JPH0360622B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to an automatic workpiece return device for unmanned operation, which is capable of automatically returning a specific workpiece that has been processed during unmanned operation to a loading station.

<Conventional technology> In general, in machining systems capable of unmanned operation such as FMS, a number of buffer stations are provided to pool pallets conveyed from machine tools after machining, and when unmanned operation is completed, machining is completed. The completed pallet is placed on standby at a buffer station or machine tool.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> Therefore, in such a machining system, in order to remove and mount the workpiece after unmanned operation, the operator first moves the workpiece to be returned from the buffer station to the loading station. You have to start by recalling the palette.
Particularly when the workpiece is heavy, it takes a considerable amount of time to transport it from the buffer station to the loading station, and this waiting time has the problem of reducing work efficiency.

<Means for Solving the Problems> The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and includes an input means for instructing the work to be returned to the loading station in advance during unmanned operation, and A means for checking the workpieces that have been processed and arrived at the buffer station during operation and determining whether there is a workpiece instructed by the input means, and controlling the conveyance device to convey the corresponding workpiece pallet to the loading station. It is equipped with a conveyance control means.

<Examples> Examples of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 indicates a conveyance line along which a pallet P on which workpieces are installed is transferred by a conveyance truck 11, and along this conveyance line 10, a plurality of numerically controlled machine tools MT1, MT2, MT3 are arranged at intervals. It is arranged as follows. Each machine tool MT1~
MT3 has pallet loading and unloading devices PC1, PC2,
PC3 is equipped and these pallet loading/unloading devices are installed.
Pallets P to be processed are carried in from the transport vehicle 11 to the carry-in entrances of PC1 to PC3, and the pallets P that have been processed are transferred to the pallet carry-in/out device PC.
It is adapted to be carried out to the transport vehicle 11 from the carrying out ports of PCs 1 to PC3. A pallet inspection device 12 for reading the code given to the pallet P is provided on the conveyance vehicle 11.

Also, along the conveyance line 10, there are a plurality of loading stations LS1 to LS for loading and unloading workpieces onto the pallet P.
4 are arranged, and a large number of buffer stations BS1 to BS1 are provided for waiting pallets P to be processed or pallets P that have been processed.
BSn is installed.

Next, the configuration of the control device will be explained.
indicates a computer, and a magnetic disk 21 is connected to this computer 20. NC1,
NC2 and NC3 are numerical control devices provided corresponding to the machine tools MT1 to MT3, respectively. These numerical control devices NC1 to NC3 are connected to the computer 20 via an interface 22, and the computer 20 allows the Numerical control data is now transferred. Further, a conveyance control device 24 is connected to the computer 20 via an interface 23, and an operation panel 25 equipped with a CRT is also connected.

The transport control device 24 controls the transport of the pallets P by the transport vehicle 11, and controls the transport of the pallets P between the loading stations LS1 to LS4 and the buffer stations BS1 to BSn. station BS
The transfer of pallets P is controlled between each of machine tools MT1 to MT3.

That is, loading station LS1~
When the worker attaches a workpiece to the pallet P in the LS4, sets the type of workpiece on the operation panel 25, and operates the attachment completion button, the transfer control device 24 starts the transfer vehicle based on a command from the computer 20. 11 is positioned at the relevant loading station, and the pallet P is received into the conveyance vehicle 11. The pallet P supported on the carrier 11 is then inspected by the pallet inspection device 12.
The pallet number is measured at the loading station, and it is verified whether the detected pallet number matches the type of work set at the loading station, and if it is different, an abnormal signal is output and the pallet P is command to return to the loading station.

As described above, when the pallet P is carried into the transport vehicle 11, the computer 20 searches for empty buffer stations in descending order of numbers, positions the transport vehicle 11 at the corresponding buffer station, and then loads the pallet P into the buffer station. It will be transported to the first station and will wait there.

When each of the machine tools MT1 to MT3 issues a request to the computer 20 to carry in a pallet P,
The computer 20 searches the buffer station for a pallet P to be carried into the machine tool, and controls the transfer control device 24 to transfer the pallet P to the machine tool.
are transported from the buffer station to the entrance of the corresponding machine tool by the carrier 11. The pallet P carried into the loading entrance is then transferred to the machine tools MT1 to MT1 by the pallet transport and loading devices PC1 to PC3.
After the pallet P in MT3 has been processed and taken out, it is carried into the machine tools MT1 to MT3 and processing is started.

When the machining is completed by each of the machine tools MT1 to MT3 and the pallet P is carried out to the outlet by the pallet loading/unloading devices PC1 to PC3, the computer 2
0, the empty buffer stations are searched in descending order of numbers, and the pallets P carried out to the carrying out port are loaded into the corresponding buffer station by the transport carriage 11.
transported by.

In addition, the loading stations LS1 to LS
4, when the operator sets the type of workpiece on the operation panel 25 and operates the return button, the computer 20 searches for the corresponding pallet P from the buffer station and controls the conveyance control device 24 to select the corresponding pallet P. A pallet P is transported from a buffer station to a loading station by a transport vehicle 11.

Loading station LS1 like this
Pallet P with workpiece attached in LS4
are transported to buffer stations BS1 to BSn and put on standby, and these buffer stations BS1
- Transported from BSn to machine tools MT1 to MT3. However, the pallet P that has been processed by machine tools MT1 to MT3 is returned to the buffer station again.
It is transported to BS1 to BSn and placed on standby, and then returned to buffer stations BS1 to BSn by the operator's return command.
Loading station LS1~LS4 from BSn
These loading stations
At LS1 to LS4, the workpieces that have been processed are removed from the pallet P, and new unprocessed workpieces are attached.

In this case, if the workpiece is machined using multiple machine tools, or if it is machined in two stages: rough machining and finishing machining, the unloading process from each machine tool MT1 to MT3 is The pallet P is once transported to a buffer station, and then transported to a predetermined machine tool again.

By the way, in order to transport the pallet P that has completed all processing to the loading station, in case of unmanned operation, the operator must use the computer 2 in advance.
By returning to 0 and specifying the work, the corresponding pallet can be automatically returned to the loading station.

The automatic work return function during unmanned operation will be explained below.

A return work table shown in FIG. 2 is registered in the internal memory of the computer 20 or the magnetic disk 21. On this table, as many workpieces as there are loading stations can be set to be returned, and in the workpiece type column of this table, the part number or pallet number of the workpiece to be returned is set, and the entry flag is set. 1 is set in the column.

The flowchart in FIG. 3 shows the processing operation, and the program is started by interrupts at fixed time intervals. First, in step 31, it is determined whether the operation mode is unmanned or not. If the operation mode is unmanned, the process moves to the next step 32, and if the operation mode is manned, the program returns. In step 32, loading stations LS1 to LS4 are selected. It is determined whether or not there is space, and if there is space, it is determined in the next step 33 whether or not the entry flag of the return work table stored in memory is set to 1. 1 is set, in step 34 the pallet P for which all machining has been completed is searched from the buffer stations BS1 to BSn, and then in step 35 the returned work, that is, the entry frame is searched among the pallets P searched. It is determined whether or not there is a pallet corresponding to the type of workpiece for which 1 is set in the toggle. However, if there is return work,
In step 36, transport data for automatically returning the pallet P from the buffer station to the loading station is set, and then in step 37, the transport data is transferred to the transport control device 24 to automatically return the specified workpiece. executed. Thereafter, in step 38, the entry flag of the automatically returned work is reset to 0.

In this way, a specific workpiece specified in advance before the start of unmanned operation can be automatically returned from the buffer station to the loading station after machining is completed, and as a result, the next morning after unmanned operation, the worker can return to the loading station. At LS1 to LS4, the work can be started by removing the workpieces that have been processed from the pallet P, and the conventional waiting time for calling the required pallet P back to the loading station can be eliminated.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, the present invention specifies the workpiece to be returned to the loading station before starting unmanned operation, and automatically transports the designated workpiece that has been processed to the loading station during unmanned operation. Therefore, at the end of unmanned operation, the worker can start the work by removing the workpiece from the pallet that has been returned to the loading station. This eliminates the work of returning the required pallet to the loading station, which has the effect of improving work efficiency. There is.

Moreover, in the present invention, since the work specified in advance is returned to the loading station, it is also possible to perform production control according to the priority order of work after unmanned operation.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 1 shows the overall configuration of the processing system together with a control circuit, Fig. 2 shows a return work table, and Fig. 3 shows an example of the present invention.
The figure is a diagram showing a flowchart. 10... Conveyance line, 11... Conveyance truck, 20
...Computer, 24...Transfer control device, 25...
...Operation panel, MT1~MT3...Machine tool, LS1~
LS4...Loading station, BS1~
BSn... Buffer station, P... Palette.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of loading stations that load and unload workpieces onto pallets corresponding to the transport route, a plurality of machine tools that process the workpieces on the pallets that have been carried in, and a machine tool that carries the workpieces to the machine tools for processing. a plurality of buffer stations for waiting pallets to be processed and pallets discharged from the machine tool after processing, and transporting the pallets between each of the machine tools, a loading station, and the buffer station; In a processing system capable of unmanned operation, which includes a transfer device movably provided on the transfer path, and a computer that controls these machine tools and the transfer device, the workpiece to be returned to the loading station is placed in advance during unmanned operation. input means for instructing; means for checking workpieces that have been processed and arrived at the buffer station during unmanned operation to determine whether there is a workpiece instructed by the input means; and input means for inputting the corresponding workpiece pallet to the loading station A workpiece automatic return device in unmanned operation, comprising: a conveyance control means for controlling the conveyance device so as to convey the workpiece.