JP7362815B2 - Information processing system, production system, article manufacturing method, control method, program, recording medium, information processing device, information processing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a leak monitoring system that monitors leaks of compressed air in a device system that includes a plurality of air devices that operate in response to a supply of compressed air. In particular, the present invention relates to a leakage monitoring system that is suitably used in a production equipment system equipped with a plurality of air devices such as air cylinders and air blowers.

Traditionally, production equipment has often used equipment that operates by receiving a supply of compressed air, such as air cylinders, but if compressed air leaks from such equipment or piping, the production equipment will not operate properly. . Therefore, in order to maintain the equipment, preventive maintenance has been carried out in which inspection, repair, parts replacement, etc. are carried out at regular intervals. In preventive maintenance, production equipment is stopped and inspected at short intervals, which reduces production efficiency and requires a large number of man-hours. On the other hand, if the interval period until the next inspection is lengthened, even if compressed air gradually begins to leak during that time, it may not be discovered until a problem occurs in the operation of the equipment during the production process.

To address these problems, in recent years, production equipment has been operated while being monitored with sensors, etc., and parts have been replaced, repaired, and updated depending on the state of deterioration, thereby reducing unnecessary parts replacement and labor costs. A predictive maintenance concept has been proposed to achieve this.
Patent Document 1 describes an apparatus in which a flow meter is disposed in a compressed air circuit, and flow rate data is sent to a monitoring computer for constant monitoring.
Further, Patent Document 2 describes a device that collects sounds from a monitored object using an ultrasonic microphone and detects fluid leaks from this sound data.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-294503 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-51300

In production equipment that is equipped with multiple devices that operate using a supply of compressed air, in order to efficiently carry out repairs and parts replacement work, it is necessary not only to detect the occurrence of compressed air leaks, but also to detect leaks. It is important to identify the equipment or supply route where the problem occurred.
However, in the prior art, it was necessary to install a large number of sensors in order to be able to identify the location where a leak occurred.

In the method of Patent Document 1, in order to identify the location and equipment where air leakage has occurred, it is necessary to provide flow meters at many locations such as branch points of the compressed air supply path and connection points with each equipment. Additionally, it is necessary to install a flowmeter with a large measurement range (maximum flow rate) in piping with a large flow rate or equipment that consumes a large amount of air, which may reduce the sensitivity to minute changes in flow rate, resulting in the occurrence of leaks. may be overlooked.

In the method of Patent Document 2, in order to identify the location and equipment where air leakage has occurred, it is necessary to install ultrasonic microphones at many locations such as in piping and near each equipment. In production equipment, equipment is often placed closely together, which not only requires a large number of ultrasonic microphones, but also makes it possible for leaks to be overlooked due to the noise emitted by surrounding equipment. .

As described above, in the conventional method, it is necessary to install many sensors, signal wiring from the sensors increases, communication speed increases, data processing becomes complicated, etc., and the cost of the device increases. Additionally, leakage may not be detected at an early stage due to lack of sensitivity to minute flow rate changes or a drop in the S/N ratio due to noise emitted by production equipment. There is also a risk that the leakage will increase to a level that will cause problems. If leakage increases to a level that interferes with operation, production will need to be stopped and repairs performed, creating issues such as revising operation plans and reducing productivity.

One aspect of the present invention includes at least two devices that use air, a sensor capable of acquiring the state of the air in the at least two devices, and a control section, and the control section is configured to control the at least two devices. identifying a device in which an air-related abnormality has occurred among the at least two devices, based on information specifying the operating state of the one device that changes depending on the operation sequence and a result obtained from the sensor; It is an information processing system characterized by:
Another aspect of the present invention is a production device including at least two devices that use air, a sensor capable of acquiring the state of the air in the at least two devices, and a control unit. , the control unit determines whether an air-related abnormality has occurred among the at least two devices based on information specifying the operating state of the at least two devices that changes depending on the operation sequence and the result obtained from the sensor. identify the equipment that is
This is a production system characterized by:

Another aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling an information processing system including a plurality of devices that use air, a sensor capable of acquiring the state of the air in the plurality of devices, and a control unit. The control unit determines which of the plurality of devices is experiencing an air-related abnormality, based on information regarding the operating state of the plurality of devices that changes depending on the operation sequence and the obtained results from the sensor. This is a control method characterized by :
Further, another aspect of the present invention is an information processing apparatus that acquires an acquisition result from a sensor that can acquire the state of air in a plurality of devices that use air, the control unit comprising: , an information processing device that identifies a device in which an air-related abnormality has occurred among the plurality of devices based on information regarding an operating state that changes depending on the operation sequence and the obtained result from the sensor. It is.
Another aspect of the present invention is an information processing method for an information processing apparatus that acquires acquisition results from a sensor that can acquire the state of air in a plurality of devices that use air, A device in which an air-related abnormality has occurred among the plurality of devices is identified based on information regarding the operating state of the plurality of devices that changes depending on the operation sequence and the obtained result from the sensor. This is an information processing method.

The present invention provides a monitoring system that can monitor compressed air leaks in multiple air devices using a small number of sensors, and that can identify the air device related to the leak when a leak occurs. can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a production line according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a monitoring device according to an embodiment. 3 is a flowchart of monitoring in an embodiment. A simple cross-sectional view of an air cylinder. (a) A diagram showing the extended state of the air cylinder. (b) A diagram showing air leakage when the air cylinder is in the on state. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a part of the production apparatus of Example 1. FIG. 5 is a time chart showing the operation sequence of the leakage monitoring system according to the first embodiment. 5 is a time chart showing the operation sequence of the leakage monitoring system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a part of the production equipment of Example 3. 7 is a time chart showing a sequence for setting a threshold value and an amplification factor in the leakage monitoring system of Example 3. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a part of the production equipment of Example 4. 9 is a time chart showing a sequence for selecting a microphone in the leakage monitoring system of Example 4. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a part of the production equipment of Example 5. 7 is a time chart showing a switching sequence of monitoring operations in the leakage monitoring system of Example 5. 7 is a time chart showing the operation sequence of the leakage monitoring system according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a part of the production equipment of Example 7. (a) A time chart showing the operation sequence of the leakage monitoring system on one production equipment side in Example 7. (b) A time chart showing the operation sequence of the leakage monitoring system on the other production equipment side in Example 7.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, with reference to drawings, the production system provided with the leak monitoring system which is an embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a production line according to an embodiment of the present invention.

On the production line 73, production devices 70 to 72 are arranged side by side. The production devices 70 to 72 are facilities that manufacture articles by processing and assembling parts and the like. Air cylinders 50, 51, 53, 54, 56, and 57 are arranged in the production devices 70 to 72 to supply driving force for processing and assembling products and parts. Further, other devices such as a vacuum suction device 52, an air blower 55, etc. that operate in response to a supply of compressed air are also arranged. Also provided are air pipes 63 and 64 that supply compressed air to each device during the manufacture of articles, and electromagnetic valves 40 and 41 that control the amount of compressed air supplied and switch the flow paths.

In the following description, devices and parts related to compressed air, such as air cylinders, vacuum adsorbers, air blowers, air piping, and electromagnetic valves, may be collectively referred to as air devices. That is, the production devices 70, 71, and 72 are equipped with air equipment 45, 46, and 47 in the order listed.

The production devices 70, 71, and 72 are equipped with control devices 30, 31, and 32 in the order described in order to control the air equipment 45, 46, and 47. The control devices 30 to 32 control the operation and timing of air equipment included in each production device according to a control program.
Each production device is equipped with one or more microphones and monitoring devices to monitor the air equipment for abnormalities. That is, in this embodiment, the production devices 70, 71, and 72 are provided with microphones 10, 11, and 12 and monitoring devices 20, 21, and 22 in the order listed.

The monitoring devices 20 to 22 are connected to the control devices 30 to 32, and can obtain information regarding the operating status of the air equipment 45 to 47 from the control devices 30 to 32. The monitoring devices 20 to 22 may be configured as electrical circuit devices (which may include a computer) separate from the control devices 30 to 32, or may be configured to be built into the control devices 30 to 32. . In other words, the monitoring devices 20 to 22 are control units that control air leakage monitoring operations.

The monitoring devices 20 to 22 and the control devices 30 to 32 are connected to the factory network via networks 90 and 91. The production system of this embodiment includes a monitoring computer 80 that monitors the status of each production device, but the monitoring computer 80, the monitoring devices 20 to 22, and the control devices 30 to 32 communicate information via networks 90 and 91. It is possible. That is, the monitoring computer 80 can check the status of the monitoring devices 20 to 22 and the control devices 30 to 32 at any time. Furthermore, it is also possible for the monitoring devices 20 to 22 and the control devices 30 to 32 in the same network to communicate with each other via the networks 90 and 91.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the block configuration of the monitoring device 20 of this embodiment. Incidentally, although the monitoring devices 21 and 22 also have similar block configurations, a redundant explanation will be omitted.

The monitoring device 20 includes a microphone input 110 as a terminal into which an electrical signal is input from the microphone 10. One or more microphones 10 are installed in the production device 70 and convert sound into analog electrical signals and input the converted signals to the microphone input 110.
The monitoring device 20 includes a signal amplifier 120 that can change the amplification factor for amplifying the analog signal input to the microphone input 110, a switch 121 that selects one of the amplified signals, and a switch 121 that converts the analog signal into a digital signal. It includes an AD converter 122 that converts into a signal.
The monitoring device 20 also includes a comparator 160 that compares the acoustic data converted into digital values by the AD converter 122 with a threshold value 150.

Here, the threshold value 150 is a threshold value for determining the presence or absence of compressed air leakage, and a different value is set depending on which equipment is in operation among the air equipment 45 included in the production equipment 70. ing. That is, since the production apparatus 70 operates according to a predetermined operation sequence, the air cylinders 50 and 51 and the vacuum suction device 52 operate at predetermined timings. If compressed air leaks occur, the volume of the ultrasonic waves caused by the leak will differ depending on which equipment it occurs in, and the background sound will vary depending on whether other equipment (including non-air equipment) is operating or not. It's also different. Therefore, it is necessary to change the threshold value depending on the timing or operating status of the production device 70. In other words, the threshold value 150 is a plurality of air leakage detection reference values set corresponding to different operating states included in the operating sequences of a plurality of air devices.

The monitoring device 20 includes a monitoring switch 170 that enables or disables monitoring depending on the operating state of the air equipment 45 in order to prevent the comparator 160 from making false detections.
The monitoring device 20 also includes a status acquisition device 130 that acquires information regarding the operating status of the air equipment 45 from the networks 90 and 91 via the control device 30. It also includes a table 140 for changing the operating parameters of each part according to the operating state of the air equipment 45. The table 140 includes the amplification factor of the signal amplifier 120 that should be set according to the operating state of the air equipment 45, the analog signal selection of the microphone switch 121, the conversion timing of the AD converter 122, the value of the leakage threshold 150, Operation information of the monitoring switching 170, etc. are stored.

If the comparator 160 determines that there is an abnormality and monitoring is enabled, the monitoring device 20 identifies the abnormal device based on the operating status of each device included in the air device 45 and performs monitoring via the network controller 95. A notification is sent to the computer 80 via the notification device 180.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a process in which the monitoring devices 20, 21, and 22 monitor the air equipment of the production devices 70 to 72. Here, a process for monitoring an abnormality with respect to arbitrary equipment within the production equipment will be described.

First, the status acquisition unit 130 of the monitoring device 20 acquires information regarding the operating status and operation sequence of the air equipment 45 from the control device 30. (Step S10).
Here, the information regarding the operating state and operation sequence of the air equipment 45 is information regarding the current operating state of the air equipment 45 and the next operation of the air equipment 45. Information may be acquired by the monitoring device 20 at regular time intervals, or may be acquired when the state of the air equipment 45 changes.

The monitoring device 20 identifies the operating air equipment from the obtained information regarding the operating state of the air equipment 45, and determines the amplification factor of the signal amplifier 120 used to detect an abnormality (leakage of compressed air) in the equipment. The settings of the switch 121 and the AD converter 122 are changed. (Step S20).
For example, if the air equipment in operation is an air cylinder with a stroke of 50 mm or less and a piston diameter of 30 mm or less, even if a small amount of air leakage occurs, it will have a large effect on the operation. Therefore, it is necessary to be able to detect even a small amount of air leakage, but since the generated sound is small and the signal strength of the microphone is weak, the amplification factor of the signal amplifier 120 is increased or the threshold value 150 is set low. In this way, by changing the operating conditions of the monitoring device 20 according to the operating state of the air equipment 45, it is possible to prevent false detections and oversights.

The monitoring device 20 starts measuring the signal from the microphone 10 (step S30), and waits for the operation of the air equipment 45 to be completed. (Step S40).
After the operation of the air equipment 45 is completed, the comparator 160 compares the threshold value 150 and the microphone value 190, which are preset according to the operating state of the air equipment 45. (Step S50).

If the microphone value 190 is within the normal range, that is, if the microphone value 190 is less than the threshold value 150, it is determined that no air leak has been detected, and the process returns to device status acquisition (step S10). On the other hand, if the microphone value 190 is greater than or equal to the threshold value 150, it is determined that there is an air leak in a device that is operating, that is, receiving compressed air supply. The monitoring device 20 notifies the monitoring computer 80 of the occurrence of an abnormality from the notification device 180 via the network controller 95 and the networks 90 and 91 in the factory. That is, it is notified in which air equipment the air leak has occurred. (Step S60).

The reason for waiting for the completion of the operation of the air equipment 45 in step S40 is that waiting until the background noise emitted by the peripheral devices becomes quieter is advantageous for measurement because a higher S/N ratio can be obtained. However, if the S/N ratio can be secured without waiting for the completion of the operation, step 40 may be skipped and the process may directly proceed from step S30 to step S50.
Further, instead of notifying the monitoring computer 80 of the detection result only when a leak is detected in step S50, the detection result may be always notified to the monitoring computer 80 regardless of whether there is a leak.

First, an air cylinder will be described as an example of an air device whose air leakage will be detected in the following embodiments. FIG. 4 is a simple cross-sectional view showing the structure of the air cylinder. Air cylinder 200 controls the movement of piston rod 210 using compressed air as a power source. The piston rod 210 is connected to a piston 220, and by surrounding the piston 220 with a piston packing 221 and bringing it into close contact with the cylinder, air on both sides of the piston 220 is separated. Furthermore, the piston rod 210 is surrounded by a rod packing 211 to maintain the pressure inside the cylinder.

When compressed air 212 is supplied from the rod-side breathing hole 213, the pressure on the left side of the piston 220 increases, and the piston 220 moves in the direction of the right arrow 290. On the other hand, when compressed air 232 is supplied from the piston-side breathing hole 233, the pressure on the right side of the piston 220 increases, and the piston 220 moves in the direction of the left arrow 280.

Next, a manner in which compressed air leaks in such an air cylinder will be illustrated. FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams showing typical examples of air leaks that occur in air cylinders, and show the relationship between air leaks and the state of the piston.
As shown in FIG. 5(a), when compressed air is supplied to the piston-side breathing hole 233, the air cylinder 200 becomes in a state where the rod is extended. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5(b), when compressed air is supplied to the rod-side breathing hole 213, the air cylinder 200 enters the rod-on state.

Generally, air leakage from an air cylinder often occurs due to wear or deterioration of the packing. In particular, the rod packing 211 that rubs against the piston rod 210 that comes into contact with the outside air containing dust and moisture is more likely to wear out and deteriorate than the piston packing 221.
If compressed air is supplied to the rod-side breathing hole 213 in a state where a minute gap 260 is formed in the rod packing 211 due to wear or deterioration, an air leak 250 occurs in which the compressed air leaks to the outside. When air leaks from the minute gap 260, a sound 240 having a wide frequency spectrum from the audible range to the ultrasonic range is generated.

On the other hand, in the state in which the air cylinder rod is extended as shown in FIG. 5A, compressed air leaks to the outside through the piston packing 221, so that no air leakage occurs. Therefore, in order to monitor air leakage from the rod packing 211, which is prone to wear and deterioration, the monitoring device 20 needs to check for air leakage while the air cylinder rod is in the ON state.

In addition, at the initial stage after air leakage begins, there is a correlation between the amount of air leakage generated from the minute gap 260 and the amplitude of the sound generated by air leakage, so the larger the amount of air leakage, the more likely it is due to air leakage. The amplitude of the sound increases.

(Example 1)
Embodiment 1 A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
Here, a procedure will be described in which, when an air leak occurs in one of two air cylinders installed in a production device, the leak monitoring system discovers the leak and also identifies the leaking air cylinder.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a part of the production apparatus of Example 1. In the figure, 340 is a production device, 300 is a microphone, 320 is an air cylinder A, and 330 is an air cylinder B. Air cylinder A320 and air cylinder B330 are supplied with compressed air from a compressed air source (not shown) via a solenoid valve (not shown). Air cylinder A320 and air cylinder B330 are connected to a control device (not shown), and the control device controls the operation of each air cylinder according to a control program that determines the operation and timing of the air cylinders. Air cylinder A 320 and air cylinder B 330 can each take two states: out states 322, 332 and in states 321, 331.

FIG. 7 is a time chart for explaining the operation sequence of the leakage monitoring system. The horizontal axis direction of each graph indicates the passage of time. The vertical axis of the microphone value graph indicates the output level of the microphone 300. The vertical axis of the graph for cylinder A indicates whether the rod of air cylinder A 320 is in the out state 370 or in the in state 371. Similarly, the vertical axis of the graph for cylinder B indicates whether the rod of air cylinder B 330 is in the out state 380 or in the in state 381. Further, the vertical axis of the determination graph indicates whether leakage of compressed air is detected or not.

In order to detect air leakage during operation of each air cylinder based on the microphone value, as described above, it is necessary to check whether there is air leakage while the air cylinder rod is in the ON state. Air cylinder A 320 and air cylinder B 330 operate according to a predetermined control sequence, but in the case of this embodiment, they take on states at different timings, as shown in the time chart of FIG.
Therefore, the microphone value is compared with a predetermined threshold value 362 at the timing when the air cylinder A is in the on state 371 and the timing when the air cylinder B is in the on state 381 to determine the presence or absence of air leakage. That is, the microphone value 360 after passing through the signal amplifier 120, the switch 121, and the AD converter 122 from the microphone input 110 is compared with a preset threshold value 362, and a leakage determination result 390 is obtained.

In the example of FIG. 7, when the air cylinder A is in the on state 371, the level of the microphone value is low, so the determination result 390 is "undetected" 391. On the other hand, in the on state 381 of the air cylinder B, the level of the microphone value exceeds the threshold value 362 as indicated by the dotted line 361, so the determination result 390 is Detection 392. That is, the air equipment in which air leakage has occurred is identified as air cylinder B.

In this way, the leakage monitoring device of this embodiment can detect the presence or absence of air leakage from the information regarding the operating states of air cylinder A 320 and air cylinder B 330 of production equipment 340 and the detection results of the microphone, and if there is leakage, The air equipment can be identified. By performing monitoring processing on different operating states of a system including two air devices, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of air leakage for each air device even if only one microphone is provided.

(Example 2)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In the second embodiment, in order to improve detection accuracy, the amplification factor of the signal amplifier 120 is changed depending on the type of air equipment to be operated. That is, among the two air cylinders A320 and B330 installed in the production equipment 340, the microphone amplification factor is changed according to the operated air cylinder, and air leakage is detected with high sensitivity without false detection.

FIG. 8 is a time chart for explaining the operation sequence of the leakage monitoring system. The horizontal axis direction of each graph indicates the passage of time. The vertical axis of the amplification factor graph indicates the amplification factor of the signal amplifier 120. The vertical axis of the microphone value graph indicates the level of the microphone 300 after amplification. The vertical axis of the graph for cylinder A indicates whether the rod of air cylinder A 320 is in an extended state 470 or an engaged state 471. Similarly, the vertical axis of the graph for cylinder B indicates whether the rod of air cylinder B 330 is in the out state 480 or in the in state 481. Further, the vertical axis of the determination graph indicates whether leakage of compressed air is detected or not.

In this embodiment, air cylinder A320 is an air cylinder with a stroke larger than 50 mm and a piston diameter larger than 30 mm, and air cylinder B330 is an air cylinder with a stroke of 50 mm or less and a piston diameter of 30 mm or less. The amplification factor b453 for the microphone signal of the air cylinder B330, which has a small cylinder volume and whose operation is affected by a small amount of air leakage, is set to be larger than the amplification factor for the microphone signal of the air cylinder A320. That is, in the amplification factor graph of FIG. 8, b453>a452.

The leak monitoring device acquires information regarding the operating states of air cylinder A 320 and air cylinder B 330 included in production device 340 from the control device. Then, at the timing when the air cylinder A is in the ON state 471, the amplification factor is set to a452 in order to prevent false detection. In the case of the example shown in FIG. 8, the microphone value 460 after amplification does not exceed the threshold value 462, so the determination 490 becomes undetected 491. On the other hand, at the timing when the air cylinder B330 is in the on state 481, the amplification factor is set to b453. At the timing when the air cylinder B330 is in the ON state 481, the microphone value 460 after amplification exceeds the threshold value 462, so the determination 490 becomes a detection 492.

In this way, the leak monitoring device of this embodiment can detect air leaks with high sensitivity without false detection or oversight by setting the amplification factor of the microphone signal according to the type of air equipment to be operated. If there is a leak, the air equipment can be identified. By performing monitoring processing by changing the amplification factor for different operating states of a system equipped with different types of air equipment, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of air leakage for each air equipment, even if only one microphone is provided. I can do it.

(Example 3)
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In the third embodiment, a method of setting a threshold value and amplification factor of a microphone signal for determining the presence or absence of air leakage occurring in an air device using a simulated leakage generation device will be described.

FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing a part of the production apparatus of Example 3. In the figure, 340 is a production device, 300 is a microphone, and 320 is an air cylinder A. The air cylinder A320 is supplied with compressed air from a compressed air source (not shown) via a solenoid valve (not shown). The air cylinder A320 is connected to a control device (not shown), and the control device controls the operation of each air cylinder according to a control program that determines operation and timing. The air cylinder A320 can take two states, an out state 322 and an in state 321.

345 is a simulated leak generation device which can be said to be a feature of this embodiment. The simulating leak generating device 345 is a simulating device (speaker) that can simulate and generate the sound generated by air leak for each type of air cylinder. In other words, the simulated leak generator 345 stably generates background sounds such as electrical operating sounds, mechanical operating sounds, normal compressed air flow sounds, and standard air leak sounds depending on the type of air cylinder. This is a device that can generate

FIG. 10 is a time chart for explaining the sequence for setting the threshold value and the amplification factor in the leakage monitoring system of this embodiment. The horizontal axis direction of each graph indicates the passage of time.
The simulated leak generation device 345 generates sound by repeatedly changing the amplitude 400 (sound intensity) from the minimum amplitude 402 to the maximum amplitude 401 in order to simulate the state of the sound field depending on the difference in the amount of air leakage.

In this embodiment, the upper limit 421 of the microphone input target range is set according to the dynamic range and resolution of the AD converter 122 so that the sound can be processed as a signal with a sufficient S/N ratio in order to accurately detect the presence or absence of air leakage. and a lower limit 422 is determined. The amplification factor 410 is determined so that the maximum value 426 of the microphone value 420 and the upper limit 421 of the microphone input target range are the same value, and the setting information is registered in the table 140 of the monitoring device. In a state where the amplification factor is constant 411, the microphone value 427 when the microphone input target range is at least the lower limit 422 and the amplitude of the simulated leakage generating device 345 is the minimum amplitude 402 is determined as the threshold value 423, and the signal strength range 425 during normal operation is determined. . However, if the microphone value 424 is larger than the microphone value 427 at the minimum amplitude 402 in the silent state 403, a value larger than the maximum value of the microphone value 424 in the silent state 403 is determined as the threshold value 423.

In this example, in order to set the threshold value and microphone signal amplification factor for determining the presence or absence of air leakage using a simulated leakage generating device, we purposely replaced the normal air equipment with abnormal air equipment that causes leakage. No need to experiment.

(Example 4)
A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
Here, when a plurality of microphones are provided in production equipment, a method of selecting which microphone to select to detect air leakage from a specific air device will be explained. In this embodiment, microphones are installed at two locations within the production equipment, and the microphone with the highest signal strength is appropriately selected from the two microphones.

FIG. 11 shows a schematic diagram of a production apparatus to which the present invention is applied. A microphone A 300, a microphone B 301, and an air cylinder 320 are installed in the production equipment 340. In order to select a microphone suitable for detecting air leakage regarding the air cylinder 320, a simulated leakage generating device 345 is installed near the target air cylinder 320.

FIG. 12 is a time chart for explaining the microphone selection sequence. The horizontal axis direction of each graph indicates the passage of time. First, the simulated leak generation device 345 generates sound by changing the amplitude 400 (sound intensity). First, the same minimum amplification factor is set for microphone A300 and microphone B301. When the sound generated from the simulated leak generator 345 has the maximum amplitude 401, the maximum value 428 of the microphone value A420 and the maximum value 429 of the microphone value B426 are compared, and the microphone closer to the upper limit 421 of the microphone input target range is selected. . However, if the maximum value 428 of the microphone value A 420 and the maximum value 429 of the microphone value B 426 are both lower than the lower limit 422 of the microphone input target range, the amplification factor is increased and then selection is made again.
As in this embodiment, in a production device equipped with a plurality of microphones, by appropriately selecting the microphone with the highest signal strength, the accuracy of detecting air leakage can be improved.

(Example 5)
A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
Here, leakage monitoring when an air cylinder and an air blower are installed in the production equipment will be explained. When the air blow operates normally and blows out compressed air, an injection sound is generated, but a procedure for preventing the injection sound from being mistakenly detected as abnormal air leakage will be explained.

FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically showing a part of the production apparatus of Example 5. A microphone 500, an air cylinder 520, and an air blower 530 are installed in the production device 540. Air cylinder 520 and air blow 530 are connected to a control device (not shown) via a solenoid valve (not shown). The control device operates the air cylinder 520 and the air blow 530 according to a control program that determines operations and timing. The air cylinder can take two states: an out state 522 and an in state 521. Furthermore, the air blow can take two states: an ON state 531 in which air is blown, and an OFF state 532 in which air is not blown.

FIG. 14 is a time chart for explaining a switching sequence of monitoring operations in order to avoid misidentifying normal air blow operation as air leakage in the leakage monitoring system of this embodiment. The horizontal axis direction of each graph indicates the passage of time.
The leakage monitoring system of this embodiment monitors air leakage due to wear and deterioration of the rod-side packing, which tends to wear out in the air cylinder. Therefore, monitoring is performed at the timing when the air cylinder is in the ON state 571 (551). In the example of FIG. 14, even if the air cylinder shifts from the out state 570 to the in state 571, the microphone value 560 does not exceed the threshold value 562, so the determination 590 becomes undetected 591, and air leakage does not occur. It can be concluded that this is not the case. On the other hand, when the air blow shifts from the OFF state 580 to the ON state 581, compressed air is discharged from the air blow 530, so air leakage noise is generated. Therefore, even if the air blow 530 operates normally, the microphone value exceeds the threshold value 562 (561).

The leak monitoring device of this embodiment turns on the monitoring regarding the air cylinder entry state (551) in light of the information regarding the operating state of the air cylinder 520 and air blow 530 of the production equipment 540, and generates the operating sound of the air blow. At the timing, monitoring is turned off (550). Due to the monitoring switching 550, the microphone value 560 is not monitored when the air blow 530 is in the ON state 581, so the determination is 592 that it is not detected. By switching the monitor, only the ON state of the air cylinder, which is likely to cause air leakage, can be monitored, so false detection can be prevented.

If there is a device in the equipment that generates a sound similar to that caused by air leakage during normal operation, such as an air blower, the monitoring operation can be switched off in a timely manner based on information about its operating status. , false detection can be prevented. In addition to air blowers, devices that can generate sounds that are confusing as air leaks even when operating normally include vacuum absorbers, static eliminators, and ultrasonic welding machines.

(Example 6)
Embodiment 6 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
Here, when air cylinders and air blowers are installed in production equipment, we use microphones to not only monitor the presence or absence of air leaks in the air cylinders, but also to detect whether the air blowers are operating normally. This section explains how to do this.

FIG. 15 is a time chart for explaining the operation sequence of the leakage monitoring system. The horizontal axis direction of each graph indicates the passage of time. Here, an example will be described in which the air cylinder 520 shown in FIG. 13 operates normally without leakage, but the air blow 530 does not operate normally.

First, when the air cylinder transitions from the out state 570 to the on state 571, the microphone value 560 does not exceed the threshold value 562, so the determination 590 becomes undetected 591, and it is determined that no air leak has occurred. do. On the other hand, when the air blow changes from the OFF state 580 to the ON state 581, the air blow becomes abnormal and the air injection becomes insufficient, and the microphone value 561 does not exceed the threshold value 562. The leakage monitoring system determines that the air blow is not operating normally because the microphone value does not exceed the threshold value 562 despite the state in which the air blow should be operating, based on the information regarding the operating state of the air blow and the detection result of the microphone.

In this embodiment, in addition to monitoring whether there is air leakage in an air cylinder or the like, it is possible to detect whether a device that generates air flow noise during operation, such as an air blower, is operating normally. In addition to air blowers, devices that generate air flow noise during normal operation include vacuum adsorbers, static eliminators, and ultrasonic welders.

(Example 7)
A seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In this embodiment, the leak monitoring system acquires information regarding the operating state from a control device that controls peripheral production equipment, thereby preventing false detections due to the influence of the operation of peripheral production equipment.

FIG. 16 shows a schematic diagram of the production system of this example. 625 in the figure is production equipment A included in the production system, 635 is production equipment B also included in the production system, and production equipment A 625 and production equipment B 635 are adjacent to each other.

The air blow 610 in the production apparatus A 625 is connected via a solenoid valve 647 to a control device 645 that controls the production apparatus A 625 . A leak monitoring device A640 that monitors leaks in the production device A625 is connected to a control device 645 and a microphone 600. The leak monitoring device A 640 and the control device 645 are connected to an in-factory network 649.
Furthermore, the vacuum suction device 630 in the production apparatus B635 is connected via a solenoid valve 648 to a control device 646 that controls the production apparatus B635. A leak monitoring device B641 that monitors leaks in the production device B635 is connected to a control device 646 and a microphone 601. The leak monitoring device B641 and the control device 646 are connected to a factory network 649.

The air blower 610 in the production device A 625 and the vacuum suction device 630 in the production device B 635 generate air leakage noise during normal operation. Since the production equipment A 625 and the production equipment B 635 are adjacent to each other, the microphone A 600 in the production equipment A 625 is affected by the air leakage noise caused by the normal operation of the vacuum absorber 630 in the production equipment B 635. Similarly, the microphone B601 in the production device B635 is affected by the air leakage sound caused by the normal operation of the air blower 610 in the production device A625.

FIGS. 17(a) and 17(b) are time charts for explaining the operation sequence of the leakage monitoring system. The horizontal axis direction of each graph indicates the passage of time.
FIG. 17(a) is a time chart showing the operation sequence of the leakage monitoring system on the production equipment A625 side. When the air blow 610 is in the ON state 671, the microphone value A661 exceeds the threshold value 663. As described in the sixth embodiment, since the air blow generates air leakage sound during normal operation, the determination A690 is determined to be normal and becomes undetected 691.

On the other hand, when the vacuum suction device 630 in the production device B 635 enters the ON state 681, air leakage noise occurs even in normal operation, and the microphone value A 662 exceeds the threshold value 663. In order to prevent erroneously detecting air leakage when the vacuum suction device 630 is operating normally, the leak monitoring device A 640 receives information on the operating status of the vacuum suction device 630 from the control device 646 via the factory network. get. The leakage monitoring device A640 turns off monitoring without performing threshold value determination during the period in which the vacuum suction device 630 is in the ON state 681 by the monitoring switching A650. Therefore, even if the microphone value A660 exceeds the threshold value 663 due to the operation sound generated by the vacuum suction unit 630, the determination A690 of the leakage monitoring device A640 will be 692 not detected, and no false detection will occur.

FIG. 17(b) is a time chart showing the operation sequence of the leakage monitoring system on the production equipment B635 side. When the air blow 610 in the production apparatus A 625 enters the ON state 671, an air leakage sound is generated even if the air blow is operating normally, and the microphone value B 666 exceeds the threshold value 668. In order to prevent false detection due to the operating sound of the air blower 610, the leak monitoring device B641 acquires information on the operating state of the air blower from the control device 645. The leakage monitoring device B641 turns off monitoring without performing threshold value determination while the air blow 610 is in the ON state 671 by the monitoring switching B652. Therefore, even if the microphone value B665 exceeds the threshold value 668 due to the operating sound generated by the air blow 610, the determination B695 of the leakage monitoring device B641 will be 696 not detected, and no false detection will occur. On the other hand, when the vacuum suction device 630 is in the ON state 681, the microphone value B667 exceeds the threshold value 668 in normal operation, so the determination B695 is determined to be normal and becomes undetected 697.

In this embodiment, the leakage monitoring device acquires information regarding the operating status from peripheral control devices via the network, thereby preventing false detection even when air leakage sounds are generated from peripheral air equipment. I can do it.

[Other Examples]
The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments 1 to 7, and can be modified or combined as appropriate.
For example, when determining the presence or absence of air leakage, it is not necessary to simply determine whether or not a threshold value is exceeded. For example, an upper limit and a lower limit may be set, and the determination may be made based on whether the signal level is within a predetermined range.
Further, the microphone used only needs to be able to detect ultrasonic waves, and may also be sensitive to an audible range.
Furthermore, for the signal input from the microphone, a frequency band unsuitable for detecting air leakage may be cut by a filter, or only the ultrasonic frequency band may be band-amplified.

10, 11, 12...Microphone/20, 21, 22...Monitoring device/30, 31, 32...Control device/45, 46, 47...Air equipment/50, 51, 53, 54 , 56, 57...Air cylinder/52...Vacuum absorber/55...Air blow/70, 71, 72...Production equipment/73...Production line/90, 91...Network/ 110...Microphone input/120...Signal amplifier/121...Switcher/122...AD converter/160...Comparator/200...Air cylinder/210...Piston rod/ 211...Rod packing/220...Piston/221...Piston packing/250...Air leakage

Claims (38)

at least two devices that use air;
a sensor capable of acquiring the state of air in the at least two devices;
comprising a control unit;
The control unit includes:
Identifying a device in which an air-related abnormality has occurred among the at least two devices based on information specifying the operating state of the at least two devices that changes depending on the operation sequence and the result obtained from the sensor. do,
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to claim 1,
The control unit includes:
identifying a device in which an air-related abnormality has occurred by comparing threshold information corresponding to the operating state and the obtained result from the sensor;
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to claim 2,
The threshold value is set corresponding to each of the at least two devices,
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to claim 2 or 3,
The threshold value is set corresponding to each of the operating states,
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The at least two devices include a device having a predetermined portion,
the operating position of the predetermined part changes according to the operating sequence corresponding to the device;
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The at least two devices include a device having a predetermined portion,
The direction of operation of the predetermined portion changes according to the operation sequence corresponding to the device;
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to claim 5 ,
The device includes an air cylinder, a piston rod that moves inside the air cylinder, a piston connected to the piston rod, a rod packing that rubs against the piston rod, and a piston packing that moves together with the piston. Equipped with
The predetermined portion is the piston rod,
The control unit includes:
The information specifying the operating state is an operating position of the piston rod when air is supplied to a space sealed by the piston rod, the rod packing, the air cylinder, the piston, and the piston packing. having information on the first operating position;
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to claim 7,
The control unit includes:
As information specifying the operating state, information on a second operating position that is an operating position of the piston rod when the air is supplied to a space sealed by the air cylinder, the piston, and the piston packing. have,
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to claim 2 or 3,
The control unit includes:
amplifying the obtained result from the sensor by a predetermined amplification factor and then comparing it with the threshold;
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to claim 9,
the predetermined amplification factor is set according to the functions of the at least two devices;
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to claim 2 or 3,
comprising a simulation device that simulates the behavior of the at least two devices;
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to claim 11,
The control unit includes:
setting the threshold using the simulation device;
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to claim 11 or 12,
The control unit includes:
setting a predetermined amplification factor for amplifying the detection result from the sensor using the simulation device;
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to claim 2 or 3,
comprising at least two of the sensors;
The control unit includes:
Selecting an acquisition result from a sensor with the highest signal strength from among the acquisition results from at least two sensors according to information specifying the operating state, and comparing it with the threshold value;
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 14,
The at least two devices include an air device that blows out air,
Depending on the operation sequence corresponding to the air device, whether or not air is blown out from the air device changes as the operation state.
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to claim 15,
The control unit includes:
When air is blown out from the air device, based on the results obtained from the sensor,
Failure to identify equipment with air-related abnormalities;
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to claim 8,
The at least two devices include an air device that blows out air,
The control unit includes:
If air is being blown out from the air device while the piston rod is in the second operating position, identify the device in which the air-related abnormality is occurring based on the results obtained from the sensor. Not performed,
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to any one of claims 15 to 17,
The control unit includes:
acquiring whether or not the air equipment is operating normally based on the information specifying the operating state and the acquisition result of the sensor;
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 18,
The at least two devices include a vacuum device that sucks air,
Depending on the operation sequence corresponding to the vacuum device, whether or not air is sucked by the vacuum device changes as the operation state.
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to claim 19,
The control unit includes:
acquiring whether or not the vacuum equipment is operating normally based on the information specifying the operating state and the acquisition result of the sensor;
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 20,
The sensor acquires the state of the air used in the at least two devices by acquiring sound.
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to claim 21,
obtaining ultrasound as the sound;
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 22,
The operation sequence includes information regarding predetermined operation timings of the at least two devices.
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 23,
The control unit includes:
It has a table for changing parameters of each part used when identifying a device in which an air-related abnormality has occurred, according to the operating state.
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 24,
The abnormality is air leakage.
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 25,
The information specifying the operating state is information that is not based on the value acquired by the sensor,
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 26,
the operating state changes while executing the operating sequence;
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 27,
The operating state changes at a predetermined timing according to the operating sequence.
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 28,
the control unit automatically identifies a device in which an air-related abnormality has occurred among the at least two devices;
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The at least two devices include a device having a predetermined portion,
The information for specifying the operating state includes information on the operating position of the predetermined part that changes depending on the operating sequence corresponding to the device;
An information processing system characterized by: The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The at least two devices include a device having a predetermined portion,
The information specifying the operating state includes information on the operating direction of the predetermined part that changes depending on the operating sequence corresponding to the device.
An information processing system characterized by: A production device comprising at least two devices that use air;
a sensor capable of acquiring the state of air in the at least two devices;
comprising a control unit;
The control unit includes:
Identifying a device in which an air-related abnormality has occurred among the at least two devices based on information specifying the operating state of the at least two devices that changes depending on the operation sequence and the result obtained from the sensor. do,
A production system characterized by: A method for manufacturing an article, comprising manufacturing the article using the production system according to claim 32 . A method for controlling an information processing system comprising at least two devices that use air, a sensor capable of acquiring the state of the air in the at least two devices, and a control unit, the method comprising:
The control unit includes:
Identifying a device in which an air-related abnormality has occurred among the at least two devices based on information specifying the operating state of the at least two devices that changes depending on the operation sequence and the result obtained from the sensor. do,
A control method characterized by: An information processing device that obtains results from sensors capable of obtaining air conditions in at least two devices that use air, the information processing device comprising:
The control unit is
Based on information specifying the operating state of the at least two devices that changes depending on the operation sequence and the obtained result from the sensor, select a device in which an air-related abnormality has occurred among the at least two devices. Identify,
An information processing device characterized by: An information processing method for an information processing device that obtains results from sensors capable of obtaining air conditions in at least two devices that use air, the method comprising:
The control unit is
A device in which an air-related abnormality has occurred among the at least two devices based on information specifying the operating state of the at least two devices that changes depending on the operation sequence and the obtained result from the sensor. identify,
An information processing method characterized by: A program capable of executing the control method according to claim 34 or the information processing method according to claim 36 on a computer. A computer-readable recording medium storing the program according to claim 37 .

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