JP2006127309A - Production instruction system for production line - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a production instruction system suitable for mixed-flow production line. <P>SOLUTION: When a workpiece X is supplied into a conveying passage, a supply control means 104 writes production instruction data, in which work stations and work contents are set in a work process sequence in association with the type of the workpiece X in a first recording area of a recording medium T, and writes a work station and a work content of the first work process among the production instruction data in a second recording area. A conveyance control means conveys the workpiece X to the work station written in the second recording area of the storage medium T. A work management means 106 carries out operation on the workpiece X according to the work content written in the second recording area of the recording medium T. When the work is finished, the production instruction data written in the first recording area of the recording medium T are read, and the work station and the work content written in the second recording area of the recording medium T are updated by the work station and the work content of the next work process sequence among the production instruction data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a production line production instruction system, and more particularly to a production line production instruction system using a recording medium such as an ID tag capable of writing and reading various data.

  In general, in a low-mix / mass production type assembly factory or the like, serial production lines are widely adopted in order to improve production efficiency and reduce production costs. In this type of production line, a plurality of workers each performing a predetermined work on a workpiece are arranged in a line along the workpiece conveyance path, and each worker is placed on a workpiece conveyed from upstream. On the other hand, a predetermined work is executed according to the work content instructed to the user. The workers are arranged in advance in the order of the work process, and the conveyance of the workpiece is simple as it is successively transferred to the work station one downstream along the linear conveyance path.

  On the other hand, in order to respond to the maturity of the market and diversification of tastes, production lines with a configuration in which workpiece transport paths intersect vertically and horizontally are adopted in high-mix, low-volume production factories, such as automobile factories. The In this type of production line, on the left and right sides of the linear main transport path, there are provided a plurality of sub-transport paths that branch from the main transport path and join again to the main transport path, and on these sub-transport paths, A manual work station with workers and an automatic machine station equipped with automatic machines are installed, and each work station performs a predetermined work according to the work contents instructed to the transferred work. Is done.

  In that case, the main transport path is provided with a shuttle conveyor that can reciprocate between the upstream side where the work is first carried into the production line and the downstream side where the work is carried out from the production line. The work that has been completed at one work station and has joined the sub-transport path to the main transport path is transported to the branch point to the work station where the next work is performed on the shuttle conveyor. . At this time, the workpiece is not only transported to the branch point to one downstream work station, but is also transported further downstream or over the work station not included in the work process, or is transported upstream. Or

  As a result, in the former case, the work does not wait for the work of the preceding work to finish (in the serial production line described at the beginning, the work finishes the work of the preceding work. Is one of the drawbacks. Thereby, for example, mixed flow production in which a plurality of types of products having different production tacts are simultaneously produced on one production line can be efficiently and easily performed.

  In the latter case, the workpiece can pass through the same work station a plurality of times during the period from the upstream side of the main transport path to the downstream side of the workpiece (the series shape described at the beginning). In one production line, one drawback is that the workpiece can only pass through one work station once). As a result, it is not necessary to arrange a number of automatic machine stations that perform general-purpose work such as bolt tightening according to the work process, and it is only necessary to add an automatic machine station when the capacity of the automatic machine reaches its limit.

  In this regard, Patent Document 1 discloses that an automatic machine station is disposed on one side of the shuttle conveyor with a work conveyance path interposed therebetween, a manual work station is disposed on the other side, and the work is moved by the shuttle conveyor. A technology for reciprocating transfer between an automatic machine station and a manual work station is disclosed. It is described that this makes it easy to increase or decrease the number of work stations and change the order of work processes due to changes in the vehicle type and the number of production, and to make the equipment costs and personnel costs proportional.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-18869

  By the way, in recent years, production lines using recording media such as ID (Identification) tags capable of writing and reading various data are being introduced in automobile manufacturing factories and the like in order to further increase the efficiency of the production line. . In this case, the recording medium is mounted on a work or a pallet that supports the work, and when the work is carried into the production line, a production instruction in which work stations and work contents are set in the order of work processes according to the type of work. Data is read from a database or the like and written to the recording medium.

  On the other hand, each work station is provided with a work management sequencer for managing work operations on the work, and the work management sequencer accesses the work recording medium transported to its work station to Read production instruction data directed to the work station. In order to ensure that the work according to the instruction is performed on the work, if it is a manual work station, the contents of the production instruction data are displayed on the navigation display so that the worker performs the work according to the work contents. If it is an automatic machine station, the automatic machine is driven and controlled so that the automatic machine performs work according to the work content.

  In that case, in general, a recording area for writing production instruction data is assigned to the recording medium in advance for each work station. Then, the work management sequencer recognizes the information written in the recording area allocated for the work station managed by the work management sequencer as the production instruction data addressed to itself. If there is no production instruction data addressed to itself, it is determined that the work station managed by itself is not included in the work process of the work, and the work is directly sent to the next work station without doing anything.

  However, such a conventional production instruction system is relatively easy to apply to serial production lines, but is not applicable to production lines of high-mix / low-volume production types or mixed-flow production types. There are still issues to be solved. That is, in the serial production line, as described above, a plurality of workers and work stations are arranged in the order of the work processes in advance (however, this is why the serial production line is not suitable for high-mix / low-volume production). It was only necessary to transfer the workpieces one by one to the downstream work station.

  However, in a high-mix, low-volume production type production line, workpiece transfer paths intersect vertically and horizontally, and there are many branch points and junctions. As described above, workpieces can be returned to the upstream side or unnecessary work can be done. Since it jumps over the station and transports it to a distant work station (this is one of the reasons why cross-shaped production lines are suitable for high-mix / low-volume production), the workpiece transport becomes complicated and becomes a confluence. It is not clear immediately after accessing the recording medium of the workpiece, which branch point the next workpiece should be delivered to. That is, in the example of the shuttle conveyor, information on where to move the shuttle conveyor next is not written in a clear form on the recording medium.

  In addition, since a recording area unique to each work station is assigned to the recording medium, for example, for a work station that performs a plurality of operations on one work, a plurality of production instructions are included in the recording area. Data will be written. Therefore, when the work management sequencer accesses the recording medium of the work that has been transported to the work station that it manages, take measures to identify which production instruction data is the current production instruction data. It is necessary to keep.

  The present invention addresses the above-mentioned problems in the conventional production instruction system using a recording medium such as an ID tag, and is easily preferable even in a cross production line suitable for multi-product / small-volume production or mixed-flow production. The objective is to provide a production instruction system for applicable production lines.

  That is, the invention described in claim 1 of the present application is a production instruction system for a production line configured to perform a predetermined work on each of the workpieces at a plurality of work stations arranged along the workpiece conveyance path. Then, when the work is carried into the transport path, the work station and the work content are set in the order of the work process in the first recording area of the recording medium mounted on the work or its supporting member in accordance with the type of work. The production instruction data is written, and in the second recording area, the loading control means for writing the work station and work contents in the order of the first work process in the production instruction data, and the second recording area of the recording medium. Provided in each work station, a transport control means for reading the work station being read and transporting the work to the work station, Work management means for reading the work content written in the second recording area of the recording medium when the work is transferred to the work station and performing the work on the work according to the work content; When the work is completed, the production instruction data written in the first recording area of the recording medium is read, and the production instruction data in the work station and the work content in the next work process sequence are read out. A work station written in the second recording area of the recording medium and work update means for updating work contents are provided.

  Next, the invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of work stations include a manual work station where an operator is arranged and an automatic machine station provided with an automatic machine. The transfer control means controls the shuttle conveyor that moves between the manual work station and the automatic machine station, thereby transferring the work to the work station in the order of the next work process. .

  The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 2, wherein the work management means presents the work contents to the worker so that the worker performs work according to the work contents at the manual work station. The automatic machine station is a means for controlling the automatic machine so that the automatic machine performs work according to the work content.

  First, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the workpiece is carried into the conveyance path, the production instruction data corresponding to the type of the workpiece is stored in the first recording area of the recording medium mounted on the workpiece, the pallet, or the like. In addition to this, the first work station extracted and selected from the production instruction data (the next work in a broad sense) and the work content thereof are recorded on the second recording medium. Written to the area. Then, the work is transported toward the work station written in the second recording area of the recording medium, and the work is performed in accordance with the work content written in the second recording area of the recording medium. Is called. Then, when the work is completed at the work station, the work station written in the second recording area of the recording medium and the work content are written in the first recording area of the recording medium. And the contents of the work. Then, the work is transported toward the updated work station written in the second recording area of the recording medium, and the updated work written in the second recording area of the recording medium in the work station. Work is performed according to the work content. The above operation is repeated until the workpiece is unloaded from the conveyance path.

  In this manner, information on which work station should be transported next, that is, information specifying the next work station is written in the second recording area of the recording medium separately from the conventional production instruction data. Therefore, even when the above-mentioned recording medium is accessed even in a multi-product / low-volume production type crossing production line where a plurality of work stations are not arranged in the order of the work process and the conveyance of workpieces is complicated, The next work station can be easily recognized immediately, and the work can be smoothly transferred to the next work station without any trouble.

  Moreover, information on what kind of work should be performed on the work at the next work station, that is, information for specifying the next work content is also stored in the second recording area of the recording medium separately from the conventional production instruction data. When the above-mentioned recording medium is accessed even in a multi-product / low-volume production type crossing production line where multiple work stations are not arranged in the order of the work process and the work transfer is complicated In addition, the next work content can be easily acquired immediately, and the next work can be smoothly performed on the workpiece without any trouble.

  In addition, the structure of the production instruction data written in the first recording area of the recording medium employs a structure in which work stations and work contents are set in the order of work processes in accordance with the type of work. In addition, as compared with a structure in which a recording area unique to each work station is pre-assigned to the recording medium, the next work station and work contents can be easily obtained when the second recording area is updated. Renewal is performed smoothly without any problems.

  As described above, a production instruction system that can flexibly cope with increase / decrease in work stations and changes in work process order due to changes in vehicle type and production number is provided. It can be easily and preferably applied in a cross production line suitable for mixed flow production.

  Next, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the work is transferred to the next work station by controlling the shuttle conveyor that moves between a plurality of work stations in which manual work stations and automatic machine stations are mixed. As a result, not only the work is transported to one downstream work station, but the work is returned to the upstream side, or an unnecessary work station is skipped and transported to a distant work station. It is possible to transport workpieces in the route and form, and multi-product / small-volume production and mixed flow production are performed more efficiently.

  Next, according to the invention described in claim 3, in the manual work station, the work content is presented to the worker so that the worker performs the work according to the work content, and in the automatic machine station, the automatic machine follows the work content. Since the automatic machine is controlled to perform the work, in any case, the work according to the work content is surely performed on the work. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail through the best mode of the present invention.

  In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to the production line 1 shown in FIG. The production line 1 is, for example, an automobile engine production line, and includes a carry-in conveyor 11, two shuttle conveyors 12 and 12, a plurality of branch conveyors 13 ... 13, and a work conveyor 14 ... 14. And merging conveyors 15, 15, turntables 16, 16, a carry-out conveyor 17, and a pallet return conveyor 18. Among these, the conveyors 11 to 15 and 17 and the turntable 16 constitute a workpiece conveyance path. In particular, the shuttle conveyor 12 constitutes a linear main conveyance path, and the branching, working, and merging conveyance conveyors 13, 14, 15 and the turntable 16 constitute a U-shaped sub conveyance path. . Then, on the work conveyors 14... 14, manual work stations (# 1 to # 5) where the worker b is arranged and automatic machine stations (# 101 to # 104) provided with the automatic machine 128 are arranged. It is installed. Even in an automatic machine station, some workers are assigned to work.

  For example, a workpiece Y that is a cylinder block is supported by a pallet Z that is a support member, and is carried into the production line 1 by a carry-in conveyor 11 as indicated by an arrow a (a state that is supported by the pallet Z). No. X is attached to the workpiece. An ID tag T is attached to the workpiece X on the workpiece Y itself or the pallet Z. When the workpiece X is placed on the start end of the carry-in conveyor 11 (reference number A), it stops at the ID writing position P (reference number A), and production instruction data and the like are written to the ID tag T here. And the workpiece | work X waits for the shuttle conveyor 12 to arrive at the terminal part of the carrying-in conveyor 11 (code | symbol C).

  When the shuttle conveyor 12 arrives, the workpiece X is transferred to the shuttle conveyor 12 (reference symbol D). The shuttle conveyor 12 can reciprocate across the upstream carry-in conveyor 11 and the downstream carry-out conveyor 17 as indicated by an arrow b. And the workpiece | work X transferred to the shuttle conveyor 12 is conveyed by the start end part of the conveyance conveyor 13 for any branch (for example, code | symbol (e) reference).

  After the workpiece X transferred to the start end of the branching conveyor 13 is transferred to the branching conveyor 13, the conveyor 13, the upstream turntable 16, the work conveyor 14 (... 14), the downstream It is conveyed by the side turntable 16 and the conveying conveyor 15 in order as indicated by arrows c, d (... D), e. Meanwhile, the workpiece X is subjected to a predetermined operation at the work station. Then, after the work is completed, the workpiece X waits for the shuttle conveyor 12 to arrive at the end of the merging transport conveyor 15, and when the shuttle conveyor 12 arrives, it is transferred to the shuttle conveyor 12 (see, for example, the code number). ), And again conveyed to the start end of one of the branch conveyors 13.

  When all the work steps are completed, the workpiece X is conveyed to the start end of the carry-out conveyor 17 by the shuttle conveyor 12 (reference key), where it is separated into the workpiece Y and the pallet Z. 17 is carried out of the production line 1 as indicated by an arrow f (reference symbol). On the other hand, the pallet Z is once unloaded from the production line 1 by the pallet return conveyor 18 as indicated by an arrow g (reference numeral), and then as indicated by an arrow h by an appropriate means such as an automatic conveyance vehicle (not shown). Then, it is returned to the starting end of the carry-in conveyor 11 again and used to support the next workpiece Y.

  As shown in the figure, each work station is provided with a work management sequencer 106 for managing work operations and the like for the work X. In addition, at the manual work stations (# 1 to # 5), the work content is displayed to the worker b so that the worker b can work on the work X reliably and easily according to the work content. A navigation display 127 with a touch panel is provided, and the automatic machine stations (# 101 to # 104) are provided with various automatic machines 128 for performing work on the workpiece X according to the work contents as described above. . An ID writing position P on the carry-in conveyor 11 is provided with a carry-in control sequencer 104 that manages writing of production instruction data and the like to the ID tag T. In the example shown in the figure, the carry-in control sequencer 104 has the production instruction system manager a who is responsible for the operation of the production line 1, but it does not have to be.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the carry-in control sequencer 104, the work management sequencer 106... 106, etc. are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a LAN (Local Area Network) 110 such as Ethernet (registered trademark). ing. In addition, the computer network 100 receives a top-level database server 101, a production management computer 102 that outputs production management data indicating production schedules in the production line 1, and production management data from the production management computer 102. A production instruction computer 103 that outputs production instruction data to the carry-in control sequencer 104, a shuttle control computer 105 that outputs a control signal to the shuttle conveyor control panel 122 that directly controls the movement of the shuttle conveyor 12 wirelessly, and the like. Is connected so that information communication is possible.

  Here, the database server 101 has a recording device 101a composed of a memory or the like, and the recording device 101a stores a work process master, a work content master, and a production instruction master described below. Yes. The carry-in control sequencer 104 uses the ID writer 121 to write production instruction data and the like to the ID tag T in a non-contact manner. The ID writer 121 is disposed at the ID writing position P in FIG. Further, the shuttle control computer 105 uses the ID reader 123 to read various data from the ID tag T in a non-contact manner. The ID reader 123 is disposed at each end portion of the carry-in conveyor 11 and the merging conveyors 15... 15 in FIG.

  Then, the work management sequencer 106 inputs a detection signal from the article sensor 124 indicating that the work X has been transported to the work position of the work station (substantially intermediate position in the transport direction of the work conveyor 14) (note that In addition, the article sensor 124 also detects the stop position of the work X of the carry-in conveyor 11 and each terminal portion of the merging transport conveyor 15), and stops the work X at the work position or each transport stop position. When the operation control of the stopper 125 is performed, the drive control of each of the conveyors 13, 14, 15 and the turntable 16 is performed, and the work management sequencer 106 is provided in the manual work station, between the display 127 and the display 127 When the signal is exchanged and the work management sequencer 106 is provided in the automatic machine station, the communication with the automatic machine 128 is performed. In and exchanging signals, and, using the ID reader-writer 126, the write various data into the ID tag T, and reads various data from the ID tag T in a non-contact manner. The ID reader / writer 126 is disposed at the work position of the work station.

  Regarding the drive control of the conveyors 13, 14, 15 and the turntable 16, for example, in the first work station # 1 in FIG. The drive control of the table 16, the work conveyor 14, the downstream turntable 16 and the merging conveyor 15 is performed. At the second work station # 2, the branch conveyor 13, the upstream turntable 16 and the work are performed. In the third work station # 3, only the drive control of the work conveyor 14 is performed. In the fourth work station # 4, the work transport conveyor 14, the downstream turntable 16 and the merging are performed. Only drive control of the transfer conveyor 15 is performed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the work process master stored in the recording device 101a of the database server 101 is a work process for each work type (product type X1001, X1002, etc. in the figure) and in the work process order. The station number and the work content number are recorded.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the work content master stores detailed work content information (for example, the first to fifth steps and the first to third steps in the example) for each work station and for each work content number. A plurality of steps) is recorded. However, when the work station is a manual work station (# 1 to # 5 in the present embodiment), an image address and a text address to be displayed on the display 127 are also recorded.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the production instruction master records the production instruction code and the product type for each rank (from rank 1 to rank 100 in the illustrated example). Here, the production instruction code is given when the production management computer 102 in FIG. 2 outputs production management data scheduled to be produced to the production instruction computer 103. The production instruction master is constantly rewritten by the production instruction computer 103 while the production line 1 is in operation, as will be described later (FIG. 11).

  In addition, a production instruction table as shown in FIG. 6 is stored in the recording device (not shown) of the carry-in control sequencer 104 in FIG. This production instruction table records production instruction codes, product types, and work process data for each rank (from rank 1 to rank 20 in the figure). As will be described later (FIGS. 11 and 12), these data are transmitted from the higher-level production instruction computer 103 as production instruction data. Here, the work process data is obtained by matching the work process order, work station number, and work content number of the work process master of FIG. 3 in correspondence with the product type of the production instruction master of FIG. This production instruction table is constantly rewritten by the carry-in control sequencer 104 during operation of the production line 1.

  Further, a work content detail table as shown in FIG. 7 is stored in a recording device (not shown) of the work management sequencer 106 in FIG. This work content detail table corresponds to the work station managed by itself (the first work station # 1, which is a manual work station in the figure), and the work content number of the work content master in FIG. 4 and the details of the work content. Information, an image address, and a text address are recorded. These data are copied from the upper database server 101, and are periodically downloaded from the database server 101 by an appropriate means (information transmission medium) such as the LAN 110 or a disk and updated to the latest version.

  FIG. 8 is a detailed work content table stored in the recording device of the work management sequencer 106 in FIG. 2, but is for the 101st work station # 101 in which the work station is an automatic machine station.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the ID tag T has a recording area for ID data, a recording area for product data, and a recording area for production instruction data (corresponding to the first recording area in the claims) as a recording area. , And a next work data recording area (corresponding to the second recording area in the claims). Here, in the recording area of the production instruction data, the work station number and the work content number are assigned to the work process order 1, 2, 3,... Corresponding to the type of work (product type X1002 in the figure). The set production instruction data is written. As will be described later (FIG. 12), this production instruction data is written by the carry-in control sequencer 104 at the ID writing position P using the ID writer 121 of FIG.

  On the other hand, in the recording area of the next work data, the next work process order extracted and selected from the production instruction data, the next work station number similarly extracted and selected from the production instruction data, Similarly, the next work content number extracted / selected from the production instruction data and the next work process order extracted / selected from the production instruction data are written as the next work data. This next work data is also written by the carry-in control sequencer 104 at the ID writing position P using the ID writer 121 of FIG.

  Here, FIG. 9 shows a state immediately after various data is written at the ID writing position P when the work X is carried in, so the next work process order is the first work process order “1”. Is recorded. Along with this, “1” is recorded as the next work station number, and “1” is recorded as the next work content number (see production instruction data). Further, “2” is recorded as the next work process order. However, as will be described later (FIG. 15), the next work data is successively updated by the work management sequencer 106 every time each work process is completed while the production line 1 is in operation. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when the seventh work process is completed, “8” is recorded as the next work process order, and as a result, “102” is recorded as the next work station number. The work content number is recorded as “2” (see FIG. 3). Further, “9” is recorded as the next work process order.

  Next, an example of specific operations of some computers and sequencers 103 to 106 among the above-described components will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, the production instruction computer 103 determines whether or not a production instruction data transmission request (request message A) has been received from the carry-in control sequencer 104 in step S1 of FIG. 11, and when received, the process proceeds to step S2. 5 is sent to the carry-in control sequencer 104 together with the record of the same product type in the work process master of FIG. 3 (reply message B). Next, in step S3, the order of records in the production instruction master in FIG. 5 is incremented one by one.

  Next, in step S4, the production instruction computer 103 determines whether or not the number of records stored in the production instruction master in FIG. 5 is less than 100. If the number is less than 100, the production instruction computer 103 sends to the production management computer 102 in step S5. Then, the transmission of the next production management data is requested (request message C). As a result, when it is determined in step S6 that the production management data (reply message D) has been received from the production management computer 102, the received production management data is converted to the last rank of the production instruction master in FIG. 5 in step S7. To record.

  Further, the carry-in control sequencer 104 determines whether or not the work X has been carried into the ID writing position P in step S11 of FIG. 12, and when it has been carried in, uses the ID writer 121 in step S12a. Then, the record of rank 1 in the production instruction table of FIG. 6 held by itself is written in the recording area “production instruction data” (see FIG. 9) of the ID tag T. At the same time, in step S12b, the ID writer 121 is also used, and among the “production instruction data”, the data in which the work process order is “1” is recorded in the recording area “next work data” of the ID tag T (see FIG. 9). Write to. Next, in step S13, the order of the records in the production instruction table of FIG.

  Next, in step S14, the carry-in control sequencer 104 determines whether or not the number of records stored in the production instruction table of FIG. 6 that it owns is less than 20, and if so, in step S15. Then, the production instruction computer 103 is requested to transmit the next production instruction data (request message A: refer to step S1). As a result, when it is determined in step S16 that the production instruction data (return message B: see step S2) is received from the production instruction computer 103, in step S17, the received production instruction data is held by itself. Is recorded in the last rank of the production instruction table of FIG.

  Further, the shuttle control computer 105 determines (detects) whether or not there is a workpiece X at the terminal end of the carry-in conveyor 11 or the terminal end of the merging transport conveyor 15 in step S21 of FIG. In S 22, the next work station number written in the recording area “next work data” (see FIG. 9) of the ID tag T is read using the ID reader 123. Next, in step S23, the work X is transferred to the next work station of the next work station number read by the ID reader 123 in the order in which the work X has been transported to the terminal end of the carry-in conveyor 11 and the terminal end of the merging transport conveyor 15. It is determined (detected) whether or not it exists, the next work station where the work X does not exist is given priority to the next work station, and the terminal portion of the conveyor corresponding to this is selected.

  Next, in step S24, the shuttle conveyor control panel 122 is controlled to move the shuttle conveyor 12 to the end portion of the selected conveyor. Next, in step S25, the shuttle conveyor control panel 122 is controlled to move the shuttle conveyor 12 to which the workpiece X has been transferred to the start end of the branch transfer conveyor 13 that leads to the work station of the read next work station number. When there is no read next work station number, that is, when all work processes are completed, the shuttle conveyor 12 is moved to the start end of the carry-out conveyor 17.

  Further, the work management sequencer 106 determines (detects) whether or not the work X has been transported to the work position of the work station in step S31 of FIG. 14, and when it has been transported, in step S32, the stopper 125 And the work conveyor 14 is stopped. In step S33, the ID reader / writer 126 is used to read various data written in the recording area “next work data” (see FIG. 9) of the ID tag T. Next, in step S34, it is determined whether or not the read next work station number matches the number of this work station managed by the self. If they match, in step S35, the self work is stored in FIG. Alternatively, in the work content detail table of FIG. 8, the record whose work content number matches the read next work content number is read.

  Next, in step S36, the work management sequencer 106 displays detailed information on the work content on the display 127 according to the read record in the case of the manual work stations (# 1 to # 5). On the other hand, in the case of the automatic machine stations (# 101 to # 104), the automatic machine 128 is driven and controlled according to the read record.

  Next, in step S37, it is determined whether or not the work on the work X has been completed. When the work has been completed, the ID reader / writer 126 is used to record the recording area “production instruction” in step S38 in FIG. Various data written in “data” (see FIG. 9) is read. Next, in step S39, using the ID reader / writer 126, various data written in the recording area “next work data” (see FIG. 9) of the ID tag T are read from the read “production instruction data”. The extracted / selected data is rewritten to the next work process order data, that is, the next work data is updated.

  Instead of the above operation, in step S38, only the data in the order of the next work process is read from various data written in the recording area “production instruction data” (see FIG. 9) of the ID tag T. Next, in step S39, various data written in the recording area “next work data” (see FIG. 9) of the ID tag T may be rewritten to the read next work process order data.

  In any case, thereafter, the work management sequencer 106 releases the stopper 125 and drives the work transport conveyor 14 to start the work X in step S40.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the workpiece X is carried into the conveyance path, the production instruction data corresponding to the type of the workpiece X (or Y) is stored in the recording medium T mounted on the workpiece Y, the pallet Z, or the like. In addition to being written in the first recording area (recording area of the production instruction data in FIG. 9), in addition to this, the first (next in a broad sense) extracted and selected from the production instruction data. The work station and the work content are written in the second recording area of the recording medium T (the recording area of the next work data in FIG. 9). Then, the work X is transported toward the work station written in the second recording area of the recording medium T, and in accordance with the work content written in the second recording area of the recording medium T in the work station. Work is done. Then, when the work is completed at the work station, the work station and work contents written in the second recording area of the recording medium T are the next written in the first recording area of the recording medium T. It is updated by the work station and its work content. Then, the workpiece X is transported toward the updated work station written in the second recording area of the recording medium T, and is written in the second recording area of the recording medium T in the work station. Work is performed according to the updated work content. The above operation is repeated until the workpiece X is carried out of the conveyance path.

  In this way, information on which work station should be transported next, that is, information specifying the next work station is written in the second recording area of the recording medium T separately from the production instruction data. Therefore, the above-mentioned recording medium T is also accessed in the multi-product / small-volume production type 1 in which a plurality of work stations are not arranged in the order of the work process and conveyance of the workpiece X is complicated. Then, the next work station can be easily recognized immediately, and the workpiece X can be smoothly transferred to the next work station without any trouble.

  In addition, information on what work should be performed on the work X at the next work station, that is, information for specifying the next work content is also stored in the second recording area of the recording medium T separately from the production instruction data. Since the writing is performed, a plurality of work stations are not arranged in the order of the work process, and the conveyance of the workpiece X is complicated, and the above-described recording medium T is also used in this cross-type production line 1 of a high-mix / low-volume production type. Then, the next work content can be easily acquired immediately, and the next work can be smoothly performed on the workpiece X without any trouble.

  In addition, as the structure of the production instruction data written in the first recording area of the recording medium T, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the work station and the work content are associated with the type of the work X (or Y), Since the structure set in the order of the work process is adopted, the next work station and work are updated when the second recording area is updated as compared with the conventional structure in which a recording area unique to each work station is pre-assigned to the recording medium T. The contents can be easily acquired, and the second recording area can be smoothly updated without any trouble.

  As described above, the production instruction system that can flexibly cope with the increase / decrease of the work stations and the change of the work process order due to the change of the vehicle type and the number of production is provided. In the production line 1 in a cross shape suitable for mixed flow production, it can be preferably applied easily.

  In addition, since the shuttle conveyor 12 that moves between a plurality of work stations in which manual work stations and automatic machine stations coexist is controlled, the work X is transported to the next work station. In addition to transporting work X to the downstream work station, return work X to the upstream side, or jump over unnecessary work stations and transport to work stations located far away. It becomes possible to convey, and multi-product / small-volume production and mixed flow production are performed more efficiently.

  In the manual work station, the work content is presented to the worker via the display 127 so that the worker performs the work according to the work content, while in the automatic machine station, the automatic machine 128 performs the work according to the work content. As described above, since the automatic machine 128 is controlled, in any case, the work X is reliably performed according to the work content.

  The above embodiment is the best embodiment of the present invention, but it goes without saying that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the claims.

  As described above in detail with reference to specific examples, according to the present invention, a production instruction system for a production line that can be easily and preferably applied to a production line of a variety, a small quantity production type or a mixed flow production type is provided. The present invention has wide industrial applicability particularly in the technical field of production instruction systems for production lines that use recording media such as ID tags capable of writing and reading various data.

It is a layout diagram of a production line according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a system diagram of the computer network which manages the said production line. It is a block diagram of the work process master stored in the recording device of the database server which belongs to the said network. It is a block diagram of a work content master. 2 is a configuration diagram of a production instruction master. FIG. It is a block diagram of the production instruction table stored in the recording device of the carry-in control computer belonging to the network. It is a block diagram of the work content detailed table stored in the recording device of the work management computer belonging to the network, where the work station is a manual work station. FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a work content detail table, in which the work station is an automatic machine station. It is a structural diagram of the recording area of the ID tag attached to the work or pallet. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the specific operation | movement of the production instruction | indication computer which belongs to the said network. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a specific operation of the carry-in control sequencer. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a specific operation of the shuttle control computer. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a specific operation of the work management sequencer. It is a flowchart of the latter half part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Production line 100 Computer network 101 Database server 102 Production management computer 103 Production instruction computer 104 Carry-in control sequencer 105 Shuttle control computer 106 Work management sequencer

Claims (3)

  A production instruction system for a production line configured to perform a predetermined operation on each of the workpieces at a plurality of work stations arranged along the workpiece conveyance path, when the workpiece is carried into the conveyance path, Production instruction data in which work stations and work contents are set in order of work processes corresponding to the type of work is written in the first recording area of the recording medium mounted on the work or its support member, and is written in the second recording area. , Loading control means for writing the work station and work contents in the order of the first work process in the production instruction data, and reading the work station written in the second recording area of the recording medium, The conveyance control means for conveying to the station and each work station, the work has been conveyed to the work station The work management means for reading the work content written in the second recording area of the recording medium and performing the work on the work according to the work content, and when the work is completed, The production instruction data written in the first recording area of the recording medium is read, and in the production instruction data, the work station and the work content in the next work process order are stored in the second recording area of the recording medium. A production instruction system for a production line, comprising work update means for updating a written work station and work contents.   The plurality of work stations include a manual work station where an operator is arranged and an automatic machine station equipped with an automatic machine, and a transfer control means moves between the manual work station and the automatic machine station. 2. The production instruction system for a production line according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece is transferred to a work station in the order of the next work process by controlling the conveyor. The work management means is a means for presenting work contents to the worker so that the worker performs the work according to the work contents at the manual work station, and at the automatic machine station, the automatic machine automatically performs the work according to the work contents. The production instruction system for a production line according to claim 2, wherein the production instruction system is a means for controlling the machine.

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