Service providing device, service providing system, and computer-readable recording medium

Abstract

A service providing device according to the present disclosure comprises: a request reception unit that receives request information including at least machine-specific information that uniquely identifies an industrial machine, requested service information that specifies a desired service to use with the industrial machine, and request condition information that includes conditions for using the service; a determination unit that determines whether the service requested by the request information can be provided or not and the conditions under which the service can be provided, the determination being based on the request information and service information that at least associates information related to the provision of a service of the industrial machine with the machine-specific information; and a service information providing unit that provides a result of the determination by the determination unit to the industrial machine.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a service providing device, a service providing system, and a computer-readable recording medium. [Background technology]

[0002] A wide variety of services (functions) are provided and realized by industrial machines and their service providing devices. Generally, a user purchases the services he or she needs. The purchased services are set to be valid at the time of or after the shipment of the industrial machines. Thereafter, the services can be used permanently (for example, Patent Document 1, etc.). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 07-234714 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Some functions related to processing in industrial machinery are particularly expensive. In the case of functions used for mass production of products, the high cost is not a problem. However, if you want to consider using an expensive function after first doing trial processing, or if you plan to use it for small-lot, multi-product production, it is difficult to purchase the function. This is because you will be purchasing the function without knowing how often you will use it after the trial processing, or how long you will continue to use it. Necessary services cannot be used effectively at the minimum required time.

[0005] Expensive functions can be a financial burden for industrial machinery users depending on how they are used. They also lead to higher manufacturing costs, which can force users to pass on the costs to the prices of processed products in order to recover them. Therefore, there is a need for technology that enables the effective use of necessary services at the minimum required time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is a service providing device for an industrial machine for providing a service that can be provided by the industrial machine under predetermined conditions, the device including a request receiving unit that receives request information including at least machine specific information that uniquely identifies the industrial machine, requested service information that specifies a service to be used by the industrial machine, and requested condition information including a usage condition of the service, and a request receiving unit that receives request information including at least machine specific information that uniquely identifies the industrial machine, requested service information that specifies a service to be used by the industrial machine, and requested condition information including a usage condition of the service, based on the request information and service information that associates at least information related to the provision of the service of the industrial machine with the machine specific information, The requested service is identified by searching the service information using the service number included in the request information, and at least one of the provision form, provision status, and current usage status of the service included in the service information related to the identified service is compared with an additional request as request condition information included in the request information, The service providing device includes a judgment unit that judges whether the service requested by the request information can be provided and the conditions under which the service can be provided, and a service information providing unit that provides the industrial machine with the result of the judgment made by the judgment unit.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a service provision system for industrial machinery for providing services that can be provided by industrial machinery under specified conditions based on a request, wherein a service provision device manages at least one industrial machine that performs the service, and the industrial machine outputs the request information to the service provision device and provides the service based on the result of a judgment made by the judgment unit of the service provision information in response to the request information.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for operating a computer as a service providing device for an industrial machine for providing services that can be provided by the industrial machine under predetermined conditions, the program including: a request receiving unit that receives request information including at least machine specific information that uniquely identifies the industrial machine, requested service information that specifies a service to be used by the industrial machine, and requested condition information including usage conditions of the service; and a request receiving unit that receives request information including at least machine specific information that uniquely identifies the industrial machine, requested service information that specifies a service to be used by the industrial machine, and requested condition information including usage conditions of the service, based on the request information and service information that associates at least information related to the provision of the service of the industrial machine with the machine specific information, The requested service is identified by searching the service information using the service number included in the request information, and at least one of the provision form, provision status, and current usage status of the service included in the service information related to the identified service is compared with an additional request as request condition information included in the request information,The computer-readable recording medium has recorded thereon a program that causes the computer to operate as a judgment unit that judges whether the service requested by the request information can be provided and the conditions under which it can be provided, and a service information providing unit that provides the industrial machine with the results of the judgment made by the judgment unit. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, among the services that can be provided by individual industrial machines, a machine user can effectively use the necessary services at the time of need, in a minimum amount. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 2 is a schematic hardware configuration diagram of a service providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing schematic functions of a service providing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of request information. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of service information. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a determination result for a request. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of service information including billing information based on a usage period. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a determination result including billing information for a request. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of service information including billing information based on the number of times of use. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of service information including a warning threshold value. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing schematic functions of a service providing device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a result of usage determination. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing schematic functions of a service providing device according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic hardware configuration diagram showing the main parts of a service providing device according to one embodiment of the present invention. A service providing device 2 of the present invention is connected to an industrial machine 4 arranged in a factory via a network 5 such as the Internet. The service providing device 2 manages the industrial machine 4 to configure a service providing system 1. The service providing device 2 can be implemented on a computer such as a server. The industrial machine 4 according to this embodiment has software related to available services pre-installed. The industrial machine 4 is configured to be able to use the relevant functions by receiving information related to a specific usage permission from the service providing device 2.

[0012] The CPU 11 provided in the service providing device 2 of the present invention is a processor that controls the entire service providing device 2. The CPU 11 reads out a system program stored in the ROM 12 via the bus 22, and controls the entire service providing device 2 in accordance with the system program. The RAM 13 temporarily stores temporary calculation data, display data, various data input from outside, and the like.

[0013] 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 service providing device 2 is turned off. The non-volatile memory 14 stores data and processing programs read from an external device 72 via an interface 15, data and programs input via an input device 71, and various data transmitted from the industrial machine 4. The data and processing programs 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.

[0014] The interface 15 is an interface for connecting the CPU 11 of the service providing device 2 to an external device 72 such as a USB device. For example, programs related to the functions of the service providing device 2 and various data related to the provision of services can be read from the external device 72. In addition, the programs and various data edited in the service providing device 2 can be stored in an external storage means via the external device 72.

[0015] The display device 70 displays various data loaded into the memory, data obtained as a result of executing a machining program, a system program, etc., outputted via the interface 18. An input device 71 consisting of a keyboard, a pointing device, etc., transmits commands, data, etc. based on operations by an operator to the CPU 11 via the interface 19.

[0016] The interface 20 is an interface for connecting the CPU 11 of the service providing device 2 to the network 5. The network 5 may be a WAN (Wide Area Network) configured with a dedicated line or the like, or a wide area network such as the Internet. The network 5 is connected to industrial machines 4, such as machine tools and robots installed in a factory, as well as fog computers and cloud servers (not shown). Each of these devices exchanges data with the service providing device 2 via the network 5.

[0017] 2 is a schematic block diagram showing functions of the service providing device 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Each function of the service providing device 2 according to this embodiment is realized by the CPU 11 of the service providing device 2 shown in FIG. 1 executing a system program and controlling the operation of each part of the service providing device 2.

[0018] The service providing device 2 of this embodiment includes a request receiving unit 100, a determination unit 110, a service information providing unit 120, a billing processing unit 130, and a communication unit 180. The RAM 13 to the non-volatile memory 14 of the service providing device 2 include a service information storage unit 150, which is an area for storing service information relating to services provided to each industrial machine 4.

[0019] The request receiving unit 100 receives request information related to a service to be used by the industrial machine 4. The request information includes at least machine specific information capable of uniquely identifying the industrial machine 4 managed by the service providing device 2, requested service information capable of uniquely identifying the requested service, and requested condition information indicating the requested condition of the service. The machine specific information may have any structure as long as it can uniquely identify at least the managed industrial machine. For example, it may include information for uniquely identifying a machine tool builder (e.g., a Machine Tool Builder number, etc.), information for uniquely identifying a user who uses the industrial machine 4 (e.g., a machine user number, etc.), and information for uniquely identifying the industrial machine 4 owned by the user. The requested service information may have any structure as long as it can uniquely identify at least a service (function) of the industrial machine 4 managed by the service providing device 2. For example, it may be the name of the requested function or an appropriately assigned function number. The request condition information may include any condition related to the use of the service, such as a condition related to a usage period, a condition related to a usage deadline, a condition related to the number of times of use, and other conditions related to usage restrictions (for example, a geographical location of use, a time period of use, use of some functions), etc. The request receiving unit 100 outputs the received request information to the determination unit 110.

[0020] 3 is a diagram showing examples of request information. The first request information includes a machine ID: 01-0001-01 as machine-specific information, a function number: S666 as requested service information, and 30 days as requested condition information indicating an additional use period. The second request information includes a machine ID: 01-0001-01 as machine-specific information, a function number: S677 as requested service information, and 30 days as requested condition information indicating an additional use period. The third request information includes a machine ID: 01- 0001 -01, function number: R696 as requested service information, additional usage count as requested condition information 100 The fourth request information includes the machine ID: 01-0001-01 as the machine specific information, the function number: J834 as the requested service information, and 100 times, which indicates the additional number of uses, as the requested condition information.

[0021] The determination unit 110 determines whether or not a request from an industrial machine 4 can be satisfied based on the request information received by the request receiving unit 100 from the industrial machine 4 and the service information stored in the service information storage unit 150. When the request information of the industrial machine 4 is input from the request receiving unit 100, the determination unit 110 reads out service information corresponding to the machine specific information included in the request information from the service information storage unit 150. Then, the determination unit 110 determines whether or not the service requested by the request information can be provided and whether or not the conditions included in the request condition information can be satisfied. The determination result by the determination unit 110 is output to the service information providing unit 120 and the billing processing unit 130. In addition, the service information stored in the service information storage unit 150 is updated based on the determination result by the determination unit 110.

[0022] The service information providing unit 120 provides the result of the determination made by the determining unit 110 to the industrial machine 4. The provided result of the determination is treated as information related to permission or prohibition of use of a specific service in the industrial machine 4. The result of the determination provided by the service information providing unit 120 includes at least information related to whether the requested service can be provided and the conditions for providing the service. The conditions for providing the service may include, for example, the remaining period of use, the remaining number of times of use, and other information related to restrictions on use.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of service information stored in the service information storage unit 150. The service information is information for linking and managing at least information related to the provision of the service for each machine specific information. The information related to the provision of the service included in the service information includes information indicating the provision form, provision state, and current usage state of each service. In the example of FIG. 4, for example, it is shown that a service providing a three-dimensional error correction function with function number: S666 is provided in a form in which a usage period is determined. And, for the industrial machine 4 with machine ID: 01-0001-01, the three-dimensional error correction function with service number: S666 is in a purchased state. Therefore, the user of this machine can use the three-dimensional error correction function permanently at the present time. Also, it is shown that the smooth tolerance control function with function number: R696 is provided to the same industrial machine 4 in a form in which a usage period or number of times of use is determined. And, it is seen that the user of this machine is not currently using the smooth tolerance function. Although the table in Figure 4 only shows information related to the usage period, the service information may also include conditions related to the number of uses (e.g., remaining number of uses), information related to usage restrictions (e.g., available only in Japan, available only at night, available only for function A out of all functions), and information related to charges (e.g., charging price, total charged amount), etc.

[0024] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a determination result by the determination unit 110. When the service information illustrated in Fig. 4 is stored in the service information storage unit 150, if the request receiving unit 100 receives the first request illustrated in Fig. 3, the determination unit 110 reads out the service information of function number: S666 for the industrial machine 4 with machine ID: 01-0001-01 from the service information storage unit 150. Since it is found that the industrial machine 4 has already been purchased, the determination unit 110 determines that a request to extend the usage period cannot be accepted, as illustrated in the first determination result in Fig. 5. Furthermore, if the second request illustrated in Fig. 3 is received, the determination unit 110 extends the remaining provision period of the tool center point control function with function number: S677 by 30 days, updating it to 40 days (second determination result in Fig. 5). When the third request shown in Fig. 3 is received, the determination unit 110 adds 100 times to the remaining number of uses of the smooth tolerance control function with function number R696, which has not been provided (third determination result in Fig. 5). Also, when the fourth request shown in Fig. 3 is received, the determination unit 110 determines that the balance cut function with function number J834 cannot be provided to the machine (fourth determination result in Fig. 5).

[0025] The billing processing unit 130 performs billing processing according to the service to be provided, based on the result of the determination by the determination unit 110. In the service information stored in the service information storage unit 150, information related to billing according to the form of service provision is set in advance for each service.

[0026] Fig. 6 shows an example of information related to billing when the provision form is a period of use. In the example of Fig. 6, for the tool center point control function of function number: S667, whose provision form is a period of use, the daily billing unit price is set to 100 yen and the annual billing unit price is set to 30,000 yen. The billing processing unit 130 refers to such information and performs billing processing to bill the user for 100 yen x 30 = 3,000 yen when, for example, the usage period of the tool center point control function is extended by 30 days. Fig. 7 shows an example of the display of the result of the billing processing transmitted to the industrial machine 4.

[0027] Fig. 8 shows an example of information related to billing when the provision form is the number of uses. In the example of Fig. 8, for the smooth tolerance control function of function number: R696, which is a provision form based on the number of uses, the billing unit price per use is set to 200 yen, and the billing unit price for every 200 uses is set to 35,000 yen. The billing processing unit 130 refers to such information and performs billing processing to bill the user for 35,000 yen x 1 (for 200 uses) + 200 yen x 100 (for the remaining 100 uses) = 55,000 yen, for example, when the number of uses of the smooth tolerance control function is to be increased by 300 times with one request.

[0028] The billing process may take into account other conditions of use. For example, discounts may be given by limiting the geographical location of use to a specified range, or by limiting the time period of use. Such billing information may be set in advance in the service information.

[0029] The communication unit 180 manages the exchange of information between the service providing device 2 and the industrial machine 4 via the network 5. When the communication unit 180 receives request information from the industrial machine 4, it outputs the received request information to the request receiving unit 100. When the service information providing unit 120 outputs a judgment result on the request information, it transmits the output judgment result to the industrial machine 4. Furthermore, it transmits the result of the billing process by the billing processing unit 130 to the industrial machine 4. In addition to transmitting this information to the industrial machine 4, it may also be transmitted to a user of the industrial machine 4 or a manufacturer of the industrial machine 4 using other communication means such as email.

[0030] The service providing device 2 according to the present embodiment having the above configuration can enable the industrial machine 4 to use a specified service based on request information transmitted from the industrial machine 4 at any timing. The request information can include information related to the usage period, number of times of use, and other usage restrictions, and charging can be performed according to this request condition information. Therefore, of the services that can be provided by each industrial machine, the user of the industrial machine 4 can effectively use the necessary services at the minimum time when necessary. Furthermore, by receiving the necessary services only when necessary, the service usage costs can be reduced, which is expected to reduce the economic burden on the user of the industrial machine 4 and also reduce manufacturing costs.

[0031] As a modified example of the service providing device 2 according to this embodiment, the service providing device 2 may output a warning to the user of the industrial machine 4 depending on the usage status of the service. For example, for a service whose provision form is a usage period, a warning threshold related to the usage period is managed as illustrated in FIG. 9. Then, when there is a service whose remaining provision period is equal to or less than the warning threshold, the service information providing unit 120 may transmit a warning message to the user of the industrial machine 4 indicating that the remaining usage period is equal to or less than the threshold. Even when the provision form is the number of uses, a similar warning message can be transmitted by managing a warning threshold for the remaining number of uses. In this way, it becomes possible to continue using the provided service without forgetting to renew the use of the service.

[0032] Fig. 10 is a schematic block diagram showing functions of the service providing device 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. When using a service, the industrial machine 4 according to this embodiment notifies the service providing device 2 of the intention to use the service. Then, in response to the notification, the industrial machine 4 receives information related to a predetermined permission for use from the service providing device 2, thereby enabling the industrial machine 4 to use the function. Each function of the service providing device 2 according to this embodiment is realized by the CPU 11 of the service providing device 2 shown in Fig. 1 executing a system program and controlling the operation of each part of the service providing device 2.

[0033] The service providing device 2 according to this embodiment includes a usage determining unit 140 in addition to a request receiving unit 100, a determining unit 110, a service information providing unit 120, a billing processing unit 130, and a communication unit 180. The RAM 13 to the non-volatile memory 14 of the service providing device 2 also include a service information storage unit 150, which is an area for storing service information relating to services provided to each industrial machine 4.

[0034] The request receiving unit 100, the determining unit 110, the service information providing unit 120, the billing processing unit 130, and the communication unit 180 according to this embodiment have the same functions as those of the service providing device 2 according to the first embodiment.

[0035] The use determination unit 140 determines whether or not the service can be used based on the service use start information transmitted from the industrial machine 4. Then, the use determination unit 140 transmits the result of the determination to the industrial machine 4. The service use start information transmitted from the industrial machine 4 includes machine specific information, service use information that can uniquely identify the service to be used, and use condition information that indicates the use conditions of the service. The service use information is information that can uniquely identify the service to be used, and is similar to the requested service information according to the first embodiment. The use condition information includes the use conditions of the service to be used (the number of times of use, the geographical position of the industrial machine 4 detected by the GPS attached to the industrial machine 4, the service use time, and which function to use). The use determination unit 140 reads out the function specific information and service information corresponding to the service use information included in the received service use start information from the service information storage unit 150. Then, the use determination unit 140 determines whether or not the service is currently available by referring to information such as the provision status, the remaining provision period, and the remaining number of times to be provided. Furthermore, the use determination unit 140 compares information related to use restrictions included in the service information (for example, available only in Japan, available only at night, function A is not available among all functions) with the use condition information included in the service use start information. Then, it determines whether the use conditions satisfy the information related to the use declaration. If the use determination unit 140 determines that the service can be used as a result of these determinations, it transmits a notice to that effect to the industrial machine 4. The industrial machine 4 uses the service based on this determination result. On the other hand, if the use determination unit 140 determines that the service cannot be used, it transmits a notice to that effect to the industrial machine 4. The industrial machine 4 is prohibited from using the service based on this determination result. FIG. 11 shows an example of a warning display displayed on a display device or the like of the industrial machine 4 when the use of the service is prohibited. Note that the service use start information does not necessarily need to include the use service information. In this case, the service providing device 2 may respond to the industrial machine 4 as to whether or not each service or part of the services provided to the industrial machine corresponding to the machine specific information can be used under the use conditions indicated in the use condition information.

[0036] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described examples of the embodiments, and can be embodied in various forms by making appropriate modifications. For example, in the service providing system 1 in the above-described embodiment, the service information storage unit 150 is configured to be built into the service providing device 2. However, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the service information storage unit 150 may be provided on a computer different from the service providing device 2.

[0037] Furthermore, the service providing system 1 in the above-described embodiment is configured such that the service providing device 2 and the industrial machine are connected via a network. However, the service providing device 2 may be configured on a control device that controls the industrial machine 4. In such a configuration, when the industrial machine 4 uses a service, request information is output to a function group corresponding to the service providing device 2 configured on the control device. Then, the determination result of the determination unit 110 is output as a response to the request information. By configuring the service providing device 2 on the control device, it becomes possible to use the functions of the present invention even in the industrial machine 4 that is separated from the network. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1 Service provision system 2 Service provision equipment 4. Industrial machinery 11 CPU 12 ROM 13 RAM 14 Non-volatile memory 15,18,19,20 Interface 22 Bus 70 Display device 71 Input Devices 72 External equipment 100 Request reception unit 110 Judgment Department 120 Service Information Department 130 Billing Processing Unit 140 Usage Judgment Department 150 Service information storage unit 180 Communications Department

Claims

1. A service providing device for an industrial machine for providing a service that can be provided by the industrial machine under predetermined conditions, comprising: a request receiving unit that receives request information including at least machine specific information that uniquely identifies the industrial machine, requested service information that specifies a service to be used by the industrial machine, and requested condition information that includes a condition for using the service; a determination unit that identifies a requested service by searching the service information using a service number included in the request information based on the request information and service information that associates at least information related to the provision of a service for the industrial machine with the machine unique information, and determines whether or not the service requested by the request information can be provided and the conditions under which it can be provided by comparing at least one of the provision form, provision status, and current usage status of the service included in the service information related to the identified service with an additional request as request condition information included in the request information; a service information providing unit that provides a result of the determination made by the determining unit to the industrial machine; A service providing device comprising:

2. The service information includes a usage fee per period or per number of times of the service, The requirement information includes a period of use or a number of times of use of the service, a billing processing unit that performs billing for the service based on the service information and the required condition information, The service providing device according to claim 1.

3. the service information includes at least one of a form of provision of the service, a current provision status of the service, a period during which the service can be provided, and a remaining period during which the service can be provided; 3. The service providing device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the service information providing unit issues a warning when the remaining provision period of the service becomes equal to or shorter than a predetermined period or the remaining number of times of provision becomes equal to or shorter than a predetermined number. The service providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. a utilization determination unit that receives, from the industrial machine, service utilization start information including at least machine specific information that uniquely identifies the industrial machine and utilization condition information including utilization conditions of the service in the industrial machine, and determines whether or not the service can be utilized in the industrial machine based on the service information and the service utilization start information, The service providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The service that can be provided by the industrial machine is at least one of a function that a numerical control device performs by controlling the drive of a machine tool, and a function that a robot controller performs by controlling the drive of a robot. The service providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A service provision system for an industrial machine for providing a service that can be provided by the industrial machine under predetermined conditions based on a request, comprising: The service providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 manages at least one industrial machine that implements the service, The industrial machine includes: outputting the request information to the service providing device; providing the service based on a result of a determination made by the determining unit of the service providing device with respect to the request information; Service delivery system.

8. the service providing device and the industrial machine are connected via a network, The industrial machine communicates with the service providing device via the network. The service providing system according to claim 7.

9. The service providing device is configured on a control device that controls the industrial machine. The service providing system according to claim 7.

10. A computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon for operating a computer as a service providing device for an industrial machine for providing a service that can be provided by the industrial machine under predetermined conditions, a request receiving unit that receives request information including at least machine specific information that uniquely identifies the industrial machine, requested service information that specifies a service to be used by the industrial machine, and requested condition information that includes a condition for using the service; a determination unit which identifies a requested service by searching the service information using a service number included in the request information based on the request information and service information in which at least information related to the provision of a service for the industrial machine is associated with the machine specific information, and determines whether or not the service requested by the request information can be provided and the conditions under which it can be provided by comparing at least one of the provision form, provision status, and current usage status of the service included in the service information related to the identified service with an additional request as request condition information included in the request information; a service information providing unit that provides a result of the determination made by the determining unit to the industrial machine; A computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon to cause the device to operate as a

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