Industrial machinery management device and system

Abstract

To provide an industrial machinery management device that can easily check a history of rewriting to update programs in industrial machines.SOLUTION: An operation monitoring unit monitors an operating status of an industrial machine to be managed. An update program, which is a program executed by the industrial machine, is stored in a program management unit. A rewrite instruction unit instructs the industrial machine to rewrite it with the update program. A rewrite log management unit records information indicating the operating status of the industrial machine at the time of program rewriting and information indicating the contents of the update program in association with each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an industrial machinery management device and system. [Background technology]

[0002] When updating programs in industrial machinery such as injection molding machines, a manufacturer's serviceman typically visits the factory where the machinery is installed and waits for the machinery to be stopped to update the programs. To reduce the man-hours required for updating the programs, it is desirable to use FOTA (Firmware update Over-the-Air) to update the programs.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for improving the efficiency of updating programs in multiple electric control units (ECUs) of an automobile. In this technology, an update program is downloaded from a control system to the automobile, and then the program is overwritten with the update program. The automobile has a program storage unit that temporarily stores the update program. Furthermore, one of the multiple ECUs has a main storage area in which the currently running program is stored and a sub-storage area in which the update program is stored. When overwriting with the update program, the program storage unit and the ECU's sub-storage area are used to improve the efficiency of the program update. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-144682 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] There are cases where it is desirable to know how the manufacturing yield of products manufactured by industrial machinery or the operation of the industrial machinery has changed after the program has been rewritten with an update program. When an industrial machinery management device manages multiple industrial machines, it is difficult to collect from the industrial machines the program version at the time the yield or operation of the industrial machinery changed. In addition, the date and time of the program rewrite with the update program may become unknown. An object of the present invention is to provide an industrial machinery management device that makes it possible to easily check the history of the program rewrite with an update program in an industrial machine. Another object of the present invention is to provide a system including this industrial machinery management device and managed industrial machines. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, an operation monitoring unit that monitors the operation status of the managed industrial machinery; a program management unit that stores update programs that are programs executed by the industrial machines; a rewrite instruction unit that instructs the industrial machine to rewrite the program with the update program; a rewrite log management unit that records information indicating the operating status of the industrial machine at the time of program rewrite and information indicating the contents of the update program in association with each other; An industrial machinery management device comprising:

[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, the industrial machinery management device; The industrial machine Equipped with The industrial machine is a controller that executes a program stored in a main memory unit; a rewrite execution unit that rewrites the program in the main storage unit with the updated program when receiving a rewrite instruction from the rewrite instruction unit; A system is provided having: [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] From the information recorded in the rewrite log management unit, it is possible to easily check the history of rewrites to update programs in industrial machinery. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an industrial machinery management device 10 according to a first embodiment and an injection molding machine 50 to be managed. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the industrial machinery management device 10 and the injection molding machine 50 to be managed according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a table showing the update log information recorded in the update log management unit 14. As shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the process executed by the industrial machine management device 10 (FIG. 2). [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of transition of the operating status of the injection molding machine 50 (FIG. 2). [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a chart showing the relationship between the operating status of the injection molding machine 50 and the result of the determination as to whether or not rewriting is possible in step SA2 (FIG. 4). [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an industrial machinery management device 10 and an injection molding machine 50 to be managed according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing how to use the storage unit when updating the programs of the first controller 60A and the second controller 60B of the injection molding machine 50. As shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing how to use the storage unit when updating the programs of the first controller 60A, the second controller 60B, and the third controller 60C of the injection molding machine 50. As shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing another method of using the storage unit when updating the programs of the first controller 60A, the second controller 60B, and the third controller 60C of the injection molding machine 50. In FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure executed by the industrial machinery management device 10 according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the process executed by the rewrite instruction unit 11 (FIG. 7) of the industrial machine management device 10 according to a modified example of the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An industrial machinery management device according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an industrial machinery management device 10 according to a first embodiment, and an injection molding machine 50 to be managed. The industrial machinery management device 10 is connected to a plurality of injection molding machines 50 via a communication network 20. FIG. 1 shows the detailed configuration of only one injection molding machine 50, with the other injection molding machines 50 shown as black boxes. Each of the plurality of injection molding machines 50 performs a series of operations to obtain a molded product.

[0011] The multiple injection molding machines 50 communicate with the industrial machinery management device 10 via the communication network 20. The industrial machinery management device 10 manages the operating status of the multiple injection molding machines 50 in a factory, for example, and rewrites the programs of the injection molding machines 50. The injection molding machines 50 can obtain various information from the industrial machinery management device 10, such as information on various settings and information on maintenance such as update programs.

[0012] The injection molding machine 50 includes a frame Fr, a mold clamping unit 110, an injection unit 140, an ejector unit 150, a control unit 70, an input / output unit 53, and a power relay 198. The control unit 70 includes a controller 60, a rewrite execution unit 51, an operation status transmission unit 52, and a temporary storage unit 54. The functions of these functional units will be described later with reference to FIG. 2.

[0013] First, we will explain the mold clamping unit 110 and the ejector unit 150. In the following explanation of the mold clamping unit 110, etc., the movement direction of the movable platen 113 when the mold is closed (to the right in FIG. 1) is defined as the front, and the movement direction of the movable platen 113 when the mold is opened (to the left in FIG. 1) is defined as the rear.

[0014] The mold clamping unit 110 closes, clamps, and opens the mold of the mold device 130. The mold clamping unit 110 includes a fixed platen 112, a movable platen 113, a support platen 115, tie bars 116, a toggle mechanism 120, a mold clamping motor 121, and a motion conversion mechanism 125. The fixed platen 112 is fixed to the frame Fr. A fixed mold 132 is attached to the surface of the fixed platen 112 facing the movable platen 113.

[0015] The movable platen 113 is movable along a guide mechanism 117 fixed on the frame Fr. Specifically, the movable platen 113 is movable forward and backward relative to the stationary platen 112. A movable mold 133 is attached to the surface of the movable platen 113 that faces the stationary platen 112. The stationary mold 132 and the movable mold 133 constitute a mold device 130. Mold closing, mold clamping, and mold opening are performed by moving the movable platen 113 forward and backward relative to the stationary platen 112.

[0016] The support platen 115 is connected to the fixed platen 112 at a distance from the fixed platen 112, and is placed on the frame Fr so as to be movable in the mold opening / closing direction.

[0017] A plurality of tie bars 116 connect the fixed platen 112 and the support platen 115 at intervals. Each of the tie bars 116 is parallel to the mold opening / closing direction and extends according to the mold clamping force. A mold clamping force detector 118 is attached to at least one tie bar 116. As the mold clamping force detector 118, for example, a strain gauge is used which detects the mold clamping force by measuring the amount of strain in the tie bar 116. A signal indicating the detection result by the mold clamping force detector 118 is input to the control unit 70.

[0018] The toggle mechanism 120 moves the movable platen 113 relative to the fixed platen 112. The toggle mechanism 120 is composed of a crosshead 120a and a pair of link groups, etc. Each link group has multiple links 120b, 120c that are connected by pins or the like so that they can bend and stretch freely. One link 120b is attached to the movable platen 113 so as to be swingable, and the other link 120c is attached to the support platen 115 so as to be swingable freely. When the crosshead 120a is moved forward or backward, the multiple links 120b, 120c bend and stretch, and the movable platen 113 moves forward or backward relative to the support platen 115.

[0019] The mold clamping motor 121 is attached to the support platen 115, and moves the crosshead 120a forward and backward, thereby moving the movable platen 113 forward and backward.

[0020] The motion conversion mechanism 125 converts the rotational motion of the mold clamping motor 121 into linear motion and transmits it to the crosshead 120a. As the motion conversion mechanism 125, for example, a ball screw mechanism is used.

[0021] The operation of the mold clamping unit 110 is controlled by the control unit 70. Specifically, the control unit 70 controls the operation of the mold clamping unit 110 in the mold closing process, mold clamping process, and mold opening process.

[0022] In the mold closing process, the control unit 70 drives the mold clamping motor 121 to advance the crosshead 120a at a set speed, thereby advancing the movable platen 113 and bringing the movable mold 133 into contact with the fixed mold 132. The position and speed of the crosshead 120a are detected, for example, by an encoder 121a of the mold clamping motor 121. A signal indicating the detection result of the encoder 121a is input to the control unit 70.

[0023] In the mold clamping process, the control unit 70 further drives the mold clamping motor 121 to move the crosshead 120a further forward to the set position. During mold clamping, a cavity is formed between the movable mold 133 and the fixed mold 132. A liquid molding material is filled into the cavity. The molding material filled into the cavity is solidified to obtain a molded product.

[0024] In the mold opening process, the control unit 70 drives the mold clamping motor 121 to move the crosshead 120a backward at a set speed, thereby moving the movable platen 113 backward. As a result, the movable mold 133 moves away from the fixed mold 132.

[0025] The ejector device 150 ejects a molded product from the mold device 130. The ejector device 150 has an ejector motor 151, a motion conversion mechanism 152, and an ejector rod 153. The ejector motor 151 is attached to the movable platen 113. The ejector rod 153 is inserted into a through hole in the movable platen 113 and is movable in the mold opening and closing direction. The motion conversion mechanism 152 converts the rotational motion of the ejector motor 151 into linear motion and transmits it to the ejector rod 153. A ball screw mechanism, for example, is used as the motion conversion mechanism 152. A movable member 135 is disposed in the movable mold 133. The front end of the ejector rod 153 is in contact with the movable member 135.

[0026] The operation of the ejector device 150 is controlled by the control unit 70. Specifically, the control unit 70 controls the operation of the ejector device 150 in the ejection process and the like.

[0027] In the ejection process, the control unit 70 drives the ejector motor 151 to advance the ejector rod 153, thereby advancing the movable member 135 and ejecting the molded product. Thereafter, the control unit 70 drives the ejector motor 151 to retract the ejector rod 153, thereby retracting the movable member 135 to its original position. The position and speed of the ejector rod 153 are detected, for example, by the encoder 151a of the ejector motor 151. A signal indicating the detection result of the encoder 151a is input to the control unit 70.

[0028] Next, a description will be given of the injection unit 140. In the description of the injection unit 140, unlike the description of the mold clamping unit 110, the moving direction of the screw 143 during filling (leftward in FIG. 1) is defined as the front, and the moving direction of the screw 143 during metering (rightward in FIG. 1) is defined as the rear.

[0029] The injection unit 140 is mounted on a slide base Sb that is movable in the front-rear direction relative to the frame Fr, and is movable in the front-rear direction relative to the mold unit 130. The injection unit 140 comes into contact with the mold unit 130 and fills the cavity of the mold unit 130 with molding material. The injection unit 140 has a cylinder 141, a nozzle 142, a screw 143, a cooler 144, a metering motor 145, an injection motor 146, a pressure detector 147, a heater 148, and a temperature detector 149.

[0030] Cylinder 141 heats the molding material supplied into it from supply port 141a. Supply port 141a is located at the rear of cylinder 141. A cooler 144 such as a water-cooled cylinder is provided on the outer periphery of the rear of cylinder 141. A heater 148 such as a band heater and a temperature detector 149 are arranged on the outer periphery of cylinder 141, ahead of cooler 144.

[0031] Cylinder 141 is divided into a plurality of zones in its axial direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1). A heater 148 and a temperature detector 149 are disposed in each zone of cylinder 141. Control unit 70 controls heater 148 for each zone so that the temperature measured by temperature detector 149 becomes the set temperature.

[0032] The screw 143 is disposed in the cylinder 141 so as to be rotatable and movable in the front-rear direction.

[0033] The metering motor 145 rotates the screw 143, thereby feeding the molding material forward along the spiral groove of the screw 143. As the molding material is fed forward, it is melted by the heat from the cylinder 141. As the liquid molding material is fed to the front of the screw 143 and accumulates at the front of the cylinder 141, the screw 143 moves backward.

[0034] The injection motor 146 moves the screw 143 forward, thereby injecting the liquid molding material accumulated in the front part of the cylinder 141 from the cylinder 141 and filling the cavity of the mold device 130. The injection motor 146 then pushes the screw 143 forward, applying pressure to the molding material in the cavity of the mold device 130. This makes it possible to replenish any shortage of molding material. A motion conversion mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the injection motor 146 into linear motion of the screw 143 is provided between the injection motor 146 and the screw 143.

[0035] The pressure detector 147 is disposed between the injection motor 146 and the screw 143, and detects the pressure that the screw 143 receives from the molding material, the back pressure on the screw 143, etc. A signal indicating the detection result by the pressure detector 147 is input to the control unit 70.

[0036] The operation of the injection device 140 is controlled by the control unit 70. The control unit 70 controls the operation of the injection device 140 in the filling process, the pressure holding process, and the measuring process.

[0037] In the filling step, the control unit 70 drives the injection motor 146 to move the screw 143 forward at a set speed, and fills the liquid molding material accumulated in the front part of the cylinder 141 into the cavity of the mold device 130. The position and speed of the screw 143 are detected, for example, by an encoder 146a of the injection motor 146. A signal indicating the detection result by the encoder 146a is input to the control unit 70. When the position of the screw 143 reaches the set position, the filling step is switched to the pressure holding step.

[0038] In the pressure holding step, the control unit 70 drives the injection motor 146 to push the screw 143 forward at a set pressure, thereby applying pressure to the molding material in the cavity of the mold device 130. The pressure applied to the molding material is detected by, for example, a pressure detector 147. A signal indicating the detection result from the pressure detector 147 is input to the control unit 70.

[0039] While pressure is being applied to the molding material, the molding material in the cavity of the mold device 130 is gradually cooled, and when the pressure-holding step is completed, the entrance to the cavity is blocked with solidified molding material. After the pressure-holding step, the cooling step begins. In the cooling step, the molding material in the cavity is solidified.

[0040] In the metering process, the control unit 70 drives the metering motor 145 to rotate the screw 143 at a set rotation speed, and sends the molding material forward along the spiral groove of the screw 143. As a result, the molding material melts. As the liquid molding material is sent to the front of the screw 143 and accumulates at the front of the cylinder 141, the screw 143 moves backward. The rotation speed of the screw 143 is detected, for example, by the encoder 145a of the metering motor 145. A signal indicating the detection result by the encoder 145a is input to the control unit 70.

[0041] In the metering process, the control unit 70 may apply a set back pressure to the screw 143 by driving the injection motor 146 to limit sudden retraction of the screw 143. The back pressure on the screw 143 is detected by, for example, a pressure detector 147. A signal indicating the detection result by the pressure detector 147 is input to the control unit 70. When the screw 143 retracts to the set position and a predetermined amount of molding material is accumulated in front of the cylinder 141, the metering process ends.

[0042] The user inputs various operations to the injection molding machine 50 via the input / output unit 53. The input / output unit 53 transmits an operation signal corresponding to the operation input by the user to the control unit 70. Furthermore, the input / output unit 53 displays various information under the control of the control unit 70. For example, the input / output unit 53 displays information relating to the current status of various settings in the injection molding machine 50.

[0043] The power supply relay 198 is inserted in the power path between the commercial power supply and the drive device of the injection molding machine 50. When the injection molding machine 50 is started, the power supply relay 198 is turned on, thereby enabling power to be supplied to the drive device.

[0044] Next, the program update function will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram of an industrial machinery management device 10 according to a first embodiment and an injection molding machine 50 to be managed. Fig. 2 shows one injection molding machine 50.

[0045] The injection molding machine 50 includes a rewrite execution unit 51, an operation status transmission unit 52, an input / output unit 53, a temporary storage unit 54, and at least one controller 60. The controller 60 controls various actuators such as motors by executing programs stored in a main storage unit 61M. The temporary storage unit 54 temporarily stores an update program to be executed by the controller 60. In response to an instruction from the industrial machinery management device 10, the rewrite execution unit 51 reads the update program stored in the temporary storage unit 54 and rewrites the current program in the main storage unit 61M of the controller 60 with the new update program.

[0046] The operation status transmission unit 52 transmits the operation status of the injection molding machine 50 to the industrial machinery management device 10. Examples of the operation status include operating, startup processing in progress, shutdown processing in progress, momentary stop, idling, and maintenance in progress. Notifications for the user are displayed on the input / output unit 53, and the user operates the input / output unit 53 to input various commands to the injection molding machine 50. The input / output unit 53 may be, for example, a touch panel, a display and a pointing device, or the like.

[0047] The industrial machinery management device 10 includes a rewrite instruction unit 11, an operation monitoring unit 12, a program download control unit 13, a rewrite log management unit 14, a program management unit 15, and an input / output unit 16. The program management unit 15 stores an update program to be executed by the controller 60 of the injection molding machine 50. When a new update program is stored in the program management unit 15, the program download control unit 13 reads the new update program from the program management unit 15 and downloads it to the temporary storage unit 54 of the injection molding machine 50.

[0048] The operation monitoring unit 12 monitors the operation status of the injection molding machine 50. Specifically, the operation monitoring unit 12 receives information indicating the operation status from the operation status transmission unit 52 of the injection molding machine 50. For example, when the operation status of the injection molding machine 50 changes, the operation status transmission unit 52 transmits the information indicating the operation status. Alternatively, the operation status transmission unit 52 may transmit the information indicating the operation status at regular intervals in addition to when the operation status changes, or may transmit the information indicating the operation status in response to a command from the operation monitoring unit 12.

[0049] The rewrite instruction unit 11 receives information indicating the operation status from the operation monitoring unit 12, and determines whether or not to send a rewrite instruction to the injection molding machine 50 according to the operation status. Furthermore, the rewrite instruction unit 11 records rewrite log information for the update program in the injection molding machine 50 in the rewrite log management unit 14. The processing executed by the rewrite instruction unit 11 will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.

[0050] The input / output unit 16 is operated by an administrator to store update programs in the program management unit 15, read information from the rewrite log management unit 14, etc. The input / output unit 16 includes, for example, any of a communication device, a removable media reader / writer, a touch panel, a display, a pointing device, a keyboard, etc.

[0051] 3 is a diagram showing an example of rewrite log information recorded in the rewrite log management unit 14. The rewrite log information includes the rewrite date and time, the operating status at the time of rewrite, the contents of the update program, and the program version. In addition, this rewrite log information is generated in association with each of the multiple injection molding machines 50 to be managed.

[0052] The operating status at the time of rewriting indicates the operating status of the injection molding machine 50 when the update program was rewritten. For example, if the rewriting is performed during the shutdown process of the injection molding machine 50, it is recorded as "shutdown process in progress," if the rewriting is performed while the injection molding machine 50 is idling, it is recorded as "idling," and if the rewriting is performed by the user of the injection molding machine 50 regardless of the operating status, it is recorded as "manual update." The contents of the update program may include, for example, "defect correction," "performance improvement," "function addition at customer request," etc.

[0053] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of processing executed by the industrial machinery management device 10 (Fig. 2). When a new update program is stored in the program management unit 15, the processing procedure shown in Fig. 4 is started. First, the program download control unit 13 downloads the new update program stored in the program management unit 15 to the injection molding machine 50 to be managed (step SA1). The downloaded update program is temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 54 (Fig. 2) of the injection molding machine 50.

[0054] The rewrite instruction unit 11 determines whether or not rewriting to an update program is possible based on the operation status of the injection molding machine 50 to be managed obtained by the operation monitoring unit 12 (step SA2). A specific method for this determination will be described later with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

[0055] If the determination result in step SA2 is "rewriteable," the rewrite instruction unit 11 transmits a rewrite instruction to the injection molding machine 50 (step SA3). If the determination result in step SA2 is "rewriteable," the rewrite instruction unit 11 suspends the rewrite. For example, the rewrite instruction unit 11 periodically determines whether or not the rewrite is possible until the determination result becomes "rewriteable."

[0056] The rewrite execution unit 51 (FIG. 2) of the injection molding machine 50 that has received the rewrite instruction transfers the update program stored in the temporary storage unit 54 to the main storage unit 61M of the controller 60, and rewrites the current program with the update program. When the rewrite is complete, the rewrite execution unit 51 notifies the industrial machinery management device 10 of the completion of the rewrite.

[0057] When the rewrite instruction unit 11 of the industrial machinery management device 10 receives a notification of completion of rewriting from the injection molding machine 50 (step SA4), it records the rewrite log information (FIG. 3) in the rewrite log management unit 14 (step SA5) and ends the process.

[0058] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the transition of the operating status of the injection molding machine 50 (FIG. 2). The horizontal direction in FIG. 5 represents the passage of time. When the start switch of the injection molding machine 50 is turned on (time t0), the controller 60 (FIG. 2) executes the start-up process. The operating status at this time is "start-up process in progress." When the start-up process is completed (time t1), the operating status of the injection molding machine 50 transitions to "in operation." This transition may be performed by a user operation or automatically.

[0059] When a minor problem occurs in the injection molding machine 50 or when some adjustment work is required, the operation status of the injection molding machine 50 transitions to "brief stop" (time t2). "Brief stop" refers to a situation in which the injection molding machine 50 is stopped for only a short time. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, "stopped" refers to a state in which the industrial machine controller 60 is not executing the program in the main memory unit 61M, i.e., a state in which the actuator is not being controlled. Once the minor problem has been dealt with, adjustment work has been done, mold replacement has been performed, etc., the operation status of the injection molding machine 50 transitions to "in operation" (time t3).

[0060] When it is time for a break, such as lunch, the operating status of the injection molding machine 50 transitions to "idling" through a user operation (time t4). If the power is turned off, it takes time for the heater to warm up when restarting, so in many cases the injection molding machine 50 is set to "idling" without being turned off. Note that when the machine is operated continuously for 24 hours, the injection molding machine 50 continues to be "operating" even during a break, such as lunch.

[0061] When maintenance is performed on the injection molding machine 50, or when a mold is replaced, the operation status of the injection molding machine 50 transitions to "under maintenance" through a user operation (time t6). When maintenance is completed, the operation status of the injection molding machine 50 transitions to "in operation" through a user operation (time t7). When the start switch is turned off (time t8), the injection molding machine 50 starts a shutdown process (time t8), and the operation status transitions to "in shutdown process". After the time required for the shutdown process has elapsed (time t9), the injection molding machine 50 enters a power-off state.

[0062] When the injection molding machine 50 is in the "start-up process," "brief stop," "idling," "under maintenance," or "shutdown process," the controller 60 (FIG. 2) does not control the operation of the actuators. Therefore, it is possible to rewrite the program in the main memory unit 61M of the controller 60 with an update program. However, even in these operating states, the result of the determination of whether or not the program can be rewritten in step SA2 (FIG. 4) varies depending on various factors. Next, the criteria for determining whether or not the program can be rewritten will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

[0063] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the operating status of the injection molding machine 50 and the determination result of whether or not rewriting is possible in step SA2 (FIG. 4). In order to rewrite to the update program, the injection molding machine 50 must be stopped. If the injection molding machine 50 is operating, it is determined that rewriting is not possible, as continued operation is prioritized. If rewriting is performed while the machine is "in the startup process," the startup process time will be extended by the time required to rewrite to the update program, making it impossible to start operation sooner. In order to avoid delays in the start of operation, it is determined that rewriting is not possible while the machine is "in the startup process." If the injection molding machine 50 is "in a short stop" or "idling," it is unknown when it will return to operation. For this reason, it is determined that rewriting is not possible in order to maintain a state in which it can transition to operation at any time.

[0064] If the injection molding machine 50 is "under maintenance," it can be transitioned to "in operation" by a user operation after the maintenance is completed, and therefore the injection molding machine 50 can be stopped for a certain period of time. Therefore, if the injection molding machine 50 is "under maintenance," it is determined that the program can be rewritten to the update program.

[0065] When the injection molding machine 50 is "undergoing termination processing," the rewriting process can be performed during the self-holding period from the time the start switch is turned off until the power supply is stopped. Therefore, when the injection molding machine 50 is "undergoing termination processing," it is determined that the rewriting to the update program is possible.

[0066] Furthermore, even if the injection molding machine 50 is in the "start-up process," "briefly stopped," or "idling" state, the user can manually execute the rewrite process to the update program by operating the input / output unit 53 of the injection molding machine 50.

[0067] Next, the excellent effects of the first embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, the administrator can view the rewrite log information for each injection molding machine 50 by operating the input / output unit 16 (FIG. 2). This makes it easy to identify injection molding machines 50 that have not been rewritten with important update programs to correct operational malfunctions. If an early rewrite with an update program is required, a service technician can be dispatched to perform the rewrite work.

[0068] Furthermore, it is possible to correlate and check the yield transition of products manufactured by the injection molding machine 50 with the version of the update program. For example, if the time when the yield suddenly dropped almost coincides with the time when the update program was rewritten, it can be inferred that the newly rewritten update program is the cause of the yield drop. Rewrite log information can be useful information for diagnosing industrial machinery.

[0069] Furthermore, the program version when the products in each lot were manufactured can be known from the manufacturing date of each product lot and the rewrite date and time of the rewrite log information. When it is discovered that a certain product lot is experiencing frequent defects, it is possible to know the program version when the products in that lot were manufactured.

[0070] For example, the input / output unit 16 may, in response to a command input by the administrator, display a list showing whether or not a specific version of an update program has been installed for each of the multiple injection molding machines 50 under management. Also, when a program version is input, a list of injection molding machines 50 that have been installed with that version of an update program or injection molding machines 50 that have not been installed may be displayed. In addition, the rewrite log management unit 14 may be provided with various search functions so that the administrator can easily find the information he or she needs.

[0071] Furthermore, it is preferable that the user of the injection molding machine 50 can retrieve necessary information from the rewrite log management unit 14 by operating the input / output unit 53 of the injection molding machine 50. In this case, it is preferable to impose restrictions so that only information relating to the injection molding machine 50 owned by the user can be accessed. For example, it is preferable that a user ID is assigned to each injection molding machine 50, and the user can access only information relating to the injection molding machine 50 assigned the same user ID as the user ID of the injection molding machine 50 that he or she operates.

[0072] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, if there is an update program to be rewritten, the program is rewritten to the update program without dispatching a service technician to the site when the injection molding machine 50 is "under maintenance" or "under termination processing" as described with reference to Fig. 6 (step SA3). This allows the program to be rewritten without bothering the user of the injection molding machine 50, and also reduces the man-hours required by the service technician.

[0073] Furthermore, if the injection molding machine 50 is in the "startup process," "momentary stop," or "idling" state, the program is not rewritten to the update program, thereby avoiding unexpected machine stoppages for the user of the injection molding machine 50. Therefore, the process of rewriting to the update program does not reduce user convenience.

[0074] In the first embodiment, an injection molding machine is used as an example of industrial machinery, but other types of industrial machinery may be managed, such as a press, a shovel, or a crane.

[0075] Next, an industrial machinery management device according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 7 to 11. Below, a description of the configuration common to the industrial machinery management device according to the first embodiment described with reference to Figures 1 to 6 will be omitted.

[0076] 7 is a block diagram of an industrial machinery management device 10 according to the second embodiment and a managed injection molding machine 50. The industrial machinery management device 10 according to the second embodiment includes a rewrite instruction unit 11, an operation monitoring unit 12, a program download control unit 13, a rewrite log management unit 14, a program management unit 15, and an input / output unit 16, as well as a rewrite required time calculation unit 17 and an industrial machinery system configuration management unit 18.

[0077] In the first embodiment, the injection molding machine 50 (FIG. 2) to be managed has at least one controller 60, but in the second embodiment, the injection molding machine 50 has multiple controllers. For example, the injection molding machine 50 has a first controller 60A, a second controller 60B, and a third controller 60C.

[0078] The first controller 60A, the second controller 60B, and the third controller 60C are connected hierarchically. For example, the first controller 60A is positioned at the top, the second controller 60B is positioned in the middle, and the third controller 60C is positioned at the bottom. The top-level first controller 60A transmits a synchronization signal to the adjacent lower-level second controller 60B at a predetermined communication cycle. The middle-level second controller 60B transmits a synchronization signal to the bottom-level third controller 60C at a predetermined cycle.

[0079] The first controller 60A has a sub-storage unit 61AS in addition to a main memory unit 61AM. The first controller 60A executes programs stored in the main memory unit 61AM. The sub-storage unit 61AS is used as a temporary storage unit for the programs. Even while the first controller 60A is operating, programs can be downloaded from the program management unit 15 to the sub-storage unit 61AS under the control of the program download control unit 13. The second controller 60B and the third controller 60C have main memories 61BM and 61CM, respectively, but do not have sub-storage units.

[0080] In the second embodiment, the urgency level is stored in association with the update program stored in the program management unit 15. The urgency level is expressed as high or low. For example, a high urgency level is assigned to an update program for correcting a defect. An example of correcting a defect is preventing unexpected behavior. A low urgency level is assigned to an update program for improving performance. An example of improving performance is power saving.

[0081] Information specifying the system configuration of each of the multiple injection molding machines 50 to be managed is stored in the industrial machinery system configuration management unit 18. The information specifying the system configuration includes information specifying the storage capacity of the temporary storage unit 54, the number of controllers, whether or not each controller has a sub-storage unit, the storage capacity of the main storage unit of each controller, the storage capacity of the sub-storage unit, the write speed to the main storage unit, etc.

[0082] The rewrite required time calculation unit 17 calculates the time required for rewriting to the update program (hereinafter referred to as the rewrite required time) based on the storage capacity required to store the update program (hereinafter referred to as the program size) and the system configuration of the injection molding machine 50. Next, an example of a method for calculating the rewrite required time will be described with reference to Figs. 8 and 9.

[0083] Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing how to use the storage unit when updating the programs of the first controller 60A and the second controller 60B of the injection molding machine 50. The rectangles "A" and "B" in Fig. 8 indicate the update program for the first controller 60A and the update program for the second controller 60B, respectively. Hereinafter, the update program for the first controller 60A and the update program for the second controller 60B will be referred to as "update program A" and "update program B," respectively. The horizontal direction in Fig. 8 indicates the passage of time from left to right.

[0084] Update program A and update program B are stored in program management unit 15. If the storage capacity of secondary storage unit 61AS of first controller 60A is equal to or larger than the size of update program A, program download control unit 13 (FIG. 7) downloads update program A stored in program management unit 15 to secondary storage unit 61AS. During this download period, operation of first controller 60A continues.

[0085] Furthermore, the program download control unit 13 downloads the update program B stored in the program management unit 15 to the temporary storage unit 54. The temporary storage unit 54 has a storage capacity larger than the sizes of various update programs.

[0086] When the rewrite execution unit 51 (FIG. 7) of the injection molding machine 50 receives a rewrite instruction from the rewrite instruction unit 11 of the industrial machinery management device 10, the rewrite execution unit 51 stops the first controller 60A and the second controller 60B, transfers the update program A from the sub-storage unit 61AS to the main memory unit 61AM, and transfers the update program B from the temporary memory unit 54 to the main memory unit 61AM of the second controller 60B. When the program transfer is complete, the rewrite execution unit 51 restarts the first controller 60A and the second controller 60B.

[0087] In this way, the first controller 60A and the second controller 60B are stopped during the period when the update program A and the update program B are transferred to the main memory unit 61AM and the main memory unit 61BM, respectively. In Fig. 8, the time during which the first controller 60A and the second controller 60B are stopped is referred to as the rewrite required time Ts.

[0088] In the example shown in FIG. 8, the rewrite time Ts is determined by the size of update program A, the data transfer rate from sub-storage unit 61AS to main memory unit 61AM, the size of update program B, and the data transfer rate from temporary memory unit 54 to main memory unit 61BM.

[0089] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing how to use the storage unit when updating the programs of the first controller 60A, the second controller 60B, and the third controller 60C of the injection molding machine 50. The rectangles "A," "B," and "C" in FIG. 9 respectively indicate the update program for the first controller 60A, the update program for the second controller 60B, and the update program for the third controller 60C. Hereinafter, the update program for the first controller 60A, the update program for the second controller 60B, and the update program for the third controller 60C will be referred to as "update program A," "update program B," and "update program C," respectively. The horizontal direction in FIG. 9 indicates the passage of time from left to right.

[0090] The procedure in which update program A is downloaded from program management unit 15 to secondary storage unit 61AS of first controller 60A and update program B is downloaded to temporary storage unit 54 is the same as the procedure shown in Fig. 8. The storage capacity of temporary storage unit 54 is larger than the size of update program B but smaller than the combined size of update programs B and C. For this reason, once update program B has been downloaded to temporary storage unit 54, update program C cannot be further downloaded.

[0091] The rewrite execution unit 51 stops the first controller 60A, the second controller 60B, and the third controller 60C before downloading the update program C. Thereafter, the update program A is transferred from the secondary memory unit 61AS of the first controller 60A to the primary memory unit 61AM, and the update program B is transferred from the temporary memory unit 54 to the primary memory unit 61BM of the second controller 60B. This procedure is the same as the procedure shown in FIG. 8.

[0092] When update program B is transferred from temporary storage unit 54 to main storage unit 61BM of second controller 60B, the storage area of ​​temporary storage unit 54 is released. Thereafter, program download control unit 13 downloads update program C from program management unit 15 to temporary storage unit 54. After the download is complete, rewrite execution unit 51 transfers update program C from temporary storage unit 54 to main storage unit 61CM of third controller 60C.

[0093] In this case, the injection molding machine 50 is stopped from the start of the transfer of the update program A and the update program B to the end of the transfer of the update program C. The rewrite time Ts is equal to the sum of the transfer time of the update program A and the update program B, the download time of the update program C, and the transfer time of the update program C.

[0094] 10 is a schematic diagram showing another method of using the storage unit when updating the programs of the first controller 60A, the second controller 60B, and the third controller 60C of the injection molding machine 50. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the storage capacity of the temporary storage unit 54 is smaller than the combined size of the update program B and the update program C. In contrast, in the example shown in FIG. 10, the storage capacity of the temporary storage unit 54 is larger than the combined size of the update program B and the update program C. Therefore, while update program B is stored in the temporary storage unit 54, the program download control unit 13 can download update program C from the program management unit 15 to the temporary storage unit 54 before starting to transfer update program B.

[0095] When the download of update program B and update program C is complete, the rewrite execution unit 51 stops the first controller 60A, the second controller 60B, and the third controller 60C, and starts transferring the update program A, the update program B, and the update program C. In the example shown in Fig. 10, update program C can be downloaded before stopping the first controller 60A, the second controller 60B, and the third controller 60C, so the rewrite required time Ts is shorter than in the example shown in Fig. 9.

[0096] In this way, the rewrite required time Ts varies depending on the sizes of the update programs B and C and the storage capacity of the temporary storage unit 54. The rewrite required time calculation unit 17 (FIG. 7) calculates the rewrite required time Ts based on information related to the system configuration of the injection molding machine 50.

[0097] 11 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure executed by the industrial machinery management device 10 according to the second embodiment. When a new update program is stored in the program management unit 15 (FIG. 7), the required rewrite time calculation unit 17 calculates the required rewrite time based on the size of the update program and the system configuration of the injection molding machine 50 (step SB1).

[0098] Next, the program download control unit 13 (FIG. 7) downloads the downloadable update programs to the injection molding machine 50 (step SB2). In the example shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, update programs A and B are downloaded. In the example shown in FIG. 10, update programs A, B, and C are downloaded.

[0099] Next, the rewrite instruction unit 11 acquires the operating status of the injection molding machine 50 from the operation monitoring unit 12 (step SB3). Furthermore, it is determined whether the urgency of the update program is high or low (step SB4). If the urgency is low, it is determined whether the injection molding machine 50 is "undergoing termination processing" (step SB5). If the injection molding machine 50 is not "undergoing termination processing", the operating status of the injection molding machine 50 is acquired again after a certain period of time has passed (step SB3). In other words, if the urgency of the update program is low, the rewrite is put on hold until the operating status of the injection molding machine 50 becomes "undergoing termination processing". If the injection molding machine 50 is "undergoing termination processing", the rewrite instruction unit 11 sends a rewrite instruction to the injection molding machine 50 (step SB8).

[0100] If the urgency of the update program is high, it is determined whether the injection molding machine 50 is "stopped" (step SB6). If the industrial machine 59 is "operating", the operation status of the injection molding machine 50 is acquired again after a certain period of time has passed (step SB3). In other words, the update waits until the injection molding machine 50 becomes "stopped".

[0101] If the injection molding machine 50 is "stopped," it is determined whether the expected stop time is equal to or longer than the rewrite time (step SB7). The expected stop time can be determined, for example, from the operating status of the injection molding machine 50. For example, the expected stop time can be set in advance for each of the operating states of the injection molding machine 50, which are "startup processing in progress," "brief stop," "idling," "under maintenance," and "under termination processing." Note that when the injection molding machine 50 is "brief stop," "idling," or "under maintenance," the user of the injection molding machine 50 may set the expected stop time each time. When the injection molding machine 50 is "under termination processing," a sufficiently long time is set as the expected stop time.

[0102] If the expected downtime is less than the required rewrite time, the operating status of the injection molding machine 50 is reacquired after a certain time has elapsed (step SB3). That is, rewriting is put on hold until the condition that the expected downtime is equal to or greater than the required rewrite time is met. If the expected downtime is equal to or greater than the required rewrite time, the rewrite instruction unit 11 sends a rewrite instruction to the injection molding machine 50 (step SB8).

[0103] The rewrite instruction unit 11 waits until it is confirmed that the injection molding machine 50 has completed the rewriting to the update program (step SB9). For example, when the injection molding machine 50 completes the rewriting to the update program, the rewrite execution unit 51 of the injection molding machine 50 notifies the rewrite instruction unit 11 of the industrial machinery management device 10 of the completion of the rewriting. When the rewriting is completed, the rewrite instruction unit 11 records the rewrite log information in the rewrite log management unit 14 (step SB10).

[0104] Next, the excellent effects of the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the rewrite log information for each injection molding machine 50 can be easily viewed, and the man-hours required by the service technician can be reduced. In the first embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 6, the program is rewritten to an update program only when the injection molding machine 50 is "under maintenance" or "under termination processing." In contrast, in the second embodiment, if the urgency of the update program is high, and the required rewrite time is equal to or less than the expected downtime, the program is rewritten to an update program even when the injection molding machine 50 is stopped other than "under maintenance" or "under termination processing." This allows the program to be rewritten to an update program with a high degree of urgency at an early stage.

[0105] Next, a modified example of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure of processing executed by the rewrite instruction unit 11 (FIG. 7) of the industrial machinery management device 10 according to a modification of the second embodiment. In this modification, an update deadline is set for each update program, and deadline information indicating the update deadline is associated with the update program and stored in the program management unit 15 (FIG. 7).

[0106] The rewrite instruction unit 11 periodically determines whether the update deadline for the update program has passed (step SC1). If the update deadline has not passed, the process ends. If the update deadline has passed, the rewrite instruction unit 11 notifies the injection molding machine 50 that it recommends rewriting to an update program (step SC2). The rewrite execution unit 51 (FIG. 7) of the injection molding machine 50 that has been notified of the rewrite recommendation notifies the user that rewriting is recommended. For example, the input / output unit 53 displays a message indicating that rewriting to an update program is recommended. The user sees this message and decides whether or not to rewrite, and inputs the result of the decision to the input / output unit 53.

[0107] The rewrite execution unit 51 notifies the rewrite instruction unit 11 of the industrial machinery management device 10 whether or not the user has given permission for rewriting. If permission for rewriting has been given, the rewrite instruction unit 11 sends a rewrite instruction to the injection molding machine 50 (steps SC3 and SC4). If permission for rewriting has not been given, the rewrite instruction unit 11 ends the process (step SC3). When the rewrite process is completed, the rewrite instruction unit 11 records the rewrite log information in the rewrite log management unit 14 (FIG. 7) (steps SC5 and SC6).

[0108] Next, the advantageous effects of this modification will be described. In this modified example, the occurrence of a situation where the update program remains unaltered even after the update deadline has passed is suppressed. In cases where the user cannot tolerate even a temporary stop of the injection molding machine 50, the user can continue to operate the injection molding machine 50 by refusing to rewrite the program with the update program.

[0109] The above-described embodiments are merely examples, and it goes without saying that partial substitution or combination of the configurations shown in different embodiments is possible. Similar effects resulting from similar configurations of multiple embodiments will not be mentioned sequentially for each embodiment. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications, improvements, combinations, etc. are possible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0110] 10 Industrial machinery management equipment 11 Rewrite instruction section 12 Operation monitoring section 13 Program download control section 14 Rewrite Log Management Unit 15 Program Management Department 16 Input / output section 17 Rewrite time calculation section 18 Industrial machinery system configuration information storage section 20. Communication Networks 30 Startup process 31 Choco Stop 32 Idling 33 Maintenance 34 Termination processing 35 in operation 50 Injection molding machine (industrial machinery) 51 Rewrite execution unit 52 Operation status transmission unit 53 Display section 54 Temporary storage 60 Controller 60A 1st Controller 60B Second Controller 60C 3rd controller 61AM Main memory area of ​​the first controller 61AS Secondary storage area of ​​the first controller 61BM Second controller main memory area 61CM Main memory area of ​​the third controller

Claims

1. an operation monitoring unit that monitors the operation status of the managed industrial machinery; a program management unit that stores update programs that are programs executed by the industrial machines; a rewrite instruction unit that instructs the industrial machine to rewrite the program with the update program; a rewrite log management unit that records information indicating the operating status of the industrial machine at the time of program rewrite and information indicating the contents of the update program in association with each other; An industrial machinery management device equipped with:

2. 2. The industrial machinery management device according to claim 1, wherein the rewrite instruction unit determines whether the update program can be rewritten in accordance with the operating status of the industrial machinery, and if the determination result is “rewritable,” instructs the industrial machinery to rewrite the update program, and if the determination result is “not rewritable,” reserves the instruction to rewrite the update program.

3. The industrial machine further includes a rewrite required time calculation unit that calculates a rewrite required time required for rewriting to the update program, 3. The industrial machinery management device according to claim 2, wherein the rewrite instruction unit determines whether or not the rewrite to the update program is possible, taking into consideration a time required for rewriting to the update program.

4. the program management unit stores expiration information indicating an update expiration date in association with the update program, 4. The industrial machinery management device according to claim 1, wherein the rewrite instruction unit notifies the industrial machinery that the update deadline has passed if the industrial machinery has not completed rewriting to the update program even though the update deadline for the update program has passed.

5. 4. The industrial machinery management device according to claim 1, wherein, when the rewrite instruction unit receives a notification from the industrial machine that rewriting to the update program has been completed, the rewrite instruction unit records the rewrite date and time in the rewrite log management unit in association with information indicating the operating status of the industrial machine and information indicating the contents of the update program.

6. The industrial machinery management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3; The industrial machine Equipped with The industrial machine is a controller that executes a program stored in a main memory unit; a rewrite execution unit that rewrites the program in the main storage unit with the updated program when receiving a rewrite instruction from the rewrite instruction unit; A system having:

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the industrial machine is an injection molding machine including a plurality of actuators controlled by the controller.

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