Control system for mechanical equipment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10654658-B2
Application number	US-201816034824-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2018
Priority date	Jan 15, 2016
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

A control system for mechanical equipment is provided with: a manual operation mechanism provided with a minimum required number of operation switches and a mechanical equipment identification signal transmission unit for transmitting a mechanical equipment identification signal that identifies mechanical equipment; an operation assistance terminal in which the mechanical equipment identification signal received from the transmission unit is used as a basis to display a manual operation assistance screen including a manually operated device selection section and a control content display section that displays control content assigned to the operation switches of the manual operation mechanism for a selected manually operated device; and a control device that connects the control unit of an identified control target device and the operation switches of the manual operation mechanism by receiving a control target device switching signal identified by operation of the manually operated device selection section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control system for mechanical equipment, the mechanical equipment including a plurality of control target devices, a control device operable to control the control target devices, and a manual operator control console, the control system comprising:
a portable operation assistance terminals:
a communication means which connects the portable operation assistance terminal and the control device;
the manual operator control console including an operation switch operable to control the control target devices and including a mechanical equipment identifier for identifying the mechanical equipment to the portable operation assistance terminal, where the mechanical equipment identifier comprises a code displayed on an outside surface of the manual operator control console;
the portable operation assistance terminal including an image capturing means operable to read and receive the code displayed on the manual operator control console and the portable operation assistance terminal being operable to display a manual operation assistance screen based on the mechanical equipment identifier, the manual operation assistance screen including a manually operated device selection section for selecting a selected control target device from the plurality of control target devices, and including a control content display section which displays control content assigned to the operation switch of the manual operator control console for the selected control target device; and
the control device being operable to receive, a control target device switching signal from the portable operation assistance terminal, via the communication means, the control target device switching signal being identified by an operation on the manually operated device selection section and being operable to connect a control unit of the selected control target device and the operation switch of the manual operator control console such that when an operation is performed on the operation switch of the manual operator control console, the control assigned to the operation switch is performed by the selected control target device.

2. The control system for mechanical equipment according to claim 1 ,
the manual operator control console includes two operation switches to which operations opposite to each other are assigned and an emergency stop switch.

3. The control system for mechanical equipment according to claim 1 , wherein:
the portable operation assistance terminal includes a display surface which displays a drawing or a photograph of a configuration of the corresponding mechanical equipment.

4. The control system for mechanical equipment according to claim 1 wherein:
the mechanical equipment can operate each of the control target devices with arbitrary timing; and
a mechanical equipment state display screen is provided in the portable operation assistance terminal which displays a list of all the control target devices in the mechanical equipment and a state indicating whether or not each of the control target devices in the list can be manually operated.

5. A control system for mechanical equipment, the mechanical equipment including a plurality of control target devices, a control device operable to control the control target devices, and a manual operator control console, the control system comprising:
a portable operation assistance terminal;
a communication means which connects the portable operation assistance terminal and the control device;
the manual operator control console including an operation switch operable to control the control target devices and including a mechanical equipment identifier for identifying the mechanical equipment to the portable operation assistance terminal;
the portable operation assistance terminal being operable to receive the mechanical equipment identifier and to display a manual operation assistance screen based on the mechanical equipment identifier, the manual operation assistance screen including a manually operated device selection section for selecting a selected control target device from the plurality of control target devices, and including a control content display section which displays control content assigned to the operation switch of the manual operator control console for the selected control target device;
the control device being operable to receive a control target device switching signal from the portable operation assistance terminal, via the communication means, the control target device switching signal being identified by an operation on the manually operated device selection section and being operable to connect a control unit of the selected control target device and the operation switch of the manual operator control console such that when an operation is performed on the operation switch of the manual operator control console, the control assigned to the operation switch is performed by the selected control target device;
the mechanical equipment identifier including a code displayed on an external surface of the manual operator control console;
the portable operation assistance terminal including an image capturing means operable to read the code displayed on the manual operator control console;
the mechanical equipment operating the respective control target devices in a set order; and
a mechanical equipment state display screen being provided in the portable operation assistance terminal which displays a list of operations of the respective control target devices in the set order and which displays an indication of a state of progress of a manually operated operation.

6. A control system for mechanical equipment, the mechanical equipment including a plurality of control target devices, a control device operable to control the control target devices, and a manual operator control console, the control system comprising:
a portable operation assistance terminal;
a communication means which connects the portable operation assistance terminal and the control device;
the manual operator control console including an operation switch operable to control the control target devices and including a mechanical equipment identifier for identifying the mechanical equipment to the portable operation assistance terminal;
the portable operation assistance terminal being operable to receive the mechanical equipment identifier and to display a manual operation assistance screen based on the mechanical equipment identifier, the manual operation assistance screen including a manually operated device selection section for selecting a selected control target device from the plurality of control target devices, and including a control content display section which displays control content assigned to the operation switch of the manual operator control console for the selected control target device;
the control device being operable to receive a control target device switching signal from the portable operation assistance terminal, via the communication means, the control target device switching signal being identified by an operation on the manually operated device selection section and being operable to connect a control unit of the selected control target device and the operation switch of the manual operator control console such that when an operation is performed on the operation switch of the manual operator control console, the control assigned to the operation switch is performed by the selected control target device;
the mechanical equipment identifier including a code displayed on an external surface of the manual operator control console;
the portable operation assistance terminal including an image capturing means operable to read the code displayed on the manual operator control console; and
the control device being operable to receive a

Assignees

• Daifuku Kk

Inventors

• Hamaguchi Jun

Classifications

• G05B19/4189

  characterised by the transport system · CPC title

• B65G2203/0233

  Position of the article · CPC title

• H04Q9/00

  Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom · CPC title

• G05B19/409

  characterised by using manual data input [MDI] or by using control panel, e.g. controlling functions with the panel; characterised by control panel details or by setting parameters (G05B19/408, G05B19/4093 take precedence) · CPC title

• G05B19/41835

  characterised by program execution · CPC title