JP7139989B2 - Work support device and work support program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a work support device and a work support program that support work performed according to a predetermined work procedure.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, at a manufacturing site, for example, an assembling work of manually assembling parts to a printed circuit board, a device in the middle of manufacturing, or the like may be performed. Although such work is performed according to a predetermined work procedure, it generally includes multiple processes, and assembly work generally involves assembling multiple types of parts. For some reason, parts may be left out or mixed up. Therefore, for example, Patent Literature 1 proposes to provide detection means such as a weight sensor on the parts box side to determine whether or not the parts taken out from the parts box conform to the work procedure. .

In addition, when working on different products, the types and numbers of parts to be assembled are also different. Therefore, if the detection means as described above is provided on the parts box side, the equipment cost increases in proportion to the number of parts. In addition to this, there is a problem that a great deal of labor is required to install the detecting means and associate it with the work procedure. In order to solve this problem, for example, a work support device disclosed in Patent Document 2 below is known. In this work support device, a monitoring region, which is a range for monitoring work within the imaging range of the imaging unit, is set by input operation according to the work procedure, and a portion corresponding to the monitoring region of the captured image and a portion of the image corresponding to the monitoring region are set. By comparing the part corresponding to the monitoring area in the other image taken at the previous time, dynamic detection is performed for the management area, and based on the detection result of this dynamic detection, whether or not the work procedure was followed is determined, and the determination result is notified to the operator.

JP 2010-211623 A JP 2018-156279 A

By the way, in the work support device disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, when setting the monitoring area corresponding to each parts box, the operator confirms the position of the parts box in the image captured by the imaging unit. It is necessary to operate the wireless mouse to draw a border around the parts box in the image. This is because the monitoring area cannot be set in advance because not only the type and number of parts boxes but also the positions of the parts boxes may change for each manufacturing lot. Then, for each production lot, the worker must operate the wireless mouse while looking at the screen. This not only takes time for the initial setting work to set the monitoring area, but also causes the operator to make an operation error. There is a problem that an erroneous monitoring area is set.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a configuration in which a monitoring area can be easily and accurately set without imposing a work burden on an operator. be.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 of the scope of claims includes:
A work support device (10) for supporting work performed according to a predetermined work procedure using parts (20, 20a-20d) housed in a plurality of parts boxes (30, 30a-30d),
an imaging unit (13);
a monitoring area setting unit (11) for setting a monitoring area (Pa to Pd) for each of the parts boxes within the imaging range of the imaging unit;
A portion corresponding to the monitoring area set by the monitoring area setting unit in the captured image captured by the imaging unit and the monitoring area corresponding to another captured image captured at a time before the captured image. a detection unit (11) for detecting removal of the parts from the parts box corresponding to the monitoring area based on the result of comparison with the part to be monitored;
a determination unit (11) that determines whether or not the work according to the predetermined work procedure is being performed based on the detection result of the detection unit;
a notification unit (15, 16) for notifying the operator of the determination result by the determination unit;
with
The monitoring area setting unit detects the parts boxes moved in the predetermined movement state based on the captured image captured by the imaging unit when the parts boxes are individually moved in the predetermined movement state by the worker. is set for each parts box.
It should be noted that the symbols in parentheses indicate the corresponding relationship with specific means described in the embodiments to be described later.

In the first aspect of the present invention, monitoring of a portion corresponding to a monitoring area set by a monitoring area setting unit in a captured image captured by an imaging unit and another captured image captured at a time before the captured image is monitored. Based on the result of comparison with the portion corresponding to the area, the detection unit detects removal of the part from the parts box corresponding to the monitoring area. Based on the result of detection by the detection unit, the determination unit determines whether or not the work according to the predetermined work procedure is being performed, and the notification unit notifies the operator of the determination result. At that time, the monitoring area setting unit determines the parts box moved in the predetermined movement state based on the captured image captured by the imaging unit when the parts box is individually moved in the predetermined movement state by the worker. A corresponding monitoring area is set for each parts box.

As a result, the operator can easily set the monitoring area for each parts box by simply moving the parts boxes individually in a predetermined movement state before starting work or the like. In particular, since the operator does not need to operate the mouse while looking at the screen, an incorrect monitoring area is not set due to the operator's input operation error. Therefore, the monitoring area can be easily and accurately set without imposing a work burden on the operator.

In the second aspect of the invention, the predetermined moving state is a swinging state that is repeated on the premise that the parts box is returned to its original position. Since it becomes easier to specify the area where the parts box is moving from, the monitoring area can be set more accurately.

In the invention according to claim 3, the monitoring area setting unit picks up the picked-up image that is judged to have stopped because the parts box is returned to its original position among the picked-up images picked up by the imaging unit, and the picked-up image immediately before the picked-up image. A monitoring area is set based on the result of comparison with other captured images. As a result, the position of the parts box is specified using the difference between the captured image immediately after the parts box stops and the captured image immediately before the parts box stops, and the monitoring area is set according to the specified positions of the parts box. Therefore, not only can the monitoring area be set more accurately, but the monitoring area is set at the timing immediately after the parts box stops, so even when setting many monitoring areas, the time required for setting can be shortened and work efficiency can increase

In the fourth aspect of the present invention, a work procedure setting unit is provided for setting the predetermined work procedure based on the picking order of parts detected by the detection unit after the plurality of monitoring areas are set by the monitoring area setting unit. be done. As a result, after setting each monitoring area, the predetermined work procedure can be set by performing the correct work by actually taking out the parts from the parts box. work, etc., can be eliminated.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, it is possible to realize a work support program that has the same effects as the first aspect.

It is an explanatory view showing a schematic structure of a work support device concerning a 1st embodiment. It is explanatory drawing explaining the imaging state where each component box is imaged. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of a work support device; FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of work support processing performed by a control unit in the first embodiment; FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of monitoring area setting processing in FIG. 4 ; FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the rocking state of a parts box. FIG. 7(A) is an explanatory diagram for explaining an imaging state of a captured image determined to be stopped by returning the parts box 30a to its original position, and FIG. 7(B) is an explanatory diagram of FIG. 7(A). FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the imaging state of another captured image captured immediately before the captured image of . FIG. 8A is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state in which the first monitoring area is set in the captured image, and FIG. 8B is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state in which all the monitoring areas are set in the captured image. It is a diagram. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of work support processing performed by a control unit in the second embodiment;

[First embodiment]
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment embodying a work support device and a work support program according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the work support device 10 according to the present embodiment is provided on a workbench 1 or the like, and is operated by a worker M according to a predetermined work procedure using parts stored in a plurality of parts boxes. It is configured as a device that assists the assembly work to be performed.

A work W such as a printed circuit board or a device to be assembled is transferred and placed on the workbench 1 where the assembly work is performed. A plurality of component boxes 30 are arranged on the shelf 2 of the workbench 1 so as to be aligned left and right as seen from the worker M, and each component box 30 contains a plurality of types of components 20 to be assembled to the work W. are stored separately. In this embodiment, as can be seen from FIG. 2, four component boxes 30a to 30d are arranged side by side on the shelf 2, the component box 30a contains the component 20a, the component box 30b contains the component 20b, and the component box 30a contains the component 20b. The component 20c is stored in the box 30c, and the component 20d is stored in the component box 30d.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the work support device 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an imaging unit 13, a display unit 14, a light emitting unit 15, a speaker 16, an operation unit 17, a communication unit 18, and the like. there is The control unit 11 is composed mainly of a microcomputer, performs overall control of the work support device 10 and performs various calculations, and functions, for example, to execute work support processing to be described later. The storage unit 12 is configured by known storage media such as ROM, RAM, HDD, and nonvolatile memory, and stores an application program (hereinafter also referred to as a work assistance program) for executing work assistance processing, a predetermined database, and the like. are stored in advance so that they can be used by the control unit 11 .

The imaging unit 13 is configured as a camera having a light receiving sensor (eg, C-MOS area sensor, CCD area sensor, etc.). In this embodiment, the imaging unit 13 is configured separately from the apparatus main body 10a including the control unit 11, the display unit 14, etc., and the range including at least the component boxes 30a to 30d can be captured by moving or still images. It is arranged on the upper part of the workbench 1 so as to take an image. In this embodiment, the imaging unit 13 is configured to capture continuous still images at, for example, 30 frames/second, and each captured image is stored in the storage unit 12 so as to be analyzed by the control unit 11 .

The display unit 14 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and is configured to be controlled by the control unit 11 to display an image captured by the imaging unit 13, predetermined information, and the like. The device main body 10a is attached to the back plate of the workbench 1 or the like so that the display screen of the display unit 14 can be visually recognized by the operator M. As shown in FIG.

The light-emitting unit 15 is, for example, an LED, and is configured to be controlled by the control unit 11 to control the color of emitted light and the lighting/blinking state, and is arranged at a position where the operator M can easily see it. The speaker 16 is a known speaker or the like, and is controlled by the control unit 11 to emit various notification sounds such as preset sounds and alarm sounds. Note that the light emitting unit 15 and the speaker 16 may correspond to an example of the "notifying unit".

The operation unit 17 is configured to output an operation signal corresponding to the input operation to the control unit 11, and the control unit 11 receives the operation signal and performs processing according to the input operation. there is The communication unit 18 is configured as a communication interface for performing data communication with an external device such as a host device, and is configured to perform communication processing in cooperation with the control unit 11 .

Next, when the worker M performs the assembling work of individually assembling the parts contained in the parts boxes into the workpiece W according to a predetermined work procedure, the control unit 11 executes for each production lot. The work support processing performed based on the work support program will be described in detail with reference to the flow charts shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. As a predetermined work procedure, the part 20a in the part box 30a is assembled first, the part 20b in the part box 30b is second, and the part 20c in the part box 30c is third. An example will be described in which the work procedure is determined in advance such that the component 20d in the component box 30d is assembled fourth.

When the operation support processing is started by the control unit 11 by performing a predetermined operation on the operation unit 17, the work procedure information reading processing shown in step S101 of FIG. (hereinafter also referred to as work procedure information) on the above-mentioned predetermined work procedure is read from the storage unit 12 . In this embodiment, the work procedure information is stored in the storage unit 12 each time by reading an information code or a wireless tag attached to a work instruction sheet or the like describing the work procedure for the production lot. For example, the work procedure information may be stored in the storage unit 12 in response to an input operation or the like by the operation unit 17, or may be received in advance from a host device or the like via the communication unit 18 and stored in the storage unit 12. may be stored in

When the work procedure information is read as described above, k indicating the assembly order (pickup order) of the parts is set to 1 (S103), and then the monitoring area setting process shown in step S105 is performed. In this process, an image area corresponding to the parts box of the k-th part in the assembly order specified from the work procedure information is set as the monitoring area in the captured image captured by the imaging unit 13 . done. Immediately after the assembly order k is set to 1 as described above, processing is performed to set the image area corresponding to the parts box 30a of the first part 20a as the monitoring area Pa. Note that the control unit 11 that executes the monitoring area setting process can correspond to an example of a "monitoring area setting unit".

In the monitoring area setting process according to the present embodiment, the worker M moves the parts box in a predetermined moving state while the imaging unit 13 is capturing a moving image. A corresponding area is set and registered as a monitoring area. In the present embodiment, as the predetermined movement state, in order to narrow the movement range of the parts box for difference identification, as shown in FIG. A moving state (hereinafter also referred to simply as a swinging state) in which it is repeatedly swung is employed. In FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, which will be described later, each component box is shown in a plan view from above, unlike the imaging state of FIG. ing.

The monitoring area setting process will be specifically described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
First, when the imaging unit 13 becomes ready for imaging (S201 in FIG. 5), it is determined in the determination processing in step S203 whether or not a setting start instruction has been issued. In this embodiment, for example, a predetermined gesture by the operator M is set as the setting start instruction. Therefore, when the operator M performs a predetermined gesture within the imaging range of the imaging unit 13 and the predetermined gesture is imaged by the imaging unit 13, it is assumed that there is an instruction to start setting, and in step S203 Yes. As the predetermined gesture, for example, an action of moving (swaying) at least a part of the parts box to a predetermined state may be adopted, or an information code displayed on a work instruction sheet or the like or a marker of a predetermined shape may be used. An operation of causing the image pickup unit 13 to pick up an image of, for example, may be adopted.

Next, continuous image acquisition processing shown in step S205 is performed, and continuous images corresponding to a moving image for a predetermined time are captured. Subsequently, the image comparison process shown in step S207 is performed, and in the continuous images acquired as described above, the captured images before and after one or several frames are compared, and the area constituting the image difference (hereinafter simply referred to as the difference (also called a region) is performed. Then, in the determination processing of step S209, it is determined whether or not a difference area of a predetermined range or more has occurred.Until a difference area of a predetermined range or more is generated, a No determination is made, and the processes from step S205 are repeated. be

Then, if the result of determination in step S209 is YES because a difference area of a predetermined range or more is generated, hand area acquisition processing shown in step S211 is performed. In this processing, if the captured image with the difference includes an area having a shape and size that can be roughly determined as a hand, this area is acquired as the hand area.

Subsequently, in the determination process of step S213, it is determined whether or not the worker M is moving the parts box in a predetermined moving state. When the parts box gripped by the worker M is moved in a swinging state, the hand area obtained as described above and the other difference area corresponding to the parts box are adjacent to each other. and other difference areas are not adjacent to each other, it is determined that the parts box has not moved, and the determination in step S213 is No, and the processes from step S205 are repeated. Even if the hand region is not acquired, the determination in step S213 is No, and the processing from step S205 is repeated.

On the other hand, after the assembly order k is set to 1, when the parts box 30a containing the first part 20a gripped by the worker M is in a swinging state (see FIG. 6), the acquired continuous images , a difference area is generated between the part of the hand that grips the parts box 30a and the part corresponding to the parts box 30a. Therefore, the hand area of the hand that grips the parts box 30a of the worker M is acquired, and the acquired hand area and another difference area corresponding to the part where the parts box 30a is imaged are adjacent to each other. It is determined as Yes in step S213 because M is moving the parts box in a predetermined moving state.

In this case, the monitoring area storage process shown in step S215 is performed, and the area obtained by adding the area estimated to be the part held by the hand of the worker M to the difference area excluding the hand area is the parts box 30a. is set as the monitoring area Pa and stored in the storage unit 12 (see FIG. 8A). In this process, among the continuous images, a captured image (captured image captured in the state of FIG. 7A) determined to have stopped by returning the parts box to its original position, and immediately before the captured image, By using the result of comparison with another captured image (image captured in the state of FIG. 7B), the monitoring area can be set accurately.

When the monitoring area setting process is completed by setting the monitoring area Pa for the parts box 30a containing the first part 20a as described above, in the determination process of step S107, the assembly order k is determined by the work procedure information. is equal to the total number N of parts boxes specified from . In the above example, since the total number N is set to 4, the determination in step S107 is No, and after the assembly order k is incremented by one (S109), the process of step S105 is performed. be. After the monitoring area is set for the parts box 30a containing the first part 20a as described above, k=2 is set, so the monitoring area is set for the parts box 30b containing the second part 20b. The process for doing so is started. Similarly, by swinging the parts box 30b containing the second part 20b, a monitoring area Pb is set for this parts box 30b. After that, since k is not equal to N (No in S107), k is set to 3 (S109). Pc is set (S105). After that, since k is not equal to N (No in S107), after k is set to 4 (S109), by swinging the parts box 30d containing the fourth part 20d, the parts box 30d is monitored. A region Pd is set (S105).

When the monitoring areas Pa to Pd are set for each of the four parts boxes 30a to 30d in this manner (see FIG. 8B), k=N, and it is determined Yes in step S107. A setting completion notification process shown in S111 is performed. In this process, the worker M is notified that all the monitoring areas have been set for the production lot according to the light emission state of the light emission unit 15 and the notification sound state of the speaker 16 . In the monitoring area setting process, each time one monitoring area is set, notification indicating completion of individual setting may be performed using the light emitting unit 15 or the speaker 16 .

When completion of setting of each monitoring area is notified in this manner, the monitoring process shown in step S113 is started. In this process, each of the monitoring areas Pa to Pd set as described above is monitored by performing dynamic detection for each of the monitoring areas Pa to Pd. Note that the control unit 11 that executes the dynamic detection can correspond to an example of a “detection unit”.

In the present embodiment, a method of observing time-series changes in each of the monitoring areas Pa to Pd using image differences is adopted as the dynamic detection as in the above-described monitoring area setting process. Specifically, in the monitoring process, by comparing the latest captured image captured by the imaging unit 13 with another previously captured image (for example, the captured image captured immediately before), Dynamic detection of the monitored area is performed.

Based on the dynamic detection, for example, using the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-156279, the operation is performed based on whether the change occurring in the monitoring area is large enough to be determined as a hand. It is determined whether or not the hand of person M has been detected. Note that the control unit 11 that determines whether or not work according to a predetermined work procedure is being performed based on the detection result of the dynamic detection can correspond to an example of a "determining unit."

For example, when the worker M who has finished swinging the component boxes 30a to 30d takes out the component 20a from the component box 30a in order to actually start the assembly work, the latest captured image and the captured image immediately before that are taken. The hand of the worker M is detected within the monitoring area Pa based on the difference from the image. Then, according to the work procedure information that has been read, when the detection result of detecting the hand of worker M is obtained in the order of monitoring area Pa, monitoring area Pb, monitoring area Pc, and monitoring area Pd, correct assembly work is performed. However, as a result of the determination, a notification indicating normal operation is made. As this normal notification, for example, green lighting by the light-emitting unit 15 to make the user aware of the correct answer, or the sound of "ping-pong" by the speaker 16 to make the user aware of the correct answer, or the like can be adopted. The worker M who has received this normal notification can recognize that the parts have been assembled according to the correct work procedure. The notification of normality may be made for each monitored area, or may be made by detecting the hand of the worker M in all the monitored areas according to the work procedure information.

On the other hand, for example, after the hand of worker M is detected in the monitoring area Pa, the hand of the worker M is detected in the monitoring area Pc, so that the hand of the worker M is detected in the monitoring areas in the wrong order. is detected, it is judged that an erroneous assembly operation has been performed, and a notification indicating an abnormal operation is made as a determination result. As the abnormality notification, for example, red lighting by the light-emitting unit 15 to make the user aware of the abnormality, or a sound such as "Please pick up the correct part" by the speaker 16, or the like can be adopted. The worker M who has received this anomaly report can immediately recognize that the part has been taken out in an erroneous work procedure.

As described above, in the work support device 10 according to the present embodiment, the part corresponding to the monitoring area (Pa to Pd) set by the monitoring area setting process in the captured image captured by the imaging unit 13 and the corresponding image Parts (20a to 20d) from parts boxes (30a to 30d) corresponding to the monitoring area based on the result of comparison with parts corresponding to the monitoring area in other captured images captured at a time before the image. removal is detected. Based on this detection result, it is determined whether or not the work according to the predetermined work procedure is being performed, and the operator M is notified of this determination result. At that time, by the monitoring area setting process, based on the captured image captured by the imaging unit 13 when the component boxes are individually moved in a predetermined movement state by the worker M, the parts that have moved in the predetermined movement state are detected. A monitoring area corresponding to the box is set for each parts box.

The work support program according to the present embodiment is a work support device 10 that supports work performed according to a predetermined work procedure using parts (20a to 20d) housed in a plurality of parts boxes (30a to 30d). A monitoring area setting process (S105) for setting a monitoring area (Pa to Pd) for each parts box within the imaging range of the imaging unit 13 in the control unit 11; Corresponding to the monitoring area based on the result of comparison between the part corresponding to the monitoring area set by the area setting process and the part corresponding to the monitoring area in another captured image captured at a time before the current captured image. a detection process (S113) for detecting removal of parts from a parts box, a determination process (S113) for determining whether or not work according to a predetermined work procedure is being performed based on the detection result of the detection process (S113); It is a program for executing a notification process (S113) for notifying the operator of the determination result by the process. Then, in the monitoring area setting process, based on the image captured by the imaging unit when the component boxes are individually moved in a predetermined movement state by the operator, the parts boxes moved in the predetermined movement state are identified. Set the monitoring area for each parts box.

As a result, the monitoring area can be easily set for each parts box by simply moving the parts boxes individually in a predetermined movement state by the worker M before starting work. In particular, since the operator M does not need to operate the mouse while looking at the screen, an erroneous monitoring area is not set due to an input operation error of the operator M or the like. Therefore, the monitoring area can be easily and accurately set without imposing a work burden on the worker M.

Furthermore, since the predetermined moving state is a swinging state that is repeated on the premise that the parts box is returned to its original position, the moving range of the parts box tends to become narrow, and the parts box moves from the picked-up image. Since it becomes easier to specify the area where the monitoring is performed, the monitoring area can be set more accurately.

In particular, by the monitoring area setting process, among the captured images captured by the imaging unit 13, the captured image (see FIG. 7A) that is determined to have stopped because the parts box has been returned to its original position, and the captured image A monitoring area is set based on the result of comparison with another captured image (see FIG. 7B) captured immediately before. As a result, the position of the parts box is specified using the difference between the captured image immediately after the parts box stops and the captured image immediately before the parts box stops, and the monitoring area is set according to the specified positions of the parts box. Therefore, not only can the monitoring area be set more accurately, but the monitoring area is set at the timing immediately after the parts box stops, so even when setting many monitoring areas, the time required for setting can be shortened and work efficiency can increase

[Second embodiment]
Next, a work support device and a work support program according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
The second embodiment is mainly different from the first embodiment in that a predetermined work procedure (work procedure information) that serves as a monitoring reference is set in accordance with the work performed by the worker without being acquired in advance. Therefore, the same reference numerals are assigned to substantially the same components as in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the first embodiment, since the work procedure information is read at the start of the work support process, it is necessary to read the information code attached to the work instruction sheet or the like and to acquire the work procedure information from the host equipment or the like. . Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to further reduce the work burden on the worker M in the work support process, a predetermined work procedure is set according to the actual work performed by the worker M without obtaining work procedure information in advance. .

Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, when the operator M performs the assembling work of individually assembling the parts accommodated in a plurality of parts boxes to the work W according to a predetermined work procedure, the control unit 11 for each production lot The work support processing performed based on the work support program executed by the controller will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

When the operation support process is started by the control unit 11 by performing a predetermined operation on the operation unit 17, first, the imaging unit 13 becomes ready for imaging (S301 in FIG. 9), and step S303. In determination processing, it is determined whether or not a setting start instruction has been issued. Then, when the predetermined gesture is imaged by the imaging unit 13, it is assumed that there is an instruction to start setting (Yes in S303), and the assembly order k is set to 1 (S305).

Next, continuous image acquisition processing shown in step S307 is performed, and continuous images corresponding to a moving image for a predetermined time are captured. Subsequently, an image comparison process shown in step S309 is performed, and a process for extracting a difference area is performed by comparing captured images before and after one or several frames in the continuous images acquired as described above. Then, if a difference area of a predetermined range or more is generated (Yes in S311), hand area acquisition processing shown in step S313 is performed, and the captured image with the difference has a shape and size that can be roughly determined to be a hand. is included, this area is acquired as the hand area.

Subsequently, if it is determined that the hand area obtained as described above is not adjacent to the other difference area corresponding to the parts box in the determination process of step S315, the determination is No. The processing from step S307 is repeated. On the other hand, after the assembly order k is set to 1, if the parts box 30a containing the first part 20a gripped by the worker M is in a swinging state, the acquired hand area and the parts box 30a Since another difference area corresponding to the imaged portion is adjacent, it is determined that the operator M is moving the parts box in a predetermined movement state, and Yes is determined in step S315.

In this case, the monitor area storage process shown in step S317 is performed, and the difference area excluding the hand area is the part held by the hand of the worker M, as in the monitor area storage process of step S215. An area including the estimated area is set as a monitoring area Pa of the parts box 30 a and stored in the storage unit 12 .

Subsequently, in the determination process of step S319, it is determined whether or not all the component boxes used in the manufacturing lot have been moved by the worker M in a predetermined moving state. In the present embodiment, a predetermined end gesture is set to be performed on the work support device 10 after the worker M finishes individually swinging each component box. If the image is not captured, a negative determination is made in step S319, and after the assembly order k is incremented by one (S321), the processes from step S307 are repeated. Note that, in the present embodiment, the repeated processing from step S307 may correspond to the monitoring area setting processing.

Then, after swinging the last component box, the operator M performs the predetermined end gesture within the imaging range of the imaging unit 13, and when the predetermined end gesture is imaged by the imaging unit 13, It is determined as Yes in step S319 assuming that all the parts boxes have been moved in the predetermined movement state. In this case, the setting completion notification process shown in step S323 is performed, and similar to the setting completion notification process of step S111, according to the light emission state of the light emitting unit 15 and the sound notification state of the speaker 16, the operator M Then, it is notified that the setting of all monitoring areas has been completed for that production lot. As the predetermined end gesture, for example, an operation of causing the imaging unit 13 to image an information code displayed on a work instruction sheet or a marker having a predetermined shape may be adopted. Further, in the determination process of step S319, for example, by considering the elapsed time after the worker M has individually finished swinging each parts box, if a predetermined time has elapsed since the last difference area was detected, , the operator M may be determined to be Yes, assuming that the operator M has finished swinging each parts box individually.

When completion of setting of each monitoring area is notified as described above, work procedure setting processing shown in step S325 is performed. In this process, removal of the parts is detected according to the detection of the dynamic state during the actual assembly work performed by the worker M after the notification, and a work procedure is set based on the detected order of removal of the parts. . When the work procedure is determined as described above, when the worker M takes out the parts from each parts box in the correct procedure and performs the assembly work, the parts box 30a, the parts box 30b, the parts box 30c, the parts box 30a, the parts box 30b, the parts box 30c, the parts box The state in which the parts are taken out in the order of 30d is repeated. Therefore, by detecting this repetition order according to the dynamic state detection, it is possible to recognize the correct work procedure and set the work procedure as a work standard. Note that the control unit 11 that executes the work procedure setting process can correspond to an example of a “work procedure setting unit”.

After the work procedure is set as described above, the monitoring process shown in step S327 is started. In this process, similarly to the monitoring process of step S113, each of the monitoring areas Pa to Pd set as described above is monitored by performing dynamic detection for each of the monitoring areas Pa to Pd.

As described above, in the work support device 10 according to the present embodiment, after a plurality of monitoring areas (Pa to Pd) are set by the monitoring area setting process, the parts (20a to 20d), the predetermined work procedure is set by the work procedure setting process (S325) performed by the control unit 11 based on the take-out order of 20d).

As a result, after setting each monitoring area, the worker M can actually take out the parts from the parts box and perform correct assembly work, thereby automatically setting the above-mentioned predetermined work procedure. It is possible to eliminate the need for the work of reading the information code attached to and the work of preliminarily acquiring the work procedure information from the host device or the like.

When each monitoring area is set, by swinging each component box in the order of the correct work procedure, the correct work procedure can be grasped by the control unit 11. Therefore, the correct work procedure can be grasped in this way. In this case, the work procedure setting process in step S325 may be omitted.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications thereof, and may be embodied as follows, for example.
(1) The parts box 30 to be monitored by being placed within the imaging range of the imaging unit 13 is not limited to the four parts boxes 30a to 30d, and may be one to three parts boxes. , may be five or more parts boxes. Further, the component boxes 30 are not limited to being arranged in a row so as to be horizontally aligned within the imaging range of the imaging unit 13, and may be arranged so as to be horizontally aligned in multiple stages such as an upper stage and a lower stage, for example. . In addition, the parts box 30 to be monitored is not limited to having a rectangular opening edge. You may form so that a part may curve. Also, the parts box 30 to be monitored may be configured such that the shape of the opening edge, etc., changes depending on the arrangement method, etc., for example, like a storage bag or the like.

(2) In the monitoring area setting process described above, the predetermined moving state is not limited to the rocking state, but may be a moving state that facilitates acquisition of image differences, such as a state in which a parts box is lifted. may

(3) The present invention is not limited to being adopted for work support when assembling parts to a work W such as a printed circuit board according to a predetermined work procedure. It may be employed for work support when assembling parts according to a predetermined work procedure.

10 work support device 11 control unit (monitoring area setting unit, detection unit, determination unit, work procedure setting unit)
13... Imaging unit 15... Light emitting unit (notifying unit)
16...Speaker (notification unit)
20, 20a to 20d... parts 30, 30a to 30d... parts box Pa to Pd... monitoring area

Claims (5)

A work support device that supports work performed according to a predetermined work procedure using parts stored in a plurality of parts boxes,
an imaging unit;
a monitoring area setting unit that sets a monitoring area for each component box within an imaging range of the imaging unit;
A portion corresponding to the monitoring area set by the monitoring area setting unit in the captured image captured by the imaging unit and the monitoring area corresponding to another captured image captured at a time before the captured image. a detection unit that detects removal of the parts from the parts box corresponding to the monitoring area based on the result of comparison with the part to be monitored;
a determination unit that determines whether or not the work according to the predetermined work procedure is being performed based on the detection result of the detection unit;
a notification unit that notifies a worker of the determination result by the determination unit;
with
The monitoring area setting unit detects the parts boxes moved in the predetermined movement state based on the captured image captured by the imaging unit when the parts boxes are individually moved in the predetermined movement state by the worker. is set for each parts box. 2. A work support device according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined moving state is a swinging state that is repeated on the premise that said parts box is returned to its original position. The monitoring area setting unit selects, from among the captured images captured by the imaging unit, a captured image that is determined to have stopped because the parts box is returned to its original position, and other captured images captured immediately before the captured image. 3. The work support device according to claim 2, wherein the monitoring area is set based on a result of comparison with the captured image. A work procedure setting unit for setting the predetermined work procedure based on the picking order of the parts detected by the detection unit after the plurality of monitoring areas are set by the monitoring area setting unit. The work support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A control unit of a work support device that supports work performed according to a predetermined work procedure using parts stored in a plurality of parts boxes,
a monitoring area setting process for setting a monitoring area for each of the parts boxes within an imaging range of an imaging unit;
A part corresponding to the monitoring area set by the monitoring area setting process in the captured image captured by the imaging unit and the monitoring area corresponding to the monitoring area in another captured image captured at a time before the captured image. a detection process for detecting removal of the parts from the parts box corresponding to the monitoring area based on the result of comparison with the part to be monitored;
Determination processing for determining whether or not work according to the predetermined work procedure is being performed based on the detection result of the detection processing;
A notification process for notifying the operator of the determination result of the determination process;
A work support program for executing
In the monitoring area setting process, based on the image captured by the imaging unit when the component boxes are individually moved in a predetermined moving state by the operator, the parts boxes moved in the predetermined moving state are A work support program characterized in that the corresponding monitoring area is set for each parts box.

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