JP2009131908A - Automatic manufacturing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small-size and low-cost automatic manufacturing system having a high versatility easily responding to wide variety of products. <P>SOLUTION: This automatic manufacturing system 1 performing a plurality of working operations with respect to workpieces W is characterized in having: a robot installed on a pedestal 2 to carry a workpiece W and preforming a plurality of working operations; a plurality of working hands 4 formed into shapes corresponding to at least one of the carrying of the workpiece W and the plurality of working operations; a plurality of working units 5A-5F each having a pedestal 11 and a work mechanism installed on the pedestal 11 and used for at least one of the plurality of working operations and changeably disposed on the pedestal 2 within the working range of the robot 3; a positioning means 6 provided on the pedestal 2 and prescribing the arrangement positions of the working units 5A-5F; and a control part connected to the robot 3 and the plurality of working units 5A-5F and controlling the carrying of the workpieces W and the plurality of working operations. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic production apparatus that produces small parts and products.

In recent years, product life cycles have been shortened due to intensifying product competition due to diversification of customer needs, and the types of products have come to cover a wide variety of products in accordance with diversification of needs. Conventional production lines and production apparatuses are changed or newly constructed for each product, and it is difficult to reduce the cost because the cost is too high at the time of multi-product production. Therefore, in manufacturing, there is an increasing demand for a highly versatile production apparatus that can be used not only for automation but also for high-mix, low-volume production.
In addition, from the viewpoints of reducing power consumption, improving space production efficiency, and reducing device costs, there is a need for a device that has a size suitable for the parts and products to be produced, instead of a conventional large-scale device.

  As a prior art in this field, work modules are arranged in a straight line on a table to constitute a production line, and each work module is composed of three or four units. There is known a production line system that can cope with various products by rearranging (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In addition, regarding the production of micro parts, an assembly to be transported by transport means is introduced into a cleaned indoor unit, at least one indoor unit is provided, and the micro parts supplied to one of the indoor units are Automatic microcomponents that have an indoor unit that measures the relative displacement of the assembly using measuring means and performs assembly, fastening and coupling, adjustment, and inspection of microcomponents, and the indoor unit is detachable A manufacturing system is known (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
JP 2003-295156 A Japanese Patent No. 3094669

  However, in the production line system described in Patent Document 1, in order to cope with various products, it is necessary to rearrange the units or work robots in all the modules, and it is a problem that manual recombination and adjustment are complicated. There is. In addition, since it takes the form of a line, a transfer device, a work robot, and positioning means are required for each work module to construct a single production system, resulting in an increase in the size of the device. There is also a problem that the cost becomes high.

Also, in the automatic microparts manufacturing system described in Patent Document 2, in order to construct one production system as in Patent Document 1, a transfer device, a working robot, and a cleaning means are required for each indoor unit. Therefore, the problem of the size of the apparatus and the apparatus cost similarly exists.
Furthermore, since the transport system is also provided outside the indoor unit, a clean room is required to make a completely clean environment, and there is a problem that enormous costs other than the apparatus are required.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a highly versatile automatic production apparatus that can be easily adapted to a wide variety of products in a small size and at a low cost.

  The present invention is an automatic production apparatus that performs a plurality of operations on a workpiece, and is installed on a gantry to carry the workpiece and perform the plurality of operations, and is replaceably attached to the robot, A plurality of work hands formed in a shape corresponding to at least one of the work transfer and the plurality of operations, a base, and installed on the base and used for at least one of the plurality of operations. A plurality of work units that are replaceably disposed on the platform and within a work range of the robot, and positioning means that is provided on the platform and defines the position of the work unit. And a controller that is connected to the robot and the plurality of work units, and controls the transfer of the workpiece and the plurality of works.

  In the present invention, the work includes a single part and a product or semi-finished product in which a plurality of parts are combined.

  According to the automatic production apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to cope with various processes by appropriately selecting and exchanging work units on the gantry according to the contents of a plurality of work performed on the workpiece.

  Each of the work units has the same shape and size of the base, and prevents the work unit from being arranged in an incorrect direction on at least one of the base and the base. There may be a misplacement prevention unit, and in each of the work mechanisms, the coordinates on the base in plan view of the work position where the work of the work is performed may be set to be the same. In this case, it is only necessary to control the robot so as to transport the workpiece to the same work position regardless of the type of the work unit on the gantry, so that the control of the control unit is simplified and can be controlled more suitably.

  The automatic production apparatus of the present invention may further include a cover that covers the robot and the work unit, and a clean unit that is attached to the cover and cleans the air in the cover. In this case, the work can be performed in a clean environment without installing a clean room or the like.

  Each of the operation units may be configured to perform any one of processing, assembly, adjustment, measurement, cleaning, adhesion, inspection, welding, and soldering as the plurality of operations. In this case, an automatic production apparatus that can handle various processes can be configured.

  The work hand may be detachably attached to the work unit corresponding to the work. In this case, since the work unit and the work hand can be installed at the same time, the work unit and the work hand can be replaced in a simpler, easier and shorter time when the work type is changed.

  According to the automatic production apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to provide a highly versatile automatic production apparatus that can be easily adapted to various types of products at a small size and at low cost.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an automatic production apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the automatic production apparatus 1. 1, the positioning means 6 described later is omitted for easy understanding of the configuration, and FIG. 2 is shown excluding the cover 7 described later for easy viewing of the configuration on the gantry 2. ing.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an automatic production apparatus 1 includes a robot 3 that is installed on a gantry 2 and carries a workpiece W and performs a plurality of operations, and a plurality of robots 3 that are interchangeably attached to the tip of the robot 3. Work hand 4,
A plurality of work units 5 that are replaceably arranged on the gantry 2 and within the work range of the robot 3, positioning means 6 that is provided on the gantry 2 and that defines the position of the work unit 5, And a cover 7 that covers the mechanism.

  The gantry 2 has a flat upper surface, and the robot 3 and the six work units 5A to 5F are arranged. On the front surface of the gantry 2, a work carry-in port 8 through which the work W is carried in and a work carry-out port 9 through which the work W is carried out are provided. At the workpiece carry-in port 8 and the workpiece carry-out port 9, the workpiece W is exchanged with the upper surface of the gantry 2 by a conveyance mechanism (not shown) such as an air cylinder, a conveyor, or a single-axis robot.

  The robot 3 has a known configuration and has an articulated work arm 3A. A work hand 4 for transporting the workpiece W is detachably attached to the tip of the work arm 3A. There are a plurality of work hands 4, each of which is formed in a shape corresponding to the work performed by the work unit. In FIG. 1, work hands other than the transport work hand 4 </ b> A are accommodated in a hand magazine 10 disposed in the vicinity of the robot 3.

Each of the work units 5A to 5F includes a base 11 installed on the gantry 2, work mechanisms 12A to 12F provided on the base 11, respectively, and a side wall 13 covering the outer periphery of each work mechanism. Configured. The working mechanisms 12A to 12F perform, for example, a specific work or process on the work W among various works or processes such as processing, assembly, adjustment, measurement, cleaning, adhesion, inspection, welding, and soldering. It is configured with the necessary mechanical elements. Moreover, the upper part of each work unit is open, and the work hand 4 can be accessed from the upper part.
Although the working mechanisms 12A to 12F actually have different shapes, all the working mechanisms are simplified to the same shape for easy understanding of the description.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the base 11 of each work unit can be used in common, and has a substantially rectangular shape having a long side and a short side. In each work unit, work positions PA to PF where work is performed on the work W are set to have the same coordinates on the base 11 in plan view. That is, in any work unit, the distance L1 between the work position and the long side S1 facing the robot 3 of the base 11 and the short side S2 located on the right side of the work position and the robot 11 of the base 11 Are set to be the same.

  Further, in the vicinity of the robot 3, there are provided a carry-in stage 8 </ b> A in which the work W carried in from the work carry-in port 8 is carried and a carry-out stage 9 </ b> A in which the finished work W is placed and carried to the work carry-out port 9. ing.

  FIG. 3 shows the positioning means 6 and the work unit 5. The positioning means 6 includes a plurality of abutting portions 14 provided so as to protrude from the gantry 2, and a clamp portion 15 that fixes the work unit 5 on the gantry 2.

  The contact portion 14 is, for example, a round bar-like member, and is attached to a position corresponding to the long side S <b> 1 facing the robot 3 of the work unit 5 and the short side S <b> 2 positioned on the right side of the robot 3. Therefore, the work unit 5 can be positioned at a predetermined position on the gantry 2 by placing the base 11 by abutting the long side S1 and the short side S2 of each work unit 5 against the contact portion 14. . The shape and arrangement position of the contact portion 14 are not particularly limited as long as the base 11 can be positioned on the gantry 2 and may be appropriately changed according to various conditions such as a space.

The clamp portion 15 is composed of a fixed member 15A on the work unit 5 side and a fixing member 15B provided on the gantry 2, and the base 11 of the work unit 5 positioned by the abutting portion 14 is predetermined. Fix in position.
The clamp part 15 may be provided on the long side S <b> 1 and the short side S <b> 2 that contact the contact part 14, or may be provided on the long and short sides that do not contact the contact part 14. Further, the fixed member 15A may be provided on the gantry 2 and the fixing member 15B may be provided on the work unit 5.

Furthermore, a protrusion 16A that protrudes downward is provided on the lower surface of the base 11, and the base 2 is fitted with the protrusion 16A when the work unit 5 is set on the base 2 in the correct orientation. A mating hole 16B is provided. And the misplacement prevention part 16 is comprised by 16 A of protrusion parts, and the fitting hole 16B.
When the long side opposite to the long side S1 of the work unit 5 comes into contact with the contact part 14, at least one protrusion 16A and the fitting hole 16B are installed. There is no particular limitation as long as it does not fit, that is, the position where the projection unit 16A and the gantry 2 interfere with each other and the work unit 5 cannot be installed.

  Further, the side wall portion 13 is provided with a connection hole 13A, and a connector 17 extending from below the gantry 2 is connected to the work mechanism of each work unit through the connection hole 13A. Each connector 17 is connected to a control unit described later.

The cover 7 is provided so as to cover each mechanism such as the robot 3, each work unit 5, and the hand magazine 10 arranged on the gantry 2, and each mechanism on the gantry 2 by a user via a door (not shown). Is configured to be accessible.
A known clean unit 18 is attached to the upper surface of the cover 7 so that the air in the cover 7 can be cleaned and the working environment of the automatic production apparatus 1 can be kept clean.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the connection of each part of the automatic production apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the robot 3 and the work units 5A to 5F installed on the gantry 2 are connected to a control unit 19 that controls the operation of the entire automatic production apparatus 1. The control unit 19 stores production programs for a plurality of types of products and parts. The control unit 19 is connected to an input unit 20 for a user to input various information to the control unit 19.
As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 19 may be integrated into the automatic production apparatus 1 or may be stored in an external device such as a personal computer connected to the automatic production apparatus 1.

The operation | movement at the time of use of the automatic production apparatus 1 comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated below.
First, the user opens a door (not shown) of the cover 7 and arranges the work unit 5 corresponding to various works performed on the workpiece W on the gantry 2. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the long side S <b> 1 and the short side S <b> 2 of the base 11 are brought into contact with the contact part 14 of the positioning means 6 to position each work unit 5 while positioning the work unit 5. The protruding portion 16A is fitted into the fitting hole 16B, and is fixed on the gantry 2 via the clamp portion 15.
At the same time, the work hand 4 corresponding to the installed work unit 5 is set in the hand magazine 10.

Then, the connector 17 is connected to the work mechanism of each work unit through the connection hole 13A of the side wall part 13. Then, the door of the cover 7 is closed and the automatic production apparatus 1 is activated.
Note that the work units do not have to be arranged at all six locations on the gantry 2, and are not necessarily arranged in the order of steps.

  When the automatic production apparatus 1 is activated, the clean unit 18 operates to clean the air in the cover 7 and prepare for work. The clean unit 18 continues to operate during work on the workpiece W, and maintains a clean environment in the cover 7.

  In parallel, the control unit 19 recognizes the type and position of the work unit 5 installed via the connector 17. Through the input unit 20, the user obtains various information necessary for the work such as the order of steps performed using each work unit 5 (that is, the use order of the work units 5) and the type of the corresponding work hand 4. Input to the control unit 19.

  After inputting various information, the user operates a workpiece supply device (not shown) to sequentially supply workpieces W from the workpiece carry-in entrance 8. The supplied workpiece W automatically moves to the carry-in stage 8A on the gantry 2.

  The robot 3 performs the work in each process in a predetermined order on the workpiece W on the carry-in stage 8A based on the information input from the input unit 20. In the following description, work units 5A to 5C are installed on the gantry 2 at the positions shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and work corresponding to each work unit is performed in the order of the work units 5A, 5B, and 5C. The explanation is based on the assumption that

  First, the robot 3 grips the work W on the carry-in stage 8A by the work hand 4A dedicated for transport attached to the tip of the work arm 3A, transports it to the work position PA of the work unit 5A, and places it on the work position PA. Put. In the work unit 5A, a predetermined work is performed on the work W by the work mechanism 12A. The robot 3 replaces the work hand 4A with a corresponding shape installed in the hand magazine 10 as necessary, and performs or assists the work.

  After the work in the work unit 5A is completed, the robot 3 replaces the work hand with the work hand 4A, grips the work W at the work position PA, and transports it to the work position PB of the work unit 5B that performs the next process. To place. At this time, if the work hand used in the work unit 5A has a shape that can be transported, the work W may be transported as it is without replacing the work hand.

  Subsequently, the work corresponding to the work unit 5B is performed on the work W at the work position PB in the same procedure as in the work unit 5A. The work W after the work is transported to the work position PC of the work unit 5C in the same procedure as described above, and the work corresponding to the work W is performed.

  After all the scheduled operations for the workpiece W are completed, the workpiece W is transferred to the unloading stage 9A by the robot 3 and placed thereon. Thereafter, the workpiece W is sent to the next process from the workpiece carry-out port 9.

  When changing the work content, the door of the cover 7 is opened, the connector 17 is removed from the work unit 5, the clamp part 15 is removed, and the work unit is replaced with a necessary work unit. After replacing the work hand 4 in the hand magazine 10 as necessary, when the user closes the door and inputs information necessary for the work from the input unit 20 to the control unit 19, the setting is completed and the work is performed. It becomes executable.

  According to the automatic production apparatus 1 of the present invention, processing, assembly, adjustment, measurement, and the like by appropriately selecting and exchanging the work unit 5 arranged on the gantry 2 according to various works performed on the workpiece W. An automatic production apparatus that can flexibly handle various types of processes such as cleaning, adhesion inspection, welding, and soldering can be configured.

  Also, a plurality of work hands 4 that are detachably attached to the work arm 3A of the robot 3 are provided corresponding to each work unit 5 and are installed in the hand magazine 10 so as to be replaceable. By exchanging the hand 4, it is possible to carry the workpiece W and perform a plurality of different operations on the workpiece W with a common robot. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a robot for each work unit, and it is possible to provide an automatic production apparatus that is small in size, simple in configuration, and low in manufacturing cost.

Furthermore, since the base 11 of each work unit 5 is reliably positioned and installed at a predetermined position by the positioning means 6, it is possible to reliably carry the work W and work by the robot 3.
In addition, since the shape of the base 11 is set to be the same for each work unit, all work units can be installed at all installation positions on the gantry 2 and the versatility of the apparatus can be improved. .

  Moreover, since the misplacement prevention unit 16 is provided on the gantry 2 and the base 11, if the work unit 5 is installed in the wrong direction, it cannot be installed due to the interference of the misplacement prevention unit 16. Therefore, even if the base 11 has a point-like shape such as a rectangle in plan view as in this embodiment, it can be accurately installed without misdirection.

  Further, since the coordinates on the base 11 in the plan view of the work positions PA to PF in each work unit are set to be the same, the coordinates in the plan view of the work position where the work is performed no matter which work unit is arranged. It will be the same. Therefore, since the work hand 4 of the robot 3 only has to move the workpiece W to the coordinates of the work position regardless of the type of work unit installed, the control of the robot 3 by the control unit 19 is simplified and automatic. The production apparatus 1 can be controlled more suitably.

  In addition, since the cover 7 having the clean unit 18 covers the robot 3 and the work unit 5 on the gantry 2, various operations can be performed on the workpiece W in a clean environment without installing a clean room.

Next, an automatic production apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. A difference between the automatic production apparatus of the present embodiment and the automatic production apparatus of the first embodiment is that a corresponding work hand is attached to each work unit.
In addition, about each structure already mentioned in the said 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of the work unit 22 in the present embodiment. A part of the side wall portion 23 is a work hand mounting portion 25 having a bottom surface parallel to the base 24, and a work hand 26 corresponding to the work in the work unit 22 is detachably accommodated therein.

  In the automatic production apparatus of this embodiment, after the robot 3 transports the workpiece W to the work position of the work unit 22, the work hand 4 </ b> A dedicated for transport is removed by the hand magazine 10 as necessary, and the work hand mounting unit 25 The work hand 26 is attached to the tip of the work arm 3A, and work is performed.

Also in the automatic production apparatus of this embodiment, the same effect as the automatic production apparatus 1 of the first embodiment described above can be obtained.
Further, a work hand 26 corresponding to the work unit 22 is accommodated in the work hand mounting portion 25 and integrated with the work unit 22. Therefore, the installation space of the hand magazine 10 can be reduced, and the size of the apparatus can be further reduced. Further, when the work unit is exchanged in accordance with the change of the work type, the work unit 26 to be used is simply installed on the gantry 2, and the installation of the corresponding work hand 26 is simultaneously completed. Therefore, the work unit and the work hand can be replaced easily and in a short time before the operation of the apparatus.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the work hand mounting portion 25 is provided on a part of the side wall portion 23 has been described. Instead, the work hand mounting portion 25 is provided on the base 24 or the work mechanism. It doesn't matter.

While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the example in which the work unit has the side wall portion has been described. However, the work unit does not have the side wall portion, and may be configured only by the base and the work mechanism.

  Further, the installation position and configuration of the misplacement prevention unit are not limited to the aspects in the above-described embodiment. For example, when the work unit is installed in a different direction on the base 2 where the long side opposite to the long side S1 of the base is located when the work unit is installed, it interferes with the fixed member of the clamp portion. The misplacement prevention unit may be provided by providing a protrusion or the like. Similarly, when the work unit is installed in a different direction, a projection or the like may be provided on the base so as to interfere with the abutting portion, thereby providing a misplacement prevention unit.

  Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, an example in which an articulated robot is used as the robot has been described. However, if the workpiece transfer and the work with respect to the workpiece are configured by only orthogonal movement, the xyz robot can be used instead of the articulated robot. Any orthogonal robot may be used. The number of robots is not limited to one, and a plurality of robots may be used.

  Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the number of work units installed on the gantry or the number of work units to be prepared, and can be determined as appropriate. Therefore, the automatic production apparatus may be configured such that the number of work units larger than the total number of installation locations on the gantry is provided, and necessary work units are appropriately selected from these units and installed on the gantry.

  Further, the cover and the clean unit are not essential for the automatic production apparatus of the present invention. When handling a workpiece that does not require a clean environment, an automatic production apparatus may be configured without providing these mechanisms.

It is a perspective view which shows the automatic production apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the same automatic production apparatus. It is a figure which expands and shows the mount frame and work unit of the automatic production apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the connection of each part of the automatic production apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the work unit in the automatic production apparatus of 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic production apparatus 2 Base 3 Robot 3A Work arm 4, 4A, 26 Work hand 5, 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 5E, 5F, 22 Work unit 6 Positioning means 7 Cover 11, 24 Base 12A, 12B, 12C , 12D, 12E, 12F Work mechanism 16 Misplacement prevention unit 18 Clean unit 19 Control unit W Workpiece

Claims (5)

An automatic production device that performs multiple operations on a workpiece,
A robot installed on a pedestal for carrying the workpiece and performing the plurality of operations;
A plurality of work hands attached to the robot in a replaceable manner and formed in a shape corresponding to at least one of the work transfer and the plurality of work;
A plurality of bases and a work mechanism installed on the base and used for at least one of the plurality of works, and arranged interchangeably on the platform and within the work range of the robot A working unit of
Positioning means provided on the gantry and defining an arrangement position of the work unit;
A controller that is connected to the robot and the plurality of work units and controls the transfer of the workpiece and the plurality of works;
An automatic production apparatus comprising: Each said work unit is
The shape and size of the base are the same,
At least one of the base and the gantry has a misplacement prevention unit that prevents the work unit from being placed in a wrong direction,
2. The automatic production apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in each of the work mechanisms, coordinates on the base in a plan view of a work position where the work of the workpiece is performed are set to be the same. A cover covering the robot and the work unit;
A clean unit attached to the cover and purifying the air in the cover;
The automatic production apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:   Each of the operation units is configured to perform any one of processing, assembly, adjustment, measurement, cleaning, adhesion, inspection, welding, and soldering as the plurality of operations. 2. The automatic production apparatus according to 2.   The automatic production apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the work hand is detachably attached to the work unit corresponding to the work.

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