Control device

Abstract

This control device is provided with: a setting detecting unit for detecting the setting of the value of a setting item relating to control of an industrial machine; and a notifying unit for notification of information relating to the setting. The setting detecting unit can detect settings resulting from a manual data input (MDI) program, settings resulting from a machining program, settings resulting from an external signal, and settings from a higher level management server. Further, the notifying unit issues the notifications by means of information transmission by way of a guidance message, a pop-up window, audio, an external signal, or a network. It is therefore possible to check information relating to changes in the setting item, even with a screen on which information relating to the setting is not displayed.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device. [Background technology]

[0002] When controlling industrial machines such as machine tools and robots with a control device, the values ​​of setting items such as parameters and tool data required to control the industrial machine are set on the control device. Examples of setting items include work coordinate values, feed speeds, gain values, and offset values. For such setting items, a setting screen implemented in the control device is displayed, and an operator sets appropriate setting values ​​on the setting screen according to the specifications of the industrial machine to be controlled and the contents of the control operation to be performed (Patent Document 1, etc.). On the setting screen, if the value of a setting item is set normally, the fact is notified by a message on the screen, etc. On the other hand, if the value of a setting item is not set normally, for example, if the format of the setting value is incorrect, if the setting value is outside the predetermined settable range, or if the setting is not possible because it conflicts with the value set for another setting item, the fact that the setting could not be made is notified by a message on the screen, etc.

[0003] On the other hand, there are other methods for setting control parameters than via the setting screen described above. For example, when using an MDI (Manual Data Input) program to measure workpiece coordinates and tool offsets using a measurement cycle, the values ​​of the setting parameters may be set directly without going through the setting screen using commands such as the G2025 command and the G10 command. When setting the values ​​of the setting parameters in this way, no message is displayed on the execution screen of the MDI program to indicate whether the setting value has been successfully set. The same applies when setting the values ​​using a so-called machining program, etc.

[0004] Furthermore, when the value of a setting item is changed by input of an external signal, no message indicating that the value of the setting item has been set by a signal is displayed on the screen of the control device viewed by an operator working on site.

[0005] Furthermore, in cases where multiple industrial machines installed in a factory are connected to a higher-level management computer via a network, the values ​​of setting items may be set via the network for the control devices that control each industrial machine based on a production plan created by the management computer. Even in such cases, no message is displayed on the screen of the control device that an operator working on-site is looking at, indicating that the value of the setting item has been set. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 06-119021 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In this way, if the values ​​of the control device's setting items are set from somewhere other than the setting screen, the operator operating the control device cannot check whether the settings have been made correctly. Therefore, for example, if settings are made using an MDI program, it is necessary to call up a setting screen that allows the setting items to be checked and check the set values. This type of operation is time-consuming for the operator and causes the work time to increase.

[0008] Furthermore, when settings are made via external signals or a higher-level management computer, the operator may not even notice that the settings have been made. As a result, the industrial machine may start operating without noticing that the value of the setting item has been changed, causing the industrial machine to operate in an unexpected way, resulting in a breakdown or the like. Therefore, there is a need for a mechanism that allows the user to check information related to changes to setting items even on a screen on which information related to settings is not displayed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The control device according to the present invention solves the above problem by monitoring the settings of setting items related to the control of an industrial machine in a control device that controls the industrial machine, and notifying an operator of information related to the setting of the value of the setting item when the setting of the value of the setting item is detected. This notification may include information such as the name of the item for which the setting was performed, the set value, the success / failure of the setting, and the source of the setting update request. The notification may be performed by displaying a guidance message on the currently displayed screen, by voice guidance, by an external signal, by transmitting information via a network, or the like.

[0010] In one aspect of the present invention, a control device for controlling an industrial machine includes a setting detection unit that detects a setting of a value of a setting item related to control of the industrial machine, and a notification unit that notifies information related to the setting, A display detection unit detects whether the information related to the setting detected by the setting detection unit is displayed on a display screen of the control device, and the notification unit notifies the information related to the setting on the display screen when the display detection unit detects that the information related to the setting is not displayed on the display screen. It is a control device. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, when the value of a setting item is changed, information related to the change in the setting item is notified as a guidance even on a screen on which information related to the setting is not displayed, so that the operator can check the information without switching screens. This reduces the burden on the operator and improves the visibility of the setting-related operation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic hardware configuration diagram of a control device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the functions of a control device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a notification using a guidance message. [Figure 4]FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a notification by a pop-up window. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram showing the functions of a control device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of a setting history. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram showing the functions of a control device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of a work coordinate setting screen. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a tool offset setting screen. [Figure 10] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a work coordinate setting screen display in which values ​​of setting items are highlighted; FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a schematic hardware configuration diagram showing a main part of a control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The control device 1 of the present invention can be implemented as a control device that controls, for example, an industrial machine 3 based on a control program.

[0014] The CPU 11 provided in the control device 1 according to this embodiment is a processor that controls the entire control device 1. The CPU 11 reads out a system program stored in the ROM 12 via the bus 22, and controls the entire control device 1 in accordance with the system program. The RAM 13 temporarily stores temporary calculation data, display data, various data input from outside, and the like.

[0015] The non-volatile memory 14 is composed of, for example, a memory backed up by a battery (not shown) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and the memory state is maintained even when the power supply of the control device 1 is turned off. The non-volatile memory 14 stores control programs and data read from the external device 72 via the interface 15, control programs and data input from the input device 71 via the interface 18, and control programs and data acquired from other devices such as the fog computer 6 and the cloud server 7 via the network 5. The data stored in the non-volatile memory 14 may include, for example, data related to the position, speed, acceleration, and load of each motor provided in the industrial machine 3, and each physical quantity detected by a sensor (not shown) attached to the industrial machine 3. The control programs and data stored in the non-volatile memory 14 may be expanded in the RAM 13 when executed / used. In addition, various system programs such as a known analysis program are written in advance in the ROM 12.

[0016] The interface 15 is an interface for connecting the CPU 11 of the control device 1 to an external device 72 such as an external storage medium. For example, control programs and setting data used to control the industrial machine 3 are read from the external device 72. In addition, the control programs and setting data edited in the control device 1 can be stored in an external storage medium such as a CF card or USB memory (not shown) via the external device 72. The PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) 16 executes a ladder program and outputs signals to the industrial machine 3 and peripheral devices of the industrial machine 3 (for example, a tool changer, an actuator such as a robot, and sensors such as a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor attached to the industrial machine 3) via an I / O unit 19 to control them. In addition, it receives signals from various switches on an operation panel installed on the main body of the industrial machine 3 and peripheral devices, and passes them to the CPU 11 after performing necessary signal processing.

[0017] The interface 20 is an interface for connecting the CPU of the control device 1 to a wired or wireless network 5. The network 5 may communicate using technologies such as serial communication such as RS-485, Ethernet (registered trademark), optical communication, wireless LAN, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc. The network 5 is connected to other machines and higher-level management computers such as a fog computer 6 and a cloud server 7, and exchanges data with the control device 1.

[0018] The display device 70 displays various data loaded into the memory, data obtained as a result of executing programs, etc., outputted via the interface 17. An input device 71 consisting of a keyboard, pointing device, etc., transfers commands, data, etc. based on operations by an operator to the CPU 11 via the interface 18.

[0019] An axis control circuit 30 for controlling an axis of the industrial machine 3 receives an axis movement command amount from the CPU 11 and outputs an axis command to each servo amplifier 40. The servo amplifier 40 receives this command and drives each servo motor 50 that moves a drive unit of the industrial machine 3 along the axis. The axis servo motor 50 has a built-in position / speed detector (not shown), and feedbacks position / speed feedback signals from this position / speed detector to the axis control circuit 30, respectively, to perform feedback control of the position and speed. Note that while the hardware configuration diagram of FIG. 1 shows only one each of the axis control circuit 30, servo amplifier 40, and servo motor 50, in reality, there are provided as many as the number of axes of the industrial machine 3 to be controlled.

[0020] 2 is a schematic block diagram showing functions of the control device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Each function of the control device 1 according to this embodiment is realized by the CPU 11 of the control device 1 shown in FIG. 1 executing a system program and controlling the operation of each part of the control device 1.

[0021] The control device 1 of this embodiment includes a setting detection unit 100, a display detection unit 110, and a notification unit 120. The RAM 13 to the non-volatile memory 14 of the control device 1 are provided with a setting information storage unit 200, which is an area for storing values ​​set for each setting item in the control device 1.

[0022] The setting detection unit 100 is realized by the CPU 11 included in the control device 1 shown in FIG. 1 executing a system program read from the ROM 12, and the CPU 11 mainly performing arithmetic processing using the RAM 13 and the non-volatile memory 14. The setting detection unit 100 detects the setting of the value of a setting item related to the control of an industrial machine. The setting detection unit 100 monitors, for example, a request to update the value of the setting item to the setting information storage unit 200 (request for writing, changing, etc.). A request to update the value of the setting item is sent through various routes, such as a command from an MDI program or a machining program, an external signal, or a command via a network from another device such as a management device, in addition to being made from a setting screen. However, since the update of the value of the setting item itself is performed by a common processing program, it is possible to easily monitor the update request of the setting item value to the setting information storage unit 200 by monitoring the operation of the processing program. When an update request to the setting information storage unit 200 is detected, the setting detection unit 100 acquires information related to the settings, such as the name of the item for which the setting was performed, the set value, the success / failure of the setting, the source of the setting update request, etc. The setting information acquired by the setting detection unit 100 is notified to the notification unit 120.

[0023] The display detection unit 110 is realized by the CPU 11 included in the control device 1 shown in Fig. 1 executing a system program read from the ROM 12, and mainly performing calculation processing by the CPU 11 using the RAM 13 and non-volatile memory 14, and input / output processing using the interface 17, etc. The display detection unit 110 monitors whether or not a display related to an update of the value of the setting item detected by the setting detection unit 100 is performed on the display screen of the display device 70. If no display related to the update is performed, the display detection unit 110 notifies the notification unit 120 of that effect.

[0024] The notification unit 120 is realized by the CPU 11 included in the control device 1 shown in Fig. 1 executing a system program read from the ROM 12, and mainly performing calculation processing by the CPU 11 using the RAM 13 and non-volatile memory 14, and input / output processing using the interface 17, etc. The notification unit 120 notifies the outside of information related to the settings for the setting items notified by the setting detection unit 100. The notification unit 120 may notify the information related to the settings by, for example, displaying a guidance message on the display screen of the display device 70. Fig. 3 shows an example of notification by a guidance message. In the example of Fig. 3, a guidance message 310 is displayed on a normal MDI screen to notify the operator that the value of a setting item has been updated. The notification unit 120 may notify the information related to the setting by, for example, displaying a pop-up window on the display screen of the display device 70. FIG. 4 shows an example of notification using a pop-up window. In the example of FIG. 4, a pop-up window 320 is displayed on a normal MDI screen to notify the operator of the updated contents of the value of the setting item. By using a pop-up window for notification, more information can be notified to the operator. In addition, the notification unit 120 may notify the information related to the setting by outputting, for example, a voice guidance. The notification unit 120 may also use a notification sound or a lamp. In addition, notification may be performed by an external signal, output to an external file, or information transmission via the network 5.

[0025] The notification unit 120 may further determine whether or not to notify the information related to the setting, depending on the content of the notification by the display detection unit 110. For example, the notification unit 120 may notify the information related to the setting for the setting item only when the display detection unit 110 detects that the display related to the update of the value of the setting item is not displayed. In this way, for example, when the setting screen is opened and the setting is being performed, the notification unit 120 does not notify, and only when a request to update the setting item is made by a command of the MDI program or the machining program, an external signal, a higher-level management device, or the like, the notification of the information related to the setting for the setting item is performed, thereby suppressing redundant notifications.

[0026] In the control device 1 having the above configuration, when the value of a setting item is changed, information related to the change in the setting item is notified as a guidance even on a screen where information related to the setting is not displayed, so that the operator can check the information without changing screens. This reduces the burden on the operator and improves the visibility of the operation related to the setting.

[0027] Fig. 5 is a schematic block diagram showing functions of the control device 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Each function of the control device 1 according to this embodiment is realized by the CPU 11 of the control device 1 shown in Fig. 1 executing a system program and controlling the operation of each part of the control device 1.

[0028] The control device 1 of this embodiment further includes a setting history notification unit 130 in addition to the setting detection unit 100, the display detection unit 110, and the notification unit 120. The RAM 13 to the non-volatile memory 14 of the control device 1 are provided with a setting information storage unit 200 which is an area for storing values ​​set for each setting item in the control device 1, and a setting history storage unit 210 which is an area for storing a history of setting of the values ​​of the setting items.

[0029] When the setting detection unit 100 according to this embodiment detects the setting of a value of a setting item related to the control of an industrial machine, it stores the acquired information related to the setting as history in the setting history storage unit 210. The setting history storage unit 210 stores the information related to the setting acquired by the setting detection unit 100 in association with information such as the date and time when the update request was made. Other functions of the setting detection unit 100 and the functions of the display detection unit 110 and the notification unit 120 are similar to those in the first embodiment.

[0030] 1 executes a system program read from ROM 12, and is realized by the CPU 11 mainly performing calculation processing using the RAM 13 and non-volatile memory 14 by the CPU 11, and input / output processing using the interface 17, etc. The setting history notification unit 130 notifies the history of information related to settings stored in the setting history storage unit 210. 6 shows an example of notifying the history of setting information on the display screen of the display device 70. For example, when the soft key 330 of "setting history" displayed on the display screen is touched, the setting history notifying unit 130 reads out a predetermined number of histories related to the most recently performed settings from the setting history storage unit 210, and displays them in the setting history window 340 sorted by date and time. This display allows the operator to check the settings that have been performed so far in chronological order, so that the operator can check, for example, whether any settings have been omitted, how far the settings have been performed, and whether any settings other than the one performed by the operator have been performed.

[0031] 7 is a schematic block diagram showing functions of the control device 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Each function of the control device 1 according to this embodiment is realized by the CPU 11 of the control device 1 shown in FIG. 1 executing a system program and controlling the operation of each part of the control device 1.

[0032] The control device 1 of this embodiment includes a setting detection unit 100, a display detection unit 110, a notification unit 120, and a setting history notification unit 130, as well as a setting screen display unit 140. The RAM 13 to the non-volatile memory 14 of the control device 1 are provided with a setting information storage unit 200, which is an area for storing values ​​set for each setting item in the control device 1, and a setting history storage unit 210, which is an area for storing a history of setting of the values ​​of the setting items.

[0033] The functions of the setting detection unit 100, the display detection unit 110, the notification unit 120, and the setting history notification unit 130 according to this embodiment are similar to those in the second embodiment.

[0034] 1 executes a system program read from ROM 12, and is realized by the CPU 11 mainly performing calculation processing using the RAM 13 and non-volatile memory 14 and input / output processing using the interface 17, etc. When information relating to settings indicated in the setting history notified by the setting history notifying unit 130 is selected, the setting screen display unit 140 displays a setting screen for setting the setting items set by the setting information on the display screen of the display device 70. For example, when information related to the setting when the work coordinates were set is selected in the setting history window 340 illustrated in FIG. 6, a work coordinate setting screen as illustrated in FIG. 8 is displayed. Similarly, when information related to the setting when the tool offset was set is selected in the setting history window 340 illustrated in FIG. 6, a tool offset setting screen as illustrated in FIG. 9 is displayed. When the setting screen is displayed, the setting screen display unit 140 may highlight the value of the setting item updated with the information related to the selected setting. For example, when information related to the setting "Work coordinate G54 X10.0 Y20.0 2020 / 9 / 3 10:30" is selected in FIG. 6, the X-axis and Y-axis of the work coordinates set by the G54 command may be highlighted as illustrated in FIG. 10.

[0035] By providing such a configuration, it becomes possible to directly call up a setting screen for confirming and updating information related to each setting from the notification of the setting history, and it becomes possible to confirm and modify the settings with a simple operation. In addition, since the items related to the information related to the setting in the selected history are highlighted on the displayed setting screen, the operator can easily grasp which items he or she should pay attention to, and it is expected that the efficiency of the setting work will improve.

[0036] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be embodied in various forms by making appropriate modifications. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1 Control device 3. Industrial machinery 5. Network 6. Fog Computer 7. Cloud Server 11 CPU 12 ROM 13 RAM 14 Non-volatile memory 15,17,18,20 Interface 16 PLC 19 I / O Unit 22 Bus 30-axis control circuit 40 Servo amplifier 50 Servo motor 70 Display device 71 Input Devices 72 External equipment 100 Setting detector 110 Display detection unit 120 Notification Department 130 Setting history notification section 140 Setting screen display area 200 Setting information storage unit 210 Setting history memory unit

Claims

1. In a control device for controlling an industrial machine, A setting detection unit that detects a setting of a value of a setting item related to control of the industrial machine; a notification unit that notifies information related to the setting; a display detection unit that detects whether information related to the setting detected by the setting detection unit is displayed on a display screen of the control device; The notification unit is a control device that notifies the information related to the setting on the display screen when the display detection unit detects that the information related to the setting is not displayed on the display screen.

2. The notification by the notification unit is at least one of displaying a guidance message and displaying a pop-up window. The control device according to claim 1.

3. The setting detected by the setting detection unit is at least one of a setting by executing an MDI program, a setting by executing a machining program, a setting by an external signal, and a setting from a higher-level computer via a network. The control device according to claim 1.

4. A setting history storage unit that stores a history of information related to the settings detected by the setting detection unit; a setting history display unit that displays a history of information related to the settings stored in the setting history storage unit; The control device of claim 1 further comprising:

5. The setting screen display unit further includes a setting screen display unit for displaying a setting item set by information related to a setting selected from the setting history displayed by the setting history display unit.

5. The control device according to claim 4.

6. The setting screen display unit highlights the setting value set in the information related to the setting on the setting screen.

6. The control device according to claim 5.

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