JPH05293745A - Conveyance control method for automatic conveyance system and conveyance control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform conveyance of an object to be conveyed and to improve conveyance efficiency by a method wherein even when the receiving part of equipment at a conveyance destination is not empty, when an exchangeable condition is established, the object to be conveyed is conveyed from equipment at a conveyance origin to equipment at a conveyance destination, where it is exchanged with an object to be conveyed at the equipment at a convey ance destination. CONSTITUTION:When a receiving condition is established, an exchange condition whether an object to be conveyed on the upper stream side at equipment at conveyance origin for an object to be conveyed a receiving condition for which is established forms equipment at a conveyance destination is present in stored objects to be conveyed is decided at a step 8. When an exchange condition is established, an exchange condition is repeatedly decided in a similar manner described above at a step 8 in relation of an object to be conveyed on the upper stream side. When an exchange condition is not established, an object to be conveyed an exchange condition for which is finally not established is exchanged with an object to be conveyed present at the equipment at a conveyance destination. In an order reverse to an order in which an exchange condition is canceled, an exchange work is repeated. An object to be conveyed a receivable condition for which is finally established is conveyed, to equipment at a conveyance destination.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transport control method and a transport control device for an automatic transport system having a plurality of facilities and a transport device for transporting an object to be transported between the plurality of facilities.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Automatic transfer systems are widely used in manufacturing lines. For these automatic transport systems,
Some are configured by a plurality of equipment groups, a mobile manipulator that conveys an object to be transported between these equipment groups, and a computer that is connected to these equipment groups and the like via a communication line. In addition, a plurality of equipment groups, a carrier truck for transporting an object to be transported, a fixed manipulator provided in each facility for transferring a transported article from the carrier truck to a receiving portion of the facility, each equipment group and a carrier truck, etc. There is also a system that is configured by a computer connected via a communication line. Further, there is also a system including a plurality of equipment groups, a carriage, and a manipulator in front of the equipment.

In these automatic transfer systems, the transferred object is transferred only when the transferred object receiving portion of the transfer destination equipment is empty. If there is an object to be transported in the destination equipment,
First, the transported object of the transport destination equipment is transported to the facility where the transported object receiving section is empty, and the transported object receiving section is set to an empty state, and then the transported object of the transport source equipment is transported.
In these automatic transfer systems, basically, unless the receiving part of the transfer destination equipment is vacant, the transfer of the transferred object is not performed, so that the transferred object is stagnant and the manufacturing line does not flow smoothly.

Therefore, in the automatic carrying system disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-303736, a buffer for temporarily storing the object to be carried is prepared so that the same kind of processing can be performed in the manufacturing line. The number of processing equipments and the number of empty pre-equipment buffers are counted by a computer and stored, and it is judged whether or not they can be carried.

[0005]

However, in such a conventional automatic transfer system, if the receiving part of the transfer destination equipment is not vacant, the object to be transferred is less likely to be stagnant. Use a manipulator etc. to transfer the object to be transferred from the equipment to the temporary storage location,
After emptying the receiving part of the transfer destination equipment, it is necessary to return to the transfer source equipment and transfer the target transfer object to the transfer destination, and the mobile manipulator and the like make unnecessary movements.
There is a problem that the transported object cannot be efficiently transported.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to such a conventional problem, and when the receiving part of the destination equipment is not vacant, the object to be transported is not required even if there is no temporary storage place. It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic transfer system and a transfer control method capable of efficiently transferring sheets.

[0007]

A conveyance control method of an automatic conveyance system for achieving the above-mentioned object is to grasp a progress degree of an object to be conveyed based on information sent from a plurality of equipments, The destination equipment of the transported object is extracted from among the equipment, and the acceptable condition whether the transported object receiving portion of the extracted destination equipment accepts the transported object is extracted. When it is determined based on the information from the destination equipment, and the acceptable condition is not satisfied, the to-be-delivered object, the to-be-delivered equipment, and the to-be-delivered equipment and the destination equipment are stored. If the acceptance condition is satisfied, it is stored that the upstream-side transported object having the transport-source equipment as the transport-destination equipment of the transported object for which the acceptable condition is satisfied is waiting. In the transported object There, and determines an exchangeable condition of whether the quantity of the upstream-side conveying object which is stored as is waiting is less than the maximum acceptance volume of the transport device,
If the exchangeable condition is satisfied, the upstream side conveyed object for which the exchangeable condition is satisfied is similarly repeatedly determined sequentially, and when the exchangeable condition is not satisfied, or is satisfied. If not, finally, with respect to the transferred object for which the exchangeable condition is not satisfied, the transferred object is transferred to the transfer destination equipment by the transfer device, and the transferred object and the mounting device in the transfer destination equipment are transferred. Perform an exchange work of exchanging, and repeat the exchange work in the order opposite to the order in which the exchangeable condition is determined until the transferred object having the acceptable condition is received by the transfer device by the exchange work. It is characterized in that the object to be conveyed, which is finally satisfied, is conveyed to the destination equipment.

Further, another transfer control method of an automatic transfer system for achieving the above object is a method in which a plurality of different objects to be transferred can be simultaneously transferred from a specific equipment of the plurality of equipment to another equipment. As a basis for collectively transporting a plurality of different conveyed objects, a plurality of the conveyed objects and the specific equipment and the other equipment are stored in advance, and a plurality of stored objects are collectively stored and conveyed. When a transfer request is issued from the specific equipment for all of the objects to be transferred, the plurality of objects to be transferred are transferred to the objects receiving section of the other equipment that is the destination of the plurality of objects to be transferred. It is determined whether or not there is a receiving portion, and when there is the receiving portion, the plurality of objects to be transported are collectively transported from the specific facility to the other facility by the transport device at the same time. To do .

[0009]

First, the degree of progress of the transported object is grasped based on the information sent from the plurality of facilities, and the destination equipment of the transported object is extracted from the plurality of facilities. The acceptability condition determination means determines the acceptability condition of whether there is a part to receive the transported object in the transported object receiving part of the extracted transport destination equipment, based on the information from the extracted transport destination equipment, and the acceptable condition If the condition is not satisfied, it is determined that the transported object is on standby, and the transported object and the transport source equipment and the transport destination equipment are stored in the transport source transport destination registration table.

When the acceptable condition is satisfied, the exchangeable condition determining means waits for the upstream-side transferred object whose transfer source equipment is the transfer source equipment of the transferred object for which the acceptable condition is satisfied. The exchangeable condition is determined whether the quantity of the upstream side conveyed object stored in the conveyed object stored as is and less than the maximum accepted quantity of the conveying device is stored. .. If this exchangeable condition is satisfied, the exchangeable condition is sequentially repeated in the same manner for the upstream side conveyed object for which the exchangeable condition is satisfied. When the exchangeable condition is not met,
Otherwise, if the exchangeable condition is not finally satisfied, the transferred object is transferred to the transfer destination equipment by the transfer device, and the transferred object and the placement device in the transfer destination equipment are transferred. Perform the exchange work of exchanging with, and carry out the exchange work in the order opposite to the order in which the exchangeable condition is judged until the transferred object for which the acceptable condition is satisfied is accepted by the transfer device by the exchange work. Finally, the transported object for which the acceptable condition is satisfied is transported to the transport destination equipment.

That is, even if the receiving part of the destination equipment is not empty, if the exchangeable condition is satisfied, the object to be transported is transported from the source equipment to the destination equipment, and there is a target in the destination equipment there. By exchanging the object to be conveyed, the object to be conveyed can be conveyed, so that the conveying efficiency can be improved.

Further, when there are a plurality of different objects to be conveyed that can be simultaneously conveyed from a specific piece of equipment to another piece of equipment, the plurality of objects to be conveyed and the specific pieces of equipment and other pieces of equipment are stored. First of all, regarding all of the plurality of conveyed objects stored as those to be collectively conveyed,
When a transport request is issued from a specific facility, it is determined whether or not the plurality of transport target receiving portions of another facility, which is the transport destination of the plurality of transport targets, have a plurality of transport target receiving portions.

When the object receiving portion of the other equipment has a receiving portion, the plurality of objects are collectively conveyed from the specific equipment to the other equipment by the carrier device. As described above, when a plurality of objects to be transferred can be simultaneously transferred, the plurality of objects to be transferred can be simultaneously transferred at the same time, so that the transfer efficiency can be improved.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. For example, as shown in FIG.
In a thin-film product manufacturing line, equipment that performs the same type of processing is called a cell, and is composed of multiple cells. Products are transferred between cells using an inter-cell transfer system. As shown in FIG. 3, each cell is processing equipment 7, 8 for performing main processing in the cell, auxiliary equipment 4, 5, 6 additionally required for performing main processing, and transportation equipment. It is composed of a mobile manipulator 3 and an automatic warehouse 2. Since thin film products have many manufacturing processes and the same equipment is used in different manufacturing processes, there are various product transfer flows in the cell, and the progress of semi-finished products processed in the equipment is also different. It is various.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a transfer control device when the present invention is applied to a cell of a thin film manufacturing line.
The transfer control device 10 of the present embodiment includes an automatic warehouse 2, an equipment 4,
The equipment 5, the equipment 6, the equipment 7, and the equipment 8 are connected to the mobile manipulator 3 by a communication line. The equipment 4 and equipment 5, and the equipment 6 and equipment 7 are equipments that perform the same type of processing. However,
The present invention is a transport control method that does not depend on the number of facilities.
The transfer control device 10 includes a simultaneous transfer table 11, a non-replaceable equipment table 12, and a transfer source transfer destination reservation table 1.
3, a transport source transport destination registration table 14, a transport command selection rule 15, a processing unit 16 that performs various processes such as registration in various table registrations and contents registered in various tables, various equipment, and the like. A communication unit 17 for communicating with
Is configured.

The simultaneous transfer table 11 is, for example, the equipment 8
When there are a plurality of objects to be transferred a and b that can be collectively transferred from the automatic warehouse 2 to the automatic warehouse 2, as shown in FIG. 6, these objects to be transferred a and b, and the corresponding equipment 8 and the automatic warehouse. 2 is a table in which 2 is registered. The non-replaceable equipment table 12 is, for example, when the articles g and h to be conveyed are conveyed from the conveyance source equipment 7 to the conveyance destination equipment 8 by the movable manipulator 3 to the conveyance objects g and h and the conveyance destination equipment 8. When it is not possible to exchange the transported object that it has, as shown in FIG.
The transported objects g and h, the transport source equipment 7 and the transport destination equipment 8
This is a table for registering and.

The transfer source transfer destination reservation table 13 has, for example, a plurality of objects to be transferred a and b which can be collectively transferred from the equipment 8 to the automated warehouse 2, and the processing of the object a to be transferred is completed in the equipment 8. 7 is a table for registering an object to be transferred a, the equipment 8 that is the equipment for the transportation thereof, and the automated warehouse 2 that is the equipment for the transportation thereof, as shown in FIG. That is, when none of the transported objects a and b that can be collectively transported is registered in the table 13, one process is completed in the equipment 8 and the transportation request is sent from the equipment 8. It is a table in which the transported object a and the like are registered when there is.

The transfer source transfer destination registration table 14 is shown in FIG. 14 when the transfer object receiving part of the transfer destination equipment for the transfer object for which transfer is requested is not more than the transfer number (when the receiving condition is not satisfied). As shown in FIG. 5, the table is for registering the transport source equipment and the transport destination equipment corresponding to the transported object. Therefore, it means that the transported object registered here is in the transportation waiting state. The transfer instruction selection rule 15 is a rule indicating which one of a plurality of transferred objects should be transferred preferentially, a processing completion order of transferred objects, and which of a plurality of facilities should be used preferentially. Etc. is a registered table.

Next, the operation of the transfer control device 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. It should be noted that the transported objects in the following description are an aggregate of a plurality of products of the same type and subjected to the same processing, and the types and processing of the products are different for each transported object.

When the transported object is stored in the automated warehouse 2, the transport control device 10 informs the automated warehouse 2 that the transported object has been stored, the type of the transported object, and the processing contents performed until the transportation. And (step 1). Since the content of the transported object is known from the received information, the transportation control device 10 creates a transportation flow corresponding thereto (step 2). FIG. 5 shows an example of the transport flow of the transported object. In this transfer flow, the transferred object is transferred from the automated warehouse 2 to the facility 4 or the facility 5 and processed, and then transported to the facility 6 or the facility 7, and then processed, and then transported to the facility 8. Then, after the processing is completed, the flow returns to the automatic warehouse 2. Here, it is assumed that the equipment 4 and the equipment 5, and the equipment 6 and the equipment 7 can perform the same type of treatment on the transported object, and that either equipment can be selected. ..

At the time of creating a transfer flow (step 2), when there are a plurality of objects to be transferred from one facility to another at the same time, as shown in FIG. The transport source equipment and the transport destination equipment corresponding to these transported objects are registered. Further, at this time, when the maximum number of movable manipulators 3 to be received (here, two) is the same as the number of conveyed object groups, as shown in FIG. The corresponding transfer source equipment and transfer destination equipment are registered in the non-replaceable equipment table 12.

In the manufacturing line, objects to be conveyed having different conveying flows are present on the processing equipment with different degrees of progress. The equipment state change of each equipment is reported from each equipment to the transfer control device 10 through the communication line (step 3). The transfer control device 10 grasps the progress of the transfer flow of each transferred object based on the change in the equipment state (step 4). When a transfer request for an object to be transferred is issued from the equipment, the next destination equipment is determined according to the progress of the transfer flow (step 5). For example, when the transfer request for the transferred object a that has been processed in the equipment 8 is reported from the equipment 8 to the transfer control device 10, the transfer control device 10 grasps the progress status of the transfer flow, and then the transfer destination. The automatic warehouse 2 that becomes

Next, when there is a set of objects to be transferred collectively from the transfer source equipment to the transfer destination equipment at the time of inputting to the manufacturing line, that is, the transfer objects to be collectively transferred to the simultaneous transfer table 11 are transferred. Is registered, it is determined whether or not any one of the objects to be transferred of this group is registered in the transfer destination transfer destination reservation table 13 (step 6). If not registered, the transported object for which the transport request has been made earlier is registered in the transport source transport destination reservation table 13. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the simultaneous transfer table 11 is registered so as to collectively transfer the transferred object a and the transferred object b from the transfer source facility 8 to the automated warehouse 2 which is the transfer destination facility. Therefore, when the transported object a and the transported object b are not in the transport source transport destination reservation table 13, the transport object a is registered in the transport source transport destination reservation table as shown in FIG.

Further, one of the objects to be conveyed in the group of objects to be conveyed at the same time is already registered in the conveyance source conveyance destination reservation table 13, and a conveyance request is made to the other conveyance object. That is, if there is a transport request for any of the transported objects for the group of transported objects that are collectively transported at the same time, it is assumed that the collective transportation condition is satisfied, and the process proceeds to the next step. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the simultaneous transfer table 11 is configured to simultaneously transfer the transferred object a and the transferred object b together from the transfer source facility 8 to the automated warehouse 2 which is the transfer destination facility. When the transfer source facility 8 completes the processing of the transfer target b and issues a transfer request when the transfer target a is registered in the transfer source transfer destination reservation table 13 and is registered. It is treated as if the condition for simultaneously transporting the transported object a and the transported object b from the transport source facility 8 to the automated warehouse 2 is satisfied.

When there is no object to be transferred from the transfer source equipment to the transfer destination equipment at the same time when the production line is input, or when all of the transfer objects to be collectively conveyed at the same time are prepared, the transfer destination equipment is transferred. It is judged whether or not the acceptability condition is satisfied, that is, whether or not there are more than the number of items to be conveyed in the conveyed item receiving section (step 7). The original transport destination registration table 14 is registered. If there are a plurality of destination equipments capable of performing the same type of processing, all the destination equipments are registered in the destination transport destination registration table 14. For example, FIG. 8 is an example of a transport source transport destination registration table. The transported object 30 on the equipment 4 is registered in the equipment 6 and the equipment 7 as a destination equipment. This is because the equipment 6 and the equipment 7 can perform the same type of processing, and thus are all registered.
The transported object 40 is registered to be transported from the facility 6 to the facility 8.

If the acceptability condition is met in step 7, it is judged whether or not the exchangeable condition is met (step 8). Here, the exchangeable condition is a transfer source transfer destination registration table 14 in which the transfer target device is the transfer source device of the transfer target object for which the acceptability condition is satisfied.
Is present in the non-replaceable equipment table 12.
Note that the exchangeable condition is satisfied means that when the transported object for which the acceptable condition is satisfied is transported, the transportation source facility of the transported object waits one step upstream with the transported object. It means that the transported manipulator 2 (the transported object registered in the transport source transport destination registration table 14) can be exchanged using the movable manipulator 2.
Therefore, even an object to be transferred for which the acceptable condition is not satisfied can be transferred at the transfer destination facility under the condition of exchange.

If the exchangeable condition is satisfied, it is successively determined whether or not the exchangeable condition is further satisfied with respect to the transported object on the upstream side of one process. When the exchangeable condition is not met,
The order opposite to the order in which the conditions are met, that is, the transported object of the transport source equipment that was last satisfied is transported to the transport destination equipment, the transport target equipment is replaced, and the transported transport target object is replaced. Repeating the movement and the exchange of the transported object according to the transport destination, a transportation command is generated to transport the transported object for which the acceptable condition is finally satisfied to the transportation destination equipment (step 9).

In step 9, since a plurality of transport routes having different transport routes may be generated, in this case, a rule or the like as to which of the plurality of transported objects should be transported with priority is registered. Select instruction rule 1
5. Select one transport command with reference to step 5 (step 1
0). The selected transportation command is output to the mobile manipulator 3 via the communication line (step 11), and the command is executed.

Next, the flow described above will be specifically described. First, as Case 1, the following case will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, for example, although the transported object c has already been processed in the facility 4 and a transportation request has been issued, and the transported object d has also been processed in the facility 6 and a transportation request has already been issued, Since these acceptable conditions are not satisfied, it is assumed that the transported object c and the transported object d are registered in the transport source transport destination registration table 14 as shown in FIG. Further, the transported object a and the transported object b are registered in the simultaneous transport table 11 as collectively transported from the facility 8 to the automated warehouse 2 as shown in FIG.
It is assumed that the processing is completed in the equipment 8 and a transport request is issued, and the transported object a is registered in the transport source transport destination reservation table 13 as shown in FIG.

Now, if the object b has been processed by the equipment 8 and a transfer request is issued, it is judged whether or not the transfer summary condition is satisfied (step 6). Here, since the transported object a is registered in the transport source transport destination reservation table 13, the transport summary condition is satisfied. Next, the transported object a,
It is judged whether or not the acceptable condition is satisfied, that is, whether or not the number of transported object receiving portions of the automated warehouse 2 which is the transport destination facility related to b is free. Since the transfer destination is not the normal facility but the automatic warehouse 2, the conditions for accepting the transferred objects a and b are satisfied. Next, it is judged whether or not the exchangeable condition is whether or not the transported object d having the facility 8 as the transport destination is on the transport source transport destination table 14 (step 8). As shown in FIG. 8, the object d is registered with the equipment 6 as the transportation source and the equipment 8 as the transportation destination, so that the exchangeable condition is satisfied. When this exchangeable condition is satisfied, the object c to be transported to the facility 6 is transferred this time.
The exchangeable condition is determined whether or not is registered in the transport source transport destination registration table 14 (step 8). With respect to the transported object c, the transport source is the facility 4 and the transport destination is the facility 6
Since this is registered as, this exchangeable condition is also satisfied. When this exchangeable condition is satisfied, the exchangeable condition is further judged whether or not the object to be transported having the facility 4 as the transport destination is registered in the transport source transport destination registration table 14 (step 8). Here, since the transported object having the facility 4 as the transport destination is not registered in the transport source transport destination registration table 14, a transport command is generated at this point (step 9). As the transfer instruction in this case, as shown in FIG. 9, an object to be transferred c is transferred from the equipment 4 by the movable manipulator 3,
In the equipment 6, which is the destination of the transfer, the object d is placed on the receiving part of the mobile manipulator 3 and then the object c is placed on the receiving part of the equipment 6, and an exchange operation is performed. The transported object d is transported to the facility 8, and similarly, the transported object d and the transported object a on the facility 8 are replaced, and the transported objects a and b are collectively transported to the automated warehouse 2. A transport command is generated to do so. As shown in Case 1 above, in this embodiment, even if the receiving part of the destination equipment is not empty, the object to be transported is transported from the source equipment to the destination equipment when the exchangeable condition is satisfied. Then, the object to be transferred can be transferred by exchanging the object to be transferred in the transfer destination facility there, so that the transfer efficiency can be improved. Furthermore, even if different objects are to be conveyed, if the equipment at the source and the equipment at the destination are the same, they are collectively conveyed at the same time, which can also improve the conveyance efficiency.

Next, as Case 2, the following case will be described. As shown in FIG. 12, the transfer object c has already been processed by the facility 4 and a transfer request has been issued, and the transfer objects g and h have also been processed by the facility 7 and a transfer request has been issued. Since these acceptable conditions are not satisfied, it is assumed that the conveyed objects c, g, and h are registered in the conveyance source conveyance destination registration table 14 as shown in FIG. Further, the transferred objects a and b are registered in the simultaneous transfer table 11 as collectively transferred from the equipment 8 to the automated warehouse 2, as shown in FIG. It is assumed that a request has been issued and, as shown in FIG. 7, the transported object a is registered in the transport source transport destination reservation table 13. It should be noted that the objects to be conveyed g and h are registered in the simultaneous conveyance table 11 as being collectively conveyed from the equipment 7 to the equipment 8. However, although the conveying and collecting condition is satisfied, the receiving condition is satisfied. Since it does not exist, it is registered in the transport source transport destination registration table 14. In addition, equipment 8
It is assumed that the number of received objects to be received is 2. Therefore, the maximum number of mobile manipulators 3 that can be received is two, and it is not possible to transfer the object g and the object h from the facility 7 to the facility 8 and perform the replacement work in the facility 8, so As shown in FIG. 10, g and h are registered in the non-replaceable equipment table 12.

In the above-mentioned state, when the object to be transferred b has been processed by the equipment 8 and a request for transfer is issued, as in case 1, the conditions for summarizing the transfer and the acceptable conditions for the objects to be transferred a and b are determined. (Steps 6 and 7). Since all of these conditions are satisfied, the transported objects g and h destined for the facility 8 which is the transport source are the transport source transport destination registration table 1
It is judged whether or not it is 4. As shown in FIG. 11, in the transport source transport destination registration table 14, the transported objects g and h are
Since the transport source is registered as the facility 7 and the transport destination is registered as the facility 8, it is determined to be present. However, at this time, in FIG.
As shown in (4), referring to the non-replaceable equipment table 12, it is determined that the exchangeable condition is not satisfied because the transported objects g and h are not registered (step 8). If it is determined that the exchangeable condition is not satisfied, a conveyance command for the conveyed object for which the acceptance condition is satisfied is generated (step 9). That is, a transportation instruction to transport the objects to be transported a and b from the facility 8 to the automated warehouse 2 is generated. This transport command is output to the mobile manipulator 3 via the communication line (step 11) and executed.

When the transfer instruction is executed and the receiving section of the equipment 8 becomes empty, the conditions for receiving the objects g and h from the transfer source equipment 7 to the transfer destination equipment 8 are satisfied (step 7). The exchangeable condition is determined whether or not the transported object c whose destination is the original facility 7 is registered in the transport source transport destination registration table 14 (step 8). As for the transported object c, as shown in FIG. 11, since the transport source is registered as the facility 4 and the transport destination is registered as the facility 7 in the transport source transport destination registration table 14, this exchangeable condition is satisfied. When this exchangeable condition is satisfied, the exchangeable condition is further determined whether or not the transferred object having the transfer source facility 4 as the transfer destination is registered in the transfer source transfer destination registration table 14 (step 8). Here, since the transported object having the facility 4 as the transport destination is not registered in the transport source transport destination registration table 14, a transport command is generated at this point (step 9). As the transfer instruction in this case, as shown in FIG. 12, the transferred object c is transferred from the equipment 4 by the movable manipulator 3, and the transferred object g is transferred to the movable manipulator 3 by the equipment 7, which is the transfer destination. After the object to be transferred c is placed on the receiving part of the facility 7, the object to be transferred c is placed on the receiving part of the movable manipulator 3, and the object to be transferred obtained by this replacement work is carried out. A transport command is generated to transport g and h together to the equipment 8. This transport command is output to the mobile manipulator 3 via the communication line (step 11) and executed.

Next, as Case 3, the following case will be described. As shown in FIG. 14, the transported object c has already been processed by the facility 4 and a transportation request has been issued, and the transported object d has finished processing by the facility 6 and a transportation request has already been issued. Although the processing is completed in the facility 5 and the transfer request is issued, since these acceptable conditions are not satisfied, the transferred objects c, d, and i are registered as the transfer source transfer destinations as shown in FIG. It is assumed that it is registered in the table 14. Further, the transferred objects a and b are registered in the simultaneous transfer table 11 as collectively transferred from the equipment 8 to the automated warehouse 2, as shown in FIG. It is assumed that a request has been issued and, as shown in FIG. 7, the transported object a is registered in the transport source transport destination reservation table 13.

In the above-mentioned state, when the object to be transferred b has been processed by the facility 8 and a transfer request is issued, as in case 1, the conditions for summarizing the transfer and the acceptable conditions for the objects to be transferred a and b are determined. (Steps 6 and 7). Since all of these conditions are satisfied, the transported objects d and i whose destination is the facility 8 that is the transport source are the transport source transport destination registration table 1
It is judged whether the exchangeable condition is 4 or not. As shown in FIG. 13, in the transport source transport destination registration table 14, the transport source is registered as the facility 6 and the transport destination is registered as the facility 8 for the transported object d, and the transport source is registered for the transported object i. Since the equipment 5 is registered and the transport destination is registered as the equipment 8,
Judge that the exchangeable condition is met.

Next, it is possible to determine whether or not there is an object to be transferred whose destinations are the transfer source equipments 6 and 5 of the transferred objects d and i for which the exchangeable conditions are satisfied, in the transfer source transfer destination registration table 14. Is determined (step 8), but here, since the transport source facility 6 for the transported object d and the transport source facility 5 for the transported object i are different, different determinations are made for each. That is, as shown in FIG.
Since the transported object c whose destination is the destination is registered in the destination transport destination registration table 14, it is determined that the exchangeable condition is satisfied. On the other hand, since the transported object having the transport source facility 5 of the transported object i as the transport destination is not registered in the transport source transport destination registration table 14, it is determined that the exchangeable condition is not satisfied.

Subsequently, the exchangeable condition is judged whether or not the transported object having the transport source equipment 4 of the transported object c for which the exchangeable condition is satisfied is the transport source transport destination registration table 14. (Step 8) Since this transferred object is not registered in the transfer source transfer destination registration table 14, it is determined that the exchangeable condition is not satisfied. If it is determined that the exchangeable condition is not satisfied, a conveyance command for the conveyed object for which the acceptance condition is satisfied is generated (step 9). By the way, since the transport source equipment 6 of the transported object d and the transport source equipment 5 of the transported object i for which the exchangeable condition is satisfied are different,
Two different transport instructions are generated.

That is, as shown in FIG. 14, the first transfer instruction is: "The object c to be transferred is transferred from the equipment 4 and the replacement work is carried out at the equipment 6". A transfer instruction is generated to transfer d and perform the replacement work in the facility 8 and to collectively transfer the objects a and b obtained in this replacement work to the automated warehouse 2. In addition, as the second transfer instruction, the transferred object i is transferred from the equipment 5 to the equipment 8
Exchange work is carried out, and the transferred objects a,
A transportation instruction to collectively transport b to the automated warehouse 2 is generated.

In this way, when two different transport commands are generated, one transport command is selected with reference to the transport command selection rule 15 (step 10). Here, for example, if a rule of preferentially transporting the transported object i is registered in the transport command selection rule 15, the second transport command for transporting the transported object i is selected. It When the second transport command is selected, it is output to the mobile manipulator 3 via the communication line (step 1
1), this transfer instruction is executed, and the transferred object i and the transferred objects a and b are transferred. It should be noted that the objects c and d are to be carried when the next carrying instruction is executed.

As shown in Case 3 above, in the present embodiment, even when a plurality of transfer commands are generated, the one having the higher transfer priority can be transferred preferentially, and the transfer efficiency can be improved. it can. In addition, here, when the exchangeable condition is determined (step 8), there is a case where different transport source equipment is present, but when extracting the transport destination equipment (step 5), there is a different transport destination equipment, Different 2
Even if more than one type of transport instruction is generated, 1
One transport instruction is selected.

In the present embodiment, the moving manipulator 3 is described as one unit, but it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to a plurality of units. Needless to say, the present invention can also be applied to the case where the manipulators constituting the placement device are provided not in the transport device but in each facility.

[0042]

According to the present invention, even if the receiving portion of the destination equipment is not empty, the object to be transported is transported from the source equipment to the destination equipment when the exchangeable condition is satisfied, and then there. By exchanging with the transported object in the transport destination equipment,
Since the object to be conveyed can be conveyed, the conveying efficiency can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an operation of a transfer control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall top view of a manufacturing line according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an overall top view of the inside of the cell of the manufacturing line according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a transfer control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a transportation flowchart of an embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a simultaneous transport table according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a transport source transport destination reservation table according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a transport source transport destination registration table according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a carrying instruction of case 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a non-replaceable equipment table according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of another transport source transport destination registration table according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a transport instruction of case 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of still another transport source transport destination registration table according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a carrying instruction of the case 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 ... Automatic device, 3 ... Mobile manipulator, 4, 5, 6
… Auxiliary equipment, 7,8… Main equipment, 10… Transport control equipment,
11 ... Simultaneous transport table, 12 ... Non-replaceable equipment table, 13 ... Transport source transport destination reservation table, 14 ... Transport source transport destination registration table, 15 ... Transport instruction selection rule, 16 ...
Processing unit, 17 ... Communication unit.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Tomoyuki Masui 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Inside the Hitachi, Ltd. Institute of Industrial Science (72) Inventor Mutsumi Kikuchi 5-8-10 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo No. Nikki Measuring Service Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hidemi Yamanoue 5-8-10 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Claims (6)

[Claims] Claim: What is claimed is: 1. A plurality of facilities, a transport device for transporting a transported object between the plurality of facilities, and a transfer for transporting the transported object between the transport device and the plurality of facilities. In the transfer control method of the automatic transfer system having a device, the progress of the transferred object is grasped based on the information sent from the plurality of equipments, and the transferred object is selected from the plurality of the equipments. The destination equipment is extracted, and the acceptable condition of whether or not there is a portion for receiving the transferred object in the transferred object receiving portion of the extracted transfer destination equipment is judged based on the information from the extracted transfer destination equipment. If the acceptability condition is not satisfied, it is determined that the transferred object is on standby, and the transferred object, the transfer source equipment and the transfer destination equipment are stored, and the reception condition is satisfied. In case of acceptance It is stored that the upstream side transported object whose destination condition is the source equipment of the transported object for which the performance condition is satisfied is in the standby state and is in the standby state. The exchangeable condition is determined whether the quantity of the upstream-side conveyed object is less than the maximum receiving quantity of the conveying device, and if the exchangeable condition is satisfied, the upstream-side conveyed object satisfying the exchangeable condition is determined. Similarly, for the conveyed object, the exchangeable condition is repeatedly repeated and determined, and when the exchangeable condition is not satisfied or is not satisfied, the transferred object whose exchangeable condition is not finally satisfied is An object to be transferred having the acceptability condition satisfied by carrying out an exchange work of transferring the object to be transferred to the destination equipment by the transfer device and exchanging the object to be transferred in the destination equipment with the placement device. The said Until the work is accepted by the transfer device, the exchange work is carried out in the reverse order of the order in which the exchangeable condition is determined, and finally the transferred object for which the acceptable condition is satisfied is transferred to the destination equipment. A transport control method for an automatic transport system, characterized by transporting. 2. When there are a plurality of different transported objects that can be simultaneously transported from a specific facility of the plurality of facilities to another facility, the plurality of different transported objects, the specific facility, and the other facility. The facility is stored, and when the transport request is issued from the specific facility for all of the plurality of different transported objects, it is assumed that the transport summary condition is satisfied, and The transport control method for an automatic transport system according to claim 1, wherein the acceptance condition is determined. 3. A transfer instruction selection rule in which priorities for transfer are determined is prepared in advance, and when a plurality of transfer destination equipments are to be transferred as the transfer destinations of the transferred object when extracting the transfer destination equipments, Two or more types in which the acceptability condition is determined for all the destination equipments of the transported object, and when the acceptability condition is satisfied, the replaceable condition is determined and the transport route by the transport device is different. When one is generated, one transportation route is selected from a plurality of types of transportation routes according to the transportation instruction selection rule.
A transport control method of the transport system described. 4. A transfer instruction selection rule in which priorities for transfer are determined is prepared in advance, and when determining the replaceable condition, the transfer source equipment for the transferred object for which the acceptable condition is satisfied is transferred. When there are a plurality of upstream-side conveyed objects to be used as the preceding equipment, the exchangeable condition is judged for all of the plurality of upstream-side conveyed objects, and two or more kinds of conveying paths that are different by the conveying device are generated. 4. A transport control method for an automatic transport system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein one transport route is selected from a plurality of types of transport routes according to the transport command selection rule. 5. A transfer control method of an automatic transfer system having a plurality of equipments and a transfer device for transferring an object to be transferred between the plurality of equipments, wherein a specific equipment of the plurality of equipments is replaced with another equipment. When there are a plurality of different transported objects that can be simultaneously transported to the facility, the plurality of transported objects and the specific facility and the other facility are stored as a basis for collectively transporting the plurality of different transported objects. Incidentally, when a transport request is issued from the specific facility for all of the plurality of transported subjects stored as collectively transported, the other facility that is the transport destination of the multiple transported subjects. In the transported object receiving part of, it is determined whether or not there are a plurality of receiving portions of the transported object, and when there is the receiving portion, a plurality of the transported objects are transferred from the specific facility to the other To the equipment, the transfer device Conveyance control method of an automatic transport system, characterized in that to collectively conveyed simultaneously. 6. A plurality of equipments, a transfer device for transferring an object to be transferred between the plurality of equipments, and a transfer for transferring the transferred object between the transfer device and the plurality of equipments. In a transfer control device of an automatic transfer system having a device, the progress of an object to be transferred is grasped based on information sent from the plurality of facilities, and the transferred object is transferred from the plurality of facilities. Information from the extracted destination equipment regarding the destination extraction means for extracting the destination equipment and the acceptability condition of whether or not there is a portion for receiving the transported object in the transported object receiving portion of the extracted destination equipment Acceptable condition judging means for judging based on the above, and when the acceptable condition is not satisfied, the transferred object and the transfer source equipment and the transfer destination equipment are stored as the transferred object is on standby. Transport source A destination registration table, and when the acceptable condition is satisfied, the upstream-side transported object whose transport destination equipment is the transport source equipment for which the acceptable condition is satisfied is the transport source transport destination registration table Is stored in the storage device, and the exchangeable condition is determined whether the stored quantity of the upstream side transported object is less than the maximum receiving quantity of the transfer device, and when the exchangeable condition is satisfied, For the upstream side transported object for which the exchangeable condition is satisfied, similarly, the exchangeable condition judging means for sequentially repeating the exchangeable condition and judging, and when the exchangeable condition is not satisfied or is not satisfied, Regarding the transported object for which the exchangeable condition is not satisfied, the transported object is transported to the transport destination equipment by the transport device, and the transported object in the transport destination equipment is exchanged with the placement device. The exchange work is carried out, and the exchange work is carried out in the reverse order of the order in which the exchangeable condition is judged until the transferred object having the acceptable condition is received by the transfer device by the exchange work. And, finally, a transfer instruction creating unit that creates a transfer instruction to transfer the transferred object satisfying the acceptable condition to a transfer destination facility, and a transfer instruction to output the transfer instruction to the transfer device and the transfer device. A transfer control device for an automatic transfer system, comprising: an output unit.