Computers and systems that are communicatively connected to the machine

Abstract

Data of devices adhering to various communication standards are easily unified and managed.　Base software (13) of a computer (25) comprises: a first communication unit (15) for receiving first machine information output from a machine (11) and unique to the machine and first meta information indicating the meaning of the first machine information; a second communication unit (16) for transmitting second machine information unique to work software (14) and second meta information indicating the meaning of the second machine information; a meta information conversion unit (23b) for converting the first meta information into the second meta information; and a machine information conversion unit (23a) for converting the first machine information into the second machine information.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a computer communicatively connected to a machine and to such a system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, a cell production system has been adopted in which at least one machine is grouped together as a manufacturing cell and manufacturing is carried out in units of manufacturing cells for each process. The cell control device receives production planning instructions from a production planning device via internet communication and controls multiple machines at the manufacturing site via intranet communication.

[0003] In the cell control device described above, it is considered that dedicated work software is incorporated into the cell control device, and each machine and the cell control device are interconnected so that they can communicate with each other, allowing work operations to be performed for each machine.

[0004] In this case, it is necessary to be able to exchange information between the base software of the cell control device, the operation software, and each machine. At this time, it is also necessary to be able to manage the operation software installed in the cell control device.

[0005] Patent Document 1 discloses a machine system that can transfer information between base software, operation software, and each machine, and manage the transfer of information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6767308 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, various machines are used in manufacturing sites, and the communication standards of these machines are not necessarily unified. For this reason, it is necessary to prepare individual communication interfaces corresponding to each communication standard, collect data, and set up a data model that is useful for exchanging information. In this case, it is necessary to select an appropriate data model from multiple existing data models, or to define a new data model.

[0008] However, when selecting an appropriate data model from multiple existing data models, there is a possibility that no appropriate data model exists for the collected data, and in such a case, part of the collected data cannot be used effectively.

[0009] Furthermore, when defining a new data model, knowledge about the data model is required, and additional effort is required to set up the new data model.

[0010] Therefore, it is desirable to provide a computer and system that can simplify the settings for storing collected data as a data model and easily centrally manage data from devices of various communication standards. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer equipped with base software and operation software and communicatively connected to at least one machine, wherein the base software includes a first communication unit, which is a program part that causes the computer's arithmetic device to receive first machine information specific to the machine output from the machine and first meta information indicating the meaning of the first machine information; a second communication unit, which is a program part that causes the computer's arithmetic device to send second machine information specific to the operation software and second meta information indicating the meaning of the second machine information to the operation software; a meta information conversion unit, which is a program part that causes the computer's arithmetic device to convert the first meta information into the second meta information; and a machine information conversion unit, which is a program part that causes the computer's arithmetic device to convert the first machine information into the second machine information; and the operation software is a program that uses the second machine information as input information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] In the first aspect, the meta information conversion unit automatically converts the first meta information into the second meta information, thereby automatically defining a new data model. Therefore, there is no need for an operator to select an appropriate data model from multiple data models, nor to create a new data model. This simplifies the setup for storing data, making it possible to easily centrally manage data from devices that comply with various communication standards.

[0013] The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a mechanical system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the management computer and the machine shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating examples of how first machine information is converted into second machine information based on a data model. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a data model for an NC machine tool. [Figure 5] 4 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for the conversion process of the machine information shown in FIG. 3 to be executed by a CPU of an administration personal computer. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example different from that of FIG. 5. [Figure 7A] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the mechanical system. [Figure 7B] FIG. 1 illustrates an original data model and a new data model in one example. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for converting instruction information to be executed by a CPU of a management computer. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration example different from that of FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing an operation flow including a conversion procedure of instruction information of the administration personal computer in the configuration example shown in FIG. 8 or FIG. 9. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data model for a robot. [Figure 12] 12 is a flowchart for explaining an example of an operation when second machine information is generated based on the data model of FIG. [Figure 13A] FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically illustrating the operation described with reference to FIG. 12. [Figure 13B] FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically illustrating the operation described with reference to FIG. 12. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an information conversion operation when information on a current value of a motor is sent to the operation software. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a data model for an NC machine tool. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of robot data. [Figure 17]FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a mechanical system according to yet another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Corresponding components throughout the drawings are designated by common reference numerals. For ease of understanding, the scale of these drawings has been changed as appropriate. Furthermore, the embodiment shown in the drawings is one example for carrying out the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a mechanical system according to an embodiment. Referring to Fig. 1, a machine system 10 of this embodiment includes a machine 11 and a machine management personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as a management PC) 25 connected to the machine 11 so as to be able to communicate with the machine 11. The management PC 25 is loaded with base software 13 and operation software 14. Although Fig. 1 shows a single machine 11, multiple machines 11 and 12 may be connected as described below. The machines 11 and 12 in this specification are considered to include devices that are connected to multiple devices under their control and are configured to perform overall management of the devices under their control.

[0017] The base software 13 includes a first communication unit 15, which is a program portion for causing a CPU (not shown) of the management computer 25 to receive the first machine information and first meta information output from the machines 11 and (12). Although the term "CPU" is used in this specification, other computing devices, such as a GPU, may be used instead of the CPU. Furthermore, base software 13 includes second communication unit 16, which is a program portion that causes the CPU of administration computer 25 to transmit the second machine information and second meta-information to operation software 14. Base software 13 also includes a storage processing unit (not shown), which is a program portion that causes the CPU of administration computer 25 to store the above-mentioned first machine information, second machine information, first meta-information, and second meta-information in storage unit 17 of administration computer 25. In this embodiment, storage unit 17 is provided within administration computer 25, but storage unit 17 may also be located outside administration computer 25. The first communication unit 15 may include a program portion that causes the CPU of the administration computer 25 to execute the function of transmitting the second instruction information to the machine. Furthermore, the second communication unit 16 may include a program portion that causes the CPU of the administration computer to execute the function of receiving the first instruction information from the operation software 14. Furthermore, the storage unit 17 may further store the first instruction information and the second instruction information. The above-mentioned first machine information is information indicating the status of the machines 11 and (12). The second machine information is information specific to the work software. The above-mentioned first instruction information is information specific to the work software, and the second instruction information is information specific to the machines 11 and (12) that indicates the instructions to be given to the machines 11 and (12). Furthermore, the first meta information and the second meta information are information indicating the meaning of the first machine information and the second machine information, respectively. For example, the first meta information and the second meta information are incidental information that accompanies the first machine information and the second machine information, respectively, and can be information that explains the content of the first machine information and the second machine information. Specific examples of this information will be described later.

[0018] The aforementioned machines 11 and (12) have a function to output the status of the machines 11 and (12) to the management computer 25 as the first machine information, and a function to determine the work operation to be performed by the machines 11 and (12) based on the second instruction information. In other words, upon receiving the second instruction information, the machines 11 and (12) execute work operations according to the content of the second instruction information. The machines 11 and 12 are machines of different categories. For example, the machine 11 is an NC machine tool and the machine 12 is an industrial robot. Alternatively, the category of NC machine tools may be further subdivided, with the machine 11 being a milling machine and the machine 12 being a lathe. The category of industrial robots may be further subdivided, with the machine 11 being a horizontal articulated robot and the machine 12 being a vertical articulated robot. In addition, machines of a category other than NC machine tools and industrial robots, such as peripheral devices such as PLCs and laser devices, may be connected to management computer 25. Furthermore, management computer 25 can also be connected to one or more of machine 11, machine 12, and other machines.

[0019] Furthermore, the aforementioned work software 14 is a program for causing the CPU of the management computer 25 to create and output the above-mentioned first instruction information for each of the machines 11, (12) based on the above-mentioned second machine information input by the second communication unit 16.

[0020] In particular, in this embodiment, the first communication unit 15 is preferably a program portion that causes the CPU of the administration computer 25 to receive first machine information output from each of the machines 11, (12) in association with the identification information of each of the machines 11, (12), and to transmit second instruction information to each of the machines 11, (12). Furthermore, the second communication unit 16 is preferably a program portion that causes the CPU of the administration computer 25 to receive first instruction information from the operation software 14 in association with the identification information of each of the machines 11, (12), and to transmit second machine information to the operation software 14 in association with the identification information of each of the machines 11, (12). The identification information of each of the machines 11, (12) is, for example, a management number assigned to each machine.

[0021] Furthermore, the memory (not shown) of the management computer 25 can store the above-mentioned first machine information, second machine information, first instruction information, and second instruction information in association with the identification information of each of the machines 11 and (12). Furthermore, the machines 11, (12) can output the status of the machines 11, (12) as first machine information to the management computer 25 in association with the identification information of each of the machines 11, (12), and can also determine the work operations that the machines 11, (12) should perform based on the above-mentioned second instruction information. The work software 14 may be a program that causes the CPU of the management computer 25 to create first instruction information for each of the machines 11 and (12) based on the second machine information input by the second communication unit 16 in association with the identification information of each of the machines 11 and (12), and output the first instruction information in association with the identification information of each of the machines 11 and (12).

[0022] In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the administration computer 25 receives first meta information indicating the meaning of first machine information indicating the machine status output from each of the machines 11 and (12), and converts the first meta information into second meta information in accordance with the base software 13. The administration computer 25 then receives the first machine information, converts the first machine information into second machine information based on the second meta information in accordance with the base software 13, and outputs the second machine information of each of the machines 11 and (12) to the operation software 14. The administration computer 25 then creates first instruction information based on the second machine information in accordance with the operation software 14, and further converts the first instruction information into second instruction information in accordance with the base software 13, and transmits the second instruction information to each of the machines 11 and (12). However, in the present disclosure, the transmission of the first instruction information and the second instruction information as described above is not required. In other words, the operation software 14 may be a program that uses the second machine information output by the second communication unit 16, such as information in XML (Extensible Markup Language) format or JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) format, as input information, such as application software, such as analysis software or tally display software. In this case, the first communication unit 15 only needs to be able to cause the CPU of the administration computer 25 to receive the first machine information, such as numerical data or character string data, output from each of the machines 11 and 12. Meanwhile, the second communication unit 16 only needs to be able to cause the CPU of the administration computer 25 to transmit the second machine information to the operation software 14.

[0023] Furthermore, the first machine information and second instruction information transmitted and received between the management computer 25 and each machine 11, (12) is information specific to each of the machines 11, (12), such as numerical data or character string data. On the other hand, the second machine information and first instruction information input and output between the base software 13 and the operation software 14 within the management computer 25 is information specific to the operation software 14, such as information in XML format or JSON format. For this reason, base software 13 of this embodiment further includes machine information conversion unit 23a, which is a program portion for causing the CPU of administration computer 25 to convert the first machine information into second machine information. Machine information conversion unit 23a may include a program portion for causing the CPU of administration computer 25 to convert the first instruction information into second instruction information. Furthermore, the base software 13 of this embodiment further includes a meta-information conversion section 23b, which is a program section for causing the CPU of the administration computer 25 to convert the first meta-information into second meta-information.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the machines 11 and 12 and the administration computer 25 are configured using a computer system including a memory, a central processing unit (CPU), a communication control unit, and other components connected to each other via a bus. The memory includes read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM). The base software 13 and operation software 14 of this embodiment are stored in the ROM or RAM of the administration computer 25, as appropriate. The memory described above is used for the storage unit 17, which stores the first machine information, second machine information, first instruction information, second instruction information, first meta information, and second meta information. The first communication unit 15, second communication unit 16, machine information conversion unit 23a, and meta information conversion unit 23b are program parts (i.e., modules) included in the base software 13 stored in the ROM or RAM. Operations or processes based on these program parts are achieved by the CPU of the administration computer 25 executing each module of the base software 13 and operation software 14.

[0025] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration in which the machine information conversion process shown in Fig. 3 is executed by CPU 30 of administration computer 25, and Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration different from that shown in Fig. 5. Storage unit 17 is a certain storage area in the memory of administration computer 25 described above. Fig. 7A is a flowchart showing the operation flow of a machine system including administration computer 25 according to the example of the configuration shown in Fig. 5 or 6. 7A is stored in the memory of administration computer 25. Furthermore, in a typical embodiment, steps S11 to S18 are performed by base software 13, and step S19 is performed by operation software 14. However, this is not limited to the embodiments described below. First, in step S11, a connection destination of the target machine 11 is specified and connected. The connection destination information specified for the machine 11 from which the first machine information is acquired includes a communication standard, an IP address, a communication protocol, user authentication information, etc. Examples of communication standards for such connection destination information include OPC UA (OPC Unified Architecture) and MTConnect. If the connection destination information is specified in advance and stored in the memory of the management computer 25, the stored connection destination information can be used. In one example, a connection destination (endpoint) for an OPC UA server as the machine 11 is specified as the connection destination information, and the base software 13 is thereby connected to the OPC UA server via the first communication unit 15. FIG. 7B shows an example of an original data model and a new data model. In this example, the original data model corresponds to "first meta information or a part thereof," and the new data model corresponds to "second meta information or a part thereof." In FIG. 7B, as an example, a portion of the address space within a server when the communication standard is OPC UA is shown on the left. In this example, a tree-structured data model is shown, with "Server," "DeviceSet," "NetworkSet," "DeviceTopology," "DataSource," "Event," and other nodes connected as child nodes to the "Root" node. Other data structures, such as a mesh structure, may also be used. Naturally, other communication standards, such as MTConnect, would result in other data models. Next, in step S12, first meta information is acquired via the first communication unit 15. The first meta information includes information (manufacturer, model, model number, IP address, etc.) about the machine 11 from which the first machine information to be acquired is acquired. The first meta information also includes information required to acquire the first machine information from the machine 11. Such information is, for example, a signal address in a PLC, a node ID in an OPC UA, or a data item ID in MTConnect. Furthermore, if the first machine information has a tree structure, the first meta information includes the relationship between parent nodes and child nodes. The data model shown on the left side of FIG. 7B may be the first meta information. For example, the first meta information for the "Run" node is all information that gives meaning to the value, such as the method for acquiring the first machine information (OPC UA), the display name (Run), the node structure (parent node is "TEST", there are no child nodes, etc.), the data type (Int16), the data range (0 to 1), the unit information (no unit), etc. The first meta information for other nodes is generally similar. Next, in step S13, it is determined whether or not filtering conditions have been specified. The filtering conditions include, for example, data that can be acquired from the machine 11 and that has been designated in advance as a target for acquisition. For example, Figure 7B shows a "Run" node and a "Stop" node. The parent node of these nodes is the "TEST" node. Furthermore, the parent node of the "TEST" node is the "DataSource" node. In Figure 7B, the squares at the top of the "Root", "DataSource", and "TEST" nodes are colored black. In this way, specific multiple nodes having a predetermined parent-child relationship may be specified as filtering conditions. 7B, the "Run" node is a running flag, and the "Stop" node is a stopped flag, and the data type of these nodes is "Int16." In one example, all nodes whose data type is "Int16" may be specified as a filtering condition. In other words, a data type having a specific format may be specified as a filtering condition. Alternatively, the address space of the OPC UA server shown in Fig. 7B may be displayed on the display 19 shown in Fig. 1. In this case, the operator can specify that the "Run" and "Stop" nodes are nodes from which data is to be collected by checking the squares at the top of the "Run" and "Stop" nodes, for example. The operator's specification of nodes can be a type of filtering condition. If there are such filtering conditions, nodes are designated according to the filtering conditions in step S15 of Fig. 7A. If there are no filtering conditions, all nodes may be designated (step S14). Note that if filtering conditions or node specifications are specified by the operator, primary meta information for nodes other than those specified according to the conditions will not be acquired. Because OPC UA servers generally have a large address space, it is not realistic to acquire all nodes. Also, in many cases, only a small portion of the node group on the OPC UA server is required to acquire information. This reduces the time and communication volume required to acquire primary meta information. 7B, first meta information is acquired for each of the nodes "Root," "DataSource," "TEST," "Run," and "Stop." For each of the nodes "Server," "DeviceSet," "NetworkSet," and "DeviceTopology," no first meta information is acquired because there is no specification in the filtering condition. 7B, the first machine information related to the "Run" node is essentially only the "Run" value (0 or 1). Even if a group of nodes such as an OPC UA server is displayed on the display device 19, the first machine information itself is not displayed in FIG. The first meta information thus obtained is converted into second meta information (including a new data model) by the meta information conversion unit 23b in step S16. The conversion from the first meta information to the second meta information is performed as follows, and a new data model is created based on the data model included in the first meta information. In the example above, the "Root", "DataSource", "TEST", "Run", and "Stop" nodes in the OPC UA server address space are specified. The "Run" and "Stop" nodes with check marks are the nodes from which data is collected. In such a case, a new data model 27 is created as shown on the right side of Figure 7B. In the new data model, the nodes "Root," "DataSource," and "TEST" specified as filtering conditions are reproduced with their parent-child relationships. The nodes "Server," "DeviceSet," "NetworkSet," and "DeviceTopology," which were not specified, are not reproduced in the new data model, and these nodes are excluded as unnecessary nodes during conversion. Therefore, the new data model is created uniquely and / or irreversibly based on the data model included in the first meta information. In general, various additional information such as explanatory information can be obtained from each node in the OPC UA server address space, in addition to the information shown in the drawing. Although not shown in the drawing, other information included in the first meta information is assumed to be reflected in the nodes of the new data model. The first meta information and the second meta information may have different constraints, such as the identification names of each node and the connections between nodes. In the example shown in Figure 7B, the following constraints are imposed on the new data model. Note that these constraints are not necessarily required, and some of these constraints may not be required. The top node in the tree structure is the controller. Only controller_* (* is a string indicating the device type) can connect to the controller. The only characters that can be used in node identification names are numbers, lowercase letters, and underscores. The string length of the node identification name must be between 2 and 128 characters. Only lowercase letters can be used at the beginning and end of the node identification name string. The identification name of a node is unique across the entire tree structure. When converting nodes in the OPC UA server address space into nodes in a new data model, the meta information conversion unit 23a may change the node identification names and the connections between nodes based on predefined rules to satisfy the above constraints. In the example shown in Figure 7B, the following changes have been made: The "Root" node is converted into a pair of "controller" and "controller_sensor" nodes. Uppercase letters in the node identification name are converted to lowercase. Remove any invalid strings other than lowercase English letters from the node identification name. If the result of the above conversion is that the node identification name is one character or less, fill in the gaps with random lowercase English letters. If the node identification name is 129 characters or more, the part exceeding 128 characters will be truncated. If the node identification name does not satisfy the constraints of the new data model even after the above conversion, the setter is prompted to set the node identification name. Furthermore, in Figure 7B, the "Run" and "Stop" nodes, which are data collection targets, are converted into attributes of the "test" node in the new data model. Attributes belong to one of the nodes in the new data model and serve as storage destinations for data acquired from the data collection targets. When the operator clicks on a node in the new data model, such as "test," a list of the node's attributes is displayed. Figure 7B also displays the data types (integer) of these attributes. The appropriate data type for the attribute is selected based on the data type of the node in the OPC UA server according to predetermined rules, but can also be specified by the operator. Although not shown in the figure, other information included in the first meta information, such as data range and unit information, is assumed to be reflected in the attributes of the new data model. When the second meta information including the new data model 27 is created, the first meta information and the second meta information are stored in the memory unit 17. When the first meta information and the second meta information are stored, preparations for receiving the first machine information are complete. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S17 in FIG. 5, where the first machine information of the machine 11 is acquired via the first communication unit 15. The first machine information acquired here is the first machine information of the node from which data is to be collected, for which conversion from the first meta information to the second meta information was performed in step S16. It is preferable that the first machine information be acquired periodically and stored in chronological order in the memory unit 17. The reason for acquiring the first machine information periodically is that by storing past information, the operator can refer to the past information as needed. Next, in step S18, the acquired first machine information or the stored first machine information is converted into second machine information by the machine information conversion unit 23a. When converting the first machine information into second machine information, the conversion is performed based on the new data model 27 included in the second meta information. Specifically, each piece of first machine information is stored as second machine information in a corresponding node of the new data model 27 and stored in the storage unit 17. When storing as second machine information, the numerical value of the first machine information may be converted based on the first meta information and the second meta information. For example, if the unit information of the first machine information included in the first meta information is "inches" and the unit information of the second machine information included in the second meta information is "millimeters," the numerical value of the first machine information is multiplied by "25.4" to convert it to the millimeter unit system and stored as the second machine information. The numerical value conversion is not limited to simple linear conversion, and complex conversions using arithmetic operations, logical operations, conditional judgments, etc. are also possible. Concerning the conversion method, the system may automatically determine it from the first meta information and the second meta information, the user may set it, or a combination of both may be used.

[0026] Here, an example of a mode in which the CPU of the management computer 25 converts the first machine information specific to the machine 11 into second machine information specific to the operation software 14 in accordance with the base software 13 and outputs the second machine information to the operation software 14 is shown. Figure 3 is a diagram showing this mode in schematic form. 3, assume that machines 11 and 12, such as machine tools and industrial robots, and peripheral devices 26 are communicatively connected to administration computer 25, and that first machine information is output from each of machines 11 and 12 and peripheral devices 26 to administration computer 25. Administration computer 25 can recognize which machine the first machine information belongs to based on the machine-specific identification information associated with the first machine information. However, the first machine information sent from one machine 11 to administration computer 25 is not limited to being one type of information. For example, if machine 11 is a multi-axis NC machine tool capable of multi-path control, and the NC (numerical controller) of machine 11 controls the first axis of machine 11 using a first motor and a second motor according to a second-path program, the current values ​​of the first and second motors are each sent to management computer 25 as first machine information. Furthermore, if the NC is executing a first-path program in parallel with a second-path program, the motor current values ​​for each axis controlled by the first path are also sent to management computer 25 as first machine information. Since this first machine information only indicates the current value of a motor, it is not easy to determine which axis the motor current value relates to and is controlled by which path program executed by the NC of machine 11. In other words, the first machine information is information specific to the machine and is not structured data (so-called standard data). Such first machine information is difficult to handle for data analysis when operation software 14 is, for example, machine information analysis software or tallying and display software. In order to enable the operation software to handle information specific to the machine in real time, it is necessary to convert the first machine information specific to the machine into second machine information specific to the operation software 14.

[0027] FIG. 4 shows an example of a newly created data model for machine 11, which is an NC machine tool, and is included in the second meta information. As described above, when machine 11 is a multi-axis NC machine tool, data model 27 has a graph-type data structure, as shown in FIG. 4, in which at least each physical element constituting the NC machine tool or each management element to be managed by the NC machine tool is represented as a node. In the data model of FIG. 4, information identifying each node corresponding to each physical element and each management element (hereinafter referred to as identification information) is a character name. However, identification numbers corresponding to the character names (e.g., numbers assigned to systems, axes, motors, etc. in FIG. 4) may also be used. Alternatively, identification information may be set based on information acquired from the NC machine tool. In this application, "physical elements" refers to devices that operate using physical energy (electricity, heat, force, etc.) among the components of a machine. Examples of the physical elements that make up an NC machine tool include a display, NC, power supply, amplifier, PLC, spindle, feed axis, motor, etc. On the other hand, the various management elements include information directly related to the physical elements, such as current value, position, and torque, as well as various machine management elements not directly related to the physical elements, such as production status, operating status, quality information, and operation history. The structure of data model 27 is just one example, and it may be a graph-type (including tree-type) data structure, or a network-type or mesh-type data structure. In other words, the data model represents the subordinate relationships of the multiple devices that make up machine 11. Furthermore, the data model 27 only needs to be composed of nodes corresponding to at least physical elements or management elements. That is, the data model 27 does not need to be composed of only nodes corresponding to physical elements and management elements as shown in Figure 4, and may be composed of only nodes corresponding to either physical elements or management elements, for example. Furthermore, the data model 27 may also include nodes corresponding to elements other than physical elements or management elements, blank nodes that do not correspond to any elements, etc., as appropriate.

[0028] When administration computer 25 receives the current value of the first motor of the first axis of the second system from machine 11, which is an NC machine tool, the CPU of administration computer 25 converts the received first machine information, "current value of the first motor," into second machine information including information on the machine component that is the source of the current value, such as "machine 11 / NC / second system / first axis / first motor / current value," by referring to data model 27 shown in Fig. 4 in accordance with base software 13. This information conversion operation will be described in detail later using a robot as an example. By such a conversion process, it becomes clear that the information on the current value output from the machine 11 is the current value related to the first motor of the first axis controlled by the second system program executed by the NC of the machine 11. In other words, in order to make it possible to easily handle the first machine information from the machines 11 and 12 with the operation software 14, the first machine information can be converted into standard information (so-called structured data) that includes this first machine information and information indicating all elements from which the first machine information is derived. Although the motor current value is shown as part of the first and second machine information in the above, the present invention is not limited thereto. The first and second machine information may include, for example, the usage time, vibration value, heat temperature, volume, and location information of the machines 11 and 12.

[0029] As described above, when the management computer 25 converts the first machine information into the second machine information in accordance with the machine information conversion unit 23a of the base software 13, the conversion is performed based on the new data model 27 stored in the memory of the management computer 25. 7A again, in step S19, the operation software 14 acquires the second machine information and the second meta information via the second communication unit 16. The second machine information is stored in each node of the new data model 27 of the second meta information. This allows the operation software 14 to interpret and use the meaning of the second machine information. In this manner, in the present disclosure, the meta information conversion unit 23b can automatically create second meta information including the new data model 27 based on the first meta information as a data structure of a communication standard. Therefore, there is no need for an operator to select an appropriate data model from multiple data models or to create a new data model. This simplifies the setup for storing data, making it possible to easily centrally manage data from devices that use various communication standards. Furthermore, since the communication standard can be centralized while maintaining a data structure specific to the machine 11, there is no need for the base software 13 and / or the operation software 14 to support various communication standards.

[0030] While the conversion of machine information has been described above, the conversion of instruction information can be performed in a similar manner. That is, when administration computer 25 converts first instruction information into second instruction information in accordance with information conversion unit 23 of base software 13, the conversion is performed based on second meta information, including newly created data model 27, stored in the memory of administration computer 25. Fig. 8 shows an example of a configuration in which the conversion process of instruction information is executed by CPU 30 of administration computer 25, and Fig. 9 shows an example of a configuration different from that shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation flow, including the conversion procedure of instruction information, of administration computer 25 shown in Fig. 8 or 9. As shown in FIG. 10, the CPU 30 of the administration computer 25 of FIG. 8 or 9 creates first instruction information based on the second machine information and second meta information in accordance with the operation software 14 (step S21). At this time, it is preferable to associate the created first instruction information with the machine-specific identification information contained in the second meta information. Furthermore, based on the machine identification information associated with the created first instruction information, the CPU 30 of the administration computer 25 identifies second meta information containing a newly created data model corresponding to the machine and the corresponding first meta information from the memory of the administration computer 25 (storage unit 17 of FIG. 8 or 9) (step S22). The administration computer 25 converts the first instruction information into second instruction information based on the identified second meta information and the corresponding first meta information (step S23), and transmits the second instruction information to the machine corresponding to the identified second meta information and the corresponding first meta information (step S24). The above operations are realized by having the CPU of the administration computer 25 execute the information conversion unit 23 of the base software 13. In the example of the multi-axis NC machine tool mentioned above, first instruction information indicating what work content is to be instructed to which device on which machine, for example, "machine 11 / NC / second system / first axis / first motor / current command value", can be converted into second instruction information, for example, a "current command value", based on the data model 27, and this current command value can be output to an amplifier that supplies power to the first motor that drives the first axis of the second system of the NC in the machine 11.

[0031] 5 and 8, the administration computer 25 can replace the connected machine 11 with a machine 12 (robot) of a different category from the machine 11, or with a machine 11 (machine tool) of the same category as the machine 11. Also, as in the configuration examples of FIGS. 6 and 9, multiple machines, for example, two machines 11 (machine tools) and one machine 12 (robot), may be connected to the administration computer 25. In this way, one or more machines can be connected to the administration computer 25. The administration computer 25 can replace the connected machine with a machine of the same category or a different category, or can connect an additional machine of the same category or a different category in addition to the connected machine.

[0032] Furthermore, the data model 28 of the robot machine 12 has a graph-type data structure in which at least each physical element constituting the robot or each management element to be managed by the robot is represented as a node, as shown in Fig. 11. The data model 28 is also included in the second meta information.

[0033] The structure of the data model 28 is an example, and in addition to a graph type (including a tree type), a network type or a mesh type data structure may also be used. In the data model of Fig. 11, the identification information for identifying each node corresponding to each physical element and each management element is a character name, but it may also be an identification number corresponding to the character name (for example, the numbers assigned to the robot group, axis, motor, etc. in Fig. 11). The "groups" expressed in the robot data model in Figure 11 refer to classifications of various robot-related actions. Types of robot-related actions include the actions of each axis of the robot body, the actions of each axis of the tool attached to the robot body, and the actions of each axis of the traveling carriage that movably installs the robot body, and these various actions are divided into groups.

[0034] Furthermore, in the data model for robots (data model 28) in Figure 11 and the data model for NC machine tools (data model 27) in Figure 4 described above, information (first machine information in this embodiment) generated in each physical element or various management elements corresponding to the node can be assigned to the node. For example, in the data model 28 of Fig. 11, various pieces of information such as the current position, current value, and torque can be assigned to the terminal node 31 corresponding to the first motor of axis 1 of group 1 (see the blank (blank) portion of reference numeral 32 in Fig. 13). Of course, various pieces of information can also be assigned to other nodes (internal nodes, leaf nodes, etc.). The data model 28 also needs to be composed of nodes corresponding to at least physical elements or management elements. That is, the data model 28 does not need to be composed of only nodes corresponding to physical elements and management elements as shown in Figure 11, but may be composed of only nodes corresponding to either physical elements or management elements. Furthermore, the data model 28 may appropriately include nodes corresponding to elements other than physical elements or management elements, blank nodes that do not correspond to any elements, etc.

[0035] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation when generating second machine information based on the data model of FIG. 12 starts, the administration computer 25 shown in FIG. 5 or 6 receives the current value of the first motor of axis 1 in group 1 of the machine 12 (robot) as the first machine information. As a result, the information conversion unit 23 of the base software 13 commands the CPU 30 to store the current value of the first motor of axis 1 in group 1 based on the data model 28 (FIG. 11) (step S30).

[0036] In the next step S31, the CPU 30 searches for a node corresponding to group 1 (first robot group) in the data model 28 (see FIG. 11) in the storage unit 17. That is, the CPU 30 sequentially determines whether or not each node constituting the data model 28 is a node corresponding to group 1 (first robot group). This determination is repeated until a node corresponding to group 1 is found (steps S31 to S32).

[0037] After the nodes of group 1 are identified in step S31, in the next step S33, CPU 30 searches for a node corresponding to axis 1 of group 1 in data model 28 (see FIG. 11). CPU 30 sequentially determines whether each node subordinate to the node corresponding to group 1 is a node corresponding to axis 1 (first axis). This determination is repeated until a node corresponding to axis 1 is found (steps S33 to S34).

[0038] After the node for axis 1 of group 1 is identified in step S33, in the next step S35, CPU 30 searches for a node corresponding to the first motor of axis 1 of group 1 in data model 28 (see FIG. 11). CPU 30 sequentially determines whether each node subordinate to the node corresponding to axis 1 of group 1 is a node corresponding to the first motor. This determination is repeated until the node corresponding to the first motor is found (steps S35 to S36).

[0039] By the above processing of steps S31 to S36, the CPU 30 can identify a node in the data model 28 (see FIG. 11) that corresponds to the first motor of axis 1 of group 1. Next, the CPU 30 stores the data of the current value in a blank (see reference numeral 32 in FIG. 13) subordinate to the identified node (step S37).

[0040] Figures 13A and 13B are diagrams that schematically illustrate the above-mentioned operation. Note that Figures 13A and 13B are diagrams that extract a portion of the robot data model in Figure 11, and further, Figures 13A and 13B schematically illustrate the state before and after storing information on the current value of the first motor of axis 1 in group 1 of the robot, as described above.

[0041] Before the information on the current value of the first motor of axis 1 in group 1 of the robot (first machine information) is input to the administration computer 25, as shown in Fig. 13A, no data is stored in the blank 32 subordinate to the node 31 corresponding to the first motor of axis 1. The blanks 32 of all other nodes also contain no data. On the other hand, when the information on the current value is input to administration computer 25, the information on the current value (for example, 10 mA) is stored in blank 32 by the processing of steps S31 to S36 described above (see FIG. 13B). The above is just one example, so if information on the current value of the second motor of axis 2 in group 1 of a robot is input to the management computer 25, that current value information will be stored in blank 32 subordinate to node 33 corresponding to the second motor of axis 2 in group 1. The data structure of the information (i.e., the second machine information) generated based on the data model in Fig. 11 has only blanks 32 in which information is stored and blanks 32 in which no information is stored, and is essentially the same as the data structure of the data model in Fig. 11 when viewed from the operation software 14 side. In other words, it is a standardized data structure that makes it easy for the operation software 14 to perform processes such as analysis and aggregation. 12, 13A, and 13B, the node in which data should be stored is identified based on the structure of the data model, but it is also possible to identify the node in which data should be stored based on second meta information that is unrelated to the structure of the data model, or by combining both. For example, if there are multiple blanks subordinate to the first motor 31 (for example, if there are both a blank for storing "phase" and a blank for storing "current value"), it is also possible to configure the data for the current value to be stored in a blank whose data type is "double" and whose unit is "ampere."

[0042] Next, an operation for converting first machine information into second machine information based on the data model will be described. As a representative example, the information conversion operation when information on the motor current value output from the machine 12, which is a robot, is sent to the operation software 14 will be described. Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the information conversion operation according to this representative example.

[0043] When starting the operation flow of Fig. 14, it is assumed that information on the current value of the first motor of axis 1 in group 1 of the robot (first machine information) is input to the administration computer 25 as shown in Fig. 5 or 6. At this time, the current value information is stored in blank 32 subordinate to node 31 corresponding to the first motor of axis 1 in group 1 of the robot, as shown in Fig. 13B. The base software 13 instructs the CPU 30 to convert the motor current value information stored in blank 32 into second machine information and send it to the task software 14 (step S40).

[0044] In the next step S41, the CPU 30 determines whether or not there is a robot group number for the information on the current value of the first motor of axis 1 in group 1 in the data model 28 (see FIG. 11) in the storage unit 17. If it is determined that there is a robot group number, the CPU 30 stores the robot group number (group 1 in this example) in the storage unit 17 (step S42). If it is determined that there is no robot group number in step S41, the CPU 30 ends the processing of step S40.

[0045] In the next step S43, it is determined whether or not there is an axis number for the information on the current value of the first motor of axis 1 in group 1 in the data model 28 (see FIG. 11) in the storage unit 17. If it is determined that there is an axis number, the CPU 30 stores the axis number (axis 1 in this example) in the storage unit 17 (step S44). If it is determined that there is no axis number in step S43, the CPU 30 updates the robot group number (step S45) and performs the determination in step S41 again.

[0046] In the next step S46, it is determined whether or not there is a motor number corresponding to the information on the current value of the first motor of axis 1 in group 1 in the data model 28 (see FIG. 11) in the storage unit 17. If it is determined that there is a motor number, the CPU 30 stores the motor number (1 in this example) in the storage unit 17 (step S47). If it is determined that there is no motor number in step S46, the CPU 30 updates the axis number (step S48) and performs the determination of step S41 again.

[0047] In the next step S49, the CPU 30 sends the robot group number, axis number, motor number, and current value acquired in the above steps S42, S44, and S47 as a single piece of information to the operation software 14. For example, the CPU 30 sends a data string such as "robot group 1 / axis 1 / first motor / current value" to the operation software 14. Next, in step S50, the CPU 30 updates the motor number (step S50) and performs the determination in step S41 again.

[0048] Through the processing of steps S41 to S50 described above, the CPU 30 can convert the first mechanical information, which is the first current value of the first motor of axis 1 in group 1 of the robot, into second mechanical information including information on the mechanical components that are the source of the current value, based on the data model 28 (robot data model in FIG. 11), and send this to the operation software 14. This makes it possible to improve the processing speed (for example, the speed of analysis and aggregation) of the operation software 14.

[0049] Fig. 15 is a diagram showing another example of the data model for an NC machine tool. Fig. 16 is a diagram showing another example of data for a robot. The data model for an NC machine tool shown in Fig. 4 may be a data model as shown in Fig. 15, and the data model for a robot shown in Fig. 11 may be a data model as shown in Fig. 16. For example, in the data model for an NC machine tool shown in Figure 15, the nodes labeled "NC machine tool controller," "controller PLC," "controller sensor," "controller laser," "CNC axis," "controller CNC motor," "laser oscillator," and "sensor" represent the physical elements that make up the NC machine tool. Other nodes correspond to the various management elements that must be managed for the NC machine tool (e.g., operating status, production status, quality maintenance information, operation history, etc.). The notation "1:1" in each figure indicates a one-to-one correspondence between parent and child nodes, and the notation "1:n" indicates that there are multiple child nodes for a parent node. The dotted lines in Figure 15 indicate that components exist within the physical element corresponding to the parent node. The data model of this embodiment may have a data structure in which nodes corresponding to the physical elements constituting a machine are arranged in one of the row direction and the column direction (row direction in the example of the figure), and nodes corresponding to the various management elements of the machine are arranged in the other of the row direction and the column direction (column direction in the example of the figure), as in the data structures shown in Figures 15 and 16. In each of the data models of Figures 15 and 16, blanks 32 as described with reference to Figure 13 exist for predetermined nodes.

[0050] In the machine system 10 of this embodiment, the machines 11, 12, etc. are located, for example, in a factory where products are manufactured. Meanwhile, the base software 13 is installed, for example, in a management computer 25 located in a separate building on the factory premises where the machines 11, 12, etc. are located. In this case, the management computer 25 and the machines 11, 12, etc. are preferably connected to each other via an intranet network, such as a fieldbus network, so as to be able to communicate with each other. The management computer 25 is a computer. Furthermore, the management computer 25 is preferably connected to a host computer 24 (see FIG. 2) in an office located remote from the factory so as to be able to communicate with each other via the Internet. The host computer 24 is, for example, a manufacturing execution system (MES) that creates a production plan for the multiple machines 11, 12, etc. in the office and manages their production status.

[0051] The base software 13 and the operation software 14 are preferably installed in the administration computer 25 from a computer-readable portable recording medium using a known setup program or the like. Portable recording media include, for example, CD-ROMs (compact disk read-only memories) and DVD-ROMs (digital versatile disk read-only memories). When the base software 13 and the operation software 14 are recorded on such recording media, the administration computer 25 is preferably equipped with a drive device compatible with those recording media. Alternatively, the base software 13 and the operation software 14 may be downloaded from another computer device connected to the administration computer 25 via the Internet or Ethernet (registered trademark), for example. In this embodiment, the base software 13 serves as a software platform, i.e., a foundation for running not only one task software 14 but also multiple task software 14 with different processing contents. In this case, identification information assigned to the machine on which the information processing is to be performed is pre-entered into each task software 14, and each task software 14 is preferably programmed to acquire second machine information based on the machine's identification information. Alternatively, the base software 13 is preferably programmed to convert first meta information acquired from a connected machine into second meta information and acquire the second machine information based on the second meta information. As a result, even if multiple task software 14 are installed on the administration computer 25, the administration computer 25 can recognize which task software 14 is processing the second machine information from the second meta information, which includes the machine identification information associated with the second machine information.

[0052] FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a mechanical system according to yet another embodiment. In FIG. 17, the operation software 14, the first communication unit 15, the second communication unit 16, the meta-information conversion unit 23b, and the machine-information conversion unit 23a are incorporated into independent computers C1 to C6. The computers C1 to C6 are connected to each other for communication. Alternatively, some of the operation software 14, the first communication unit 15, the second communication unit 16, the meta-information conversion unit 23b, and the machine-information conversion unit 23a may be incorporated into one computer, and the remaining parts of the operation software 14, the first communication unit 15, the second communication unit 16, the meta-information conversion unit 23b, and the machine-information conversion unit 23a may be incorporated into a single other computer or multiple other computers. In other words, at least one of the operation software 14, the first communication unit 15, the second communication unit 16, the meta-information conversion unit 23b, and the machine-information conversion unit 23a may be incorporated into an independent computer. In the case of FIG. 17, the same effect as described above can be obtained, and such a case is also included in the scope of the present disclosure. Aspects of the Disclosure

[0053] According to a first aspect, there is provided a computer (25) equipped with base software (13) and operation software (14) and communicatively connected to at least one machine (11), wherein the base software includes a first communication unit (15) which is a program part causing the computer's arithmetic device to receive first machine information specific to the machine output from the machine and first meta information indicating the meaning of the first machine information, a second communication unit (16) which is a program part causing the computer's arithmetic device to send second machine information specific to the operation software and second meta information indicating the meaning of the second machine information to the operation software, a meta information conversion unit (23b) which is a program part causing the computer's arithmetic device to convert the first meta information into the second meta information, and a machine information conversion unit (23a) which is a program part causing the computer's arithmetic device to convert the first machine information into the second machine information, and wherein the operation software is a program that uses the second machine information as input information. According to the second aspect, in the first aspect, the first meta information has a data structure in which at least each physical element constituting the machine and each of the various management elements of the machine are represented as a node, and the first machine information is assigned to the nodes corresponding to each of the physical elements and the various management elements, and the second meta information has a data structure created based on the first meta information, and the nodes constituting the data structure are assigned second machine information converted from the corresponding first machine information. According to a third aspect, in the first or second aspect, a filtering condition for receiving only a part of the first meta information is set in advance. According to a fourth aspect, in any of the first to third aspects, a memory unit (17) is further provided that stores at least one of the first mechanical information, the first meta information, the second mechanical information, and the second meta information in chronological order. According to the fifth aspect, in any of the first to fourth aspects, the first communication unit is a program portion that causes the computer's arithmetic device to further execute the following: sending second instruction information specific to the machine that instructs the machine; the second communication unit is a program portion that causes the computer's arithmetic device to further execute the following: receiving first instruction information specific to the work software from the work software; and the machine information conversion unit is a program portion that causes the computer's arithmetic device to further execute the following: converting the first instruction information into the second instruction information based on the second meta information. According to a sixth aspect, a system (11) communicably connected to at least one machine (11) includes: operation software (14); a first communication unit (15) that receives first machine information specific to the machine output from the machine and first meta information indicating the meaning of the first machine information; a second communication unit (16) that transmits second machine information specific to the operation software and second meta information indicating the meaning of the second machine information to the operation software; a meta information conversion unit (23b) that converts the first meta information into the second meta information; and a machine information conversion unit (23a) that converts the first machine information into the second machine information, wherein the operation software is a program that uses the second machine information as input information, and at least one of the operation software, the first communication unit, the second communication unit, the meta information conversion unit, and the machine information conversion unit is incorporated in an independent computer (C1 to C6). According to the seventh aspect, in the sixth aspect, the first meta information has a data structure in which at least each physical element constituting the machine and each of the various management elements of the machine are represented as a node, and the first machine information is assigned to the nodes corresponding to each of the physical elements and the various management elements, and the second meta information has a data structure created based on the first meta information, and the nodes constituting the data structure are assigned second machine information converted from the corresponding first machine information. According to an eighth aspect, in the sixth or seventh aspect, a filtering condition for receiving only a part of the first meta information is set in advance. According to the ninth aspect, in any of the sixth to eighth aspects, a memory unit (17) is further provided that stores at least one of the first machine information, the first meta information, the second machine information, and the second meta information in chronological order. According to the 10th aspect, in any of the 6th to 9th aspects, the first communication unit further transmits second instruction information specific to the machine that instructs the machine, the second communication unit further receives first instruction information specific to the work software from the work software, and the machine information conversion unit further converts the first instruction information into the second instruction information based on the second meta information. Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the claims set forth below. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 10 Mechanical Systems 11, 12 Machinery 13 Base Software 14 Working Software 15 First Communications Department 16 Second Communications Department 17 Memory section 18 Authentication Record Information 19 Display 20 Third Communications Department 21 Memory section 22 Fourth Communications Department 23a Mechanical Information Conversion Unit 23b Meta information conversion unit 24 Host Computer 25 Management computer (computer) 26 Peripheral Devices 27, 28 Newly created data model 30 CPU 31, 33 nodes 32 Blank C1~C6 Computer

Claims

1. A computer having base software and operating software installed thereon and communicatively connected to at least one machine, The base software comprises: a first communication unit that is a program portion for causing an arithmetic device of the computer to receive first machine information specific to the machine output from the machine and first meta information indicating the meaning of the first machine information; a second communication unit that is a program portion for causing the arithmetic device of the computer to transmit second machine information specific to the operation software and second meta information indicating the meaning of the second machine information to the operation software; a meta information conversion unit that is a program part for causing an arithmetic device of the computer to convert the first meta information into the second meta information; a machine information conversion unit that is a program part for causing an arithmetic device of the computer to convert the first machine information into the second machine information, A computer, wherein the operation software is a program that uses the second machine information as input information.

2. the first meta information has a data structure in which at least each physical element constituting the machine and each of the various management elements of the machine are represented as a node, and the first machine information is assigned to the node corresponding to each of the physical elements and the various management elements; 2. The computer of claim 1, wherein the second meta information has a data structure created based on the first meta information, and nodes constituting the data structure are assigned second machine information converted from the corresponding first machine information.

3. The computer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a filtering condition for receiving only a part of the first meta information is set in advance.

4. The computer according to claim 1 , further comprising a storage unit that stores at least one of the first machine information, the first meta information, the second machine information, and the second meta information in chronological order.

5. the first communication unit is a program portion for causing the arithmetic device of the computer to further execute the following: transmitting, to the machine, second instruction information specific to the machine that instructs the machine; the second communication unit is a program portion for causing the arithmetic device of the computer to further execute a program for receiving first instruction information specific to the operation software from the operation software, 5. The computer according to claim 1, wherein the machine information conversion unit is a program portion for causing the arithmetic unit of the computer to further convert the first instruction information into the second instruction information based on the second meta information.

6. A system communicatively coupled to at least one machine, comprising: Operating software and a first communication unit that receives first machine information specific to the machine output from the machine and first meta information indicating the meaning of the first machine information; a second communication unit that transmits second machine information specific to the operation software and second meta information indicating the meaning of the second machine information to the operation software; a meta information conversion unit that converts the first meta information into the second meta information; a machine information conversion unit that converts the first machine information into the second machine information, the operation software is a program that uses the second machine information as input information, A system characterized in that at least one of the operation software, the first communication unit, the second communication unit, the meta information conversion unit, and the machine information conversion unit is incorporated into an independent computer.

7. the first meta information has a data structure in which at least each physical element constituting the machine and each of the various management elements of the machine are represented as a node, and the first machine information is assigned to the node corresponding to each of the physical elements and the various management elements; The system described in claim 6, characterized in that the second meta information has a data structure created based on the first meta information, and nodes constituting the data structure are assigned second machine information converted from the corresponding first machine information.

8. The system according to claim 6 or 7, wherein a filtering condition for receiving only a part of the first meta information is set in advance.

9. The system described in any one of claims 6 to 8, further comprising a memory unit that stores at least one of the first machine information, the first meta information, the second machine information, and the second meta information in chronological order.

10. the first communication unit further transmits second instruction information specific to the machine that instructs the machine, The second communication unit further receives first instruction information specific to the operation software from the operation software, The system according to claim 6 , wherein the machine information conversion unit further converts the first indication information into the second indication information based on the second meta information.

Images