A control apparatus in an automaton that operates in cooperation with a peripheral device, includes: an operating time accumulator regarding the output time of a control signal to the peripheral device or the output time of an operating signal from the peripheral device as operating time and determining cumulative operating time by adding up the operating times; a time-at-inspection recorder recording the cumulative operating time when inspection is performed as the cumulative operating time at inspection; a cumulative operating time comparator comparing the difference between the current cumulative operating time and the cumulative operating time at inspection, the cumulative operating time from the latest inspection, or the cumulative operating time after inspection, with a preset inspection interval; and, a maintenance request output unit outputting a maintenance request to the outside when the cumulative operating time after inspection obtained as a result of the comparison exceeds the preset inspection interval.