CN117120950A

CN117120950A - Transmission mechanism management device and program management system

Info

Publication number: CN117120950A
Application number: CN202280025481.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 高野裕理; 高田英人; 梁田哲男; 武田贤治; 上井雄介; 张瑜
Original assignee: Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-05-18
Filing date: 2022-02-21
Publication date: 2023-11-24
Also published as: JP2022177438A; WO2022244358A1

Abstract

A transmission mechanism management device (3) for managing a transmission mechanism for transmitting power of a motor (4) to a load side device (70) in an industrial equipment system (1) in which a plurality of industrial equipment are operated in cooperation, the transmission mechanism management device comprising: an operation control unit that controls the motor to cause the transmission mechanism to perform a predetermined operation; a state management unit that executes a first management program and manages the state of the transmission mechanism based on input information input from the motor; an external communication unit that communicates with an external device to acquire a second management program corresponding to the type of the transmission mechanism; and an updating unit that replaces the second management program with the first management program, and updates the state management unit so that the state management unit can execute the second management program. With this configuration, it is possible to easily implement the software function of the management transmission mechanism and the addition and modification of data related to the function.

Description

Transmission mechanism management device and program management system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a transmission management device and a program management system. As a non-limiting specific field, the present invention relates to a management device or the like for managing an operating state of a transmission mechanism connected to a motor of industrial equipment (for example, a machine for transportation or processing) used in factories and business places.

Background

In general, various industrial equipment such as a conveyor, an injection molding machine, and a pressure device are configured to supply power to some load-side devices from a power source (typically, a motor that generates power by alternating current or direct current) via a transmission mechanism. The type of the transmission mechanism of the motor used in the industrial equipment may be various hardware components such as a timing belt, a ball screw, a cam, and a gear.

On the other hand, in an industrial facility equipped with such a transmission mechanism, it is necessary to monitor the states of the motor and the transmission mechanism by using various software, programs, and management data, and to manage maintenance, durability, and the like of the components. Therefore, many industrial equipment is equipped with a function of performing position control, speed control, and torque control on a motor that drives a load side device, a function of monitoring an operation state of the motor, and other various functions.

Further, since the transmission mechanism such as a belt is rapidly degraded when it starts to deteriorate, it is required to develop an industrial equipment system having a function of detecting an abnormality of the transmission mechanism. For example, patent document 1 describes an abnormality diagnosis device having a function of detecting an abnormality of a transmission mechanism (belt or the like) and an abnormality diagnosis method thereof. The technique described in patent document 1 discloses that when a belt or the like driven by a motor is deteriorated, the frequency of the increase in the signal intensity (frequency of occurrence of a spectral peak) of a current flowing in the motor is increased, and thus an abnormality of a transmission mechanism is detected by performing FFT analysis or the like of the current.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: international publication No. 2018/109993

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

However, in the case of implementing the abnormality detection function described in patent document 1 using software/programs, when the transmission mechanism connected to the motor is changed, the algorithm itself used may need to be changed.

For example, when the transmission mechanism is changed from a synchronous belt to a ball screw, the driving system of the motor itself is changed, and therefore, it is necessary to change the algorithm to be used and the entire software/program for realizing the abnormality detection function.

In this regard, since the resources of the computing device and the storage device built in the conventional industrial equipment are limited, only limited functions are installed, and thus functions other than the installed functions cannot be executed. Therefore, when a function needs to be added, or when a function subjected to version upgrade or the like and a newly developed function (for example, an abnormality detection algorithm or the like) need to be used, an industrial device to which the function is added needs to be newly introduced (purchased, leased or the like). In view of such a background, it is considered that in the field of industrial equipment, there is an increasing demand or desire for users who can add new functions, change existing functions, or the like without replacement or the like.

The application aims to provide a transmission mechanism management device and a software management system, which can easily realize the software function of a management transmission mechanism and the addition and the change of data related to the function.

Technical means for solving the problems

The outline of a representative one of the applications disclosed in the present application will be briefly described as follows.

The transmission management apparatus according to a representative embodiment of the present application includes: an operation control unit that controls the motor to cause the transmission mechanism to perform a predetermined operation; a state management unit that executes a first management program and manages the state of the transmission mechanism based on input information input from the motor; an external communication unit that communicates with an external device to acquire a second management program corresponding to the type of the transmission mechanism; and an updating unit that replaces the second management program with the first management program, and updates the state management unit so that the state management unit can execute the second management program.

Effects of the application

Effects that can be obtained by a representative one of the applications disclosed in the present application will be briefly described as follows.

That is, in the transmission mechanism management apparatus according to the representative embodiment of the present application, the existing first management program is replaced with the second management program corresponding to the type of the transmission device, and the second management program is updated so that the state management unit can execute the second management program. Thus, the software function of the management transmission mechanism and the addition and change of data related to the function can be easily realized.

In addition, even when it is necessary to add a function not installed in the management apparatus or to add a newly developed function (for example, an abnormality detection algorithm or the like), the function can be used by acquiring and updating the second management program via the external communication unit, so that it is not necessary to introduce new industrial equipment, and cost reduction can be achieved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of a transmission management device (motor control device) and an industrial equipment system (program management system) in embodiment 1.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the abnormality detection routine for diagnosing the deterioration of the transmission mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a diagram describing the state of the abnormality detection operation at the time of execution of the abnormality detection program shown in fig. 2, together with waveforms of motor operation information (p (t), v (t), iq (t)).

Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the processing of the abnormality detection routine for diagnosing the deterioration of the transmission mechanism, and shows an algorithm to which an abnormality detection training data switching function is added.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of another embodiment of the motor control device, and is a block diagram illustrating an example in which the content (algorithm) of a motor control program to be executed can be updated.

Fig. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a hardware configuration (inverter circuit) equivalent to or similar to the program configuration shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an outline of a process of acquiring a new function program to update.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The embodiments described below are examples for realizing the present invention, and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. In the embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the components having the same functions, and the repetitive description thereof will be omitted unless otherwise necessary.

< overall summary >

First, an outline of an embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described. The following embodiments are implemented as a transmission mechanism management device (hereinafter simply referred to as "management device") in an industrial equipment system in which a plurality of industrial equipments cooperate, for managing a transmission mechanism for transmitting power of a motor to a load-side device used in the system.

The management device includes: an operation control unit that performs feedback control for the motor to operate the transmission mechanism so that an operation of the transmission mechanism corresponds to an operation of a cooperative device that cooperates with the transmission mechanism;

A state management unit that manages the state of the transmission mechanism by using data (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "related data") of input information input (fed back) from the motor to the operation control unit via a signal by loading a management program (first management program) into a memory for work and executing the management program;

an external communication unit (which may also be referred to as a "management program acquisition unit") that communicates with an external device to acquire a management program (second management program) corresponding to the type of transmission mechanism; and

and an updating unit that replaces the acquired hypervisor (second hypervisor) with the hypervisor (first hypervisor) in the memory for the job so that the state management unit can execute the hypervisor.

By providing the above configuration, it is possible to easily implement addition and modification of the software function installed in the management device and related data derived from or related to the software function.

Hereinafter, more specific embodiments of the above-described structure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following examples describe examples in which the functions of the operation control unit, the state management unit, the hypervisor acquisition unit, and the update unit are executed by the same (single) hardware/processor, but as other examples, a configuration may be adopted in which the functions are executed by a plurality of hardware/processors.

(embodiment 1)

Fig. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of a transmission management device (motor control device) and an industrial equipment system (program management system) in embodiment 1. Hereinafter, the industrial equipment system 1 shown in fig. 1 is appropriately abbreviated as "present system".

The system is constructed to work in concert with a plurality of industrial devices, some of which are extracted and represented in FIG. 1. Specifically, as the equipment constituting the present system, there are exemplified a controller 2, a motor control device 3, a motor 4, a transmission mechanism (a ball screw 5 is exemplified in fig. 1), an operation terminal 6, a server 10, an upstream device 60 disposed on the upstream side of the ball screw 5 in the conveying direction, a downstream device 70 as a load side device disposed on the downstream side, and the like.

Among the above-described devices (industrial equipment) constituting the present system, the motor control device 3 mainly functions to control the operation of the motor 4 and the transmission mechanism connected to the motor 4. The motor control device 3 according to the embodiment may be provided with a function of diagnosing the state of the transmission mechanism (whether or not an abnormality has occurred).

Among the above devices, the transmission mechanism and the load-side device are the same in that both the power of the motor 4 is transmitted and used, but in general, the transmission mechanism is less loaded in many cases in terms of the magnitude relation of the load. However, depending on the gear ratio set in the transmission mechanism, the mass of the movable portion in the transmission mechanism, and the like, there may be a case where the load of the transmission mechanism is larger than that of the load side device. For convenience of explanation, the following will be premised on the case where the load of the transmission mechanism is smaller than that of the load side device. The details of the function of the motor control device 3 for diagnosing whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the transmission mechanism will be described later.

As a specific example, the present system contemplates a system composed of a plurality of industrial apparatuses provided in an assembly factory of an electronic product manufactured by assembling a plurality of parts. However, the present embodiment is not particularly limited to the place where each industrial device is installed (disposed), and may be disposed in various places such as any facility, construction site, and the like.

In the present system, in order to realize operation cooperation among devices (industrial equipment), particularly among the controller 2, the motor control device 3, the operation terminal 6, and the server 10, the present system is connected to be capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from each other via a conventional communication network (in this example, the wide area communication network 100 which is a public communication network, and the network 102 which is an industrial communication network). The server 10, the operation terminal 6, and the like can be disposed in a place remote from other industrial equipment constituting the system.

< Server >)

The server 10 is a server (for example, FTP server) that provides a software function program, and corresponds to an "external device". The server 10 includes a processor such as a CPU, a communication unit such as a modem, a data storage unit such as an HDD, a display unit such as an LCD, and an operation input unit such as a keyboard and a mouse. These are well known structures, and therefore illustration and detailed description thereof are omitted.

In the example shown in fig. 1, the server 10 stores the abnormality detection library group 11 and the abnormality detection database group 12 in the data storage unit. The abnormality detection library 11 is composed of a plurality of (N) abnormality detection programs (see fig. 1 as appropriate) that can be acquired and executed by the motor control device 3.

Here, the "plurality (N)" is not particularly limited, and may be any number, and for example, N abnormality detection programs can be employed according to the type of transmission mechanism that can be used in the present system. Alternatively, even if the types of the transmission mechanisms used are the same, the abnormality detection program may be a program of a different type according to the type (model, etc.) of the motor 4 controlled by the motor control device 3. Even if the type of the transmission mechanism is the same as the type (model, etc.) of the motor 4, the abnormality detection program can be regarded as different from the abnormality detection program before the version-up.

On the other hand, the abnormality detection database group 12 in the server 10 is data (associated data) used by each of the plurality of (N) abnormality detection programs. The related data includes, for example, various information for determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred in a specific kind of transmission mechanism by an abnormality detection program, such as input information (waveform data or the like) of the motor 4, a function used, and data such as a threshold value regarding whether or not an abnormality has occurred.

In the following description, it is assumed that the related data or a part of the related data is data that can be acquired by the motor control device 3 as the corresponding abnormality detection program is executed. Therefore, the present system does not need to prepare all the associated data of the plurality of (N types of) abnormality detection programs in the server 10 as the abnormality detection database group 12. On the other hand, in the case where the abnormality detection program supplied from the server 10 is used (executed) for the first time in the motor control device 3, it may be necessary to set a certain reference value or initial value. Therefore, the abnormality detection database group 12 preferably includes the minimum necessary data (reference value, initial value, etc.) among the data (associated data) used by each of the plurality of (N) abnormality detection programs.

Further, when a software developer is to update a version of an existing abnormality detection program and add it to the abnormality detection library 11, or develop an abnormality detection program having a new function, control method, or the like, it is expected that in many cases, reference will be made to related data (so-called actual measurement data) acquired by the motor control device 3. Therefore, the present system can enable the related data acquired by the motor control device 3 to be transmitted (provided) directly to the server 10 via the communication network (100, 102) or to be transmitted (provided) to the server 10 via the controller 2. By performing such data provision, it is expected to enrich the abnormality detection library group 11 in the server 10.

Controller

In the present system, the controller 2 basically outputs control signals (commands such as start and stop of the operation of the motor 4, setting signals for basic operation of the motor 4, etc. which are preset (reserved)) to the motor control device 3. Examples of the controller 2 include PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and a motion controller.

In the present embodiment, the controller 2 also has a function of storing and managing a software function program used by the motor control device 3, and a function of storing and managing the above-described related data generated by executing the software function program. Thus, the controller 2 also corresponds to "external device".

The controller 2 includes a CPU20 that is responsible for control of the entire controller 2, a communication unit such as a communication card for performing wired or wireless communication, a data storage unit such as HDD, a display unit such as LCD, and an operation input unit such as a key switch. Since the above-described hardware configuration is known per se, a detailed description thereof is appropriately omitted.

Fig. 1 shows an example in which 3 types of abnormality detection programs (a) 211, (B) 212, and (C) 213 are stored in the data storage unit of the controller 2 as the program library 21, and data (221 to 223) for use by these abnormality detection programs are stored as the database 22. That is, the abnormality detection data (a) 221 in the database 22 is data for use by the abnormality detection program (a) 211, the abnormality detection data (B) 222 is data for use by the abnormality detection program (B) 212, and the abnormality detection data (C) 223 is data for use by the abnormality detection program (C) 213.

The CPU20 of the controller 2 functions as an output control unit, and can output any program (second management program) among the abnormality detection programs (a) 211, (B) 212, and (C) 213 in the data storage unit to the motor control device 3 via the communication unit.

In addition, the CPU20 of the controller 2 has also the function of: the abnormality detection program and the like used in the motor control device 3 are managed by checking the consistency of the abnormality detection program stored in the data storage unit with the abnormality detection program and the abnormality detection data (hereinafter referred to as an abnormality detection program and the like) stored in the library memory 32 of the motor control device 3.

In one specific example, the data storage unit of the controller 2 has a capacity capable of storing more data (abnormality detection program and abnormality detection data) than the library memory 32 of the motor control device 3. By adopting this structure, for example, such management is easy: the abnormality detection program and the like in the motor control device 3 whose frequency of use is reduced are stored in the data storage unit of the controller 2, and instead the abnormality detection program and the like to be used are moved from the controller 2 to the motor control device 3 (memory 32) and the like.

Operation terminal

The operation terminal 6 has a function of outputting various instructions to any device constituting the present system, for example, the server 10, the controller 2, and the motor control device 3. In the example shown in fig. 1, the operation terminal 6 is a notebook PC, and has a larger area display unit, more key switches, and a larger capacity data storage unit than the controller 2. Therefore, the operation terminal can also function as an "external device" as in the controller 2. However, in order to avoid complicating the description, only functions and the like specific to the operation terminal 6 will be mentioned below with respect to the operation terminal 6. The hardware configuration of the operation terminal 6 is equivalent to and well known from the server 10, and therefore illustration and detailed description are omitted.

Communication network

In the present system, the controller 2, the motor control device 3, the operation terminal 6, and the server 10 can exchange data with each other via the wide area communication network 100 (public communication network), respectively. For example, by operating the operation terminal 6 by the user, the server 10 and the controller 2 can be operated and monitored, and the operation state of the motor control device 3 and the like can be transmitted from the controller 2 to the server 10 and the operation terminal 6.

Wide area communication network 100 may be implemented wirelessly in addition to by wire. For example, in the case of performing wireless communication between devices, an access point 101 conforming to a communication protocol such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark) is provided in the wide area communication network 100, and an appropriate antenna circuit and a driver may be mounted in the controller 2 or the equipment of the operation terminal 6 (see fig. 1 as appropriate).

In the present system, the controller 2 and the motor control device 3 can exchange data with each other via the communication network 102. In one specific example, the operation command generated by the controller 2 can be transmitted to the motor control device 3, and conversely, the operation state of the motor control device 3 can be received by the controller 2.

The communication network 102 serving as an industrial communication network communicates by a so-called industrial communication protocol (for example, etherCAT (registered trademark)), but may be an input/output interface for analog signals.

As another system configuration example, the motor control device 3 may be directly connected to the wide area communication network 100, and in this case, the controller 2 may be omitted.

Motor >, motor

The motor 4 is an electric motor that rotates an internal rotor (not shown) and a rotary shaft 41 integrated with the rotor by power supply, and in one specific example, a servomotor that operates by three-phase Alternating Current (AC) is used. The servomotor rotates the rotor around the rotation shaft 41 by using the ac voltage and the control signal input from the motor control device 3, and transmits a feedback signal as motor operation information at the time of the rotation. Then, the motor control device 3 to which the feedback signal is input performs feedback control of the operation (rotation direction, speed, time, stop position, timing, etc.) of the motor 4. As shown in fig. 6, for example, the position (rotational position information) of the rotor of the motor 4 can be obtained by providing the rotary encoder or the like detector 7 on the rotary shaft 41 and inputting the detection value of the position detector 7 to the motor control device 3. The type of the motor 4 (for example, a power supply system such as dc/ac, a power generation system such as rotary type or linear type, and the like) is not particularly limited in the present invention.

< Transmission mechanism >)

Fig. 1 shows a case where a ball screw 5 is used as a transmission mechanism for transmitting power of a motor 4. The ball screw 5 converts power generated by the rotational motion of the motor 4 into linear motion to convey a mounted component or the like (workpiece W).

In one specific example, the ball screw 5 includes a screw shaft 51 connected (coupled) to the rotary shaft 41 of the motor 4, a not-shown housing for rotatably holding the screw shaft 51, a nut attached to the screw shaft 51, a workpiece mounting portion 52 integrally formed with the nut, and the like.

When the screw shaft 51 integrally rotated with the rotor of the motor 4 rotates in the direction of arrow 41a (e.g., clockwise direction) in fig. 1, the workpiece placement portion 52 moves in one direction, for example, leftward in fig. 1, in accordance with the rotation direction of the screw shaft and the shape of the screw, and thereby the workpiece W placed on the upper surface thereof is conveyed in the one direction. The conveyed workpiece W is transferred to a cooperative apparatus (downstream device 70) disposed downstream of the conveyance path.

Thereafter, based on the control of the motor 4 by the motor control device 3, when the screw shaft 51 rotates in the counterclockwise direction (the arrow 41b direction), the workpiece placement portion 52 moves in the opposite direction to the above-described direction, for example, to the right in fig. 1 in this example. That is, the workpiece placement unit 52 moves to the initial position or the predetermined standby position in order to place the next workpiece supplied from the upstream side device 60 (for example, a robot for picking up parts, etc.) and convey the workpiece to the downstream side device 70.

Here, the downstream device 70 is a load-side device (industrial equipment) using the power of the motor 4, and includes, for example, a belt conveyor, not shown. The belt conveyor mainly includes a pair of rollers, a belt stretched over the 2 rollers, and a support (frame) that rotatably holds the rollers and supports the belt at a position where the belt does not contact the ground. In the belt conveyor, the roller shaft of one roller is connected to the screw shaft 51 (rotation shaft) of the ball screw 5 via a one-way clutch, so that the workpiece W transferred from the ball screw 5 to the belt is conveyed in only one direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of fig. 1).

That is, when the screw shaft 51 of the ball screw 5 rotates in a direction corresponding to the opposite direction (return direction, i.e., right direction in fig. 1) to the workpiece conveying direction, the rollers of the belt conveyor and the belt rotate in the direction of conveying the workpiece on the upper surface of the belt, thereby conveying the workpiece W on the belt. In contrast, when the screw shaft 51 of the ball screw 5 rotates in a direction corresponding to the workpiece conveying direction (left direction in fig. 1), the rollers and belt of the belt conveyor are stationary or stopped by the action of the one-way clutch.

By repeating this operation, the belt conveyor is stopped before the workpiece W is transferred from the ball screw 5 to the belt conveyor, and the belt conveyor can convey the workpiece W on the belt while the ball screw 5 rotates in the return direction for loading a new workpiece. By adopting such a configuration, the power of the motor 4 can be efficiently utilized.

The above-described cooperative operation and the power use method of the motor 4 are only examples, and the power of the motor 4 may be used by combining various kinds of transmission mechanisms and cooperative devices (load-side devices).

Motor control device

In the present system, the motor control device 3 functions to control the operations of the motor 4 and the ball screw 5 so as to smoothly perform the cooperative operation between the devices (industrial equipment) as described above.

As shown in fig. 1, the motor control device 3 includes a control unit 30 for controlling the entire motor control device 3, an external communication unit 31 for communicating with an external device via the communication networks (100, 102), a library memory 32 for storing programs and data, and an execution memory 33 for executing various programs. The motor control device 3 includes an operation display unit 36 such as a liquid crystal display with a touch panel. The operation display unit 36 displays the states of the respective units of the motor control device 3 under the display control of the control unit 30. The operation display unit 36 inputs an operation signal in accordance with a touch operation by the user to the control unit 30.

In each of the above units, the execution memory 33 is, for example, a volatile memory such as a Random Access Memory (RAM), and functions as a work area for loading or temporarily storing various programs and data used by the control unit 30.

On the other hand, the library memory 32 is a nonvolatile memory other than the memory 33, and various storage devices for storing data such as HDD, EEPROM, and flash memory can be used. The library memory 32 does not require high-speed reading/writing performance as compared with the execution memory 33, but ensures a larger data storage capacity than the execution memory 33 in order to be able to store a plurality of programs and data obtained by executing the programs.

In the present embodiment, the memory 32 and the memory 33 are connected via the switch 34 and the switch 35. The switch 34 functions as a switching unit for selectively reading the plurality of abnormality detection programs stored in the library memory 32 into the execution memory 33. On the other hand, the switch 35 functions as a switching section for selectively reading or storing abnormality detection data between the memory 32 and the memory 33. The switches 34 and 35 are so-called logic switches that are switched under the control of the control unit 30. In addition, as another example, the memory 32 and the memory 33 may be the same storage medium (e.g., a large-capacity RAM), in which case the switches 34, 35 are not required.

The control unit 30 includes, for example, a microcomputer for an embedded device having a processor such as a CPU or MPU, a ROM storing a basic program, various I/O interfaces, and the like, and realizes various functions in cooperation with the program.

In the example shown in fig. 1, the abnormality detection program (a) for degradation diagnosis of the ball screw 5 (hereinafter, referred to as a ball screw degradation diagnosis program 321A) and the abnormality detection program (B) for degradation diagnosis of the bearing rotatably supporting the rotary shaft 41 of the motor 4 (hereinafter, referred to as a bearing degradation diagnosis program 321B) are stored in the library memory 32.

In the present embodiment, the bearing deterioration diagnosis program 321B corresponds to "a first management program", and the ball screw deterioration diagnosis program 321A corresponds to "a second management program". In other words, in the present system, the motor control device 3 is replaced at the same time when the motor 4 is replaced, so the bearing deterioration diagnosis program 321B is installed as a default software function program (first management program). On the other hand, since the transmission mechanism connected to the motor 4 is provided to be replaceable, fig. 1 shows a state after the ball screw degradation diagnosis program 321A (second management program) is acquired from the external device (the server 10 or the controller 2).

In the library memory 32, as associated data, abnormality detection data (a) 322A as associated data used by the ball screw degradation diagnosis program 321A and abnormality detection data (B) 322B as associated data used by the bearing degradation diagnosis program 321B are stored, respectively. The abnormality detection data (a) 322A and the abnormality detection data (B) 322B are data generated based on input information input from the motor 4, respectively. Details of the contents of these programs and data will be described later.

On the other hand, in the execution memory 33, a motor control program 331 for controlling the operation of the motor 4, an abnormality detection program 332, and abnormality detection data 333 for use by the abnormality detection program 332 are stored. Here, the abnormality detection program 332 is one of the ball screw degradation diagnosis program 321A and the bearing degradation diagnosis program 321B stored in the library memory 32. Similarly, the abnormality detection data 333 is one of the abnormality detection data (a) 322A and the abnormality detection data (B) 322B (data corresponding to the abnormality detection program 332) stored in the library memory 32.

In other words, the control unit 30 of the motor control device 3 functions as an "update unit". That is, the control unit 30 selectively reads the abnormality detection program 332 in the execution memory 33 from among the plurality of (2 in this example) abnormality detection programs 321A and 321B stored in the library memory 32, and outputs the read abnormality detection program (321A or 321B) to the execution memory 33, thereby setting or updating (replacing) the abnormality detection program 332.

By the above operation, it is possible to execute a degradation diagnosis program corresponding to the type of the transmission mechanism, and to determine whether or not an abnormality occurs in the transmission mechanism. The method of this judgment will be described later.

Operation of motor control device

Next, the operation of the motor control device 3 will be summarized. The control unit 30 of the motor control device 3 starts the motor control program 331 in the execution memory 33, and stands by in a state where the drive control of the motor 4 can be executed. The control unit 30 starts the abnormality detection program 332 in the execution memory 33. Then, the control unit 30 reads the corresponding abnormality detection data 333, and stands by in a state where a process (algorithm) incorporated in the abnormality detection program 332 can be executed.

After that, when receiving an operation command as a control signal from the controller 2, the operation terminal 6, or the operation display unit 36 (hereinafter, referred to as the controller 2 or the like), the control unit 30 starts driving the motor 4 in accordance with the motor control program 331 to control the operation thereof. Specifically, the motor control program 331 sets the operation of the motor 4 so as to be an operation (driving method) corresponding to the operation of the transmission mechanism and the cooperation device (the upstream device 60 and the downstream device 70 shown in fig. 1) used in the present system. The setting of this operation can be performed by a setting screen, not shown, and an operation input from the controller 2 or the like.

The control unit 30 of the motor control device 3 controls (adjusts) the operation of the transmission mechanism (in the example of fig. 1, the ball screw 5) by controlling the operation of the motor 4 (adjusting the rotation direction, the rotation speed, the timing of stopping, etc. of the rotor) in accordance with the above-described setting contents in the motor control program 331, thereby realizing the cooperative operation with the cooperative device (the conveying operation of the workpiece W, etc.). At this time, the control unit 30 of the motor control device 3 obtains motor operation information (input information) indicating the operation state of the motor 4, such as the position, rotation speed, and input current of the rotor of the motor 4, as a feedback signal via the position detector 7, the current detector 125 (see fig. 6), and the like, and performs feedback control using the input information. The user can monitor the input information (waveform signal, etc., described later in fig. 3) obtained at this time by displaying the input information on an arbitrary display unit (for example, the operation display unit 36, the controller 2, or the display unit of the operation terminal 6).

In the present embodiment, the control unit 30 of the motor control device 3 executes the abnormality detection program 332 in the execution memory 33 during execution of the motor control program 331. That is, the control unit 30 executes the algorithms programmed in the motor control program 331 and the abnormality detection program 332 in parallel or simultaneously.

In this example, an abnormality detection algorithm for detecting an abnormal state of the ball screw 5 (whether or not an abnormality has occurred) is stored in the abnormality detection program (a) 321A. Therefore, by loading the abnormality detection program (a) 321A into the memory 33 by the control unit 30 and executing it as the abnormality detection program 332, it is possible to detect whether or not an abnormality occurs in the ball screw 5, which is a transmission mechanism. The control unit 30 of the motor control device 3 executes a function as a "state management unit" described below based on an abnormality detection algorithm of the abnormality detection program (a) 321A.

That is, the control unit 30 analyzes the operation state (input information) such as the position and the rotation speed of the rotor of the motor 4 by the abnormality detection program 332 (in this example, the abnormality detection program (a) 321A), and stores the analysis result in the execution memory 33 as actual measurement data or training data (see the abnormality detection data 333). The control unit 30 compares the abnormality detection data 333 stored in the memory 33 and the current analysis result obtained by the abnormality detection program 332, and determines that an abnormality has occurred in the ball screw 5 (transmission mechanism) and outputs an abnormality signal when the difference in value between the two is large.

Specifically, the control unit 30 determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the ball screw 5 (transmission mechanism) based on a criterion indicating whether or not a value indicated by an input wave in motor operation information deviates from a threshold value set in the training data.

More specifically, when the waveform (wave shape) distortion in the motor operation information exceeds a threshold set in the training data, the control unit 30 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the transmission mechanism (ball screw 5) and outputs an abnormality signal indicating the abnormality.

The outputted abnormality signal is displayed (outputted) as a message notifying occurrence of an abnormality or an image such as a warning sound or an icon on a display unit on which motor operation information (waveform or the like) is displayed, whereby a user of the industrial equipment can be notified or warned. Thus, the user (administrator or the like) of the present system can monitor or predict the abnormal state of the transmission mechanism (ball screw 5) by monitoring the display content (whether or not to output an abnormal signal or the like) of the display unit.

In the above example, the transmission mechanism connected to the motor 4 is the ball screw 5, and the abnormality detection program (a) 321A is executed to determine whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the ball screw 5. As another example, when the transmission mechanism connected to the motor 4 is a mechanism other than the ball screw 5 (for example, a transmission case or the like), the control unit 30 executes a software function program including another abnormality detection algorithm (for example, an abnormality detection program (C) 213 shown in fig. 1 or a corresponding abnormality detection program in the abnormality detection program library 11 of the server 10).

That is, the control unit 30 appropriately acquires a software function program corresponding to the type of transmission mechanism to be subjected to abnormality detection determination, and the like from the external device, and stores the software function program in the library memory 32 and the execution memory 33 for execution. By adopting such an operation, in other words, by updating (replacing) the software function program stored in the execution memory 33 and executed in accordance with the transmission mechanism used, it is possible to determine (diagnose) whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the various transmission mechanisms connected to the motor 4.

Further, the control unit 30 can determine (diagnose) whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the load side device (downstream side device 70) by acquiring the corresponding abnormality detection program in the abnormality detection program library group 11 of the server 10, storing (appropriately updating) the abnormality detection program in the library memory 32 and the execution memory 33, and executing the abnormality detection program.

< action example of abnormality detection program >)

Next, an operation example of the abnormality detection program will be described in more detail with reference to fig. 2 and 3. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the abnormality detection routine for diagnosing the deterioration of the transmission mechanism. Fig. 2 shows a part of the processing flow of the algorithm incorporated in the above-described ball screw degradation diagnosis program 321A (abnormality detection program (a) shown in fig. 1).

The ball screw degradation diagnosis program 321A has a structure that selectively executes 2 operation modes (algorithms), i.e., an abnormality detection training data acquisition mode and an abnormality detection operation mode. With respect to which operation mode is executed, the user can operate the controller 2 or the like to designate or change the setting.

In step S1 after the ball screw degradation diagnosis program 321A is started, the control unit 30 of the motor control device 3 determines whether or not the operation mode of the motor control device 3 is the training data acquisition mode.

When the control unit 30 determines that the operation mode is the training data acquisition mode (yes in step S1), the process proceeds to step S2, acquires training data by the processes of step S2 to step S4 described later, and returns to the determination process of step S1.

On the other hand, when the control unit 30 determines that the operation mode is not the training data acquisition mode (no in step S1), it determines that the operation mode is the abnormality detection mode, and the process proceeds to step S5, and whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the ball screw 5 is diagnosed by the processes of steps S5 to S10 described later, and then the process returns to the determination process of step S1.

First, an operation in the abnormality detection training data acquisition mode (hereinafter simply referred to as "training data acquisition mode") will be described. In step S2, the control unit 30 stands by until a command (training data acquisition operation start command) indicating that the determination reference for the abnormality detection of the ball screw 5 is received by the controller 2 or the like (i.e., the user input operation), and when the command is received, the process proceeds to step S3.

The standby of step S2 takes into account, for example, the following: when the ball screw degradation diagnosis 321A is started simultaneously with the normal operation, a certain time elapses before the rotation state of the motor 4 stabilizes. That is, the control unit 30 can acquire the training data with higher accuracy in the following processing of steps S3 and S4 by temporarily not acquiring the training data until the rotation state of the motor 4 is stabilized.

In step S3, the control unit 30 obtains various operation information (p (t), v (t), and iq (t) in this example) based on the input signal (feedback information) detected from the motor 4. Where p (t) is rotational position information of the motor 4 at time t. v (t) is rotational speed information of the motor 4 at time t. The p (t) and v (t) can be obtained from the detection signal of the position detector 7. Further, iq (t) is torque current information of the motor 4 at time t, and is obtained or calculated from a current (AC in this example) input (fed back) from the motor 4 to the control unit 30.

In the next step S4, the control unit 30 substitutes motor operation information (p (t), v (t), iq (t)) into a predetermined equation in brackets (), according to the first abnormality detection algorithm (=fan 1 (equation)), thereby deriving abnormality detection training data.

Thereafter, the control unit 30 returns to step S1, and repeatedly executes the processing of steps S3 and S4 while determining that the operation mode is the training data acquisition mode (yes in step S1), and continuously derives the abnormality detection training data. However, in step S2, the control unit 30 skips the standby process after the second time.

Fig. 3 is a diagram describing the state of the abnormality detection operation at the time of execution of the abnormality detection program shown in fig. 2, together with waveforms of the motor operation information (p (t), v (t), iq (t)).

In fig. 3, the curves of the first, second, and third rows from above are waveform diagrams of motor operation information input to the control unit 30. That is, the first line from above is a waveform diagram showing the rotational position p (t) of the motor 4, the second line from above is a waveform diagram showing the rotational speed v (t) thereof, and the third line from above is a waveform diagram showing the torque current iq (t), and the waveforms are each schematically showing a situation in which the waveform gradually deteriorates with time. Referring to these 3 graphs, as time passes, distortion occurs in each waveform and the distortion gradually increases.

In general, when an abnormality occurs in the motor 4 or the load-side device (the downstream-side device 70 in fig. 1), the abnormality occurs in the cycle or the amplitude of the waveform (for example, a change in the cycle due to an abnormality in the rotational speed, a change in the amplitude due to an abnormality in the torque current, or the like) in many cases.

In contrast, when an abnormality occurs in the transmission mechanism (in this example, the threaded shaft 51 of the ball screw 5, etc.) having a very small load as compared with the downstream device, the waveform becomes distorted as shown on the right side of fig. 3. That is, when the transmission mechanism is abnormal, a minute vibration wave (hereinafter referred to as a minute vibration wave) is generated by waveforms of the rotational position p (t), the rotational speed v (t), and the torque current iq (t) in the motor operation information. The greater the degree of abnormality of the ball screw 5 (for example, the degree of wear, the degree of deformation, etc. of the screw shaft 51), the more remarkable the micro vibration wave appears as its amplitude component, etc. Then, since the minute vibration wave as shown in fig. 3 can be detected as a change in amplitude or a change in slope of the waveform in the minute time t, it can be discriminated or estimated that this is not an abnormality of the motor 4 or the downstream side device 70 (load side device) but an abnormality occurs in the state of the ball screw 5.

In view of the above-described actual circumstances, in the present embodiment, the operation in the abnormality detection training data acquisition mode described in fig. 2 is preferably performed (executed) mainly in a normal state (for example, in the first operation period of the present system) in which no degradation of the ball screw 5 occurs. By executing the operation of the abnormality detection training data acquisition mode (steps S3, S4, etc. of fig. 2) in this normal state, it is possible to generate abnormality detection training data based on a normal waveform without distortion, as shown on the left side in fig. 3. The abnormality detection training data has a meaning of information (training data in supervised machine learning) as a reference, and is used as a reference for performing abnormality determination in an abnormality detection mode described below.

Here, the graph of the fourth line from above in fig. 3 shows an example in which the magnitude of distortion (change in amplitude in minute time t or change in slope of waveform) of any one of the waveforms (for example, torque current iq (t)) exceeds a threshold value, resulting in switching from a signal indicating a normal state (for example, "0" of binary value (0/1)) to a signal indicating an abnormal state (for example, "1").

Further, the diagram of the fifth line from above in fig. 3 shows an example of the operation of switching from the abnormality detection training data acquisition mode to the abnormality detection mode in the abnormality detection operation mode. In one specific example, the timer function of the motor control device 3 may be used, for example, to operate in the abnormality detection training data acquisition mode only on the first operation day of the present system, and to operate in the abnormality detection mode the next day.

Next, the operation of the abnormality detection mode during execution of the ball screw degradation diagnosis program 321A will be described with reference to fig. 2.

In step S5, the control unit 30 of the motor control device 3 stands by until a command (abnormality detection operation start command) indicating start of detection of an abnormal operation of the ball screw 5 is received by the controller 2 or the like (i.e., an input operation by the user), and the process proceeds to step S6 when the command is received. The standby in step S6 is similar in meaning to step S2 described above. That is, by temporarily not performing the abnormality detection operation until the rotation state of the motor 4 stabilizes, unnecessary false detection can be prevented in the processing of steps S6 to S10, and state detection with higher accuracy can be realized.

In step S6, the control unit 30 obtains various motor operation information (p (t), v (t), and iq (t) in this example) based on the input signal (actually measured detection signal or feedback signal). The process of step S6 is the same as that of step S3 described above, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the next step S7, the control unit 30 substitutes motor operation information (p (t), v (t), iq (t)) for the equation in brackets according to the first abnormality detection algorithm (=fan 1 (equation), thereby deriving abnormality detection actual measurement data. The method of deriving the data in step S7 is the same as the method of deriving the abnormality detection training data in step S4.

In the next step S8, the control unit 30 compares the derived abnormality detection actual measurement data with the abnormality detection training data, calculates a difference between the two, and then proceeds to step S9. In step S9, the control unit 30 determines whether the calculated difference, in other words, the degree of distortion of the waveform of the abnormality detection measured data with respect to the waveform of the abnormality detection training data exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Here, when the control unit 30 determines that the degree of distortion does not exceed the threshold value (no in step S9), it determines that the state of the ball screw 5 is normal and the process proceeds to step S10. On the other hand, when the control unit 30 determines that the degree of distortion exceeds the threshold value (yes in step S9), it determines that the state of the ball screw 5 is abnormal and the process proceeds to step S11.

In step S10, the control unit 30 transmits a display instruction to a predetermined device (for example, the controller 2 and the operation terminal 6) to display that the state of the ball screw 5 is normal. On the other hand, in step S11, the control unit 30 outputs an abnormality detection signal, and transmits a display instruction to the above-described device to display that there is an abnormality in the state of the ball screw 5.

Here, the operation of the abnormality detection mode in relation to the degradation state of the ball screw 5 will be described with reference to fig. 3 again. When the degradation of the ball screw 5 starts, the input operation waveform of the rotational position information p (t) of the motor 4, the rotational speed information v (t) of the motor 4, and the torque current information iq (t) of the motor 4 is affected by the degradation, and gradually degrades to a waveform in which the minute vibration wave is superimposed and distortion occurs, unlike the waveform in the normal abnormality detection training data acquisition mode.

Accordingly, the control unit 30 calculates the difference (degree of degradation) of the waveform by comparing the acquired abnormality detection training data with the abnormality detection actual measurement data in the abnormality detection mode (step S8), and when the calculated degree of degradation exceeds the threshold value, determines that there is an abnormality in the state of the ball screw 5 (step S9, yes), and outputs the determination result as an abnormality detection signal (step S11).

The user or maintenance manager of the present system can detect or predict the abnormal state of the ball screw 5 by monitoring whether or not such an abnormality detection signal and the display screen of the external device are output.

However, when the type of the transmission mechanism transmitting the power of the motor 4 is changed, software/program executed by the motor control device 3 and responsible for the abnormality detection function needs to use a different algorithm for detecting the same abnormality.

Specifically, fig. 1 illustrates a case where the transmission mechanism connected to the motor 4 is a ball screw 5, but there is a case where the ball screw 5 is changed to another transmission mechanism (for example, a timing belt connected via a gear or the like, not shown).

That is, in the case of the ball screw 5, since the reciprocating motion is required as described above, the motor 4 needs to be rotated in both the forward and reverse directions (see the arrow in fig. 1). In contrast, when the transmission mechanism is a timing belt, the motor 4 may be rotated only in one direction in the basic operation for moving the workpiece W and transferring the workpiece W to the downstream device 70. Alternatively, when the cooperative apparatus and the system configuration are to be changed significantly, it is necessary to use another transmission mechanism or a downstream device, and in such a case, the operation mode of the motor 4 (the control content at the time of the basic operation of the motor control apparatus 3) is also changed.

In this way, when the type of the transmission mechanism (basic operation or the like in the normal operation) is different, the driving method of the motor 4 is also different, and therefore, the algorithm for controlling the rotation of the motor 4 in the normal operation (basic operation) is different. In this case, the information of the waveform at the normal time acquired as the abnormality detection training data is also different.

On the other hand, the above-described basic method of acquiring abnormality detection training data and actual measurement data and comparing these data to determine whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the transmission mechanism can be used in common regardless of the type of transmission mechanism or the like.

Based on such an insight, the present system employs software/programs that can be changed (updated) in accordance with the type of transmission mechanism used, that is, connected to the motor 4, and the like.

Specifically, the control unit 30 of the motor control device 3 is provided with a function of an updating unit, and can replace software and programs executed by the motor control device 3, in this example, programs and data installed or loaded in the execution memory 33.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 30 is provided with a function of acquiring software/programs (management programs) having a transmission mechanism management (abnormality detection) function from an external device (server 10 or controller 2).

< main effects of the present embodiment >

The present embodiment provides the control unit 30 of the motor control device 3 with the above functions, and according to the present embodiment, management such as abnormality detection for various transmission mechanisms can be performed without changing the hardware of the motor control device 3. Therefore, the performance of the motor control device 3 can be improved at low cost. In addition, according to the present embodiment, the type, arrangement, and the like of the transmission mechanism, the load side device, and the like (industrial equipment constituting the system) connected to the motor 4 can be appropriately and flexibly changed without adding (purchasing and replacing) the motor control device 3 and the controller 2.

(embodiment 2)

Next, embodiment 2 will be described with reference to fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the processing of the abnormality detection routine for diagnosing the deterioration of the transmission mechanism, and shows an algorithm to which an abnormality detection training data switching function is added.

The algorithm shown in fig. 4 is executed by, for example, the motor control device 3 acquiring the abnormality detection program (C) 213 stored in the data storage unit (the program library 21) of the controller 2 and starting the program by the control unit 30. The same steps as those described in fig. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

The algorithm shown in fig. 4 can be used, for example, at the time of commissioning of the present system. Specifically, there may be cases where: the waveform of the motor operation information inputted from the motor 4 and displayed on the predetermined display unit can be determined as abnormal based on the value of the amplitude, but in reality, distortion (micro vibration wave) is not generated in the waveform, and the waveform becomes an overcurrent state due to temporary overload when the workpiece W is conveyed. In this case, by storing the waveform of the motor operation information as training data for later use, it is possible to contribute to an improvement in the accuracy of determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the transmission mechanism, and the like.

In step S4A in the training data acquisition mode, the control unit 30 substitutes motor operation information (p (t), v (t), iq (t)) into a predetermined equation of the function fan3 according to a third abnormality detection algorithm (=fan 3 (equation)), thereby deriving abnormality detection training data. In this training data acquisition mode, the same processing as in fig. 2 is performed except that a third abnormality detection algorithm (=fan 3 (formula)) uses a formula different from the first abnormality detection algorithm (=fan 1 (formula)).

In the abnormality detection mode, the control unit 30 derives training data (step S7A) by the same processing as in step S4A, and performs the comparison processing in step S8 and the determination processing in step S9, similarly to the case of fig. 2. The display processing of step S10 after it is determined in step S9 that the degree of distortion (degree of degradation of waveform) does not exceed the threshold value (step S9, "no") is also the same as that of fig. 2.

On the other hand, when the control unit 30 determines that the degree of distortion (the degree of degradation of the waveform) exceeds the threshold value (yes in step S9), the process proceeds to step S9A. In step S9A, the control unit 30 determines whether or not a training data switching instruction indicating switching of training data is input. Here, when the control unit 30 determines that the training data switching command is not input (no in step S9A), it determines that the state of the ball screw 5 is abnormal, and the display processing in step S11 is performed in the same manner as in the case of fig. 2.

On the other hand, when determining that the training data switching command is input (yes in step S9A), the control unit 30 determines that the state of the ball screw 5 is normal, and proceeds to step S12. In step S12, the control unit 30 stores the actually measured data in the abnormality detection data 333 so as to add the actually measured data to the training data. At this time, the control unit 30 may update the abnormality detection data (322A or 322B) stored in the library memory 32. The control unit 30 performs display processing indicating that the state of the ball screw 5 is normal.

By performing the processing described above, for example, the operation input of the user monitoring the operation of the system and the operation information (waveform) at the time of test operation can be used to update the training data in response to the instruction based on the operation input, and it is possible to contribute to an improvement in the accuracy of determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the transmission mechanism.

Embodiment 3

Fig. 5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating embodiment 3. Embodiment 3 is configured to be able to appropriately update or switch the content (algorithm) of the motor control program 331 executed by the control unit 30. From another point of view, embodiment 3 stores a plurality of motor control programs in the library memory 32, and the control unit 30 of the motor control device 3 functions as an updating unit to update the motor control program of the execution memory 33 so that the motor control program can be selectively executed.

For simplicity, fig. 5 is omitted from illustration of the downstream device 70 cooperating with the motor 4, the operation display unit 36 of the motor control device 3, the CPU20 of the controller 2, and the like. In order to avoid complication, fig. 5 shows that only the motor control program 331 is stored in the execution memory 33, but in reality, the above-described program for determining whether or not an abnormality occurs in the transmission mechanism may be stored in the execution memory 33 and executed.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of another embodiment of the motor control device, and is a block diagram illustrating an example in which the content (algorithm) of a motor control program to be executed can be updated. In embodiment 3, a position control program, a speed control program, and a current control program constituting the motor control program 331 shown in fig. 5 are obtained directly from the server 10 via the communication network (100, 102) or from the server 10 via the controller 2.

On the other hand, fig. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a hardware configuration (inverter circuit) equivalent to or similar to the program configuration shown in fig. 5.

In embodiments 1 and 2 described with reference to fig. 1 to 4, the motor control program 331 and the abnormality detection program 332 (i.e., a program for detecting an abnormality of the abnormal transmission mechanism by supervised machine learning) that are different from the motor control program 331 are executed simultaneously in parallel in normal operation.

In contrast, fig. 5 and 6 show examples of the configuration in which the control unit 30 is caused to execute, as the motor control program 331, a position control program for controlling the rotational position of the motor 4, a speed control program for controlling the rotational speed of the motor 4, and a current control program for controlling the current flowing through the motor 4 in combination. However, the control unit 30 can execute the above-described routine for determining whether or not an abnormality occurs in the transmission mechanism in parallel.

First, the content of the motor control program 331 is described with reference to fig. 5. Fig. 5 schematically shows a state in which the control unit 30 drives the motor 4 by loading and executing the motor control program 331 in the execution memory 33.

As shown in fig. 5, the motor control program 331 includes a position control program 3311 that controls the position of the motor 4, a speed control program 3312 that controls the speed of the motor 4, and a current control program 3313 that controls the current of the motor 4. The respective programs (3311, 3312, 3313) may be executed by the control section 30 independently of each other or may be executed in parallel.

In one specific example, when the control unit 30 is to change the control method of the motor 4, the control programs (3311, 3312, 3313) to be executed are switched. Here, the "case where the control method is to be changed" may be a case where a plurality of existing control methods are changed (for example, a case where 3 control programs (3311, 3312, 3313) are executed simultaneously and only one control program is executed), a case where a new control method is developed, and the like.

The above description will be given of the case where a new control method is developed. In the example shown in fig. 5, the switching of the control programs can be performed by loading (updating) one of the 2 control programs (the position control PG (1) 323A or the position control PG (2) 323B, the speed control PG (1) 324A or the speed control PG (2) 324B, the current control PG (1) 325A, or the current control PG (2) 325B shown in fig. 5) stored in the library memory 32 into the execution memory 33.

The update of the program can be performed by switching logical switches (switches 37, 38, 39 in fig. 6) provided between the library memory 32 and the execution memory 33, as in the case of fig. 1.

In one specific example, control PG (323A, 324A, 325A) in (1) in fig. 5 is a program for controlling motor 4 (controlling the position, rotation speed, and amount of current flowing, respectively) by using a conventional control method, and control PG (323B, 324B, 325B) in (2) may be a program for controlling motor 4 (controlling the position, rotation speed, and amount of current flowing, respectively) by using a newly developed control method.

In other specific examples, the control PG (323A, 324A, 325A) of (1) in fig. 5 can be executed when the ball screw 5 is used as a transmission mechanism, and the control PG (323B, 324B, 325B) of (2) can be executed when a timing belt is used as a transmission mechanism.

As shown in fig. 5, the controller 2 stores the control PG (233, 243, 253) of (3) as a so-called stock (stock) in addition to the control PG (refer to the reference numerals 231, 232, 241, 242, 251, 252) of (1) and (2) described above. In the case of the "change control method" described above, the control PG (233, 243, 253) of (3) is communicated between the controller 2 and the motor control device 3 and stored in the library memory 32 of the motor control device 3, and can be executed by the motor control device 3.

The algorithm for detecting whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the transmission mechanism (the ball screw 5, etc.) is the same as that described with reference to fig. 2 to 4. As shown in fig. 5, the various control programs (control PG) provided to the motor control device 3 or the controller 2 are stored in the server 10 as a database as a position control library group 13, a speed control library group 14, and a current control library group 15, respectively.

Hereinafter, the control of the motor 4 by the motor control programs (3311, 3312, 3313) executed by the control unit 30 stored in the memory 33 will be described in terms of hardware with reference to fig. 6. The motor control device 3 performs feedback control of the rotational position and speed of the motor 4 using the inverter circuit 122 shown in fig. 6, thereby managing the positions, speeds, and torques of the transmission mechanism and the load side device. Further, by this feedback control and management, it is also possible to detect whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the transmission mechanism.

As shown in fig. 6, the inverter circuit 122 includes a rectifier circuit 123 that converts and rectifies a voltage supplied from an AC power source AC, a switching element 124 for switching the voltage values supplied to the three-phase drive motor 4, and the like, respectively.

As shown in the upper part of fig. 6, the inverter circuit 122 includes a current detector 125 for detecting three-phase currents flowing through the motor 4, a position control unit 126 for controlling the position and speed of the rotor of the motor 4 and the current flowing through the motor 4, a speed control unit 127, and a current control unit 128.

The inverter circuit 122 further includes a differentiating circuit 129 that calculates the speed of the rotor of the motor 4 and outputs the calculation result to the speed control unit 127, a switching element 130 that switches the signal supplied to the current control unit 128, an oscillating circuit 131 that outputs a standing wave such as a triangular wave, and a PWM circuit 132 that performs pulse width modulation (PWM: pulse Width Modulation) on the standing wave and outputs the standing wave.

In the example shown in fig. 6, the ac current supplied (input) from the motor control device 3 to the motor 4 is composed of 3 phases Iu, iv, iw, and each current value is detected by the current detector 125, and the current value id (t) and the torque value iq (t) at time t are input from the current detector 125 to the current control unit 128 as actual measurement values (feedback information).

To give a schematic description, for example, a control command of the position and speed of the rotor set in advance is output from the controller 2, and the control command is input as signals p× (t) and v× (t) to the position control unit 126 and the speed control unit 127, respectively. In addition, a position signal p (t) obtained based on a detection signal of the position detector 7 provided on the rotation shaft of the motor 4 is input to the position control section 126, and a rotation speed signal v (t) calculated by the differentiating circuit 129 based on the position signal p (t) is input to the speed control section 127.

The position control unit 126 compares the input signals p (t) and p (t) to calculate a difference value therebetween, and outputs the calculated difference value to the speed control unit 127. When the switching element 130 is in the first state, that is, when no signal v (t) is input as shown in fig. 6, the speed control unit 127 outputs a signal id (t) of a current value and a signal iq (t) of a torque value as control signals to the current control unit 128 based on the difference value input from the position control unit 126 and the rotational speed signal v (t) input from the differentiating circuit 129.

On the other hand, when the switching element 130 is in the second state, that is, when the signal v (t) of the speed control command is input without the difference value output from the position control unit 126, the speed control unit 127 outputs the signal id (t) of the current value and the signal iq (t) of the torque value as control signals to the current control unit 128 based on the difference between the signal v (t) and the input signal v (t).

The current control unit 128 outputs the three-phase control signal Fm for driving the motor 4 to the PWM circuit 132 based on the input signals id (t) and iq (t) and the signals id (t) and iq (t). The PWM circuit 132 generates and outputs switching signals for switching the respective switching states (on/off) of the switching elements 124 (3 phases×2=6 in the example shown in fig. 6) by PWM modulating the control signal Fm. In this way, by changing the on/off state of the switch, the amplitude and the like of each of the three-phase currents supplied to the motor 4 are changed, and feedback control of the rotational direction, rotational speed, rotational position, and the like of the rotor of the motor 4 is performed.

As described above, the control unit 30 of the motor control device 3 controls the operation of the rotor of the motor 4 in accordance with the waveform signal input (fed back) from the motor 4, thereby functioning as an operation control unit that operates the transmission mechanism (for example, the ball screw 5) so as to correspond to the operation of the load side device, that is, the downstream side device 70.

As described in fig. 3, 5, and 6, when the rotational position of the motor 4 is controlled by executing the position control program 3311, the control unit 30 of the motor control apparatus 3 functions as a state management unit that manages the state of the transmission mechanism (detects whether or not an abnormality has occurred) based on a waveform signal (rotor position information p (t)) input from the motor 4.

When the rotational speed of the motor 4 is controlled by executing the speed control program 3312, the control unit 30 functions as a state management unit that manages the state of the transmission mechanism (detects whether or not an abnormality has occurred) based on a signal (rotational speed information v (t)) of the waveform input from the motor 4.

When the current control program 3313 is executed to control the current flowing through the motor 4, the control unit 30 functions as a state management unit that manages the state of the transmission mechanism (detects whether or not an abnormality has occurred) based on a signal (torque current iq (t)) of the waveform input from the motor 4.

Further, the control unit 30 can selectively read and update the programs (3311, 3312, 3313) in the memory 33 to be executed from among the control PG (1) and the control PG (2) stored in the library memory 32 by using the functions of the update unit. Accordingly, the control unit 30 can use various control methods, which have been conventionally or newly developed, in combination as the operation control unit, and function as a state management unit that performs state management of the transmission mechanism (detection of occurrence of an abnormality).

Flow of acquisition and update of program and the like

Next, an example of a flow of processing for acquiring and updating a software function program executable by the control unit 30 of the motor control device 3 will be described with reference to fig. 7.

In step S41, the control unit 30 of the motor control device 3 controls the external communication unit 31 to connect to the server 10 as an external device via the public or industrial communication networks (100, 102). The time period for connection to the server 10 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, any time period. Alternatively, a timer function may be used, for example, to connect to the server periodically during a period after normal operation.

The method for connecting the motor control device 3 to the server 10 is not particularly limited, and the motor control device 3 and the server 10 may be directly connected via the communication networks (100, 102). Alternatively, as another example, the communication connection between the server 10 (10A) and the motor control device 3 may be established using the operation terminal 6 connected to the motor control device 3 as a relay. In addition, the processing of step S42 to step S47 described below may be performed mainly by the controller 2 by the user operating the controller 2.

In step S42, the control unit 30 transmits various information about the industrial equipment, the cooperative equipment, the program, and the like managed by the motor control device 3 to the server 10. Here, the information managed by the motor control device 3 and transmitted to the server 10 includes, for example, the type (name, model, etc.) of the motor 4, the transmission mechanism, the load side device, the type (e.g., program name) of the software/program installed at the time (i.e., stored in the memories 32, 33), and the like. The control unit 30 also transmits an instruction to the server 10 indicating that a list of newly acquired software/programs should be transmitted when the programs exist.

The server 10 that received the information and the command searches for the corresponding software/program, and if no new software/program is available, transmits a message of that meaning to the motor control device 3. In this case, the control unit 30 of the motor control device 3 determines that there is no software/program that can be acquired and updated (no in step S43), ends the connection with the server 10, and ends the process of fig. 7.

On the other hand, when the server 10 finds new software/programs that can be provided by the above search, it transmits a list of the corresponding programs to the motor control device 3. In one embodiment, the list includes information such as program name, function of the program, capacity, and the like. Here, as the function of the program, for example, version-up content (new function, correction content, and the like) in the case of the program after version-up is included.

In this case, the control unit 30 of the motor control device 3 determines that there is software/program that can be acquired and updated (yes in step S43), and the flow proceeds to step S44.

In step S44, the control unit 30 performs a process of displaying a selection screen in which a list of received programs is displayed together with a selection button, and a user selects a program to be acquired. The selection screen may be displayed on the operation display unit 36 or on a display unit of another device (the controller 2 or the operation terminal 6) in connection with the operation display unit.

At this time, the control unit 30 monitors an instruction of an operation input by the user, and when one or more programs displayed on the selection screen are selected, acquires (downloads) the selected program from the server 10, and performs a process of storing the acquired program in the library memory 32 (step S45).

When the program acquisition process is completed, the control unit 30 ends the connection with the server 10 and performs a process of displaying an update screen in which whether or not to update the program stored in the memory 32 for the next execution can be selected by the user (step S46). The update screen may be displayed on the operation display unit 36, or on a display unit of another device (the controller 2 and the operation terminal 6) connected thereto, similarly to the selection screen.

After that, the control unit 30 monitors an instruction of an operation input by the user, and when a program to be updated is selected, reads the selected program from the library memory 32, loads the program into the execution memory 33, and replaces the program in the memory 33 (step S47: update processing).

In this way, in each of the above embodiments, by providing the control unit 30 of the motor control device 3 with a function as an updating unit, management such as abnormality detection of various transmission mechanisms can be performed without changing the hardware of the motor control device 3. Thus, the performance of the motor control device 3 can be improved at low cost. In addition, the arrangement of industrial equipment constituting the system, such as a transmission mechanism, can be flexibly changed.

Further, since the motor control device 3 according to each embodiment is connected to an external device such as the server 10 and the controller 2 via the external communication unit 31, and can exchange a software function program and data related to the program, and compare held programs, etc. by communicating with the external device, the following effects can be obtained. That is, the motor control device 3 can acquire necessary programs and data from an external device at any timing. The motor control device 3 can store a program or data for reducing the frequency of use in the controller 2 or the like. In addition, the motor control device 3 can also provide data indicating the operation state of the motor 4 in the normal operation of the present system to the server 10, and further analysis can be performed on the server 10 side, thereby facilitating inspection of the state of the transmission mechanism and the like from other technical points of view, improvement of the corresponding software function program, and the like.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments are described in detail for the purpose of easily understanding the present invention, and are not limited to the configuration in which all the components described are necessarily provided. In addition, a part of the structure of one embodiment may be replaced with the structure of another embodiment, and the structure of another embodiment may be added to the structure of one embodiment.

Description of the reference numerals

1 industrial equipment system (program management system), 2 controller (external device), 3 motor control device (transmission mechanism management device), 4 motor, 5 ball screw (transmission mechanism), 6 operation terminal, 10 server (external device), 20CPU (output control unit), 30 control unit (action control unit, status management unit, communication control unit, update unit), 31 external communication unit, 32 memory (library), 33 memory (execution use), 70 downstream side device (cooperative equipment, load side device), 100 wide area communication network (public communication network), 102 communication network (industrial communication network), 321A abnormality detection program (a) (second management program), 321B abnormality detection program (B) (first management program)

Claims

1. A transmission management apparatus for managing a transmission for transmitting power of a motor to a load side apparatus in an industrial equipment system in which a plurality of industrial equipments cooperate, comprising:

An operation control unit that controls the motor to cause the transmission mechanism to perform a predetermined operation;

a state management unit that executes a first management program and manages a state of the transmission mechanism based on input information input from the motor;

an external communication unit that communicates with an external device to acquire a second management program corresponding to the type of the transmission mechanism; and

and an updating unit that replaces the second hypervisor with the first hypervisor, and updates the state management unit so that the second hypervisor can be executed.

2. The transmission management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

comprising a library memory for storing a plurality of the second hypervisors,

the updating unit selectively reads the second management program from the library memory, and replaces the read second management program with the first management program.

3. The transmission management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the input information is a waveform signal fed back from the motor,

the operation control unit controls the operation of the motor based on the waveform signal, thereby operating the transmission mechanism so as to correspond to the operation of the load-side device.

4. The transmission management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the external communication unit outputs the second management program to the external device when communicating with the external device.

5. A transmission management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

the first management program or the second management program is an abnormality detection program for causing the state management unit to determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the transmission mechanism.

6. The transmission management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the state management unit stores the input information as training information according to the instruction received during execution of the abnormality detection program, and determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the transmission mechanism using the training information.

7. The transmission management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the state management unit outputs an abnormality occurrence signal when it is determined that the transmission mechanism is abnormal.

8. The transmission management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the external communication unit outputs the input information to the external device when communicating with the external device.

9. The transmission management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the motion control unit controls the motor to cause the transmission mechanism to perform a predetermined motion by executing a position control program for controlling the rotational position of the motor.

10. The transmission management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the operation control unit controls the motor to cause the transmission mechanism to perform a predetermined operation by executing a speed control program for controlling the rotational speed of the motor.

11. The transmission management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the operation control unit controls the motor to cause the transmission mechanism to perform a predetermined operation by executing a current control program for controlling a current flowing in the motor.

12. The transmission management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

a plurality of control programs for controlling the motor by the operation control unit are stored in the library memory,

the updating section updates the control program of the execution memory so that the action control section can selectively execute the control program.

13. The transmission management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the external communication unit communicates with the external device via any one of an industrial communication network and a public communication network.

14. A program management system using the transmission mechanism management apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that:

the external device includes a server that supplies the second management program, and a controller that outputs a control signal for controlling the motor to the transmission management device,

the transmission management apparatus includes a library memory storing a plurality of the second management programs,

the controller includes: a storage unit; a communication unit that communicates with the server and the transmission management device; and an output control unit that outputs the second management program in the storage unit to the transmission mechanism management device via the communication unit.