JP7201119B1 - Manufacturing control system - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to appropriately perform product-related management and device-related management. A control terminal is provided corresponding to each device in a factory, is communicatively connected to the corresponding device, and is communicatively connected to each control terminal that acquires device correspondence information about the corresponding device. A management device that acquires device correspondence information from a terminal, obtains from the management device information that indicates the work result of the work target for each device among the device correspondence information, and responds to the factory based on the obtained information that indicates the work result manufacturing history information, acquires operation result information for each device among the device correspondence information, and stores device operation history information for each device based on the acquired operation result information for each device and a first server accessed by a first terminal corresponding to the first functional unit of the manufacturing control server and a second server accessed by a second terminal corresponding to the second functional unit to configure a manufacturing control system. do. [Selection drawing] Fig. 16

Description

The present invention relates to manufacturing control systems.

Each of a plurality of PLCs corresponding to each production facility is communicably connected to a management terminal, and each PLC transmits information indicating the operating status of the production facility to be controlled to the management terminal. A production management system is known (see Patent Document 1, for example).

JP 2019-106158 A

For example, when manufacturing products in a factory, equipment is installed corresponding to each process. A device installed in a factory is provided by, for example, an external device manufacturer. As a manufacturing control system for a factory, it is required to appropriately manage the manufacturing of products in the factory and the management of devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to appropriately manage products and apparatuses in a manufacturing management system.

According to one aspect of the present invention for solving the above-described problems, each device provided in a factory is provided correspondingly, and is communicatively connected to the corresponding device, thereby acquiring device correspondence information about the corresponding device. a control terminal that is communicably connected to each of the control terminals to obtain the device correspondence information from the control terminal; and a management device that is communicably connected to the management device to Acquiring from the management device information indicating the work result of the work target for each device among the corresponding information, and storing manufacturing history information indicating the manufacturing history of the product in the factory based on the obtained information indicating the work result In addition, among the device correspondence information, the operation result information for each device is acquired, and based on the acquired operation result information for each device, the operation results for each device during the period going back to the first time from the present time are calculated. Acquiring operation result information for each device among the device correspondence information by being communicably connected to the management device and a first function unit that stores operation history information so as to be updated in a first cycle. Then, based on the acquired operation result information for each device, the device operation history information for each device in a period going back from the current time to a second time longer than the first time is obtained in a second cycle longer than the first time. and a production control server having a second functional unit that stores to update with a production control system.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain the effect that the management of products and the management of devices can be properly performed in the manufacturing management system.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the production control system in 1st Embodiment. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a control terminal in the first embodiment; FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the management apparatus in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the correspondence example of a communication function and a communication procedure pattern in the communication specification between PLCs of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing examples of communication function types (function types) corresponding to each communication procedure pattern and specific signal generation patterns for each communication procedure pattern in the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of signal generation timing corresponding to communication procedure pattern 1 in the first embodiment; FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a specific example of signal generation timing corresponding to communication procedure pattern 2 in the first embodiment; FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a specific example of signal generation timing corresponding to communication procedure pattern 3 in the first embodiment; FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a specific example of signal generation timing corresponding to communication procedure pattern 4 in the first embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a specific example of signal generation timing corresponding to communication procedure pattern 5 in the first embodiment; It is a figure which shows the structural example of the factory server in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the manufacturing history information in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the server corresponding to a maker in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the apparatus operation log information in 1st Embodiment. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing procedure executed by the maker-corresponding server and the maker terminal of the first embodiment in relation to displaying an apparatus operation history information screen; It is a figure which shows the structural example of the production control system in 2nd Embodiment.

<First embodiment>
[Configuration example of production management system]
FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of (an example of a communication system) of this embodiment. The production (manufacturing) management system of this embodiment is provided in a factory FC that produces (manufactures) a predetermined product. The product manufactured by the production management system of the present embodiment is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a product in which a packaging material such as a paper container or a pouch is filled with contents and packaged.

The production management system of this embodiment includes a plurality of devices 100 (100-1 to 100-N), a plurality of control terminals 200 (200-1 to 200-N), a management device 300, a factory server 400 (first server example), a manufacturing management terminal 500, a gateway 600, a manufacturer correspondence server 700 (an example of a second server), and a manufacturer terminal 800 (an example of a device supplier terminal).

The apparatus 100 is installed corresponding to a predetermined process for producing each product in the factory FC. The apparatus 100 performs operations such as predetermined processing on objects (workpieces: an example of objects to be worked on) that are objects (workpieces: an example of objects to be worked on) in the processes corresponding to the manufacturing of products in the respective factory FCs. In a factory FC, for example, a conveyor-type line transports workpieces between processes.
Manufacturers (device suppliers) who provide (delivery) the device 100 to the factory FC should not be unified, and may be different from each other.

Control terminals 200 (200-1 to 200-N) are communicably connected to corresponding devices 100, respectively. Also, the control terminal 200 is communicably connected to the management device 300 via a predetermined inter-PLC network NWP.
The control terminal 200 is provided together with the corresponding device 100 by the manufacturer of the device 100 . That is, one device 100 and the control terminal 200 connected to the device 100 are provided by the same manufacturer as a set. One device 100 and the control terminal 200 to which the device 100 corresponds may be configured to perform communication using a protocol unique to the corresponding manufacturer.
The control terminal 200 is a computer device such as a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), for example, and controls the corresponding device 100 .

The management device 300 is a device that functions as a master PLC for the PLC as the control terminal 200 .
The management device 300 is communicably connected to each of the control terminals 200 via a predetermined inter-PLC network NWP. The management device 300 acquires predetermined information (an example of device correspondence information) regarding the device 100 from the control terminal 200 through communication with the control terminal 200 . The management device 300 also communicates with the control terminal 200 to give instructions and notifications regarding the operation of the device 100 to the control terminal 200 .

The factory server 400 stores information about products in the factory FC. The information about products may be manufacturing history information for each product. The manufacturing history information corresponding to one product may indicate the work result for the work in the corresponding process for each device in the line manufacturing the product.
The factory server 400 also stores device operation history information indicating the operation results of the devices 100 installed in the factory FC. The device operation history information stored by the factory server 400 is obtained during a period that is a relatively short period of time (an example of the first hour) before the present. Further, the device operation history information stored by the factory server 400 is updated in a relatively short period (an example of the first period).
The factory server 400 may be communicably connected to the management apparatus 300 via an intra-factory network NWI in a predetermined factory FC such as Ethernet (registered trademark).

The production control terminal 500 is a terminal device used by a person in charge of production control in the factory FC. The manufacturing management terminal 500 is communicably connected to the factory server 400 via the factory network NWI.
Also, the manufacturing management terminal 500 may be connected to the manufacturer server 700 on the external network NWO outside the factory FC via the gateway 600 so as to be able to communicate therewith.
The manufacturing management terminal 500 can access the manufacturing history information stored in the factory server 400 and display a manufacturing history information screen presenting the manufacturing history information. Further, for example, when the device 100 outputs a notification corresponding to the occurrence of an abnormality, the management device 300 notifies the manufacturing management terminal 500 of the occurrence of an abnormality in the device 100 (device abnormality occurrence notification). may be sent. The management device 300 may transmit the device abnormality notification to the manufacturing management terminal 500 via the factory server 400 or directly to the manufacturing management terminal 500 . The manufacturing control terminal 500 may notify the person in charge of the occurrence of an abnormality in the device 100 in response to the reception of the abnormality notification.

In order to display the manufacturing history information screen on the manufacturing management terminal 500 , for example, a web browser installed in the manufacturing management terminal 500 or an application for viewing manufacturing history information is made to access the factory server 400 . In response to the access, factory server 400 transmits a manufacturing history information screen as a web page to manufacturing management terminal 500 . The web browser of the manufacturing control terminal 500 or the application for viewing manufacturing history information acquires (receives) the manufacturing history information screen transmitted from the factory server 400, and displays the acquired manufacturing history information screen on the corresponding application screen. .

The gateway 600 relays communications between the intra-factory network and the non-factory network.

The manufacturer-supported server 700 is a server provided on a network outside the factory. The manufacturer-supported server 700 may be constructed as a cloud server.
The manufacturer correspondence server 700 stores device operation history information indicating the operation results of the device 100 corresponding to each manufacturer that has provided (delivered) the device 100 to the factory FC.
The device operation history information stored in the manufacturer-supported server 700 is obtained during a period that is a relatively long period of time (an example of the second time period) before the present. Further, the device operation history information stored in the manufacturer correspondence server 700 is updated in a relatively long cycle (an example of the second cycle).
That is, when the device operation history information stored by the factory server 400 and the device operation history information stored by the manufacturer-corresponding server 700 are compared, the device operation history information stored by the manufacturer-corresponding server 700 is higher than the device operation history information stored by the factory server 400 . The operation history information corresponds to the past long-term period. Further, as for the update cycle of the device operation history information, the device operation history information stored by the manufacturer server 700 is longer than the device operation history information stored by the factory server 400 .

Maker terminals 800 (800-1 to 800-N) are terminals corresponding to respective manufacturers of devices 100 (100-1 to 100-N). If a plurality of devices 100 among the devices 100 provided in the factory FC are of the same manufacturer, one manufacturer terminal 800 may be used for the plurality of devices 100 of the same manufacturer.
The maker terminal 800 is used by a person in charge of managing the device 100 of the maker operating in the factory FC of the maker.
The manufacturer terminal 800 accesses the manufacturer-supported server 700 to acquire the device-operating-history information corresponding to the own device 100 from among the device-operating-history information stored in the manufacturer-supported server 700, and stores the acquired device operating-history information. can be displayed.

In order to display the device operation history information screen on the manufacturer terminal 800, the web browser installed in the manufacturing control terminal 500 or an application for viewing device operation history information accesses the manufacturer-supported server 700, and the manufacturer-supported server 700 displays a web page. It may be realized by transmitting the device operation history information screen to the manufacturing management terminal 500 .

[Configuration example of control terminal]
FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the control terminal 200. As shown in FIG. The control terminal 200 includes a device compatible communication unit 201 , a management device compatible communication unit 202 , a control unit 203 and a storage unit 204 . The functions of the control terminal 200 shown in the figure are realized by executing a program by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) included in the control terminal 200 as hardware.
The device correspondence communication unit 201 communicates with the device 100 which is lower than the control terminal 200 via a predetermined inter-PLC network NWP.
The management device communication unit 202 communicates with the control terminal 200 via the inter-PLC network NWP with the upper management device 300 .
The control unit 203 executes control in the control terminal 200 . The control unit 203 includes a communication control unit 231 (an example of a first communication control unit). The communication control unit 231 executes control corresponding to communication with the management device 300 performed via the management device correspondence communication unit 202 .
The storage unit 204 stores various information corresponding to the control terminal 200 .

[Configuration example of management terminal]
FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the management device 300. As shown in FIG. The management device 300 includes a control terminal compatible communication unit 301 , a network compatible communication unit 302 , a control unit 303 and a storage unit 304 . The functions of the management device 300 shown in the figure are realized by executing a program by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) included in the management device 300 as hardware.
The control terminal corresponding communication unit 301 communicates with each of the control terminals 200 via the inter-PLC network NWP.
The network compatible communication unit 302 communicates with the factory server 400 via networks (the factory network NWI and the external network NWO).
A control unit 303 executes control in the management device 300 . The control unit 303 includes a communication control unit 331 (an example of a second communication control unit). The communication control unit 331 executes control corresponding to communication with the control terminal 200 performed via the control terminal correspondence communication unit 301 .
The storage unit 304 stores various information corresponding to the management device 300 .

[Regarding common communication specifications]
Each of the control terminals 200 made by different manufacturers communicates with the management device 300 under inter-PLC communication specifications based on common communication specifications (communication rules, communication protocol).
A common element in the inter-PLC communication specifications includes that the network used for communication is common in the inter-PLC network NWP. Common elements in the inter-PLC communication specifications include commonality of functions (communication functions) implemented using communication between the management device 300 and the control terminal 200 . In addition, as a common element in the inter-PLC communication specifications, patterns of communication procedures (communication procedure patterns) performed between the management device 300 and the control terminal 200 corresponding to each communication function are standardized. included.

FIG. 4 shows an example of correspondence between communication functions and communication procedure patterns in the inter-PLC communication specification of this embodiment.
The figure shows an example in which communications corresponding to 19 communication functions are defined under the inter-PLC communication specifications of this embodiment. In the figure, numbers 0 to 18 are assigned to each of the 19 communication functions for convenience.

The communication functions of Nos. 0 to 18 will be described with reference to FIG.
The communication function numbered 0 is "device status check". “Device status check” is a communication function for the management device 300 to check the status of the device 100 . The source of the communication of “device status check” is the management device 300 .

The first communication function is "time adjustment". “Time adjustment” is a communication function that writes (instructs) the management device 300 to match the time measured by the device 100 or the control terminal 200 with the time measured by the management device 300 . The source of the “time adjustment” communication is the management device 300 .

The second communication function is "management device status report". “Management device status report” is a communication function that writes (notifies) the state (status) of the management device 300 to the device 100 (or the control terminal 200). The source of the communication of “management device status report” is the management device 300 .

Communication function No. 3 is "work acceptance". "Work acceptance" means that when a work is accepted by the device 100 at the head of the line, the reception of the work is sent from the control terminal 200 corresponding to the device 100 that accepted the work to the management device 300. It is a communication function that notifies The control terminal 200 is the origin of the “work acceptance” communication.

The communication function No. 4 is "transfer between work devices". “Transfer between work devices” is a communication function for notifying the management device 300 from the corresponding control terminal 200 that the work has been transferred between the devices 100 . The control terminal 200 is the origin of the communication for “passing between work devices”.

Communication function No. 5 is "work code reading report". "Work code reading report" is managed from the corresponding control terminal 200 that the work code (product identification information) attached to the work is read by the device 100. It is a communication function for notifying the device 300 . The control terminal 200 is the origin of the communication of the “work code reading report”.

Communication function No. 6 is a "work payout report". "Work Dispensing Report" is a communication function for notifying the management device 300 from the corresponding control terminal 200 of the dispensation of a work by the device 100 to the outside. The control terminal 200 is the origin of the communication of the “work payout report”.

The communication function No. 7 is a "transportation stop request". "Transportation stop request" is a communication function for requesting the control terminal 200 to stop the transportation of the work to the management device 300 when the device 100 is in a state where the device 100 cannot accept the work. The control terminal 200 originates the communication of the “transportation stop request”.

Communication function No. 8 is "inventory tracking". “Inventory information tracking” is a communication function for notifying the management device 300 from the corresponding control terminal 200 of the movement of the position each time a work moves to a predetermined position within the device 100 . The control terminal 200 is the origin of the communication for “inventory information tracking”.

Communication function No. 9 is "periodic data report". “Periodical data report” is a communication function that writes (notifies) predetermined periodic data (for example, temperature) about the device 100 to the management device 300 at regular time intervals of, for example, about one second. The control terminal 200 originates the communication of the “periodic data report”.

The communication function No. 10 is "dispensing work within apparatus". "Internal work delivery" means that when a work is delivered from a port in the device 100 by an operator's operation, the corresponding control terminal 200 notifies the management device 300 of the delivery of the work. Communication function. The control terminal 200 is the origin of the communication of “dispensing work within the device”.

The 11th communication function is "insert workpiece input". "Internal work input" indicates that when a work is input to the port of the device 100 by the operator's operation, the corresponding control terminal 200 notifies the management device 300 of the input of the work. Communication function. The control terminal 200 is the origin of the communication of “Internal work input”.

Communication function No. 12 is "common data reporting". The “common data report” is a communication function that writes (notifies) data (common data) determined in common between the devices 100 as data indicating the operating state of the devices 100 from the control terminal 200 to the management device 300 . The control terminal 200 originates the communication of the “common data report”.

The 13th communication function is a "counter reset request". "Counter reset request" is a communication function for requesting the control terminal 200 to reset the counter at the timing at which the management device 300 should reset a predetermined counter in the device 100 (or the control terminal 200). The source of the communication of “counter reset request” is the management device 300 .

Communication function No. 14 is "equipment alarm report". "Apparatus alarm report" is a communication function for the control terminal 200 to report the occurrence of an alarm to the management apparatus 300 when the apparatus 100 outputs an alarm. The control terminal 200 is the origin of the communication of the “apparatus alarm report”.

Communication function number 15 is "product control". "Product control" is a communication function for requesting execution of product control from the corresponding control terminal 200 to the management device 300 when the device 100 that performs product control reads a work code. The control terminal 200 is the origin of the “product control” communication.

The communication function numbered 16 is "port status report". “Port status report” is a communication function for reporting (notifying) the port status of the corresponding device 100 from the control terminal 200 to the management device 300 when a pallet is discharged from the device 100 . The control terminal 200 originates the communication of the “port status report”.

The 17th communication function is "recipe change instruction". The "recipe change instruction" is a communication function by which the management device 300 corresponding to the target device 100 instructs the control terminal 200 to change the recipe when the device 100 switches the current product type. . The source of communication of the “recipe change instruction” is the management device 300 .

The communication function numbered 18 is "apparatus parameter change instruction". "Device parameter change instruction" is a communication function in which the management device 300 corresponding to the target device 100 instructs the control terminal 200 to change the device parameter at the timing when the parameter setting of the device 100 should be changed. is. The source of the communication of the “apparatus parameter change instruction” is the management apparatus 300 .

For the 19 communication functions described above, five communication procedure patterns in the inter-PLC network NWP are determined according to the types of communication functions. Although the number of communication procedure patterns is less than or equal to the number of communication functions, here, the case where the number of communication procedure patterns is less than the number of communication functions is taken as an example.
FIG. 5 shows types of communication functions (function types) corresponding to five communication procedure patterns, and specific signal generation patterns for each of the five communication procedure patterns. A signal generation pattern corresponding to one communication procedure pattern is common to communications of communication functions corresponding to the functional type of the one communication procedure pattern.
FIG. 5 shows functional types of communication functions and signal generation patterns for each of communication procedure patterns 1 to 5. FIG.

The function type of the communication function to which communication procedure pattern 1 corresponds is "synchronous communication". “Synchronous communication” is a function type in which the control terminal 200 and the management device 300 periodically synchronize and exchange information. The signal generation pattern of communication procedure pattern 1 is generation of a treatment trigger from the source.

The function type of the communication function to which communication procedure pattern 2 corresponds is "data transmission". "Data transmission" is a type of function in which one of the control terminal 200 and the management device 300, which are communication devices, transmits data to the other communication device. The signal generation pattern of communication procedure pattern 2 is the generation of a data set and readable trigger from the source.

The function type of the communication function to which communication procedure pattern 3 corresponds is "data collection". “Data collection” is a type of function in which one of the control terminal 200 and the management device 300 acquires data that is constantly set by the other communication device. The signal generation pattern of communication procedure pattern 3 is a constant data set by the source.

The function type of the communication function to which the communication procedure pattern 4 corresponds is "data inquiry/instruction (an example of mutual data transmission/reception)". "Data inquiry/instruction" means that one of the communication devices of the control terminal 200 and the management device 300 transmits data such as an inquiry or instruction request to the other communication device. is a functional type that transmits data to one communication device in response to receiving data from one communication device. The signal generation pattern of communication procedure pattern 4 is the generation of a data set and read enable trigger on the sending (request) side, and the generation of a data set and read enable trigger on the response side.

The function type of the communication function to which communication procedure pattern 5 corresponds is "counter reset". "Counter reset" is a function type in which one communication device of the control terminal 200 and the management device 300 controls the other communication device to reset the count value of the counter. The signal generation pattern of communication procedure pattern 5 is the generation of a processing trigger on the transmission (request) side and the generation of a data set and readable trigger by the response side.

Again, with reference to FIG. 4, the communication procedure pattern corresponding to each of the 19 communication functions will be described.
As the communication function, No. 0 "device status check" corresponds to the function type of "synchronous communication", so communication procedure pattern 1 is applied.
Communication procedure pattern 2 is applied to No. 1 "time adjustment" because it corresponds to the function type of "data transmission".
Communication procedure pattern 3 is applied to No. 2 "management device status report" because it corresponds to the function type of "data collection".
Since the 3rd to 6th "workpiece acceptance", "workpiece transfer", "work code reading report", and "workpiece output report" correspond to the function type of "data transmission", communication procedure pattern 2 applies.
Since No. 7 "transportation stop request" corresponds to the "synchronous communication" function type, communication procedure pattern 1 is applied.
Communication procedure pattern 3 is applied to No. 8 and No. 9, "Inventory Tracking" and "Periodical Data Reporting", because they correspond to the function type of "Data Collection".
Communication procedure pattern 2 is applied to No. 10, "internal work delivery", because it corresponds to the function type of "data transmission".
Communication procedure pattern 4 is applied to No. 11 "internal work input" because it corresponds to the function type of "data inquiry/instruction".
Communication procedure pattern 3 is applied to No. 12 "common data report" because it corresponds to the function type of "data collection".
The 13th "counter reset request" corresponds to the function type of "counter reset", so the communication procedure pattern 5 is applied.
Communication procedure pattern 3 is applied to No. 14 "apparatus alarm report" because it corresponds to the function type of "data collection".
Communication procedure pattern 4 is applied to No. 15 "product control" because it corresponds to the function type of "data inquiry/instruction".
Communication procedure pattern 2 is applied to the 16th "port status report" because it corresponds to the function type of "data transmission".
Communication procedure pattern 4 is applied to Nos. 17 and 18 of "recipe change instruction" and "apparatus parameter change instruction" because they correspond to the function type of "data inquiry/instruction".

The address used for communication of the communication function is predetermined differently for each combination of the communication function and control terminal 200 . In communication corresponding to the communication function, the control terminal 200 and the management device 300 exchange signals and data using storage areas corresponding to each common address. Such communication between the control terminal 200 and the management device 300 can be regarded as being performed via a common storage area corresponding to each address.

Specific examples of signal generation timing for each of communication procedure patterns 1 to 5 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10. FIG.
FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing signal generation timing of communication procedure pattern 1 corresponding to the function type of "synchronous communication". In the figure, device A is the originating device (transmitting side, requesting side) among the devices of the control terminal 200 and the management device 300, and device B is the receiving and responding side device. In the case of the communication function No. 0 to which the communication procedure pattern 1 is applied, the device status check, the device A is the management device 300 and the device B is the control terminal 200 .
Device A transmits an H-level confirmation request signal from a predetermined address (RXYxxxx) at regular time intervals of time T1 (eg, 5 seconds). Device B transmits an H-level acknowledgment signal at a predetermined address (RXYxxxx) in response to the generation of the H-level confirmation request signal. A predetermined value determined according to the corresponding function type is assigned to "xxxx" in the address.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing the signal generation timing of the communication procedure pattern 2 corresponding to the function type of "data transmission".
The device A sets an H-level read request bit (read enable trigger) to a predetermined address RXYxxxx and sets data to an address RWxxxx, thereby transmitting the read request bit and data.
Device B, in response to receiving the read request bit, performs a read of the data sent at address RWxxxx along with the read request bit. The device B transmits a read completion bit by transmitting an H-level read completion bit at a predetermined address RXYxxxx upon completion of data reading.

FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing the signal generation timing of the communication procedure pattern 3 corresponding to the function type of "data collection".
Device B constantly transmits data by setting data at a predetermined address RWxxxx. Data is updated at appropriate timing.
Device A reads the data transmitted from device B at read timings every predetermined time T2 (for example, 1 second).

FIG. 9 is a timing chart showing signal generation timing of communication procedure pattern 4 corresponding to the function type of "data inquiry/instruction".
Device A transmits an H-level read request signal (read enable trigger) at a predetermined address LBxxxx when making a data inquiry or instruction. Further, the device A transmits data by setting data indicating the content of the data inquiry or instruction at a predetermined address LWxxxx at the timing corresponding to the transmission of the H-level read request signal.
Device B reads the data set by device A in response to receiving the H-level read request signal transmitted from device A. An H-level read completion signal is transmitted. Device B has received an inquiry/instruction from device A through the steps up to this point.
Device B transmits an H-level read request signal (read enable trigger) for requesting device A to read a response to an inquiry/instruction from device A at a predetermined address LBxxxx. In addition, device B sets data as a response to the inquiry/instruction at a predetermined address LWxxxx in correspondence with the timing of transmitting the H-level read request signal.
Device A reads the data set by device B in response to receiving the H-level read request signal transmitted from device B, and upon completion of reading the data, reads data from a predetermined address LBxxxx. An H-level read completion signal is transmitted.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing signal generation timing of communication procedure pattern 5 corresponding to the function type of counter reset.
Device A transmits an H-level counter reset request signal at address RWxxxx.
Device B resets the counter at a predetermined address RWxxxx in response to receiving the counter reset request signal. Device B sets the processing result corresponding to the counter reset at a predetermined address RWxxxx. Device B transmits an H-level counter reset response signal at a predetermined address RXYxxxx according to the set of processing results.

As described above, the control terminal 200 of this embodiment is provided by the manufacturer of the device 100 together with the corresponding device 100 . For this reason, the control terminal 200 is originally configured so as to correspond to the communication specification adopted independently by the manufacturer of the supply source, with respect to the communication specification for communicating with the upper management device 300 . In this case, the management device 300 needs to be configured so as to be able to communicate with each of the communication specifications adopted by each of the control terminals 200 . However, the configuration of the management device 300 that enables communication between the control terminals 200 corresponding to different communication specifications is complicated. For this reason, it is not easy to respond to development, specification changes, addition of functions, etc. of the production control system.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, inter-PLC communication in which each of the control terminals 200 communicates with the management device 300 is made common. This enables the management device 300 to communicate with a plurality of control terminals 200 through one inter-PLC communication. In this case, when the inter-PLC communication specifications are changed, it is not necessary to change the specifications for each manufacturer, so development of a production management system is facilitated.

Note that the communication functions defined for communication in the inter-PLC network NWP are not limited to the above 19 functions. More than 19 communication functions or less than 19 communication functions may be defined according to need. Also, the number of communication procedure patterns may be changed according to the function type corresponding to the number of communication functions.
The configuration of the present embodiment is applied to a system other than the production control system illustrated in FIG. 1, in which one second communication device communicates with a plurality of first communication devices. good.

[Factory server configuration example]
FIG. 11 shows a configuration example of the factory server 400. As shown in FIG. The functions of the factory server 400 shown in the figure are realized by executing a program by the CPU provided in the factory server 400 as hardware. Factory server 400 includes communication unit 401 , control unit 402 (an example of a first function unit), and storage unit 403 .
The communication unit 401 communicates via the factory network NWI.

The control unit 402 executes control in the factory server 400 . The control unit 402 manages manufacturing history information. That is, the control unit 402 causes the manufacturing history information storage unit 431 to store the manufacturing history information generated based on the information regarding the manufacturing of the product transmitted from the management device 300 .
In response to access from the manufacturing management terminal 500 , the control unit 402 also transmits a screen (manufacturing history information screen) presenting the manufacturing history information stored in the manufacturing history information storage unit 431 to the manufacturing management terminal 500 . As a result, the manufacturing history information screen is displayed on the display section of the manufacturing management terminal 500 .

The storage unit 403 stores information to which the factory server 400 corresponds. The storage unit 403 includes a manufacturing history information storage unit 431 and an apparatus operation history information storage unit 432 . The manufacturing history information storage unit 431 stores manufacturing history information. The manufacturing history information is information indicating the work history for each process for each product manufactured in the factory.

FIG. 12 shows an example of manufacturing history information stored in the manufacturing history information storage unit 431. As shown in FIG. The manufacturing history information corresponding to one product has a structure in which work history information is associated with a product identifier.
A product identifier is an identifier attached to a product so as to uniquely indicate the corresponding product. The product identifier may be generated by the management device 300 or the like in the factory FC, for example, when a work corresponding to the product is input to the first process.
The work history information is information indicating the history of work results in each process of manufacturing the corresponding product.
The work history information corresponds to the communication function shown in FIG. It may be generated by the control unit 402 based on the information transmitted from the control terminal 200 in response to information tracking, No. 10 in-device work delivery, No. 11 in-device work input, and the like.

Depending on the manufacturing history information screen displayed on the manufacturing management terminal 500 based on the work history information generated as described above, what kind of work result was obtained for each work for each product is shown. . As a result, when a defective product occurs in a certain product, the person in charge can investigate the occurrence of the defective product from the manufacturing history information displayed on the manufacturing history information screen, or find a defect similar to the defective product. It is possible to specify the range of influence of defect occurrence, such as the lot that may be defective, the manufacturing period, etc. Also, by associating the manufacturing history information with the shipping information, it is possible to track the distribution of each product.

Returning the description to FIG. The device operation history information storage unit 432 stores device operation history information. The structure of the device operation history information stored in the device operation history information storage unit 432 may be the same as that shown in FIG. 14 described later.

In addition, the management device 300, for example, when communication is performed according to the communication function corresponding to the occurrence of an abnormality in the device 100, such as the 8th transportation stop request or the 14th device alarm report in FIG. A notification of the occurrence (apparatus abnormality occurrence notification) may be sent to the manufacturing control terminal 500 via the factory server 400 or directly. The manufacturing control terminal 500 that has received the device failure notification may notify that the device 100 has failed. The manufacturing control terminal 500 may notify the occurrence of an abnormality by display, sound, lighting of a lamp, or the like. In other words, the manufacturing management terminal 500 can monitor the operating state of the device 100 in real time.

[Configuration example of manufacturer-supported server]
FIG. 13 shows a configuration example of the server 700 for manufacturers. The functions of the manufacturer-supported server 700 shown in the figure are realized by executing a program by a CPU provided in the manufacturer-supported server 700 as hardware.
The manufacturer-supported server 700 includes a communication section 701 , a control section 702 (an example of a second function section), and a storage section 703 .
A communication unit 701 performs communication via an external network NWO.

The control unit 702 executes control in the manufacturer-supported server 700 . A control unit 702 manages device operation history information. That is, the control unit 702 causes the device operation history information storage unit 731 to store the device operation history information generated based on the information about the operation state of the device transmitted from the management device 300 .

The control unit 702 includes an access handling control unit 721 . In response to access from the maker terminal 800, the access handling control unit 721 causes the maker terminal 800 that is the access source to display a device operation history information screen that presents device operation history information. That is, the control unit 702 generates the device operation history information screen using the device operation history information returned to the device operation history information storage unit 731 according to the control from the maker terminal 800 . The control unit 702 transmits the generated device operation history information screen to the maker terminal 800 that is the access source. As a result, the transmitted device operation history information screen is displayed on the access source maker terminal 800 .
In addition, the access handling control unit 721 permits access only to the device operation history information of the device 100 of the manufacturer to which the maker terminal 800 corresponds in response to access from one maker terminal 800, and the maker terminal 800 corresponds to the device operation history information. Access to the device operation history information of the devices 100 of other manufacturers that are not manufactured is restricted. That is, the device operation history information screen displayed on one manufacturer's terminal 800 presents only the device operation history information about the devices 100 of the own manufacturer, and does not present the device operation history information about the devices 100 of other manufacturers. be made.

The storage unit 703 stores information corresponding to the manufacturer correspondence server 700 . The storage unit 703 includes an apparatus operation history information storage unit 731 . The device operation history information is information indicating the history regarding the operation of each device 100 in the factory FC.

FIG. 14 shows an example of device operation history information stored in the device operation history information storage unit 731. As shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the device operation history information corresponding to one device 100 has a structure in which the device identifier is associated with the operation history information and the manufacturer account.
The device identifier is an identifier that uniquely indicates the corresponding device 100 .

The operation history information is information indicating the operation history of the corresponding device 100 .
The operation history information is managed according to communication corresponding to the communication function shown in FIG. It may be generated by the control unit 402 based on the information acquired by the device 300 and transmitted to the manufacturer corresponding server 700 . The operation history information may also include information based on information related to works such as numbers 3 to 6, 10, and 11, for example. Depending on the operation history information based on such work-related information, it is possible to indicate the number of times of work corresponding to the work, the state of the work corresponding to the work, and the like.

The maker account is an account registered by the maker of the corresponding device 100 . A maker account includes, for example, a maker identifier and a password. The maker account included in the device operation history information is used by the access handling control unit 721 to present the restricted device operation history information to the device 100 of the manufacturer to which the access source maker terminal 800 corresponds.

[Example of processing procedure]
With reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. 15, an example of a processing procedure executed by the manufacturer correspondence server 700 and the manufacturer terminal 800 of this embodiment in relation to the display of the device operation history information screen will be described.
Step S100: The person in charge of device management at the manufacturer causes the manufacturer terminal 800 to access the website for providing device operation history information of the manufacturer correspondence server 700 when displaying the device operation history information screen on the manufacturer terminal 800. . The manufacturer terminal 800 accesses the manufacturer server 700 according to the operation, and transmits a login request for logging in to the website for providing device operation history information. The login request includes a maker account (maker identifier, password, etc.) registered in advance by the maker.

Step S102: Upon receiving the login request sent in step S100, the manufacturer correspondence server 700 uses the manufacturer account included in the received login request to perform authentication processing.

Step S104: In response to the success of the authentication process in step S104, the access handling control unit 721 of the manufacturer-corresponding server 700 adds the device operation history information storing the same manufacturer account used for the authentication process to the device operation history information. A search is made from the storage unit 731 .

Step S106: The access handling control unit 721 generates an apparatus operation history information screen using the operation history information in the apparatus operation history information searched in step S104.
Step S108: The access handling control unit 721 transmits the device operation history information screen generated in step S106 to the maker terminal 800 that transmitted the login information in step S100.

Step S110: The maker terminal 800 causes the display section of the maker terminal 800 to display the apparatus operation history information screen transmitted in step S106. The device operation history information screen displayed in this way presents the operation history information of the manufacturer to which the manufacturer account used for login this time corresponds (that is, the manufacturer to which the manufacturer terminal 800 corresponds). History information is not presented.

By checking the operation history information presented on the device operation history information screen, the person in charge of the manufacturer can confirm the past operation status of the device 100 without going to the factory FC. can. In addition, it is possible to monitor signs of failures, abnormalities, etc., and appropriately determine necessary maintenance based on past operating conditions. The operation history information stored in the manufacturer-supported server 700 in this way is used by the manufacturer to maintain the device from a long-term perspective.

When a plurality of devices 100 of the same manufacturer are arranged in the factory FC, a common manufacturer account may be registered for each of the plurality of devices 100, or a different manufacturer account may be registered for each of the plurality of devices 100. may be
When a common maker account is registered for each of a plurality of devices 100, depending on step S104, a plurality of pieces of operation history information associated with the common maker account may be retrieved. In this case, operation history information of a plurality of devices 100 of the same manufacturer can be presented on the device operation history information screen.
Also, if different maker accounts are used for login for a plurality of devices 100 under the same maker, the same maker account used for login is supported on the device operation history information screen. The operation history information of only the attached device 100 may be presented.

The manufacturing management terminal 500 accesses the factory server 400 through the processing in accordance with FIG. 15, thereby displaying an apparatus operation history information screen on which the content of the apparatus operation history information stored in the factory server 400 is reflected. can.

As described above, the device operation history information stored by the factory server 400 corresponds to a shorter past period than the device operation history information stored by the manufacturer server 700, and has a shorter update cycle. The device operation history information screen on which the content of the device operation history information is reflected presents the status of the devices on the line in real time. In other words, the manufacturing control terminal 500 displays the device operation history information stored in the factory server 400, thereby monitoring the operating state of the line in the factory FC in real time and the process of each device in the line in real time. be able to. In addition, by monitoring the state of the line in real time in this way, it is possible to detect a sign of the occurrence of an abnormality in the line.

<Second embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment will be described. The production management system of this embodiment has a configuration in which the factory server 400 and the manufacturer server 700 of the first embodiment are integrated into one server (manufacturing management server).
FIG. 16 shows an overall configuration example of the production management system of this embodiment. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG.
In the factory FC in the figure, an example is shown in which a plurality of unit management systems UN (UN-1 to UN-n) are provided. One unit management system UN includes one management device 300, a plurality of control terminals 200 (200-1 to 200-N) connected to the management device 300 via an inter-LC network NWP, and control terminals 200. It comprises a plurality of devices 100 (100-1 to 100-N) connected respectively. For example, a plurality of production lines may be provided in a factory FC, and each of the plurality of unit management systems UN may be provided corresponding to each production line among the plurality of production lines.
In one unit management system UN, a management device 300 is communicably connected to a manufacturing management server 700A outside the factory FC. Management device 300 and manufacturing management server 700A may be connected via a network.
The manufacturing management server 700A is a server that integrates the functions of the factory server 400 and the manufacturer server 700 in FIG. That is, the manufacturing management server 700A includes the configuration of the factory server 400 in FIG. 11 and the configuration of the manufacturer server 700 in FIG.
The factory server 400 and the manufacturer correspondence server 700 of the first embodiment have functions as the manufacturing management server 700A. It can be regarded as a server that is configured to be distributed to the function of managing

The manufacturing management server 700A is connected to a plurality of information management terminals 800A (information management terminals 800A-1 to 800A-N) via a network.
One information management terminal 800A may have either the function of the manufacturing management terminal 500 in the first embodiment or the function of the maker terminal 800-N. Alternatively, information management terminal 800A may be configured to have both the function of manufacturing management terminal 500 and the function of maker terminal 800-N.

It should be noted that a program for realizing the functions of the above-described device 100, control terminal 200, management device 300, factory server 400, manufacturing management terminal 500, manufacturer correspondence server 700, manufacturer terminal 800, etc. is recorded in a computer-readable recording medium. Then, the program recorded on the recording medium is loaded into the computer system and executed, whereby the device 100, the control terminal 200, the management device 300, the factory server 400, the manufacturing management terminal 500, the manufacturer server 700, the manufacturer Processing of the terminal 800 or the like may be performed. Here, "loading and executing the program recorded on the recording medium into the computer system" includes installing the program in the computer system. The "computer system" here includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Also, the "computer system" may include a plurality of computer devices connected via a network including communication lines such as the Internet, WAN, LAN, and dedicated lines. The term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible discs, magneto-optical discs, ROMs and CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard discs incorporated in computer systems. Thus, the recording medium storing the program may be a non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM. Recording media also include internal or external recording media accessible from the distribution server for distributing the program. The program code stored in the recording medium of the distribution server may be different from the program code in a format executable by the terminal device. That is, as long as it can be downloaded from the distribution server and installed in a form that can be executed on the terminal device, the form stored in the distribution server does not matter. It should be noted that the program may be divided into a plurality of programs, and the divided programs may be downloaded at different timings and then integrated in the terminal device, or the distribution servers that distribute the divided programs may be different. In addition, "computer-readable recording medium" is a volatile memory (RAM) inside a computer system that acts as a server or client when the program is transmitted via a network, and retains the program for a certain period of time. It shall also include things. Further, the program may be for realizing part of the functions described above. Further, it may be a so-called difference file (difference program) that can realize the above-described functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

100 (100-1 to 100-N) device, 200 (200-1 to 200-N) control terminal, 201 device corresponding communication unit, 202 management device corresponding communication unit, 203 control unit, 204 storage unit, 231 communication control unit , 300 management device, 301 control terminal compatible communication unit, 302 network compatible communication unit, 303 control unit, 304 storage unit, 331 communication control unit, 400 factory server, 401 communication unit, 402 control unit, 403 storage unit, 431 manufacturing history Information storage unit 432 Device operation history information storage unit 500 Manufacturing control terminal 600 Gateway 700 Manufacturer correspondence server 700A Manufacturing control server 701 Communication unit 702 Control unit 703 Storage unit 721 Access control unit 731 Device Operation history information storage unit 800 (800-1 to 800-N) Manufacturer terminal 800A (800A-1 to 800A-N) Information management terminal

Claims (3)

a control terminal that is provided corresponding to each device provided in the factory and that acquires device correspondence information about the corresponding device by being communicably connected to the corresponding device;
a management device that acquires the device correspondence information from each of the control terminals by being communicably connected to each of the control terminals;
By being communicably connected to the management device, information indicating the work result of the work target for each device among the device correspondence information is acquired from the management device, and based on the acquired work result information and stores manufacturing history information indicating the manufacturing history of the product in the factory, acquires operation result information for each device among the device correspondence information, and based on the acquired operation result information for each device , a first functional unit that stores operation history information for each device in a period that goes back to a first hour from the present so as to be updated in a first period;
By being communicably connected to the management device, operation result information is acquired for each device among the device correspondence information, and based on the acquired operation result information for each device, from the present to the first. and a second functional unit that stores the device operation history information for each device in a period going back to a second time longer than one hour so as to be updated in a second cycle longer than the first cycle. ,
The manufacturing control server is distributed to a first server corresponding to the first function unit and a second server corresponding to the second function unit,
The first server is connected to the management device via a network inside the factory, the second server is connected to the management device via a network outside the factory,
the first server, in response to access from the first terminal, transmits a screen that presents the manufacturing history information or a screen that reflects the content of the operation history information, and causes the first terminal to display the screen;
The manufacturing management system, wherein the second server transmits the apparatus operation history information and causes the second terminal to display the apparatus operation history information in response to access from the second terminal. The first server is connected to the first terminal via a network inside the factory, and the second server is connected to the second terminal via a network outside the factory. Manufacturing control system. The second terminal is provided corresponding to each manufacturer of the device,
3. The second server according to claim 1, wherein the second server transmits the device operation history information of a device manufactured by the same manufacturer as that of the second terminal serving as the access source, and displays the information on the second terminal serving as the access source. Manufacturing control system.

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