Anomaly notification device and anomaly notification method

Abstract

To provide a technology that can notify workers of the location of an abnormality without the use of portable items carried by the workers.SOLUTION: An abnormality notification device includes: an abnormality location acquisition unit for acquiring information on a location where an abnormality occurs in a factory; a product location acquisition unit for acquiring information on a current location of a plurality of remotely controllable products manufactured in the factory and equipped with a notification device emitting at least one of sound and light; a target product determination unit for determining a target product from among the plurality of products to notify a worker of the location of the abnormality using the information on the location of the abnormality and the information on the current location of the plurality of products; and a remote control unit for remotely controlling the notification device of the target product and notifying the worker of the location of the abnormality by emitting at least one of sound and light to the notification device of the target product.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present disclosure relates to an abnormality notification device and an abnormality notification method.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a technique for notifying an operator of the position of an object in which an abnormality has occurred in a factory through a wireless receiver carried by the operator (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When notifying an operator of the occurrence position of an abnormality using the operator's personal belongings, the personal belongings may interfere with the work, or the occurrence of the abnormality may not be notified to the operator due to the loss of the personal belongings. Therefore, a technique capable of notifying an operator of the occurrence position of an abnormality without using the operator's personal belongings is desired.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The present disclosure can be realized in the following forms.

[0006] (1) According to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, an abnormality notification device is provided. The abnormality notification device comprises: an abnormality location acquisition unit that acquires information relating to the location of an abnormality in a factory; a product location acquisition unit that acquires information relating to the current location of a plurality of remotely controllable products manufactured in the factory, each product having a notification device that generates at least one of sound and light; a target product determination unit that uses the information relating to the abnormality location and the information relating to the current location of the plurality of products to determine a target product from among the plurality of products to notify a worker of the abnormality location; and a remote control unit that remotely controls the notification device of the target product, and notifies the worker of the abnormality location by generating at least one of sound and light in the notification device of the target product. This type of anomaly notification device allows for the remote control of the notification device on the target product, thereby notifying workers of the location of the anomaly. Therefore, the location of the anomaly can be notified to workers without the need for them to carry personal devices. (2) In the abnormality notification device of the above form, the product is a vehicle that can be driven by remote control, and the remote control unit may drive the product by remote control. This type of abnormality notification device allows products to be moved remotely without the need for physical transport. (3) In the abnormality notification device of the above form, the product may be equipped with a whistle that generates a warning sound as the notification device, and the remote control unit may notify the worker of the location of the abnormality by generating a sound in the whistle of the target product. This type of abnormality notification device allows for the remote control of the product's built-in horn to notify workers of the location of the abnormality. (4) In the abnormality notification device of the above form, the target product determination unit may determine a plurality of target products from among the plurality of products connected to the abnormality location, and the remote control unit may notify the worker of the abnormality location by sequentially generating sound and / or light on the notification devices of the plurality of target products. This type of anomaly notification device makes it easier for workers to recognize the location where the anomaly occurred. (5) According to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, an abnormality notification method is provided. This abnormality notification method acquires information relating to the location of an abnormality in a factory, acquires information relating to the current location of a plurality of remotely controllable products manufactured in the factory, each of which is equipped with an alarm device that generates at least one of sound and light, uses the information relating to the location of the abnormality and the information relating to the current location of the plurality of products to determine a target product from among the plurality of products to notify a worker of the location of the abnormality, and remotely controls the alarm device of the target product to generate at least one of sound and light in the alarm device of the target product, thereby notifying the worker of the location of the abnormality. This type of anomaly notification method allows for the location of an anomaly to be notified to a worker by remotely controlling the notification device of the target product. Therefore, the location of the anomaly can be notified to the worker without the use of equipment carried by the worker. This disclosure can also be implemented in various forms other than an anomaly notification device or anomaly notification method. For example, it can be implemented in the form of an anomaly notification system, a vehicle, a computer program, and a recording medium on which the computer program is stored. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the anomaly notification system. [Figure 2] An explanatory diagram showing the vehicle manufacturing process. [Figure 3] A flowchart illustrating the process for detecting anomalies. [Figure 4] A flowchart illustrating the content of the notification and command processing. [Figure 5] A flowchart illustrating the contents of the notification execution process. [Figure 6] An explanatory diagram showing how an abnormality is notified to a worker from a vehicle. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] A. First Embodiment: Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the abnormality notification system 10 in the first embodiment. The abnormality notification system 10 in this embodiment is used to notify workers of the location of a product when an abnormality occurs in a product at a factory where products are manufactured. In this embodiment, the product is a vehicle 100. More specifically, the product is an electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle). However, the product is not limited to an electric vehicle, and may be, for example, a gasoline car, a hybrid car, or a fuel cell vehicle. The product is not limited to a vehicle 100, and may be, for example, an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (a so-called flying car).

[0009] The abnormality notification system 10 comprises a vehicle 100, a plurality of inspection devices 200A, 200B, a process control device 300, and an abnormality notification device 400. The vehicle 100 includes a battery 110 as a power source, a drive device 120 for accelerating the vehicle, a steering device 130 for changing the direction of travel of the vehicle, a braking device 140 for decelerating the vehicle, a vehicle control device 150 for controlling various parts of the vehicle, a communication device 160 for communicating with the abnormality notification device 400 via wireless communication, and a notification device 170 for generating sound. In this embodiment, the drive device 120 includes a driving motor and drive wheels rotated by the driving motor. The vehicle control device 150 is composed of one or more ECUs (Electronic Control Units). When a driver is on board the vehicle, the vehicle control device 150 can drive the vehicle by controlling various parts of the vehicle in accordance with the driver's operations. The vehicle control device 150 can drive the vehicle by controlling various parts of the vehicle in response to control commands from outside the vehicle, regardless of whether a driver is on board the vehicle or not. In this embodiment, the notification device 170 is a horn that generates a warning sound.

[0010] Each inspection device 200A and 200B is a device for inspecting the vehicle 100. In the following description, when inspection devices 200A and 200B are not specifically distinguished, they will simply be referred to as inspection device 200. Inspection device 200 comprises various inspection equipment and a computer that controls the various equipment. Inspection device 200 generates inspection results for the vehicle 100, which is the product, and transmits the detection results to the abnormality notification device 400. In this embodiment, the inspection results include identification information of the vehicle 100 in which an abnormality was detected, information regarding the location of the vehicle 100 in which an abnormality was detected, and information regarding the type of abnormality. The identification information of the vehicle 100 is, for example, the vehicle serial number. Inspection device 200 is equipped with a communication device (not shown) and communicates with the process control device 300 and the abnormality notification device 400 by wired or wireless communication.

[0011] The process control device 300 is a device for managing the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100. The process control device 300 is composed of a computer. The process control device 300 acquires information from various factory equipment and generates information related to the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100, which is the product. In the following description, information related to the manufacturing process of a product is referred to as process information. In this embodiment, the process information includes information indicating when, where, which worker, on which product, and what work is scheduled to be performed; information indicating when, where, which worker, on which product, and what work has been performed; and information indicating the progress of the work. The process control device 300 is equipped with a communication device (not shown) and communicates with the inspection device 200 and the abnormality notification device 400 by wired or wireless communication.

[0012] The abnormality notification device 400 is a device for notifying workers of product abnormalities occurring within the factory. The abnormality notification device 400 is composed of a computer comprising a processor 401, a memory 402, an input / output interface 403, and an internal bus 404. The processor 401, memory 402, and input / output interface 403 are connected via the internal bus 404 to enable bidirectional communication. A communication device 405 is connected to the input / output interface 403 for communicating with the vehicle 100 via wireless communication and with the inspection device 200 and process control device 300 via wired or wireless communication. The memory 402 stores a computer program PG. By executing the computer program PG, the processor 401 functions as an abnormality location acquisition unit 410, a product location acquisition unit 420, a target product determination unit 430, and a remote control unit 440.

[0013] The abnormal occurrence location acquisition unit 410 acquires information about the location where an abnormality has occurred in the factory. In the following description, the location where an abnormality has occurred will be referred to as the abnormal occurrence location. The product location acquisition unit 420 acquires information about the current location of each product in the factory. The target product determination unit 430 uses the information about the abnormal occurrence location and the information about the current locations of multiple products to determine the target product from among multiple products to notify the worker of the abnormal occurrence location. The remote control unit 440 remotely controls the vehicle 100, which is the product. When an abnormality occurs in the factory, the remote control unit 440 notifies the worker of the abnormal occurrence location by remotely controlling the notification device 170 of the target product.

[0014] Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the manufacturing process of vehicle 100 in this embodiment. Figure 2 shows six vehicles 100A to 100F. In the following description, when the six vehicles 100A to 100F are not specifically distinguished, they will simply be referred to as vehicle 100. In this embodiment, factory KJ comprises a first location PL1, a second location PL2, a third location PL3, and a fourth location PL4. The first location PL1 is where the work of attaching parts to vehicle 100 is carried out. The second location PL2 and the third location PL3 are where the work of inspecting vehicle 100 is carried out. An inspection device 200A used for inspecting vehicle 100 is located in the second location PL2, and an inspection device 200B used for inspecting vehicle 100 is located in the third location PL3. The inspection items in the third location PL3 are different from those in the second location PL2. Vehicle 100 is completed when it passes the inspections in the second location PL2 and the third location PL3. The fourth location PL4 is a place for temporarily storing the completed vehicle 100. The first location PL1, the second location PL2, the third location PL3, and the fourth location PL4 are connected by a travel path SR on which the vehicle 100 can travel. The vehicle 100 moves along the travel path SR in the order of the first location PL1, the second location PL2, the third location PL3, and the fourth location PL4. In this embodiment, the vehicle 100 becomes drivable by remote control when work is performed at the first location PL1. The state in which the vehicle 100 is drivable by remote control means that the vehicle 100 is equipped with a drive unit 120, a steering unit 130, a braking unit 140, a vehicle control unit 150, and a communication unit 160, and is capable of performing the three functions of driving, turning, and stopping by remote control.

[0015] A method for the remote control unit 440 to drive the vehicle 100 by remote control will be described. First, the remote control unit 440 determines a target route for the vehicle 100 to travel to the destination through the driving route. In the factory KJ, a plurality of cameras CM for photographing the driving route are installed, and the remote control unit 440 can obtain the relative position and orientation of the vehicle 100 with respect to the target route in real time by analyzing the images captured by each camera CM. The remote control unit 440 may use LiDAR instead of the camera CM to obtain the relative position and orientation of the vehicle 100 with respect to the target route. The remote control unit 440 generates a control command for driving the vehicle 100 along the target route and transmits the control command to the vehicle 100. The vehicle control device 150 mounted on the vehicle 100 controls the driving device 120, the steering device 130, and the braking device 140 according to the received control command to drive the vehicle 100. Therefore, the vehicle 100 can be moved from the first place PL1 to the fourth place PL4 by remote control without using a conveying device such as a crane or a conveyor. In the present embodiment, the remote control unit 440 can remotely control a plurality of vehicles 100A to 100F simultaneously and in parallel. The plurality of vehicles 100A to 100F move from the first place PL1 to the fourth place PL4 in a line. In the present embodiment, since the plurality of vehicles 100A to 100F move on a straight driving route SR, a straight line is formed by the plurality of vehicles 100A to 100F. However, when the plurality of vehicles 100A to 100F move on a winding driving route SR, a winding line may be formed by the plurality of vehicles 100A to 100F.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the content of the abnormality detection process. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the content of the notification command process. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the content of the notification execution process. An abnormality notification method executed in the abnormality notification system 10 will be described using FIGS. 3 to 5.

[0017] The abnormality detection process shown in FIG. 3 is repeatedly executed by the inspection device 200. When the abnormality detection process is started, at step S110, the inspection device 200 performs an inspection of the product and determines whether an abnormality is detected in the product. If it is determined at step S110 that no abnormality is detected in the product, the inspection device 200 skips the processes after step S110 and ends the abnormality detection process. If it is determined at step S110 that an abnormality is detected in the product, the inspection device 200 generates abnormality occurrence position information, which is information regarding the position of the product in which the abnormality has occurred, and transmits the abnormality occurrence position information to the abnormality notification device 400. In the present embodiment, the abnormality occurrence position information is information indicating the position of the product in which the abnormality has occurred. The abnormality occurrence position information may be identification information of the product in which the abnormality has occurred. Thereafter, the inspection device 200 ends the abnormality detection process.

[0018] The notification command process shown in FIG. 4 is repeatedly executed by the abnormality notification device 400. When the notification command process is started, at step S210, the abnormality occurrence position acquisition unit 410 determines whether the abnormality occurrence position information has been received. If it is determined at step S210 that the abnormality occurrence position information has not been received, the abnormality occurrence position acquisition unit 410 skips the processes after step S210 and ends the notification command process.

[0019] If it is determined in step S210 that abnormality location information has been received, the product location acquisition unit 420 acquires information regarding the current location of each product in factory KJ in step S220. In the following description, the information regarding the current location of each product will be referred to as product location information. In this embodiment, the product location acquisition unit 420 can acquire product location information from each camera CM installed in factory KJ. The product location acquisition unit 420 may also acquire product location information from the process control device 300. The process control device 300 has information indicating when, where, which worker, which product, and what work is scheduled to be performed; information indicating when, where, which worker, which product, and what work has been performed; and information indicating the progress of the work. In other words, the process control device 300 knows the current location of each product. For example, in the state shown in Figure 2, the process control device 300 is aware that vehicle 100A has finished inspection at location 3 PL3 and is moving to location 4 PL4, vehicle 100B is undergoing inspection at location 3 PL3, vehicle 100C has finished inspection at location 2 PL2 and is moving to location 3 PL3, vehicle 100D is undergoing inspection at location 2 PL2, vehicle 100E has finished assembly work at location 1 PL1 and is moving to location 2 PL2, and vehicle 100F is performing parts installation work at location 1 PL1.

[0020] In step S230, the target product determination unit 430 uses the abnormality location information and product location information to determine the target product from among multiple products in factory KJ to notify the worker of the abnormality location. In this embodiment, the target product determination unit 430 determines the product in which the abnormality was detected and all products that follow the product in which the abnormality was detected among multiple products located between the first location PL1 and the fourth location PL4 as target products. The target product determination unit 430 may also determine the product in which the abnormality was detected and a predetermined number of products that follow the product in order of proximity to the product in which the abnormality was detected as target products. The target product determination unit 430 may also determine products that are lined up one after the other as target products.

[0021] In step S240, the remote control unit 440 sends a control command to each target product to notify the worker of the location of the abnormality. In the following description, the control command to notify the worker of the location of the abnormality will be referred to as the notification command. In this embodiment, the remote control unit 440 sends a control command to each target product as the notification command to sound the alarm device 170 intermittently for a predetermined period of time. In this embodiment, the remote control unit 440 sends notification commands to each target product so that the alarm device 170 of each target product sounds in order from the one closest to the location of the abnormality. After that, the abnormality notification device 400 terminates the notification command processing.

[0022] The notification execution process shown in Figure 5 is repeatedly executed by the vehicle control device 150. When the notification execution process starts, in step S310, the vehicle control device 150 determines whether or not a notification command has been received. If it is determined in step S310 that a notification command has not been received, the vehicle control device 150 skips the processing after step S310 and terminates the notification process. If it is determined in step S310 that a notification command has been received, the vehicle control device 150 controls the notification device 170 according to the notification command to notify the worker of the location of the abnormality. After that, the vehicle control device 150 terminates the notification execution process.

[0023] Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing how a worker is guided to the location where an anomaly has occurred. Figure 6 shows six vehicles 100A to 100F being manufactured at factory KJ. In Figure 6, vehicle 100B, which is the location where the anomaly occurred, is hatched. When the inspection device 200B detects an anomaly in vehicle 100B, anomaly location information JA, indicating that vehicle 100B is the location where the anomaly occurred, is transmitted from the inspection device 200B to the anomaly notification device 400. The target product determination unit 430 uses the anomaly location information JA and product location information to determine vehicle 100B and the vehicles 100C to 100F connected to vehicle 100B as target products. The remote control unit 440 transmits a notification command TS to each target product 100B to 100F. Each target product 100B to 100F sounds an alarm device 170 in accordance with the notification command TS. In this embodiment, warning sounds SD are emitted from the notification devices 170 of each target product 100B to 100F in the order of vehicle 100B, vehicle 100C, vehicle 100D, vehicle 100E, and vehicle 100F. A worker WK4 located near vehicle 100F can determine the direction of the abnormality location from the order in which the warning sounds SD are emitted. Since the notification device 170 of vehicle 100A is not sounding, a worker who has moved near vehicle 100B can determine that vehicle 100B is the location of the abnormality.

[0024] According to the abnormality notification system 10 of this embodiment described above, the location of an abnormality can be notified to workers from a vehicle 100 being manufactured at factory KJ. Therefore, the location of the abnormality can be notified to workers without using any personal belongings carried by the workers.

[0025] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the location of the abnormality is notified to the worker using the notification device 170 provided on the vehicle 100, it is possible to notify the worker that an abnormality has occurred without having to install a dedicated device on the vehicle 100 to notify the worker that an abnormality has occurred.

[0026] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the notification devices 170 are activated sequentially, starting with the target products closest to the location where the abnormality occurred. Therefore, it is possible to make it easier for workers to recognize the direction of the location where the abnormality occurred.

[0027] B. Other embodiments: (B1) In the abnormality notification system 10 of the first embodiment described above, the vehicle 100 can be driven by remote control. In contrast, the vehicle 100 does not have to be able to be driven by remote control. In this case, the vehicle 100 may be transported by a transport device such as a conveyor or a crane.

[0028] (B2) In the abnormality notification system 10 of the first embodiment described above, abnormality location information is transmitted to the abnormality notification device 400 from the inspection device 200A installed at the second location PL2, or from the inspection device 200B installed at the third location PL3. In response, worker WK2 located at the second location PL2, or worker WK3 located at the third location PL3, may transmit abnormality location information to the abnormality notification device 400 using a tablet terminal or the like. If worker WK1 located at the first location PL1 discovers an abnormality in the product, worker WK1 may transmit abnormality location information to the abnormality notification device 400 using a tablet terminal or the like.

[0029] (B3) In the abnormality notification system 10 of the first embodiment described above, the notification device 170 is a horn that generates a warning sound. In contrast, the notification device 170 may be an audio device located inside the vehicle. In this case, the location of the abnormality can be notified by a warning sound or voice message from the audio device. Furthermore, if the audio device of a vehicle 100 with doors is used to notify the location of the abnormality, the notification using the audio device may be performed after opening the power window provided in the door. In this case, the warning sound or voice message from the audio device will be more easily recognized by the worker.

[0030] (B4) In the abnormality notification system 10 of the first embodiment described above, the notification device 170 is a device that generates sound. In contrast, the notification device 170 may be a device that generates light. For example, the notification device 170 may be a headlamp, taillamp, or turn lamp (direction indicator). In this case, the location of the abnormality can be notified to the worker by light rather than sound. The notification device 170 may be a device that generates both sound and light.

[0031] (B5) In the abnormality notification system 10 of the first embodiment described above, multiple products, including the product in which an abnormality was detected, are designated as target products. In contrast, the target product determination unit 430 may determine only the product in which an abnormality was detected as a target product.

[0032] (B6) In the abnormality notification system 10 of the first embodiment described above, the remote control unit 440 sends a notification command to each target product so that the alarm device 170 of each target product sounds in order from the closest to the location of the abnormality. Alternatively, the remote control unit 440 may send a notification command to each target product so that the alarm device 170 of each target product sounds in order from the furthest to the location of the abnormality. Even in this case, the worker can determine the direction of the location of the abnormality from the order in which the warning sounds from the alarm device 170 are emitted. Furthermore, the remote control unit 440 may send a notification command to each target product so that the warning sound from the alarm device 170 becomes louder the closer it is to the location of the abnormality. In this case, the worker can determine the direction of the location of the abnormality from the loudness of the warning sound.

[0033] (B7) In the abnormality notification system 10 of the first embodiment described above, when an abnormality occurs in a product, the location of the product experiencing the abnormality is notified by remotely controlling the target product. In contrast, when an abnormality occurs in equipment, the location of the equipment malfunction may be notified by remotely controlling the target product. In this case, for example, the location of the abnormality can be notified to the worker by including the product closest to the location of the abnormality as the target product.

[0034] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various configurations without departing from its spirit. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each form described in the summary of the invention can be replaced or combined as appropriate in order to solve some or all of the above-described problems, or to achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be deleted as appropriate. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0035] 10...Anomaly notification system, 100...Vehicle, 110...Battery, 120...Drive system, 130...Steering system, 140...Brake system, 150...Vehicle control device, 160...Communication device, 170...Notification device, 200...Inspection device, 300...Process control device, 400...Anomaly notification device, 401...Processor, 402...Memory, 403...Input / output interface, 404...Internal bus, 405...Communication device, 410...Anomaly occurrence location acquisition unit, 420...Product location acquisition unit, 430...Target product determination unit, 440...Remote control unit, CM...Camera, JA...Anomaly occurrence location information, JP...Product location information, KJ...Factory, PG...Computer program, PL1...First location, PL2...Second location, PL3...Third location, PL4...Fourth location, SR...Road, TS...Notification command, WK1~4...Worker

Claims

1. An anomaly notification device, An abnormal occurrence location acquisition unit that acquires information on the location of abnormal occurrences in the factory, A product location acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the current location of multiple remotely controllable products manufactured in the aforementioned factory, each equipped with an alarm device that generates at least one of sound and light, A target product determination unit that uses the information regarding the location of the abnormality and the information regarding the current location of the plurality of products to determine which product to notify the worker of the location of the abnormality from among the plurality of products, A remote control unit for remotely controlling the notification device of the target product, the remote control unit notifies the worker of the location of the abnormality by generating at least one of sound and light in the notification device of the target product, An abnormality notification device equipped with the following features.

2. An abnormality notification device according to claim 1, The aforementioned product is a vehicle that can be driven by remote control. The remote control unit is an abnormality notification device that remotely controls the operation of the product.

3. An abnormality notification device according to claim 1, The aforementioned product is equipped with a horn that generates a warning sound as the notification device. The remote control unit is an abnormality notification device that notifies the worker of the location of the abnormality by generating a sound in the whistle of the target product.

4. An abnormality notification device according to claim 1, The target product determination unit determines a plurality of target products from among the plurality of products connected to the abnormality occurrence location. The remote control unit is an abnormality notification device that notifies the worker of the location of the abnormality by sequentially generating sound and / or light on the notification devices of the plurality of target products.

5. An abnormality notification method, We obtain information regarding the location of abnormalities in the factory. Information regarding the current location of a plurality of remotely controllable products manufactured in the aforementioned factory, each of which is equipped with an alarm device that generates at least one of sound and light, is acquired. Using the information regarding the location of the abnormality and the information regarding the current location of the multiple products, the target product for notifying the worker of the location of the abnormality is determined from among the multiple products. By remotely controlling the notification device of the target product, the notification device of the target product generates at least one of sound and light, thereby notifying the worker of the location where the abnormality occurred. Abnormality notification method.

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