Monitoring system

Abstract

To provide a monitoring system capable of rapidly presenting a quality determination result of a molded article molded by an injection molding machine installed in a remote place to a user.SOLUTION: A monitoring system according to the present disclosure comprises: a first injection molding machine installed in a first area; a first management device installed in the first area together with the first injection molding machine; and a monitoring device. The first management device has: a first acquisition unit for acquiring a molding condition and measurement data of a first molded article being a molded article molded by the first injection molding machine; a first determination unit for determining quality of the first molded article from the measurement data of the first molded article; and a first communication unit for transmitting the molding condition, the measurement data, and the quality determination result of the first molded article to a storage area managed on a network. The monitoring device receives the molding condition, the measurement data, and the quality determination result of the first molded article, stored on the storage area via the network, and displays them on a monitor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to surveillance systems. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In order to improve the yield of molded products molded by injection molding machines, it is required to quickly present to users the pass / fail judgment results of molded products molded by injection molding machines.

[0003] Techniques relating to injection molding machines are disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-000929 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Furthermore, in recent years, even when the installation area of ​​the injection molding machine and the monitoring area that monitors the molding status of the molded products by the injection molding machine are separated, there is a demand to quickly present the pass / fail judgment results of the molded products molded by the injection molding machine to the user (monitor).

[0006] Other objects and novel features will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The monitoring system according to the present disclosure comprises a first injection molding machine installed in a first area, a first management device attached to the first injection molding machine, and a monitoring device, wherein the first management device has a first acquisition unit that acquires molding conditions and measurement data of a first molded product which is a molded product molded by the first injection molding machine, a first judgment unit that judges the pass / fail of the first molded product from the measurement data of the first molded product, and a first communication unit that transmits the molding conditions, measurement data, and pass / fail judgment results of the first molded product to a memory area managed on a network, and the monitoring device receives the molding conditions, measurement data, and pass / fail judgment results of the first molded product stored in the memory area via the network and displays them on a monitor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a monitoring system that can quickly present to a user the pass / fail judgment results of a molded product molded by an injection molding machine installed in a remote location. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a monitoring system according to a first embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of data extracted in the monitoring system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a monitoring system according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] <First Embodiment> 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a monitoring system 1 according to a first embodiment. The monitoring system 1 is a system that promptly presents to a user the pass / fail judgment results of a molded product molded by an injection molding machine installed in a remote location. The following is a specific description.

[0011] The monitoring system 1 includes injection molding machines 11_1 to 11_n, management devices 12_1 to 12_n, a monitoring device 13, a storage area 15, and a network 50. Note that n is an integer equal to or greater than 1, and in the example of Fig. 1, n is 2. That is, in the example of Fig. 1, the monitoring system 1 includes injection molding machines 11_1 to 11_2, management devices 12_1 to 12_2, the monitoring device 13, the storage area 15, and the network 50.

[0012] The injection molding machine 11_1 is installed in an area A1, which is a remote location away from the monitoring device 13. The management device 12_1 is installed in the area A1 together with the injection molding machine 11_1. For example, the management device 12_1 is attached to the injection molding machine 11_1. Note that the area A1 is not limited to a case where one injection molding machine 11_1 is installed, and two or more injection molding machines 11_1 may be installed.

[0013] The injection molding machine 11_1 molds a molded product by injecting a raw material melted at a high temperature into a mold using a screw inserted into the mold. Hereinafter, the molded product molded by the injection molding machine 11_1 will also be referred to as a first molded product.

[0014] The management device 12_1 manages the injection molding machine 11_1. Specifically, the management device 12_1 includes an acquisition unit 121_1, a determination unit 122_1, and a communication unit 123_1.

[0015] The acquiring unit 121_1 acquires molding conditions and measurement data of a first molded product molded by the injection molding machine 11_1. The molding conditions of the molded product include at least conditions regarding the injection start position of a screw used to inject the raw material of the molded product into a mold, the injection time of the raw material injected into the mold, and the temperature of the raw material injected into the mold.

[0016] The determination unit 122_1 determines whether the first molded product is good or bad based on the measurement data of the first molded product. Specifically, the determination unit 122_1 determines whether the first molded product satisfies each standard of a plurality of inspection items based on the measurement data of the first molded product. If the first molded product does not satisfy any standard of the plurality of inspection items, the determination unit 122_1 determines that the first molded product is defective. For example, if the pressure used when molding the first molded product exceeds a predetermined upper limit value or falls below a predetermined lower limit value, the determination unit 122_1 determines that the first molded product is defective. On the other hand, if the first molded product satisfies all standards of the plurality of inspection items, the determination unit 122_1 determines that the first molded product is good.

[0017] The communication unit 123_1 transmits the molding conditions, measurement data, and pass / fail judgment results of the first molded product to a storage area 15 managed on the network 50. The storage area 15 is, for example, a cloud storage managed on the network 50 by an external management server (not shown).

[0018] For example, the communication unit 123_1 transmits to the storage area 15 data in a csv (Comma Separated Values) format regarding the molding conditions, measurement data, and pass / fail judgment results of the first molded product.

[0019] The injection molding machine 11_2 is installed in an area A2 that is a remote location away from the monitoring device 13. The management device 12_2 is installed in the area A2 together with the injection molding machine 11_2. For example, the management device 12_2 is attached to the injection molding machine 11_2. Note that the area A2 is not limited to a case where one injection molding machine 11_2 is installed, and two or more injection molding machines 11_2 may be installed.

[0020] The injection molding machine 11_2 molds a molded product by injecting a raw material melted at a high temperature into a mold using a screw inserted into the mold. Hereinafter, the molded product molded by the injection molding machine 11_2 will also be referred to as a second molded product.

[0021] The management device 12_2 manages the injection molding machine 11_2. Specifically, the management device 12_2 includes an acquisition unit 121_2, a determination unit 122_2, and a communication unit 123_2.

[0022] The acquiring unit 121_2 acquires molding conditions and measurement data of the second molded product molded by the injection molding machine 11_2. The molding conditions of the molded product include at least conditions regarding the injection start position of a screw used to inject the raw material of the molded product into a mold, the injection time of the raw material injected into the mold, and the temperature of the raw material injected into the mold.

[0023] The determination unit 122_2 determines whether the second molded product is good or bad based on the measurement data of the second molded product. Specifically, the determination unit 122_2 determines whether the second molded product satisfies each standard of a plurality of inspection items based on the measurement data of the second molded product. If the second molded product does not satisfy any standard of the plurality of inspection items, the determination unit 122_2 determines that the second molded product is defective. For example, if the pressure used when molding the second molded product exceeds a predetermined upper limit value or falls below a predetermined lower limit value, the determination unit 122_2 determines that the second molded product is defective. On the other hand, if the second molded product satisfies all standards of a plurality of inspection items, the determination unit 122_2 determines that the second molded product is good.

[0024] The communication unit 123_2 transmits the molding conditions, measurement data, and pass / fail judgment results of the second molded product to a storage area 15 managed on the network 50. The storage area 15 is, for example, a cloud storage managed on the network 50 by an external management server (not shown).

[0025] For example, the communication unit 123_2 transmits to the storage area 15 data in CSV format regarding the molding conditions, measurement data, and pass / fail judgment results of the second molded product.

[0026] The CSV format data relating to the molded products (first and second molded products) stored in the memory area 15 is converted into table format data for use in Excel or the like by, for example, an external management server (not shown) (see Figure 2).

[0027] The monitoring device 13 monitors the molded products (first and second molded products) molded by the injection molding machines 11_1 and 11_2. Specifically, the monitoring device 13 receives the molding conditions, measurement data, and pass / fail judgment results of the molded products stored in the storage area 15 via the network 50 and displays them on the monitor 131. Here, the monitoring device 13 displays the data related to the molded products, which has been converted from CSV format data in the storage area 15 to tabular data, on the monitor 131 using, for example, Excel. This improves visibility, making it easier for a user operating the monitoring device 13 to grasp the molding status of the molded products by the injection molding machines 11_1 and 11_2. The user may be, for example, a person who has adopted this system or a person in charge of monitoring the injection molding machines 11_1 and 11_2.

[0028] In this way, the monitoring system 1 according to the present disclosure can quickly present to the user the pass / fail judgment results of molded products molded by an injection molding machine installed in a remote location, thereby enabling the user to, for example, quickly review the molding conditions for a molded product that has been judged to be defective.

[0029] The monitoring device 13 may highlight the molding conditions of a molded product determined to be defective and display them on the monitor 131. Alternatively, the monitoring device 13 may compare the molding conditions of a molded product determined to be defective with the molding conditions of a molded product determined to be passable, and further display on the monitor 131 improvements to the molding conditions of the molded product determined to be defective, which improvements are extracted based on the comparison results. The comparison results and the corresponding improvements may be stored in a database and referenced when extracting improvements for other comparison results. This allows, for example, the user to efficiently review the molding conditions of a molded product determined to be defective.

[0030] The management device 12_1 may store data relating to the molding conditions of the molded product (first molded product) molded by the injection molding machine 11_1 as backup data in the storage area 15 (for example, cloud storage). In this case, the management device 12_1 can acquire the molding conditions of the first molded product backed up in the storage area 15 at any timing and apply (restore) them to the injection molding machine 11_1.

[0031] Similarly, the management device 12_2 may store data on molding conditions for the molded product (second molded product) molded by the injection molding machine 11_2 as backup data in the storage area 15 (e.g., cloud storage). In this case, the management device 12_2 can acquire the molding conditions for the second molded product backed up in the storage area 15 at any timing and apply (restore) them to the injection molding machine 11_2.

[0032] The monitoring system 1 according to the present disclosure can eliminate the need for the user to save data to a USB memory by storing information relating to the molding conditions of molded products in a memory area 15 managed on a network 50, instead of storing the information in, for example, a USB memory.

[0033] In addition, the mechanism for backing up and restoring data related to molding conditions of molded products to the memory area 15 by the above-mentioned management devices 12_1 and 12_2 is not limited to being applied to the monitoring system 1, but may be used as a stand-alone system or may be applied to another system.

[0034] <Embodiment 2> 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a monitoring system 2 according to the second embodiment. Compared to the monitoring system 1, the monitoring system 2 includes management devices 22_1 and 22_2 instead of the management devices 12_1 and 12_2, and includes a monitoring device 23 instead of the monitoring device 13.

[0035] Compared to the management device 12_1, the management device 22_1 further includes an alarm unit 124_1 in addition to the acquisition unit 121_1, the determination unit 122_1, and the communication unit 123_1. Compared to the management device 12_2, the management device 22_2 further includes an alarm unit 124_2 in addition to the acquisition unit 121_2, the determination unit 122_2, and the communication unit 123_2. Compared to the monitoring device 13, the monitoring device 23 further includes a notification unit 132 in addition to the monitor 131.

[0036] The management device 22_1 is installed in the area A1 together with the injection molding machine 11_1. An alarm unit 124_1 provided in the management device 22_1 outputs an alarm, for example, when an abnormality occurs in the injection molding machine 11_1. For example, the alarm unit 124_1 may be a speaker that outputs the alarm by voice. This allows workers or the like working around the injection molding machine 11_1 to notice the abnormality in the injection molding machine 11_1 through the alarm, and therefore allows them to quickly start repair work on the injection molding machine 11_1, for example.

[0037] The management device 22_2 is installed in the area A2 together with the injection molding machine 11_2. An alarm unit 124_2 provided in the management device 22_2 outputs an alarm, for example, when an abnormality occurs in the injection molding machine 11_2. For example, the alarm unit 124_2 may be a speaker that outputs the alarm by voice. This allows workers or the like working around the injection molding machine 11_2 to notice the abnormality in the injection molding machine 11_2 through the alarm, and therefore allows them to quickly start repair work on the injection molding machine 11_2, for example.

[0038] At this time, the communication unit 123_1 provided in the management device 22_1 transmits information indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the injection molding machine 11_1 to a storage area 15 (e.g., cloud storage) managed on the network 50. When the information indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the injection molding machine 11_1 is registered in the storage area 15, the notification unit 132 provided in the monitoring device 23 notifies the information to a pre-specified email address or account. As a result, not only the relevant parties within the area A1 but also those outside the area A1 are notified of the abnormality in the injection molding machine 11_1. As a result, for example, not only the relevant parties within the area A1 but also those outside the area A1 can go to repair the injection molding machine 11_1. Alternatively, the relevant parties outside the area A1 can perform an inspection work or the like to prevent a similar abnormality from occurring in an injection molding machine in another area (e.g., the injection molding machine 11_2 in the area A2).

[0039] Similarly, the communication unit 123_2 provided in the management device 22_2 transmits information indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the injection molding machine 11_2 to a storage area 15 (e.g., cloud storage) managed on the network 50. When the information indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the injection molding machine 11_2 is registered in the storage area 15, the notification unit 132 provided in the monitoring device 23 notifies the information to a pre-specified email address or account. As a result, not only the relevant parties within the area A2 but also those outside the area A2 are notified of the abnormality in the injection molding machine 11_2. As a result, for example, not only the relevant parties within the area A2 but also those outside the area A2 can go to repair the injection molding machine 11_2. Alternatively, the relevant parties outside the area A2 can perform an inspection or the like to prevent a similar abnormality from occurring in an injection molding machine in another area (e.g., the injection molding machine 11_1 in the area A1).

[0040] The function of the notification unit 132 may be managed together with the storage area 15 by a cloud service or the like on the network 50.

[0041] The invention made by the inventor has been specifically described above based on an embodiment, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the invention.

[0042] Furthermore, in the present disclosure, part or all of the processing in the monitoring systems 1 and 2 can be realized by causing a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a computer program.

[0043] The above-described program includes a set of instructions (or software code) that, when loaded into a computer, causes the computer to perform one or more functions described in the embodiments. The program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium or a tangible storage medium. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable media or tangible storage media include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, solid-state drives (SSD) or other memory technologies, CD-ROMs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), Blu-ray discs or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tapes, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices. The program may also be transmitted on a transitory computer-readable medium or a communication medium. By way of example and not limitation, transitory computer-readable media or communication media include electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1. Surveillance System 2. Surveillance System 11_1 Injection molding machine 11_2 Injection molding machine 12_1 Management device 12_2 Management device 13 Monitoring equipment 15 Storage area 22_1 Management device 22_2 Management device 23 Monitoring equipment 50 Network 131 Monitor 132 Notification Department

Claims

1. a first injection molding machine installed in a first area; a first management device installed in the first area together with the first injection molding machine; A monitoring device; Equipped with The first management device a first acquisition unit that acquires molding conditions and measurement data of a first molded product that is a molded product molded by the first injection molding machine; a first determination unit that determines whether the first molded product is good or bad based on measurement data of the first molded product; a first communication unit that transmits molding conditions, measurement data, and pass / fail judgment results of the first molded product to a storage area managed on a network; and the monitoring device receives the molding conditions, measurement data, and pass / fail judgment results of the first molded product stored in the storage area via the network, and displays them on a monitor. Surveillance system.

2. a second injection molding machine installed in the second area; a second control device installed in the second area together with the second injection molding machine; Furthermore, The second management device a second acquisition unit that acquires molding conditions and measurement data of a second molded product that is a molded product molded by the second injection molding machine; a second judgment unit that judges whether the second molded product is good or bad based on the measurement data of the second molded product; a second communication unit that transmits the molding conditions, measurement data, and pass / fail judgment results of the second molded product to a storage area managed on the network; and the monitoring device receives the molding conditions, measurement data, and pass / fail judgment results of the second molded product stored in the storage area via the network, and further displays them on the monitor. The monitoring system of claim 1 .

3. the monitoring device highlights the molding conditions of the molded product determined to be a defective product; The monitoring system of claim 1 .

4. the monitoring device compares the molding conditions of the molded product determined to be a defective product with the molding conditions of the molded product determined to be a non-defective product, and displays on the monitor the improvement points for the molding conditions of the molded product determined to be a defective product extracted based on the comparison result; The monitoring system of claim 1 .

5. The molding conditions for the molded product include at least conditions regarding the injection start position of a screw used to inject the raw material of the molded product into a mold, the injection time of the raw material injected into the mold, and the temperature of the raw material injected into the mold. The monitoring system of claim 1 .

6. the first communication unit transmits data in a CSV format regarding the molding conditions, measurement data, and pass / fail judgment results of the first molded product to the storage area; the monitoring device causes the monitor to display the molding conditions, measurement data, and pass / fail judgment results of the first molded product, which have been converted from the CSV format data into table format data in the storage area. The monitoring system of claim 1 .

7. the first communication unit is configured to acquire information on molding conditions for the first molded product stored in the storage area and apply the information to the first injection molding machine. The monitoring system of claim 1 .

8. the first management device further includes an alarm unit that outputs an alarm when an abnormality occurs in the first injection molding machine, the first communication unit further transmits to the storage area information that an abnormality has occurred in the first injection molding machine; the monitoring device further includes a notification unit that, when an abnormality has occurred in the first injection molding machine and that abnormality has occurred is registered in the storage area, notifies the occurrence of the abnormality to a pre-specified email address or account. The monitoring system of claim 1 .

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