JP2000334670A - Power tool control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve screw tightening quality, even if a plurality of electric tools are used, by providing a power tool for performing rotation controls for a motor based on received screw tightening information and a center device for transmitting preliminarily set screw tightening information to the electric tool via a network. SOLUTION: This power tool 1 controls a motor based on tightening information imparted from a center device 2. Therefore, only if electric tools 1a to 1n are applied to a prescribed screw and an operation part driving the motor is operated by a worker operating electric tools 1a to 1n, only tightening instructed from the center device 2 is automatically performed. As a result, the worker is not required to perform suitable tightening by performing a fine adjustment for manipulated variable of a trigger and to operate the electric tools 1a to 1n based on his experience. Therefore, screw tightening quality is improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a power tool suitable for use in factories and a power tool control system for managing a plurality of power tools via a network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, on a screw tightening line in a factory, a plurality of workers tighten and fix various screws using a plurality of electric tools. At this time, the tightening torque of the screw differs depending on the tightening part and the type of the screw to be tightened, but in many cases, the setting of the tightening torque is determined by each worker.

[0003]

However, if the tightening torque of the screw is left to the discretion of the worker as described above, there is a problem that the tightening torque varies, and improvement of the tightening quality cannot be expected. Was. In particular,
When a plurality of types of screws having different tightening torques must be tightened by using a plurality of electric tools, an operator may need to grasp the individual tightening torques and the like.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric power tool that can improve the quality of screw tightening even when a plurality of electric power tools are used. It is to provide a control system.

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A power tool control system comprising: a power tool that controls rotation of a motor based on received screw tightening information; and a center device that transmits preset screw tightening information to the power tool via a network.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the power tool control system according to the first aspect, the screw tightening information is a rotational torque of the motor.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the power tool control system according to the first or second aspect, the screw tightening information is a rotation speed of a motor.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the power tool control system according to the first to third aspects, the screw tightening information includes a trigger pull-in amount and a motor rotation speed that increase as the operation amount increases. It is a trigger pattern that defines the relationship with the rotation speed.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the power tool control system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the center device receives a history of screw tightening operations performed so far from the power tool via a network. In addition, a line speed at which an object to be screwed moves in the screw tightening line is controlled based on the history.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a power tool control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment,
In a certain factory, a description will be given of a case where each worker tightens a screw in a predetermined work area in a line where a product to be screwed flows at a predetermined speed, but an assumed situation is not limited to this. It goes without saying.

As shown in FIG. 1, the power tool control system according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of power tools 1a to 1n used by each worker, a center device 2, and power tools 1a to 1n.
1 and a center network 2 used for exchanging information between the center device 2 and the center device 2. Note that the network 3 may use either a wired communication method or a wireless communication method.

Each of the power tools 1a to 1n is for tightening a screw, and includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, a motor control unit 13, and a motor 14, as shown in FIG. . The power tools 1 a to 1 n receive, in the communication unit 11, the tightening information transmitted from the center device 2 via the network 3. The received tightening information is temporarily stored in the storage unit 12. The motor control unit 13 reads the tightening information from the storage unit 12 and controls the motor 14 based on the information in the tightening information.

With the above-described configuration, the power tool 1 according to the present embodiment controls the motor 14 based on the tightening information given from the center device 2. Therefore, for an operator operating the power tools 1a to 1n, the power tools 1a to 1n are applied to predetermined screws (not shown), and an operation unit (not shown, hereinafter referred to as a trigger) for driving the motor 14 is applied. ), The center device 2
The tightening instructed from is automatically performed.
This eliminates the need for the operator to finely adjust the operation amount of the trigger and perform appropriate tightening, unlike the related art, and does not need to operate the power tools 1a to 1n based on his or her own experience. Therefore, even if an unskilled worker tightens a screw, the screw is tightened in a preset manner, so that the quality can be maintained.

The tightening information includes a tightening torque,
The fastening speed, the number of fastenings, and the like. Thereby, for example, if the tightening torque is used as the tightening information,
The operator can tighten the screw with the preset tightening torque just by operating the trigger, and if the tightening speed is used as the tightening information, the operator can operate the trigger by simply operating the trigger. Can be tightened. If you set the tightening torque and tightening speed for each number of tightening,
Even when a plurality of types of screws having different tightening torques need to be tightened, it is possible to easily perform the screw tightening without deteriorating the quality.

Further, as the tightening information, a trigger pattern defining the relationship between the amount of pull-in of the trigger and the rotation speed of the motor may be used. This allows
It is possible to set the play amount of the trigger so that the motor is not rotated until the predetermined amount of retraction is reached from the start of retraction of the trigger, or to freely set the rate of increase in the rotation speed according to the amount of retraction. This allows, for example,
When tightening a small screw, it is easier to tighten the screw if the motor does not rotate at a high speed. Therefore, it is possible to set the motor so that the motor does not rotate at a high speed even if the amount of pull-in of the trigger is increased. In addition, when tightening the screws that must be performed slowly at the initial stage, the motor should be rotated slowly regardless of the retracted amount during the initial retracting of the trigger, and if the trigger is retracted, the motor should be retracted. It becomes possible to rotate at high speed based on the amount. In other words, if the trigger pattern is used as the tightening information, the rotation speed of the motor according to each screw can be given without the operator being conscious of the amount of pull-in of the trigger.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the center device 2 receives the history of the screw tightening work performed so far from the power tools 1a to 1n via the network 3, and based on the history. The line speed at which the products S1 to Sn to be screwed move in the screw tightening line may be controlled. That is, the center device 2
, Information on whether or not screw tightening of the power tools 1a to 1n for a certain product S has been completed (history of screw tightening work)
The speed V at which the product S flows on the production line (hereinafter, referred to as the line speed) is adjusted based on the above.

As shown in FIG. 3, N power tools 1a to 1n are present on the production line, and their action ranges (hereinafter, referred to as work areas) are L1.
To Ln, and the products S1 to Sn on the line are being manufactured.
Is flowing at a speed V.

First, the times ti to tn required for each unit work are obtained by communication with the electric tools 1a to 1n (see S2 in FIG. 4). Next, the minimum work margin is calculated according to [Equation 1] (see S3 in FIG. 4).

[0019]

(Equation 1)

The work margin P and a predetermined threshold value Pth
(See S4 in FIG. 4). If the speed is smaller, the speed of the production line is increased by ΔV (see S6 in FIG. 4). If the speed is larger than Pth, the speed of the production line is decreased by ΔV (see S5 in FIG. 4). It is.

As a result, the margin of the production line is stabilized at a certain value Pth, and the line speed V without waste can be set.

[0022]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the power tool for controlling the rotation of the motor based on the received screw tightening information and the preset screw tightening information are transmitted via the network. And the center device that transmits the data to the power tool, so that the screws are designed as designed based on the screw tightening information that is centrally managed in the center device without depending on the qualities of the operator. In addition, even if a plurality of power tools are used, an effect is obtained that it is possible to provide a power tool control system capable of improving the quality of screw tightening.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the first aspect.
In the described power tool control system, the screw tightening information is the rotational torque of the motor, so the worker does not need to be aware of the tightening torque at the time of screwing,
There is an effect that it becomes possible to perform screwing as designed.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the first aspect.
Alternatively, in the power tool control system according to claim 2, since the screw tightening information is the rotation speed of the motor, the operator can perform the screw tightening as designed without being conscious of the screw tightening speed. This has the effect of making it possible to do so.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the first aspect.
In the power tool control system according to the present invention, the screw tightening information may be a trigger pattern that defines a relationship between a pull-in amount of a trigger in which a rotation amount of the motor increases as the operation amount increases and a rotation speed of the motor. Therefore, there is an effect that the worker can perform the work at a rotation speed suitable for each work without being conscious of the operation amount of the trigger.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the first aspect is provided.
5. The power tool control system according to claim 4, wherein the center device receives a history of the screw tightening operation performed so far from the power tool via a network, and based on the history, the target of the screw tightening in the screw tightening line. Since the line speed at which the robot moves is controlled, the work efficiency can be constantly monitored in the center device, and it is possible to set an optimal line speed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a power tool control system.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a power tool control system.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a relationship between a screw tightening target on a screw tightening line and a work area;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the power tool control system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 power tool 2 center device 3 network

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Tomohiro Hosokawa 1048 Kazuma Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture F-term in Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. 3C038 AA01 BA06 BB08 CB01 EA02 5H572 AA14 AA20 BB07 BB10 DD01 EE04 FF08 HC01 JJ03 KK05

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A power tool for controlling rotation of a motor based on received screw tightening information, and a center device for transmitting preset screw tightening information to the power tool via a network. Power tool control system. 2. The power tool control system according to claim 1, wherein the screw tightening information is a rotational torque of the motor. 3. The power tool control system according to claim 1, wherein the screw tightening information is a rotation speed of a motor. 4. A screw pattern according to claim 1, wherein the screw tightening information is a trigger pattern which defines a relationship between a trigger pull-in amount and a motor rotation speed at which the rotation speed of the motor increases as the operation amount increases. The power tool control system according to claim 3. 5. A center device receives a history of screw tightening operations performed so far from a power tool via a network, and controls a line speed at which a screw tightening target moves in a screw tightening line based on the history. The power tool control system according to claim 1, wherein