Work machine, work system, and control program update method

Abstract

Provided are a work machine, a work system, and a control program update method which make it possible to reduce a workload for updating a control program.　A work machine according to the present disclosure comprises a storage unit, an acquisition unit for acquiring an update control program, a communication unit for executing communication with an update target device, and a control unit for executing: an acquisition process for acquiring, via the communication unit, the version of a control program stored in the update target device; an update determination process for determining whether or not updating a control program stored in the storage unit and the control program stored in the update target device is necessary, on the basis of the respective versions of the control program stored in the storage unit, the control program stored in the update target device, and the update control program; and an update process for updating the control program that needs to be updated among the control program stored in the storage unit and the control program stored in the update target device when it is determined that the update is necessary as a result of the update determination process.

Description

Work machine, work system, and control program update method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technique for updating a control program.

[0002] Various techniques for updating control programs have been proposed. For example, the electronic component mounting device disclosed in Patent Document 1 below has a storage unit that includes multiple storage areas for storing control programs. The electronic component mounting device switches between areas that are the target of a write process for writing a control program to the storage unit and a read process for reading the written control program, and simultaneously executes a process for reading the control program and a process for writing a new control program.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-205075

[0004] When multiple work machines are used to perform a task, if the versions of the control programs installed on each work machine are not the same or compatible, differences in the operation of each work machine will occur. As a result, the work cannot be performed in coordination, or if the work is performed separately, differences will occur in the work content performed on the workpiece. On the other hand, updating the control programs for each of the multiple work machines separately increases the workload.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a work machine, a work system, and a control program updating method that can reduce the burden of the work of updating a control program.

[0006]

[0006] To solve the above problems, this specification discloses a work machine including: a storage unit that stores a control program; an acquisition unit that acquires an update control program; a communication unit that communicates with an update target device; an acquisition process that acquires the version of the control program stored in the update target device via the communication unit; an update determination process that determines whether the control program stored in the storage unit and the control program stored in the update target device need to be updated based on the versions of the control program stored in the storage unit, the control program stored in the update target device, and the update control program; and an update process that updates the control program that needs to be updated among the control programs stored in the storage unit and the control program stored in the update target device if it is determined that an update is necessary as a result of the update determination process. Furthermore, the content of this disclosure is not limited to implementation as a work machine, and is also extremely useful as a work system including a work machine and an update target device, and as a control program update method for updating a control program using a work machine.

[0007] According to the work machine, work system, and control program update method disclosed herein, the burden of updating a control program can be reduced.

[0008] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a plasma system 10 of the present embodiment. A block diagram of the plasma system 10. A flowchart of a program update process. A flowchart of a program update process. A flowchart of a change version number determination process. A diagram showing an error screen 81. A diagram showing an end screen 85. A diagram showing a confirmation screen 89. A diagram showing an update result screen 95.

[0009] An embodiment of the working system of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a plasma system 10 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the plasma system 10 includes a master device 11 and three slave devices 12. The plasma system 10 is a system that performs plasma processing on a workpiece using the master device 11 and the three slave devices 12. The configuration of the plasma system 10 shown in FIG. 1 is an example. For example, the number of slave devices 12 is not limited to three, and may be one, two, or a number other than three.

[0010] The master device 11 includes a main body 21, a plasma head 22, and a cable 23. The main body 21 has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the vertical direction, and is provided with a plurality of casters 25 on its underside, which can be rotated to move. The main body 21 is connected to the plasma head 22 via the cable 23. The cable 23 includes, for example, a cable for supplying power from the main body 21 to the plasma head 22, a cable for supplying process gas, and other control cables.

[0011] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the plasma system 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 21 includes a power supply 31, a gas supply 32, a memory 33, a control unit 34, an I / O IF (abbreviation of interface) 35, a LAN IF 36, an external IF 37, and a reader 38. The control unit 34 can communicate with the power supply 31, the gas supply 32, the memory 33, the I / O IF 35, the LAN IF 36, the external IF 37, and the reader 38 via a communication means 39. The communication means 39 is, for example, a communication cable or a communication bus. The power supply 31 supplies power to the plasma head 22 via the cable 23 under the control of the control unit 34. The gas supply 32 supplies a process gas to the plasma head 22 under the control of the control unit 34. The process gas supplied by the gas supply 32 may be, for example, a reactive gas that is converted into plasma by discharge or a carrier gas that is irradiated along with the plasma. The reactive gas may be, for example, a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen, and the carrier gas may be nitrogen.

[0012] The plasma head 22 includes a reaction chamber (not shown) to which a process gas is supplied, an electrode (not shown) that generates a discharge in the reaction chamber, and a nozzle that irradiates the plasma gas from the reaction chamber. The plasma head 22 supplies a reaction gas supplied from a gas supply device 32 to the reaction chamber, supplies power supplied from the gas supply device 32 to the electrode to generate a discharge, and converts the reaction gas into plasma, thereby generating a plasma gas. The plasma head 22 irradiates the generated plasma together with a carrier gas from the nozzle. Note that the configuration of the plasma head 22 described above is an example. For example, the plasma head 22 may include a heater that heats the process gas.

[0013] The storage unit 33 includes, for example, RAM, ROM, and a hard disk drive. An operating system (hereinafter referred to as OS) 40 and an application program AP1 are stored in the storage unit 33. Note that the above-described configuration of the storage unit 33 is an example. For example, the storage unit 33 may include an NVRAM, an SSD, or the like instead of or in addition to the hard disk drive.

[0014] The control unit 34 is a device that controls the master device 11 in an integrated manner, and is, for example, a control board equipped with a CPU (an example of a processing unit in the present disclosure). The control unit 34 executes an OS 40 on the CPU and controls the master device 11 using functions and services provided by the OS 40. The application program AP1 also includes various programs. For example, the control unit 34 executes the application program AP1 and performs a program update process (see FIGS. 3 and 4 ) that updates the control programs PG1 and PG2 by using functions provided by the OS 40. The application program AP1 also includes a control program PG1 that controls the master device 11 during plasma processing. The control unit 34 executes the control program PG1 on the CPU and controls the power supply device 31, the gas supply device 32, and the plasma head 22 by using functions provided by the OS 40, and performs plasma processing on the workpiece. The control program PG1 includes, for example, multiple types of application programs related to plasma processing (such as a software PLC, described below).

[0015] The OS 40 may be, for example, a UNIX-based OS such as Linux OS, or other types of OS such as Windows. In the following description, the devices that execute each program may be referred to simply by their device names. For example, the phrase "the master device 11 communicates with each slave device 12 via the LANIF 36" means that the master device 11 executes the OS 40 and the control program PG1 in the control unit 34 and controls the LANIF 36 to communicate with the slave devices 12 via the LANIF 36. The same applies to the slave devices 12 and the control unit 64 described below.

[0016] The I / OIF 35 is an interface for inputting and outputting I / O signals and is connected to each of the three slave devices 12 via an I / O cable 43. The LANIF 36 is connected to a router 49 via a LAN cable 45, for example, and is connected to the three slave devices 12 and a network (such as a local area network or the Internet) via the router 49. Therefore, the master device 11 can communicate with each slave device 12. The master device 11 controls the operation of each slave device 12 by communicating with the slave devices 12 via the LANIF 36. Specifically, the master device 11 updates the control program PG1 and the control program PG2 of the slave devices 12 by executing a predetermined program included in the OS 40 and application program AP1. The master device 11 also controls the plasma processing operation of the master device 11 and the slave devices 12 by executing the control program PG1. The LANIF 36 is not limited to a wired interface, and may be a wireless interface capable of wireless (wireless LAN) communication.

[0017] The external IF 37 is an interface for connecting an external device. For example, an operation unit 27 is connected to the master device 11 as an external device. The operation unit 27 has, for example, a touch panel and operation buttons, and is connected to the external IF 37 via a communication cable 47. The operator 15 can operate the master device 11 by operating the operation unit 27. The master device 11 executes processing in response to an operation input to the operation unit 27. For example, the master device 11 receives, via the operation unit 27, an instruction to start plasma processing and an instruction to update the control programs PG1 and PG2 (described later) (S15). The master device 11 also displays information related to the master device 11 and the slave devices 12 on the touch panel of the operation unit 27. The operation unit 27 also has a stop button. When the stop button on the operation unit 27 is operated, the master device 11 stops the processing currently being executed (the update processing or the plasma processing).

[0018] The reading device 38 is a device to which an external storage medium 48 can be attached and detached. For example, an attachment port for the external storage medium 48 is provided on the back surface of the main body 21. The master device 11 controls the reading device 38 to acquire information from the external storage medium 48 attached to the reading device 38 and write information to the external storage medium 48. The external storage medium 48 is, for example, an SD card. The external storage medium 48 stores an update control program UPG for updating the control programs PG1 and PG2. The update control program UPG is a program with a different version from the control programs PG1 and PG2. The master device 11 acquires the update control program UPG from the external storage medium 48 and updates the control programs PG1 and PG2. Note that the term "acquire" in this disclosure is used to mean that a request is not essential. In other words, this concept includes both cases where the information recipient actively reads (obtains) information from the information source, and cases where information is sent from the information source to the recipient without the information recipient requesting it.

[0019] The above-described configuration of the master device 11 is merely an example. For example, the master device 11 may be equipped with a robot to which the plasma head 22 is attached and which changes the orientation and position of the plasma head 22. The external storage medium 48 is not limited to an SD card and may be other storage media such as a USB memory. The external storage medium 48 of the present disclosure may also be a storage medium such as a CD-R or DVD-ROM.

[0020] The reading device 38 is also an example of the acquisition unit of the present disclosure. The method of acquiring the update control program UPG of the present disclosure is not limited to acquiring it from the external storage medium 48. For example, the master device 11 may acquire the update control program UPG from a server on the network via the LANIF 36. In this case, the LANIF 36 can also be used as the acquisition unit of the present disclosure.

[0021] 1 and 2, each slave device 12 has the same configuration as the master device 11, except that it does not have, for example, the external IF 37 or the reading device 38. Therefore, in the following explanation, detailed explanation of the slave devices 12 will be omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, the three slave devices 12 have the same configuration. Therefore, in the following explanation, only one slave device 12 will be explained.

[0022] Like the master device 11, the slave device 12 includes a main body 51, a plasma head 52, and a cable 53, and is movable on casters 55. The main body 51 includes a power supply 61, a gas supply 62, a memory 63, a control unit 64, an I / O IF 65, and a LAN IF 66. The control unit 64 communicates with the power supply 61 and other components via a communication means 69. The memory 63 stores an OS 70 and an application program AP2 including a control program PG2. The I / O IF 65 is connected to the I / O cable 43, and the LAN IF 66 is connected to the router 49. Note that FIG. 2 illustrates the control unit 64 and other components of only one of the three slave devices 12, and the other slave devices 12 are illustrated in simplified form.

[0023] The control unit 64 is a device that performs overall control of the slave unit 12, and by executing the OS 70 and control program PG2 on the CPU, it controls the power supply unit 61, the gas supply unit 62, and the plasma head 52 and performs plasma processing on the workpiece. Note that the configuration of the slave unit 12 described above is an example. For example, the slave unit 12 may be configured to include an external IF and a reading device.

[0024] The slave devices 12 can also perform plasma processing under the control of the master device 11. For example, the master device 11 controls three slave devices 12 via the LANIF 36, and performs plasma processing on one workpiece using four devices in sequence. Alternatively, the master device 11 controls three slave devices 12, and performs the same or different plasma processing on different workpieces simultaneously. Each of the master device 11 and the slave devices 12 determines whether an error has occurred in the plasma processing being performed by the master device 11. The master device 11 collects information on errors that have occurred in its own device and in each slave device 12, and displays the information on the operation unit 27.

[0025] As described above, the slave device 12 has the same configuration as the master device 11, except that it does not include the external IF 37 or the reading device 38. The master device 11 and the slave device 12 can switch between functioning as a master device and a slave device by changing the hardware settings of the control units 34 and 64. For example, the control board on which the CPU of the control units 34 and 64 is mounted is provided with multiple connectors for connecting cables. The master device 11 and the slave device 12 determine whether to function as a master device or a slave device based on input signals from these connectors. Therefore, the master device 11 and the slave device 12 can switch between master and slave devices depending on which connector the cable is connected to. Note that the configurations of the master device 11 and the slave device 12 shown in FIG. 2 are merely examples and can be modified as appropriate. For example, the slave device 12 may be configured to include the external IF 37 and the reading device 38. By making the master device 11 and the slave device 12 have the same configuration, including the external IF 37 and the reading device 38, the compatibility between the slave device 12 and the master device 11 can be further improved.

[0026] Furthermore, the method of switching between the master device 11 and the slave device 12 is not limited to the method using the connector described above, and may be a method of changing the settings of a dip switch mounted on the control board of the control unit 34, 64, or the like. The master device 11 and the slave device 12 may be configured to switch between the master device and the slave device by software processing. For example, the operator 15 may connect an operation unit 27 to each of the master device 11 and the slave device 12 and switch between the master device and the slave device using a touch panel. The master device 11 and the slave device 12 may also be configured not to be able to switch between functioning as a master device or a slave device.

[0027] (Regarding the Program Update Process) Next, the program update process executed by the plasma system 10 will be described. When work is performed using multiple work machines, as in the plasma system 10 of this embodiment, if the versions of the control programs PG1 and PG2 installed in each work machine are not the same or compatible, differences in the operation of each work machine will occur. Specifically, each of the control units 34 and 64 executes control based on the control programs PG1 and PG2 stored in each device. Therefore, if different versions result in different added functions, differences will occur in the operation of the plasma processing in each device. Differences will occur in the processing operations and processing results. Therefore, the master device 11 and the slave device 12 execute the program update process shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 to confirm that the control programs PG1 and PG2 have been updated before starting up the system.

[0028] In this embodiment, the control program PG1 included in the application program AP1 and the control program PG2 included in the application program AP2 are used as the programs to be updated, but this is not limiting. For example, the programs to be updated may be other programs such as the OS 40, 70, etc.

[0029] When the master device 11 and the slave device 12 are powered on, they each start the processing shown in Figures 3 and 4. Note that the condition for starting the processing in Figures 3 and 4 is not limited to the condition of powering on, but may also be the condition of receiving a start instruction from the operator 15. As described above, the master device 11 and the slave device 12 have the same configuration. When the master device 11 and the slave device 12 start the processing in Figure 3 after startup, they determine whether they are the master device or the slave device (see step S3). In other words, steps S1 to S3 in Figure 3 are common processing for both the master device 11 and the slave device 12.

[0030] For example, when the master device 11 is powered on, in step (hereinafter referred to as unit S) 1, the master device 11 starts the OS 40 to start the system. After starting the system, the master device 11 executes, for example, a predetermined program included in the application program AP1 and starts the processing from S2 onwards. Next, the master device 11 changes the current user (S2). For example, the master device 11 changes the current user to a user (such as an administrator user) who has the authority to update the control program PG1. Note that the master device 11 does not need to automatically switch users. The master device 11 may also accept user selection or login operations via the operation unit 27. Next, the master device 11 determines whether or not it is the master device 11 (S3). Based on an input signal from a connector provided on the control board of the control unit 34, the master device 11 determines that it is the master device (S3: YES) and executes S4.

[0031] On the other hand, when the slave device 12 is powered on, like the master device 11, it starts up the OS 70 in S1 to start up the system. After starting up the system, the slave device 12 executes a predetermined program included in the application program AP2 and starts the processing from S2 onwards. Next, the slave device 12 changes the current user to a user with update authority (S2) and determines whether the slave device 12 is the master device 11 (S3). Based on the input signal from the connector of the control unit 64, the slave device 12 determines that it is a slave device (S3: NO) and executes S101.

[0032] In S4, the master device 11 executes an application program that controls the display of a screen included in the application program AP1, and displays an initial startup screen (not shown) on the operation unit 27. After executing S4, the master device 11 checks the external storage medium 48 (S5). For example, the master device 11 may report an error if it cannot confirm the contents of the external storage medium 48 attached to the reading device 38 or if it attempts to obtain information but fails. The master device 11 may display a message on the operation unit 27 indicating that it cannot read the external storage medium 48. After executing S5, the master device 11 executes S6. Furthermore, if the external storage medium 48 is not attached to the reading device 38 and the master device 11 is unable to detect the attachment of the external storage medium 48 in S5, the master device 11 executes S6 without reporting an error.

[0033] In S6, the master device 11 starts measuring time, for example, using an I / O connection confirmation timer that measures a predetermined first time limit. Meanwhile, after executing S3, the slave device 12 outputs an I / O signal to the master device 11 via the I / OIF 65 to confirm the connection (S101). The master device 11 sets identification information for each slave device 12, for example, depending on the connector to which the slave device 12 is connected in the I / OIF 35. The I / OIF 35 is provided with connectors for connecting each of the multiple slave devices 12. The master device 11 determines the identification information (Slave 1, Slave 2, Slave 3, etc.) of the slave device 12 depending on the connected connector. This allows the operator 15 to change the identification information of each slave device 12 by connecting the I / O cable 43 connected to the I / OIF 65 of each slave device 12 to which I / OIF 35 of the master device 11.

[0034] The above-described method for setting the identification information of the slave device 12 is merely an example. For example, the slave device 12 may change the I / O signal (identification information) output from the I / OIF 65 by changing the hardware settings such as a DIP switch, or by changing the software settings based on the operation of the operation unit 27. This allows the master device 11 to set identification information for the connected slave device 12 based on the content of the I / O signal input via the I / OIF 35.

[0035] When the master device 11 detects that the first time limit has elapsed using the I / O connection confirmation timer, which began measuring in S6, the master device 11 executes S7. The master device 11 executes S7 and subsequent steps for the slave devices 12 to which an I / O signal has been input before executing S7. The master device 11 also does not execute S7 and subsequent steps for the slave devices 12 to which no I / O signal has been input before executing S7. Therefore, for slave devices 12 that did not output an I / O signal to the master device 11 between the execution of S6 and the elapse of the first time limit, the update of the control program PG2 and the control of the plasma processing, which will be described later, are not executed. The master device 11 may also confirm the connection, for example, through communication via the LANIF 36, which will be described later, without setting the first time limit for checking the I / O signal. Furthermore, if no slave devices 12 are connected to the master device 11 and no I / O signal has been input, the master device 11 may execute S28 and subsequent steps, which will be described later, and start up only the system of the master device 11.

[0036] In S7, the master device 11 starts measuring time using a LAN connection confirmation timer that measures a predetermined second time limit. Next, the master device 11 executes communication via the LANIF 36 to request confirmation of connection with the slave devices 12 whose connection has been confirmed by an I / O signal between the execution of S6 and the execution of S7, i.e., within the first time limit of the I / O connection confirmation timer (S8).

[0037] Meanwhile, after executing S101, the slave device 12 waits for the communication of S8. When the slave device 12 receives the communication of S8, it replies with a response indicating a successful connection and transmits slave information (S103). This slave information includes information indicating the overall version of the control program PG2 stored in the slave device 12 (hereinafter referred to as "version information"). Note that the slave information may also include version information for each of the multiple application programs included in the control program PG2. In this case, the master device 11 may determine the version of each application program included in the control program PG2 in the update process described below and individually determine whether to perform an update.

[0038] When the master device 11 detects that the second time limit has elapsed (S9) using the LAN connection confirmation timer that started counting in S7, the master device 11 determines whether slave information has been acquired from all of the slave devices 12 that performed the communication in S8 (S9). If the master device 11 has not acquired slave information from at least one of the slave devices 12 that performed the communication in S8 (S9), the master device 11 displays an error screen 81 shown in FIG. 6 on the touch panel of the operation unit 27 (S10). As shown in FIG. 6, the master device 11 displays error messages 82 in the order in which the errors occurred, starting from the top of the error screen 81. The error messages 82 may be text strings indicating, for example, the date and time the error occurred and the details of the error. The error messages 82 may also include identification information of the slave devices 12 from which the slave information could not be acquired. This allows the operator 15 to determine which slave device 12 had a problem and to check the LAN cable connection, IP address settings, and other related issues.

[0039] The master device 11 also displays an OK button 83 in the lower right corner of the error screen 81. When the OK button 83 is operated, the master device 11 displays a termination screen 85 shown in FIG. 7 on the operation unit 27. The master device 11 displays a message 87 on the termination screen 85 requesting that the breaker (power supply) of the device be turned OFF. After checking the error message 82, the worker 15 operates the OK button 83 to display the termination screen 85. The worker 15, for example, turns OFF the power to all of the master device 11 and slave devices 12 and takes action to resolve the error. As a result, when the power is turned ON again, the process of FIG. 3 is started in the state after the action has been taken.

[0040] On the other hand, if the master device 11 has successfully acquired slave information from all of the slave devices 12, it executes the change version number determination process of S11. The master device 11 executes the processes from S11 onwards with the slave devices 12 from which it has acquired slave information. The following explanation will be given for the case where it has been possible to acquire slave information from all three slave devices 12.

[0041] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the change version number determination process executed in S11. By executing the process of FIG. 5, the master device 11 determines the control program to be used to update the control programs PG1 and PG2 (hereinafter referred to as the control program to be used for updating). When the master device 11 starts the process of FIG. 5, it first determines whether the external storage medium 48 is attached to the reading device 38 (S41). As described above, even if the external storage medium 48 is not attached in S5, the master device 11 executes S6. Therefore, even if the external storage medium 48 is not attached, the process may continue and S11 may be executed without the external storage medium 48 being attached. If the external storage medium 48 is not attached in S41 (S41: NO), the master device 11 determines the control program PG1 of the master device 11 as the control program to be used for updating (S43) and terminates the process of FIG. 5.

[0042] On the other hand, if the external storage medium 48 is attached (S41: YES), the master device 11 determines whether or not the update control program UPG is stored in the external storage medium 48 (S45). If the update control program UPG is not stored in the external storage medium 48, that is, if the external storage medium 48 is attached but the update control program UPG is not stored therein (S45: NO), the master device 11 executes S43.

[0043] Furthermore, if an update control program UPG is stored in the external storage medium 48 (S45: YES), the master device 11 determines (S46) whether or not multiple update control programs UPG are stored in the external storage medium 48. If only one update control program UPG is stored in the external storage medium 48 (S46: NO), the master device 11 determines the update control program UPG stored in that external storage medium 48 as the control program to be used for updating (S47), and ends the processing of FIG.

[0044] Furthermore, if multiple update control programs UPG are stored in the external storage medium 48 (S46: YES), the master device 11 determines the update control program UPG with the largest version number among the multiple update control programs UPG stored in the external storage medium 48 as the control program to be used for the update (S48). After executing S48, the master device 11 ends the processing of FIG. 5. For example, the version is expressed by a number such as VerXX.XX.XX, and the larger the number, the newer the version (control program). In this case, the master device 11 selects the version with the largest number, i.e., the latest update control program UPG, among the multiple update control programs UPG.

[0045] The above-described version format and selection criteria are merely examples. For example, the version may include characters such as alphabets. In this case, the master device 11 may determine the order of character codes in addition to the order of numbers to determine the control program to be used for updating. Furthermore, if a test program is to be used as the update control program UPG, numbers and characters may be set so that the test program is selected preferentially.

[0046] As shown in Fig. 3, after executing S11, the master device 11 determines whether the control programs PG1 and PG2 need to be updated (S12). The master device 11 determines that an update is necessary if there is at least one control program among the control program PG1 and the control programs PG2 of all the slave devices 12 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as all the control programs PG1 and PG2) whose version is different from the control program to be used for the update determined in Fig. 5 (S12: YES). In other words, the master device 11 determines that an update is necessary if the versions of all the control programs PG1 and PG2 are not the same, or if the versions are the same but different from the version of the update control program UPG (S12: YES).

[0047] Specifically, when the master device 11 executes S43 of FIG. 5 , if the versions of the control program PG1 of the master device 11 and the control program PG2 of the slave devices 12 are different, the master device 11 determines that an update is necessary and updates the control program PG2 with the control program PG1. This allows the versions of all control programs PG1 and PG2 to be unified to the version of the control program PG1. Even if the version of the control program PG1 is older than the version of the control program PG2, all control programs PG1 and PG2 are unified to the control program PG1. Note that if the version number of the control program PG2 is higher than that of the control program PG1, the master device 11 may update the control program PG1 with the control program PG2. Furthermore, if the version number of the control program PG2 of only some of the slave devices 12 is different from that of the control program PG1, the master device 11 may update only the control program PG2 of those slave devices 12 with the control program PG1.

[0048] Therefore, in this embodiment, the master device 11 cannot obtain the update control program UPG from the external storage medium 48 (S41: NO, S45: NO), and compares the version of the control program PG1 with the version of the control program PG2. If the two versions are different, the master device 11 updates the control program PG2 with the control program PG1.

[0049] According to this, if the update control program UPG cannot be obtained, the control program PG2 of the slave device 12 is updated by the control program PG1 of the own device. For example, if a new slave device 12 is connected to the master device 11 and the versions of the control programs PG1 and PG2 are different between the two devices, the control programs PG1 and PG2 of all devices can be unified to the control program PG1 of the master device 11. By purchasing a new slave device 12 and connecting it to the master device 11, and then starting the master device 11 and the slave device 12, the control programs PG1 and PG2 can be unified.

[0050] Furthermore, at startup, the master device 11 executes a process (S41, S45) of acquiring the update control program UPG from the external storage medium 48 using the reading device 38. If the external storage medium 48 is not attached to the reading device 38 (S41: NO) or if the update control program UPG is not stored in the external storage medium 48 (S45: NO), the master device 11 determines that the update control program UPG cannot be acquired by the reading device 38. As a result, if the external storage medium 48 is not attached or if the attached external storage medium 48 does not store the update control program UPG, and if the versions of the control programs PG1 and PG2 are different, the control program PG2 of all the slave devices 12 can be unified to the control program PG1.

[0051] 5, if the version of at least one of the control programs PG1 and PG2 is different from the version of the update control program UPG used for the update, the master device 11 determines that an update is necessary (S12: YES). The same applies when S48 is executed. The master device 11 updates the control program of a different version with the update control program UPG.

[0052] Therefore, when multiple update control programs UPG are stored in the external storage medium 48, the master device 11 acquires the update control program UPG with the latest version among the multiple update control programs UPG (S48). The master device 11 determines whether or not the control programs PG1 and PG2 need to be updated based on the versions of the control programs PG1 and PG2 and the latest update control program UPG (S12). This makes it possible to unify all control programs PG1 and PG2 into the latest control program (update control program UPG) stored in the external storage medium 48.

[0053] 5, the master device 11 may update the control programs PG1 and PG2 with the update control program UPG only if the version of the update control program UPG determined as the control program to be used for the update is higher than the version numbers of all of the control programs PG1 and PG2. In other words, if the version of the update control program UPG stored in the external storage medium 48 is older than the versions of the control programs PG1 and PG2 already in the device, updating is not necessary. Furthermore, if the version of only some of the control programs PG1 and PG2 differs from the version of the update control program UPG, the master device 11 may update only those control programs with the update control program UPG.

[0054] If the master device 11 determines in S12 that an update is not necessary, for example, if the control program used for the update and all the control programs PG1 and PG2 are the same version, it determines that an update is not necessary (S12: NO) and executes the processing from S26 onwards in Fig. 4. In this case, as will be described later, the master device 11 starts up the systems of the master device 11 and the slave devices 12 and makes them ready to perform plasma processing.

[0055] On the other hand, if the master device 11 determines that an update is necessary (S12: YES), it displays a confirmation screen 89 shown in FIG. 8 on the operation unit 27 and accepts a final decision from the operator 15. The master device 11 sets a version display field 91 at the top of the confirmation screen 89. The master device 11 associates identification information (Master, Slave1, etc.) that identifies the master device 11 and the slave devices 12 with the versions of all the control programs PG1 and PG2 and displays them in the version display field 91. This identification information is, for example, information determined by the I / O communication in S6.

[0056] The master device 11 also displays a message 92 in the center of the confirmation screen 89 indicating the version of the control program to be used for the update, which was determined in the change version number determination process of Fig. 5. This allows the operator 15 to check the displayed contents of the confirmation screen 89 to confirm the versions of all the control programs PG1 and PG2 and the updated versions.

[0057] The master device 11 also displays a YES button 93 and a NO button 94 at the bottom of the confirmation screen 89. As shown in Fig. 3, after displaying the confirmation screen 89 in S13, the master device 11 determines whether or not an update instruction has been received (S15). If the YES button 93 on the confirmation screen 89 is operated, the master device 11 determines that an update instruction has been received (S15: YES) and executes S17 of Fig. 4. On the other hand, if the NO button 94 on the confirmation screen 89 is operated, the master device 11 determines that an update will not be performed (S15: NO) and executes S26 of Fig. 5. This allows the operator 15 to decide whether or not to perform an update.

[0058] The master device 11 executes updates of the control programs PG1 and PG2 from S17 onward in FIG. The master device 11 updates the control programs PG1 and PG2 that need to be updated, among the control programs PG1 and PG2. Specifically, if the master device 11 determines in the processing of S11 that the control program PG1 is to be used for the update (S43), it updates only the control program PG2 that has a different version than the control program PG1. Furthermore, if the master device 11 determines that the update control program UPG is to be used for the update (S47 or S48), it updates only the control programs PG1 and PG2 that have a different version than the update control program UPG, among all the control programs PG1 and PG2. The master device 11 may update all the control programs PG1 and PG2 as control programs that need to be updated, regardless of the version differences. Furthermore, the master device 11 may check the versions of application programs (such as software PLCs, which will be described later) included in the control programs PG1 and PG2 and update them individually, rather than updating them on a control program basis.

[0059] The types and number of application programs included in the control programs PG1 and PG2 vary depending on the configuration of the master device 11 and the slave device 12. The device configuration here refers to factors that affect the configuration of the application programs, such as the functions that the device can execute (required), the devices attached to the device, etc. In other words, the application programs that the master device 11 and the slave device 12 should execute vary depending on the device configuration. The following description will be given as an example of a case in which the control programs PG1 and PG2 include two types of application programs: a software PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and touch panel software. Furthermore, a description will be given of a case in which all of the control programs PG1 and PG2 are updated with an update control program UPG stored in the external storage medium 48.

[0060] In S17, the master device 11 transmits data of the update control program UPG to all slave devices 12 via the LANIF 36 as data to be used for the update, and instructs the slave devices 12 to start the update. Meanwhile, after executing S103 of FIG. 3, each of the three slave devices 12 waits for data in S17. Upon receiving the data (S105 of FIG. 4), it sends a response to the master device 11 indicating that the data has been received (S105). Upon receiving the response in S105, the master device 11 starts measuring time using an update confirmation timer that measures a predetermined third time limit (S17), and then executes S18. If the master device 11 fails to receive a response in S105 from at least one slave device 12, the master device 11 displays the error screen 81 shown in FIG. 6 (S19), as in S10, and interrupts the processing from S18 onward. The master device 11 displays, for example, a message indicating that it was unable to obtain a response in S105 or the identification information of the slave device 12 from which the response could not be obtained, as an error message 82. The master device 11 may also execute a process to stop the update process not only for the slave device 12 from which it was unable to obtain a response, but for all slave devices 12.

[0061] The master device 11 updates the software PLC in S18. The software PLC is software that is executed, for example, by the CPU of the control unit 34, executes a ladder program, and performs sequence processing on signals from sensors, lamps, solenoid valves, etc. in the master device 11. The master device 11 overwrites the software PLC of the control program PG1 with the software PLC included in the update control program UPG determined in S11.

[0062] Next, the master device 11 updates the touch panel software in S21. The touch panel software is software that controls the display of the touch panel of the operation unit 27. The touch panel software is software that, for example, displays icons on the touch panel and changes the display in response to operations on the displayed icons, and controls the screen layout and screen transitions. The master device 11 overwrites the touch panel software of the control program PG1 with the touch panel software included in the update control program UPG determined in S11. After executing S21, the master device 11 executes S22.

[0063] The order in which application programs are updated can be changed as needed. In S18, the master device 11 may update only the difference between the two programs (software PLCs) before and after the update, or may overwrite the entire program. The same applies to S21. In S18 and S21, the master device 11 may retain information about the program before the update in the storage unit 33 so that rollback to the program before the update (returning to the version before the update) is possible. The master device 11 may retain data from the past two updates (two generations), for example. If the update fails, the master device 11 may execute a process to revert to the program before the update or may display a message on the operation unit 27 indicating that the update failed. During the software update in S18 and S21, the master device 11 may display a message indicating that an update is in progress on the touch panel of the operation unit 27 and disable operation input to the operation unit 27.

[0064] After responding to the master device 11 in S105, the slave device 12 updates the software PLC (S106) and the touch panel software (S107) with the update control program UPG, similar to S18 and S21 of the master device 11. Therefore, similar to the master device 11, the slave device 12 updates the application programs included in the control program PG2 with data acquired from the master device 11. Therefore, a description of S106 and S107 of the slave device 12 will be omitted.

[0065] After executing S106 and S107, the slave device 12 transmits update completion information indicating that the update has been completed to the master device 11 (S108). The slave device 12 also transmits version information of each updated application program as update completion information to the master device 11 (S108).

[0066] Furthermore, when the master device 11 detects that the third time limit has elapsed using the update confirmation timer that began measuring in S17, the master device 11 determines in S22 whether or not the update completion information of S108 has been acquired from all of the slave devices 12. If the update completion information has been acquired from all of the slave devices 12, the master device 11 executes S23. On the other hand, if the master device 11 has not acquired the update completion information from at least one of the three slave devices 12, the master device 11 displays the error screen 81 shown in FIG. 6 (S25), as in S10, and interrupts the processing from S23 onward. The master device 11 displays, as an error message 82, for example, a message indicating that the update failed or the identification information of the slave device 12 from which the update completion information could not be acquired.

[0067] In S23, the master device 11 determines whether the versions of all control programs PG1 and PG2 have been unified. The master device 11 determines the versions of the control programs PG2 of all slave devices 12 based on the acquired update completion information. If the versions of all control programs PG1 and PG2 match the version of the update control program UPG used for the update, the master device 11 displays an update result screen 95 shown in FIG. 9 on the operation unit 27. The master device 11 displays a message 96 indicating that the versions have been updated at the top of the update result screen 95. The master device 11 also displays a message 97 below the message 96 indicating the updated versions of the master device 11 and the slave devices 12. This allows the user to confirm that the update was successful and which devices have been updated to which versions. The master device 11 displays an OK button 98 at the bottom of the update result screen 95, and executes S26 when the OK button 98 is pressed.

[0068] On the other hand, if the version of at least one of all the control programs PG1, PG2 is different from the update control program UPG, the master device 11 displays the error screen 81 shown in Fig. 6 (S27) as in S10, and interrupts the processing from S26 onwards. The master device 11 displays, for example, the identification information and version of the device with the different version as an error message 82.

[0069] In addition, in S26, the master device 11 notifies all slave devices 12 of an instruction to start a program (according to the configuration) included in application program AP2 as a slave device 12 (S26). After executing S108, the slave device 12 waits for the start instruction in S26, and upon receiving the start instruction in S26 (S111), executes S113 and subsequent steps. In addition, in S26, the master device 11 starts measuring time using, for example, a start confirmation timer that measures a predetermined fourth time limit.

[0070] After executing S26, the master device 11 launches one of the application programs AP1, including the updated control program PG1, that corresponds to the configuration of the master device (functions, attached devices). The master device 11 launches the software PLC updated in S18 (S28) and the touch panel software updated in S21 (S29). The master device 11 also launches other application programs included in the application program AP1 (S31). The other application programs referred to here are, for example, programs for communicating between the master device 11 and the slave devices 12 via the LANIFs 36 and 66 during plasma processing. The application programs that execute this communication may also be subject to updating.

[0071] Similarly, from S113 onward, the slave device 12 executes a program from among the application program AP2, including the updated control program PG2, that corresponds to the configuration of the slave device. In this embodiment, the operation unit 27 is not connected to the slave device 12. Therefore, when the slave device 12 starts up as a slave device, the software PLC starts up (S113), but the touch panel software does not start up. In addition, the slave device 12 starts up a program from among the programs included in the application program AP2, such as the application program that executes the above-mentioned communication, that corresponds to the configuration of the slave device (S115).

[0072] Therefore, the control program PG2 in this embodiment includes the same types of programs as those included in the control program PG1. The master device 11 updates the application programs included in the control programs PG1 and PG2 to make the versions the same (S17 to S21, S105 to S107). The slave device 12 executes only the programs (e.g., software PLCs) required for its own configuration from among the multiple application programs included in the control program PG2 (S113, S115).

[0073] According to this, the slave device 12 selects and executes the necessary application programs according to the configuration of the slave device. On the other hand, when updating the control program PG2, all application programs included in the control program PG2 are updated to the application programs included in the control program PG1 or the update control program UPG without selecting the type of application program. This simplifies the processing content of the update work.

[0074] Furthermore, if the master device 11 and the slave device 12 fail to start each application program, they may automatically restart the application program. Furthermore, the application programs included in each of the control programs PG1 and PG2 do not have to be identical to each other. For example, the application programs included in each of the control programs PG1 and PG2 may be programs with the same functions but different parameters, etc. Therefore, the application programs included in each of the control programs PG1 and PG2 may be programs with corresponding functions, etc.

[0075] When the slave device 12 completes the startup of the required application program, it transmits startup completion information indicating the completion of the startup to the master device 11 (S117). Meanwhile, the master device 11 acquires startup completion notifications from the slave devices 12 while executing the startup of its own required application program (S32). When the master device 11 acquires startup completion notifications from all slave devices 12, it executes S33. Furthermore, if the master device 11 is unable to acquire a startup completion notification from at least one of all slave devices 12 within the fourth time limit, as determined by the startup confirmation timer that began measuring in S26, the master device 11 displays an error screen 81 (S34), as in S10, and suspends the processing from S33 onward. The master device 11 displays, for example, an error message 82 containing the identification information of the slave device 12 from which the startup completion notification could not be acquired.

[0076] Furthermore, the master device 11 changes the current user in S33. For example, the master device 11 changes the current user from a user who has the authority to update the control programs PG1 and PG2 to a general user who does not have the authority. After executing S33, the master device 11 ends the processing shown in Figures 3 and 4. This allows the operator 15 to operate the master device 11 after it has started up using the operation unit 27 to perform plasma processing, etc.

[0077] Therefore, at startup, the master device 11 of this embodiment sets the user of the master device 11 to a user who has the authority to update the control program PG1 (S2). After updating the control programs PG1 and PG2 (S23), the master device 11 executes the control program PG1 (S26, S28, S29, S31), and sets the user of the master device 11 to a general user who does not have the authority to update the control program PG1 (S33).

[0078] According to this, before updating the control program PG1, the current user is changed to a user with update authority, and after the update is completed, the current user is automatically changed to a user without update authority. This makes it possible to prevent a general user from accidentally updating the control program PG1 when executing the control program PG1 to perform plasma processing on a workpiece. Note that the master device 11 does not need to change the user.

[0079] Furthermore, after executing S117, the slave device 12 changes the current user to a general user (S119), similar to the master device 11, and ends the processing in Figures 3 and 4. As a result, the operator 15 can operate the operation unit 27 to send commands from the master device 11 to the slave device 12, and operate the master device 11 and the slave device 12 according to the updated control programs PG1 and PG2 to perform plasma processing.

[0080] As described above, the master device 11 and the slave device 12 in this embodiment are devices that perform plasma processing on workpieces. The slave device 12 performs plasma processing on workpieces based on control instructions from the master device 11 via the LANIF 36. This allows the versions of the control programs PG1 and PG2 of the device itself and the slave device 12 to be unified, allowing for cooperative execution of plasma processing on workpieces, etc. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent differences in the work content of each device.

[0081] The control unit 34 is a control board on which a CPU is mounted, and is the same as the control unit 64 of the slave device 12. The control unit 34 can set whether the device equipped with the control board is the master device 11 or the slave device 12 by connecting a cable to the connector. When the master device 11 is started, the control unit 34 determines whether the setting on the control board of the control unit 34 indicates the master device 11 (S3, an example of the device-specific determination process of the present disclosure). If the device is configured as the master device 11 (S3: YES), the control unit 34 executes S11, S12, S17, etc. On the other hand, if the device is configured as the slave device 12 (S3: NO), the control unit 34 operates as the slave device 12.

[0082] This allows the control units 34, 64 to use the same control board, which can be shared by the master device 11 and the slave device 12. This reduces the manufacturing costs of the master device 11 and the slave device 12. Furthermore, simply by changing the settings of the connectors, dip switches, etc. on the control board, it is possible to select whether the device operates as the master device 11 or the slave device 12.

[0083] The master device 11 also checks the slave devices 12 connected to it via the I / OIF 35 (S6, S101, an example of the connection check process of the present disclosure). For the slave devices 12 for which the master device 11 has been able to check the I / O signals, the master device 11 acquires slave information via the LANIF 36 (S103) and updates the control program PG2 (S17).

[0084] According to this, the master device 11 checks the connected slave devices 12 via the I / O IF 35, and updates the control program PG2 for only the confirmed slave devices 12 via the LAN IF 36. It is possible to selectively use the communication interface for checking the connection and the communication interface for updating the control program PG2.

[0085] Incidentally, the correspondence between the terms used in this embodiment and the terms used in the claims will be explained below. The plasma system 10 of this embodiment is an example of a work system. The master device 11 is an example of a work machine. The slave device 12 is an example of a device to be updated. The I / OIF 35 is an example of a communication unit and a first communication interface. The LANIF 36 is an example of a communication unit and a second communication interface. The reading device 38 is an example of an acquisition unit.

[0086] As described above, the present embodiment provides the following advantages. In one aspect of the present embodiment, the control unit 34 of the master device 11 acquires the version of the control program PG2 stored in the slave device 12 via the LANIF 36 (S8, S9, an example of the acquisition process or acquisition step of the present disclosure). The control unit 34 determines whether the control programs PG1 and PG2 need to be updated based on the versions of the control program PG1 stored in the storage unit 33, the control program PG2 stored in the slave device 12, and the update control program UPG (S12, an example of the update determination process or update determination step of the present disclosure). If the control unit 34 determines that an update is necessary (S12: YES), it updates the control programs PG1 and PG2 that need to be updated (S17, S18, S21, an example of the update process or update step of the present disclosure).

[0087] According to this, when the master device 11 determines that an update is necessary (S12: YES), it updates the control program that needs to be updated, either its own control program PG1 or the control program PG2 of the slave device 12. The versions of the control programs PG1 and PG2 can be unified, or their functions can be made compatible. The master device 11 and the slave devices 12 can perform collaborative work and individual work in a similar manner. Furthermore, the master device 11 can manage and update the control program PG2 of the slave devices 12 as appropriate. This eliminates the need to operate each of the slave devices 12 to update the control program PG2. This reduces the burden of updating the control program PG2 of the slave devices 12.

[0088] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various improvements and modifications are possible within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example, the processing content and order of each step in the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 in the above-described embodiments are merely examples. For example, the master device 11 displayed a confirmation screen 89 in S13 to ask the operator 15 whether to update the control programs PG1 and PG2 (S15). However, the master device 11 may automatically perform the update without confirming the operator 15's intention. Specifically, if the master device 11 makes a positive determination in S12 (S12: YES), the master device 11 may execute S17 and subsequent steps without executing S13 and S15. Furthermore, if the external storage medium 48 is not attached (S41: N) or if the external storage medium 48 does not store the update control program UPG (S45: NO), the master device 11 may not update the control program PG2 using the control program PG1, although the master device 11 may update the control program PG2 without updating it. 5, the master device 11 selects the update control program UPG with the largest version number, but this is not limiting. For example, the master device 11 may select the update control program UPG with the most recent update date and time.

[0089] The slave device 12 may also be configured to include an external IF 37 and an operation unit 27 and perform plasma processing based on operations on the operation unit 27. In the above embodiment, a plasma device that performs plasma processing on a workpiece is used as the operating machine of the present disclosure, but this is not limited to this. For example, the operating machine of the present disclosure may be a component mounting machine that mounts electronic components on a circuit board. Alternatively, the operating machine may be a solder application device that applies solder to a circuit board. Therefore, the operating machine of the present disclosure may be a device that runs software and updates the software in response to changes in the work content or functions, as appropriate. The operating system of the present disclosure is not limited to the plasma system 10, and may also be a circuit board mounting system, etc.

[0090] The scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the dependent relationships set forth in the claims. For example, this specification also discloses a technical idea in claim 4 where "the work machine according to claim 1 or claim 2" is changed to "the work machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3." This specification also discloses a technical idea in claim 5 where "the work machine according to claim 1 or claim 2" is changed to "the work machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4." This specification also discloses a technical idea in claim 6 where "the work machine according to claim 5" is changed to "the work machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5." This specification also discloses a technical idea in claim 7 where "the work machine according to claim 5" is changed to "the work machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6." This specification also discloses a technical idea in claim 8 where "the work machine according to claim 5" is changed to "the work machine according to any one of claims 5 to 7." This specification also discloses the technical idea of ​​changing "the work machine according to claim 1 or claim 2" in claim 9 to "the work machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8." This specification also discloses the technical idea of ​​changing "the work machine according to claim 1 or claim 2" in claim 10 to "the work machine according to any one of claims 1 to 9." This specification also discloses the technical idea of ​​changing "the work machine according to claim 1 or claim 2" in claim 11 to "the work machine according to any one of claims 1 to 10."

[0091] 10 Plasma system (work system), 11 Master device (work machine, plasma device), 12 Slave device (device to be updated, plasma device), 33 Storage unit, 34, 64 Control unit, 35 I / OIF (communication unit, first communication interface), 36 LANIF (communication unit, second communication interface), 38 Reading device (acquisition unit), 48 External storage medium, PG1, PG2 Control program, UPG Update control program.

Claims

1. A work machine comprising: a storage unit in which a control program is stored; an acquisition unit that acquires a control program for update; a communication unit that performs communication with an update target device; and a control unit that executes an acquisition process that acquires the version of the control program stored in the update target device via the communication unit; an update determination process that determines whether the control program stored in the storage unit and the control program stored in the update target device need to be updated based on the respective versions of the control program stored in the storage unit, the control program stored in the update target device, and the control program for update; and an update process that updates the control program that needs to be updated, out of the control program stored in the storage unit and the control program stored in the update target device, if it is determined that an update is necessary as a result of the update determination process.

2. The work machine described in claim 1, wherein the control unit is unable to acquire the update control program by the acquisition unit, compares the version of the control program stored in the memory unit with the version of the control program stored in the device to be updated, and if the two versions are different, updates the control program stored in the device to be updated with the control program stored in the memory unit.

3. The work machine according to claim 2, wherein the acquisition unit is a reading device that acquires the update control program from an external storage medium, and the control unit executes a process of acquiring the update control program from the external storage medium by the reading device when the work machine is started, and determines that the acquisition unit cannot acquire the update control program if the external storage medium is not attached to the reading device, or if the update control program is not stored in the external storage medium as a result of executing the process of acquiring the update control program.

4. A work machine as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the acquisition unit is a reading device that acquires the update control program from an external storage medium, and the control unit, when a plurality of update control programs are stored in the external storage medium, acquires the update control program with the latest version from among the plurality of update control programs using the acquisition unit, and in the update determination process, determines whether or not the control program stored in the storage unit and the control program stored in the update target device need to be updated based on the versions of the control program stored in the storage unit, the control program stored in the update target device, and the latest update control program.

5. A work machine as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the work machine and the update target device are devices that perform work on a workpiece, and the update target device performs work on the workpiece based on control instructions obtained from the work machine via the communication unit.

6. The control unit, when starting up the work machine, sets the user of the work machine to a user who has the authority to update the control program stored in the memory unit, executes the acquisition process, the update determination process, and the update process, and then executes the control program stored in the memory unit, and sets the user of the work machine to a user who does not have the authority to update the control program stored in the memory unit.

7. A work machine as described in claim 5, wherein the control program stored in the memory unit includes multiple types of programs, the control program stored in the update target device includes programs of the same types as each of the types of programs included in the control program stored in the memory unit, and the control unit, in the update process, performs an update to make the versions of the programs included in each of the control programs stored in the memory unit and the control program stored in the update target device the same, and the update target device executes only those programs that are necessary depending on the configuration of the device itself, from the multiple programs included in the control program stored in the update target device.

8. The work machine according to claim 5, wherein the work machine and the device to be updated are plasma devices that perform plasma processing as work on the workpiece.

9. A work machine as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the control unit is a control board that implements a processing unit and is the same as the control unit possessed by the update target device, the control board is capable of setting whether the device equipped with the control board is the work machine or the update target device, the control unit possessed by the work machine, when the work machine is started up, executes a self-device determination process that determines whether the settings on the control board are settings that indicate the work machine, and if the result of the self-device determination process shows that the settings on the control board are settings that indicate the work machine, executes the acquisition process, the update determination process, and the update process, and if the result of the self-device determination process shows that the settings on the control board are settings that indicate the update target device, the work machine operates as the update target device.

10. The work machine according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the work machine is connectable to a plurality of the update target devices via the communication unit, the communication unit having a first communication interface and a second communication interface, and the control unit executes a connection confirmation process via the first communication interface to confirm the update target devices connected to the work machine itself, and executes the acquisition process and the update process via the second communication interface for the update target devices confirmed by the connection confirmation process.

11. A work system comprising: a work machine according to claim 1 or claim 2; and the device to be updated.

12. A control program update method for updating a control program using a work machine having a storage unit in which a control program is stored, an acquisition unit that acquires a control program for update, and a communication unit that performs communication with an apparatus to be updated, the control program update method comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring the version of the control program stored in the apparatus to be updated via the communication unit; an update determination step of determining whether or not the control program stored in the storage unit and the control program stored in the apparatus to be updated are necessary based on the respective versions of the control program stored in the storage unit, the control program stored in the apparatus to be updated, and the control program for update, if it is determined that an update is necessary as a result of the update determination step; and an update step of updating the control program stored in the storage unit and the control program stored in the apparatus to be updated that is necessary.

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