JP2001242926A - Control device for operation of apparatus and method of control - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve accuracy in work history of operating apparatuses of various kinds and also to adequately inform workers recovery from errors and detailes for maintenance work, by which, for example, production lines can be run efficiently. SOLUTION: The control device of the present invention for operation of the apparatuses comprises the means for obtaining data of the inner state of the apparatuses controlled by the control units which control of the apparatuses of various kinds; the means for housing the phase-transition models that memorizes the state of the phase-transition models representing the transition of the inner state in the control units; the means for examining the condition for the phase-transition which examines whether the transition is possible or not, based on the condition for transition from the present state to another state and the data obtained by the above means for obtaining data; the means for controlling the phase-transition which controls the transition to possibly desired state of the systems in the control units, based on the result obtained by the above means for examining the condition for the phase-transition; and the means for housing the records of the operated apparatuses which memorizes the records of the operated apparatuses corresponding to the records of the phase- transition by the above means for controlling the phase-transition.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus operation management apparatus and a method therefor, and more particularly to, for example, improving the operation history management of each automatic apparatus in a production line including a plurality of automatic apparatuses and controlling each automatic apparatus. The present invention relates to an apparatus operation management apparatus for efficiently operating a production line by accurately notifying an operator of work contents for error recovery and maintenance of the apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a production line composed of a plurality of automatic devices, it has been necessary to accurately grasp the operation status of each automatic device in order to improve the operation rate of each automatic device. In particular, in the production line, by grasping the state of occurrence of an error in each automatic device, it is possible to examine the next improvement to be performed. As a method of grasping the operation status of each automatic device, when the operation status of the automatic device changes, for example, when an error occurs, the worker makes a note of the time and content of the error and compiles it later. There is a way to do it. Alternatively, there is a method in which a function for recording the operating time, the time when an error occurs, and the like is provided in the automatic device, and the cause of the error is added later by the operator.

[0003] Japanese Patent No. 2,771 discloses such a method.
Japanese Patent No. 0,832 (hereinafter referred to as a conventional example) describes an operation history management device that manages the history of a stopped state of an automatic device. An input means for determining whether or not the cause of the stop of the automatic device has been input by the stop cause input means; and an input processing determining means for receiving the instruction to restart the operation of the automatic device. There is disclosed an operation history management device including operation restart processing means for storing the cause of the stop of the automatic device in a storage device and restarting the operation of the automatic device only after the stop cause of the automatic device is input.

[0004]

However, in the above conventional example, it is only necessary to determine whether or not the cause of the stop has been input, and the content of the cause of the stop itself cannot be managed in detail. In other words, the operator does not forget to input the cause of the stoppage of the device, but the details of the cause of the stoppage are left to the operator. there's a possibility that. In other words, there is a problem in that it is not possible to accurately grasp the operating state due to an error in determining the cause of the stop.

The present invention has been made to solve these problems. In a production line including at least one automatic device, the accuracy of operation history management of the automatic device is improved, and an error recovery of the automatic device is performed. Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus operation management apparatus and a method thereof that can efficiently operate a production line by accurately notifying a worker of work contents for maintenance.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an apparatus operation management apparatus according to the present invention for managing the operation states of various apparatuses is provided. Data acquisition means for acquiring the data of
A state transition model storing means for storing a state of the state transition model using a change of an internal state in the control device as a state transition model, and a transition condition and data acquisition for transitioning from the current state to another state in the state transition model Transition condition inspection means for inspecting whether transition is possible based on the data acquired by the means, and managing a transition to a desired state that the system can take in the control device based on a result of the inspection by the transition condition inspection means. It is characterized in that it comprises a state transition management means, and an apparatus operation history storage means for storing an apparatus operation history corresponding to a state transition history by the state transition management means. Therefore, the burden on the worker can be reduced, the operation status of various devices can be automatically grasped, the accuracy of the operation history management of the devices can be improved, and the operation of a production line constructed from, for example, automatic devices can be efficiently performed. be able to.

Further, the internal state of the apparatus includes error information indicating error contents, maintenance information indicating maintenance contents, or work contents for error recovery corresponding to the error information and the maintenance information. For example, for the same error, the cause of the error is correctly recognized as a system, and the similar maintenance is correctly recognized for the cause of the maintenance, whereby the operating status can be accurately grasped. In addition, it is possible to accurately notify a worker of a work instruction for appropriate recovery from an error or maintenance.

Further, when there are a plurality of devices, the state of the state transition model changes based on the transition condition including the mutual relation of the state transition in each state transition model corresponding to each device. The operator can also be notified of maintenance work instructions and the like to other related devices, and can take measures in view of the entire system.

Further, as another invention, an apparatus operation management method for managing the operation states of various apparatuses is provided in which a change in an internal state in a control device is used as a state transition model, and a transition from the current state in the state transition model to another state. Inspect whether the transition is possible based on the transition conditions and the internal data of the device,
If it is possible to make a transition as a result of the inspection, the control unit makes a transition to a desired state that the system in the control unit can take, and stores a device operation history related to the operation state of the device corresponding to the history of the state transition. Therefore, the accuracy of the operation history management of the apparatus is improved, and the operation contents of the operation for the error recovery and the maintenance of the apparatus are properly notified to the operator, so that, for example, the operation of the production line can be efficiently performed.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An apparatus operation management apparatus according to the present invention is a data acquisition means for acquiring data of an internal state of an apparatus managed by a control apparatus for controlling various apparatuses, and a state transition for changing the internal state of the control apparatus. A state transition model storage unit that stores a state of the state transition model as a model, and a transition condition based on transition conditions for transition from a current state to another state in the state transition model and data acquired by the data acquisition unit can be performed. Transition condition inspection means for inspecting whether or not the transition condition inspection means has performed a transition to a desired state that can be taken by the system in the control device; Device operation history storage means for storing a device operation history corresponding to a state transition history by the means.

[0011]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an apparatus operation management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, a production line including a plurality of automatic devices will be described as an example. In the figure, the device operation management device 1 of the present embodiment is
Automatic devices 2-1 to 2-n installed on the production line
Are connected via the telephone line 4 to control devices 3-1 to 3-n which are connected to the respective devices and control the automatic devices 2-1 to 2-n. Each of the control devices 3-1 to 3-n is a programmable controller or a control device having a function equivalent to the programmable controller. 1-2-n
Control. The device operation management device 1 includes the control devices 3-1.
A data acquisition unit 5 for acquiring data in a data memory in which input relays, output relays, process data, and the like of each of the automatic devices 2-1 to 2-n managed by the data acquisition unit 5 are stored. When acquiring data other than the predetermined data items for the data items to be acquired from the control devices 3-1 to 3-n, the monitor data setting unit 6 that sets the data items and the data acquisition unit 5 acquire the data items. A data history storage unit 7 for temporarily storing the processed data;
State transition model storage unit 8 that stores changes of internal states in control devices 3-1 to 3-n that control .about.2-n as state transition models for each input model in a production line.
And a model information storage unit 9 for managing information on input models in the production line, and maintenance information, error information, and work information associated with each state of each state transition model in the state transition model storage unit 8, respectively. A maintenance information storage unit 10, an error information storage unit 11 for storing error information, a work information storage unit 12 for storing work information, and a state transition model for each automatic device selected by the input model in the production line. State transition model temporary storage unit 13 for temporarily storing, and a transition condition inspection unit 14 for inspecting transition conditions for transitioning from the current state to another state in the state transition model based on data acquired by the data acquisition unit 5. A device operation history storage unit 15 for storing the device operation history in each of the devices 2-1 to 2-n; and a control for controlling each unit. 16, is configured to include input and output control unit 17 for controlling input and output to an input device 18 and output device 19 and a display device 20, and further respective portions common bus 21
Are connected to each other. In addition, a state transition model, model information, maintenance information, error information, work information for each maintenance, error recovery, and the like are input from the input device 18, and error information, maintenance information, Work information and operation history of each automatic device are output. The display device 20 displays, to the operator, error information of the automatic device, maintenance information, work information, and a message regarding the operation history of each automatic device. The input device 18 and the output device 19 have not only the function of inputting / outputting information but also the function of an interface for requesting data input from a system to an operator and for making an inquiry.

Before describing the device operation management device of this embodiment, a general state transition model will be described.
In general, a state transition model classifies the possible states of a system into several types and indicates conditions for transitioning from one state to another state. It is an expression of what will be done. That is, in the state transition model shown in FIG. 2, there are states that the system can take from state S1 to state S8, and there are transition conditions from one state to another state from condition C1 to condition C8. In such a state transition model, there is a case where a state is selectively transited from one state to another state. For example, in FIG. 2, the state S7 corresponds to the transition condition C7.
When 1 is satisfied, the state transits to the state S4 and the transition condition C7
When 2 is established, the state transits to the state S8. The state S3 changes to the state S2 when the transition condition C31 is satisfied, and changes to the state S2 when the transition condition C32 is satisfied. In the present invention, the possible states of the system in the control device that controls each automatic device on the production line are managed using such a state transition model.

Therefore, when such a state transition model is replaced with the apparatus operation management apparatus of the present embodiment, a state transition model as shown in FIG. 3 is stored in the state transition model storage unit 8 of FIG. It is assumed that the information is stored for each of the automatic devices 2-1 to 2-n and for each model. Further, in the state transition model of FIG. 3, it is assumed that the states of the automatic devices 2-1 to 2-n are from state S0 to state S4, and transition conditions to each state are from condition C1 to condition C4. However,
For the states S3 and S4, the state of the transition destination is selected according to the transition condition. Each state corresponds to various states in the automatic device, for example, a state where a workpiece is put in, a state where processing is started, a state where processing is completed, a state where an error has occurred, a state where maintenance is required, and the like. Shall be. Each transition condition is, in the case of FIG.
1, R2, R3 rise from OFF to ON, and the value of the data memory D1 exceeds a predetermined threshold. The state S31 includes a maintenance information ID and a work information ID associated with the maintenance information ID.
1, an error information ID and a work information ID associated therewith are added. Therefore, in such a state transition model, when the state transits to the state S31, the maintenance of the corresponding apparatus is required, and when the state transits to the state S41, the state of the corresponding apparatus is an error. Can be detected.

FIG. 4 shows relays R1, R2, R3, R in a control device corresponding to the state transition model shown in FIG.
4 is a time chart showing a state in which the value of the data memory D1 is read by the data acquisition means. In addition, relay R4
Are not included in the transition conditions, but are set to be separately monitored by the monitor data setting unit 6 in FIG. The value of D1 is v1, v2, v3, v4, v5
But the relationship between the values is v1 <v2 <v3 <v
It is assumed that 4 <v5. Further, the state transition model shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to the relay R1 in the control device shown in FIG.
The state changes due to changes in R2, R3 and the data memory D1. To explain in detail, first, at the start of operation,
The state transits from the state S0 to the state S1. The state transition model transitions to the state S2 when the relay R2, which is a transition condition for transitioning from the current state S1 to the next state S2, changes from OFF to ON. Thereafter, similarly, the state in the control device changes from S2 to S3, from S3 to S4, and from S4 to S1 due to a change in the values of the relay and the data memory as shown in FIG. State transition is performed cyclically. That is, in the present embodiment, the data acquisition unit 5 of FIG. 1 acquires the value of a specific relay or data memory, and sets a different state from the current state managed by the state transition model temporary storage unit 13 of FIG. Is checked by the transition condition check unit 14 in FIG. 1, and the state in the state transition model is managed based on the result.

Next, the operation of the apparatus operation management apparatus of the present embodiment based on such a series of operation principles will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. First, a state transition model is initialized (step S101). Thereby, the state transition models corresponding to each of the devices 2-1 to 2-n are stored in the state transition model temporary storage unit 13 in FIG. 1 from the state transition model storage unit 8 in FIG. Loaded. Here, when the state transition model of FIG. 3 is loaded, the state is S1. Next, the data acquisition unit 5 acquires the device status (Step S102). This device state is composed of a relay and a data memory that are transition conditions in the state transition model loaded in the state transition model temporary storage unit 13. Here, in addition to these transition conditions, those set to be separately monitored by the monitor data setting unit 6 in FIG. 1 are also acquired by the data acquisition unit 5 in FIG. 1 as device statuses. Then, an interrupt signal is detected (step S
103) If there is no interrupt, the transition condition checking unit 14 in FIG. 1 checks whether it is possible to transition from the current state to the next state.
(Step S104). If the transition condition is satisfied, the state transits to a predetermined state (step S105).
For example, in the state S1 of FIG. 3, the relay R2 is turned off.
When the state changes from ON to S2, the state transits from state S1 to state S2. Then, it is checked whether an error information ID is added to the transitioned state (step S106). If the error information ID has been added, the error information ID
The error information is read out from the error information storage unit 11 on the basis of the operation information ID, and is displayed.
Then, the work instruction data is read out from the server and displayed on the display device 20 of FIG. 1 (step S107). When the device is restarted, the process returns to the first step S101 (step S1).
08). Here, the time from the transition to the error state (step S105) to the restart is recorded in the device operation history storage unit 15 in FIG. 1 as a stop due to the error. For example, in FIG. 3, from state S4 to state S4
When the status has changed to 1, it is checked whether an error information ID is added to the state S41. In this case, since the error information ID is added, the corresponding error information is read from the error information storage unit 11 based on the error information ID and displayed on the display device 20 in FIG. The corresponding work information is read from the information storage unit 12 and displayed on the display device 20 of FIG. Then, the time from the transition to the state S41 to the restart is recorded in the device operation history storage unit 15 as the stop due to the error.

On the other hand, if the error information ID is not added to the state to which the transition has been made in step S106, it is checked whether the maintenance information ID is added to the state to which the transition has been made (step S109). Maintenance information ID
Is added, the maintenance information is read from the maintenance information storage unit 10 based on the maintenance information ID and displayed on the display device 20 in FIG. 1, and the work information is read from the work information storage unit 12 based on the work information ID. The instruction data is read and displayed on the display device 20 of FIG. 1 (step S1).
10). Then, when the device is restarted, the process returns to the first step S101 (step S111). Note that the time from the transition to the maintenance state (step S105) to the restart is recorded in the device operation history storage unit 15 as the stop due to the maintenance. For example, in FIG. 3, when the state transits from the state S3 to the state S31, it is checked whether a maintenance information ID is added to the state S31. In this case, since the maintenance information ID is added, the corresponding maintenance information is read from the maintenance information storage unit 10 based on the maintenance information ID and displayed on the display device 20 in FIG. The corresponding work information is read from the information storage unit 12 and displayed on the display device 20 of FIG. Then, the time from the transition to the state S31 to the restart is recorded in the device operation history storage unit 15 as the stop due to the maintenance.

When an interrupt signal is detected in step S103 of FIG. 5, it is first checked whether or not the interrupt is caused by a state transition in a state transition model of another device (step S112 of FIG. 6). In the case of an interrupt due to a state transition in a state transition model of another device, after transitioning to a predetermined state (step S113), the process returns to step S106 in FIG. For example, in FIG. 7, the transition of the state of the apparatus 2 to the state S41 is forcibly triggered by the transition from the state S5 to the state S51 in the apparatus 1 as a trigger. This makes it possible to generate a maintenance work instruction or the like for the related device due to an error or maintenance that has occurred in another device.
On the other hand, in step S112, if the interruption is not due to a state transition in the state transition model of another device, and if the stop is due to an error generated on the control device side (step S1
14) The current state is newly registered in the state transition model as a new state. The transition condition at this time is automatically set based on the data in the data history storage unit 7 in FIG. 1 (step S115). Then, a request for inputting the error information is made from the system, and the request is stored in the error information storage unit 11 of FIG. 1 (step S116). In addition, a request for input of work instruction data is made from the system, and the request is stored in the work information storage unit 12 (step S117). Then, when the device is restarted, the process returns to step S101 in FIG. 5 (step S118). The time from the transition to the error state to the restart is recorded in the device operation history storage unit 15 as a stop due to the error. Also, error information,
Work information, transition conditions, and the like can be edited later. These changes are reflected in the state transition model storage unit 8 at an arbitrary timing. For example, when an error stop accompanied by an interrupt signal occurs in the state S4 in FIG. 8, it is automatically added and registered in the state transition model as a new state S42. Then, before and after the error stop, the contents of the changed relay and data memory are checked from the data stored in the data history storage unit 7 to set transition conditions. For example, in this case, the relay R4 is OFF
The state transition model changes to a new state S42 when the state changes from ON to ON. And
A request for inputting the error information is made from the system, and the request is stored in the error information storage unit 11. In addition, a request for inputting work instruction data is made from the system, and the request is stored in the work information storage unit 12. Then, the time from the transition to the error state to the restart is recorded in the device operation history storage unit 15 as the stop due to the error.

On the other hand, in step S114, if the stop is due to maintenance instead of the error generated on the control device side (step S119), the current state is newly registered as a new state in the state transition model. The transition condition at this time is automatically set based on the data in the data history storage unit 7 (step S120). Then, a request for input of the maintenance information is made from the system, and the request is stored in the maintenance information storage unit 10 (step S1).
21). In addition, a request for input of work instruction data is made from the system, and the request is stored in the work information storage unit 12 (step S122). When the device is restarted, the process returns to step S101 in FIG. 5 (step S123). In addition,
The time from the transition to the maintenance state to the restart is recorded in the device operation history storage unit 15 as a stop due to the maintenance. Further, maintenance information, work information, transition conditions, and the like can be edited later.
These changes are reflected in the state transition model storage unit 8 at an arbitrary timing. For example, when a maintenance stop accompanied by an interrupt signal occurs in the state S1 in FIG. 8, the state is automatically registered as a new state S11 in the state transition model. Before and after the maintenance is stopped, the contents of the changed relay and data memory are checked from the data stored in the data history storage unit 7 to set transition conditions. For example, in this case, the state is changed to a state transition model in which the state transitions to a new state S11 when the value of the data memory D1 falls below v1 (D1 <v1). Then, an input request for the maintenance information is made from the system, and the request is stored in the maintenance information storage unit 10. In addition, a request for inputting work instruction data is made from the system, and the request is stored in the work information storage unit 12. Then, the time from the transition to the maintenance state to the restart is recorded in the device operation history storage unit 15 as the stop due to the maintenance.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and needless to say, various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope of the claims.

[0020]

As described above, the device operation management device according to the present invention for managing the operation status of various devices is a data acquisition device for acquiring data on the internal state of the device managed by the control device that controls the device. Means, a state transition model storing means for storing a change of the internal state in the control device as a state transition model, and a state for transition from a current state to another state in the state transition model. Condition checking means for checking whether or not a transition is possible based on the data acquired by the data acquiring means, and a transition to a desired state that the system in the control device can take based on the result of the inspection by the transition condition checking means. And a device operation history storage unit for storing a device operation history corresponding to a state transition history by the state transition management unit. In particular there is a feature. Therefore, the burden on the worker can be reduced, the operation status of various devices can be automatically grasped, the accuracy of the operation history management of the devices can be improved, and the operation of a production line constructed from, for example, automatic devices can be efficiently performed. be able to.

Further, the internal state of the apparatus includes error information indicating error contents, maintenance information indicating maintenance contents, or error recovery work contents corresponding to the error information and the maintenance information. For example, for the same error, the cause of the error is correctly recognized as a system, and the similar maintenance is correctly recognized for the cause of the maintenance, whereby the operating status can be accurately grasped. In addition, it is possible to accurately notify a worker of a work instruction for appropriate recovery from an error or maintenance.

Further, when there are a plurality of devices, the state of the state transition model changes based on the transition condition including the mutual relation of the state transition in each state transition model corresponding to each device, so that the error-producing device can be used. The operator can also be notified of maintenance work instructions and the like to other related devices, and can take measures in view of the entire system.

Further, as another invention, an apparatus operation management method for managing the operation states of various apparatuses is provided, wherein a change in an internal state in a control device is used as a state transition model, and a transition from the current state to another state in the state transition model is made. Inspect whether the transition is possible based on the transition conditions and the internal data of the device,
If it is possible to make a transition as a result of the inspection, the control unit makes a transition to a desired state that the system in the control unit can take, and stores a device operation history related to the operation state of the device corresponding to the history of the state transition. Therefore, the accuracy of the operation history management of the apparatus is improved, and the operation contents of the operation for the error recovery and the maintenance of the apparatus are properly notified to the operator, so that, for example, the operation of the production line can be efficiently performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an apparatus operation management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a general state transition model.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state transition model in the device operation management device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a time chart showing a state transition state in the device operation management device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the apparatus operation management apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the apparatus operation management apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state transition between related devices.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state of registration of a new state when an error is stopped with an interrupt signal.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: device operation management device, 2-1 to 2-n: automatic device, 3
-1 to 3-n: control device, 4: telephone line, 5: data acquisition unit, 6: monitor data setting unit, 7: data history storage unit, 8: state transition model storage unit, 9: model information storage unit,
10: maintenance information storage unit, 11: error information storage unit, 12: work information storage unit, 13: state transition model temporary storage unit, 14: transition condition inspection unit, 15: device operation history storage unit, 16: control unit, 17: input / output control unit, 18: input device, 19: output device, 20: display device, 21: common bus.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F-term (reference)

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus operation management apparatus that manages the operation state of various apparatuses, a data acquisition unit that acquires data of an internal state of the apparatus managed by a control apparatus that controls the apparatus, and an internal state of the control apparatus. A state transition model storing means for storing the state of the state transition model, a transition condition for transitioning from the current state to another state in the state transition model, and the data acquisition means Transition condition inspection means for inspecting whether or not transition is possible based on the obtained data; and state transition for managing transition to a desired state that the system in the control device can take based on a result of the inspection by the transition condition inspection means. Management means; and apparatus operation history storage means for storing an apparatus operation history corresponding to a state transition history by the state transition management means. Equipment operation management apparatus according to claim the door. 2. The apparatus operation management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the internal state of the apparatus includes an error content. 3. The apparatus operation management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the internal state of the apparatus includes maintenance contents. 4. The apparatus operation management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the internal state of the apparatus includes work contents for error recovery. 5. The device operation management device according to claim 1, wherein when the number of the devices is plural, the transition condition includes a mutual relationship between state transitions in each state transition model corresponding to each automatic device. . 6. An apparatus operation management method for managing operation states of various apparatuses, wherein a change in an internal state in the control device is used as a state transition model, and a transition for transitioning from a current state to another state in the state transition model. It checks whether or not the transition is possible based on the condition and the internal data of the device. If the result of the check indicates that the transition is possible, the control device makes a transition to a desired state that the system in the control device can take and corresponds to the history of the state transition. An apparatus operation management method, comprising storing an apparatus operation history related to an operation state of the apparatus. 7. The apparatus operation management method according to claim 6, wherein when there are a plurality of apparatuses, the transition condition includes a mutual relation between state transitions in each state transition model corresponding to each automatic apparatus.