JP2002117079A - Process design assisting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a process design assisting device which enables a product designer or an assembling/disassembling process designer to easily evaluate the assembling performance of a product and design assembling processes, and evaluate the disassembling performance and design disassembling processes and to provide a process design assisting device which can perform both the assembling performance evaluation and assembling process designing, and disassembling performance evaluation and disassembling process designing. SOLUTION: This process design assisting device which receives a shape model for a product designed by using a CAD system and designs assembling and disassembling processes is equipped with a product model display part 21 which displays the shape model for the designed product, an assembling and disassembling information input part 22 which inputs assembling information and disassembling information according to the displayed shape model, an assembling and disassembling data generation part 23 which generates quantitative assembling data according to the assembling information and quantitative disassembling data according to the disassembling information, and a robot simulator 32 which verifies the assembling operation by using the assembling data and the disassembling operation by using the disassembling data.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an assembling / disassembling process design support apparatus which can reflect information necessary for an assembling process and an assembling process, which are considered by a product designer, in their process design.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, product development departments are designing products using three-dimensional CAD. 3 products
By designing with a three-dimensional shape model, each evaluation (analysis, productivity evaluation, assemblability evaluation, disassembly evaluation, etc.) that was conventionally performed using the actual product after the prototype model was completed
It can be evaluated at the design stage using dimensional CAD,
Work efficiency has been greatly improved. But,
In order to examine the manufacturing process of the assembling process and disassembly process using only three-dimensional CAD, it is necessary to check the interference at the part movement level and the operation level of humans and robots, and to evaluate the gravity and gravity for evaluating the assemblability and disassembly. Functions for evaluating friction, material, etc. are insufficient, and sufficient evaluation has not been performed. For this reason, after the trial model of the product is completed, there remains a work of actually performing trial and error using the actual product to design the assembling process and the disassembling process. As a method for solving this problem, a method is generally used in which evaluation such as layout and interference check is performed for each evaluation item using a robot simulator, a production line simulator, or the like. However, for that purpose, it is necessary to input a lot of information on a robot simulator or a production line simulator, and the work efficiency is poor and is not practical.
Also, much of the information originally input to the robot simulator and manufacturing line simulator is considered by the designer at the product development stage, but this information is not digitized in the product model and And is not passed smoothly to the disassembly process.

[0003] Among these problems, a method for solving the problem of the assembling process is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 10-124130 and 10-263957. Are added to CAD data, and a device for performing work planning and task programming of an assembly robot using the data is proposed. However, these prior arts do not consider a human interface for inputting the information, so that the input operation is inefficient and the designer or other information inputter has difficulty in assembling the information at the time of inputting the information. It is difficult to have an intuitive image about the assembly process. To solve this problem, refer to
In the assembly process design support device shown in -16550,
We use various devices that create virtual reality to verify the assembly process of products in a virtual space.However, devices that generate such virtual reality are expensive, large, and time-consuming to mount. Work efficiency is also poor. Incidentally, JP-A-10-124130, JP-A-10-2639
No. 57 and JP-A No. 9-16550 do not mention the design of the disassembling step. Since the information required for the assembly process design and the information required for the disassembly process design are different, the prior art relating to the assembly process design cannot be used for the disassembly process design.

[0004]

As described above, in the prior art, information required in an assembly process or a disassembly process considered by a product designer cannot be easily reflected in the assembly process or the disassembly process. In addition, it is difficult to understand the information provided, and it is difficult to evaluate product assembly and assembling process, and to evaluate disassembly and design of disassembling process easily. Attempting to make it possible involves a problem that the device becomes large. An object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art and to give necessary information in an assembly process or a disassembly process considered by a product designer to effectively use a design intention or to provide a design drawing. By providing a human interface that is easy to input, product designers or assembly / disassembly process designers can use the information to evaluate product assemblability and assembling process, and to evaluate disassembly and disassembly process. A process design support system that can be easily and intuitively understood without being large-scale and can be easily performed, and a process that can perform both product assembly evaluation and assembly process design, and disassembly evaluation and disassembly process design An object of the present invention is to provide a design support device.

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process design for receiving a shape model of a product designed using a CAD system and designing an assembling / disassembling process. In the support device, shape model display means for displaying a shape model of the designed product, assembly / disassembly information input means for inputting assembly information and disassembly information based on the shape model displayed by the shape model display means, An assembly / disassembly data generating means for generating quantitative assembly data based on the assembly information or generating quantitative disassembly data based on the disassembly information is provided. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the robot simulator according to the first aspect, wherein the robot simulator verifies an assembling operation using the assembling data or verifies an assembling operation using the disassembly data. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, a robot mechanism model storage unit for storing a mechanism conversion model of the robot is provided, and the execution is performed using the assembly data or the disassembly data. A robot assembling / disassembling program generating means for automatically generating a robot assembling / disassembling operation program from the moving program of the assembled parts and disassembled parts and the mechanism conversion model. Claim 4
According to the invention described in claim 1 or 2, an assembly part executed by using the assembly data or the disassembly data is provided with a human model storage unit for storing a human model including a variable relating to a person. And a human assembling / disassembling program generating means for automatically generating a human assembling / disassembling operation program from the disassembled part moving program and the human model. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an assembly / disassembly program editing means for editing the automatically generated robot assembling / disassembling operation program or human assembling / disassembling operation program according to the third or fourth aspect of the present invention. Was. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the second to fifth aspects of the present invention, the product design information obtained by the CAD system and the assembly order and the disassembly order input by the assembly / disassembly information input means are used. An assembly / disassembly process planning means for partially and automatically generating an assembly order whose assembly operation cost calculated by the robot simulator is the minimum and an assembly order whose disassembly operation cost is the minimum is provided. In the invention according to claim 7, in the invention according to claim 6, an evaluation function relating to an assembly work cost for automatically generating an assembly order and a disassembly work cost for automatically generating a disassembly order are defined and edited. An evaluation function editing means is provided.

According to the invention described in claim 8, according to claim 7,
In the invention described in the above, an evaluation item weight learning unit that learns the weight of the evaluation item defined by the evaluation function editing unit using a neural network is provided, and subsequent assembly is performed using the weight learned by the evaluation item weight learning unit. Work cost used for sequence planning and disassembly sequence planning is calculated. According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the sixth, seventh or eighth aspect of the present invention, the assembling order and the disassembling order inputted by the assembling / disassembling information inputting means or the assembling / disassembling process planning means are provided. And an assembling / disassembling step editing means for editing the assembling order and the disassembling order obtained by automatically generating a part. According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the ninth aspect of the present invention, an assembling / disassembling process design rule editing means for converting input information into rules and defining, and assembling / disassembling storing the defined rules. And an assembly / disassembly process planning means for performing subsequent assembly process planning and disassembly process planning using the rules. Claim 11
According to the invention described in claim 10, in the invention according to claim 10, the priority of the assembly process design rule and the disassembly process design rule defined by the assembly / disassembly process design rule editing means are learned using a neural network. Means is provided, and the assembly / disassembly process planning means is configured to perform subsequent assembly process design and disassembly process design according to the priority order. According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, an assembling work is performed by using the assembly process design result or the disassembly process design result obtained by the assembly / disassembly process planning means. Further, as assembly / disassembly work instructing means for instructing the disassembling step, one or more of visual output means, auditory output means, tactile output means, and odor output means are provided.
According to a thirteenth aspect, in the twelfth aspect, an assembly / disassembly work instruction editing means for editing the contents of the assembly work instruction and the disassembly work instruction, and at least a visual output means are provided.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a shape model of a designed product is displayed, and assembling information and disassembly information are input based on the displayed shape model. Quantitative assembly data is generated based on the information, and quantitative decomposition data is generated based on the decomposition information. According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the assembling work is verified using the assembling data, and the disassembling work is verified using the disassembly data. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, a robot assembling / disassembling operation is performed based on a movement program of an assembly part and an exploded part executed using assembly data or disassembly data and a mechanism conversion model. A program is automatically generated. In the invention according to claim 4, in the invention according to claim 1 or claim 2,
A human assembling / disassembling operation program is automatically generated from the assembly program or the disassembled part movement program executed using the assembly data or the disassembly data and the human model. According to the fifth aspect of the invention, in the third or fourth aspect of the invention, it is possible to edit the automatically generated robot assembly / disassembly operation program or human assembly / disassembly operation program. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the second to fifth aspects of the present invention, the assembling sequence for minimizing an assembling work cost is obtained from the product design information obtained by the CAD system and the input assembling order and disassembly order. , And a disassembly order that minimizes the disassembly operation cost is automatically generated in part. According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sixth aspect of the present invention, an evaluation function relating to an assembly work cost for automatically generating an assembly order and a disassembly work cost for automatically generating a disassembly order are defined and edited. Claim 8
According to the invention described in claim 7, in the invention according to claim 7, the work cost used for the subsequent assembly order planning and disassembly order planning is calculated using the learned weight. According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in the sixth, seventh or eighth aspect of the present invention, the input assembling order and disassembly order, or the assembling order and disassembly order obtained by partially automatic generation. Is edited. According to the tenth aspect, the ninth aspect is provided.
In the described invention, the input information is defined as a rule, the defined rule is stored, and the subsequent assembly process plan and disassembly process plan are performed using the rule. According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the priorities of the defined assembly process design rule and the disassembly process design rule are learned using a neural network, and the subsequent assembly process design and rule are determined according to the priority order. The disassembly process is designed. According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to eleventh aspects, any one of a visual output unit, an auditory output unit, a tactile output unit, and an odor output unit is provided. Or, using a plurality of instructions for assembly work using the results of the assembly process design,
An instruction for a disassembly operation using the result of the disassembly process design is issued. According to a thirteenth aspect, in the twelfth aspect, the contents of the assembling work instruction and the contents of the disassembly work instruction are edited and output.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a design support system including a process design support device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the design support system of this embodiment includes a three-dimensional CAD system 11, a design support computer 1 for performing product design, a process design information input support computer 2 constituting a process design support device, and a process design support. The computer 3 is provided. Then, the design support computer 1 performs product design, and sends the three-dimensional shape data of the designed product to the process design information input support computer 2 and the process design support computer 3 via the network. Further, the process design information input support computer 2 is a product model display unit 21 which is a shape model display means for displaying a three-dimensional shape model (assembly drawing) of the designed product, and is displayed by the product model display unit 21. An assembling / disassembling information input unit 22 which is an assembling / disassembling information input unit for inputting assembling / disassembling information based on the three-dimensional shape model, based on the assembling information or the disassembling information input by the assembling / disassembling information input unit 22 An assembly / disassembly data generator 23, a display device 24, and a manual operation input unit 25 including a keyboard and a mouse are provided. The product model display section 21, the assembly / disassembly information input section 22, and the assembly / disassembly data generation section 23 have a shared memory and a shared CPU that operates according to a program stored in the memory. In addition, the process design support computer 3 includes a component movement model storage unit 31 that stores a component movement model that is a movement element program module,
A robot simulator 32, a display device 33, a manual operation input unit 33, and the like for verifying an assembling operation and an assembling operation using the assembling data or the assembling data generated by the assembling and assembling data generating unit 23 and the component movement model. ing. The robot simulator 32 has a memory and a C that operates according to a program stored in the memory.
Has PU. With this configuration, in this embodiment, the assembly process design and the disassembly process design are performed using the process design information input support computer 2 and the process design support computer 3.

First, the operation of this embodiment when designing an assembling process will be described with reference to FIGS. First, a three-dimensional shape model (assembly drawing) of the designed product is displayed on the display device 24 by the product model display unit 21.
On the screen of the display device 24, using a GUI (Graphical User Interface), drag each part in the displayed three-dimensional model (assembly drawing) with, for example, a mouse in the manual operation input unit 25. To a desired position in a desired posture (S1). The desired posture can be specified because the supply posture of the component is arbitrary and there is a case where it is desired to specify the posture at a waypoint.
The posture is changed by, for example, dragging and rotating the mouse on the screen using a three-dimensional shape model. Such component movement is performed for each component in order. The assembly / disassembly information input unit 22 stores the reverse order of the component movement in the memory as the component assembly order. Also, the position of the destination component and the posture at that position are stored as the component insertion position during assembly and the posture at that time. The approximate position of the via point when moving from the assembly position and the posture at that position are stored in the memory as input information on the position and posture of the via point during assembly. When the mouse is moved to the destination with the mouse, if the mouse is temporarily stopped for a predetermined time or more, the stop point is set as a via point. The waypoint is mainly specified when it is moved in a straight line so that it hits another part. However, the waypoint may be detoured by specifying the waypoint in consideration of the durability and reliability of the robot.

FIG. 3A shows a shape model (assembly drawing) before starting the movement as described above, FIG. 3B shows a shape model in the middle of movement, and FIG. 3 shows a shape model (balancing diagram) of a state. Next, an animation is displayed for continuously moving each component at the moved position (this is a component insertion position) from that position to the assembling position in the reverse order (that is, assembling order) in the reverse order of the movement (that is, in the assembling order) ( S2). This animation display is performed to assist the process designer in evaluating the assemblability. If a defect is found in the confirmation by the animation display, the assembling / disassembling information input unit 22 causes the part to be moved again from the assembling position and updates the stored position information and assembling order information. I do. Subsequently, the assembling / disassembling data generating unit 23 is inputted by the assembling / disassembling information input unit 22 and stored therein the insertion position information (information indicating the moved position) and the posture information of the component, and the approximate via point position.・
The assembly data such as the assembly direction of the components, the waypoints, and the contact information between the components is generated from the posture information (S3). As for the assembling direction, the result is approximated by solving a triangular function of three axial components from the relative positional relationship between the position and orientation of the arbitrarily moved part and the assembling position given from the assembling drawing. For example, 0 °, 180 ° for single axis, ± 30 °, ± 4 for composite of two axes
5 °, ± 60 °, ± 120 °, ± 135 °, ± 150
The assembly direction is approximated to either of the degrees. As the via point, a closest via point to the roughly specified via point position among the three-dimensional coordinate grid points set in the product model display unit 21 is determined as a via point. As for the contact information between the components (contact information in the assembled state), the distance between the components is checked in the assembly drawing for each assembling direction, and if it is equal to or less than a preset value, it is determined that there is contact. This contact information is used when determining the assembly order.

Next, the assembling / disassembling information input section 22 is provided with assembling text information (information on assembling methods such as screw fastening and insertion methods, information on robot hands used for automatic assembling, etc.) considered by the product designer at the design stage. , And information on tools used for human assembly) are input and edited, and stored in a memory in association with each part (S4). The assembled text information stored in association with the component can be easily displayed by specifying the component later. When the assembly data has been generated for all the components, the process design information input support computer 2 passes the assembly sequence, the generated assembly data, and the like to the process design support computer 3 (S5), and receives the process design information. Then, the robot simulator 32 retrieves the moving element program modules corresponding to the respective assembly components indicated in the received assembly data from the component movement model storage unit 31 and receives the insertion position, the via point position, and the like in the designated assembly order. The assembled data is input to the program (S6), and an assembly simulation is executed (S7). Further, an assembly work cost calculation such as an interference check and an assembly work time is performed, and these are displayed on the display device 33 as indices for evaluating the assembly work. In addition, moving element program module (part moving model)
For example, there are ones corresponding to upper placement, horizontal insertion, screw tightening, E-ring insertion, C-ring insertion, gear assembly, and the like. In this way, according to this embodiment, the information necessary for the assembly process, which is considered by the product designer, can be easily indicated using the easy-to-understand human interface composed of a screen and a mouse, or the design can be easily performed. Since the information can be input to the drawing, the evaluation of the assemblability of the product and the design of the assembling process can be easily performed based on the information instructed or input, and the apparatus does not need to be large-scale.

Next, the operation of this embodiment at the time of designing the disassembly process will be described first with reference to FIGS. First, a three-dimensional model (assembly drawing) of the designed product is displayed on the display device 33 by the product model display unit 21.
Are displayed on the screen of the display device 33, and each component in the displayed three-dimensional shape model (assembly drawing) is dragged with a mouse in the manual operation input unit 25 using a GUI (graphic user interface). To move to a desired position in a desired posture (S11). The reason why the desired posture can be specified is that the posture for taking out the component is arbitrary and that there is a case where the posture is desired to be specified at the waypoint. The posture is changed by, for example, dragging and rotating the mouse on the screen using a three-dimensional shape model. Such component movement is performed for each component in order. The assembling / disassembling information input unit 22 stores the order of the component movement in the memory as the component disassembling order. Also, the position of the destination component and the posture at that position are the component removal position at the time of disassembly and the posture at that time. In addition, the approximate position of the via point at the time of moving to the moving position and the posture at that position are stored in the memory as input information of the position and the posture of the via point at the time of disassembly. When the mouse is moved to the destination by a mouse, when the mouse is temporarily stopped halfway, the stop point is defined as a via point. The waypoint is mainly specified when moving in a straight line and hitting another part. However, the detour may be performed in consideration of the durability and reliability of the robot.
Next, an animation for continuously moving the moved parts from the original assembly position to the disassembly position in the order of the movement (that is, the disassembly order) is displayed (S12). This animation display is performed to assist the process designer in evaluating the disassembly. If a defect is found in the confirmation by the animation display, the assembling / disassembling information input unit 22 causes the part to be moved again from the assembling position,
The stored position information and disassembly order information are updated. Subsequently, the assembling / disassembling data generating unit 23 outputs the part take-out position (moved position) / posture and the approximate via point position / input, which are input by the assembling / disassembling information input unit 22.
The disassembly data such as the disassembly direction, the waypoint, and the contact information between the components is generated from the posture (S13). With respect to the disassembly direction, the result is approximated by solving a trigonometric function of the three-axis components from the relative positional relationship between the position of the movement destination and the assembly position given from the assembly drawing. ± 30 °, ± 45 °, ± 60 °, ± 120 for two-axis synthesis
°, ± 135 °, or ± 150 ° to be the decomposition direction. As the via point, the closest via point to the roughly specified via point position among the three-dimensional coordinate grid points set in the product model display unit 21 is set as the required via point. For contact information between parts, check the distance between parts in the assembly drawing for each disassembly direction,
If the value is equal to or less than a preset value, it is determined that the user is touching.

Next, the assembling / disassembling information input unit 22 outputs disassembled text information (information on disassembly methods such as a screw loosening and removal method and information on a robot hand used for automatic disassembly) considered by the product designer at the design stage. , Information on tools used for human disassembly, etc.) are input and edited, and stored in a memory in association with each component (S14). The disassembled text information stored in association with the component can be easily displayed by specifying the component later. When the disassembly data is generated for all the components, the process design information input support computer 2 passes the disassembly order, the generated disassembly data, and the like to the process design support computer 3 (S15), and receives the process design support computer 3 Then, the robot simulator 32 retrieves the moving element program module corresponding to each disassembled part indicated in the received disassembly data from the part movement model storage unit 31 and receives the extracted position, the waypoint, and the like in the designated disassembly order. The disassembly data is input to the program (S16), and the disassembly simulation is executed (S17). Further, a disassembly cost such as an interference check and a disassembly operation time is calculated, and displayed on the display device 33 as an index for evaluating the disassembly operation. Thus, according to this embodiment, the information necessary for the disassembly process, which is considered by the product designer, can be easily instructed or input to the design drawing using an easy-to-understand human interface composed of a screen and a mouse. Therefore, the evaluation of the degradability of the product and the design of the disassembling process can be easily performed based on the information instructed or inputted, and the apparatus for that purpose does not need to be large-scale.

FIG. 5 is a system configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the process design support apparatus of this embodiment has the configuration of the first embodiment (FIG. 1).
In addition to the above, a robot mechanism model storage unit 35 which is a robot mechanism model storage unit for storing a mechanism conversion model of the robot is provided in the process design support computer 3a.
Further, a robot for automatically generating a robot assembling / disassembling operation program from an assembly part / disassembly part movement program executed using the assembly data or disassembly data generated by the assembling / disassembly data generating unit 23 and the mechanism conversion model. A robot assembling / disassembling program generating unit 36 as an assembling / disassembling program generating unit and a robot assembling / disassembling program editing unit 37 as an assembling / disassembling program editing unit for editing an automatically generated robot assembling / disassembling operation program are provided. The robot assembling / disassembling operation program is such that a variable for each assembly component or disassembled component is input to the moving element program module as described above, and the robot is assembled in a designated assembly order or disassembled in a designated disassembly order. This is a series of programs for performing assembly / disassembly work simulation. Further, the mechanism conversion model of the robot is information relating to a coordinate conversion matrix for knowing the position and orientation of the hand from the movement amount of each joint of the robot when performing assembly or disassembly by the robot. This coordinate transformation matrix differs depending on the robot mechanism (the combination of the link length, the rotation axis and the orthogonal axis), and the mechanism type includes a horizontal articulated type, a vertical articulated type, a cylindrical coordinate system type, and a rectangular coordinate system type. and so on.

With such a configuration, in the process design support apparatus of this embodiment, the robot assembling / disassembling program generating unit 36 corresponds to a corresponding one of the plurality of mechanism conversion models stored in the robot mechanism model storage unit 35. Using a model, a series of robot assembling / disassembling operation programs are automatically generated from a moving program of the assembly parts and disassembled parts. At the time of the assembling operation simulation, the robot simulator 32 simulates the assembling operation using this program, At the time of the disassembly operation simulation, the robot simulator 32 simulates the disassembly operation using this program. At this time, an interference check at the robot operation level is performed using the information obtained from the corresponding model and the assembly data of the assembled parts or the disassembled data of the disassembled parts. Further, the robot assembly / disassembly program editing unit 37 causes the automatically generated robot assembly / disassembly operation program to be displayed on the display device 33, and the operator edits the displayed program using the manual operation input unit 34 to optimize the program. A simple assembly / disassembly program can be generated. Thus, according to this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, interference check at the robot operation level can be performed, and therefore, evaluation of automatic assemblability and automatic disassembly can be performed with high accuracy. It can be done easily.
Further, since the program can be automatically generated, complicated programming work can be omitted, and work efficiency is improved. Further, since the operator can edit the automatically generated and displayed robot assembling / disassembling operation program, an optimum assembling / disassembling program can be generated.

FIG. 6 is a system configuration diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the process design support apparatus of this embodiment has the configuration of the first embodiment (FIG. 1).
In addition to the above, the process design support computer 3b includes a human model storage unit 38, which is a human model storage unit for storing a human model relating to a person, and is further generated by the assembly / disassembly data generation unit 23. Generation of a human assembly / disassembly program which is a human assembly / disassembly program generation means for automatically generating a human assembly / disassembly operation program from the assembly program or disassembled part movement program executed using the assembly data or the disassembly data and the human model Section 39, assembling / editing the automatically generated human assembling / disassembling operation program
A human assembling / disassembling program editing unit 40 as a disassembling program editing means is provided. The human model corresponds to a mechanism conversion model in the case of a robot, and is information obtained by combining a human three-dimensional shape (height, limb length, etc.) with each joint information (that is, an operation range, etc.). is there. Also,
The human assembling / disassembling operation program corresponds to the robot assembling / disassembling operation program, and simulates a human assembling / disassembling operation. The generation method is the same as that of the robot assembly / disassembly operation program. With such a configuration, the process design support apparatus according to the present embodiment has
The disassembly program generation unit 39 uses a corresponding human model among the plurality of human models stored in the human model storage unit 38 to automatically generate a series of human assembly and disassembly operation programs from the assembly part and disassembly part movement programs. Generate
The assembly operation and the disassembly operation are simulated by the robot simulator 32 using this program. At this time, an interference check at a human operation level is performed using the information obtained from the corresponding model and the assembly data of the assembled part or the disassembled data of the disassembled part. The human assembly / disassembly program editing unit 40 causes the automatically generated human assembly / disassembly operation program to be displayed on the display device 33, and the operator edits the displayed program using the manual operation input unit 34 to optimize the program. A simple assembly program can be generated. Thus, according to this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, it is possible to perform an interference check at a human operation level. It can be easily performed with high accuracy. Further, since the program can be automatically generated, complicated programming work can be omitted, and work efficiency is improved.

FIG. 7 is a system configuration diagram showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the process design support apparatus of this embodiment has the configuration of the second embodiment (FIG. 5).
In addition, in the process design support computer 3c, a human model storage unit 38, a human assembly / disassembly program generation unit 39,
A human-assembly / disassembly program editing unit 40 is provided, and the design support computer 1 is further provided in the process design information input support computer 2c.
Input unit 2 for product design information and assembly / disassembly information obtained by
2. An assembly / disassembly process plan that automatically generates, based on the assembly order or the disassembly order input by step 2, an assembly order with the smallest assembly work cost and a disassembly order with the smallest disassembly work cost calculated by the robot simulator 32. An assembly / disassembly process planning unit 26 as a means is provided. As described above, the assembling order and the disassembling order are input by the assembling / disassembling information input unit 22. The assembling order and the disassembling order are divided into a definite one and an indefinite one. This classification information is added as an attribute. In addition, what is determined is what the designer has determined in consideration of interference during assembly or disassembly, ease of assembling or disassembly, functions, etc.
The designer does not consider the assembling order and disassembly order at the time of designing, that is, does not have the requirements necessary to determine the assembling order and disassembly order. In the process design information input support computer 2c, in the assembly / disassembly process planning unit 26, in order to determine the assembly order and disassembly order of the parts having an uncertain assembly order or disassembly order, all the parts are determined from the contact information between the parts. The assembling order that can be assembled and the disassembling order that can be disassembled are obtained and modeled using Petri nets. At this time, components having a definite assembly order are treated as a series of assembly sequences, and components having a definite disassembly sequence are treated as a series of disassembly sequences and incorporated into the model. In the process design support computer 3c, the robot simulator 32 calculates the assembly work cost and the disassembly work cost for all the assembly orders and the disassembly orders, and the cost is sent to the assembly / disassembly process planning unit 26 in the process design information input support computer 2c. Returns information. Then, the assembling / disassembling process planning unit 26 searches for the path of the minimum assembling work cost or the minimum assembling work cost, and displays it as the optimal assembling order and the optimal disassembling order. In this embodiment, a robot mechanism model storage unit 35, a robot assembly / disassembly program generation unit 36, a robot assembly / disassembly program editing unit 37, and a human model storage unit 38 are provided in the process design support computer 3c shown in FIG. , Human assembly / disassembly program generator 3
9. A configuration without all or a part of the human assembling / disassembling program editing unit 40 is also possible.

Thus, according to this embodiment, the attribute of the assembling order and the disassembly order is provided with information of fixed or uncertain, so that for a fixed item, the intention of the designer can be effectively used, and Process design work and disassembly process design work can be reduced. In addition, for uncertain things, without adding extra design work to the designer,
Since the assembling / disassembling process planning unit automatically calculates and presents the assembling order and the disassembling order, the efficiency of the designing work, the assembling process designing work, and the disassembling process designing work can be improved.

FIG. 8 is a system configuration diagram showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the process design support apparatus of this embodiment has the configuration of the fourth embodiment (FIG. 7).
In addition to the above, an evaluation function which is an evaluation function editing means for defining and editing an evaluation function relating to an assembly work cost and a disassembly work cost for automatically generating an assembly order and a disassembly order in the process design information input support computer 2d. Editing Department 2
7 is provided. With such a configuration, in the process design information input support computer 2d, the evaluation function editing unit 27 sets the evaluation function related to the assembly work cost for automatically generating the assembly order and the disassembly work cost for automatically generating the disassembly order. It has a human interface to define and edit, and workers enter this information. The evaluation function includes assembling work time, disassembly work time, fatigue degree, durability, reliability,
There are safety and quality. The evaluation function is configured as a combination of those weighted. As a result, in the process design support computer 3c, the robot simulator 32 calculates the assembly work cost using the newly defined evaluation functions for all the assembly orders, and uses the newly defined evaluation functions for all the disassembly orders. The disassembly work cost is calculated, and the assembly / disassembly process planning section 26
To return the cost information. Further, the assembling / disassembling process planning section 26 searches for the path of the minimum assembling work cost based on the returned cost information and displays it as the optimal assembling order,
The route of the minimum disassembly work cost is searched and displayed as the optimal disassembly order. Thus, according to this embodiment, a more reliable assembly process plan and disassembly work plan can be created by defining and editing an evaluation function relating to the assembly work cost and disassembly work cost for automatically generating the assembly order and disassembly order. It can be automatically set, and subsequent assembly process design work and disassembly process design work are reduced.

FIG. 9 is a system configuration diagram showing a sixth embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the process design support apparatus of this embodiment has the configuration of the fourth embodiment (FIG. 7).
In addition, the assembly order and disassembly order input by the assembly / disassembly information input unit 22 or partially automatically generated by the assembly / disassembly process planning unit 26 in the process design information input support computer 2e. An assembling / disassembling process editing unit 28 as an assembling / disassembling process editing means for editing the assembled assembling order and disassembling order is provided. With such a configuration, in the process design information input support computer 2e of the present embodiment, the assembly order and disassembly order input by the assembly / disassembly information input unit 22 or the assembly / disassembly process planning unit 26 partially automatically. The assembly order and disassembly order obtained and generated
It has a human interface for further editing, and the operator edits and inputs this information. Thereby, in the process design support computer 3c, the robot simulator 32 calculates the assembly work cost and the disassembly work cost for the newly edited assembly order and disassembly order, and returns the cost information to the process design information input support computer 2e. The assembly / disassembly process planning section 26 in the process design information input support computer 2e displays the acquired cost information. Thus, according to this embodiment, regarding the assembly order and disassembly order considered by the product designer, or the assembly order and disassembly order obtained by partially automatically generating, considering all production requirements, Since a human interface for improvement and editing can be provided, a more appropriate assembly process and disassembly process can be easily designed. Further, since the assembly work cost and the disassembly work cost are calculated and displayed for the edited assembly order and disassembly order, the designed assembly process and disassembly process can be quantitatively evaluated.

FIG. 10 is a system configuration diagram showing a seventh embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the process design support device of this embodiment is defined by the evaluation function editing unit 27 in the process design information input support computer 2f in addition to the configuration of the sixth embodiment (see FIG. 9). An evaluation item weight learning unit 29, which is an evaluation item weight learning means for learning the weight of the evaluated evaluation items using a neural network, and using the learned weights, a work cost to be used for the subsequent assembly order planning and disassembly order planning Was calculated. With such a configuration, in the process design information input support computer 2f of this embodiment, the evaluation item weight learning unit 29 outputs an assembly sequence with an assembly component as an input, or outputs a decomposition sequence with a disassembly component as an input. The weight of the evaluation item defined in the evaluation function editing unit 27 is learned by using a neural network as an output, using the assembly order and the decomposition order finally determined in the assembly / disassembly process editing unit 28 as teacher signals. Thereby, in the process design support computer 3c, the robot simulator 32 calculates the assembly work cost and the disassembly work cost in the case of the assembly order and the disassembly order using the weight, and sends the cost information to the process design information input support computer 2f. In return, the assembly / disassembly process planning section 26 in the process design information input support computer 2f displays the acquired cost information. A configuration without the assembling / disassembling process editing unit 28 or the like is also possible. Thus, according to this embodiment,
The weight of the evaluation item is learned using a neural network, and the work cost used for the subsequent assembly sequence planning and disassembly sequence planning can be calculated using the weight. As the process progresses, the ideal assembly process design and disassembly process design can be automatically performed gradually.

FIG. 11 is a system configuration diagram showing an eighth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the process design support apparatus of this embodiment has a process design information input support computer 2g in addition to the configuration of the seventh embodiment (see FIG. 10).
The assembly / disassembly process design rule editing unit 41, which is an assembly / disassembly process design rule editing unit for converting input information into rules, defines the defined rules.
An assembly / disassembly process design rule storage unit 42, which is a disassembly process design rule storage unit, is provided.
Is designed to perform the subsequent assembly process planning and disassembly process design using the rules. With such a configuration, in the process design information input support computer 2g, the assembly / disassembly process design rule editing unit 41 has a human interface for defining the information input / edited by the assembly / disassembly process editing unit 28 into a rule, The operator defines this as a rule. For example, "concentrate the assembly order of the same parts (to reduce assembly work time)", "concentrate the assembly order of similar work (to reduce assembly work time)",
"Limit the number of screws (for safety and health reasons)",
The rule is set as "dispersing the assembly order of similar parts (for quality assurance)". The defined assembly process design rules and disassembly process design rules are
It is stored in the decomposition process design rule storage unit 31. further,
The assembly / disassembly process planning unit 26g executes the subsequent assembly process plan and disassembly process plan using the rules. Thus, according to this embodiment, the assembling / disassembling process editing unit 2
Since the information input / edited by 8 is made into a rule,
The know-how of the assembly / disassembly process designer can be expressed quantitatively. Further, by registering (storing) this, the know-how of the designer of the assembly / disassembly process can be accumulated. Furthermore, since the subsequent assembly process plan and disassembly process plan can be executed using the rules, more ideal assembly process design and disassembly process design can be automatically performed.

FIG. 12 is a system configuration diagram showing a ninth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the process design support device of this embodiment has a process design information input support computer 2h in addition to the configuration of the eighth embodiment (see FIG. 11).
A design rule priority learning unit 43, which is a design rule priority learning unit for learning the priority of the assembly process design rule and the disassembly process design rule defined by the assembly / disassembly process design rule editing unit 41 using a neural network.
And an assembling / disassembling process planning unit 26 so that the subsequent assembling process design and disassembly process design are performed in accordance with the priorities.
h. With such a configuration, in the process design information input support computer 2h of this embodiment, the design rule priority learning unit 43 outputs an assembly sequence with an assembly component as an input and outputs a decomposition sequence with a disassembled component as an input. The assembly / disassembly process editing unit 2 is output using a neural network.
The assembly / disassembly process design rule editing unit 41 uses the assembly order and disassembly order finally determined by step 8 as a teacher signal.
Learn the priority of the assembly process design rule and the disassembly process design rule defined by. Further, the assembling / disassembling process planning unit 26g performs the subsequent assembling process planning and disassembling process planning using the priority. Thus, according to this embodiment, the priorities of the assembly process design rule and the disassembly process design rule are learned using the neural network,
Since the subsequent assembly process planning and disassembly process planning can be performed using the priorities, as the number of times of planning increases, the learning progresses, and gradually the ideal assembly process design and disassembly process design are automatically performed. Will be able to do it.

FIG. 13 is a system configuration diagram showing a tenth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the process design support apparatus of this embodiment is configured by the assembly / disassembly process planning unit 26j in the process design information input support computer 2j in addition to the configuration of the eighth embodiment (see FIG. 11). An assembly / disassembly work instructing unit 44 is provided, which is an assembly / disassembly work instructing unit that instructs an assembling operation using the obtained assembling process design result or instructs an assembling operation using the assembling process design result. With such a configuration, in the process design information input support computer 2j of this embodiment, the assembly / disassembly work instruction unit 44
The assembling / disassembling process planning unit 26j outputs the assembly process design result and the disassembly process design result to the display device 24 as a visual output device, a speaker (not shown) as an auditory output device, and a tactile output device. To the sensor glove (not shown) as the sensor or the odor generating means as the output means for the sense of smell or a combination thereof, thereby impressively indicating the output result of the assembly work and the output result of the disassembly work. The sensor glove is an input / output device known to those skilled in the art, and can be used as a pointing device like a mouse. Further, the odor generating means simulates generation of odor such as grease odor or abnormal odor generated at the time of assembly. Thus, according to this embodiment, the assembly process design result and the disassembly process design result obtained by the assembly / disassembly process planning unit 26j are combined with the product designer,
It is possible to give impressive instructions to an assembly / disassembly process designer, an assembly worker, a disassembly worker, and the like. It should be noted that these output means can also be used for a warning at the time of component movement (step S1 in FIG. 2 and step S11 in FIG. 4) described in the first embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a system configuration diagram showing an eleventh embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the process design support apparatus of this embodiment has the process design information input support computer 2k in addition to the configuration of the tenth embodiment (see FIG. 13), An assembly / disassembly work instruction editing unit 45, which is an assembly / disassembly work instruction edit unit for editing contents, is provided. With such a configuration, in the process design information input support computer 2k of this embodiment, the assembling / disassembling work instruction editing unit 45 has a human interface for editing the assembling work instruction and the disassembly work instruction. Edit instructions and disassembly work instructions. Further, the assembling / disassembling work instruction section 44 displays the edited assembling work instruction and disassembly work instruction on the display device 33. Thus, according to this embodiment, since the worker has the human interface for editing the assembly work instruction and the disassembly work instruction, the assembly work instruction which is easy for the assembly worker and the like to understand, the disassembly easy for the disassembly worker and the like to understand Work instructions can be given.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention,
According to the first aspect of the invention, a shape model of the designed product is displayed, assembly information and disassembly information are input based on the displayed shape model, and quantitative assembly data is generated based on the assembly information. In addition, since quantitative decomposition data is generated based on decomposition information, information required in the assembly process and disassembly process can be easily specified using an easy-to-understand human interface composed of screens and mice, etc. The data can be input to a diagram, and the assemblability evaluation and the assembling process design of the product, and the disassembly evaluation and the disassembly process design can be easily performed, and the apparatus for this need not be large-scale. In addition, the same process design support apparatus can perform both the evaluation of the assemblability and the design of the assembling process and the evaluation of the decomposability and the design of the assembling process.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the assembling work is verified using the assembly data,
Since the decomposition work is verified using the decomposition data,
The verification of the assembling work and the disassembling work can be efficiently performed by the same process design support device. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, a robot assembly / disassembly program is executed by using a movement program of assembly parts and disassembled parts, which is executed using assembly data or disassembly data, and a mechanism conversion model. Since the disassembly operation program is automatically generated, evaluation of automatic assemblability of robot assembly,
In addition, the automatic disassembly of the robot disassembly can be easily evaluated with high accuracy, complicated programming can be omitted, and work efficiency is improved. Further, in the invention described in claim 4, in the invention described in claim 1 or claim 2,
A human assembly / disassembly operation program is automatically generated from the assembly program or disassembled part movement program executed using the assembly data or disassembly data and the human model. Evaluation of the automatic decomposability of decomposition can be easily performed with high accuracy, and complicated programming work can be omitted.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the third aspect is provided.
Alternatively, in the invention according to claim 4, since the automatically generated robot assembling / disassembling operation program or human assembling / disassembling operation program can be edited, a more appropriate robot assembling / disassembling operation program or human assembling / disassembling operation program can be performed. Can be created. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the assembling work cost is calculated from the product design information obtained by the CAD system and the input assembling order and disassembly order. Since the assembly order that minimizes the disassembly and the disassembly order that minimizes the disassembly work cost are automatically generated in part, the intention of the designer can be effectively used in part, and the assembly process design work and the disassembly process design work can be performed The design work, the assembly work design work, and the disassembly work design work can be made more efficient without partially increasing unnecessary design work for the designer. In the invention according to claim 7, in the invention according to claim 6, an evaluation function relating to an assembly work cost for automatically generating an assembly order and a disassembly work cost for automatically generating a disassembly order are defined and edited. Therefore, a more reliable assembly process plan and disassembly process plan can be set, and subsequent assembly process design work and disassembly process design work are reduced. Further, in the invention according to claim 8, in the invention according to claim 7,
The work cost used for the subsequent assembly order planning and disassembly order planning is calculated using the learned weights, so that the learning progresses as the number of plans increases, and gradually the ideal assembly process design and disassembly process design Can be performed automatically. According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the sixth, seventh, or eighth aspect of the present invention, the input assembling order and disassembly order, or the assembling order and the partially obtained automatically generated assembling order. Since the disassembly order is edited, the assembly order and disassembly order considered by the product designer, or the assembly order and disassembly order obtained by partially automatic generation, can be improved, considering all production requirements. It can be edited and more appropriate assembly and disassembly processes can be easily designed.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the ninth aspect of the invention, the input information is defined as a rule, the defined rule is stored, and a subsequent assembly process is performed using the rule. Since the planning and disassembly process plan are performed, it is possible to execute the subsequent assembly process plan and disassembly process plan using the know-how of the assembly / disassembly process designer, etc. Can be done automatically. According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the tenth aspect, the priorities of the defined assembly process design rule and the disassembly process design rule are learned using a neural network, and the subsequent assembly process design rules are determined according to the priorities. Since the design and disassembly process design are performed, learning progresses as the number of plans increases,
Gradually, the ideal assembly process design and disassembly process design can be automatically performed. According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to eleventh aspects, any one of a visual output unit, an auditory output unit, a tactile output unit, and an odor output unit is provided. Using one or more, instructions for assembly work using the results of the assembly process design,
In addition, since the instruction of the disassembly work using the result of the disassembly process design is performed, the instruction using the result of the design of the assembly process and the instruction using the result of the disassembly process design can be impressively given to an operator or the like. According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the twelfth aspect, the contents of the assembling work instructions and the contents of the disassembly work instructions are edited and output, so that the assembly work instructions and the disassembly instructions that are easy for an assembler or the like to understand. An easy-to-understand disassembly work instruction can be given to an operator or the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram of a process design support apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an operation flowchart of the process design support apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A to 3C are explanatory diagrams of a process design support apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is another operation flowchart of the process design support apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a configuration block diagram of a process design support apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a process design support apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a configuration block diagram of a process design support apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a process design support apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a process design support apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a configuration block diagram of a process design support apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a configuration block diagram of a process design support device showing an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a configuration block diagram of a process design support device showing a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a configuration block diagram of a process design support apparatus according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a configuration block diagram of a process design support device showing an eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Design support computer 2: Process design information input support computer 3: Process design support computer 11: Three-dimensional CAD system 21: Product model display unit 22: Assembly / disassembly information input unit 23: Assembly / disassembly data generation unit 26: Assembly Decomposition process planning unit 27: Evaluation function editing unit 28: Assembly / disassembly process editing unit 29: Evaluation item weight learning unit 31: Part movement model storage unit 32: Robot simulator 35: Robot mechanism model storage unit 36: Robot assembly / disassembly Program generation unit 37: Robot assembly / disassembly program editing unit 38: Human model storage unit 39: Human assembly / disassembly program generation unit 40: Human assembly / disassembly program editing unit 41: Assembly / disassembly process design rule editing unit 42: Assembly / disassembly process Disassembly process design rule storage unit 43: Design rule priority order learning unit 44: Assembly / disassembly work instruction Part 45: Assembly / disassembly work instruction editing part

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A process design support apparatus for receiving a shape model of a product designed using a CAD system and designing an assembling / disassembling process, wherein a shape model display means for displaying a shape model of the designed product; Assembly / disassembly information input means for inputting assembly information and disassembly information based on the shape model displayed by the shape model display means; and generating quantitative assembly data based on the assembly information, or An assembly and disassembly data generating means for generating quantitative disassembly data by means of a process design support apparatus. 2. The process design support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a robot simulator for verifying an assembling operation using the assembling data or verifying an assembling operation using the disassembly data. Process design support device. 3. The process design support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a robot mechanism model storage unit for storing a mechanism conversion model of the robot, wherein the apparatus is executed using the assembly data or the disassembly data. A process design support apparatus comprising: a robot assembly / disassembly program generating means for automatically generating a robot assembling / disassembling operation program from a movement program of assembly parts and disassembled parts and the mechanism conversion model. 4. The process design support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a human model storage unit configured to store a human model including a variable relating to a human, wherein the human model storage unit is executed using the assembly data or the disassembly data. And a human assembly / disassembly program generating means for automatically generating a human assembling / disassembling operation program from the assembly program and disassembled part moving program and the human model. 5. The process design support apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an assembly / disassembly program editing means for editing an automatically generated robot assembly / disassembly operation program or a human assembly / disassembly operation program. A process design support device characterized by the following. 6. A robot simulator according to claim 2, wherein the robot design is performed based on the product design information obtained by the CAD system and the assembly order and disassembly order inputted by the assembly / disassembly information input means. And a disassembly process planning means for partially automatically generating an assembling sequence having a minimum assembling operation cost and an assembling order having a minimum disassembling operation cost. 7. An evaluation function for defining and editing an evaluation function relating to an assembling work cost for automatically generating an assembling sequence and an assembling work cost for automatically generating an assembling sequence in the process design support apparatus according to claim 6. A process design support device comprising editing means. 8. The process design support apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an evaluation item weight learning unit for learning the weight of the evaluation item defined by the evaluation function editing unit using a neural network, wherein the evaluation item weight learning unit is provided. A process design support device characterized in that a work cost used for subsequent assembly sequence planning and disassembly sequence planning is calculated using the weights learned by (1). 9. The process design support apparatus according to claim 6, 7 or 8, wherein the assembly order and disassembly order input by the assembly / disassembly information input means or the assembly / disassembly step planning means are used. A process design support device comprising an assembly / disassembly process editing means for editing an assembly order and a disassembly order obtained by automatic generation. 10. A process design support apparatus according to claim 9, wherein an assembly / disassembly process design rule editing means for converting input information into rules and defining the rules, and assembling / disassembly process design for storing the defined rules. Rule storage means,
A process design support apparatus, wherein assembly / disassembly process planning means is configured to perform subsequent assembly process planning and disassembly process planning using the rules. 11. The process design support apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the priority of the assembly process design rule and the disassembly process design rule defined by the assembly / disassembly process design rule editing means is learned using a neural network. It has priority learning means, and assembles / disassembles so that subsequent assembly process design and disassembly process design are performed in accordance with the priority order.
A process design support device comprising disassembly process planning means. 12. The process design support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the assembly work and the disassembly process are performed by using the assembly process design result or the disassembly process design result obtained by the assembly / disassembly process planning means. Process design characterized by including one or more of visual output means, auditory output means, tactile output means, and odor output means as assembly / disassembly work instruction means for instructing a process. Support equipment. 13. The process design support apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising an assembly / disassembly work instruction editing means for editing the contents of the assembly work instructions and the contents of the disassembly work instructions, and at least a visual output means. Process design support equipment.