Visualization device, visualization method, and visualization program

Abstract

To enable a user to easily grasp an operational state of a facility group in a case where power consumption of an entire facility group is especially great or an operational state of the facility group in a case where the power consumption of the entire facility group is especially small.SOLUTION: A visualization device (1) comprises a processor (11) which executes first display processing (S11) for displaying on a display (15) a first screen (σ1) indicating power consumption of an entire facility group (2) in each period included in a period group, second display processing (S12) for displaying on the display (15) a second screen (σ2) indicating a cycle time of each facility included in the facility group (2) during a specific period, and third display processing (S13) for displaying on the display (15) a third screen (σ3) indicating a cycle time of each step which is executed using a specific facility, during the specific period.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a visualization device, a visualization method, and a visualization program for visualizing the operating status of a group of facilities. [Background technology]

[0002] As part of efforts to reduce CO2 emissions, there is a need to reduce power consumption at manufacturing sites as well. As part of these efforts, it is necessary to understand the power consumption of each piece of equipment. One example of a technology that can be used for this purpose is the technology described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that divides branch breakers into groups in factories and facilities equipped with multiple distribution boards and displays the power consumption for each group. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-045585 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to reduce power consumption at manufacturing sites, it is important to understand in detail the operating status of each equipment group when the power consumption of the entire equipment group is particularly high, or when the power consumption of the entire equipment group is particularly low, and to optimize the operating status of the equipment group.

[0005] As described above, the technology described in Patent Document 1 divides branch breakers into groups and displays the power usage for each group, but does not visualize the operating status of the equipment group. Therefore, even if the technology described in Patent Document 1 is used, it is not possible to grasp the operating status of the equipment group in detail, and therefore it is not possible to optimize the operating status of the equipment group.

[0006] One aspect of the present invention aims to realize a visualization device, a visualization method, and a visualization program that allow a user to easily understand the operating status of a group of equipment when the power consumption of the entire group of equipment is particularly high, or when the power consumption of the entire group of equipment is particularly low. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A visualization device according to one aspect of the present invention is a visualization device that visualizes the operating status of a group of facilities, and includes at least one processor that executes a first display process, a second display process, and a third display process. Also, a visualization method according to one aspect of the present invention is a visualization method that visualizes the operating status of a group of facilities, and executes the first display process, the second display process, and the third display process using at least one processor.

[0008] Here, the first display process is a process of displaying on the display a first screen showing the power consumption of the entire equipment group for each period included in a period group and selecting a specific period from the period group in response to a user operation. The second display process is a process of displaying on the display a second screen showing the cycle time for each piece of equipment included in the equipment group in the specific period and selecting a specific piece of equipment from the equipment group in response to a user operation. The third display process is a process of displaying on the display a third screen showing the cycle time for each process performed using the specific equipment in the specific period. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, a user can easily understand the operating status of a group of equipment when the power consumption of the entire group of equipment is particularly high, or when the power consumption of the entire group of equipment is particularly low. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a visualization device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]2 is a flowchart showing the flow of a visualization method implemented by the visualization device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a first screen displayed in the visualization method shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a second screen displayed in the visualization method shown in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a third screen displayed in the visualization method shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a first modified example of the first screen shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a second modified example of the first screen shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 8] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a modified example of the second screen shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a modified example of the third screen shown in FIG. 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] (Configuration of visualization device) The configuration of a visualization device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the visualization device 1.

[0012] The visualization device 1 is a device for executing a visualization method S1 that visualizes the operating status of a group of equipment 2. The group of equipment 2 is a collection of multiple pieces of equipment. In this embodiment, the group of equipment 2 is made up of three pieces of equipment A, B, and C that receive power from a single power source 3. The flow of the visualization method S1 will be described later with reference to different drawings.

[0013] 1, the visualization device 1 includes a processor 11, a memory 12, an input / output IF (interface) 13, and a communication IF (interface) 14. The processor 11, the memory 12, the input / output IF 13, and the communication IF 14 are connected to one another via a bus.

[0014] A visualization program P1 for executing a visualization method S1 is stored in the memory 12. The processor 11 executes the visualization method S1 in accordance with the visualization program P. An example of a device that can be used as the processor 11 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Also, an example of a device that can be used as the memory 12 is a flash memory.

[0015] An input device and / or an output device are connected to the input / output IF 13. Examples of output devices connected to the input / output IF 13 include a display and a printer. Examples of input devices connected to the input / output IF include a keyboard and a mouse. For example, HDMI (registered trademark) or USB (registered trademark) can be used as the input / output IF 13. In this embodiment, a display 15 is connected to the input / output IF 13.

[0016] An information processing device is connected to the communication IF 14 via a communication network. Examples of the information processing device connected to the communication IF 14 include a sensor and a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). For example, Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), CC-Link (registered trademark), etc. can be used as the communication IF 14. In this embodiment, a sensor 4 and PLCs 21 to 23 are connected to the communication IF 14. The sensor 4 is a sensor provided on a power supply path from the power source 3 to the equipment group 2, and detects the power consumption P of the entire equipment group 2. The power consumption P of the entire equipment group 2 is equal to or approximately equal to PA+PB+PC, which is the power consumption PA, PB, and PC of the equipment A, B, and C. The PLC 21 is a PLC that controls the equipment A, the PLC 22 is a PLC that controls the equipment B, and the PLC 23 is a PLC that controls the equipment C.

[0017] Equipment A executes processes A1, A2, .... The PLC 21 has a function of identifying the cycle time TA0 of equipment A and the cycle times TA1, TA2, ... of processes A1, A2, ..., and notifying the visualization device 1. Similarly, equipment B executes processes B1, B2, .... The PLC 22 has a function of identifying the cycle time TB0 of equipment B and the cycle times TB1, TB2, ... of processes B1, B2, ..., and notifying the visualization device 1. Similarly, equipment C executes processes C1, C2, .... The PLC 23 has a function of identifying the cycle time TC0 of equipment C and the cycle times TC1, TC2, ... of processes C1, C2, ..., and notifying the visualization device 1. The visualization device 1 also has a function of visualizing the cycle times TA0, TA1, TA2, ..., TB0, TB1, TB2, ..., TC0, TC1, TC2, ..., notified from equipment A, B, C. These functions can be realized using known technology (for example, ePVS (registered trademark) by BEET, INC.), so detailed explanations thereof will be omitted here.

[0018] In this embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which devices A, B, and C consume power supplied from a common power supply 3, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which devices A, B, and C consume power supplied from individual power supplies. In this case, for example, sensors may be provided in each of devices A, B, and C, and the power consumption PA, PB, and PC of devices A, B, and C may be detected using these sensors, and the power consumption P = PA + PB + PC may be calculated in visualization device 1.

[0019] The visualization program P1 for causing the processor 11 to execute the visualization method S1 may be recorded on a computer-readable, non-transitory, tangible recording medium. This recording medium may be the memory 12 or another recording medium. For example, a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like may be used as the other recording medium.

[0020] (Flow of visualization method) The flow of the visualization method S1 executed by the visualization device 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 5. Fig. 2 is a flow diagram showing the flow of the visualization method S1. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a first screen σ1 displayed in the visualization method S1. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a second screen σ2 displayed in the visualization method S1. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a third screen σ3 displayed in the visualization method S3.

[0021] It is assumed that, before executing the visualization method S1, the following information is stored in the memory 12 for each period included in the period group. The period is any unit of time. The period may be, for example, a month, a week, a day, or an hour. The period group is any unit of time longer than the period. The period group may be, for example, a year, a month, a week, or a day. In the examples shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, days are used as periods, and months are used as period groups.

[0022] (1) Power consumption P of the entire equipment group 2, (2) Cycle time TA0 of equipment A, (3) Cycle times TA1, TA2, ... of processes A1, A2, ... performed by equipment A, (4) Cycle time TB0 of equipment B, (5) Cycle times TB1, TB2, ... of processes B1, B2, ... performed by equipment B, (6) Cycle time TC0 of equipment C, (3) Cycle times TC1, TC2, ... of processes C1, C2, ... performed by equipment C.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the visualization method S1 includes a first display process S11, a second display process S12, and a third display process S13.

[0024] The first display process S11 is a process for displaying on the display 15 a first screen σ1 showing the power consumption P of the entire equipment group 2 for each period included in a specific period group, and for selecting a specific period from the specific period group in response to a user operation. In this embodiment, the processor 11 reads out from the memory 12 the power consumption P of the entire equipment group 2 for each period included in the specific period group, and executes the first display process S11.

[0025] An example of the first screen σ1 is shown in Figure 3. The first screen σ1 shown in Figure 3 includes a graph showing the power consumption P of the entire equipment group 2 for each day in June 2021. A user visually viewing the first screen σ1 can easily identify days in June 2021 on which the power consumption P was particularly high. Figure 3 shows that June 7, 2021, on which the power consumption P was particularly high, has been selected by a user operation using the mouse.

[0026] The second display process S12 is a process for displaying on the display 15 a second screen σ2 indicating the cycle time for a specific period (the period selected in the first display process S11) of each piece of equipment included in the equipment group 2, and for selecting a specific piece of equipment from the equipment group 2 in response to a user operation. In this embodiment, the processor 11 reads out the cycle time for a specific period of each piece of equipment included in the equipment group 2 from the memory 12, and executes the second display process S12.

[0027] An example of the second screen σ2 is shown in Figure 4. The second screen σ2 shown in Figure 4 includes a graph showing the cycle times TA0, TB0, and TC0 of equipment A, B, and C on June 7, 2021. A user visually checking the second screen σ2 can easily identify equipment with an especially long cycle time on June 7, 2021. Figure 4 shows that equipment A, which has an especially long cycle time, has been selected by a user operation using the mouse.

[0028] In the second display process S12, the processor 11 may display the first screen σ1 together with the second screen σ2 on the display 15, as shown in Fig. 4. This makes it possible to simultaneously check the period in which the power consumption P is particularly high and the equipment with a particularly long cycle time.

[0029] The third display process S13 is a process for displaying a third screen σ3 indicating the cycle time for a specific period (the period selected in the first display process S11) of each process performed by a specific piece of equipment (the equipment selected in the second display process S12) on the display 15. In this embodiment, the processor 11 reads out the cycle time for a specific period of each process performed by the specific piece of equipment from the memory 12 and executes the third display process S13.

[0030] An example of the third screen σ3 is shown in Figure 5. The third screen σ3 shown in Figure 5 includes a graph showing the cycle times TA1, TA2, ... of processes A1, A2, ... executed by equipment A on June 7, 2021. In this example, a predetermined number (here, five) of processes A6, A4, A1, A8, and A2 are selected in descending order of cycle time, and their cycle times TA6, TA4, TA1, TA8, and TA2 are displayed as bar graphs.

[0031] In the third display process S13, the processor 11 may display the first screen σ1 and the second screen σ2 together with the third screen σ3 on the display 15, as shown in Fig. 5. This makes it possible to simultaneously check the period in which the power consumption P is particularly high, the equipment with a particularly long cycle time, and the process with a particularly long cycle time.

[0032] In this embodiment, the visualization method S1 is implemented on a personal computer (PC) directly operated by a user. However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the visualization method S1 may be implemented on a cloud server connected to the PC via a network. In this case, the sensor 4 and PLCs 21-23 are connected to the cloud server via the network. The cloud server provides the first screen σ1, the second screen σ2, and the third screen σ3 to the PC, and the PC displays the first screen σ1, the second screen σ2, and the third screen σ3 acquired from the cloud server on a display connected to the PC. The PC also notifies the cloud server of user operations detected using a mouse connected to the PC, and the cloud server selects a period (first display process S11) and a facility (second display process S12) in accordance with the user operations notified from the PC. In this case, the cloud server functions as a "visualization device" in the claims.

[0033] (Modification of the first screen) A first modified example of the first screen σ1 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the first modified example of the first screen σ1.

[0034] The first screen σ1 shown in Fig. 6 includes a line graph with the period (days) on the horizontal axis, the period (days) on the horizontal axis, and the power consumption Q per unit production quantity on the vertical axis. If the production quantity changes for each period, using the first screen σ1 shown in Fig. 6 makes it possible to easily pick out periods with particularly low power usage efficiency by searching for peak values.

[0035] Here, the unit production quantity is arbitrary. For example, the unit production quantity may be one product or one lot of products. Regardless of the unit production quantity, if the production quantity in a certain period is n times the unit production quantity, the power consumption Q per unit production quantity in that period can be calculated from the production quantity P in that period according to Q = P / n.

[0036] In the first screen σ1 shown in Fig. 6, a line graph is used as the graph representing the power consumption P for each period. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a bar graph may be used as the graph representing the power consumption P for each period.

[0037] 6, the horizontal axis represents the period (days), and the vertical axis represents the power consumption P or the power consumption Q per unit production quantity. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the vertical axis may represent the period (days), and the horizontal axis may represent the power consumption Q per unit production quantity.

[0038] A second modified example of the first screen σ1 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the second modified example of the first screen σ1.

[0039] The first screen σ1 shown in Fig. 7 includes a scatter plot with the production quantity for each period on the horizontal axis and the power consumption P for each period on the vertical axis. If the production quantity changes for each period, using the first screen σ1 shown in Fig. 7 makes it possible to easily identify periods with particularly low power usage efficiency by searching for outliers.

[0040] 7, a scatter diagram is used as a graph showing the power consumption P for each period, with the production quantity for each period on the horizontal axis and the power consumption P for each period on the vertical axis. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a scatter diagram may be used as a graph showing the power consumption P for each period, with the production quantity for each period on the vertical axis and the power consumption P for each period on the horizontal axis.

[0041] (Modification of the second screen) A modified example of the second screen σ2 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a modified example of the second screen σ2.

[0042] The second screen σ2 shown in Fig. 8 includes a stacked bar graph showing the stop time and standby time for a specific period (the period selected in the first display process S11) of each piece of equipment included in the equipment group 2. A user visually checking the second screen σ2 shown in Fig. 8 can easily identify equipment with particularly long stop times and / or standby times.

[0043] The stop time of each piece of equipment refers to the time the equipment is stopped, and the standby time of each piece of equipment refers to the time the equipment is standby. The standby time includes the time the equipment waits until it can carry in intermediate products from the equipment preceding it, and the time the equipment waits until it can carry out intermediate products to the equipment following it.

[0044] (Variation of the third screen) A modification of the third screen σ3 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a modification of the third screen σ3.

[0045] The third screen σ3 shown in Fig. 9 includes a stacked bar graph showing the stop time and standby time for a specific period (the period selected in the first display process S11) of each process performed by a specific piece of equipment (the equipment selected in the second display process S12). A user visually checking the third screen σ3 shown in Fig. 9 can easily identify processes with particularly long stop times and / or standby times.

[0046] The stop time of each process refers to the time during which the actuator used to perform that process is stopped, and the standby time of each piece of equipment refers to the time during which the actuator used to perform that process is standby. The standby time includes the time during which the actuator waits until it can obtain an intermediate product from the process preceding that process and the time during which the actuator waits until it can provide an intermediate product to the process following that process.

[0047] (Additional notes) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the above-described embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 Visualization device 11 processors 12 Memory 13 Input / Output Interface 14 Communication Interface 15 Display S1 Visualization method S11 First display process S12 Second display process S13 Third display process σ1 1st screen σ2 2nd screen σ3 Third screen

Claims

1. A visualization device that visualizes the operating status of a group of facilities, a first display process for displaying on a display a first screen showing the power consumption of the entire equipment group in each period included in a period group, and selecting a specific period from the period group in response to a first user operation on the first screen displayed on the display; a second display process for displaying on the display a second screen showing a cycle time for each piece of equipment included in the equipment group during the specific period, and selecting a specific piece of equipment from the equipment group in response to a second user operation on the second screen displayed on the display; a third display process for displaying on the display a third screen showing a cycle time for each process performed using the specific equipment selected in response to the second user operation, during the specific period selected in response to the first user operation; In the second display process, the processor displays the second screen together with the first screen on the display; In the third display process, the processor displays the third screen on the display together with the first screen and the second screen. A visualization device characterized by:

2. the first screen includes a graph in which one of a period and power consumption per unit production quantity of the entire equipment group in each period included in the period group is shown on the horizontal axis and the other is shown on the vertical axis; The visualization device according to claim 1 .

3. the first screen includes a scatter plot in which one of the production quantity in each period included in the period group and the power consumption of the entire equipment group in each period included in the period group is plotted on the horizontal axis and the other is plotted on the vertical axis; The visualization device according to claim 1 .

4. the second screen displays a cycle time for each piece of equipment included in the equipment group during the specific period, as well as one or both of a stop time and a standby time for each piece of equipment included in the equipment group during the specific period; The visualization device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. the third screen displays a cycle time for each process performed using the specific equipment during the specific period, as well as one or both of a stop time and a standby time for each process performed using the specific equipment during the specific period; The visualization device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A visualization method for visualizing an operation status of a group of facilities, comprising: a first display process for displaying on a display a first screen showing the power consumption of the entire equipment group in each period included in a period group, and selecting a specific period from the period group in response to a first user operation on the first screen displayed on the display; a second display process for displaying on the display a second screen showing a cycle time for each piece of equipment included in the equipment group during the specific period, and selecting a specific piece of equipment from the equipment group in response to a second user operation on the second screen displayed on the display; a third display process for displaying on the display a third screen showing a cycle time during the specific period selected in response to a first user operation before each process to be performed using the specific equipment selected in response to the second user operation, In the second display process, the processor displays the second screen together with the first screen on the display; In the third display process, the processor displays the third screen on the display together with the first screen and the second screen. A visualization method characterized by:

7. A visualization program for causing a computer including the processor to operate as the visualization device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the visualization program causing the processor to execute the first display process, the second display process, and the third display process; In the second display process, the processor displays the second screen together with the first screen on the display; a visualization program that causes the processor to display the third screen on the display together with the first screen and the second screen in the third display processing;

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