JPH04250190A - Seat assembling method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow the precise assembling by a robot by dividing a hook by two colors at the time of mutually engaging a pair of hooks provided on the mouth part of a surface skin covering a seat back to close the mouth part so that confirming points by two cameras can be easily conformed to each other. CONSTITUTION:In a seat assembly body 13, a pair of hooks 14, 15 which are mutually engaged to close the mouth part 12a of a surface skin are mounted on the mouth part 12a. The upper hook 14 is divided into the base side and the top side by two colors, for example, a white part 14a and a black part 14b. When the image of the hook 14 picked up by two cameras 40, 41 is made binary by an image processing device, a boundary 14c is clearly appeared. The three-dimensional position of the hook 14 is determined from the output of the image processing device, the nipping data of operating orbit is corrected on the basis of this position information to operate a robot 30, and the hook 14 is engaged with a claw member 34 held by the top end of an arm and engaged with the other hook 15.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for assembling a seat in which a pair of hooks provided at the opening of a bag-shaped skin placed over a seat pad are engaged to automatically close the opening.

0002

[Prior Art] Conventionally, in order to assemble this type of seat,
Generally, as shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, a pair of wires 3 are sewn facing each other around the opening 2a of the skin 2 placed on the seat pad 1 (FIG. 17), and then the wires 3 are sewn onto the support base 4. After setting, a tool 5 called a hog ringer (FIG. 18) was used to connect the pair of wires 3 with a C-shaped ring 6 to close the opening 2a of the skin 2 (FIG. 19). However, according to this method, it is necessary to hold the skin 2 at multiple places with the tool 5 while pulling it, which results in poor workability.Furthermore, it is difficult to pull the cover 5 uniformly, and wrinkles are likely to occur in the cover. There was a problem.

[0003] For example, Utility Model Application No. 62-181264
As shown in FIG. 20, the publication discloses a technique in which a pair of hooks 7 are attached around the opening 2a of the skin 2 that covers the seat pad 1, and the hooks 7 are engaged with each other to close the opening 2a. It is shown. According to such a technique, the opening of the epidermis 2 can be closed at once by the engagement of the hooks 7, so that the above-mentioned problem can be solved.

0004

By the way, the skin of this type of sheet is made of woven fabric, nonwoven fabric, etc., and has considerable flexibility. Therefore, even if an attempt is made to automatically close the mouth of the skin by engaging the hooks 7 using a robot, the position of the mouth may not remain constant depending on the degree of expansion and contraction of the skin when placed over the seat pad. Furthermore, even when trying to detect the position of the hook with a camera, it is not possible to detect it accurately due to differences in the hook's posture, making it extremely difficult to use robots, and much of the work must be done manually. I was in an unavoidable situation.

The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its purpose is to provide a sheet that can automatically close the opening of the epidermis using a robot. The purpose is to provide an assembly method.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention automatically closes the opening by engaging a pair of hooks provided at the mouth of a bag-like skin covering a seat pad. In the closing seat assembly method, at least one of the hooks is color-coded into two colors, and after positioning and holding the seat pad covered with the skin in advance on a holding base, two cameras are used to detect the boundary line between the two colors of the hook. Intersect parts 2
The image signal of the camera is sent to an image processing device to determine the three-dimensional position of the hook in the robot coordinate system, and based on this three-dimensional position information, the gripping data of the motion trajectory stored in the robot is After applying the correction, the robot is operated to engage the claw member at the end of its arm with one of the hooks, move it to the engagement position with respect to the other hook, and then use the pushing means to engage the claw member with the other hook. The present invention is characterized in that both hooks are engaged by pushing the hook into the engagement position.

[0007]

[Operation] In the seat assembly method configured as described above, by color-coding the hooks into two colors and photographing the boundary line between the color-coding, it is possible to easily match the recognition points by the two cameras. This makes it possible to accurately grasp the three-dimensional position of the hook. Therefore, if the position data stored in the robot is corrected based on the obtained three-dimensional position information, it is possible to accurately move one hook to the engagement position with respect to the other hook by the movement of the robot, and then Both hooks can be reliably engaged by the pushing operation of the pushing means.

[0008]

【Example】
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 and 2 show the overall structure of a seat assembly apparatus for carrying out the method of the present invention. In both figures, 21 is a rotary table, and the rotary table 21 includes a motor, rotation indexing means, etc. (not shown).
It is designed to be rotationally driven by a drive device 22 that has a built-in drive unit. A bag-shaped skin 12 is placed on the seat pad 11 at a position dividing the circumferential direction of the rotary table 21 into three equal parts.
A support base 23 is provided for supporting the seat subassembly 13 which is covered with a seat subassembly 13. Each support stand 23 has a support surface 23a that slopes downward toward the center of rotation of the rotary table 21, and a support plate 24 that supports the seat subassembly 13 on the support surface 23a and one end of the seat subassembly 13. Gripping tool 2 that holds the from above and below
5. The seat subassembly 13 is secured to its outer skin 1 by these support plates 24 and gripping tools 25.
The mouth part 12a of 2 is supported so as to face obliquely upward.

The seat subassembly 13 becomes a seat back for a vehicle when the opening 12a of the outer skin 12 is closed, and as shown in FIG. 3, the opening 12a of the outer skin 12 has: A pair of hooks 14, 15 are attached that engage with each other to close the mouth 12a. A pushing device 26 is also disposed on the support base 23 and located below the support plate 24 . This pushing device 26 has a function of pushing the lower hook 15, which is supported on the support base 23, into an engagement position with the upper hook 14, which will be described later, and includes a bracket fixed to the support base 23. 27 and a roller 29 attached to the output shaft end of the cylinder 28.

On the other hand, around the rotary table 21, there is an assembly robot 3 that performs assembly work on the seat subassembly 13 on the support base 23 to complete the seat back.
A handling robot 3 takes out the completed seat back from the support stand 23 and delivers it to the conveyor 32.
1 are arranged at predetermined intervals. Assembly robot 3
0 has the support stand 23 at the tip of its multi-jointed arm 33.
It is provided with a claw member 34 that can engage with the upper hook 14 when it is supported above. Also, rotary table 2
A carry-in space 35 is provided around the seat subassembly 13 for setting the seat subassembly 13 on the support stand 23.
A worker 36 is placed in this carry-in space 35 (FIG. 2). This loading space 35 and two robots 30
, 31 are arranged at three equal positions in the circumferential direction of the rotary table 21, and each support stand 2 on the rotary table 21
3 is arbitrarily determined with respect to the loading space 35 and the two robots 30 and 31 by an indexing means built into the drive device 22. Note that the work space around the rotary table 21 is surrounded by a safety fence 37.

Furthermore, two cameras 40 and 41 are arranged above the rotary table 21. Each camera 40,
41 is the subassembly body 1 supported on the support stand 23
They are arranged so that they can be aimed at the hook 14 on the upper side of 3 from directions perpendicular to each other. Image signals from these two cameras 40 and 41 are sent to an image processing device 43 attached to a control device 42 of the robot 30, as shown in FIG. The image processing device 43 has a function of grasping the three-dimensional position and orientation of the hook 14 in the coordinate system of the robot 30 based on the image signal of the camera, while the robot control device 42 has a function of grasping the three-dimensional position and posture of the hook 14 in the coordinate system of the robot 30. It additionally has a function of correcting the teaching data of the motion locus stored in advance based on the signal sent from 43. Note that 44 is a monitor connected to the image processing device 43, 45 is an operation panel connected to the robot control device 42, and 46 is a teaching box also connected to the robot control device 42.

By the way, when determining the three-dimensional position of the hook 14 using two cameras 40 and 41, for example, as shown in FIG. Recognition point b by
The three-dimensional position of the hook 14 cannot be determined accurately.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the upper hook 14 provided at the mouth 12a of the epidermis 12 is connected to the white portion 14a on the base side and the distal side.
The black part 14b is divided into two colors, and two cameras 40 and 41 are placed above the boundary line 14c between these colors.
The recognition points are now matched. By color-coding the hook 14 into two colors in this way, when the image of the hook 14 taken by the two cameras 40 and 41 is binarized by the image processing device 43, the binarized image is shown in FIG. As such, the bright field A corresponding to the white part 14a of the hook 14 and the dark field B corresponding to the black part 14b come to appear clearly. Therefore, the two recognition points P1 and P2 on the color-coded boundary line 14c of the hook 14 are now
(Fig. 8) in advance, and connect the two cameras 40.
, 41, these two recognition points P1 and P2 are photographed, and the position information is combined to create each recognition point P1.
, P2, and by connecting the three-dimensional positions of the respective recognition points P1, P2, the three-dimensional position of the hook 14 can be accurately determined. Note that the hook 14 may be placed upside down as shown in FIG. 9, or with the seat pad 11 turned upside down as shown in FIG.
It may be in a state where it is raised significantly. In this case, each binarized image has bright field A and dark field B reversed as shown in FIG. 11, or only dark field B as shown in FIG. The attitude of the hook 14 can also be grasped. The image processing device 43 has a function of grasping the three-dimensional position and orientation of the hook 14 in this manner.

The operation of the seat assembly apparatus constructed as described above will be explained below.

When assembling the seat, carry-in space 35
, the worker 36 applies the skin 1 to the seat pad 11 in advance.
The seat subassembly body 13 made up of the two covers is set on the support stand 23 on the rotary table 21. At the same time as this setting is completed, the rotary table 21 is rotated by the drive means 22, and the support base 23 is moved to a position corresponding to the assembly robot 30.
is determined. Next, the upper hook 14 is photographed by the two cameras 40 and 41 centering on the color-coded boundary line 14c, and the image signal is sent to the image processing device 43. The image processing device 43 determines the three-dimensional positions of the two recognition points P1 and P2 on the color-coded line 14c of the hook 14 based on this image signal, and connects the three-dimensional positions of the recognition points P1 and P2 to form the hook. 1
Find the three-dimensional position of 4. At this time, if it is confirmed from the binarized image in the image processing device 43 that the hook 14 is in an upside down state (FIG. 9) or a lifted state (FIG. 10), a signal from the image processing device 43 is sent. The robot control device 42 is activated, the robot 30 is started, and its arm 33 moves according to the teaching contents.
The claw member 34 at the tip of the arm performs a rough sweeping motion from above to below, thereby bringing the hook 14 into its normal position. After that, the two cameras 40 and 41 are used to connect the hook 14 again.
is photographed, and its three-dimensional position is determined by the image processing device 43.

When the three-dimensional position of the hook 14 is determined as described above, the image processing device 43 sends a message to the robot controller 4.
2, and the robot control device 42 modifies the pre-stored teaching data. That is, as shown in FIG. 15, for example, the teaching data of the motion trajectory stored in advance on the premise that the standard hook position is P is
X → Y → Z, and if the hook position grasped based on the camera image signal is P' as shown in FIG. →Correct Y´→Z. In order to make it easier to understand, the actual movement trajectory has been simplified and explained here, but more detailed trajectory data including the movement trajectory before and after the engagement position Y will be taught and corrected. Of course it's a good thing. Thereafter, the robot 30 is moved, and as shown in FIG.
and subsequently moves it along the front side of the seat pad 11 to the back side thereof. When the upper hook 14 is moved to a predetermined engagement position by the claw member 34, the cylinder 28 of the pushing device 26 is activated, and the lower hook 14 is moved by the roller 29, as shown in FIG.
5 is pushed into the engagement position, and both hooks 14 and 15 are engaged. At this time, the lower hook 15 has a notch 15a that allows the claw member 34 of the robot 30 to escape, as shown in FIG.
are provided, so that both hooks can surely engage with the claw member 34 without interfering with it.

Note that after the engagement of both hooks 14 and 15 is completed, the arm 33 of the robot 30 returns to its original position, the rotary table 21 rotates, and the support base 23 is divided into a position corresponding to the handling robot 31. The robot 3
1, the seat back as a completed product on the support stand 23 is transferred to the conveyor 32. During this time, another support stand 23 on which the seat subassembly body 13 has been set is indexed to the assembly robot 30, while a worker 36 in the carry-in space 35 places a new seat subassembly body 13 on the support stand 23. and while the rotary table 21 rotates at a predetermined timing in this way,
The sheets are assembled one after another and then transported out.

[0018]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above in detail, according to the sheet assembly method according to the present invention, the three-dimensional position of the hook can be accurately grasped by photographing with a camera, so that it can be automatically assembled using a robot. This made it possible to close the opening of the epidermis, greatly contributing to improved productivity and labor savings.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an apparatus for carrying out a seat assembly method according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an apparatus for carrying out the seat assembly method according to the invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a seat subassembly to be assembled in the present assembly method.

FIG. 4 is a system diagram showing the main parts of the device.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a defective image taken by the camera when determining the three-dimensional position of the hook.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a hook to be assembled in the present assembly method.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a hook to be assembled in the present assembly method.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a binarized image of a hook in the present assembly method.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an abnormal posture of the hook.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the abnormal posture of the hook.

11 is a schematic diagram showing a binarized image in the abnormal posture of the hook shown in FIG. 9; FIG.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a binarized image of the hook in the abnormal posture shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an intermediate process of the present assembly method.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing an intermediate process of the present assembly method.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the teaching content of the robot in the present assembly method.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the content of correction in the present assembly method.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing an example of a seat subassembly that is an object to be assembled in a conventional seat assembly method.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a conventional seat assembly method.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a seat back assembled using a conventional seat assembly method.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing another example of a seat subassembly to be assembled in a conventional seat assembly method. 11 Seat pad 12 Outer skin 13 Seat subassembly 14 Hook 14c Boundary line 15 Hook 23 Support stand 26 Pushing device 30 Robot 33 Robot arm 34 Claw member 40 Camera 41 Camera 42 Robot control device

43 Image processing device

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A seat assembly method that automatically closes a pair of hooks provided at the mouth of a bag-like skin placed over a seat pad by engaging them, the method comprising: After positioning and holding the seat pad, which has been color-coded and covered with skin in advance, on a support base, two cameras are used to take pictures of the two-colored border areas of the hooks from two directions that intersect with each other. The image signal of the camera is sent to the image processing device to obtain the three-dimensional position of the hook in the robot coordinate system, and based on this three-dimensional position information, correction is made to the clamping data of the motion trajectory stored in the robot. The robot is operated to engage the claw member at the tip of its arm with one of the hooks, move it to the engagement position with respect to the other hook, and then push the other hook into the engagement position using the pushing means. A method for assembling a seat, which is characterized by pushing it in until the end of the seat and engaging both hooks.