JP7668670B2 - Analytical device, analytical system, and control method thereof - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an analysis device, an analysis system, and a control method thereof.

A programmable logic controller (PLC) is a controller that controls industrial machinery such as manufacturing equipment, conveying equipment, and inspection equipment in factory automation (Patent Documents 1 and 2). PLCs control various extension units and controlled devices by executing user programs such as ladder programs created by programmers.

Patent No. 5661222 JP 2018-097662 A

In order to monitor the operation of a PLC or the operation of industrial machinery controlled by a PLC, it is desirable to collect and utilize the data held by the PLC. A PLC has a base unit (CPU unit) and an expansion unit connected to it. The base unit controls the expansion unit by executing user programs such as ladder programs. The expansion unit controls the industrial machinery according to commands from the base unit and returns the control results to the base unit.

These control results and other data are also used for troubleshooting and quality control. Therefore, there is a demand to accumulate and analyze this data and obtain analysis results quickly in order to restore the system. However, if data for all devices related to the PLC is recorded, a huge amount of data will be stored, and in order to identify the abnormal device, this huge amount of data (all devices) must be analyzed, which is a time-consuming task. Furthermore, experience and knowledge are required to identify the abnormal device from the huge amount of analysis results and to restore the system. Therefore, there is a demand for a system that can efficiently analyze the huge amount of data related to each device and display the analysis results without requiring sufficient specialized knowledge or experience.

In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a report that synchronizes the analysis results of each device. Another aim is to enable multiple display items on a screen that displays a report to be operated in conjunction with a time axis.

The present invention is, for example, an analysis device comprising an execution engine that repeatedly executes a user program; acquisition means for acquiring driving record data including a plurality of symbol values in a time series collected by execution of the user program; setting means for setting a definition of one or more control cycles by a user selecting a symbol that specifies the timing of each of the one or more control cycles; model generation means for generating a model for each symbol based on learning of a change pattern of each symbol belonging to each of the control cycles in the acquired driving record data under normal conditions; analysis means for analyzing abnormal symbols that do not satisfy a normal condition related to the timing of symbol value changes or the number of times symbol value changes in each of the control cycles in accordance with the model, for the change pattern of each symbol belonging to each of the control cycles in the acquired driving record data to be analyzed; and report generation means for generating an analysis report that displays each of the control cycles and the location where an abnormality occurred, which is the analysis result of each symbol detected as the abnormal symbol , in accordance with the set definition of the one or more control cycles, in synchronization on a time axis.

According to the present invention, information about devices that behave unusually is synchronized and provided to the user.

Diagram explaining a PLC system FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the hardware of PC 2a. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the hardware of PC 2b. Diagram explaining PLC hardware FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining functions realized by a CPU of a PC. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining functions realized by the CPU of the PLC. Flowchart showing the basic flow Diagram explaining the result display screen Diagram explaining the result display screen Diagram explaining the relationship map A diagram explaining the control cycle and abnormal points A diagram showing how multiple display items are updated in response to operations on the time axis. Diagram explaining synchronization between normal video and video to be analyzed Flowchart showing the model generation flow FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining cycle pattern discrimination control. Flowchart showing the result display flow of the analysis unit Flowchart showing the result display flow on a PC Figure showing the user program editing screen A diagram showing the setting screen for defining a cycle Illustration explaining the warning when a cycle is not set FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of a PLC system. A diagram explaining the process flow of a cycle

The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the invention. Any combination of two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be used. In addition, the same reference numbers are used for identical or similar configurations, and duplicate descriptions are omitted. Lowercase letters may be added to the end of the reference numbers to distinguish between multiple configurations. Lowercase letters may be omitted when describing matters common to multiple configurations.

<System Configuration>
First, in order to allow those skilled in the art to better understand programmable logic controllers (PLCs, which may also be simply called programmable controllers), the configuration and operation of a typical PLC will be described.

Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration of a PLC system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the PLC system includes a PC 2a for editing user programs such as ladder programs, a PC 2b for displaying analysis results, a PLC 1 for controlling various industrial machines installed in a factory, and a field device 10 such as a camera connected to the PLC 1. PC is an abbreviation for personal computer. In the following, when simply referring to PC 2, the configuration and control of PC 2a and PC 2b are explained. The user program may be created using a graphical programming language such as a ladder language or a motion program in a flow chart format such as SFC (Sequential Function Chart), or may be created using a high-level programming language such as C language. In the following, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the user program executed by the basic unit 3 is a ladder program. The PLC 1 includes a basic unit 3 with a built-in CPU and one or more expansion units 4. One or more expansion units 4 are detachable from the basic unit 3.

The basic unit 3 includes a display unit 5 and an operation unit 6. The display unit 5 can display the operating status of each expansion unit 4 attached to the basic unit 3. The display unit 5 switches the display content according to the operation content of the operation unit 6. The display unit 5 usually displays the current value (device value) of the device in the PLC 1 and error information generated in the PLC 1. Here, the device includes various devices (relays, timers, counters, etc.) included in the basic unit 3 and the expansion unit 4, and also refers to an area on the memory provided to store the device value (device data), and may be called a device memory. The device memory is a non-volatile memory and may be composed of a rewritable non-volatile ROM, or a volatile RAM or the like may be made non-volatile by a battery backup or the like. ROM is an abbreviation for read-only memory. RAM is an abbreviation for random access memory. The device value is information indicating the input state from the input device, the output state to the output device, and the state of the internal relay (auxiliary relay), timer, counter, data memory, etc. set on the user program. The device value type includes bit type and word type. A bit device stores a one-bit device value, such as 0/1, ON/OFF, H/L, etc. A word device stores a one-word device value. A variable may be specified as a device to be collected by a data utilization program described in detail below. A variable is also a storage means for storing information, and is accessed by an execution engine according to a user program. Therefore, in the following description, a device also refers to a variable. A memory that stores a device may be called a device memory. A memory that stores collected data may be called a data memory. The PLC 1 may be configured to handle variables in addition to devices, and devices and variables are called symbols, and values indicated by symbols are called symbol values.

The expansion unit 4 is provided to expand the functions of the PLC 1. A field device (controlled device) 10 corresponding to the function of the expansion unit 4 may be connected to the expansion unit 4, and each field device 10 is thereby connected to the basic unit 3 via the expansion unit 4. The field device 10 may be an input device such as a sensor or a camera, or an output device such as an actuator. In addition, multiple field devices may be connected to one expansion unit 4.

For example, the expansion unit 4b may be a positioning unit that drives a motor (field device 10) to position the workpiece, or it may be a counter unit. The counter unit counts signals from an encoder (field device 10) such as a manual pulsar.

The analysis unit 4a collects symbol values from symbols (devices, variables, etc.) in the basic unit 3, analyzes the symbol values, and creates an analysis report including the analysis results. The analysis unit 4a may have a Web server that provides the analysis report to an external PC 2b. The basic unit 3 may also be called a CPU unit. A system including the PLC 1 and the PC 2 may also be called a programmable logic controller system. In this embodiment, an example in which the analysis unit 4a collects data from each device will be described, but the collection unit may be provided in the basic unit 3, or may be provided in another expansion unit. The analysis unit 4a can also function as an analysis device that analyzes the collected data according to instructions from the basic unit 3 or a predetermined timing. In this embodiment, an example in which the analysis unit 4a operates as an analysis device will be described, but this is not intended to limit the present invention, and the basic unit 3 may function as an analysis device, or an external device such as the PC 2a or 2b may function as an analysis device. The flow (flow program) described below is merely one example of a data utilization program. The basic unit 3 may also be called a CPU unit. The system including PLC1 and PC2 may be called a programmable logic controller system.

PC2a is a computer operated mainly by a programmer. On the other hand, PC2b is a computer operated mainly by a field staff. PC2b may be a programmable display device whose screen is set by a user. In this case, the screen for displaying the analysis results, etc. may be set by the user, or a web browser function may be installed in advance and the analysis results, etc. may be displayed by the web browser function. PC2a may be called a program creation support device (setting device). PC2 is, for example, a portable notebook type or tablet type personal computer or a smartphone, and is an external computer equipped with a display unit 7 and an operation unit 8. The external computer is a computer outside the PLC1. A ladder program, which is an example of a user program for controlling the PLC1, is created using PC2a. The created ladder program is converted into a mnemonic code in PC2a. PC2 is connected to the basic unit 3 of the PLC1 via a communication cable 9 such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable. For example, PC2a sends the ladder program converted into a mnemonic code to the basic unit 3. The basic unit 3 converts the ladder program into machine code and stores it in a memory provided in the basic unit 3. Note that, although a mnemonic code is transmitted to the basic unit 3 here, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the PC 2a may convert the mnemonic code into an intermediate code and transmit the intermediate code to the basic unit 3.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, the operation unit 8 of the PC 2 may include a pointing device such as a mouse connected to the PC 2. The PC 2 may be configured to be detachably connected to the basic unit 3 of the PLC 1 via a communication cable 9 other than a USB cable. The PC 2 may be connected to the basic unit 3 of the PLC 1 by wireless communication without using the communication cable 9.

<Program creation support device>
Fig. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the electrical configuration of the PC 2a. As shown in Fig. 2, the PC 2a includes a CPU 11a, a display unit 7a, an operation unit 8a, a storage device 12a, and a communication unit 13a. The display unit 7a, the operation unit 8a, the storage device 12a, and the communication unit 13a are each electrically connected to the CPU 11a. The storage device 12a includes a RAM, a ROM, a HDD, and an SSD, and may further include a removable memory card. CPU is an abbreviation for central processing unit. HDD is an abbreviation for hard disk drive. SSD is an abbreviation for solid state drive.

The user of the PC 2a edits the project data 15 through the operation unit 8a by having the CPU 11a execute the project editing program 14a stored in the storage device 12a. In other words, the PC 2a is an engineering tool and functions as a program creation support device. The CPU 11a executes the project editing program 14a to realize the project creation unit 16 and the project transfer unit 17. The project creation unit 16 creates the project data 15 according to user input. The project transfer unit 17 transfers the project data 15 to the PLC 1. The project data 15 includes one or more user programs (e.g., ladder program, control program, motion program, data utilization program), configuration information of the basic unit 3 and the expansion unit 4, drawing data of the WebHMI, setting information of specific functions provided in the basic unit 3 and the expansion unit 4, etc. The configuration information includes the connection positions of the multiple expansion units 4 to the basic unit 3 and device allocation information. The drawing data may include information indicating the functions (e.g., data collection function, communication function, positioning function) of the basic unit 3, and information indicating the functions (e.g., communication function, positioning function, photographing function) of the extension unit 4. The drawing data is a group of display parts for realizing the WebHMI, and is realized by markup data describing the structure of the front end, such as HTML data, style data describing decoration, such as CSS data, and code describing dynamic processing, such as JavaScript (registered trademark) code. The style data describing decoration may be provided, for example, in a file format, or may be called by a description calling an external style data file in the markup data describing the structure. The code describing dynamic processing may be provided, for example, in a file format, or may be called by a description calling an external code file in the markup data describing the structure. A front end in a format that can be used by calling an external style data file or an external code file has high reusability and maintainability, and can use, for example, a general-purpose front end component. Hereinafter, the drawing data is referred to as a display part. The data utilization program includes a program for collecting control data (such as device values) in the PLC 1, processing the data, and creating data to be passed to the WebHMI. The setting information for a specific function includes setting information on the functions (e.g., data collection function, communication function, positioning function) provided in the basic unit 3, such as setting information on data collection conditions and data collection targets for the data collection function, and setting information on the functions of the expansion unit 4 (e.g., communication function, positioning function, data utilization function, photography function). Here, editing the project data 15 includes creating and changing (re-editing) the project data 15. The user can read out the project data 15 stored in the storage device 12a as necessary and change the project data 15 using the project editing program 14a. The communication unit 13a communicates with the basic unit 3 via the communication cable 9a. The project transfer unit 17 transfers the project data to the basic unit 3 via the communication unit 13a. The communication unit 13a communicates with the analysis unit 4a via the communication cable 9b.

<PC used to display the dashboard>
Fig. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the electrical configuration of the PC 2b. As shown in Fig. 3, the PC 2b includes a CPU 11b, a display unit 7b, an operation unit 8b, a storage device 12b, and a communication unit 13b. The display unit 7b, the operation unit 8b, the storage device 12b, and the communication unit 13b are each electrically connected to the CPU 11b. The storage device 12b includes a RAM, a ROM, a HDD, and an SSD, and may further include a removable memory card.

The CPU 11b executes the web browser program 14d to realize the web browser 18. The web browser 18 accesses the setting page of the data utilization application provided by the analysis unit 4a and accesses the dashboard page via the communication unit 13b. The CPU 11b also displays the identification result (judgment result) at the time of the occurrence of an abnormality on the display unit 7b according to screen information indicating the identification result (judgment result) sent from the analysis unit 4a.

<PLC>
Fig. 4 is a block diagram for explaining the electrical configuration of the PLC 1. As shown in Fig. 4, the basic unit 3 includes a CPU 31, a display unit 5, an operation unit 6, a memory 32, and a communication unit 33. The display unit 5, the operation unit 6, the memory 32, and the communication unit 33 are each electrically connected to the CPU 31. The memory 32 may include a RAM, a ROM, a memory card, etc. The memory 32 has a plurality of storage areas, such as a device unit 34, a project storage unit 35, a ring buffer 36, and an operation record storage unit 37.

Here, the operation record is a record of the operation state of PLC1 at the scan time level, for example, the symbol values and collection times of all symbols related to the operation of PLC1 recorded in chronological order for each scan. All symbols related to the operation may be, for example, all symbols used in a user program such as a ladder program, or all symbols included in a program unit or unit unit selected by the user. In this case, the symbols to be recorded for the operation record may be selected in a meaningful unit such as a program unit or unit unit, and symbols may be added or removed individually. As a result, for example, when a trouble occurs, an operation record is generated in which the symbol values and collection times of all symbols related to the operation of PLC1 before and after the trouble occurs are recorded in chronological order for each scan, and it is possible to accurately grasp what happened at the time of the trouble based on the operation record even later. The operation record contains a lot of information to reproduce the situation at that time, but if there is a lot of information, the data capacity of the operation record becomes large, making it difficult to handle and placing a burden on the collection of the operation record, so that the user to be collected can select the program unit or unit unit.

In addition to symbols, the operation record may also include a time series of camera images along with the time of capture. This makes it possible, for example, when a problem occurs, to accurately determine what happened before and after the problem occurred even at a later time, and by including camera images showing changes in the appearance of the equipment in the operation record, the camera images can be recorded in conjunction with the time series of the user program. The operation record may also include writing history from external devices such as HMIs (human machine interfaces) and PCs, and writing history from PLCs, as change-point events. This makes it possible, for example, to check in chronological order what change-point events occurred before and after the problem occurred.

The device section 34 has a bit device, a word device, etc., and each device stores a device value. The project storage section 35 stores project data transferred from the PC 2a. The ring buffer 36 periodically collects and stores device values from the device section 34. When a specific event occurs, the operation record storage section 37 stores an event record including device values collected around the time of occurrence (before, after, or around the time of occurrence) and the collection time. An event means, for example, that an alarm condition or a caution condition set for each device is satisfied. An alarm condition means, for example, a condition that the control operation of the production line by the PLC 1 should be stopped. An caution condition means, for example, a device value condition that the administrator should be careful about regarding the control operation of the production line by the PLC 1. The CPU 31 transmits the event record to the PC 2a in response to a request from the PC 2a. The CPU 31 may also provide the device value to the PC 2a in real time. The memory 32 also stores a control program executed by the CPU 31 of the basic unit 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the basic unit 3 and the expansion unit 4 are connected via a unit internal bus 90, which is a type of expansion bus. The communication function related to the unit internal bus 90 is implemented in the CPU 31, but may also be implemented as part of the communication unit 33. The communication unit 33 may have a serial communication circuit that complies with the USB standard or the like. The CPU 31 receives project data from the PC 2a via the communication unit 33.

Here, we will provide additional information about the unit internal bus 90. This unit internal bus 90 is a communication bus used for input/output refresh. Input/output refresh is a process that updates device values between the basic unit 3 and the expansion unit 4. Input/output refresh is performed each time the ladder program is executed (i.e., each scan).

The expansion unit 4 includes a CPU 41 and a memory 42. The CPU 41b of the expansion unit 4b controls the field device 10 according to instructions (device values) from the basic unit 3 stored in the device. In this embodiment, the expansion unit 4b functions as a camera control unit. The CPU 41b also stores the control results of the field device 10, such as a camera, in a device called a buffer memory. The control results stored in the device are transferred to the basic unit 3 by input/output refresh. The control results stored in the device may also be transferred to the basic unit 3 according to a read command from the basic unit 3, even at a timing different from the input/output refresh. The memory 42 includes a RAM, a ROM, and the like. In particular, a memory area used as a buffer memory is secured in the RAM. The memory 42 may have a buffer that temporarily holds data (e.g., still image data or video data) acquired by the field device 10.

The CPU 41a of the analysis unit 4a, which functions as a data utilization unit (analysis unit), communicates with the PC 2b via the communication unit 43 and the communication cable 9b. The communication unit 43 includes a communication circuit that executes network communication. The CPU 41a creates an analysis report including the analysis results by analyzing the device values collected in the basic unit 3. For example, the CPU 41a executes a driving record analysis application as a data utilization application to analyze the symbol values included in the driving record data, thereby identifying abnormal symbols and the time at which the symbols become abnormal, and creates an analysis report including the analysis results in which the abnormal symbols and the time at which the symbols become abnormal are associated. The driving record data includes information for reproducing the situation around the time at which the driving record storage event occurs, and therefore may be managed in association with the analysis report. In addition, the driving record data includes symbol values of many symbols to reproduce the situation around the time at which the driving record storage event occurs, and therefore the data size becomes large. For this reason, for example, the CPU 41a may read data required for the analysis report from the driving record data, and additionally store it in the driving record data as data for the analysis report. The data for the analysis report may be a direct copy of the data necessary for the analysis report that was originally included in the driving record data, tagged as data for the analysis report, and added to the driving record data, or the data may be processed for the analysis report and added to the driving record data.

When camera images are included in the driving record data, the situation around the time when the driving record storage event occurred can be understood in more detail by playing back the camera images. The analysis report may include a UI (user interface) for playing back camera images. Since camera images have a large data size, only the necessary camera image data may be partially downloaded when a click or scroll operation is received in the UI for playing back the camera images. For example, when creating the analysis report, the CPU 41a may process the camera images in accordance with the display order in the analysis report, or generate index information indicating the correspondence between time and the storage location of the camera images, allowing the camera images corresponding to the time to be downloaded quickly and partially.

In a narrow sense, the analysis report means the analysis result itself, but in a broad sense, it may mean a Web application that displays the analysis result and its user interface. The CPU 41a, for example, judges whether the device value is within a normal range, whether the timing at which the device value changes is within a normal range, and so on. Whether the timing at which the device value changes is within a normal range may be, for example, whether the length of the period during which the device value is "1" (on) is within a normal range. It may also be judged whether the number of times the device value changes in a certain process or cycle is within a normal range. If the device value collected from a certain device does not satisfy the normal condition, the device may be called an abnormal device because it is a device that behaves differently than usual. The CPU 41a may create an analysis report in a Web format and provide the analysis report to the Web browser of the PC 2b via the communication unit 43 and the communication cable 9b. If the CPU 31 has a protocol conversion function, the CPU 41a may send the analysis report to the PC 2a via the unit internal bus 90, the CPU 31, the communication unit 33, and the communication cable 9a. The analysis report may have a graph display component, a numerical display component, and so on. These display components are realized by markup data describing the front-end structure, style data describing decoration, and code describing dynamic processing, such as HTML data, CSS data, and JavaScript (registered trademark) code. HTML is an abbreviation for HyperText Markup Language. CSS is an abbreviation for Cascading Style Sheets.

<Functions of PC2b>
5 is a diagram for explaining functions realized by the CPU 11b of the PC 2b. The CPU 11b of the PC 2b executes the Web browser program 14d to execute the Web browser 18. The Web browser 18 executes a Web application 61 to realize the functions of a communication processing unit 62, a data acquisition unit 63, a drawing unit 65, a reception unit 66, and a reproduction unit 67. The Web browser 18 also communicates with a Web server 82 of the analysis unit 4a (described later) according to HTTP (HyperText Transport Protocol) to receive display components.

The web browser 18 executes a web application 61 to display the analysis report on the display unit 7b. The web application 61 is composed of, for example, HTML data, CSS data, and Java(R) script. The web application 61 may be provided by the analysis unit 4a. The communication processing unit 62 processes communication with the web server 82. The data acquisition unit 63 acquires driving record data to be displayed in the analysis report from the analysis unit 4a. The driving record is downloaded and stored in the storage device 12b. The drawing unit 65 displays the analysis report on the display unit 7b. The linking unit 64 performs time management so that the playback time in the analysis report and the playback time of the driving record are synchronized.

The reception unit 66 receives operations on the analysis report result display screen. The playback unit 67 downloads driving record data and stores it in the storage device 12b in response to a playback request input from the reception unit 66 or the linking unit 64, for example. The playback request may include, for example, identification information that can identify the driving record (e.g., unique identification information or a storage path name in PLC1). The playback unit 67 plays back the driving record stored in the storage device 12 and displays it on the display unit 7. The playback unit 67 may display the time-series device values acquired in real time from the PLC1 as waveforms, or may display the time-series device values included in the driving record as waveforms.

<PLC1 Function>
6 shows functions that are realized by the CPU 31 and the CPU 41a executing the control program in the PLC 1. In the CPU 31, the command processing unit 71 interprets commands received from the PCs 2a and 2b, and executes processing corresponding to the interpretation result. For example, when a request signal created by encapsulating an HTTP request is received, the command processing unit 71 transfers the request signal to the CPU 41a. When a response signal to the request signal is received from the CPU 41a, the command processing unit 71 transfers the response signal to the PCs 2a and 2b. The command processing unit 71 may also be provided in the analysis unit 4a. In that case, the command processing unit 71 processes commands from the PC 2a, and the command processing unit provided in the analysis unit 4a processes commands from the PC 2b. The collection unit 72 collects symbol values (device values and values stored in variables) from the basic unit 3 and the expansion unit 4b and stores them in the ring buffer 36. The collection setting of the collection unit 72 can be performed from at least one of the basic unit 3 and the analysis unit 4a. The logging unit 73 determines whether any error or trouble (abnormal event) has occurred in the PLC 1 based on the collected symbol values, etc. For example, the logging unit 73 may determine whether the collected symbol values satisfy the recording conditions. If the collected symbol values satisfy the recording conditions, the logging unit 73 stores the symbol values as an operation log 76 in the operation record 74. The logging unit 73 also stores in the operation record 74 project data 75 that was being executed when the operation record was created. Furthermore, the logging unit 73 notifies the analysis unit 83 that the operation record 74 has been created. The setting unit 78 sets a control cycle to be used for generating a learning model, analysis, and generating an analysis report, which will be described later, according to an input from an operator. The control cycle is set by specifying a timing that is a reference for the cycle, and the setting of the control cycle is called a cycle setting. For example, the cycle setting includes a symbol name that specifies the start timing of the cycle and rising/falling edge information of the symbol value. The cycle setting may include setting information of the start timing of the cycle based on the symbol name that specifies the start timing of the cycle and the rising/falling edge information of the symbol value, and setting information of the end timing of the cycle based on the symbol name that specifies the end timing of the cycle and the rising/falling edge information of the symbol value. The setting of the control cycle by the setting unit 78 may be provided to the PLC 1 in a file format such as CSV, and the setting unit 78 may read the file such as CSV to set the control cycle. For example, the control cycle set by the setting unit 78 is used to classify devices synchronized with the cycle and add the classification information to a model as attribute information, to narrow down devices to be analyzed by the control cycle, and to generate an analysis report that is displayed in synchronization with the control cycle. A plurality of control cycles may be set. The setting method will be described later. The control cycle does not necessarily need to be set. For example, when the possible values of the symbol value in the normal state are predetermined, it is possible to determine that the symbol value is an abnormal symbol by determining whether or not the symbol value is the predetermined possible value.

In the CPU 41a, the protocol conversion unit 81 converts the protocol of the HTTP request encapsulated and transferred from the PC 2b and extracts it from the request signal. The protocol conversion unit 81 encapsulates the response information sent from the Web server 82 in response to the HTTP request and passes it to the CPU 41a. The protocol conversion unit 81 may provide a transparent tunnel (e.g., a TCP tunnel). The Web server 82 provides the analysis report created by the analysis unit 83 to the PC 2b. The analysis unit 83 analyzes the operation log 76 in the driving record 74 using a model described later, creates the analysis result 77, and passes it to the logging unit 73. When the analysis unit 83 creates the analysis result 77, the logging unit 73 adds it to the driving record 74 including the analysis result 77 in addition to the project data 75 and the operation log 76. The driving record 74 is stored in the driving record storage unit 37. Alternatively, the analysis result 77 may be stored in the memory 42a of the analysis unit 4a. When the analysis result 77 is issued, the notification issuing unit 84 issues a notification. This notification is sent to the CPU 11b.

For example, when the Web browser 18 requests an analysis report by an HTTP request, the Web server 82 passes the HTTP request to the protocol conversion unit 81. The HTTP request includes the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the analysis unit 4a (Web server) that is executed by the CPU 41a and provides the analysis report. The protocol conversion unit 81 encapsulates the HTTP request and converts it into a request signal (command) that can be transmitted using a specified communication protocol. This request signal is passed to the CPU 41a of the analysis unit 4a. The CPU 41a returns the analysis report to the CPU 11b. The CPU 11b passes the analysis report to the Web browser 18. As a result, the Web browser 18 displays the analysis report on the display unit 7b.

The model generation unit 86 creates a model that will become master data for later comparison with the driving record data by the analysis unit 83. The report generation unit 85 generates an analysis report, which is a display screen for displaying the analysis results 77 on the web browser 18 of the PC 2b. The analysis report includes multiple analysis results, which are displayed synchronously on a time axis. Details of the analysis report will be described later with reference to FIG. 8A.

<Basic flow>
7 shows a basic flow of model generation according to this embodiment, analysis of driving record data, and output of the results. The processes described below will be described as processes executed by the CPU 31 of the basic unit 3 and the CPU 41a of the analysis unit (extension unit) 4a. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention, and some of these processes may be executed by other units, all of these processes may be executed by one unit, or they may be executed by an external device (analysis device) communicatively connected to the programmable logic controller.

In S1, the CPU 31 of the basic unit 3 sets the collection settings and analysis settings in the collection unit 72 according to the information input via the PC 2a. For example, the CPU 31 can set the collection target, collection period, storage destination, file name, etc. as the collection settings. The analysis settings include, for example, the setting of the start and end of the cycle to be analyzed. Here, an example in which the basic unit 3 performs the collection settings and analysis settings has been described, but the CPU 41a of the analysis unit 4a may perform the collection settings according to the information input via the PC 2b. Furthermore, in S1, the CPU 31 of the basic unit 3 can set the camera settings such as the shooting conditions, image processing settings, monitoring item settings, etc. as the analysis settings according to the information input via the setting screen displayed on the display units 7a and 7b of the PCs 2a and 2b. Note that these analysis settings can also be executed by the CPU 41a of the analysis unit 4a. After that, in S2, the CPU 31 collects the driving record data as model creation data according to the collection settings set in S1 and stores it in the driving record storage unit 37. More specifically, all device values collected according to the collection settings are temporarily stored in the ring buffer 36, and the necessary data from the ring buffer 36 is stored in the driving record storage unit 37 as driving record data.

Next, in S3, the CPU 41a of the analysis unit 4a creates a model using the collected driving record data. The model may include information for each device that classifies the patterns of each device based on features such as constants, bit patterns, and analog values, and information indicating the timing at which device values change. In other words, the model learns the change patterns of each device under normal conditions. The detailed processing of S3 will be described later using FIG. 14.

Then, in S4, the CPU 31 of the basic unit 3 determines whether a trigger has occurred to analyze the driving record data. The trigger is basically triggered when an unusual abnormality occurs during driving, and the conditions for the trigger to be met include, for example, when an error bit is set, when a specific event occurs from an application such as a monitoring application, or when a manual instruction is received from an operator. If a trigger occurs, the process proceeds to S5.

In S5, the CPU 31 of the basic unit 3 collects each device value and saves the driving record data for analysis in the driving record storage unit 37. Usually, a trigger occurs after some unusual change occurs. Therefore, data before and after the trigger is acquired here to identify the cause of such a change. As described above, the device values of all devices during driving are stored in the ring buffer 36. Therefore, when the CPU 31 determines that a trigger has occurred, it stores the necessary device values before and after the trigger from the ring buffer 36 to the driving record storage unit 37 according to the analysis settings set in S1. Also, in S5, the CPU 41a of the analysis unit 4a acquires driving record data for analysis from the basic unit 3. Here, in addition to the driving record data, camera image data, event occurrence history, and error history information may also be acquired.

Then, in S6, the CPU 41a of the analysis unit 4a acquires the time series data collected by the basic unit 3 and performs an analysis process by comparing it with the model generated in S2. In the analysis process, for each device, the model data, which is the master data generated in S3, is compared with the driving record data to be analyzed to determine whether the target device is in an unusual state. If there is a difference of a predetermined value or more, it is determined that an unusual state has been detected. Furthermore, the CPU 41a stores the analysis results for each device after the judgment in the storage area of the analysis result 77 in the driving record storage unit 37 of the basic unit 3. Here, it is desirable that the analysis result of the device in which an unusual state was detected and its record data are stored together with time information in the analysis result 77. This makes it possible to easily create an analysis report that can be displayed by synchronizing each device value using the information when a request for generating an analysis report is received from an operator, etc. Note that the camera images obtained from the expansion unit 4b may also be stored in a linked manner. Furthermore, in S7, the CPU 41a generates display data (analysis report) showing the results based on the analysis results, transmits the generated display data to the PC 2b or an external device via the communication unit 43, and ends the process. For example, the analysis results are displayed to the operator on the PC 2b. Details of the result display screen displaying the analysis report will be described later with reference to FIG. 8A.

The monitoring application is one of the data utilization applications executed by the CPU 41a of the analysis unit 4a. The analysis unit 4a may be an extension unit that executes the data utilization application. The data utilization application includes a data utilization program (e.g., flow) that collects and processes control data, and a dashboard that displays the execution results of the data utilization program. The data utilization application may include a monitoring application that monitors the devices and variables to be monitored in real time, and an operation record analysis application that analyzes the operation record to reproduce the operation state of the PLC1 and generates an analysis report. In addition, the data utilization application may include a calculation application that calculates KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) such as the operation rate, the non-defective product rate, or the cycle time. The monitoring application is an application for continuous monitoring based on the symbol value of the symbol of the PLC1, and is, for example, an application that constantly collects the symbol values of one or more symbols at the scan time level according to the settings of the monitoring application, and constantly displays information based on the collected symbol values while updating it in real time. One or more symbols to be constantly monitored are set in advance by the user. The monitoring application has, for example, a Web server function, and can be set from a general-purpose browser via the communication unit 43. By being able to set from a general-purpose browser, it is possible to set or monitor from a PC, a smartphone, or a tablet without using a dedicated tool such as a program creation support device. In addition, the monitoring application automatically sets a threshold value corresponding to one or more symbols to be constantly monitored based on the symbol value of multiple cycles in normal times. For example, the monitoring application accepts a user instruction and automatically sets a threshold value for monitoring the state of the symbols based on the variation of the symbol value of multiple cycles in normal times for multiple symbols to be constantly monitored. The threshold value is set to monitor a state that is different from usual, that is, a non-normal state, and the monitoring application issues an alarm when the symbol value of the symbol to be monitored exceeds the threshold value. In this way, for example, the PLC1 can capture a symptom before the equipment stops. The PLC1 may set an alarm when the symbol value of the symbol to be monitored exceeds the threshold value as a result of symptom monitoring by the monitoring application as a condition for saving the operation record. The PLC1 uses the occurrence of an alarm by the monitoring application as an event trigger and saves the driving record data before and after the trigger. The PLC1 turns on the save completion device when the saving of the driving record data is completed. The driving record analysis application may automatically analyze the driving record data in response to the completion of saving the driving record data. For example, the driving record analysis application may analyze the driving record data in response to the saving completion device being turned on. The driving record analysis application analyzes the symbol value of the symbol to be analyzed (e.g., the device value of all bit devices) and extracts a symbol that is a candidate for the cause of the alert. In this way, the driving record analysis application automatically analyzes the driving record data saved due to the alarm occurrence for the cause of the alarm occurrence by the monitoring application, and extracts a symbol that is different from usual from the driving record data. As a result, the CPU 41a constantly monitors the state of the equipment using the symptom monitoring function of the monitoring application and issues an alert due to a change in the cause. Furthermore, the CPU 41a automatically analyzes the alert cause and extracts a symbol that is different from usual. In other words, PLC1 constantly monitors the symbol value to monitor symptoms of the controlled equipment, reports the symptoms before the controlled equipment stops with an alarm, and automatically analyzes the cause of the symptoms.

<Results display screen (analysis report)>
FIG. 8A shows a result display screen displayed on the display unit 7b by the Web browser 18 according to the present embodiment executing the Web browser program 14d. Here, an example in which the result display screen 800 is displayed on the display unit 7b of the PC 2b will be described, but this is not intended to limit the present invention, and the result display screen 800 may be displayed on a display unit of another device, or on a monitor of the PLC expansion unit if the monitor can display the result display screen. For example, the other device may include a programmable display, a tablet, or a smartphone. Alternatively, the result display screen may be transmitted to another device by e-mail, SNS, FTP transfer, or the like as an analysis report including the content of the result display screen described below. An arbitrary comment may be added to the analysis report, and for example, a handwritten character or an input character comment may be added to the analysis report. In this case, the analysis report including the content of the result display screen to which the arbitrary comment is added may be transmitted to another device. This allows the recipient of the e-mail to view the on-site situation such as the comment together with the analysis report. In addition, when the analysis report is transmitted to another device, the driving record data that is the analysis target of the analysis report may be transmitted in association with the analysis report. In this way, the recipient of the email can view both the driving record and the analysis report. Furthermore, if the PC 2b is a tablet or smartphone with a camera, a photo of the device may also be attached.

The result display screen 800 includes filters 801 to 803 for filtering and displaying the results, filter results 804, a detection map 810, a detection list 820, an image display area 830, and analysis comments 840. Note that at least one of 810, 820, 830, and 840 may be displayed as the result display. The filter 801 can select a control cycle to filter the result display. The control cycle here refers to a period from the start timing to the end timing that involves periodic changes in the device value. When the filter 801 is specified, the results are displayed by narrowing down the analysis results of devices that operate in the selected control cycle. The filter 802 can select attribute information to filter the result display. The attribute information indicates information such as which unit or communication device the device is connected to, and whether it is an input device or not.

When "unit configuration information" is specified in the filter 802, the unit configuration is displayed in a pop-up screen or the like, and one of the displayed units can be selected. When a unit is selected, the results are displayed by limiting the devices connected to the unit. When "input device" is specified as attribute information, the results are displayed by limiting the devices to which the attribute information of the input device is added. The filter 802 is not limited to filtering that utilizes attribute information. For example, the same symbol may be detected as an abnormal symbol in duplicate as a result of analysis. The earliest occurrence time is likely to be important in searching for the cause of the abnormality, and the filter 802 may filter out the same symbol detected in duplicate, except for the earliest occurrence time. The filter 802 may also filter out the same symbol, except for the earliest occurrence time, for those with the same detection algorithm at the time of analysis and the same type of abnormality, which will be described later. The filter 802 may also filter out the same symbol, except for the earliest occurrence time, for those with the same detection algorithm at the time of analysis and the same type of abnormality, which will be described later, and the same cycle setting, which will be described later.

The filter 803 can filter the result display by selecting an event or error. When the type of event or error is specified, the results are displayed by narrowing down to the analysis results of the devices related to it. For example, when "driving record save trigger" is selected as the event, the results are displayed by narrowing down to the analysis results before and after it. The result display screen 800 may display events and errors in the order of occurrence along with the analysis results. In this case, the filter 803 can filter events and errors. This makes it possible to switch between a mixed display of the analysis results and events and errors, and a display of the analysis results. Here, events include, for example, power ON/OFF, device value rewrite, memory insertion/removal, etc., and filtering targets may be added or removed for each category. Errors include, for example, communication errors, PLC calculation errors, scan time exceeded errors, etc., and filtering targets may be added or removed for each severity of the error.

The filter conditions of the filters 801 to 803 are judged as a logical product, and the corresponding analysis results are displayed. Therefore, the filters 801 to 803 do not necessarily need to be selected, and the analysis results may be filtered when the operator selects a desired filter. Alternatively, the filter may be selected by default before the operator specifies it and the analysis results may be displayed. The devices displayed as these analysis results are devices in which an unusual state has been detected. An unusual state is, for example, when the device value deviates from the normal range, or when the timing or number of times the device value changes deviates from the normal range. In product manufacturing factories, the same products are mass-produced every day. In other words, the same process is executed over and over again. Therefore, detecting and displaying an unusual state is very useful in improving ladder programs and reviewing production equipment. The normal range (normal condition) that defines the usual state (normal state) may be defined by the user or may be defined by the learning results of the device value.

The detection map 810 displays a cycle including the start timing and end timing for each of the multiple processes executed in the PLC1 along the time axis. In the detection map 810, a rectangle extending horizontally indicates a period (control cycle) during which the process is being executed. Also, a circle within the rectangle indicates an abnormality point, which is an abnormality occurrence point where an unusual state occurs within the cycle. The horizontal axis of the detection map 810 indicates time, with the left end representing the start time of data collection and the right end representing the end time of data collection. Note that the horizontal axis can be expanded or reduced by selecting the expand/contract button at the top. In that case, the initial display may be the start point of data collection at the left end and the end point of data collection at the right end. Alternatively, it may be determined by the time width of the cycle definition described later. For example, if the cycle times are 10 seconds, 10 seconds, 11 seconds, 9 seconds, 10 seconds, 10 seconds, and 20 seconds, the median value of 10 seconds may be taken, and the range from the left end to the right end may be 30 seconds so that three cycles can be displayed at once. Here, the vertical axis is in device units, but it may be in program module units, which will be described later. Furthermore, the detection map 810 may display the feature values of the camera image alongside the device values. By displaying them alongside the device values, periodic changes in the image can be easily recognized.

FIG. 10 shows the details of the control cycle and the abnormal points. The control cycle can be defined by setting the start timing and the end timing, which will be described later in detail. FIG. 10 shows the device values of the device MR0 and the device MR1. As shown in FIG. 10, the control cycle is set so that the timing when MR0 changes from OFF to ON is the start timing, and the timing when MR1 changes from ON to OFF is the end timing. As shown in 1001, the control cycle can be represented in a rectangular shape, with the left end indicating the start timing and the right end indicating the end timing. This makes it possible to check the control cycle at a glance, rather than showing the device values as waveforms, and to determine whether the cycle is in operation. Note that the present invention is not limited to this, and any shape may be used as long as the start timing and the end timing can be distinguished. For example, the cycle may be represented by displaying a vertical line indicating the start timing and a vertical line indicating the end timing instead of a rectangular shape, and making the inside of the vertical line different from the background color. Also, if there is no record of the start timing or end timing in the operation record data, it is not necessary to draw vertical lines or the like indicating them on the detection map 810. 1010 indicates the location of an abnormality in a defined control cycle. In the example of 1010, the location where the abnormality occurred is displayed as an abnormality point 1011. On the other hand, an abnormality has a section from the start to the end of the abnormality. 1020 shows an example of an abnormality location plotted as a section. 1021 indicates the abnormality section. The display of the abnormality section 1021 can show how the abnormality section overlaps with other devices, allowing the operator to recognize the relationship between the devices, which is important information when identifying an error. In this way, the location of an abnormality in each device can be drawn in various ways.

In the detection map 810, the rectangles showing the process indicate that the left one is older and the right one is newer. The time bar 811 indicates the selected time. The time bar 812 indicates the timing when the drive record data save trigger occurred. As described above, the drive record data includes data recorded before and after the save trigger, so data is shown before and after the time bar 812. The time bars 811 and 812 may be drawn in different colors or drawn as solid and dashed lines to improve their discrimination ability. In addition, the display of the analysis results can be updated by operating the time bar 811. In accordance with the operation of the time bar 811, the time bars of at least one of the detection list 820, the image display area 830, and the analysis comment 840, which will be described later, may also be updated in conjunction with each other, and the corresponding analysis results may be displayed.

11 shows how multiple display items are updated in conjunction with operations on the time axis. As shown in FIG. 11, for example, assume that the time bar 811 is operated to the dotted line position on the detection map 810. For this operation, for example, if the operation unit 8b of the PC 2b is a mouse, the time bar 811 can be moved by dragging a pointer (not shown) to the time bar 811 and moving the pointer to the dotted line position while dragging. When moved, the display of the detection map 810 and the detection list 820 is updated as shown in the detection map 1110 and the detection list 1120. For example, in conjunction with the position of the time bar 1111, a device in an unusual state that occurred from that position is displayed in the detection list 1120. In this way, by operating the time bar displayed in one of the analysis results, the display of the other analysis results is updated in conjunction with it, so that the operator can easily grasp useful information. In addition, when a specific abnormal item is selected on the detection list, the time bar may be controlled to move to the timing when the abnormal item occurred on the detection map. Depending on the selection on the detection map or detection list, the camera image at that time may be displayed in the image display area 830. Alternatively, the detection map or detection list may be updated in conjunction with the playback of the camera video. Note that some analysis results may be fixed, and only other analysis results may be updated in conjunction with the operator's operations. In this case, the analysis results may be fixed by, for example, double-clicking the time bar of the analysis result that is to be fixed.

The image display area 830 displays the camera image (hereinafter also referred to as the camera image) acquired by the PLC1. In FIG. 8A, the camera image of the master data, which is data in a normal state, and the current camera image are displayed so that they can be compared. Since the camera image is also time-series data, the seek bar 831 indicates the playback time of the camera image and moves from left to right as the playback time progresses. The time bar 832 indicates the timing when the detection target device becomes in a different state than usual, and is linked to the above-mentioned time bar 811. The time designation unit 833 is a control object for instructing to advance the playback time of the camera image, to rewind the playback time, to instruct the start of playback, and to stop playback. 834 can designate a control cycle, and the camera image is played back with the designated cycle as the reference cycle. For example, when the fast-forward button of the time designation unit 833 is operated, the image is controlled to skip to the control cycle next to the current control cycle. It may also be a jump at the end of the cycle.

The camera image may be stored as driving record data, but may also be data associated with time and stored in an external device. For example, it may be camera image recorded in a web camera connected to one of the expansion units, or it may be an inspection image recorded in an image inspection machine. The data stored in the external device may be recorded data of a measuring instrument other than images, and may be numerical values or measurement waveforms. In addition, in the result display screen 800, the playback time of the detection map 810, the playback time of the camera image, and the playback time of the detection list 820 are managed and displayed so as to be synchronized. In addition, as shown in the dotted line area in FIG. 8A, the detected abnormality may be highlighted in the image. This allows the user to more easily compare the normal image with the current image.

Figure 12 shows the synchronization of the image of the master data under normal conditions with the image of the analysis target. The camera images of the image during learning and the current image are displayed with the cycle start timing of the selected reference cycle definition aligned. For example, synchronization can be achieved by doing the following. First, a control cycle that includes the current time of the cursor is found, and an offset time t from the cycle start time is obtained. In the example of Figure 12, the solid rectangular area of the current image indicates the control cycle of the device corresponding to the acquired driving record data, and the dotted rectangular area indicates the defined reference cycle. Next, the cycle start timing of the images during learning is aligned, and the images are displayed with a time t shifted from the cycle start. If the reference cycle is changed, the image during learning changes. If there are multiple cycle starts of the reference cycle definition in the image during learning, the first one may be displayed, or may be selectable. In this way, the image during learning and the image of the master data can be synchronized according to the reference cycle.

The detection list 820 shows devices that have become abnormal and the time when that state occurred (time when the device values were collected). The detection list 820 is a list of devices that have become abnormal in chronological order. When the CPU 11b detects a click on a device displayed in the detection list 820, it can synchronize the display of the detection map 810, the detection list 820, and the image display area 830 based on the identification information of the clicked device and the playback time information (time when the device values were collected). The time bar 821 shows the selected time, and is linked to the time bars 811 and 831, showing the same timing. The time bar 822 shows the timing when a drive record data save trigger occurred.

Analysis comments 840 display comments included in the analysis results, master data for the device selected in detection list 820, and time series data for the current device values. Time bar 841 indicates the timing when an unusual state occurred, and is linked to time bars 811, 821, and 831, showing the same timing. The displayed comment indicates the content of the abnormality in the device.

When the CPU 11b detects a click on a device displayed in the detection list 820, it can synchronize the display of the detection map 810, the detection list 820, and the analysis comment 840 based on the identification information of the clicked device and the cycle information in which the abnormality occurred (the start time and end time of the cycle, or the start time of the cycle and the start time of the next cycle). FIG. 8B shows the state in which the detection map 810, the detection list 820, and the analysis comment 840 are synchronized when any item in the detection list 820 is selected. The analysis comment 840 displays the time series data of the device value for the time range corresponding to the cycle in which the abnormality occurred. At this time, a time range 852 corresponding to the time range 854 of the time series data displayed in the analysis comment 840 is illustrated on the detection map 810. The time range 852 illustrated on the detection map 810 is illustrated corresponding to the process in which the abnormality occurred among the multiple processes. For example, when an item 853 of a device different from the current device among the devices displayed in the detection list 820 is clicked, the display is switched to the time series data of the device value of the clicked device in the time range corresponding to the cycle in which the device became in a different state from usual. At that time, the display is switched to a range including a time range 852 corresponding to the time range 854 of the time series data displayed in the analysis comment 840 on the detection map 810. Also, as shown by an arrow 855, the time range 852 is highlighted on the detection map 810 by a dotted line or a colored solid line frame, etc., so that the correspondence with the cut-out section in the analysis comment 840 can be confirmed. This allows the operator to easily understand which section on the detection map 810 the analysis comment 840 cuts out of the waveform. Also, as shown by 854, a rectangle or an abnormal point indicating a cycle corresponding to the cut-out section is displayed at the bottom of the waveform in the analysis comment 840, so that the operator can easily understand the relationship between the start timing and end timing of the cycle and the waveform or abnormality. Furthermore, as shown in 851, the detection map 810 may display an enlarged view of an anomaly point corresponding to a device selected in the detection list 820. Furthermore, if the time range of the time series data displayed in the analysis comment 840 is the start time of a cycle and the start time of the next cycle, the analysis comment 840 may display a diagram at a position indicating the end time of the cycle, corresponding to the time axis of the time series data.

In this way, the result display screen 800 is configured to include multiple analysis result displays such as a detection map 810, a detection list 820, an image display area 830, and analysis comments 840. However, these result displays are only examples, and other result displays may be included additionally or alternatively. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, dependency information between devices (relationship map) may be displayed as an analysis result. The basic unit 3 can grasp the dependency relationships between devices and variables by analyzing the ladder program. For example, when a detected device is selected, the related devices can also be displayed side by side, and devices with dependencies can be presented to the operator. This can assist the operator in understanding and identifying abnormalities.

<Relationship Map>
FIG. 9 shows a relationship map 900. The relationship map 900 is a diagrammatic display showing the relationship between a program module related to a specific symbol and other symbols related to the program module in a user program such as a ladder program. For example, when a device (abnormal device) used in a ladder program that has become abnormal is selected as the specific symbol, the UI becomes a UI that displays other devices related to the abnormal device through the program module in the ladder program. This UI may be a screen that is transitioned to by operating a display button (not shown) on the result display screen 800, or may be additionally displayed on the result display screen 800. By displaying the relationship map, the user can easily understand the dependency relationship between the abnormal device and other devices. In general, the number of devices used in the PLC 1 ranges from several hundred to several tens of thousands, so it is not easy for the user to identify the device that caused the abnormal device from the device that has become abnormal. The CPU 11 searches the ladder program for the abnormal device, finds a description related to the abnormal device, and analyzes the description to identify the related device. In this example, an abnormal device (e.g., R0004) is described in the output section of the ladder program, and MR000, MR001, and MR002 exist as related devices.

The CPU 11b displays the abnormal devices, related devices, and program modules identified from the ladder program in a tree-like manner. User programs (ladder, C language, flow language, script, etc.) are often written in several parts to improve readability and maintainability, and these units are called program modules. In one program module, a program for reading and writing each device is written, and one device may be read and written by multiple modules, but in many cases, only one module is mainly used. In the example of FIG. 9, the device that is input for the calculation in the output section is displayed on the left, the program module is displayed in the middle, and the abnormal device is displayed to the right of it. As shown in FIG. 9, when a program module on the relationship map 900 is selected, the CPU 11b may display the corresponding program module in the program display area 910. Note that, here, an example is described in which the CPU 11b of PC 2b controls the display process, but this is only an example and may be performed by the CPU 11a of PC 2a. In addition, the above-mentioned detection map 810 may also be displayed on a program module basis rather than on a device basis.

The CPU 11, in response to a user specification for identifying a symbol, identifies a program module related to the symbol from the user program, identifies other symbols related to the identified program module, and generates a relationship map 1500. The CPU 11 highlights the abnormal devices included in the relationship map 1500 based on the analysis result. The analysis result also includes the time when the abnormal device was determined to be different from usual, and the CPU 11 may highlight only the abnormal devices that occurred before the time to be reproduced on the relationship map 1500. As a result, the abnormal device is maintained in the highlighted display after the occurrence of an abnormal state. The analysis result may also include information indicating that the symbols are not the target of analysis. In this case, the CPU 11 displays the symbols not the target of analysis on the relationship map 1500 in a different color or the like from the other symbols based on the analysis result. This makes it possible to distinguish whether the analysis determined that the abnormal device is not abnormal or whether the abnormal device was not determined to be abnormal because it has not been analyzed. Symbols not subject to analysis include, for example, symbols whose symbol value change pattern has no regularity relative to the cycle defined by the control cycle or cycle settings, and symbols that have been specified by the user as not subject to analysis.

<Model generation flow>
FIG. 13 shows details of the model generation flow in S3 above. Here, the control of determining the control cycle of the device as the attribute information of the device and generating a model will be described. Note that the present invention is not limited to this, and a model may be generated based on other attribute information as described above. As described below, the analysis unit 4a automatically extracts devices and variables belonging to a process (cycle) even if the data is of multiple unsynchronized processes (cycles). This makes it possible to omit the very time-consuming task of an operator manually linking processes (cycles) and devices in advance. The processing described below will be described as processing executed by the CPU 41a of the analysis unit (extension unit) 4a. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention, and some of these processes may be executed by other units, all of these processes may be executed by one unit, or they may be executed by an external device (analysis device) communicably connected to the programmable logic controller.

First, in S31, the CPU 41a of the analysis unit 4a acquires normal operation record data for model creation from the basic unit 3. The operation record data is the data stored in the operation record storage unit 37 in S2 above. Next, in S32, the CPU 41a acquires cycle setting information from the basic unit 3 as information other than device values. The cycle setting information indicates, for example, information on a cycle pattern set by an operator via the PC 2a. For example, it indicates the start timing and end timing of the cycle. The information acquired here may also include information acquired by a field device 10 such as a camera connected to the expansion unit 4b, such as camera image data. This data may be acquired via the basic unit 3, but may also be acquired directly from, for example, the expansion unit 4b.

Next, in S33, the CPU 41a determines which cycle each device belongs to based on the cycle setting acquired in S32. There are various cycle patterns for each device, and in this case, it is determined which pattern specified in the cycle setting each device belongs to. If the cycle setting includes settings corresponding to multiple control cycles, the devices belonging to each control cycle may be determined. In this case, there may be devices that are determined to belong to multiple control cycles. Figure 14 shows the control for determining the cycle pattern of each device. In Figure 14, a rectangle indicates the period (cycle) during which a process is being executed from the start timing to the end timing, and one rectangle indicates one cycle. A cycle pattern is a pattern in which this one cycle appears. 1401 to 1403 indicate processes for which a cycle is set. 1404 to 1406 indicate cycle patterns extracted from the collected data of devices A to C, respectively. The analysis unit 4a determines which cycle setting pattern each device belongs to, for example, device A belongs to cycle setting 1, device B belongs to cycle setting 2, and device A does not fall under any of the set cycle settings. Specifically, it determines whether the values and number of changes from the start to the end of the cycle match. Note that there is no problem even if the start and end timings are slightly off. In this way, the analysis unit 4a determines the correspondence between each cycle setting pattern and each device. The analysis unit 4a may be configured to determine which device belongs to each cycle setting pattern.

When the analysis unit 4a determines the correspondence between each cycle setting pattern and each device, it does so based on the pattern of each device value from the start of the cycle to the end of the cycle for each cycle setting. This makes it possible to determine that a device belongs to the pattern of that cycle setting, regardless of how the device value behaves from the end of one cycle to the start of the next. Furthermore, when the analysis unit 4a determines the correspondence between each cycle setting pattern and each device, it may determine whether the device value and the number of changes from the reference timing of each cycle to the reference timing of the next cycle, for example from the start of a cycle to the start of the next cycle, match.

Although the cycle including the start timing and end timing for each of the multiple processes executed in the PLC1, that is, the control cycle during the period during which the processes are being executed, is set as the target of the cycle setting, the target of the cycle setting is not limited to this. FIG. 21 shows the processing flow of the cycle when there are devices that change other than the period from the start timing to the end timing. As shown in FIG. 21, in order to execute the work process, there may be a confirmation phase 2101 that checks whether the work start condition is satisfied as preparation for executing the work process, and after the execution of the work processes of the work start phase 2102, the work phase 2103, and the work end phase 2104, there may be a preparation phase 2105 that prepares for the next process, a waiting phase 2106 that waits until the next process, etc. For this reason, there are devices that change even during periods other than the execution of the work process, and they can be clues for identifying the cause of the abnormality. For example, an input device related to the establishment of the work start condition in the confirmation phase, and a device that indicates a control signal for the next preparation in the preparation phase, etc. operate in periods other than the period from the start timing to the end timing, so the analysis results of these devices can be clues for identifying the cause of the abnormality. In short, the target of the cycle setting may be from the reference timing of the cycle to the next reference timing, which allows for a seamless analysis. In addition, in the cycle setting, the device that specifies the start timing and the device that specifies the end timing are selected by the user, or they are automatically set by learning normal operation record data, etc. However, if the period to be analyzed is limited to the start timing to the end timing, it may be difficult to find the device that specifies the start of the process or the device that specifies the end of the process if such devices are not accurately known. By setting the target of the cycle setting to be from the reference timing of the cycle to the next reference timing, a seamless analysis can be performed simply by selecting a device that is synchronized with the process, even if the device that specifies the start of the process or the device that specifies the end of the process is not strictly specified.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 13, in S33, the CPU 41a adds the extracted cycle pattern to each device as attribute information. Next, in S34, the CPU 41a generates a model from the driving record data acquired in S31 based on the added attribute information, and ends the process. The generated model is master data used during analysis, and includes at least information on the cycle pattern of each device.

<Result display flow>
15 shows the details of the result display flow by the analysis unit 4a in S7. The processes described below will be described as processes executed by the CPU 41a of the analysis unit (extension unit) 4a. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention, and some of the processes may be executed by other units, all of the processes may be executed by one unit, or may be executed by an external device (analysis device) communicatively connected to the programmable logic controller.

First, in S71, the CPU 41a of the analysis unit 4a determines whether a request for an analysis report has been received. Requests for an analysis report include requests received by the operator via PC 2a or PC 2b, requests to create an analysis report periodically, and requests to create an analysis report when an error occurs. When a device in an unusual state is detected, the PLC 1 may create an analysis report without a request from the operator, or may create an analysis report only when requested by the operator. These controls can be switched by settings. If a request for an analysis report has been received, proceed to S72.

In S72, the CPU 41a acquires the analysis result 77 stored in the operation record storage unit 37 of the basic unit 3. Next, in S73, the CPU 41a generates an analysis report that can be displayed in a web browser of a web client such as PC 2a or PC 2b according to the acquired analysis result. The generated analysis report becomes screen information for displaying the result display screen 800 described above with reference to FIG. 8A. Here, synchronization information for synchronously displaying each analysis result is also added. Specifically, in addition to the screen information displayed in the detection map 810, detection list 820, image display area 830, and analysis comment 840, information suggesting the display position of each analysis result is included. The information suggesting the display position may be timing information of the defined control cycle as described above, or may simply be time information. In other words, it is sufficient as long as it is information that can be synchronized.

Next, in S74, the CPU 41a transmits the analysis report generated in S73 to the requesting PC 2. The information transmitted here may include HTML data, CSS data, and JavaScript (registered trademark) code, or may simply be a notification indicating that the generation of the analysis report has been completed. When transmitting a notification, the CPU 41a transmits screen information when a display request is received again from the PC 2 side. After that, in S75, the CPU 41a judges whether or not an update request for the analysis report has been received from the requesting party. An update request is, for example, a change in the display component, a change in the display target by selecting filters 801 to 803, or an update of the temporal display position of the analysis result by operating the time bar 811, etc. Note that the update of the display content by operating the time bar 811, etc. may be controlled closed to the PC 2 side. In this case, in addition to the information of the display component that is the display target, information on the analysis result of the device displayed on the display component must also be provided to the PC 2 side. If an update request is received, the process proceeds to S76, and if not, the process proceeds to S77.

In S76, the CPU 41a updates the analysis report according to the instructions in the update request, returns the process to S74, and transmits the updated analysis report to the requester. Meanwhile, in S77, the CPU 41a determines whether or not an end instruction to end the display of the analysis report has been received. If an end instruction has not been received, the process returns to S75, and if it is determined that an end instruction has been received, the process ends.

Figure 16 shows details of the result display flow in PC 2b in S7 above. The processes described below are described as processes executed by CPU 11b of PC 2b. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention, and some of these processes may be executed in the PLC unit, or may be executed by another external device (such as PC 2a) communicatively connected to the programmable logic controller. When executed in the PLC unit, the unit is provided with a monitor. The process described here is also a process for displaying the analysis report generated by analysis unit 4a as a browser.

In S81, the CPU 11b judges whether or not a request to display an analysis report has been received via the operation unit 8b. If so, the process proceeds to S82. In S82, the CPU 11b requests an analysis report from the analysis unit 4a. Thereafter, in S83, the CPU 11b judges whether or not a response (analysis report) corresponding to the request has been received from the analysis unit 4a. The information received here may be a URL (IP address) for displaying the analysis report, or may be information about the analysis report itself. Here, the following process will be explained assuming that a URL has been received.

When the response is received, in S84, the CPU 11b designates the Web browser 18 to display the analysis report. Next, in S85, the CPU 11b judges whether or not an update request to update the display of the analysis report has been received. If so, the process proceeds to S86, and if not, the process proceeds to S87. If an update request has been received in S86, the CPU 11b sends the update request to the analysis unit 4a, which is the Web server, and returns the process to S83. On the other hand, if the request is not an update request, in S87, the CPU 11b judges whether or not an end instruction to end the display of the analysis report has been received. If it is determined that an end instruction has not been received, the process returns to S85, and if it is determined that an end instruction has been received, the process ends.

<Linkage with Program Editor>
17 shows a program editor, which is an editing screen for a user program. Here, a method for displaying an analysis report from the program editor will be described. The UI 100 of the project editing program 14a is displayed on the display unit 7a of the PC 2a. Therefore, the analysis report can also be confirmed from the PC 2a connected to the basic unit 3. On the other hand, it is also possible for the PC 2b to obtain screen information from the PC 2a via the basic unit 3 and the analysis unit 4a and display the program editor on the display unit 7b. The mode selection menu 101 displays a plurality of modes provided in the project editing program 14a in a selectable manner. The plurality of modes include an edit mode, a monitor mode, a replay mode (debug mode), and the like.

The edit mode is a mode for editing the ladder program displayed in the program display area 104. The project display area 102 displays information that constitutes the project. This information includes specification information and setting information of the basic unit 3 and the expansion unit 4 that constitute the PLC 1, device allocation information, setting information for operation records, and ladder programs. In the edit mode, the program display area 104 displays the ladder program specified in the project display area 102 in an editable manner. The monitor mode is a mode that waits for a notification issued by the PLC 1. When the expansion unit 4a issues a notification indicating that it has created an analysis result, the CPU 11 displays a dialog for displaying the notification on the display unit 7. The user interface in the monitor mode is basically the same as that in the edit mode.

In the example screen shown in FIG. 17, the replay mode is selected. The replay mode is a mode in which the operation record is reproduced on the ladder program and the operation record is displayed as a waveform. In FIG. 17, a ladder program having program modules named input section, output section, and machining section state is displayed. In particular, a plurality of program modules can be selected by tabs 107, and in FIG. 17, the tab 107 corresponding to the input section is selected. The pointer 103 moves in conjunction with a user operation on the operation section 8a, and is used to press a button or to select an object. For example, when the analysis report displayed in the project display area 102 is double-clicked by the pointer 103, the CPU 11a functions as a web browser like the CPU 11b, and displays the analysis report described with reference to FIG. 8A.

In replay mode, device values included in the operation record are displayed on the ladder program in the program display area 104. In the case of relay devices (bit devices), the device value is displayed so that it is visually distinguishable whether it is 0 or 1. Visually distinguishable includes displaying in different colors or different icons. In the case of word devices, for example, the device value may be displayed after being decimalized.

Because device values are time-series data that can change over time, each device value is linked to time information that indicates the time at which it was collected. The seek bar 105a indicates the playback time of the device values, and may be operated by the pointer 103 to specify the playback time. While the driving record is being played back, the seek bar 105a moves from left to right in conjunction with the progression of the playback time. The time specification unit 106a is a control object for instructing to advance or rewind the playback time, to start playback, or to stop playback.

<Cycle settings>
Fig. 18 shows a setting screen 1800 for defining a cycle. The setting screen 1800 is a screen that is displayed on the display unit 7a when a predetermined operation is performed from the UI 100 being displayed on the display unit 7a of the PC 2a, for example. As shown in Fig. 18, the setting screen 1800 may be displayed superimposed on the program editor displayed on the UI 100, or may be displayed as a screen to which the program editor displayed on the UI 100 is transitioned. The setting screen 1800 may be displayed on the Web browser 18 on the PC 2b.

The setting screen 1800 includes setting areas 1801 and 1802 for specifying the application and application name when performing driving record analysis. These setting areas 1801 and 1802 are for setting the analysis target. Figure 18 shows the default settings, and the operator does not need to make any particular settings. In addition, the setting screen 1800 has a basic setting area, where the control cycle can be specified. 1803 allows the setting of the control cycle specification method, 1804 allows the setting of the cycle name, 1805 allows the setting of the start trigger, and 1806 allows the setting of the end trigger. Also, by default, no control cycle is specified, and only the add button 1807 is displayed.

In the example shown in FIG. 18, the state in which control cycles No. 0, 1, and 2 have already been specified is shown. According to this embodiment, one or more control cycles can be specified as the control cycle to be analyzed in this way. Therefore, when an operator wants to perform a wide-ranging analysis, the operator can confirm the intended analysis report by specifying multiple control cycles. The specification method 1803 can select a start/end specification that specifies the start timing that is the starting point of the control cycle and the end timing that is the end point, and a start specification that specifies only the start timing. Therefore, the end trigger 1806 can specify the end timing only when the start/end specification is selected. Here, the device or device group to which each cycle definition belongs is not set. Therefore, the analysis unit 4a etc. identifies the device corresponding to the defined control cycle and performs the analysis. Since multiple control cycles can be specified, one device may correspond to multiple control cycles. In this case, the priority may be automatically set higher using the reliability described above or the small variation between the start and end of the cycle as the analysis target. If the priority is high, it may be displayed preferentially or narrowed down in the analysis report. On the other hand, it may be possible to configure settings that link specific devices to each cycle definition.

The setting screen 1800 further includes a setting save 1811, a setting read 1812, an OK button 1813, and a cancel button 1814. The setting save 1811 is a button for saving the setting contents set in the setting screen 1800. The setting read 1812 is a button for reading a setting file that is stored in advance in the project storage section 35 of the memory 32 of the basic unit 3. One or more control cycles are specified in advance in the setting file. After reading the setting file, it is also possible to add further control cycles. The OK button 1813 is a button for validating the contents set on the setting screen 1800 and terminating the setting process. The cancel button 1814 is a button for terminating the setting process without applying the contents set on the setting screen 1800.

<Cycle not set>
FIG. 19 shows a detection map 810 of an analysis report in which a cycle has not been set. Although the analysis unit 4a can perform analysis even if a cycle has not been set, the number of devices that can be analyzed is extremely small. In other words, it is limited to devices that do not have a cycle pattern. A device that does not have a cycle pattern is, for example, a device whose device value is a fixed value that does not change. For example, as shown in 1901 in FIG. 19, a device that is always ON or always OFF can be analyzed even if the cycle has not been set. On the other hand, a device that has a predetermined cycle pattern cannot be analyzed if the cycle has not been set. Thus, since there are few devices that can be analyzed, even if the cycle has not been set, the analysis itself is possible, but the effectiveness of the analysis results is limited. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 19, a message 1902 that indicates that the cycle has not been set and that prompts the operator to set the cycle may be displayed in the analysis report. When "set cycle and analyze" is selected, a pop-up screen for setting the cycle is displayed, and the operator can set the cycle.

<Modification>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible. Various modifications will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<Modifications of system configuration>
FIG. 20 shows a modified example of the PLC system configuration. In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the PLC system includes a PLC 1 including a basic unit 3, an analysis unit 4a, and an expansion unit 4b such as a camera unit, a PC 2a connected to the basic unit 3, and a PC 2b connected to the analysis unit 4a for displaying an analysis report. However, these configurations are merely examples, and the above-mentioned collection of driving record data, generation of a model, analysis, and display of the analysis results may be performed by any device or unit, or may be realized by other external devices or other expansion units. Here, a modified example of such a configuration will be described.

For example, as shown in FIG. 20, the functions of the analysis unit 4a according to the above embodiment may be realized by an analysis device 2c (functioning as a server device) arranged in a higher layer of the PLC 1. Since the model learning phase and other processes have a high processing load and require a long processing time, it may be possible to realize them externally depending on the processing capacity of the PLC unit. Furthermore, by providing an analysis function in a higher layer device, it is possible to collect information from other PLCs and generate a more reliable model. The analysis device 2c has functions such as analyzing PLC-specific information, generating models, performing analysis, and creating analysis reports. These functions are the same as those of the analysis unit 4a, so a description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the basic unit 3 collected the driving record data of all devices, but this may be done by another expansion unit. For example, as shown in FIG. 20, a recorder unit 4c may be provided as an expansion unit. The recorder unit 4c includes a CPU 41c, a memory 42c, and a communication unit 43c. The memory 42c is provided with storage areas for the ring buffer 44c and driving record storage unit 45c, which were provided in the basic unit 3 in the above embodiment. The collection of driving records is the same process as that of the basic unit 3 in the above embodiment, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

Thus, according to the present invention, the devices or units that realize the processing functions described in the above embodiments can be modified to the extent possible, and the present invention encompasses these modifications. In the above modified example, an example was described in which a recorder unit 4c that collects operation record data is provided separately from the basic unit 3, but the unit may be provided with collection and communication functions, and the storage destination may be a database connected via a network. This makes it possible to store larger volumes of data, allowing analysis to be performed going back much further than the time of the trigger occurrence, and also making it possible to use data from other PLC systems.

In the above modified example, the processing functions are implemented in a unit separate from the basic unit 3 or in an external device, but the processing functions may be integrated into the basic unit 3. The advantage of this configuration is that communication processing with other units or external devices can be omitted, reducing the processing load due to communication and reducing the impact on PLC control. Note that in the case of integration, performance will depend on the performance of the basic unit 3, so high performance is required for the basic unit 3.

<Summary>
[Point 1]
The present invention is an analysis device comprising an execution engine that repeatedly executes a user program, acquisition means for acquiring driving record data including a plurality of device values in a time series collected by executing the user program, model generation means for generating a model for each device based on learning of the acquired driving record data in normal operation, analysis means for analyzing non-normal devices that do not satisfy normal conditions in the acquired driving record data of an analysis target according to the model, and report generation means for generating an analysis report that displays analysis results of each device detected as the non-normal device in a synchronized manner on a time axis. According to this embodiment, a report in which the analysis results of each device are synchronized can be provided.

[Point 2]
In the above embodiment, the system further includes a setting means for setting a definition of one or more control cycles, the model generating means learns the acquired driving record data based on the set definition of the one or more control cycles, and the report generating means generates an analysis report that displays the analysis results of each device detected as the abnormal device in accordance with the set definition of the one or more control cycles, synchronized on a time axis. According to this embodiment, the driving record data can be analyzed according to the defined control cycle, and the analysis results can be synchronized according to the cycle of each device.

[Point 3]
In the above embodiment, the analysis device further includes a transmission means for transmitting screen information of a result display screen showing the content of the analysis report output from the report generation means to an external device, and the result display screen is operably displayed on a display unit of the external device. According to this embodiment, the analysis report can be transmitted to the external device, and the analysis report can be analyzed, for example, on a higher performance PC, enabling a more detailed analysis and the display of a result display screen having a richer operation system.

[Point 4]
In the above embodiment, the result display screen includes, as the analysis result, at least one of a detection map showing the cycle of the detected abnormal device and the timing at which the abnormality was detected, a detection list showing the process of the detected abnormal device and the occurrence time, a camera image, and an analysis comment showing the cause of the detection of the abnormal state. According to this embodiment, the analysis result can be displayed in a multifaceted manner in various forms, thereby supporting the analysis by the operator.

[Point 5]
In the above embodiment, the detection map, the detection list, the camera video, and the analysis comment can be operated in a time-linked manner with respect to each other. According to this embodiment, by operating one display form of the analysis result, the analysis results of the other display forms are also updated in a linked manner, and a more comfortable operation system can be provided to the operator.

[Point 6]
In the above embodiment, the detection map indicates the start and end timings of a cycle of a detected abnormal device in an identifiable shape, and an abnormality point indicating the timing at which the abnormality was detected is included inside the shape. According to this embodiment, it is possible to grasp the abnormality point in a cycle while checking the start and end timings of the cycle, and to more easily analyze the abnormality.

[Point 7]
In the above embodiment, the camera image displays the image of the analysis target and the image of the normal state corresponding to the image of the analysis target in a comparative manner. According to this embodiment, the image of the abnormal state can be confirmed while being compared with the image of the normal state, and the abnormality can be more easily identified.

[Point 8]
In the above embodiment, the normal image is displayed in synchronization with the control cycle of the image to be analyzed. According to this embodiment, the two images to be compared can be synchronized more accurately.

[Point 9]
In the above embodiment, the result display screen includes a seek bar that indicates the playback position of the camera video. According to this embodiment, the playback location of the video to be analyzed can be easily confirmed.

[Point 10]
In the above embodiment, the result display screen further includes a filter setting area in which conditions for narrowing down the display items of the analysis report can be specified. According to this embodiment, unnecessary display items can be excluded from the result display screen, making it easier to analyze anomalies.

[Point 11]
In the above embodiment, in the filter setting area, a filter can be specified by at least one of specifying a control cycle of a device, specifying attribute information, and specifying an event or an error. According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide various options when the operator narrows down the display items.

[Point 12]
In the above embodiment, a display unit is further provided for displaying an editing screen of the user program, and the editing screen is capable of displaying the analysis report synchronized with the time axis of the editing screen. According to this embodiment, the analysis report can be displayed in cooperation with the user program, and an analysis can be performed that takes the user program into account.

[Point 13]
In the above embodiment, the system further includes a receiving unit for receiving a request to generate the analysis report, and a notifying unit for notifying a requester that generation of the analysis report has been completed when the analysis report has been generated by the report generating unit in response to the generation request. According to this embodiment, the system can notify an operator that generation of the analysis report has been completed, thereby realizing a more user-friendly operation system.

[Point 14]
In the above embodiment, when the control cycle is not defined by the setting means, the analysis means analyzes the driving record data by analyzing devices that do not have a cycle pattern of the control cycle. According to this embodiment, an analysis report can be easily output without requiring an operator to set a cycle pattern. Therefore, the operator can generate a trial analysis report without setting a cycle pattern, and can also perform an analysis method such as analyzing the generated analysis report and setting a cycle pattern for more detailed analysis.

[Point 15]
In the above embodiment, the report generating means generates an analysis report of the analysis result of a device that does not have a cycle pattern of a control cycle, and the analysis report includes a message indicating that a control cycle has not been set and prompting the setting means to set a control cycle. According to this embodiment, when an operator has forgotten to set a cycle, the operator can be prompted to set the cycle, and a more user-friendly operation system can be provided.

[Point 16]
The present invention is an analysis system capable of communicating between a data processing device and a programmable logic controller, comprising an execution engine for repeatedly executing a user program, acquisition means for acquiring driving record data including a plurality of device values in a time series collected by executing the user program, model generation means for generating a model for each device based on learning of the acquired driving record data in normal operation, analysis means for analyzing non-normal devices that do not satisfy normal conditions in the acquired driving record data of an analysis target according to the model, and report generation means for generating an analysis report that displays the analysis results of each device detected as the non-normal device in a synchronized manner on a time axis. According to this embodiment, a report in which the analysis results of each device are synchronized can be provided.

[Point 17]
In the above embodiment, at least one of the acquiring means, the model generating means, the analyzing means, and the report generating means is provided in the data processing device. According to this embodiment, it is possible to flexibly incorporate a configuration for realizing the present invention into an appropriate component depending on the development cost of the PLC, the performance of the data processing device, etc., and it is possible to improve the freedom of system design.

[Point 18]
According to the above embodiment, the programmable logic controller includes a CPU unit having the execution engine and a recorder unit provided in the programmable logic controller for realizing the acquisition means, and the data processing device includes the model generation means, the analysis means, and the report generation means. According to this embodiment, it is possible to flexibly incorporate a configuration for realizing the present invention into an appropriate component depending on the development cost of the PLC, the performance of the data processing device, etc., thereby improving the freedom of system design.

The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the invention.

Claims (19)

1. An analytical apparatus comprising:
an execution engine for repeatedly executing a user program;
An acquisition means for acquiring driving record data including a plurality of time-series symbol values collected by execution of the user program;
a setting means for setting a definition of one or more control cycles by a user selecting a symbol that specifies the timing of each of the one or more control cycles;
a model generating means for generating a model for each symbol based on learning of a change pattern of each symbol belonging to each control cycle in the acquired normal operation record data;
an analysis means for analyzing abnormal symbols that do not satisfy a normal condition related to the timing at which a symbol value changes or the number of times that a symbol value changes in each control cycle in accordance with the model, for a change pattern of each symbol belonging to each control cycle in the acquired driving record data to be analyzed;
and a report generation means for generating an analysis report that displays each of the control cycles and a location where an abnormality has occurred, which is an analysis result of each symbol detected as an abnormal symbol , in synchronization with each of the control cycles in accordance with a definition of the one or more set control cycles. The analysis device according to claim 1, characterized in that the model generation means generates a model for each symbol based on learning of the change pattern of each bit device belonging to each control cycle as learning of the change pattern of each symbol belonging to each control cycle. a transmission means for transmitting screen information of a result display screen showing the content of the analysis report output from the report generation means to an external device,
3. The analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the external device displays the result display screen on a display unit in an operable manner. 4. The analysis device according to claim 3, wherein the result display screen includes, as the analysis result, at least one of a detection map showing the cycle of the detected abnormal symbol and the timing at which the abnormality was detected, a detection list showing the process and occurrence time of the detected abnormal symbol, camera footage, and an analysis comment showing the cause of the detection of the abnormal state. The analysis device according to claim 4, characterized in that the detection map, the detection list, the camera footage, and the analysis comments can be operated in conjunction with each other along a time axis. In the detection map,
The start and end timings of the cycle of the detected abnormal symbol are indicated by a distinguishable shape;
6. The analysis device according to claim 4, wherein an abnormality point indicating a timing at which an abnormality is detected is included inside the shape. The analysis device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the camera image displays an image of the subject of analysis and a normal image corresponding to the image of the subject of analysis so as to be comparable. The analysis device according to claim 7, characterized in that the image during normal operation is displayed in synchronization with the control cycle of the image to be analyzed. The analysis device according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that the result display screen includes a seek bar that indicates the playback position of the camera video. The analysis device according to any one of claims 4 to 9, characterized in that the result display screen further includes a filter setting area in which conditions for narrowing down the display items of the analysis report can be specified. 11. The analysis device according to claim 10, wherein in the filter setting area, a filter can be specified by at least one of specifying a control cycle of a symbol , specifying attribute information, and specifying an event or an error. A display unit for displaying an editing screen of the user program is further provided,
12. The analysis device according to claim 1, wherein the analysis report can be displayed on the editing screen in synchronization with a time axis of the editing screen. A reception means for receiving a request for generating the analysis report;
13. The analysis device according to claim 12, further comprising a notification means for notifying a request source that generation of the analysis report has been completed when the analysis report has been generated by the report generation means in response to the generation request. The analysis device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when a control cycle is not defined by the setting means, the analysis means analyzes the driving record data by analyzing symbols that do not have a cycle pattern of a control cycle . The report generating means generates an analysis report of an analysis result of a symbol that does not have a cycle pattern of a control cycle,
15. The analyzer according to claim 14, wherein the analysis report includes a message to the effect that a control cycle has not been set and a message prompting the user to set a control cycle using the setting means. An analytical system in communication with a data processor and a programmable logic controller,
an execution engine for repeatedly executing a user program;
An acquisition means for acquiring driving record data including a plurality of time-series symbol values collected by execution of the user program;
a setting means for setting a definition of one or more control cycles by a user selecting a symbol that specifies the timing of each of the one or more control cycles;
a model generating means for generating a model for each symbol based on learning of a change pattern of each symbol belonging to each control cycle in the acquired normal operation record data;
an analysis means for analyzing abnormal symbols that do not satisfy a normal condition related to the timing at which a symbol value changes or the number of times that a symbol value changes in each control cycle in accordance with the model, for a change pattern of each symbol belonging to each control cycle in the acquired driving record data to be analyzed;
and a report generation means for generating an analysis report that displays each of the control cycles and a location where an abnormality has occurred, which is an analysis result of each symbol detected as an abnormal symbol , in synchronization on a time axis in accordance with a definition of the one or more set control cycles. The analysis system according to claim 16, characterized in that at least one of the acquisition means, the model generation means, the analysis means, and the report generation means is provided in the data processing device. The programmable logic controller includes:
a CPU unit including the execution engine;
a recorder unit provided in the programmable logic controller that realizes the acquisition means;
The data processing device includes:
17. The analysis system of claim 16, comprising the model generating means, the analysis means, and the report generating means. 1. A method for controlling a system in which a data processing device and a programmable logic controller are capable of communicating with each other, comprising the steps of:
repeatedly executing a user program;
an acquisition step of acquiring driving record data including a plurality of symbol values in a time series, the driving record data being collected by execution of the user program;
a setting step of setting a definition of the one or more control cycles by a user selecting a symbol that defines a timing of each of the one or more control cycles;
a model generation step of generating a model for each symbol based on learning of a change pattern of each symbol belonging to each control cycle in the acquired normal operation record data;
an analysis step of analyzing abnormal symbols that do not satisfy a normal condition related to the timing at which a symbol value changes or the number of times that a symbol value changes in each control cycle according to the model, for a change pattern of each symbol belonging to each control cycle in the acquired driving record data to be analyzed;
and generating an analysis report that displays, in accordance with a definition of the one or more set control cycles, each of the control cycles and a location where an abnormality has occurred, which is an analysis result of each symbol detected as an abnormal symbol , in synchronization on a time axis, in accordance with the definition of the one or more set control cycles.

Images