Control device and control system

Abstract

A control device according to the present disclosure comprises: a connection management unit that manages the status of connection to an input apparatus; an input apparatus determination unit that determines whether the input apparatus managed by the connection management unit is subject to alarm generation at the time of disconnection; and an alarm generation unit that generates an alarm when a disconnection report is issued from the connection management unit. The connection management unit issues a report about disconnection to the alarm generation unit when connection to the input apparatus determined, by the input apparatus determination unit, to be subject to alarm generation at the time of disconnection is interrupted.

Description

Control Device and Control System

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device and a control system.

[0002] In a manufacturing site such as a factory, operations such as displaying and operating the state of industrial machines are performed on a display device such as an external computer or a portable terminal connected to a control device that controls industrial machines such as robots and machine tools (for example, Patent Document 1 etc.). In such a case, key input may be made from an input device such as a keyboard connected to the display device to the control device via the display device. The input device includes general keys such as English letter keys, numeric keys, and space keys. Also, some input devices have special keys such as a reset key used to urgently stop the control device, and key operations that act on the execution state of the control device such as stopping the operation of the processing program of the control device by input of such a special key may be performed.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-028769

[0004] If the connection to an input device having such a special key is interrupted, there is a risk that the operation of the control device cannot be stopped. Therefore, there are cases where an alarm for detecting a disconnection between the display device connected to the input device having the special key and the control device, or a disconnection between the input device having the special key and the display device is detected by the control device and notified to the user. On the other hand, during the operation of a machine tool, a notebook computer, a remotely connected computer, or a detachable display device may be connected for maintenance work. Such a device is operated by an input device having only general keys, and when the connection of the display device is removed after the maintenance work is completed, an alarm for disconnection detection is not desired to be generated. Therefore, there is a problem if it is configured to uniformly detect the disconnection of the display device. At the site, a disconnection detection mechanism according to the input device and the display device is desired.

[0005] The control device according to the present disclosure monitors the connection state of a display device equipped with a specific input device, and solves the above problems by generating an alarm for disconnection detection when the connection is interrupted.

[0006] Furthermore, one aspect of the present disclosure is a control device comprising: a connection management unit for managing the connection status of an input device; an input device identification unit for determining whether or not an input device managed by the connection management unit is subject to alarm generation in the event of a disconnection; and an alarm generation unit for generating an alarm when the connection management unit notifies the alarm generation unit of a disconnection, wherein the connection management unit notifies the alarm generation unit of a disconnection when the connection of an input device determined by the input device identification unit to be subject to alarm generation in the event of a disconnection is interrupted.

[0007] This is a hardware configuration diagram of each device constituting the control system according to the first embodiment. This is a block diagram showing the functions of each device constituting the control system according to the first embodiment. This is a schematic diagram showing an example of device information stored in the device information storage unit. This is a schematic diagram showing an example of connection information stored in the connection information storage unit. This is a block diagram showing the functions of each device constituting the control system according to the second embodiment. This is a schematic diagram showing another example of connection information stored in the connection information storage unit. This is a block diagram showing the functions of each device constituting the control system according to the third embodiment.

[0008] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. [First Embodiment] Figure 1 is a schematic hardware configuration diagram showing the main parts of each device constituting the control system according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. The control system 1 of this disclosure is configured such that a control device 10 for controlling an industrial machine 3 and at least one display device 30 connected to the industrial machine 3 are connected via a wired / wireless communication line 5.

[0009] The CPU 11 in the control device 10 according to this embodiment is a processor that controls the control device 10 as a whole. The CPU 11 reads the system program stored in the ROM 12 via the bus 19 and controls the entire control device 10 according to the system program. The RAM 13 temporarily stores temporary calculation data, display data, and various data input from external sources.

[0010] The non-volatile memory 14 is composed of, for example, a memory backed up by a battery (not shown) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and its stored state is maintained even when the power to the control device 10 is turned off. The non-volatile memory 14 stores programs and data read from external devices 22 via the interface 15, and programs and data input via the input device 21. The data stored in the non-volatile memory 14 may be expanded into the RAM 13 during execution / use. In addition, various system programs, such as known analysis programs, are pre-written in the ROM 12.

[0011] Interface 15 is an interface for connecting the CPU 11 of the control device 10 to an external device 22 such as a USB device. From the external device 22, for example, programs and data that have been stored in advance can be read. In addition, programs and data edited within the control device 10 can be stored in an external storage means via the external device 22.

[0012] Interface 18 is an interface for connecting the CPU 11 of the control device 10 to at least one wired or wireless communication line 5. The communication line 5 can be, for example, Ethernet, optical fiber, bus line, or radio waves. The control device 10 is connected to at least one display device 30 via the communication line 5. The control device 10 and the display device 30 exchange data with each other using TCP communication, UDP communication, DCCP communication, SCTP communication, bus communication, etc., depending on the type of communication line 5. The control device 10 may be connected to multiple communication lines 5. In such a case, at least one display device 30 may be connected to the end of each communication line 5.

[0013] The display device 20 displays data, programs, and other data obtained as a result of their execution, which are loaded into memory, via the interface 16. The input device 21, consisting of a keyboard and pointing device, transmits commands and data based on operator operations to the CPU 11 via the interface 17. The input device 21 provided by the control device 10 generally includes special keys, such as a reset key, for emergency stopping of the industrial machine 3. It is also possible that multiple input devices 21 are connected to the control device 10.

[0014] The control device 10 controls industrial machinery 3, such as robots and machine tools. The control device 10 is connected to the industrial machinery 3 via servo amplifiers, spindle amplifiers, PLCs (programmable logic controllers), etc. (not shown), and controls the industrial machinery 3 by sending and receiving control signals through these devices.

[0015] On the other hand, the CPU 31 of the display device 30 is a processor that controls the display device 30 as a whole. The CPU 31 reads the system program stored in the ROM 32 via the bus 39 and controls the entire display device 30 according to the system program. The RAM 33 temporarily stores temporary calculation data, display data, and various data input from external sources.

[0016] The non-volatile memory 34 is composed of, for example, a memory backed up by a battery (not shown) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and its stored state is maintained even when the power to the display device 30 is turned off. The non-volatile memory 34 stores programs and data read from external devices 42 via the interface 35, and programs and data input via the input device 41. The data stored in the non-volatile memory 34 may be expanded into RAM 33 during execution / use. In addition, various known system programs are pre-written into ROM 32.

[0017] Interface 35 is an interface for connecting the CPU 31 of the display device 30 to an external device 42 such as a USB device. From the external device 42, for example, programs and data that have been stored in advance can be read. In addition, programs and data edited within the display device 30 can be stored in an external storage means via the external device 42.

[0018] Interface 38 is an interface for connecting the CPU 31 of the display device 30 to a wired or wireless communication line 5. The display device 30 exchanges data with the control device 10 via the communication line 5.

[0019] The display device 40 displays data, programs, and other data obtained as a result of their execution, which are loaded into memory, via the interface 36. The input device 41, consisting of a keyboard and pointing device, transmits commands and data based on operator operations to the CPU 31 via the interface 37. The input device 41 may have special keys, such as a reset key for emergency stopping of the industrial machine 3. It may also not have special keys like those found in typical personal computers. Furthermore, the input device 41 may be integrated with the display device 30. Whether the input device 41 attached to the display device 30 has special keys, whether it does not, and whether the display device 30 and the input device 41 are integrated can be determined by referring to the model numbers of the display device 30 and the input device 41. Note that multiple input devices 41 may be connected to the display device 30.

[0020] Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the functions of each device constituting the control system 1 according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. The functions of each device according to this embodiment are realized by the CPU 11 of the control device 10 and the CPU 31 of the display device 30, respectively, executing system programs and controlling the operation of each part of the control device 10 and the display device 30.

[0021] The display device 30 according to this embodiment operates application software (hereinafter referred to as "application") related to the industrial machine 3. This application operates by communicating with the control device 10 via a communication line 5 and exchanging predetermined data. The application may be, for example, an application that periodically acquires and displays data indicating the operating status of the industrial machine 3. Alternatively, it may be an application that accepts operations to instruct the operation of the industrial machine 3 and transmits them to the control device 10. If the input device 41 of the display device 30 is equipped with a special key such as a reset key, pressing the button sends a predetermined signal to the control device, causing the industrial machine 3 to perform an operation corresponding to the special key.

[0022] The control device 10 constituting the control system 1 according to this embodiment includes a connection management unit 100, an input device identification unit 110, and an alarm generation unit 120. Furthermore, the RAM 13 to non-volatile memory 14 of the control device 10 is pre-configured with a connection information storage unit 200, which is an area for storing connection information related to a display device 30 equipped with an input device 41 managed by the connection management unit 100, and an equipment information storage unit 210, which is an area where information such as the specifications of the display device and input device is pre-stored.

[0023] The connection management unit 100 manages the connection status of input devices. The connection status of input devices refers to the connection status of input devices 21 directly connected to the control device 10 via the interface 17, and the connection status of input devices 41 indirectly connected to the control device 10 via the display device 30. When an input device 21 is connected via the interface 17, the connection management unit 100 acquires information related to the input device 21. Also, when the display device 30 is connected to the control device 10, the connection management unit 100 acquires information related to the display device 30. The information related to the input device 21 may include, for example, the model number of the input device 21, the name of the input device 21, the connection port, and the address. Similarly, the information related to the display device 30 may include, for example, the model number of the display device 30, the name of the display device 30, the connection port, and the address. The acquired information is then stored as connection information in the connection information storage unit 200. At this time, the connection management unit 100 queries the input device identification unit 110 regarding the information related to the connected input device 21. Furthermore, the connection management unit 100 queries the input device discrimination unit 110 regarding information related to the display device 30, specifically concerning the input devices 41 provided by the display device 30. In response to this query, if the input device 21 is determined to be subject to an alarm, it is stored in the connection information of the input device 21 as subject to an alarm in the event of a disconnection. Similarly, if the display device 30 is determined to be subject to an alarm, information indicating that it is subject to an alarm in the event of a disconnection is stored in the connection information of the display device 30. The connection information of the input device 21 is information that directly manages information related to the input device 21. The connection information of the display device 30 is information that indirectly manages information related to the input devices 41 provided by the display device 30.

[0024] The input device identification unit 110 identifies the input device 21 in response to an inquiry from the connection management unit 100 regarding the input device 21. It also identifies the input device 41 provided by the display device 30 in response to an inquiry from the connection management unit 100 regarding the display device 30. This identification determines whether or not to set the input device 21 and the display device 30 in question as targets for alarm generation in the event of a disconnection. The input device identification unit 110 identifies the input device 21 and the input device 41 provided by the display device 30 by searching the device information stored in the device information storage unit 210 using the information about the input device 21 and the display device 30 inquired about by the connection management unit 100.

[0025] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of device information stored in the device information storage unit 210. As illustrated in Figure 3, the device information storage unit 210 stores information related to the specifications of display devices and input devices as device information. The device information may include, for example, the model number of the device, the type of device, and whether or not an alarm should be generated in the event of a disconnection. In the example in Figure 3, the device model number is "FNC-TML-0154a", the type of device is a "display device", it has an integrated configuration with an input device, and device information is stored indicating that the input device should be subject to an alarm. Also, the device model number is "KBD-YK509-BK", the type of device is an "input device", and device information is stored indicating that it should not be subject to an alarm. Whether or not an alarm should be generated can typically be determined by whether or not the input device of the device has a special key such as a reset key, and this can be set in advance according to the specifications and purpose of each device. The input device identification unit 110 uses, for example, the model number information contained in the information about the input device 21 input from the connection management unit 100 and the model number information contained in the information about the display device 30 to search for information about the device's model number and determine whether or not the display device 30 is subject to alarm generation. The input device identification unit 110 responds with the determination result to the connection management unit 100.

[0026] The connection management unit 100 then continuously monitors the status of the input device 21 and the display device 30 stored in the connection information storage unit 200. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of connection information stored in the connection information storage unit 200. As illustrated in Figure 4, the connection information includes information related to the connection of the input device 21 and the display device 30, such as the connection type, connection port, and address; information related to the current connection status of the input device 21 and the display device 30; and information indicating whether an alarm should be generated when the connection between the input device 21 and the display device 30 and the control device 10 is broken. In the example in Figure 4, for example, the first connection information indicates that the input device 21, whose address is "#1" and is assigned to USB1, is currently connected and should generate an alarm when the connection is broken. Also, for example, the second connection information indicates that the display device 30, whose IP address is "192.168.123.1" and is connected to the Ethernet port "eth1", is currently connected and should generate an alarm when the connection is broken. Furthermore, for example, the third connection information shown indicates that the display device 30, which has the IP address "192.168.123.43" and is connected to the Ethernet port "eth1", is currently connected and will not trigger an alarm in the event of a disconnection. The connection management unit 100 periodically or at predetermined intervals checks the connection status of the input device 21 and the display device 30 for which connection information has been created. This can be done by managing the connection status in a general manner depending on the connection configuration between the control device 10 and the input device 21, and between the control device 10 and the display device 30. For example, if the connection configuration is USB, the information of the USB device managed by the OS can be checked periodically. Also, for example, if the connection configuration is Ethernet, the connection status can be checked by periodically sending a packet for checking the status of the device and confirming the response. If it is confirmed that the input device 21 and the display device 30, which are designated to require an alarm to be triggered in the event of a disconnection, are not connected, i.e., disconnected, the alarm generation unit 120 is notified of this fact.

[0027] The alarm generation unit 120 generates an alarm when it is notified by the connection management unit 100 that the connection between the input device 21 and the display device 30 is broken. At this time, the alarm generation unit 120 may also stop the operation of the industrial machine 3.

[0028] The control system 1 according to this embodiment, with the above configuration, can determine the behavior in response to a disconnection (whether or not to generate an alarm) depending on the input device 21 and the display device 30 when a disconnection occurs between the control device 10 and the input device 21 or between the control device 10 and the display device 30. Therefore, disconnections of input devices 21 and display devices 30 that do not need to affect automatic operation can be ignored, while disconnections of input devices 21 and display devices 30 that need to be detected even if they affect automatic operation can be detected and an alarm can be generated. This allows the control device 10 to be used safely without unnecessarily reducing its operating rate.

[0029] [Second Embodiment] The control system 1 according to the second embodiment will be described below. The control system 1 according to this embodiment has the same hardware configuration as the control system 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0030] Figure 5 is a schematic block diagram showing the functions of each device constituting the control system 1 according to the second embodiment of this disclosure. The functions of each device according to this embodiment are realized by the CPU 11 of the control device 10 and the CPU 31 of the display device 30, respectively, executing system programs and controlling the operation of each part of the control device 10 and the display device 30.

[0031] The control device 10 constituting the control system 1 according to this embodiment includes a connection management unit 100, an input device identification unit 110, and an alarm generation unit 120. Furthermore, the RAM 13 to non-volatile memory 14 of the control device 10 is pre-configured with a connection information storage unit 200, which is an area for storing connection information related to the display device 30 equipped with an input device 41 managed by the connection management unit 100, and an equipment information storage unit 210, which is an area where information such as the specifications of the display device and input device is pre-stored. On the other hand, the display device 30 constituting the control system 1 according to this embodiment includes an input device monitoring unit 300.

[0032] The functions of the control device 10 according to this embodiment perform the same operations as the functions of the first embodiment in that they control alarms in the event of a disconnection in accordance with the input device 21 and the display device 30. The connection management unit 100 of the control device 10 according to this embodiment performs live / live

[0033] The input device monitoring unit 300 of the display device 30 transmits information relating to the input device 41 of the display device 30 to the connection management unit 100 of the control device 10 when the display device 30 is connected to the control device 10. The information relating to the input device 41 may include, for example, information relating to the name and model number of the input device 41. In this embodiment, the connection management unit 100 receives this notification and creates connection information that takes into account both the information relating to the display device 30 and the information relating to the input device 41, and stores it in the connection information storage unit 200. At this time, the connection management unit 100 queries the input device discrimination unit 110 regarding the information relating to the connected display device 30 and the notified information relating to the input device 41 of the display device 30. In response to this query, if it is determined that the input device 41 of the display device 30 is subject to alarm generation, the information that it is subject to alarm generation in the event of a disconnection is stored in the connection information of the display device 30.

[0034] The operation of the input device discrimination unit 110 according to this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 3. For example, suppose a display device 30 with model number "FNC-PC-1000" is connected to the control device 10. Also, suppose an input device 41 with model number "CPANEL102p" is connected to this display device 30. At this time, the input device discrimination unit 110 searches the device information storage unit 210 using the model number of the display device 30. As a result of the search, the second piece of device information is obtained, and it is found that the display device with model number "FNC-PC-1000" has a separate input device connected to it, and it is unclear whether or not it is subject to alarm generation. Next, the input device discrimination unit 110 searches the device information storage unit 210 using the model number of the input device 41. As a result of the search, the fourth piece of device information is obtained, and it is found that the input device with model number "CPANEL102p" is subject to alarm generation. In such a case, the input device discrimination unit 110 determines that this combination of display device 30 and input device 41 is subject to alarm generation. The determination result is then sent to the connection management unit 100.

[0035] On the other hand, suppose the connected display device 30 is the same as in the example above, with the model number "FNC-PC-1000". Also, suppose that an input device 41 with the model number "KBD-YK509-BK" is connected to this display device 30. At this time, the input device discrimination unit 110 searches the device information storage unit 210 using the model number of the display device 30. As a result of the search, the second piece of device information is obtained, and it is found that the display device with the model number "FNC-PC-1000" has a separate input device connected to it, and it is unclear whether or not it is subject to alarm generation. Next, the input device discrimination unit 110 searches the device information storage unit 210 using the model number of the input device 41. As a result of the search, the third piece of device information is obtained, and it is found that the input device with the model number "KBD-YK509-BK" is not subject to alarm generation. In such a case, the input device discrimination unit 110 determines that this combination of display device 30 and input device 41 is not subject to alarm generation. The determination result is then sent to the connection management unit 100.

[0036] The connection management unit 100 then continuously monitors the status of the display device 30 stored in the connection information storage unit 200. As described in the first embodiment, a general method corresponding to the connection configuration between the control device 10 and the display device 30 can be used for monitoring the status of the display device 30. On the other hand, the status of the input device 41 is monitored based on notifications from the input device monitoring unit 300 provided by the display device 30.

[0037] After establishing a connection with the connection management unit 100, the input device monitoring unit 300 monitors the connection status of the input device 41 to the display device 30. The input device monitoring unit 300 also communicates periodically with the connection management unit 100 of the control device 10. This communication may take the form of the connection management unit 100 periodically inquiring with the input device monitoring unit 300 about the connection status of the input device 41, and the input device monitoring unit 300 responding to this inquiry. When the connection between the display device 30 and the input device 41 is lost, i.e., disconnected, the input device monitoring unit 300 notifies the connection management unit 100 of this fact.

[0038] The connection management unit 100 notifies the alarm generation unit 120 if periodic communication from the input device monitoring unit 300 is interrupted, or if the input device monitoring unit 300 notifies that the connection between the display device 30 and the input device 41 has been lost, and the display device 30 is equipped with an input device 41 that is required to generate an alarm when the connection is broken.

[0039] The control system 1 according to this embodiment, having the above configuration, can determine the behavior in response to a disconnection (whether or not to generate an alarm) depending on the input device 21 and the display device 30, similar to the first embodiment, when a disconnection occurs between the control device 10 and the input device 21, or when a disconnection occurs between the control device 10 and the display device 30. Furthermore, even when a disconnection occurs between the display device 30 and the input device 41, the behavior in response to the disconnection (whether or not to generate an alarm) can be determined according to the input device 41, enabling the control device 10 to be used safely without unnecessarily reducing its operating rate.

[0040] As one modification of the control system 1 according to this embodiment, the display device 30 may be configured to pre-create information indicating that the input device 41 is subject to alarm generation depending on its connection status, and the input device monitoring unit 300 may transmit this information to the connection management unit 100 as information related to the input device 41 when it is connected. The connection management unit 100 uses the information transmitted from the input device monitoring unit 300 when setting whether or not the connection information is subject to alarm generation. With this configuration, the control device does not need to comprehensively understand all types of input devices, and it is expected that the burden of management will be reduced. Furthermore, it is possible to handle cases where the input device 41 does not have a special key, but it is still desired to be subject to alarm generation.

[0041] As another modification of the control system 1 according to this embodiment, the connection management unit 100 may manage information relating to the input devices 41 provided by the display device 30 as connection information relating to the display device 30. In this case, if multiple input devices 41 are connected to the display device 30, connection information may be created and managed for each input device 41. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of connection information stored in the connection information storage unit 200 according to this modification. The connection information in Figure 6 is configured to manage information relating to input devices 41 in addition to the connection information exemplified in Figure 4. For example, if two input devices are connected to a display device 30 with the IP address "192.168.123.43" connected to the Ethernet port "eth1", the connection management unit 100 creates and manages two pieces of connection information relating to each input device 41 (the third and fourth pieces of connection information in Figure 6). The input device monitoring unit 300 then identifies the input device 41 that has been disconnected and notifies the connection management unit 100 of which input device 41 has been disconnected. The connection management unit 100 refers to the connection information according to the input device 41 of the display device 30 that has been disconnected, and if it is an input device 41 for which an alarm should be generated when the device is disconnected, it notifies the alarm generation unit 120 of this fact. This configuration makes it possible to flexibly handle display devices 30 equipped with multiple input devices 41.

[0042] [Third Embodiment] Hereinafter, the control system 1 according to the third embodiment will be described. The control system 1 according to the present embodiment has the same hardware configuration as the control system 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0043] FIG. 7 shows, as a schematic block diagram, the functions of each device constituting the control system 1 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. Each function of each device according to the present embodiment is realized by the CPU 11 of the control device 10 and the CPU 31 of the display device 30 shown in FIG. 1 executing system programs and controlling the operations of each part of the control device 10 and the display device 30.

[0044] The control device 10 constituting the control system 1 according to the present embodiment further includes a state determination unit 130 in addition to the connection management unit 100, the input device discrimination unit 110, and the alarm generation unit 120. Further, on the RAM 13 to the non-volatile memory 14 of the control device 10, there are provided a connection information storage unit 200 which is an area for storing connection information related to the display device 30 including the input device 41 managed by the connection management unit 100, and a device information storage unit 210 which is an area in which information such as the specifications of the display device and the input device is stored in advance. On the other hand, the display device 30 constituting the control system 1 according to the present embodiment includes an input device monitoring unit 300.

[0045] The connection management unit 100 and the input device discrimination unit 110 included in the control device 10 according to the present embodiment have the same functions as the connection management unit 100 and the input device discrimination unit 110 according to the second embodiment. Further, the input device monitoring unit 300 included in the display device 30 according to the present embodiment has the same function as the input device monitoring unit 300 according to the second embodiment.

[0046] When the alarm generation unit 120 according to the present embodiment is notified from the connection management unit 100 that the connection state of the display device 30 is disconnected, it makes an inquiry to the state determination unit 130 about whether it is necessary to stop the operations of the control device 10 and the industrial machine 3. Then, when the state determination unit 130 determines that it is necessary to stop the operations of the control device 10 and the industrial machine 3, it generates an alarm and stops the operation of the industrial machine 3.

[0047] When there is an inquiry from the alarm generation unit 120, the state determination unit 130 included in the control device 10 according to this embodiment acquires the state of the control device 10 and the state of the industrial machine 3 controlled by the control device 10. The state of the control device 10 and the state of the industrial machine 3 acquired by the state determination unit 130 may be, for example, the operation mode of the control device 10 (such as whether it is in the MDI mode or the automatic operation mode), the operation state of each axis of the industrial machine 3 (stopped or driving), the state of peripheral devices (such as safety fences, tool changers, workpiece loaders, etc.) attached around the industrial machine 3, the operation history of the control device 10, and the like. Then, based on the acquired state of the control device 10 and the state of the industrial machine 3, the state determination unit 130 determines whether it is necessary to stop the operations of the control device 10 and the industrial machine 3. This necessity to stop may be determined based on a combination of multiple states. For example, when the operation mode of the control device 10 is the MDI mode and the current user is performing an operation related to the industrial machine 3 near the industrial machine 3 from the operation history, it is dangerous not to stop the operation of the industrial machine 3 when some problem occurs. In such a case, the state determination unit 130 determines that it is necessary to stop the operations of the control device 10 and the industrial machine 3. Similarly, for example, when the safety fence of the industrial machine 3 is open, there is a possibility that the user is performing some work near the industrial machine. Also in such a case, the state determination unit 130 determines that it is necessary to stop the operations of the control device 10 and the industrial machine 3. The conditions for determining this necessity to stop may be created in advance and stored in the RAM 13 to the non-volatile memory 14 of the control device 10. The state determination unit 130 responds to the alarm generation unit 120 with the determination result of whether it is necessary to stop the operations of the control device 10 and the industrial machine 3.

[0048] When a disconnection is detected for the input device 41 that is the target of alarm generation during disconnection in the control system 1 according to this embodiment having the above configuration, it determines whether it is necessary to stop according to the states of the control device 10 and the industrial machine 3, and when it determines that it is necessary to stop the operation, it generates an alarm and stops the operation of the industrial machine 3. Therefore, the control device 10 can be used safely without unnecessarily reducing the operation rate.

[0049] While embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above, this disclosure is not limited to the individual embodiments described above. These embodiments can be added, replaced, modified, partially deleted, etc., in any way that does not depart from the spirit of the invention or from the idea and intent of this disclosure derived from the claims and their equivalents. For example, the order of operations and processes in the embodiments described above are shown as examples only and are not limited thereto. The same applies when numerical values ​​or mathematical formulas are used in the description of the embodiments described above.

[0050] The following are additional notes regarding embodiments of the present disclosure. (Addendum 1) A control device (10) according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a connection management unit (100) that manages the connection status of input devices (21, 41); an input device discrimination unit (110) that determines whether the input devices (21, 41) managed by the connection management unit (100) are subject to alarm generation in the event of a disconnection; and an alarm generation unit (120) that generates an alarm when the connection management unit (100) notifies the alarm generation unit (120) of a disconnection when the connection of an input device (21, 41) that the input device discrimination unit (110) has determined to be subject to alarm generation in the event of a disconnection is interrupted.

[0051] (Note 2) A control device (10) according to another aspect of the present disclosure further comprises a state determination unit (130) that acquires the state of the control device (10) and the state of the industrial machine (3) controlled by the control device (10), and determines whether it is necessary to stop the operation of the control device (10) and the industrial machine (3) based on the acquired state of the control device (10) and the industrial machine (3), and the alarm generation unit (120) generates the alarm when the connection is interrupted and the state determination unit (130) determines that it is necessary to stop the operation of the control device (10) and the industrial machine (3).

[0052] (Note 3) A control system (1) according to one aspect of the present disclosure is connected to a control device (10) and a display device (30) equipped with input devices (41). The display device (30) includes an input device monitoring unit (300) that monitors the connection status of the input devices (41). The connection management unit (100) manages the connection status of the input devices (41) based on communication with the input device monitoring unit (300) in addition to the connection status of the display device (30). When the connection of the display device (30) is interrupted, which the input device discrimination unit (110) has determined to be subject to alarm generation when the wire is broken, or when the connection of the input devices (21, 41) is interrupted, which the input device discrimination unit (110) has determined to be subject to alarm generation when the wire is broken, the alarm generation unit (120) is notified of the wire breakage.

[0053] (Note 4) The input device monitoring unit (300) of the control system (1) in another aspect of the present disclosure notifies the connection management unit (100) that the input device (41) is subject to generating an alarm when disconnected, and the connection management unit (100) determines, based on the notification from the input device monitoring unit (300), that the input device (41) is subject to generating an alarm when disconnected, and notifies the alarm generation unit (120) of the disconnection when the connection to the input device (41) which is subject to generating an alarm is interrupted.

[0054] 1 Control system 3 Industrial machinery 5 Communication line 10 Control device 11 CPU 12 ROM 13 RAM 14 Non-volatile memory 15-18 Interface 19 Bus 20 Display device 21 Input device 22 External device 30 Display device 31 CPU 32 ROM 33 RAM 34 Non-volatile memory 35-38 Interface 39 Bus 40 Display device 41 Input device 42 External device 100 Connection management unit 110 Input device identification unit 120 Alarm generation unit 130 Status determination unit 200 Connection information storage unit 210 Device information storage unit 300 Input device monitoring unit

Claims

1. A control device comprising: a connection management unit that manages the connection status of an input device; an input device identification unit that determines whether or not an input device managed by the connection management unit is subject to alarm generation in the event of a disconnection; and an alarm generation unit that generates an alarm when a disconnection notification is received from the connection management unit, wherein the connection management unit notifies the alarm generation unit of a disconnection when the connection of an input device determined by the input device identification unit to be subject to alarm generation in the event of a disconnection is interrupted.

2. The control device according to claim 1, further comprising a state determination unit that acquires the state of the control device and the state of the industrial machine controlled by the control device, and determines whether it is necessary to stop the operation of the control device and the industrial machine based on the acquired state of the control device and the state of the industrial machine, wherein the alarm generation unit generates the alarm when the connection is interrupted and the state determination unit determines that it is necessary to stop the operation of the control device and the industrial machine.

3. A control system comprising a control device as described in claim 1 or 2 and a display device equipped with an input device, wherein the display device includes an input device monitoring unit that monitors the connection status of the input device, and the connection management unit manages the connection status of the input device in addition to the connection status of the display device, based on communication with the input device monitoring unit, and notifies the alarm generation unit of a disconnection when the connection of the display device is interrupted, which the input device discrimination unit has determined to be subject to alarm generation when the wire is disconnected, or when the connection of the input device is interrupted which the input device discrimination unit has determined to be subject to alarm generation when the wire is disconnected.

4. The control system according to claim 3, wherein the input device monitoring unit notifies the connection management unit that the input device is subject to generating an alarm when it is disconnected, and the connection management unit determines, based on the notification from the input device monitoring unit, that the input device is subject to generating an alarm when it is disconnected, and notifies the alarm generation unit of the disconnection when the connection to the input device that is subject to generating an alarm is interrupted.

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