JP2017177243A - Assembly device and production line - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a configuration of an assembly device capable of saving synchronous and exclusive operation controls for multiple orthogonal robots provided on a base, as well as configuring a production line that can perform fast operations with a small system load while saving space at a low cost.SOLUTION: An assembly device comprises XY robots 200 and 300 (first and second orthogonal robots) for moving assembly (transfer) hands 203 and 303 (first and second assembly tools) on different horizontal planes, provided on a base 102. A work-piece platform 124 movable using a Z table 115 (lifting device), is vertically moved in a work area which is below the respective XY robots, and which can be accessed by the assembly tools. A control device (600) causes the orthogonal robots, the assembly tools and the work-piece platform to operate while avoiding interference among them to control assembly processing for work-pieces placed on the work-piece platform 124, using the assembly tools.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an assembly apparatus using an orthogonal robot and a production line.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an assembly apparatus using an orthogonal robot has been used at a manufacturing site for various articles. In addition, a production line using this type of assembly apparatus is known in which a plurality of assembly apparatuses are arranged as robot cells in order to perform a plurality of assembly processes.

  In this type of robot cell, for example, when high-precision assembly is performed, an assembly process executed in the cell may be complicated. For example, when assembling parts are acquired in order to assemble parts, and when high-accuracy assembly is required, temporary placement, position confirmation, and position of the assembling parts are performed in order to increase the acquisition accuracy of the acquired assembly parts. Operations such as adjustment and reacquisition are combined. For this reason, the processing time required for all the processes executed in one cell tends to increase as high-precision assembly is required. Also, since the next assembly part is usually acquired after the assembly operation of the assembly part to the assembly target part is completed, especially in cells where long-term operation such as high-precision assembly occurs. Processing time increases. This causes a problem that the cycle time of the entire production line becomes longer due to the processing time of the cell that becomes the bottleneck.

  In order to solve the above problem, it is necessary to speed up the assembly process particularly in a robot cell that performs a relatively complicated assembly process that becomes a bottleneck. For this purpose, for example, the process of shortening the cycle time by dividing the process of one robot cell and performing assembly using two or more robot cells, and the cycle time by installing a plurality of identical robot cells. A method of reducing the level is conceivable.

  Conventionally, a method has been proposed in which cycle time is shortened by avoiding movement of the component holding unit in the conveyance direction during receiving and delivery of components between a plurality of orthogonal robots (for example, Patent Document 1 below). . In addition, in an automatic assembly apparatus in which a plurality of orthogonal robots are arranged, a configuration has been proposed in which a common operation area of each orthogonal robot is expanded within a certain space (for example, Patent Document 2 below).

JP 2006-256743 A JP-A-7-124823

  However, with the configurations proposed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, it is difficult to control the operations of a plurality of orthogonal robots without mutual interference. For example, in a configuration such as Patent Documents 1 and 2, in a work area (work space) that can be accessed by a plurality of orthogonal robots, exclusive control is performed so that the operations of all the orthogonal robots are synchronous and do not cause interference. There is a need to. This complicates the control of each orthogonal robot. In the configurations of Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example, on one robot cell, there is a large space in which the operations of a plurality of orthogonal robots must be controlled synchronously and exclusively, and such a control period becomes long. Tend to. For this reason, it becomes difficult to shorten the cycle time of the assembly process to be executed. In general, a control program for synchronously and exclusively controlling a plurality of orthogonal robots tends to be complicated to write, and the more such description points, the longer the development time.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a configuration in which the synchronous and exclusive operation control of a plurality of orthogonal robots arranged on a base of an assembly apparatus is minimized. It is another object of the present invention to be able to shorten the cycle time with a small burden on the control system and to construct a space-saving and low-cost production line.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, in the present invention, a first orthogonal robot that moves the first assembly tool within the first horizontal movable range and a second robot that moves the second assembly tool within the second horizontal movable range. Two orthogonal robots and a common area below the first and second horizontal movable ranges and accessible by the first or second assembly tool moved by the first or second orthogonal robot Elevating device for elevating and lowering a work table on which a work can be placed, the first and second orthogonal robots, a base supporting the elevating device, the first orthogonal robot and assembly tool, and the second The orthogonal robot and assembly tool of the robot, and the operations of the work table and the lifting device are executed while avoiding mutual interference between the orthogonal robot, the assembly tool, and the work table. A control unit for executing assembly control for controlling the assembly process to be performed on the placed the workpiece to the worktable with the first or second assembly tool, employing a configuration with a.

  According to the above configuration, the first and second assembly tools are moved within the first and second horizontal movable ranges by the first and second orthogonal robots. As a result, the first or second assembly tool can access a region where a control state appears that requires avoidance control to avoid mutual interference between the first and second assembly tools and the orthogonal robot. It can be almost limited to the common area. For this reason, the timing and period in which the above-described units need exclusive control are significantly reduced as compared with the conventional configuration. Therefore, the synchronous and exclusive operation control of a plurality of orthogonal (XY) robots arranged on the base of the assembly apparatus can be reduced, the control burden can be reduced, and the assembly apparatus can be operated at high speed. Further, by arranging the above assembling apparatuses adjacent to each other, a space-saving and low-cost production line that can operate at high speed with a small control system load can be configured.

It is the perspective view which showed the external appearance structure of the assembly apparatus which can implement this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the structural example of the control apparatus of the assembly apparatus of FIG. It is the flowchart figure which showed the control procedure in the control apparatus of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which showed an example of the production line comprised by the assembly apparatus of FIG. It is a side view of the assembly apparatus of FIG. It is the side view which showed the different state of the assembly apparatus of FIG. It is a front view of the assembly apparatus of FIG. It is the front view which showed the different state of the assembly apparatus of FIG.

  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>
(Assembly device (robot cell))
FIG. 1 shows an example of a configuration of an assembling apparatus 100 capable of forming a production apparatus line by arranging a plurality of arrangements as an embodiment of the present invention. An assembly apparatus 100 as shown in the figure may be provided as a product having a name such as “assembly robot cell”.

  The assembling apparatus 100 is configured by disposing a work operation unit including the following parts on a base 102 (base), thereby performing an assembling operation on a work (an assembly part or a part to be assembled). Although the work operation unit may be configured by a multi-axis multi-joint robot such as a vertical or parallel configuration, in this embodiment, an orthogonal robot using an XY table (XY stage) is employed.

  Although how to take the three axes (X, Y, Z) of the orthogonal coordinate system used for the control of the assembly apparatus 100 is arbitrary, in FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. X, Y, Z) are taken. The upper surface of the base 102 is arranged to take a posture parallel to the XY axes. In addition, although detailed illustration is omitted in FIG. 1 (FIG. 2 described later), the base 102 is placed on the installation floor surface at an appropriate arrangement height by legs (or columns) arranged in the lower part thereof. Installed.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, a plurality of orthogonal robots are arranged on the base 102 in order to speed up the process on the production line performed by the assembling apparatus 100. In this embodiment, an XY robot composed of two XY tables (XY stage) is arranged. In FIG. 1, these orthogonal robots are an XY robot 200 and an XY robot 300. Note that the XY table constituting this type of orthogonal robot is sometimes called an XY stage. On the other hand, in this embodiment, an apparatus having two movable axes is called, for example, an “XY robot”, and an apparatus having one movable axis is an X (Y or Z) table. Terminology is used. However, such classification is merely for convenience and does not specifically limit the embodiments of the present invention.

  The XY robot 200 includes an X table 202 for moving tools described later such as an assembly hand and a transfer hand to a work position, and a Y table 201 for transferring the X table 202. The XY robot 300 includes an X table 302 that moves a similar tool to a work position, and a Y table 301 that transfers the X table 302. The X tables 202 and 302 and the Y tables 201 and 301 are positioned at coordinate positions on predetermined coordinate axes by linearly moving a head (slider) portion that supports a member intended for transfer on a linear guide member. It is a structure to do.

  The XY robot 200 is supported on the base 102 by supporting columns 107 and 107 that support both ends of the Y table 201 from below. The XY robot 300 is supported on the base 102 by support columns 108 and 108 that support both ends of the Y table 301 from below.

Each table (stage) constituting the XY robot 200 and the XY robot 300 may have any drive system configuration for driving these transported parts (transfer heads and other orthogonal tables). The configuration of a linear motion table (stage) may be adopted. For example, although not shown in detail, the drive system of each table (stage) includes a linear motion guide that slidably supports the transported portion, and a drive source such as a servo motor via a wire or a belt. Consists of.
In many conventional configurations, the XY robot 200 and the XY robot 300 have a Z stage (table) that moves a tool that moves in the XY direction in the Z-axis ((vertical) up and down) direction in a form like hanging down. May be placed. However, in this embodiment, as will be described later, the relative position in the Z-axis direction between the tools and the workpiece is controlled by a Z table (113, 115, 126,...) Described later disposed on the base 102 side. . With such a “lower Z” configuration, the transport load of the XY robots 200 and 300 can be reduced. That is, the Z-axis lifting device can be removed from the members suspended by the XY robots 200 and 300, and the total weight of the XY robots to be suspended can be reduced. For this reason, various advantages, such as the improvement of the precision of XY movement control and the suppression of the vibration which generate | occur | produces by resonance of the support | pillar which supports each XY robot, are acquired.

  This “lower Z” configuration (arrangement) can also be used to realize a configuration that separates the movable ranges of the XY robot 200 and the XY robot 300 into different spaces as much as possible. In addition, the design conditions regarding the strength and rigidity of each of the X and Y tables and the columns 107 and 108 that support them can be relaxed, and the entire apparatus can be easily configured to be small and light or simple and inexpensive.

  In the present embodiment, the assembly process is performed using a plurality of XY robots 200 and XY robots 300 arranged on the base 102 as described above. In the present embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the movable range of the XY robots 200 and 300 is separated as much as possible into another space where interference does not occur at least along the operation along the XY plane. In this separation region (space), the XY robots 200 and 300 do not cause mutual interference between them, so that the XY robots 200 and 300 can be operated without considering the position and operation of each other. In the present embodiment, by ensuring such a separation space as large as possible, the burden of exclusive control for avoiding mutual interference between the XY robot 200 and the XY robot 300 is reduced. For this reason, transfer control of tools by the XY robot 200 and the XY robot 300 can be performed at high speed with a relatively large degree of freedom.

  In this embodiment, in order to separate the movable range of the two XY robots 200 and 300 into the separate separation spaces where the mutual interference does not occur, the XY space in which the XY robots 200 and 300 operate is changed to the base 102. A configuration is used in which the XY space of the entire sky is allocated by being divided into almost two. Here, for example, the XY robots 200 and 300 are first and second orthogonal robots that move the first and second assembly tools, respectively.

  In that case, the first orthogonal robot of the present embodiment moves the first assembly tool within the first horizontal movable range, and the second orthogonal robot moves the second assembly tool within the second horizontal movable range. Arrange to move each.

  In the present embodiment, the first and second horizontal movable ranges are allocated by dividing the XY space over the base 102 substantially into two. The first and second horizontal movable ranges are arranged so as to define a common area accessible by both the first and second assembly tools of the first and second orthogonal robots. For example, as described below, part of the first and second horizontal movable ranges described above, for example, in the central portion of the base 102 is part of the configuration for that purpose.

  Here, the configuration of the XY robots 200 and 300 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5 to 8.

  The XY robots 200 and 300 are supported at both ends by two struts 107 and 108 on one side (left side in FIGS. 7 and 8) corresponding to the minimum X coordinate on the base 102, respectively. . For example, in FIGS. 5 and 6, the two columns 107 and 108 are mainly operated on the left side where the Y tables 201 and 301 bisect the center 102 on the center 102 and the XY robot 300 mainly operates on the right side. Placed in. With such an arrangement, the movable range of the two XY robots 200 and 300 can be separated into the separate separation spaces where the mutual interference does not occur.

  The Y tables 201 and 301 are slightly longer than half of the size of the base 102 in the Y-axis direction, so that these Y movable areas are partially overlapped at the center of the base. This is part of a configuration for defining a common area that can be accessed by both the first and second assembly tools of the first and second orthogonal robots (XY robots 200 and 300).

  In this embodiment, an assembly hand 203, a transfer hand 303, and a screw tightening driver 3039 are considered as first and second assembly tools to be moved by the XY robots 200 and 300. However, these are merely examples, and any other tool capable of performing assembly work (assembly, movement, processing, etc.) on the workpiece may be used.

  In this embodiment, as an assembly tool to be transferred by the XY robot 200, an assembly hand 203 is disposed on the head portion that is transferred in the X direction by the X table 202. Further, as a tool to be transferred by the XY robot 300, a transfer hand 303 and a screw tightening driver 3039 are arranged in a head portion that is transferred in the X direction by the X table 302.

  In this embodiment, the tools of the XY robots 200 and 300, particularly the assembly hand 203 and the transfer hand 303, share at least the work (A) on the work base 124 that is controlled to be raised and lowered at the center of the base. Give a common area that can be handled.

  In this embodiment, the driver 3039 can access only the screw supply unit 106 and the work table 125, and the assembly hand 203 can access only the supply tray 103 and the work table 124. However, by setting the dimensions of the overhang portion of the head portion described below, for example, the space in which the work platforms 124 and 125 are moved up and down can be made a common area that can be commonly accessed by the tools of the XY robots 200 and 300. .

  In order to provide the common area as described above to the tools of the XY robots 200 and 300, the assembly hand 203, and the transfer hand 303, for example, the configurations shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 can be used. For example, one of the configurations for this purpose is a configuration in which the first and second horizontal movable ranges for operating the XY robots 200 and 300 are partially overlapped as shown in FIGS.

  5 and 6, the Y tables 201 and 301 are slightly longer than half the length of the base 102 in the Y direction. This is one of the structures for partially overlapping the first and second horizontal movable ranges in which the XY robots 200 and 300 are operated. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the Y table 201 is located slightly below the Y table 301 at the center of the base, and the two Y tables are arranged so as to overlap each other. Thus, an arrangement is realized in which the other end of each Y table does not protrude from the base 102. The length of the Y tables 201 and 301 superimposed in the vertical direction is indicated by an arrow 2030 in FIG.

  In addition, in order to overlap the movable range of the Y table 201 and the Y table 301, in addition to overlapping the center part side of the Y table 301 up and down, a method can be considered in which both have the same height and are stacked in the horizontal direction. . In addition, the Y table 201 and the Y table 301 are not necessarily arranged so as not to have overlapping portions arranged in the vertical and vertical directions. Even in such a case, it is possible to use a technique such as attaching tools to the X tables 202 and 302 by tool support using a head portion having an overhang as described later. Thereby, even if the Y table 201 and the Y table 301 do not necessarily have an overlapping portion arranged vertically or vertically, the X tables 202 and 302 are placed on the upper part of the work table 124 (or 125) in the common area. Can be transported.

  As a structure for defining a common area that can be accessed by both the first and second assembly tools of the first and second orthogonal robots, the assembly apparatus 100 of the present embodiment has the following structure.

  In FIGS. 5 and 6, an example of the support structure of the (first and second) tools for the X tables 202 and 302 is well represented. For example, an L-shaped head portion 3031 is attached to the X table 302 of the XY robot 300, and the X table 302 moves the head portion 3031 and controls its position in the X direction. 5 and 6, the head 3031 is provided with a driver 3039 on the Y- (left side in the drawing) side. In addition, a transfer hand 303 is supported on the lower surface of a portion of the head portion 3031 that extends horizontally in the Y + (rightward in the drawing) direction in an overhang shape.

  On the other hand, the X table 202 of the XY robot 200 is not as long as the head portion 3031 but is mounted with a head portion 2031 having an overhang extending to the Y- (left side in the figure) side. The X table 202 moves the head portion 2031 and controls its position in the X direction. An assembly hand 203 is attached to the lower surface of the overhang portion of the head portion 2031.

  As described above, in the configuration of this embodiment, the work platform that can be accessed by both the assembly hand 203 and the transfer hand 303 of the XY robots 200 and 300 is only the work platform 124, and the space above this is the common area for both XY robots. It is. However, as apparent from the illustrations of FIGS. 5 and 6, the common area of the XY robots 200 and 300 can be expanded by appropriately selecting the lengths of the overhang portions of the head portions 2031 and 3031. For example, the assembly hand 203 can be configured to be accessible to the work table 125 by extending the overhang portion of the head portion 2031. In this case, the common area of the XY robots 200 and 300 is a space above the work platforms 124 and 125.

  FIGS. 5 and 6 show how the assembly tools (for example, the assembly hand 203 and the transfer hand 303) of the XY robots 200 and 300 enter the common area.

  In FIG. 5, the X table 202 is moved to the smallest Y coordinate that can be moved on the Y table 201. In the configuration of this embodiment, since the Y table 201 is disposed below the Y table 301, the position shown in FIG. 5 is the leftmost position where the X table 202 and the head unit 2031 can move. In this embodiment, the length of the overhang portion of the head portion 2031 is determined so that the assembly hand 203 is positioned almost directly above the work table 124 in the state shown in FIG. If the work table 124 is raised by the Z table 126 in this state, the assembly hand 203 can access the work on the work table 124.

  On the other hand, in FIG. 5, the X table 302 on the XY robot 300 side is moved so that the transfer hand 303 supported on the lower surface of the head portion 3031 overhang portion is directly above the work table 124. If the work table 125 is raised by the Z table 115 in this state, the transfer hand 303 can access the work on the work table 125. The state of the XY robot 300 is a position for accessing the work table 125 by the transfer hand 303. The state of the XY robot 300 can also be said to be the retreat position on the XY robot 300 side when the assembly hand 203 accesses the work table 124 in the common area.

  Even when the XY robot 200 has moved the assembly hand 203 into the common area on the work table 124 as shown in FIG. 5, the operation on the XY robot 300 side can be freely performed on the Y-side of the common area. That is, if the transfer hand 303 is a Y coordinate on the left side of the illustrated position, the X table 302 can be freely moved on the Y-side of the common area (the left half in the figure of the base 102). Thereby, for example, the X table 302 can be moved so that the driver 3039 comes directly above the screw supply unit 106 described later. Thus, for example, the operation of taking out the screw from the screw supply unit 106 by the driver 3039 is the operation on the Y-side of the common area, and therefore the operation on the XY robot 300 side can be performed freely.

  In contrast, the control position of the X table 302 of the XY robot 300 in FIG. 6 is selected as the Y coordinate so that the transfer hand 303 is directly above the work table 124 and the driver 3039 is directly above the work table 125. . In the illustrated position, the dimensions of the head portion 3031 are determined so that the driver 3039 is almost directly above the work table 125 and the transfer hand 303 is almost directly above the work table 124. In the state of the XY robot 300 in FIG. 6, the transfer hand 303 can access the work table 124. For example, the transfer hand 303 is caused to pick up the work (A) from the work table 125 at the position shown in FIG. Thereafter, by controlling the XY robot 300 to the state shown in FIG. 6, the work can be transferred between the work platforms 124 to 125.

  On the other hand, the position of the X table 202 of the XY robot 200 in FIG. 6 is controlled so that the assembly hand 203 is positioned above the supply tray 103. This position is a position at which the work (B) is taken out from the supply tray 103 by the assembly hand 203. The workpiece (B) can be taken out from the supply tray 103 by the assembly hand 203 by raising the supply tray 103 by the Z table 113 at the illustrated position. The operation of the XY robot 200 corresponds to the operation in the separation area on the Y + side of the common area. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, even when the XY robot 300 side has moved the transfer hand 303 into the common area (upper part of the work table 124), XY for taking out the work from the supply tray 103 of the assembly hand 203 is obtained. The robot 200 can be freely operated.

  7 and 8 are front views showing the assembling apparatus 100 of FIG. 1 from the Y-direction of FIG. 1. The assembly hand 203 moved by the X tables 202 and 302, the transfer hand 303, and the driver 3039 are shown. Different positions in the X direction are shown. For example, in FIG. 7, the assembly hand 203 has moved in the X + direction in order to access the workpiece A on the workpiece table 125. The position of the illustrated assembly hand 203 is slightly in front of the workpiece A. In FIG. 7, the driver 3039 is moving in the X + direction in order to access the screw supply head 116 of the screw supply unit 106. Similarly, the illustrated position is a position slightly in front of the screw supply head 116 directly above the screw supply head 116.

  If the XY robots 200 and 300 try to control the Y coordinate of each tool within the common area above the work table 124, interference occurs when the X coordinate of the tool as shown in FIG. . In the assembly control procedure of FIG. 3 to be described later, a movement control event of the XY robots 200 and 300 for moving the tools to the movement destination including the X coordinate as a target value as shown in FIG. 7 occurs in the common area. If this happens, exclusive control will be performed.

  In FIG. 8, the positions of the transfer hand 303 and the driver 3039 are the same as those in FIG. 7, but the assembly hand 203 is in a position moved to the X-side from FIG. 7. Accordingly, even within the common area above the work table (124), interference occurs if the X coordinate control position of the tools of the XY robots 200 and 300 can be controlled to the positions as shown in FIG. Absent. For example, in the assembly control procedure shown in FIG. 3 described later, when exclusive control is required, interference control can be avoided even in the common area above the work table 124 by controlling the X coordinate of each tool as shown in FIG. Is possible. For example, when the transfer hand 303 on the XY robot 300 side is accessing the work table at the position shown in FIG. 8, an event occurs in which the assembly hand 203 similarly accesses the work table (124). Even in this case, the X coordinate as shown in the figure can be adopted as the retracted (standby) position of the assembly hand 203.

  As an assembly tool for handling workpieces (assembled parts and parts to be assembled) that are transferred along two XY planes by the XY robot 200 and the XY robot 300, various robot hands and screw tightening drivers are used. Etc. are considered.

  Next, an example of the arrangement of each member arranged on the base 102 and constituting a part of the “lower Z” arrangement and controlled to be moved up and down in the Z-axis (vertical) direction by each Z table will be described.

  In the configuration of FIG. 1, two work tables 124 and 125 are arranged on the base 102. On these, the workpiece A to be exchanged with the adjacent assembling apparatus or the workpiece B transferred from the supply tray 103 can be placed and positioned. For example, when the workpiece A is a part to be assembled, the workpiece bases 124 and 125 place the workpiece A at a predetermined position and hold the positioning. An operation of assembling the workpiece B (assembled part) held by the assembly hand can be performed on the workpiece A.

  The work table 124 is supported by a Z table 126 at a substantially central portion on the upper surface of the base 102, and the elevation position can be controlled by driving the Z table 126. As a result, for example, the work held on the work base 124 can be lifted and a tool (for example, transfer or assembly hand) held by the XY robots 200 and 300 can be accessed.

  In this embodiment, at least the XY robots 200 and 300 (or tools supported by them) can enter the work space (region) in which at least the work table 124 (or 125) moves up and down in the center of the base 102. It is a common area. In the work space (area) in which the work platform 124 at the center of the base 102 that is the common area moves up and down, there is a possibility that both the XY robots 200 and 300 (and their supporting tools) interfere. In addition, in order to allow one of the XY robots 200 and 300 (and the tools supported by the XY robots 200 and 300) to access the work, the other XY robot 300 and 200 moves the work table ( For example, it may interfere with 124). For this reason, in the work space (region) in which the work platform 124 at the center of the base 102 that is the common region moves up and down, interference with respect to the movement of the other XY robots 300 and 200 (and their supporting tools) is avoided. It is necessary to perform exclusive control.

  On the other hand, the XY robots 200 and 300 (and their tools) are the above-mentioned areas outside the Y− and Y + sides of the work space where the work table 124 (˜125) at the center of the base 102 moves up and down. It is a movable separation area (separation space) that does not require exclusive control. In the separation area outside the work space (area) in which the work platforms 124 to 125 at the center of the base 102 are moved up and down, the XY robots 200 and 300 (and the tools supported by them) can freely move without requiring exclusive control. Can move. For this reason, in the separation area, the XY robots 200 and 300 (and the tools they support) can be moved at high speed, and the tact time in this part can be shortened. It helps to speed up the entire assembly process.

  The work table 125 is supported by the Z table 115 so as to be movable up and down in the Z-axis direction. In this embodiment, the Z table 115 is not directly supported by the base 102 but is supported by the X table 155 via the Z-axis guide 145. The Z table 115 drives the work table 125 up and down along the Z-axis guide 145.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the work table 124 on which the work can be placed is placed in an area accessible by each hand (first or second assembly tool) of the first or second XY robot 200, 300. (At least one) is arranged. The work table 124 is configured to be movable up and down in the Z-axis (vertical) direction by a Z table 126 (lifting device).

  In the present embodiment, the work table 125 is configured to be able to move the X table 155 in the direction of the arrow 155a in FIG. 1 (FIG. 7). Thereby, the work base 125 (and the work on it) can be carried into the adjacent assembling apparatus arranged at the arrow 155a. That is, the X table 155 can function as a transfer device that carries the work table 125 into the adjacent assembly device. With the X table 155, workpiece transfer such as transferring the workpiece placed on the workpiece table 125 to the adjacent assembly device or receiving it in reverse can be performed between the adjacent assembly devices. There are roughly two methods for loading the work table 125 using the X table 155.

  Of these, the first carry-in method, for example, fixes (or moves in the X direction) the Z-axis guide 145 that supports the work table 125 at the tip position of the X table 155, and moves the X table 155 to the adjacent assembly apparatus side. This is a method of protruding or retracting. In this case, the X table 155 is projected in the direction of the adjacent assembly device (not shown) from the position where the X table 155 is drawn onto the base 102 (for example, right front or left rear side in the figure), and the work base 125 is placed on the base of the adjacent device Carry in. The second carry-in method is a configuration in which the X table 155 is spanned between adjacent assembly apparatuses in a posture that projects in advance to the adjacent assembly apparatus side. In this case, the Z-axis guide 145 that supports the work base 125 by the X table 155 is reciprocated between the base 102 of the assembly apparatus and the base 102 of the adjacent assembly apparatus.

  In the present embodiment, the loading method of the Z-axis guide 145 by the X table 155 is the first method described above. Here, as shown in FIG. 4 described later, when the assembly apparatuses 501 and 502 are arranged on both sides of the assembly apparatus 100 in the X− and X + directions (adjacent), the assembly apparatus 100 is placed on the base of the assembly apparatus 502 in the X + direction. The X table 155 is entered. Further, the assembling apparatus 100 must be able to accommodate the X table 155 that the assembling apparatus 502 in the X-direction enters (arrow 155b in FIG. 7) behind the X table 155 of the own apparatus. For this purpose, the space in the X-direction of the base 102 is set sufficiently large so that the X-table assembly device 502 is allowed to enter behind the X-table 155 (arrow 155b in FIG. 7). It is conceivable to secure the above in advance. However, when the width of the base 102 (X direction) is constrained by specifications, it is possible to adopt a length close to the total length of the base 102 in the X direction as shown in FIG. 4 (FIGS. 7 and 8). It is. In this case, for example, when carrying in / out of the work table 125 with the X table 155, carrying control such as simultaneously performing the X tables 155, 155... Of the assembly apparatuses 501, 100, 502 of FIG. Good.

  Further, on the base 102, a screw supply unit 106 that can be moved up and down by a Z table 1061 is disposed on the Y side of the X table 155. The screw supply unit 106 of the driver 3039 can be configured by any known structure, and can supply screws to the screw supply head 116 one by one. At the time of screw supply, for example, the screw supply unit 106 is raised by the Z table 1061 while the driver 3039 is moved directly above the screw supply head 116 by the XY robot 300. As a result, the tip of the driver 3039 comes into contact with the screw head held by the screw supply head 116. In this state, one screw can be supplied from the screw supply head 116 to the driver 3039 by driving a suction means (not shown) using a negative pressure (or magnetism) system provided in the driver 3039. The screw tightening is performed on the work (A) on the work table 125 by moving the driver 3039 to the position shown in FIG.

  A supply tray 103 is arranged on the base 102 on the back (Y +) side of the work table 124 so as to be movable up and down in the Z-axis (vertical) direction by the Z table 113. The upper part of the supply tray 103 is, for example, in a dish shape, and is configured so that the workpieces B (assembled parts) can be arranged in a plurality of areas partitioned by partitions or the like as necessary. By raising the supply tray 103, the work B in a specific section can be taken out using the transfer hand. For example, after the XY coordinates of the assembly hand 203 are selected by the XY robot 200, the supply tray 103 is raised to a position where the hand can be gripped, thereby allowing the specific work B (assembly part) to be taken out by the hand. it can.

(Installation on production line)
The assembly apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 can constitute a production line for a specific article by disposing at least one unit, for example, adjacent to another adjacent assembly apparatus.

  FIG. 4 shows a schematic configuration of a production line constituted by three robot cells from the top as a very simplified production line configuration. In the figure, a central assembly apparatus 100 is the same as the assembly apparatus 100 shown in FIG.

  The assembling apparatus 100 includes a plurality (two) of XY robots 200 and 300 as described above. The other work bases and other members on the base 102 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1, and their configurations are the same as those described above.

  On the other hand, in the assembly apparatuses 501 and 502 adjacent to the assembly apparatus 100, members having the same reference numerals as those of the assembly apparatus 100 are arranged on the base 102. Similar to the assembling apparatus 100, these members arranged on the base 102 have a “lower Z configuration” that can be moved up and down by a Z table (not shown in detail). However, the assembly apparatuses 501 and 502 differ in the configuration of the tool moving means along the XY plane. That is, in the assembling apparatuses 501 and 502, the tool moving means along the XY plane is configured using only the XY robot 400 including one set of the Y table 401 and the X table 402.

  That is, the assembling apparatus 100 has twice as many XY robots 200 and 300 as the adjacent assembling apparatuses 501 and 502. Therefore, by simultaneously operating the XY robots 200 and 300, it is possible to move the tools to be moved by a total movement amount of at least about twice in a single time. As described above, many horizontal movable ranges of the XY robots 200 and 300 are arranged in the separation region. For this reason, the exclusive control for avoiding interference with other members is very simple as described later (FIG. 3). Therefore, considering at least the total movement amount of the tools, it is not so difficult to achieve a total movement amount that is approximately twice that of the above-mentioned adjacent devices (501, 502).

  As described above, at least one assembly apparatus 100 is arranged as a part of the production line. For example, the assembling apparatus 100 is arranged in a line at a position where a process that tends to decrease throughput is performed, and a complicated process such as high-precision assembly is assigned. By configuring the production line in this way, it is possible to efficiently execute complicated processes such as high-precision assembly by operating a plurality of XY robots 200, 300 (...) in particular. Therefore, the production (assembly) process executed by this production line can be significantly speeded up. In addition, the structure which arrange | positions the assembly apparatus 100 illustrated above in the middle of a line is an example to the last, and does not necessarily need to be arrange | positioned in the middle of a production line as mentioned above, and it arrange | positions in the both ends of a production line or the position close | similar to it. It doesn't matter.

(Control system)
FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of a control device 600 that can be implemented in the assembling apparatus of the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the control device 600 includes a CPU 601, ROM 602, RAM 603, HDD 604, and various interfaces 606 to 608.

  Connected to the CPU 601 are a ROM 602, a RAM 603, an HDD 604, and various interfaces 606 to 608. The ROM 602 stores basic programs such as BIOS. The RAM 603 is a storage device that temporarily stores the calculation processing result of the CPU 601.

  The HDD 604 is not indispensable for this type of assembly 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 a workpiece transfer 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 installing or updating a program for executing a workpiece transfer control procedure in each assembly apparatus constituting the assembly apparatus line implementing the present invention. When installing or updating a program for executing the work transfer control procedure, a method of downloading the program via the network 609 can be used in addition to using the removable recording medium as described above.

  The CPU 601 communicates with a plurality of Z tables 115, 126, 113 (...) Arranged on the base (102) via the interface 606, and moves up and down these Z tables in synchronization with the assembly process to be executed. To control. Further, the CPU 601 controls the gripping operation of the assembly hand 203 and the transfer hand 303 by communication via the interface 606.

  Further, the CPU 601 controls the movement operations of the two XY robots 200 and the XY robot 300 in synchronization with the assembly process to be executed by communication via the interface 606.

  Further, the XY robot 200 and the XY robot 300 may be equipped with other tools together with any of the hands 203 and 303. An example of such a tool is a screw tightening driver. In FIG. 2, such a tool corresponds to the case where the driver 3039 is mounted, and the CPU 601 can control the operation of the driver 3039 via the interface 606.

  Each XY robot, Z table, tool such as a driver, and each hand are provided with a drive source of a servo motor (or solenoid or the like), for example. These drive sources are controlled via, for example, a servo control circuit. Therefore, the interfaces 606 and 607 may include an interface circuit (not shown) such as this type of servo control circuit. These interfaces 606 and 607 can be configured based on various serial or parallel interface standards, for example. The interfaces 606 and 607 can be configured by a wireless communication interface as well as a wired connection of an appropriate standard. The interfaces 606 and 607 can also be configured by network interfaces. Also in this case, the various network communication methods may be any of wired connection (IEEE 802.3 and the like), wireless connection (IEEE 802.xx and the like).

  FIG. 2 shows a network 609 as this type of network. The control device 600 can communicate with other resources on the network 609 via the network interface 608. The network 609 is configured so that connected devices can communicate using a protocol such as TCP / IP.

  As will be described later, for example, a production line as shown in FIG. 6 can be constituted by the assembling apparatus shown in FIG. 1, but in that case, assembling apparatuses constituting the line are connected via a network 609, You may perform synchronous control (handshake) for work transfer. Further, a host server for controlling the entire operation of the production line can be considered as a counterpart to communicate via the network 609. In this case, the CPU 601 can transmit operation information such as operation log information in real time to the upper server via the network 609. Alternatively, a control program related to production control described later can be downloaded from the server and installed in the ROM 602 or the HDD 604, or an already installed program can be updated to a new version.

  Next, the control procedure of the assembly process executed by the control device 600, particularly the CPU 601 in the assembly device 100 will be described.

(Assembly control procedure)
FIG. 3 shows a main part of the control procedure of the assembly process executed by the CPU 601 of the control device 600 of the assembly device 100 described above. FIG. 3 particularly shows a portion related to exclusive control for operating the above-described XY robots and the Z table without mutual interference. The control procedure of FIG. 3 can be stored in the ROM 602 or the HDD 604 in the form of a control program that can be executed by the CPU 601 including a general-purpose microprocessor.

  The procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 corresponds to a loop in which the CPU 601 sequentially processes one unit (one event) of each XY robot and Z table described above. In FIG. 3, only one loop is shown, but in this embodiment, for example, for each XY robot 200, 300, Z table 113 (, 115, 126...), A loop processing routine similar to FIG. An implementation that executes them in parallel is assumed. However, such a multi-threaded software implementation is only an example, and a software configuration for realizing a similar software function, such as implementing a program in the form of a sequential processing loop that handles a plurality of controlled members, is not appropriate. It is optional in the trader.

  The movement control data defining each XY robot (or Z table) operation event handled in the control routine of FIG. 3 is stored in the storage means in the form of, for example, a teaching point data list or a robot control program. The storage format in that case may be any format such as program text, intermediate code, and execution code. The movement control data storage means is, for example, the ROM 602, the HDD 604, or the like, or may be expanded in a predetermined area of the RAM 603 when the program is executed.

  3 is executed in parallel for each controlled member such as each XY robot or Z table, for example, as described above. These control routines shown in FIG. 3 vary depending on the configuration of the processing system, but are executed in parallel in units such as processes, threads, and microcodes that are executed in parallel. For example, in the case of thread implementation, the necessary information exchange between the control threads corresponding to each XY robot or each controlled member such as the Z table is a status memory arranged on the RAM 603 so as to be shared as a global variable or the like Can be used. In this status memory, it is assumed that each XY robot or each controlled member such as a Z table is sequentially recorded with the currently executed operation, current position, posture, and the like. Therefore, each thread corresponding to one controlled member such as each XY robot or Z table can refer to this status memory to determine the currently executed operation and current position of the other controlled member, Postures can be acquired.

  In the control of FIG. 3, the CPU 601 takes out one piece of movement control data defining an operation event of the XY robot (or Z table) targeted by this control loop (step S200) and executes it (step S205). . In FIG. 3, the exclusive control steps shown in steps S201 to S204 are inserted between the extraction (S200) of the movement control data and the execution (S205).

  First, in step S201, the movement control data defining the operation event of the fetched XY robot (or Z table) is interpreted. For example, the movement control data is a teaching point that describes the movement destination of the controlled member, a program text, or the like. Here, the data format necessary for operating the controlled member in step S205 from these formats. Conversion to etc. In this case, the CPU 601 performs, for example, a trajectory from the current position / orientation of the controlled member to the destination position / orientation, a moving speed, a tool or a workpiece that moves together with the controlled member, and sweeping by the movement. A space (SV) or the like can be calculated.

  In step S <b> 202, the CPU 601 refers to the status memory and acquires the currently executed operation, current position, posture, and the like of a controlled member such as another XY robot (or Z table).

  In step S203, the trajectory to the position and orientation of the movement destination generated in the controlled member by the current operation event calculated in step S201, the sweep space (SV) swept by the movement, and other controlled members are It is determined whether there is no interference with the current motion or position / posture. Here, if the current operation event of the controlled member concerned interferes with the current operation or position and orientation of another controlled member, the CPU 601 shifts the control to step S204, and there is no interference. In step S205, the process proceeds to step S205.

  In step S204, avoidance control is performed. This control is executed as exclusive control for avoiding interference with other controlled members. In this step, for example, while monitoring the contents of the status memory, it waits without starting the operation corresponding to the movement control data fetched in step S200 until the interference state with other controlled members is cleared. To do.

  In step S204, if the operation mode defined in the movement control data fetched in step S200 can be changed to avoid interference with other controlled members, the avoidance control is performed by changing the operation mode. May be performed. Here, in the case of the XY robot and the Z table as in the present embodiment, it is difficult to generate various avoidance trajectories like, for example, a vertical articulated robot. Still, in the case of an XY robot, an XY two-dimensional trajectory can be selected, and an avoidance condition can sometimes be achieved by speed control. When there is only one movable axis as in the Z table, the avoidance operation mode is more limited, but the avoidance condition may be achieved by selecting a speed change pattern or the like.

  If it is confirmed in step S204 that the interference state with other controlled members has been cleared by monitoring the status memory and waiting (or changing to the avoidance operation mode), the process proceeds to step S205.

  When the process proceeds to step S205, it is confirmed that there is no interference state with other controlled members in step S203, or that the interference state is cleared in step S204. Therefore, in step S205, the corresponding controlled member corresponding to this control routine is caused to execute an operation corresponding to the movement control data fetched in step S200. At this time, the corresponding controlled member is operated according to the control conditions such as the trajectory and movement speed generated in step S201. At this time, for example, the drive data is transmitted to the corresponding controlled member in the form of servo control data or the like via each interface (FIG. 2).

  Assembling control as described above is executed by the CPU 601 with respect to each controlled member (the above-mentioned XY robot, Z table), and the operation of each controlled member related to the assembly process is determined by mutual interference. It can be executed without occurring.

  The control of FIG. 3 is not so different from the assembly control including the exclusive control in the past in the step configuration. However, in this embodiment, the movable spaces of the XY robots 200 and 300 are separated outside the work space except for the work space (region) in which the work platform 124 at the center of the base 102 that is a common region is raised and lowered. Arranged in the separated area. In the separation area outside the work space in which the work platforms 124 to 125 at the center of the base 102 are moved up and down, the XY robots 200 and 300 can be freely operated without considering each other's state.

  In such an arrangement, basically, the two XY robots 200 and 300 having mutual interference do not occur in the separation area outside the work space in which the work platforms 124 to 125 at the center of the base 102 move up and down.

  That is, an area where a control state where avoidance control for avoiding mutual interference between the XY robots 200 and 300 appears due to the arrangement as shown in FIG. Almost limited to the common area. In the present embodiment, this common area is a work space in which the work platform 124 at the center of the base 102 moves up and down, for example.

  For example, in the assembly control of this machine, in the common area in the center of the base 102, there may be a control state in which the work base 124 is raised for one of the XY robots 200 and 300, for example. In such a control state, of course, the other XY robots 300 and 200 are caused to wait until the work table, the tray, and the lower Z table are lowered, for example, by the avoidance operation (S204). Such a state where the avoidance control is necessary occurs only in the common area of the XY robots 200 and 300 in which the work platform 124 (or 125) at the center of the base 102 at the center of the base 102 moves up and down.

  Therefore, in the configuration of the present embodiment, the timing and period when exclusive control is required are significantly reduced compared to the conventional configuration. Therefore, the probability that the assembly process is delayed by the exclusive control of the movable member on the base 102 is greatly reduced even if the assembly control is performed by simple multi-thread mounting as shown in FIG. For this reason, the assembly process can be efficiently performed by the plurality of XY robots 200 and 300, and particularly complicated processes such as high-accuracy assembly can be efficiently performed, and are executed by the production line on which the machine is disposed. The production (assembly) process can be significantly speeded up.

  In the present embodiment, the horizontal movable range of the plurality of XY robots 200 and 300 is separated into a separation region outside the space in which the work platforms 124 to 125 at the center of the base 102, which is a common region of both, move up and down. Yes. For this reason, in the above separation areas, the control device 600 hardly requires exclusive control to avoid mutual interference, and the XY robots 200 and 300 can cause the tasks to be executed in these separation areas to be executed at high speed. it can. For example, the assembly process on the assembly apparatus 100 can be divided into a plurality of tasks. One of the plurality of tasks is, for example, picking up a work from the supply tray 103 by the assembly hand 203 of the XY robot 200. Further, as one of the plurality of tasks, a workpiece transfer operation between the workpiece platforms 125 to 124 by the transfer hand 303 of the XY robot 300 can be considered. Further, screw tightening by the driver 3039 of the XY robot 300 is one of the plurality of tasks. That is, in the present embodiment, the control device 600 performs the assembly process to be executed on the workpiece by the first and second assembly tools (each of the above tools) of the first and second XY robots 200 and 300. The task is divided into a plurality of executable tasks and controlled. Since many horizontal movable ranges of the first and second XY robots 200 and 300 are arranged in the separation areas as described above, tasks divided into the respective XY robots in these separation areas can be executed at high speed. Can do.

  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 100,501,502 ... Assembly apparatus, 102 ... Base, 103 ... Supply tray, 106 ... Screw supply part, 107, 108 ... Post, 113, 115, 126, 1061 ... Z table, 124, 125 ... Work table, 145 ... Z-axis guide, 200, 300 ... XY robot, 201, 301, 401 ... Y table, 202, 202, 402 ... X table, 203 ... Assembly hand, 303 ... Transfer hand, 400 ... XY robot, 600 ... Control device 601 ... CPU, 602 ... ROM, 603 ... RAM, 604 ... HDD, 2031, 3031 ... head, 3039 ... driver.

Claims (7)

A first orthogonal robot that moves the first assembly tool within a first horizontal movable range;
A second orthogonal robot that moves the second assembly tool within a second horizontal movable range;
A workpiece can be placed in a common area that is below the first and second horizontal movable ranges and is accessible by the first or second assembly tool moved by the first or second orthogonal robot. Elevating device for elevating and lowering a work table,
A base for supporting the first and second orthogonal robots and the lifting device;
The operations of the first orthogonal robot and assembly tool, the second orthogonal robot and assembly tool, and the work table and the lifting device are performed while avoiding mutual interference between the orthogonal robot, the assembly tool, and the work table. And a controller for executing assembly control for controlling assembly processing performed on the workpiece placed on the workpiece table using the first or second assembly tool.   2. The assembly apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second orthogonal robots move the first and second assembly tools, respectively. An assembling apparatus arranged in a different space above the base except for a common area.   3. The assembly apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control device performs an assembly process to be executed on the workpiece into a plurality of tasks that can be executed by the first assembly tool and the second assembly tool. Assembly device that divides and executes tasks.   4. The assembly apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transport device that transports a workpiece in a direction of an adjacent assembly device disposed adjacent to the base, wherein the control device includes the transport device. An assembly apparatus that controls the workpiece to exchange workpieces with the adjacent assembly apparatus.   5. A control program for an assembly apparatus that causes the control apparatus according to claim 1 to execute the assembly control.   A computer-readable recording medium storing the control program for the assembly apparatus according to claim 5.   A production line configured by arranging a plurality of assembly apparatuses adjacent to each other, wherein at least one assembly apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is included in the line arrangement. Production line.

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