Method and apparatus for controlling process
The process control method and device facilitate easy confirmation of process information, enabling quick and accurate identification of issues in smart factories, thereby allowing timely corrective actions.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- PCT/KR2024/002262
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2024-01-10
- Filing Date
- 2024-02-21
- Publication Date
- 2025-07-17
AI Technical Summary
In smart factories, issues such as incorrect assembly or incorrect supply of parts can occur during the production process, leading to process delays and additional damage, necessitating a quick and accurate identification of the cause, time, and location of the problem.
A process control method and device that allows for easy confirmation of process information at a desired point in time by obtaining and storing logistics robot, goods, and facility information by time zone, and displaying this information on a process map, including a display of alarms when preset conditions are met.
Enables easy identification of the process status at the time a problem occurs, facilitating quick and accurate measures to address issues.
Smart Images

Figure KR2024002262_17072025_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Process control method and device
[0001] The present invention relates to a process control method and device that allows easy confirmation of process information at a desired point in time.
[0002] Logistics robots are being introduced not only in general logistics warehouses and factories, but also in smart factories that manufacture products with different specifications using various parts, to ensure flexible and efficient supply and transport of parts.
[0003] Logistics robots are a general term for autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and these logistics robots can move and perform tasks under the control of a control device.
[0004] In a smart factory, logistics robots can move along optimal paths based on path planning to perform missions assigned by control devices.
[0005] Meanwhile, problems such as misassembly or missupply of parts may occur during the production process, and such problems may affect the entire process, causing additional damage such as process delays.
[0006] In order to prevent such damage, it is necessary to propose a plan that can quickly and accurately identify the cause, time, and location of the problem so that early response can be made.
[0007]
[0008] The matters described as background technology above are only intended to enhance understanding of the background of the present invention, and should not be taken as an admission that they correspond to prior art already known to those skilled in the art.
[0009] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a process management method and device that facilitates process analysis by allowing process information at a desired point in time to be easily confirmed.
[0010]
[0011] The tasks of the present invention are not limited to the tasks mentioned above, and other tasks not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.
[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above-described problem, a process control method comprises the steps of: obtaining process information including logistics robot information for at least one logistics robot moving between a plurality of facilities within a preset operation boundary, logistics information for goods transported by the logistics robot, and facility information for the plurality of facilities; and storing the process information by time zone; and, when a replay request specifying an output condition of the process information is input, displaying the movement status of the at least one logistics robot based on the process information for the time zone corresponding to the output condition, together with at least one of the process information for the time zone corresponding to the output condition, on a process map configured to include an area in which the plurality of facilities are arranged.
[0013] For example, the logistics robot information includes at least one of route information, current location information, loading status information, entry / exit condition information for the plurality of facilities, and operation status information of the logistics robot.
[0014] For example, the logistics information includes unique identification information of the logistics.
[0015] For example, the equipment information includes at least one of operation status information of the plurality of equipment and production sequence information between the plurality of equipment.
[0016] For example, the step of displaying the process information includes the step of displaying some of the process information on the process map according to the priority among the process information.
[0017] For example, the above priority is determined based on the above output condition.
[0018] For example, the method further includes a step of displaying a process status alarm on a process map configured to include an area where the plurality of equipment are arranged when the process information satisfies a preset alarm condition.
[0019] For example, the process information corresponding to the above output condition may be at least a portion of the process information corresponding to the point in time when a specific process status alarm included in the above output condition is displayed.
[0020] In order to solve the above-described problem, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a process control device comprises: a collection unit that obtains process information including logistics robot information for at least one logistics robot moving between a plurality of facilities within a preset operation boundary, logistics information for goods transported by the logistics robot, and facility information for the plurality of facilities, and stores the process information by time zone; a display unit that displays a process map configured to include an area in which the plurality of facilities are arranged; and a judgment unit that, when a replay request specifying an output condition of the process information is input, displays a movement state of the at least one logistics robot based on process information for a time zone corresponding to the output condition, together with at least one of process information for a time zone corresponding to the output condition, on the process map.
[0021] For example, the logistics robot information includes at least one of route information, current location information, loading status information, entry / exit condition information for the plurality of facilities, and operation status information of the logistics robot.
[0022] For example, the logistics information includes unique identification information of the logistics.
[0023] For example, the facility information includes at least one of operation status information of the plurality of facilities and operation sequence information between the plurality of facilities.
[0024] For example, the judgment unit causes some of the process information to be displayed on the process map according to the priority among the process information.
[0025] For example, the above priority is determined based on the above output condition.
[0026] For example, the judgment unit causes a process status alarm to be displayed on the process map when the process information satisfies a preset alarm condition.
[0027] For example, the process information corresponding to the above output condition may be at least a portion of the process information corresponding to the time at which a specific alarm included in the above output condition is displayed.
[0028] According to various embodiments of the present invention as described above, it is possible to easily check not only the current state of the process but also the past state of the process.
[0029] Through this, if a problem occurs in the process, it will be easy to identify the process status at the time of the problem occurrence, allowing for quick and accurate action to be taken.
[0030]
[0031] The effects that can be obtained from the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs from the description below.
[0032] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an operational boundary configuration that can be applied to embodiments of the present invention.
[0033] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a control device configuration that can be applied to embodiments of the present invention.
[0034] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a logistics robot configuration that can be applied to embodiments of the present invention.
[0035] FIG. 4 is a drawing showing an example of a process map screen configuration that can be applied to embodiments of the present invention.
[0036] FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram for explaining a process control process according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0037] Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Regardless of the drawing numbers, identical or similar components will be given the same reference numbers and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "part" used for components in the following description are assigned or used interchangeably only for the convenience of writing the specification, and do not in themselves have distinct meanings or roles. In addition, when describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that a specific description of a related known technology may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the attached drawings are only intended to facilitate easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the technical ideas disclosed in this specification are not limited by the attached drawings, and should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.
[0038] Terms that include ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish one component from another.
[0039] When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, but that there may be other components intervening. Conversely, when a component is referred to as being "directly connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components intervening.
[0040] Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
[0041] In this specification, terms such as “include” or “have” are intended to specify the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part or combination thereof described in the specification, but should be understood not to exclude in advance the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.
[0042] In addition, the term "Unit" or "Control Unit" included in the internal configuration names of logistics robots or control devices is merely a term widely used to name a control device (Controller) that controls a specific function, and does not mean a generic function unit. For example, each control device may include a modem / transceiver that communicates with other control devices or sensors to control the function it is responsible for, a memory that stores an operating system or logic commands and input / output information, and one or more processors that perform judgments, calculations, and decisions necessary for controlling the function it is responsible for. Depending on the implementation, one processor may be responsible for calculations for multiple control devices.
[0043]
[0044] First, the configuration of the operational boundary in which the logistics robot according to the embodiment is deployed and operated is explained with reference to Fig. 1.
[0045] Referring to FIG. 1, the operating boundary (100) may include a logistics robot (110), equipment (120), a monitoring device (130), and a control device (140).
[0046] The operational boundary (100) may be equipped with multiple logistics robots (110), multiple facilities (120), and multiple detection devices (130) depending on the production process and target production speed of the product. The operational boundary (100) may be implemented as a smart factory, and the multiple facilities may be implemented as production devices, but this is not necessarily limited to this. Each component is described below.
[0047] First, the logistics robot (110) may include an autonomous mobile robot (hereinafter, referred to as "AMR" for convenience) and an automated guided vehicle (hereinafter, referred to as "AGV" for convenience). Depending on the operation policy of the logistics robot (110) in the operation boundary (100), only one type of AGV or AMR may be operated, or both AGV and AMR may be operated together within the operation boundary (100).
[0048] AGVs generally perform required actions (movement, direction change, stop, etc.) within the operating boundary (100) by recognizing and following guidance devices placed on the floor for guidance of the AGV. Here, guidance devices may refer to optically recognizable markers (spots, 2D codes, etc.), tags that can be recognized contactlessly at close range (e.g., NFC tags, RFID tags, etc.), magnetic strips, wires, etc., but these are examples and are not necessarily limited thereto. Guidance devices may be placed continuously on the floor or may be placed discontinuously and spaced apart from each other. Since AGVs fundamentally perform operations by recognizing and following guidance devices, they require guidance devices to be installed in advance before operation. Therefore, when moving the AGV to a new path or modifying an existing path, the guidance devices must be physically installed or modified. In addition, since AGVs do not deviate from the path set by the guidance devices, if an obstacle is detected on or around the path, the AGV typically stops until the detected obstacle disappears or separate control is applied. In the operation of AGV, the control device (140) must control the AGV based on the guidance equipment, so commands such as 'drive until the third marker is recognized' or 'change the heading direction by 90 degrees when the third marker is recognized' from the current location can be transmitted to the AGV as individual command units or mission units (e.g., recovery, supply, charging, patrol, etc.) including multiple commands.
[0049] AMR can determine its current location by sensing its surroundings (i.e., positioning), and its ability to perform path planning using positioning and a map is what most distinguishes it from AGVs. Therefore, if a map with compatible coordinates is shared between the AMR and the control device (140), the control device (140) can control the AMR by instructing the AMR on a path based on the coordinates. In addition, if an obstacle is detected while driving, the AMR can set an avoidance path on its own, avoid the obstacle, and then return to the original path. The function of the control device (140) setting the path of the AMR to one or more transit coordinates can be referred to as global path planning, and the function of the AMR setting a movement path or an avoidance path between transit coordinates according to the global path planning can be referred to as local path planning.
[0050]
[0051] Next, the equipment (120) may refer to, for example, a device (robot arm, conveyor belt, etc.) that performs a production process of a product within an operation boundary (100), and in a broader sense, may refer to a device arranged to assist in the performance of a mission, such as entry and exit of a logistics robot (110), when the production process is performed by a person. A device arranged to assist in the performance of a mission may be, but is not necessarily limited to, a device that detects the status of a designated location where a pallet carried by a logistics robot (110) can be put down or collected within an area where a specific production process is performed, a device that determines the progress of the process, a means for blocking entry and exit within an area, etc.
[0052] For example, the facility (120) is controlled through a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and can communicate with a control device (140) in relation to the process progress.
[0053] The monitoring device (130) can perform a function of acquiring information for determining the situation within the operating boundary (100) and transmitting the information to the control device (140). For example, the monitoring device (130) may include a camera, a proximity sensor, etc., but is not necessarily limited thereto.
[0054] The control device (140) can communicate with the aforementioned components (110, 120, 130) to obtain information necessary for the operation of the operation boundary (100) or control each component. For example, the control device (140) can perform dispatching of the logistics robot (110), route setting, mission assignment, process management by product, material management, etc.
[0055] In implementation, the control device (140) may include a local control device (ACS: AMR / AGV Control System) that controls surrounding process facilities based on the location of the AGV / AMR and performs mission-based control of the AGV / AMR, and an integrated control device (MoRIMS: Mobile Robot Integrated Monitoring System) that integrates and controls two or more local control devices. The integrated control device may perform status and route, logistics flow setting, and traffic control of all logistics robots (110) within the operation boundary (100) from each of a plurality of local control devices. For example, when the local control device (ACS) is equipped in units of logistics robots of the same manufacturer or the same model, the integrated control device may perform integrated control for collision prevention, such as bottleneck level analysis of intersection / overlapping areas, driving acceleration / deceleration control, and regeneration of avoidance paths, through traffic distribution control between heterogeneous types based on information acquired through a plurality of local control devices (ACS).
[0056] In addition, the integrated control device can have a manufacturing execution system (MES) as its upper control subject, and the manufacturing execution system (MES) can be linked to an automated scheduler (APS: Advanced Planning & Scheduling).
[0057] In addition to the configuration (110, 120, 130, 140) of the operation boundary (100) described above, it goes without saying that devices for mutual communication between components such as beacons, repeaters, APs (Access Points), chargers for charging logistics robots (110), loading spaces for storing or loading parts, spaces for storing finished or intermediate products, traffic lights, circuit breakers, waiting spaces for idle logistics robots (110), etc. can be appropriately placed within the operation boundary (100).
[0058] Below, the configuration of a control device (140) that can be applied to embodiments of the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 3.
[0059]
[0060] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a control device configuration applicable to embodiments of the present invention. Each component illustrated in FIG. 2 primarily represents components related to embodiments of the present invention, and in the actual implementation of the control device (140), more or fewer components may be included.
[0061] Referring to FIG. 3, the control device (140) may include a firmware management unit (141), a traffic control unit (142), a process management unit (143), a production / logistics management unit (144), an inventory management unit (145), a communication unit (146), a monitoring unit (147), a map management unit (148), and a work schedule management unit (149).
[0062] The firmware management unit (141) can obtain the latest firmware of the logistics robot (110) through the communication unit (146) and transmit it to the logistics robot (110) to perform a firmware update, thereby keeping the firmware of the logistics robot (110) up to date.
[0063] The traffic control unit (142) controls traffic lights and barriers based on the route of the logistics robot (110), and can also recalculate the route of the logistics robot (110) according to traffic.
[0064] The process management department (143) can define the process for each product and manage missions such as process progress and progress location.
[0065] The production / logistics management department (144) can dispatch logistics robots (110) based on missions.
[0066] The inventory management unit (145) manages the location and quantity of each material, and this information can be useful for more efficient process operation, such as sending the logistics robot (110) to the destination earlier than the time when actual assembly / consumption of materials is detected for pallet pickup or retrieval.
[0067] The communication unit (146) can communicate with internal components of the operation boundary (100), such as a logistics robot (110), equipment (120), and a monitoring device (130), as well as external entities, such as a firmware update server.
[0068] The monitoring unit (147) can monitor the location, route, battery status, communication status, power train status, etc. of individual logistics robots (110). Here, the route is a concept that includes a waypoint-based global route and a real-time local route. In addition, the battery status may include voltage, current, temperature, peak voltage and current, state of charge (SOC), state of health (SOH), etc. The communication status may include information on the currently activated communication protocol (such as Wi-Fi), connected AP, distance to the AP, channel in use, etc. In addition, the power train status may include the load, temperature, RPM, etc. of the drive system.
[0069] In addition, the vehicle monitoring unit (147) can also check the mission, operation mode, firmware version, etc. currently assigned to each logistics robot (110).
[0070] The map management unit (148) may obtain map data in the form of a grid map obtained when an AMR among logistics robots (110) drives within the operation boundary (100), and may provide a tool that allows a factory manager to edit the obtained map data. By editing the map data, a zone, a virtual lane, an intersection, a no-entry zone, etc., in which the logistics robot (110) performs one or more preset actions upon entry may be set, but this is merely an example and is not necessarily limited thereto. In addition, the map management unit (148) may distribute the corresponding map to the remaining logistics robots (110) other than the logistics robot (110) that initially obtained the grid map through actual driving, through the communication unit (146).
[0071] The work schedule management unit (149) can manage and monitor the mission of the logistics robot (110) based on the process information of the operation boundary (100) received from the equipment (120) and the monitoring device (130) through the communication unit (146). In addition, the work schedule management unit (149) can select a specific logistics robot (110) and assign a mission, and set the global route of the logistics robot (110) according to the assigned mission.
[0072] Meanwhile, in one embodiment of the present invention, the control device (140) may further include a collection unit (140a), a judgment unit (140b), and a display unit (140c). The collection unit (140a), the judgment unit (140b), and the display unit (140c) may be implemented as some functions of each component (141-148) of the control device (140) described above, but may also be implemented as separate components. Details related thereto will be described later with reference to FIG. 5.
[0073] Next, a logistics robot is described with reference to Fig. 3.
[0074] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a logistics robot configuration that can be applied to embodiments of the present invention.
[0075] Referring to FIG. 3, the logistics robot (110) may include a driving unit (111), a sensing unit (112), a loading unit (113), a communication unit (114), and a control unit (115). Each component is described below.
[0076] The driving unit (111) may include a driving source, wheels, suspension, etc. involved in the movement, steering, and stopping of the logistics robot (110). The driving source may be an electric motor supplied with power from a built-in battery (not shown). The wheels may include one or more driving wheels that receive driving power from the driving source, and non-driving wheels that rotate by the movement of the vehicle body without receiving driving power. Depending on the implementation, when multiple driving wheels are provided, the driving source may be matched to each driving wheel so that the rotation of each driving wheel can be independently controlled. In this case, by making the rotation directions of different driving wheels different, the vehicle body can be rotated and steering can be performed without a separate steering means. At least some of the non-driving wheels may be configured as caster-type wheels, but this is exemplary and is not necessarily limited thereto.
[0077] The sensing unit (112) is for detecting the surrounding environment of the logistics robot (110) or its own operating status, and may include at least one of a 2D laser scanner (e.g., LiDAR), a 3D vision (stereo) camera, a multi-axis gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, a wheel encoder, and a proximity sensor.
[0078] An encoder can output information that can determine how much the wheel has rotated by using light emitted from a light-emitting element (e.g., a photodiode). For example, the encoder can count the number of slits arranged along the circumference of the wheel or a disk rotating with the wheel per unit time. The control unit (115) can perform odometry, which estimates displacement by analyzing the amount of position change over time using data acquired through the encoder and gyro sensor. However, there may be an error between the estimated displacement based on the encoder data and the actual displacement due to wheel slip or wear (change in diameter along with the wheel). Therefore, when performing odometry, the control unit (115) can perform noise and error correction on the information collected from the wheel and gyro sensor using a predetermined algorithm (e.g., EKF: Extended Kalman Filter) to output a result that tends to be close to the actual value. This odometry can be particularly useful when localization using a 2D laser scanner, as described later, is not possible.
[0079] 2D laser scanners scan their surroundings by projecting laser light onto a rotating reflector and detecting the reflected signal. By analyzing the intensity of the reflected signal and the time difference between the projection and reception, they can output detection results in the form of a point cloud.
[0080] A 3D vision camera can calculate the distance to an object based on the parallax between two cameras spaced a certain distance apart, i.e., the pixel distance between the images captured by each camera. A texture projector that projects infrared light in a predetermined pattern may also be included to enable detection of objects of the same color, such as flat surfaces (e.g., white walls).
[0081] Typically, 2D laser scanners are used for mapping, navigation, object recognition, etc., and 3D cameras can be used for navigation, especially for obstacle avoidance, but these are examples and are not necessarily limited to this.
[0082] The loading section (113) is a means for loading items to be transported, and may be a top plate on the upper part of the vehicle body itself, a table placed on the top plate, a lift, a turntable rotating along a vertical axis, a forklift, a conveyor, or a combination thereof. Similar to a forklift, a forklift may also support telescopic and tilting functions.
[0083] The communication unit (114) can communicate with other components within the operation boundary (100), such as equipment (120) and control devices (140), and can also support communication between logistics robots (110), and can also communicate with a charger when performing a charging mission.
[0084] The control unit (115) is a subject that performs overall control of each of the aforementioned components (111, 112, 113, 114), and can perform current mission, current location, destination determination, route planning, load control, etc. based on information obtained from the control device (140) through the communication unit (114).
[0085] Hereinafter, a method of providing process information according to one embodiment of the invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4.
[0086] FIG. 4 is a drawing showing an example of a process map screen configuration that can be applied to embodiments of the present invention.
[0087] The process map (M) is configured to include an area where multiple facilities (120) are placed, and may include all or part of the operating boundary (100).
[0088] More specifically, the process map (M) may include a facility display area (M1), a logistics robot movement status display area (M2), an alarm display area (M3), and a process information display area (M4).
[0089] The equipment display area (M1) can be configured to correspond to the equipment (120) placement area within the actual operation boundary (100), and the logistics movement status display area (M2) can be configured to indicate in which equipment area (M1) the logistics robot is located near the equipment display area (M1).
[0090] The alarm display area (M3) is also positioned near the equipment display area (M1), and an alarm signal corresponding to each equipment (120) can be visually displayed within the alarm display area (M3).
[0091] The process information display area (M4) is positioned near the alarm display area (M3), and at least some of the process information (#1-#4) related to each facility (120) and its corresponding alarm signal can be visually displayed.
[0092] The process map (M) above can be implemented in the form of an image based on process information collected in real time, allowing workers to easily visually recognize the status of the process.
[0093] Meanwhile, the process map (M) can be manipulated to represent not only the current process status but also the status at a past point in time. This will be explained below with reference to Figure 5.
[0094]
[0095] Figure 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process control process according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 primarily illustrates components related to the description of one embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that an actual control device (140) or control method may be implemented with more or fewer components. Each component and process will be described below.
[0096] First, the collection unit (140a) can obtain process information including logistics robot information for at least one logistics robot (110) moving between multiple facilities (120) within a preset operation boundary (100), logistics information for goods transported by the logistics robot (110), and facility information for the multiple facilities (120) (S501).
[0097] Thereafter, the collection unit (140a) can store the acquired process information by time zone. The process information can be stored in real time, for example, or by process date (S502).
[0098] In this case, process information can be collected through communication with a logistics robot (110) or equipment (120), and communication with the logistics robot (110) or equipment (120) can be performed through the communication unit (146) described above.
[0099] The logistics robot information may include at least one of route information, current location information, loading status information, entry / exit condition information for multiple facilities, and operation status information of the logistics robot (110). In this case, the route information may include the entire movement route according to the departure point, destination, and waypoints of the logistics robot (110), as well as an evasion route for evasive maneuvers while driving according to the entire movement route. The loading status information may include whether the logistics robot (110) has any logistics loaded, whether or not the loaded logistics have been loaded / unloaded, or the history, the weight or shape of the loaded logistics, etc. The entry / exit conditions for multiple facilities may refer to, for example, interlock conditions set for each facility. The operation status information may include whether the logistics robot (110) is operating normally, a history of failures, etc.
[0100] Logistics information may include unique identification information for the logistics. In this case, the unique identification information may include information regarding the type of logistics the logistics falls into, and even for similar types of logistics, each logistics may be assigned its own unique identification number.
[0101] In addition, the facility information may include at least one of the operation status information of the facility (120) and the operation sequence information among the plurality of facilities (120). In this case, the operation status information of the facility (120) may include whether the facility (120) is operating normally, a history of failures, a work progress rate, a work history, a history of material withdrawal / input, etc., and the operation sequence information may refer to the order in which a series of tasks performed through different facilities (120) are performed.
[0102] By including logistics robot information, logistics information, and facility information as described above, it becomes possible to understand detailed elements of the process status at a specific point in time.
[0103] In particular, since logistics information includes a unique identification number for the logistics, it becomes possible to identify the logistics in which a problem has occurred, and this allows for quick and accurate actions such as recalling the defective product or supplying a replacement product.
[0104]
[0105] The judgment unit (140b) receives the process information stored in the collection unit (140a) (S503), determines whether the process information satisfies the preset alarm conditions (S504), and can transmit the judgment result to the display unit (140c) (S505).
[0106] In addition, the judgment unit (140b) can determine the process information to be displayed on the process map among the process information received from the collection unit (140a) (S505) and transmit the result to the collection unit (140c) (S507).
[0107] More specifically, the judgment unit (140b) can display some of the process information on the process map based on the priority of the process information. This allows for efficient display of process information within the spatial constraints of the process map, and alleviates the problem of excessive display of information that hinders the verification of process information.
[0108] In this case, priorities can be determined based on output conditions. Meanwhile, process information can be displayed separately across multiple categories, in which case priorities can be applied to each category. In this case, categories could be, for example, logistics robot information, logistics information, and facility information.
[0109] Thereafter, according to the results of the judgment and decision received from the judgment unit (140b), the display unit (140c) displays the process status alarm and process information on the process map (S508).
[0110] Meanwhile, a replay request specifying the output conditions of process information may be inputted to the judgment unit (140b) from the outside. When a replay request is inputted (S509), the judgment unit (140b) determines the process information corresponding to the output conditions (S510) and transmits the result of the determination to the display unit (140c) so that the display of the process map may be replayed through the display unit (140c).
[0111] In particular, the judgment unit (140b) can cause the process information corresponding to the output condition among the stored process information to be displayed on the process map during the replay process (S512).
[0112] More specifically, the judgment unit (140b) can display the movement status of at least one logistics robot (110) on the process map based on process information of a time period corresponding to the output condition, and in this case, the process information of a time period corresponding to the output condition can be displayed on the process map together.
[0113] In this case, the output condition may be for a specific point in time or a specific alarm, and the process information corresponding to the output condition may be at least a part of the process information corresponding to a specific point in time included in the output condition or at least a part of the process information corresponding to a specific alarm displayed included in the output condition.
[0114] By displaying process information corresponding to the output conditions on the process map, workers can selectively receive process information for the situation they wish to check.
[0115]
[0116] According to various embodiments of the present invention as described above, it is possible to easily check not only the current state of the process but also the past state of the process.
[0117] Through this, if a problem occurs in the process, it will be easy to identify the process status at the time of the problem occurrence, allowing for quick and accurate action to be taken.
[0118] [Explanation of symbols]
[0119] 100: Operational Boundary
[0120] 110: Logistics Robot
[0121] 120: Equipment
[0122] 130: Surveillance device
[0123] 140: Control device
[0124] 140a: Collection Department
[0125] 140b: Judgment
[0126] 140c: Display
Claims
1. A step of obtaining process information including logistics robot information for at least one logistics robot moving between multiple facilities within a preset operation boundary, logistics information for goods transported by the logistics robot, and facility information for the multiple facilities, and storing the process information by time zone; and A process control method comprising the step of, when a replay request specifying an output condition of the process information is input, displaying the movement status of at least one logistics robot based on the process information of the time zone corresponding to the output condition, together with at least one of the process information of the time zone corresponding to the output condition, on a process map configured to include an area in which the plurality of facilities are arranged.
2. In claim 1, The above logistics robot information is, A process control method characterized by including at least one of path information, current location information, loading status information, entry / exit condition information for the plurality of facilities, and operation status information of the logistics robot.
3. In claim 1, The above logistics information is, A process control method characterized by including unique identification information of the above logistics.
4. In claim 1, The above equipment information is: A process control method characterized by including at least one of operation status information of the plurality of facilities and production sequence information between the plurality of facilities.
5. In claim 1, The step of displaying the above process information is: A process control method characterized by including a step of displaying some of the process information on the process map according to the priority among the process information.
6. In claim 5, The above priorities are: A process control method characterized in that it is determined based on the above output conditions.
7. In claim 1, A process control method further comprising the step of displaying a process status alarm on a process map configured to include an area in which the plurality of facilities are arranged when the above process information satisfies a preset alarm condition.
8. In claim 7, The process information corresponding to the above output conditions is: A process control method characterized in that at least a part of the process information corresponding to a point in time when a specific process status alarm included in the above output conditions is displayed.
9. A collection unit that obtains process information including logistics robot information on at least one logistics robot moving between multiple facilities within a preset operation boundary, logistics information on goods transported by the logistics robot, and facility information on the multiple facilities, and stores the process information by time zone; A display unit for displaying a process map configured to include an area where the above multiple facilities are placed; and A process control device including a judgment unit that, when a replay request specifying an output condition of the process information is input, causes the movement status of at least one logistics robot based on the process information of the time zone corresponding to the output condition to be displayed on the process map together with at least one of the process information of the time zone corresponding to the output condition.
10. In claim 9, The above logistics robot information is, A process control device characterized by including at least one of path information, current location information, loading status information, entry / exit condition information for the plurality of facilities, and operation status information of the logistics robot.
11. In claim 9, The above logistics information is, A process control device characterized by including unique identification information of the above logistics.
12. In claim 9, The above equipment information is: A process control device characterized by including at least one of operation status information of the plurality of facilities and operation sequence information between the plurality of facilities.
13. In claim 9, The above judgment committee, A process control device characterized in that some of the process information is displayed on the process map according to the priority among the process information.
14. In claim 13, The above priorities are: A process control device characterized in that it is determined based on the above output conditions.
15. In claim 9, The above judgment committee, A process control device characterized in that a process status alarm is displayed on the process map when the above process information satisfies a preset alarm condition.
16. In claim 15, The process information corresponding to the above output conditions is: A process control device characterized in that at least a portion of the process information corresponding to a point in time at which a specific alarm included in the above output conditions is displayed.
Citation Information
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