JP7580671B1 - Machining system and machining method - Google Patents

Abstract

The machining system (1) comprises a machine tool (M1) connected to a network, machine tools (M2, M3) connected to the network, and a handheld terminal (2) connected to the machine tool (M1) by a connection line (L1) and for operating the machine tools (M1 to M3), the handheld terminal (2) transmits first operation information for operating the machine tool (M1) or second operation information for operating the machine tool (M2, M3) to the machine tool (M1), the machine tool (M1) executes processing corresponding to the first operation information when it receives the first operation information from the handheld terminal (2), and relays the second operation information to the machine tools (M2, M3) via the network when it receives the second operation information, and the machine tools (M2, M3) execute processing corresponding to the second operation information when it receives the second operation information.

Description

The present disclosure relates to a machining system, a machining method, and a processing program in which a machine tool is operated by an operation terminal.

An operation terminal such as a handheld terminal is a device that can communicate with a machine tool connected via a communication line and manually operate the machine tool. A handheld terminal has an operation unit such as an operation switch for operating the machine tool, and by operating the operation unit, the machine tool can be operated from a location away from the operation screen installed on the machine tool.

When a machine tool is operated using a handheld terminal, the user normally connects the handheld terminal directly to the machine tool to be operated and operates the machine while, for example, viewing the machining status of the workpiece on that machine tool. In this case, when there are multiple machine tools, multiple handheld terminals corresponding to each of the multiple machine tools are required.

When attempting to operate various devices in a plant facility, the handheld terminal described in Patent Document 1 is connected to a transmission station to which the desired device is connected. The handheld terminal described in Patent Document 1 identifies the identification symbol of the connected transmission station and automatically generates an operation screen corresponding to the device connected to the identified transmission station, making it possible to operate multiple devices with a single handheld terminal.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-011690

However, the technology of Patent Document 1 above had the problem that when switching the device to be operated, it was necessary to reconnect the device and the handheld terminal via the transmission station.

The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to obtain a machining system that can operate multiple machine tools with a single operation terminal without having to reconnect the connections between the machine tools and the operation terminal.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the machining system of the present disclosure includes a first machine tool connected to a network, a second machine tool connected to the network, and an operation terminal connected to the first machine tool by a connection line and for operating the first machine tool and the second machine tool. The operation terminal transmits to the first machine tool first operation information for operating the first machine tool or second operation information for operating the second machine tool. When the first machine tool receives the first operation information from the operation terminal, the first machine tool executes a process corresponding to the first operation information, and when the first machine tool receives the second operation information from the operation terminal, the first machine tool relays the second operation information to the second machine tool via the network. When the second machine tool receives the second operation information, the second machine tool executes a process corresponding to the second operation information . The second operation information includes a process for executing a plurality of operations, and the first machine tool causes the second machine tool to execute the plurality of operations simultaneously.

The machining system disclosed herein has the advantage of being able to operate multiple machine tools with a single operation terminal without having to reconnect the connections between the machine tools and the operation terminal.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a machining system according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of a handheld terminal included in a machining system according to an embodiment; 1 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a machining system according to an embodiment when a handheld terminal transmits operation information to a machine tool. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the machining system according to the embodiment when another machine tool transmits display information corresponding to operation information to the handheld terminal. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration for implementing a machine tool according to an embodiment;

Below, the machining system, machining method, and processing program relating to the embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment
1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a machining system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The machining system 1 includes a handheld terminal 2, machine tools M1 to M3, and a HUB 3.

The handheld terminal 2 is an operation terminal for operating the machine tools M1 to M3. In the first embodiment, the machining system 1 is described as having three machine tools M1 to M3, but the machining system 1 may have a plurality of machine tools (two or more). Therefore, the machining system 1 may have two machine tools, or four or more machine tools.

One of the machine tools M1 to M3 included in the machining system 1 is a representative machine tool that communicates directly with the handheld terminal 2. In the embodiment, a case will be described in which the machine tool M1 is the representative machine tool. In the following description, the machine tool M1 that is the representative machine tool may be referred to as the representative machine tool M1. In the following description, the machine tools M2 and M3 that are machine tools other than the machine tool M1 may be referred to as the other machine tools M2 and M3.

The representative machine tool M1 is the first machine tool, and the other machine tools M2 and M3 are the second machine tools. When the machining system 1 is equipped with two machine tools, the other machine tool is either the machine tool M2 or the machine tool M3. Note that when there is no need to distinguish between the machine tools M1 to M3, the machine tools M1 to M3 may be referred to as the machine tool Mx.

The machine tools M1 to M3 are connected to HUB3 and can communicate with each other. The handheld terminal 2 is connected to the representative machine tool M1 and can communicate with each other. In the embodiment, the handheld terminal 2 can communicate with the other machine tools M2, M3 by having the representative machine tool M1 relay information. The handheld terminal 2 executes the contents of the user's instructions to the machine tools M1 to M3 in accordance with the user's instructions. The handheld terminal 2 also acquires information from the machine tools M1 to M3 in accordance with the user's instructions.

The machine tools M1 to M3 transmit and receive information between the machine tools Mx via a network connection. Note that communication between the machine tools Mx may be performed using a communication standard dedicated to the machine tools Mx, or may be performed using a general-purpose communication standard.

In the machining system 1, communication may be performed between the representative machine tool M1 and the other machine tools M2, M3 by a network connection via the HUB3, or communication may be performed by a network connection in which the representative machine tool M1 and the other machine tools M2, M3 are directly connected. In FIG. 1, the HUB3 is replaced with a connection line, thereby realizing a network in which the representative machine tool M1 and the other machine tools M2, M3 are directly connected.

The machine tools M1 to M3 transmit and receive information using an industrial network (field network) that connects, for example, control devices, sensors, drive devices, etc. to control the devices and monitor their status. Examples of this industrial network are CC (Control and Communication)-Link, Profibus (Process Field Bus), Ethernet (registered trademark)/IP, FL-net, etc. The machine tools M1 to M3 perform data communication according to the communication method of the industrial network.

Each of the machine tools M1 to M3 holds individual identification information (ID, IDentification) for identifying its own machine tool. The representative machine tool M1 holds an ID table in which the IDs of the machine tools M1 to M3 correspond to the communication addresses of the machine tools M1 to M3. The representative machine tool M1 uses the ID table to relay information between the handheld terminal 2 and the machine tools M2, M3.

The handheld terminal 2 has an operation unit 21, a display unit 22, and a communication IF (InterFace) 23. The representative machine tool M1 has an HT communication control unit 31A, a memory unit 32A, a communication IF 33, and an ID storage unit 34. The other machine tool M2 has an HT communication control unit 31B and a memory unit 32B. The other machine tool M3 has an HT communication control unit 31C and a memory unit 32C.

Here, the external configuration of the handheld terminal 2 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of the handheld terminal provided in the machining system according to the embodiment. The handheld terminal 2 has an operation unit 21 and a display unit 22. The operation unit 21 is an operation switch, an operation button, an operation dial, etc., and accepts commands corresponding to operations by a user. The operations by the user are operations for operating the machine tool Mx. In other words, the operation unit 21 accepts commands from the user to cause the machine tool Mx to execute a specific process.

An example of the display unit 22 is a liquid crystal monitor, which displays various information. The display unit 22 displays, for example, the name (machine name) of the machine tool Mx to be operated, candidates for operation contents for the machine tool Mx, operation information indicating the operation contents accepted from the user, information on the machine tool Mx received by the communication IF 23 from the machine tool Mx, and the like.

The information of the machine tool Mx that the communication IF 23 receives from the machine tool Mx is, for example, information managed by the machine tool Mx, and is information (display information) provided from the machine tool Mx to the handheld terminal 2 and displayed on the handheld terminal 2.

When the user inputs information specifying the machine tool Mx to be operated, the operation unit 21 displays information indicating the specified machine tool Mx (such as the machine name) on the display unit 22. When the user inputs information specifying the operation content, the operation unit 21 displays information indicating the specified operation content on the display unit 22. The information indicating the operation content specified by the user is, for example, a request to obtain display information collected by the machine tool Mx.

Before an operation is performed on the machine tool Mx, the handheld terminal 2 stores in a storage unit (not shown) or the like correspondence information in which the machine name of the machine tool Mx is associated with an ID that identifies the machine tool Mx. For example, in the first communication with the representative machine tool M1, the handheld terminal 2 acquires information (correspondence information) in which the ID and machine name of the machine tool Mx to be operated from the handheld terminal 2 are associated with each other. In the correspondence information of the embodiment, the IDs of the machine tools M1, M2, and M3 are associated with the machine names of the machine tools M1, M2, and M3. The ID of the representative machine tool M1 is the first identification information, and the IDs of the other machine tools M2 and M3 are the second identification information.

The display unit 22 displays information (machine name) of the operable machine tool Mx included in the correspondence information acquired from the representative machine tool M1. This allows the user to select the machine tool Mx that the user wants to operate.

When a user inputs the machine name of the machine tool Mx to be operated, etc., the handheld terminal 2 reads out the ID corresponding to the machine name of the machine tool Mx specified by the user from the correspondence information.

The handheld terminal 2 also receives operation information from the user, which is the operation content for the machine tool Mx. The handheld terminal 2 associates the machine name entered by the user with the operation information.

The communication IF 23 of the handheld terminal 2 is connected to the communication IF 33 of the representative machine tool M1 via a connection line L1. The communication IF 23 transmits an ID for identifying the machine tool Mx designated by the user and operation information indicating an operation command to the machine tool Mx designated by the user to the communication IF 33 of the representative machine tool M1 via the connection line L1. That is, the communication IF 23 adds an ID corresponding to the machine tool Mx selected by the user to the operation information and transmits it to the communication IF 33. The operation information designated by the user indicates the content of the operation to the machine tool Mx. The operation information to the representative machine tool M1 is the first operation information, and the operation information to the other machine tools M2 and M3 is the second operation information. The connection line L1 may be wired or wireless.

In addition, the information that communication IF 23 transmits to communication IF 33 may not include an ID. In this case, representative machine tool M1 determines that representative machine tool M1 (its own machine tool) to which handheld terminal 2 is connected is the machine tool to be operated.

In addition, the communication IF 23 receives the display information collected by the machine tool Mx from the communication IF 33 of the representative machine tool M1. The display information received by the communication IF 23 from the communication IF 33 is displayed by the display unit 22.

The communication IF 33 of the representative machine tool M1 receives the ID of the machine tool Mx and operation information for this machine tool Mx from the communication IF 23 of the handheld terminal 2. The communication IF 33 sends the received ID and operation information to the HT communication control unit 31A.

The ID storage unit 34 of the representative machine tool M1 is a non-volatile memory. The ID storage unit 34 holds an ID table in which the IDs of the other machine tools M2 and M3 correspond to the communication addresses of the other machine tools M2 and M3.

This ID table is registered in advance by the user in the ID storage unit 34. In the embodiment, the ID table stores information in which the ID of the other machine tool M2 is associated with the communication address of the other machine tool M2, and information in which the ID of the other machine tool M3 is associated with the communication address of the other machine tool M3.

The memory unit 32A of the representative machine tool M1 stores the display information collected by the representative machine tool M1 and the operation information received by the representative machine tool M1 from the handheld terminal 2. The display information stored in the memory unit 32A of the representative machine tool M1 is information corresponding to the operation information received by the representative machine tool M1 from the handheld terminal 2. The memory unit 32A also stores in advance ID information (not shown) indicating the ID of the representative machine tool M1.

The HT communication control unit 31A determines whether the ID received by the communication IF 33 corresponds to the ID of the representative machine tool M1, which is the device itself, based on the ID information in the memory unit 32A. If the HT communication control unit 31A determines that the ID received by the communication IF 33 corresponds to the ID of the representative machine tool M1, the representative machine tool M1 executes a process corresponding to the operation information received by the communication IF 33. For example, if the operation information received by the representative machine tool M1 from the handheld terminal 2 is information for executing a process of collecting the operation status of the representative machine tool M1, the representative machine tool M1 collects information on the operation status of the representative machine tool M1 (first operation status information) as display information and stores it in the memory unit 32A.

If the ID received by the communication IF 33 corresponds to the ID of the representative machine tool M1, the HT communication control unit 31A sends the display information in the memory unit 32A to the communication IF 33. As a result, the display information in the memory unit 32A is sent from the communication IF 33 to the communication IF 23.

If the ID received by the communication IF 33 does not correspond to the ID of the representative machine tool M1, i.e., if the ID received by the communication IF 33 corresponds to the ID of one of the other machine tools M2, M3, the HT communication control unit 31A relays the ID and operation information to the other corresponding machine tool.

Specifically, the HT communication control unit 31A reads out a communication address corresponding to the ID received by the communication IF 33 from the ID table stored in the ID storage unit 34. The HT communication control unit 31A transmits the ID and operation information received by the communication IF 33 to the read communication address. The HT communication control unit 31A transmits the ID and operation information via the HUB 3.

In this way, the representative machine tool M1 communicates with the handheld terminal 2 using the HT communication control unit 31A. The representative machine tool M1 then uses the ID table to relay information between the handheld terminal 2 and the other machine tools M2, M3. For example, if the ID received by the communication IF 33 is the ID of the machine tool M2, the representative machine tool M1 transmits the ID and operation information received by the communication IF 33 to the machine tool M2.

In this way, the HT communication control unit 31A controls communication with the handheld terminal 2 directly connected to the representative machine tool M1. Furthermore, if the ID received from the handheld terminal 2 is other than that of the representative machine tool M1, the HT communication control unit 31A converts the communication data (operation information and ID) sent from the handheld terminal 2 into network communication information and transmits it to the other machine tools M2 and M3.

Furthermore, when the HT communication control unit 31A receives display information for the handheld terminal 2 from other machine tools M2, M3 via network communication, it converts the received display information into information for communication with the handheld terminal 2 and transmits it to the handheld terminal 2. In other words, the HT communication control unit 31A controls communication between the handheld terminal 2 and other machine tools M2, M3 connected to the network.

The other machine tools M2, M3 have similar configurations, so here, the configuration of machine tool M2 will be described. Memory unit 32B of machine tool M2 stores display information collected by machine tool M2 and operation information received by machine tool M2 from handheld terminal 2 via representative machine tool M1. The display information stored in memory unit 32B of machine tool M2 is information corresponding to operation information received by machine tool M2 from handheld terminal 2 via representative machine tool M1. Memory unit 32B also pre-stores ID information (not shown) indicating the ID of machine tool M2.

The HT communication control unit 31B of the machine tool M2 determines whether the ID received from HUB3 corresponds to the ID of the machine tool M2, which is its own device, based on the ID information in the memory unit 32B. If the HT communication control unit 31B determines that the ID received corresponds to the ID of the machine tool M2, the machine tool M2 executes processing corresponding to the received operation information. For example, if the operation information received by the machine tool M2 is information for collecting the operating status of the machine tool M2, the machine tool M2 collects the information on the operating status of the machine tool M2 as display information.

If the ID received by the representative machine tool M1 from the handheld terminal 2 is the ID of the machine tool M2, the machine tool M2 is the second machine tool, and the information on the operation status of the machine tool M2 is the second operation status information. Also, if the ID received by the representative machine tool M1 from the handheld terminal 2 is the ID of the machine tool M3, the machine tool M3 is the second machine tool, and the information on the operation status of the machine tool M3 is the second operation status information. Also, if the ID received by the representative machine tool M1 from the handheld terminal 2 is the ID of the machine tools M2, M3, the machine tools M2, M3 are the second machine tool, and the information on the operation status of the machine tools M2, M3 is the second operation status information.

If the received ID matches the ID of the machine tool M2, the HT communication control unit 31B sends the display information in the memory unit 32A to the HT communication control unit 31A of the representative machine tool M1 via the HUB3. As a result, the display information in the memory unit 32B is sent to the handheld terminal 2 via the representative machine tool M1. If the received ID does not match the ID of the machine tool M2, the HT communication control unit 31B sends information indicating an error to the representative machine tool M1.

Next, we will explain the processing procedure of the processing executed by the machining system 1. First, we will explain the processing of the machining system 1 when the handheld terminal 2 transmits operation information to any of the machine tools M1 to M3 in the machining system 1.

Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the machining system when the handheld terminal transmits operation information to the machine tool in the machining system according to the embodiment. In the machining system 1, the handheld terminal 2 acquires an ID table from the representative machine tool M1 (step S10).

The operation unit 21 of the handheld terminal 2 receives from the user the machine tool Mx to be operated and operation information (step S20). The operation unit 21 receives the machine name of the machine tool Mx as the machine tool Mx to be operated.

The user specifies the machine tool Mx to be operated, for example, by selecting the machine tool Mx to be operated from among the machine names of the multiple machine tools Mx displayed on the display unit 22. The operation unit 21 accepts the specified machine tool Mx as the machine tool Mx to be operated.

In addition, the user specifies desired operation information, for example, by selecting desired operation information from multiple pieces of operation information displayed on the display unit 22. The operation unit 21 accepts the specified operation information.

The handheld terminal 2 reads out the ID corresponding to the machine tool Mx specified by the user from the correspondence information. The communication IF 23 of the handheld terminal 2 transmits the ID and operation information to the representative machine tool M1 (step S30).

The communication IF 33 of the representative machine tool M1 receives the ID and operation information (step S40). The HT communication control unit 31A of the representative machine tool M1 reads the ID information added to the information received from the handheld terminal 2 and determines the ID (step S50). That is, the HT communication control unit 31A determines which machine tool Mx the ID belongs to. The HT communication control unit 31A determines whether the ID is the ID of the representative machine tool M1 (step S60).

If the ID is the ID of the representative machine tool M1 (step S60, Yes), the HT communication control unit 31A stores the operation information in the memory unit 32A, and the representative machine tool M1 executes processing corresponding to the operation information (step S70).

Note that even if the operation information sent from the handheld terminal 2 does not include an ID, the HT communication control unit 31A stores the operation information in the memory unit 32A. Then, the representative machine tool M1 executes processing corresponding to the operation information. In this way, if the received ID is the ID of the representative machine tool M1, or if the received information does not include an ID, the representative machine tool M1 determines that the information is operation information for the representative machine tool M1, and executes processing corresponding to the operation information.

For example, if the operation information is information requesting the collection of display information, the representative machine tool M1 collects display information corresponding to the operation information. The collected display information is stored in the memory unit 32A. If the operation information is information requesting the collection of display information, the HT communication control unit 31A sends the display information to the communication IF 33. The communication IF 33 sends the display information collected by the representative machine tool M1 to the handheld terminal 2.

If the ID is not the ID of the representative machine tool M1 (step S60, No), the HT communication control unit 31A relays the operation information to the other machine tool corresponding to the ID (step S80). Specifically, the HT communication control unit 31A reads out the communication address corresponding to the ID from the ID table stored in the ID storage unit 34. Here, a case will be described in which the ID received by the representative machine tool M1 is the other machine tool M2, and the communication address read out by the HT communication control unit 31A is the communication address of the other machine tool M2. The HT communication control unit 31A transmits the operation information to the read communication address. The HT communication control unit 31A may transmit the ID together with the operation information to the read communication address.

The other machine tool M2 corresponding to the communication address receives the operation information from the representative machine tool M1. That is, the other machine tool M2 corresponding to the ID received by the representative machine tool M1 receives the operation information (step S90).

The other machine tool M2 that receives the operation information stores the operation information in the memory unit 32B and executes processing corresponding to the operation information (step S100).

After the processing of step S70 or after the processing of step S100, the machining system 1 returns to the processing of step S20 and executes the processing of step S20 and subsequent steps. This enables the machining system 1 to operate multiple machine tools Mx with one handy terminal 2 without reconnecting the connection between the machine tools Mx and the handy terminal 2. Therefore, the machining system 1 does not need to carry the handy terminal 2 to reconnect the connection with the machine tools Mx, and the effort of reconnecting can be eliminated.

The operation information may include multiple IDs. In this case, the machining system 1 executes the processing of steps S50 to S100 for each ID included in the operation information.

The operation information may also be information that specifies the execution of multiple operations. In this case, the machining system 1 executes the multiple operations included in the operation information. The multiple operations may be operations on one machine tool Mx, or may be operations on multiple machine tools Mx. When the operation information is operations on multiple machine tools Mx, multiple IDs corresponding to the machine tools Mx to be operated are sent from the handy terminal 2 to the representative machine tool M1. When the operation information includes first operation information that is operation information on the representative machine tool M1, and second operation information that is operation information on the other machine tools M2 and M3, the operation information including the first operation information and the second operation information is the third operation information.

The operation information may include, for example, information that specifies the emergency stop of the machine tool Mx. When the operation information transmitted by the handy terminal 2 includes information for emergency stopping the machine tool Mx, the machine tool Mx performs an emergency stop of the machine tool Mx. For example, when the operation information received from the handy terminal 2 includes information for emergency stopping the machine tool M1, the machine tool M1 performs an emergency stop of the machine tool M1. When the operation information received from the machine tool M1 includes information for emergency stopping the machine tool M2, the machine tool M2 performs an emergency stop of the machine tool M2. When the operation information received from the handy terminal 2 includes information for emergency stopping the machine tool M2, the machine tool M1 may perform an emergency stop of the machine tool M2. When the operation information received from the handy terminal 2 includes information for emergency stopping the machine tool M2, the machine tool M1 may perform an emergency stop of the machine tool M1. When the operation information received from the handy terminal 2 includes information for emergency stopping the machine tool M2, the machine tool M1 may perform an emergency stop of the machine tool M1. When the operation information is information that specifies emergency stopping of a plurality of machine tools Mx, the plurality of machine tools Mx are emergency stopped. For example, when the operation information transmitted by the handy terminal 2 includes information for emergency stopping the machine tools M1, M2, the machine tools M1, M2 respectively bring the machine tools M1, M2 to an emergency stop.

The operation information may be information that causes multiple machine tools Mx to execute operations simultaneously. In this case, the operations may be common to each machine tool Mx, or may be different operations. When the operation information is information that causes multiple machine tools Mx to execute operations simultaneously, the representative machine tool M1 executes multiple operations simultaneously.

The operation information may also be information that specifies that multiple machine tools Mx are to be linked. In this case, the operation information also includes multiple IDs of the machine tools Mx to be linked. In this case, the operation information includes information on the order in which each operation is to be performed, and the representative machine tool M1 executes each operation in order based on the order information. This makes it easy to operate multiple machine tools with a single operation terminal.

For example, when the representative machine tool M1 receives an execution completion notification indicating that a first operation has been executed and execution has been completed, it causes the representative machine tool M1 to execute a second operation. In this case, the HT communication control unit 31A of the representative machine tool M1 causes the first machine tool Mx corresponding to the first operation to execute the first operation and receives an execution completion notification from the first machine tool Mx. Thereafter, the HT communication control unit 31A causes the second machine tool Mx corresponding to the second operation to execute the second operation and receives an execution completion notification from the second machine tool Mx.

In this way, the HT communication control unit 31A repeats the process of having the Nth machine tool Mx (N is a natural number) execute the Nth operation, and after completion of the execution, having the (N+1)th machine tool Mx execute the (N+1)th operation. For example, if the operation information specifies that multiple machine tools Mx are to be brought to an emergency stop in sequence, the multiple machine tools Mx are brought to an emergency stop in sequence. Note that the Nth machine tool Mx and the (N+1)th machine tool Mx may be the representative machine tool M1.

When the HT communication control unit 31A receives emergency stop operation information for one machine tool Mx, it may transmit an emergency stop command to all machine tools Mx and also perform an emergency stop on the representative machine tool M1. For example, when the HT communication control unit 31A receives emergency stop operation information for the representative machine tool M1, it transmits an emergency stop command to all other machine tools M2, M3 and performs an emergency stop on the representative machine tool M1.

The handheld terminal 2 may store in advance an operation information set that is information in which operation information for executing multiple operations is associated with the ID of the machine tool Mx that executes the operations included in the operation information. In this case, when an operation information set is specified by the user, the handheld terminal 2 transmits the specified operation information set to the representative machine tool M1. The operation information set includes multiple pieces of operation information, multiple IDs, and information on the order of each operation.

The handheld terminal 2 may also receive information similar to the operation information set from the user. That is, the handheld terminal 2 may receive an operation information set from the user that includes operation information for executing multiple operations, the ID of the machine tool Mx that executes the operations included in the operation information, and information on the order of each operation.

Next, we will explain the processing of the machining system 1 when the other machine tools M2 and M3 in the machining system 1 transmit display information corresponding to operation information to the handheld terminal 2. Here, we will explain the processing when the other machine tool M2 transmits display information corresponding to operation information to the handheld terminal 2.

Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the processing steps of a machining system in an embodiment when another machine tool transmits display information corresponding to operation information to a handheld terminal.

When the other machine tool M2 in the machining system 1 receives operation information requesting display information, it collects the display information. Then, the HT communication control unit 31B of the other machine tool M2 transmits the ID of the other machine tool M2 and the collected display information to the representative machine tool M1 (step S110).

The HT communication control unit 31A of the representative machine tool M1 receives the ID and display information from the other machine tool M2 (step S120). The representative machine tool M1 relays the ID and display information received by the HT communication control unit 31A to the handheld terminal 2 (step S130).

The communication IF 23 of the handheld terminal 2 receives the ID and display information from the representative machine tool M1 (step S140). The handheld terminal 2 reads out the machine name of the machine tool M2 corresponding to the received ID from pre-stored correspondence information in which the machine name and ID of the machine tool Mx are associated. The display unit 22 of the handheld terminal 2 displays the machine name and display information corresponding to the ID (step S150). Note that the machine tool Mx may transmit information that is not to be displayed to the handheld terminal 2 as information corresponding to the operation information.

Here, we will explain the hardware configuration of the handheld terminal 2 and the machine tools M1 to M3. Note that the handheld terminal 2 and the machine tools M1 to M3 have similar hardware configurations, so here we will explain the hardware configuration of the machine tool M1.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration for realizing a machine tool according to an embodiment. The machine tool M1 can be realized by an input device 300, a processor 100, a memory 200, and an output device 400. An example of the processor 100 is a CPU (also called a Central Processing Unit, central processing unit, processing unit, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, or DSP (Digital Signal Processor)) or a system LSI (Large Scale Integration). An example of the memory 200 is a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory).

The machine tool M1 is realized by the processor 100 reading and executing a computer-executable processing program for executing the operation of the machine tool M1 stored in the memory 200. The processing program for executing the operation of the machine tool M1 can also be said to cause the computer to execute the procedure or method of the machine tool M1.

The processing program executed by the machine tool M1 has a modular configuration including an HT communication control unit 31, which are loaded onto the main storage device and generated on the main storage device. The processing program executed by the machine tool M1 includes a communication control program that controls communication with the handheld terminal 2, and an operation execution program that executes processing corresponding to operation information. The machine tool M1 executes a process of receiving operation information for operating the machine tool M1 or operation information for operating the machine tools M2 and M3 from the handheld terminal 2 by the processing program. When the machine tool M1 receives operation information for operating the machine tool M1, the processing program executes a process corresponding to this operation information, and when the machine tool M1 receives operation information for operating the machine tools M2 and M3, the processing program executes a process of relaying this operation information to the machine tool corresponding to the ID. The machine tool M1 also executes a process of receiving display information from the machine tools M2 and M3 and a process of transferring the received display information to the handheld terminal 2 by the processing program.

The input device 300 receives the ID and operation information sent from the handheld terminal 2, and the ID and display information sent from the other machine tools M2 and M3, and sends them to the processor 100. The memory 200 stores the display information, operation information, ID tables, processing programs, and the like.

The processing program is read from the memory 200 by the processor 100. The memory 200 is also used as a temporary memory when the processor 100 executes various processes. The output device 400 outputs the ID and display information to be sent to the handheld terminal 2, the ID and operation information to be transmitted to the other machine tools M2 and M3, and the like.

The processing program may be provided as a computer program product in the form of an installable or executable file stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The processing program may also be provided to the machine tool M1 via a network such as the Internet. Note that some of the functions of the machine tool M1 may be realized by dedicated hardware such as a dedicated circuit, and some by software or firmware.

Thus, the machining system 1 of the embodiment includes a representative machine tool M1 and other machine tools M2, M3 connected to a network, and a handheld terminal 2 connected to the representative machine tool M1 by a connection line L1 and for manually operating the machine tool Mx. When the representative machine tool M1 receives operation information for the representative machine tool M1 from the handheld terminal 2, it executes a process corresponding to the operation information. When the representative machine tool M1 receives operation information for the other machine tools M2, M3, it relays the operation information to the other machine tools M2, M3 via the network, and when the other machine tools M2, M3 receive the operation information, they execute a process corresponding to the operation information. This makes it possible for the machining system 1 to operate multiple machine tools Mx with one handheld terminal 2 without changing the connection between the machine tool Mx and the handheld terminal 2.

The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and may be combined with other known technologies, or the embodiments may be combined with each other. Also, parts of the configurations may be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1 Machining system, 2 Handheld terminal, 3 HUB, 21 Operation unit, 22 Display unit, 23, 33 Communication IF, 31A-31C HT communication control unit, 32A-32C Storage unit, 34 ID storage unit, 100 Processor, 200 Memory, 300 Input device, 400 Output device, L1 Connection line, M1-M3, Mx Machine tool.

Claims (13)

a first machine tool connected to a network;
a second machine tool connected to the network;
an operation terminal connected to the first machine tool by a connection line and for operating the first machine tool and the second machine tool;
Equipped with
the operation terminal transmits, to the first machine tool, first operation information for operating the first machine tool or second operation information for operating the second machine tool;
when the first machine tool receives the first operation information from the operation terminal, it executes a process corresponding to the first operation information, and when the first machine tool receives the second operation information from the operation terminal, it relays the second operation information to the second machine tool via the network;
when the second machine tool receives the second operation information, the second machine tool executes a process corresponding to the second operation information;
the second operation information includes a process for executing a plurality of operations, and the first machine tool causes the second machine tool to simultaneously execute the plurality of operations;
A machining system characterized by: the operation terminal, when transmitting the first operation information to the first machine tool, adds first identification information for identifying the first machine tool to the first operation information and transmits the first operation information to the first machine tool, and, when transmitting the second operation information to the second machine tool, adds second identification information for identifying the second machine tool to the second operation information and transmits the second operation information to the first machine tool;
When the first machine tool receives the first identification information, it determines that the first operation information has been received from the operation terminal and executes a process corresponding to the first operation information, and when the first machine tool receives the second identification information, it relays the second operation information to the second machine tool based on the second identification information.
The machining system according to claim 1 . the operation terminal stores an operation information set which is operation information for executing the plurality of operations, and when the operation information set is selected by a user, transmits the operation information set to the first machine tool;
The first machine tool executes the plurality of operations corresponding to the operation information set.
The machining system according to claim 1 . the operation terminal transmits third operation information including the first operation information and the second operation information to the first machine tool.
The machining system according to claim 1 . the first machine tool brings the first machine tool to an emergency stop when the first operation information received from the operation terminal includes information for bringing the first machine tool to an emergency stop;
The machining system according to claim 1 . the first machine tool brings the second machine tool to an emergency stop when the first operation information received from the operation terminal includes information for bringing the second machine tool to an emergency stop;
The machining system according to claim 5 . the second machine tool brings the second machine tool to an emergency stop when the second operation information received from the first machine tool includes information for bringing the second machine tool to an emergency stop;
The machining system according to claim 1 . the first machine tool brings the first machine tool to an emergency stop when the second operation information received from the operation terminal includes information for bringing the second machine tool to an emergency stop;
The machining system according to claim 7 . When the first operation information is information for collecting an operating state of the first machine tool,
when the first machine tool receives the first operation information from the operation terminal, it collects first operation status information which is information on an operation status of the first machine tool, and transmits the first operation status information to the operation terminal;
The operation terminal displays the first operation status information.
The machining system according to claim 1 . When the second operation information is information for collecting an operating state of the second machine tool,
when the second machine tool receives the second operation information from the first machine tool, it collects second operation status information which is information on an operation status of the second machine tool, and transmits the second operation status information to the first machine tool;
The first machine tool transmits the second operation status information to the operation terminal;
The operation terminal displays the second operation status information.
The machining system according to claim 1 . In the network, the first machine tool and the second machine tool are connected via a hub.
The machining system according to claim 1 . In the network, the first machine tool and the second machine tool are directly connected to each other.
The machining system according to claim 1 . a transmission step in which the operation terminal of a machining system including a first machine tool connected to a network, a second machine tool connected to the network, and an operation terminal connected to the first machine tool by a connection line and for operating the first machine tool and the second machine tool transmits, to the first machine tool, first operation information for operating the first machine tool or second operation information for operating the second machine tool;
a relay step of executing a process corresponding to the first operation information when the first machine tool receives the first operation information from the operation terminal, and relaying the second operation information to the second machine tool via the network when the first machine tool receives the second operation information from the operation terminal;
a processing execution step of executing a process corresponding to the second operation information by the second machine tool when the second machine tool receives the second operation information;
Including,
the second operation information includes a process for executing a plurality of operations, and the first machine tool causes the second machine tool to simultaneously execute the plurality of operations;
A machining method characterized by:

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