JP2003015712A - Mail transmitter for machine tool - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a low cost monitor for allowing an operator to immediately know the abnormal stop or working end of a machine tool without always monitoring it. SOLUTION: A mail is transmitted to a portable terminal owned by the operator of a machine tool in a set timing prior to the end of the operation of an NC machine tool to be automatically operated, or when any abnormal situation is generated. This mail transmitter is provided with an outside signal receiving means for receiving a working progress signal and an abnormality generation signal to be transmitted from an NC device arranged in the machine tool, a sensed contents specifying means for decoding the contents of the received signal, a storing means for storing the judgment value of the working end notification, a contact destination storing means for storing the mail address of the portable terminal being the destination of notification, and a mail transmitting means for transmitting an electronic mail through a wireless communication network.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for informing an operator of machining end, abnormal stop, etc. of a machine tool.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In automatic machining of a machine tool, usually, one lot of material stored in a stocker is automatically sent to the machine tool one by one by a loader or a bar feeder, and the machine tool is determined to do so. Processing is performed according to the processing procedure, and when the material runs out or the specified quantity of processing is completed, automatic processing ends.

When processing a plurality of workpieces of different materials and different processing procedures one by one, automating the entire work entails equipment load and setup work difficulty. Therefore, normally, when the processing for one designated lot is completed, the operator gives the next processing command to the machine tool to replenish the material.

Since the operator does not need to do anything during the automatic processing unless trouble occurs, it is normal for the operator to perform another work during that time. In this case, the operator must predict the end time of automatic operation and return to the machine tool in preparation for the next processing. However, it is difficult to accurately predict the end time of the automatic operation, and if the operator is absorbed in other work, the operator may overlook the time, which may delay the preparation for the next processing. If the preparation for the next processing is delayed, a loss of time will occur on the machine tool side.

If the machine tool stops abnormally and the operator does not notice it, the machining work during that time stops. In order to avoid this, a problem arises in that the operator must always monitor the machine tool near the machine tool and perform other work.

In order to solve these problems, a device for monitoring a plurality of machine tools has been proposed. This device
Monitoring machine tools on multiple lines and notifying the operating center when a certain machine tool has stopped abnormally or when work has ended, so that the operating center instructs the operator to perform recovery work and setup work. Is.

However, since these conventional devices are expensive to install and information is sent to the operating center, the operating center always needs a supervisor, and the operator always keeps his / her whereabouts. Had to inform the overseer.

[0008]

In recent years, due to the diversification of products and the like, it is often required to perform high-mix low-volume production even in work performed by machine tools. As a result, many types of processing are often performed on a small number of lines, and an operator is required to manage not only one machine tool but a plurality of machine tools at the same time. Also, as a result of widespread automation within the factory, operators are required to perform multiple tasks at different locations, making it difficult to perform tasks in a situation where their machine tool can be constantly monitored.

The present invention can be installed at low cost and does not require the operator to constantly monitor the machine tool,
An object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring device that allows an operator to immediately know an abnormal stop of a machine or the end of processing.

[0010]

A machine tool mail transmitting apparatus according to the present invention is a machine tool for automatically operating an NC machine tool at a set timing before the end of operation and when an abnormal situation occurs. The above problem is solved by sending an email to the mobile terminal owned by the operator.

In this case, it is possible to provide a single mail transmission device for a plurality of machine tools or a mail transmission device for each machine tool.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mail transmitting device for a plurality of machine tools, each of which is connected to a plurality of NC machine tools.
External signal receiving means for receiving a machining progress signal and an abnormality occurrence signal transmitted from the device, sensed content identifying means for decoding the content of the received signal, and machine tool identifying means for identifying the machine tool that issued the signal. A storage means for storing the determination value of the processing end notification for each machine tool, a contact address storage means for storing the mail address of the mobile terminal which is the notification destination in association with each machine tool, and wireless communication such as the Internet. An e-mail transmission means for transmitting an e-mail via a network, and when a machining progress signal of a machine tool reaches the judgment value set for the machine tool and when an abnormality occurrence signal is received from the machine tool. When
The mail sending means sends an electronic mail to the mail address registered in association with the machine tool.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mail transmitting device for an individual machine tool, which is installed in each NC machine tool and which detects a processing number signal and an abnormality occurrence signal of the machine tool. A communication network connection means, a mail transmission means, a storage area for a judgment value input in advance,
A storage area for a mail address that is input in advance, and a mail recorded in the storage area for the mail address when the number of machined tools reaches the stored determination value and when an abnormality occurrence signal is acquired Send an email to the address.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a notification device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a processing procedure of a management computer. In the figure, 1 is a machine tool, 2 is an NC (numerical control) device for controlling each machine tool, 3 is a management computer, 4 is a network router, 5 is the Internet, and 6 is a mobile phone.

Each NC device 2 records information such as machining contents and machining quantity of each machine tool, and sends an operation instruction to the machine tool 1. Further, it is provided with means for detecting an abnormal stop of the machine tool 1. A machine ID for identifying each device is registered in these NC devices.

The management computer 3 comprises a CPU 30, a memory 31, a hard disk 32, a display 33, an input device 34, a network interface 35 and an external signal receiving means. The hard disk 32 has
Processing control means, sensing content specifying means, machine tool specifying means,
The mail transmission means, management database, and contact information database are recorded. Network interface 35
Is connected to the network router 4, the WAN side of the router is connected to the Internet 5, and L
The AN side is connected to the NC devices 2 ... The external signal receiving means is a means for receiving a signal from the machine tool, for example, 10BASE-T, RS-232.
C, etc., and receives a signal indicating the machining quantity or machining abnormality transmitted from the NC device 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the same operation as the external signal receiving means is performed by routing in the network router 4.

The machining managing means, the sensing content specifying means, the machine tool specifying means, and the mail sending means are programs, and the management database and contact database are databases.

The processing management means uses the management database to perform the processing management that is normally performed. For example, processing material management, type of machine tool 1, management of processing contents and processing quantity for each machine tool 1, processing schedule for each machine tool 1, shipment management and schedule management. These pieces of information are input by the operator. The machine tool specifying means and the sensed content specifying means identify the individual machine tool and the content of the signal transmitted by the NC device of the machine tool based on the signal received by the external signal receiving means. The mail sending means connects to the Internet and sends an electronic mail.

The contact database stores the electronic mail address of the operator in charge of each machine tool.

The NC device 2 notifies the management computer 3 of the machine ID and the number of processed pieces each time one piece of the work is machined. Further, in the case of an abnormal stop, the management computer 3 is notified of the machine ID and the error code.

When the management computer 3 receives a signal from the NC device 2, the sensed content identifying means identifies which type of information the signal is. Further, the machine tool specifying means is the machine I.
Based on D, the machine tool 1 which transmitted the signal is specified.

When the type of information is the machining quantity, the remaining machining quantity is calculated by comparing with the total machining quantity planned for the machine tool 1 recorded in the management database. When the number of remaining machining reaches a preset judgment value, the electronic mail address corresponding to the machine ID is acquired from the contact database using the machine ID as a key item. Then, the mail sending means refers to the management database, and sends a mail including the type of machine, the current number of processed pieces, the number of finished pieces, and the next piece of processing information (processing instruction) to the email address via the Internet by e-mail. To do.

When the type of information is an error code, the management computer 3 acquires an electronic mail address based on the machine ID and specifies the machine tool that has transmitted the signal,
An email including the type of machine, the current number of pieces to be processed, the number of pieces to be finished, the next piece of processing information (processing instruction), and error information is sent to the email address by email.

Since the general mobile phone 6 has a function of making a ring tone when an incoming mail arrives, the operator can immediately know that the mail arrives by using the function. As a result, it becomes possible to immediately notify the operators in charge of the end of machining and the abnormal stop of each machine tool 1.

By reading the contents of the mail, the operator can know in advance the current status of the machine tool in charge and the work to be performed. When the operator receives an email about the end of processing, the operator prepares for the next processing, and after the machine tool finishes processing and automatically stops, the operator can immediately start the next processing procedure. it can.
Further, even in the case of an abnormal stop, the error information detected by the machine is sent in advance by e-mail so that the recovery work can be started immediately.

In the case of the above-described method, the management computer receives the machining number signal of each machine tool, and notifies the machining end at the timing when the remaining number reaches the preset number as the judgment value for notifying the machining end. Do. The management computer can calculate the machining time of one workpiece for each machine tool based on the information input to it.
The time for completing the automatic machining can be predicted from the calculated formula: machining time for one workpiece × remaining number of machining. Therefore, as the timing of notifying the operator of the end of processing, it is possible to specify by time, such as XX minutes before the end of processing, and send an e-mail when the estimated end time is approaching.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 3 is a system configuration diagram of the second embodiment of the notification device of the present invention. In a second embodiment of the figure,
1 is a machine tool, 2 is an NC device, 7 is a notification device, and 6 is a mobile phone. Among them, the machine tool 1, the NC device 2, and the mobile phone 6 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The notification device 7 includes an input device 70 and a display device 7.
1. Internet connection means 72, sensed content specifying means,
It is provided with a mail transmitting means, a processed number storage area, and an operator mail address storage area.

The machining number storage area stores the current total number of machining operations, and the operator e-mail address storage means stores the e-mail address of the operator in charge of each machine tool. An operator or the like inputs such information in advance using the input device 70 and the display device 71.

The notification device 7 sends an electronic mail to the operator by the same operation as that of the management computer 3 of the first embodiment, but the device of the present embodiment has one notification device for each NC device 2. 7 is provided, it is not necessary to set the machine ID of the machine tool 1, and the machine can be specified from the address of the notification device that has sent the mail.

In the case of the second embodiment, since only the mail address and the processed number need be input and displayed in the notification device, the input device 70, the display device 71 and the like can be downsized. Therefore, the structure can be directly attached to the machine tool, and the installation cost can be reduced even when the machine tool is installed in the existing machine tool. In addition, it is possible to further reduce the necessary wiring by making the Internet connection means 72 a wireless connection using a PHS network or a mobile phone network.

[0034]

According to the present invention described above, it is possible to promptly notify the operator in charge of each machine tool of an error stop or machining end of a plurality of machine tools by making a slight modification to the existing machine tools. You can Therefore, each operator can perform other work at a place away from the machine tool while the machine tool in charge is performing automatic machining, and one operator can handle a large number of machine tools at the same time. it can. In addition, since the status of the machine tool is notified at the right time regardless of where each operator is, the loss time on the operator side and the machine tool side can be minimized, and the operator does not have to worry about the status of the machine tool in charge. , You can concentrate on the work you do from time to time, without the need for a supervisor in the management center.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a management computer according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a system configuration diagram of a second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 machine tool 2 NC device 3 management computer 4 network routers 5 Internet 6 mobile phones 7 Notification device 30 CPU 31 memory 32 hard disk 33 display 34 Input device 35 Network interface 70 Input device 71 Display 72 Internet connection method

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Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A machine tool that sends an e-mail to a mobile terminal owned by an operator of the machine tool at a set timing before the operation of the NC machine tool that is automatically operated and when an abnormal situation occurs. Email sending device. 2. An external signal receiving means for connecting to a plurality of NC machine tools to receive a machining progress signal and an abnormality occurrence signal transmitted from each NC device, and a sensed content specifying means for decoding the content of the received signal. A machine tool specifying means for identifying the machine tool that has transmitted the signal, a storage means for storing a judgment value of a processing end notification for each machine tool, and a portable terminal as a notification destination in association with each machine tool. A contact storage means for storing a mail address and a mail sending means are provided, and when a machining progress signal of a machine tool reaches the judgment value set for the machine tool and an abnormality occurrence signal from the machine tool. A mail sending device for a machine tool, which, when receiving the mail, sends an electronic mail to the mail address registered in association with the machine tool by the mail sending means. 3. A sensed content specifying means installed in the NC machine tool for acquiring a machining number signal and an abnormality occurrence signal of the machine tool, a network connecting means, and a mail transmitting means.
A storage area for a judgment value input in advance and a storage area for a mail address input in advance are provided, and when the number of machining of the machine tool reaches the stored judgment value and when the abnormality occurrence signal is acquired, A mail sending device for a machine tool, which sends an electronic mail to the mail address recorded in the storage area of the mail address.