JP2990403B2 - Method and apparatus for real-time analysis of process data - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a support device for improving the quality of a molded product in an injection molding machine.
The present invention relates to a real-time process data analysis device that performs an analysis process for each shot in real time using process data obtained from various sensors provided in an injection molding machine, and notifies the result.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a plurality of analog signals obtained as process data from various sensors installed in various parts of an injection molding machine and monitoring data of the injection molding machine in order to confirm the quality of a molded product in injection molding. A data collection device for collecting digital signals and an analysis device for analyzing these collected data are provided.

The monitoring data is data used for controlling the injection molding machine, particularly data obtained at only one point in one shot, for example, the start point and end point timing of one shot, the minimum cushion position, and the like. It indicates data such as the peak filling pressure of the resin, and the process data refers to data obtained continuously during one shot in addition to the above monitoring data, for example, data such as injection speed, injection pressure, screw position, etc. And

[0004]

However, the quality check using the data collection device and the analysis device up to now has been performed at completely different points in time between data collection and analysis. That is, the process data collected by the data collection device is stored in a large-capacity external storage device in the form of only converting an analog signal into digital data. The analyzer sequentially reads digital data from the external storage device and performs a predetermined analysis process based on the read data.

For this reason, a large-capacity storage device is required, and there is a time lag between data collection and analysis, which makes it difficult to utilize the analysis results to improve the quality of molded products during mass production. I was

An object of the present invention is to provide a real-time analyzer capable of processing and analyzing process data during injection molding in real time so that the quality of a molded product can be determined in real time.

[0007]

According to the present invention, an injection speed is provided.
Various sensors for detecting the degree, injection pressure, screw position, etc.
Having a control device provided in the body of the injection molding machine
Used for molding equipment and connected to the various sensors and control devices.
The continuous real-time analysis device converts a plurality of types of process data indicating injection speed, injection pressure, screw position, etc. from the various sensors into digital data for each shot and collects the same. , An analog waveform indicating a change within one shot is generated and temporarily stored, while monitoring data in the injection molding machine is collected and temporarily stored, and the stored data is read out to obtain a maximum value for the analog waveform. ,
Performs analysis processing for extracting feature values such as minimum value, rise time, fall time, etc., digitizes the analysis result, and displays or prints it out. An analysis method is obtained.

According to the present invention, there is also provided an injection speed and an injection pressure.
Various sensors for detecting force, screw position, etc. and injection molding
Injection molding equipment with a control device provided in the machine body
Used and connected to the various sensors and controllers.
The real-time analyzer receives a plurality of types of process data indicating the injection speed, injection pressure, screw position, etc. from the various sensors, converts the data into digital data for each shot, collects and stores the data, and stores these plural types of data. A signal processing unit that generates and stores an analog waveform indicating a change within one shot from digital data, collects monitoring data in the injection molding machine and temporarily stores the data, and reads out data stored in the signal processing unit. The maximum value, minimum value, rise time,
Perform analysis processing for feature amount extraction such as fall time,
A data processing means for quantifying the analysis result and outputting the data together with the data indicating the analog waveform, and inputting a set value or the like to the data processing means, and converting the analysis result and the data indicating the analog waveform into data; A real-time analysis apparatus for process data, characterized by comprising input / output means for receiving.

[0009]

In the present invention, process data during injection molding, for example, values such as an injection speed, an injection pressure, and a screw position change according to a set value during a one-shot process in which a molded product is generated. It is noted that each analog value can be drawn as one analog waveform during one shot process. The real-time analyzer according to the present invention collects data by analog signals such as an injection speed, an injection pressure, and a screw position and monitoring data in an injection molding machine for each shot, and collects these data in real time from one shot for each analog signal. An analog waveform indicating a change is generated, and the maximum value, the minimum value, the rise time (time from rising from a certain level to a certain higher level), and the falling time (from a certain level to the next) of the analog waveform in one shot. Time to fall to a certain lower level)
And the like, and statistical quantities such as standard deviations, the quality of the molded product is determined during the molding process from these values, and necessary data is displayed or stored according to the determination result.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Referring to FIG. 1, real-time analyzer 10 according to the present invention is connected to injection molding machine main body 20 via a signal line here, but may be incorporated in injection molding machine main body 20 in advance. Here, signal lines 31, 32, and 33 are shown as typical examples of the signal lines. As for the signal line 31, various sensors (for example, injection speed, injection pressure, screw position, and the like) provided in the injection molding machine main body 20 and connected to the control device 21 in the injection molding machine main body 20 and used for molding control. These are a plurality of signal lines for supplying a detection signal (analog signal) of the sensor) to the real-time analyzer 10. Signal line 3
Reference numeral 2 denotes monitoring data used in the injection molding machine main body 20 and data indicating molding conditions (both are digital signals).
Are supplied to the real-time analyzer 10. Further, the signal line 33 is a signal line used when notifying the control device 21 of the result of the analysis or when giving a molding condition from a higher-level computer, which will be described later, via the real-time analyzer 10 before starting the molding. .

The real-time analyzer 10 includes a signal line 31
A / D converter 11 for converting an analog signal from the device into a digital signal capable of arithmetic processing, A / D converter 11
The digital signal from the injection molding machine is sampled at a fixed period (for example, 1000 points in one shot) and processed, the digital signal from the injection molding machine main body 20 is collected, and the data processing unit 13 and the control unit described below are collected. Signal processing unit 1 that relays the exchange of signals between
2 inclusive. Note that the A / D converter 11 may be included in the signal processing unit 12. The data processing unit 13 mainly performs an analysis process described later.

[0012] The real-time analysis apparatus 10 also has a CR
A display unit 14 such as a T or LCD, an operation unit 15 for inputting set values and operation commands by a keyboard or the like, an external storage device 16 such as a magnetic disk, a memory card, or the like;
It has a printing device 17 such as a printer and a plotter, and a communication processing unit 18.

The communication processing unit 18 is an element necessary for transmitting and receiving signals when the real-time analyzer 10 is connected to a host computer (not shown). That is, when a plurality of injection molding machines are centrally managed or group-managed by a host computer, the host computer has a function of receiving molding conditions and other data from the host computer and transmitting an analysis result to the host computer.

The signal processing unit 12, the data processing unit 13, and the communication processing unit 18 are each configured to be capable of independently performing arithmetic processing, that is, to include a CPU, an internal memory for temporary storage, and the like. .

The signal processing unit 12 receives digital data obtained by A / D conversion of a plurality of types of process data such as an injection speed, an injection pressure, and a screw position from various sensors in the injection molding machine body 20, and collects the data for each shot. And temporarily stores an analog waveform indicating a change in one shot from the plurality of types of digital data. The signal processing unit 12 also
Monitoring data and data relating to molding conditions in the injection molding machine are collected for each shot, and are temporarily stored in the internal memory.

The data processing unit 13 includes a signal processing unit 12
The data stored in the internal memory is read out, and the maximum value for the analog waveform generated by the signal processing unit 12 is
Analysis processing such as extraction of feature values such as minimum value, rise time and fall time and calculation of statistics such as standard deviation is performed, and the analysis result is digitized and output together with data indicating an analog waveform.

Next, the flow of the entire operation will be described. When injection molding starts, a plurality of types of process data from various sensors are converted into digital data by an A / D converter 11, and these digital data are converted into one by a signal processing unit 12.
The data is temporarily stored in the internal memory for each shot and for each type.
In parallel with this, the signal processing unit 12 stores one shot of digital data indicating the monitoring data and molding conditions in the injection molding machine in the internal memory. The signal processing unit 12 further reads the digital data stored in the internal memory before the next shot starts, generates an analog waveform for one shot for each type of process data, and stores the analog waveform in the internal memory. I do. These stored data are sent to the data processing unit 13 before the next shot starts.
FIG. 2 shows an example of an analog waveform generated by the signal processing unit 12 with respect to an injection speed, an injection pressure, and a screw position.

The data processing unit 13 extracts feature values such as a maximum value, a minimum value, a rise time, a fall time, and a standard deviation for an analog waveform for each type of process data using the transmitted data. Perform analysis processing such as statistics extraction.

FIG. 3 shows typical items of the analysis processing performed by the data processing section 13. In the analog waveform of FIG. 2, portions corresponding to the items of FIG. 3 are given the same numbers (excluding 10, 11, and 13) as the items of FIG.

The data processing unit 13 digitizes the results of the analysis processing, and converts these data and data representing analog waveforms together with monitoring data and data on molding conditions in accordance with an operation command (mode) set by the operation unit 15. The data is sent to the host computer via the display unit 14, the external storage device 16, the printing device 17, or the communication processing unit 18. The above-described signal processing and analysis processing are performed for each shot during molding. The modes set by the operation unit 15 include, for example, an analog waveform display mode for displaying an analog waveform on the display unit 14 as shown in FIG. 2, an analysis list display mode for displaying the analog waveform and the analysis result on the display unit 14, A numerical display mode in which an analysis result is digitized and displayed on the display unit 14;
There are a waveform printing mode, an analysis list printing mode, a numerical value printing mode, and the like in which each mode is performed by the printing device 17 instead of the display unit 14, and a mode in which the data of each mode is stored in the external storage device 16. is there.

The operation unit 15 specifies which of a plurality of types of detection signals the signal collection and processing in the signal processing unit 12 and the analysis processing in the data processing unit 13 perform.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a display screen displayed in the analysis list display mode among the above modes, and FIG. 5 shows an example of a display screen displayed in the numerical display of each mode. .

In the data processing section 13, the analysis processing can be performed not on the entire analog waveform for one shot but on a specific area, for example, an area having a large level change, as shown in FIG. The numbers of “left end value” and “right end value” are numerical values designating the area. These numerical values are designated by the operation unit 15. The start point and the end point of the analog waveform generated by the signal processing unit 12 are defined by trigger data indicating the start point and the end point of one shot included in monitoring data from the injection molding machine.

The data processing unit 13 further determines the quality of the molded product by using the analysis result. That is, a range necessary for obtaining a good product is set for each of the analysis values for the analog waveform, and when the analysis result is out of the set range, it is determined that a failure has occurred, and the fact is displayed on the display unit 14. Or to the control device 21 via the signal processing unit 12 and the signal line 33. Then, the analog waveform and the analysis result for several shots before and after the shot for which the occurrence of the defect is determined, for example, for five shots are stored in the external storage device 16.

As is apparent from the above description, the real-time analyzing apparatus according to the present invention collects process data, monitoring data, and the like from the injection molding machine for each shot during molding processing, and performs analysis processing in real time. By performing the discriminating operation, the analysis result and the pass / fail judgment result can be obtained without time delay, and these results can be promptly reflected in the operation for quality improvement.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, process data during injection molding can be processed and analyzed in real time for each shot, so that a large-capacity storage device for storing all process data can be provided. Not required. In addition, the quality of the molded product can be determined in real time by real-time processing and analysis, so that when a defect occurs, a measure can be taken promptly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a connection relationship between a configuration example of a real-time analysis device according to the present invention and an injection molding machine main body.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an analog waveform generated in the process of processing and analyzing process data according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an analysis performed in the present invention item by item.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example in a case where a result of processing / analysis of process data according to the present invention is displayed on a display unit.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another display example when the result of processing and analysis of process data according to the present invention is displayed on a display unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 real-time analyzer 20 injection molding machine main body 21 controller 31, 32, 33 signal line

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B29C 45/00-45/84

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. Injection speed, injection pressure, screw position, etc.
Various sensors to detect and installed inside the injection molding machine body
Used in an injection molding machine having a control device,
Real-time analyzer connected to sensors and controllers
Thus, a plurality of types of process data indicating the injection speed, the injection pressure, the screw position, etc. from the various sensors are converted into digital data for each shot and collected. While generating and temporarily storing an analog waveform indicating a change, monitoring data in the injection molding machine is collected and temporarily stored, and the stored data is read out to read the maximum value, the minimum value, and the rise time for the analog waveform. A real-time analysis method of process data characterized by performing an analysis process for extracting a feature amount such as a fall time, digitizing the analysis result, displaying or printing out the result, and storing the result in a storage unit. 2. Injection speed, injection pressure, screw position, etc.
Various sensors to detect and installed inside the injection molding machine body
Used in an injection molding machine having a control device,
Real-time analyzer connected to sensors and controllers
More, 1 receives a plurality of types of process data that indicates the injection rate and injection pressure, screw position and the like from the various sensors
Each shot is converted into digital data and collected and stored, and from these plural types of digital data, an analog waveform indicating a change within one shot is generated and stored, while monitoring data in the injection molding machine is collected and temporarily stored. A signal processing means for storing the data, reading out the data stored in the signal processing means, and performing an analysis process for extracting feature values such as a maximum value, a minimum value, a rise time, and a fall time on the analog waveform; A data processing means for quantifying the analysis result and outputting the data together with the data indicating the analog waveform; and inputting a set value or the like to the data processing means, and outputting data indicating the analysis result or the analog waveform. And an input / output means for receiving process data. 3. The real-time analysis device according to claim 2, wherein the input / output unit includes an operation unit for inputting the set value or the like to the data processing unit, and the input unit outputs the analysis result and the analog waveform. And a display for displaying data indicating the following. 4. The real-time analysis apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said input / output means further comprises a printer for printing out said analysis result and data indicating said analog waveform and an external storage device for storing. A real-time analysis device for process data, comprising: 5. The real-time analyzing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a communication processing unit connected to said data processing means for relaying a signal between said data processing means and a host computer. Real-time analyzer of process data.