# US 11,029,358 B2 · Noise source monitoring apparatus and noise source monitoring method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,029,358 B2 - Document ID: US11029358B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/504,687 - Filed: 2019-07-08 - Published: 2020-01-16 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2018-07-12 - Assignees: Fanuc Corporation - Applicants: Fanuc Corporation - Inventors: Makine Yuyama; Tetsuro Matsudaira - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11029358B2 ## CPC - G01R 31/31708: {Analysis of signal quality (G01R31/31901 takes precedence; measuring frequencies or analysing frequency spectra per se G01R23/00; measuring non-linear distortion per se G01R23/20)} - G06F 18/00: Pattern recognition - G06V 20/52: Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects (recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69) - G06F 3/14: Digital output to display device {; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units} - G06F 3/147: using display panels - G06F 2218/02: Preprocessing - G06F 2218/22: Source localisation; Inverse modelling - G09G 2340/12: Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels - G09G 2370/20: Details of the management of multiple sources of image data - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G09G: ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION (arrangements for transferring data between digital computers and displays G06F3/14; static indicating arrangements comprising an association of a number of separate sources or light control cells G09F9/00; static indicating arrangements comprising integral associations of a number of light sources H01J, H01K, H10H, H05B33/12; scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission, details thereof H04N1/00) ## Abstract A noise source monitoring apparatus includes: a first storage unit storing captured image data; a second storage unit storing observed waveform data; a processing unit calculating, for each of the switch units, the degree of correlation between occurrence of a noise and operation of the switch unit, based on the captured image data and the observed waveform data; and a display control unit causing a display unit to display information indicating the degree of correlation. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A noise source monitoring apparatus, comprising: a first storage unit configured to store captured image data containing a captured image of a plurality of switch units and a capture time of the captured image, the switch units being configured to switch on and off drive units for driving a plurality of devices, the drive units being arranged around a control device for controlling an industrial machine, the plurality of devices being different from the industrial machine; a second storage unit configured to store observed waveform data containing an observed waveform displayed on an oscilloscope connected to the control device and an observation time of the observed waveform; a processing unit configured to calculate, for each of the switch units, a degree of correlation between occurrence of a noise generated in the control device and operation of the switch unit, based on the captured image data and the observed waveform data; and a display control unit configured to cause a display unit to display information indicating the degree of correlation. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The noise source monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit includes: an event time acquisition unit configured to analyze the observed waveform data and acquire a noise event time of a noise generated in the control device; an identification unit configured to analyze the captured image data and identify one of the switch units that has operated in each of a plurality of predetermined time periods containing the respective noise event times which are different from each other; and a correlation calculation unit configured to calculate the degree of correlation of each of the switch units so that, as number of times the switch unit has been identified by the identification unit is greater, the degree of correlation for the switch unit is higher. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The noise source monitoring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the identification unit is configured to analyze the captured image data, acquire operation times of the plurality of switch units, and identify one of the switch units that has operated in each of the plural predetermined time periods, based on the operation times and the noise event times. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The noise source monitoring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the correlation calculation unit is configured to calculate the degree of correlation so that, as the number of times the switch unit has been identified by the identification unit is greater, the degree of correlation for the switch unit is higher. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The noise source monitoring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the correlation calculation unit is configured to calculate the degree of correlation so that, as a ratio of the number of times the switch unit has been identified by the identification unit, to number of operations of the switch unit is greater, the degree of correlation for the switch unit is higher. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The noise source monitoring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: the event time acquisition unit is configured to analyze the observed waveform data and acquire magnitude of the noise; and the correlation calculation unit is configured to calculate the degree of correlation between occurrence of the noise whose magnitude exceeds a threshold, and operation of the switch unit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The noise source monitoring apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: the threshold is variable; and the correlation calculation unit is configured to calculate the degree of correlation between occurrence of the noise whose magnitude exceeds a threshold selected by an operator, and operation of the switch unit. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The noise source monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit is configured to display the captured image of the plurality of switch units and superimpose information indicating the degree of correlation on at least one of the switch units. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The noise source monitoring apparatus according to claim 8, wherein: the information indicating the degree of correlation is represented by a color; and the display control unit is configured to change the color in accordance with the degree of correlation. ### Claim 10 A noise source monitoring method, comprising: a step of reading captured image data from a first storage unit storing the captured image data, the captured image data containing a captured image of a plurality of switch units and a capture time of the captured image, the switch units being configured to switch on and off drive units for driving a plurality of devices, the drive units being arranged around a control device for controlling an industrial machine, the plurality of devices being different from the industrial machine; a step of reading observed waveform data from a second storage unit storing the observed waveform data, the observed waveform data containing an observed waveform displayed on an oscilloscope connected to the control device and an observation time of the observed waveform; a correlation calculating step of calculating, for each of the switch units, a degree of correlation between occurrence of a noise generated in the control device and operation of the switch unit, based on the captured image data and the observed waveform data; and a display controlling step of causing a display unit to display information indicating the degree of correlation. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The noise source monitoring method according to claim 10, wherein the correlation calculating step includes: an event time acquiring step of analyzing the observed waveform data and acquiring a noise event time of a noise generated in the control device; an identifying step of analyzing the captured image data and identifying one of the switch units that has operated in each of a plurality of predetermined time periods containing the respective noise event times which are different from each other; and a calculation step of calculating the degree of correlation of each of the switch units so that, as number of times the switch unit has been identified at the identifying step is greater, the degree of correlation for the switch unit is higher. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The noise source monitoring method according to claim 11, wherein: the event time acquiring step is configured to analyze the observed waveform data to acquire magnitude of the noise; and the calculation step is configured to calculate the degree of correlation between occurrence of the noise whose magnitude exceeds a threshold, and operation of the switch unit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The noise source monitoring method according to claim 12, wherein: the threshold is variable; and the calculation step is configured to calculate the degree of correlation between occurrence of the noise whose magnitude exceeds a threshold selected by an operator, and operation of the switch unit. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The noise source monitoring method according to claim 10, wherein the display controlling step is configured to display the captured image of the plurality of switch units and superimpose information indicating the degree of correlation on at least one of the switch units. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The noise source monitoring method according to claim 14, wherein: the information indicating the degree of correlation is represented by a color; and the display controlling step is configured to change the color in accordance with the degree of correlation.