Numerical control device

Abstract

In the present invention, a CPU operation parameter is selected on the basis of the control state for an industrial machine or the rate of use of a CPU when the industrial machine was previously operated, whereby electric power consumption in the CPU is reduced.　In the present invention, a numerical control device comprises: a control state acquisition unit that acquires the control state for an industrial machine; a CPU usage estimation unit that estimates the CPU usage for a CPU on the basis of the control state acquired by the control state acquisition unit; and a CPU operation parameter designation unit that designates a CPU operation parameter for the CPU on the basis of an estimation result obtained via the CPU usage estimation unit.

Description

Numerical Control Device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a numerical control device that specifies the operating conditions of a CPU based on the control state of an industrial machine.

[0002] Some central processing units (CPUs) in numerical control devices allow selection of multiple CPU operating conditions, such as CPU operating conditions and voltage, but these must be selected when the CPU is started. In this regard, a technique has been proposed for a numerical control device that performs interpolation processing for multiple connectable control axes. This technique stores control axis information about the control axes and sets an interpolation control period, which is the interval between interpolation processing, for each control axis based on the control axis information. Since the interpolation control period is set for each control axis, interpolation processing that exceeds the required performance can be reduced, and the resulting CPU surplus can be effectively used for other processing. For example, see Patent Document 1.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-76408

[0004] The degree of load on the CPU is determined by the axis configuration and program operation selected by the machine user, so until now, CPU operating conditions have been selected at the factory at the time of shipment based on the most severe load condition.

[0005] Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the power consumption of the CPU by selecting CPU operating conditions based on the control state of the industrial machine and the CPU utilization rate during past operation.

[0006] One aspect of the numerical control device disclosed herein includes a control state acquisition unit that acquires a control state of an industrial machine, a CPU utilization rate estimation unit that estimates a CPU utilization rate of a CPU based on the control state acquired by the control state acquisition unit, and a CPU operating condition designation unit that designates CPU operating conditions of the CPU based on the estimation result by the CPU utilization rate estimation unit.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block configuration of a numerical control device according to a first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of maximum control axis number data; FIG. 3 is a flowchart explaining the operation condition designation processing of a numerical control device; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block configuration of a numerical control device according to a second embodiment; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a CPU usage rate state acquired at the time of the previous initial startup; FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a CPU usage rate state acquired by a control state acquisition unit at the time of the second or subsequent startup; and FIG. 7 is a flowchart explaining the operation condition designation processing of a numerical control device.

[0008] A first embodiment and a second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Each embodiment has a common configuration in which a numerical control device acquires the control state of an industrial machine such as a machine tool or a robot, estimates the CPU utilization rate of the CPU based on the acquired control state, and specifies the CPU operating conditions of the CPU based on the estimated result. However, in the first embodiment, the numerical control device acquires the number of controlled axes and the control period as the control state of the industrial machine. In contrast, in the second embodiment, the numerical control device differs from the first embodiment in that it acquires the CPU utilization rate state during past operation along with the control state of the industrial machine. Below, the first embodiment will be described in detail first, and then the second embodiment will be described, particularly focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0009] First Embodiment A numerical control device according to a first embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Here, a machine tool is used as an example of industrial machinery. The present invention is also applicable to various other industrial machines, such as industrial robots, service robots, forging machines, and injection molding machines. When the industrial machine is a robot such as an industrial robot, the numerical control device becomes a robot control device.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block configuration of a numerical control device according to the first embodiment. The numerical control device 10 is a numerical control device known to those skilled in the art. For example, the numerical control device 10 generates commands based on a machining program acquired from a CAD / CAM device (not shown) and outputs the generated commands to a machine tool (not shown). In this way, the numerical control device 10 controls the operation of the machine tool (not shown). If the industrial machine is a robot, the numerical control device 10 may be a robot control device or the like. The numerical control device 10 includes, for example, a control unit 11, a memory unit 12, and a CPU 13. The control unit 11 also includes a control status acquisition unit 110, a CPU utilization rate estimation unit 111, an axis control function acquisition unit 112, and a CPU operating condition designation unit 113.

[0011] <Memory Unit 12> The memory unit 12 is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) memory or the like within the control unit 11, and stores maximum control axis number data 120. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the maximum control axis number data 120. As shown in FIG. 2, the maximum control axis number data 120 pre-sets and stores the maximum control axis numbers "maximum 20 axes," "maximum 10 axes," and "maximum 8 axes" for each control period A to C of the numerical control device 10 according to the performance of the CPU 13 (described later). The maximum control axis number includes axes such as spindles and servo motors included in a machine tool (not shown), as well as axes for opening and closing doors. Although the maximum control axis number data 120 includes three control periods A to C, this is not limited thereto, and two or four or more control periods may be used. Furthermore, although the maximum control axis numbers for each control period are set to "maximum 20 axes," "maximum 10 axes," and "maximum 8 axes," this is not limited thereto, and it is preferable that the maximum control axis number be set appropriately according to the performance of the CPU 13. The storage unit 12 may be a RAM memory separate from the control unit 11, or an SSD (Solid State Drive) or HDD (Hard Disk Drive) that stores the operating system and application programs executed by the control unit 11.

[0012] <CPU 13> The CPU 13 is a processor that controls a machine tool (not shown) by executing a machining program. It operates under a CPU operating condition selected from a plurality of CPU operating conditions based on the control operation of the control unit 11. In this embodiment, the CPU 13 can operate at a clock frequency of, for example, 1.5 GHz or 2 GHz, and is switched to a lower clock frequency when the CPU utilization rate is below the maximum of 75%. This allows the numerical control device 10 to reduce the power consumption of the CPU 13. While the numerical control device 10 determines whether the CPU 13 should be operated at a clock frequency of 1.5 GHz or 2 GHz depending on whether the CPU utilization rate is below 75%, this is not limiting. For example, the numerical control device 10 may determine the clock frequency at which the CPU 13 should be operated based on a CPU utilization rate value other than 75%.

[0013] Furthermore, when the CPU 13 has two input power levels of 1 V and 1.5 V, the numerical controller 10 may switch to the lower input voltage if, for example, the CPU utilization rate is 60% or less. By doing so, the numerical controller 10 can reduce the power consumption of the CPU 13. Furthermore, when the CPU 13 is configured with four cores, the numerical controller 10 may switch to driving with three cores, for example, if the CPU utilization rate is 75% or less. By doing so, the numerical controller 10 can reduce the power consumption of the CPU 13.

[0014] <Control Unit 11> The control unit 11 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, CMOS memory, etc., which are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a bus and are well known to those skilled in the art. The CPU is a processor that controls the entire numerical control device 10 and may be the same as or different from the CPU 13. The CPU reads system programs and application programs stored in the ROM via the bus and controls the entire numerical control device 10 in accordance with the system programs and application programs. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1 , the control unit 11 is configured to realize the functions of a control status acquisition unit 110, a CPU utilization rate estimation unit 111, an axis control function acquisition unit 112, and a CPU operating condition designation unit 113. The RAM stores various data, such as temporary calculation data and display data. The CMOS memory is backed up by a battery (not shown) and is configured as a non-volatile memory that retains its stored state even when the numerical control device 10 is powered off.

[0015] The control state acquisition unit 110 acquires the control state of the machine tool (not shown). Specifically, the control state acquisition unit 110 acquires, as the control state, the number of controlled axes and the control period stored in the storage unit 12 of the numerical control device 10, for example, at the timing when the CPU 13 is started from the numerical control device 10.

[0016] The axis control function acquisition unit 112 acquires the enable / disable status of a function that increases the CPU load of the CPU 13. Specifically, for example, when a maximum of five vibration suppression filters for suppressing motor oscillations in a machine tool (not shown) are installed per axis and the average number of vibration suppression filters for all axes is four or more, the axis control function acquisition unit 112 determines and acquires the enable status of the vibration suppression filter function that increases the CPU load of the CPU 13. Alternatively, for example, when more than half of the axes use a fully closed system as one of their control methods, the axis control function acquisition unit 112 determines and acquires the enable status of the function that increases the CPU load of the CPU 13 because the processing is heavier than with a semi-closed system control method.

[0017] The CPU utilization rate estimation unit 111 estimates the CPU utilization rate of the CPU 13 based on the control state acquired by the control state acquisition unit 110. Specifically, for example, if the acquired control state indicates that the number of controlled axes is "15 axes" and the control cycle is "control cycle A," the CPU utilization rate estimation unit 111 estimates the CPU utilization rate (maximum) to be 75% based on the maximum number of controlled axes data 120, because the number of controlled axes "15 axes" is three-quarters of the maximum number of controlled axes "20 axes" in "control cycle A." Furthermore, if the acquired control state indicates that the number of controlled axes is "8 axes" and the control cycle is "control cycle C," the CPU utilization rate estimation unit 111 estimates the CPU utilization rate (maximum) to be 100% based on the maximum number of controlled axes data 120, because the number of controlled axes "8 axes" matches the maximum number of controlled axes "8 axes" in "control cycle C." In addition, when the axis control function acquisition unit 112 acquires the enablement of a function that increases the CPU load of the CPU 13, the CPU utilization rate estimation unit 111 multiplies the estimated CPU utilization rate by a certain factor (for example, "1.2").

[0018] The CPU operating condition designation unit 113 designates the CPU operating conditions of the CPU 13 based on the estimation results. Specifically, for example, when the acquired control state indicates that the number of controlled axes is "15 axes" and the control cycle is "control cycle A," and the axis control function acquisition unit 112 acquires that a function that increases the CPU load of the CPU 13 is disabled, the CPU operating condition designation unit 113 designates the CPU operating conditions of a low clock frequency of 1.5 GHz because the CPU utilization rate (maximum) is 75%. On the other hand, when the acquired control state indicates that the number of controlled axes is "15 axes" and the control cycle is "control cycle A," and the axis control function acquisition unit 112 acquires that a function that increases the CPU load of the CPU 13 is enabled, the CPU operating condition designation unit 113 designates the CPU operating conditions of a high clock frequency of 2 GHz because the CPU utilization rate (maximum) exceeds 75%. Furthermore, when the number of controlled axes in the acquired control state is "8 axes" and the control period is "control period C," the CPU operating condition designation unit 113 designates a high clock frequency of 2 GHz as the CPU usage rate (maximum) is 100%, regardless of whether the axis control function acquisition unit 112 has enabled or disabled the function that increases the CPU load of the CPU 13. The CPU operating condition designation unit 113 starts the CPU 13 based on the designated CPU operating conditions. By doing so, the numerical controller 10 can reduce the power consumption of the CPU 13.

[0019] <Operating condition designation process of the numerical controller 10> Next, the flow of the operating condition designation process of the numerical controller 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operating condition designation process of the numerical controller 10. The flow shown here is executed every time the numerical controller 10 starts up the CPU 13.

[0020] In step S11, the control status acquisition unit 110 acquires the number of control axes and the control period stored in the memory unit 12 of the numerical control device 10 as the control status of the machine tool (not shown) when the CPU 13 is started from the numerical control device 10.

[0021] In step S12 , the axis control function acquisition unit 112 acquires whether the function that increases the CPU load on the CPU 13 is enabled or disabled.

[0022] In step S13, the CPU utilization rate estimation unit 111 estimates the CPU utilization rate of the CPU 13 based on the control state acquired in step S11.

[0023] In step S14, if the CPU utilization estimation unit 111 obtains in step S12 that a function that increases the CPU load of the CPU 13 is enabled, it multiplies the CPU utilization estimated in step S13 by a fixed factor (for example, "1.2").

[0024] In step S15, the CPU operating condition designation unit 113 designates the CPU operating conditions of the CPU 13 based on the estimation result in step S14.

[0025] As described above, the numerical control device 10 according to the first embodiment can reduce power consumption in the CPU 13 by selecting the CPU operating conditions of the CPU 13 in accordance with the control state of the machine tool (not shown).

[0026] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. As described above, in the first embodiment, the numerical control device 10 acquired the number of controlled axes and the control period as the control state of the industrial machine. In contrast, in the second embodiment, the numerical control device 10A acquires the CPU utilization state during past operation as well as the control state of the industrial machine, which is different from the first embodiment. As a result, the numerical control device 10A can reduce power consumption in the CPU by selecting CPU operating conditions for the CPU based on the control state of the industrial machine and the CPU utilization state during past operation. The second embodiment will be described below.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block configuration of a numerical control device 10A according to the second embodiment. Elements having the same functions as those of the numerical control device 10 in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 4, the numerical control device 10A includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a CPU 13. The control unit 11 also includes a control state acquisition unit 110a, a CPU utilization rate estimation unit 111a, a CPU operating condition designation unit 113, a program operation determination unit 114, and a CPU utilization rate lower limit value setting unit 115. The storage unit 12 and the CPU 13 have the same functions as those of the storage unit 12 and the CPU 13 in the first embodiment.

[0028] The control unit 11a includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, CMOS memory, etc., which are configured to communicate with each other via a bus and are well known to those skilled in the art. The CPU is a processor that controls the entire numerical control device 10A and may be the same as or different from the CPU 13. The CPU reads system programs and application programs stored in the ROM via the bus and controls the entire numerical control device 10A in accordance with the system programs and application programs. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4 , the control unit 11a is configured to implement the functions of a control status acquisition unit 110a, a CPU utilization rate estimation unit 111a, a CPU operating condition designation unit 113, a program operation determination unit 114, and a CPU utilization rate lower limit value setting unit 115. The CPU operating condition designation unit 113 has the same functions as the CPU operating condition designation unit 113 of the first embodiment.

[0029] The program operation determination unit 114 determines whether a machine tool (not shown) has been operated by a program operation, for example, in a CPU utilization state during a past operation acquired by the control state acquisition unit 110a (described later). FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the acquired CPU utilization state at the time of the previous initial startup. The CPU utilization state in FIG. 5 is time-series data of the CPU utilization at the time of the previous initial startup, and shows the CPU utilization when the CPU 13 is operated at a clock frequency of 2 GHz. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, the program operation determination unit 114 determines that a machining program has been executed and a machining operation has been performed by the machine tool (not shown) during a period in which the CPU utilization rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (e.g., 30%). That is, the program operation determination unit 114 determines that a machining program has been executed and that a program operation is in progress during the period from time t1 to time t3 in FIG. 5. The program operation determination unit 114 outputs the determination result to the control state acquisition unit 110a. If the CPU utilization rate of the CPU 13 does not reach or exceed a predetermined value, the program operation determination unit 114 may prevent the CPU utilization rate estimation unit 111a, which will be described later, from estimating the maximum CPU utilization rate.

[0030] The control state acquisition unit 110a acquires, for example, the control state of the machine tool (not shown) as well as the CPU utilization state of the CPU 13 during past operations in the numerical control device 10A. Specifically, the control state acquisition unit 110a acquires, for example, the number of controlled axes and the control period stored in the memory unit 12 of the numerical control device 10 as the control state of the machine tool (not shown), and also monitors and acquires the CPU utilization rate during the previous operation of the CPU 13. When the program operation determination unit 114 determines that the machine tool (not shown) has been operated by program operation, the control state acquisition unit 110a stores the acquired time-series data of the CPU utilization rate of the CPU 13 in the memory unit 12 as the CPU utilization rate state.

[0031] The CPU utilization rate lower limit setting unit 115 specifies that the CPU utilization rate estimated by the CPU utilization rate estimation unit 111a (described later) is limited to a lower limit value (e.g., 50% or a lower value) that does not affect the basic operation of the CPU 13 (e.g., the number of controlled axes, the control period, etc.).

[0032] The CPU utilization estimation unit 111a estimates the maximum CPU utilization up to a specific timing, which is equal to or greater than the lower limit specified by the CPU utilization lower limit setting unit 115, based on the CPU utilization state of the CPU 13 acquired when it is determined that a machine tool (not shown) has been operated by a program operation. The specific timing may be, for example, the timing at which operating conditions are selected for the second or subsequent times based on the CPU utilization state at the initial startup. In the case of the CPU utilization state shown in FIG. 5 , the CPU utilization estimation unit 111a estimates and saves the CPU utilization at time t2 as the maximum CPU utilization. Since the machining operation of the machine tool (not shown) basically involves repeated axis movements, it is considered that the CPU utilization state will not exceed the maximum CPU utilization obtained during a test run. Since estimating the maximum CPU utilization simply based on power ON / OFF cycles results in an underestimate, the CPU utilization estimation unit 111a may save the maximum CPU utilization only when the program operation has been repeated a certain number of times.

[0033] The CPU operating condition designation unit 113 designates the CPU operating conditions for the CPU 13 from the second time onward, for example, based on the maximum CPU utilization estimated by the CPU utilization estimation unit 111a. Specifically, for example, since the maximum CPU utilization estimated by the CPU utilization estimation unit 111a is 75% or less in the CPU utilization state shown in FIG. 5 , the CPU operating condition designation unit 113 designates a clock frequency of 1.5 GHz as the CPU operating condition for the CPU 13 from the second time onward. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the CPU utilization state acquired by the control state acquisition unit 110a at the second or subsequent startup. As shown in FIG. 6 , the CPU 13 indicates that the CPU utilization does not exceed 100% even when operating at a clock frequency of 1.5 GHz. This allows the numerical control device 10A to reduce power consumption in the CPU 13.

[0034] <Operating Condition Designation Processing of the Numerical Controller 10A> Next, the flow of the operating condition designation processing of the numerical controller 10A will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operating condition designation processing of the numerical controller 10A. The flow shown here is executed every time the numerical controller 10A starts up the CPU 13.

[0035] In step S21, the control state acquisition unit 110a acquires, for example, the control state of the machine tool (not shown) and the CPU utilization state during past operation (most recent operation) of the numerical control device 10A.

[0036] In step S22, the programmed operation determination unit 114 determines whether or not the machine tool (not shown) was operated by a programmed operation in the CPU utilization state during the past operation acquired in step S21.

[0037] In step S23, the CPU utilization rate lower limit setting unit 115 defines a lower limit value for estimating the maximum CPU utilization rate.

[0038] In step S24, the CPU utilization estimation unit 111a estimates the maximum CPU utilization up to a specific timing, which is equal to or greater than the lower limit value specified in step S23, from the CPU utilization state of the CPU 13 determined in step S22 to have operated the machine tool (not shown) by program operation.

[0039] In step S25, the CPU operating condition designation unit 113 designates the CPU operating conditions of the CPU 13 based on the estimation result in step S24.

[0040] As described above, the numerical control device 10A according to the second embodiment can reduce power consumption in the CPU 13 by selecting the operating conditions of the CPU 13 based on the control state of the machine tool (not shown) as well as the CPU utilization state during past operations when the CPU 13 is started for the second time or later.

[0041] As described above in the first and second embodiments, the numerical control devices 10, 10A of the present disclosure can reduce power consumption in the CPU by selecting the CPU operating conditions of the CPU based on the control state of the industrial machine and the CPU usage state during past operation.

[0042] <Modification 1> Although the CPU 13 of the numerical control device 10, 10A in the first and second embodiments is described as operating at a clock frequency of 1.5 GHz or 2 GHz, this is not limiting. For example, the CPU 13 may operate at any clock frequency equal to or greater than two. Furthermore, when the CPU 13 is operated with an input power of 1 V or 1.5 V, the input voltage may be switched to a lower input voltage of 1 V, for example, if the CPU utilization rate is 60% or less. Alternatively, when the CPU 13 is configured with four cores or the like, the CPU 13 may be switched to three cores or the like if the CPU utilization rate is 75% or less. This allows the numerical control device 10, 10A to reduce the power consumption of the CPU 13.

[0043] <Modification 2> In the first and second embodiments described above, the numerical control devices 10 and 10A determine whether to operate the CPU 13 at a clock frequency of 1.5 GHz or 2 GHz depending on whether the CPU utilization rate is 75% or less. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the numerical control devices 10 and 10A may determine the clock frequency at which to operate the CPU 13 based on a CPU utilization rate other than 75% (e.g., 60%).

[0044] <Modification 3> In the first and second embodiments described above, the numerical control devices 10 and 10A include the CPU 13, but this is not limiting. For example, the CPU 13 may be located outside the numerical control devices 10 and 10A.

[0045] The functions included in the numerical control devices 10 and 10A in the first and second embodiments can be realized by hardware, software, or a combination of these. Here, "realized by software" means that the functions are realized by a computer reading and executing a program.

[0046] The program can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer-readable media. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R / Ws, and semiconductor memories (e.g., mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, and RAMs). The program may be provided to the computer by various types of transient computer-readable media. Examples of transient computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transient computer-readable media can provide the program to the computer via a wired communication path such as an electrical wire or optical fiber, or via a wireless communication path.

[0047] The step of executing the program recorded on the recording medium includes not only processes that are performed in chronological order, but also processes that are not necessarily performed in chronological order but are performed in parallel or individually. Also, the step of writing the program may be performed by cloud computing.

[0048] Although the present disclosure has 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 present disclosure or the spirit of the present disclosure derived from the content of the claims and their equivalents. These embodiments can also be implemented in combination. 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.

[0049] The following supplementary notes are further disclosed regarding the above-described embodiments and modifications. (Supplementary Note 1) A numerical control device (10) includes a control state acquisition unit (110) that acquires a control state of an industrial machine, a CPU utilization rate estimation unit (111) that estimates a CPU utilization rate of the CPU (13) based on the control state acquired by the control state acquisition unit (110), and a CPU operating condition designation unit (113) that designates CPU operating conditions of the CPU (13) based on the estimation result by the CPU utilization rate estimation unit (111). (Supplementary Note 2) In the numerical control device (10) of Supplementary Note 1, the CPU operating condition designation unit (113) designates at least a clock frequency. (Supplementary Note 3) In the numerical control device (10) of Supplementary Note 1, the control state acquisition unit (110) acquires the number of controlled axes as the control state, and the CPU utilization rate estimation unit (111) estimates the CPU utilization rate based on the number of controlled axes. (Supplementary Note 4) In the numerical control device (10) of Supplementary Note 3, the control state acquisition unit (110) acquires the control period as the control state. (Supplementary Note 5) In the numerical control device (10) of Supplementary Note 1 or Supplementary Note 3, an axis control function acquisition unit (112) is provided that acquires the enable / disable of a function that increases the CPU load, and the CPU utilization estimation unit (111) multiplies the estimated CPU utilization by a certain factor based on the acquired enable / disable of the function. (Supplementary Note 6) In the numerical control device (10A) of Supplementary Note 1, the control state acquisition unit (110a) acquires the CPU utilization state during past operation of the numerical control device (10A). (Supplementary Note 7) In the numerical control device (10A) of Supplementary Note 6, a program operation determination unit (114) is provided that determines whether the industrial machine was operated by program operation in the CPU utilization state during past operation. (Supplementary Note 8) The numerical control device (10A) of Supplementary Note 1 includes a CPU utilization lower limit setting unit (115) that specifies the estimated CPU utilization to be up to a lower limit value that does not affect the basic operation of the CPU (13).

[0050] 10, 10A Numerical control device 11, 11a Control unit 110, 110a Control state acquisition unit 111, 111a CPU utilization rate estimation unit 112 Axis control function acquisition unit 113 CPU operating condition designation unit 114 Program operation determination unit 115 CPU utilization rate lower limit value setting unit 12 Storage unit 120 Maximum number of controlled axes data 13 CPU

Claims

1. A numerical control device comprising: a control state acquisition unit that acquires the control state of an industrial machine; a CPU utilization rate estimation unit that estimates a CPU utilization rate of a CPU based on the control state acquired by the control state acquisition unit; and a CPU operating condition designation unit that designates CPU operating conditions of the CPU based on the estimation result by the CPU utilization rate estimation unit.

2. The numerical control device according to claim 1, wherein said CPU operating condition designation section designates at least a clock frequency.

3. The numerical control device according to claim 1, wherein the control state acquisition unit acquires the number of controlled axes as the control state, and the CPU utilization rate estimation unit estimates the CPU utilization rate based on the number of controlled axes.

4. The numerical control device according to claim 3, wherein the control state acquisition unit acquires a control period as the control state.

5. A numerical control device as described in claim 1 or claim 3, further comprising an axis control function acquisition unit that acquires whether a function that increases CPU load is enabled / disabled, and the CPU utilization rate estimation unit multiplies the estimated CPU utilization rate based on the acquired enabled / disabled status of the function by a fixed factor.

6. The numerical control device according to claim 1, wherein the control state acquisition unit acquires the CPU utilization state during past operation of the numerical control device.

7. A numerical control device according to claim 6, further comprising a program operation determination unit that determines whether or not the industrial machine was operated by a program operation in the CPU utilization state during the past operation.

8. The numerical control device according to claim 1, further comprising a CPU utilization lower limit setting unit that specifies the CPU utilization of the estimated result to be up to a lower limit that does not affect the basic operation of the CPU.

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