JP2018063541A - Management apparatus, management system, management method and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a management apparatus which manages various data obtained in a process of executing individual tasks for a plurality of tasks having a predetermined order relation in such a manner that the data can be utilized afterwards.SOLUTION: A management apparatus 122 records a start time in task data for one task when data indicating the start of the one task transmitted from an external device related to task execution is acquired. The management apparatus 122 records an end time in the task data for the one task when data indicating the end of the one task transmitted from the external device is acquired. When data related to the execution of the one task is acquired after the data indicating the start of the one task is acquired and before the data indicating the end of the one task is acquired, the management apparatus 122 records the data related to the execution in the task data for the one task.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

  The present invention relates to a data processing technique, and more particularly to a management apparatus, a management system, a management method, and a computer program.

  The present inventor has proposed a technique for controlling individual agents that operate autonomously in a distributed environment to work together as a whole using a workflow in which a plurality of tasks are arranged in a partial order relationship. (For example, see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-204033

  In recent years, improvement in sensing technology has made it possible to grasp data indicating the state of production sites for goods and services in real time. However, if individual data indicating the status of the production site is managed separately, it is difficult to improve products and work-in-process based on such data, and it is not possible to create innovation in the production process. The inventor thought it was difficult.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a main object is a plurality of tasks performed in a production system for factory lot management, work on a construction site, and the like for producing a predetermined product. A technique for managing various data obtained in the course of performing individual tasks in a manner that contributes to the subsequent utilization of a plurality of tasks for which order relations are defined in advance.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a management apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention holds task data in which data obtained when each task is performed is grouped into a plurality of tasks to be performed in a predetermined order. To acquire data indicating the start of one task and data indicating the end of one task transmitted from an external device related to the execution of at least one task among a plurality of tasks When the acquisition unit to acquire and data indicating the start of one task are acquired, the start time is recorded in the task data related to one task, and when the data indicating the end of one task is acquired, one task And an update unit that records the end time in the task data regarding. The update unit acquires data related to the performance of one task after acquiring data indicating the start of one task and before acquiring data indicating the end of one task. Record performance data in task data.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a management system. The management system includes a device related to the performance of at least one task among a plurality of tasks to be performed in a predetermined order, and a management device. The management device obtains data indicating the start of one task transmitted from the device, a task data holding unit that holds task data in which data obtained when each of a plurality of tasks is performed is collected in units of tasks When an acquisition unit that acquires data indicating the end of one task and data indicating the start of one task are acquired, the start time is recorded in the task data related to one task to indicate the end of one task And an update unit that records the end time in the task data related to one task when the data is acquired. After the data indicating the start of one task is acquired, the update unit acquires the data related to the execution of one task transmitted from the device before acquiring the data indicating the end of one task. In this case, the performance data is recorded in the task data related to one task, and the device includes a task execution device that is a device that performs one task, and a notification device connected to the task execution device. The task execution device includes a switch that receives a control signal based on the operating state of the device and that is turned on / off based on the control signal. The notification device is connected to a switch, and outputs a status signal indicating an on / off state of the switch, and an output unit that outputs data based on the status signal output from the photocoupler as data related to execution of one task And including.

  Yet another embodiment of the present invention is a management method. In this method, for a plurality of tasks to be performed in a predetermined order, a computer including a task data holding unit that holds task data in which data obtained at the time of performing each task is grouped into task units is recorded. A step of acquiring data indicating the start of one task and data indicating the start of one task transmitted from an external device related to the execution of at least one of the tasks; A step of recording a start time in task data, a step of acquiring data indicating the end of one task transmitted from an external device, and one task when data indicating the end of one task is acquired To record the end time in the task data relating to, and to obtain information indicating the start of one task After, before the information indicating the end of one task is obtained, if the data relating to performance of a task is acquired, further performs the step of recording data relating to accomplish the task data relating to a single task.

  It should be noted that any combination of the above-described constituent elements and the expression of the present invention converted between a program, a recording medium storing the program, etc. are also effective as an aspect of the present invention.

  According to the present invention, various data obtained in the course of performing individual tasks are managed in a manner that contributes to the subsequent utilization of a plurality of tasks that have a predetermined order relationship for producing a predetermined product. can do.

It is a figure which shows the example 1 of distributed cooperative control. It is a figure which shows the example 1 of distributed cooperative control. It is a figure which shows the example 2 of distributed cooperative control. It is a figure which shows typically the control range by real world OS. It is a figure which shows the IOT apparatus control system of prerequisite technology. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the workflow management apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the workflow of a base technology. It is a sequence diagram which shows operation | movement of an IOT apparatus control system. It is a figure which shows an example of the project which manufactures a thing. It is a figure which shows an example of the schedule in the project of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the schedule in the project of FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the execution process of the task by the schedule of Fig.11 (a). It is a figure which shows the structure of the project management system of 1st Example. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the management apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the data which defined the execution order of several tasks. It is a figure which shows the example of task data. It is a figure which shows typically the execution process of a project. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the task execution side apparatus of 2nd Example.

(Overview of the prerequisite technology)
First, as an overview of the prerequisite technology, a workflow-based system design in which a plurality of tasks are arranged in a partial order relationship will be described. Whether it is a project or a routine task, a workflow in the sense of an ordered set of tasks is the basic unit of recognition for systematically organizing, understanding, and executing some work. In the workflow, a resource for actually performing the task is allocated to each task constituting the workflow, thereby realizing a series of work and service.

  A resource that actually performs a task may be, for example, a person, a program, a device, or the like, and is also referred to as an “agent” below. In particular, an agent that is connected to a network such as the Internet and can communicate with an external device is also referred to as an “IOT (Internet Of Things) device”.

  To control a large number of agents, such as various sensors, controllers, and actuators, in a certain workflow, a method for efficiently managing the parallel work of each agent has been sufficiently proposed so far. Not. The relationship between tasks in a workflow may have a semi-ordered structure rather than a linear order (ie full order). For example, there are multiple tasks that can be executed after a task, and often any of these multiple tasks may be executed first. These multiple tasks can be said to be in a parallel relationship, and the execution of each task can be executed in parallel. This parallelism has a different dimension from the parallelism of task execution among a plurality of agents to which the same task is assigned.

  When a task defined by a workflow is used as a causal order symbol for controlling the execution order, it is called a “task stage”. It is assumed that the activity of the agent corresponding to each task stage of the workflow is described as a program that performs autonomous operation in each node (for example, various devices such as a sensor on which the agent is mounted). Each node acquires information indicating which task stage it is currently in, and starts an individual agent program corresponding to that task stage. Each agent reports to the workflow side that the processing corresponding to the task stage has been completed, and waits for an instruction for the next task.

  A function that controls the execution order of tasks by individual agents in the real world based on the workflow is called a “task manager”. The task manager, which can be called a workflow execution engine, notifies the agent which task stage should be executed now. Furthermore, a task completion notification is received from the agent, and the task stage is appropriately advanced. Thus, a data flow for task management occurs between the task manager and the agent.

  Hereinafter, controlling individual agents that operate autonomously in a distributed environment so as to operate cooperatively as a whole is also referred to as “distributed cooperative control”. In the base technology, distributed cooperative control is realized using workflow. In addition, a system in which individual autonomous agents as a whole operate cooperatively by distributed cooperative control is also referred to as an “autonomous distributed cooperative system”. In the base technology, a management technology for a distributed cooperative workflow between IOT devices connected via a network is proposed.

  In an autonomous distributed cooperative system, the data flow in the sense of a data stream between individual agents is also important. For example, an execution result of a measurement task or calculation task in a certain task stage must be transferred to a calculation task or control task in another task stage that receives the result. Further, such data flow between agents does not need to go through a task manager.

  In the base technology, a data flow between a task manager and an agent and a data flow between one agent and another agent are realized using a publish / subscribe (hereinafter also referred to as “PUB-SUB”) scheme. The PUB-SUB scheme uses a special agent called a broker to share data between a transmission source and a transmission destination.

  A transmission source entity that adds a tag called a topic to data to be delivered to a transmission destination entity and transmits the topic-added data to the broker is called a publisher. The entity that registers a data transfer request with a specific topic added to the broker (that is, the entity that is the data transmission destination) is called a subscriber. Of the data published to the broker, the broker distributes data having topics registered by the subscriber to the subscriber.

  PUB-SUB is a scheme that allows many-to-many transmission of necessary data to a necessary place without a concept such as an address. In the base technology, there is a system that uses a management broker for transferring management information relating to a task stage between a task manager and an agent, and a data broker for transferring data necessary for task execution between a plurality of agents. suggest.

Explain the basic operation of the Task Manager and Agent.
(1) The task manager publishes the currently executable task stage name to the management broker. The agent registers the task stage name to be performed in advance in the broker, and when the registered task stage name is published, the agent subscribes the fact from the management broker to perform the task. The agent that has completed the task publishes the task stage completion and necessary management information to the management broker, and publishes data for task execution by other agents to the data broker with the necessary topics attached.

  (2) The task manager determines whether or not the task stage can be changed. This is determined by the task transition predicate. The task transition predicate is a program that determines whether or not to move to the next task stage based on task end information or management data received from the agent.

  For example, consider a system that installs several hundred sensors as agents, measures a predetermined environmental state (temperature, etc.), calculates an average value of the environmental state, and executes some control. The task manager of this system may implement a task transition predicate that determines that the next stage can be transitioned if half of the sensors complete the measurement (ie task processing) and send the task end information. Good. Further, in the distributed stream calculation, a task transition predicate that determines the transition of the stage by accepting the task end information indicating that the calculation has been completed may be implemented. In addition, when task end information indicating that the calculation has ended abnormally is received, branch determination such as transition from a normal workflow to an emergency workflow is also implemented in the task transition predicate.

  (3) By repeating the processes (1) and (2) above, the task manager performs handshaking with agents in the real world for each task stage. In this case, parallelism between task stages is realized by publishing a plurality of task stage names in parallel. A plurality of agents belonging to the same task stage perform tasks in parallel in the real world. The parallel processing between agents does not affect the determination result by the task manager even if the order is changed or there is a delay. This is the same for both human project management and distributed cooperative control using workflow.

Next, an example of distributed cooperative control will be described.
Case 1. Device management and energy accounting control with sensors:
In this example, the average temperature and the minimum illuminance are calculated from the data of the plurality of temperature sensors and the plurality of illuminance sensors, and the controller controls the air conditioner and the illumination based on the average temperature and the minimum illuminance. Moreover, the energy consumption is calculated based on the operating state of the air conditioner and the lighting, and the process of notifying the stakeholder of the calculation result is controlled.

  FIG. 1 shows task stages for control of case 1 and resource mapping to each task stage. In Case 1, a plurality of sensors are assigned to the task stage of data collection by sensors (“S” in the figure). Also, resource allocation to each task stage is fixed. FIG. 2 schematically shows data linkage via the broker. In Case 1, the stage broker, which is a management broker that mediates the stage management between the task manager and the real-world agent, and the data broker that mediates the data flow between multiple agents, each of the control flow and data flow are PUB -Mediate with a SUB scheme.

  In FIG. 2, the data flow between a plurality of agents is shown in a sequence diagram. From the characteristics of the sequence diagram, it seems that there is a context of processing depending on the position (upper and lower relationship) of the arrow, but actually includes processing executed in parallel. For example, the transfer of data from the sensor to the calculation node may be executed in any order. The transfer of calculation results from the calculation nodes 1 and 2 to the controllers 1 and 2 does not depend on the order. The old activity diagram looks similar to the diagram of FIG. 1, but the control mechanism is not formulated.

Case 2. Interior construction workflow and task management:
FIG. 3 shows a simplified interior construction project such as an apartment. Here, the task execution resource (real world agent) is an electrician, a plumber, a floor worker, a wall sticker, and a painter. Also, assume that there are as many projects as shown in FIG. In this case, a plurality of task managers that control the workflow of FIG. 3 are operated in parallel, and each agent performs work in a specific room in accordance with an instruction from each task manager. Actually, each agent holds an information terminal such as a PC, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal, and the task manager sends and receives task stage information to and from the information terminal.

  When the assigned task in the assigned room is completed, each agent inputs the fact of the completion to the information terminal, and the task manager appropriately advances the task stage based on the completion notification from the information terminal of each agent. Each agent initiates a task in another room if it is ready to be performed. To be in a state where it can be executed means that the previous task stage has been completed and the task manager has notified the start of a task stage corresponding to a task in another room. In this way, human agents (including information terminals held by humans) start a task upon receiving a stage start ready signal from the task manager.

  The real-world operating system (hereinafter also referred to as “real-world OS”) considered by the present inventor is based on the task manager functions described so far, based on complex and distributed cooperative interactions of real-world agents. This is a mechanism for managing and executing each workflow. In the future IOE (Internet Of Everything) era, various autonomous agents in a distributed environment are required to synchronize and cooperate to provide services designed as a workflow as a whole. The real-world OS becomes a basic platform for designing, implementing, and managing various systems in which a huge number of agents are connected.

  FIG. 4 shows the vision of the real world OS and schematically shows the control range of the real world OS. The left side of the figure is a virtual area and includes a virtual agent by simulation. The right side of the figure is the real-world agent management area. As shown in FIG. 4, the task manager is the core engine for agent-based simulation and also the control engine for real-world agents. This enables seamless connection from agent-based modeling in the virtual world to agent computing in the real world. While performing simulation simulation and workflow management for real-world agents, the virtual-world simulated workflow and the program agent are partially replaced with real-world agents (partial implementation) Various design methods for prototyping are possible, and finally an agent-based simulation remains as a dynamic design for managing real-world agents.

The following (1) to (7) are assumed as examples of services that the real world OS can provide by executing distributed cooperative control on the IOT agent.
(1) As sensoring & control services, provide energy sensoring and device control services in HEMS, BEMS, and CEMS, as well as monitoring services and security services in homes, offices, and communities.
(2) To provide a parallel search service for electronic medical records of a plurality of hospitals as a distributed data search service.
(3) Autonomous business data processing as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is provided as a business data processing service.

(4) As safe and secure services and community services, 4-1) Data collection and data sharing services at the time of disaster, 4-2) Electronic medical record services at the time of disaster, 4-3) Questionnaires in daily communities Provide survey results sharing and processing services.
(5) As a sensoring & statistical / accounting processing service, provide energy statistical services and accounting services based on energy sensoring at HEMS, BEMS, and CEMS.
(6) Provide various lifelog collection and use systems as lifelog services.
(7) Provide factory sensor network from factory energy management system as factory service.

  As described above, various services in the living world and industrial society can be designed as an autonomous distributed cooperative system that more or less uses IOT agents. Supporting the design, implementation, and control of the autonomous distributed cooperative system is an important mission of the real-world OS. Virtually design complex interactions of IOT agents in the real world, and gradually replace them with real world agents while testing by emulation, and finally realize an autonomous distributed cooperative system with real world agents A new system development method is also expected.

(Detailed explanation of prerequisite technology)
Hereinafter, the workflow management apparatus that realizes the distributed cooperative control described in the above outline will be described in detail. FIG. 5 shows the IOT device control system 10 of the base technology. The IOT device control system 10 is an information processing system that embodies an autonomous distributed cooperative system. The IOT device control system 10 includes an IOT device 11, a workflow management device 12, a stakeholder terminal 13, and a broker 15.

  The IOT device 11 is a plurality of types of agent devices existing in the real world. Each IOT device 11 is connected to the Internet and operates autonomously. For example, when a stage is notified from the workflow management apparatus 12 via a communication network, an operation corresponding to the stage is executed, and a program (and an MPU for executing the program for executing this operation) is executed. Etc.). The base technology IOT device 11 includes a sensor device 20, a calculation node 30, a controller 40, and a service device 50.

  The sensor device 20 is a device including various known sensors. For example, the sensor device 20 detects a surrounding environmental state and outputs information indicating the environmental state. Further, for example, when the surrounding environmental state becomes a specific state, the fact is detected and output. The sensor device 20 of the base technology includes a plurality of temperature sensors 22 and a plurality of illuminance sensors 24. For example, it includes several hundred temperature sensors installed in a factory, and several tens of illuminance sensors installed in a room with an office building.

  The calculation node 30 is an information processing apparatus that executes various calculation processes. The calculation node 30 includes a temperature calculation node 32, an illuminance calculation node 34, and an accounting calculation node 36. The temperature calculation node 32 calculates the average temperature based on the temperatures measured by the plurality of temperature sensors 22, and the illuminance calculation node 34 calculates the minimum illuminance based on the illuminance measured by the plurality of illuminance sensors 24. The accounting calculation node 36 performs a predetermined energy accounting calculation based on the set temperature of the air conditioner and the lighting on / off state. For example, energy consumption, amount of consumption, etc. are calculated, and energy bookkeeping is executed.

  The service device 50 is a device that provides various services in the living world and industrial society to the user while consuming energy such as electricity and gas, and can be said to be an energy consuming device. The service device 50 includes an air conditioner 52 and a lighting 54. The controller 40 is a control device that controls the operation of the service device 50. The controller 40 includes an air conditioner controller 42 and a lighting controller 44. The air conditioner controller 42 controls the set temperature of the air conditioner, and the lighting controller 44 controls lighting on / off.

  The workflow management apparatus 12 is an information processing apparatus that embodies the task manager and the real-world OS described in the overview. The workflow management apparatus 12 controls the operations of the plurality of IOT devices 11 in accordance with the transition of task stages (hereinafter simply referred to as “stages”) defined in the workflow. Detailed functions of the workflow management apparatus 12 will be described later. The physical mode of the workflow management apparatus 12 is not limited, and may be, for example, a PC or server, a microcontroller, or a single board computer.

  The stakeholder terminal 13 is an information terminal operated by a predetermined stakeholder such as a person in charge of a company where the IOT device 11 is installed. The stakeholder terminal 13 acquires energy accounting information as a calculation result by the accounting calculation node 36, and displays it on a display or the like as appropriate.

  The broker 15 is a device that mediates data transmission / reception between devices using a PUB-SUB scheme. The broker 15 may be realized by a known message queue product or message-oriented middleware. Each apparatus in FIG. 5 communicates with the broker 15 by a PUB-SUB scheme according to a communication protocol defined by the broker 15 via a communication network such as a LAN, a WAN, and the Internet, and transmits and receives data between the apparatuses.

  The broker 15 includes a stage broker 16 and a data broker 17. The stage broker 16 is the above-described management broker, and mediates transmission / reception of management information regarding the start / end of the stage between the workflow management apparatus 12 and each IOT device 11. The data broker 17 mediates data transmission / reception between the IOT devices 11 or between the IOT device 11 and the stakeholder terminal 13.

  Here, in the IOT device control system 10, what stage the workflow managed by the workflow management device 12 has and what processing the agent should perform in each stage are determined in advance, and the manufacture of the IOT device 11 is performed. To the public. Each IOT device 11 is mounted such that when a specific stage is notified from the workflow management apparatus 12, a process corresponding to the stage is performed.

  For example, regarding a temperature collection stage described later, it is determined in advance that a task for acquiring the ambient temperature should be executed, and is disclosed. The temperature sensor 22 is mounted so as to measure the ambient temperature, to publish the end of the task to the stage broker 16 and to publish the measured temperature to the data broker 17 when the notification of the temperature collection stage is subscribed. The In addition, regarding an average temperature calculation stage, which will be described later, it is determined in advance that a task for calculating the average of a plurality of temperature data should be executed and disclosed. The temperature calculation node 32 calculates the average value of the temperature measured by the plurality of temperature sensors 22 when the notification of the average temperature calculation stage is subscribed, publishes the end of the task to the stage broker 16 and calculates it. It is implemented to publish the average temperature to the data broker 17.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the workflow management apparatus 12 of FIG. The workflow management apparatus 12 includes a communication unit 60, a control unit 70, and a data storage unit 80. The communication unit 60 transmits / receives data to / from an external device according to a predetermined communication protocol. For example, data transmission / reception with the stage broker 16 in accordance with a PUB-SUB scheme is executed according to a predetermined message protocol.

  The control unit 70 controls the operation of the workflow management apparatus 12. In addition, workflow management, in other words, data processing for performing distributed cooperative control of the plurality of IOT devices 11 is executed. The data storage unit 80 is a storage area for storing various data that are referred to and updated in the data processing by the control unit 70.

  Each block shown in the block diagram of the present specification can be realized in terms of hardware by an element such as a CPU and a memory of a computer or a mechanical device, and in terms of software, it can be realized by a computer program or the like. , Depicts functional blocks realized by their cooperation. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by a combination of hardware and software.

  For example, an application program including a software module corresponding to each functional block of the control unit 70 may be installed in the workflow management apparatus 12. Then, the function of each functional block of the control unit 70 may be exhibited by the CPU of the workflow management apparatus 12 reading out and executing each software module in the memory. Each functional block of the data storage unit 80 may be realized by storing data in a storage device such as a storage or a memory.

  The data storage unit 80 includes a workflow information holding unit 82 and a stage information holding unit 84. The workflow information holding unit 82 holds, as workflow information, the anteroposterior relationship of each stage determined by the workflow and the conditions for shifting from each stage to the next stage. A typical transition condition is to receive a notification that the task of the stage has been completed from an agent that has completed the task associated with the stage in advance.

  However, when multiple agents execute a task in one stage in parallel, as a transition condition from that stage to the next stage, the subsequent stage is permitted after receiving the task end notification from some agents. You can determine what to get. In other words, even if task completion notifications are not received from all of a plurality of agents that have executed a task, it is determined that if a task completion notification is received from a predetermined number or more of the plurality of agents, the next stage is shifted to. be able to.

  FIG. 7 schematically shows the workflow of the base technology. The workflow of the base technology defines transitions between a plurality of stages and controls the operations of a plurality of types of real world agents in a form corresponding to the case 1 (for example, FIG. 1) described in the overview.

  The workflow information holding unit 82 is information indicating that the process proceeds to the temperature collection stage 100 and the illuminance collection stage 102 after the workflow starts, and that the next to the temperature collection stage 100 is the average temperature calculation stage 104 as the context of each stage. Hold. Further, information indicating that the next to the average temperature calculation stage 104 is the air conditioner control stage 108 and the next to the air conditioner control stage 108 is the energy accounting calculation stage 112 is held. Information indicating that the next to the illuminance collection stage 102 is the minimum illuminance calculation stage 106, the next to the minimum illuminance calculation stage 106 is the illumination control stage 110, and the next to the illumination control stage 110 is the energy accounting calculation stage 112. Hold. Also, information indicating that the workflow is ended by the end of the energy accounting calculation stage 112 is held.

  Further, the workflow information holding unit 82 is notified of the end of the temperature measurement task from 50 or more of the 100 temperature sensors 22 as a transition condition from the temperature collection stage 100 to the average temperature calculation stage 104. Is stipulated. Further, as a transition condition from the average temperature calculation stage 104 to the air conditioner control stage 108, it is defined that the end of the average temperature calculation task is notified from the temperature calculation node 32. Further, as a transition condition from the illuminance collection stage 102 to the minimum illuminance calculation stage 106, it is determined that the end of the illuminance measurement task is notified from 15 or more illuminance sensors 24 out of the 20 illuminance sensors 24. Further, as a transition condition from the minimum illuminance calculation stage 106 to the illumination control stage 110, it is defined that the end of the minimum illuminance calculation task is notified from the illuminance calculation node 34.

  Returning to FIG. 6, the stage information holding unit 84 holds stage information indicating which stage the workflow is currently in. In the stage information, identification information (name, ID, etc.) of a new stage is recorded when the workflow stage shifts to a new stage different from the previous stage.

  The stage information allows a plurality of stages to be recorded simultaneously as the current stage. In the example of FIG. 7, the temperature collection stage 100 to the average temperature calculation stage 104 to the air conditioner control stage 108 and the illuminance collection stage 102 to the minimum illuminance calculation stage 106 to the illumination control stage 110 are advanced in parallel. Therefore, the stage information holding unit 84 can hold stage information indicating that the current stage is the temperature collection stage 100 and any one of the illuminance collection stage 102, the minimum illuminance calculation stage 106, and the illumination control stage 110. . The stage information holding unit 84 can hold stage information indicating that the current stage is the illuminance collection stage 102 and any of the temperature collection stage 100, the average temperature calculation stage 104, and the air conditioner control stage 108. .

  The control unit 70 includes a stage notification unit 72, an end notification reception unit 74, a transition determination unit 76, and a stage update unit 78. The stage notification unit 72 monitors the stage information held in the stage information holding unit 84, and when the stage information is updated, information indicating the current stage (hereinafter referred to as "current stage information") is a stage broker. 16 is transmitted. Thereby, the current stage is notified to one or more IOT devices 11, and the operation corresponding to the current stage is executed in parallel by one or more IOT devices 11.

  The current stage information transmitted by the stage notification unit 72 includes information (for example, a stage name and ID) that can identify the current stage. For example, a message to which a topic indicating identification information of the current stage is added. On the other hand, the contents specifying the operation mode of the IOT device 11 are excluded from the current stage information. For example, the current stage information does not include a command that directly defines the operation of the IOT device 11 or a parameter that is referred to when the IOT device 11 operates and indirectly defines the operation of the IOT device 11. In this way, the workflow management apparatus 12 notifies the IOT device 11 of the current stage, and leaves the specific operation for the current stage to the implementation of each IOT device 11. Thereby, the independence of each IOT device 11 in the IOT device control system 10 is enhanced, and the security is enhanced.

  The end notification receiving unit 74 receives the operation end notification transmitted from each IOT device 11 from the stage broker 16. The operation end notification is information indicating that a process corresponding to the current stage of the workflow, in other words, a task determined to be executed in the current stage has ended, and can also be referred to as a “task end notification”. The operation end notification may include identification information of a stage that has completed the operation on the IOT device 11 side. However, the operation end notification does not include data obtained by task processing in the IOT device 11, for example, temperature data or average temperature data. These data are transmitted and received between the IOT devices 11 via the data broker 17. Thereby, the workflow management apparatus 12 can concentrate on the start, end, and transition determination of the stage.

  Based on the reception status of the operation end notification in the end notification receiving unit 74, the transition determination unit 76 determines whether the transition condition to the next stage held in the workflow information holding unit 82 for the current stage of the workflow is satisfied. Determine. When the transition determination unit 76 detects that the transition condition is satisfied, the transition determination unit 76 notifies the stage update unit 78 of the combination of the transition source stage and the transition destination stage.

  For example, as a transition condition from the temperature collection stage 100 to the average temperature calculation stage 104, it can be determined that the end of the temperature measurement task is notified from half of the 100 temperature sensors 22. In this case, the transition determination unit 76 may determine that the transition condition is satisfied when 50 or more operation end notifications indicating that the operation of the temperature collection stage 100 has ended are received. Similarly, as a transition condition from the illuminance collection stage 102 to the minimum illuminance calculation stage 106, it is possible to determine that the end of the illuminance measurement task is notified from 15 or more of the 20 illuminance sensors 24. . In this case, the transition determination unit 76 may determine that the transition condition is satisfied when 15 or more operation end notifications indicating that the operation of the illuminance collection stage 102 has ended are received.

  The stage update unit 78 stores the stage information held in the stage information holding unit 84 so as to advance the current stage to the next stage when the transfer determination unit 76 determines that the current stage transfer condition is satisfied. Update. Specifically, when a combination of the migration source stage and the migration destination stage is notified from the migration determination unit 76, the stage information is updated so that the migration source stage recorded in the stage information is switched to the migration destination stage.

  In addition, when a plurality of stages are recorded in the stage information as the current stage, the stage update unit 78 switches the migration source stage notified from the migration determination unit 76 among the plurality of stages to the migration destination stage. Update information. On the other hand, the stage that is not designated as the migration source stage among the plurality of stages is kept recorded in the stage information, that is, maintained as the current stage.

  For example, when the current stage is the temperature collection stage 100 and the illuminance collection stage 102 and only the transition condition of the temperature collection stage 100 is satisfied, the stage update unit 78 collects the current stage as the average temperature calculation stage 104 and the illuminance collection. The stage information is updated so that the stage 102 is set. Thereafter, when only the transition condition of the average temperature calculation stage 104 is satisfied, the stage update unit 78 updates the stage information so that the current stage is the air conditioner control stage 108 and the illuminance collection stage 102. As described above, when the workflow is defined to advance a plurality of stages in parallel, the operation control of the IOT device 11 and the transition to the next stage are executed independently for each parallel stage.

The operation of the IOT device control system 10 having the above configuration will be described below.
FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the IOT device control system 10. FIG. 8 shows an operation when the workflow management apparatus 12 controls the IOT device 11 in accordance with the workflow of FIG. FIG. 8 corresponds to case 1 (for example, FIG. 2) described in the overview. Although it seems that there is a context in the processing of the parallel stages (for example, the illuminance collection stage 102 and the average temperature calculation stage 104) on the sequence diagram, the processing of the parallel stages results in a context, but essentially Are executed in parallel.

  As a premise, each IOT device 11 registers in advance a topic name predetermined for a specific stage in which the IOT device 11 is to operate in the stage broker 16 and the data broker 17. Accordingly, each IOT device 11 operates as a subscriber of a message indicating the start of the specific stage and a message including data necessary for executing a task. Each IOT device 11 is mounted with an operation corresponding to the specific stage. For example, the temperature sensor 22 has a predetermined topic name indicating the start of the temperature collection stage registered in the stage broker 16 and a program defined to execute the temperature measurement process in the temperature collection stage.

  The workflow management apparatus 12 starts the workflow of FIG. 7 periodically or in response to a user instruction. The stage update unit 78 of the workflow management apparatus 12 updates the stage information so that the current stage is the temperature collection stage 100 and the illuminance collection stage 102. The stage notification unit 72 publishes the current stage information to which the topic indicating the temperature collection stage is added to the stage broker 16 (S2), and publishes the current stage information to which the topic of the illuminance collection stage is added to the stage broker 16 (S2). S4).

  Each of the plurality of temperature sensors 22 subscribes the current stage information to which the topic indicating the temperature collection stage is added from the stage broker 16 (S6), and measures the ambient temperature. Then, a topic indicating the temperature measurement result is added, and a message including temperature data in the text is published to the data broker 17 (S8). Each temperature sensor 22 publishes an operation end notification for the temperature collection stage to the stage broker 16 (S10), and the end notification receiving unit 74 of the workflow management apparatus 12 sends an operation end notification from each temperature sensor 22 to the stage broker 16. Subscribe (S12).

  In parallel with this, each of the plurality of illuminance sensors 24 subscribes the current stage information to which the topic indicating the illuminance collection stage is added from the stage broker 16 (S14), and measures the ambient illuminance. Then, a topic indicating the illuminance measurement result is added, and a message including the illuminance data in the text is published to the data broker 17 (S16). Each illuminance sensor 24 publishes an operation end notification for the illuminance collection stage to the stage broker 16 (S18), and the end notification reception unit 74 of the workflow management apparatus 12 sends an operation end notification from each illuminance sensor 24 to the stage broker 16. Subscribe (S20).

  The transition determination unit 76 of the workflow management device 12 determines that the transition condition from the temperature collection stage 100 to the average temperature calculation stage 104 is satisfied according to the reception status of the operation end notification for the temperature collection stage. For example, it is determined that the transition condition is satisfied when 50 operation end notifications published from 50 temperature sensors 22, which is the number determined by the transition condition, out of several hundred temperature sensors 22 are subscrubbed. The stage update unit 78 updates the stage information so as to switch the current stage from the temperature collection stage 100 to the average temperature calculation stage 104. In parallel with this, the transition determination unit 76 determines that the transition condition from the illuminance collection stage 102 to the minimum illuminance calculation stage 106 is satisfied according to the reception status of the operation end notification for the illuminance collection stage. For example, when the number of motion end notifications published from the number of illuminance sensors 24 determined by the transition condition among the tens of illuminance sensors 24 is subscrubbed, it is determined that the transition condition is satisfied. The stage update unit 78 updates the stage information so as to switch the current stage from the illuminance collection stage 102 to the minimum illuminance calculation stage 106.

  As described above, in the workflow of the base technology, it is allowed to define a partial order relationship as an execution order (in other words, a context) between a plurality of stages. For example, the temperature collection stage 100 and the illuminance collection stage 102 are in a partial order relationship. That is, the execution order between these stages is not uniquely determined, and the execution order between the stages cannot be compared. In other words, which stage may be started first and which stage may be ended first. Further, the average temperature calculation stage 104 next to the temperature collection stage 100 and the illuminance collection stage 102 are also in a partial order relationship. That is, the execution order between these stages is not uniquely determined, and the execution order between the stages cannot be compared. As described above, the order relationship between the stages is held in the workflow information holding unit 82.

  The stage update unit 78 refers to the order relationship held in the workflow information holding unit 82, and the transition condition from the temperature collection stage 100 to the average temperature calculation stage 104 is satisfied, while the illuminance collection stage 102 changes to the minimum illuminance calculation stage. When the transition condition to 106 is not satisfied, the stage information is updated to indicate that the current stage of the workflow is the average temperature calculation stage 104 and also the illuminance collection stage 102. That is, the stage transition on the temperature collection stage 100 / average temperature calculation stage 104 side and the stage transition on the illuminance collection stage 102 / minimum illuminance calculation stage 106 side are executed independently.

  The temperature calculation node 32 subscribes a plurality of temperature data to which a topic indicating the temperature measurement result is added from the data broker 17 (S22). The illuminance calculation node 34 subscribes from the data broker 17 a plurality of illuminance data to which a topic indicating the illuminance measurement result is added (S24).

  The stage notification unit 72 of the workflow management apparatus 12 publishes the current stage information to which the topic indicating the average temperature calculation stage is added to the stage broker 16 (S26), and the temperature calculation node 32 subscribes the current stage information from the stage broker 16. Live (S28). The temperature calculation node 32 calculates an average temperature according to the temperatures measured by the plurality of temperature sensors 22, adds a topic indicating the average temperature calculation result, and publishes a message including the average temperature data in the text to the data broker 17. (S30). The temperature calculation node 32 publishes an operation end notification for the average temperature calculation stage to the stage broker 16 (S32), and the end notification receiving unit 74 of the workflow management apparatus 12 subscribes the operation end notification from the stage broker 16 ( S34). The air conditioner controller 42 subscribes the average temperature data to which the topic indicating the average temperature calculation result is added from the data broker 17 (S36).

  In parallel with this, the stage notification unit 72 of the workflow management apparatus 12 publishes the current stage information to which the topic indicating the minimum illuminance calculation stage is added to the stage broker 16 (S38), and the illuminance calculation node 34 receives the current stage information. Is subscribed from the stage broker 16 (S40). The illuminance calculation node 34 calculates the minimum illuminance according to the illuminance measured by the plurality of illuminance sensors 24, adds a topic indicating the minimum illuminance calculation result, and publishes a message including the minimum illuminance data in the text to the data broker 17. (S42). The illuminance calculation node 34 publishes an operation end notification for the minimum illuminance calculation stage to the stage broker 16 (S44), and the end notification receiving unit 74 of the workflow management apparatus 12 subscribes the operation end notification from the stage broker 16 ( S46). The illumination controller 44 subscribes the minimum illuminance data to which the topic indicating the minimum illuminance calculation result is added from the data broker 17 (S48).

  The transition determination unit 76 of the workflow management device 12 determines that the transition condition from the average temperature calculation stage 104 to the air conditioner control stage 108 is satisfied according to the reception status of the operation end notification for the average temperature calculation stage. The stage update unit 78 updates the stage information so as to switch the current stage from the average temperature calculation stage 104 to the air conditioner control stage 108. In parallel with this, the transition determination unit 76 determines that the transition condition from the minimum illuminance calculation stage 106 to the illumination control stage 110 is satisfied according to the reception status of the operation end notification for the minimum illuminance calculation stage. The stage update unit 78 updates the stage information so as to switch the current stage from the minimum illuminance calculation stage 106 to the illumination control stage 110.

  The stage notification unit 72 of the workflow management apparatus 12 publishes the current stage information to which the topic indicating the air conditioner control stage is added to the stage broker 16 (S50), and the air conditioner controller 42 subscribes the current stage information from the stage broker 16. (S52). The air conditioner controller 42 determines a new set temperature of the air conditioner 52 according to the average temperature determined by the temperature calculation node 32, and controls the air conditioner 52 to operate at the set temperature (S54). In this example, the air conditioner controller 42 and the air conditioner 52 are directly connected, but may be indirectly connected via the data broker 17.

  The air conditioner controller 42 adds a topic indicating the air conditioner control result, and publishes a message including the new set temperature in the text to the data broker 17 (S56). The air conditioner controller 42 publishes an operation end notification for the air conditioner control stage to the stage broker 16 (S58), and the end notification receiving unit 74 of the workflow management apparatus 12 subscribes the operation end notification from the stage broker 16 ( S60).

  In parallel with this, the stage notification unit 72 of the workflow management apparatus 12 publishes the current stage information to which the topic indicating the lighting control stage is added to the stage broker 16 (S62), and the lighting controller 44 sets the current stage information to the stage. Subscribe from the broker 16 (S64). The illumination controller 44 determines whether the illumination 54 is turned on or off according to the minimum illuminance determined by the illuminance calculation node 34, and turns on or off the illumination 54 (S66). In this example, the illumination controller 44 and the illumination 54 are directly connected, but may be indirectly connected via the data broker 17.

  The lighting controller 44 adds a topic indicating the lighting control result, and publishes a message including the text of the ON / OFF state of the lighting 54 to the data broker 17 (S68). Further, the lighting controller 44 publishes an operation end notification for the lighting control stage to the stage broker 16 (S70), and the end notification receiving unit 74 of the workflow management apparatus 12 subscribes the operation end notification from the stage broker 16 ( S72).

  The accounting calculation node 36 subscribes the set temperature data to which the topic indicating the air conditioner control result is added from the data broker 17 (S74). In parallel with this, the accounting calculation node 36 subscribes the lighting on / off information to which the topic indicating the lighting control result is added from the data broker 17 (S76).

  The transition determination unit 76 of the workflow management device 12 determines that the transition condition from the air conditioner control stage 108 to the energy accounting calculation stage 112 is satisfied according to the reception status of the operation end notification for the air conditioner control stage. Further, the transition determination unit 76 determines that the transition condition from the illumination control stage 110 to the energy accounting calculation stage 112 is satisfied according to the reception status of the operation end notification for the illumination control stage. The stage update unit 78 determines the current stage when the transition condition from the air conditioner control stage 108 to the energy accounting calculation stage 112 is satisfied and the transition condition from the lighting control stage 110 to the energy accounting calculation stage 112 is also satisfied. Is updated from the air conditioner control stage 108 and the illumination control stage 110 to the energy accounting calculation stage 112.

  As described above, in the workflow of the base technology, it is allowed to define a partial order relationship as an execution order between a plurality of stages. For example, the air conditioner control stage 108 and the illumination control stage 110 are in a partial order relationship. That is, the execution order between these stages is not uniquely determined, and the execution order between the stages cannot be compared. In other words, which stage may be started first and which stage may be ended first. Further, here, the energy accounting calculation stage 112 can be executed on condition that both the air conditioner control stage 108 and the illumination control stage 110 are completed. As described above, the order relationship between the stages is held in the workflow information holding unit 82.

  The stage update unit 78 refers to the order relationship held in the workflow information holding unit 82, and the transition condition from the air conditioner control stage 108 to the energy accounting calculation stage 112 is satisfied, while the lighting control stage 110 changes to the energy accounting calculation stage. If the conditions for shifting to 112 are not satisfied, the stage information is updated to indicate that the air conditioner control stage 108 has been completed and is also the illumination control stage 110. Thereafter, when the transition condition from the lighting control stage 110 to the energy accounting calculation stage 112 is satisfied, the stage update unit 78 updates the stage information again so as to switch the current stage to the energy accounting calculation stage 112. As a result, the workflow is shifted to the energy accounting calculation stage 112.

  The stage notification unit 72 of the workflow management device 12 publishes the current stage information to which the topic indicating the energy accounting calculation stage is added to the stage broker 16 (S78), and the accounting calculation node 36 subscribes the current stage information from the stage broker 16 to the subscriber. Live (S80). The accounting calculation node 36 executes energy accounting calculation processing according to the set temperature of the air conditioner 52 determined by the air conditioner controller 42 and the on / off state of the lighting 54 determined by the lighting controller 44. The accounting calculation node 36 adds a topic indicating the energy accounting calculation result, and publishes a message including the energy accounting data in the text to the data broker 17 (S82). In addition, the accounting calculation node 36 publishes an operation end notification for the energy accounting calculation stage to the stage broker 16 (S84).

  The end notification receiving unit 74 of the workflow management apparatus 12 subscribes the operation end notification for the energy accounting calculation stage from the stage broker 16 (S86). When the transition determination unit 76 determines that the transition condition from the energy accounting calculation stage 112 to the end stage is satisfied, the processing of one cycle of the workflow in FIG. 7 in the workflow management apparatus 12 is completed. Each time a predetermined time (10 minutes or the like) elapses, the workflow management apparatus 12 may repeat the processing of the workflow shown in FIG. 7, that is, the operation shown in FIG. 8 may be repeated periodically.

  The stakeholder terminal 13 subscribes the energy accounting data to which the topic indicating the energy accounting calculation result is added from the data broker 17 (S88), and stores the data in a predetermined storage device. The stakeholder terminal 13 may accumulate energy accounting data periodically notified from the accounting calculation node 36, and executes a process of aggregating the energy accounting data notified over a plurality of times on a daily or monthly basis. May be. Further, the totaled result may be stored in a predetermined storage device and may be output to a display or a printing device.

  The workflow management apparatus 12 of the base technology assigns tasks in a plurality of stages in parallel to a plurality of agents in parallel, and causes each agent to execute the tasks in parallel. Further, whether or not to advance each stage in parallel to the next stage is determined based on the reception status of the task end notifications that are transmitted independently from each other by the respective task assignment destination agents. As a result, even when the number of agents to be controlled increases, it is possible to efficiently provide a service in which each agent is operated in a coordinated manner. In other words, by making it possible to define the processing order of a plurality of tasks to be executed for providing one service in a semi-order, task processing by a large number of agents is efficiently controlled, and efficient service provision is realized. .

  For example, as a transition condition of a certain stage, it is possible to determine that a transition to the next stage is made when a task end notification is received from a predetermined number of agents among a plurality of agents assigned the task of the stage. In this case, the stage transition is made when the number of received task end notifications reaches a predetermined number, regardless of which agent has specifically received the task end notification. As a result, it is not necessary to define many types of processing such as processing when the transmission source of the task end notification is Agent A, processing when Agent B is used, and even if the number of agents to be controlled increases, It is possible to efficiently provide a service in which each agent operates cooperatively.

  In the base technology IOT device control system 10, a stage broker 16 for data flow between the workflow management device 12 and the IOT device 11 and a data broker 17 for data flow between the IOT devices 11 are provided separately. . This makes it possible to provide a broker with optimized settings such as performance and security in accordance with the characteristics of data to be relayed, and effectively improve the performance and security of the entire system. For example, it is desirable for the stage broker 16 to have a setting that emphasizes security over performance. On the other hand, the data broker 17 may be set according to the number of data to be mediated and the size of the data size, and a plurality of data brokers 17 may be provided according to the characteristics of the data to be mediated.

  The present invention has been described based on the first embodiment. This embodiment is an exemplification, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the combination of each component and each processing process, and such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. . A modification is given below.

  A first modification will be described. In the above-mentioned base technology, the IOT device 11 is shown as an agent to be controlled by the workflow management device 12, but the agent may be a person as shown in the outline example 2. In this case, the workflow management apparatus 12 may notify the current stage to an information terminal held by a person. This information terminal may display the contents of the task corresponding to the notified stage on the display. When the task is completed, the person (that is, the task worker) inputs the fact to the information terminal, and the information terminal transmits a task end notification to the workflow management device 12, and the workflow management device 12 performs the stage according to the task end notification. May be advanced.

  As a second modification, a task transition predicate including a stage transition condition is added. The workflow information holding unit 82 holds task transition predicates determined for each stage, and the stage update unit 78 determines the transition mode of each stage according to the task transition predicate. In the task transition predicate, various AND conditions, OR conditions, and NOT conditions regarding the stage transition can be described.

  The task transition predicate of a certain stage specifies that the transition to the next stage is made when the transition condition is satisfied, and within a predetermined time after notifying the current stage information to the outside (or after transitioning to the current stage) If the condition for transition to the next stage is not satisfied (for example, a time-out due to a timer is detected), an alternative / exceptional stage transition may be executed. The condition that the transition to the next stage is not satisfied within a predetermined time is, for example, a case where a predetermined standby time for waiting for a task end notification from the IOT device 11 has elapsed. Similarly, the task transition predicate may define that an alternative / exceptional stage transition is executed when a task end notification indicating an abnormality is returned from the IOT device 11 that has executed the task.

  The stage update unit 78 may execute an alternative / exceptional stage transition when the transition condition is not satisfied within a predetermined time or when a task end notification indicating an abnormality is returned. An alternative / exceptional stage transition may be a transition to a specific stage in a previous workflow or a different workflow. For example, when the workflow management apparatus 12 executes control of external devices by a plurality of workflows in parallel, when an exception or error is detected in any workflow, a specific stage of a common workflow for exception processing is entered. It may be specified to be migrated. According to this modification, various stage transitions in the workflow can be realized, and various error processing and exception processing required for external device control by the workflow can be flexibly handled.

  A third modification will be described. Although not mentioned in the base technology, the IOT device 11 to be controlled by the workflow management apparatus 12 may have a plurality of functions corresponding to a plurality of task stages, and a plurality of functions for calling the plurality of functions. An API may be provided. The plurality of APIs may include, for example, an interface A that is called when the start of the stage A is notified from the workflow management apparatus 12 and an interface B that is called when the start of the stage B is notified. As a result, a plurality of types of roles (that is, tasks) can be physically executed by one IOT device 11.

  For example, when one IOT device 11 is a multi-sensor device that detects a plurality of types of environmental information, the temperature collection stage 100 is notified to function as the temperature sensor 22 and the illuminance collection stage 102 is notified. Can function as the illuminance sensor 24. Further, for example, when one IOT device 11 is a controller that centrally controls a plurality of devices, the air conditioner control stage 108 is notified to function as the air conditioner controller 42, and the illumination control stage 110 is notified to the illumination controller. 44 can function.

  One IOT device 11 receives stage notifications from a plurality of workflows operating on one workflow management apparatus 12 or a plurality of workflows operating on a plurality of workflow management apparatuses 12, and the stage notified from each workflow You may perform the task according to. That is, a plurality of workflows may use a service provided by one IOT device 11.

  Further, the IOT device 11 may identify a task in units of a combination of a workflow and a stage. In other words, the IOT device 11 may hold a correspondence relationship between a combination of a workflow and a stage and a task to be executed. In this case, the workflow management apparatus 12 may transmit a combination of workflow identification information and stage identification information to the IOT device 11 as current stage information. If the call source workflow is different, the IOT device 11 may execute the same task even if the same stage name is notified. Conversely, if the call source workflow is different, the IOT device 11 is the same even if a different stage name is notified. A task may be executed.

  A fourth modification will be described. In the base technology described above, the data flow between the workflow management device 12 and the IOT device 11 and the data flow between the plurality of IOT devices 11 are realized by the message technology via the broker. Also good. For example, known unicast communication, multicast communication, and P2P communication may be performed between the data transmission source device and the transmission destination device. Moreover, you may use a well-known data sharing technique. Further, information notification and data sharing may be realized by one device uploading data to the cloud system and the other device downloading data from the cloud system.

(Overview of the first embodiment)
Various projects, such as production systems for lot management at factories and work at construction sites, grasp a set of multiple tasks (corresponding to the stage of the prerequisite technology) as a semi-ordered structure from the start to the end of the project. Is done. The project in the embodiment means a fixed-term work performed to create a predetermined product such as a product, service, or product. It can also be said to be an activity of producing a predetermined product according to the workflow of the prerequisite technology. The project includes, for example, a production system that includes single-item production in a factory and that performs each task in units of lots or serial numbers in the factory. It also includes service processes such as interior construction at construction sites, and construction processes such as frame construction. Furthermore, it includes various activities such as various service provision processes.

  Conventionally, the task execution in a project has been centered on people, and the task execution place has been limited. However, in the IoT era, tasks can be performed not only by humans but also by various hardware, software, and their cooperation. Further, the place where the task is performed is not limited. Regarding the execution and management of a project including such a task on the network, the present inventor considered that the following two are required.

  (1) It is necessary to appropriately manage that individual tasks constituting the project perform their activities in an autonomous and distributed manner as a whole project. This management needs to be more autonomously distributed than, for example, sequence control used for machine management. In addition, in order to manage the execution status of a task, it is necessary to visualize the execution status so that it can be grasped. In particular, in a project where humans manage the start and end of individual tasks, it is extremely important to visualize and understand the execution status of each task.

  (2) Managing various information generated during the execution of individual tasks in association with tasks has resulted in problems in quality management, process innovation, and further production of goods and services in production projects of goods and services. Indispensable for traceable process management. Even if a lot of data can be grasped in real time at the factory and various service production sites by improving sensing technology, it will be detected if the various detected data cannot be linked to individual tasks. It is difficult to improve products and work-in-process based on collected data. It is also difficult to create production process innovations. However, at present, it cannot be said that various information generated during execution of individual tasks is sufficiently managed in association with the task being executed.

  Here is an example of the project. FIG. 9 shows an example of a project for manufacturing goods. In the project shown in FIG. 1, 1) an iron plate cutting task, 2) a copper plate cutting task, 3) a cut copper plate and iron plate pressing task, and 4) a pressed plate painting task are performed. The iron plate cutting task and the copper plate cutting task are in a partial order and can be executed in parallel. However, in this example, the steel plate cutting task and the copper plate cutting task are sequentially executed by one cutting device, that is, the iron plate cutting task and the copper plate cutting task are not simultaneously executed.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of a schedule in the project of FIG. In the figure, the project of FIG. 9 is represented by the identifier “P1”. Also, the steel plate cutting task (required time is 2 hours) is identified by the identifier “A”, the copper plate cutting task (required time is 1 hour) is identified by the identifier “B”, and the press task (required time is 1 hour) is identified by the identifier “C”. The painting task (required time is 1 hour) is represented by the identifier “D”. In this schedule, an iron plate cutting task is performed in the first two hours (P1: A), and thereafter, every hour, a copper plate cutting task (P1: B), a press task (P1: C), and a painting task (P1). : D) and the project will be completed 5 hours after the start.

  By the way, in actual projects, deviation from the plan occurs for various reasons. For example, a machine tool (such as a cutting device) may stop due to a failure or the like. In addition, resources such as machines and craftsmen may be preferentially allocated to other projects, and the execution of tasks in this project may be delayed. Therefore, it is extremely important in production management to be able to grasp the start and end of a task.

  FIG. 11 also shows an example of the schedule in the project of FIG. FIG. 9 shows a schedule when the project of FIG. 9 is executed three times and three deliverables are produced. As shown in FIGS. 11A to 11C, three projects (each ID is P1, P2, and P3) are performed in the case of one cutting device, one press device, and one painting device. Requires scheduling of resources, and different schedules are derived depending on the types of resource allocation criteria for tasks.

  FIG. 11A shows a schedule to which “longest task priority scheduling” is applied. In FIG. 11A, if there are a plurality of tasks using the same resource, the resource is preferentially allocated to a task having a relatively long required time. FIG. 11B shows a schedule to which “shortest task priority scheduling” is applied. In FIG. 11B, if there are a plurality of tasks using the same resource, the resource is preferentially assigned to a task having a relatively short required time. FIG. 11C shows a schedule to which “workflow order and longest task priority scheduling” is applied. In FIG. 11C, priority is given to executing a task in as many projects as possible, and if there are a plurality of tasks that use the same resource, priority is given to a task that takes a relatively long time. Allocate resources.

  FIG. 12 schematically shows a task execution process according to the schedule of FIG. In the figure, for each of the three projects (P1, P2, P3), 1 hour is 1 Tick (time unit), and task execution processes are shown in time series from top to bottom. In addition, the completed task is shaded. Even in such a simple case, the progress of each task is complex, but in reality there may be hundreds of tasks per project, and tens to hundreds of projects are running in parallel. There are things to do. Therefore, it is not easy to visualize and manage the task execution process in an actual project for producing goods and services.

  In the present embodiment, an information processing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an information processing apparatus) that manages various information generated at the time of performing individual tasks for a plurality of tasks constituting a project for producing predetermined deliverables (including intangibles such as services). It is also called “management device”. The management apparatus according to the embodiment can be called a project management apparatus and a task execution information management apparatus. The management apparatus according to the embodiment realizes visualization of tasks by clarifying the division of each task in an environment in which tasks are performed while people, things, and software on the network are mixed. At the same time, task progress in the project and various pieces of measurement information obtained within each task are packed in units of tasks (data packing) using IoT. As a result, it is possible to link the parts, products, and services generated in the project with each task.

  Information that should be managed in association with individual tasks includes physical capital (production machines) and human capital (persons in charge and Information on the craftsman). Also includes information on substances and raw materials processed in the task, output information on waste and waste, information on customers to whom services are provided, machine operation information for production management, and measurement information for quality control But you can. Furthermore, it may include various information linked to the task at the task execution site. For example, it may be bookkeeping data related to value-added production in the task, and may include a double description of production in a real bookkeeping format. By properly linking these pieces of information to individual tasks, various analyzes can be performed as described later.

  Today, a lot of data measured in various forms, such as big data, is rarely associated with individual tasks even though it is associated with the entire project. Behind this is the absence of a management device (task performance information management device) that manages information associated with each task in a project with hundreds to tens of thousands of tasks. The management apparatus proposed in the embodiment has one purpose to answer this problem.

  The management apparatus according to the embodiment includes (1) management of parallel and ordered execution of tasks according to stages, and (2) packing of information obtained regarding the execution of a project (data packing) and management thereof. Realize two functions. Among these, the function (1) is realized by the workflow management apparatus described in the prerequisite technology. The function (2) will be described below.

  In the process of executing a project composed of a plurality of tasks, various information is obtained or used in association with each task. These pieces of information need to be correctly linked to tasks related to the information. In the embodiment, information related to each task is obtained in real space when each task is executed, and the obtained information is appropriately data-packed in the management device. In this way, while managing the start and end of each task that makes up the project on the side of each task, the management device also grasps the information, and also various data related to the execution of the task measured inside the task Can be collected and managed in units.

  As described above, in the embodiment, the task name information, the lot information on which work such as processing is performed on the task, the start information of the task, and the end information of the task are collected as one piece of information for each task of the project. Introduce a framework to recognize lot work / measurement data packing (hereinafter also referred to as “task data packing”). This framework is also referred to as “task data packaging framework”.

  The packing framework of task data is identified by a combination of project ID (project instance ID described later) and task ID. The project ID may be a lot ID as long as the production activity is performed in units of lots, may be an ID (manufacturing number, etc.) of a product that is finally produced in the project, or may be an ID of a service provided by the project. . In the embodiment, even when the same project (in other words, the same workflow) is executed, if a task execution unit (timing, lot, etc.) is different, a different project ID (project instance ID described later) is assigned. The task ID is an ID that can uniquely identify one task among a plurality of tasks constituting the project. Data related to production and services can be visualized in real time by associating various measurement data with a set of project ID and task ID. Further, as will be described later, various measurement data can be used for quality management and KAIZEN analysis within and between organizations.

  The task data packaging framework includes information on the date and time when the task was started and completed, the physical resources (machinery, etc.) and human resources (workers) used for services such as fabrication services required for the task. And the person in charge) are included as essential information. This makes it possible to visualize the resource allocation to tasks and the task execution status. The information collected about the performance of the task is based on the task data packaging framework, the person in charge of performing the task in the project (for example, processing of work in process and provision of some services), and information on products, work in progress, and services. Can be managed in association with tasks correctly.

Information associated with each task and managed in the task data packaging framework includes the following.
1) Task start and end time information.
2) Allocation information of mechanical devices (physical resources), craftsmen and persons in charge (human resources) used in task function execution services such as fabrication services for task execution.
3) In the case of a task using a machine device, the operating status of the machine tool as a resource used for machining in the task.
4) Various measurement information on the quality of the processed product in the task.
5) Costing information about production at the task.
6) Environmental information such as temperature and humidity during task execution.
7) Various information indicating the status and status of other tasks.
For the above 5), refer to the information system proposed by the present inventor and the energy information recording device (International Publication No. 2013/168419). The contents of WO 2013/168419 are incorporated herein by reference.

  Hereinafter, as a template of a project, data defining an order relation of a plurality of tasks constituting the project is also referred to as “project type”. In addition, in order to produce goods and services according to a specific project type, a physical resource (raw materials, parts, machine tools, etc.) or human resources assigned to the project type is referred to as a “project instance”. Call. If the project type and the project instance are not distinguished, they are simply called “projects”. Note that a project instance ID, which will be described later, may be issued and numbered by a production planning system that allocates physical resources and human resources to one project type, and is notified from the production planning system to the manufacturing site and the management device 122. May be.

(Detailed description of the first embodiment)
FIG. 13 shows the configuration of the project management system of the first embodiment. The project management system 120 includes a management device 122, a message broker 123, a status notification device 126a collectively referred to as a status notification device 126, a status notification device 126b, a status notification device 126c, and a barcode reader 128a collectively referred to as a barcode reader 128. A barcode reader 128b and a barcode reader 128c are provided. These devices are connected via a communication network 124 including a LAN, a WAN, the Internet, and the like.

  The management device 122 is an information processing device corresponding to the workflow management device 12 of the prerequisite technology. The management device 122 is an information processing device that manages information related to a project and a plurality of tasks constituting the project. Details of the management device 122 will be described later.

  The message broker 123 is an information processing apparatus that provides a messaging service and mediates message exchange between client apparatuses. Specifically, the message broker 123 accepts and accumulates messages transmitted (published) from the client device according to a predetermined protocol (for example, MQTT (MQ Telemetry Transport) protocol). Here, a topic name is given to the message. The message broker 123 receives a subscribe request specifying a topic name from the client device. The message broker 123 transmits a message with the topic name specified in the subscribe request to the requesting client device.

  The management device 122 and the status notification device 126 operate as a client device for the message broker 123 and send and receive messages via the message broker 123. For example, the status notification device 126 publishes data regarding tasks to the message broker 123, and the management device 122 subscribes data regarding tasks from the message broker 123.

  The barcode reader 128 is provided with a task ID, a lot ID targeted for the task, and a machine tool ID (in other words, a resource input to the task) in advance in a task execution place (for example, a production line of a factory). Read from a bar code. These IDs are predetermined for each task, each lot, and each machine tool. In addition, the lot of the embodiment may be a unit of work in one task of one project, and the lot ID may be a lot number assigned to the deliverable of the one task.

  The status notification device 126 transmits various information generated at the time of task execution and data indicating the task execution status, status, environment, and the like (hereinafter also referred to as “task status data”) to the message broker 123. The status notification device 126 includes a device (such as a PC) connected to the barcode reader 128. This apparatus transmits a message including data (for example, task ID, lot ID, machine tool ID, etc.) read by the barcode reader 128 to the message broker 123.

  The state notification device 126 includes a start / end notification device including a start button to be pressed at the start of a task and an end button to be pressed at the end of the task. When the start button is pressed, the start / end notification device transmits a message indicating the start of the task (for example, a message indicating the start date and time of the task) to the message broker 123. On the other hand, when the end button is pressed, a message indicating the end of the task (for example, a message indicating the end date and time of the task) is transmitted to the message broker 123.

  In addition, the state notification device 126 includes various measuring devices (sensors) that detect the environment (temperature / humidity, etc.) in which the task is performed, the state of the device (machine tool), and the state of the result of the task (painting unevenness, etc.). Etc.). The measuring device transmits a message indicating the detected environment, device, and product status to the message broker 123. The state notification device 126 includes a PC, a smartphone, and a tablet terminal operated by an operator who should be involved in performing the task. For example, the PC transmits to the message broker 123 a message corresponding to an operation input by the worker or a message including data input by the worker.

  The status notification device 126a and the barcode reader 128b are devices that perform the first task of one project (for example, devices related to the performance of the iron plate cutting task and the copper plate cutting task in FIG. 9). The status notification device 126b and the barcode reader 128b are devices on the side that performs the second task of the one project (for example, a device related to the performance of the press task in FIG. 9). The status notification device 126c and the barcode reader 128c are devices on the side that performs the third task of the one project (for example, a device related to the performance of the painting task in FIG. 9). Note that the task / lot / machine tool ID is read from the bar code as an example, and the task / lot / machine tool ID may be notified from the status notification device 126 to the management device 122 by a known method.

  FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the management apparatus 122 of FIG. The management device 122 includes a control unit 130, a storage unit 132, and a communication unit 134. The control unit 130, the storage unit 132, and the communication unit 134 correspond to the control unit 70, the data storage unit 80, and the communication unit 60 of the workflow management apparatus 12 in the base technology. Although not shown in FIG. 14, the control unit 130 may include the functions in the control unit 70 described in FIG. 6, and the storage unit 132 may include the functions in the data storage unit 80 described in FIG. 6. . That is, the management device 122 of the first embodiment may include the function of the workflow management device 12 of the prerequisite technology.

  The storage unit 132 includes a task order storage unit 136 and a task data storage unit 138. The task order storage unit 136 corresponds to the workflow information holding unit 82 of the prerequisite technology, and holds the execution order of a plurality of tasks constituting the project type. FIG. 15 shows an example of data defining the execution order of a plurality of tasks. This figure shows the task execution order in the project example of FIG. 9, ie, a workflow. The task order storage unit 136 may hold data defining an order relation (a full order relation or a partial order relation) between a plurality of tasks constituting a project. The task order storage unit 136 may hold a plurality of types of projects (in other words, workflows). For example, a first project type that defines the manufacturing process of the product A (that is, an execution order of a plurality of tasks) and a second project type that defines the manufacturing process of the product B may be held.

  Returning to FIG. 14, the task data storage unit 138 is data to which the above-described packaging framework is applied, and is obtained when each of a plurality of tasks constituting the project instance is executed while the project instance is executed. Holds task data that summarizes data in task units. FIG. 16 shows an example of task data. Task data consists of a task ID and project instance ID as a key, task start date / time and end date / time, input resource data, machine tool status data, sensor measurement values and environment status data. Including. Although details will be described later, a plurality of information items of one task data are generated at different points in time during the execution of one task and are sequentially recorded in one task data.

  Returning to FIG. 14, the control unit 130 includes a task execution status acquisition unit 140, a task data update unit 142, and a task data output unit 144. The task execution status acquisition unit 140 acquires data indicating the start of one task transmitted from an external device related to the execution of one task among a plurality of tasks constituting the project, and ends one task Get the data indicating.

  For example, when the start button is pressed in the state notification device 126 (here, the start / end notification device) related to the iron plate cutting task in FIG. 9, the state notification device 126a displays the start date and time of the iron plate cutting task. The message shown is published to the message broker 123. The task execution status acquisition unit 140 registers in advance in the message broker 123 a subscription request specifying the topic name of the message indicating the start date and time, and subscribes the message indicating the start date and time from the message broker 123.

  Further, the task execution status acquisition unit 140 acquires task status data related to the status and status of one task execution transmitted from an external device related to the execution of one task among a plurality of tasks constituting the project. For example, the state notification device 126 (referred to as a sensor here) related to the iron plate cutting task in FIG. 9 publishes a message indicating the ambient temperature detected by the own device to the message broker 123 as task state data. The task execution status acquisition unit 140 registers a subscription request specifying the topic name of the message indicating the temperature in advance in the message broker 123 and subscribes the task status data from the message broker 123.

  When the data indicating the start of one task is acquired, the task data update unit 142 records the start time in the task data regarding the task, and when the data indicating the end of one task is acquired, Record the end time in the task data. In addition, the task data update unit 142 acquires task state data related to the execution of the task after acquiring data indicating the start of one task and before acquiring data indicating the end of the task. The task state data is recorded in the task data related to the task.

  In the embodiment, a combination of a project instance ID and a task ID is included in any of data indicating task start, data indicating task end, and task status data (hereinafter collectively referred to as “notification data”). Is set. As described above, the project instance ID is an identifier indicating the target of the task. For example, it may be an identifier of a task product, a production number, or a lot number (lot ID). The task data update unit 142 sets task data in a task unit (in other words, in a task ID unit) and a task target unit (in other words, in a project instance ID unit), and the task data in the task unit in the task target unit The end time and task status data are recorded sequentially.

  Specifically, when the notification data is subscribed, the task data update unit 142 is held in the task data storage unit 138 based on the combination of the project instance ID and task ID set in the notification data. The update target task data is identified from a plurality of task data. When there is no task data having a combination of the project instance ID and task ID set in the notification data, the task data update unit 142 creates a new key using the combination of the project instance ID and task ID set in the notification data as a key. The task data is stored in the task data storage unit 138.

  After the ID of one task is registered (that is, after the task data is generated), the task data update unit 142 before the data indicating the start of the task is acquired, When task state data is acquired, adding task state data to the task data of the task may be suppressed. Further, the task data update unit 142 obtains the task status of the task whose project instance ID and task ID match after data indicating the end of one task is acquired, in other words, after the end time of one task is recorded. When data is acquired, adding task state data to the task data of the task may be suppressed. As a result, task state data not directly related to task execution can be excluded from the task data, and the accuracy of subsequent analysis can be improved.

  When the task data output unit 144 accepts a task data browsing request, the task data output unit 144 extracts task data that matches the conditions specified by the browsing request from the plurality of task data stored in the task data storage unit 138, and browses the task data. It is transmitted to the requesting device (such as a PC (not shown)). In the task data browsing request, at least one of one or more task IDs, one or more project instance IDs (such as a lot ID), and a machine tool ID (in other words, an input resource identifier) is used as a task data extraction condition. One may be specified. For example, when one task ID is specified as the task data extraction condition, the task data output unit 144 extracts task data that includes the specified task ID and has different project instance IDs. Also good.

  In addition, the task data output unit 144 extracts a specific task data (referred to as “first task data” here) in response to a task data browsing request, and the project stored in the task order storage unit 136. With reference to the execution order of a plurality of tasks in the type, the task data before the first task data (referred to herein as “second task data”) and / or the subsequent task (here, “third task data”) May be further extracted. The task data output unit 144 may transmit the second task data and / or the third task data to the browsing request source device in addition to the first task data. Further, the task data output unit 144 shows an order relationship (in other words, a front-rear relationship) between the first task data, the second task data, and the third task data. It may be transmitted to the apparatus and displayed.

  Furthermore, the task data output unit 144 may accept a request for browsing a project instance list indicating the progress of the project instance from an external device. The task data output unit 144 may aggregate a plurality of task data stored in the task data storage unit 138 for each project instance ID. Then, the progress status of each of the plurality of project instances may be set in each record of the project instance list, and the data of the project instance list may be transmitted to the browsing request source apparatus. Here, the progress status of the project instance includes, for example, an unstarted task (task whose start time is not recorded), an ongoing task (task whose start time is recorded and end time is not recorded), and completed task (Tasks whose end times are already recorded) may be shown to be distinguishable. This makes it possible to visualize the progress of each project instance.

  In this case, the management apparatus 122 may hold in advance a correspondence relationship between the project instance ID notified from the production planning system or the like that is the project instance ID issuer and the project type. Further, the corresponding project type information may be acquired from the production planning system or the like using the project instance ID as a key. The task data output unit 144 may acquire order information of a plurality of tasks determined by the project type corresponding to the project instance ID from the task order storage unit 136. This is data in which a plurality of tasks constituting a project instance are arranged in the order determined by the project type, and data in which unstarted tasks, tasks in progress, and completed tasks are set in different modes (for example, FIG. 15). (GUI data indicating a workflow) may be set in the project instance list.

  The operation of the project management system 120 configured as above will be described. Here, based on the example shown in FIG. 9, the start and end of a plurality of tasks constituting the manufacturing process are correctly identified, and for each task, the production lot processed by each task and the processing machine An example of associating the operating status of.

  FIG. 17 schematically shows the execution process of the project. Here, an iron plate cutting task and a copper plate cutting task are performed by the same cutting device (Cutting M1), and the project proceeds in the order of an iron plate cutting task, a copper plate cutting task, a press task, and a painting task. In this example, a lot ID (lot P1) is used as a common project instance ID across four tasks. The project instance ID may be determined according to the ID system in an actual project (factory, production site, etc.). For example, when the deliverables of each task are managed with different lot numbers, Different project instance IDs may be used.

  First, the operator of the iron plate cutting task causes the barcode reader 128a to read the machine tool barcode (Cutting M1), the lot barcode (lot P1), and the task barcode (Steel Cutting). The state notification device 126a connected to the barcode reader 128a publishes a task identification message indicating the ID of the machine tool / lot / task read by the barcode reader 128a to the message broker 123. The management device 122 subscribes a task identification message from the message broker 123 and newly stores task data 150 including machine tool / lot / task IDs in the task data storage unit 138.

  The worker of the iron plate cutting task presses the start button (S) of the state notification device 126a when starting the iron plate cutting by the machine tool (Cutting M1). The status notification device 126a publishes to the message broker 123 a task start message indicating the start time (typically current time) of the steel sheet cutting task in addition to the lot task ID. The management device 122 subscribes the task start message from the message broker 123 and records the start time of the iron plate cutting task in the task data 150 identified by the lot / task ID.

  The state notification device 126a of this example includes one or more measuring devices (sensors or the like) that detect the state of the machine tool or the state of the environment. Each measuring device as the state notification device 126a detects the operation state of the machine tool (Cutting M1), the state of uneven cutting, temperature, humidity, and the like as task state data. Each measuring device as the status notification device 126a autonomously publishes a task status message including task status data to the message broker 123 in addition to the lot / task ID. The management device 122 subscribes to the task status message from the message broker 123, and the task status data (M1 operation data of the task data 150, cutting unevenness measurement data, temperature / humidity) is added to the task data 150 identified by the lot / task ID.・ Environment information is recorded.

  When the worker of the iron plate cutting task finishes the iron plate cutting by the machine tool (Cutting M1), the operator presses the end button (E) of the state notification device 126a. The status notification device 126a publishes to the message broker 123 a task end message indicating the end time (typically current time) of the iron plate cutting task in addition to the lot task ID. The management device 122 subscribes the task end message from the message broker 123 and records the end time of the iron plate cutting task in the task data 150 identified by the lot / task ID.

  Subsequently, the worker of the copper plate cutting task causes the barcode reader 128a to read the machine tool barcode (Cutting M1), the lot barcode (lot P1), and the task barcode (Copper Cutting). The state notification device 126a connected to the barcode reader 128a publishes a task identification message indicating the ID of the machine tool / lot / task read by the barcode reader 128a to the message broker 123. The management device 122 subscribes a task identification message from the message broker 123 and newly stores task data 152 including machine tool / lot / task IDs in the task data storage unit 138.

  The operator of the copper plate cutting task presses the start button (S) of the state notification device 126a when starting the copper plate cutting by the machine tool (Cutting M1). The status notification device 126a publishes a task start message indicating the start time of the copper plate cutting task to the message broker 123 in addition to the lot / task ID. The management device 122 subscribes the task start message from the message broker 123 and records the start time of the copper plate cutting task in the task data 152 identified by the lot / task ID.

  As in the case of performing the iron plate cutting task, one or more measuring devices as the state notification device 126a detect the operation state of the machine tool (Cutting M1), the state of cutting unevenness, temperature / humidity, etc. as task state data. To do. Each measuring device as the status notification device 126a autonomously publishes a task status message including task status data to the message broker 123 in addition to the lot / task ID. The management device 122 subscribes the task status message from the message broker 123, and the task status data (M1 operation data, cutting unevenness measurement data, temperature / humidity of the task data 152) is added to the task data 152 identified by the lot / task ID.・ Environment information is recorded.

  The operator of the copper plate cutting task presses the end button (E) of the state notifying device 126a when the copper plate cutting by the machine tool (Cutting M1) is completed. The status notification device 126a publishes to the message broker 123 a task end message indicating the end time of the copper plate cutting task in addition to the lot / task ID. The management device 122 subscribes the task end message from the message broker 123 and records the end time of the copper plate cutting task in the task data 152 identified by the lot / task ID.

  Subsequently, the operator of the press task causes the barcode reader 128b to read the machine tool barcode (Press M), the lot barcode (lot P1), and the task barcode (Pressing). The state notification device 126b connected to the barcode reader 128b publishes to the message broker 123 a task identification message indicating the ID of the machine tool / lot / task read by the barcode reader 128b. The management device 122 subscribes a task identification message from the message broker 123 and newly stores task data 154 including machine tool / lot / task IDs in the task data storage unit 138.

  The worker of the press task presses the start button (S) of the state notification device 126b when starting press processing by the machine tool (Press M). The status notification device 126b publishes a task start message indicating the start time of the press task to the message broker 123 in addition to the lot task ID. The management device 122 subscribes the task start message from the message broker 123 and records the start time of the press task in the task data 154 identified by the lot / task ID.

  The state notification device 126b of the present example includes one or more measuring devices (sensors or the like) that detect the state of the machine tool or the state of the environment. Each measuring device as the state notification device 126b detects the operation state of the machine tool (Press M), the state of press unevenness, temperature, humidity, and the like as task state data. Each measuring device as the state notification device 126b autonomously publishes a task state message including task state data to the message broker 123 in addition to the lot / task ID. The management device 122 subscribes to the task status message from the message broker 123, and adds task status data (press machine operation data, press unevenness measurement data, temperature unevenness data of the task data 154) to the task data 154 identified by the lot / task ID. Record humidity and environmental information.

  When the press task is completed by the machine tool (Press M), the press task operator presses the end button (E) of the state notification device 126b. The status notification device 126b publishes a task end message indicating the end time of the press task to the message broker 123 in addition to the lot / task ID. The management device 122 subscribes a task end message from the message broker 123 and records the press task end time in the task data 154 identified by the lot / task ID.

  Subsequently, the worker of the painting task causes the barcode reader 128c to read the machine tool barcode (Painter A), the lot barcode (lot P1), and the task barcode (Painting). The state notification device 126c connected to the barcode reader 128c publishes a task identification message indicating the ID of the machine tool / lot / task read by the barcode reader 128c to the message broker 123. The management device 122 subscribes a task identification message from the message broker 123 and newly stores task data 156 including machine tool / lot / task IDs in the task data storage unit 138.

  The worker of the painting task presses the start button (S) of the state notification device 126c when starting the painting process by the machine tool (Painter A). The state notification device 126c publishes a task start message indicating the start time of the painting task to the message broker 123 in addition to the lot task ID. The management device 122 subscribes the task start message from the message broker 123 and records the start time of the painting task in the task data 156 identified by the lot / task ID.

  The state notification device 126c of the present example includes one or more measuring devices (sensors or the like) that detect the state of the machine tool or the state of the environment. Each measuring device as the state notification device 126c detects the operation state of the machine tool (Painter A), the state of paint unevenness, temperature / humidity, and the like as task state data. Each measuring device as the status notification device 126c autonomously publishes a task status message including task status data to the message broker 123 in addition to the lot / task ID. The management device 122 subscribes the task status message from the message broker 123, and the task status data (painting unevenness measurement data of the task data 156, temperature / humidity / environment information) is added to the task data 156 identified by the lot / task ID. Record.

  The worker of the painting task presses the end button (E) of the state notification device 126c when the painting process by the machine tool (Painter A) is finished. The status notification device 126c publishes to the message broker 123 a task end message indicating the finish time of the painting task in addition to the lot task ID. The management device 122 subscribes the task end message from the message broker 123 and records the finish time of the painting task in the task data 156 identified by the lot / task ID.

  In the case of FIG. 17, the person inputs the start and end of the task to the state notification device 126a. However, the start and end of the task may be automatically detected. Specifically, when the machine tool starts processing a task (for example, when Cutting M1 receives a cutting processing start instruction), the state notification device 126a connected to the machine tool or the machine tool includes: The task start message may be published to the message broker 123 autonomously. Similarly, when the machine tool completes the processing of the task, the state notification device 126 connected to the machine tool or the machine tool may autonomously publish the task end message to the message broker 123.

  As shown in the task data 150, task data 152, task data 154, and task data 156, in the example of FIG. 17, a set of a project instance ID (eg, lot ID) P1 and a task ID such as “Steel Cutting” is a task. A data packing framework is formed, and various data such as information on physical and human resources such as production machines and craftsmanship, task work start time, work end time, and the like are linked to the packing framework and recorded.

  The essential and basic items in each task data are resource information (for example, an identifier of a machine tool) necessary for the progress of the task, and information on the start date / time and end date / time of the task. Even if these pieces of information are assumed at the time of planning, there are actually differences due to various factors. By recording these pieces of information, it is possible to accurately grasp the task progress status and resource allocation information for each lot (or each project instance).

  Although related to FIG. 10, in the case of FIG. 17, the iron plate cutting task is scheduled to be completed in 2 hours and takes 2 hours and 30 minutes. In the management apparatus 122 of the embodiment, since task execution information is accumulated and stored in units of lots (project instance units) and tasks, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, plan data created by a planning apparatus (not shown) It becomes easy to compare with task data.

  The task data packed for each task in the management device 122 further includes (1) task unit data analysis in a plurality of project instances, (2) resource unit data analysis in a plurality of project instances, and (3) project instance unit data. It can support the use of data in the supply chain. This will be specifically described below.

(1) Task unit data analysis in multiple project instances:
Task data recorded in project instances based on the same project type.For example, by collecting task data related to the production of the same goods or services across project instances, various knowledge that leads to improvements in goods and services Can be collected. For example, in the case of FIG. 17, by extracting the task data using the task ID “Painting” as a key, it is possible to analyze the color unevenness of the painting process across the project instances. In addition, for example, it is possible to compare the painting tasks of 100 project instances, identify the task with large color unevenness, and analyze the cause such as that the cause is temperature or the work of a specific painter Become. Similarly, it is possible to analyze the cause of unevenness in the cutting process, unevenness in the press process, and the like by comparing with other measurement data across a plurality of project instances.

(2) Data analysis in resource units in multiple project instances:
It is also important for process innovation and task improvement to analyze data related to mechanical resources such as cutting and pressing equipment and human resources such as painters, etc. . For example, by analyzing various data related to the focused cutting device, press device, or painter across project instances or across tasks, and comparing it with the work (quality, etc.) of other devices and other painters, Resource specific problems and improvements can be found.

(3) Data usage in the supply chain for each project instance:
Various data related to manufacturing processes and service processes are managed in the supply chain. When a problem is discovered in a product or service, the data of the supply chain across multiple organizations can be traced back (trace back). ) Finding where the problem occurred, in other words, ensuring traceability will become increasingly important.

  By the way, the supply chain is connected in such a way that semi-finished products (parts) manufactured in a certain project are used as input materials in the manufacturing process of the next step. Tracing back this supply chain starting from the final product, knowing the data of the final product parts, the parts of the parts, the raw materials of the parts, and the manufacturing process of the parts resulted in an abnormality in the final product It becomes indispensable for quality improvement of time and identification of cause. For this purpose, it is necessary not only to store a package of project information for manufacturing parts (that is, task data) but also to guarantee that it has not been tampered with.

  Conventionally, a huge top-down management system has often been constructed as a system for ensuring that such tampering is not performed. However, in recent years, in order to make the task data generated by the management device 122 of the embodiment impossible to be tampered and to be used beyond the organizational barrier as traceable data that can be traced back from the product, attention has been paid in recent years. The blockchain technology being used is preferred. Note that “impossibility of falsification” means that the fact can be detected if the task data is falsified.

Specifically, a block chain may be generated in the next step for the task data generated for each task.
Step 1) Compress and encrypt the package data for each project instance generated by the company. Packing data in units of project instances (hereinafter also referred to as “project data”) is a specific project (for example, a part shipped from the company to another company) among a plurality of task data stored in the task data storage unit 138. A plurality of task data linked to a specific manufacturing project instance) may be extracted using a project instance ID or a lot ID as a key. For example, if public key cryptography is used for encryption, it is possible to easily compress and compress a large amount of projects.

Step 2) The hash value of the cryptographically compressed project data is calculated.
Step 3) The hash value of the part calculated in 2) is passed along with the part to another company (in other words, another company to which the parts are shipped) in the next step of the supply chain. That is, for each part to be shipped, project data unique to the part is compressed and encrypted, a hash value is obtained, and the hash value is passed to the next step in the supply chain together with the part.
Step 4) When the company in the next step of the supply chain compresses and encrypts the packing data (that is, project data) in the project instance unit of the company, it packs the hash value of the parts passed in 3) together. To compress and encrypt. Thereby, the hash values of the parts manufactured in the previous process of the supply chain are stored together. Thereafter, steps 2) to 4) are repeated until the supply chain is completed. As a result, the hash value of the part manufactured in the previous process of the supply chain is incorporated into the hash value of the part manufactured in the subsequent process.

  If there is an abnormality in the final product of the supply chain and it is necessary to verify the data of the parts (for example, task data) by going back through the supply chain, the compressed packing data of the parts (that is, compressed and encrypted project data) ), The hash value is calculated, and it is verified that it matches the hash value passed in the past, thereby confirming that the project data has not been tampered with. In addition, based on the contract, it is possible to obtain data (that is, plaintext project data) that is guaranteed not to be falsified by releasing encryption and compression. In this way, by combining the data packing technology and blockchain technology of the embodiment, multiple companies involved in the supply chain can distribute and store data while ensuring traceability across the entire supply chain. it can.

  As described above, the management device 122 may hold in advance a correspondence relationship between the project instance ID notified from the production planning system or the like that is the project instance ID issuer and the project type. Further, the corresponding project type information may be acquired from the production planning system or the like using the project instance ID as a key. As a result, if there is a defect in the product that is the product of the project instance, in addition to checking the task data linked to the ID of the project instance, other products based on the same project type as the project instance Task data of project instance can be confirmed. For example, when the data of a specific task ID indicates an abnormality of a machine tool over a plurality of project instances based on the same project type, it can be estimated that the specific task (machine tool) is a cause of a product failure.

  When the task data output unit 144 of the management device 122 receives a search request for designating a specific project instance ID, the task data output unit 144 arranges task data associated with the project instance ID in the horizontal axis direction, and is the same as the project instance. Two-dimensional table information in which other project instances based on the project type are arranged in the vertical axis direction may be transmitted as a search result to the requesting apparatus. In this table information, information on the same task in a plurality of project instances based on the same project type is arranged in a vertical line, and it is possible to support comparison and confirmation across project instances.

  The present invention has been described based on the first embodiment. This embodiment is an exemplification, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the combination of each component and each processing process, and such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. . A modification is given below.

  A first modification will be described. The bar code reader 128 may read an ID (lot ID, etc.) assigned to resources (for example, raw materials, parts, etc.) input in performing a task (part manufacturing, etc.) from a predetermined bar code. 126 may notify the management apparatus 122 of the ID of the input resource. The management apparatus 122 may record the input resource ID of the task in the task data of the task. The input resource ID recorded in the task data of a certain task is typically a task executed earlier, that is, corresponds to a project ID (also referred to as a project instance ID) in the input resource manufacturing task. . According to this aspect, when an abnormality occurs in a product that is a product of a project instance, it is easy to check the task data of each task by tracing back the task flow of the project instance, and it becomes easy to ensure traceability. .

  A second modification will be described. In the above embodiment, the project instance ID and task ID are set in the message (notification data) that the state notification device 126 publishes to the message broker 123. As a modification, in the message indicating the environmental state such as temperature and humidity, the task ID may be specified while the project instance ID may not be specified. Here, the task ID may be determined in advance based on the type of the state notification device 126 (including machine tools and sensors), the installation location, and the like.

  When a message whose project instance ID is not specified is acquired, the task data update unit 142 of the management device 122 first extracts task data in which the task ID indicated by the message is set, and the start date and time is already set from the task data In addition, one or more task data whose end date / time is not set may be extracted as an update target. The task data update unit 142 may set environment state data indicated by the message in each of one or more task data to be updated. According to this aspect, when the sensor functions as the state notification device 126, the sensor does not need to acquire the project instance ID, and it is easy to realize that the sensor itself directly connects to the network and publishes a message. Can be a thing.

  A third modification will be described. Although not mentioned in the above embodiment, the management apparatus 122 publishes a start instruction message for instructing the start of a task to the message broker 123 as in the case of the IOT device control system 10 of the base technology, and performs a task executing side device (for example, The operator's PC, tablet terminal, machine tool, or the like) may be configured to subscribe a start instruction message from the message broker 123. In this case, when receiving a task end notification from the task performing side device (status notification device 126), the management device 122 refers to the task order storage unit 136 to identify the task to be executed next, and identifies the identified task. A start instruction message for instructing start may be published. Moreover, the management apparatus 122 may set the start date and time in the task data of the start target task when transmitting the task start message.

(Overview of the second embodiment)
The outline of the second embodiment will be described. As particularly important data in the task data of the first embodiment, there is data indicating the operation state of the machine tool (hereinafter also referred to as “apparatus operation state data”). For example, in the case of FIG. 17, the iron plate cutting task is scheduled to be completed in 2 hours and takes 2 hours and 30 minutes. In order to specify the cause, the device operation state data of the cutting device “Cutting M1” is Useful.

  In a general machine tool, the internal state of the machine tool is reflected in the lighting state of the patrol lamp. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the voltage data of the relay indicating the lighting state of the patrol lamp, which is universally used to indicate the operation status of the machine tool, is obtained by the photocoupler, and is published to the message broker 123. A technique for detecting an operation state of a machine tool in a system (for example, the management device 122) installed in an arbitrary place is proposed. However, the scope of application of the technology of the second embodiment is not limited to the acquisition of patrol information in a machine tool, and can be widely applied to any machine that can analog output the internal state to a relay channel.

  The use of such a relay contact is supposed to display the internal state of the mechanical device by turning on an analog external display (such as a patrol lamp). In the second embodiment, the internal state of the mechanical device is flexibly expressed as relay setting information by the sequencer program or the setting on the front panel, and the management device 122 or the like acquires the relay setting information as IoT data. The state can be determined (recorded).

  The technology of the second embodiment is an extension of the use of the original relay contact, and instead of directly driving an external device, the signal is obtained via a photocoupler. There is a merit that it doesn't violate the defined rules (maintenance contract etc.). The method for acquiring the internal state of the machine apparatus proposed in the second embodiment can be applied not only to machine tools but also to various types of task performing devices (control panel, etc.).

(Detailed description of the second embodiment)
FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the task performing side device of the second embodiment. The configuration shown in the figure can be applied to the task performing device shown in FIG. The task performing side device includes a machine tool 160 and a state notification device 126. The machine tool 160 corresponds to a cutting device, a press device, and a coating device in the case of FIG.

  The machine tool 160 includes a control unit 162, a relay 164, and a patrol lamp 166. The control unit 162 controls the overall operation of the machine tool 160 and controls the operation of processing for performing tasks (for example, cutting processing of iron plates and copper plates). Further, the control unit 162 manages the operating state of the machine tool 160 (whether there is an abnormality or the like). The patrol lamp 166 is an indicator that presents the operating state of the machine tool 160 to an external worker or the like, and can also be called a warning lamp. The control unit 162 outputs a control signal for controlling the display mode of the patrol lamp 166 (for example, whether or not it is lit, the type of lighting or blinking, the color, etc.) according to the operating state of the machine tool 160.

  Relay 164 opens and closes according to a signal based on the operating state of machine tool 160 input from control unit 162. In the embodiment, a control signal for controlling the patrol lamp 166 is input to the relay 164 so that the display mode according to the operating state of the machine tool 160 is obtained. The relay 164 switches the display mode of the patrol lamp 166 according to the control signal. The relay 164 changes the voltage input to the patrol lamp 166 by switching the open / close state. As a result, the patrol lamp 166 is turned on or off in the manner specified by the control signal.

  The status notification device 126 includes a photocoupler 170, a message generation unit 172, and a message output unit 174. Photocoupler 170 is connected to relay 164 of machine tool 160 and outputs a status signal indicating the open / closed state of relay 164. The state signal can be said to be a signal indicating the state of the voltage or current applied from the control unit 162 to the relay 164 in the machine tool 160, and is a signal indicating the state of the voltage or current applied from the relay 164 to the patrol lamp 166 in the machine tool 160. It can also be said.

  The message generation unit 172 generates task state data indicating the state of the machine tool 160 based on the state signal output from the photocoupler 170, and generates a message including task state data, task ID, and project instance ID. For example, the message generation unit 172 holds in advance a correspondence relationship between a plurality of types of state signals (contents) and a plurality of types of notifications to the management device 122, and the notification content corresponding to the actual state signal state May be generated as task state data. In addition, the message generation unit 172 may hold a correspondence relationship between a plurality of types of status signals and a plurality of types of display modes of the patrol lamp 166. The message generation unit 172 may identify the display mode of the patrol lamp 166 corresponding to the actual status signal mode, and generate a message indicating the display mode of the identified patrol lamp 166.

  Furthermore, the message generation unit 172 may hold a correspondence relationship between a plurality of types of state signals and a plurality of types of operation states of the machine tool 160. The message generation unit 172 may identify the operation state of the machine tool 160 corresponding to the actual state signal state, and may generate a message indicating the identified operation state. It can be said that the message generator 172 functions as a state detector that detects the operating state of the machine tool 160 or detects the display mode of the patrol lamp 166.

  The message output unit 174 publishes the message generated by the message generation unit 172 to the message broker 123. The management device 122 that subscribed to the message records the contact data in the message as the machine operation data in FIG. 16 in the task data specified by the message. The machine operation data in FIG. 16 corresponds to “M1 operation data”, “press machine operation data”, and the like in FIG. The management device 122 may hold a correspondence relationship between the type of contact data and the display mode of the patrol lamp 166, or a correspondence relationship between the type of contact data and the operation state of the machine tool 160. The management device 122 may record data indicating the display mode of the patrol lamp 166 corresponding to the contact data or data indicating the operation state of the machine tool 160 corresponding to the contact data in the task data.

  The state notification device 126 according to the second embodiment acquires the state of the contact in the relay 164 of the machine tool 160 while being electrically insulated using the photocoupler 170. Thereby, the safety | security at the time of acquiring the state of the contact inside the relay 164 can be improved, and the deviation from the rules (safety standards etc.) which the maker of the machine tool 160 determines can be avoided.

  The present invention has been described based on the second embodiment. This embodiment is an exemplification, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the combination of each component and each processing process, and such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. .

  As a modified example, the machine tool 160 may use another type of switch instead of the relay 164, for example, a semiconductor switch (MOSFET, IGBT, etc.). In this case, the photocoupler 170 of the state notification device 126 may output a state signal corresponding to the on / off state of the semiconductor switch. Further, the state notification device 126 may use another type of insulating element instead of the photocoupler 170.

  Any combination of the above-described embodiments and modifications is also useful as an embodiment of the present invention. The new embodiment resulting from the combination has the effects of the combined example and modification. It should also be understood by those skilled in the art that the functions to be fulfilled by the constituent elements described in the claims are realized by the individual constituent elements shown in the embodiments and the modified examples, or by their cooperation.

  120 project management system, 122 management device, 123 message broker, 126 status notification device, 136 task order storage unit, 138 task data storage unit, 140 task execution status acquisition unit, 142 task data update unit, 160 machine tool, 164 relay, 166 Patrol lamp, 170 Photocoupler, 172 Message generation unit, 174 Message output unit

Claims (5)

For a plurality of tasks to be performed in a predetermined order, a task data holding unit that holds task data in which data obtained at the time of performing each task is grouped into task units,
An acquisition unit for acquiring data indicating the start of one task and acquiring data indicating the end of the one task transmitted from an external device related to the execution of at least one of the plurality of tasks; ,
When the data indicating the start of the one task is acquired, the start time is recorded in the task data regarding the one task, and when the data indicating the end of the one task is acquired, the task regarding the one task is recorded. An update unit for recording the end time in the data;
With
The update unit, when the data indicating the execution of the one task is acquired before the data indicating the end of the one task is acquired after the data indicating the start of the one task is acquired, A management apparatus for recording data relating to the execution in task data relating to the one task. The acquisition unit further acquires an identifier indicating the target of the one task transmitted from the external device,
The management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the update unit records the start time, the data related to the execution, and the end time in the task data of the target unit and the task unit. Equipment related to the performance of at least one of a plurality of tasks to be performed in a predetermined order;
A management device,
The management device
A task data holding unit for holding task data in which data obtained upon execution of each of the plurality of tasks is grouped into task units;
An acquisition unit that acquires data indicating the start of one task transmitted from the device, and acquires data indicating the end of the one task;
When the data indicating the start of the one task is acquired, the start time is recorded in the task data regarding the one task, and when the data indicating the end of the one task is acquired, the task regarding the one task is recorded. An update unit for recording the end time in the data,
The update unit relates to the execution of the one task transmitted from the device after the data indicating the start of the one task is acquired and before the data indicating the end of the one task is acquired. If the data is acquired, record the performance data in the task data related to the one task,
The device includes a task execution device that is a device that performs the one task, and a notification device connected to the task execution device,
The task execution device includes a switch that receives a control signal based on the operating state of the device and is turned on / off based on the control signal.
The notification device includes:
A photocoupler connected to the switch and outputting a state signal indicating an on / off state of the switch;
And an output unit that outputs data based on the status signal output from the photocoupler as data related to the execution of the one task. For a plurality of tasks to be performed in a predetermined order, a computer including a task data holding unit that holds task data in which data obtained at the time of performing each task is grouped into task units,
Obtaining data indicating the start of one task transmitted from an external device related to the performance of at least one of the plurality of tasks;
Recording data indicating start of the one task in the task data related to the one task when data indicating the start of the one task is acquired;
Obtaining data transmitted from the external device and indicating the end of the one task;
When data indicating the end of the one task is acquired, recording an end time in the task data relating to the one task; and
If data related to the execution of the one task is acquired after the information indicating the start of the one task is acquired and before the information indicating the end of the one task is acquired, A management method further comprising the step of recording data relating to the performance in task data. For a plurality of tasks to be performed in a predetermined order, a computer having a task data holding unit that holds task data in which data obtained at the time of performing each task is grouped into task units,
A function of acquiring data indicating the start of one task and acquiring data indicating the end of the one task transmitted from an external device related to the execution of at least one of the plurality of tasks;
When the data indicating the start of the one task is acquired, the start time is recorded in the task data regarding the one task, and when the data indicating the end of the one task is acquired, the task regarding the one task is recorded. A function to record the end time in the data,
Realized,
The recording function is such that after information indicating the start of the one task is acquired and data regarding the execution of the one task is acquired before information indicating the end of the one task is acquired. A computer program for recording data relating to the execution in task data relating to the one task.

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