Remote support system

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to achieve a safer remote assistance system. A remote assistance system 1 comprises: a control device 40 that controls an industrial machine 10; a first information processing terminal 50 that is connected to the control device 40; and one or more second information processing terminals 60 capable of controlling the first information processing terminal 50. The control device 40 is controllable from the one or more second information processing terminals 60.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a remote support system.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the introduction of high-functional industrial machines such as robots and machine tools into manufacturing factories has been progressing. For example, robots are equipped with dedicated operating devices, and users can intuitively teach operations to the robots by operating the operating devices. On the other hand, robots can be connected to general-purpose information processing terminals such as PCs and tablets, and users can confirm and change the setting data of the robots without using a dedicated operating device by connecting a PC to the robots.

[0003] However, in the case of unexpected situations such as when the robot stops and cannot move, the on-site workers alone may not be able to handle it. In such a case, the person in charge of the robot manufacturer is inquired by email, phone, etc., and the on-site worker operates the robot as instructed by the person in charge. Even if it cannot be solved, the engineer of the robot manufacturer will directly visit and operate the robot. If the engineer of the robot manufacturer cannot visit immediately, the robot stop period will become long, resulting in a delay in the manufacturing schedule. To solve this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a remote operation system for realizing support by a service technician when a robot fails.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in a remote operation system, there may be a problem of unintentional operations on on-site workers by third parties who have invaded the system or service personnel who are remote operators. For example, if a robot is moved by an operator who does not understand the on-site situation, the robot may collide with on-site workers or obstacles. In addition, there is a possibility that the data of the information processing terminal being operated remotely may be illegally accessed. Thus, there is room for improvement from the viewpoints of safety against service personnel performing remote operations or intruders into the network, and the safety of the on-site during remote operation, and a more secure remote support system is desired.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A remote support system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a control device that controls industrial machines, a first information processing terminal connected to the control device, and one or more second information processing terminals capable of controlling the first information processing terminal. The control device can be controlled from the one or more second information processing terminals.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, highly secure remote support can be realized.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

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MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, a remote support system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having substantially the same functions and configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be made only when necessary.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the remote support system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a robot arm mechanism 10 installed in a factory, a camera 20 for photographing a workpiece W, a control device 40 for controlling the robot arm mechanism 10 and the camera 20, a dedicated operation pendant 30 for operating the robot arm mechanism 10, a first information processing terminal 50 (user terminal 50) such as a PC or a tablet operated by a factory worker (user), and a second information processing terminal 60 (engineer terminal 60) such as a PC or a tablet operated by an engineer of a robot manufacturer located remotely or an engineer of a maintenance company commissioned by the robot manufacturer. Typically, the operation pendant 30 and the user terminal 50 are connected to the control device 40 by a wired cable. The engineer terminal 60 is connected to the user terminal 50 so as to be capable of data communication via an external network 100 such as the Internet. The operation pendant 30 and the user terminal 50 may be connected to be capable of data communication by wire or wirelessly via a local area network including the control device 40. The robot arm mechanism 10, the camera 20, and the control device 40 constitute a robot system.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 2, a robot arm mechanism 10, a camera 20, an operation pendant 30, and a user terminal 50 are connected to a control device 40 via respective interfaces 46, 47, 48, and 49. The control device 40 has a processor 41. The processor 41 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc., and comprehensively controls each device and controller connected to the system bus. The ROM 42 stores a BIOS (Basic Input Output System), an operating system program (OS), etc. that are executed by the processor 41. The RAM 43 functions as a main memory, a work area, etc. of the processor 41. The storage device 44 stores various programs, various setting information, etc. Specifically, the storage device 44 stores information related to the robot system. The information related to the robot system includes a task program for causing the robot arm mechanism 10 and the camera 20 to execute a predetermined task, setting information of the robot arm mechanism 10, and setting information of the camera 20. The setting information of the robot arm mechanism 10 includes, for example, various parameter information related to the control of the robot arm mechanism 10, such as the operating speed, acceleration, and operating range of the robot arm mechanism 10, and on / off information of functions. The setting information of the camera 20 includes the shooting range, shooting speed, etc. Further, the storage device 44 stores a control application for controlling the robot arm mechanism 10 and the camera 20 by operating an external terminal. The control here includes operation control of the motors of the respective joint portions of the robot arm mechanism 10, modification of the task program, and change of the setting information. By executing the control application by the processor 41, the control device 40 can provide a control page to the user terminal 50 that has accessed the control device 40, and based on the data input from the user terminal 50 via the control page, modify and change data related to the robot system, such as modifying the task program and changing the setting information.

[0012] The user terminal 50 is connected to the control device 40 via the interface 59 for the control device. The user terminal 50 has a processor 51. The processor 51 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc., and comprehensively controls devices and controllers such as an operating device 55 and a display device 56 connected to the system bus. The ROM 52 stores a BIOS (Basic Input Output System), an operating system program (OS), etc. to be executed by the processor 51. The RAM 53 functions as the main memory, work area, etc. of the processor 51. The storage device 54 stores various programs, various setting information, etc.

[0013] Specifically, the storage device 54 stores an access application for accessing the control device 40. As the access application, an existing application such as a browser can be used. By starting the browser on the user terminal 50 and specifying the control device 40 to be controlled, a control page for the control device 40 can be displayed on the browser. The user can control the control device 40 via the control page displayed on the user terminal 50 and update the data held by the control device 40, such as modifying the task program and changing the setting information. As long as the control page provided by the control device 40 can be accessed, the access application is not limited to a browser and may be a dedicated application.

[0014] The memory device 54 stores a remote support application for using the remote support service. As the remote support application, an existing application such as Skype can be used. The user can make a voice call or a video call with the engineer by starting Skype and performing predetermined instructions. Further, the operation right of the user terminal 50 can be transferred to the engineer terminal 60, or the viewing right of the display screen of the user terminal 50 can be transferred. If the operation right or viewing right of the user terminal 50 can be transferred to the engineer terminal 60, the remote support application may be a remote desktop or the like built in Windows. Also, the remote support application may be software that can transfer only one of the operation right or the viewing right.

[0015] FIG. 3 shows an example of a control mode selection screen displayed on the user terminal 50 that has accessed the control device 40. The control mode selection screen corresponds to the top page of the control page. The remote support system 1 according to the present embodiment has three control modes with different control ranges of the control device 40. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, three modes, "Control (including motor operation)", "Control (excluding motor operation)", and "Monitor", are provided as the control modes.

[0016] When "Control (including motor operation)" is selected as the control mode, the control right (first control right) of the control device 40 capable of controlling the operation of the motor of the robot arm mechanism 10 is given to the user terminal 50. A control page corresponding to the first control right is displayed on the user terminal 50. In the control page corresponding to the first control right, the following operations (controls) can be performed.

[0017] · Checking the alarm contents such as abnormalities and warnings occurring in the robot system · Checking the input / output states of the robot arm mechanism 10 and the camera 20 · Checking, changing, and switching the validity of functions of various setting information related to the robot arm mechanism 10 and the camera 20 ·Confirmation and modification of task programs (robot control program and camera 20 control program) ·Obtaining backup of control device 40 (saving task programs, setting information, and image files of the internal memory of control device 40) ·Operation control of motors of robot arm mechanism 10 When "Control (excluding motor operation)" is selected as the control mode, the control right (second control right) of control device 40 for which motor operation control is impossible is granted to user terminal 50. A control page corresponding to the second control right is displayed on user terminal 50. On the control page corresponding to the second control right, operations (controls) other than "operation control of motors of robot arm mechanism 10" among the controls permitted by the first control right can be performed.

[0018] When "Monitor" is selected as the control mode, the viewing right of operation pendant 30 is granted to user terminal 50. With the viewing right, only viewing of the display screen of operation pendant 30 is permitted. When the viewing right is granted to user terminal 50, the same screen as the display screen of operation pendant 30 is displayed on user terminal 50. The user can grasp the operation content of operation pendant 30 via the display screen of operation pendant 30 displayed on user terminal 50.

[0019] Operation pendant 30 connected to control device 40 is not subject to limitation of the control range of control device 40. In the present embodiment, operation pendant 30 can be regarded as having the above-described first control right granted thereto.

[0020] FIG. 4 shows an example of a remote support screen displayed when a remote operation application is executed on user terminal 50. The remote support screen displays an area for displaying a moving image captured by a camera mounted on user terminal 50, an area for displaying a moving image captured by a camera mounted on engineer terminal 60, a remote operation button, and a screen sharing button.

[0021] When the user clicks the remote operation button, the connection mode with the engineer terminal 60 is set to remote operation, and the authority to operate the user terminal 50 (operation authority) is transferred to the engineer side. The engineer can remotely operate the user terminal 50 by operating the operating devices such as the mouse and keyboard of the engineer terminal 60.

[0022] When the user clicks the screen sharing button, the connection mode with the engineer terminal 60 is set to screen sharing, and the authority to view the display screen of the user terminal 50 (viewing authority of the user terminal 50) is transferred to the engineer side. The engineer can check the operation status of the user terminal 50 by the user by viewing the display screen of the user terminal 50 displayed on the display screen of the engineer terminal 60.

[0023] The remote support service using the remote support system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7.

[0024] FIG. 5 shows a case where the user transfers the operation authority of the user terminal 50 to the engineer side before the user selects the control mode of the control device 40 with the user terminal 50. As shown in FIG. 5, when a problem such as the operation of the robot arm mechanism 10 stopping occurs, the user makes an inquiry to the engineer using means such as mail, telephone, chat, etc. The engineer receives the inquiry and sends an invitation email to the remote support service to the user terminal 50. When the URL included in the text of the received invitation email is clicked by the user, the remote support application is launched on the user terminal 50, and a remote support screen as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed. The user can consult with the engineer about the problem situation and solutions on the remote support screen.

[0025] When it seems that the user cannot solve the problem by their own operation, or when the user accepts the engineer's request for remote operation, the user clicks the remote operation button on the remote support screen. Thereby, the operation authority of the user terminal 50 is transferred to the engineer side, and the engineer can remotely operate the user terminal 50 via the engineer terminal 60.

[0026] The technician remotely operates the user terminal 50 to start the access application. A selection screen for the control mode of the control device 40 as shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the user terminal 50. The technician remotely operates the user terminal 50 and clicks "Control (excluding motor operation)" as the control mode. Thereby, a second control right is granted to the user terminal 50. The technician remotely operates the user terminal 50 to access the control device 40 and perform operations within the range defined by the second control right, and can investigate the cause of the malfunction that has occurred in the robot system. If the technician knows the cause of the malfunction, the technician performs modification and change operations such as changing the setting information and modifying the task program. After the modification and change operations by the technician are completed, the user actually operates the robot system and confirms that the malfunction has been eliminated.

[0027] FIG. 6 shows the case where the viewing right of the user terminal 50 is transferred to the technician. When the user does not want the technician to operate the user terminal 50 or accepts the technician's offer of screen sharing, the user clicks the screen sharing button on the remote support screen. Thereby, the viewing right of the user terminal 50 is transferred to the technician side, and the technician can view the display screen of the user terminal 50 via the technician terminal 60 and confirm the user operation of the user terminal 50.

[0028] The user operates the user terminal 50 according to the instructions from the technician to start the access application. On the user terminal 50, a selection screen for the control mode of the control device 40 as shown in FIG. 3 is displayed. The user clicks "Control (including motor operation)" as the control mode according to the instructions from the technician. Thereby, the first control right is granted to the user terminal 50. The user can operate the user terminal 50 to access the control device 40 and perform operations within the scope defined by the first control right. The technician investigates the cause of the malfunction that occurred in the robot system while instructing the user to operate the user terminal 50 or while giving instructions such as marking on the shared screen. If the cause of the malfunction is known, the technician instructs the user to change parameters, modify the program, etc., and the user operates the user terminal 50 according to the correction and change instructions from the technician. After the correction and change work is completed, the user actually operates the robot system to confirm that the malfunction has been eliminated.

[0029] FIG. 7 shows the case where the user transfers the operation right of the user terminal 50 to the technician side after starting the access application by operating the user terminal 50 and selecting the control mode. As shown in FIG. 7, before clicking the remote operation button on the remote support screen, the user starts the access application and clicks "Control (excluding motor operation)" as the control mode on the control mode selection screen (see FIG. 3) displayed on the user terminal 50. Thereby, the second control right is granted to the user terminal 50. After selecting the control mode, the user clicks the remote operation button on the remote support screen. Thereby, the operation right of the user terminal 50 is transferred to the technician side. The technician can remotely operate the user terminal 50 to access the control device 40, perform operations within the scope defined by the second control right, and investigate the cause of the malfunction that occurred in the robot system. The process from when the technician remotely operates the user terminal 50 to eliminate the malfunction until the user actually operates the robot system to confirm is the same as that described in FIG. 5.

[0030] According to the remote support system 1 according to this embodiment, instead of the control device 40, the user terminal 50 connected to the control device 40 is connected to the engineer terminal 60 via the external network 100. The security level for the external network 100 mainly depends on the user terminal 50. Therefore, if the user terminal 50 has sufficient security functions, the control device 40 does not need to have special security functions for connecting to the external network 100, preventing third-party intrusion into the control device 40 associated with using the remote support service, and suppressing the risk of information leakage from the control device 40 to the outside. Thereby, the barrier to using the remote support service can be lowered.

[0031] In addition, since the process of transferring the operation right and viewing right of the user terminal 50 to the engineer side can utilize the functions of general existing applications, a special application only for using the remote support service is not required. Therefore, the cost of developing such a special application as described above is not incurred. Since existing applications can be used, the setting for connecting the user terminal 50 to the engineer terminal 60 is simple, and the barrier for the user to use the remote support service is quite low.

[0032] In addition, with the user's consent, the operation right of the user terminal 50 is transferred to the engineer side, so the engineer side does not forcibly acquire the operation right of the user terminal 50. In addition, the user can view on the display screen of the user terminal 50 how the user terminal 50 is remotely operated by the engineer. Since the remote operation of the user terminal 50 by the engineer is performed under the user's supervision, it is possible to avoid a situation where the user terminal 50 is illegally operated by the engineer.

[0033] If the user is worried that the user terminal 50 may be illegally operated by the engineer, instead of transferring the operation right of the user terminal 50 to the engineer side as described with reference to FIG. 6, the user may transfer the viewing right of the user terminal 50 to the engineer side and operate the user terminal 50 by himself / herself according to the instructions from the engineer. Also, as described with reference to FIG. 7, before transferring the operation right of the user terminal 50 to the engineer side, the access application may be launched and the control mode may be selected. Thereby, when the engineer can remotely operate the user terminal 50, the control mode has already been selected. The engineer can only perform the control (operation) defined by the control mode selected by the user. Therefore, there is no worry that an operation outside the control range intended by the user will be input to the control device 40. Since the engineer only remotely operates the control page after the control mode is selected, the opportunity for the engineer to view the top screen of the user terminal 50 and the opportunity to access other applications installed on the user terminal 50 can be reduced, and the security of the user terminal 50 against the engineer can be ensured.

[0034] The remote support system 1 according to this embodiment has three control modes with different control ranges of the control device 40, and has two connection modes regarding the connection between the user terminal 50 and the engineer terminal 60. The selection operation for each mode can be performed on the user terminal 50. Therefore, if the control mode is selected in advance before transferring the operation right of the user terminal 50 to the engineer side, even if the engineer accesses the control page, the engineer can only perform the control (operation) permitted in that control mode. If the user does not want the user terminal 50 to be remotely operated by the engineer, the user can transfer the viewing right of the user terminal 50 to the engineer side and operate the user terminal 50 by himself while following the instructions of the engineer. In this way, the user can substantially limit the control range of the control device 40 by the engineer according to the type of the selected control mode. Also, the user can arbitrarily set the security level for the engineer according to the timing of selecting the control mode, the type of the selected control mode, the timing of selecting the connection mode, and the type of the selected connection mode. Thereby, both unauthorized operation on the control device 40 by the engineer and unauthorized operation on the user terminal 50 can be prevented.

[0035] The control modes selectable by the user include a control mode that does not include motor operation. During the remote operation of the user terminal 50 by the engineer, since the engineer is not on-site, it is difficult to check the situation around the robot arm mechanism 10. If the robot arm mechanism 10 is moved in a situation where there are workers or obstacles around the robot arm mechanism 10, the robot arm mechanism 10 will collide with the workers or obstacles. Therefore, by having a control mode that does not include motor operation, it is possible to avoid a situation where the motor is driven by the engineer at a timing unintended by the user and the robot arm mechanism 10 moves. Thereby, the user can use the remote support service by the engineer who is not on-site with confidence.

[0036] In the remote support system 1 according to this embodiment, the user terminal 50 was connected to a single control device 40. However, there may be a plurality of control devices 40 to which the user terminal 50 is connected. The remote support system 2 shown in FIG. 8 has a plurality of robot systems 3 (3a, 3b, 3c). The user terminal 50 is connected to a plurality of control devices 40 (40a, 40b, 40c) via a repeater 90. The user can start an access application on the user terminal 50 and specify the control device to be controlled, thereby switching the control device connected to the user terminal 50 via the repeater 90 and accessing the specified control device. Thus, even if the number of control devices 40 in the remote support system is plural, the same effect as that of the configuration including a single control device 40 can be obtained.

[0037] The remote support system 1 according to this embodiment has three control modes as the control mode of the control device 40, namely, "control (including motor operation)", "control (excluding motor operation)", and "monitor", and the control range of the control device 40 by the user terminal 50 is limited according to the control mode selected by the operation of the user terminal 50. Thereby, the control range of the control device 40 by the technician who remotely operates the user terminal 50 can be substantially limited. However, if the control range of the control device 40 by the user terminal 50 can be limited, the control mode is not limited to these. The control mode may be only one of these, two of them, or four or more. Also, in this embodiment, the control mode was predetermined, but it may be possible to set the control mode on the user terminal 50. Thereby, the risk that an operation contrary to the user's intention is performed by the technician who remotely operates the user terminal can be reduced.

[0038] In the remote support system 1 according to this embodiment, two input devices, namely, the operation pendant 30 and the user terminal 50, are connected to the control device 40. When inputs from the two input devices are received, the work of modification and change may become complicated. Also, when an operation command input is received simultaneously, there is a possibility of unexpected operations. Therefore, the control device 40 is configured to disable the input from the other input device while an input from one of the input devices is being input to the control device 40, and it is desirable to limit the input device that accepts modification and change operations to one. For example, the control device 40 rejects the access to the control device 40 by the user terminal 50 while the operation pendant 30 is accessing the control device 40.

[0039] The control mode of the control device 40 by the operation pendant 30 may be automatically set according to the control mode selected on the user terminal 50. For example, when a control mode including motor operation is selected on the user terminal 50, a control mode not including motor operation is automatically set for the operation pendant 30. Thereby, the operation of the robot with high risk can be accepted only from one of the input devices.

[0040] Also, in order to avoid a situation where the connection is interrupted during modification and change, and the data being modified and changed is incompletely reflected, or the data being modified and changed is damaged, it is desirable to reflect the modified and changed data when the modification and change are completed. Therefore, when the modification and change operation is started, the control device 40 accepts the modification and change for a copy of the original data, and upon completion of the modification and change, is configured to overwrite the original data with the data for which the modification and change have been completed.

[0041] In FIGS. 5 to 7, an example was described in which a control mode in which the control device 40 can be operated by the user using the user terminal 50 is selected. However, when the user wants an engineer to see the operation of the operation pendant 30 or wants to view the operation of the operation pendant 30 by a worker at the site together with the engineer, "monitor" may be selected as the control mode. When "monitor" is selected as the control mode and the viewing right or operation right of the user terminal 50 is granted to the engineer terminal 60, the same screen as the display screen of the operation pendant 30 is displayed on the engineer terminal 60. The worker at the site can operate the operation pendant 30 while receiving an instruction from the engineer who views the screen of the operation pendant 30 displayed on the engineer terminal 60. In the present embodiment, the operation pendant 30 is connected to the control device 40. However, since the control device 40 can be controlled via the user terminal 50, the operation pendant 30 does not necessarily have to be connected to the control device 40. In order for the engineer operating the engineer terminal 60 to remotely operate the user terminal 50 to eliminate system failures, imaging means 51 such as a camera is equipped on the user terminal 50 (see FIG. 1) so that the engineer can actually visually confirm the on-site situation such as in what situation the system has stopped and what system error displays have been made. The image or video captured by the imaging means 51 is transmitted to the engineer terminal 60 by the remote support application of the user terminal 50. Of course, it may be transmitted to the engineer terminal 60 by other applications. The engineer can request the user to visually confirm a location and respond to system failures while checking the image or video captured by the imaging means 51 equipped on the user terminal 50. Thereby, the workability of the support work by the engineer can be improved. Of course, the imaging means 51 may be configured separately from the user terminal 50 or may be equipped on the operation pendant 30. In addition, while the industrial machine such as the robot arm mechanism 10 is on standby or in operation, the user terminal 50 may be equipped with a recording means (not shown) such as a microphone so that engineers can actually hear the sounds during standby or operation. The sound data recorded by the recording means is transmitted to the engineer terminal 60 by the remote support application of the user terminal 50. Of course, it may be transmitted to the engineer terminal 60 by other applications. The engineer can respond to system failures while checking the sounds recorded by the recording means equipped on the user terminal 50. Thereby, the work efficiency of the support work by the engineer can be improved. Of course, the recording means may be configured separately from the user terminal 50 or may be equipped on the operation pendant 30.

[0042] Assuming that multiple engineers handle a customer's trouble, there may be multiple engineer terminals 60 connected to the user terminal 50. As shown in FIG. 9, two engineer terminals 60 (60a, 60b) are connected to the user terminal 50. To prevent the remote operation of the user terminal 50 from becoming complicated, it is desirable to configure it so that the operation right of the user terminal 50 can be granted to only one of the two engineer terminals 60a and 60b. For example, based on the fact that the remote operation button is clicked after designating one engineer terminal 60a by a user operation on the remote support screen displayed on the user terminal 50, the operation right can be granted to the engineer terminal 60a. At this time, the other engineer terminal 60b is automatically granted the viewing right. On the other engineer terminal 60b, it is possible to check how the user terminal 50 is remotely operated by the engineer terminal 60a. Thereby, multiple engineers can share information and efficiently respond to maintenance and malfunctions. Of course, it may be configured to grant the viewing right to the other engineer terminal 60b based on the fact that the screen sharing button is clicked after designating the other engineer terminal 60b by a user operation on the remote support screen displayed on the user terminal 50. Similarly, when three or more engineer terminals 60 are connected to the user terminal 50, it is desirable to configure it so that the operation right can be granted to only one of the three or more engineer terminals 60.

[0043] Assuming there are multiple users working on-site, there may be multiple user terminals 50 connected to the control device 40. Also, the user terminal 50 may be an information processing terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet instead of a PC. As shown in FIG. 10, two user terminals 50 (50a, 50b) are directly connected to the control device 40 by a cable or the like. Of course, the user terminal 50 may be wirelessly connected to the control device 40 via an internal network including the control device 40. To prevent the control operation of the control device 40 from becoming complicated, it is desirable to configure only one of the two user terminals 50a and 50b, for example, user terminal 50a, to be able to control the control device 40. For example, while the user terminal 50a is accessing the control page, the user terminal 50b is configured not to be able to access the control page, or even if it can access, it cannot perform operations on the control page. Of course, if three or more user terminals 50 are connected to the control device 40, it is desirable to configure only one of the user terminals 50 to be able to control the control device 40. However, when multiple user terminals 50 are connected to the control device 40, it does not deny the possibility of simultaneously controlling the control device 40 with multiple user terminals 50.

[0044] In this embodiment, it is assumed that a user on-site connects the user terminal 50 to the control device 40 with a wired cable to receive remote assistance. However, the user himself may be in a remote location. Assuming such a case, as shown in FIG. 11, the control device 40 may be wirelessly connected to a network device 104 such as a router via a wired or local area network, and the user terminal 50 may be configured to be able to access the control device 40 via an external network 100 such as the Internet.

[0045] In this embodiment, the controlled objects were the robot arm mechanism 10 and the camera 20. However, the controlled objects can be industrial machines such as machine tools, injection molding machines, and other CNC (Computer Numerical Control) controlled machines. Here, the machine tools include cutting machines, electrical discharge machines, laser processing machines, ultra-precision processing machines, etc. Also, the CNC controlled machines include forging machines, transfer devices, stockers, fabric cutting machines, etc. Of course, the controlled object may be one of these industrial machines, or may be a system in which two or more are combined.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 12, in a processing system having a cutting machine 70 that processes a workpiece by cutting, and a robot arm mechanism 10 that is disposed at a position close to the cutting machine 70, supplies the workpiece before processing to the cutting machine 70, and carries out the workpiece after processing from the cutting machine 70, the cutting machine 70 and the robot arm mechanism 10 are controlled objects. A user terminal 50a is connected to a control device 40 that controls the robot arm mechanism 10 by a wired cable, and a technician terminal 60a is connected to the user terminal 50a via an external network 100 so as to be capable of data communication. A user terminal 50b is connected to a cutting machine control device 80 that controls the cutting machine 70 by a wired cable, and a technician terminal 60b is connected to the user terminal 50b via an external network 100 so as to be capable of data communication.

[0047] The control mode of the control device 40 (robot arm mechanism 10) by the user terminal 50a and the control mode of the cutting machine control device 80 (cutting machine 70) by the user terminal 50b can be individually selected by operating the user terminals 50a and 50b. The user can transfer the operation right or viewing right of the user terminal 50a to the technician terminal 60a by operating the user terminal 50a, and can transfer the operation right or viewing right of the user terminal 50b to the technician terminal 60b by operating the user terminal 50b.

[0048] For example, the user can select "control (including motor operation)" as the control mode of the robot arm mechanism 10 by the user terminal 50a, and select "control (excluding motor operation)" as the control mode of the cutting machine 70 by the user terminal 50b. Depending on the multiple industrial machines to be controlled and the on-site situation, the control mode can be selected. Also, the user can operate the user terminals 50a and 50b to grant the operation right of the user terminal 50a to the engineer terminal 60a and grant the viewing right of the user terminal 50b to the engineer terminal 60b. Depending on the industrial machines to be controlled and the proficiency of the user operating the user terminals 50a and 50b, the support mode can be selected. Thereby, it is possible to achieve both the safety of the site and the workability of the modification and change operations of the set data by remote operation. Engineers of the robot manufacturer or maintenance company can modify and change the information related to the processing system by remotely operating the user terminal 50. The information related to the processing system includes not only the information related to the robot arm mechanism 10 but also the information related to the cutting machine 70. The information related to the cutting machine 70 includes the task program and setting information of the cutting machine 70.

[0049] In FIG. 12, two user terminals were respectively connected to two industrial machines to be controlled. However, it may be configured to control two industrial machines to be controlled with one user terminal. For example, two industrial machines to be controlled are connected to be communicable with each other, a user terminal is connected to one of the industrial machines, and the other industrial machine can be controlled via one of the industrial machines. Of course, two industrial machines to be controlled can be connected to be data communicable with a single user terminal, and each of the two industrial machines can be configured to be controllable by the single user terminal.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 13, a robot control device 40 that controls the robot arm mechanism 10 and a machine tool control device 80 that controls the machine tool 70 are connected so as to be capable of data communication, and the user terminal 50 is connected to the machine tool control device 80 by a wired cable. A technician terminal 60 is connected to the user terminal 50 so as to be capable of data communication via an external network 100 such as the Internet. The user terminal 50 may be connected to the robot control device 40 by a wired cable.

[0051] The control mode of the robot control device 50 (robot arm mechanism 10) by the user terminal 50 and the control mode of the machine tool control device 80 (machine tool 70) by the user terminal 50b may be set individually or collectively by the operation of the user terminal 50. By being able to set individually, it is possible to achieve both physical safety at the site and data management safety. By being able to set collectively, since the selection operation of the control mode can be easily performed, the workability of data modification and change operations can be improved.

[0052] The remote support system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a control device 40 that controls the robot arm mechanism 10 and the camera 20, a user terminal 50 connected to the control device 40, and at least one technician terminal 60 capable of remotely operating the user terminal 50. One feature is that by remotely operating the user terminal 50 from the technician terminal 60, the information held by the control device 40 can be modified and changed. Thereby, a technician at a remote location can respond to system failures including the robot arm mechanism 10 and the camera 20 without visiting the site.

[0053] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, as well as in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0054] 1... Remote support system, 10... Robot arm mechanism, 20... Camera, 30... Operation pendant, 40... Control device, 50... First information processing terminal (user terminal), 51... Imaging means, 60... Second information processing terminal (engineer terminal), 100... Network.

Claims

1. A control device for controlling an industrial machine, a first information processing terminal connected to the control device, and one or more second information processing terminals capable of controlling the first information processing terminal, comprising: from the one or more second information processing terminals, the control device can be controlled, the control device holds information about the industrial machine, the first information processing terminal has the control right of the control device, in order to assist in modifying and changing the information about the industrial machine via the first information processing terminal, based on the user's instruction to the first information processing terminal, an operation right to operate the first information processing terminal is granted to the one or more second information processing terminals, another user who operates the second information processing terminal with the operation right granted can remotely operate the first information processing terminal within the control range of the control right, and based on the instruction of the other user to the second information processing terminal with the operation right granted, the control device can be controlled via the first information processing terminal, the control right has a first control right including driving by the power source of the industrial machine and a second control right not including driving by the power source, the control device is provided with a dedicated operation device for the industrial machine, the operation device has the first control right, the first information processing terminal has the first control right or the second control right based on the user's instruction, a remote support system.

2. While the control of the control device by the operation device or the first information processing terminal is being carried out, the control of the control device from the first information processing terminal or the operation device is unavailable. The remote support system according to Claim 1.

3. When the control device receives a signal indicating that the modification of the program held by the control device by the operation device or the first information processing terminal is completed, the control device reflects the modified program. The remote support system according to Claim 1 or 2.

4. One of the dedicated operation device and the first information processing terminal is provided with imaging means, In order to assist in modifying and changing the information about the industrial machine, an image or video captured by the imaging means is transmitted to the second information processing terminal. The remote support system according to any one of Claims 1 to 3.

5. The remote support system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first information processing terminal or the one or more second information processing terminals can display the same screen as the screen that can be displayed on the dedicated operating device.

6. The remote support system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a repeater that has a plurality of the control devices and relays data transmission between each of the control devices and the first information processing terminal. The repeater switches the control device connected to the first information processing terminal based on a switching command from the first information processing terminal.

Images