JP2017113810A - Assembly apparatus, and control method of assembly apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an assembly apparatus having a constitution that is simple, inexpensive, small-sized and light-weight, and capable of efficiently executing an assembly process and an inspection process.SOLUTION: A base 400 supports an XY axis movement device 11 which moves an assembly tool 12 within a horizontal plane, and a Z axis movement device 22 which lifts/lowers a work table in a vertical direction in a space below the horizontal plane. A relative positional attitude of the assembly tool 12 and the work table 21 is controlled by the movement devices (11 and 22), and assembly operation is performed for workpieces (51 and 52) loaded on the work table 21 by using the assembly tool 12. An inspection device 4 includes an inspection region (31) in a specified vertical range of the region where the work table 21 is lifted/lowered. The work table 21 is lifted/lowered so that the workpieces are positioned inside the inspection region by using the Z axis movement device 22, and then workpiece inspection is carried out for acquiring inspection information at the lifted/lowered position using the inspection device 4. The assembly processing of the workpieces is controlled on the basis of the inspection information acquired in the workpiece inspection.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an assembling apparatus using an orthogonal robot and a method for controlling the assembling apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art An assembly apparatus that performs automatic assembly by manipulating a workpiece with an assembly hand using an orthogonal robot or a multi-axis robot at a manufacturing site of various articles and industrial products is known.

  An assembly device using an orthogonal robot combines an XY stage, a Z stage, and the like to control the relative positional relationship between tools such as an assembly hand and a tool and a work to be worked, and Assembly and processing. The above XY stage and Z stage are sometimes called an XY table, a Z table, an XY robot, a Z robot, or the like. These orthogonal stages (tables, robots), for example, are configured to move an assembly head mounted with a tool or a work table mounted with a workpiece on a linear guide member. In general, the configuration is simple and relatively easy. Highly accurate operation can be performed.

  An assembly apparatus using this type of orthogonal robot can be easily standardized to a configuration having a certain shape and size, for example, as a module or unit for performing various assembly operations according to programming. A number of assembly device modules (units) standardized in this way can be arranged to form one production line.

  In an assembly apparatus using this type of orthogonal robot, for example, the relative position and orientation of a workpiece and a tool are often controlled without using a visual system such as a camera. However, depending on the required assembly or processing process, for example, it may be necessary to perform control to feed back information on the state of the workpiece or tool obtained using a visual system such as a camera to the operation of the orthogonal robot. Here, the state of the workpiece or tool to be detected, measured, or evaluated by a visual system such as a camera includes, for example, the position and orientation of the workpiece or tool, the surface state of the workpiece, and the like. In addition, a visual system such as this type of camera may be used as an inspection apparatus for inspecting an assembled state or a processed state after a specific work.

  For example, in a conventional assembling apparatus, a plurality of cameras for state detection and inspection are arranged separately from a work axis for performing assembling work, and a drive shaft for moving them is arranged for selecting an imaging region. A configuration has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1 below).

JP 2006-86357 A

  In the conventional assembling apparatus as described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to use a plurality of cameras and to provide a drive shaft for changing the positions thereof, and there is a problem that the assembling apparatus becomes large and complicated and expensive. is there. Further, in such a configuration, it is necessary to include a sequence for state detection and inspection performed in a specific relative positional relationship between the camera and the workpiece, for example, in the work process. And in the section which performs such state detection and inspection, it is often necessary to interrupt the original assembly work process.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an assembling apparatus that can efficiently execute an assembling process and an inspecting process, and can be configured simply, inexpensively, and in a small size and a light weight.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, a first moving device that moves an assembly tool in a horizontal plane, and a second moving device that raises and lowers a work table in a vertical direction in a space below the horizontal plane; A base for supporting the first and second moving devices, and controlling the relative position and orientation of the assembly tool and the work table by the first and second moving devices. In an assembling apparatus for performing an assembling process on a work mounted on the work table by a tool or a control method thereof, an inspection apparatus having an inspection area in a specific vertical range of an area where the work table moves up and down on the base; A control device that controls an assembly process for the workpiece using the assembly tool and the first and second moving devices, wherein the control device is the second moving device. Elevation control for raising and lowering the work table so that the work mounted on the work table is located inside the inspection area, and work inspection for obtaining inspection information of the work by the inspection device at the lift position, The structure which performs the assembly control which controls the assembly process with respect to the said workpiece | work based on the said inspection information acquired by the said workpiece | work inspection was employ | adopted.

  According to the above configuration, the first moving device for moving the assembly tool within the horizontal plane as the moving means necessary for the assembly, and the second moving device for vertically moving the work table in the space below the horizontal plane. And are separated. For this reason, while the assembly tool movable in the horizontal plane is performing another work, the work table can be raised and lowered, and the inspection process can be performed by the inspection apparatus. Therefore, the assembly operation and the workpiece state inspection are executed in parallel, and the assembly process is not delayed by the state inspection. Further, by using the second moving device, an inspection object such as a workpiece is moved to the inspection area of the inspection device and the state inspection is performed by the inspection device. Therefore, for example, it is possible to easily cope with an inspection apparatus having a high inspection quality that is limited to a narrow range of the inspection area, and an accurate and reliable assembly process can be performed based on a highly accurate state inspection. Further, the vertical moving means necessary for the assembly operation and the state inspection can be shared by one second moving device, and the number of drive shafts used for position control of the device can be reduced. As a result, the entire assembly apparatus can be configured simply, inexpensively, and small and light. That is, according to the above assembly apparatus, an assembly process and an inspection process can be efficiently performed using a visual system with a simple, inexpensive, small and light configuration, and a high-quality article can be manufactured with a high yield.

It is the perspective view which showed schematic structure of the assembly apparatus based on the Example of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed schematic structure of the cross section S of the assembly apparatus of FIG. It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the control system of the assembly apparatus which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is the flowchart figure which showed an example of the assembly control procedure of the assembly apparatus which concerns on the Example of this invention. (A)-(d) is explanatory drawing which showed the assembly operation of the assembly apparatus based on the Example of this invention in order. 5A to 5D are explanatory views sequentially showing the assembling operation of the assembling apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed different member arrangement | positioning of the assembling apparatus which employ | adopted this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed further different member arrangement | positioning of the assembly apparatus which employ | adopted this invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. The following embodiment is merely an example, and for example, a detailed configuration can be appropriately changed by those skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention. Moreover, the numerical value taken up by this embodiment is a reference numerical value, Comprising: This invention is not limited.

<Example>
Hereinafter, a preferred example of the embodiment of the present invention will be described mainly with reference to FIGS.

  1 and 2 show a schematic configuration of an assembling apparatus employing the present invention. An example of the structure of the assembly apparatus 1 which can comprise a production apparatus line by arranging two or more is shown. The assembling apparatus 1 as shown in the figure may be provided as a product having a name such as “an assembling robot cell (module or unit)”.

  The assembling apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole with the upper part of the base 400 covered with a casing 401, and all of the assembling apparatuses 1 arranged in a plurality have the same or substantially the same configuration as described below. Shall. The assembly apparatus 1 includes an assembly robot 2 that can move on a horizontal plane, a workbench unit 3 installed on a base, and an inspection apparatus 4.

  The inspection apparatus 4 is installed at a position having an area (K: vertical range in FIG. 2) where the movable area 32 of the workbench unit 3 and the inspection area 31 of the inspection apparatus 4 overlap. The inspection device 4 can be composed of an imaging device such as a digital camera. In that case, the inspection region 31 of the inspection device 4 is a spatial range corresponding to the depth of field where a suitable inspection image can be captured by the photographing lens. In the configuration of FIG. 1, the inspection device 4 is fixed and disposed with respect to the inside of the top plate of the housing 401.

  In addition, if an accurate and highly reliable assembly (or manufacturing) control is performed by obtaining a high-quality image pickup result, for example, the inspection apparatus 4 has a small distortion (bright) photographing lens with a fixed focus and a small f (stop) value. It is preferable to employ an imaging device using

  The assembly robot 2 includes an XY axis moving device 11 configured as an orthogonal robot, and a work hand 121 that grips a workpiece (an assembly part 52 or an assembly part 51 described later). The work hand 121 is disposed on the assembly tool 12 together with a driver 92 (such as an electric screwdriver) used for screw tightening or a coating material coating device 93. The assembling operation using the driver 92, the coating device 93, etc. will be described as a modified example at the end of this embodiment.

  The assembly tool 12 corresponds to an assembly head, and is moved to an arbitrary work position in the X-axis direction by the X table 11x (X robot) of the XY-axis moving device 11. The X table 11x is a driven part of the Y table 11y (Y robot) of the XY axis moving device 11, and can be moved to an arbitrary position in the Y axis direction by the Y table 11y. The X table 11x and Y table 11y constituting the XY axis moving device 11 are not shown in detail, but for example, each driven portion (assembly tool 12, X table 11x) is slidably supported on the guide rail, and the gear The position of each driven part is controlled by a belt or other arbitrary driving system. A drive source (not shown) such as a motor for driving the X table 11x and the Y table 11y is housed at each end and is controlled by a control system (FIG. 3) described later via the drive circuit 43.

  In the following description, the workpiece (work target) handled by the assembly tool 12 of this embodiment may be referred to as an assembly part (51), an assembly target part (52), or the like, particularly when the assembly relationship is important. Further, in a context where there is no possibility of causing confusion, the assembly is finished, and the integrated assembly part (51) and the part to be assembled (52) may be referred to as a workpiece (assembly).

  The assembly tool 12 is configured as an assembly head on which one or several kinds of tools are mounted as described above, and is positioned by a XY axis moving device 11 in a horizontal (XY) plane having a predetermined height on the base 400. Can be moved to.

  The workbench unit 3 includes a workbench 21 that holds the assembly target component 51 and a Z-axis moving device 22 that moves the workbench 21 up and down in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction). In this embodiment, as described above, the Z-axis moving device 22 is provided on the work table 21 side, and the assembly tool 12 (the assembly robot 2) can be approached from below. In the conventional configuration, the assembly robot 12 may be configured as an XYZ orthogonal robot that supports the assembly tool 12 (assembly robot 2) so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction.

  However, according to the configuration in which the Z-axis moving device 22 is provided on the work table 21 side as in this embodiment and the assembly tool 12 is approached from below, the assembly robot 2 is configured to be light in weight, and the accuracy is improved. There is an advantage that high position control can be easily realized. Moreover, the structure provided with the Z-axis moving device 22 on the work table 21 side of the present embodiment is used for moving and inspecting the workpiece to the inspection region 31 of the inspection device 4 as described later.

  The XY axis moving device 11 constitutes a first moving device that moves the assembly tool 12 in a horizontal plane. The Z-axis moving device 22 constitutes a second moving device that moves the work table vertically in a space below the horizontal plane in which the XY-axis moving device 11 moves the assembly tool 12.

  The worktable unit 3 is installed, for example, in an area relatively close to the end of the base 400, and the worktable 21 is moved up and down by the Z-axis moving device 22 at this position. Further, the workbench unit 3 may be configured so that it can be carried out on the base (400) of the adjacent assembling apparatus as indicated by a broken line, in addition to being fixedly disposed at this position. According to such a configuration, the work table 21 is moved up and down on the base (400) of the adjacent assembly device via the Z-axis moving device 22, and the assembly (work) is delivered to the assembly tool 12 of the adjacent assembly device. Can do.

  Furthermore, the assembling apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 has a tray 70 and a work table 72 arranged on a base 400. The tray 70 constitutes a supply unit that supplies workpieces (the assembly target component 51 and the assembly component 52) to the assembly tool 12. In addition, the work table 72 is used as, for example, a second work table when it is necessary to perform a preparatory or subsidiary work process on the workpiece (the assembly target component 51 or the assembly component 52).

  The work on the tray 70 and the work table 72 is operated by the assembly tool 12 as in the case of the work table 21. For this reason, Z-axis moving devices 75 and 76 for raising and lowering the lay 70 and the work table 72 in the Z-axis direction are disposed below the supply tray 70 and the work table 72, respectively. Each of the Z-axis moving devices 22, 75, 76 may further be provided with a mechanism for rotating these Z-axis lifting shafts around the Z-axis. By providing such a configuration, for example, the postures of the work tables 21 and 72 and the supply tray 70 around the Z axis can be controlled.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of the control system of the assembling apparatus of FIGS. In FIG. 3, a CPU 601 controls the operation of the entire assembly apparatus 1 in accordance with programs stored in a ROM 602, an HDD 604, and the like. The CPU 601 controls driving of the XY axis moving device 11, the assembly tool 12, and the Z axis moving device 22 via the interface 42 and the drive circuit 43.

  If the inspection device 4 is an imaging device or the like, the inspection region 31 of the inspection device 4 is a spatial range corresponding to a depth of field where a suitable inspection image can be photographed by the photographing lens. In a storage area such as the ROM 602 and the HDD 604, three-dimensional space information (for example, several XYZ coordinate values defining a rectangular space) of the inspection area 31 of the inspection apparatus 4 is stored. The CPU 601 refers to the spatial information of the inspection area 31 to move the workpiece (for example, the part to be assembled 51 or further the assembled part 52) into the inspection area 31, for example, as will be described later. 22 can be driven and controlled.

  Further, the CPU 601 can control the inspection apparatus 4 via the interface 42. The CPU 601 moves the workpiece (for example, the part to be assembled 51 or further the assembled part 52) into the inspection area 31, and then drives the inspection apparatus 4 to acquire inspection information. An operation panel 44 is connected to the interface 42. The operation panel 44 has operation means such as a start switch (not shown), for example, and can be used to start an assembly program in response to an operation by a worker (manager). However, the assembly control described later does not necessarily have to be activated by the operation of the operator (administrator), and of course, it is activated in response to a control signal from another master controller (not shown). It may be.

  The HDD 604 is not indispensable for this type of production apparatus module, but when arranged, the HDD 604 constitutes a storage unit that stores various types of data that are the results of arithmetic processing by the CPU 601. Further, the HDD 604 can store a file in which a program for causing the CPU 601 to execute various arithmetic processes is recorded. The CPU 601 executes an assembly control procedure described later based on a program recorded (stored) in the ROM 602 or the HDD 604.

  When a program for executing a work transfer control procedure described later is recorded (stored) in the ROM 602 or the HDD 604, these recording media constitute a computer-readable recording medium storing a control procedure for carrying out the present invention. Note that a program for executing a work transfer control procedure described later is stored in a fixed recording medium such as the ROM 602 or the HDD 604, or a removable computer readable recording such as various flash memories or optical (magnetic) disks. It may be stored on a medium. Such a storage form can be used when a program for executing a work transfer control procedure is installed or updated in each production apparatus constituting the production apparatus line implementing the present invention. In addition, when installing or updating a program for executing the work transfer control procedure, in addition to using the removable recording medium as described above, there is a method of downloading the program via the network (609) as will be described later. Available.

  Next, automatic assembly control in the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, and 6. FIG. FIG. 4 shows the flow of automatic assembly control executed by the control device of FIG. 3, the XY axis moving device 11 in the left column (S101 to S114), and the Z axis moving device 22 in the right column (S201 to S210). Controls related to are written separately. 5 (a) to (d) and FIGS. 6 (a) to (d) show the operation of each part of the assembling apparatus in a format according to FIG. 2, and the order is shown in FIG. 5 (a). It is described that the operations shown in FIGS. 6 (a) to 6 (d) occur following (d).

  From the state where the assembly robot 2 and the workbench unit 3 do not hold the parts, the operator operates the operation panel 44 to start the assembly control program. The assembly control program describes a control procedure of an article assembly process executed by the assembly apparatus for a specific article, and is described in a format such as a robot control language or a teaching point list. The storage destination of the assembly control program is, for example, the ROM 602 or the external storage device 604 (HDD or the like).

  When the assembly control program is started, the assembly target part 51 is taken out by the assembly robot 2 (steps S101 and S102). For example, the CPU 601 controls the XY axis moving device 11 to horizontally move the assembly tool 12 to the position of the tray 70 (S101). Subsequently, the CPU 601 moves the tray 70 up and down via the Z-axis moving device 75 so that the assembly target component 51 can be taken out from the tray 70. Then, the work hand 121 of the assembly tool 12 is driven to hold the assembly target part 51 in the work hand 121 (S102). Thereafter, the CPU 601 drives the XY axis moving device 11 to move the assembly tool 12 to a position on the workbench unit 3 as shown in FIG. 5A (S103).

  Next, the CPU 601 drives the Z-axis moving device 22 to raise the workbench unit 3 as shown in FIG. 5B (S201). Then, the assembly target part 51 is received from the work hand 121 of the assembly robot 2 onto the workbench unit 3 and placed on the workbench 21 (S201). At this time, when a jig or stopper fixing means is provided to fix the assembly target component 51 at a predetermined position of the work table 21, the CPU 601 controls the fixing means to determine the predetermined value of the work table 21. The assembly target part 51 is fixed at the position.

  Thereafter, the CPU 601 lowers the work table 21 via the Z-axis moving device 22 so that the part to be assembled 51 on the work table 21 and the work hand 121 do not interfere with each other. Thereafter, the XY axis moving device 11 is driven to retract the assembly tool 12 horizontally to an assembly component supply position, for example, a position above the tray 70 (S105). As a result, as shown in FIG. 5C, the assembly robot 2, particularly the part around the assembly tool 12 does not exist between the workbench unit 3 and the inspection device 4. On the other hand, as described above, the assembly tool 12 sent to the assembly component supply position of the tray 70 can receive the second assembly component 52 to be used next and perform an operation by the same control as described above (S106). ).

  Subsequently, the CPU 601 drives the Z-axis moving device 22 to move the work table 21 up and down, and moves the assembly target component 51 to the inspection region 31 of the inspection device 4 as shown in FIG. Process). In the example of FIGS. 5 and 6, for example, since the inspection area 31 is above the position where the tray 70 is retracted horizontally (S105) to the position above the tray 70, the inspection area 31 of the inspection apparatus 4 is moved to. This movement employs a positional relationship that raises the work table 21. However, depending on the arrangement of the inspection area 31 of the inspection apparatus 4, there is a case where the work table 21 is raised from the position where the assembly tool 12 and the assembly target part 51 do not interfere at this time and the assembly target part 51 is moved to the inspection area 31. possible.

  Subsequently, in the state of FIG. 5D, the CPU 601 drives the inspection apparatus 4 and performs a state inspection (1) on the assembly target component 51 (S203). When the inspection device 4 is configured by an imaging device such as a digital camera, inspection information can be acquired through image processing on an image captured by the imaging device. The inspection information acquired in this way includes the mounting state of the assembly target component 51 (including confirmation of the position and orientation of the assembly target component 51 on the work table 21), the quality of the assembly target component 51, and the processing state. (For example, the surface state of the part to be assembled 51).

  Although not shown in detail in the flowchart of FIG. 4, if any error has occurred due to the inspection information acquired by the inspection device 4, the CPU 601 may execute error processing according to the error content. it can. Here, for example, if the error relates to the mounting state (for example, mounting posture failure) of the assembly target component 51, the mounting (mounting) operation to the work table 21 using the work hand 121 of the assembly tool 12 is performed. Error handling that causes retries to be performed can be considered. If the error is related to the quality and processing state of the assembly target component 51, the assembly target component 51 is removed from the work table 21 using the work hand 121 of the assembly tool 12, and another assembly target component 51 is removed from the tray 70. Error handling, such as acquiring and re-installing, can be considered. Further, when any other fatal error is detected, an alarm may be generated to the worker to interrupt (stop) the assembly process of the assembly apparatus 1 or the production line including the assembly apparatus 1.

  As described above, the CPU 601 can variously control the assembly process for the workpiece (assembly control process) based on the inspection information acquired in the workpiece inspection. For example, in addition to the posture correction, remounting, and replacement positions of the assembly target component 51 described above, error processing such as error notification and interruption (stop) of the assembly process is performed when a fatal error is detected. Can do. In addition, as in the state inspection (2) described later, the state inspection performed at the timing close to (being close to) the work process in the assembly apparatus can be executed as a product inspection such as inspection.

  When the state inspection (S203) is normally completed, an operation (including state inspection (2)) for mounting the assembly component 52 on the assembly target component 51 is started (S107 to S109, S204 to S206). Here, first, the CPU 601 drives the Z-axis moving device 22 to lower the work table 21 from the inspection area 31 as necessary. The lowering of the work table 21 is performed, for example, so that the next assembly component 52 and the work table 21 or the assembly target component 51 and the work hand 121 do not interfere with each other, but the height of the inspection region 31 in the Z-axis direction. Depending on the location, it is not mandatory.

  After the assembly tool 51 is placed on the work table 21 as described above, the assembly tool 12 takes out the next assembly component 52 (“first piece” in FIG. 4) from the tray 70 by parallel processing, for example. I do. Thereafter, the CPU 601 drives the XY axis moving device 11 to move the assembly tool 12 holding the next assembly component 52 with the work hand 121 to a position above the workbench unit 3 as shown in FIG. (S107).

  Next, the CPU 601 drives the Z-axis moving device 22 and raises the work table 21 as shown in FIG. As a result, the assembly component 52 held by the work hand 121 is assembled (S108, S204) to the assembly target component 51 held on the work table 21.

  Thereafter, in the same manner as described above, the assembly tool 12 is moved above the tray 70 (S109) in order to receive the part 51 to be assembled in the next cycle ("second piece" in FIG. 4), and the work table 21 is moved to the Z-axis moving device. When lowered by 22, the state shown in FIG. As a result, the assembly tool 12 does not exist between the work table 21 and the inspection device 4 as illustrated.

  While the assembly tool 12 receives the next assembly target 51 from the tray 70 as described above, the CPU 601 raises and lowers the work table 21 by driving the Z-axis moving device 22 and assembles it in the inspection region 31 of the inspection device 4. The part 51 to be assembled to which the part 52 is assembled is moved (S205). As a result, as shown in FIG. 6 (d), the assembly part 52 or the assembly target part 51 can be inspected by the inspection apparatus 4 at the elevated position where the workpieces (51, 52) are located inside the inspection region 31. .

  Here, the CPU 601 drives the inspection apparatus 4 to perform a state inspection (2) on the assembly target component 51 to which the assembly component 52 is assembled (S206: work inspection step). This state inspection (2) is the same inspection process as the above-described state inspection ((1) S203).

  The inspection information acquired in this state inspection (2) includes the mounting state of the assembly target component 51 (including confirmation of the position and orientation of the assembly target component 51 on the work table 21), and the quality of the assembly target component 51. Further, the processing state (for example, the surface state of the part 51 to be assembled, etc.) is included. If any error is detected by this state inspection (2), error processing similar to that described above may be executed.

  On the other hand, when the state inspection (2) is normally completed, the assembly in which the assembly component 52 is mounted on the assembly target component 51 is discharged from the assembly apparatus 1. The assembly discharging process can be performed, for example, by carrying the workbench unit 3 onto the base 400 of the adjacent assembling apparatus having the same configuration as that of the assembling apparatus 1 disposed adjacently by the transport device 91. In this state, for example, if the work table 21 is raised and lowered via the Z-axis moving device 22 of the work table unit 3, the assembly (work) can be delivered to the assembly tool 12 of the adjacent assembly device.

  Thereafter, steps S110 to S114 and S208 to S210 in FIG. 4 show processing for mounting (mounting) the second assembly target component 51 on the work table 21 and executing the state inspection (1). The same as above. That is, steps S110 to S114 and S208 to S210 are equivalent to the processes of steps S102 to S106 and steps S201 to S203 described above. In FIG. 4, after that, the second assembly component 52 is mounted on the assembly target component 51, the state inspection (2) is performed, and the process until the assembly is discharged is not shown. This process is equivalent to steps S107 to S109 and S204 to S207. That is, assembly control of the second assembly (or the third assembly and thereafter) can also be executed by repeating the above processing.

  As described above, in the workpiece inspection of this embodiment, the XY axis moving device 11 moves the assembly tool 12 to another work position that is different from the region where the work table 21 is moved up and down, and performs other work on different work targets. This can be done while running. At this time, the other work to be executed by the assembly tool is a work on a work object different from the work mounted on the work table, for example, in the above example, by taking out the parts to be assembled 51 or the assembled parts 52 from the supply means. is there. For example, while the assembly tool 12 receives the assembly component 52 from the tray, the state inspection (1) of the assembly target component 51 on the work table 21 can be performed. In addition, while the assembly tool 12 receives the second (second) assembly target component 51, a state inspection (2) is performed on the assembly target component 51 on which the assembly component 52 on the workbench unit 3 is assembled. be able to. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the state inspection can be performed without substantially extending the cycle time of the assembly work, and high-speed work (assembly) assembly processing can be performed.

  In the assembling apparatus (1), the assembly tool 12 and the workpiece are supplied and taken out and the assembly part 52 is controlled while controlling the relative position and orientation of the assembly tool 12 and the workpiece via the XY axis movement apparatus 11 and the Z axis movement apparatus 22. A plurality of work processes are performed on the workpiece, such as assembly. And a workpiece | work (state) test | inspection can be performed at least twice or more during the some work process. In accordance with the progress of the process, a plurality of workpiece (state) inspections are executed as necessary inspections such as the position and orientation of the part to be assembled 51, the surface state, the mounting state inspection of the assembly part 52, and the like. Can do. For this reason, an assembly process can be performed correctly and reliably.

  The state inspections (1) and (2) are performed by moving the work table 21 up and down and moving the assembly target part 51 and the assembly part 52 to the inspection region 31 of the inspection apparatus 4. For this reason, the inspection apparatus 4 can perform an accurate and reliable state inspection, and based on that, the assembly operation of the next stage can be controlled accurately and with good yield, and the industrial product (assembly, work, ) Can be manufactured.

  Here, for example, consider a case where the inspection device 4 is an imaging device such as a digital camera. In that case, if it is attempted to take a high-quality image and thereby perform accurate and reliable assembly (or manufacturing) control, for example, the inspection apparatus 4 has a small distortion and a small f (stop) value (bright) at a fixed focus. ) There is a case where it is desired to employ an imaging device using a photographing lens. In such a photographing lens, the depth of field is generally shallow, and with the arrangement of members as in the present embodiment, the height of the inspection region 31 of the inspection apparatus 4 in the Z-axis direction tends to be small (narrow).

  However, even in the case where the range of the inspection region 31 for performing good state inspection is significantly limited in the Z-axis direction, according to the present embodiment, good inspection performance is obtained in the state inspections (1) and (2). Can be demonstrated. That is, according to the present embodiment, the state inspections (1) and (2) are executed after the inspection object (the assembly target component 51 and the assembly component 52) is moved to the inspection region 31 of the inspection apparatus 4, and therefore, good. There is an advantage that can maintain a good inspection performance. Thereby, the assembly operation of the next stage can be controlled accurately and reliably, and an article such as an industrial product (assembly, work) can be manufactured with a high yield.

  Further, in the configuration of the present embodiment, the Z-axis moving device 22 assembles the assembly part 52 to the inspection apparatus 4 and the drive shaft that adjusts the distance in the Z-axis direction of the inspection object, for example, the assembly target part 51. It can be said that this is a configuration that also serves as a drive shaft. For example, according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to prepare another drive shaft for movement control of the inspection apparatus (for example, a camera), the number of necessary apparatus axes is reduced, and the assembly apparatus 1 is simple, inexpensive, small and light. Can be configured.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, two types of state inspections (1) and (2) are performed in the same cycle, thereby allowing one Z-axis moving device 22 and one inspection device. 4, the effect is greater because two different state tests can be performed. For example, it is possible to perform an inspection process in which an assembly (work) in a (semi) finished state is inspected by a state inspection (2) while an assembly state is confirmed by a state inspection (1), and a simple, inexpensive, small and light configuration Therefore, accurate and reliable article manufacture (assembly) can be performed.

  In the above, the rectangular parallelepiped shape is simply illustrated as the assembly part 52 to be assembled to the workpiece, for example, the assembly target part 51. However, as the assembly component 52, for example, a fastening member such as a screw, a bolt, or a nut, or a coating agent such as a paint or a lubricant (material) (for example, liquid, gel-like material, powder, etc.) is also used. It may be. In this case, as the assembly tool 12, a member that matches the properties of the assembly component 52 is used. Below, the operation | work which uses a screw as the assembly component 52, performs the screw fastening with the driver 92, and the operation | work which apply | coats a certain coating material with the coating device 93 is demonstrated easily.

  The assembly tool 12 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a driver 92 in addition to the work hand 121. When the assembly part 52 is a screw, this driver 92 can be used for the attachment, that is, a screw tightening operation. . Further, as a component supply means, a screw supply device (not shown) is prepared on the base 400 instead of a simple shelf like the tray 70. A known driver 92 and a screw supply device can be used for this type of automatic assembly.

  This type of driver 92 includes, for example, a negative pressure suction mechanism and the like, and can suck a screw at a bit tip having an arbitrary tip shape such as a cross, a minus, or a star shape. Therefore, the CPU 601 moves the assembly tool 12 (assembly head) via the XY axis moving device 11, aligns the bit tip of the driver 92 with the supply position (not shown) of the screw supply device, and drives the negative pressure adsorption mechanism. By doing so, one screw can be taken out at the tip of the bit. If the assembly component 52 is a screw, for example, the operation executed when the assembly component 52 shown in FIG. 4 is taken out (S105, S114) is as described above.

  In the mounting of the assembly part 52 in steps S107, S108, and S204 in FIG. 4, the control of the XY axis movement device 11 and the Z axis movement device 22 is a driver for screwing the assembly part 52 (screw) into the assembly part 51. This is similar to the above except that it is performed according to the working distance of 92. For example, a screw hole (no tapping is required in the case of a tapping screw) is provided at the screwing position of the assembly target component 51. By aligning the screw hole and the screw of the bit tip of the driver 92 by the XY-axis moving device 11 and the Z-axis moving device 22 and rotating the bit of the driver 92, the screw of the bit tip is tightened in the screw hole. . The crimping force required for screw tightening is adjusted by a crimping mechanism (not shown) such as a spring provided in this type of (electric) driver. If such a mechanism is not provided in the driver 92, the driver 92 and the part to be assembled 51 are gradually passed through the work table 21 using the Z-axis moving device 22 in accordance with the rotation angle of the driver 92 and the pitch of the screw. Control may be performed to shorten the distance.

  After the screw tightening operation, the assembly tool 12 mounted with the driver 92 before entering the state inspection (1) is not shown in order to receive (supplement or acquire) screws in the next cycle. Can be moved to the position. As a result, it is possible to expect the same effect as described above that the original assembly process is not delayed for the state inspection.

  The state inspection (1) after screw tightening (the same applies when the state inspection (2) is performed) can be performed by the same assembly control as described in steps S202 and S203 above. That is, prior to the state inspection, the CPU 601 raises and lowers the work table 21 so that, for example, a screw-headed head portion is placed inside the inspection region 31 of the inspection device 4 (S202: Elevation control step). And the test | inspection apparatus 4 is driven and test | inspection information is acquired.

  If the assembly operation is screw tightening, this state inspection is to evaluate the screw tightening state. For example, through the inspection information acquired from the inspection device 4, it is possible to confirm the presence / absence of a screw, confirmation of a screw tightening state (including evaluation of the posture of the screw), and the like. For example, in the case of the inspection apparatus 4, the screw tightening state can be evaluated by recognizing the image of the imaging result with the CPU 601 (or another image processing device). For example, by image recognition, it is possible to detect whether a screw head (head) part can be detected at a predetermined screw tightening position, whether the posture of the head (head) is not inclined from a predetermined posture, etc. The screw tightening state can be confirmed and evaluated through these detection results.

  As described above, even when the assembly part 52 is a screw and the assembly work is screw tightening, the assembly and the state confirmation by the inspection device 4 can be executed by the same control as described above. Similar effects can be obtained.

  The same assembly and inspection control can be performed when the assembly component 52 is any coating material (paint, lubricant, etc.) and this coating material is applied by the coating device 93.

  For example, the operation executed when taking out the assembly component 52 of FIG. 4 (S105, S114) is performed by, for example, moving the coating device 93 to the position of the coating material supply means (not shown) and applying material supply means (not shown). The operation of receiving the supply of the coating material from is performed. In this case, the coating device 93 is a member such as a coating brush (brush) or a coating sponge, while the coating material supply means (not shown) is a member such as a coating material reservoir.

  Alternatively, when the coating device 93 is configured by a member such as a coating material ejection (discharge) nozzle, a mechanism for supplying or replenishing the coating material to the coating device 93 on the assembly tool 12 is disposed. In this case, the coating material to be sprayed (discharged) is supplied or replenished by, for example, pumping the coating material to the coating device 93 via a supply tube or pipe attached to the assembly tool 12. In this case, the operation corresponding to the removal of the assembly part 52 (S105, S114) in FIG. 4 is an operation of supplying or replenishing the coating material to the coating device 93 via the supply tube, pipe, or the like.

  When the assembly component 52 is a coating material, the control of the XY axis moving device 11 and the Z axis moving device 22 in steps S107, S108, and S204 in FIG. 4 is performed according to the driving conditions of the coating device 93. The same as described above. The CPU 601 controls the relative position and orientation of the coating device 93 and the assembly target component 51 according to coating conditions such as the working distance of the coating device 93 via the XY axis moving device 11 and the Z axis moving device 22. Thereafter, if the application device 93 is an application brush (brush), sponge, or the like, the application material is applied by reciprocating the assembly tool 12 or the like. If the coating device 93 is an ejection (discharge) nozzle or the like, the CPU 601 ejects (discharges) the coating material from the coating device 93 by opening its drive valve.

  In addition, after this coating operation, the assembly tool 12 on which the coating device 93 is mounted before entering the state inspection (1) is used to receive (supplement or acquire) the coating material in the next cycle. It can move to the position of the supply means. As a result, it is possible to expect the same effect as described above that the original assembly process is not delayed for the state inspection.

  The state inspection (1) after application (the same applies to the case of the state inspection (2)) can be performed by the same assembly control as described in steps S202 and S203 above. That is, prior to the state inspection, the CPU 601 raises and lowers the work table 21 so that, for example, the application site of the assembly target component 51 enters inside the inspection region 31 of the inspection apparatus 4 (S202: Elevation control step). Then, the inspection apparatus 4 is driven to acquire inspection information (S206: workpiece inspection process). In the case of a coating operation by the coating device 93, the state inspection (1) (or (2)) performs the presence / absence confirmation of the coating material, the coating confirmation, the coating state evaluation, and the like. If the inspection apparatus 4 is an imaging apparatus, the presence / absence check, application confirmation, application state evaluation, and the like of these coating materials can be performed by image processing and image recognition on the same captured image as described above. The presence or absence of the coating material and the evaluation of the coating surface can be performed, for example, through evaluation of the amount of reflected light. Further, in the case where the coating material is colored with a specific color, the presence / absence confirmation, coating confirmation, and coating state evaluation of these coating materials can also be performed through color evaluation of a photographed image.

  As described above, even when the assembly component 52 is a coating material and the assembly work is a coating work, the assembly and the state confirmation by the inspection apparatus 4 can be executed by the same control as described above. The same effect as described above can be obtained.

  As the inspection apparatus 4, an inspection apparatus 4 is an inspection apparatus using an optical inspection apparatus such as a single-focus lens imaging apparatus, a laser sensor, a fiber sensor, or any other medium. May be installed. In that case, the arrangement position of the inspection apparatus 4 is not limited to the upper part of the workbench unit 3 described above, and may be changed to an appropriate installation position according to the inspection method of the inspection apparatus 4.

  For example, as an arrangement of the inspection apparatus 4, a configuration in which the inspection apparatus 4 is installed on the side of the workbench unit 3 as shown in FIG. For example, in the case of inspecting the assembly part of the workpiece (for example, the assembly target component 51 + the assembly component 52) and the state of the side surface in detail, or inspecting the workpiece state in the Z-axis (height) direction, such an arrangement is used. Can be used. Even in such a configuration, a case in which the inspection area 31 of the inspection apparatus 4 and the movable area 32 of the workbench unit 3 interfere with each other is expected. In this case, the workbench unit 3 is used at the timing of the inspection process as described above. Control to retract the Z-axis moving device 22 is performed. As a result, the inspection process can be performed without hindrance, and the inspection can be performed without extending the cycle time of the apparatus to be evacuated.

  Moreover, when using the inspection apparatus 4 with a narrow inspection area like a laser sensor, the inspection apparatus 4 is arrange | positioned as shown in FIG. According to this embodiment, the movement of the drive shaft for adjusting the distance between the inspection device 4 and the inspection object and the drive shaft for assembling the assembly component 52 to the assembly target component 51 is performed by one Z-axis movement device 22. Can be used in combination. For this reason, with a simple and inexpensive configuration, appropriate inspection control according to the inspection region can be performed, and highly reliable assembly control of the article can be realized based on accurate and reliable inspection control.

  Further, in the case where the transfer device 91 (X robot) is provided, the assembly having the same configuration in which, for example, the workpiece mounted on the work table 21 and having finished the process of the present assembly device is arranged adjacent to the work device 21 by the transfer device 91. Can be carried into the device. In that case, the workbench unit 3 including the Z-axis moving device 22 and the workbench 21 is carried onto the base 400 of the adjacent assembling apparatus by the transfer device 91, and the workbench 21 is used by using the Z-axis moving device 22 of this apparatus. The workpiece (for example, the assembly target component 51 + the assembly component 52) is moved up and down. Thereby, the work can be held and delivered by the work hand (121) of the adjacent assembling apparatus.

  If the inspection apparatus 4 is arranged in the adjacent assembly apparatus in the same manner as described above, for example, after the workpiece is transferred to the adjacent assembly apparatus, the inspection apparatus 31 in the adjacent assembly apparatus 4 is in the inspection region 31. The inspection process can be executed by raising and lowering the workpiece. According to such assembly control, the workpiece (assembly) can be inspected by the CPU 601 of the adjacent assembly apparatus. Such assembly control is suitable, for example, when it is necessary to evaluate the inspection information of the inspection apparatus 4 according to different inspection standards when the present assembly apparatus is carried out and when an adjacent assembly apparatus is carried in. .

  The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program. It can also be realized by processing. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Assembly apparatus, 2 ... Assembly robot, 3 ... Worktable unit, 4 ... Inspection apparatus, 11 ... XY-axis movement apparatus, 12 ... Assembly tool, 121 ... Work hand, 21 ... Worktable, 22 ... Z-axis movement apparatus, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 31 ... Inspection | inspection area | region, 32 ... Moveable area | region of a worktable, 41 ... CPU, 42 ... Interface, 43 ... Drive circuit, 44 ... Operation panel, 51 ... Assembly part, 52 ... Assembly part.

Claims (15)

A first moving device for moving the assembly tool in a horizontal plane, a second moving device for vertically moving a work table in a space below the horizontal plane, and supporting the first and second moving devices An assembly for a workpiece mounted on the work table by the assembly tool by controlling the relative position and orientation of the assembly tool and the work table by the first and second moving devices. In an assembly device that performs processing,
An inspection apparatus having an inspection area in a specific vertical range of an area in which the work table moves up and down at the upper part of the base;
A control device for controlling an assembly process for the workpiece using the assembly tool and the first and second moving devices;
With
The control device raises and lowers the work table so that the work mounted on the work table by the second moving device is positioned inside the inspection area, and the inspection device at the lift position moves the control table up and down. An assembly apparatus that executes workpiece inspection for acquiring workpiece inspection information and assembly control for controlling an assembly process for the workpiece based on the inspection information acquired in the workpiece inspection.   2. The assembly apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control device controls a relative position and orientation of the assembly tool and the work table via the first and second moving devices, and holds a workpiece held by the assembly tool. The work table is placed on the work table, the work tool is moved up and down to a position where the assembly tool and the workpiece do not interfere with each other by the second moving device, and then the work tool is moved up and down by the first moving device. An assembling apparatus that executes the lifting control, the workpiece inspection, and the assembly control after retreating from the area to be performed.   3. The assembly apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control device moves the assembly tool to another work position in a horizontal plane different from a region in which the work table is moved up and down by the first moving device. Assembly in which the workpiece inspection is executed and the workpiece inspection information is acquired while the assembly tool is caused to perform an operation on an operation target different from the workpiece mounted on the work table at the operation position. apparatus.   4. The assembly apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inspection information acquired from the workpiece by the inspection device includes information related to a posture or a surface state of the workpiece. 5.   5. The assembly apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inspection apparatus is configured by an imaging apparatus that captures an image of the state of the workpiece, and the control apparatus performs image processing on an image captured by the imaging apparatus. An assembling apparatus for acquiring the inspection information via   6. The assembly apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control device controls the relative position and orientation of the assembly tool and the workpiece by the first and second moving devices. An assembly apparatus for executing a plurality of work processes and performing the workpiece inspection at least twice or more during the plurality of work processes. A first moving device for moving the assembly tool in a horizontal plane, a second moving device for vertically moving a work table in a space below the horizontal plane, and supporting the first and second moving devices An inspection apparatus having an inspection area in a specific vertical range of an area in which the work table moves up and down above the base, and a work using the assembly tool and the first and second moving apparatuses. A control device for controlling an assembly process, wherein the control device controls the relative position and orientation of the assembly tool and the work table by the first and second moving devices, so that the assembly tool can In a control method of an assembly apparatus that performs an assembly process on the workpiece mounted on a work table,
A control device that uses the second moving device to raise and lower the work table so that the workpiece mounted on the work table is positioned at a lift position inside the inspection area; and
A workpiece inspection step for causing the control device to perform workpiece inspection for acquiring inspection information of the workpiece by the inspection device at the lift position;
An assembly control step in which a control device controls an assembly process for the workpiece based on the inspection information acquired in the workpiece inspection step;
A method for controlling an assembling apparatus.   8. The method of controlling an assembly apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control apparatus controls a relative position and orientation of the assembly tool and the work table via the first and second moving apparatuses, and is held by the assembly tool. The workpiece is placed on the work table, the work table is moved up and down to a position where the assembly tool and the work do not interfere with each other by the second moving device, and then the assembly tool is moved by the first moving device. A method for controlling an assembling apparatus, wherein the ascending / descending control step, the workpiece inspection step, and the assembling control step are executed by retracting from a region where the table moves up and down.   9. The method of controlling an assembling apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control apparatus causes the first moving device to move the assembling tool to another work in a horizontal plane different from a region where the work table is raised and lowered. The workpiece inspection process is performed while the assembly tool is performing an operation on an operation target different from the workpiece mounted on the work table at the operation position, and inspection information of the workpiece is obtained. A method for controlling an assembling apparatus to obtain   The method of controlling an assembly apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the inspection information acquired by the inspection apparatus from the workpiece includes information on the posture or surface state of the workpiece. Control method.   11. The method of controlling an assembling apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the inspection apparatus is configured by an imaging device that captures an image of the state of the workpiece, and the control device performs processing on an image captured by the imaging device. A method for controlling an assembling apparatus that acquires the inspection information through image processing.   12. The method of controlling an assembly apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control apparatus controls a relative position and orientation of the assembly tool and the workpiece by the first and second moving apparatuses. A method for controlling an assembly apparatus, wherein a plurality of work processes for the work are executed, and the work inspection process is executed at least twice during the plurality of work processes.   The control program of an assembly apparatus for making the control apparatus of any one of Claims 7-12 perform the said each process.   A computer-readable recording medium storing the control program according to claim 13.   An article manufacturing method including an article assembling step of assembling an article by the assembling apparatus according to claim 1.

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