JPH10217175A - Discrimination method and its device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically and easily discriminate a work by discriminating the kind of the work in connection with arrangement of a holding means to receive a load at the time of holding the work by a plural number of the holding means arranged in a specified pattern. SOLUTION: A window glass A is set at a position where respective upper side surfaces of pedestals 14a, 14c and adsorption nozzles 16a, 16c, 16d make contact with a back surface of the window glass A on a table 12 for work positioning. Thereafter, adsorptive motion is started by actuating all of the adsorption nozzles 16. At this time, the adsorption nozzles 16a, 16c, 16d on which the window glass A is arranged rise in a degree of vacuum by absorptive motion and a vacuum switch detects it. Additionally, at this time, as actuation of these adsorption nozzles is continued, the window glass A is held on the table 12. In the meanstime, the window glass A does not exist on the adsorption nozzles except the above, actuation is stopped.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for discriminating a work, and more particularly to a method and an apparatus for discriminating a type of a work to be conveyed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various techniques for determining the type of a work to be conveyed are known. As one example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-16311 discloses an apparatus for distinguishing a plurality of types of window glasses attached to an automobile. Generally, when attaching a wind glass to a vehicle body, a discriminating step for discriminating the type of the wind glass, a step of applying a primer to the glass bonding surface to increase the affinity between the glass surface and the adhesive, and A step of applying an adhesive and a step of attaching glass to a window glass attachment frame of a vehicle body are performed. In the discriminating step of discriminating the type of window glass disclosed in this publication, first, a ceramic coat is applied to the edge of the window glass by a predetermined width, and the light emitting element and the light receiving element are arranged so as to sandwich the window glass. The type of window glass is determined by detecting the width of the ceramic coat using the photoelectric detector.

As another method for determining the type of window glass of an automobile, a roller is moved by pressing a roller along an edge of the window glass, and the type of window glass is determined based on the locus of the roller. Some are known.

[0004]

In the above publication, an independent process and apparatus must be provided for discriminating the type of window glass. Included, not preferred. In addition, when the type of the window glass is determined based on the locus of the roller, similarly, an independent process or device for determining the type is required, and further, the roller is pressed against the window glass by pressing against the window glass. Pressure acts, which can damage the window glass, which is also undesirable and has been sought for improvement. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a work discriminating method and a device that do not require a special discriminating means for discriminating a work. And

Another object of the present invention is to provide a low-cost and highly reliable work discriminating method and apparatus capable of automatically and easily discriminating the type of a work.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a work determination method for determining the type of a work to be conveyed, comprising a plurality of work pieces arranged in a predetermined pattern. When the work is held by the holding means, the type of the work is determined based on the positional relationship of the holding means receiving the load among the plurality of holding means. In the present invention configured as described above, the plurality of holding units are arranged in a predetermined pattern, and when the work is held by the plurality of holding units, the holding unit receiving the load among the plurality of holding units is held. The type of the work is determined based on the arrangement of the means. Thus, in the present invention,
Since the holding unit determines the type of the work, it is not necessary to provide a special determining unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the method for determining a work according to the first aspect, after holding and determining the work, the operation setting of the next step is performed based on the result of the determination of the type of the work. Is preferred. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the method for determining a work according to the first or second aspect, it is preferable that the holding means has a suction means for sucking and holding the work. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the work determination method of the first or second aspect, it is preferable that the holding means includes a magnetic means for holding the work by magnetic force. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the work discriminating method according to the first or third aspect, it is preferable that, after holding and discriminating the work, a locus of primer application is set in the work holding state. .

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the method for determining a work according to any one of the first, third, and fourth aspects, the work is held and determined while being transported. It is preferable to set the operation of the next step based on the determination result of the type of the work. The present invention according to claim 7 is a work discriminating apparatus for discriminating a type of a work to be conveyed, wherein a plurality of holding means arranged in a predetermined pattern, and when the work is held by the plurality of holding means. Discriminating means for discriminating the type of work based on the arrangement of the holding means receiving a load among the plurality of holding means;
It is characterized by having. According to the present invention configured as described above, a plurality of holding units are arranged in a predetermined pattern, and when the work is held by the plurality of holding units, the load in the plurality of holding units is determined by the determining unit. The type of the work is determined based on the arrangement of the holding means that receives the work. As described above, the discriminating means according to the present invention discriminates the type of the work based on the arrangement relationship of the holding means, so that there is no need to provide any special discriminating means.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the work discriminating apparatus according to the seventh aspect, further comprising a next step setting means for setting an operation of a next step based on a result of discriminating the type of the work by the discriminating means. Is preferred. Claim 9
According to the present invention, in the work discriminating apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, it is preferable that the holding means has a suction means for sucking and holding the work. According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the work discriminating apparatus according to the seventh or ninth aspect, further comprising a locus setting means for setting the locus of primer application in the workpiece holding state after holding and discriminating the work. Is preferred. According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the work judging device according to the seventh, eighth or ninth aspect, it is preferable that the holding means conveys and holds the work.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment is
In this system, the type of window glass of an automobile is determined. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a flow of a work determination signal in the embodiment of the present invention. An apparatus for determining the type of window glass of an automobile will be described with reference to FIGS. First, reference numeral 10 denotes a work set station, in which a work positioning table 12 is arranged. On the work positioning table 12, a plurality of receiving stands 14 for supporting the work are arranged. In this embodiment, a total of six cradles 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 14
e, 14f and 14g are fixedly arranged at predetermined positions, respectively. Further, the work positioning table 12
Above is mounted a plurality of suction nozzles 16 for holding the work and determining its type. In this embodiment, a total of nine suction nozzles 16a, 1
6b, 16c, 16d, 16e, 16f, 16g, 16
h, 16i are arranged so as to satisfy a predetermined arrangement relationship. Each of the suction nozzles 16 is provided with a vacuum switch (not shown) for detecting the degree of vacuum of the attachment nozzles 16. These suction nozzles 16 are adjustable in height so as to be able to cope with various works.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, on the work positioning table 12, a plurality of kinds of works can be set. In this embodiment, 4
The types of window glasses (or workpieces) A, B, C, and D can be set by an operator. FIG.
In FIG. 1, all four types of works A, B, C, and D are drawn to facilitate understanding of the invention, but in reality, these plural works are not set at the same time. ,
Only one type of work is set. Next, reference numeral 20
Is a primer coating station, and the primer coating station 20 includes a primer coating robot 22
Is arranged. A primer coating nozzle 24 is attached to the end of the arm of the primer coating robot 22, and the primer is applied to each of the window glasses A, B, C, and D from the nozzle 24. .

Next, a table transport mechanism 3 for transporting the workpiece positioning table 12 is provided between the work set station 10 and the primer coating station 20.
0 is provided. The table transport mechanism 30 includes a transport rail 32 disposed on both sides of the back surface of the work positioning table 12 and extending between both stations, and a transport rail 32 fixedly mounted on the table substantially at the center of the back surface of the work positioning table 12. It is composed of a drive cylinder 34. Next, the operation of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. First, the worker sets the work set station 10
The case where the window glass A is set on the work positioning table 12 will be described. In this case, the position where the window glass A is set is determined in advance. That is, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG.
The operator places the window glass A on the work positioning table 12 with the receiving stands 14a and 14c and the suction nozzle 16 on the table.
The window glass A is set at a position where the upper surface of each of a, 16c and 16d is in contact with the back surface of the window glass A.

Next, all the suction nozzles 16 are operated to start the suction operation. At this time, the suction nozzles 16a, 16c, and 16d in which the window glass A is disposed increase the degree of vacuum due to the suction operation, and the vacuum switch detects the increase in the degree of vacuum. At this time, the operation of the suction nozzles 16a, 16c, and 16d is continued, so that the window glass A is held on the table 12. On the other hand, since there is no window glass A on the suction nozzles 16b, 16e to 16i other than the suction nozzles 16a, 16c, 16d, the degree of vacuum does not increase, and this state is detected by a vacuum switch. For the suction nozzles 16b, 16e to 16i for which it has been detected that the degree of vacuum has not risen, the operation of the suction nozzles is immediately stopped so that dust and the like are not sucked.

Next, as shown in FIG.
The operation signal from 6 is sent to the suction nozzle controller 36, and the suction nozzle controller 36 determines that the type of the work is the window glass A based on these operation signals. Although the case where the window glass A is set has been described above, similarly, in the case of the window glass B, only the suction nozzles 16a, 16e, and 16i operate for holding the work. Is window glass B. Similarly, in the case of the window glass C, the suction nozzle 16
Since only e, 16f, 16g, and 16h operate to hold the work, the work signal can be used to determine that the work is the window glass C. Similarly, in the case of the window glass D, since only the suction nozzles 16b and 16f operate for holding the work, the operation signal can be used to determine that the work is the window glass D. After the type of work is thus determined, the table positioning mechanism 12 is moved from the work set station 10 to the primer by the table transfer mechanism 30 while the window glass A is held on the work positioning table 12. It is moved to the application station 20 (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1).

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, a work discrimination signal indicating the type of the work is sent to the robot controller 38 for applying a primer and the robot controller 4 for applying an adhesive.
Robot controller 4 for mounting 0 and window glass
2 respectively. Next, a work command for primer application for the work determined from the primer application robot controller 38 is sent to the primer application robot 2.
Sent to 2. The primer application robot 22 applies the primer to a predetermined position on the window glass from the primer application nozzle 24 based on the work command. After the primer application operation is performed in this manner, an adhesive application operation command for the work determined by the adhesive application robot controller 34 is sent to the adhesive application robot 44. The adhesive application robot 44 applies the adhesive to a predetermined position of the window glass based on the operation command. Further, the window glass mounting work command for the work determined by the window glass mounting robot controller 42 is transmitted from the window glass mounting robot 4.
Sent to 6. The window glass mounting robot 46 is
Based on this work command, a window glass is attached to a predetermined position on the vehicle body, whereby the whole work is completed.

In this embodiment, the work is held on the work positioning table 12 by a plurality of suction nozzles 16 and is determined. For this reason,
According to the present embodiment, since the suction nozzle 12 for holding the work is also used for determining the type of the work, it is not necessary to provide a special determination device for determining the type of the work. Further, the type of the work is automatically and simply determined using the suction nozzle, and as a result, it is possible to perform a reliable and low-cost work determination. Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a front view showing another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a plurality of suction nozzles 52 (52a, 52b, 52c, 52c, 52c) are provided on the lower surface of the robot hand 50 attached to the tip of the robot arm without providing a positioning table or the like.
52d). In this case, the window glass E is held and determined by the suction nozzles 52c and 52d. Also in this embodiment, the arrangement relationship of the plurality of suction nozzles 52 is basically the same as the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 described above, and a predetermined relationship is set so that the type of each work can be determined. They are provided in a positional relationship. In this manner, in this embodiment, the type of the work can be determined in the same manner as in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 described above. 1 to 3 described above.
In the embodiment shown in (1), the holding and the determination of the work are performed at the same time. However, in this embodiment, the transfer, the holding and the determination of the work can be performed at the same time.

In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, a suction nozzle is used to hold and determine a work. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a magnet may be used instead of the suction nozzle. Or other magnetic means. In this case, the work whose type can be determined is
It is only a magnetic material. Furthermore, in the present invention, the work determination signal output from the suction nozzle controller 30 shown in FIG. 3 can be used for other purposes. For example, there is a case where a plurality of types of vehicles flow on a vehicle assembly line in a predetermined order, and a type of work corresponding to each of these vehicles is assembled. In such a situation, if a defect occurs in a specific vehicle, this vehicle is removed from the vehicle assembly line. At this time, the parts of this defective vehicle are erroneously assembled into the next vehicle. There is a risk of being By utilizing the work determination signal, such erroneous work can be prevented. That is,
The work discrimination signal output from the suction nozzle controller 30 is sent to a host computer for a vehicle assembly line. Determine that it is a work. Thereafter, the host computer sends a signal to stop the assembly to the work robot so that the work of the defective vehicle is not assembled to the next vehicle. In this way, the erroneous assembly work described above can be reliably prevented.

[0018]

As described above, according to the work discriminating method and apparatus of the present invention, it is not necessary to provide a special discriminating means for discriminating the work, and the kind of the work is automatically and simply discriminated. can do.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a flow of a work determination signal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Work set station 12 Work positioning table 14 Receiving stand 16 Suction nozzle 20 Primer application station 22 Primer application robot 24 Primer application nozzle 30 Table transfer mechanism 32 Transfer rail 34 Transfer cylinder 34 Suction nozzle controller 38 Primer application Robot controller 40 Adhesive coating robot controller 42 Window glass mounting robot controller 44 Adhesive coating robot 46 Window glass mounting robot 50 Robot hand 52 Suction nozzle A, B, C, D, E Window glass (or work)

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A work discriminating method for discriminating a type of a work to be conveyed, wherein when a work is held by a plurality of holding means arranged in a predetermined pattern, a load in the plurality of holding means is determined. A work determination method, wherein a type of a work is determined based on an arrangement relationship of holding means for receiving the work. 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, after holding and discriminating the work, setting an operation of a next process based on a result of the discrimination of the type of the work. 3. The work discriminating method according to claim 1, wherein said holding means has a suction means for sucking and holding the work. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the holding means includes magnetic means for holding the work by magnetic force. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, after holding and discriminating the work, a locus of primer application is set in a state of holding the work. 6. The operation setting of the next step based on a result of discriminating the type of the work after holding and discriminating the work while transporting the work. 4. The method for determining a workpiece according to any one of items 4 to 5. 7. A work discriminating apparatus for discriminating a type of a work to be conveyed, comprising: a plurality of holding means arranged in a predetermined pattern; and a plurality of holding means for holding the work by the plurality of holding means. A discriminating means for discriminating a type of the work based on an arrangement relationship of the holding means receiving a load among the holding means. 8. The work discriminating apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a next step setting means for setting an operation of a next step based on a result of discriminating the type of the work by said discriminating means. 9. The work discriminating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the holding means has a suction means for sucking and holding the work. 10. The work discriminating apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a trajectory setting means for setting a trajectory of primer application in the work holding state after holding and discriminating the work. 11. The work discriminating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the holding means conveys and holds the work.