JP3855964B2 - Workpiece transfer method and transfer device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a workpiece conveying method and a conveying device, and more particularly, to a conveying method and a conveying device related to fractional alignment of workpieces in an automated facility.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a workpiece transfer method, for example, in an automated facility, there are methods in which two workpieces are simultaneously transferred to each station where the workpiece is processed, assembled, inspected, and supplied to and taken out from each station. In this type of automated equipment, when one workpiece becomes a defective product and is discharged (hereinafter referred to as defective discharge), the station in the subsequent process after the station where the failure has occurred is equipped with a single work that is a non-defective product. It is necessary to operate.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the automated equipment according to the prior art, in the subsequent process, it is necessary to perform operation control with one workpiece when a workpiece defect occurs and operation control with two workpieces for normal operation. There is concern about the complexity of the control system corresponding to the processing. When the control system becomes complicated, it causes an increase in cost.
[0004]
Furthermore, since the flow is performed with only one non-defective workpiece to the automated facility having the facility configuration capable of flowing two workpieces at the same time, there is a concern that the facility operation rate is lowered.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a workpiece transfer method capable of operating equipment by simultaneous processing of two workpieces even when a workpiece failure occurs. And providing a transfer device.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to claim 1 of the present invention, in the method for transporting workpieces in an automated facility that includes a plurality of processes for processing, assembling, inspection, etc., and capable of processing two workpieces simultaneously in the process, In any given process of the process, two works are made into one set, and if one work in one set becomes a defective product and is discharged outside the process as a non-processing target, the other work Evacuate out of process,
If any one of the workpieces in the other set fails during the other workpiece's evacuation period, the evacuation state of the other workpiece is released, and the other workpiece and one of the other sets Another different workpiece is combined as a new set and transferred to a subsequent process of a predetermined process.
[0007]
As a result, in an automated facility that can process two workpieces at the same time, if one of the two workpieces becomes a defective product, and the other workpiece is a non-defective product, the fraction is the same When it corresponds, it is temporarily retracted outside the process. Furthermore, if one workpiece in another set becomes defective while the good workpiece is evacuated in fractions, the other workpiece is released from the evacuation state, and the other workpiece and another set in the other set are released. The workpiece is transferred to a subsequent process as a new set. Therefore, even if one of the two workpieces becomes a defective product, the two workpieces can be transferred to a subsequent process.
[0008]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, as a method of retreating out of the process, the other workpiece can be temporarily taken out of the predetermined process and transferred to the temporary table.
[0009]
According to claim 3 of the present invention, it is preferable that the temporary table is disposed in the vicinity of the predetermined process. As a result, it is possible to shorten the time for taking out fractional non-defective workpieces temporarily pooled in the temporary table from the predetermined process and the time for supplying them to the predetermined process.
[0010]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the temporary table placed in the vicinity of the predetermined process is disposed in the vicinity of the inspection process unit for determining whether or not there is a defect due to the process performed on the work in the predetermined process. It is preferable. As a result, it is possible to reduce the dead time required for taking out fractional non-defective workpieces temporarily pooled on the temporary placement table and supplying them to the inside of the predetermined process.
[0011]
According to claim 5 of the present invention, as one of the work conveying means, an index table that rotates and moves two works along each step. Le If you are using a temporary table, the index table Le It is preferable that it is arrange | positioned in the vicinity of the taking-out part. As a result, it is possible to reduce the dead time required for taking out fractional non-defective workpieces temporarily pooled on the temporary placement table and supplying them to the inside of the predetermined process.
[0012]
According to claim 6 of the present invention, in the workpiece transfer method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, the temporary placement table is movable up and down, front and rear, or left and right with respect to the two workpieces. It is.
[0013]
As a result, the temporary table can move up and down, back and forth, or left and right with respect to the two workpieces. Even if one of the two workpieces processed at the same time becomes defective, the other non-defective workpiece is temporarily set. It can be placed on a table.
[0014]
According to claim 7 of the present invention, it is possible to provide gripping means capable of gripping two workpieces independently.
[0015]
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, in the workpiece transfer device for supplying and taking out the workpiece to and from the manufacturing apparatus using the robot hand, the robot hand can hold the two workpieces independently. The gripping state of one of the two workpieces is released and ejected out of the manufacturing apparatus, and the other workpiece is temporarily retracted out of the manufacturing apparatus to release the gripping state. Control means capable of driving and controlling the means, and when there is a temporarily retracted work, if a defect occurs in one work, the control means discharges the one work to the manufacturing apparatus. Then, the workpiece temporarily retreated in place of one of the workpieces is gripped.
[0016]
Thereby, it is provided with a control means for driving and controlling gripping means capable of gripping two workpieces independently, and the control means releases the gripping state of one of the two works, for example, one of the two works. When the workpiece is defective, the workpiece is discharged out of the manufacturing apparatus. For example, when the other workpiece is non-defective, the gripping state of the other workpiece is released and temporarily retracted out of the manufacturing apparatus. As a result, only one workpiece is not transferred to a subsequent manufacturing apparatus.
[0017]
Furthermore, when there is a workpiece that has been temporarily retracted, if a defect occurs in one of the workpieces, that workpiece is discharged to the manufacturing equipment, and the workpiece is temporarily retracted in place of the one workpiece. Therefore, two workpieces can be efficiently transferred to the subsequent process.
[0018]
According to claim 9 of the present invention, when the control means takes two works as one set and receives information input indicating that one work in the set is defective, the one work is not manufactured. And the other workpiece can be temporarily retracted. In addition, if a failure occurs in any one of the other sets during the retreat period of the other work, the retreat state of the other work is released, and the other work and one of the other sets are removed. One workpiece and another different workpiece can be gripped as a new set.
[0019]
According to claim 10 of the present invention, the workpiece transfer apparatus according to claim 8 or claim 9. Are two Process multiple workpieces simultaneously Is possible . Therefore, it is suitable for an automated facility that includes a plurality of processes for processing, assembling, and inspecting, and that can process two workpieces at the same time.
[0020]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments in which a workpiece transfer method and a transfer apparatus according to the present invention are embodied will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0021]
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an automated facility to which the workpiece transfer device of the present embodiment is applied. FIG. 2 is an external view of the structure of the robot hand shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from II. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control process for conveying a workpiece according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control process related to the first control shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control process related to the second control shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control process related to the third control shown in FIG.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 1, the automation facility 1 includes a plurality of processes for processing any one of processing, assembly, inspection, and the like, and two workpieces can be processed simultaneously in these processes. In the following, the automated equipment 1 described in the present embodiment includes a machining process and an assembling process, and the assembling process is a subsequent process of the machining process. In FIG. 1, among manufacturing equipment (hereinafter referred to as pre-process equipment) 2 for processing a processing step for drawing creation, processing is performed on a workpiece 70 (shown in a circle for drawing creation in FIG. 1). Only the inspection process unit 2a for determining whether or not there is a defect is illustrated. Moreover, only the pallet 3a corresponding to the pre-process part is illustrated in the manufacturing equipment (hereinafter referred to as post-process equipment) 3 for processing the assembly process 3. A workpiece transfer device (hereinafter referred to as a workpiece transfer device) 4 is arranged between the pre-process facility 2 and the post-process facility 3.
[0023]
The workpiece transfer device 4, the pre-process equipment 2, and the post-process equipment 3 constitute an automated equipment 1.
[0024]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the workpiece transfer device 4 can grip two workpieces 70 independently. In the following description of the present embodiment, gripping is referred to as chucking. Also, releasing the gripping state is called unchucking.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 1, the workpiece transfer device 4 includes a robot hand 4a for chucking and unchucking the workpiece 70, and control means for driving and controlling the robot hand 4b so as to transfer the workpiece from a predetermined position to another predetermined position. (Hereinafter referred to as a control unit) 4b. The control unit 4b is connected to the inspection process unit 2a, and receives information that one of the sets determined by the inspection process unit 2a is a defective workpiece.
[0026]
As shown in FIG. 2, the robot hand 4 a includes a support column 41, an arm unit 42, and a chuck unit 43 that can chuck and unchuck two workpieces 70. As shown in FIG. 2, the arm part 42 includes a first arm part 42 a and a second arm part 42 b, and is rotatably connected to a support column 41 and a connecting part 44, respectively. The connecting portion 44 is disposed between the first arm portion 42a and the second arm portion 42b. As shown in FIG. 2, the second arm portion 42 b is provided with a chuck portion 43 that is movable in the vertical direction in FIG. 2, and this chuck portion is centered on the tip end side of the second arm portion 42. It can be rotated. The first arm portion 42a, the second arm portion 42b, and the chuck portion 43 are driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2 by a drive motor (not shown) built in the robot hand 4. Further, the chuck portion 43 is driven to move up and down by the drive motor. The chuck portion 43 is provided with gripping means 43a and 43b capable of independently chucking and unchucking two workpieces.
[0027]
Each of the pallet 3a and the inspection process unit 2a sequentially feeds the workpiece 70 before the assembly process to an assembly main process unit (not shown) that performs the assembly process, and the workpiece 70 that has been determined to be defective after processing and a non-defective product. Can be carried out to the work transfer device 4 in order. The pallet 3a and the assembling main process part constitute an assembling process.
[0028]
As shown in FIG. 1, the defective chute 5 is a non-processed object (non-manufacturing object), ie, a manufacturing apparatus, with a work (hereinafter referred to as a defective work) determined to be a defective product by the inspection process unit 2 a. It is a station for discharging outside.
[0029]
As shown in FIG. 1, when the inspection stage 2a determines that one of the two workpieces is a defective product, the temporary placing table 6 is the other non-defective workpiece (hereinafter referred to as a non-defective workpiece). Station) for temporarily pooling. In addition, the two workpieces 70 are set as one on the temporary placing table 6 and the fractional workpieces are pooled only when the fraction is reached. As a result, when a fraction occurs in the non-defective workpiece, the workpiece can be temporarily taken out from the predetermined process (the machining step 4 in this embodiment) and retreated out of the process until a new fraction of the non-defective workpiece is generated. Is possible.
[0030]
Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the temporary placing table 6 is movable in the left-right direction in FIG. As a result, even if one of the two workpieces 70 is determined to be a defective workpiece, the other unchucked by the robot hand 4a can be placed on the temporary placement table 6. The temporary placement table 6 is not limited to the case where it can move in the left-right direction with respect to the two workpieces 70 chucked by the robot hand 4a, and one of the two workpieces 70 is a defective workpiece. In this case, the robot hand 4a may be movable in at least one of the left-right direction, the up-down direction, and the front-rear direction as long as the robot hand 4a moves so as to be able to place an unchucked workpiece and pool it.
[0031]
The operation of the automated equipment 1 having the above-described configuration, in particular, the operation of the workpiece transfer device 4 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3 to 6. 1 is in a state where the non-defective workpieces in the third control shown in FIG. 6 are pooled on the temporary placing table 6 and a new fraction of non-defective workpieces is generated. The state determined by. Of the workpieces 70 shown in FIG. 1, a solid circle represents a non-defective workpiece, and a broken circle represents a defective workpiece. 3 to 6 are flowcharts showing the control process according to the present embodiment.
[0032]
As shown in FIG. 3, in S301 (S represents a step), determination information (hereinafter referred to as workpiece information) on whether or not the two workpieces 70 are simultaneously processed in the previous process equipment 2 is The inspection process unit 2a inputs the control unit 4b, and the process proceeds to S302.
[0033]
In S302, based on the input workpiece information, it is determined whether one of the two workpieces 70 is defective. If one of the two workpieces 70 is defective, the process proceeds to S304. If the two workpieces 70 are non-defective, the process proceeds to S303.
[0034]
In S303, the first control (see FIG. 4) is performed as a work transfer method, and the process proceeds to S307. Thereby, as a workpiece transfer method, normal control is performed when the two workpieces 70 simultaneously processed in the pre-process facility 2 are both non-defective products. In this case, the two workpieces 70 simultaneously processed in the pre-process facility 2 are transferred to the post-process facility 3 as they are.
[0035]
In S304, it is determined whether there is a fractional non-defective workpiece temporarily retracted on the temporary placement table 6 (specifically, whether S = 1, which will be described later). If there is no fractional non-defective workpiece temporarily retracted on the temporary placement table 6, the process proceeds to S305. On the other hand, if there is a fractional non-defective workpiece temporarily retracted on the temporary table 6, the process proceeds to S306.
[0036]
In S305, the second control (see FIG. 5) is performed as a work transfer method, and the process proceeds to S301. As a result, the inspection process unit 2a determines that one of the two workpieces 70 simultaneously processed in the previous process facility 2 is a defective product as a workpiece transfer method, and the temporary placing table 6 Evacuation control is performed when fractional non-defective workpieces are not pooled. In this case, the defective work and the non-defective work determined by the inspection process unit 2a are not transferred to the post-process equipment 3. In S301, the workpiece information of the next two workpieces 70 to be processed in order by the previous process equipment 2 is awaited.
[0037]
In S306, the third control (see FIG. 6) is performed as a work transfer method, and the process proceeds to S301. As a result, the inspection process unit 2a determines that one of the two workpieces 70 simultaneously processed in the previous process facility 2 is a defective product as a workpiece transfer method, and the temporary placing table 6 Recovery control is performed when a fraction of non-defective workpieces are pooled. In this case, the defective workpiece is not transferred to the post-processing facility 3. Further, in place of the defective workpiece, the fractional non-defective workpiece pooled on the temporary placing table 6 and the other workpiece are used as a new combination, and the two workpieces formed by this new combination are transferred to the post-process equipment 3. The
[0038]
In S307, when the processing of the normal control S303 as the first control or the recovery control S306 as the third control is completed, the two workpieces 70 can be transferred to the post-process facility 3.
[0039]
Here, the control processes of the normal control S303, the evacuation control S305 as the second control, and the recovery control S306 will be described in detail according to FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, respectively.
[0040]
First, the normal control S303 includes control processes from S401 to S404 as shown in FIG. In S401, when the workpiece information is received from the inspection process unit 2a, the control unit 4b moves the robot hand 4a to the inspection process unit 2a (see FIG. 1), and proceeds to S402.
[0041]
Next, in S402, the chuck part 43 (specifically, the gripping means 43a and 43b) (see FIG. 2) is lowered to chuck the two workpieces 70 in the inspection process part 2a. After chucking the two workpieces 70, the gripping means 43a and 43b are raised. In the following description, when chucking the workpiece 70, the description that the gripping means 43a and 43b are lowered before chucking the workpiece 70 and the gripping means 43a and 43b is lifted after chucking is omitted for the sake of simplicity of explanation. To do. Note that the case where the workpiece 70 is unchucked is omitted as in the case where the workpiece 70 is chucked.
[0042]
In S403, the control unit 4b moves the robot hand 4a to the pallet 3a (see FIG. 1), and proceeds to S404.
[0043]
In S404, the two workpieces 70 chucked by the robot hand 4a are unchucked and placed on the pallet 3a.
[0044]
Next, the evacuation control S305 includes control processes of S401 and S402, and S503 to S508. When the workpiece information is received from the inspection process unit 2a, the robot hand 4a is moved to the inspection process unit 2a in S401, and the two workpieces 70 in the inspection process unit 2a are chucked in S402.
[0045]
Here, from the workpiece information, it is determined that one of the two workpieces 70 is a defective workpiece (see FIG. 1). The other work is a non-defective work (see FIG. 1). In the following description of the present embodiment, for the convenience of explanation, the non-defective workpiece 70a, the defective workpiece 70b, and the non-defective workpiece pooled in the temporary placement table 6 are referred to as the retracted workpiece 70ap.
[0046]
Further, in S503, the control unit 4b moves the robot hand 4a to the defective chute 5 (see FIG. 1), and proceeds to S504.
[0047]
In S504, based on the workpiece information, only the defective workpiece 70b is unchucked out of the two workpieces 70 chucked by the robot hand 4a, and the process proceeds to S505.
[0048]
In S505, the control unit 4b moves the robot hand 4a to the temporary placing table 6 (see FIG. 1), and proceeds to S506.
[0049]
In S506, the remaining non-defective workpiece 70a chucked by the robot hand 4a is unchucked from the workpiece information, and the process proceeds to S507. As a result, the fractional non-defective workpiece 70a is temporarily evacuated to the temporary placing table 6, and is pooled as a evacuated workpiece 70ap until a new fractional nondefective workpiece 70a is generated.
[0050]
In S507, S = 1 is stored in the control unit 4b as a determination signal indicating that the retraction work 70ap is pooled on the temporary placement table 6, and the process proceeds to S508.
[0051]
In S508, the control unit 4b moves the robot hand 4a to the original position (in this embodiment, for example, the position of the robot hand 4a shown in FIG. 3).
[0052]
Next, the recovery control S306 includes control processes of S401 and S402, S503 to S505, S606 and S607, and S403 and S404. When the workpiece information is received from the inspection process unit 2a, the robot hand 4a is moved to the inspection process unit 2a in S401, and the two workpieces 70 in the inspection process unit 2a are chucked in S402. Further, from the workpiece information, the robot hand 4a is moved to the defective chute 5 in S503, and only the defective workpiece 70b is unchucked and discharged to the defective chute 5 in S504. In S505, the robot hand 4a is moved to the temporary placement table 6, and the process proceeds to S606.
[0053]
In S606, the retracted work 70ap (see FIG. 1) is chucked instead of the defective work 70b based on the work information and the determination signal, and the process proceeds to S607. As a result, the evacuation workpiece 70ap and the non-defective workpiece 70a are combined as a new set. 1 is moved in the left-right direction according to any work position where the defective work 70b is found, and then the retracted work 70ap is chucked.
[0054]
In S607, the retracted work 70ap is taken away from the temporary placing table 6 by the robot hand 4a, and the pool of the retracted work 70ap as a fractional non-defective work is lost. Therefore, the determination signal is set to S = 0 and stored in the control unit 4b.
[0055]
Further, the controller 4b moves the robot hand 4a to the pallet 3a in S403, unchucks these two workpieces 70ap and 70a, and places them on the pallet 3a in S404.
[0056]
According to the present embodiment described above, in the automated equipment 1 capable of processing two workpieces 70 at the same time, when one workpiece 70b of the two workpieces 70 is defective, the other workpiece 70a which is a non-defective product is shown. Is equivalent to a fraction in the case where two are set as one set, it is temporarily retracted out of the process (specifically, temporary placement table 6). Further, if one work 70b in another set becomes defective while the non-defective work 70a is pooled as the retreat work 70ap with the fractions remaining, the retreat state of the retraction work 70ap is released, and the retreat work 70ap and the other work The other non-defective workpiece 70a in the set is transferred as a new set to a subsequent process. Therefore, even when one of the two workpieces 70b is a defective product, the two workpieces 70ap and 70a can be transferred to a subsequent process.
[0057]
(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the same or equivalent components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will not be repeated. FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an automated facility to which the workpiece transfer device of the present embodiment is applied. FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 are flowcharts showing control processing in normal control as the first control, evacuation control as the second control, and recovery control as the third control, respectively, according to the present embodiment. It is.
[0058]
As shown in FIG. 7, the pre-process facility 2 includes a main processing process 2b that is arranged around the index table 8 and processes two workpieces simultaneously, and an inspection process section 2a. The inspection process unit 2a determines whether the work 70 is defective or non-defective after the processing in the processing main process 2b.
[0059]
As shown in FIG. 7, the index table 8 is one of conveying means for the workpiece 70, and can rotate the two workpieces 70 along the machining main process 2b and the inspection process section 2a. . As shown in FIG. 7, the index table 8 is formed in a substantially disk-like body, and rotates counterclockwise around the substantially center of the substantially disk-like body (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 7). In this index table 8, two works 70 can be set as one set on the outer peripheral side divided into approximately four parts, and one set of works 70 can be arranged on the outer peripheral side substantially divided into four parts. As shown in FIG. 7, on the index table 8, there are a machining main process section 2b, an inspection process section 2a, a robot hand 4a for discharging the defective workpiece 70b, and a robot hand 4a for taking out the workpiece 70 in order counterclockwise. Is arranged. A defective chute 5 and a pallet 3a are arranged in the robot hand 4a for discharging the defective workpiece 70b and the robot hand 4a for taking out the workpiece 70, respectively.
[0060]
The robot hand 4a for taking out the workpiece 70 includes two gripping means (hereinafter referred to as first gripping means) 43a and 43b, and two other gripping means for independently chucking and unchucking the two workpieces. (Hereinafter referred to as second gripping means) (not shown), and the first gripping means 43a, 43b and the second gripping means are connected to the first gripping means 43a, 43b and the second gripping means. It is preferable to be able to rotate around the midpoint (inverted in the direction of the dashed line in FIG. 7). As a result, the robot hand 4a for taking out the workpiece 70 performs the operation of taking out the two workpieces 7 processed in the previous process facility 2 to the pallet 3a, and also adds the two workpieces 70 to be processed in the previous process facility 2 to the pallet. It is possible to perform the input operation from 3a. For convenience of explanation, the robot hand 4a for taking out the work 70 is referred to as a robot hand 4aa for taking out / injecting the work in order to distinguish it from the robot hand 4a for discharging the defective work 70b.
[0061]
Hereinafter, the robot hand 4a for taking out the workpiece 70 described in the present embodiment includes an operation for taking out two workpieces 7 processed in the pre-process facility 2 to the pallet 3a and two workpieces for processing in the pre-process facility 2. 70 will be described as being able to perform a loading operation from the pallet 3a. In this case, the original positions of the first gripping means 43a and 43b in the workpiece take-out / put-in robot hand 4aa are arranged on the take-out portion side shown in FIG. On the other hand, the original position of the second gripping means is arranged on the pallet 3a side shown in FIG.
[0062]
Here, the index table 8, the robot hand 4a for discharging the defective work 70b, and the robot hand 4aa for taking out and loading the work constitute a transfer means (specifically, a work transfer device) for transferring two works. is doing.
[0063]
As shown in FIG. 7, the pallet 3 a corresponds to the pre-process part of the post-process equipment 3 corresponding to the post-process of the pre-process equipment 2 and the pre-process equipment (main book) corresponding to the pre-process of the pre-process equipment 2. In the embodiment, for example, it corresponds to a post-stage part of a manufacturing facility 7) that processes the pre-processing step.
[0064]
The operation of the automated equipment 1 having the above-described configuration, in particular, the operation of the robot hand 4a for discharging the defective workpiece 70b and the workpiece picking / loading robot hand 4aa constituting the workpiece transfer device will be described below with reference to FIGS. . In FIG. 7, the workpiece 70 is conveyed in a state in which the non-defective workpieces in the third control shown in FIG. 10 are pooled on the temporary placing table 6 and a new non-defective workpiece fraction is generated. The state determined in 2a is shown.
[0065]
First, the normal control S303 includes control processes from S801 to S804 as shown in FIG. In S801, when the work 70 having the work information transmitted from the inspection process unit 2a transmitted to the control unit 4b is positioned at the take-out part by the rotation of the index table 8, the gripping means 43a and 43b of the robot hand 4aa for taking out and loading the work are lowered. The two workpieces 70 in the take-out part are chucked. After chucking the two workpieces 70, the gripping means 43a and 43b are raised. In the following description, when chucking the workpiece 70, the description that the gripping means 43a and 43b are lowered before chucking the workpiece 70 and the gripping means 43a and 43b is lifted after chucking is omitted for the sake of simplicity of explanation. To do. Note that the case where the workpiece 70 is unchucked is omitted as in the case where the workpiece 70 is chucked.
[0066]
At this time, the second gripping means chucks the two workpieces 70 before being processed by the pre-process facility 2 on the pallet 3a.
[0067]
In S802, the control unit 4b reverses the workpiece take-out / put-in robot hand 4aa, moves the first gripping means 43a, 43b to the pallet 3a side, and proceeds to S803. At this time, the second gripping means moves to the take-out portion side.
[0068]
In S803, the two workpieces 70 processed by the pre-process facility 2 chucked by the first gripping means 43a and 43b are unchucked and placed on the pallet 3a. At this time, the two workpieces 70 before being processed by the pre-process facility 2 chucked by the second gripping means are unchucked and placed on the take-out portion.
[0069]
In S804, the robot hand 4aa for picking up and loading the workpiece is reversed and returned to the original position.
[0070]
Next, the evacuation control S305 includes a control process (see FIG. 9A) for driving and controlling the robot hand 4a for discharging the defective workpiece 70b, and a control process from S911 to S915, including the control process from S901 to S904. , And a control process (see FIG. 9B) for driving and controlling the robot hand 4aa for picking up and loading the workpiece. The original position of the robot hand 4a for discharging the defective workpiece 70b is on the outer peripheral side of the index table 8.
[0071]
In S901, only the defective workpiece 70b is chucked out of the two workpieces 70 arranged on the outer peripheral side of the index table 8 from the workpiece information transmitted from the inspection process unit 2a, and the process proceeds to S902.
[0072]
In S902, the control unit 4b moves the robot hand 4a for discharging the defective workpiece 70b to the defective chute 5 (see FIG. 7), and proceeds to S903.
[0073]
In S903, the defective work 70 chucked by the robot hand 4a for discharging the defective work 70b is unchucked, and the process proceeds to S904.
[0074]
In S904, the robot hand 4a for discharging the defective workpiece 70b is returned to the original position, and the control process is ended.
[0075]
On the other hand, in S911, when the work 70 having the work information transmitted from the inspection process unit 2a transmitted to the control unit 4b is positioned in the take-out unit by the rotation of the index table 8, the remaining non-defective work 70 is transferred to the robot hand for picking up and loading the work. Of the gripping means 43a and 43b of 4aa, chucking is performed by the gripping means corresponding to the position of the non-defective workpiece 70. At this time, the second gripping means chucks the two workpieces 70 before being processed by the pre-process facility 2 on the pallet 3a.
[0076]
In S912, the control unit 4b reverses the workpiece take-out / put-in robot hand 4aa, moves the first gripping means 43a, 43b to the temporary placing table 6 side, and proceeds to S913. At this time, the second gripping means moves to the take-out portion side.
[0077]
In S913, the non-defective workpiece chucked by the gripping means 43a and 43b is unchucked, and the process proceeds to S914. As a result, the fractional non-defective workpiece 70a is temporarily evacuated to the temporary placing table 6, and is pooled as a evacuated workpiece 70ap until a new fractional nondefective workpiece 70a is generated. At this time, the two workpieces 70 before being processed by the pre-process facility 2 chucked by the second gripping means are unchucked and placed on the take-out portion.
[0078]
In S914, S = 1 is stored in the control unit 4b as a determination signal indicating that the retraction work 70ap is pooled on the temporary placing table 6, and the process proceeds to S915.
[0079]
In S915, the robot hand 4aa for picking up and loading the workpiece is returned to the original position, and the control process is terminated.
[0080]
Next, the recovery control S306 includes a control process (see FIG. 10A) for controlling the robot hand 4a for discharging the defective workpiece 70b, which includes the control processes of S901 to S904, S911 and S912, S1013 and S1014, And a control process (see FIG. 10B) for controlling the driving of the robot hand 4aa for picking out and placing the work, which includes the control processes of S802 to S804. Here, the control processing of S901 to S904 that constitutes the control processing for driving and controlling the robot hand 4a for discharging the defective workpiece 70b has been described in the above-described retraction processing, and thus description thereof is omitted.
[0081]
When the workpiece 70 in which the workpiece information from the inspection process unit 2a has been transmitted to the control unit 4b is positioned in the take-out unit by the rotation of the index table 8, the remaining non-defective workpiece 70 is picked up and put into the robot hand 4aa for taking out and loading in S911. The chucking is performed by one of the gripping means 43a and 43b. At this time, the second gripping means chucks the two workpieces 70 before being processed by the pre-process facility 2 on the pallet 3a. In S912, the first gripping means 43a and 43b are moved to the temporary placing table 6 side, and the process proceeds to S1013.
[0082]
In S1013, the retracted work 70ap (see FIG. 7) is chucked instead of the defective work 70b based on the work information and the determination signal, and the process proceeds to S1014. As a result, the evacuation workpiece 70ap and the non-defective workpiece 70a are combined as a new set. It should be noted that the temporary work table shown in FIG. 7 is moved in the left-right direction according to any work position where the defective work 70b is found out of the two works 70, and then the retracted work 70ap is chucked.
[0083]
In S1014, the retracted work 70ap is removed from the temporary placing table 6 by the workpiece pick-up / loading robot hand 4aa, and the pool of the retracted work 70ap as a non-defective work is eliminated. To remember.
[0084]
Further, in S802, the control unit 4b reverses the workpiece take-out / put-in robot hand 4aa. As a result, the first gripping means 43a and 43b are moved to the pallet 3a side. At this time, the second gripping means moves to the take-out portion side.
[0085]
In step S803, the two workpieces 70ap and 70a processed by the pre-process facility 2 chucked by the first gripping means 43a and 43b are unchucked and placed on the pallet 3a. At this time, the two workpieces 70 before being processed by the pre-process facility 2 chucked by the second gripping means are unchucked and placed on the take-out portion.
[0086]
In step S804, the robot hand 4aa for picking up and placing the workpiece is returned to the original position, and the control process is terminated.
[0087]
In the present embodiment described above, as in the first embodiment, even if one of the two workpieces 70b is a defective product, the two workpieces 70ap and 70a are used as a post process. Can be transported.
[0088]
In the present embodiment described above, the temporary placing table 6 is preferably arranged in the vicinity of a predetermined process (in the present embodiment, the manufacturing equipment 2 that processes the machining process). As a result, it is possible to shorten the time for taking out fractional non-defective workpieces temporarily pooled in the temporary table from the predetermined process and the time for supplying them to the predetermined process.
[0089]
Furthermore, the temporary placement table 6 disposed in the vicinity of the manufacturing facility 2 is disposed in the vicinity of the inspection process unit 2a for determining whether or not there is a defect in the workpiece processed in the manufacturing facility 2 in the manufacturing facility 2. It is preferable. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the dead time required for taking out the non-defective workpieces 70a temporarily pooled in the temporary placing table 6 to the outside of the manufacturing apparatus and supplying them to the manufacturing apparatus. As one of the conveying means, index table Le 8 is used, the temporary table 6 is an index table. Le It is preferable to arrange | position in the vicinity of the 8 extraction parts. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the dead time required for taking out the non-defective workpieces 70a temporarily pooled in the temporary placing table 6 to the outside of the manufacturing apparatus and supplying them to the manufacturing apparatus.
[0090]
Furthermore, according to this embodiment described above, in the workpiece transfer device 4 that supplies and removes workpieces to and from the manufacturing apparatus using the robot hand 4a (4aa), the robot hand 4a includes two workpieces. Gripping means 43a, 43b capable of chucking and unchucking 70 independently, and one of the two workpieces 70b is unchucked, discharged out of the manufacturing apparatus, and the other workpiece A control unit 4b capable of driving and controlling the gripping means 43a and 43b so as to temporarily retract 70a from the manufacturing apparatus and unchuck it. Furthermore, when there is a workpiece 70ap that has been temporarily retracted and one of the workpieces 70b has a defect, the control unit 4b discharges the one workpiece 70b to the manufacturing apparatus and replaces it with the one workpiece 70b. The retracting work 70ap is chucked. Thereby, the control unit 4b unchucks one of the two workpieces 70b, discharges the defective workpiece 70b to the defective chute 5 outside the manufacturing apparatus, and unmounts the non-defective workpiece 70a. The chuck is temporarily retracted to the temporary table 6 outside the manufacturing apparatus. As a result, only one workpiece 70 is not transferred to a manufacturing apparatus in a subsequent process. Further, when there is a retracted workpiece 70ap, if a defect occurs in one of the workpieces 70b, the defective workpiece 70b is discharged to the defective chute 5, and the retracted workpiece 70ap is chucked in place of the defective workpiece 70b. It is possible to transfer the two workpieces 70ap and 70a to a subsequent process.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a configuration of an automated facility to which a workpiece transfer apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is an external view of the structure of the robot hand shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from II.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control process for conveying a workpiece according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart showing a control process related to the first control shown in FIG. 3; FIG.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control process related to the second control shown in FIG. 3;
6 is a flowchart showing a control process related to the third control shown in FIG. 3; FIG.
FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an automated facility to which a workpiece transfer apparatus according to a second embodiment is applied.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a control process in the first control according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a control process in the second control according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control process in a third control according to the second embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Automation equipment
2 Pre-processing equipment
2a Inspection process department
3 Post-processing equipment
3a palette
4 Work transfer device (work transfer device)
4a Robot hand
43a, 43b gripping means
4b Control unit (control means)
5 Bad shoot
6 Temporary table
70 work
70a Good work (work judged to be good)
70ap evacuation work (non-defective work that was temporarily evacuated to the temporary table 6)
70b Defective work (work judged to be defective)

Claims (10)

In a method of transporting workpieces in an automated facility that includes a plurality of processes for processing, assembling, inspection, etc., and capable of processing two workpieces simultaneously in the process,
In the predetermined process of any one of the plurality of processes, when the two workpieces are set as one set, and one workpiece of the one set becomes a defective product and is discharged as a non-processing target outside the process. Evacuate the other workpiece out of the process,
When a failure occurs in any one work of another set during the retreat period of the other work, the retreat state of the other work is released, and the other work and the other set are removed. A workpiece transfer method comprising: combining one workpiece and another workpiece different from each other as a new set, and transferring the workpiece to a subsequent step of the predetermined step. In the conveyance method of the work according to claim 1,
Retreating out of the process is to temporarily take out the other work from the predetermined process and transfer it to a temporary placing table. The work transfer method according to claim 2, wherein the temporary placement table is disposed in the vicinity of the predetermined process. 4. The workpiece according to claim 3, wherein the vicinity of the predetermined process is a vicinity of an inspection process unit that determines whether or not there is a defect due to a process performed on the workpiece in the predetermined process among the predetermined processes. Transport method. In the workpiece conveyance method according to claim 2 ,
As one of the conveying means of the workpiece, it has an index table to rotate moving the two workpieces along each step,
The temporary placement table may transfer method of the workpiece, characterized in that disposed in the vicinity of the take-out portion of the index table. In the conveyance method of the work given in any 1 paragraph of Claims 2-4,
The workpiece transfer method, wherein the temporary table is movable up and down, front and rear, or left and right with respect to the two workpieces. The method for conveying a workpiece according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising gripping means capable of gripping the two workpieces independently. In a workpiece transfer device that uses a robot hand to supply and take out workpieces from manufacturing equipment,
In the robot hand, the gripping means capable of gripping two workpieces independently and the gripping state of one of the two workpieces are released, discharged to the outside of the manufacturing apparatus, and the other Control means capable of driving and controlling the gripping means so as to temporarily retract the workpiece out of the manufacturing apparatus and release the gripping state;
When there is a defect in the one workpiece when the workpiece is temporarily retracted, the control means discharges the one workpiece to the manufacturing apparatus and replaces the one workpiece with the one workpiece. A workpiece transfer apparatus characterized by holding a temporarily retracted workpiece. The control means sets the two workpieces as one set, and receives information input indicating that one workpiece of the one set is defective, the one workpiece is set as a non-manufacturing target and is outside the manufacturing apparatus. And temporarily retract the other workpiece,
When a defect occurs in any one of the other sets during the retreat period of the other work, the retreat state of the other work is released, and the other work and the other set are removed. 9. The workpiece transfer apparatus according to claim 8, wherein one of the workpieces and another workpiece different from the one workpiece are gripped as a new set. The workpiece transfer device according to claim 8 or 9 , wherein the workpiece transfer device can process the two workpieces simultaneously.

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