JP7525421B2 - Apparatus for manufacturing articles having a robot vision system for detecting the positions of various parts - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an article manufacturing device that attaches an auxiliary part to a main part.

In recent years, with the automation of manufacturing processes, robot vision systems that can handle parts of various materials, colors, and shapes have been developed.
For example, the robot vision system in Patent Document 1 is a system that detects parts using color difference information from color images and transfers the parts. By detecting parts using color difference signals, it is said that contour extraction is stable and that changes in the background and lighting can be suppressed even if the parts are changed.

JP 2019-169733 A

Meanwhile, automatic assembly equipment for solar cell modules is required to assemble a wide variety of products in order to reduce equipment costs, and also to be able to handle new products that will be developed in the future. Automatic assembly equipment is composed of robots and cameras, and picks up and assembles parts, but even within a single product there are many different types of parts, and when multiple products and new products are included, there are parts of various colors, and it becomes difficult to recognize parts that are the same color as the background when using a method of detecting parts using color difference information from a color image.
For example, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, when the background and the part are the same color and there is no color difference, it is difficult to detect the part. As a solution to this problem, if it is limited to a single product and support for new products is not anticipated, the background color can be selected through prior consideration, but when there are many different types of products, it is cumbersome to select a background color that allows the part to be detected each time.

The present invention aims to provide a robot vision system that can handle any part color.

In order to solve the above problem, we focused on the fact that by combining background imaging and image processing, it would be possible to select the background color as desired, and after extensive research, we arrived at the present invention.

That is, one aspect of the present invention is a manufacturing device that manufactures an article by attaching an attachment part to a main part directly or via another member, the manufacturing device having a placement section on which the attachment part is placed and a photographing section that photographs the attachment part on the placement section, the placement section having first and second parts with different colors arranged alternately in a plane, the first and second parts being smaller than the size of the attachment part, the photographing section photographing the boundary between the attachment part and the placement section, and the image photographed by the photographing section is processed to form a processed image such that the color of the first or second part that has a greater contrast with the color of the attachment part becomes the background, and the shape and position of the attachment part are identified.

This aspect makes it possible to recognize the position of mounting parts of any color.

A preferred aspect is that the first portion is black and the second portion is white.

This aspect increases the contrast between the auxiliary part and the background, making it easier to identify the shape and position of the auxiliary part.

A more preferred aspect is that the first portion and the second portion are both square shaped portions.

According to this aspect, when forming a processed image whose background is the color of the first portion, or when forming a processed image whose background is the color of the second portion, the same image processing can be used to form the processed image.

In a more preferred embodiment, the image processing is a process for extracting edges by performing an opening process or a closing process.

This aspect is a general-purpose algorithm, so it is easy to implement.

The first and second portions are both preferably 2 to 10 pixels, more preferably 2 to 3 pixels, in size relative to the camera's pixels.

According to this aspect, opening and closing processes can be performed a smaller number of times.

The robot vision system of the present invention makes it possible to recognize the position of attachment parts of any color, something that was previously difficult to do.

1 is a perspective view that illustrates a manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic layout of the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1 . 2 is a plan view showing a schematic view of a range of motion of each robot of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic diagram of a robot of the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1 . 2A and 2B are explanatory views of hand units of a robot of the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1, in which FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a first hand unit, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of a second hand unit. 2A and 2B are explanatory views of hand units of a robot of the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1, in which FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a third hand unit, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of a fourth hand unit. 2 is a perspective view showing an auxiliary temporary placement area of the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1 . 2 is a perspective view of a solar cell module manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1 . FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the solar cell module of FIG. 8 . 9 is a cross-sectional view of the solar cell module of FIG. 8 along line AA. 10 is a perspective view of the mounting plate of FIG. 9 as seen from a different direction from that of FIG. 9 . 10A and 10B are explanatory views of the first frame member of FIG. 9, in which FIG. 10A is a perspective view of the first frame member, and FIG. 10B is a perspective view seen from a different direction than FIG. 10A and 10B are explanatory views of the second frame member of FIG. 9, in which FIG. 10A is a perspective view of the second frame member, and FIG. 10B is a perspective view seen from a different direction than FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the cover member of FIG. 9 . 2 is a flow diagram of the operation of each robot when manufacturing a solar cell module using the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1. 1A is an explanatory diagram of each process when manufacturing a solar cell module using the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1, where (a) is an oblique view of when the fastening receiving member is placed in the work area and the mounting plate is placed over the fastening receiving member, and (b) is an oblique view of when the first frame member and the second frame member are placed on the mounting plate and the first fastening element and the second fastening element are inserted. 2A and 2B are explanatory diagrams of each process when manufacturing a solar cell module using the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1, in which FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a state in which a cushioning member is arranged, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of a solar cell panel having a first gasket member attached to an end thereof being inserted into a first frame member. 1A is a cross-sectional perspective view of the first gasket member when being attached to the solar cell panel in an unfolded state, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional perspective view of the first gasket member when being attached to the solar cell panel. FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional perspective view of the first gasket member when being attached to the solar cell panel in an unfolded state, and FIG. 17(b) is an explanatory diagram of inserting a solar cell panel having a first gasket member attached to an end thereof into a first frame member, (a) being a cross-sectional view of adjusting the insertion angle of the solar cell panel, and (b) being a cross-sectional view of the solar cell panel inserted into the first gasket member. 1A is an explanatory diagram of each process when manufacturing a solar cell module using the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1 , where (a) is an oblique view when a second gasket member is attached to a second edge of a solar cell panel, and (b) is an oblique view when a cover member is overlapped on a second frame member and a third fastening element is inserted. 1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams for identifying the position of an auxiliary part having a color similar to that of the first portion in the auxiliary temporary placement area of the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1 , where (a) is an image of the auxiliary temporary placement area, and (b) is an image obtained by performing opening processing on the image of (a). 1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams for identifying the position of an auxiliary part having a color similar to that of the second portion in the auxiliary temporary placement area of the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1 , where (a) is an image of the auxiliary temporary placement area, and (b) is an image obtained by subjecting the image of (a) to a closing process. 1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams of the mounting portion of a manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a plan view of a mounting portion in which the first and second portions are triangular, and (b) is a plan view of a mounting portion in which the first and second portions are diamond-shaped. 11A and 11B are explanatory views of a mounting section of a manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a plan view of a mounting section having a herringbone pattern, and (b) is a plan view of a mounting section having a houndstooth pattern.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention in detail.

The manufacturing device 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, manufactures a solar cell module 100 (item), and is an assembly device that attaches a mounting plate 106 (plate-shaped member) to a solar cell panel 105 (main body member) to assemble the solar cell module 100.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the manufacturing device 1 has a work area 3, a temporary mounting area 5, a temporary auxiliary area 6, temporary hand areas 7a and 7b, a carry-in area 8, and an unloading area 9 within the work space 2.

The work area 3 is a work area where the solar cell module 100 is assembled.
As shown in Figure 1, the work area 3 is provided with a work table 10 and a work photography unit 11, and multiple robots 15-17 are provided so that their ranges of motion R1-R3 overlap with the work table 10 as shown by the virtual lines in Figure 3.
The workbench 10 has a work surface 12 on its top surface, and is a work stand on which a solar panel 105 and the like are assembled.

The work photography unit 11 is a camera unit provided above the work surface 12 of the workbench 10 , and is a fixed-point camera unit that photographs the work surface 12 .
The work photography unit 11 also serves as a correction camera that corrects the placement positions of the main component 101, the auxiliary component 102, etc. on the work surface 12.
The working photography unit 11 of this embodiment has a polarizing plate that removes regular reflection caused by metallic luster, and can take pictures through the polarizing plate. Therefore, stable photography is possible even if the angles of the main part 101 and the auxiliary part 102 change, and the reflection of lighting can be removed, enabling stable recognition.

As shown in FIG. 4, the robots 15 to 17 are multi-joint robots, and include an arm unit 20, a hand unit 21, a robot-side illumination unit 22, a robot-side imaging unit 23, and a force sensor 24.
The arm portion 20 includes a base portion 25, an arm side connecting portion 26, and a plurality of link portions 27a to 27f connecting the base portion 25 and the arm side connecting portion 26.
In the arm portion 20, adjacent link portions 27a to 27f are capable of relative rotation or linear movement, and the arm side connecting portion 26 is capable of moving to a desired position.
The arm side connecting portion 26 is a portion that can be connected to the hand portion 21 .

The hand unit 21 is a robot hand that is detachably attached to the arm unit 20 and that lifts the main component 101 and the auxiliary component 102 and operates the fastening elements 120 to 122 .
The hand section 21 is provided with a compliance unit, which enables automatic position adjustment of the arm section 20 and each of the hand sections 30 to 33.

The hand section 21 includes a plurality of types of hand sections 30 to 33, each of which has a different purpose.
The first hand unit 30 (first robot hand) is a hand unit for the main component that mainly lifts the main component 101 .
As shown in FIG. 5A , the first hand unit 30 includes a main body 40 , a plurality of first suction pad units 42 , and a hand side connecting unit 43 .
The first hand unit 30 has a hand side connecting portion 43 provided on the base end side of the main body unit 40, and first suction pad portions 42 provided on the tip end side of the main body unit 40 and distributed in a plane.
The first suction pad portion 42 is a vacuum pad capable of creating a negative pressure inside and suctioning an object to be sucked.

The second hand unit 31 is a fastening robot hand unit that lifts the fastening elements 120 to 122 and performs a fastening operation on the fastening elements 120 to 122 .
As shown in FIG. 5B , the second hand unit 31 includes a main body 50 , a screw fastening portion 52 , and a hand side connecting portion 53 .
The second hand unit 31 has a hand side connecting portion 53 provided at the base end of the main body unit 50 , and a screw fastening portion 52 provided at the tip end of the main body unit 50 .
The screw fastening portion 52 is capable of performing vacuum suction and adsorbing the heads 220, 225, and 230 of the fastening elements 120 to 122 by the suction force.
Furthermore, the screw fastening portion 52 is capable of controlling and operating the attracted fastening elements 120 to 122 to any desired torque and thrust.

The third hand unit 32 (second robot hand, gasket robot hand) is an auxiliary part hand unit that lifts up the gasket members 115 and 116, the buffer member 117, and the fastening receiving members 123 and 124.
As shown in FIG. 6( a ), the third hand unit 32 includes a base end side main body portion 60 , a tip end side main body portion 61 , a cylinder portion 62 , a hand side connecting portion 63 , and a second suction pad portion 65 .
The third hand unit 32 has a hand side connecting portion 63 provided on a base end side main body portion 60 and second suction pad portions 65 provided on a tip end side main body portion 61 .
In the third hand part 32 , the base end side main body part 60 and the tip end side main body part 61 are moved relatively by the cylinder part 62 , and the second suction pad part 65 is movable relatively to the hand side connecting part 63 .
The second suction pad portion 65 is a vacuum pad capable of creating a negative pressure inside and suctioning an object to be sucked.

The fourth hand unit 33 is an auxiliary part hand unit that lifts the frame members 110 and 111 and the cover member 112 .
As shown in FIG. 6B , the fourth hand unit 33 includes a base end side main body portion 70 , a tip end side main body portion 71 , a cylinder portion 72 , a hand side connecting portion 73 , and a magnet gripper portion 75 .
The fourth hand unit 33 has a hand side connecting portion 73 provided on a base end side main body portion 70 and a magnet gripper portion 75 provided on a tip end side main body portion 71 .
In the fourth hand unit 33 , the base end side main body unit 70 and the tip end side main body unit 71 are moved relatively by the cylinder unit 72 , and the magnet gripper unit 75 is movable relatively to the hand side connecting unit 73 .
The magnet gripper portion 75 has a permanent magnet or an electromagnet built therein, and is capable of attracting an object to be attracted by magnetic force.

The robot side illumination unit 22 is a part that illuminates objects to be moved, such as the main part 101 and the auxiliary part 102, or objects to be operated, such as the fastening elements 120 to 122.
The robot side illumination unit 22 is a ring-shaped illumination unit having an opening in the center.
The robot-side photographing unit 23 is a camera unit that photographs moving objects such as the main part 101 and the auxiliary part 102 or operating objects such as the fastening elements 120 to 122 .
The robot-side photographing unit 23 is located on the projection plane of the opening of the robot-side illumination unit 22 in the light irradiation direction of the robot-side illumination unit 22 .
The force sensor 24 is a sensor that simultaneously measures each of the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction, as well as moment forces rotating around each of the directions.

As shown in FIG. 2, the robots 15 to 17 include a main component robot 15 (first robot) and auxiliary component robots 16 and 17 (second robot, gasket robot, and attached component robot hand).
The main component robot 15 is a robot that transports the main components 101 such as the solar cell panel 105 and the mounting plate 106 , and has higher power than the auxiliary component robots 16 and 17 .
The main component robot 15 is capable of selectively connecting a first hand unit 30 and a second hand unit 31 to the arm side connecting unit 26 of the arm unit 20 .
In other words, when the first hand unit 30 is attached to the main component robot 15, it becomes a transport robot that transports the main component 101, and when the second hand unit 31 is attached, it becomes a fastening robot that operates the fastening elements 120-122.

The auxiliary part robots 16 and 17 are transport robots that transport the auxiliary parts 102 which are lighter than the main parts 101 .
In the auxiliary part robot 16 , the arm side connecting portion 26 of the arm portion 20 can be connected to the third hand portion 32 , and the auxiliary part 102 can be sucked by the second suction pad portion 65 and transported.

In the auxiliary part robot 17 , the arm side connecting portion 26 of the arm portion 20 can be selectively connected to the third hand portion 32 and the fourth hand portion 33 .
In other words, when the auxiliary part robot 17 has the third hand unit 32 attached, it is able to transport the auxiliary part 102 by attracting it with the second suction pad unit 65, and when the fourth hand unit 33 is attached, it is able to transport the auxiliary part 102 by attracting it with magnetic force with the magnet gripper unit 75.

Between the auxiliary part robots 16 and 17, a correction photographing unit 78 is disposed as shown in FIGS.
The correction photographing unit 78 is a correction camera unit that corrects the gripping position of the auxiliary part 102 lifted by the auxiliary part robots 16 and 17 .

The temporary mounting area 5 is an area for temporarily placing the mounting plate 106, as shown in FIG. 1. In the temporary mounting area 5, the mounting plate 106 is placed in a predetermined position before assembly.

The auxiliary temporary placement area 6 is an area in which the auxiliary parts 102 are temporarily placed, as shown in Fig. 1. The auxiliary temporary placement area 6 is provided with an auxiliary conveyor 80 and a temporary placement photography unit 81 (temporary placement photography unit) as shown in Fig. 7, and is an area in which the auxiliary parts 102 are carried into the work space 2 from outside the work space 2.
As shown in FIG. 7, the auxiliary conveyor 80 is a belt conveyor, and has a placement portion 82 on the upper surface thereof for temporarily placing the auxiliary parts 102 thereon.
As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 7, the placement portion 82 is configured such that first portions 83 and second portions 84 having different colors are alternately arranged in a plane.
The placement portion 82 of this embodiment has a chessboard pattern, with the first portion 83 and the second portion 84 both being square shaped.
The first portion 83 and the second portion 84 have different saturations. The first portion 83 has a large contrast with the second portion 84 and is darker in color than the second portion 84 .
In the present embodiment, the placement portion 82 has a first portion 83 that is black and a second portion 84 that is white.

The temporary placement photographing unit 81 is a camera unit provided above the placement unit 82 of the auxiliary conveyor 80, and is a fixed camera that photographs the area above the placement unit 82. The temporary placement photographing unit 81 also serves as a correction camera that corrects the pick-up position of the auxiliary part 102.
The temporary placement photographing unit 81 of this embodiment has a polarizing plate that removes regular reflection caused by metallic luster, and can photograph through the polarizing plate. Therefore, stable photographing is possible even if the angle of the auxiliary part 102 changes, and glare from lighting can be removed, enabling stable recognition.

The hand temporary placement area 7 a is an area for temporarily placing the hand units 30 , 31 which can be connected to the arm unit 20 of the main component robot 15 .
The hand temporary placement area 7b is an area for temporarily placing the hand units 32, 33 which can be connected to the arm unit 20 of the auxiliary part robot 17.

The carry-in area 8 is an area in which a carry-in conveyor 85 is provided extending from the inside to the outside of the work space 2 , and is a carry-in line along which the solar cell panels 105 are carried into the work space 2 from outside the work space 2 .
The unloading area 9 is an area in which an unloading conveyor 90 is provided extending from the inside to the outside of the work space 2 , and is an unloading line along which the assembled solar cell modules 100 are unloaded from the work space 2 to the outside of the work space 2 .

Here, we will explain the layout of the work space 2 of the manufacturing device 1.

2, in the manufacturing apparatus 1, the main component robot 15 is located on the opposite side of the work area 3 from the auxiliary component robots 16, 17. That is, in the manufacturing apparatus 1, with the workbench 10 as the reference, the main component robot 15 is provided on the hand temporary placement area 7a side, and the auxiliary component robots 16, 17 are provided on the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 side.
The auxiliary part robot 17 is located between the work area 3 and the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 together with the auxiliary part robot 16, and is positioned closer to the hand temporary placement area 7b than the auxiliary part robot 16.

The movable ranges R1 to R3 of the robots 15 to 17 overlap on the working area 3 as shown in FIG.
The movable range R1 of the main component robot 15 includes the work area 3, the temporary mounting area 5, the temporary hand area 7a, part of the carry-in area 8, and part of the carry-out area 9.
The working area 3, part of the auxiliary temporary placement area 6, and part of the carry-out area 9 are located within the movable range R2 of the auxiliary part robot 16.
The working area 3, a part of the auxiliary temporary placement area 6, and the hand temporary placement area 7b are located in the movable range R3 of the auxiliary part robot 17.

Next, we will explain the solar cell module 100 to be manufactured.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the solar cell module 100 is composed of a main component 101 and an auxiliary component 102.
The main components 101 are the main components of the solar cell module 100, and include a solar cell panel 105 and a mounting plate 106 (mounting member).

As shown in FIG. 9, the solar cell panel 105 is a rectangular plate-like panel having a light-receiving surface 130 on one of its main surfaces, and has four sides 132 to 135 when the light-receiving surface 130 is viewed from above.
The first side 132 is a side located on the lower side in the tilt direction of the solar cell panel 105 as shown in FIG. 10, and is a horizontal side extending in the horizontal direction when viewed in a plan view.
The second side 133 is an opposite side to the first side 132, is an edge located on the upper side in the tilt direction of the solar cell panel 105 as shown in FIG. 10, and is a horizontal side extending horizontally when viewed in a plan view.

The mounting plate 106 is a plate-like member that is fixed to the installation surface when the solar cell module 100 is installed on the installation surface, and is a mounting member that mounts the solar cell panel 105 in an inclined position relative to the installation surface.
As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11 , the mounting plate 106 includes a main body portion 140 , a first raised portion 141 , and a second raised portion 142 .

As shown in FIG. 9 , the first raised portion 141 is a portion that is raised with respect to the main body portion 140 .
The tip surface of the first raised portion 141 in the raised direction serves as a mounting surface 143 , and an insertion hole 145 is formed in the mounting surface 143 .
The insertion hole 145 is a through hole that penetrates the mounting surface 143 in the thickness direction, and is an insertion hole through which the shaft portion 221 of the first fastening element 120 can be inserted. The opening diameter of the insertion hole 145 is larger than the outer diameter of the shaft portion 221 of the first fastening element 120.
As shown in FIG. 11 , the first raised portion 141 has a first storage recess 146 formed on the back side thereof in which the first fastening receiving member 123 can be stored.
The first storage recess 146 is a recess that is recessed upward (in the protruding direction of the first protruding portion 141) with respect to the main body portion 140.

As shown in FIG. 9, the second raised portion 142 is a portion that is raised with respect to the main body portion 140, and the tip surface in the raised direction serves as a mounting surface 147, and an insertion hole 148 is formed in the mounting surface 147.
The insertion hole 148 is a through hole that penetrates the mounting surface 147 in the thickness direction, and is an insertion hole through which the shaft portion 226 of the second fastening element 121 can be inserted. The opening diameter of the insertion hole 148 is larger than the outer diameter of the shaft portion 226 of the second fastening element 121.
As shown in FIG. 11 , the second raised portion 142 has a second storage recess 150 formed on the back side thereof in which the second fastening receiving member 124 can be stored.
The second storage recess 150 is a recess recessed upward (in the protruding direction of the second protruding portion 142) with respect to the main body portion 140, and is a recessed groove that is open toward the outside.

The auxiliary part 102 is an accessory part that supports the main part 101, and is an attachment part for attaching the solar cell panel 105 and the attachment plate 106.
As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the auxiliary part 102 mainly includes a first frame member 110, a second frame member 111, a cover member 112, gasket members 115, 116, a cushioning member 117, fastening elements 120-122, and fastening receiving members 123, 124.

10, the first frame member 110 is a protective frame that protects the end portion in the tilt direction of the solar cell panel 105. The first frame member 110 is a magnetic part that includes a ferromagnetic portion made of metal, and is capable of being attracted by magnetic force.
As shown in FIG. 12, the first frame member 110 has a light-receiving side wall portion 160, an end surface side wall portion 161, a rear surface side wall portion 162, and a protruding fixing portion 163, and the walls 160 to 162 form a holding recess 165.
The light-receiving side wall portion 160 is a wall portion that covers the light-receiving surface 130 side of the solar cell panel 105 .
The end surface side wall portion 161 is a wall portion that covers the end surface of the solar cell panel 105 , and is a connecting wall portion that connects the light-receiving side wall portion 160 and the back surface side wall portion 162 .
The rear surface side wall portion 162 is a wall portion that covers the rear surface 131 side of the solar cell panel 105 .
The rear surface sidewall portion 162 faces the light-receiving sidewall portion 160 with a gap therebetween, and extends from the end surface sidewall portion 161 in the same direction as the light-receiving sidewall portion 160 .

The protruding fixing portion 163 is a portion that is fixed to the mounting surface 143 of the first protruding portion 141 of the mounting plate 106 , and is a protruding piece that protrudes from the end surface side wall portion 161 in the opposite direction to the rear surface side wall portion 162 .
As shown in FIG. 12 , the protruding fixing portion 163 has an insertion hole 166 .
The insertion hole 166 is a through hole that penetrates the protruding fixing portion 163 in the thickness direction, and is an insertion hole through which the shaft portion 221 of the first fastening element 120 can be inserted.
The opening diameter of the insertion hole 166 is larger than the outer diameter of the shaft portion 221 of the first fastening element 120 .
The holding recess 165 is a recess that holds an end portion including the first side 132 (one side) of the solar cell panel 105 , and is a recess that has a depth from the tip of the wall portions 160 , 162 toward the end surface side wall portion 161 .

As shown in FIG. 10, the second frame member 111 is a protective frame that protects the upper end portion of the solar cell panel 105 in the tilt direction together with the cover member 112 .
The second frame member 111 is a magnetic component that includes a ferromagnetic portion made of metal, and can be attracted by magnetic force.
As shown in FIG. 13 , the second frame member 111 includes a rear side wall portion 172 , a protruding fixing portion 173 , and a connecting wall portion 174 .
The rear surface side wall portion 172 is a wall portion that covers the rear surface 131 side of the solar cell panel 105 , and is provided with an axis hole 175 that can be fastened to the second fastening element 121 .
The protruding fixing portion 173 is a portion that is fixed to the mounting surface 147 of the second raised portion 142 of the mounting plate 106, as shown in Figures 10 and 13, and is a protruding piece that is connected to the back side wall portion 172 with a step via the connecting wall portion 174 and protrudes in the opposite direction.
As shown in FIG. 13 , the protruding fixing portion 173 has an insertion hole 176 .
The insertion hole 176 is a through hole that penetrates the protruding fixing portion 173 in the thickness direction, and is an insertion hole through which the shaft portion 226 of the second fastening element 121 can be inserted. The opening diameter of the insertion hole 176 is larger than the outer diameter of the shaft portion 226 of the second fastening element 121.
The connecting wall portion 174 is provided in an upright position relative to each of the rear surface side wall portion 172 and the protruding fixing portion 173 , and is a wall portion that connects the rear surface side wall portion 172 and the protruding fixing portion 173 .

The cover member 112 is attached to the second frame member 111 and is a pressing member that presses the solar cell panel 105 from the light receiving surface 130 side.
The cover member 112 is a magnetic part that includes a ferromagnetic portion made of metal, and can be attracted by magnetic force.
As shown in FIG. 14 , the cover member 112 includes a light-receiving side wall portion 180 , an end surface side wall portion 181 , a fixing wall portion 182 , and a positioning wall portion 183 .
In the cover member 112 , when assembled as shown in FIG. 10 , a holding recess 185 is formed by the walls 180 , 181 together with the rear side wall portion 172 of the second frame member 111 .

The light-receiving side wall portion 180 is a wall portion that covers the light-receiving surface 130 side of the solar cell panel 105 as shown in FIG.
The end surface side wall portion 181 is a wall portion covering the end surface of the solar cell panel 105, and is a connecting wall portion that connects the light-receiving side wall portion 180 and the fixed wall portion 182 in a stepped manner as shown in FIG.
The fixed wall portion 182 is a wall portion that is fixed to the rear surface side wall portion 172 of the second frame member 111 and covers the upper surface of the rear surface side wall portion 172 of the second frame member 111, and is provided with an insertion hole 186.
The insertion hole 186 is a through hole that penetrates the fixed wall portion 182 in the thickness direction, and is an insertion hole through which the shaft portion 231 of the third fastening element 122 can be inserted. The opening diameter of the insertion hole 186 is larger than the outer diameter of the shaft portion 231 of the third fastening element 122.
The positioning wall portion 183 is a wall portion that covers the end face of the rear side wall portion 172 of the second frame member 111, and is a portion that adjusts the position of the cover member 112 by means of the corner portion with the fixed wall portion 182.
The holding recess 185 is a recess that holds an end portion of the solar cell panel 105 including the second side 133 (opposite side).

The gasket members 115, 116 have a U-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. 10, and are elongated members extending in the direction of extension of the sides 132, 133 as shown in FIG. 9, and are made of an elastic body that can be elastically deformed.
As shown in FIG. 10, the gasket members 115 and 116 each include a light-receiving side covering portion 200, an end face side covering portion 201, and a back face side covering portion 202, and a protective recess 205 is formed by the covering portions 200 to 202.

The light-receiving side cover portion 200 is a portion that covers the light-receiving surface 130 side of the solar cell panel 105 .
The end surface side covering portion 201 is a portion that covers the end surface of the solar cell panel 105 , and is a connecting portion that connects the light-receiving side covering portion 200 and the back surface side covering portion 202 .
The back surface side covering portion 202 is a portion that covers the back surface 131 side of the solar cell panel 105. The back surface side covering portion 202 faces the light-receiving side covering portion 200 with a gap therebetween, and extends from the end surface side covering portion 201 in the same direction as the light-receiving side covering portion 200.
The protective recess 205 is a recess that protects the end portion including the first side 132 or the end portion including the second side 133 of the solar cell panel 105, and is a recess that has a depth from the tip of the covering portions 200, 202 toward the end surface side covering portion 201.

As shown in FIG. 10, the first fastening element 120 is a fastening member capable of being fastened to a first fastening receiving member 123, and more specifically, is a temporary fastening element such as a screw.
The first fastening element 120 has a head 220 and a shaft portion 221 , and the shaft portion 221 is capable of engaging with and disengaging from a shaft hole 240 of the first fastening receiving member 123 .

As shown in FIG. 10, the second fastening element 121 is a fastening member that can be fastened to the second fastening receiving member 124, and specifically, is a temporary fastening element such as a screw.
The second fastening element 121 has a head 225 and a shaft portion 226 , and the shaft portion 226 is capable of engaging with and releasing from a shaft hole 241 of the second fastening receiving member 124 .

The third fastening element 122 is a fastening member capable of being fastened to the second frame member 111 as shown in FIG. 10, and specifically, is a temporary fastening element such as a screw.
The third fastening element 122 has a head 230 and a shaft portion 231 , and the shaft portion 231 is capable of engaging with and releasing from the shaft hole 175 of the second frame member 111 .

The fastening receiving members 123, 124 are plate-like pieces having a substantially rectangular shape, and are provided with shaft holes 240, 241 into which the fastening elements 120, 121 can be fastened.
The shaft holes 240, 241 are through holes or bottomed holes having depth in the thickness direction, and are capable of engaging with the shaft portions 221, 226 of the fastening elements 120, 121.

Here, we will explain the positional relationship of each component of the solar cell module 100.

10 , the solar cell panel 105 has an end including a first side 132 inserted into a retaining recess 165 of a first frame member 110, and a first gasket member 115 is interposed between the solar cell panel 105 and the first frame member 110. Similarly, the solar cell panel 105 has an end including a second side 133 inserted into a retaining recess 185 formed by a second frame member 111 and a cover member 112, and a second gasket member 116 is interposed between the second frame member 111 and the cover member 112.
The gasket members 115 and 116 have their ends, which include the sides 132 and 133 of the solar cell panel 105 , disposed within the protective recess 205 .
The cushioning member 117 is attached to the back surface 131 of the solar cell panel 105 and is located between the back surface 131 of the solar cell panel 105 and the mounting plate 106 to support the solar cell panel 105 .

Next, a method for manufacturing the solar cell module 100 by the manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to the operation flow of the robots 15 to 17 in FIG.
For ease of understanding, the initial state is defined as the state in which the main component robot 15 is equipped with the first hand unit 30, the auxiliary component robot 16 is equipped with the third hand unit 32, and the auxiliary component robot 17 is equipped with the fourth hand unit 33.

First, the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 is photographed by the temporary placement photography unit 81 provided in the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 and the robot-side photography unit 23 of the auxiliary part robot 16, and the positions of the fastening receiving members 123, 124 are identified from the image of the auxiliary temporary placement area 6. Then, the second suction pad unit 65 of the third hand unit 32 sucks and lifts the fastening receiving members 123, 124 on the placement unit 82 of the auxiliary conveyor 80, and places them from the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 to the work area 3 (step S2-1).

Then, the first hand unit 30 of the main component robot 15 lifts up the mounting plate 106 placed in the temporary mounting area 5 and moves it from the temporary mounting area 5 to the work area 3, and positions the fastening receiving members 123, 124 so that they fit within the storage recesses 146, 150 of the mounting plate 106 as shown in FIG. 16(a) (step S1-1).

At this time, the robot side photography unit 23 of the main component robot 15 photographs the temporary mounting area 5, the position of the mounting plate 106 is identified from the image of the temporary mounting area 5, and the mounting plate 106 is adsorbed by the first suction pad unit 42 of the first hand unit 30, lifted up, and moved to the work area 3.
In addition, the mounting plate 106 is placed over the fastening receiving members 123 , 124 while adjusting the placement position of the mounting plate 106 in the work area 3 based on the images of the work surface 12 captured by the work photography unit 11 and the robot side photography unit 23 .

Then, the magnet gripper section 75 of the fourth hand section 33 of the auxiliary parts robot 17 attracts and lifts the frame members 110, 111 on the placement section 82 of the auxiliary conveyor 80, and moves them from the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 to the work area 3, and places the frame members 110, 111 on the raised sections 141, 142 of the mounting plate 106, respectively (step S3-1).

At an appropriate timing, the hand unit 21 of the main component robot 15 is replaced from the first hand unit 30 to the second hand unit 31 (step S1-2).
Then, after the frame members 110, 111 are placed on the raised portions 141, 142 of the mounting plate 106 in step S3-1, the head 220 of the first fastening element 120 is attracted by the screw fastener portion 52 of the second hand unit 31, and as shown in Fig. 16(b), the shaft portion 221 of the first fastening element 120 is inserted through the insertion hole 166 of the first frame member 110 and the insertion hole 145 of the mounting plate 106, and engaged with the shaft hole 240 of the first fastening receiving member 123 to be fixed. Similarly, the head 225 of the second fastening element 121 is attracted by the screw fastener portion 52 of the second hand unit 31, and the shaft portion 226 of the second fastening element 121 is inserted through the insertion hole 176 of the second frame member 111 and the insertion hole 148 of the mounting plate 106, and engaged with the shaft hole 241 of the second fastening receiving member 124 to be fixed (step S1-3).

At this time, the shaft 221 of the first fastening element 120 is inserted into the insertion hole 166 while the force sensor 24 is used to detect the position of the insertion hole 166 of the first frame member 110. Similarly, the shaft 226 of the second fastening element 121 is inserted into the insertion hole 176 while the force sensor 24 is used to detect the position of the insertion hole 176 of the second frame member 111.

At an appropriate timing, the hand unit 21 of the auxiliary part robot 17 is replaced from the fourth hand unit 33 to the third hand unit 32 (step S3-2).
Then, in step S1-3, the shaft portions 221, 226 of the fastening elements 120, 121 are fastened to the shaft holes 240, 241 of the fastening receiving members 123, 124, and then the third hand portions 32, 32 of the auxiliary part robots 16, 17 lift up the cushioning members 117, 117 on the mounting portion 82 of the auxiliary conveyor 80 and move them from the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 to the work area 3, and place the cushioning members 117, 117 on the main body portion 140 of the mounting plate 106, as shown in Figure 17 (a) (steps S2-2, step S3-3).

At this time, the third hand units 32, 32 of the auxiliary part robots 16, 17 may move the buffer members 117, 117 simultaneously or separately.

At an appropriate timing, the hand unit 21 of the main component robot 15 is replaced from the second hand unit 31 to the first hand unit 30 (step S1-4).

After placing the buffer members 117, 117 on the main body 140 of the mounting plate 106 in steps S2-2 and S3-3, the first hand unit 30 of the main part robot 15 lifts the solar cell panel 105 on the carry-in conveyor 85 of the carry-in area 8 and moves it from the carry-in area 8 to the work area 3 (step S1-5), and the third hand units 32, 32 of the auxiliary part robots 16, 17 lift the first gasket members 115, 115 on the placement unit 82 of the auxiliary conveyor 80 and move them from the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 to the work area 3. Then, the first gasket member 115 is attached to the solar cell panel 105 so that the end of the solar cell panel 105, including the first side 132, fits into the protective recess 205 of the first gasket member 115 (steps S2-3, S3-4).

At this time, as shown in Figure 18, the light-receiving side covering portion 200 and the back side covering portion 202 of the first gasket member 115 are moved away from each other, the spacing between the protective recesses 205 is widened, and the end of the solar cell panel 105 is inserted into the widened protective recesses 205.
Furthermore, the first gasket members 115, 115 may be moved simultaneously or separately by the third hand units 32, 32 of the auxiliary part robots 16, 17.

Then, as shown in FIG. 17(b), with the first gasket members 115, 115 attached to the end of the solar cell panel 105, the solar cell panel 105 and the first gasket member 115 are inserted and positioned in the holding recess 165 of the first frame member 110 by the first hand unit 30 of the main component robot 15 (step S1-6).

At this time, as shown in FIG. 19, the force sensor 24 adjusts the insertion direction of the solar cell panel 105 while tilting it so that the reaction force (friction force) from the first frame member 110 of the first gasket member 115 becomes smaller and the load applied to the solar cell panel 105 becomes smaller, and then the solar cell panel 105 is inserted.

Then, the third hand parts 32, 32 of the auxiliary part robots 16, 17 lift up the second gasket member 116 on the placement section 82 of the auxiliary conveyor 80 and move it from the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 to the work area 3, and attach the second gasket member 116 to the solar cell panel 105 so that the end including the second side 133 of the solar cell panel 105 fits into the protective recess 205 of the second gasket member 116 as shown in Figure 20 (steps S2-4, S3-5).

At this time, similar to steps S2-3 and S3-4, the light-receiving side covering portion 200 and the back side covering portion 202 of the second gasket member 116 are moved away from each other, the spacing between the protective recesses 205 is widened, and the end of the solar cell panel 105 is inserted into the widened protective recesses 205.
Furthermore, the second gasket members 116, 116 may be moved simultaneously or separately by the third hand units 32, 32 of the auxiliary part robots 16, 17.

At an appropriate timing, the hand unit 21 of the auxiliary part robot 17 is replaced from the third hand unit 32 to the fourth hand unit 33 (step S3-6).
Then, after the second gasket member 116 is attached to the solar cell panel 105 in steps S2-4 and S3-5, the fourth hand portion 33 of the auxiliary part robot 17 lifts up the cover member 112 on the mounting portion 82 of the auxiliary conveyor 80 and moves it from the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 to the work area 3, and overlaps the cover member 112 on the second gasket member 116 as shown in Figure 20 (b) (step S3-7).

Furthermore, at an appropriate timing, the hand unit 21 of the main component robot 15 is replaced from the first hand unit 30 to the second hand unit 31 (step S1-7).
Then, in step S3-7, the cover member 112 is placed on the second gasket member 116, and then the head 230 of the third fastening element 122 is adsorbed by the screw fixing portion 52 of the second hand portion 31, and the shaft portion 231 of the third fastening element 122 is inserted into the insertion hole 186 of the cover member 112 as shown in Figure 20 (b), and engaged with the shaft hole 175 of the second frame member 111 to fix it (step S1-8).

At this time, the shaft portion 231 of the third fastening element 122 is inserted into the insertion hole 186 while the force sensor 24 detects the position of the insertion hole 186 in the cover member 112.

Thereafter, at an appropriate timing, the hand unit 21 of the main component robot 15 is replaced from the second hand unit 31 to the first hand unit 30 (step S1-9).
Then, after fastening with the third fastening element 122 in step S1-8, the solar cell module 100 assembled on the work surface 12 is lifted by the first hand unit 30 and moved from the work area 3 to the unloading area 9, placed on the unloading conveyor 90, and transported to the outside (step S1-10).

When the manufacturing device 1 of this embodiment moves each auxiliary part 102, such as the fastening receiving member 123, from the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 to the work area 3, it performs a pick-up position correction operation, a gripping correction operation, and a placement position correction operation in this order to position the auxiliary part in the work area 3.

In the taking position correction operation, an image is taken across the boundary between the mounting section 82 and the auxiliary part 102 by the temporary placement photography section 81 provided in the auxiliary temporary placement area 6, and the taken image is processed to create a processed image so that the color of either the first part 83 or the second part 84, whichever has the greater contrast with the color of the auxiliary part 102, becomes the background.The shape and position of the auxiliary part 102 are identified from the processed image, and the taking position is corrected.
For example, in the case where the color of the auxiliary part 102 is closer to the color of the first part 83 than to the color of the second part 84 as shown in Fig. 21(a), an opening process is performed so that the second part 84, which has a higher contrast with the auxiliary part 102, becomes the background color as shown in Fig. 21(b) to generate a processed image. The opening process is a process in which an expansion process is performed multiple times, and then an erosion process is performed the same number of times. The expansion process is a process in which if there is even one white pixel around a pixel, it is replaced with white. The erosion process is a process in which if there is even one black pixel around a pixel, it is replaced with black.
22(a) is closer to the color of the second portion 84 than to the color of the first portion 83, a closing process is performed to generate a processed image such that the first portion 83, which has a higher contrast with the auxiliary part 102, becomes the background color as shown in FIG 22(b) . The closing process is a process in which an erosion process is performed multiple times, and then an expansion process is performed the same number of times.
In this manner, the edges of the auxiliary component 102 are extracted, the position and shape of the auxiliary component 102 on the placement unit 82 are identified from the processed image, and the placement position is corrected.

In the gripping correction operation, the correction image capturing unit 78 provided between the auxiliary part robots 16 and 17 captures an image of the auxiliary part 102 that has been adsorbed to the second suction pad unit 65 of the third hand unit 32, and corrects the gripping position of the second suction pad unit 65 of the third hand unit 32 from the captured image.

In the placement position correction operation, the work surface 12 of the work area 3 is photographed by the work photography unit 11 provided in the work area 3 and the robot side photography unit 23 of the auxiliary part robot 16, and the placement position of the auxiliary part 102 in the work area 3 is corrected from the image of the work surface 12 of the work area 3.

In this way, the position of the auxiliary part 102 is corrected by each correction operation, and it is positioned in the work area 3, allowing for highly accurate assembly.

According to the manufacturing device 1 of this embodiment, the auxiliary part robot 16 places the fastening receiving members 123, 124 in the work area 3, and the main part robot 15 places the mounting plate 106 so that the fastening receiving members 123, 124 fit within the storage recesses 146, 150. Then, the main part robot 15 passes the shaft portion 221 of the first fastening element 120 through the insertion hole 145 to engage with the shaft hole 240 of the fastening receiving member 123. That is, the storage recesses 146, 150 are provided in the mounting plate 106, and the fastening receiving members 123, 124 are placed so that they fit in the storage recesses 146, 150. Therefore, the mounting plate 106 does not tilt due to the presence of the fastening receiving members 123, 124, and the posture of the insertion holes 145, 148 of the storage recesses 146, 150 is stabilized. Therefore, the shafts 221, 226 of the fastening elements 120, 121 can be stably engaged with the shaft holes 240, 241 of the fastening receiving members 123, 124. As a result, assembly can be easily performed even using a robot hand.

According to the manufacturing device 1 of this embodiment, the position of the first frame member 110 is identified based on the image of the first frame member 110 captured by the robot side image capturing unit 23, and the solar cell panel 105 and the first gasket member 115 are inserted into the holding recess 165 of the first frame member 110 by the main component robot 15 in a state where the first gasket member 115 is attached to the end including the first side 132 of the solar cell panel 105, and are fitted. That is, since the solar cell panel 105 and the first gasket member 115 are inserted into the holding recess 165 of the first frame member 110 and fitted in a state where the first gasket member 115 is attached to the solar cell panel 105, the end of the solar cell panel 105 is protected by the gasket member 115 and is not easily scratched. In addition, since the position of the first frame member 110 is identified by the captured image and the solar cell panel 105 is inserted into the holding recess 165, the solar cell panel 105 is easily inserted into the holding recess 165 by the first hand unit 30.

According to the manufacturing device 1 of this embodiment, when inserting the solar cell panel 105 and the first gasket member 115 into the holding recess 165 of the first frame member 110, the main component robot 15 adjusts the insertion direction of the solar cell panel 105 and the first gasket member 115 so as to reduce the load applied to the solar cell panel 105 based on the load or moment applied to the solar cell panel 105. Therefore, excessive force is unlikely to be applied to the solar cell panel 105, and the solar cell panel 105 is unlikely to be damaged.

According to the manufacturing device 1 of this embodiment, the auxiliary part robots 16, 17 widen the gap between the light-receiving side cover portion 200 and the back side cover portion 202 of the second gasket member 116, insert the solar cell panel 105 between the light-receiving side cover portion 200 and the back side cover portion 202, and attach the second gasket member 116 to the end portion including the second side 133 of the solar cell panel 105. This makes it easy to attach the second gasket member 116 to the solar cell panel 105.

According to the manufacturing device 1 of this embodiment, the main part robot 15 lifts the solar cell panel 105 and moves the solar cell panel 105 from the carry-in area 8 to the work area 3, the auxiliary part robot 17 lifts the cover member 112 and overlaps the cover member 112 on a part of the solar cell panel 105, and the main part robot 15 fixes the cover member 112 to the solar cell panel 105 with the third fastening element 122 to assemble the solar cell module 100. Then, the main part robot 15 lifts the solar cell module 100 and moves the solar cell module 100 to the carry-out area 9. That is, the main part robot 15 moves the solar cell panel 105, which is a heavy object, from the carry-in area 8 to the work area 3 and moves the assembled solar cell module 100 from the work area 3 to the carry-out area 9. Therefore, a robot with less power than the main part robot 15 can be used for the auxiliary part robot 16, which reduces costs.

According to the manufacturing device 1 of this embodiment, the mounting plate 106 and the second frame member 111 are overlapped in the work area 3, and the positions of the second frame member 111 and the mounting plate 106 in the work area 3 are identified using the images of the work area 3 captured by the work photography unit 11 and the images of the work area 3 captured by the robot side photography unit 23 (fastening photography unit) of the main component robot 15, and the main component robot 15 inserts the second fastening element 121 into the second frame member 111 and the mounting plate 106. In other words, the positions of the second frame member 111 and the mounting plate 106 in the work area 3 are identified using the images captured by the two-directional photography units 11 and 23, so that the second fastening element 121 can be more accurately inserted into the second frame member 111 and the mounting plate 106.

According to the manufacturing device 1 of this embodiment, the position of the auxiliary part 102 in the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 is identified using the images of the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 captured by the temporary placement photography unit 81 and the images of the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 captured by the robot side photography unit 23, and the auxiliary part robots 16, 17 lift up the auxiliary part 102 placed in the auxiliary temporary placement area 6. Therefore, since the position of the auxiliary part 102 in the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 is identified using the images captured by the two-directional photography units 23, 81, the auxiliary part 102 can be lifted more accurately.

According to the manufacturing device 1 of this embodiment, the image captured by the temporary placement photographing unit 81 is subjected to image processing so that the color of the first part 83 and the second part 84, which have different colors and have a greater contrast with the color of the auxiliary part 102, becomes the background, forming a processed image, and the shape and position of the auxiliary part 102 are identified. Therefore, it becomes possible to recognize the positions of auxiliary parts 102 of any color, and the position of the auxiliary part 102 placed on the placement unit 82 can be detected with high accuracy.

In the above embodiment, the position of the auxiliary part 102 is identified based on the image of the auxiliary part 102 captured by the robot-side image capture unit 23, but the present invention is not limited to this. The position of the auxiliary part 102 may be identified based on information that corresponds 1:1 to the image of the auxiliary part 102 captured by the robot-side image capture unit 23.

In the above embodiment, the second hand unit 31 is attached to the main component robot 15 to operate the fastening elements 120 to 122, but the present invention is not limited to this. The second hand unit 31 may be attached to other robots 16 and 17 to operate the fastening elements 120 to 122.

In the above embodiment, the solar cell module 100 is assembled using three robots 15 to 17, but the present invention is not limited to this. The solar cell module 100 may be assembled using two robots, or may be assembled using four or more robots.

In the above embodiment, the first portion 83 and the second portion 84 of the mounting portion 82 are both square shaped, but the present invention is not limited to this. The first portion 83 and the second portion 84 of the mounting portion 82 may be triangular as shown in FIG. 23(a) or diamond shaped as shown in FIG. 23(b).

In the above embodiment, the placement portion 82 has a chessboard pattern, but the present invention is not limited to this. The placement portion 82 may have a herringbone pattern as shown in FIG. 24(a), or a houndstooth pattern as shown in FIG. 24(b).

In the above embodiment, the first portion 83 is black and the second portion 84 is white, but the present invention is not limited to this. There is no particular limitation as long as the contrast between the first portion 83 and the second portion 84 is large. For example, the first portion 83 may be red and the second portion 84 may be white, or the first portion 83 may be blue and the second portion 84 may be white.

In the above embodiment, the auxiliary parts 102 are placed on the auxiliary conveyor 80 in the auxiliary temporary placement area 6, and the auxiliary parts 102 are automatically supplied into the work space 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. A temporary placement stand may be provided instead of the auxiliary conveyor 80, and the auxiliary parts 102 may be placed on the placement section 82 of the temporary placement stand. In this case, the auxiliary parts 102 are supplied into the work space 2 manually.

In the above embodiment, the positions of the second frame member 111 and the mounting plate 106 in the work area 3 are identified using the image of the work area 3 captured by the work photography unit 11 and the image of the work area 3 captured by the robot side photography unit 23 of the main component robot 15, but the present invention is not limited to this. The positions of the second frame member 111 and the mounting plate 106 in the work area 3 may be identified using the image of the hand unit 21 captured by the work photography unit 11 and the image of the work area 3 captured by the robot side photography unit 23 of the main component robot 15. For example, the positions of the second frame member 111 and the mounting plate 106 in the work area 3 may be identified using the image of the third hand unit 32 or the fourth hand unit 33 different from the second hand unit 31 captured by the work photography unit 11 and the image of the work area 3 captured by the robot side photography unit 23 of the main component robot 15.

In the above embodiment, the position of the auxiliary part 102 in the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 is identified using both the image of the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 captured by the temporary placement photography unit 81 and the image of the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 captured by the robot side photography unit 23, but the present invention is not limited to this. The position of the auxiliary part 102 in the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 may be identified using one of the images of the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 captured by the temporary placement photography unit 81 and the image of the auxiliary temporary placement area 6 captured by the robot side photography unit 23.

In the above embodiment, the article is described as a solar cell module 100, but the present invention is not limited to this. The article may be another article, such as an organic EL module.

In the above-described embodiments, each component may be freely substituted or added between the respective embodiments as long as it falls within the technical scope of the present invention.

1 Manufacturing equipment 3 Working area 6 Auxiliary temporary placement area 15 Main part robot (first robot)
16, 17 Auxiliary parts robot (second robot, gasket robot)
81 Temporary placement photographing section 82 Placement section 83 First section 84 Second section 100 Solar cell module (item)
105 Solar cell panel (main body member)
106 Mounting plate (mounting member, plate-shaped member)
101 Main part 102 Auxiliary part

Claims (5)

An apparatus for manufacturing an article by attaching an auxiliary part to a main part directly or via another member,
a temporary placement area in which the auxiliary component is temporarily placed, and the auxiliary component is moved from the temporary placement area and attached to the main component,
the temporary placement area includes a placement section for placing the auxiliary part and an image capture section for capturing an image of the auxiliary part on the placement section,
The placement portion has first and second portions, each having a different color, arranged alternately in a plane,
The first portion and the second portion are both smaller than the auxiliary component,
the photographing unit photographs an area across a boundary between the auxiliary component and the placement unit,
An article manufacturing device that performs image processing on the image captured by the photographing unit so that the color of either the first part or the second part, whichever has the greater contrast with the color of the auxiliary part, becomes the background to form a processed image, and identifies the shape and position of the auxiliary part. the first portion is black;
The apparatus for manufacturing an article according to claim 1 , wherein the second portion is white. The article manufacturing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first portion and the second portion are both square-shaped portions. The article manufacturing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 performs an opening process or a closing process on the captured image to extract edges and identify the shape and position of the auxiliary part. The apparatus for manufacturing an article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the main component is a solar cell panel.