JPH02292141A - Automatic assembling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To carry out production of many kinds of products in small quantities by picking parts up out of first and second parts feeding mechanisms and assembling them based on image information taken with a picturing mechanism while running a robot on a track. CONSTITUTION:Robots 22 carried on a shuttle 20 are disposed on both sides of a shuttle base 12 to be able to access, attach, remove, and change multiple parts feeding mechanisms 16, 18 and to be capable of easily coping with the amendments in drawings or model changes. While the robot 22 runs, parts are picked up out of a tape cassette 70 and a cart 92. At the same time, condition of parts arrangement in the cart 92 is pictured with a camera 26. The image is stored via a cable 34 in a control mechanism 28. Parts are picked up according to the picture information and assembled into a set on an assembling jig 24 on the shuttle 20. Request for exchange of parts can be coped with within a short period of time and the production of many kinds of products in small quantities can be carried out.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an automatic assembly device that assembles a predetermined assembly (article) from a plurality of parts while one robot is running.

[Prior art] Conventionally, in automatic assembly equipment, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-2493
As shown in Publication No. 6 (first conventional example), in order to supply multiple parts to a robot, a parts supply shelf is used, and a pallet containing the necessary parts is pulled out from this parts supply shelf. A system in which a robot accesses and picks up a pallet is known. In this conventional automatic assembly equipment, in order to introduce a camera as a visual device to electrically recognize the state of component arrangement within the pallet, this camera is set above the pallet pulled out from the component supply shelf. I will do it.

On the other hand, as a technology for a robot to access and pick up multiple parts while moving, there is a
The one described in Japanese Patent No. 33972 (second conventional example) is known. In this prior art publication, a parts supply mechanism is employed that moves integrally in synchronization with the movement of the robot.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the automatic assembly apparatus disclosed in the first conventional example, a pallet containing necessary parts is pulled out from a parts supply shelf and accessed by a robot. Therefore, by stacking component supply shelves vertically, components can be supplied three-dimensionally, which has the advantage of requiring a relatively small supply space. However, on the other hand,
After the robot picks up parts from the pulled-out pallet, it pushes the pallet back in, pulls out the next pallet from the new parts supply shelf, positions it, and waits until the pallet is ready for picking up the next part. It has been pointed out that the disadvantage is that it takes a long time.

In particular, in the current situation where the time required for the robot's own big-and-place operations is being shortened, the time required for the pallet preparation operations described above is longer than the time needed to remove the pallet from the pallet. There was wasted time as the robot waited until the pallet was ready before attempting to pick up the next part. In addition, in the automatic assembly device disclosed in the second conventional example, as a plurality of parts supply mechanisms, a plurality of parts are placed on a tray in advance, and the tray is integrated in synchronization with the movement of the robot. This method allows the robot to access and pick up each part while the robot is moving, but in this method, multiple parts are simultaneously positioned according to the target process. This makes it necessary to prepare a special tray. In addition, each time a product drawing is corrected or a model is changed, the tray must be remanufactured to match the changed or new parts, which takes a long time to respond to model changes.
In addition, it has been pointed out that the cost is high. In addition, during production work, preparation work such as arranging each component on a tray in advance is required, which is quite troublesome.

This invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the invention is to be able to respond to requests for replacement of parts within a short time and without incurring costs, and to realize high-mix, low-volume production. An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic assembly device suitable for.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the purpose, an automatic assembly device according to the present invention includes a shuttle equipped with a robot, an assembly jig, and an imaging mechanism; a shuttle base having a running track; a first article supply mechanism located on one side of the shuttle base, with first articles arranged on a plane and replaceable with respect to the shuttle base; a second article feeding mechanism located on the other side of the shuttle base, holding a second article on a tape, and being replaceable with respect to the shuttle base; The present invention is characterized by comprising a control mechanism that picks up the first and second articles from the first and second article supply mechanisms and assembles them into a predetermined assembly based on image information captured by the imaging mechanism. .

[Function] In the automatic assembly device configured as described above, on both sides of the travel path of the robot mounted on the shuttle running,
A large number of component supply mechanisms are arranged so that they can be accessed by the robot, and these component supply mechanisms are detachable and replaceable, so even if drawings are revised or models are changed, changes in the layout of the component supply mechanisms can be easily replaced. In addition, it is only necessary to change the types of components stored in each component supply mechanism, and it is possible to easily change or add components.

Furthermore, in the automatic assembly device configured as described above, the imaging mechanism images the arrangement state of the components in the component supply device, and based on this imaging information, each component supply mechanism η
) is configured to pick up parts from
The parts supply box that stores parts has a simple structure with only a partition wall to prevent overlapping or contact with neighboring parts, making it possible to quickly and inexpensively respond to drawing corrections and model changes. It will be possible to do this.

In addition, in this invention, the imaging mechanism is arranged in the sky above the robot 22 and is configured to move integrally with the robot according to the running of the shuttle. It is possible to recognize the arrangement of parts in a large number of parts supply boxes using only the mechanism, and the coordinate system of the robot and imaging mechanism only needs to be calibrated once, reducing the overall cost of the device and the calibration work. This makes it possible to significantly reduce adjustment costs.

[Embodiment] Below, the configuration of an embodiment of an automatic assembly apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Description of the overall configuration) First, with reference to FIG.
The overall configuration will be explained.

This automatic assembly device 10 includes a shuttle base 12 that extends a predetermined length in a straight line in one direction. A single main rail 14 is placed on the shuttle base 12, which defines a track extending in the one direction mentioned above. On one side (the front side in the figure) of this shuttle base 12, a plurality of first component supply mechanisms 16 (more specifically, 12 first component supply mechanisms 1
6a to 16℃), and the other side (the opposite side in the figure)
Similarly, a plurality of second component supply mechanisms 18 (specifically, ten second component supply mechanisms 18a to 18j) are arranged. In other words, the shuttle base 12 is arranged so as to extend into the space sandwiched by the first and second component supply mechanisms 16.18.

Also, on this shuttle base 12, there is a main rail 1
A shuttle 20 is mounted so as to be able to run (self-propelled) along the road 4, and a robot 22, an assembly jig 24, and a first camera 26 as an imaging mechanism are mounted on this shuttle 20. There is. Separately from the shuttle base 12, this shuttle 20 is mounted on a base (not shown), which runs on the main rail 14, and the robot 22 sequentially accesses a plurality of component supply mechanisms 16, 18 to provide an assembly tool. Control mechanism 2 for assembling a predetermined assembly on the tool 24
8 is provided.

The above-described first camera 26 is fixed to the shuttle 20 and moves integrally with the shuttle 20 as the shuttle 20 travels. ) is provided to take an image of the arrangement state of the parts The control mechanism 28 described above
The information is sent to a first recognition unit 30a in which the arrangement state of the parts is recognized.

Here, this control mechanism 28 controls the first recognition unit 30a.
The robot 22 is also configured to control the position and orientation of the parts gripped by the fingers 32 of the robot 22 so that they are in appropriate positions and orientations based on the arrangement information of the parts recognized in the above. In order to control the drive of the robot 22 and the travel control of the shuttle 20 by the control mechanism 28,
The control mechanism 28 is connected to the shuttle 20 and robot 22 via a flexible connection cord 34.

Further, the control mechanism 28 controls the second component supply mechanism 18 when the robot 22 completes picking up the component X and the arm 36 of the robot 22 retreats from above the second component supply mechanism 18. 1 recognizes the arrangement state of the parts X in the pallet P of the second parts supply mechanism 18 and determines the position of the parts X to be picked up during the next part pick-up operation by the robot 22. It is configured to detect and memorize the part X, and to drive and control the finger 32 of the robot 22 to pick up the part X whose position has been detected during the next pick-up operation.

(Description of Shuttle) Next, the shuttle 20 and the components mounted on the shuttle 20 will be described in detail.

First, a pair of guide rails 38a and 38b are fixed on the above-mentioned shuttle base l2, located on both sides of the main rail 14 and parallel thereto. The shuttle 20 is provided with a recess 20a extending in the above-mentioned direction on its lower surface, into which the main rail 14 is inserted, and guide rails 38a are provided on both sides of the recess 20a. , 38b from above, and are fixed with guide bearings 40a and 40b for defining the running direction of the shuttle 20 in the one direction mentioned above.

Further, a reversibly rotatable drive motor 42 for running the shuttle is housed within the shuttle 20.
A driving wheel 44 is coaxially fixed to the tip of the wheel. This drive wheel 44 is set to roll into contact with the main rail 14 while being pressurized by a pressurizing mechanism (not shown). With this configuration, when the drive motor 42 starts, the drive shaft 44 is rotationally driven, and the drive shaft 44 rolls on the main rail 14 with which it is frictionally engaged. In this way, the shuttle 20 is driven to run (reciprocate) along the main rail 14 in one direction.

A rack 46 is disposed on the shuttle base 12 and extends in one direction, sandwiched between the main rail l4 and one guide rail 38a. On the other hand, inside the shuttle 20, in a state engaged with this rack 46,
A pinion gear 48 is rotatably supported. A rotary encoder 50 is provided on the rotating shaft of the pinion gear 48 to detect the amount of rotation thereof. In this way, the pinion gear 48 rotates as the shuttle 20 travels, so by detecting this amount of rotation via the rotary encoder 50, the amount of travel (traveling distance) of the shuttle 20 can be detected. It is possible. (Description of the robot) Next, the robot 22 includes a robot body 52 that is fixed in an upright position on the shuttle 20, and a robot body 52 that is fixed in an upright position on the shuttle 20.
The first rotatable about the vertical axis is attached to the upper part of the second
a swing arm 54, a second swing arm 36 attached to the tip of the first swing arm 54 about a vertical axis, and a Z-axis attached to the tip of the second swing arm 36 so as to be vertically movable. An arm 56 is provided. At the lower end of this Z-axis arm 56, a finger attachment/detachment mechanism 58 is provided.
A finger 32 is attached. Here, this finger 32 is configured as a general-purpose finger having three fingers.

Here, this robot 22 has a first drive motor for rotationally driving the first swing arm 54 and a second drive motor for rotationally driving the second swing arm 36, although details are not shown. It includes a drive motor, a third drive motor for moving the Z-axis arm 56 up and down, and a fourth drive motor for rotationally driving the Z-axis arm 56. By appropriately driving and controlling these first to fourth drive motors, the first swing arm 54 is moved to the second swing arm 36.
It is possible to move the finger 32 to any position within a circular range whose radius is the distance from the center of the robot body 52 to the center of the Z-axis arm 56 when set in a straight line. become.

In other words, since the robot 22 is moved in accordance with the travel of the shuttle 20, the finger 32 can be moved to an arbitrary position within a range of 20 widths on both sides from the center of the robot body 52. Parts within this range can be freely accessed.

Note that a finger stocker 60 is provided on the shuttle 20 at a position independent of the robot body 52. A plurality of different types of fingers are removably attached to the finger stocker 60, and a finger attachment/detachment mechanism 58
The configuration is such that any finger 32 can be attached to the lower end of the biaxial arm 56 via the . The finger stocker 60 includes a substantially U-shaped notch 60a and a lock pin (not shown), and each finger 32 has a stepped shaft portion (not shown) that fits into the notch 60a. By engaging this stepped shaft portion with the notch 60a, replacement fingers (not shown) can be stocked here.

(Description of Camera) The first camera 26 described above is connected to the second component supply mechanism 18.
It is provided to take an image of the arrangement state of the parts
First camera mounting ball 64 via bracket 62
This ball 64 is fixed to the robot body 5.
2 and is fixed on the shuttle 20 so as to surround it. Here, the ball 64 is attached to the first swing arm 54 so as not to interfere with the swing movement of the first swing arm 54.
An opening 64a is formed over the rotation range of 4.

On the other hand, a second camera 66 is mounted on the shuttle 20 so as to be able to image the finger 32 from below. The image of the finger 32 taken by the second camera 66 is set to be viewed by the second recognition section 30b in the control mechanism 28 described above. here,
This second recognition unit 30b is configured to be able to recognize the gripping state of the component X gripped by the fingers 32 based on the image information sent here from the second camera 66. .

(Description of assembly jig) Although the assembly jig 24 is not shown in detail, it is positioned and fixed on the shuttle 20 by a jig installation guide 68 and a jig positioning opening pin (not shown). It is composed of a tray (not shown). This assembly jig 24 has 12 types of parts supplied from the first parts supply mechanisms 16a to 16I2 and second parts supply mechanisms 18a to 18j.
It is constructed to be suitable for assembling a predetermined assembly from 10 types of parts supplied by the company. Also, by removing the tray from the jig installation guide 68,
It is set up so that the parts being assembled are placed on top of it and handed over to the next robot. (Description of First Component Supply Mechanism) Next, the first component supply mechanism 16 will be described.

This first component supply mechanism 16 has a transport tape (to be described later).
so that the parts are fed through the carrier table) 72,
Specifically, a large number of parts are held in recesses formed in a row in a carrier table along the transport direction, and the parts are transported to a take-out position by running the carrier table. ing.

Here, in this embodiment, as described above, 1
Two first component supply mechanisms 16a to 16I2 are provided, and these first component supply mechanisms 16a to 16β are configured to supply different types of components, respectively. In addition, since the configurations of these first component supply mechanisms 16a to 162 are the same in the following, when describing the configuration, "16" will be used as a representative reference numeral for the first component supply mechanism. It shall be. The same applies to the second component supply mechanism 18 (18a to 18j).

Each of the first component supply mechanisms 16 is a tape-type article conveying device (1) previously filed by the applicant (April 5, 1999).
Although it is explained in detail in the Japanese patent application), to give an outline, it includes a hollow tape cassette 70, and inside this tape cassette 70, a carrier tape 72 holding a plurality of parts X at a constant pitch is wound. Built-in in a rotated state.

By conveying this carrier table 72, the held parts X are sequentially supplied to an opening 70a formed on the upper surface of the tape cassette 70 near the shuttle base 12. Here, the opening 70a is located at a position accessible by the robot 22 when the tape cassette 70 is attached to the shuttle base 12 (i.e., spaced laterally by a maximum distance β from the center of the robot body 52). range).

Specifically, in each tape cassette 70, the above-mentioned carrier table 72 accommodates the parts is wrapped around. Then, the carrier tape 72 is transported to the parts removal position (opening 70a) while being covered by the cover tape 74. Immediately before the parts removal position, the cover tape 74 is transferred to the carrier table 72 via the separation roller 78. The carrier tape 72 with its recess exposed is passed through the component take-out position and is taken up on the first take-up reel 80, and the cover tape 74 is taken up on the second take-up reel 82. It is configured.

Incidentally, a rotational drive mechanism (not shown) is connected to each of these reels 76, 80, 82, and when it is detected that the robot 22 has picked up the part X, In response to this detection, it has a function to feed the tape at a fixed pitch in order to supply the next part
(not shown) is built-in.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2, these tape cassettes 70 are placed on the mounting table 84 in a state where one tape cassette 70 forms a set, two tape cassettes form a set, or three tape cassettes form a set. It is placed. That is, in this embodiment, six mounting tables 84 are arranged on one side of the shuttle base 2 in order to place twelve tape cassettes 70 thereon. still,
The mounting table on which two tape cassettes 70 are placed and the mounting table on which one tape cassette 70 is placed do not have dedicated configurations, respectively. It is used also as a placing stand 84.

Further, each mounting table 84 is connected to a second component supply mechanism 1 which will be described later.
It is possible to arrange a maximum of one tape cassette 70 to correspond to the cart 92 as shown in FIG. The placing stand 84 will not be placed corresponding to the cart 92.

In this way, the 12 first component supply mechanisms 16a~
The tape cassettes 70 constituting each tape cassette 16β are detachably attached to the shuttle base 12 via the corresponding mounting tables 84 in a mutually independent state.

Note that a power-supplied terminal 70c is provided at the bottom of the front surface of the tape cassette 70, and when the tape cassette 70 is placed on the mounting table 84, the lower part of the blocking plate facing the power-supplied terminal 70c is provided. A power supply terminal 84a is provided in such a manner that it can be equalized in the vertical direction. In this manner, with the tape cassette 70 mounted on the mounting table 84, the power-supplied terminal 70c is coupled to the power-supply terminal 84a, and the electrically driven portion of the tape cassette 70, for example, each reel 7
It is set so that electric power is supplied to a drive motor etc. for rotationally driving 6, 80, and 82.

Further, on the upper surface of each tape cassette 70, closer to the shuttle base 12 than the opening 70a shown in FIG. I'm being kicked. Here, a cassette control mechanism (not shown) is connected to this lamp 86, and in this cassette control mechanism, when the recessed portion of the carrier table 72 for accommodating each component is moved to a position facing the opening 70a, Since the parts can now be taken out, the above-mentioned lamp 86 is turned on at this point to notify the completion of preparations for parts removal.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, while the shuttle 20 is stopped on the side surface facing each of the second component feeder sides 18a to 18j, the largest Light receiving elements 88a to 88c are attached to predetermined positions corresponding to the lamps 86 of each of the three tape cassettes 70. Each of the light receiving elements 88a to 88c is connected to the control mechanism 28 described above, and these light receiving elements 88a to 88c are
When 88c receives the light emitted from the corresponding lamp 86 and receives the ON signal output, the control mechanism 28
is configured to permit the robot 22 to start the operation of taking out a component from the tape cassette 70 serving as the first component supply mechanism 16 .

Here, the above-mentioned cassette control mechanism is configured to drive the above-mentioned lamp 86 to blink when it is detected that the number of parts held on the carrier table 22 is less than the remaining number or a predetermined number. has been done. On the other hand, in the control mechanism 28, when the blinking operation of the corresponding lamp 86 is detected via the light receiving elements 88a to 88c, the tape cassette in the first component supply mechanism 16 is notified via a display mechanism (not shown). 70 is configured to display (instruct) the replacement operation.

In the first component supply mode 16 configured as described above, when an instruction to replace the tape cassette 70 is issued, the operator can replace the tape cassette 70 when the operation to remove the component from the tape cassette 70 is completed. The tape cassette 70 is removed from the mounting table 84, placed on a cart (not shown), and transported to a component filling mechanism (not shown), where the carrier table 22 is replenished with components, and the component filling mechanism is loaded with components. A tape cassette 70 filled with parts in advance is placed on a cart, and the tape cassette 70 is removed and attached to a mounting table 84 via an empty cassette receiving part 84f. In this way, while the robot 22 is taking out parts from other tape cassettes 70 and the second parts supply mechanism 18 and performing assembly work, the replacement work of the tape cassette 70 is completed, and this replacement work is carried out by the robot. The assembly work at step 22 is executed without stopping, resulting in high work efficiency.

(Description of Second Component Supply Mechanism) Next, the configuration of the second component supply mechanism 18 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3.

This second parts supply mechanism 18 supplies a large number of parts in a state arranged over the entire surface of the pallet P so as to supply parts through the pallet P serving as the above-mentioned parts supply box. It is configured to hold and take out parts from this pallet P.

Here, this palette P is the first camera 26 described above.
In order to be able to recognize the arrangement state of parts,
The upper surface is open over the entire surface, and partition walls 90 are provided perpendicularly to each other to prevent overlapping or contact with adjacent parts. A component storage space S is defined by the space between each partition wall 90, and one component is stored in each component storage space S. In FIG. The symbol P0 indicates an empty pallet that has become empty after using the parts.

The second component supply mechanism 18 is a pallet supply cart (hereinafter simply referred to as
It's called a cart. )92. This cart 92 is based on the patent application No. 1-36332 previously filed by the applicant.
Although it is explained in detail in Japanese Patent Application No. 1-59607 in
The real pallets P1 are separated one by one and positioned at a position and height where the robot 22 can access the used empty pallets P. It has a built-in drive motor/sensor control mechanism (cart control mechanism) 92a for each function. That is, as shown in FIG.
A cart control mechanism 92a is provided which is connected to c and controls the operation of the cart 92.

Also, on the top surface of each cart 92, the shuttle base 1
A lamp 96 is attached to a portion close to the cart 92 to notify that parts can be taken out from the cart 92. Here, a cart control mechanism 92a is connected to this lamp 96, and this cart control mechanism 92a is connected to the lamp 96.
In a, since the parts can be taken out once the pallet P is moved to the position where it can be taken out, the above-mentioned lamp 96 is turned on at this point to notify that the preparation for parts taking out is complete. There is.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, on the side surface of the shuttle 20, while the shuttle 20 is stopped facing each of the second component supply structures 18a to 18j, the shuttle 20 is placed at a predetermined position corresponding to each lamp 96. A light receiving element 98 is attached. This light receiving element 98 is connected to the control mechanism 28 described above, and when this light receiving element 98 receives the light emitted from the lamp 96 and receives the ON signal output, the control mechanism 28 causes the robot 22 to The configuration is configured to permit the start of an operation of taking out parts from the cart 92 serving as the parts supply mechanism 18 of No. 2.

Here, in the above-mentioned cart control mechanism 92a, when it is detected that the number of parts stored in all the pallets P is less than the remaining number or a predetermined number, the above-mentioned lamp 96 is driven to blink. It is composed of On the other hand, in the control mechanism 28, the lamp 96
When the blinking operation is detected, the replacement operation of the cart 92 in the second component supply mechanism 18 is displayed (instructed) via a display mechanism (not shown).

In the second component supply mechanism 18 configured as described above, when an instruction to replace the cart 92 is issued, the operator replaces the cart 92 when the operation of removing components from the cart 92 is completed. It is removed from the mounting mechanism 94 and transported to a parts filling mechanism (not shown), and in this parts filling mechanism, each pallet P is replenished with parts, and at the same time, the cassette P filled with parts in advance is transferred to the cart 92 in the parts filling mechanism. Then, remove the cart 92 and attach it to the now empty attachment mechanism 94. In this way, while the robot 22 is taking out parts from other carts 92 or the first parts supply mechanism 16 and performing assembly work, the replacement work of the cart 92 is completed, and this replacement work is performed by the robot 22. The assembly work is executed without stopping, resulting in high work efficiency.

(The following is a blank space) (Arrangement relationship between first and second component supply mechanisms) Next, with reference to FIG. 4, details of the arrangement relationship between the first and second component supply mechanisms 16 and 18 will be described.

As mentioned above, when the robot 22 is at the position So in FIG. It is within the range indicated by the symbol A. Within this range A, the first and second component supply mechanisms 16.1
8 is set. That is, ■
First cart 92. (In the following explanation, when describing the 10 carts 92 while being identified, the reference numeral 92
2. ~92,. will be used. ), the front half of
In other words, one box of actual pallet P; ? Assembly work jig 22; ■Second camera 66 for recognition inside the finger; ■Double tape cassette t6. , 16■ (In the following description, when the 12 tape cassettes 70 are individually identified, reference numbers 701 to 701■ will be used.) Parts removal opening 70a; ■Finger stocker It is 60.

The above accessible area of the robot 22 is
The same holds true no matter where the vehicle 2 travels.

For example, the shuttle 20 shown by the dashed line moves from the running start position S0 shown by the solid line (that is, facing the first cart 92.) to the fourth cart 924 along the direction shown by the arrow R shown in the figure. The figure shows a state in which the robot 22 has traveled to the opposing position S, but the accessible area of the robot 22 in that case is the front? Compared to when the robot 22 was at position 80, the following changes are: ■ The accessible cart has changed from 921 to 92; and ■ The accessible tape cassette has changed from 70, 70. 7
0a, 70y, 70s.

In this way, the shuttle 20 moves from the leftmost position S0 in the diagram to the Sl. Sa...S1. 1st to 10th states, respectively.
Cart 92. ~92,. The carts 92+, 92■... are positioned corresponding to the positioning points.
92.0 and tape cassette 701. 70
■... 70. Each cart 92 and tape cassette 7 can be accessed under the same position conditions.
0 is placed.

Incidentally, the shuttle 20 and therefore the robot 22? The three light receiving elements 88 attached to the shuttle 20 are stopped at the stop positions corresponding to the respective carts 92.
a to 88c, and one light receiving element 98 are lamps 86 mounted on up to three tape cassettes 70 placed on one mounting table 84, lamps 96 mounted on a cart 92, and one light receiving element 98. are set to correspond to each.

As a result, in FIG. 4, the shuttle 20 and the robot 2
2 is positioned at So as shown by the solid line, the light receiving elements 88b and 88c are connected to the two tape cassettes 701..2 placed on the first mounting table 84. The light receiving element 98 receives the light from the lamps 86 attached to the first cart 921, and the light receiving element 98 receives the light from the lamp 96 attached to the first cart 921. On the other hand, in FIG.
When the robot 22 is conveyed to the position S3 and stopped, as shown by the dashed line, the light receiving elements 8 8 a, 8 8 b, 8 8 c are placed on the third mounting table 84. Three tape cassettes 70. ，
16y. The light receiving element 98 receives the light from the lamp 96 attached to the fourth cart 924.

In other words, the arrangement of these light receiving elements 88a to 88C, 98 corresponds to the positional relationship of the cart 92 and tape cassette 70, which are arranged so that they can be accessed under the same position condition after the shuttle 20 moves as described above. . Therefore, the four light receiving elements 88a to 88c attached to the shuttle 20,
At 98, the light emitting state of all the lamps 86 and 96 of the 10 carts 92 and 12 tape cassettes 70 shown in the figure can be detected. As described above, the four light receiving elements 88a to 88C, 98 and the ten carts 92 and 1
Total lamp 86.96 with two tape cassettes 70
Accordingly, the first and second plurality of supply devices 16.18
A communication means connecting the control mechanism 28 and one control mechanism 28 is configured.

Here, the hatched part shown is the first camera 1 for recognition inside the pallet P when the shuttle 20 is at the position 80.
8 fields of view are shown. As described above, this field of view moves as the shuttle 20 moves, and always covers at least the actual pallet P on the robot 22 side on the cart 92 corresponding to the stop position of the shuttle 20.

(Description of Assembly Procedure) Next, a procedure for assembling a predetermined assembly from a plurality of parts using the automatic assembly apparatus 10 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5C.

Here, for the sake of simplicity, three parts are supplied on the pallet P of the cart 92, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C.
The explanation will be given assuming that the number of parts supplied by the carrier tape 72 of the tape cassette 70 is four. In the following explanation, B-
g indicates a part, and the order of assembling these parts a - g is a (t) - b (c) - c (c) → d
(t) -e (t) →f (t)1g (c). Note that the symbol (C) in the component names represents component supply by the cart 92, and symbol (1) represents component supply by the tape cassette 70.

In the state shown in FIG. 5A, the shuttle 20 on which the robot 22 is placed is moving the part b (c) in the first cart 921.
This shows that the part a (t) in the tape cassette 70t is stopped and positioned so that it can be accessed.

At this time, the shuttle 20 has moved from the state shown in FIG. 5C, which will be described later, and receives a signal from the row encoder 50 to determine that the positioning is complete in the state shown in FIG. 5A, and stops. are doing.

In the state shown in FIG. 5A, first of all, part a (t
) is picked up from the carrier table 72 and assembled onto the assembly jig 24, and then part b (c) is placed on the cart 92.
is picked up from the pallet P and assembled onto the assembly jig 24.

Here, before this installation, almost simultaneously with the positioning of the shuttle 20 to the state shown in FIG. 5A, the shuttle 20 is
The light receiving elements 88a to 88c attached to the light receiving elements 88a to 88c. 98 to the first tape cassette 70. In other words, by detecting the respective lighting states of the lamp 86 of the cart 92 and the lamp 96 of the cart 92, For example, it is checked in a non-contact manner via the communication means whether preparations for supplying parts a (t) and parts b (c) have been completed.

After confirming that the preparation for supplying the parts is complete, the robot 22 performs the assembling work in the order described above. Here, when component a (t) on the tape cassette 70 side is picked up, the sensor built in the finger 32 confirms that the component a (t) has been picked up (that is, it has disappeared from the carrier tape 72 side). This is confirmed by a sensor built into the tape cassette 70.

In the first tape cassette 70+, after this pickup confirmation operation, the carrier tape 72 is pitch-fed by its own drive source, and preparations are made for positioning a new part a(t)■ to be used next. This preparation is done in the next part pick-up cycle when part a (t)
It only needs to be completed by the time n is handled, and once completed, the lamp 86
lights up.

On the other hand, in response to the coordinate system obtained from the position information of part b (c) recognized by the first camera 26 for intra-pallet recognition in the previous parts pickup cycle in the first cart 921, the robot 22 Working part b
(c) is picked up from pallet P. Then, the sensor built in the finger 32 confirms the pickup state, and then, as the rotating arm 36 and the rotating arm 54 rotate, the picked up part b (
c) is transported to the assembly jig 24 side.

When the rotary arm 36 escapes from the sky above the pallet P that stores the picked-up part b (c) by this transport operation, the first camera 26 for recognizing inside the pallet installed on the shuttle 20 detects the part b (b) immediately before the picked-up part b (c). Part b (c) to be picked up in the next cycle in pallet P that stores part b (c) picked up in
, and captures the image into the image memory of the image processing section in the control mechanism 28. Image processing after capturing the image, coordinate transformation to the robot 22 coordinate system, etc. need only be completed by the time part b (c) Il is handled in the next cycle, and are processed in parallel with the control operation of the robot 22. It is something.

When this image capture is completed, the shuttle 20 starts moving along the R direction in response to a command from the control mechanism 28. Since the above-mentioned image capture normally completes in about 1/30 seconds, the movement of the shuttle 20 essentially starts with the rotating arm as described above. Immediately after the robot 6 moves to the assembly jig 24 side, the moving operation of the shuttle 20 and the assembly operation on the assembly jig 24 by the robot 22 are performed simultaneously.

After this, the part c to be assembled next by the shuttle 20 (c)
, d (t) , e (t) . FIG. 5B shows how f (t) is positioned and stopped so that it can be accessed by the robot 22. At this stop position, first, similarly to the case shown in FIG. 5A, the second to fourth tape cassettes 70 . , 70.704, and the light receiving element 98 detects the lighting state of each lamp 86 of the second cart
By detecting the lighting state of the lamp 96, the parts c (c), d (t), e (t),
Check whether f (t) is ready for supply.

Then, after confirming that the assembly work of part b (c) picked up just before has been completed on the assembly jig 24, the part c (c) is assembled in the same manner as in the case of FIG. 5A.
, d (t), e (t), and f (t) are picked up and assembled onto the assembly jig 24. or,
Part c to be picked up in the next cycle (c). Capturing of an image for recognizing the position of part d is carried out after picking up part C (C) and moving the rotating arm 36 toward the assembly jig 24, but in the state shown in Fig. 5B, after that, part d (t), e (t). Since there is a work to assemble f (t), here, unlike the case of FIG. 5A, after the pick-up of part f (t) is completed, the finger 32
At the same time, after the finger 32 has risen enough to avoid colliding with the fourth tape cassette 704 even if it moves to the sky, the shuttle 20 starts moving along the R direction according to a command from the control mechanism 28. Start.

Moreover, FIG. 5C shows a state in which the shuttle 20 is positioned and stopped in a state where the robot 22 can access the part g (c). Here, the part g (c) is, for example, an extremely thin part, and is set to be picked up by suction. Therefore, even if the completion of the pickup can be confirmed through the sensor built into the finger 32, if the pickup position is deviated from the predetermined position, it will not be possible to assemble the finger 32.

For this reason, in this part g (c), after picking it up, the rotating arm 36 is moved by the finger 3.
2 is moved above the second camera 66 and stopped there, and the second camera 66 images the part g (c) picked up by the finger 32 to accurately determine the pickup position. configured to detect. Then, the control mechanism 28 receives the imaging information from the second camera 66 and detects the pickup position of the picked-up part g (c), and if this detected position is determined to be within the allowable range To do this, start the rotating arm 36 again, move the finger 32 onto the assembly jig 24,
Part g (c) is placed on the jig 36.

Here, in the control mechanism 28, the coordinate system of the finger 32 in the robot 22 is corrected when the pickup position is within an allowable range such that installation on the jig 24 is possible by correcting the installation position. In the above, settings are made so that part g (c) is accurately placed on the jig 24. On the other hand, if it is determined that the pickup position cannot be corrected, the assembly operation is interrupted, a predetermined alarm is sounded, and the operator is prompted to perform a recovery operation.

In this way, after picking up the last part g (c) and completing the image capture as in the case of FIG. 5A,
In response to a command from the control mechanism 28, the shuttle 20 now starts moving along the R' direction, which is opposite to the previous traveling direction. After arriving at the position shown in Figure 5A, the
Return to the work explained with reference to Figure A and repeat this.

Here, the assembled finished product in which the part g (C) described with reference to FIG.
(c). Before it is picked up, it is stored, for example, by returning it to an empty space on the same pallet P, thereby completing one assembly cycle.

By repeating the above series of operations, one robot 22
The work of assembling a plurality of parts (seven in this case) is performed. In addition, in the above explanation, the first
The camera 26 recognizes the position of the part to be picked up in the next cycle, but only when the last part in the pallet P is picked up and becomes empty, a new pallet P is used. Since it takes time to replace the boxes, images may not be captured here, the boxes may be replaced by the next cycle, and the parts position recognition may be performed immediately before picking up the next part.

However, in this case only, processing operations such as image processing and coordinate transformation after image capture are not processed in parallel with the robot 22 operation, so the cycle time for assembling parts is longer than in the normal operation described above. Become.

In addition, the above-mentioned condition for lighting the lamp 96 on the cart 92 side, that is, the ready state, refers to the state in which the above-mentioned empty pallet P has been replaced with a new pallet P containing fruit.

Note that the instruction for the start timing of the pallet P replacement operation is given here by the robot 22 determining that the pallet P is empty after performing the big operation for the number of parts contained in the pallet P. be exposed. As a result, when the robot 22 performs an operation of pushing the pallet P into the empty box side by operating the rotary arm 36 when the actual boxes in the cart 92 become empty, the robot 22 moves the pallet P toward the empty box side by operating the rotating arm 36. The empty box shift detection sensor shown in the diagram operates,
The pallet P replacement operation within the cart 92 itself begins.

Furthermore, the number of parts contained in the aforementioned pallet P《
The robot 22 is taught the operation probe RAM at the same time as the robot 22. For example, if a pallet P with a fractional number is input due to pre-processing, etc., only at that time, by key-in etc. Teaching to change the number of parts contained in the pallet P is performed.

(Description of Visual Recognition Operation) Next, the control procedure of the visual recognition operation in the control mechanism 28 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In addition, in this FIG. 6, the related motion control of the robot 22 and the shuttle 20 is also shown in addition to the visual recognition motion.

In the following explanation, various parts are represented by symbols a * b + C + d +..., and currently installed parts are ao, bo, Cot do+, etc.
The part to be picked up in the next cycle is a.
It is shown as n 1 b6 1 06 1 dl, 1... First, in step SIO, when the robot 22 picks up the part a0, in step S12, the detection sensor provided in the finger 32 of the robot 22 confirms the completion of the pick-up, and in step S14, the robot 22 picks up the part a0 for installation. To,
The rotating arm 36 is moved to the assembly jig 24 side. Then, in step 316, this rotating arm 36
When it is detected and confirmed that the jig 24 has been moved to a position where the field of view of the first camera 26 is not obstructed by a rotary encoder (not shown) built into the drive motor that drives the jig 24, in step S18, The first camera 26 reads an image of the part an on the pallet P to be picked up by the robot 22 in the next cycle. On the other hand, simultaneously and in parallel with this step 818, in step S20, the robot 22 moves the assembly jig 24
At the top, the assembly work of part a0 is executed.

Then, after the image capture is started in step 818, in step S22, part a. When the end of image capture is detected, in step S24, the shuttle 20 immediately selects the part b to be accessed next.
Start moving towards. Further, in parallel with this step S24, the placement position of the component afi is calculated in step S26 based on the image information captured in step 818.

In this calculation operation, first, the imported part a. The image information of is stored in the image memory in the image processing section in the control mechanism 28, and in the image processing section, the CPU in the control mechanism 28 is idle until the robot picks up part a7 in the next cycle. The time is used to perform image processing and conversion to the robot coordinate system.

When the arithmetic processing in step 326 is completed, in step 328 the data is stored in the component position data storage section ax of the component position data memory M in the image processing section.

On the other hand, on the robot 22 side, the above-mentioned step S
In step S20, the assembly work of part a is executed, and in step S30, when the completion of this assembly work is confirmed,
Subsequently, in step S32, the part b0 to be picked up next is selected from the part position data memory M mentioned above.
In step S34, the rotary arm 36 starts moving based on the read position data.

In synchronization with this step S34, the shuttle 20 confirms in step S36 that the shuttle 20 has completed moving the component b0 to the access point. When the completion of movement is confirmed in step S36, the robot 22 performs a pick-up operation for the part b0 in step S38.

Basically, the above steps SIO to step 338
In step S40, the robot 22 picks up the part b0, and in step S42, when the completion of picking up the part b0 is detected, in step S44, the rotating arm 36 moves to the jig 24 side, and step S
When it is detected in step S46 that the rotary arm 36 has retreated from above the pallet P due to this movement, the first camera 26 detects the part bn that the robot 22 should pick up in the next cycle in step S48. Simultaneously with capturing the image of , an operation for assembling this part b0 is executed in step S50.

Then, in step S52, image processing and conversion processing to the robot coordinate system are performed until the robot 22 picks up the part bn in the next cycle, and in step S54, the part position data in the part position data memory M is Part b to be picked up next in storage section bx.

Stores the position of.

It goes without saying that this invention is not limited to the configuration of the embodiments described above, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the robot 22 mounted on the shuttle 20 is described as being of the SCARA type, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration; It is also possible to employ robots of the type, vertically articulated type, and the like.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the shuttle base 1
Although the component supply mechanism disposed on both sides of the tape cassettes 70 and the carts 92 have been described, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. In addition, various work modules can be arranged. Note that these work modules include, for example, a caulking module, a screw tightening module, an attitude change module, an inspection/adjustment module, and the like. By adding these various work modules, the work object and work area of the present invention can be greatly expanded.

In this case, each work module is ready,
That is, the control mechanism 28 and This achieves the effect that communication means can be shared.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the robot 22 is
Although it has been described that the assembly work is performed using a stand, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and can be applied to, for example,
Two or more robots may be mounted on one rail, and each robot may perform assembly work.

In this case, the parts and assembly work that should be handled by the first robot and the parts and assembly work that should be handled by the second robot are different, and the parts and assembly work that should be handled by the first robot and the second robot are different. are set up so that they work in parallel with each other. In this way, the second robot receives the half-assembly that the first robot has finished working on, and further assembles parts to this half-assembly, thereby increasing the production capacity of the automatic assembly device 10. will be approximately doubled.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the automatic assembly device 10 was described as having one shuttle base 12, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and can be applied to this shuttle base. When connected continuously,
By adding another shuttle base, the movement stroke of the robot can be lengthened, thereby increasing the number of parts that can be handled and the number of tasks to be performed.

In addition, in the embodiment described above, the shuttle 20 is provided with three light receiving elements 88a to 88c for receiving light from the lamp 86 in the tape cassette 70, and is placed on one mounting table 84. Although the description has been made so that the light emitting state of each lamp 86 of a maximum of three tape cassettes 70 can be detected at once, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. A configuration including only 88 may be used.

In this case, the shuttle 20 is connected to each tape cassette 70.
The tape cassette 70 is stopped at a position corresponding to the tape cassette 70, and the light-emitting state of the lamp 86 provided in the tape cassette 70 is detected by the light-receiving element 88.

As detailed above, in this embodiment, the robot 22 and the first camera 26 are mounted,
The shuttle 20 running on the shuttle base 12 and the first
The automatic assembly device 10 is composed of the second parts supply mechanism 16, 18, and the control mechanism 28 that controls these parts. Therefore, in the cellular automatic assembly technology that handles a large number of parts, the robot 22 can control the parts. While performing assembly work,
The user moves to the next part to be handled where the supply preparation state of the part has been completed, and accesses the next part.

In this way, in this embodiment, it is possible to shorten the component supply preparation time, eliminate the need for the robot 22 to wait longer than this preparation time, and eliminate wasted time.

Further, in one embodiment of the above, the running shuttle 20
A large number of parts supply mechanisms are arranged on both sides of the travel path of the robot 22 mounted above so that the robot 22 can access them, and these parts supply mechanisms are detachable and replaceable. Even if a changeover occurs, the layout of the parts supply mechanism can be changed or the type of parts stored in each part supply mechanism can be changed, making it possible to easily change or add parts. It is something that can be played.

Furthermore, in an embodiment of
The camera 26 is configured to take an image of the arrangement state of the parts in the parts supply device, and the control mechanism 28 recognizes the arrangement state based on this imaging information, so that the pallet P that stores the parts can be The structure is simple, requiring only a partition wall to prevent overlapping or contact with neighboring parts, and it is possible to respond to drawing corrections and model changes in a short time and at low cost.

Further, in this embodiment, the first camera 26 is arranged above the robot 22 (in the sky) and is configured to move integrally with the robot 22 as the shuttle 20 travels. It is possible to recognize the arrangement state of parts on a large number of pallets P using only the control mechanism 28 having the platform frame and an image processing unit, and the robot 2
The coordinate systems of the first camera 2 and the first camera 26 only need to be calibrated once, making it possible to reduce the overall cost of the device and significantly reduce the cost of adjustments such as calibration work.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, the automatic assembly device according to the present invention includes a shuttle equipped with a robot, an assembly jig, and an imaging mechanism, a shuttle base having a trajectory on which the shuttle runs, and a first article feeding mechanism located on one side of the shuttle base, in which first articles are arranged on a plane, and replaceable with respect to the shuttle base; a second article is held therein, the second article being removable relative to the shuttle base;
and picking up first and second articles from the first and second article supply mechanisms based on image information captured by the imaging mechanism while the robot is traveling on the orbit, It is characterized by comprising a control rock for assembling a predetermined assembly.

Therefore, according to the present invention, there is provided an automatic assembly device that can respond to requests for parts replacement within a short time and without incurring costs, and is suitable for high-mix, low-volume production. Become.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an embodiment of an automatic assembly device according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a tape cassette in a first component supply mechanism and a mounting table on which it is placed. ; Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the cart in the second parts supply device and the mounting mechanism to which it is attached; Figure 4 is a plan view showing the configuration of the automatic assembly device of Figure 1; A plan view sequentially showing the operation of picking up and assembling; and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the control procedure of image reading in the control mechanism. In the figure, 10...Automatic assembly device, 12...Shuttle base, 16 (16a to 16I2)...-1st
Component supply mechanism, 18 (18a to 18j)...Second component supply mechanism, 20...Shuttle, 22...Robot, 24...Assembling jig, 26...First camera ,
28... Control mechanism, 70... Tape cassette, 92
...It's a cart.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A shuttle equipped with a robot, an assembly jig, and an imaging mechanism; a shuttle base having a trajectory on which the shuttle runs; a first article feeding mechanism in which articles are arranged and removable relative to the shuttle base; a second article supplying mechanism that is changeable;
and a control mechanism that picks up the first and second articles from the second article supply mechanism and assembles a predetermined assembly.