COMMUNICATION TERMINAL, CONTROL PROGRAM, AND CONTROL METHOD FOR COMMUNICATION TERMINAL

Abstract

To provide a management device which can provide various information to an operator at a work site by emitting light from a light emission unit included in a sensor and to which multiple sensors are connected, and a communication terminal and a control program.SOLUTION: In a sub-system 1 of an information processing system, a management device (10) that performs communication via a field network (41) with a plurality of sensors (20) each having a light emission unit (21) for displaying a state comprises: an identification unit (11) that identifies a sensor (20) that changes a time variation pattern of a light emission state of the light emission unit (21); and a commanding unit (13) that commands the sensor (20) identified by the identification unit (11) to change a light emission color of the light emission unit (21) and the time change pattern of the light emission state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for displaying information about a specific sensor from among a plurality of sensors connected to the sensor by a management device. [Background technology]

[0002] Factory automation (FA) is advancing in production and work sites such as factories, and equipment using many sensors is being introduced. Since there is a lot of equipment in production and work sites, many sensors are used, and when a malfunction occurs, it is difficult to identify the sensor that caused the malfunction among the many sensors. Therefore, it takes a long time to recover from the malfunction.

[0003] Patent document 1 discloses a technology in which a management device to which a large number of terminals equipped with light-emitting and light-receiving units are connected causes the light-emitting units of the terminals to emit light in sequence in a time-division manner, and the positional relationships of the multiple terminals are revealed based on the amount of light received by other terminals that are not emitting light.

[0004] It is common to centrally manage a large number of sensors using a management device in this way. Also, by illuminating only a specific sensor among the large number of sensors, it becomes easy to identify the relevant sensor from among the large number of sensors. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-092225 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, simply being able to identify the sensor that has a problem among many sensors may not provide enough information for workers at the work site.For example, when many workers are working at the same work site, if the workers can grasp information such as which sensor they are responsible for and what work they should be doing, they can work more efficiently.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention aims to realize a management device to which a large number of sensors are connected, which is capable of presenting a variety of information to workers at a work site by emitting light from the light-emitting elements of the sensors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, a management device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a management device that communicates with a plurality of sensors, each having a status notification light-emitting unit that displays a status, via a communication network, and is equipped with an identification unit that identifies the sensor that changes the light color and the time-changing pattern of the light emission state of the status notification light-emitting unit, and an instruction unit that instructs the sensor identified by the identification unit to change the light color and the time-changing pattern of the light emission state of the status notification light-emitting unit.

[0009] According to the above configuration, the light color and the time-varying pattern of the light emission state of the status indicator light-emitting unit are changed based on instructions from the management device, so that the sensor can notify the worker of various information. Therefore, the worker can execute an action on the sensor instructed by the administrator operating the management device based on the information obtained from the status indicator light-emitting unit.

[0010] The instruction unit may issue an instruction to change the light color or the time-varying pattern of the light emission state of the status indication light emitting unit in order to identify the operator with respect to the sensor.

[0011] According to the above configuration, the operator can be identified by the time-varying pattern of the luminous color or the luminous state, and even when multiple operators are performing maintenance at the same time, it is possible to prevent operators from picking up the wrong sensor. In particular, the luminous color makes it easy to identify operators.

[0012] The instruction unit may issue an instruction to change the light color or the time-varying pattern of the light emission state of the status indicator light emitting unit in order to identify the status of the sensor.

[0013] According to the above configuration, the normal / abnormal state of the sensor can be identified based on the time-varying pattern of the emitted light color or the emitted light state, and the worker can accurately recognize the state of the sensor on-site. In particular, the emitted light color makes it easy to identify abnormal states.

[0014] The instruction unit may issue an instruction to change the light color or the time-varying pattern of the light emission state of the status indication light emitting unit in order to identify the type of work performed on the sensor.

[0015] According to the above configuration, the work that needs to be done on the sensor can be known on-site by the time-varying pattern of the luminous color or the luminous state, and work errors can be prevented. In particular, the luminous color makes it easy to identify the work.

[0016] The sensor may further include a buzzer, and the instruction unit may generate an alarm by means of the buzzer.

[0017] According to the above configuration, in addition to the time-varying pattern of the light emission state, the worker can be notified by the buzzer sound. Also, by changing the type of sound, the information can be changed.

[0018] The sensor may include an external communication unit that communicates with an external communication terminal.

[0019] According to the above configuration, since communication can be performed between the communication terminal and the sensor, various detailed information about the sensor can be transmitted to the worker operating the communication terminal. Also, the worker can input various information to the sensor.

[0020] The sensor may include an external communication unit that communicates with an external communication terminal, and the external communication unit may relay messages from the communication terminal to the management device.

[0021] According to the above configuration, messages such as the progress of work can be sent to the management device via the communication terminal via the sensor, so that the manager working at the management device can grasp the work status of the workers working on-site.

[0022] The external communication unit may notify the communication terminal of at least one of model information and operational status information of the sensor.

[0023] According to the above configuration, the information of the sensor itself can be confirmed by the communication terminal, and therefore, the model information and the operating status information, which are more detailed information than the information that can be recognized from the time-varying pattern of the light emission state of the status indicator light-emitting unit, can be accurately transmitted to the communication terminal.

[0024] The communication terminal may include a display control unit that displays a light emission state of the status notification light emitting unit of the sensor.

[0025] According to the above configuration, by comparing the light emission pattern displayed on the communication terminal with the light emission pattern of the actual sensor, for example, the user of the communication terminal can accurately identify the sensor that should be addressed.

[0026] The communication terminal may include a camera, and a status determination unit that recognizes a light emission state of the status notification light emitting unit in the sensor by using the camera.

[0027] According to the above configuration, in the communication terminal linked to the management device, the owner (operator) of the communication terminal can clearly grasp the sensor that he / she is in charge of, thereby preventing the owner (operator) from picking up the wrong sensor.

[0028] The communication terminal may include a message sending unit that sends, to the sensor, a message to be sent to the management device.

[0029] According to the above configuration, the communication terminal linked to the management device can notify the management device of the status of the work on the sensor that the owner (worker) of the communication terminal is in charge of via the communication terminal. Therefore, there is an advantage that the progress of the work can be confirmed from the management device side, making it easier to make schedules, etc. In addition, the specific actions and work history of the worker can be stored and can be checked later.

[0030] A control method for a management device according to another aspect of the present invention is a control method for a management device that communicates with a plurality of sensors equipped with status notification light-emitting units via a communication network, and includes an identification step of identifying the sensor that changes the light color and the time-changing pattern of the light state of the status notification light-emitting unit in response to a user's instruction, and an instruction step of instructing the sensor identified by the identification unit to change the light color and the time-changing pattern of the light state of the status notification light-emitting unit.

[0031] The management device relating to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, the management device program that realizes the management device on a computer by causing the computer to operate as each part (software element) of the management device, and the computer-readable recording medium on which it is recorded, also fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0032] The communications terminal relating to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, the communications terminal program that realizes the communications terminal in a computer by causing the computer to operate as each part (software element) of the communications terminal, and the computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded, also fall within the scope of the present invention. Effect of the Invention

[0033] According to one aspect of the present invention, the light color and the time-varying pattern of the light emission state of the light-emitting unit of the sensor are changed based on instructions from the management device, so that the sensor can notify the worker of various information. Therefore, the worker can execute an action on the sensor instructed by the manager operating the management device based on the information obtained from the light-emitting unit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0034] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of an information processing system; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a main part of a subsystem. [Diagram 3] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of operation in the subsystem according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing actions taken by a manager and an operator on a subsystem according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of an information processing system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of subsystem 2. FIG. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of operation in a subsystem according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing actions that can be performed on the screen of a smartphone according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] 13 is a conceptual diagram showing a method of transmitting a message from a smartphone to a management device by a message transmitting unit according to a second embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0035] [Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, an embodiment according to one aspect of the present invention (hereinafter, also referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters and their description will not be repeated.

[0036] § 1. Examples of Application 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of an information processing system 100. As shown in FIG 1, the information processing system 100 includes a management device 10, a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) 51, an input unit 52, and a sensor 20.

[0037] 1, a production line has one management device 10, to which a plurality of sensors 20 are directly or indirectly connected. Therefore, the management device 10 and the sensors 20 can exchange information with each other through some kind of communication such as a field network 41.

[0038] When the management device 10 receives a notification by communication that an abnormality has occurred in a certain facility on the production line or in a certain sensor in the facility, the manager operating the management device may order the workers on the production line (work site) to remove the cause of the abnormality and perform recovery (maintenance). Examples of abnormalities include equipment failure, exceeding a threshold, and the occurrence of defective products during production.

[0039] In the maintenance of a production line, multiple workers often perform maintenance on multiple sensors at the same time. Since many sensors 20 are provided, the management device 10 issues a command to the sensor 20 to make the light-emitting part of the sensor 20 emit light, making it possible to easily find the sensor 20 that requires maintenance. By making the time-varying patterns of the light-emitting part of the sensor 20 different, it is possible to prevent multiple workers from picking up the wrong sensor 20. In addition, by adding additional information to the time-varying patterns of the light-emitting part's light-emitting part's light-emitting part, it is possible to communicate to the workers the cause of the abnormality that should be addressed and the measures to be taken against the abnormality.

[0040] §2. Example configuration (Configuration of Information Processing System) The management device 10 is a device that centrally manages an information processing system 100 that is configured by a PC (Personal Computer) and the like. The management device 10 is a device provided in a central control room that is located at a position different from the production line, and is operated by an administrator. The management device 10 is not limited to a PC, and may be a smartphone, a tablet, a tablet PC, or the like.

[0041] The PLC 51 is a control device connected to the management device 10 via Ethernet (registered trademark) 53, and a plurality of PLCs 51 may be connected to one management device 10. The Ethernet 53 is not limited to Ethernet, and may be any communication standard that can connect any management device 10 and PLC 51.

[0042] The input unit 52 is an I / O (Input / Output) unit that is bus-connected 54 to the PLC 51, and a plurality of input units 52 may be connected to one PLC 51. The bus connection 54 is not limited to a bus connection, and may be any field network, such as DeviceNet (registered trademark), EtherCAT (registered trademark), and Ethernet / IP (registered trademark), or any other communication standard that connects a PLC and an I / O unit.

[0043] The sensor 20 is a sensor (or device) connected to the input unit 52 via a field network 41, and a plurality of sensors 20 may be connected to one input unit 52. Naturally, the sensor 20 is provided in equipment on a production line, and maintenance is performed by an operator. The field network 41 is not limited to a field network, and may be wired wiring such as IO-Link (registered trademark) and serial communication. The sensor 20 can edit internal parameters through communication, and can adjust its behavior as a sensor.

[0044] In this embodiment, the sensor 20 is controlled by the input unit 52 managed by the PLC 51, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the management device 10 may directly communicate with the sensor 20 using the field network 41.

[0045] Hereinafter, the functional blocks of the PLC 51 and the input unit 52 will be omitted, and the description will be made as if the management device 10 and the sensor 20 communicate via the field network 41, without going through the Ethernet 53, the bus connection 54, and the field network 41. However, in reality, the functional blocks of the PLC 51 and the input unit 52 may exist and relay the communication. In this way, a system in which the management device 10 and a certain sensor 20 communicate directly or indirectly is called a subsystem 1. When the management device 10 and the sensor 20 communicate indirectly, a repeater and a converter such as an Ethernet HUB, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) (registered trademark) HUB, and an IO-Link master may be included in the subsystem 1 and relay the communication.

[0046] (Subsystem 1 configuration) 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the subsystem 1. The subsystem 1 includes a management device 10, a sensor 20, a field network 41, a display 14, and a mouse 15.

[0047] The management device 10 includes an identifying unit 11, a display unit 12, and an instruction unit 13. The sensor 20 includes a light emitting unit (status notification light emitting unit) 21, a buzzer 22, an operation input unit 23, and a numeric display unit 24.

[0048] (Configuration of management device 10) The identification unit 11 is a functional block that collects events such as abnormalities (faults) that have occurred in the sensors 20 in a management device, and identifies the sensor 20 that caused the abnormality in the equipment where the abnormality occurred. When identifying a particular sensor 20 from among a plurality of sensors 20, the identification unit 11 displays the plurality of sensors 20 on the display 14, and identifies the particular sensor through input from the mouse 15. The identification unit 11 also identifies the time-varying pattern of the light emission color and light emission state of the light-emitting unit 21 in the particular sensor through input from the mouse 15 by the administrator. The identification unit 11 outputs information related to the identified sensor 20 to the display unit 12 and the instruction unit 13.

[0049] Here, the mouse 15 is not limited to a mouse and may be a touch panel. For example, when the management device 10 is a smartphone or a tablet, the display 14 and the mouse 15 may be integrally formed as a touch panel.

[0050] The display unit 12 displays the information about the sensors 20 input from the identification unit 11 on the display 14. The information about the sensors 20 is a variety of information, such as a list of the sensors 20 including sensors 20 that are not experiencing any abnormalities, a list of the sensors 20 in specific equipment on the production line, and instructions on the light emission color and light emission state change pattern of the light emitting unit 21 in a specific sensor.

[0051] The instruction unit 13 transmits information about the sensor identified by the identification unit 11 to the sensor 20 via the field network 41. In the sensor 20, the outputs of the light emitting unit 21 and the buzzer 22 are controlled according to the received information.

[0052] (Configuration of sensor 20) The light-emitting unit 21 is a functional block including at least one full-color LED (Light Emitting Diode) that is an indicator light. The light-emitting unit 21 controls the light emission color and the time-varying pattern of the light emission state of the indicator light based on the sensor information input from the instruction unit 13. Here, the light-emitting unit 21 is not limited to a full-color LED, and may be any indicator light having at least one light emission color. In this case, the configuration of the light-emitting unit 21 can be simplified, leading to cost reduction.

[0053] The buzzer 22 is a buzzer that issues a warning with a predetermined sound based on the information about the sensor input from the instruction unit 13. The buzzer 22 does not necessarily have to be provided.

[0054] The operation input unit 23 is at least one button, and receives input from an operator to the sensor 20. The button of the operation input unit 23 is, for example, a button for adjusting parameters of the sensor.

[0055] The numeric display unit 24 is composed of multiple 7-segment LEDs and can display the measurement value and the setting value of the sensor 20 in numbers or alphabets. The setting value displayed on the numeric display unit 24 changes in response to an input from the operation input unit 23.

[0056] As an example of a setting change using the numerical display unit 24, when the management device 10 and the sensor 20 are communicating via Ethernet, an operator may use the operation input unit 23 and the numerical display unit 24 to set the IP address (Internet Protocol Address) and port number of the management device to the sensor 20.

[0057] §3. Example of operation Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the subsystem 1 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing actions taken by a manager and an operator on the subsystem 1 according to embodiment 1.

[0058] In S11, the display unit 12 displays on the display 14 the occurrence status of an abnormality at each facility on the production line based on the state of each sensor 20 acquired from each sensor 20 throughout the production line (reference numeral 61 in FIG. 4). The occurrence status of an abnormality is summarized by facility and displayed on the display 14, but the abnormality itself is caused by either a facility or a sensor 20 of the facility. The identification unit 11 accepts an operation from the administrator and identifies a facility on the production line where an abnormality has occurred. At this time, the screen for identifying the target facility is not limited to selection from an image overlooking the entire production line as shown by reference numeral 61 in FIG. 4, but may be in a format in which the facility is arbitrarily selected from a list of facilities on the production line.

[0059] The display unit 12 displays a list of the sensors 20 of the equipment in which the identified abnormality has occurred (reference numeral 62 in FIG. 4). The identification unit 11 selects one sensor from the displayed sensors 20. At this time, a graph showing the time-dependent change in the measured value of each sensor may also be displayed, and the administrator may identify the target sensor 20 based on the change in the graph.

[0060] The display unit 12 displays a time-varying pattern (display pattern) of the light emission state of the selected sensor 20 (reference numeral 63 in FIG. 4). The identification unit 11 selects one of the displayed display patterns. The identification unit 11 outputs information about the identified sensor 20 (information identifying the sensor 20, and information indicating the time-varying pattern of the light emission color and light emission state of the light-emitting unit 21) to the instruction unit 13.

[0061] Furthermore, if an abnormality does not occur in the entire facility but in a specific sensor 20, the screen may transition to a screen for setting the time-varying pattern of the light emission state of the sensor 20 in advance, without specifying the target sensor 20 from the list of sensors 20 in the facility described above. Also, on this screen, the name of the facility may be displayed as the target. This makes it easy for the manager to consider which worker will be in charge of determining the light emission state pattern of the sensor.

[0062] Here, the administrator selects the time-varying pattern of the light emission color or light emission state of the light-emitting unit 21, but this is not limiting. For example, the administrator may select the responsible worker from a list of workers. In this case, the identification unit 11 may check the database included in the management device in response to the administrator's selection of the responsible worker, and identify the time-varying pattern of the light emission color or light emission state that is previously associated with the worker.

[0063] This is not limited to the selection by the operator, but may be selected from a list showing normal or abnormal states, or a list of work contents to be performed by the operator. Similarly, in response to the selected content, a database may be checked to identify a time-varying pattern of the emitted light color or the emitted light state that is associated in advance.

[0064] In S12, the instruction unit 13 instructs the light emitting unit 21 on the light color and the time-varying pattern of the light emitting state by the manager. The manager also informs the worker of the light emitting color and the time-varying pattern of the light emitting state of the instructed sensor 20, so that the worker can identify the sensor and find the target sensor 20 from among the multiple sensors 20.

[0065] In S13, the light emitting unit 21 receives the time-varying pattern of the emitted light color and the emitted light state.

[0066] In S14, the light-emitting unit 21 causes the indicator lamp of the light-emitting unit 21 to emit light based on the received light color and time-varying pattern of the light-emitting state (reference numeral 64 in FIG. 4). The state of the sensor 20 at this time is referred to as an event time.

[0067] The event time is one of two states of the sensor 20, and means a mode used for adjustment such as maintenance. In contrast, the time during sensing of the physical quantity is also called normal time, and in normal time, the light-emitting unit 21 receives the sensing result of the physical quantity and indicates whether it is normal or abnormal by the light emission color of the indicator light. In the event time, it is not necessary to sense the physical quantity in normal time.

[0068] In S15, the worker visually checks the light emitting portion 21 of the sensor 20 to identify the sensor 20 in question, finds the location of the abnormality, and performs work to restore the abnormality.

[0069] In S16, the operation input unit 23 acquires a notification of the completion of the work (completion of recovery from an abnormality) input by the worker. At this time, the numerical value display unit 24 may display whether or not the notification of the completion of the work is to be sent to the management device 10.

[0070] In S17, the light emitting unit 21 lights up the indicator lamp in a normal / abnormal light color based on the sensing result of the physical quantity as a time-varying pattern of the light emission state in the normal state. At this time, the numerical value display unit 24 may display the numerical value of the sensing result.

[0071] In S18, the operation input unit 23 notifies the management device 10 of the completion of the work (reference numeral 65 in FIG. 4).

[0072] In S19, the management device 10 receives the notification of the completion of the work and causes the display unit 12 to reset the abnormality of the equipment including the sensor.

[0073] In S20, the display unit 12 displays on the display 14 (reference numeral 66 in FIG. 4) an abnormality display that has occurred in the equipment including the sensor in question, with the display indication canceled.

[0074] The buzzer 22 may emit different buzzer sounds during normal operation and during an event. By providing the buzzer 22, the sensor 20 can be more easily identified and found than when only the light-emitting unit 21 is provided. By providing the buzzer 22, in addition to the time-varying pattern of the light-emitting state of the light-emitting unit 21, information can also be transmitted by sound, which has the advantage of allowing the state to be further subdivided.

[0075] § 4. Actions and Effects The color of light emitted by the light-emitting section 21 of the sensor 20 and the pattern of change in the light emission state over time can be selected as desired from the management device 10. This makes it possible to distinguish the sensor 20 being worked on, even when multiple workers are working on the same production line, thereby preventing mistakes.

[0076] Specifically, one worker may have the light-emitting unit 21 flash blue once every second, and another worker may have the light-emitting unit 21 flash green once every two seconds. That is, the pattern of change over time of the light emission state is expressed by a combination of the light emission color and the change over time of the light emission color including turning off (pattern of change over time of the light emission state), and identifiable information can be added.

[0077] In addition, other information such as the cause of the abnormality or a method of dealing with the abnormality (work content) may be added to the pattern of change over time of the light emission state. In this case, workers on the production line can identify the cause of the abnormality from the pattern of change over time of the light emission state of the light-emitting unit 21, and can perform the work without having to inquire about the work content of the manager. In addition, the pattern of change over time of the light emission state also reveals how to deal with the abnormality, making it easier to recover from the abnormality.

[0078] The information added to the time-varying pattern of the light emission state is not limited to one. For example, in addition to the information for identifying the sensor, the cause of the abnormality and a method for dealing with the abnormality may be displayed together. Specifically, the light-emitting unit 21 displays information for identifying the sensor by blinking red at intervals, displays the cause of the abnormality by blinking green at intervals, and displays the method for dealing with the abnormality by blinking blue at intervals.

[0079] Furthermore, by making it possible to transmit the completion of work for each sensor 20 to the management device 10, the work of the entire production line equipped with a plurality of sensors 20 can be accelerated. Also, it becomes possible for the manager to visualize the work status (progress of work) of the production line, making it easier to consider a schedule for restarting the production line after work is completed. On the screen of the management device 10, it may be possible to check a list of normal / abnormal states and work statuses of each device in the entire production line.

[0080] [Embodiment 2] Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. For ease of explanation, the same reference numerals are given to members having the same functions as those described in the above embodiment, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0081] (Configuration of Information Processing System) Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of an information processing system 101 according to embodiment 2. As shown in Fig. 5, the information processing system 101 includes a management device 10, a PLC 51, an input unit 52, a sensor 20, and a smartphone (communication terminal) 30. That is, the information processing system 101 differs from the information processing system 100 in that the information processing system 101 includes the smartphone 30.

[0082] The sensor 20 and the smartphone 30 can communicate with each other via Bluetooth (registered trademark) 42. Bluetooth 42 is not limited to Bluetooth, and may be any wireless communication standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and Zigbee (registered trademark), as well as any wired communication standard such as Ethernet and USB.

[0083] A system consisting of the management device 10, the sensor 20, and the smartphone 30 is referred to as a subsystem 2.

[0084] (Subsystem 2 configuration) 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a main part of the subsystem 2. The subsystem 2 includes a management device 10, a sensor 20a, a smartphone 30, a field network 41, Bluetooth 42, a display 14, and a mouse 15.

[0085] The sensor 20a differs from the sensor 20 in that the sensor 20a includes an external communication unit 25 instead of the operation input unit 23. The external communication unit 25 is a functional block that transmits information received by the smartphone 30 to the management device 10.

[0086] (Configuration of Smartphone 30) The smartphone 30 includes a display control unit 31, a camera 32, a state determination unit 33, and a message transmission unit 34. The smartphone 30 is not limited to a smartphone, and may be a portable computer such as a notebook computer.

[0087] The display control unit 31 is a functional block that controls a display screen to be displayed on a display provided in the smartphone 30. The display control unit 31 also displays the emission color and the pattern of change over time of the emission state for identifying the sensor 20 with which the smartphone 30 is communicating. The emission color and the pattern of change over time of the emission state are acquired from a message transmission unit 34 that is communicating with the sensor 20. The display control unit 31 outputs the emission color and the pattern of change over time of the emission state to the state determination unit 33.

[0088] The camera 32 is a camera provided in the smartphone 30. The camera 32 captures an image of the light emitting unit 21 of the sensor 20. The camera 32 also outputs the captured image and video to the state determination unit 33.

[0089] The status determination unit 33 compares the images and videos captured by the camera 32 with the time-varying pattern of the light emission color and light emission state received by the smartphone 30 from the sensor 20, and determines whether the sensor 20 is the target sensor 20.

[0090] The message transmission unit 34 is a functional block that transmits a message from the smartphone 30 to the sensor 20 and receives model information and operation status information of the sensor 20. In addition, the message transmission unit 34 outputs the information transmitted and received to the display control unit 31.

[0091] The message is, for example, information such as the start and end of maintenance work on the sensor 20, and is information for managing the maintenance work on the management device side. Also, a message may be sent to indicate that an abnormality has been cleared, in which case processing such as resetting the abnormality that has occurred in the sensor 20 may be performed. In other words, the message may be a trigger for starting an arbitrary state and an arbitrary process.

[0092] The model information is information specific to the sensor 20, such as the model, sensor type, and serial number of the sensor 20. The operation status information is information that indicates the state of the sensor 20, such as the measurement value of the sensor 20, its state (normal / abnormal), and the state of the light-emitting unit 21. In other words, the model information and operation status information are various pieces of information required for the worker to adjust the sensor 20. The model information and operation status information may be displayed on the display of the smartphone 30 by the display control unit 31 to notify the worker.

[0093] (Example of operation when using smartphone 30) Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of operation in subsystem 2 according to embodiment 2. Fig. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing actions that can be performed on the screen of smartphone 30 according to embodiment 2. As shown in Fig. 7, subsystem 2 differs from subsystem 1 in that it includes S31 to S34 instead of S15 and S16.

[0094] When the management device 10 and the sensor 20 communicate with each other via Ethernet, the worker may set communication settings in the sensor 20 using the smartphone 30. Specifically, the worker may set the IP address and port number of the management device in the sensor 20 using the smartphone 30. Therefore, the sensor 20 may not have the operation input unit 23 and the numeric display unit 24.

[0095] First, before the start of work, the state of the sensor 20 may be explicitly displayed on the screen of the management device 10 as "work instruction stage."

[0096] In S31, the state determination unit 33 determines whether the sensor 20 is a target sensor 20 based on the time-varying pattern of the light-emitting state of the light-emitting unit of the sensor 20 captured by the camera 32. At this time, the display control unit 31 may cause the display of the smartphone 30 to display a display showing the time-varying pattern of the light-emitting state of the light-emitting unit 21 of the sensor 20 with which the smartphone 30 is communicating.

[0097] Also, as shown by reference numeral 71 in FIG. 8, when the worker finds the sensor 20 to be worked on, the message sending unit 34 can notify the management device 10 via the external communication unit 25 that the worker has started the work by pressing a "work start" button displayed on the smartphone 30. Upon receiving the "work start" message, the management device 10 may transition the state of the sensor 20 on the screen of the management device 10 to "work in progress" and display it. This allows the manager operating the management device to recognize that the sensor 20 has been found without being mistaken for another sensor 20 among the multiple sensors 20 and that the work has started.

[0098] In S32, the message sending unit 34 displays a screen on which a "Work Completed" button such as that indicated by reference numeral 72 in FIG. 8 is displayed. By pressing the "Work Completed" button, the worker can notify the management device 10 of the completion of the work via the external communication unit 25. Upon receiving the "Work Completed" message, the management device 10 may transition the state of the sensor 20 on the screen of the management device 10 to "Work Completed Stage" and display this. This allows the manager operating the management device to recognize that the scheduled work for the sensor 20 has been completed.

[0099] In S33, the message transmission unit 34 displays a screen showing an “abnormality reset” button such as the one indicated by reference numeral 73 in FIG. 8. When the “abnormality reset” button is pressed, an abnormality reset signal is transmitted to the external communication unit 25.

[0100] In S34, the sensor 20 determines whether the cause of the abnormality has been removed, and if so, cancels the abnormal state.

[0101] As the state of the sensor 20, a state of "checking work" may be provided instead of "work completion stage". Specifically, after the worker completes the work, the line supervisor may check the operation of the equipment and only then may the "work completion stage" be transitioned to. In this case, the line supervisor can check the completion of the operation of the equipment on the production line simply by checking the equipment in the "checking work" state in order, and this also makes it possible to prevent omissions.

[0102] (Example of communication between management device 10 and sensor 20) Fig. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing a method of transmitting a message from the smartphone 30 to the management device 10 by the message transmitting unit 34 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 9, when the message transmitting unit 34 transmits a message to the management device 10 via the sensor 20, the following process is performed.

[0103] The management device 10 and the sensor 20 communicate with each other periodically by polling. Specifically, as shown by reference numerals 81, 82, and 83, a polling process is performed.

[0104] In the polling process, the management device 10 first issues a data read instruction to the sensor 20 as a periodic data update. The sensor 20 accepts the data read instruction and outputs a measurement value and a status to the management device 10. The status may include a determination result of whether the measurement result of the sensor 20 is normal or abnormal, as well as a notification of the state of the light-emitting unit 21 of the sensor 20 and whether the sensor 20 is in a normal or abnormal state. The management device 10 then accepts the data and updates the display screen.

[0105] In addition, communication between the management device 10 and the sensor 20 is not limited to periodic polling, and may adopt either a pull method in which the management device 10 acquires data from the sensor 20 at a timing desired by the management device 10, or a push method in which the sensor 20 transmits data to the management device 10 at the timing of measurement.

[0106] (Example of communication with the sensor 20 using the smartphone 30) Here, as indicated by the reference numeral 82 , when the management device 10 and the smartphone 30 communicate with each other, the smartphone 30 and the sensor 20 establish communication via Bluetooth 42 , and the sensor 20 and the management device 10 establish communication via the field network 41 .

[0107] The worker operates the display of the smartphone 30 to set the sensor 20. At this time, the sensor 20 may transmit the current parameters to the smartphone 30 in advance, and in this case, the display control unit 31 may highlight changes in the parameters and display them on the display of the smartphone 30. Thereafter, the message transmission unit 34 transmits the input settings of the sensor 20 to the external communication unit 25. The sensor 20 writes the received new parameters of the sensor 20 into the parameters of the sensor 20.

[0108] Also, the sensor 20 may notify the smartphone 30 of the model information and the operating state information of the sensor 20, and the display control unit 31 may display them on the display of the smartphone 30. Specifically, the model information such as the model number, sensor type, and serial number of the sensor 20, whether the sensor 20 is normal or abnormal, and what kind of work the sensor 20 needs may be notified to the smartphone 30, and the information may be confirmed on the display of the smartphone 30. In this case, the detailed information is displayed on the screen of the smartphone 30 without the worker having to read the time-varying pattern of the light emission state of the light-emitting unit 21 and determine what information has been added, improving convenience.

[0109] Here, the smartphone 30 may transmit not only the parameters of the sensor 20 but also messages to the sensor 20. The messages are contents indicating the status of the work performed by the worker on the sensor 20, such as the above-mentioned "work started", "work completed", and "abnormality cleared". The sensor 20 may transmit these messages to the management device 10 together with the measured values ​​and status in periodic data output in polling of the management device 10 and the sensor 20.

[0110] The communication between the smartphone 30 and the sensor 20 is not limited to one-to-one communication. That is, a plurality of smartphones 30 may be connected to the sensor 20 at the same time. In this case, in order to prevent malfunction such as parameter change, in addition to displaying a list of accessing workers on the screen of the smartphone 30, exclusive control may be performed to prevent simultaneous access to the same parameters. Furthermore, the communication between the smartphone 30 and the management device 10 does not necessarily need to be via the sensor 20. In particular, when the smartphone 30 communicates with the sensor 20 via the management device 10, the exclusive control may be performed by the management device 10.

[0111] [Variation 1] The management device 10 may be composed of a plurality of computers, tablets, and smartphones connected via wired and wireless networks.

[0112] In this case, a master computer is determined, and other devices access the sensor 20 via the master computer. This can reduce the amount of communication on the field network 41 related to the sensor 20. Here, the master computer is generally installed in a centralized control room. Furthermore, by providing a master computer, exclusive control of the sensor 20 becomes easier.

[0113] Furthermore, the management device 10 may display a list of the status, the worker, and the work situation for each piece of equipment in the line on the display 14. This display is not limited to the management device, and the display may be displayed on the smartphone 30.

[0114] Furthermore, instead of using a master computer, a plurality of devices may individually communicate in parallel with the sensor 20 using Ethernet, Wi-Fi, etc. In this case, there is an advantage that there is no need to provide a master computer.

[0115] [Modification 2] Information on the destination of the cable connected to the sensor or the power supply system to which the sensor belongs may be notified by the time-varying pattern of the light-emitting state of the light-emitting unit 21. Specifically, the unit number of the input unit 52 to which the sensor 20 is connected and the IO number of the input unit 52 may also be notified in the light-emitting pattern of the light-emitting unit 21 in the sensor 20. Information on the power supply system to which the sensor belongs may also be notified.

[0116] With this information, in order to replace the sensor 20, in the input unit 52 to which multiple cables are connected, it is possible to know which of the already connected cables should be removed and replaced with a new sensor 20 without checking facility drawings, etc. This has the advantage of making facility maintenance easier.

[0117] In addition, if the facility has multiple power supply systems, the sensors in the same power supply system as the sensor in question may be collectively illuminated in a specified color or with a time-varying pattern of illumination. This makes it possible to clarify which sensors will be affected by a power outage or other such maintenance for the sensor in question, allowing for efficient maintenance.

[0118] In addition, the indication is not limited to the cable to be connected, but for example, in the case of a pressure sensor, the piping system to which it belongs may be indicated. This makes it possible to prevent the cables and piping required for the measurement of the sensor 20 from being left out.

[0119] [Modification 3] In the second embodiment, the administrator specifies the time-varying pattern of the light emission color or light emission state of the light-emitting unit 21 of the sensor 20 using the management device, but the worker may specify it using the smartphone 30. Specifically, the worker establishes communication between the smartphone 30 and the sensor 20, and then operates the smartphone 30 to specify the time-varying pattern of the light emission color or light emission state of the light-emitting unit 21 of the sensor 20.

[0120] Therefore, since the worker himself, not the administrator, specifies the time-varying pattern of the light emission color or the light emission state, there is a reduced possibility that the worker will pick up the wrong sensor 20. In addition, when working on multiple sensors at once, it is possible to avoid the risk of running out of time-varying patterns of the light emission color or the light emission state of the light-emitting unit 21.

[0121] [Example of implementation by software in management device 10] The functions of the management device 10 (hereinafter referred to as the "device") can be realized by a program for causing a computer to function as the device, and a program for causing a computer to function as each control block of the device (particularly each part included in the management device 10).

[0122] In this case, the device includes a computer having at least one control device (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., a memory) as hardware for executing the program. The control device and storage device execute the program to realize each function described in each of the above embodiments.

[0123] The program may be non-transitory and may be recorded in one or more computer-readable recording media. The recording media may or may not be included in the device. In the latter case, the program may be provided to the device via any wired or wireless transmission medium.

[0124] In addition, some or all of the functions of each of the control blocks can be realized by a logic circuit. For example, an integrated circuit in which a logic circuit that functions as each of the control blocks is formed is also included in the scope of the present invention. In addition, the functions of each of the control blocks can be realized by, for example, a quantum computer.

[0125] [Example of software implementation in smartphone 30] The functions of the smartphone 30 (hereinafter referred to as the "device") can be realized by a program for causing a computer to function as the device, and a program for causing a computer to function as each control block of the device (particularly each part included in the smartphone 30).

[0126] In this case, the device includes a computer having at least one control device (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., a memory) as hardware for executing the program. The control device and storage device execute the program to realize each function described in each of the above embodiments.

[0127] The program may be non-transitory and may be recorded in one or more computer-readable recording media. The recording media may or may not be included in the device. In the latter case, the program may be provided to the device via any wired or wireless transmission medium.

[0128] In addition, some or all of the functions of each of the control blocks can be realized by a logic circuit. For example, an integrated circuit in which a logic circuit that functions as each of the control blocks is formed is also included in the scope of the present invention. In addition, the functions of each of the control blocks can be realized by, for example, a quantum computer.

[0129] [Additional Notes] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0130] 1, 2 Subsystem 10 Management device 11 Specific section 12 Display section 13 Instruction section 14 Display 15 Mouse 20, 20a Sensor 21 Light-emitting unit (status notification light-emitting unit) 22 Buzzer 23 Operation input section 24 Numeric display section 25 External Communications Department 30 Smartphones (communication devices) 31 Display control unit 32 Camera 33 Status determination unit 34 Message sending section 41 Field Network 42 Bluetooth 51 PLC 52 Input Unit 53 Ethernet 54 Bus Connections 100, 101 Information Processing Systems

Claims

1. A communication terminal that communicates with a sensor, Camera and a state determination unit that recognizes a light emission state of a state notification light emitting unit in the sensor by the camera, The sensor includes: A sensor that communicates with a management device, An external communication unit that communicates with an external communication terminal, The management device includes: A management device that communicates with a plurality of the sensors via a communication network, the plurality of sensors including the status notification light emitting units that display a status, an identification unit that identifies the sensor that changes the light color and the time-varying pattern of the light emission state of the status indicator light-emitting unit; an instruction unit that instructs the sensor identified by the identification unit to change the light emission color and the time-varying pattern of the light emission state of the status indicator light-emitting unit; A communication terminal comprising:

2. The communication terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the instruction unit issues an instruction to change a light color or a time-varying pattern of a light emission state of the status indicator light emitting unit in order to identify an operator at the sensor.

3. 3. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the instruction unit issues an instruction to change a light color or a time-varying pattern of a light emission state of the status indicator light emitting unit in order to identify a status of the sensor.

4. The communication terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the instruction unit issues an instruction to change a light color or a time-varying pattern of a light emission state of the status indicator light emitting unit in order to identify an operation to be performed on the sensor.

5. The sensor further comprises a buzzer. The communication terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the instruction unit generates an alarm using the buzzer.

6. The communication terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the external communication unit relays a message from the communication terminal to the management device.

7. The communication terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the external communication unit notifies the communication terminal of at least one of model information and operating status information of the sensor.

8. The communication terminal according to claim 1 , further comprising a display control unit that displays a light emission state of the status indicator light emitting unit in a predetermined one of the sensors.

9. The communication terminal according to claim 1 , further comprising a message transmission unit that transmits to the sensor a message to be transmitted to the management device.

10. 2. A control program for causing a computer to function as the communication terminal according to claim 1, the control program causing the computer to function as the state determination unit.

11. A method for controlling a communication terminal that communicates with a sensor, comprising: A camera is used to recognize the light emission state of the status notification light emitting part of the sensor; The sensor includes: A sensor that communicates with a management device, An external communication unit that communicates with an external communication terminal, The management device includes: A management device that communicates with a plurality of the sensors via a communication network, the plurality of sensors including the status notification light emitting units that display a status, an identification unit that identifies the sensor that changes the light color and the time-varying pattern of the light emission state of the status indicator light-emitting unit; an instruction unit that instructs the sensor identified by the identification unit to change the light emission color and the time-varying pattern of the light emission state of the status indicator light-emitting unit; A method for controlling a communication terminal comprising:

Images