JP2010047086A - Nut detection system for body panel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve such a problem that it is very difficult for a worker to visually confirm the presence or absence of a nut attached to the back side of a bolt mounting hole in a body panel. <P>SOLUTION: A nut detection system for a body panel has: an image shooting device 1 which can shoot an image of the bolt mounting hole H in the body panel BP at an angle other than a right angle to a panel surface of the body panel BP; an image processor 2 which processes the image shot at an angle other than the right angle to the panel surface of the body panel BP and transmitted from the image shooting device 1; and a sequence controller 3 which is connected to the image processor 2 and sends an instruction signal to an assembly line corresponding to the sent signal. The image processor 2 detects the presence or absence of the nut NT attached to the panel back surface, based on the image shot by the image shooting device 1 at an angle other than the right angle to the panel surface of the body panel BP and, if the nut NT does not exist, the sequence controller 3 transmits the instruction signal to stop the assembly line. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a nut detection system for a body panel that detects the presence or absence of a nut attached to a body panel or the like of an automobile in an assembly process of an automobile manufacturing factory or the like.

  In an assembly process of a manufacturing plant such as an automobile, a body panel to be assembled has a nut fixed to the back side of a bolt mounting hole at various positions of the body panel by welding or the like as a corresponding member of a bolt to be mounted.

  And the confirmation work of the presence or absence of the nut fixed to the back side of the bolt mounting hole of the body panel is performed by the worker's visual recognition work, or the difficult part is using a transfer device or a detection device such as a limit switch. And the presence or absence of a nut was detected directly from the bolt mounting hole of the body panel.

  As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 1, the body panel of an automobile has a bag-like portion at the bottom of the vehicle body, and the nut attached to the back side of the bolt mounting hole of such a portion is determined by the operator. It was very difficult to confirm the presence or absence of a nut by visual inspection. For this reason, when the nut is sent to the next process with a missing nut, there is no nut that is not a nut that should be in the bolt mounting hole.

  In order to cover them, there are cases where devices such as limit switches and other detection devices are added, but there is a problem that it is difficult to detect the presence or absence of nuts by limit switches, and there is a problem that equipment costs are required. .

In order to solve the above problems, a bolt mounting hole of a body panel used for assembling an automobile or the like is provided on a camera that can shoot at an angle other than a right angle with respect to the panel surface of the body panel, and a panel surface of the body panel. An image processing apparatus that performs image processing by transmitting an image captured at an angle other than a right angle from the photographing machine, and an instruction signal to the assembly line corresponding to the signal transmitted from the image processing apparatus connected to the image processing apparatus Have a sequence controller to send,
The image processing device detects the presence or absence of a nut mounted on the back of the panel based on an image taken by the camera at an angle other than a right angle with respect to the panel surface of the body panel. We propose a nut detection system for a body panel that transmits an instruction signal to stop the operation.

  In addition, a camera that can shoot at an angle other than a right angle with respect to the panel surface of the body panel is fixed and arranged at a fixed position, and the body panel is clamped to a jig with respect to the camera A nut detection system for a body panel according to the paragraph 0006 is proposed in which the panel surface is arranged and photographed with a certain angle other than a right angle.

  Furthermore, a photographing machine capable of photographing at an angle other than a right angle with respect to the panel surface of the body panel is fixed to the working robot, and the body panel is fixed by moving the working robot. The body panel nut detection system according to item 0006, which can be photographed at a certain angle other than a right angle to the panel surface.

  According to the present invention, even when the back side of the body panel of the automobile is surrounded by other body panels and the back side is not visible, the presence or absence of the nut attached to the back side can be easily and reliably detected. There is.

  Further, unlike the conventional detection device, the equipment can be easily installed at a relatively low cost.

  1 and FIG. 1 are front explanatory views showing the positional relationship between the photographing device and the body panel of the detection system when the body panel has a nut in the body panel nut detection system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front explanatory view showing the positional relationship between the photographing machine and the body panel of the detection system when there is no nut in the body panel, FIG. 3 showing the image of FIG. 3, FIG. 4 showing the plane of the bolt mounting hole of the body panel 5 and 5 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The body panel nut detection system according to the embodiment of the present invention can photograph a bolt mounting hole H of a body panel BP used for assembling an automobile or the like at an angle other than a right angle with respect to the panel surface of the body panel BP. An image processing apparatus 2 that transmits an image captured at an acute angle with respect to the panel surface of the camera 1 and the body panel BP and performs image processing from the camera 1, and an image processing apparatus 2 that is connected to the image processing apparatus 2 The sequence controller 3 sends an instruction signal to the assembly line in response to the signal transmitted from.

  The photographing machine 1 may be a photographing machine capable of continuously photographing time-lapse images, such as a video camera or a TV camera, and may be an ordinary camera that takes a single image as long as digital data can be transmitted to the image processing apparatus. Note that the photographing machine 1 can be attached with an illuminator (not shown) and illuminate itself even in the dark to photograph the bolt mounting hole H of the body panel BP.

  The photographing machine 1 can be set at an angle other than a right angle with respect to the panel surface of the body panel BP, for example, an angle range of 45 degrees ± 30 degrees. Further, the distance between the photographing machine 1 and the panel surface of the body panel BP can be arbitrarily selected according to the focal length of the photographing machine 1. The photographing machine 1 detects the presence or absence of the nut NT on which the image processing apparatus 2 is mounted on the back surface of the panel based on the image photographed in the above-described angle range and distance.

  As shown in FIG. 1, when a nut NT is attached to the back side of the bolt mounting hole H of the body panel BP, the image transmitted to the image processing device 2 is the bolt mounting hole H as shown in FIG. The image processing apparatus 2 determines that the nut NT is present and is OK.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the nut NT is not missing on the panel back side of the bolt mounting hole H of the body panel BP, the image transmitted to the image processing device 2 is the bolt mounting hole H as shown in FIG. The image processing apparatus 2 determines NG if the nut NT is not present, and transmits this determination to the sequence controller 3. Upon receiving the NG signal, the sequence controller 3 transmits an instruction signal for stopping the NG body panel BP to the assembly line.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the photographing machine 1 is disposed and fixed at a fixed position at an angle other than a right angle with respect to the panel surface of the body panel BP. In this case, the body panel BP is clamped by a jig with respect to the photographing machine 1 and the panel surface is disposed with a certain angle other than a right angle, for example, an acute angle of 45 degrees. After photographing, the jig is unclamped and removed, and this is repeated to check for the presence of a nut on the back side of the bolt mounting hole H of the body panel BP.

  The photographing machine 1 is fixedly disposed on a working robot (not shown), moves together with the working robot, and sequentially photographs at a certain angle other than a right angle with respect to the panel surfaces of the plurality of fixed body panels BP. It is also possible to determine by transmitting the image to the image processing apparatus 2.

  The present invention is used as a body panel nut detection system that detects the presence or absence of a nut attached to an automobile body panel or the like in an assembly process of an automobile manufacturing factory or the like.

Front explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship of the imaging | photography machine and body panel of a detection system when a nut exists in a body panel about the nut detection system of the body panel which is embodiment of this invention Explanatory drawing which shows the image of FIG. Front explanatory view showing the positional relationship between the body panel and the photographing device of the detection system when there is no nut in the body panel for the body panel nut detection system according to the embodiment of the present invention Explanatory drawing which shows the image of FIG. Top view of the bolt holes on the body panel AA line sectional view of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Camera 2 Image processing device 3 Sequence controller BP Body panel H Bolt mounting hole NT Nut BT Bolt

Claims (3)

A camera that can shoot the bolt holes on the body panel used for assembly of automobiles, etc. at an angle other than a right angle to the panel surface of the body panel, and an angle other than a right angle to the panel surface of the body panel. An image processing device that performs image processing by transmitting the processed image from the photographing machine, and a sequence controller that is connected to the image processing device and transmits an instruction signal to the assembly line in response to a signal transmitted from the image processing device,
The image processing device detects the presence or absence of a nut mounted on the back of the panel based on an image taken by the camera at an angle other than a right angle with respect to the panel surface of the body panel. A body panel nut detection system that sends an instruction signal to stop the operation.   A body panel that is fixed to a fixed position on a camera that can shoot at an angle other than a right angle with respect to the panel surface of the body panel, and is clamped by a jig to the camera The nut detection system for a body panel according to claim 1, wherein the surface is arranged and photographed with a certain angle other than a right angle.   A camera that can shoot at an angle other than a right angle with respect to the panel surface of the body panel is fixed to the work robot, and is fixed by the movement of the work robot. The nut detection system for a body panel according to claim 1, wherein photographing can be performed at a certain angle other than a right angle to the body.

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