Monitoring device

Abstract

A monitoring device according to the present disclosure comprises: a monitoring unit that monitors occurrence of an abnormality in each of a plurality of industrial machines; a calculation unit that calculates, for each industrial machine in which an abnormality has occurred, a priority order on the basis of the number of remaining days from the current date to a date when maintenance work needs to be started; and a display unit that displays a diagram symbol representing an industrial machine, for which the priority order falls within a predetermined top range, among the industrial machines in which the abnormality has occurred, in a display mode different from those of a diagram symbol representing an industrial machine, for which the priority order falls outside the predetermined top range, among the industrial machines in which the abnormality has occurred, and a diagram symbol representing an industrial machine in which no abnormality has occurred.

Description

monitoring device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a monitoring device having a function of monitoring industrial machinery such as a robot.

[0002] Known robot monitoring systems include predictive maintenance using algorithms that predict failures of robots installed in production factories, preventive maintenance that notifies the replacement timing of components such as batteries installed in the robots when replacement periods are set, and monitoring the operational status of the robots, such as the occurrence of abnormalities. In robot monitoring systems, information about the monitored robots is displayed on a user interface unique to the system to notify a system administrator or facility manager of any changes in the operational status of the robots. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a method for displaying information about the monitored robots on a map according to their locations. This method allows a user to immediately determine the location of a robot in which an abnormality has occurred. However, particularly when there are many monitored robots, the large amount of information displayed on the map can make it difficult to grasp information about the robot in which an abnormality has occurred, making it difficult to determine which of the abnormal robots should be prioritized for investigation or maintenance.

[0003] JP 2005-107671 A

[0004] There is a need to propose a technology that prevents the ease of maintenance work by users from being reduced.

[0005] The monitoring device according to the present disclosure comprises a monitoring unit that monitors occurrence of abnormalities in each of a plurality of industrial machines; a calculation unit that calculates the priority of an industrial machine in which an abnormality has occurred based on the number of days remaining from the current date until the date on which maintenance work needs to be started; and a display unit that displays a symbol representing an industrial machine in which an abnormality has occurred and whose priority is within a predetermined number among the industrial machines in which an abnormality has occurred, in a display mode that is different from the symbol representing an industrial machine in which an abnormality has occurred and whose priority is outside the predetermined number among the industrial machines in which an abnormality has occurred and the symbol representing an industrial machine in which an abnormality has occurred.

[0006] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a robot monitoring system including a monitoring device according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the monitoring device of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the monitoring device of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an abnormality history management table stored in the storage unit of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a monitoring screen displayed on the display unit of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display setting screen displayed on the display unit of FIG. 3. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a maintenance days setting screen displayed on the display unit of FIG. 3. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a monitoring process procedure performed by the monitoring device according to this embodiment. FIG. 9 shows another example of the monitoring screen displayed on the display unit of FIG. 3. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a cursor is positioned over a first robot icon on the monitoring screen of FIG. 9. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a cursor is positioned over a second robot icon on the monitoring screen of FIG. 9.

[0007] The monitoring device according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having substantially the same functions and configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be given only when necessary.

[0008] The monitoring device according to this embodiment (hereinafter simply referred to as the monitoring device) is a computer device having a monitoring function for monitoring the occurrence of abnormalities in robots and a presentation function for presenting to a user robots with abnormalities. One feature of the monitoring device is that it prioritizes the maintenance work for robots with abnormalities and presents to a user robots with higher priority, distinguishing them from robots with lower priority and robots that are not experiencing any abnormalities. By viewing the screen displayed on the monitoring device, a user can know which robots have a high maintenance priority and intuitively grasp which robots with abnormalities should be first maintained. This allows efficient robot maintenance work to be achieved even with a limited number of workers.

[0009] In this embodiment, terms are defined as follows: Robot: A robot is an example of an industrial machine to be monitored. The industrial machine is not limited to a robot and may be a machine tool, welding equipment, servo gun, or the like. Robot icon: A robot icon is a graphic symbol that schematically represents a robot. An identification number is attached to the robot icon to identify the robot. Here, by hovering a cursor over a robot icon, it is determined whether the robot corresponding to the robot icon satisfies a predetermined condition. If the predetermined condition is met, a text pop-up displays the details of the abnormality. Abnormal: An abnormality indicates that maintenance is required for the industrial machine. A robot requiring maintenance includes a state in which the robot is currently operating normally but, if continued operation without maintenance continues, may result in a malfunction of the robot or the workpiece produced by the robot. Examples of such a state include a state in which a component of the robot is predicted to fail in the near future or a state in which a component of the robot needs to be replaced. Of course, a state in which maintenance is required for a robot may also include a state in which the robot is already not operating normally, such as when a component of the robot fails. Priority: The priority indicates the order in which maintenance work should be performed on a robot with an abnormality. A high priority means that the maintenance priority is high and that maintenance work should be performed immediately. Typically, the priority is calculated based on the number of days remaining from the current date to the target deadline. Maintenance work: Maintenance work includes various tasks required from the occurrence of an abnormality until the actual work by a worker is completed, such as the actual work by a worker, the work of arranging for a worker, the work of adjusting a schedule, the work of ordering parts, and the work of getting approval within the company. Note that maintenance work may refer only to the actual maintenance work by a worker.

[0010] Maintenance days: The number of maintenance days is the number of days required for maintenance work. Typically, the number of maintenance days includes the time required for actual maintenance work by a worker and the time required for various tasks before the maintenance work begins. The number of maintenance days is registered in advance as a recommended value by a maintenance company or the like, but may also be set by the user. The number of maintenance days recommended by a maintenance company or the like is, for example, the number of days required for actual maintenance work by a worker. In this embodiment, the number of maintenance days registered in advance is distinguished from the set value of the number of maintenance days set by the user. When there is no need to distinguish between them, it is simply referred to as the number of maintenance days. Absolute deadline: The absolute deadline is the absolute deadline by which maintenance work must be performed. The absolute deadline is the date by which some kind of malfunction is predicted to occur in the robot and there is a possibility of actual breakdown, etc., if maintenance work is not performed by that date. Target deadline: The target deadline is the date by which maintenance work must be started. The target deadline is a date that takes the number of maintenance days into consideration and is typically set to a date that is the number of maintenance days before the absolute deadline. Therefore, if maintenance work can be started by the target deadline, it is possible to reliably avoid a situation in which the absolute deadline is reached during maintenance work and a malfunction occurs. The target deadline is clearly distinguished from the absolute deadline mentioned above. Maintenance grace period: The maintenance grace period is the number of days from the date when the abnormality occurred until the absolute deadline.

[0011] Typically, a monitoring device is configured as follows. As shown in Fig. 1, a robot monitoring system 1 includes a plurality of robots 3 to be monitored, and a monitoring device 2 that monitors the occurrence of abnormalities in the plurality of robots 3. The plurality of robots 3 are connected to the monitoring device 2 via a network 10 such as a local area network or the Internet. In this embodiment, the plurality of robots 3 are connected to the monitoring device 2. However, the configuration of the robot monitoring system 1 is not limited to this. For example, an information processing device that collects data from a plurality of robots 3 installed in a factory may be provided for each factory, and a plurality of information processing devices corresponding to each of the multiple factories may be connected to the monitoring device.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2 , the monitoring device 2 is configured by connecting hardware such as an input device 12, a display device 13, a communication device 14, and a storage device 15 to a processor 11 such as a CPU via a data control bus. The input device 12 is realized by a keyboard, a mouse, a jog, etc. A user can input various information to the monitoring device 2 via the input device 12. The display device 13 is realized by an organic EL display, an LCD, etc. The display device 13 displays various screens under the control of the processor 11. The communication device 14 transmits and receives data to and receives data from multiple robots 3 under the control of the processor 11. The storage device 15 is realized by an HDD, an SSD, etc. A monitoring program that monitors the occurrence of abnormalities in the robot 3 and displays information regarding the occurrence of abnormalities in the robot 3 is stored in the storage device 15.

[0013] As shown in Figure 3, when the monitoring program stored in the storage device 15 is executed by the processor 11, the monitoring device 2 functions as an input unit 21, a display unit 22, a data receiving unit 23, a storage unit 24, a monitoring unit 25, a screen creation unit 27, a display number setting unit 28, a display item setting unit 29, a maintenance day count setting unit 30, and a judgment unit 31.

[0014] The input unit 21 is realized by the function of the input device 12 shown in Fig. 2. The input unit 21 inputs user operations via the input device 12 to the monitoring device 2. For example, the input unit 21 inputs to the monitoring device 2 an instruction to switch the display screen, an instruction to set the number of items to be displayed, an instruction to set the format, an instruction to set the number of days for maintenance, and an instruction to select a specific robot icon displayed on the display screen.

[0015] The display unit 22 is realized by the functions of the display device 13 shown in Fig. 2. The display unit 22 displays a monitoring screen, a display setting screen, a maintenance days setting screen, etc., created by the screen creation unit 27. Details of these screens will be described later.

[0016] The data receiving unit 23 is realized by the function of the communication device 14 shown in Fig. 2. The data receiving unit 23 receives sensor data from the robot 3 together with a factory ID that identifies the factory and a robot ID that identifies the robot 3, as information necessary for diagnosing whether an abnormality has occurred.

[0017] The memory unit 24 is realized by the functions of the storage device 15 shown in FIG. 2. The memory unit 24 stores various information necessary for processing related to the monitoring program (monitoring processing). For example, the memory unit 24 stores an abnormality history management table that summarizes information about abnormalities that have occurred in the robot 3. The memory unit 24 also stores multiple diagnostic programs corresponding to multiple types of diagnostic functions. The memory unit 24 also stores, for each of the multiple types of diagnostic functions, the number of grace days for maintenance, the initial values ​​for the number of maintenance days, and the set value for the number of maintenance days. The memory unit 24 also stores format data, material data, etc. for screens created by the screen creation unit 27, such as a monitoring screen, a display setting screen, and a maintenance days setting screen. For example, the material data includes data on a robot icon, data related to a first mark, and data related to a second mark.

[0018] The monitoring unit 25 monitors the occurrence of an abnormality in the robot 3. Specifically, the monitoring unit 25 has multiple types of diagnostic functions for diagnosing the occurrence of an abnormality in the robot 3. The multiple types of diagnostic functions are respectively realized by executing multiple diagnostic programs stored in the storage unit 24. For example, the monitoring unit 25 diagnoses the deterioration state of the reducer based on sensor data received from an encoder equipped on the robot 3 using a function for diagnosing reduction gear deterioration. Then, when the deterioration state of the reducer exceeds a threshold, the monitoring unit 25 diagnoses that an abnormality has occurred in the robot 3. For example, the monitoring unit 25 diagnoses the arrival of the time to replace the battery based on the number of days elapsed since the last battery replacement or the operating time of the robot 3 since the last battery replacement using a function for notifying battery replacement. Then, the monitoring unit 25 diagnoses that an abnormality has occurred in the robot 3 when the time to replace the battery has arrived. The multiple types of diagnostic functions include a function for diagnosing motor torque, a function for diagnosing arc welding status, a function for diagnosing servo guns, a function for notifying cable replacement, a function for notifying grease replacement, etc. When the monitoring unit 25 diagnoses the occurrence of an abnormality in the robot 3, the robot ID that identifies the robot 3 in which the abnormality occurred, the abnormality content, the abnormality code corresponding to the abnormality content, and the date and time of the abnormality occurrence are recorded in the abnormality history management table.

[0019] The calculation unit 26 calculates the priority based on the number of days remaining from the current date until the target deadline. Specifically, the calculation unit 26 calculates the number of remaining days by subtracting the initial value of the number of maintenance days and the number of days elapsed since the date the abnormality occurred from the number of maintenance grace days, and calculates the priority in ascending order of the number of remaining days. When the number of remaining days is the same, the priority is determined based on the length of the number of maintenance days. Specifically, when the number of remaining days is the same, the priority is determined in descending order of the number of maintenance days. Note that when the number of maintenance days has been set by the user, the calculation unit 26 calculates the number of remaining days by substituting the initial value of the number of maintenance days with the set value of the number of maintenance days.

[0020] The screen creation unit 27 uses the format data and material data stored in the storage unit 24 to create a monitoring screen for notifying the user of the occurrence of an abnormality in the robot 3, a display setting screen for accepting user settings related to display, a maintenance days setting screen for accepting user settings for the number of maintenance days, and a pop-up screen including text of detailed information related to the abnormality. The pop-up screen is created when a positive determination is made by the determination unit 31, and includes detailed information related to the abnormality that has occurred in the robot 3 corresponding to the robot icon for which a positive determination has been made. The screen created by the screen creation unit 27 is displayed on the display unit 22.

[0021] The display number setting unit 28 sets the display number based on user operation on the display setting screen. The display number corresponds to a predetermined top priority and is the number of robot icons to be displayed in a display mode indicating a high maintenance priority. The display item setting unit 29 sets display items based on user operation on the display setting screen. The display items are detailed information about the abnormality, such as the abnormality content, abnormality code, maintenance method, and remaining days. The maintenance days setting unit 30 sets a set value for the maintenance days based on user operation on the maintenance days setting screen. When the cursor is placed on a robot icon displayed on the monitoring screen, the determination unit 31 determines whether the robot 3 represented by the robot icon satisfies a predetermined condition. Specifically, the determination unit 31 determines that the robot 3 corresponding to the robot icon satisfies the predetermined condition when the robot 3 is within the priorities individually set for the abnormality content, abnormality code, maintenance method, and remaining days. When the display targets for the abnormality content, abnormality code, maintenance method, and remaining days are set as shown in Figure 6, robots 3 with priorities in the top 10 are determined to satisfy the specified conditions, and robots 3 with priorities 11 and below are determined to not satisfy the specified conditions.

[0022] FIG. 4 shows an example of an abnormality history management table. The abnormality history management table manages information about the robot 3 in which an abnormality has occurred. For example, in the abnormality history management table, a history ID that uniquely identifies the abnormality occurrence history is associated with a factory ID, robot ID, abnormality content, abnormality code, abnormality occurrence date and time, and maintenance status. The abnormality content is information indicating the diagnostic function that diagnosed the abnormality in the robot 3. The abnormality code is a code that identifies the abnormality content. The maintenance status is information indicating whether maintenance has been performed, with 'Maintained' indicating that maintenance has been performed and 'Not Maintained' indicating that maintenance has not been performed. When the monitoring unit 25 diagnoses an abnormality in the robot 3, the factory ID, robot ID, abnormality content, abnormality code, abnormality occurrence date and time, and maintenance status are registered in the abnormality history management table. Initially, the maintenance status is registered as 'Not Maintained'. When input indicating that maintenance has been performed is received, the maintenance status is updated from 'Not Maintained' to 'Maintained'.

[0023] The monitoring screen displayed by the display unit 22 will be described below with reference to FIG. 5 . FIG. 5 shows an example of a monitoring screen. The monitoring screen 110 shown in FIG. 5 is displayed when 'FACTORY1' is clicked on the navigation tree 200, which is permanently displayed on each screen constituting the monitoring site. The monitoring screen 110 is a screen for presenting to the user the occurrence of abnormalities in the robots 3 located in the factory corresponding to 'FACTORY1'. For example, as shown in FIG. 5 , the monitoring screen 110 displays multiple robot icons 115 corresponding to multiple robots 3, respectively. The multiple robot icons 115 are respectively arranged in multiple positions according to the actual layout information. In the monitoring screen 110 shown in FIG. 5 , the display modes of the multiple robot icons 115 are the same. This means that no abnormalities have occurred in the multiple robots 3 located in the factory corresponding to 'FACTORY1'.

[0024] The display setting screen displayed by the display unit 22 will be described below with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 shows an example of the display setting screen. The display setting screen 120 shown in Fig. 6 is displayed when 'Display Settings' in the navigation tree 200 is clicked. The display setting screen 120 is a screen for receiving display-related conditions such as the number of items to display, display items, and format from the user.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 6 , the display setting screen 120 is provided with an input box 121 for receiving the number of robots to be displayed (the number of robots with the highest priority), and a pull-down menu 122 for receiving the display mode. The pull-down menu 122 is set with a display mode selected by the user from a plurality of display modes. In FIG. 6 , it is set to display a 'first mark' superimposed on the robot icon 115 corresponding to a robot 3 with a priority ranking within the top five. As a result, the robot icon 115 corresponding to a robot 3 with a priority ranking within the top five is displayed in a different display mode from the robot icon 115 corresponding to a robot 3 with a priority ranking outside the top five and the robot icon 115 corresponding to a robot 3 with no abnormalities.

[0026] Note that the robot icons 115 corresponding to robots 3 with low maintenance priorities, which indicate that their priorities are lower than a predetermined number of the top robots, may be displayed in a different display mode from the robot icons 115 corresponding to robots 3 with no abnormalities. As shown in FIG. 6 , the display setting screen 120 is provided with a selection box 123 for receiving a user selection of whether or not to display the robot icons 115 corresponding to robots 3 with low priorities (outside the predetermined number of the top robots) in a different display mode from the robot icons 115 corresponding to robots 3 with no abnormalities, and a pull-down menu 125 for receiving the display mode. In FIG. 6 , it is set to display a 'second mark' superimposed on the robot icons 115 corresponding to robots 3 with priorities outside the top five (i.e., sixth place or lower). As a result, the robot icons 115 corresponding to robots 3 with low maintenance priorities, which indicate that their priorities are sixth place or lower, are displayed in a different display mode from the robot icons 115 corresponding to robots 3 with high maintenance priorities, which indicate that their priorities are within the top five, and the robot icons 115 corresponding to robots 3 with no abnormalities.

[0027] 6 , the display setting screen 120 has four input boxes 126, 127, 128, and 129 and four toggle buttons 130, 131, 132, and 133 corresponding to four display items: abnormality details, abnormality code, maintenance method, and remaining days. The four toggle buttons 130, 131, 132, and 133 accept display items to be displayed for a robot 3 in which an abnormality has occurred. For example, when the toggle button 130 is set to 'hide,' this indicates that the display item 'abnormality details' will not be displayed for any robot 3. The four input boxes 126, 127, 128, and 129 accept the number of robots 3 to be displayed for each of the abnormality details, abnormality code, maintenance method, and remaining days.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 6 , for example, the input box 126 corresponding to the display item 'Abnormality Details' is entered with a value of '3', and the toggle button 130 corresponding to the display item 'Abnormality Details' indicates 'Display.' This indicates that abnormality details are displayed for robots 3 whose priorities are in the top three, but not for robots 3 whose priorities are fourth or lower. According to the display item settings shown in FIG. 6 , all display items (abnormality details, abnormality code, maintenance method, and remaining days) are displayed for the robot 3 whose priority is first; three display items (abnormality details, abnormality code, and remaining days) are displayed for the robot 3 whose priority is second; two display items (abnormality details and remaining days) are displayed for the robot 3 whose priority is third; and only the remaining days are displayed for the robots 3 whose priorities are fourth through tenth. In this way, the higher the priority of a robot 3, the more display items are displayed. This allows the user to intuitively grasp the priority of a robot 3 in which an abnormality has occurred by the number of display items.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 6, the display setting screen 120 has four pull-down menus 134, 135, 136, and 137 corresponding to the four formats, respectively. Each of the four pull-down menus 134, 135, 136, and 137 contains a candidate selected by the user from a plurality of selection candidates. In Fig. 6, the format 'Character Color' is set to 'Black,' 'Background' to 'White,' 'Size' to '10.5,' and 'Position' to 'Top.'

[0030] The maintenance days setting screen displayed on the display unit 22 will be described below with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 shows an example of the maintenance days setting screen. The maintenance days setting screen 140 shown in Fig. 7 is displayed when 'Maintenance days setting' in the navigation tree 200 is clicked. The maintenance days setting screen 140 is a screen for receiving a setting value for the number of maintenance days from the user.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 7 , the maintenance days setting screen 140 displays the number of grace days for maintenance, the set value for the number of maintenance days, and the initial value for the number of maintenance days in association with the diagnostic function name. The maintenance days setting screen 140 includes multiple input boxes 141, 142, 143, 144, and 145, each corresponding to a diagnostic function. The input boxes 141, 142, 143, 144, and 145 accept multiple set values ​​for the number of maintenance days for each diagnostic function. As shown in FIG. 7 , for example, the input box 141 corresponding to the function name 'A Diagnosis' is set to the value '7'. This indicates that the set value for the number of maintenance days for the robot 3 diagnosed with an abnormality by the diagnostic function 'A Diagnosis' is set to 7 days. The number of grace days for maintenance of 21 days and the set value for the number of maintenance days of 7 days are used to calculate the remaining number of days for the robot 3. Meanwhile, the input box 143 corresponding to the diagnostic function name 'C Replacement' is left blank. This indicates that the number of maintenance days has not been set for the robot 3 that has been diagnosed with an abnormality by the diagnostic function 'C replacement'. The remaining number of days for the robot 3 is calculated using the grace period for maintenance of 25 days and the initial maintenance days of 2 days. The initial maintenance days is the minimum number of maintenance days required for maintenance. By setting the number of maintenance days by adding the number of days required by the company, such as the number of days it takes to pass a request for approval, to the initial maintenance days while referring to the initial maintenance days, the user can reduce the risk of the robot 3 having to be shut down due to excessive work time required by the company.

[0032] The monitoring process performed by the monitoring device 2 will be described below with reference to FIG. 8 . FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the monitoring process performed by the monitoring device 2 according to this embodiment. Upon receiving a command to start the monitoring process, the monitoring device 2 starts the monitoring process for each robot 3. Specifically, the monitoring device 2 displays a monitoring screen (S11) and monitors for the occurrence of an abnormality (S12). For example, in step S12, the monitoring device 2 diagnoses the occurrence of an abnormality in the robot 3 based on sensor data received from the robot 3. Upon diagnosing the occurrence of an abnormality in the robot 3 (S13; Yes), the monitoring device 2 calculates the priority of each robot 3 that has been diagnosed with an abnormality and has not yet undergone maintenance work (S14) and updates the monitoring screen (S15). Through the processing in step S15, the display mode of the robot icon corresponding to the robot 3 whose priority is within a predetermined number of robots and the display mode of the robot icon corresponding to the robot 3 whose priority is outside the predetermined number of robots are changed on the monitoring screen. Note that the monitoring screen remains unchanged until a new abnormality occurs in the robot 3 (S13; No). The monitoring device 2 repeatedly executes the processes of steps S12 to S15, i.e., the process of monitoring the occurrence of abnormalities in each robot 3 and updating the monitoring screen when a new abnormality occurs, until an instruction to end the monitoring process is received (S16; No). The monitoring device 2 ends the monitoring process when an instruction to end the monitoring process is received (S16; Yes). Through the above-described monitoring process, the monitoring screen displayed on the display unit 22 is updated every time a new abnormality occurs in a robot 3, and the display mode of multiple robot icons corresponding to the multiple robots 3 is changed.

[0033] The effects of the monitoring device 2 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figs. 9, 10, and 11. Fig. 9 shows another example of the monitoring screen. Fig. 10 shows the state in which the cursor is positioned over the first robot icon on the monitoring screen of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 shows the state in which the cursor is positioned over the second robot icon on the monitoring screen of Fig. 9. Fig. 9 shows the monitoring screen when abnormalities have occurred in 11 robots 3.

[0034] The purpose of notifying the user of a robot 3 with an abnormality is to prompt the user to perform maintenance work on that robot 3. Therefore, if the number of maintenance workers is limited, it is not possible to perform maintenance work on many robots 3 at the same time, so it is not necessarily necessary to simultaneously notify all robots 3 with an abnormality. In particular, when there are many robots 3 with abnormalities, informing the user of all robots 3 with abnormalities requires displaying a large amount of information on the monitoring screen. However, this may confuse the user and reduce the efficiency of the user's maintenance work. Specifically, because there are many robots 3 with abnormalities, the process of determining the order in which maintenance work should be performed may be delayed. Furthermore, multiple robots 3 with low maintenance priority may be subjected to maintenance work before robots with high maintenance priority, which may result in the maintenance work not being completed by the deadline and the robot 3 breaking down.

[0035] In order to prevent a decrease in the workability of maintenance work by the user, the monitoring device 2 according to this embodiment has devised the content and method of display on the monitoring screen showing the occurrence of an abnormality in the robot 3. One of the devised methods is to avoid displaying too much information on the monitoring screen 160.

[0036] 9 , by superimposing a first mark 161 on the robot icon 115 corresponding to a robot 3 that is within a predetermined top priority among the robots 3 that have developed an abnormality, the robot icon 115 corresponding to the robot 3 with a high maintenance priority is displayed in a different display mode from the robot icons 115 corresponding to the robots 3 with a low maintenance priority and the robot icons 115 corresponding to the robots 3 that are not developing an abnormality. This allows the user to intuitively understand that the robot 3 corresponding to the robot icon 115 with the first mark 161 superimposed on the monitoring screen 160 is the robot 3 with a high maintenance priority, and allows the user to appropriately and quickly determine the order of maintenance work. This improves the workability of maintenance work and reduces the risk of reaching the critical date without maintenance.

[0037] 10 , by placing the cursor 300 on the first robot icon 115 on which the first mark 161 is superimposed on the monitoring screen 160, a pop-up screen 165 is displayed that displays detailed information about an abnormality occurring in the robot 3 corresponding to the first robot icon 115. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 11 , by placing the cursor 300 on the second robot icon 115 on which the first mark 161 is superimposed on the monitoring screen 160, a pop-up screen 167 is displayed that displays detailed information about an abnormality occurring in the robot 3 represented by the second robot icon 115. In this way, the monitoring screen 160 does not always display detailed information about an abnormality, such as the nature of the abnormality, the abnormality code, the maintenance method, and the number of remaining days, but when the cursor 300 is placed on a robot icon 115, detailed information about an abnormality occurring in the robot 3 represented by that robot icon 115 is displayed. As a result, unless a specific operation action is performed, the monitoring screen 160 can display only multiple robot icons 115 in display modes according to the maintenance priorities, allowing the user to reliably identify the robot icons 115 corresponding to the robots 3 with high maintenance priorities. This reduces the risk of overlooking a robot 3 with high maintenance priorities due to too much information being displayed on the monitoring screen 160.

[0038] The user can display detailed information about an abnormality that has occurred in the robot 3 represented by the robot icon 115 with the simple operation of hovering the cursor 300 over the robot icon 115, rather than through the cumbersome operation of switching to another screen. This allows the user to check the detailed information without much effort, compared to when the detailed information is always displayed. In fact, since only the detailed information about the abnormality that has occurred in the robot 3 represented by the specified robot icon can be displayed, misreading the detailed information can be prevented, and the workability of maintenance work can be improved.

[0039] 10 displays all display items, including the details of the abnormality, the abnormality code, the maintenance method, and the number of remaining days, while the pop-up screen 167 in FIG. 11 displays only the number of remaining days. As already explained, a robot 3 represented by a robot icon 115 with more display items has a higher priority than a robot 3 represented by a robot icon 115 with fewer display items. The user can determine to some extent the priority of the robot 3 represented by the robot icon 115 based on the number of display items that are displayed when the cursor 300 is placed on the robot icon 115. Although there is little need to know the priority exactly, knowing the priority allows the user to determine a more appropriate order for the maintenance work.

[0040] On the monitoring screen 160, the multiple robot icons 115 corresponding to the multiple robots 3 are arranged according to the actual layout information. This allows the user to intuitively grasp which robot 3 in the factory has an abnormality. This saves the effort of checking which robot 3 has an abnormality and improves the workability of maintenance work.

[0041] Furthermore, as in the present embodiment, by superimposing the second mark 163 on the robot icon 115 corresponding to a robot 3 that is outside the top priority range among the robots 3 that have developed an abnormality, the robot icon 115 corresponding to the robot 3 with a low maintenance priority may be displayed in a different display mode from the robot icon 115 corresponding to the robot 3 that is not experiencing an abnormality. The user can intuitively understand that the robot 3 corresponding to the robot icon 115 with the second mark 163 superimposed on the monitoring screen 160 is a robot 3 that does not have a high maintenance priority but has developed an abnormality. As a result, even if a robot 3 with a low maintenance priority has many remaining days and has the same abnormality as a robot 3 with a high maintenance priority, maintenance work can be performed at the same time as the robot 3 with a high maintenance priority. This also facilitates the formulation of long-term maintenance work schedules. In other words, the overall efficiency of maintenance work can be improved.

[0042] The monitoring device 2 according to this embodiment has a monitoring function for monitoring the occurrence of an abnormality in the robot 3 and a presentation function for presenting to the user the robot 3 in which an abnormality has occurred. However, one feature of the monitoring device 2 according to this embodiment is the presentation function. Therefore, the presentation function and the monitoring function of the monitoring device 2 according to this embodiment may each be distributed among multiple devices. In other words, the robot 3 monitoring system may be composed of multiple robots 3, a monitoring device 2 to which the multiple robots 3 are connected and which monitors the occurrence of an abnormality in each robot 3, and a presentation device connected to the monitoring device 2 for presenting to the user the robot 3 in which an abnormality has occurred.

[0043] The monitoring device 2 according to this embodiment has a function for diagnosing the occurrence of an abnormality. However, if the robot 3 has a function for diagnosing the occurrence of an abnormality in itself, the monitoring device 2 according to this embodiment does not need to have the function for diagnosing the occurrence of an abnormality. In this case, the data receiving unit 23 receives abnormality information from the robot 3, including the factory ID, robot ID, abnormality content, abnormality code, and the date and time of the abnormality occurrence. The received abnormality information is recorded in the abnormality history management table.

[0044] In this embodiment, a mark is superimposed on the robot icon to change the display mode of the robot icon. However, the type of display mode is not limited to this, as long as the display mode of the robot icon can be changed, that is, as long as the user can distinguish robots 3 with high maintenance priority from other robots 3. For example, the display mode of the robot icon can be changed using the blinking speed of the robot icon, the background color of the robot icon, etc. When using the blinking speed of the robot icon, the robot icon corresponding to a robot 3 whose priority is within a predetermined number of priority levels blinks at a first speed, the robot icon corresponding to a robot 3 whose priority is not within the predetermined number of priority levels blinks at a second speed slower than the first speed, and the robot icon corresponding to a robot 3 that is not experiencing any abnormalities does not blink at all. Note that the robot icons may be displayed in different display modes depending on the priority level. For example, the higher the priority level, the faster the blinking speed of the robot icon.

[0045] In this embodiment, by hovering the cursor over a robot icon, the content of the abnormality that has occurred in the robot 3 represented by the robot icon, the abnormality code, the date and time the abnormality occurred, and the number of remaining days (detailed information about the abnormality) are displayed on a pop-up screen. However, the method of displaying detailed information about the abnormality is not limited to this. For example, by hovering the cursor over a robot icon, detailed information about the abnormality that has occurred in the robot 3 represented by the robot icon may be displayed on the monitoring screen rather than on a separate screen. Furthermore, if there is sufficient space to display detailed information about the abnormality, it is not prohibited to always display detailed information about the abnormality.

[0046] The following supplementary notes are further disclosed regarding this embodiment and the modified examples. (Supplementary Note 1) The monitoring device 2 includes a monitoring unit 25 that monitors the occurrence of an abnormality in each of the multiple industrial machines 3, a calculation unit 26 that calculates the priority of an industrial machine 3 in which an abnormality has occurred based on the number of days remaining from the current day until the date when maintenance work needs to be started, and a display unit 22 that displays a graphic symbol representing an industrial machine 3 in which an abnormality has occurred that has a priority within a predetermined number of industrial machines in a display format different from that of a graphic symbol representing an industrial machine 3 in which an abnormality has occurred that has a priority outside the .... (Supplementary Note 2) In the monitoring device 2 described in Supplementary Note 1, the display unit 22 displays a graphic symbol representing an industrial machine 3 in which an abnormality has occurred that has a priority outside the predetermined number of industrial machines in a display format different from that of a graphic symbol representing an industrial machine 3 in which an abnormality has occurred. (Supplementary Note 3) In the monitoring device 2 described in Supplementary Note 1 or Supplementary Note 2, the calculation unit 26 calculates the remaining number of days by subtracting the initial value of the number of days required for maintenance work and the number of days elapsed since the occurrence of the abnormality from the number of days from the date on which the abnormality occurred until the date on which a malfunction due to the abnormality may occur. (Supplementary Note 4) In the monitoring device 2 described in Supplementary Note 3, the calculation unit 26 calculates the remaining number of days by replacing the initial value with the number of days set by the user. (Supplementary Note 5) In the monitoring device 2 described in Supplementary Note 3 or Supplementary Note 4, when the remaining numbers of days are the same, the calculation unit 26 calculates the priority based on the length of the number of days required for maintenance work. (Supplementary Note 6) The monitoring device 2 described in any of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 5 further includes a display number setting unit 28 that sets the predetermined number in accordance with a user instruction. (Supplementary Note 7) The monitoring device 2 described in any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 6 further includes a display item setting unit 29 that sets display items related to an abnormality for an industrial machine 3 in which an abnormality has occurred, and the display unit 22 displays the display items set by the display item setting unit 29 together with a graphic symbol corresponding to the industrial machine 3 in which the abnormality has occurred. (Supplementary Note 8) In the monitoring device 2 described in Supplementary Note 7, when a graphic symbol corresponding to the industrial machine 3 in which an abnormality has occurred is designated by a user, the display unit 22 displays the display items related to the abnormality that has occurred in the designated industrial machine 3, which are set by the display item setting unit 29.(Supplementary Note 9) In the monitoring device 2 described in Supplementary Note 7 or Supplementary Note 8, the display item setting unit 29 sets the number of industrial machines 3 to be displayed for the display items related to abnormalities. (Supplementary Note 10) In the monitoring device 2 described in any of Supplementary Note 7 to Supplementary Note 9, the display items related to abnormalities include at least one of abnormality content, abnormality code, maintenance method, and remaining days.

[0047] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail, the present disclosure is not limited to the individual embodiments described above. Various additions, substitutions, modifications, partial deletions, etc. are possible in these embodiments without departing from the gist of the invention or the concept and spirit of the present invention derived from the content of the claims and their equivalents. For example, in the above-described embodiments, the order of each operation and the order of each process are shown as examples and are not limited to these. The same applies when numerical values ​​or mathematical expressions are used in the description of the above-described embodiments.

[0048] 1...Robot monitoring system, 2...Monitoring device, 3...Robot, 10...Network, 11...Processor, 12...Input device, 13...Display device, 14...Communication device, 15...Storage device, 21...Input section, 22...Display section, 23...Data receiving section, 24...Storage section, 25...Monitoring section, 26...Calculation section, 27...Screen creation section, 28...Display number setting section, 29...Display item setting section, 30...Maintenance day number setting section, 31...Determination section.

Claims

1. A monitoring device comprising: a monitoring unit which monitors the occurrence of abnormalities in each of a plurality of industrial machines; a calculation unit which calculates a priority order for the industrial machines in which the abnormality has occurred based on the number of days remaining from the current day until the date on which maintenance work needs to be started; and a display unit which displays a graphic symbol representing an industrial machine in which the abnormality has occurred and whose priority order is within a specified number, in a display mode different from that of a graphic symbol representing an industrial machine in which the abnormality has occurred and whose priority order is outside the specified number, and a graphic symbol representing an industrial machine in which the abnormality has not occurred.

2. A monitoring device as described in claim 1, wherein the display unit displays a symbol representing an industrial machine in which an abnormality has occurred and whose priority is outside the top specified number in a display manner different from a symbol representing an industrial machine in which the abnormality has occurred.

3. The monitoring device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the calculation unit calculates the remaining number of days by subtracting an initial value of the number of days required for the maintenance work and the number of days that have elapsed since the occurrence of the abnormality from the number of days from the date on which the abnormality occurred until the date on which a malfunction due to the abnormality may occur.

4. The monitoring device according to claim 3, wherein the calculation unit calculates the remaining number of days by substituting a number of days set by a user for the initial value.

5. The monitoring device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said calculation unit calculates said priority order based on the number of days required for said maintenance work when said remaining number of days is the same.

6. The monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a display number setting unit that sets the predetermined number in accordance with a user instruction.

7. A monitoring device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a display item setting unit which sets display items relating to the abnormality for the industrial machine in which the abnormality has occurred, and wherein the display unit displays the display items set by the display item setting unit together with a graphic symbol corresponding to the industrial machine in which the abnormality has occurred.

8. A monitoring device as described in claim 7, wherein the display unit, upon a user specifying a symbol corresponding to the industrial machine in which the abnormality has occurred, displays display items related to the abnormality that has occurred in the specified industrial machine, the display items being set by the display item setting unit.

9. The monitoring device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the display item setting unit sets the number of industrial machines to be displayed for the display items relating to the abnormality.

10. A monitoring device as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the display items relating to the abnormality include at least one of the following: abnormality content, abnormality code, maintenance method and remaining days.

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