JP2007137549A - Component conveying device of manufacturing line - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a component conveying device of a manufacturing line capable of feeding components to an assembly line in the order of the manufacturing date without resorting to manual labor, and allocating components so as not to cause any shortage of the components in each assembly line when a plurality of assembly lines are present. <P>SOLUTION: A buffer line 4 is provided between a component feed line 1 and assembly lines 5a, 5b. A label 7 indicating the component number or the like and a RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag 8 storing component information are mounted on a component 3 loaded on a truck 2. Component information of the component 3 is read by a tag reader 10 at a carry-in entrance 44 of the buffer line 4, and a controller 13 carries out the component 3 from carry-out exits 45a, 45b in the order of the manufacturing date based on the request for the component from the assembly lines 5a, 5b. When the components 3 are insufficient in the assembly line 5a, the components 3 of the same kind to be carried to the assembly line 5b are carried to the assembly line 5a as alternative ones. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for conveying parts in a production line for assembling a plurality of parts to produce a product.

  In a production line that assembles multiple parts such as motorcycles and manufactures products, parts supplied from a number of parts manufacturing lines, parts delivered from parts manufacturers, etc. are transported toward the assembly line, and the assembly line These parts are assembled to produce a product. In addition, the parts conveyed from the parts production line or the parts manufacturer are once stored in a receiving place or the like and then conveyed to each assembly line.

  Generally, when parts are transported to the assembly line, it is necessary to supply them to the assembly line in order from the earliest date when the parts were manufactured. This is because it is necessary to identify a product that needs to be collected depending on the date and time of manufacture of the part when it is found that there is a defect in a part and it is necessary to collect the product containing the part. . If the parts are supplied to the assembly line in order from the parts with the earliest manufacturing date and time, even if a fault occurs in that part, only the product that contains the part with the manufacturing date and time (days or hours) when the fault occurred can be specified. it can. For this reason, it is possible to collect only the products that need to be collected.

  However, if the products are not supplied to the assembly line in order from the earliest date of manufacture, there are products that contain defective parts and products that contain normal parts, even if the products are assembled within a certain period. Will be mixed. Therefore, in order to identify the product to be collected, all products manufactured within a period that may contain defective parts must be collected. Therefore, not only products that should be collected but also products that do not need to be collected must be collected.

  Conventionally, in order to eliminate the above inconvenience, an operator visually confirms a slip attached to a plurality of components at a storage location of the component or reads the barcode attached to the slip. The manufacturing date and time were grasped and conveyed to the assembly line in the order of the manufacturing date and time. For example, in a production line in which parts are placed on a carriage and conveyed to the assembly line by the carriage, an operator performs an operation of arranging the carriages in order of the parts production date and conveying them to the assembly line. However, such manual work is complicated, and there is a risk that work mistakes may occur.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 below discloses a technology for managing production and shipping of products using ID tags instead of slips and barcodes. The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 generates ID tags for shipping management and production management when a product is ordered, and uses the ID tags for production management and shipping management.

  In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, an ID tag is attached to a shelf having a plurality of component storage areas, and products produced on the shelf to which the ID tag is attached are temporarily stored, and all IDs are stored. When the product corresponding to the tag is stored on the shelf, all the products are stored in the container and moved to the next process. In addition, the ID tag attached to the shipping area at the time of product shipment and the ID tag of the product are inquired to confirm that all the products are ready before shipping.

However, in such a configuration, although an ID tag is used, automation is difficult because manpower is required for storing the product in the shelf or storing the product in the container. In addition, when a product is stored in a shelf or container, an operator visually checks the product, which may cause a shipping error.
JP 2004-182408 A

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention aims to improve a parts conveying device of a production line, and more specifically, in order to eliminate the inconvenience, a parts conveying device capable of supplying parts to an assembly line in order of manufacturing date and time without manual intervention is provided. The purpose is to do. Another object of the present invention is to provide a parts conveying device for a production line that can be assigned so that there is no shortage of parts in each assembly line when there are a plurality of assembly lines. .

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a component conveying device of a production line according to the present invention is a component conveying device used in a production line for assembling a plurality of components to produce a product, and between a component supply line and an assembly line. A buffer line having a circulation path is provided, and the component is accompanied by an RFID tag in which component information including at least the date and time when the component was manufactured is attached, and the buffer line is connected to the component from the component supply line. A carry-in port for carrying in, a carry-out port for carrying out the parts to the assembly line, a reading unit for reading the component information of the RFID tag, a drive unit for carrying the parts, and carrying out the parts from the carry-out port Unloading means, and control means for controlling the driving means and the unloading means, the control means in response to a request for parts from the assembly line. And wherein the said component information read by the reading means in the order the production date is earlier based component be carried out from the carry-out port.

  According to the component conveying device of the production line of the present invention, a buffer line having a circulation track is provided between the component supply line and the assembly line, and the components on the buffer line are transferred to the RFID by the control means. (Radio Frequency Identification) It is carried out from the carry-out port in the order of the manufacturing date and time stored in the tag. For this reason, even when the parts are carried into the buffer line from the carry-in entrance, they are carried out in the order of production date and time when they are carried out from the carry-out port, even if they are not carried in the order of the production dates. Therefore, the parts can be supplied to the assembly line in order of manufacturing date and time without manual intervention.

  Further, in the component conveying apparatus of the production line according to the present invention, the buffer line has information writing means capable of carrying out components to a plurality of assembly lines and changing component information in the RFID tag, and the RFID When the parts information of the tag includes the assembly line of the transport destination, the control means does not have the parts transported to one assembly line where the parts are requested on the buffer line, When there is an alternative part that can be used in the one assembly line and is to be conveyed, the information writing means uses the information writing means to obtain part information related to the RFID tag transport destination assembly line associated with the alternative part. It is preferable to change to a line and carry out the substitute part to the one assembly line.

  In this case, the control means, after carrying out the substitute part to the one assembly line, when a part of the same type as the substitute part is carried in from the carry-in port, RFID associated with the carried-in part. It is preferable that the part information related to the tag transfer destination assembly line is changed to the other assembly line, and the same type of parts are carried out to the other assembly line.

  In a production line, there may be a situation where parts required in a certain assembly line are not on the buffer line, but each part is normally supplied to the assembly line based on a production plan. Is considered temporary. Therefore, the control means temporarily supplies the substitute part to the assembly line where the part is insufficient, so that the situation where production is delayed in the assembly line can be solved.

  Further, it is expected that parts of the same type as the parts used as substitute parts will be brought into the buffer line soon after based on the production plan. For this reason, there is a shortage of parts in the assembly line by rewriting part information of the RFID tag of the part carried into the buffer line by the control means and transporting the part temporarily to the used assembly line. You can eliminate the situation.

  As described above, according to the component conveying device of the present invention, when a component required in a certain assembly line does not exist on the buffer line, the replacement component is supplied to the assembly line, and later, When parts of the same type have been transported, they are transported to other assembly lines, whereby assignment can be performed so that there is no shortage of parts in each assembly line.

  Further, in the component conveying device of the production line of the present invention, the reading means is provided at the carry-in port, and reads position information of the buffer line into which the component is loaded when reading the component information of the RFID tag, It is preferable that the driving means is driven so that movement on the buffer line is minimized when the control means carries out the part from the carry-out port based on the position information of the part.

  Alternatively, the RFID tag is an active RFID tag with a built-in power supply, and the reading means is provided at a position where it can communicate with all the RFID tags on the buffer line, and reads the component information of the RFID tag. The position information of the parts in the buffer line is read, and the movement on the buffer line is minimized when the control means carries out the parts from the outlet based on the position information of the parts. It is preferable to drive the driving means.

  Thus, by acquiring the position information on the buffer line for the part, the control means can minimize the drive of the buffer line when carrying out the part from the carry-out port. Can be carried out quickly and efficiently.

  Next, an example of an embodiment of the component conveying device of the production line of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The production line of the present embodiment is a line for assembling a motorcycle. As shown in FIG. 1, a part 3 conveyed by a carriage 2 from a plurality of part supply lines 1 is transferred to a plurality of assembly lines 5 a via a buffer line 4. , 5b.

  The parts supply line 1 is a line for transporting parts such as an engine assembled by a parts assembly line (not shown; the same applies hereinafter) and a battery supplied from a parts manufacturer to the carriage 2. The carriage 2 carried from the plurality of component supply lines 1 is sequentially carried into the buffer line 4 from a carry-in port 44 of the buffer line 4 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, a plurality of parts 3 of the same kind are placed on a single carriage 2 as a set, and one label is attached to the set of parts 3. 7 is affixed. The label 7 includes a product name 71 in which the part 3 is assembled, a country name 72 in which the part 3 is sold, a part number 73 indicating information such as the type of the part 3, a manufacturing date and time 74, and information on an assembly line to be supplied. The supplier assembly line 75 is described. As shown in FIG. 2, the manufacturing date and time 74 described on the label 7 is the manufacturing date and time of the part manufactured at the earliest time among the plural parts 3 and the manufacturing of the part manufactured at the latest time. The date and time are described.

  An RFID tag 8 is attached to the label 7. The RFID tag 8 stores the same component information as the information described on the label 7. The RFID tag 8 has a rewritable area in the information storage area, and information on the supply destination assembly line 75 is stored in the rewritable area. In the present embodiment, the RFID tag 8 uses a passive tag that does not have a power source inside.

  The carriage 2 on which the component 3 is placed is provided with a locked portion (not shown; the same applies hereinafter) below the mounting surface on which the component is mounted. The cart is moved while being locked.

  The assembly lines 5a and 5b are lines for manufacturing a motorcycle by assembling parts such as an engine supplied from the buffer line 4. In the present embodiment, the cart 2 of necessary parts is arranged on the side of the assembly lines 5a and 5b. Further, the assembly lines 5a and 5b flow at a predetermined speed, and the worker 9 moves together with the motorcycle being assembled. And when an operator assembles the parts 3, the necessary parts 3 are prepared in the vicinity of the assembly line 5a, thereby enabling an assembly operation with high work efficiency.

  The buffer line 4 is a line that temporarily stocks the components 3 conveyed from the component supply line 1 and supplies the components 3 to the assembly line 5a as necessary. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a movable locking portion 41 that locks the locked portion of the carriage 2 and moves on a substantially elliptical track is provided. And it is moved by the motor 43 (driving means).

  Further, the buffer line 4 is provided with a carry-in port 44 for carrying in the component 3 supplied from the component supply line 1. The carry-in entrance 44 is provided with a tag reader 10 (reading means) that reads component information stored in the RFID tag 8 attached to the component 3. Further, the buffer line 4 is provided with carry-out ports 45a and 45b for discharging the components 3 to the assembly line 5a. The carry-out port 45a is a carry-out port for carrying out components to the assembly line 5a, and the carry-out port 45b is a carry-out port for carrying out components to the assembly line 5b. Reader / writers 11a and 11b for reading the component information stored in the RFID tag 8 attached to the component 3 and rewriting the information in the rewritable area of the RFID tag 8 are provided at the carry-out ports 45a and 45b. ing. In addition, labeling devices 12a and 12b for attaching a label indicating that there is a change when the supply destination assembly line 75 is changed are provided near the carry-out ports 45a and 45b, as will be described later.

  In the present embodiment, a controller 13 (control means) is provided for instructing the movement of the movement locking portion 41 of the buffer line 4 and the removal of parts from the carry-out port 45a. The controller 13 is stored in a memory such as a CPU, a memory such as a ROM (EEPROM, etc.) and a RAM, a signal input circuit, a signal output circuit, and the like, and a memory (or a storage device) for giving a specific information processing function to the CPU. The computer includes a program for executing the present invention, an interface, and the like. The controller 13 reads information from the tag reader 10 and the reader / writers 11 a and 11 b and drives a motor 43 that is a driving means for the buffer line 4 to control the flow of the carriage 2 in the buffer line 4. The controller 13 also controls the labeling device 12a.

  Next, the operation of the component conveying device of the production line of this embodiment will be described. First, in the component supply line 1, when the component 3 is conveyed by the carriage 2 from the component assembly line or component manufacturer, it is carried into the buffer line 4 from the carry-in port 44 in the order of conveyance. At this time, the parts of the same type are not necessarily transported in the order of manufacturing date and time because of the difference in the distance from the parts assembly line to the parts supply line 1. The

  At the carry-in entrance 44, the locked portion of the carriage 2 is locked by the movement locking portion 41 and is sent to the buffer line 4 as it is. At this time, the part information of the RFID tag 8 attached to the part 3 on the carriage 2 is read by the tag reader 10, and the part information is transmitted to the controller 13. When the controller 13 receives the part information from the tag reader 10, the controller 13 obtains position information in the buffer line 4 indicating which part 3 of the buffer line 4 carries the part 3 together with the part information.

  Thus, the parts 3 and the carriage 2 carried into the buffer line 4 wait for being conveyed to the assembly line 5a or 5b while moving on the buffer line 4.

  The controller 13 is requested to carry parts from the assembly lines 5a and 5b as necessary. For example, when the assembly line 5a requires the battery 31 as a component, an instruction to carry out the battery 31 is issued to the controller 13. The controller 13 searches for the presence of the battery 31 on the buffer line 4 based on the parts transport request from the assembly line 5a. The search target is component information that has been loaded from the loading port 44 and read by the tag reader 10. The controller 13 searches the part information for the battery 31 and searches for the earliest date of manufacture.

  When there are a plurality of parts (for example, the battery 31) that are parts to be transported to the assembly line 5a and have the same part type as shown in FIG. 1, the battery with the earliest date of manufacture is selected. Similarly, the part 3 with the earliest manufacturing date and time is selected in the same way for parts requests regarding other parts (for example, the engine 32) made to the controller 13.

  The controller 13 constructs a moving program for how to move the buffer line 4 on the basis of the component requests from the top to the fifth component in order of arrival for the component requests from each assembly line 5a. Specifically, the program is executed so that the drive distance of the buffer line 4 is the shortest in order to carry out all the parts requested for parts from the carry-out port 45a. For example, when the parts 3 are carried out with respect to the moving distance when the parts are sequentially carried out by rotating the buffer line 4 clockwise, the buffer line 4 is taken out when the parts 3 to be carried out next are carried out. When the movement distance becomes shorter by rotating counterclockwise and rotating counterclockwise, the buffer line 4 is reversed after the component 3 is unloaded, and the component 3 is unloaded.

  As described above, in the parts conveying device of the manufacturing line according to the present embodiment, the parts 3 conveyed to the assembly lines 5a and 5b are conveyed in order from the earliest date of manufacture, so that a defect of the parts 3 is found at a later date. Even so, it becomes easy to identify the motorcycle in which the defective part 3 is assembled. Moreover, even when the motorcycle has to be collected, only those that need to be collected can be collected.

  Next, a case where the part request from the assembly line 5b is the battery 31 and there is no battery 31 to be transferred to the assembly line 5b on the buffer line 4 when the part request is made will be described. In this case, the controller 13 searches the buffer line 4 for a component of the same type as the battery 31 (that is, a battery) and whether there is an alternative component that can be used in the assembly line 5b. Usually, since the battery 31 can often be used for general purposes, there is a high possibility that an alternative component exists on the buffer line 4.

  When there is a battery 31 that is an alternative part that can be used in the assembly line 5b, the controller 13 unloads the battery 31 from the carry-out port 45b toward the assembly line 5b. At this time, the reader / writer 11a rewrites the information of the supply destination assembly line 75 from the assembly line 5a to the assembly line 5b among the component information of the RFID tag 8 of the battery 31. In addition, the controller 13 instructs the labeling device 12a to attach a label indicating that the supply destination assembly line 75 has been changed to the surface of the battery 31 packaging.

  Thus, the battery 31 in which the component information of the RFID tag 8 is changed and the label indicating that the supply destination assembly line 75 is changed is attached to the surface of the packaging is mounted on the carriage 2 in the assembly line 5b. It is conveyed to. In this embodiment, since the component information of the RFID tag 8 is changed in this way, when the information of the RFID tag 8 is used in the subsequent assembly line 5b, it is erroneously determined that the line to be supplied is different. It will not be done. Further, the label indicating that the supply destination assembly line 75 has been changed makes it easy to confirm that the line has been changed when the operator 9 visually inspects the label 7.

  After that, when the battery 31 to be transported to the assembly line 5b is loaded from the carry-in port 44 of the buffer line 4, and there is a part request for the battery 31 from the assembly line 5a, the controller 13 moves the battery 31 to the assembly line 5a. It is moved on the buffer line 4 so as to be conveyed. Then, at the carry-out port 45a, the reader / writer 11a changes the information of the supply destination assembly line 75 of the RFID tag 8 of the battery 31 from the assembly line 5b to the assembly line 5a, and the labeling device 12a applies the supply destination to the surface of the battery 31 packaging. An instruction is given to attach a label indicating that the assembly line 75 has been changed.

  As described above, when the part 3 is insufficient in a part of the assembly line, the controller 13 searches for the alternative part and supplies the alternative part to the assembly line in which the part is insufficient. Is resolved. In the present embodiment, a passive tag is used as the RFID tag 8 in consideration of cost, but a semi-passive or active tab may be used.

  Here, the passive RFID tag receives an electric wave transmitted from the antenna on the reader / writer side by the antenna, rectifies the electric wave and uses it as energy, and an IC chip according to a command transmitted from the reader / writer. Reads information from the memory and transmits the information from the antenna. The semi-passive type RFID tag operates basically the same as the passive type, but the power of the on-board battery can be used as energy to make the radio wave transmission distance longer than the passive type. It operates according to the command. The active RFID tag uses the power of the on-board battery as energy, similar to the semi-passive type, but does not transmit radio waves in response to commands from the reader / writer, but sends predetermined radio waves from the antenna at regular intervals. It is what you send. In addition, as the use frequency band of the RFID tag, various frequency bands such as less than 135 KHz, 13.56 MHz band, 950 MHz band (UHF), 2.45 GHz band, and the like can be selected.

  Next, a component conveying device for a production line according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the other embodiment, the RFID tag 8 ′ uses an active tag with a built-in power supply, and is attached to the carriage 2 instead of the component 3. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, no tag reader or reader / writer is provided at the carry-in port 44 and the carry-out ports 45 a and 45 b of the buffer line 4, and the RFID tag is read by the reader / writer 14 located almost at the center of the buffer line 4. 8 'component information is read / written.

  In the other embodiment, since the RFID tag 8 ′ is an active type, and reading / writing of component information can be performed from a remote position, the reader / writer 14 is provided at one place so that all of the information on the buffer line 4 can be provided. The RFID tag 8 ′ of the part 3 can be read / written. Since other configurations are the same as those in the above embodiment, the same configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the above embodiment, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Next, the operation in another embodiment will be described. For the component 3 supplied from the component supply line 1, the component information of the RFID tag 8 ′ attached to the carriage 2 and the position information on the buffer line 4 are read by the reader / writer 14. In addition, the reader / writer 14 reads the component information of the RFID tag 8 ′ of the carriage 2 and the position information on the buffer line 4 that are conveyed on the buffer line 4 at predetermined time intervals (for example, every second). Yes.

  When there is a part request from the assembly lines 5 a and 5 b, the controller 13 searches whether the requested part exists on the buffer line 4. Then, when there are a plurality of retrieved parts 3, the controller 13 controls the movement of the buffer line 4 so that the parts are carried out from the carry-out ports 45a and 45b in order from the earliest date of manufacture. At this time, similarly to the above-described embodiment, the controller 13 calculates how the buffer line 4 is moved the shortest when the buffer line 4 is moved, and moves the buffer line 4 according to the order. In another embodiment, since the reader / writer 14 reads the component information of the RFID tag 8 ′ of the carriage 2 and the position information on the buffer line 4 being conveyed on the buffer line 4 at predetermined time intervals, the carriage The calculation of the transport order of 2 can also be performed quickly.

Explanatory drawing which shows the components conveying apparatus of the manufacturing line which is an example of embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the components in this embodiment, a trolley | bogie, a label, and an RFID tag. Explanatory drawing which shows the components conveying apparatus of the manufacturing line which is other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Parts supply line, 3 ... Parts, 4 ... Buffer line, 5a, 5b ... Assembly line, 8 ... RFID tag, 10 ... Tag reader (reading means), 13 ... Controller (control means), 42 ... Belt (drive means) , 43 ... motor (driving means), 44 ... carry-in port, 45a, 45b ... carry-out port.

Claims (5)

A component conveying device used in a production line for manufacturing a product by assembling a plurality of components,
A buffer line having a circulation path is provided between the component supply line and the assembly line, and the component is accompanied by an RFID tag in which component information including at least the date and time when the component is manufactured is recorded,
The buffer line includes a carry-in port through which the component is carried in from the component supply line, a carry-out port through which the component is carried out to the assembly line, a reading unit for reading component information of the RFID tag, and a conveyance of the component. Driving means for carrying out, carrying out means for carrying out the parts from the carrying out outlet, and control means for controlling the driving means and the carrying out means,
In response to a part request from the assembly line, the control means causes the parts to be carried out from the carry-out port in order of the manufacturing date and time based on the part information read by the reading means. Production line parts conveyor. The buffer line has information writing means capable of carrying out parts to a plurality of assembly lines and changing part information in the RFID tag, and the parts information of the RFID tag includes an assembly line of a transfer destination. when,
The control means can be used in the one assembly line because the parts to be transported to one assembly line in which the parts are requested do not exist on the buffer line but are transported to another assembly line. When there is a substitute part, the information writing means changes the part information related to the RFID tag transport destination assembly line associated with the substitute part to the one assembly line, and the substitute part is changed to the one assembly line. The parts conveying apparatus of the production line according to claim 1, wherein the parts conveying apparatus is carried out.   When the same type of part as the substitute part is carried in from the carry-in entrance after the substitute part is carried out to the one assembly line, the control means assembles the transport destination assembly of the RFID tag attached to the carried part. 3. A parts conveying apparatus for a production line according to claim 2, wherein the parts information relating to the line is changed to the other assembly line, and the same kind of parts is carried out to the other assembly line. The reading means is provided at the carry-in port, and reads position information of the buffer line into which the parts are carried when reading the parts information of the RFID tag,
The drive means is driven so that movement on the buffer line is minimized when the control means carries out the part from the carry-out port based on position information of the part. The component conveying apparatus of the manufacturing line of any one of 1-3. The RFID tag is an active RFID tag with a built-in power supply,
The reading means is provided at a position where it can communicate with all the RFID tags on the buffer line, and reads the position information of the components in the buffer line when reading the component information of the RFID tags,
The drive means is driven so that movement on the buffer line is minimized when the control means carries out the part from the carry-out port based on position information of the part. The component conveying apparatus of the manufacturing line of any one of 1-3.

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