit 32 determines whether or not the operation end time has arrived (step S28). The processing unit 32 determines that the operation end time has arrived when, for example, the power of the server 3 is turned off.

[0160] If the processing unit 32 determines that the operation end time has not arrived (step S28: No), it proceeds to step S20, and if it determines that the operation end time has arrived (step S28: Yes), it terminates the processing shown in Figure 14.

[0161] 15 is a flowchart showing an example of type determination processing by the processing unit 32 of the server 3 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 15, the processing unit 32 calculates at least one of the pulse interval, pulse width, and pulse count of one or more types of pulse signals detected by the detection unit 20 based on the detection result (step S30).

[0162] Next, the processing unit 32 determines the type of the production object based on the calculation result (step S31). Then, the processing unit 32 adds the determination result of step S31 to the determination information stored in the storage unit 31 (step S32), and causes the determination result of step S31 to be displayed on the display device 101 (step S33). When the processing of step S33 is completed, the processing unit 32 ends the processing shown in FIG.

[0163] <4. Modifications> In the above example, an example in which there is one production facility 200 has been described, but if the same type of production object is produced by multiple production facilities 200, the number of production facilities 200 may be two or more. In this case, the detection unit 20 detects one or more types of pulse signals from each of the multiple production facilities 200. The discrimination unit 42 can discriminate the type of production object based on the detection results of one or more types of pulse signals from each of the multiple production facilities 200. This allows the discrimination system 100 to improve the discrimination accuracy by the discrimination unit 42.

[0164] In the above example, in one production cycle, which is one cycle from the start to the end of production processing for one production object, one or more types of pulse signals have one pulse count, i.e., one rising edge and one falling edge, but this is not limited to such an example. For example, one or more types of pulse signals may have two or more pulse counts in one production cycle. In other words, one or more types of pulse signals may have two or more rising edges and two or more falling edges in one production cycle.

[0165] In this case, the calculation unit 41 can calculate the number of pulses of one or more types of pulse signals in one production cycle as a result of detecting one or more types of pulse signals. In this case, the master information includes information on the number of times that serves as a discrimination criterion for the number of pulses of one or more types of pulse signals in one production cycle.

[0166] <5. Hardware Configuration> FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the processing unit 32 in the server 3 according to the embodiment.

[0167] 16, the processing unit 32 has a processor 90, a memory 91, an input / output interface (I / F) 92, and a media interface (I / F) 93. The processor 90, the memory 91, the input / output interface 92, and the media interface 93 are connected by a bus 95.

[0168] The processor 90 includes, for example, one or more of a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and a system large scale integration (LSI). The memory 91 is a random access memory (RAM) such as a static random access memory (SRAM) or a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), or a semiconductor memory element.

[0169] The processor 90 transmits and receives information to and from an output device such as a display device 101, and transmits and receives information to and from an input device such as an operation device 102, via the input / output interface 92. The processor 90 acquires data from the input device via the input / output interface 92. The processor 90 also outputs generated data to the output device via the input / output interface 92.

[0170] The media interface 93 reads a program or data stored in a recording medium 94 and provides the read data or program (an example of a classification correction program) to the processor 90 via the memory 91. The processor 90 loads the program from the recording medium 94 onto the memory 91 via the media interface 93 and executes the loaded program. The recording medium 94 is, for example, an optical recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or a PD (Phase Change Rewritable Disc), or a semiconductor memory.

[0171] The processor 90 executes a program using the memory 91 or the like as a working area, thereby realizing the functions of the acquisition unit 40, the calculation unit 41, the determination unit 42, the display processing unit 43, the operation acceptance unit 44, and the setting unit 45.

[0172] The processing unit 32 may be partially or entirely realized by an integrated circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or a digital signal processor (DSP).

[0173] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This embodiment can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims.

[0174] The present technology can be configured as follows. (1) A detection unit that detects one or more types of pulse signals used in production equipment that produces the production object; a calculation unit that calculates at least one of a pulse interval, a pulse width, and a pulse count of the one or more types of pulse signals based on a detection result by the detection unit; a discrimination unit that discriminates the type of the production object based on the calculation result by the calculation unit. (2) The one or more types of pulse signals are The discrimination system according to (1), comprising at least one of a pulse signal for controlling the production equipment and a pulse signal indicating the operation of the production equipment. (3) The detection result is The discrimination system described in (1) includes information indicating the detection time of the one or more types of pulse signals, information indicating the value of a counter when the one or more types of pulse signals are detected, or information indicating the detection of the one or more types of pulse signals. (4) The determination unit a comparison processing unit that compares master information containing discrimination criterion information for each type of the production object, the discrimination criterion information being at least one of a pulse interval, a pulse width, and a pulse count, with the calculation result by the calculation unit; The discrimination system according to any one of (1) to (3), further comprising a discrimination processing unit that discriminates the type of the production object based on the comparison result by the comparison processing unit. (5) The detection unit The discrimination system according to any one of (1) to (4), which detects at least one of a rising edge and a falling edge of the one or more types of pulse signals. (6) The detection unit Detecting a plurality of types of pulse signals as the one or more types of pulse signals; The calculation unit The discrimination system according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein at least one of the intervals between the plurality of types of pulse signals and the intervals between the plurality of types of pulse signals is calculated as the pulse interval. (7) The discrimination system according to any one of (1) to (6), further comprising a display processing unit that displays on a display unit information including pulse information indicating the relationship between the one or more types of pulse signals detected by the detection unit and the detection time or number of pulses of the one or more types of pulse signals, and discrimination information indicating the discrimination result by the discrimination unit. (8) a display processing unit that displays, on a display unit, determination information indicating a determination result by the determination unit; The discrimination processing unit If the type of the production object cannot be narrowed down to one, two or more candidate types are identified based on the comparison result by the comparison processing unit; The display processing unit The discrimination system described in (4) displays information indicating the two or more types of candidates discriminated by the discrimination unit so that one of the two or more types of candidates can be selected on the display unit. (9) The calculation unit calculating, for each type of pulse signal, one or more of an average value, a distribution, a variance, and a standard deviation of at least one of the pulse interval, the pulse width, and the number of pulses; The display processing unit The discrimination system according to (8), wherein the display unit displays information indicating one or more of the mean value, distribution, variance, and standard deviation calculated by the calculation unit. (10) The determination unit The discrimination system according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein the type of the production object is discriminated based on the calculation result by the calculation unit after the pulse interval of at least one type of pulse signal among the one or more types of pulse signals becomes equal to or greater than a threshold value. (11) a detection step of detecting one or more types of pulse signals used in production equipment that produces the object to be produced; a calculation step of calculating at least one of a pulse interval, a pulse width, and a pulse count of the one or more types of pulse signals based on the detection result of the detection step; a determination step of determining the type of the production object based on the calculation result from the calculation step. (12) A detection procedure for detecting one or more types of pulse signals used in production equipment that produces the production object; a calculation step of calculating at least one of a pulse interval, a pulse width, and a pulse count of the one or more types of pulse signals based on a detection result obtained by the detection step; a discrimination procedure for discriminating the type of the production object based on a calculation result of the calculation procedure.

[0175] The disclosed embodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Indeed, the above-described embodiments may be embodied in various forms. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or modified in various forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0176] 2 PLC 3 Server 20 Detection unit 30 Communications Department 31 Storage section 32 Processing section 40 Acquisition Department 41 Calculation section 42 Discrimination part 43 Display processing section 44 Operation reception section 45 Setting section 50 Comparison processing section 51 Discrimination processing unit 100 Discrimination System 101 Display device 102 Operating device 200 production facilities 201 Control device

Claims

1. a detection unit that detects one or more types of pulse signals used in production equipment that produces the product; a calculation unit that calculates at least one of a pulse interval, a pulse width, and a pulse count of the one or more types of pulse signals based on a detection result by the detection unit; a discrimination unit that discriminates the type of the production object based on the calculation result by the calculation unit.

2. The one or more types of pulse signals are The determination system according to claim 1 , comprising at least one of a pulse signal for controlling the production facility and a pulse signal indicating an operation of the production facility.

3. The detection result is The discrimination system according to claim 1, further comprising information indicating the time of detection of the one or more types of pulse signals, information indicating the value of a counter when the one or more types of pulse signals are detected, or information indicating the detection of the one or more types of pulse signals.

4. The determination unit a comparison processing unit that compares master information including discrimination criterion information for each type of the production object, the discrimination criterion information being at least one of a pulse interval, a pulse width, and a pulse count, with the calculation result by the calculation unit; The discrimination system according to claim 1 , further comprising: a discrimination processing unit that discriminates the type of the production object based on a comparison result by the comparison processing unit.

5. The detection unit The discrimination system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of a rising edge and a falling edge of the one or more types of pulse signals is detected.

6. The detection unit Detecting a plurality of types of pulse signals as the one or more types of pulse signals; The calculation unit The discrimination system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of an interval between each of the plurality of types of pulse signals and an interval between the plurality of types of pulse signals is calculated as the pulse interval.

7. 4. The discrimination system according to claim 1, further comprising a display processing unit that causes a display unit to display information including pulse information indicating a relationship between the one or more types of pulse signals detected by the detection unit and the detection time or number of pulses of the one or more types of pulse signals, and discrimination information indicating a discrimination result by the discrimination unit.

8. a display processing unit that displays, on a display unit, determination information indicating a determination result by the determination unit; The discrimination processing unit If the type of the production object cannot be narrowed down to one, two or more candidate types are identified based on the comparison result by the comparison processing unit; The display processing unit The discrimination system according to claim 4 , wherein the display unit displays information indicating the two or more types of candidates discriminated by the discrimination unit so that one of the two or more types of candidates can be selected.

9. The calculation unit calculating, for each type of pulse signal, one or more of an average value, a distribution, a variance, and a standard deviation of at least one of the pulse interval, the pulse width, and the number of pulses; The display processing unit The discrimination system according to claim 8 , wherein the display unit displays information indicating one or more of the mean value, distribution, variance, and standard deviation calculated by the calculation unit.

10. The determination unit 4. The discrimination system according to claim 1, wherein the type of the production object is discriminated based on a calculation result by the calculation unit after a pulse interval of at least one type of pulse signal among the one or more types of pulse signals becomes equal to or greater than a threshold value.

11. a detection step of detecting one or more types of pulse signals used in production equipment that produces the object to be produced; a calculation step of calculating at least one of a pulse interval, a pulse width, and a pulse count of the one or more types of pulse signals based on a detection result from the detection step; a determination step of determining the type of the production object based on the calculation result from the calculation step.

12. a detection step of detecting one or more types of pulse signals used in production equipment that produces the production object; a calculation step of calculating at least one of a pulse interval, a pulse width, and a pulse count of the one or more types of pulse signals based on a detection result obtained by the detection step; a discrimination procedure for discriminating the type of the production object based on a calculation result obtained by the calculation procedure;

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