JP2007203405A - Shelf for cell production - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a shelf for cell production, which stores therein component members and tools for use in producing cells, wherein the shelf comprises a means for preventing the operator from being at a loss in selecting necessary component members and tools, and preventing the operator from assuming a forced position. <P>SOLUTION: The shelf 1 for cell production is for use in a cell production system in which the single operator carries out a plurality of working steps by moving a cell line having a work station, to produce products, and is constructed such that movable shelf sections 6 for storing the component members and tools therein are superposed on each other in multiple stages. Each movable shelf section 6 is movable between a separated position Pr and a projected position Pt. Herein the shelf 1 for cell production comprises a control section for controlling the movable shelf sections 6 such that whenever removal of the component member or tool from the movable shelf 6 is detected, the movable shelf section 6 in which the next necessary component member or tool is stored, is automatically moved to the projected position Pt, and that after completion of predetermined work in each work station, the shelf is initialized by returning the movable shelf sections in the projected position Pt to the separated position Pr. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cell production shelf used for storing parts and tools in a cell production system in which products are produced by the same worker taking charge of a plurality of work processes, and in particular, the operator should take out next. The present invention relates to a cell production shelf that can be operated without losing parts or tools and without taking an unreasonable posture.

  Conventionally, a line production method has been widely adopted as a production method for products in factories and the like. This line production method is performed by providing a plurality of processes along a conveyor line that conveys a product, and an operator in charge of each process performs mounting, assembly, inspection, packing, and the like of each part. However, this line production system has a problem that it takes a lot of time to change the type of product, and cannot meet the high-mix low-volume production required in recent years. In addition, if the productivity and quality in one process on the line are reduced, the entire line is affected and the productivity and quality are reduced, so there is a problem that the productivity of other processes is wasted. .

  Therefore, instead of this line production method, a cell production method in which one worker takes charge of a plurality of processes or all processes is being adopted (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this cell production system, for example, a plurality of work stations are provided along a line called a cell arranged in a U-shape, and one or a plurality of workers perform a plurality of steps while moving each work station in order. Complete the product by taking charge. This cell production system is excellent for high-mix low-volume production, and even if one cell stops or produces a defective product, other cells operate independently without being affected. There is an advantage that waste is hardly generated in productivity. Furthermore, since one worker is responsible for a plurality of processes, there is an advantage that problems and improvements can be easily found.

  In this cell production system, cell production shelves for storing parts, tools, etc. are installed in each work station, and workers take out necessary parts, tools, etc. from the cell production shelves as necessary. I do. In this cell production shelf, usually, considering the workability, a plurality of upper and lower shelves are arranged in a so-called terraced shape. In other words, the bottom shelf is placed on the front side closest to the worker, and the top shelf is placed farthest from the operator by shifting it away from the worker as it goes up from there. Placed in.

JP 2003-251575 A

  However, the conventional cell production shelf has a problem of poor workability. In more detail, a cell line is often used for the production of multiple types of products, and the parts and tools required vary depending on the product. Many parts, tools, etc. are stored, including unnecessary ones. Therefore, an operator needs to select a necessary one from many parts and tools in consideration of the type of product to be produced, its work procedure, and the like. For this reason, when a low-skilled worker performs cell production with a large number of assembly points, time loss occurs due to hesitation in selecting necessary parts from many parts and tools stored in the cell production shelf, As a result, there is a problem that the working time becomes long. In particular, for foreign workers, this problem becomes even more pronounced with the addition of language barriers, and the education requires tremendous costs and labor.

  In addition, in the conventional cell production shelf, as described above, since the upper and lower shelves are arranged in a terraced shape, when taking out parts and tools from the upper shelf arranged on the far side away from the operator, The worker needs to reach out and may be forced to take an unreasonable posture depending on the body shape of the worker.

  Furthermore, in the conventional cell production shelf, considering the workability and the space saving in the depth direction, the upper and lower shelves are arranged in a terraced shape so as to partially overlap in plan view. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure a certain gap between the upper and lower shelves so that the operator's hand is not caught on the upper shelf when taking out the parts and tools. As a result, the overall height of the cell production shelf is increased, and depending on the height of the operator, an unreasonable posture may be imposed when taking out parts, tools, etc. from the upper shelf, and from the viewpoint of space saving. Is also not preferable.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and in a cell production shelf for storing parts and tools used for cell production, the operator is at a loss in selecting necessary parts and tools. Provided is a means for preventing time loss and preventing an operator from being forced into an unreasonable posture.

  The cell production shelf according to claim 1 for achieving the above object is a cell production system in which a product is produced by the same worker performing a plurality of work steps while moving a cell line having a plurality of work stations. A cell production shelf in which shelves for storing parts and tools to be used at each work station are stacked in a plurality of upper and lower stages, and each of the shelves is spaced apart from an operator; and It is provided so that it can move from the separated position to the protruding position that protrudes to the operator side, and whenever it detects that a part or tool has been taken out from each shelf, the shelf that contains the next necessary part or tool is automatically And a control unit that initializes the shelf at the projecting position by returning the shelf to the separated position after completion of predetermined work at each work station.

  The cell production shelf according to claim 2, wherein the initialization is performed by simultaneously returning the shelves in the protruding position to the separated positions.

  The cell production shelf according to claim 3, wherein the initialization is performed by returning all of the shelves at the protruding position to the separated position except for the lowest stage.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cell production shelf in which the parts and tools are stored in order from the lower shelf to the upper shelf in the order used at each work station.

  According to the cell production shelf according to the present invention, even when an unskilled worker assembles a product having a large number of parts, he / she is wondering in which shelf the necessary parts and tools are stored next. And can be quickly removed from the protruding shelf. Thus, the work time can be shortened by reducing the time loss due to the artificial determination time.

  Further, according to the cell production shelf according to the present invention, parts and tools can be taken out by moving the shelf of each stage from the separated position to the protruding position, so that an operator may be forced to take an unreasonable working posture. In any case, it is possible to always take out parts and tools in a fixed posture on any shelf. Thereby, reduction of a worker's physical burden and improvement of workability | operativity can be aimed at. In addition, there is no need to secure a certain gap between the upper and lower shelves so that the operator can insert his / her hand, so the overall height of the cell production shelf can be kept low, saving space. In addition, even if the worker is short, he cannot be forced to work.

  Further, according to the cell production shelf according to the present invention, by performing initialization while leaving only the bottom shelf of the shelf at the projecting position at the projecting position, when the work is started next, When the parts to be assembled are stored in the lowermost shelf, it is not necessary to move the lowermost shelf to the protruding position, and the time required for the entire work can be shortened.

  Further, according to the cell production shelf according to the present invention, the parts and tools are stored in order from the lower shelf to the upper shelf in the order used at each work station, so that the work proceeds. Accordingly, each shelf moves to the protruding position from the lower side toward the upper side. Therefore, the operator takes out parts and tools from the top shelf among the shelves moved to the protruding position, and the upper shelf protrudes so as not to obstruct the taking-out operation.

  Hereinafter, the shelf for cell production concerning the example of the present invention is explained based on a drawing. This cell production shelf stores parts and tools used when producing products by the cell production method, and is installed at each of a plurality of work stations provided along a U-shaped cell line, for example. Is done. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an appearance of a cell production shelf 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the cell production shelf 1 includes a shelf body 4 in which four vertical frames 2 extending in the vertical direction are connected to each other by a horizontal frame 3 extending in the horizontal direction, and the height of the shelf body 4. Operation of an operator provided between a movable shelf 6 on which boxes 5 that are arranged in a plurality of stages at predetermined intervals in the direction and store components, tools, and the like are placed, and each movable shelf 6 in the shelf body 4 And an operation detection sensor 7 for detecting.

  FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the movable shelf 6 enlarged on the left and right end sides. The movable shelf 6 includes a guide rail 8 having a substantially C-shaped longitudinal section fixed to the vertical frame 2 of the shelf body 4, a slider body 9 provided so as to be slidable along the guide rail 8, A shelf plate 10 that is supported by the slider body 9 so as to be slidable and on which the box 5 is placed, and a cylinder 11 that is fixed to the bottom of the guide rail 8 and applies a driving force to the shelf plate 10. is doing.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the slider main body 9 has a substantially C-shape whose longitudinal cross-sectional shape is slightly smaller than that of the guide rail 8, and a slide roller 12 is rotatably supported at the inner lower portion thereof. The slide roller 12 is in a state where a part of the slide roller 12 protrudes downward from the slider body 9 through a through hole 13 formed in the bottom of the slider body 9. A slide roller 12 is provided. The slider main body 9 configured as described above is accommodated in the guide rail 8, and a sliding roller 12 protruding from the bottom of the slider main body 9 is in contact with the guide rail 8. Thereby, the slider main body 9 can be slid along the guide rail 8. Although not shown in detail in the drawing, the guide rail 8 is appropriately provided with a stopper for restricting the moving range of the slider body 9 so that the slider body 9 does not fall out of the guide rail 8.

  As shown in FIG. 2, left and right end portions of the shelf board 10 on which the box 5 is placed are placed on a slide roller 12 that constitutes the slider body 9. Thereby, the shelf board 10 can be slid with respect to the slider main body 9. Although not shown in detail in the drawing, the slider body 9 is appropriately provided with a stopper for restricting the moving range of the shelf board 10 so that the shelf board 10 does not fall off the slider body 9. Thus, in addition to the sliding movement of the slider body 9 with respect to the guide rail 8, the shelf board 10 slides with respect to the slider body 9, so that the shelf board 10 is located inside the shelf body 4. Thus, it is possible to move to a separation position Pr separated from the operator and a protruding position Pt protruding from the separation position Pr toward the operator.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the movable shelf 6. The cylinder 11 applies a driving force to the shelf board 10 using air pressure, hydraulic pressure, or the like. As shown in FIG. 3, the cylinder 11 has a hollow cylindrical shape and a cylinder body 16 having injection ports 14 and 15 for injecting air and oil at both longitudinal ends thereof, The piston 17 is configured to reciprocate inside the cylinder body 16 and a rod 18 having one end fixed to the piston 17 and the other end penetrating the cylinder body 16 and projecting outside. Is done. The cylinder 11 configured as described above has a cylinder body 16 fixed to the bottom surface of the guide rail 8 and the other end of the rod 18 fixed to the shelf plate 10 via a fixing bracket 19.

  According to such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 3A, when air or oil is injected from the inlet 15 in a state where the shelf board 10 is at the separation position Pr, the piston 17 is moved to the cylinder body by air pressure or hydraulic pressure. By moving the interior of 16 to the inlet 14 side, the shelf plate 10 fixed to the other end of the rod 18 slides toward the outside of the shelf body 4 with respect to the slider body 9, and the slider body 9 also A sliding movement is made along the guide rail 8 toward the outside of the shelf body 4. Thereby, the shelf board 10 moves to the protrusion position Pt, as shown in FIG.3 (b). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3C, when air or oil is injected from the inlet 14 in a state where the shelf plate 10 is at the protruding position Pt, the piston 17 moves inside the cylinder body 16 toward the inlet 15 side. As a result, the shelf board 10 slides and moves inward of the shelf body 4 with respect to the slider body 9, and the slider body 9 also slides and moves inward of the shelf body 4 along the guide rail 8. Thereby, the shelf board 10 moves to the separation position Pr, as shown to Fig.3 (a). In this way, the position of the shelf board 10 can be arbitrarily controlled. The means for enabling the shelf board 10 to move between the separation position Pr and the protruding position Pt is not limited to the slider mechanism of this embodiment, and various conventionally known mechanisms can be employed. Further, as means for applying a driving force to the shelf board 10, it is possible to use a biasing force of a spring or the like instead of the cylinder 11 of the present embodiment.

  The motion detection sensor 7 is a so-called optical sensor. As shown in FIG. 1, a light emitting element 20 that irradiates light and a light receiving element 21 that receives light from the light emitting element 20 are provided on a shelf plate 10. By being supported by a fixed L-shaped sensor support plate 22, the box 5 is disposed so as to face each other. The motion detection sensor 7 is electrically connected to a control unit (not shown), and outputs an ON signal while the light receiving element 21 detects light from the light emitting element 20, and an OFF signal when no light is detected. , Each is issued to the control unit. Accordingly, when the control unit detects the OFF signal, it determines that the light is blocked by the operator's hand, that is, the operator is trying to take out a part or tool from the box 5. Then, when receiving the ON signal, the control unit determines that the work for the operator to take out the parts and tools from the box 5 is completed. Thereby, the control unit can monitor the operation of the worker and control the operation of the cell production shelf 1 accordingly.

  Hereinafter, the operation control according to the first embodiment of the cell production shelf 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, illustration of some members such as the cylinder 11 is omitted. In the initial state before the cell production work is started, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), the cell production shelf 1 has only the bottom shelf 10 projecting to the projecting position Pt, and being higher than that. All the shelf boards 10 of the step are in the separated position Pr. When the work is started from this state, the details are not shown in the figure, but the worker first reads the barcode attached to the product main body on the cell line with a barcode reader or the like. In this bar code, which parts are assembled in what order with respect to the product main body and in which order the movable shelves 6 of the cell production shelf 1 are stored are recorded. Based on this information, the control unit controls the operation of the cell production shelf 1.

  From the information read from the barcode, the control unit identifies the number of movable shelves 6 in the cell production shelf 1 that are initially assembled to the product body, and as shown in FIG. Then, the shelf plate 10 at that stage is projected from the separation position Pr to the projecting position Pt. When it is detected by the motion sensor 7 that the operator has taken out a part or tool from the protruding movable shelf 6, the control unit leaves the protruding movable shelf 6 at the protruding position Pt. Next, the movable shelf 6 in which the parts to be assembled to the product body are specified, and the shelf board 10 is projected to the projecting position Pt as shown in FIG. Similarly, every time the control unit detects that the operator has taken out a part or tool, the control unit specifies the shelf in which the part to be assembled next is stored, and the control unit shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b). As shown, the operation of projecting the shelf board 10 to the projecting position Pt is repeated. Here, in the cell production shelf 1, the parts and tools used earlier at the work station are stored in the lower movable shelf 6, and the parts and tools used later are stored in the upper movable shelf 6. As the work progresses, the shelf board 10 projects from the lower stage side to the upper stage side to the projecting position Pt. Therefore, when the operator takes out the parts and tools, it is only necessary to take out the movable shelf 6 from the top of the movable shelves 6 in the state of protruding to the protruding position Pt. It does not get in the way of protruding to Pt. In the present embodiment, all the movable shelves 6 from the first level, which is the lowest level, to the fifth level, which is the highest level, are sequentially projected, but it is not always necessary to project the movable shelves 6 of all levels. Instead, it is sufficient to project only the movable shelf 6 in which necessary parts are stored in the projecting position Pt according to the type of product.

  When the assembly of all the parts to the product main body is completed, the control unit initializes the cell production shelf 1 as shown in FIG. 5C, that is, the movable shelf 6 protruding to the protruding position Pt. The movable shelves 6 of all the steps except the lowest step are simultaneously returned to the separation position Pr. As a result, the cell production shelf 1 is in an initial state in which only the lowermost movable shelf 6 protrudes to the protruding position Pt, and the upper movable shelves 6 are all in the separated position Pr. As described above, when the initialization is performed, only the lowermost movable shelf 6 is left in a protruding state. When the work is started next, the first part to be assembled is stored in the lowermost movable shelf 6. In this case, the time required for the entire operation to be shortened by eliminating the time required for the lowermost movable shelf 6 to protrude to the protruding position Pt, and the first part to be assembled depending on the type of product is other than the lowermost stage. This is because the projecting lowermost movable shelf 6 does not interfere with the work even when it is stored in the movable shelf 6 of this stage. Of course, it is also possible to initialize the cell production shelf 1 by returning the lowermost movable shelf 6 to the separation position Pr in the same manner as the movable shelf 6 in the other stages.

  In this way, the shelves of each stage constituting the cell production shelf 1 can be moved to the separation position Pr and the protruding position Pt, and the movable shelf 6 storing the parts necessary for the next work process is moved from the separation position Pr. By automatically projecting to the projecting position Pt, even if a low-skilled worker installs a product with a large number of parts, the next necessary part or tool is stored in which shelf. Without being confused, it can be quickly taken out from the box 5 on the protruding movable shelf 6. Thus, the work time can be shortened by reducing the time loss due to the artificial determination time.

  Further, since the cell production shelf 1 makes it possible to take out parts and tools by causing the movable shelves 6 of each stage to protrude from the separation position Pr to the protruding position Pt, it is necessary to arrange the movable shelves 6 in a terraced shape. There is no. Therefore, the operator is not forced to take an unreasonable working posture such as reaching to the movable shelf 6 at a distant position, and always places parts and tools in a fixed posture regardless of the movable shelf 6 at any stage. It can be taken out. Thereby, reduction of a worker's physical burden and improvement of workability | operativity can be aimed at. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to secure a certain gap between the upper and lower movable shelves 6 so that an operator can insert his / her hand, the overall height of the cell production shelf 1 can be kept low to save space. In addition to being able to plan, even if the height of the worker is low, an unreasonable working posture is not forced.

  In this embodiment, in order to initialize the cell production shelf 1, all the movable shelves 6 except for the lowest stage among the movable shelves 6 projecting to the projecting position Pt after the assembly of all the parts to the product main body is completed. Although the shelves 6 are simultaneously returned to the separation position Pr, the initialization method is not limited to this. That is, in order to initialize the cell production shelf 1, the assembly of all the parts is completed, and the movable shelf 6 in the stage in which the last assembled part is stored is returned from the protruding position Pt to the separated position Pr. It is sufficient to return all the movable shelves 6 that have been projected to the projecting position Pt to the separation position Pr before that, and the timing and order of returning the movable shelves 6 of each stage to the separation position Pr are the same as in this embodiment. It is not limited and can be changed as appropriate. For example, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, when the motion detection sensor 7 detects that a part or tool has been taken out from the movable shelf 6 protruding to the protruding position Pt, the next necessary part is stored. Simultaneously with or prior to projecting the movable shelf 6 of the stage, it is also possible to return the movable shelf 6 of the stage storing the assembled parts from the projecting position Pt to the separation position Pr.

  In this embodiment, four boxes 5 are arranged on the shelf board 10 in the horizontal direction and two boxes 5 are arranged in the vertical direction. However, the number and arrangement of the boxes are not limited to this embodiment and can be arbitrarily changed. it can. Here, when arranging a plurality of boxes 5 in the horizontal direction, it is possible to work out which box 5 out of the plurality of boxes 5 arranged in the horizontal direction should be taken out by simply protruding the shelf 10. May be lost. In this case, details are not shown in the figure, but by providing display lamps corresponding to the arrangement positions of the respective boxes 5 on the movable shelf 6 and by causing the display lamps to light in addition to protruding the shelf board 10, It is possible to prevent a person from getting lost. In the present embodiment, the box 5 for storing components, tools, and the like is a separate member from the shelf board 10, but it is of course possible to integrally form the box 5 with the shelf board 10.

  The present invention can be provided with an arbitrary number of movable shelves in the vertical direction, and is not limited to each work station, and can be installed at any position along the cell line.

The schematic perspective view which shows the external appearance of the shelf 1 for cell production which concerns on the Example of this invention. The partial expanded sectional view expanded about the left-right one end side of the movable shelf 6. FIG. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the movable shelf 6. FIG. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the operation control which concerns on 1st Example of the shelf 1 for cell production. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the operation control which concerns on 1st Example of the shelf 1 for cell production. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the operation control which concerns on 2nd Example of the shelf 1 for cell production. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the operation control which concerns on 2nd Example of the shelf 1 for cell production.

Explanation of symbols

1 Cell production shelf 6 Movable shelf 10 Shelf plate Pr Separation position Pt Projection position

Claims (4)

Used in a cell production system for producing products by moving a cell line having a plurality of work stations while the same worker performs a plurality of work processes, and for storing parts and tools used in each work station. In cell production shelves where shelves are stacked in multiple stages,
Each of the shelves is provided movably to a separation position separated from the operator and a protruding position protruding from the separation position to the operator side,
Each time it detects that a part or tool has been removed from each shelf, it automatically moves the shelf containing the next necessary part or tool to the protruding position and completes the specified work at each work station. A cell production shelf, comprising: a controller that initializes the shelf at the protruding position by returning the shelf to the separated position.   The cell production shelf according to claim 1, wherein the initialization is performed by simultaneously returning the shelves in the protruding position to the separated positions.   3. The cell production shelf according to claim 1, wherein the initialization is performed by returning all of the shelves in the protruding position except the lowest to the separated position.   The cell production according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the parts and tools are stored in order from a lower shelf to an upper shelf in the order used at each work station. Shelves.

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