JP2001325021A - Production management system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To inexpensively provide a production management system having a production line which includes a combined metering device and a packaging machine, capable of performing monitor with picture information. SOLUTION: A production system 1 is provided with a production line 2 and plural image pickup parts 22 and a communication line 5. The production line 2 includes a combined metering device 2a and a packaging machine 2b. The communication line 5 can distribute operation situations from the metering device 2a and the packaging machine 2b. The plural image pickup parts 22 are respectively arranged in the combined metering device 2a and the packaging machine 2b to be used for checking the operation situations. The communication line 5 can distribute picture information from the plural image pickup parts 22.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a production management system, and more particularly to a system for managing production of a production line including a combination weighing device and a packaging machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, production lines for mass-producing products such as snacks, which are divided into a fixed weight or a fixed number and packed in bags, include a combination weighing device, a packaging machine, a weight checker, a seal checker, and an automatic box packing machine. And the like. The processing flow in this production line is as follows. First, the combination weighing device divides the supplied commodities into fixed quantities. The packaging machine then makes the bagged goods. In addition, inspection lines such as metal detectors, weight checkers, and seal checkers inspect bagged products and shake off defective products. Finally, a boxing machine packs good-quality bagged items.

[0003]

FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram of a conventional system for managing operating conditions in a production line including a weighing machine. The management system shown in FIG. 9 includes each product processing apparatus 101 and a host terminal 102 for monitoring them.
And dedicated communication line 1 such as RS485 and ARCNET
03 is included. Each product processing device 101
RCU (Remote C) for operating the device
control unit) 104 is connected. Each RCU 104 is provided with a communication board, and the communication board and the communication board provided in the host terminal are connected by the dedicated communication line 103.

[0004] In a production line including a weighing machine, it is necessary to produce a wide variety of commodities, and it is necessary to adjust each processing apparatus to an optimal state according to the commodities. Specifically, adjustments are required in accordance with the size, properties (fragility, adhesiveness, transport state) of the product, required production capacity, and the like. In particular, when production processing must be performed with a high capacity, the required processing cannot be performed unless the adjustment of each device is severe. In addition, along with the adjustment of each device on the production line,
The balance between each device is important, and in order to operate the production line well, it is necessary to make adjustments while looking at the entire line. In this case, since the adjustment is performed while the actual product is being produced on site, it is necessary to simultaneously check the production state of the product and the operation of each device.

[0005] The more severely the equipment is adjusted, the more frequently troubles occur in the processing work of each equipment. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly monitor the state of the production line. Therefore, in a production line including a weighing machine, the operation status of each product processing apparatus 101 is monitored by various sensors. Particularly, the image information is effective information for the operator to determine the operation status. However, as a configuration for providing the image information of the operation status, as shown in the figure, each commodity processing apparatus 101 is provided with a dedicated imaging unit 105 (CCD camera) and a display unit 106 (liquid crystal panel).
Are connected via a dedicated line 107. Since a line dedicated to image display is used in this way, there are problems that the cost is high and a space for the dedicated device is required.

An object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive production management system having a production line including a combination weighing device and a packaging machine and capable of monitoring by image information.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a production management system including a production line, a plurality of imaging units, and a network. The production line includes a product processing device such as a combination weighing device and a packaging machine. That is, the production line has a combination weighing device and a packaging machine as minimum product processing devices, and can have other product processing devices as necessary. The network connects product processing devices. The plurality of imaging units are provided in the product processing apparatus, respectively, and are used to capture the operation status. The network can distribute image information from a plurality of imaging units. Note that the image information includes both moving images and still images.

[0008] In this system, image information is distributed over a network together with other operating conditions and used in various devices. As described above, since the distribution of image information is performed by using general-purpose communication means, the system is inexpensive. In the production management system according to claim 2, in claim 1, the network is Ethernet or wireless LA.
N is used.

When Ethernet is used, versatility is improved by using the technology of the Internet or an intranet, and when a wireless LAN is used, location restrictions are eased. According to a third aspect of the present invention, the production management system according to the first or second aspect further includes a control unit for controlling the product processing apparatus based on the image information distributed through the network.

[0010] In this system, the control of the commodity processing apparatus becomes more accurate by using the image information. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the production management system further includes a warning unit for comparing the image information with the reference image information and generating a warning as necessary.

In this system, since the image information is used for detecting an abnormality of the apparatus, the abnormality can be detected more accurately. In the production management system according to claim 5, claim 1 is provided.
In any one of the first to fourth aspects, a storage unit for storing image information is further provided. In this system, image information can be used effectively.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (1) Overall Configuration FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a production management system 1 according to the present invention. The system 1 includes a production line 2, an information terminal 4a,
4b and 4c and a communication line 5.

The production line 2 is a line for weighing a certain amount of products such as foods and industrial parts, packing the bags, checking the quality, and finally packing the boxes. As shown in FIG. 2, the production line 2 includes a plurality of product processing devices (2a to 2a).
2d). Specifically, each product processing device is a combination weighing device 2a, a packaging machine 2b, a weight checker 2c, a seal checker 2d, and a box packing machine 2e.
The production line 2 further includes a feeder, a metal detector, a sorting device, and the like. As described later, each product processing device (2a to 2d) has an R for controlling the entire product processing device.
A CU (Remote Control Unit) 3 is provided. The RCU 3 includes WWW (World
A Wide Web server 34, an e-mail client 35, an FTP client 36, a print client 37, and the like are mounted (see FIG. 3). Details of each product processing apparatus will be described later.

The information terminal 4a comprises a personal computer, a workstation, or the like, and is connected to the communication line 5 via a network interface. The information terminal 4a has a WWW browser 11, an FTP server 1
2 and an e-mail client 13 and a memory 18. The WWW browser 11 can access the WWW server 34 of each product processing device (2a to 2e). The WWW browser 11 specifies the communication partner's product processing device (2a to 2d) with an IP address or the like, and stores the HTML (Hyp) stored in the WWW server 34 thereof.
erTextMarkup Language) Display a document or the like. The FTP server 12 can transmit and receive files to and from the FTP client 36. The e-mail client 13 can receive an e-mail from the e-mail server 15. Furthermore, the information terminal 4
The memory 18 is mounted on a. The memory 18 can store the above-described HTML document, electronic mail, and file distributed from the communication partner. In particular, the memory 18 is FTP
It is used to store various image files sent from the client 36 to the FTP server 12.

The information terminal 4b has a print server 14 and a communication line 5 via a network interface.
It is connected to the. A printer (not shown) is connected to the information terminal 4b. The print server 14 receives a print signal from the print client 37 and prints the content on a printer. An electronic mail server (not shown) is connected to the communication line 5. The e-mail server stores e-mail transmitted from each e-mail client 13 or the like for each address. Further, the e-mail server 15 has a push function, and when an e-mail is received from the e-mail client 35,
The e-mail is immediately delivered to the e-mail clients 13 and 17 of the e-mail address.

The information terminal 4c is a portable telephone, PHS (Pe
rsonal Handyphone System
m), a portable wireless terminal such as a pager (registered trademark). The information terminal 4c has a WWW browser 16 and an e-mail client 17. The information terminal 4c is connected to the communication line 5 via a bridge (wireless base station) 6. If the distribution destination is a portable wireless terminal, the bridge 6 wirelessly transfers the data to the portable wireless terminal based on the data on the network. When the delivery destination is a portable wireless terminal, since the protocol is usually different for wireless communication, the bridge 6 also has a protocol conversion function.

As the communication line 5, for example, 10 BASE
A LAN (local area network) composed of a −T Ethernet line, a hub, and a router. In this communication line, the communication protocol is TCP /
IP is used. (2) Configuration of Product Processing Device As shown in FIG. 3, each of the product processing devices (2a to 2d) includes an RCU 3 that controls the entire product processing device. The RCU 3 mainly includes a drive control unit 71 for processing a signal from the sensor 21 and controlling the drive unit 20, and an operation processing unit 72 for inputting and displaying operation information of each device. are doing.

The driving unit 20 is provided for each of the commodity processing devices (2a to 2a)
e) for driving the various mechanisms. For example, the driving unit 20 of the combination weighing device 2a is a dispersion feeder, a radiation feeder, a pool hopper, a weighing hopper, or the like, and the driving unit 20 of the weight checker 2c is a conveyor driving motor or the like. The sensor 21 detects a physical quantity according to the processing content of each of the commodity processing devices (2a to 2e). For example, in the combination weighing device 2a, the sensor 21 is a weight measuring sensor such as a load cell, a photoelectric tube that detects a supply amount of a product, or the like.

Each imaging unit 22 includes a plurality of cameras 22a, 2
2b and 22c and image file conversion means (not shown). Cameras 22a, 22b, 22c are T
It consists of various cameras such as a V camera and a CCD camera. FIG.
As shown in the figure, the cameras 22a, 22b,
2c and 22d are provided at locations where visual adjustment is required or where abnormalities are likely to occur. The places where visual adjustment / confirmation is required include the dispersion feeder and the drive feeder of the combination weighing device 2a. The camera 22a is for confirming the supply state (amount, transport speed, balance of the dispersion unit, staying) in the supply unit and the validity of the setting parameters. Further, although not shown, a camera may be provided in the weighing hopper of the combination weighing device 2a in order to confirm whether or not the product has been carried out from the hopper and to confirm the validity of the setting parameters relating to the opening / closing time. A location where an abnormality is likely to occur is a location where a transport error in the device connecting portion or the movable portion in the entire transport portion is considered. In the present embodiment, the camera 22b is disposed as a device connecting portion between the combination weighing device 2a and the packaging machine 2b, and it is easy to check for a product clog between the two devices. In addition, a camera may be provided between the outlet of the packaging machine 2b and the rising conveyor to make it easy to confirm bag breakage, or a camera may be provided at a seal portion of the packaging machine 2b. In the present embodiment, cameras 22c and 22d are further arranged corresponding to the weight checker 2c and the seal checker 2d, respectively. Further, it may be provided in a transport unit such as a metal detector or an X-ray detector. In addition, as transport errors that are likely to occur in the movable part, the product biting in the weighing hopper of the combination weighing device 2a, the product biting in the packaging machine 2b, the suction error in the product suction part in the box packing machine 2e, and the Since there is a boxing mistake or the like, a camera may be provided at each location to monitor these. In addition,
In a printing device (labeler, marking device), a camera may be provided to monitor a printing portion, a label attaching portion, and the like.

The drive control unit 71 includes a control CPU 30, a control program 31, a memory 32, a network interface 33, a WWW server 34, an e-mail client 35, an FTP client 36, a print client 37, and a CGI (Common Gateway In).
terface) 38 and a processing program 39.

The control CPU 30 has a control program 31,
Network interface 33, WWW server 3
4. Executes, monitors, and controls the e-mail client 35, FTP client 36, print client 37, CGI 38, and processing program 39. Also,
The control CPU 30 reads and writes various information from and to the memory 32.

The control program 31 includes the driving units 20a, 2
0b, 20c and the sensors 21a, 21b, 21c, and controls the driving of the drive unit 20, performs signal processing from the sensor 21, and controls the entire product processing apparatus. For example, in the case of the combination weighing device 2a, the dispersion feeder, the radiation feeder, and the pool hopper are driven to transfer the goods to the weighing hopper. Thereafter, combination weighing is performed based on the weight signal from the load cell connected to the weighing hopper. Then, the weighing hopper corresponding to the combination result is driven to discharge the product. Also, error information which is operation information of the product processing device,
The driving conditions, operating conditions, and the like are stored in the memory 32. The error information includes a stop of the product processing device, a drive failure of the driving unit,
The sensor is abnormal. Also, a moving image or a plurality of still images obtained by photographing the operation status of the abnormal part before and after the occurrence of the abnormality is stored.

The driving conditions (Status) are, as shown in FIG. 6 described later, a product name (PRODUCT NAM).
E), product code (PRODUCT CODE), weighing speed (SPEED), target weighing value (TARGE)
T WEIGHT), upper limit of measurement (UPPER LIM)
IT), feeder drive adjustment (FEEDER ADJU)
ST), Hopper drive adjustment (HOPPER ADJUS
T) and the like.

The operation status is, as shown in FIG.
Over weighing quantity (OVER), positive weighing quantity (PROPE
R), lightweight weighing quantity (UNDER), actual treatment speed (SP
EED), the average value of the weighing weight (MEAN), the standard deviation of the weighing weight (STD.DEV), the frequency distribution of the weighing value for each measurement (HISTGRAM), and the like. Memory 3
2 includes, in addition to the error information, driving conditions, and operating status,
HTML document used by WWW server 34 described later, image file created by image file conversion means, e-mail used by e-mail client 35 described later, file used by FTP client 36 described later, print data used by print client 37 described later Etc. are stored.

The network interface 33 is composed of, for example, a so-called LAN adapter and uses TCP / IP as a protocol. On the LAN, a unique IP address is set for each device. The network interface 33 includes the communication line 5, the WWW server 3,
4. The electronic mail client 35, the FTP client 36, and the print client 37 are also connected.

The WWW server 34 is composed of a designation section 34a and a provision section 34b. The specifying unit 34a specifies an execution content and an execution target based on an instruction from the WWW browser 11 described later. The providing unit 34b displays the execution target on the WWW browser 11. The execution contents include displaying an HTML document or the like stored in the memory 32, instructing the CGI 38 to execute the processing program 39, and the like. The execution target is the memory 32
, Operating information such as driving conditions, operating conditions, image files, and the like, e-mail data, file data, and print data. WWW browser 1
1 and the WWW server 34 are HTTP (HyperTe)
xt Transfer Protocol).

The e-mail client 35 has a memory 3
2 is transmitted to an e-mail server (not shown). POP (P
ost Office Protocol), SMTP
(Simple MailTransfer Prot
ocol), IMAP (Internet Messa)
Ge Access Protocol) is used.

The FTP client 36 sends the file stored in the memory 32 to the FTP server 12 of the information terminal 4a. Communication between the FTP server and the FTP client is performed by FTP (File Transfer Pr).
(autocol). The print client 37 transmits the print data or image data stored in the memory 32 to the information terminal 4b including the print server. Communication between the print server and the print client is performed using, for example, the LPS / LPD protocol. This protocol may be any protocol for printing using TCP / IP.

The CGI 38 activates the processing program 39 based on the execution contents and the execution target specified by the specifying unit 34a. This CGI 38 is based on Perl (Pra
physical Extraction and Rep
Ort Language). CGI
The 38 exchanges information between the WWW server 34 and the processing program 39 and activates the processing program on the WWW server 34 side. The CGI 38 is composed of a plurality of different programs corresponding to the designation.
When the execution content is a display, the CGI 38 receives the display content from the processing program 39 and converts the display content into HTML.
After the conversion, it is passed to the WWW server 34.

The processing program 39 executes a program based on the designation given by the CGI 38, distributes error information by e-mail when an error occurs, and writes the image file converted by the image file converting means into the memory 32. Swear. Processing program 39
Is also composed of a plurality of programs corresponding to the execution contents and execution targets.

The operation processing section 72 will be described. The operation processing section 72 mainly includes an operation CPU 74 and a memory 75. The operation CPU 74 can transmit and receive signals to and from the control CPU 30. The operation CPU 74 has a display unit 7
7 and the operation unit 78 are connected. The display unit 77 is a device capable of graphic display such as a liquid crystal display or a CRT. The operation unit 78 is a type of pointing device such as a keyboard, a touch panel, and a mouse. The memory 75 is mainly used as a display memory. In this embodiment, the display unit 77 and the operation unit 78 are configured as an operation unit 79 including an integrated liquid crystal touch panel. As shown in FIG. 4, the operation unit 79 has, on the left side, an operation display section 80 having a display section for displaying the operation status of the apparatus by numerical values and graphs and operation keys, and for changing image information and the like. An image information display section 81 on which various keys are arranged is provided on the right side. FIG. 4 shows an operation unit 79 provided in the combination weighing device 2a. The operation display section 80 displays a drive intensity display 80a of each radiation feeder, a feeder adjustment key 80b, a combined weight value 80c, and the number of discharge heads 80d. The image information display section 81 includes an image 81a of a distributed feeder and a radiation feeder, a shooting position moving key 81b, a luminance key 81c, a reduced display key 81d, and an enlarged display key 81.
e, a camera channel switching key 81f is displayed.

By switching the camera channel, it is possible to display the image status of another portion of the combination weighing device 2a, for example, the weighing hopper. Thus, the camera (2
2a, 22b, and 22c), a plurality of units are provided, so that a plurality of pieces of image information can be confirmed at one place, and the production status can be grasped, abnormal parts can be monitored, and defective parts can be confirmed. In particular,
The image information is effective for adjusting the feeder and checking the machine at the time of biting the hopper. Further, the adjustment of the apparatus can be performed at one place by the operation unit 79. Conventionally, it is necessary to move the operation unit to a place where visual observation is required or to provide an operation unit other than the original place, or the operator moves to a place where it can be seen and grasps the operation status etc. Although necessary, such a problem does not occur in the configuration of the present invention. (4) Processing of Image Information Captured by Imaging Unit Next, processing in the production management system, in particular, imaging unit 2
The processing of the image information captured in Step 2 will be described.

The cameras (22a, 22a)
b, 22c, etc.), A
/ D conversion and compression processing (JPEG format, MPEG format, H
261 format) and passed to the processing program 39.
Next, it is stored in the memory 32. The memory 32 stores image information relating to the operating status of a plurality of locations of each of the product processing devices 2a, 2b, 2c. The image information may be a moving image, a plurality of still images, or both a moving image and a still image. In any case,
The image information on the operating status corresponding to each of the different locations is stored in the memory 32. The image information on the operating status corresponding to different times refers to a plurality of still images and moving images (considered to be composed of a plurality of different images) at different times.

For example, the operator operates the combination weighing device 2
It is assumed that the RCU 3 of (a) operates the operation unit 78 to request an image near the distributed feeder. Then, the operation CPU
74 requests the control CPU 30 for an image near the distributed feeder. At this time, the control CPU 30 sends the image information read from the memory 32 to the operation CPU 74. Operation CPU 74
Writes image information into the memory 75 and displays the
To be displayed.

Here, the memory 32 and all image information photographed by the image pickup section 22 are stored. Therefore, the operator can view not only live display but also past image information as necessary. Operation panel 79
Is preferably provided with a key that allows the operator to select between live display and display when an error occurs. The operator selects the display at the time of error occurrence, and displays a moving image or a plurality of still images before and after the occurrence of the error. As a result, the operator can see the operating state before the occurrence of the abnormality, at the moment of the occurrence of the abnormality, and after the occurrence of the abnormality, and can easily determine the cause of the abnormality and take a countermeasure thereafter. Conventionally, to investigate the cause, it is necessary to regenerate the abnormality and grasp the situation, and errors and abnormalities with low reproducibility require a lot of time and effort to confirm the phenomenon. I was

When an abnormality occurs in the apparatus, a moving image or a plurality of still images before and after the occurrence of the abnormality may be automatically displayed. Specifically, the control CPU 30
When detecting an abnormality of the apparatus based on information from the sensors 21a to 21c, the CPU can read out image information before and after the occurrence of the abnormality from the memory 75, transmit the image information to the operation CPU 74, and display the image on the display unit 77.

Further, when an abnormality occurs, the control CPU 30 sends a warning signal to the operation CPU 74, and the operation CPU 74 can display the warning information on the display unit 77 or generate a warning sound to alert the operator. Furthermore, the control CPU
30 can control the combination weighing device 2a by driving the driving units 20a to 20c based on the image information sent from the imaging unit 22. Further, the control CPU 30 may compare the input image information with the reference image information, and thereby detect the occurrence of an abnormality in the apparatus. Thereby, it is possible to check the printing state of the label and the conveying state of the article. The reference image information is registered in advance as a non-defective image as a template, and is compared with the input image information by a residual sequential test method, normal correlation matching, or the like. The reference image information is transmitted from the information terminals 4a to 4b,
2 is stored. (3) Example of Display and Setting of Operation Information of Commodity Processing Device in Information Terminal FIGS. 5 to 7 show examples of screens provided by the WWW server 34 and the CGI 38 and displayed by the WWW browser 11 of the information terminal 4a. Here, the operating information when the combination weighing device 2a performs combination weighing of potato chips is handled.

In each of the figures, the display portion on the left side is WWW.
It is a menu screen displayed when an access request from the browser 11 to the web page of the combination weighing device 2a is permitted. In FIGS. 6 to 8, “Status (setting / display of overall operation of the device)”, “Preset (reservation setting)”
And “Statistic (display of operating status)” are displayed as options of the operation information. Also,
Under “Statistic”, “Displa”
y "," Mail "," FTP "and" Print "
Is displayed as an option of the output destination of the driving status.

The screen example of FIG. 5 is an example of a screen displayed when “Status” is selected. "Status"
On the screen, the overall operation of the combination weighing device 2a is displayed. In this example, ON / OFF of the device, whether the production of the product is stopped or in production, and the like are displayed. The user changes the setting of the device on / off and the start / stop of the production to change the “Reg”
When the "Isation" button is pressed, the operation of the combination weighing device 2a is controlled based on this setting.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the screen where “Pr
It is an example of a screen displayed when "eset" is selected. On the “Preset” screen, parameter values indicating the contents of the reservation setting are displayed. In this example, the name of the product to be produced, the product code, the weighing speed, the target weighed weight value of one bag, the weighing upper limit value, and the like are displayed. Also, "FEE
DER ADJUST ”or“ HOPPER ADJUS ”
When "T" is selected, more detailed settings for the feeder and hopper of the combination weighing device 2a are displayed.

To change the parameter value, the user
Write the new parameter value, and select “Regis
Press the "transition" button. Thereby, the new parameter value is written in the memory 32 of the combination weighing device 2a, and the combination weighing device 2a is controlled based on this. The screen example of FIG. 7 shows “Stati
9 is an example of a screen displayed when “Display” of “stick” is selected. On the “Statistic” screen, an actual driving situation is displayed. In this example, the number of overweights, the number of correct weights, the number of light weights, the actual treatment speed, the average value of the positive weights, the standard deviation of the positive weights, and the frequency distribution of the weight values for each measurement are displayed. I have. Further, by displaying the image information using the frequency distribution of the measurement values for each measurement, the production status can be grasped at a glance.

When the user selects any of "Mail", "FTP" or "Print" as the output destination of the operation status, the above information is output by the electronic mail client 17, the FTP server 12, or the print server 14. be able to. (4) Operation of RCU in Combination Weighing Apparatus FIG. 8 shows R of the combination weighing apparatus 2a in the present embodiment.
It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the process which CU3 performs.

From the WWW browser 11 on the information terminal 4a, the IP address or the like assigned to the combination weighing device 2a is converted into a URL (Uniform Resource Lo).
cat.), the WWW server 34
Will be accessible. In step S1, the WWW server 34 waits for an access from the WWW browser 11.

In step S2, the WWW server 34 performs a predetermined authentication process. For example, the WWW server 34 requests input of a user ID and a password, and permits access only when the authentication information matches the authentication information registered in the memory 32 in advance. When the access is permitted, the process proceeds to step S3. If access is not permitted, the process proceeds to step S20 described below.

In step S3, the WWW server 34
In order to accept the selection of the operation information, the menu screen on which the left part of FIG. 6 is displayed is transmitted to the WWW browser. In step S4, the WWW server 34 determines whether “Status” has been selected from the menu screen. If "Yes" is determined, the process moves to step S5. If "No" is determined, the process proceeds to step S8 described below.

In step S5, the WWW server 34
The GI 38 is started. CGI 38 is processing program 3
9 is started, and the processing program 39 executes the control program 3
1 is inquired about the state of the combination weighing device 2a.
The control program 31 returns a signal corresponding to the state at that time to the processing program 39. The processing program 39 converts the content of the reply into HTML and sends it back to the CGI 38. CG
I38 sends the HTML state of the combination weighing device 2a to the WWW server 34. WWW server 34 is HTML
The converted state is transmitted to the WWW browser 11. W
The WW browser 11 displays a screen indicating the state of the combination weighing device 2a, for example, the screen of FIG. Then step S
Move to 6.

In step S6, the WWW server 34 determines whether the parameter has been rewritten. Specifically, W
The WW server 34 allows the user to select “Registration”.
It is determined whether the "n" button has been pressed. If it is determined that the button has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S7. When the user clicks "Regis
If the user does not press the "traition" button, the process returns to step S4, and waits for selection of any operation information.

In step S7, the WWW server 34
A parameter input by the user from the WWW browser 11 is received, and the CGI 38 is activated. The CGI 38 activates the processing program 39, and the processing program 39 changes the state of the combination weighing device 2a with respect to the control program 31. Thereafter, the process returns to step S4. In step S8,
The WWW server 34 displays “Prese
It is determined whether "t" has been selected. If "Yes" is determined, the process moves to step S9. If "No" is determined, the process proceeds to step S12 described later.

In step S9, the WWW server 34
The GI 38 is started. CGI 38 is processing program 3
9 is started, and the processing program 39 reads the driving conditions from the memory 32. The processing program 39 converts the driving conditions into HTML and sends back to the CGI 38. The CGI 38 passes the drive conditions converted into HTML to the WWW server 34.
The WWW server 34 converts the driving conditions converted into HTML into WW
Send to W browser 11. WWW browser 11 is HT
The drive conditions converted into ML are displayed, for example, as shown in FIG. After that, it moves to step S10.

In step S10, the WWW server 34
Determines whether the parameter has been rewritten. Specifically, the WWW server 34 indicates that the user has entered “Registra
It is determined whether or not the user has pressed the “tion” button. If it is determined that the button has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S11. When the user enters "R
If the user does not press the "registration" button, the process returns to step S4.

In step S11, the WWW server 34
Receives parameters set by the user from the WWW browser 11 and activates the CGI 38. The CGI 38 activates the processing program 39, and the processing program 39 stores the rewritten driving conditions in the memory 32. Thereafter, the process returns to step S4. In step S12, the WWW server 34 displays “Statisti” on the menu screen.
It is determined whether or not “Display” of “c” is selected. If "Yes" is determined, the process proceeds to step S13. If "No" is determined, the process proceeds to step S14 described below.

In step S13, the WWW server 34 activates the CGI 38. The CGI 38 activates the processing program 39, and the processing program 39 reads the operating status from the memory 32. The processing program 39 converts the operation status into HTML and returns it to the CGI 38. CGI3
8 transfers the HTMLized operation status to the WWW server 34. The WWW server 34 reports the HTML-formatted operation status to W
Send it to the WW browser 11. WWW browser 11
The received operating status is displayed, for example, as shown in FIG. Then, the process returns to step S4.

In step S14, the WWW server 34
Determines whether "Mail" of "Statistic" is selected on the menu screen. “Ye
s ", the process proceeds to step S15.
If determined to be "o", the process proceeds to step S16 described later. In step S15, the WWW server 34
8 is started. The CGI 38 activates the processing program 39, and the processing program 39 reads the operating status from the memory 32. The processing program 39 converts the reply content together with the set e-mail address into an e-mail format, and writes it into the memory 32. Thereafter, the processing program 39 starts the e-mail client 35,
The created e-mail is sent to the set e-mail server 1
5 to be distributed. Thereafter, the process returns to step S4.

In step S16, the WWW server 34
Determines whether "FTP" of "Statistic" is selected from the menu screen. “Yes”
When the determination is made, the process proceeds to step S17. If "No" is determined, the process proceeds to step S18 described later. In step S17, the WWW server 34 activates the CGI 38. The CGI 38 activates the processing program 39,
The processing program 39 reads the operating status from the memory 32. The processing program 39 converts the reply content into a file and writes it into the memory 32. After that, the FTP client 36 is started, and the created file is
It is distributed to the TP server 12. Thereafter, the process returns to step S4.

In step S18, the WWW server 34
Determines whether "Print" of "Statistic" is selected from the menu screen. “Ye
s ", the process proceeds to step S19.
If the determination is "o", the process returns to step S4. In step S19, the WWW server 34 activates the CGI 38. The CGI 38 activates the processing program 39, and the processing program 39 reads the operating status from the memory 32.
The processing program 39 converts the read content into print data and writes the print data into the memory 32. Thereafter, the print client 37 is activated, and the created print data is distributed to the set print server 14. Then step S
Return to 4.

In step S2, if access from the WWW browser 11 is not permitted,
Move to 20. In step S20, another predetermined process is performed. For example, the WWW server 34 displays a message display screen such as “access not allowed” on the WWW browser 11.
Send to Next, a case where an error occurs will be described. When an error occurs, the error information is delivered by e-mail.
When an error occurs, the error information is stored in the control program 31.
Is stored in the memory 32. At the same time, a processing program 39 for error processing is started by the control program 31. The processing program 39 for error processing calls the error information from the memory 32, converts the information into an electronic mail format together with the set electronic mail address and the image file of the malfunction stored at that time, and writes it into the memory 32. Thereafter, the e-mail client 35 is activated, and the created e-mail is transmitted to the e-mail server 15 and distributed therefrom. Further, the error information may be converted into a file or print data format and transmitted to the set FTP server 12 or print server 14.

The error information includes a moving image or a file including a plurality of still images before and after the occurrence of the abnormality at the abnormal location. As a result, the image information regarding the occurrence of an abnormality in each product processing device is stored in the memory 32, transmitted from the RCU 3 to the information terminal 4a via the communication line 5, and stored in the memory 18 of the information terminal 4a. A moving image or a plurality of still images before and after the occurrence of the abnormality at the abnormal location stored in the memory 18 are displayed at the time of the occurrence of the abnormality and can be used to specify the cause of the abnormality.
It can also be read out and used later to check the abnormal situation.

With the above configuration, the operation status of a plurality of product processing apparatuses and the operation status of a plurality of locations of each product processing apparatus are stored in the memory 18 of the information terminal 4a as image information. In particular, the above-mentioned image information is image information corresponding to a plurality of different times, and includes a plurality of still images and moving images (which can be considered to be composed of a plurality of different times).

In this embodiment, the memory 1 of the information terminal 4a is
Although 8 has a sufficient size, a host for storing image information on the communication line 5 may be separately provided. The server stores image information of all operation states photographed by all the imaging units 22 and constitutes an image database. The user can obtain image information from the host by operating the information terminals 4a to 4c as needed.

In this embodiment, the product processing apparatus is provided with WWW
Since the server is provided, the operation information can be displayed and its setting can be performed by the WWW browser on the information terminal. There is no need to connect the information terminal and the product processing device with a dedicated communication line, and a management system can be easily constructed. Moreover, since a general-purpose application is used as an application for managing the operation information, the operation is easy. In addition, since operation information can be output or set in various forms using a general-purpose application, geographical and time constraints in managing the product processing device can be greatly reduced. Further, in the present embodiment, the operation information can be printed out by a printer on the network. This eliminates the need to connect a printing device to the product processing device.

<Other Embodiments> (a) As another embodiment, the imaging unit may be configured to be independent from the RCU of each product processing device. In this case, the imaging unit has a CPU, a control program, a memory, a processing program, a CGI, a WWW server, an FTP server, and the like, and is connected to a communication line via a network interface. Image information from each imaging unit is transmitted to each RCU or information terminal. Since each RCU or information terminal has a memory for storing the transmitted image information, the image information can be used for visual observation and control.

In particular, in the RCU of the product processing device, the operation status of a plurality of product processing devices, the operation status of a plurality of locations of each product processing device,
It is possible to store image information corresponding to different operating conditions at each shooting location. In this system, since the operation status of the product processing apparatus is stored as image information at a plurality of different times, the user can grasp the operation status of the product processing apparatus at a desired time or time zone.

Further, when the RCU of the commodity processing apparatus detects an abnormality of the apparatus, it displays the image information of the abnormal place before and after the abnormality detection stored in the memory. In this system, the operator of the processing apparatus can see the operating status before and after the occurrence of the abnormality during the operation of the product processing apparatus, and the cause of the abnormality can be easily specified. The information terminal can receive and store the image information from either the imaging unit or each product processing device via the communication line. In addition, each information terminal can use image information for visual observation and control as in the case of the RCU of the product processing device.

(B) In the above embodiment, the Ethernet line of the communication line 5 is constituted by 10BASE-T.
BASE-2, 10BASE-5, 100BASE-T
And the like. It is also possible to change the communication line 5 to a wireless network. In that case, the network interface 33 of the product processing device
What is necessary is just to make the communication interface of the information terminals 4a to 4c correspond to the wireless network. That is, the wireless network may be any line that can use TCP / IP on the merchandise processing apparatus and the information terminals 4a to 4c.

Furthermore, if a modem, a terminal adapter, a router, or the like is used at one end of the communication line 5 and a public line such as a telephone line is used, it is possible to connect to an external network such as the Internet. In this way, the restrictions on the place of use are further alleviated. (C) In the above embodiment, the RCU 3 is provided with the network interface 33, but may be further provided with an interface for a portable wireless terminal. Further, the mail server on the information terminal 4c may be provided with an interface for a portable wireless terminal. With this configuration, the interface can be connected to the portable wireless terminal, and the error information can be transmitted from the product processing apparatus to the portable wireless terminal of the administrator.

(D) In the above embodiment, the HTML document is used as the operation information providing form, but the SGML (St
andnd Generalized Markup
Language) or XML (extensible)
The operation information can be provided in the form of a structured document described in a markup language such as Markup Language.

(E) In the above embodiment, the CGI is used to activate the processing program 39.
(Server Side Includes) and AS
Various processing programs can also be executed by P (Active Server Page) or the like. (F) In the above embodiment, the commodity processing apparatus automatically distributes error information in the form of e-mail, file, or print data.
The information may be displayed on a WW browser.

(G) In the above embodiment, the IP address is uniquely set on the LAN, but the DHCP (Dynami
c Host Configuration Prot
ocol) may be used to dynamically assign an IP address. (H) In the above embodiment, the data is converted into print data at the time of printing. However, when a printer that can use the FTP protocol is used, the printer may be output using the FTP.

[0069]

In the production system according to the present invention, image information is distributed over a network together with other operating conditions, and is used in various terminals and product processing devices. As described above, since the distribution of image information is performed by using general-purpose communication means, the system is inexpensive.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a production management system according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a production system.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a product processing device and an RCU.

FIG. 4 is an example of a screen displayed on the operation unit.

FIG. 5 shows an example of operation information displayed on a WWW browser (Status information).

FIG. 6 shows an example of operation information displayed on a WWW browser (Preset information).

FIG. 7 shows an example of operation information displayed on a WWW browser (Statistical information).

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of a process performed by an RCU.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a conventional management system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Production management system 2 Production line 2a Combination weighing device 2b Packaging machine 3 RCU 4a, 4b, 4c Information terminal 5 Communication line 22 Imaging part

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] May 8, 2001 (2001.5.8)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0014

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

The information terminal 4a comprises a personal computer, a workstation, or the like, and is connected to the communication line 5 via a network interface. The information terminal 4a has a WWW browser 11, an FTP server 1
2 and an e-mail client 13 and a memory 18. The WWW browser 11 can access the WWW server 34 of each product processing device (2a to 2e). The WWW browser 11 specifies the communication partner's product processing device (2a to 2d) with an IP address or the like, and stores the HTML (Hyp) stored in the WWW server 34 thereof.
erTextMarkup Language) Display a document or the like. The FTP server 12 can transmit and receive files to and from the FTP client 36. E-mail client 13 has become possible to e-mail received from the e-mail server. Further, a memory 18 is mounted on the information terminal 4a. The memory 18 can store the above-described HTML document, electronic mail, and file distributed from the communication partner. In particular, the memory 18 is used to store various types of image file sent from the FTP client 36 to the FTP server 12.

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0015

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

The information terminal 4b has a print server 14 and a communication line 5 via a network interface.
It is connected to the. A printer (not shown) is connected to the information terminal 4b. The print server 14 receives a print signal from the print client 37 and prints the content on a printer. An electronic mail server (not shown) is connected to the communication line 5. The e-mail server stores e-mail transmitted from each e-mail client 13 or the like for each address. The electronic mail server has a push function, when the e-mail client 35 receives the e-mail immediately e-mail client of the email address 1
The e-mail is distributed to 3,17.

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0035

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0035] Here, the memory 3 2 all the image information captured by the imaging unit 22 is stored. Therefore, the operator can view not only live display but also past image information as necessary. The operation panel 79 is preferably provided with keys that allow the operator to select between live display and display when an error occurs. When the operator selects the display when the error occurs, the moving image or still images at the time of abnormality before and after are displayed. As a result, the operator can see the operating state before the occurrence of the abnormality, at the moment of the occurrence of the abnormality, and after the occurrence of the abnormality, and can easily determine the cause of the abnormality and take a countermeasure thereafter. Conventionally, to investigate the cause, it is necessary to regenerate the abnormality and grasp the situation, and errors and abnormalities with low reproducibility require a lot of time and effort to confirm the phenomenon. I was

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0038

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

In each of the figures, the display portion on the left side is WWW.
It is a menu screen displayed when an access request from the browser 11 to the web page of the combination weighing device 2a is permitted. In FIGS. 5 to 7 , “Status (setting / display of overall operation of the apparatus)”, “Preset (reservation setting)”
And “Statistic (display of operating status)” are displayed as options of the operation information. Also,
Under “Statistic”, “Displa”
y "," Mail "," FTP "and" Print "
Is displayed as an option of the output destination of the driving status.

[Procedure amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0046

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

In step S5, the WWW server 34
The GI 38 is started. CGI 38 is processing program 3
9 is started, and the processing program 39 executes the control program 3
1 is inquired about the state of the combination weighing device 2a.
The control program 31 returns a signal corresponding to the state at that time to the processing program 39. The processing program 39 converts the content of the reply into HTML and sends it back to the CGI 38. CG
I38 sends the HTML state of the combination weighing device 2a to the WWW server 34. WWW server 34 is HTML
The converted state is transmitted to the WWW browser 11. W
WW browser 11 screen showing the state of the combination weighing apparatus 2a, and displays the screen of FIG. 5, for example. Then step S
Move to 6.

[Procedure amendment 6]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0047

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0047] In step S6, WWW server 34,
It is determined whether or not the setting of the device on / off or the start / stop of the production is rewritten. Specifically, the WWW server 34 determines whether the user has pressed the “Registration” button. If it is determined that the button has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S7. If the user does not press the "Registration" button, the process returns to step S4 and waits for selection of any operation information.

[Procedure amendment 7]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0049

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

In step S9, the WWW server 34
The GI 38 is started. CGI 38 is processing program 3
9 is started, and the processing program 39 reads the driving conditions from the memory 32. The processing program 39 converts the driving conditions into HTML and sends back to the CGI 38. The CGI 38 passes the drive conditions converted into HTML to the WWW server 34.
The WWW server 34 converts the driving conditions converted into HTML into WW
Send to W browser 11. WWW browser 11 is HT
Show ML of been driving conditions, for example, as shown in FIG. After that, it moves to step S10.

[Procedure amendment 8]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0053

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

In step S14, the WWW server 34
Determines whether "Mail" of "Statistic" is selected on the menu screen. “Ye
s ", the process proceeds to step S15.
If determined to be "o", the process proceeds to step S16 described later. In step S15, the WWW server 34
8 is started. The CGI 38 activates the processing program 39, and the processing program 39 reads the operating status from the memory 32. The processing program 39 converts the reply content together with the set e-mail address into an e-mail format, and writes it into the memory 32. Thereafter, the processing program 39 starts the e-mail client 35,
Create e-mail, to be delivered via e-mail server that has been set. Thereafter, the process returns to step S4.

[Procedure amendment 9]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0056

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

In step S2, if access from the WWW browser 11 is not permitted,
Move to 20. In step S20, another predetermined process is performed. For example, the WWW server 34 displays a message display screen such as “access not allowed” on the WWW browser 11.
Send to Next, a case where an error occurs will be described. When an error occurs, the error information is delivered by e-mail.
When an error occurs, the error information is stored in the control program 31.
Is stored in the memory 32. At the same time, a processing program 39 for error processing is started by the control program 31. The processing program 39 for error processing calls the error information from the memory 32, converts the information into an electronic mail format together with the set electronic mail address and the image file of the malfunction stored at that time, and writes it into the memory 32. Then, to start the e-mail client 35, to be distributed from there by sending an e-mail that was created in the e-mail server <br/>. Further, the error information is converted into a file or print data format, and the set FT is set.
It may be transmitted to the P server 12 or the print server 14.

[Procedure amendment 10]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0062

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

In particular, in the RCU of the product processing device, the operation status of a plurality of product processing devices, the operation status of a plurality of product processing devices, and the operation status of each of the imaging locations differ depending on the image information transmitted from the imaging unit. Image information corresponding to the operation status can be stored. In this system, since the operation status of the product processing apparatus is stored as image information at a plurality of different times, the user can grasp the operation status of the product processing apparatus at a desired time or time zone.

[Procedure amendment 11]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0065

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Furthermore, if a modem, a terminal adapter, a router, or the like is used at one end of the communication line 5 and a public line such as a telephone line is used, it is possible to connect to an external network such as the Internet. In this way, the restrictions on the place of use are further alleviated. (C) In the above embodiment, although equipped with a network interface 33 to RCU3, further example Bei an interface for portable wireless terminals may include an interface for a portable wireless terminal to the information terminal 4 c. With this configuration, the interface can be connected to the portable wireless terminal, and the error information can be transmitted from the product processing apparatus to the portable wireless terminal of the administrator.

[Procedure amendment 12]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Fig. 6

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG. 6

[Procedure amendment 13]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Fig. 8

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG. 8

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5B049 BB07 CC21 DD00 EE01 EE07 EE56 FF02 FF03 FF04 GG03 GG04 GG07 5H223 AA05 CC08 DD03 DD07 DD09 EE06 FF03 9A001 HH21 HH30 JJ44 KK54

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A production line including a product processing device such as a combination weighing device and a packaging machine, a network connecting the product processing devices, and a plurality of imaging means provided in each of the product processing devices for photographing an operation state. Wherein the network is capable of distributing image information from the plurality of imaging units. 2. The production management system according to claim 1, wherein said network uses Ethernet (registered trademark) or a wireless LAN. 3. The production management system according to claim 1, further comprising control means for controlling said commodity processing apparatus based on image information distributed by said network. 4. The production management system according to claim 1, further comprising warning means for comparing said image information with reference image information and issuing a warning as required. 5. The production management system according to claim 1, further comprising storage means for storing said image information.