JP5924190B2 - Production system, robot, control device, production method, and control program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a production system, a robot, a control device, a production method, and a control program.

Patent Document 1 discloses a cell production system in which a robot and workers are mixed, and a production system that determines the shared work time and the number of workers so as to minimize the number of workers. Yes.

JP 2009-157528 A

In a mixed production system of workers and robots, the robot can operate without stopping. On the other hand, the worker needs to take time for breaks, meals and sleep, and cannot always work.

However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, when the worker cannot work due to a break or the like, there is a problem that the operation of the robot has to be stopped and the production efficiency and the operation rate of the robot are lowered.

Therefore, the present invention provides a production system, a robot, and a robot capable of improving production efficiency and operation rate of a robot by changing the work of the robot according to the situation of the worker or the like in a mixed production system of a worker and a robot. It is an object to provide a control device, a production method, and a control program.

A first mode for solving the above-described problems is a first robot, a first work that is a work performed by the first robot, and a second work that is performed by an operator after the first work. A storage unit that stores work information that is information about the first, a first determination unit that determines whether or not the worker is present, and the first determination unit based on the determination result of the work information and the first determination unit. A control unit that controls the robot, and when the first determination unit determines that the worker is present, the control unit performs the first operation on an object, When the first robot is controlled so that the object after the first work is placed in the first area, and the first determination unit does not determine that the worker is present The first work and at least a part of the second work are performed on the object. And controlling the first robot to place the object in a second area after performing the first work and at least a part of the second work. And Thereby, it is possible to improve the production efficiency and the operation rate of the robot by determining whether the worker is present or not and changing the work of the robot according to the determination result.

Here, the storage unit includes schedule information in which the work information defines a time for the worker to perform the second work, and the first determination unit is based on the schedule information. It may be determined whether or not there is the worker. Thereby, it is possible to determine whether or not there is an operator without using a special device.

Here, a detection unit that detects the presence or absence of the worker may be provided, and the determination unit may determine whether or not the worker is present based on a result detected by the detection unit. Thereby, even when the worker's work schedule is changed, it can be determined whether or not the worker is present.

A second aspect of the present invention is a first robot and a work performed by the first robot.
And a storage unit storing work information that is information related to a second work performed by the worker after the first work, and an object after performing the first work is a first area. A second determination unit that determines whether or not there is a predetermined number or more, and a control unit that controls the first robot based on the work information and a determination result of the second determination unit. The control unit performs the first operation on the object when the second determination unit does not determine that there are a predetermined number or more of objects in the first region, and The first robot is controlled to place the target object after performing the first work in the first area, and the second determination unit has a predetermined number or more of the target objects in the first area. If it is determined, the first work and at least a part of the second work are processed as objects. Controlling the first robot to place the target object in the second area after performing the first work and at least a part of the second work. It is characterized by. As a result, it is possible to improve the production efficiency by determining whether or not a predetermined number or more of objects are present in the first region and changing the operation of the robot according to the determination result.

Here, a second robot that performs an operation on an object after the first robot or the operator performs an operation is provided, and the storage unit is an operation that the second robot performs. The work space has a third area for placing an object after the second work is performed by the worker, and the control unit is configured to store the second area. For the object placed on the object, the work that is not performed by the first robot of the second work and the third work are performed, and the object placed in the third area On the other hand, the second robot may be controlled to perform the third operation. As a result, if there are workers,
Production efficiency can be improved by reducing the work of the operator and increasing the work of the robot. Even when there are no workers, the production efficiency can be improved by sharing the work by the two robots.

Here, the storage unit includes a time for the first robot to perform the first work, a time for the operator to perform the second work, and a time for the second robot to perform the third work. Time to do and
A time for the first robot or the second robot to perform the second work;
The control unit includes a time during which the first robot performs at least a part of the first work and the second work, and the second robot performs the first of the second work. The first robot and the second robot may be controlled so that the work not performed by the robot and the time for performing the third work are substantially the same. As a result, the two robots share the same level of work, so that the production efficiency can be improved.

The third aspect of the present invention obtains work information that is information about a movable part, a first work that is a work performed by the movable part, and a second work that is performed by an operator after the first work. An acquisition unit that performs determination, a determination unit that determines whether or not the worker is present, and a control unit that controls the movable unit based on the determination information of the work information and the determination unit, wherein the control unit includes: If the first determination unit determines that the worker is present, the first operation is performed on the object, and the object after the first operation is performed is the first object. When the movable part is controlled so as to be placed in the area, and the first determination part does not determine that the worker is present, at least a part of the first work and the second work is included. Work on the object, and at least a part of the first work and the second work. Preparative to control the movable portion to place the object in the second region after performing, and wherein the. Thereby, it is possible to improve the production efficiency and the operation rate of the robot by determining whether the worker is present or not and changing the work of the robot according to the determination result.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an acquisition unit that acquires work information that is information related to a first work that is performed by a robot and a second work that is performed by an operator after the first work; A determination unit that determines whether or not there is an operator; and a control unit that controls the robot based on the work information and a determination result of the determination unit, wherein the control unit is the first determination unit. If it is determined that the worker is present, the first operation is performed on the object, and the object after the first operation is performed is placed in the first area. When the robot is controlled and the first determination unit does not determine that the worker is present, the first operation and at least a part of the second operation are performed on the object. And performing at least part of the first work and the second work. Wherein controlling the robot to place the object in the second region after the, wherein the. Thereby, it is possible to improve the production efficiency and the operation rate of the robot by determining whether the worker is present or not and changing the work of the robot according to the determination result.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a step of acquiring work information that is information related to a first work that is performed by a robot and a second work that is performed by an operator after the first work; A step of determining whether or not there is a worker, and when it is determined that the worker is present, the target after performing the first work on the object and performing the first work The robot is controlled to place an object in the first area, and if it is not determined that the worker is present, the first work and at least a part of the second work are targeted. Controlling the robot to place the target object in a second region after performing the first work and at least a part of the second work, It is characterized by including.
Thereby, it is possible to improve the production efficiency and the operation rate of the robot by determining whether the worker is present or not and changing the work of the robot according to the determination result.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a step of acquiring work information that is information related to a first work that is performed by a robot and a second work that is performed by an operator after the first work; A step of determining whether or not there is a worker, and when it is determined that the worker is present, the target after performing the first work on the object and performing the first work The robot is controlled to place an object in the first area, and if it is not determined that the worker is present, the first work and at least a part of the second work are targeted. Controlling the robot to place the target object in a second region after performing the first work and at least a part of the second work, This is characterized by causing an arithmetic unit to execute. Thereby, it is possible to improve the production efficiency and the operation rate of the robot by determining whether the worker is present or not and changing the work of the robot according to the determination result.

It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the cell production system 1 in 1st Embodiment. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a cell production system 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the schedule information 5021. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a work table 5022. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a control unit 50. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process regarding the operation | work of robot A10 of the cell production system 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process regarding the operation | work of robot B20 of the cell production system. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the cell production system 2 in 2nd Embodiment. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a cell production system 2. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing related to the operation of the robot A10 of the cell production system 2. It is a figure which shows the modification of a cell production system. It is a figure which shows the modification of a cell production system. It is a figure which shows the modification of a cell production system.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a cell production system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The cell production system 1 according to this embodiment includes a robot A10, a robot B20, a photographing unit 30, a work table 40, and a control unit 50, and these constitute one production cell. The production cell is provided with a space where the worker 60 can enter. The cell production system 1 is a cell production system in which the robot A10, the robot B20, and the worker 60 cooperate in one production cell as a work place to perform assembly work.

The robot A10 and the robot B20 are arm-type so-called double-arm robots having two arm portions including a plurality of joints (joints) and a plurality of links. A hand (not shown) capable of gripping an object (work) and performing a predetermined work is provided at the tip of the arm portion. Hereinafter, the arm part and hand of the robot A10 are referred to as the movable part 11, and the robot B2
The 0 arm part and the hand are referred to as a movable part 21.

Actuators (not shown) for operating the joints and hands
Is provided. The actuator includes, for example, a servo motor and an encoder. The encoder value output by the encoder is used for feedback control of the robot A10 and the robot B20 by the control unit 50.

The robot A10 and the robot B20 are each supported by a carriage (not shown).
The robot A10 and the robot B20 can move by moving the carriage left and right and back and forth according to an instruction from the control unit 50 or manually. Robot A10 and Robot B20
Monitors 13 and 23 each having an input unit and a display unit for inputting movement instructions of the robot and the carriage are provided on the back side of the body. The robot A 10 and the robot B 20 are supplied with driving power by being joined to the wiring provided on the work table 40.

Note that the configurations of the robot A10 and the robot B20 are not limited to the above-described configurations because the main configurations have been described in describing the features of the present embodiment. This does not exclude the configuration of a general gripping robot. For example, the number of axes (number of joints) may be further increased or decreased. The number of links may be increased or decreased. Also, arm, hand,
The shape, size, arrangement, structure, and the like of various members such as links and joints may be changed as appropriate.

The photographing unit 30 is a unit that photographs the vicinity of the work table 40 and generates image data. The imaging unit 30 includes, for example, a camera and is provided on a work table, ceiling, wall, or the like. In FIG. 1, the photographing unit 30 is provided on the floor. The photographing unit 30 is provided to face the worker 60 when the worker 60 enters the production cell. As the imaging unit 30, a visible light camera, an infrared camera, or the like can be employed.

The work table 40 includes a pre-process area 41, an operator area 42, and a post-process area 43. The pre-process area 41, the worker area 42, and the post-process area 43 are provided adjacent to each other in the left-right direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 1). The robot A10 is provided adjacent to the previous process area 41. The robot B <b> 20 is provided on the same side surface (upper surface in FIG. 1) as the side surface (back surface) on which the robot A <b> 10 of the work table 40 is provided, and is provided adjacent to the post-process area 43. A space between the robot A10 and the robot B20 and adjacent to the worker area 42 (hereinafter referred to as a work space) is a space for the worker 60. Therefore, worker 6
0 enters between the robot A10 and the robot B20, and can work while constantly feeling the movement of the robot A10 and the robot B20.

In the pre-process area 41, jigs and the like necessary for the robot A10 to perform work are placed in advance. In the post-process area 43, jigs and the like necessary for the robot B20 to perform work are placed in advance.

The worker area 42 includes a work area A where the worker 60 performs work, and delivery areas B1, B2, and C which are areas where workpieces are delivered. In the work area A, jigs and the like necessary for the worker 60 to perform work are placed in advance.

The delivery area B1 is an area where the object is delivered from the robot A10 to the worker 60. The delivery area B2 is an area where the object is delivered from the worker 60 to the robot B20. The delivery area C is an area where the object is delivered from the robot A10 to the robot B20.

The control unit 50 performs processing for controlling the entire robot A10 and robot B20. The control unit 50 may be installed at a location away from the main bodies of the robot A10 and the robot B20, or may be built in at least one of the robot A10 and the robot B20. In this case, the imaging unit 30 may be connected to each of the robot A10 and the robot B20 instead of the control unit 50, or may be incorporated in at least one of the robot A10 and the robot B20. Further, the control unit 50 may be capable of remotely operating the robot A10 and the robot B20.

In FIG. 1, end effectors and workers 6 of the robots A10 and B20 are shown.
Although it seems that the 0 hand does not reach each of the above-described areas, it will be described as being reached. In the present embodiment, each of the above-described areas is physically separate areas, but a part or all of the areas may overlap with other areas.

Next, a functional configuration example of the cell production system 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the cell production system 1.

The robot A10 includes an operation control unit 12 that controls the movable unit 11 based on an encoder value of an actuator, a sensor value of a sensor, and the like. The robot B20 includes an operation control unit 22 that controls the movable unit 21 based on an encoder value of an actuator, a sensor value of a sensor, and the like.

The control unit 50 mainly includes a main control unit 501, a storage unit 502, and an image acquisition unit 503. The control unit 50 is communicably connected to the robot A10 and the robot B20 by wire or wireless.

The main control unit 501 comprehensively controls the other units (502, 503). The main control unit 501 includes an operator determination unit 501a and an operation determination unit 501c.

Based on the information stored in the storage unit 502, the worker determination unit 501a determines whether the worker is in the work space. The processing of the worker determination unit 501a will be described in detail later.

The workpiece determination unit 501b determines how many workpieces are placed in the transfer area B1 based on the image acquired from the image acquisition unit 503. The work determination unit 501b can use various known image processing techniques. For example, it can be realized by counting the number of workpieces by extracting feature points of the workpieces and counting the number of the feature points.

The work determination unit 501c determines the work of the robot A10 and the robot B20 based on the information stored in the storage unit 502 and the image captured by the image acquisition unit 503. In addition, the work determination unit 501c transmits the determined work content to the motion control unit 12 of the robot A10 and the robot B2.
It is output to 0 operation control unit 22. The processing of the work determination unit 501c will be described in detail later.

The storage unit 502 stores various data and programs. As various data, the storage unit 50
2 stores schedule information 5021 and a work table 5022 of the worker 60.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the schedule information 5021. Schedule information 5021
Mainly has a time storage area 5021a and an operator flag storage area 5021b. The time storage area 5021a and the worker flag storage area 5021b are associated with each other.

A time zone is stored in the time storage area 5021a. Worker flag storage area 5021b
Stores a flag indicating whether or not the worker 60 is in the work space in the time zone stored in the time storage area 5021a. When “0” is stored in the worker flag storage area 5021b, it indicates that the worker 60 is not in the work space. When “1” is stored in the worker flag storage area 5021b, it indicates that the worker 60 is in the work space.

For example, when the time zone stored in the time storage area 5021a is 0: 0 to 8:59, “0” is stored in the worker flag storage area 5021b. Therefore, 0: 00 to 00
It can be seen that there is no worker 60 in the work space during the 8:59 time zone.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the work table 5022. The work table 5022 mainly includes a work content storage area 5022a, a work charge storage area 5022b, a time 1 storage area 5022c, and a time 2 storage area 5022d. A work content storage area 5022a;
Work storage area 5022b, time 1 storage area 5022c, time 2 storage area 5022
d is associated with each other.

The work content storage area 5022a stores the work content performed in the cell production system 1. The work stored in the work content storage area 5022a is performed in the order in which the work stored in the first (the top row in FIG. 4) is performed first, the work stored in the second, third,. Is called. The work charge storage area 5022b stores information indicating the charge of each work stored in the work content storage area 5022a. The time 1 storage area 5022c includes a work content storage area 50.
The time required for the work stored in the work charge storage area 5022b to be stored in the work stored in the work charge storage area 5022b is stored. The time 2 storage area 5022d includes a work content storage area 5022a.
The time required when the robot A10 or the robot B20 performs the work stored in is stored.

In the present embodiment, as a work (finished product) produced by the cell production system 1,
An electrical product that incorporates an electrical circuit board into an inkjet printer is assumed. The production process consists of simple processing of the substrate (soldering of temporary fixing elements, laser printing, etc.), inspection adjustment of the substrate (measurement of electrical characteristics, trimmer adjustment, etc.) and placement of the substrate on the molded product (inset, bending) And operations (A) to “H” stored in the work content storage area 5022a indicate these three steps. Simple processing (pre-process) of the substrate corresponds to the operations “A” to “C” stored in the operation content storage area 5022a, and is performed by the robot A10. The board inspection adjustment is performed by the work “D” stored in the work content storage area 5022a.
And “E”, performed by the operator. Substrate placement (post-process) on the molded product corresponds to operations “F” to “H” stored in the operation content storage area 5022a, and is performed by the robot B20.

Returning to the description of FIG. The storage unit 502 need not be provided inside the control unit 50. Storage unit 5
02 may be prepared as an external device of the control unit 50, the robot A10, and the robot B20, and the control unit 50 or the control unit in the robot A10 or the robot B20 may acquire work information from the storage unit 502.

The image acquisition unit 503 acquires image data captured by the imaging unit 30. Image acquisition unit 50
3 outputs the captured image data to the main control unit 501.

The functional configurations of the robot A10, the robot B20, and the control unit 50 are the same as the robot A1.
0, in order to facilitate understanding of the configurations of the robot B20 and the control unit 50, they are classified according to main processing contents. The present invention is not limited by the way of classification and names of the constituent elements. The configurations of the robot A10, the robot B20, and the control unit 50 can be classified into more components according to the processing content. Moreover, it can also classify | categorize so that one component may perform more processes. Further, the processing of each component may be executed by one hardware or may be executed by a plurality of hardware.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of the control unit 50. As illustrated, the control unit 50 includes a CPU 51 that is an arithmetic device, a memory 52 that includes a RAM that is a volatile storage device and a ROM that is a nonvolatile storage device, an external storage device 53, a robot A10, and a robot. A communication device 54 that communicates with an external device such as B20, an input device 55 such as a mouse or a keyboard, an output device 56 such as a display, a read / write device 57 such as a CD drive or a DVD drive, a control unit 50, and the like. Interface (I / F) 58 to connect the units of
With.

Each functional unit other than the above-described storage unit 502 is realized, for example, when the CPU 51 reads a predetermined program stored in the memory 52 into the memory 52 and executes it. The storage unit 502 is realized by the memory 52 or the external storage device 53, for example. Note that the predetermined program may be installed in the memory 52 in advance, or the communication device 54, for example.
It may be downloaded from the network via the network and installed or updated.

The configuration of the cell production system 1 described above is not limited to the above-described configuration because the main configuration has been described in describing the features of the present embodiment. For example, at least one of the robot A10 and the robot B20 may include the control unit 50. Further, the configuration of a general robot is not excluded.

Next, a characteristic process of the cell production system 1 having the above-described configuration in the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing relating to the work of the robot A10 of the cell production system 1. This process is started when, for example, a work start instruction is input via a button or the like (not shown). Further, at the beginning of the process, a writable memory in the memory 52 is initialized.

The main control unit 501 stores the schedule information 5021 and the work table 50 from the storage unit 502.
22 is acquired (step S100). Further, the main control unit 501 acquires the current time from a clock (not shown) (step S102).

The worker determination unit 501a determines whether or not the worker 60 is currently in the work space based on the schedule information 5021 acquired in step S10 and the current time acquired in step S102 (step S104). Here, a case where the current time acquired in step S102 is 9:15 will be described as an example. The worker determination unit 501a refers to the schedule information 5021 and acquires that “1” is stored in the worker flag storage area 5021b in the information in which 9:15 is included in the time storage area 5021a. As a result, the worker determination unit 501a determines that the worker 60 is currently in the work space.

When it is determined that the worker 60 is not in the work space (NO in step S104), the worker determination unit 501a determines whether the time until the worker 60 returns to the work space is equal to or less than a threshold value. (Step S106). This step determines whether or not there is a long worker break. For example, it is determined whether the worker 60 is absent due to a break time, whether the worker 60 returns immediately, or whether the worker 60 does not return for the time being outside the worker 60 working time.

The process of step S106 will be described. The time storage area 5021a is stored in step S1.
The current time acquired in 02 and the schedule information 5021 acquired in step S100.
And the remaining time in the information including the current time in the time storage area 5021a is calculated. For example, when the current time is 10:05, the information including the current time in the time storage area 5021a is 10:00 to 10:14. Therefore, the remaining time can be calculated to be 10 minutes between 10:05 and 10:14.

In the present embodiment, the threshold is set to half of the time required for the worker 60 to perform work on one work. The worker determination unit 501a sets time 2 in the work table 5022.
The work performed by the worker 60 based on the time stored in the storage area 5022d is performed by the robot A10.
Alternatively, the time required for the robot B20 to perform is calculated, and half of the time is calculated as a threshold value. The threshold value may be stored in a storage area (not shown) of the main control unit 501 or the storage unit 502. The threshold setting can be arbitrarily changed.

Finally, the worker determination unit 501a compares the calculated remaining time with the calculated threshold value,
It is determined whether the remaining time is equal to or less than a threshold value. Thereby, step S106 is completed.

When there is an operator in the work space (YES in step S104) and when the time until the worker 60 returns to the work space is equal to or less than the threshold value (YES in step S106),
The control unit 50 determines to perform work (normal work) with the robot A10, the worker, and the robot B20, and outputs an instruction to the robot A10 and the robot B20 (step S108).
). This is so that the work can be started as soon as the break of the worker 60 is over. When the worker 60 is in the work space (YES in step S104), working hours from Monday to Friday excluding break time are assumed, and the time until the worker 60 returns to the work space is equal to or less than the threshold value. In some cases (YES in step S106), the last few minutes of the break time during working hours from Monday to Friday is assumed.

The process of step S108 will be described in detail. The worker determination unit 501a determines to perform normal work and outputs this to the work determination unit 501c.

The work determination unit 501c acquires the work content and the person in charge from the work table 5022. From the work table 5022 shown in FIG. 4, the operations “A” to “C” are the robot A10, the operation “D”,
It is acquired that “E” is in charge of the worker 60, and the operations “F” to “G” are in charge of the robot B20. Therefore, the work determination unit 501c outputs the contents of the work “A” to “C” to the operation control unit 12 of the robot A10, assuming that the work “A” to “C” is in charge of the robot A10.

The work determination unit 501c outputs an instruction to the operation control unit 12 of the robot A10 to place the work after the work in the delivery area B1 together with the work content (step S110).

As a result, the operation control unit 12 performs operations “A” to “C” on the workpiece, and controls the robot A10 to place the workpiece after the operation in the delivery area B1. The worker 60 acquires a work from the delivery area B1, performs work “D” and “E”, and places the work after the work in the delivery area B2. As a result, robot A10 and robot B are applied to the workpiece.
20 (the processing of the robot B20 will be described in detail later) and the worker 60 can work together. Moreover, when the rest time of the worker 60 is short, the work can be started immediately after the break of the worker 60 is completed.

When the time until the worker 60 returns to the work space is not less than the threshold (step S106)
NO), the control unit 50 performs the work process of the worker 60 with the robot A10 and the robot B2.
It is decided that the program (robot work) to be divided and assembled at 0 is performed, and the robot A1
An instruction is output to 0 (step S112). When the time until the worker 60 returns to the work space is not less than the threshold (NO in step S106) is when the remaining rest time is long during working hours from Monday to Friday, on weekends and holidays, and from Monday to Friday Etc. are assumed.

The process of step S112 will be described in detail. The worker determination unit 501a determines to perform a robot operation, and outputs this to the operation determination unit 501c.

The work determination unit 501c acquires the work content and the person in charge from the work table 5022. From the work table 5022 shown in FIG. 4, the operations “A” to “C” are the robot A10, the operation “D”,
It is acquired that “E” is in charge of the worker 60, and the operations “F” to “G” are in charge of the robot B20.

The work determination unit 501c includes the total work time of work (here, work “A” to “C”) performed by the robot A10 stored in the time 1 storage area 5022c, and the robot B20 stored in the time 1 storage area 5022c. And the total of the work time of the work performed (here, work “F” to “G”). In addition, the work determination unit 501c acquires, from the time 2 storage area 5022d, the time required for the robot A10 or the robot B20 to perform each work of the work performed by the worker 60 (here, work "D" and "E"). To do. Based on these times, the work determination unit 501c distributes the work of the worker 60 to the robot A10 and the robot B20 so that the work time of the robot A10 and the work time of the robot B20 are substantially the same. Thereby, it can operate | move appropriately and efficiently. Note that “substantially the same” is a concept that includes a completely identical case and a case that includes a certain amount of error (for example, several minutes).

Then, the work determination unit 501c outputs the content of the work for which the robot A10 is in charge to the operation control unit 12 of the robot A10. For example, work “D” of the work performed by the worker 60
Is assigned to the robot A10, the contents of the operations "A" to "C" and the operation "D" that were originally in charge of the robot A10 are output to the operation control unit 12.

In this embodiment, the work of the worker 60 is assigned to the robot A10 and the robot B20 so that the work time of the robot A10 and the work time of the robot B20 are substantially the same. Although a part of the work is performed, the robot A10 or the robot B20 may perform all the work of the worker 60. For example, receiving area B
And when the work of the robot B20 is large, such as when there are many workpieces in the receiving area C, the robot A10 may perform all the work of the worker 60.

The work determination unit 501c outputs an instruction to the operation control unit 12 of the robot A10 together with the work content so that the work after the work is placed in the delivery area C (step S114).

As a result, the operation control unit 12 performs operations “A” to “D” on the workpiece, and controls the robot A10 to place the workpiece after the operation in the delivery area C. Thereby, the work can be performed on the workpiece in cooperation with the robot A10 and the robot B20 (the processing of the robot B20 will be described in detail later). Therefore, even when there is no worker 60, it is possible to increase the operating rate of the robot A10 and the robot B20 by operating the robot A10 and the robot B20. As a result, it is possible to continue making products without stopping the cell production system 1.

The control unit 50 determines whether or not a work end instruction has been input via the input device 55 or the like (
Step S116). This is processing that assumes a case where it is desired to stop or interrupt the work when, for example, a problem occurs. When a work end instruction is input (YE in step S116)
In S), the process ends. In addition, the process of step S116 is not included in the process shown in FIG.
It may be an interrupt process.

When the work end instruction has not been input (NO in step S116), the control unit 50 determines whether or not a certain time has elapsed since the process of step S102 was performed (step S118). This is because in the present embodiment, processing is performed based on the schedule information 5021, and therefore it is necessary to refer to the schedule information 5021 at regular time intervals.

If the predetermined time has not elapsed (NO in step S118), step S118 is performed again.
Perform the process. If the predetermined time has elapsed (YES in step S118), step S1
Returning to 10, the process shown in FIG. 6 is started again.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing relating to the work of the robot B20 of the cell production system 1. This process is started simultaneously with the start of the process related to the operation of the robot A10 shown in FIG. 6, and is performed for each work. That is, the flow shown in FIG. 7 is repeated for each work until there is no work on the work table 40. The work determination unit 501b can determine whether or not there is a work on the work table 40.
The main control unit 501 acquires the image captured by the imaging unit 30 via the image acquisition unit 503 (step S201).

The workpiece determination unit 501b analyzes the acquired image and determines whether or not a predetermined number or more of workpieces after the worker 60 has performed work are placed in the delivery area B2 (step S202).
). Various known techniques can be used for image analysis. For example, the number of workpieces can be acquired by extracting feature points of the workpiece from the image and counting the number of feature points.

When a predetermined number or more of works after the worker 60 has performed work are placed in the delivery area B2 (YES in step S202), the work determination unit 501c reads from the work table 5022 in step S108 (normal work). The acquired work contents of the robot B20 (in this embodiment, work "F" to "G") are output to the operation control unit 22 of the robot B20. In addition, the work determination unit 501c outputs an instruction to the motion control unit 22 of the robot B20 to receive the work before work from the transfer area B2 (step S204).

The work determination unit 501c outputs an instruction to the operation control unit 22 of the robot B20 to place the work after the work in a predetermined area (step S210). The predetermined area may be an arbitrary area of the work table 40 or a table different from the work table 40.

Thereby, the operation control unit 22 acquires the workpiece before the work from the delivery area B2, performs the operations “F” to “G” on the work, and places the work after the work in the predetermined area by the robot B20. To control. When the work is finished, the work determination unit 501c determines whether the work is in step S201.
Return to, and start processing for the next workpiece.

When a predetermined number or more of the workpieces after the worker 60 has performed the work are not placed in the delivery area B2 (NO in step S202), the control unit 50 delivers the work after the robot A10 has performed the work. It is determined whether or not a predetermined number or more are placed in the area C (step S20).
6).

When a predetermined number or more of workpieces are placed in the delivery area C (YES in step S206)
In step S112 (robot operation), the work determination unit 501c determines that the robot B2
Work in charge of 0 (in this embodiment, work “F” that was originally in charge of robot B20
”To“ G ”and operation“ E ”) are output to the motion control unit 22 of the robot B20. Further, the operation control unit 22 obtains the work before work from the transfer area C, and performs work “E” on the work.
The robot B20 is controlled to perform “G” (step S208).

The work determination unit 501c outputs an instruction to the operation control unit 22 of the robot B20 to place the work after the work in a predetermined area (step S210). Thereby, the operation control unit 22
The robot B20 is controlled so that the workpiece before work is acquired from the delivery area C, the work "E" to "G" is performed on the work, and the work after work is placed in a predetermined area. When the work is finished, the work determination unit 501c returns to step S201 and starts processing the next work.

When a predetermined number of workpieces are not placed in the delivery area C (NO in step S206)
In step S201, the work determination unit 501c returns to step S201 without outputting any instruction to the operation control unit 22, and starts processing for the next workpiece.

According to the present embodiment, by performing optimal operation of the robot, it is possible to perform production without stopping the production line even when the worker is absent. Therefore, optimal cell production becomes possible when the worker is absent and when the worker returns. Furthermore, even when returning to cell production by the operator, the waiting time is short, and it is possible to save useless time.

In addition, when it is known that an operator enters and exits the cell production system in a certain cycle such as in a factory, the operation of the robot is automatically changed, so that it can be operated 24 hours a day without any trouble. Is possible. As a result, production efficiency can be improved.

Furthermore, an area where the worker places a work after the work and an area where the robot in the previous process (robot A10 in this embodiment) places the work after the work are provided, and the robot in the post process of the worker (in this embodiment) The robot B20) can easily perform the work according to the presence or absence of the worker in the robot in the subsequent process by switching the work content for the work in accordance with the area where the work is received. Production efficiency can be improved.

In the present embodiment, when the time until the worker 60 returns to the work space is equal to or less than the threshold (YES in step S106), the robot A10 has performed a normal work, but the worker 60 When the time until returning to the space is equal to or less than the threshold and there are a large number of workpieces in the transfer area B1 or C, the robot A10 may wait without performing normal work.

In the present embodiment, the robot B20 receives a work receiving area (receiving area B).
2 and the receiving area C), the work content for the work is switched.
10, the work content may be switched depending on the presence or absence of the worker 60. As a method of switching the work contents depending on the presence or absence of the worker 60, a process similar to the process of the robot A10 shown in FIG. 6 may be performed.

In this embodiment, the cell production system has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the cell production system, and can be applied to various scenes such as a part of a production line. In this embodiment, the case where there are two robots A10 and B20 has been described as an example, but three or more robots may be used. In this case, when the work of the worker 60 is shared by the robot, the work of the worker 60 may be distributed so that the work times of the three robots are substantially the same. In addition, when the work of the worker 60 is shared by three or more robots, either one is selected.
A single robot may perform all the work of the worker 60. For example, when there are a large number of workpieces processed halfway, the robot that performs the first operation may perform all the operations of the worker 60.

<Second Embodiment>
In the first embodiment of the present invention, the presence / absence of the worker is determined based on the schedule information, and the processing of the robot A10 is changed based on the presence / absence of the worker. It is not limited to this.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, the presence or absence of the worker is determined by detecting whether or not the worker is present. Hereinafter, the cell production system 2 of the second embodiment will be described. In addition, about the part same as 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

FIG. 8 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of the cell production system 2. The cell production system 2 in the present embodiment includes a robot A10, a robot B20, a photographing unit 30, a work table 40, a control unit 50A, and a mat switch 70, which constitute one production cell. The cell production system 2 is a cell production system in which the robot A10 and the robot B20 and the worker 60 cooperate in one production cell as a work place to perform assembly work.

The work table 40A includes a pre-process area 41, an operator area 42A, and a post-process area 43. The pre-process area 41, the worker area 42A, and the post-process area 43 are provided adjacent to each other in the left-right direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1). The robot A10 is provided adjacent to the previous process area 41. The robot B20 has the same side surface as the side surface on which the robot A10 of the work table 40 is provided (
1 is provided on the upper surface in FIG.

The worker area 42A is formed in the depth direction with respect to the pre-process area 41 and the post-process area 43 (FIG. 8).
The vertical direction is long. Therefore, the work space is increased and the space can be used as a delivery area. The worker area 42 </ b> A is disposed so as to protrude toward the front side (lower side in FIG. 8) with respect to the pre-process area 41 and the post-process area 43. The work space for the worker 60 is a position in front of the position that is convex with respect to the front process area 41 and the rear process area 43 of the worker area 42A (lower side in FIG. 8). That is, the work space is set on the opposite side of the work position between the work positions of the robot A10 and the robot B20.

The worker area 42A includes a work area A where the worker 60 performs work, and delivery areas B1, B2, and C which are areas where the object is delivered. The work area A is arranged on the most front side (lower side in FIG. 8) of the worker area 42A. A delivery area B1 is arranged on the left side (the left side in FIG. 8, the previous process area 41 side) of the work area A. Right side of delivery area B1 (
On the right side of FIG. 8, the delivery area B2 is arranged. The delivery area C is arranged on the innermost side (upper side in FIG. 8) of the worker area 42A.

Since the worker area 42A is longer in the depth direction than the pre-process area 41 and the post-process area 43, the delivery area C can be arranged at an effective position. Furthermore, robot A10 and robot B
20 and the worker 60 work in a face-to-face manner.
The work can be performed while feeling the movement of the robot 10 and the robot B20.

The photographing unit 30 is provided on the worker area 42A so as to photograph the vicinity of the delivery areas B1 and B2.

The mat switch 70 is, for example, a pressure sensor or a weight sensor in which a switch is two-dimensionally arranged between two rubber thin plates. When the worker 60 gets on the mat switch 70, the presence of the worker 60 is detected by turning on the switch.

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of the cell production system 3. The control unit 50A mainly includes a main control unit 501A, a storage unit 502, and an image acquisition unit 503.

The main control unit 501A comprehensively controls the other units (502, 503). The main control unit 501A includes an operator determination unit 501d, a work determination unit 501b, and a work determination unit 501c.
With.

The worker determination unit 501d determines whether the worker is in the work space based on the detection result of the mat switch 70. The processing of the worker determination unit 501d will be described in detail later.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing relating to the work of the robot A10 of the cell production system 3. This process is started when, for example, a work start instruction is input via a button or the like (not shown). Further, at the beginning of the process, a writable memory in the memory 52 is initialized.

The main control unit 501 acquires the work table 5022 from the storage unit 502 (step S1).
01).

The main control unit 501 acquires the detection result of the mat switch 70, and determines whether or not the worker 60 is on the mat switch 70, that is, whether or not the worker 60 is in the work space (step S105).

When the worker 60 is present in the work space (YES in step S105), the work determination unit 501b has a predetermined number or more of works in the delivery area B1 of the work table 40 based on the image data acquired in step S103. It is determined whether or not there is (step S107).

When there are a predetermined number or more of workpieces in the delivery area B1 (YES in step S107), the control unit 50A determines to perform the work (normal work) with the robot A10, the operator, and the robot B20, and the robot A10. And an instruction is output to the robot B20 (step S1).
08). The work determination unit 501c sends the operation content to the operation control unit 12 of the robot A10 together with the work content.
An instruction is output to place the work after the work in the delivery area B1 (step S110).

When there is no worker 60 in the work space (NO in step S105), and when there are no more than a predetermined number of works in the delivery area B1 (NO in step S107), the control unit 50A.
Decides to execute a program (robot work) for assembling the work process of the worker 60 by the robot A10 and the robot B20, and outputs an instruction to the robot A10 (step S112). The work determination unit 501c outputs an instruction to the operation control unit 12 of the robot A10 together with the work contents so as to place the work after the work in the transfer area C (step S11).
4).

The control unit 50A determines whether or not a work end instruction has been input via the input device 55 or the like (step S116). This is processing that assumes a case where it is desired to interrupt the work when a problem occurs, for example. When a work end instruction is input (YES in step S116)
Then, the process ends.

If no work end instruction is input (NO in step S116), control unit 50A.
Determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the process of step S102 was performed (step S118). This is because in the present embodiment, processing is performed based on the schedule information 5021, and therefore it is necessary to refer to the schedule information 5021 at regular time intervals.

If the predetermined time has not elapsed (NO in step S118), step S118 is performed again.
Perform the process. If the predetermined time has elapsed (YES in step S118), step S1
Returning to 10, the process shown in FIG. 6 is started again.

According to the present embodiment, by performing the optimal operation of the robot, it is possible to perform production without stopping the production line even when the worker is absent. Further, by directly detecting whether or not there is an operator, it is possible to flexibly cope with a case where the work schedule is not decided or when the schedule is changed.

In the present embodiment, the presence or absence of the worker 60 is detected using the mat switch 70. However, a human sensor such as an infrared sensor or a distance sensor is installed at a position where the status of the work space can be monitored. The unit 501d may detect the presence or absence of the worker 60 using the output value of the sensor. Further, an infrared camera may be installed at a position where the status of the work space can be monitored, and the presence or absence of the worker 60 may be detected based on a temperature change obtained from image information of the camera.

In the present embodiment, the presence or absence of the worker 60 is detected using the mat switch 70. However, the number of works remaining in the receiving area B1 is detected by the photographing unit 30 or the sensor, and a predetermined number (for example, If the number is one or more), it may be determined that the worker 60 is absent, and if the number is less than the predetermined number, it may be determined that the worker 60 is present. In this way, since a static object is used as a detection target rather than a dynamic worker, detection processing can be simplified and detection accuracy can be improved.

In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the robot A10 and the robot B2
In the case where 0 performs the work of the worker 60 in a shared manner, the robot A10 and the robot B20
Worked without moving, but since the robot A10 and the robot B20 are self-propelled robots, it is possible to effectively use the space of the production cell by moving the robot A10 and the robot B20. . Hereinafter, a modified example in which the robot A10 and the robot B20 move when the robot A10 and the robot B20 share the work of the worker 60 will be described.

<Modification 1>
FIG. 11 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of the cell production system 1A, which is a modification of the first embodiment. The cell production system 1A includes a robot A10 and a robot B20.
Is a mode in which the robot A10 and the robot B20 move to the work space of the worker 60 when the work of the worker 60 is shared.

In steps S112 and S114 shown in FIG.
1 to a position in front of the operator area 42, and the work "A" to "
The robot A10 is controlled so as to return to the position before the previous process area 41 from the position in front of the worker area 42. In step S <b> 208 shown in FIG. 7, the motion control unit 22 starts from the position in front of the post-process area 43 to the worker area 4.
2, the work before the work is acquired from the transfer area C, the work “E” to “H” is performed on the work, and the post-process area 43 from the position before the worker area 42. The robot B20 is controlled to return to the previous position and place the work after the work in a predetermined area.

Thus, the robot A10 and the robot B20 can perform the process of the worker 60 in the work area A of the worker 60, and can perform the process transfer by moving the work slightly. In addition, it is possible to work using the tool for the worker 60 without moving tools or the like, or placing a separate tool for the robot A10 and the robot B20.

<Modification 2>
FIG. 12 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of the cell production system 2A, which is a modification of the second embodiment. The cell production system 2A includes a robot A10 and a robot B20.
However, when the work of the worker 60 is shared, the robot A10 and the robot B20 rotate and work in the same space.

The work table 40B includes a pre-process area 41, an operator area 42B, and a post-process area 43. The worker area 42B is in the depth direction with respect to the pre-process area 41 and the post-process area 43 (FIG. 8).
The vertical direction is long. The worker area 42 </ b> B is disposed so as to protrude toward the back side (upper side in FIG. 12) with respect to the pre-process area 41 and the post-process area 43. The front side (lower side in FIG. 12) of the worker area 42B is a work area A for the worker 60.

A delivery area B1 is arranged on the left side (the left side in FIG. 8, the previous process area 41 side) of the work area A. The delivery area B2 is arranged on the right side (right side in FIG. 8) of the delivery area B1. The delivery area C is arranged on the innermost side (upper side in FIG. 8) of the worker area 42A.

In steps S112 and S114 shown in FIG. 6, the operation control unit 12 rotates about 90 ° counterclockwise, performs operations “A” to “D” on the workpiece in the transfer area C, and performs the workpiece after the operation. The robot A1 is placed in the transfer area C and rotated about 90 ° clockwise.
Control 0. In step S208 shown in FIG. 7, the motion control unit 22 rotates about 90 ° clockwise, acquires the work before the work from the transfer area C, and performs the work “E” on the work.
”To“ H ”are performed, and the robot B20 is controlled to rotate about 90 ° in the clockwise direction so that the work after work is placed in a predetermined area.

Thus, the delivery area C of the worker area 42B can be used as the work place as it is. Further, the robot A10 and the robot B20 can work using the tool for the worker 60.

<Modification 3>
FIG. 13 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of the cell production system 2B, which is a modification of the second embodiment, similarly to FIG. In the cell production system 2B, when the robot A10 and the robot B20 share the work of the worker 60, the robot A10 and the robot B20 rotate and work in the same space.

In the cell production system 2B, the position of the mat switch 70 is different from that of the cell production system 2A. That is, in the cell production system 2A, the front side (lower side in FIG. 12) is used as the work space for the worker 60, but in the cell production system 2B, the back side (upper side in FIG. 13) is used as the work space for the worker 60.

As a result, since the work positions of the robot A10 and the robot B20 and the work position of the worker 60 are steps, the worker 60 can perform work while constantly feeling the robot movement. Further, since the worker 60 is not sandwiched between the robot A10 and the robot B20, the safety of the worker can be improved. In addition, since it is possible to secure a wide area in which the robot A10, the robot B20, and the worker 60 can operate, work efficiency can be improved. Further, the robot A10 and the robot B20 can use a wider work area, and work efficiency can be improved. Further, when the robot A10 and the robot B20 perform a part of the work of the worker 60, the work can be performed in a situation closer to the work environment of the worker 60, so that work efficiency can be improved.

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the above-described embodiment. In addition, it is apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.
Moreover, you may combine any two or more suitably in said embodiment and each modification.

1, 1A, 2, 2A, 2B: cell production system, 10: robot A, 11: movable part, 12
: Operation control unit, 20: robot B, 21: movable unit, 22: operation control unit, 30: photographing unit, 4
0, 40A, 40B: work table, 41: front process area, 42, 42A, 42B: worker area, 43: back process area, 50, 50A: control unit, 51: CPU, 52: memory, 53: external Storage device 54: communication device 55: input device 56: output device 57: read / write device
60: worker, 70: mat switch, 501, 501A: main control unit, 501a, 501
d: Worker determination unit, 501b: Work determination unit, 501c: Work determination unit, 502, 502A
: Storage unit, 503: image acquisition unit, 5021: schedule information, 5021a: time storage area, 5021b: worker flag storage area, 5022: work table, 5022a: work content storage area, 5022b: work charge storage area, 5022c: Time 1 storage area, 5022d
: Time 2 storage area

Claims (10)

A first robot;
A storage unit storing work information that is information related to a first work performed by the first robot and a second work performed by an operator after the first work;
A first determination unit for determining whether or not the worker is present;
A control unit that controls the first robot based on the work information and a determination result of the first determination unit;
When the first determination unit determines that the worker is present, the control unit performs the first operation on an object, and the target after performing the first operation When the first robot is controlled to place an object in the first area and the first determination unit does not determine that the worker is present, the first operation and the second operation are performed. Performing at least a part of the work on the object and placing the object in the second area after performing the first work and the at least a part of the second work Controlling the first robot as
A production system characterized by that. The production system according to claim 1,
The work information includes schedule information that defines a time for the worker to perform the second work,
The first determination unit determines whether or not the worker is present based on the schedule information;
A production system characterized by that. In the production system according to claim 1 or 2,
A detection unit for detecting the presence or absence of the worker;
The determination unit determines whether or not the worker is present based on a result detected by the detection unit;
A production system characterized by that. A first robot;
A storage unit storing work information that is information related to a first work performed by the first robot and a second work performed by an operator after the first work;
A second determination unit that determines whether or not there are a predetermined number or more of objects in the first region after performing the first operation;
A control unit that controls the first robot based on the work information and a determination result of the second determination unit;
The control unit performs the first operation on the object when the second determination unit does not determine that there are a predetermined number or more of objects in the first region, and When the first robot is controlled to place the target object after performing one work in the first area, and the second determination unit has a predetermined number or more of the target objects in the first area. If determined, the first work and at least a part of the second work are performed on the object, and at least a part of the first work and the second work is performed. Controlling the first robot to place the target object in the second area after performing
A production system characterized by that. In the production system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A second robot that performs work on an object after the first robot or the worker has worked;
The storage unit stores information related to a third work that is a work performed by the second robot,
The work space has a third region for placing an object after the second work is performed by the worker;
The control unit performs an operation not performed by the first robot and the third operation among the second operations on the object placed in the second region, The production system, wherein the second robot is controlled so that the third work is performed on an object placed in a third region. The production system according to claim 5,
The storage unit includes a time for the first robot to perform the first work, a time for the operator to perform the second work, and a time for the second robot to perform the third work. The first
And the time for the second robot to perform the second work,
The control unit includes a time during which the first robot performs at least a part of the first work and the second work, and the second robot performs the first of the second work. A production system, characterized in that the first robot and the second robot are controlled such that a time period during which the operation not performed by the robot is performed and a time period during which the third operation is performed are substantially the same. Moving parts;
A first work that is a work performed by the movable part, and a second work performed by an operator after the first work.
An acquisition unit for acquiring work information, which is information related to the work,
A determination unit for determining whether or not the worker is present;
A control unit that controls the movable unit based on the work information and a determination result of the determination unit;
When the first determination unit determines that the worker is present, the control unit performs the first operation on an object, and the target after performing the first operation When the movable part is controlled to place an object in the first region, and the first determination part does not determine that the worker is present, the first work and the second work are At least a part of the work is performed on the object, and the object after the first work and at least a part of the second work are placed in the second region Controlling the movable part;
A robot characterized by that. An acquisition unit that acquires work information that is information related to a first work that is performed by a robot and a second work that is performed by an operator after the first work;
A determination unit for determining whether or not the worker is present;
A control unit that controls the robot based on the work information and a determination result of the determination unit;
Have
When the first determination unit determines that the worker is present, the control unit performs the first operation on an object, and the target after performing the first operation If the robot is controlled to place an object in the first area and the first determination unit does not determine that the worker is present, at least one of the first operation and the second operation A part of the work is performed on the object, and the object after the first work and at least a part of the second work are placed in the second region. Control the robot,
A control device characterized by that. Obtaining work information that is information related to a first work that is performed by a robot and a second work that is performed by an operator after the first work;
Determining whether the worker is present;
When it is determined that the worker is present, the first work is performed on the target object, and the target object after the first work is performed is placed in the first region. If the robot is controlled and it is not determined that the worker is present, the first work and at least a part of the second work are performed on the object, and the first work is performed. Controlling the robot to place the object in a second region after performing a task and at least a portion of the second task;
A production method comprising: Obtaining work information that is information related to a first work that is performed by a robot and a second work that is performed by an operator after the first work;
Determining whether the worker is present;
When it is determined that the worker is present, the first work is performed on the target object, and the target object after the first work is performed is placed in the first region. If the robot is controlled and it is not determined that the worker is present, the first work and at least a part of the second work are performed on the object, and the first work is performed. Controlling the robot to place the object in a second region after performing a task and at least a portion of the second task;
A control program for causing an arithmetic device to execute the above.

Images