JP2001001235A - Working know-how consulting system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To acquire a working method for solving a problem generated in the machining with the low cost by comprising a server for converting the data collected from a plurality of servers into a reference data, and executing the answering process of the problem from an user problem data input means on the basis of the reference data. SOLUTION: A server 2 is provided with an user application system 1 to transmit the same to a client 3 at user side, to apply a system where the user application system and the server are closely connected. The server 2 is connected to various servers 4 existing on a network to collect the working data. When the user input is completed, the user collects the input data and sends the same to the server. A program for collecting data to convert the same into the reference data and comparing and evaluating the data is sent to the user as a client program. The user acquires methods for comparing the collected data and the cutting condition input by the user, and solving the problems, as the response of the client program.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a machining know-how consulting system capable of acquiring machining know-how in performing various types of machining such as cutting and welding based on data collected using the Internet. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art WWW is a technology that has contributed to the spread of the Internet in recent years, and can be used on almost all personal computers without purchasing special software. It has become everyday. Many manufacturing companies are also introducing services for introducing their products using the WWW and for e-commerce. The technical information on the use of the product will also be disclosed on the server. In addition, on the Internet, various types of search engines can easily perform a search for obtaining only desired data from a large amount of data.

On the other hand, for example, in the field of machining technology such as cutting and welding, especially in a site where machining is actually performed, optimal machining conditions are determined based on various existing data and based on a great deal of experience. Below, efforts are made to work in an optimal way. Also, when there is no appropriate data at hand and you have not yet experienced any processing, as a part of collecting various data, access to the manufacturer's homepage, data of the material to be processed and tools, They are also collected and used for reference.

Further, for example, in a "welding process database" open to the public at the Internet at the Institute of Industrial Science and Technology of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, a system as shown in FIG. 6 is used to organize and use welding process data. In this system, a client and a system main unit, which are servers, are connected via the Internet. The system main unit includes a welding database unit, a welding process design knowledge base unit, a welding condition calculation unit, and an FAQ (question collection).
It has. This welding database section includes welding condition data, heat management and construction comment data, workpiece material (base material) data, and welding wire data. With such a system configuration, a user (client) can perform By utilizing this, various welding specifications are input, and an appropriate welding method and welding conditions are actually obtained.

[0005] As described above, public institutions release the above-mentioned data to the outside, but relatively large companies use a database on an intranet using an in-house LAN used only within the company. Organize,
Searching for a welding method using this is also performed.
In addition to the welding method as described above, at the time of various types of machining such as end milling, it is also possible to collect data using the Internet or use the database of each of the above-mentioned companies to determine the machining method and the like. Is being done.

[0006]

As described above, with the development of the Internet, various types of data have been made publicly available and can be used effectively in machining, but the data is, for example, a welding rod. The data is unique to the manufacturer and corresponds to the product number of each tool manufacturer, and these data are not unified. For this reason, the user adds and interprets various judgments for each collected data and uses the data for actual processing.
For on-site processing technology, it is not always sufficient to use only technical information published in the literature, and there are many practical constraints on the application of on-site processing technology. Inadequate in terms of
In many cases, know-how skills are also required. Furthermore, building an inexpensive system for collecting and utilizing such various technologies is particularly desirable for small businesses.

[0007] Accordingly, the present invention provides a system which can solve the above problem by inputting a problem that has occurred during machining, collecting various types of data relating to the distributed machining in a unified format. Aim.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention comprises a client having user problem data input means, a plurality of servers for storing processed data, and a user application system. A processing know-how consulting system comprising: a server that converts data collected from a server into reference format data and performs a process of answering a question from the user problem data input unit based on the reference format data.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First, a basic system of the present invention will be described. The processing know-how consulting system of the present invention is based on WWW-related technologies (including Java-related technologies). In the present invention, on the server side, data and processing functions supporting the user are prepared,
A method of practicing the service requested by the user by using it by the user is adopted. FIG. 1 shows a user's WWW usage mode according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a normal usage mode for comparison with the present invention. In the technique shown in FIG. 2, the user collects and processes related information published on a network including a limited case such as a membership system. And the like, and corresponds to the conventional basic function.

On the other hand, in the present invention shown in FIG. 1, such a user application system 1 is prepared in the server 2 and transmitted to the client 3 on the user side to cooperate more closely with the server. I have. The server 2 is connected to various servers 4 existing on a network,
Collect machining data. In this system, maintenance and updating of the system are facilitated, and there is a possibility that the system will grow into a system that is safe, efficient and has advanced functions, and will be developed in the future. For this reason, Java language and XM
The linguistic expression L is used to efficiently process the semantic information of the data stored in the database. FIG.
In the embodiment shown in (1), the site of the client 3 also has a user application system.

The expected effects of the system according to the present invention shown in FIG. 1 include: acquisition of a large amount of useful information ′ ← search for useful information on a computer network;
Possible to collect and process ・ Continuous updating of system contents ← Processing based on information corresponding to data updating on computer network ・ Open system function by data orientation ← System function can always be modified based on data on computer network It is easy to distinguish between common systems and individual systems, and to cooperate between systems.

The standardization of technical information of electronic catalog data is regulated by ISO13584. The feature of these standards is that they define a standard expression format for the purpose of exchanging and sharing certain products (parts) or technical information. In other words, the concept is that the meaning of the reference data is agreed in advance at a site related to data transfer. In such a system, each system has its own performance and functions based on a reference expression format and its use, so that the development of a common platform proceeds and the present invention can be easily applied.

By the way, it is said that the setting of the processing conditions (the selection of the tool, the cutting speed, etc.) encountered in the actual processing, for example, the cutting processing, cannot optimally determine the optimum value only by an established technique such as calculation. Thinking of technology as "information that can be described and calculated in languages and diagrams" and consider the collective activities that complement the technology as know-how,
This know-how is extremely important in practice. Therefore, in the present invention, a system for processing such know-how is considered.

In the present invention, the main expression forms of know-how include (1) a data collection in which a format is defined and compiled, (2) a collection of procedures and rules (including rules for how to use data collections and procedures and rules). We are studying with a focus on basic expressions.

Since the acquisition of know-how is based on the experience of engineers and technicians, it is a prerequisite to use the know-how to record information on the experience as detailed as possible and to systematize it in an appropriate manner. In the system of the present invention, the data collection is organized as a case database, from which procedures and rules relating to interpretation and application of data are extracted. The system of the present invention can be said to be "know-how interpretation type"
This means "a set of actual data and a set of rules mainly concerning its interpretation and application".

In the processing technique, not only individual data but also tendencies and properties of a series of data are often important, and processing of a data group and its easy-to-understand presentation technique are also important. In the present invention, consideration is given to handling multimedia media data, such as diagrams, graphs, and moving images, which assist the user in making the system, and using a conversation format. At the present stage, these data are an auxiliary support function for the system user, but in the future, it is considered that they will play an important role in advanced automation of processing as data expressions having various program interfaces.

In the present invention, a system using an information infrastructure such as the Internet is premised as described above, but this system has not been completed at present but is partially usable. Considering the speed of progress toward real commercialization and the high level of interest, it is expected that the expected information infrastructure will be developed in a few years. In the present invention, in particular: (1) In many servers such as tool and material manufacturers, machine tools and equipment manufacturers, product specifications and related technical information are made into a database as an electronic catalog and released. (2) A processing technology database maintained by a server including a manufacturer and a user company is disclosed, and processing example information is made into a database as technical information and is disclosed. It should be noted that the server of the user site is also included therein. (3) Among the information disclosed in the above (1) and (2), a server of related basic data such as standard information as a reference, component data of materials, and physical property values is disclosed. It is preferable that a network environment is established.

When the above environment is prepared, the know-how processing is performed as shown in FIG. In other words, this can be summarized as follows: user problem definition (client) → problem solving (server) → collection and extraction of related information (server) → computation environment creation (server) → calculation (browser) → solution editing /
Presentation (client).

The user application system uses a search engine that collects information of other sites according to the purpose and extracts useful information, and handles information existing on the network at that time. Regarding the processing technology information described below as an embodiment of the present invention, a specific server such as a material maker such as a welding rod or a tool maker is a core. This is shown in FIG. 4 as “main part (catalog)”. In reality, a new search in the background is necessary, but a server site is selected in consideration of the search cost. For example, among cutting tool manufacturers, several companies in Japan and overseas publish technical information of all products in a form that can be searched by WWW. Many companies also distribute catalogs on CDROM. In the present invention, the data is arranged in a database so that the data of a necessary item can be obtained by searching. In addition, as a result of organizing the catalog information of four domestic companies, the inventor found that the data (including formulas) of each site was almost
It was in a one-to-one relationship, and it was confirmed that it could be organized into a standard form by relatively simple conversion calculations. It should be noted that technical information on recommended conditions can be similarly arranged. In some tool manufacturers, there is a sufficient amount of data on cutting cases as technical information, and these can be converted into data formats of machining cases.

The information (data) of the main site is referred to or copied in a catalog from original information existing at another site. When classified according to the contents, some are maintained by a public institution, such as physical property values and standard specifications, and these are indicated by "standard" blocks in FIG. This is mainly information for determining the name and format of the data of each site, information indicating an evaluation procedure, and the like. Other sites that the main part refers to are corporate catalogs,
There is a database of processing machines and devices, and materials to be processed. These are published by the manufacturer as their own product database, and are data related to electronic commerce. In FIG. 4, the reference relation of information is indicated by arrows.

The specific correspondence when the present invention is applied to cutting work design and welding work is as shown in Table 1. This table shows the specific categories of the databases used for welding and cutting. It is highly likely that commonly used data is distributed on the network. In addition, it is reasonable to reduce errors at the time of data entry and to guarantee high quality of data, to ensure consistency when updating such as improvement of data accuracy, and to maintain total cost including database maintenance. It is important to consider such things. In a distributed database, one database system does not directly store all data, but serves as link information (pointer) to another distributed database system. This data is used as an initial value for processing condition setting and optimum value search at the site. These databases are similar to information conventionally distributed as publications in the form of catalogs and technical materials.

[0022]

[Table 1]

In the present invention, the server site serving as a main information source of know-how is a database relating to machining cases and a database relating to execution examples of machining. Regarding this point, many casebooks have been compiled since the parts that depend on the on-site know-how play an important role in the work design and processing work of welding and cutting. Recently, there have been cases where universities and public research institutes have published experimental databases as research results. The processing case data is basically the same as the recommended conditions. That is, the conditions, the main part, the processing machine / apparatus, and the data of the workpiece are defined. In the catalog data and case data, various standard documents such as ISO are referred for specification items, their names and characteristic values.

The collected information is selected, converted into a reference format that can respond to the user's task, and subjected to know-how processing by an application program. Often implemented as a framework for knowledge processing, such as a set of rules such as data interpretation, textbook knowledge and public knowledge are used in individual application programs and expert systems. The solution obtained in this manner is organized and output in a format convenient for the user. The case data according to the system output for the user's problem case or question can be classified into a success case and a failure case, and information based on the result is newly added to the case database.

An example in which the present invention is applied to an end milling work design support system based on the above basic idea of the present invention will be described below. Much research has been continued on cutting technology, including theoretical analysis techniques. The process described below is a work design in which the machining process is determined by the machining process design, the tool trajectory is also calculated, the workpiece is fixed to the machine tool with a jig at the machining site, and the cutting conditions are determined to start machining. It is. In this embodiment, the basic system shown in FIG. 3 is used. Hereinafter, an end mill machining operation support system to which the present system concept is applied will be described.

This system configuration is performed based on the know-how processing, and FIG. 5 shows the result obtained by adding the information processing technology used at that time to FIG. As an environment using this system, data items and contents are currently being standardized in accordance with ISOl0303, ISO13584, and the like. In addition, it is assumed that technical information on product information, usage methods, precautions, etc., published in catalogs of major manufacturers is published on the Internet. It is assumed that the relevant technical data can freely incorporate its format and meaning on the client side. It should be noted that it is easier to construct a substantially equivalent environment with a closed network in a company in terms of structure, selection of terms, and the like.

The present embodiment will be described in order. A user accesses a server on which a prototype system exists and starts a service of an application system (application system) of an end mill machining work design support system. The system sends the applet program to the browser and prompts for user input according to a predetermined template. In this embodiment, the input format is simplified because it is limited to end milling. Shaded portions of the format shown in Table 2 are input items. The user need only specify the information of the item fixed at the time of inquiry. This program has a graphic user interface, and some data is in a form of selecting a value from a pull-down menu to reduce user input and prevent input errors.

[0028]

[Table 2]

When user input is completed, the user collectively sends the input data to the server. The protocol used between such browsers and servers is all http. The server obtains key information from user input. At present, combinations of all the case data items can be selected as the key information. The server program is a main part catalog shown in FIG. 4 by a combination of keywords, and in some cases, a processing machine / equipment catalog to which it refers,
Access the material catalog for processing.

Since catalog data is mainly used for product specifications and purchase procedures on a company basis, the key information for classification is a product number. However,
In some cases, a product number may not be able to explicitly convey necessary and sufficient technical information to a user of the catalog. For example, in the recommended condition data, products of cutting tool companies are classified by product number, but they are data such as base material and workpiece material that are referred to to describe the machining process. Is not identified by a product number in another catalog. Although the tool manufacturer's catalog can be accessed in various ways, all information is not provided as data based on the associated product code (product number) for user use.

From the viewpoint of the case data, not only the tool maker name and product symbol but also the tool material type and tool type can be used as reference clues, which is important from the viewpoint of the object of the present invention. The data used for the machining case data shown in Table 2 indicates that tools and work materials are not only product numbers,
Described according to technical classification. From the above, it is necessary to convert the processing recommendation conditions and case data into data from the viewpoint of processing technology instead of directly using catalog data.

As is apparent from Table 2, the processing example data is composed of many items including a copy of data obtained from various types of catalog data. It is expected that not only the catalog information but also the format of the processing case data will be various in accessing the processing case database on the network. For this reason, catalog information and processing case data are collected as structured data that can be changed into a so-called standard format in Table 2.

The data collected and converted into reference information and a program for comparing and evaluating the data are sent to the user as a client program. The user obtains a comparison between the collected data and the cutting conditions input by the user, a method of solving a problem, and the like in response to the client program.

The client program has the following functions. 1. The collected data, evaluation rules, and problem solving cutting conditions can be stored in a computer at the user site. 2. If there is user-specific evaluation information, it can be input to the sent client program and evaluated together. 3. Since actual cutting can be performed according to the problem solving cutting conditions stored in the user site and the cut can be used as a new case, a case database at the user site can be constructed.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, by inputting a problem that has occurred during machining or the like, various types of data relating to processing that exist in a dispersed manner are collected in a unified format, and the above problem can be solved. A system that can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing a user's WWW usage mode according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an ordinary system configuration diagram of a user WWW usage mode.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a know-how processing procedure using WWW in the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the relationship between processing technology data on a network in the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a know-how processing procedure using WWW in an embodiment in which the present invention is used in an end mill machining work design support system.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a conventional Internet use system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 user application system 2 server 3 client 4 server

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] March 21, 2000 (200.3.2
1)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0008

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a client provided with user problem data input means and a common format which can be used by each user at a plurality of sites.
A plurality of unspecified servers that accumulate the processed data, and a user application system, which converts data collected from the plurality of servers into reference format data, and outputs the data from the user problem data input unit based on the reference format data. There line the answer processing of the problem, you enter the problem the answer processing result client
And a server for transmitting to the client .

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hideo Kobayashi 1-2-2 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki Pref. Inside the Technical Research Institute of Industrial Technology (72) Inventor Toshio Kojima 1-2-2 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki Address: Within the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Technology Institute (72) Inventor: Seiko Otani 1-2-2, Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki Pref. KK04 NN17 QB15 QE01 QE23

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A client having user problem data input means, a plurality of servers for storing processed data, and a user application system, wherein data collected from the plurality of servers is converted into reference format data, and A processing know-how consulting system, comprising: a server for performing a process of answering a question from the user question data input means based on the format data.