Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Product assembly or manufacturing
Reexamination Certificate
2003-06-06
2004-09-07
Picard, Leo (Department: 2125)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Product assembly or manufacturing
C700S009000, C700S108000, C700S169000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06788994
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an operation data accumulation and transmission device which is connected to a numerical control section of a machine tool provided with said numerical control section, collects and accumulates data concerning an operating condition of the machine tool, and transmits accumulated data to an operation management device via telecommunication circuits, such as the Internet, and said operation management device, and also to an operation management system provided therewith.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An operation management system which connects each numerical control section of a plurality of NC machine tools provided with said numerical control section to an operation management device via telecommunication circuits (including LAN, the Internet or the like) is conventionally known. In this operation management system, data on an operating condition of the machine tool is collected from each said numerical control section by said operation management device and accumulated, and the operating condition of each NC machine tool is centrally managed based on accumulated data.
Specifically, for example in an operation management system which connects a numerical control section of a machine tool to an operation management device installed within the same site via the LAN, it is configured so that the operation management device may be connected to each numerical control section at any time, sample data concerning the operating condition from each numerical control section, and accumulate sampled operating condition data for every machine tool, and an operation management of each machine tool is performed based on accumulated operating condition data.
In addition, in an operation management system in which a numerical control section of a machine tool installed in a remote site and an operation management device are connected via the Internet, it is configured so that each numerical control section and the operation management device may always be connected via the Internet, operating condition data of the machine tool corresponding to each numerical control section may be transmitted therefrom to the operation management device at any time, and the operating condition data for every machine tool may be accumulated in the operation management device, and as a result of this, the operation management of each machine tool is performed based on the accumulated operating condition data.
However, in the operation management system via the LAN described above, when the machine tool for management target increases in number, the sampling intervals of said operating condition data will become longer according to the number, resulting in a problem, that is, the operating condition of the machine tool cannot accurately be grasped. In other words, in order to grasp accurately the operating condition of the machine tool, the machine tool for management target is naturally restricted in number, and as a result of this, a wide range of management cannot be performed. In addition, there is also a problem that the machine tool installed in a remote site can not be managed.
In addition, the LAN is used for transferring a machining program or the like in many cases, and a communication load thereof is in an environment which tends to make it heavier. For this reason, when it enters into such a situation, an oversight in taking the operating condition data may occur, and the above-mentioned operating condition cannot be accurately grasped.
In addition, similarly, in the operation management system via the Internet described above, when the number of machine tools for management target increases, the load of the operation management device becomes extremely heavy, thus the number of the machine tools for management target is restricted, and there is also a problem that a wide range of management cannot be performed. Then, if a load beyond a throughput is applied, an oversight in taking the operating condition data may occur, and the operating condition may not be accurately grasped like the above.
In addition, in the operation management system via the Internet described above, although the connection to the machine tool in the remote site is available, since it is necessary to always connect the numerical control section to the operation management device in order to collect accurate data, the system may be placed in a dangerous situations, such as unauthorized access, virus infection or the like. On the other hand, while the dangerous situations mentioned above can be mostly avoided if the numerical control section and the operation management device are not always connected and are connected only during the data transmission, only occasional machine condition, such as a time of alarm occurrence and a time of machining completion, or a time of regular communication or the like can be grasped, that is, there is a problem that accurate data can not be collected.
In addition, since the data to be transmitted is usually a series of data with a predetermined length for each item, which indicates the operating condition, such as “in operation”, “in suspension”, and “under-alarm”, corresponding thereto, it is hard to distinguish which part corresponds to which operating condition item among the transmitted data, in the case of filing data, namely during the accumulation thereof, there is a problem that a processing error such as taking out, storing and accumulating the data which do not correspond to the operating condition item, is easily made. Moreover, when adding data to be transmitted in the future, etc., there is also a problem that modifications of data analysis program at the operation management device side are difficult.
The present invention is made in view of the actual situations given above, the object of the present invention is to provide the operation management system or the like which enables the easy and accurate filing of data, and at the same time being able to accurately grasp the operating condition of the machine tool.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention for solving the above-mentioned problem relates to an operation data accumulation and transmission device of an operation management system which is configured to connect said operation data accumulation and transmission device to an operation management device via the telecommunication circuits, and said operation management device, and also to said operation management system.
Said operation data accumulation and transmission device is connected to a numerical control section of the machine tool provided with said numerical control section in one to one correspondence, collects and accumulates data on the operating condition of said machine tool, and transmits accumulated data to the operation management device via the telecommunication circuits, comprising:
operation data storage means for accumulating the data on the operating condition of said machine tool (operating condition data); and
data collection and transmission means for performing a process for connecting said numerical control section, collecting the operating condition data of said machine tool, and storing the collected operating condition data in said operation data storage means, and a process for transmitting the operating condition data stored in said operation data storage means to said operation management device via said telecommunication circuits.
On the other hand, said operation management device is configured so as to receive the operating condition data transmitted from each of said operation data accumulation and transmission device, and accumulate the operating condition data of this machine tool.
According to this operation management system, first, the operating condition data of the machine tool corresponding to the numerical control section is collected therefrom by the data collection and transmission means of the operation data accumulation and transmission device and the collected operating condition data are stored in the operation data storage
Fujishima Makoto
Komatsu Masahiro
Nakazawa Yuichi
Lee Douglas S.
Mori Seiki Co. Ltd.
Picard Leo
Westerman Hattori Daniels & Adrian LLP
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