JPH07186012A - Tool replacement timing estimating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a tool replacement timing estimation device capable of estimating flow orders of works based on production schedule and result of passage of the works in a process, and forming a proper tool replacement schedule. CONSTITUTION:A result of passage of works in each facility is taken to a work station by a passage result collecting part 32, and result of defectives, result of hold, and result of tool replacement are inputted to the work station from a result inputting means. Passage of the works in each machine 20 is estimated by work passage estimation means 36, 38, 40, 48, 52 based on these data and a preliminarily determined work charging schedule 54. A tool replacement timing estimation value 66 is determined by a replacement timing calculation part 62 by comparison of the estimated value with an estimated tool life.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tool replacement timing predicting device for predicting the replacement timing of a tool used in a processing line in a production factory, for example.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional device for predicting the replacement time of a tool used in a processing line in a production plant will be described with reference to FIGS.

In the conventional tool change timing prediction device, first,
A network 14 is provided by an equipment control PLC (programmable controller) 12 that controls each production equipment 10.
The number of times the tool has been used is fetched into the work station 16 at regular intervals via.

In the workstation 16, the fetched data is accumulated as a tool counter history database 18, and the tool counter values as shown in FIG. Create a graph showing the relationship with the tool change timing predicted value.

Then, the transition of the graph in the future is calculated based on the increasing tendency of the tool counter value, and the intersection with the predetermined tool replacement threshold value is predicted as the tool replacement time.

[0006]

However, in the conventional device for predicting the replacement time of tools described above, all the production equipments 10 in the processing line are connected to the network 1.
The tool counter value is periodically fetched via the 4.

For this reason, several tens of equipment control PLCs are installed.
12 and the workstation 16 have to be connected, and there has been a problem that costs for connection work, interfaces, switches, and the like increase. In addition, the amount of information transmitted via the network 14 becomes enormous, and the load on the network 14 increases.

The present invention has been made in order to reduce such a conventional problem, and predicts a flow order of works based on a production schedule and a work passing record in a process, and creates an appropriate tool change schedule. It is an object of the present invention to provide a tool change timing prediction device that can be used.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To achieve the above object, the present invention relates to an equipment control programmable controller for controlling each production equipment, and communication with the equipment control programmable controller via a network so that each production equipment is integrated. It is a tool change timing prediction device in a machining line that has a workstation that is managed dynamically, and a passing record capturing means for capturing the track record of the workpiece into the workstation, a defect record of the workpiece, a pending record, and a tool exchange record. And the actual result input means for inputting to the work station, the actual result of the work taken in by the above-mentioned actual result input means, the defective result and the pending result of the work input by the actual result input means, and the tool change result in advance. Based on the set work input schedule, the work will pass through each facility. A tool replacement timing predicting device is configured by a work passage predicting means for measuring, a tool replacement timing predicting means for predicting a tool replacement timing by comparing a prediction result in the work passing predicting means and a predetermined tool life. Is characterized by.

[0010]

The present invention thus constructed operates as follows.

Each production facility is controlled by a facility control programmable controller, and this facility control programmable controller communicates with a workstation via a network. This workstation comprehensively manages each production facility.

[0012] In such a processing line, the passage record capturing means is used to capture the passage record of the work in each equipment into the workstation, and the defect input and hold records and the tool replacement record are input from the record inputting means. Enter in the station.

In the work passage predicting means, the passage record of the workpiece taken in by the passage record taking means, the defect record and the pending record of the workpiece inputted by the record inputting means, the tool exchanging record, and a predetermined work introduction schedule Based on and, the passage of the work in each equipment is predicted.

Then, the tool replacement timing predicting means compares the prediction result of the work passage predicting means with a predetermined tool life to predict the tool replacement timing, and according to this prediction, the tools are replaced in each facility. .

Therefore, an appropriate tool change schedule can be created by predicting the flow order of the works based on the production schedule and the work passing record in the process.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram explaining an operation in a workstation of the present invention.

The tool change timing prediction device according to the present invention is
As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of machines (M / C) 20 installed on a processing line of a production factory and an equipment control PCL (programmable controller) for individually controlling the machines.
22, a work station 26 that communicates with the equipment control PLC 22 through the network 24, and a record input terminal 28 that communicates with the work station 26 through the network 24.

The functional configuration of the workstation 26 will be described with reference to the schematic block diagram shown in FIG. In the workstation 26, the network 24
The communication processing unit 30 has a communication processing unit 30 for controlling the communication of data and the like input / output via the communication unit 30. The communication processing unit 30 transmits the result input terminal 28 functioning as a result input unit and the equipment control PLC 22. Receives incoming data.

The passing record collecting unit 32, which functions as a passing record fetching means, manages the passing record of the work in each machine 20 as a passing history 34. Further, the data input by the worker from the result input terminal 28 is the defect result collection unit 3
6, a holding result collecting unit 38, and a tool change result collecting unit 40
Accordingly, they are managed as a defect history 42, a hold history 44, and a tool replacement history 46, respectively.

Then, the in-line work permutation calculation unit 48 performs the work permutation calculation based on the above-mentioned passage history 34, defect history 42, hold history 44, and previous in-line work permutation 50. Inner work permutation 50
Update. This work permutation calculation is performed at the beginning and the middle of the shift, and the number of calculations is, for example, four times a day in total. The procedure of this calculation process will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. In the calculation processing by the in-line work permutation calculation unit 48, first, the in-line work permutation 5
0 is fetched (S1), and the work order is updated based on the passage history 34 (S2). Here, it is determined whether or not there is a defect record 42 (S3), and if there is a defect record 42, defect deletion process is performed from the corresponding category (S4).
On the other hand, when there is no defect record 42, the defect deletion processing (S4) described above is skipped, the holding history 44 is examined, and it is determined whether or not the work is held or released (S).
5). Here, if the work is held / released, the holding portion is deleted and the released portion is added from the corresponding category (S6). on the other hand. When there is no work hold / release, the above-described deletion processing and addition processing (S6) are skipped, and the in-line work permutation 50 is updated (S).
7).

Next, the tool use frequency prediction unit 52
Work input schedule 54, in-line work permutation 50, in-line machine permutation 56, and work pattern 58
Based on the tool change history 46 and the tool change history 46, the tool usage count prediction value 60 is obtained. The procedure of this tool usage count prediction process will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. In the tool usage count prediction process by the tool usage count prediction unit 52, first, the in-line work permutation 50 is fetched (S
8) Calculate the work passing every hour based on the machine permutation and the production tact (S9). Here, after a predetermined time, it is judged whether or not a work which was not newly put in the original line has been passed according to the throwing plan with respect to the work initially taken in the line (S10), and the work which is not in the line is found. If is passed, a filling process is performed according to the input schedule 54 (S11). On the other hand, when the work not in the line has not passed, the hole filling process (S11).
Is skipped and the number of times each tool is used is calculated (S1
2). Then, it is judged whether or not there is the tool change history 46 (S13), and if there is the tool change history 46, the number of times of tool use calculated in the previous step (S12) is added to the previous number of times of tool use ( S14). On the other hand, if there is no tool change history 46, the process of adding the number of times of use (S1
Skip 4). And the tool usage count prediction value 6
0 is updated (S15). The above-mentioned defect record collecting unit 36
And the pending record collection unit 38 and the tool change record collection unit 40
The in-line work permutation calculation unit 48 and the tool usage count prediction unit 52 constitute work passage prediction means.

Then, the replacement timing calculation unit 62, which functions as a tool replacement timing predicting means, predicts the tool replacement timing based on the tool usage count prediction value 60 and the tool table 64 shown in FIG. , The tool replacement timing predicted value 66 is updated, and the tool replacement timing predicted value 66 is displayed on a display device such as a CRT.

Based on the predicted tool replacement timing value 66, the tools used in each machine 20 installed on the machining line are replaced.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention, the order in which the works flow is predicted based on the production schedule, the in-process passing record, etc., and the tool change schedule is automatically generated.

Therefore, since it is not necessary to periodically take in the counter value for each piece of equipment installed on the processing line to the workstation via the network, it is possible to reduce the man-hours required for connection with the equipment control PLC, and to connect to the network. The load of can also be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a tool change timing prediction device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an operation of a workstation of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure of in-line work permutation calculation processing in the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a tool usage number prediction process in the device shown in FIG.

5 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a tool table used in the device shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of a conventional tool change timing prediction device.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method of obtaining a relationship between a tool counter value and a tool replacement timing predicted value in the device shown in FIG.

8 is an explanatory diagram of a tool life table used in the apparatus shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 production equipment 12 equipment control PLC 14 network 16 workstation 18 tool counter history database 20 machine 22 equipment control PLC 24 network 26 workstation 28 result input terminal 30 communication processing unit 32 passage record collection unit 34 passage history 36 defect record collection unit 38 Hold record collection unit 40 Tool change record collection unit 42 Defect history 44 Hold history 46 Tool change history 48 In-line work permutation calculation unit 50 In-line work permutation 52 Tool usage count prediction unit 54 Input schedule 56 In-line machine permutation 58 Work pattern 60 Predicted value of tool usage frequency 62 Replacement timing calculator 64 Tool table 66 Tool replacement timing predicted value

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A tool change timing in a processing line having a facility control programmable controller for controlling each production facility, and a workstation for communicating with the facility control programmable controller via a network and comprehensively managing each production facility. A predicting device, which includes a passage record capturing means for capturing a work passage record into a workstation, a record inputting device for inputting a work defect record, a hold record, and a tool replacement record into a workstation, Passing record Based on the passing record of the work captured by the capturing device, the defect record and the holding record of the workpiece input by the record inputting unit, the tool replacement record, and the predetermined workpiece input schedule, Work passage prediction means for predicting passage and the work passage prediction A tool replacement timing predicting device comprising a tool replacement timing predicting means for predicting a tool replacement timing by comparing a prediction result of the means with a predetermined tool life.