JP5546377B2 - Production system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a production system configured by combining a plurality of platforms on which a robot arm is mounted.

  In recent years, small electrical products, electronic products, etc. have been produced in a variety of small-lot production and product cycles have been shortened, and the production lines that produce them have been reconfigured according to the products to be produced. There is a tendency to occur frequently. When these production lines are transferred to other products, it is necessary to make time and special jigs to change the line, so if there is not a certain number of batches, the automated production line will be sent off, and manual cell production There are many that are supported by. However, even in such a case, it is desired to automate the production line in order to cope with stable product quality and rapid increase in production. Therefore, in recent years, an assembling apparatus using a multi-axis robot arm that can be used for general purposes has attracted attention.

  Among them, an assembly device that performs various tasks by arranging a camera with a wide field of view on the top surface of the housing and changing the operation program in order to cancel the tolerance between the position of the robot arm and the position of the workpiece. Has attracted attention (see Patent Document 1). This robot arm is fixed to the side wall of the housing. A production system is constructed by arranging a plurality of assembly devices of this type.

JP 2009-148869 A

  By the way, in a production system in which a plurality of assembly devices are arranged, in order to suppress the tolerance of jigs handled by the robot arm, that is, to reduce the accuracy of the jigs and reduce the cost, the detection accuracy of the camera is required. It becomes an important factor.

  However, in the conventional assembly apparatus, since the robot arm is provided on the side wall of the casing to which the camera is fixed, the casing vibrates by the operation of the robot arm. The housing also vibrates due to floor vibration. The cause of floor vibration is, for example, vibration caused by operation of equipment installed on the floor or nearby floors, vibration caused by heavy machinery vehicles passing through the vicinity of the factory, or people or carts near the assembly equipment due to insufficient strength of the factory floor. There are various vibrations that occur when passing through. When the casing vibrates in this way, the camera vibrates together with the casing, which causes a problem that the detection accuracy of the camera that captures an image of the workpiece is lowered.

  Therefore, as a method for avoiding a decrease in the detection accuracy of the camera due to the vibration of the casing, it is conceivable to perform imaging with the camera after the shaking of the casing is settled. However, the height of the top surface of the housing needs to be set to a certain level because of the need to secure the work space of the robot arm. For this reason, once the housing starts to shake, the height of the housing is secured, so that the period of shaking increases, and the convergence time of the shaking of the housing increases. When the convergence time of the shaking of the case becomes long, the stop time for stopping the work of the robot arm becomes long, which causes a reduction in production tact and makes it difficult to realize a practical robot station.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a production system capable of improving camera detection accuracy by suppressing camera vibration and positioning a robot arm or a workpiece with high accuracy.

  The present invention includes a plurality of mounts on which a robot arm is mounted with a work space on which a work is placed, and each of the mounts is arranged side by side so that the work can be sequentially transported to an adjacent mount by the robot arm A frame having a frame structure arranged so as to surround each frame; and a camera attached to each frame and capable of imaging the work space of each frame. The frame body is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a short side and a long side in plan view, and is arranged adjacent to each other along the short side direction so that the frame side surfaces on the long side face each other, and the plurality of frame bodies Two adjacent frame bodies are connected by a detachable connecting member.

  According to the present invention, two adjacent frame bodies are connected by the connecting member with the side surfaces of the long sides facing each other, so that the rigidity of each frame body is increased and vibration of each frame body is suppressed. Therefore, the vibration of the camera attached to each frame is suppressed, and the detection accuracy by the camera can be improved. Therefore, it is possible to position the robot arm and the workpiece whose positions are controlled based on the imaging result of the camera with high accuracy. Moreover, since the connection between the frames can be released by removing the connection member, the frames can be moved individually, and the production system can be easily recombined.

It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the assembly apparatus integrated in the production system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which looked down at the assembly apparatus from the upper part. It is a perspective view of the production system which combined multiple assembly apparatuses. It is the schematic diagram which looked at the frame side of the short side of a frame. It is a perspective view which shows a connection member. It is a perspective view which shows the connection member of another embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the connection member of another embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the connection member of another embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an assembling apparatus incorporated in a production system according to an embodiment of the present invention. An assembly apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “robot station”) 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes robot arms 101 and 102, a frame 103 on which the robot arms 101 and 102 are mounted, and a frame body frame (hereinafter referred to as “frame”) that surrounds the frame 103. 104). The robot station 100 includes a camera 106, an illumination 107, and a camera fixing device 105 for fixing the camera 106 and the illumination 107 to the booth 104. The robot arms 101 and 102, the gantry 103, the booth 104, the camera fixing equipment 105, the camera 106, and the illumination 107 constitute one unit.

  The robot arms 101 and 102 are 6-axis controllable robot arms, and various end effectors can be attached to the tip of each arm according to various operations. The end effector here is a part corresponding to a finger in humans. For example, a tweezer hand having tweezers that enables fine work is mounted on the robot arm 101 as an end effector. Further, a gripper hand for carrying a relatively large member such as a lens barrel is mounted on the robot arm 102 as an end effector.

  Robot arms 101 and 102 are mounted on the gantry 103. The gantry 103 is a box having a work space for the robot arms 101 and 102 to perform various operations. In the present embodiment, the top plate 103a of the gantry 103 serves as a work space, and the top plate 103a is formed in a square shape. The base ends of two robot arms 101 and 102 in total are fixed to two corner portions of the four corner portions of the top plate 103a in a diagonal relationship one by one. Although the gantry 103 includes a stainless steel column, a side plate, and a top plate 103a, the robot arms 101 and 102 are firmly fixed to the stainless steel column.

  The robot arms 101 and 102 can use the entire top plate 103a of the gantry 103 excluding the fixed portions of the robot arms 101 and 102 as a work space. The top plate 103a is provided with holes at regular intervals so as to fix a pedestal for placing various processing tools that can be used by the robot arms 101 and 102, a tray for storing components, and the like. . By fixing various pedestals, trays, and the like in the holes, a position with a certain accuracy can be secured. In addition, a marker used for calibration may be engraved on the top plate 103a. The position where the marker is formed is preferably in the vicinity of the remaining two corners other than the two corners to which the robot arms 101 and 102 are fixed.

  Control of the robot arms 101 and 102 requires a robot controller for controlling a motor built in the arm and performing an operation according to the command value. The controllers of the robot arms 101 and 102 are also arranged inside the box of the gantry 103. In addition, the robot station 100 corrects the robot command values for the tolerances of the robot itself associated with robot control, the tolerances of the workpiece W (workpieces and parts), and the various tolerances created by disturbances such as heat and light. By doing so, it is converged within the allowable tolerance. At that time, the work space of the gantry 103 and its periphery are imaged by the camera 106, and the captured image is image-processed by an image processing device (not shown). This image processing apparatus is also arranged inside the box of the gantry 103.

  Since the platform 103 has a considerable weight due to the robot arms 101 and 102 being fixed to the platform 103, a moving caster 103 b is attached to the bottom surface of the platform 103. Further, in order to fix and stabilize the gantry 103, a screw-type fixing bracket 103c for fixing to the floor surface is mounted. The fixing metal fitting 103c is fixed to the floor surface by an anchor bolt (not shown) driven into the floor surface, and vibration associated with the operation of the robot arms 101 and 102 can be minimized.

  The booth 104, which is a frame body, is a skeleton that is assembled by columns and beams having rigidity for fixing the camera 106 so that the camera imaging surface is parallel to the top plate 103a that is a work space of the gantry 103. is there.

  The booth 104 having this framework structure includes a rectangular top plate 104a in plan view, four columns 104b extending vertically downward from the table 104a, and four beams 104c connecting the lower ends of adjacent columns 104b. Have. The booth 104 includes a plurality of beams 104d and 104e that are parallel to the long side direction Y and are spaced apart in the vertical direction between the two columns 104b. The booth 104 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a long side y and a short side x in plan view due to this framework structure. The top plate 104a, the column 104b, the beams 104c, 104d, and 104e form four frame side surfaces (FIG. 1 illustrates two of the frame side surfaces). Specifically, a long side frame side surface 104A and a short side frame side surface 104B orthogonal to the frame side surface 104A are formed. In addition, the caster 104f for a movement is attached to the lower end of the four support | pillars 104b. Further, fixed brackets 104g fixed to the floor surface by anchor bolts (not shown) driven into the floor surface are attached to the lower ends of the four columns 104b.

  The booth 104 is formed in a size that does not come into contact with the gantry 103 and the robot arms 101 and 102 even if the booth 104, the gantry 103, and the robot arms 101 and 102 vibrate. Specifically, the length of the long side y of the booth 104 is the maximum length by which the robot arms 101 and 102 protrude from the gantry 103 in the long side direction Y + the dimension of the long side y of the gantry 103 + the length of the support column 104b. The width in the side direction Y is used. The height of the booth 104 is the maximum reachable height of the robot arms 101 and 102 + the height of the gantry 103 + the dimension for installing the camera 106 + the width of the column 104b. The gantry 103 is installed in the center of the booth 104 installation area.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the robot station 100 as viewed from above, and shows the positional relationship between the gantry 103, the robot arms 101 and 102, and the booth 104, and the installation positional relationship of the camera 106. In FIG. 2, the point P <b> 1 indicates the rotation center of the first axis of the robot arm 101, and the point P <b> 2 indicates the rotation center of the first axis of the robot arm 102. A range E1 indicates a movable range in which the end effector of the robot arm 101 reaches the maximum when the first axis of the robot arm 101 is rotated. Similarly, the range E2 indicates a movable range in which the end effector of the robot arm 102 reaches the maximum when the first axis of the robot arm 102 is rotated. In FIG. 2, the movable rotation range of the first axis of the robot arms 101 and 102 is ± 90 degrees, that is, 180 degrees with respect to the direction from the corner of the top plate 103 a of the gantry 103 toward the center. In addition, the robot arms 101 and 102 and the movable ranges E1 and E2 of the effector protrude from the booth 104 in the short side direction X because the robot arms 101 and 102 also serve as means for conveying the workpiece W. As described above, the booth 104 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having the short side x and the long side y in plan view.

  Here, by providing the spaces of the broken line areas 305 and 306, the robot arms 101 and 102 are prevented from protruding in the long side direction Y from the booth 104, and the exclusive area of the booth 104 is increased. As a result, the booth 104 has a structure resistant to shaking. An arrow T in FIG. 2 indicates a conveyance direction in which a workpiece W such as a lens barrel flows with respect to the robot station 100. In the transfer direction T of the workpiece W of the robot station 100, a robot station having the same configuration is arranged adjacent to each other, or a workpiece loading stand is arranged. Accordingly, the broken line areas 305 and 306 are provided in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction T in which the workpiece W flows with respect to the gantry 103, and the robot station having the same configuration is arranged in the same direction T in which the workpiece W flows. .

  In addition, the clearance gap between adjacent mounts is a little larger than the width | variety of the two support | pillars 104b, and there is no room for a human to enter between adjacent mounts, and there is no problem. In addition, a door or a fence (not shown) can be easily attached to the column 104b of the booth 104, and the construction of the fence or the like can be constructed at low cost.

  In the robot station 100, the human cell is a comparison target, so that the installation area is very severely limited. For example, in the assembly of the lens barrel, the work space for one worker in the human cell is about 50 cm square. Similarly, in the robot station 100, the booth 104 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the height direction in order to secure a space for the six-axis robot arms 101 and 102 to move. For this reason, once the vibration starts, a long-period vibration is generated in the booth. However, in this embodiment, since the booth 104 and the gantry 103 are independently fixed to the floor surface, the robot arms 101 and 102 and the gantry 103 may contact a part of the column 104b of the booth 104. Absent. Therefore, it is possible to prevent vibrations of the robot arms 101 and 102 and the gantry 103 from being directly transmitted to the booth 104. Therefore, the vibration of the camera 106 can be suppressed as much as possible by fixing the platform 103 for fixing the robot arms 101 and 102 and the booth 104 for fixing the camera 106 to the floor surface independently of each other without contacting them.

  The camera 106 has an angle of view over which the entire top plate 103a, which is the work space of the robot arms 101 and 102, can be viewed from above the gantry 103, and the optical axis of the camera 106 is perpendicular to the top plate 103a. It is installed on the fixed camera fixing equipment 105. The camera fixing equipment 105 secures parallelism using a groove of the beam 104e of the booth 104 and is fixed to a necessary position with screws. In addition, the camera fixing device 105 can fix the camera 106 and the illumination 107. In the present embodiment, the illumination 107 is a ring-shaped LED illumination arranged around the lens of the camera 106 and irradiates the workpiece W on the workspace with uniform light. The camera 106 is preferably a high pixel type because it needs to have a wide field of view. Specifically, it is preferably 10 M pixels or more, and the camera 106 and the image processing apparatus are connected according to the camera link standard that is a general standard for FA. By attaching the camera 106 to the booth 104 in this way, the camera 106 can take an image of the top plate 103 a that is a work space of the gantry 103.

  By the way, in FIG. 1, the case where one camera 106 is installed in the booth 104 and the camera 106 is disposed in the center of the booth 104 in a plan view has been described. However, the necessity to install one camera on the booth 104 is necessarily one. Absent. For example, two cameras 106 and 106A may be arranged as shown in FIG. One camera 106 is a wide-area camera (global camera) that views the entire area of the gantry 103, and the other camera 106A is a narrow-field camera that only views a work area in which a part is assembled to a workpiece W such as a lens barrel. (Local camera) may be used. In other words, a camera with a necessary resolution may be properly used according to the work. Here, since the camera 106 which is a global camera is arranged so as to be shifted from the center of the booth 104 in plan view, the camera 106 may be attached obliquely in that case. If the size of the camera itself is small, it is not necessary to arrange it as described above, and the top plate 103a of the gantry 103 and the optical axis of the camera are both perpendicular to the center of the booth 104 in plan view. Two cameras may be arranged side by side.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a production system in which a plurality of robot stations are combined. A production system (hereinafter referred to as “robot cell”) 200 shown in FIG. 3 includes a plurality of robot stations 100. In the present embodiment, the robot cell 200 includes eight robot stations 100 _{1 to} 100 ₈ . Each of the robot stations 100 _{1 to} 100 ₈ has the same configuration as the robot station 100 of FIG. Then, eight robot stations 100 _{1 to} 100 ₈ are arranged side by side to construct one robot cell 200.

That is, the robot cell 200 includes a plurality of (eight) mounts 103 _{1 to} 103 _{8 on} which the robot arms 101 and 102 are mounted, and the mounts 103 _{1 to} 103 ₈ are arranged in a line. And two adjacent bases 103 ₁ , 103 ₂ , bases 103 ₂ , 103 ₃ , bases 103 ₃ , 103 ₄ , bases 103 ₄ , 103 ₅ , bases 103 ₅ , 103 ₆ , bases 103 ₆ , 103 ₇ , base 103 _7, 103 _8, are arranged close to each other. Thus, when the finished work such as machining or assembly of the workpiece W at the platform 103 _1, pedestal 103 ₂ to the workpiece W adjacent the robotic arm 101 or 102 mounted on pedestal 103 ₁ or pedestal 103 ₂ to the frame 103 ₁ Can be transported. Similarly, pedestal 103 ₂ from the gantry 103 _3, pedestal 103 ₃ 103 _4, pedestal 103 ₅ from the gantry 103 _4, pedestal 103 ₆ from the gantry 103 _5, from the gantry 103 ₆ pedestal 103 _7, from the gantry 103 ₇ to pedestal 103 ₈ And the workpiece W can be sequentially conveyed.

The robot cell 200 includes a plurality (eight units) of booths 104 _{1 to} 104 ₈ arranged so as to surround the platforms 103 _{1 to} 103 ₈ . Each booth ₁₀₄ 1-104 _8, each of the cameras ₁₀₆ 1 to 106 ₈ is attached.

The booths 104 _{1 to} 104 ₈ are arranged side by side along the short side direction X so that the long side frame side surfaces (in FIG. 1, the frame side surface 104A) face each other. Specifically, the frame side on the long side of the booth 104 _n (n = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and so on) and the frame side on the long side of the booth 104 _{n + 1} face each other. As described above, the booth 104 _n and the booth 104 _{n + 1} are arranged adjacent to each other along the short side direction X. The upstream side in the transport direction T of the booth 104 _1, the automatic bogie 209 is provided to supply the workpiece W (workpiece) to the robot cell 200, on the downstream side in the transport direction T of the booth 104 _8, robot cell 200 An automatic carriage 210 that receives a workpiece W (workpiece) from the vehicle is disposed. These automatic trolleys 209 and 210 are, for example, moving bodies that read a route such as a tape 211 installed on the floor of a factory surface and perform automatic conveyance, and a tray is placed on the top plate of the automatic trolleys 209 and 210. ing. A large number of workpieces W (workpieces or workpieces) are placed on this tray, and go back and forth between robot cells or human cells that perform different operations or processing. Automatic carriage 209 workpiece W (workpiece) is placed is stopped adjacent to the robot station 100 _1. The automatic carriage 210 for mounting the workpiece W (workpiece) also stops adjacent to the robot station 100 _8, in this state, work such as assembling is performed by a robot cell.

The robot station 100 _1, a tray for temporarily placing the workpiece W (workpiece) is not installed. Robot arm 101 of robot station 100 _1, grasp the workpiece W placed on the automatic bogie 209 adjacent directly, the workpiece W at a predetermined position of the work space on the pedestal 103 ₁ in order to perform the work on the robot station 100 within ₁ Transport. The camera 106 ₁ mounted on the booth 104 ₁ of the robot station 100 ₁ is not only the top plate of the pedestal 103 ₁ of the robot station 100 _1, as well tray of the automatic carriage 209 to stop adjacent enters the field of view Installed. Robot arm 102 of robot station 100 ₈ also carry the adjacent machined workpiece W with respect to the tray of the automatic bogie 210 is stopped (workpiece), performs an operation of gradually ordered. The camera 106 ₈ mounted on the booth 104 ₈ of the robot station 100 _8, not only the top plate of the pedestal 103 ₈ of the robot station 100 _8, as well tray of the automatic carriage 210 to stop adjacent enters the field of view Installed. For additional robot station ₁₀₀ 2 - 100 ₇ also, the cameras ₁₀₆ 2-106 ₇ attached to the booth ₁₀₄ 2-104 _7, corresponding pedestal ₁₀₃ 2-103 ₇ workspace and the its neighboring field of view To do. That is, each camera 106 _{2-106 7,} part of the work space of the frame on both sides, preferably all (i.e., area for work of assembly or the like in the next frame) and field of view including.

Although the robot stations 100 _{1 to} 100 ₈ are arranged along the short side direction X, as shown in FIG. 4, the plurality of booths 104 _{1 to} 104 ₈ are located between two adjacent booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} . Are arranged side by side so that the gap c is slightly open. The reason why the clearance c is provided is that when a new robot cell 200 is constructed by rearranging according to the production plan, there is a case where the booth is rearranged in addition to the robot arm and the base. This is to make it easier.

Since this so that there is a gap c in the booth with each other, the temporarily if floor vibration V ₁ the floor F is some factor occurs, the booth vibration V ₂ are affected occurs. Note that the floor vibration V ₁ and the vibration V ₂ shown here show only components in the short side direction of the booth, but actually include components in other directions. Since the booth is as framework of the foregoing, with respect to the vibration profile of the floor vibration V _1, the frequency is low, the amplitude is large, and requires a certain amount of time to accommodate the sway even after the floor vibration V ₁ is settled To do.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the columns 104b of the two adjacent booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} among the plurality of booths 104 _{1 to} 104 ₈ are connected using the connecting member 500 (the hatched portion) shown in FIG. Are connected. The connecting member 500 is detachably provided to two adjacent booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} , and the connection between the booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} can be released by removing the connecting member 500. Accordingly, the booths 104 _{1 to} 104 ₈ can be individually moved, and the robot cell 200 can be easily recombined. Then, by attaching across connecting two booths the adjacent members 500 _{104 n, 104} n _{+ 1} after the recombination is completed, it is possible to connect the booth _{104 n, 104} n _{+ 1} to each other.

The booths 104 _{1 to} 104 ₈ have the long side frame side surfaces 104A (FIG. 1) facing each other, and the adjacent booths are connected by a connecting member 500 in this state. Therefore, booth center of gravity of the entire booth drops than when it is placed alone becomes more stable state increasing the rigidity of the booth ₁₀₄ 1-104 _8, suppress vibration of the booth ₁₀₄ 1-104 ₈ be able to. Thus the vibration of the camera ₁₀₆ 1-106 ₈ attached to each booth ₁₀₄ 1-104 ₈ is suppressed, thereby improving the detection accuracy of the camera ₁₀₆ 1-106 _8. Therefore, it is possible to position the robot arm 101 and the workpiece W which is the position control based on the imaging result of the camera ₁₀₆ 1-106 ₈ with high accuracy.

  Here, the connecting member 500 is provided on the frame side surface 104B on one short side of each booth. However, by providing a connecting member similar to the connecting member 500 on the frame side surface on the other short side of each booth. Furthermore, the vibration of the entire booth can be suppressed.

Here, as a technique for suppressing the vibration of each of the booths 104 _{1 to} 104 ₈ , the connecting member is made of a highly rigid material and shape, the adjacent booths are rigidly connected, and the connecting member has a damping (damping) characteristic. In some cases, adjacent booths are softly coupled. Rigid coupling is suitable for suppressing the amplitude of the booth sway with respect to floor vibration, and flexible coupling is suitable for reducing the decay time of the booth sway with respect to floor vibration. Because the booth swinging method varies depending on the characteristics of floor vibration, the decision of which method to apply (or both of them) can be made by actually installing a robot cell in the factory and Judgment is based on the evaluation results. The target value of shaking is determined by the allowable values (amplitude, vibration speed, etc.) for shaking of the camera installed in the booth.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the connecting member 500 connects two adjacent booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} by rigid coupling. More specifically, the connecting member 500 includes a plate-like connecting plate 501 that is a connecting member main body and a plurality of fasteners that fasten and fix the connecting plate 501 to the two booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1.} Bolts 502. The reason why the fastening method is applied is that when the rearrangement is performed according to the production plan and the new robot cell 200 is constructed, the recombination work of the booths 104 _{1 to} 104 ₈ is performed efficiently, and the booth 104 _n , This is to ensure that the connection between 104 _{n + 1} and the connecting member is reliably performed.

The connecting plate 501 is made of a highly rigid material such as aluminum or iron. The thickness of the connecting plate 501 is set such that the thicker it is, the higher the rigidity, but the easier it is to carry when removed. The width of the connecting plate 501 is set so as to cover the widths of the columns 104b and 104b of the two adjacent booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} in order to maximize the effect of the rigid coupling.

Here, each of the booths 104 _{1 to} 104 ₈ is arranged so that the frame side surface 104B on the short side is flush with each other, and the connecting plate 501 is arranged on the short side of the two booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1.} The frame side surface 104B is in surface contact. Then, the connecting plate 501 is fastened by bolts 502 over two booths _{104 n, 104} n _{+ 1} of the short side frame side 104B, the two booths _{104 n, 104} n _{+ 1} are firmly connected. Further, since the frame side surface 104B on the short side faces the outside, the connecting plate 501 of the connecting member 500 can be easily attached and detached, and the working efficiency is good. Then, the connection between the connecting plate 501 and the booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} is fastened by the bolt 502, so that when the rearrangement is performed and the new robot cell 200 is constructed according to the production plan, The operation of connecting and releasing can be performed in a short time. When the frame side surface 104B of the adjacent booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} is not flush with each other and there is a step, the connecting plate 501 is formed by bending the connection plate 501 stepwise so as to come into surface contact with both the frame side surfaces 104B. That's fine.

The connection plate 501 of the connection member 500 is formed to extend in the vertical direction (height direction) of the booth, and is in surface contact with the frame side surface 104B on the short side of each of the two booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} in the vertical direction. Then, it is fixed with a bolt 502. Thus, it struts 104b the whole surface of the short side is covered in the vertical direction by the connecting member 500, since it is bolted 502 in this state, the two booths _{104 n, 104} n _{+ 1} is more firmly connected. In FIG. 5, the connecting plate 501 is illustrated as a single body, but is not necessarily limited as long as the effect of rigid coupling is exhibited, and may be divided into a plurality of parts in the vertical direction. Absent.

By rigidly connecting the adjacent booths with the connecting member 500 in this way, the rigidity in the short side direction X between the connected booths can be increased, and the width of the swing of the booths 104 _{1 to} 104 ₈ generated by floor vibrations. The effect of reducing the is obtained.

Next, a connecting member according to another embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a view for explaining a connecting member according to another embodiment. The connecting member 600 includes a flat connecting plate 601 as a connecting member main body, and magnet plates 602 and 602 that are permanent magnets that attract and fix the connecting plate 601 to the two booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} . As with the fastening method described above, the connecting plate 601 is made of a material having high rigidity such as aluminum or iron, and the thickness is set so that the thicker the weight is, the higher the rigidity is, but the easier it is to carry. Has been. The width of the connecting plate 601 is set so as to cover the entire width direction of the column 104b portion of the frame side surface 104B of the adjacent booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} in order to maximize the effect of the rigid coupling, and the height is also the same. For the reason, the dimensions are set to cover the booth height.

The magnet plate 602 is bonded and fixed to the connecting plate 601 with an adhesive. In Figure 6, the permanent magnet consists of a magnet plate 602 and the other of the booth ₁₀₄ magnet plate 602. facing the _{n + 1} facing the one of the booth 104 _n. The material of the magnet plate 602 includes a general ferrite magnet or samarium cobalt magnet as a permanent magnet, but a neodymium magnet can also be selected when a strong attractive force is required. The size of the magnet plate 602 is set so that the area to be attracted to the column 104b portion of the frame side surface 104B of the booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} is as large as possible in order to maximize the effect of the rigid coupling. The thickness of the magnet plate 602 is preferably as thick as possible in order to effectively exert the magnetic force of the permanent magnet. However, consideration should be given so that the entire connecting member 600 does not become too heavy during the booth recombination operation. In FIG. 6, the height direction of the connecting member 600 is illustrated as a single unit, but the effect is not necessarily limited as long as the effect of the rigid connection is exhibited. I do not care.

Adjacent booths are rigidly coupled to each other by the connecting member 600 as the magnet plate 602 is attracted to the columns 104b of the booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} . Adsorbable members such as an iron plate (not shown) are fixed to the support surface 104b of the booths 104 _{1 to} 104 ₈ by adhesion or screwing so as to be attracted to the magnet plate 602 in advance. If the booths 104 _{1 to} 104 ₈ are made of iron or the like, there is no need to fix the iron plate separately.

By applying a technique called magnet adsorption, recombination work of booths 104 _{1 to} 104 ₈ is performed more efficiently than the above-described fastening method when rearranging according to a production plan to construct a new robot cell 200. be able to. In addition, since the work of connecting and releasing the adjacent booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} can be performed with one touch, the work can be performed in a shorter time than the above fastening method. Then, the booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} and the connecting member 600 can be reliably connected. The magnet plate 602 can be attached to and detached from the booth efficiently using a tool that can adjust the gap between the attracting surfaces of both members.

Next, a connection member according to another embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a connecting member according to still another embodiment. A connecting member 700 shown in FIG. 7 softly couples two adjacent booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} . The connecting member 700 includes two fixing plates 701 and 701 that are fixed to the two booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} as a connecting member body, and a buffer member 702 provided between the two fixing plates 701 and 701, respectively. Have. The buffer member 702 is fixed to the fixing plates 701 and 701 with an adhesive, for example. Fixing plate 701 is fastened using bolts 703 as fasteners strut 104b portion of the booth _{104 n, 104} n _{+ 1} frame side 104B. The reason why the technique of fastening is applied is the same as in the case of the rigid coupling shown in FIG.

  Since the fixing plate 701 is fastened by a bolt 703, it is made of metal having an appropriate rigidity. The buffer member 702 is a rubber member, and general materials used as anti-vibration rubbers such as natural rubber, nitrile rubber, and chloroprene rubber, and low hardness butyl rubber and silicon rubber can also be used. Further, as a special configuration, a rubber bag-like container filled with a gel-like cushioning material can be used.

In other words, the buffer member 702 may be made of a material suitable for keeping the vibration damping time of the booths 104 _{1 to} 104 ₈ within a predetermined time, and the dimensions of the fixing plate 701 can also achieve the purpose. Any size is acceptable. Further, as in the case of the rigid coupling described above, the fixing plate 701 may be divided into a plurality of parts in the height direction. In this way, by using the connecting member 700 as a member that softly couples the adjacent booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} , it is possible to increase the damping force against the vibration in the short side direction X between the connected booths, which is generated by floor vibration. The effect of shortening the time for which the shaking of the booth to decay is reduced can be obtained.

The connecting member 700 is also formed so as to extend in the vertical direction of the booths 104 _{1 to} 104 ₈ and is fixed in surface contact with the frame side surfaces 104B of the booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} in the vertical direction. . Therefore, the vibration of the entire booth can be further suppressed.

Next, a connection member according to another embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a connecting member according to still another embodiment. A connecting member 800 shown in FIG. 8 softly couples two adjacent booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} . The connecting member 800 includes two fixing plates 801 and 801 that are fixed to the two booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} as a connecting member body, and a buffer member 802 provided between the two fixing plates 801 and 801, respectively. Have. The buffer member 802 is fixed to the fixing plates 801 and 801 with an adhesive, for example. The fixed plate 801 is attracted and fixed to the column 104b portion of the frame side surface 104B of the booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} using magnet plates 803 and 803 which are permanent magnets. The reason why the method of adsorption by a magnet is applied is the same as the case of the rigid coupling shown in FIG. The material and dimensions of the magnet plate 803 are the same as those described with reference to FIG. The material and dimensions of the buffer member 802 are the same as those described with reference to FIG.

Therefore, when a new robot cell 200 is constructed by rearranging according to the production plan by applying a technique called magnet adsorption, the recombination work of the booths 104 _{1 to} 104 ₈ is performed more efficiently than the fastening method. be able to. Further, since the work of connecting and releasing the adjacent booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} can be performed with one touch, the work can be performed in a shorter time than the fastening method. The booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} and the connecting member 800 can be reliably connected. The magnetic plate 803 can be attached to and detached from the booth efficiently by using a tool that can adjust the gap between the attracting surfaces of both members.

Further, by using the connecting member 800 as a member that softly connects the adjacent booths 104 _n and 104 _{n + 1} , it is possible to increase the damping force against the vibration in the short side direction X between the connected booths, and this is caused by floor vibration. The effect of shortening the time for which the booth shaking attenuates can be obtained.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. In the above-described embodiment, the case where the number of robot stations is eight has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is applicable to two or more robot stations.

101, 102 Robot arms 103, 103 _{1 to} 103 ₈ frames 103a Top plate (work space)
104,104 _{1 to} 104 ₈ booth (frame)
104A Long side frame side surface 104B Short side frame side surfaces 106, 106 _{1 to} 10 ₈ Camera 200 Robot cell (production system)
500 connecting member 501 connecting plate (connecting member body)
502 bolt (fastener)
600 connecting member 601 connecting plate (connecting member body)
602 Magnet plate (permanent magnet)
700 Connection member 701 Fixing plate 702 Buffer member 703 Bolt (fastener)
800 Connecting member 801 Fixed plate 802 Buffer member 803 Magnet plate (permanent magnet)

Claims (10)

In a production system comprising a plurality of platforms on which a robot arm is mounted having a work space on which a workpiece is placed, and each of the platforms is arranged side by side so as to be able to sequentially transport the workpiece to an adjacent frame by the robot arm,
A frame of a frame structure arranged so as to surround each of the mounts;
A camera that is attached to each of the frames, and that can image the work space of each of the mounts;
Each frame is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a short side and a long side in a plan view, and is arranged adjacent to each other along the short side direction so that the frame sides on the long side face each other.
Two adjacent frames of the plurality of frames are connected by a detachable connecting member.   The production system according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is fixed across a frame side surface on a short side of the two frame bodies.   The connecting member is formed to extend in a vertical direction of the frame body, and is fixed in surface contact with the frame side surface on the short side of each of the two frame bodies in the vertical direction. The production system according to claim 2.   The production system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connecting member includes a connecting member main body and a fastener that fastens and fixes the connecting member main body to the two frame bodies.   The production system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connecting member includes a connecting member main body and a permanent magnet that attracts and fixes the connecting member main body to the two frame bodies.   The production system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the connecting member rigidly couples the two frame bodies.   The production system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the connecting member softly couples the two frames.   The production system according to claim 7, wherein the connection member includes two fixing plates that are respectively fixed to the two frame bodies, and a buffer member provided between the two fixing plates.   9. The production system according to claim 1, wherein the frames are arranged side by side so that a gap is left between the two adjacent frames.   10. The production system according to claim 1, wherein each frame and each frame are fixed to a floor surface independently of each other.

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