JPH10249682A - Cycle time management device of working line - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically lead out the optimum cycle time certification result by providing an operation time reducing function, a parallel operation certification function and a function of totally managing a working time reducing mechanism, and processing these certification functions according to the priority. SOLUTION: A cycle time management part 10 has a function of checking if (condition determining processing) the cycle time overflows or not in designated stages, and as the results of condition determining processing of the respective stages in the cycle time management part 10, if the cycle time is NG, the operation time reducing part 11, a parallel operation certification part 12 and a cutting condition correcting part 13 are sequentially started by the cycle time management part 10. An operation information primitive data file 14 and an operation information file 15 are connected to the cycle time management park 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a process for designing a processing line for sequentially processing (surface processing, hole processing, etc.) a work which is arranged in a transfer device and put into a processing machine, and which is generated by a work called process review. The present invention relates to a cycle time management device for a machining line in which a study of cycle time is automated using a computer system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 11, for example, a process study operation is a process of deciding which process is to be assigned to which machining machine in a machining line. In this process study work, it is necessary to always calculate the time as to whether or not a required upper limit time called a cycle time determined from the manufacturing capacity given to the processing equipment can be cleared as a precondition (cycle time study). In this cycle time study, it is necessary to consider not only the time required for the process, but also the transport time of the processing line and the operation time unique to the processing machine. Further, in the process study work, the process allocation work is repeatedly performed by trial and error from various factors to determine an optimal configuration of the processing line. Of course, it is necessary to examine the cycle time even in such a process modification.

[0003] As for the examination of the cycle time required in the process examination work, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
There are techniques disclosed in JP-A-178646 and JP-A-7-160749. The former optimizes the cutting conditions and checks the machining time by inputting the possible machining time, and the latter is a cycle diagram that has undergone an interference check of each operation part and an operation sequence validity check. The information is created automatically.

[0004]

However, in the former technique, the workable time is obtained by subtracting the non-machining time from the cycle time, and the workable time cannot be set unless the non-machining time is determined. . Therefore, in this case, the assumed value of the designer is input as it is, and it cannot be said that the accuracy is very high. At the examination stage, this level of accuracy satisfies the requirements, but at the detailed design stage, higher dimensional accuracy is required. In this regard,
If the latter technique is used, the non-machining time can be calculated in considerable detail from the output information (cycle diagram information), so that the accuracy should be improved.

[0005] The task of comprehensively managing the technical contents of the two and managing the cycle time in the processing line has been dependent on humans until now. Therefore, this kind of complicated work is reduced by automation. Is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problem in the examination of the cycle time generated in the process examination work. The computer system is capable of automatically deriving an optimum cycle time verification result. It is an object to provide a time management device.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 automatically examines a cycle time in a processing line in which a processing machine is juxtaposed in a transfer device and workpieces are sequentially processed. A cycle time management device for a processing line to be performed, wherein an operation time reducing means for reducing an operation time of an operation part allocated to a non-processing time;
Concurrent operation verification means for verifying the parallel operation of the operation parts related by the interlock, and correcting the interlock position of the subsequent operation part in the direction of shortening the cycle time,
A processing time reducing means for correcting a cutting condition related to an operation part allocated to the processing time to reduce the processing time, and the operation time reducing means when the initial data for verification does not satisfy a given condition relating to a cycle time. The parallel operation verifying means and the processing time reducing means are sequentially activated as necessary in this order, and each time, the activation determining means for determining the condition based on the processing result is provided. I do.

According to the present invention, when the initial data for verification does not satisfy a given condition relating to the cycle time, the activation judging means performs the operation time reducing means, the parallel operation verifying means, and the processing time reducing means in this order. Are sequentially activated as necessary, and each time a condition determination regarding the cycle time is performed based on the processing result. More specifically, when the initial data for verification does not satisfy the given condition regarding the cycle time, first, the operation time reducing means is activated. The operation time reducing means performs a process of reducing the operation time of the operation part assigned to the non-machining time (operation time reduction function). The condition is determined based on the processing result. If the condition is not satisfied, the parallel operation verification unit is started next. The parallel operation verifying unit verifies the parallel operation of the operation parts related by the interlock, and performs a process of correcting the interlock position of the succeeding operation part in the direction of shortening the cycle time (parallel operation verification function). . The condition is determined based on the processing result, and if the result is NG, the processing time reducing means is started next. The processing time reducing means performs processing to correct the cutting conditions related to the operating part assigned to the processing time to reduce the processing time (processing time reduction function). Then, condition determination is performed based on the processing result. That is, a function for comprehensively managing the above three verification functions is provided, and each of these verification functions is processed in accordance with the priority order, so that an optimum cycle time verification result is derived.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the operating time reducing means performs processing based on preset operating device performance specification data and design know-how data. And

According to the present invention, the operating time of the operating part assigned to the non-machining time is shortened while referring to the operating device performance specification data and the design know-how data. The evaluation is performed while satisfying the performance of the actuator, etc.), and how the cycle time can be reduced by shortening the operation time can be studied in more detail.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the parallel operation verifying means simulates a parallel operation of an operation part to acquire operation constraint data, and stores the operation constraint data in the operation constraint data. The processing is performed based on the information.

According to the present invention, operation constraint data (for example, an operation prohibition time zone) is obtained by simulating the parallel operation of the operation part, and the operation part in the direction in which the cycle time is shortened within this range. We will examine whether parallel operation is possible, that is, how much cycle time can be shortened by correcting the interlock position, so it will be considered after satisfying the interference condition of the operating part,
By examining the parallel operation, it is possible to examine in detail how much the cycle time can be reduced.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the input data of the user and the data automatically updated as a result of each examination process are stored in separate storage locations. And

In the present invention, since the storage location of the user input data and the automatically updated data are separated, the difference between the result of the automatic update and the input data is minimized.
The state can always be as close as possible to the intention of the designer (design allowance intentionally given by the designer).

[0015]

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a function for comprehensively managing the operation time reduction function, the parallel operation verification function, and the machining time reduction function is provided, and these verification functions are arranged in accordance with the priority. Since the processing is performed, an optimum cycle time verification result can be automatically derived.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first aspect of the present invention, the operating time of the operating part assigned to the non-machining time is referred to the operating device performance specification data and the design know-how data. Therefore, while the design content of the operating part and the performance of the operating device are satisfied, it is possible to perform more detailed examination of how much the cycle time can be reduced by reducing the operating time.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the present invention, a study is made on how much the cycle time can be reduced by correcting the interlock position by simulating the parallel operation of the operating parts. Therefore, it is necessary to meet the conditions of interference of the operating parts, so that it is possible to study in detail how much the cycle time can be reduced by verifying the parallel operation. It is possible to omit the work of examining the interference.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the present invention, since the storage location of the user input data and the automatically updated data are separated, the result of the automatic update and the input data Can be minimized and the state can always be as close as possible to the intention of the designer (design allowance intentionally provided by the designer).

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a processing line cycle time management device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

This cycle time management device is a system built on a computer system (for example, a CAD system), and has a function of shortening an operation time of an operation part.
It has a cycle time management unit (cycle time management module) 10 that comprehensively manages the parallel operation verification function and machining time reduction function, and shortens the operation time that is responsible for each verification function as a submodule of the cycle time management unit 10. A section (operation time reduction module) 11, a parallel operation verification section (parallel operation verification module) 12, and a cutting condition correction section (cutting condition correction module) 13 are provided. The cycle time management unit 10 has a function of checking whether the cycle time overflows (condition determination processing) at each predetermined stage.
The parallel operation verification unit 12 and the cutting condition correction unit 13 are sequentially activated by the cycle time management unit 10 when the cycle time NG is obtained as a result of the condition determination processing of each stage in the cycle time management unit 10. Has become.
An operation information source data file 14 and an operation information file 15 are connected to the cycle time management unit 10. The operating time reducing unit 11 includes an operating device performance specification file 16, a design know-how file 17, a parallel operation verifying unit 12.
Are connected to a cutting condition file 19 and an axis information file 20, respectively. The cycle time management unit 10 is connected to a result display control unit 21 for performing control for displaying (outputting) the processing result to the outside. Cycle time management unit 1
0 and the result display control unit 21
2, a keyboard 23, a display 24, and a printer 25 are connected to the input / output interface 22. The operation time shortening means is constituted by the operation time shortening section 11, the parallel operation verifying means is constituted by the parallel operation verifying section 12, the machining time shortening means is constituted by the cutting condition correcting section 13, and the activation judging means is constituted by the cycle time management section 10. .

Each of the operation information source data file 14 and the operation information file 15 is a file for storing information relating to the operation of each operation part such as a transport device and a processing machine, and has equivalent items. Specifically, the operation information source data file 14 includes a flag, management data,
Each has an area for constraint condition data and an area for cycle diagram data. However, the operation information source data file 14 has the following features. First, in the operation information source data file 14, the operation number, the operation start time, the operation time, and the contents of the interlock hold the contents set by the user to the last.
In 5, the operation number, the operation start time, the operation time, and the content of the interlock hold the result of the automatic change according to the present invention. Second, in the present invention, the operation information source data file 14
, The result of the automatic update is always as close as possible to the intention of the user.

The management data is data for managing operation verification data, cycle diagram data, and constraint condition data, and has, for example, a data structure as shown in FIG. That is, the management data includes the number of stations, the station number, the number of operating parts,
The data includes operation verification data (operation definition data), cycle diagram data, constraint condition data, a non-machining operation / machining operation flag, and the like. Only one management data is created.

The cycle diagram data represents the order of operation of each operation part, and has, for example, a data structure as shown in FIG. That is, the cycle diagram data includes the operation part name, the station number (the number of the station to which the operation part belongs), the number of operation contents, the operation contents, the operation number (information for defining the operation order relation between the operation parts), the operation start. Times of Day,
The information includes an operation time, interlock information (information for defining an operation order relationship between operation parts), an operation device model number, an operation stroke, an operation time change permission flag, a parallel operation permission flag, and the like. Here, the operation content data is lower-level information of the operation part name data, and two operation contents are usually assigned to one operation part name. For example, two operation contents, forward and backward, can be defined for the operating part name of escape (see FIG. 4). Data below the operation number is defined as detailed information of the data of the operation content. Cycle diagram data having such a data structure is created for each operation part.

FIG. 4 shows an example of such cycle diagram data in the form of a list. Here, the flag 1 is a non-machining operation / machining operation flag, and the flag 2 is a parallel operation permission flag. Here, the operation number of the operation content having an interlock relationship is described as the interlock information. For example, in terms of the relationship between the escape “forward” operation and the pusher “out” operation, interlocking means that the pusher “out” operation stops starting until the escape “forward” operation is completed. It is a restriction to keep. The operation of the present apparatus will be described in detail later using the case of FIG.

The constraint data has, for example, a data structure as shown in FIG. 5, and includes an operation part name, an operation content number, an operation inhibition time zone number, an operation inhibition time zone (start time and end time). Etc.). This constraint condition data is also created for each operation part. The constraint condition data (particularly, data in the operation prohibition time zone) is created by the operation verification unit 18.

Although not shown, the operation verification data includes, for example, shape data and operation definition data, and is created for each operation part. The shape data includes three-dimensional shape data of an operation part (this is stored on a CAD layer), its reference point, and the like. Also,
The operation definition data includes an operation part name, a layer number (number of a layer to which the three-dimensional shape data of the operation part belongs), an operation type (rotational operation or linear operation), an operation range (rotation range or direct operation range, and an operation part Strokes), placement matrix (matrix that serves as a reference for the motion site),
Posture matrix (matrix indicating the position and posture of the operating part when the operating part operates), the number of operating part names of other operating parts that perform synchronous operation, the operating part names of other operating parts that perform synchronous operation, and other things that perform synchronous operation And the station number where the operating part name of the operating part exists.
The operation verification data is referred to by the operation verification unit 18.

The operating device performance specification file 16 contains information on the performance specifications of the operating device (actuator, motor, etc.) that operates the operating part, specifically, the limit value (for example, the actuator In this case, the file stores data of the maximum operating speed in the case of the motor and the maximum allowable rotation speed in the case of the motor.

The design know-how file 17 stores information on the design know-how, specifically, design constraints (for example, the maximum operation speed when the operation device is an actuator and the operation stop method is a stopper abutment). File.

The operation time reducing section 11 refers to the operating device performance specification file 16 and the design know-how file 17 to provide a function (operation time reducing function) for reducing the operation time of the operation portion assigned to the non-machining time. Have. The specific contents of this processing will be described later in detail.

The operation verifying unit 18 is a module for generating constraint condition data (operation prohibition time zone). The operation verifying unit 18 performs a simulation with reference to the operation verification data and the cycle diagram data to generate an interference area. ,
It has a function to calculate the operation prohibition time zone. The details are as disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-160749.

The parallel operation verifying unit 12 obtains an operation prohibition time zone by using the operation verifying unit 18, verifies the parallel operation of the interlocked operation units, and interlocks the subsequent operation unit. It has a function of correcting the position in the direction of shortening the cycle time (parallel operation verification function). The specific contents of this processing will be described later in detail.

The cutting condition file 19 is a file storing cutting condition information prepared for each tool material for each processing axis, and the axis information file 20 is storing processing axis information prepared for each processing axis. File.
The cutting condition file 19 includes a cutting condition range determined by the material of the tool, more specifically, an allowable maximum value and a minimum value of the cutting speed [m / min], an allowable maximum value and a minimum value of the feed amount [mm / rev], and the like. Is stored. Axis information file 2
0 is the axis information determined for each machining axis, more specifically, machining type, machining diameter, cutting length, ideal cutting speed [m / mi
n], the ideal feed amount [mm / rev], the type of tool material, and the like.

The cutting condition correcting section 13 refers to the cutting condition file 19 and the axis information file 20, and corrects the cutting condition related to the operating part (machining axis) assigned to the processing time to shorten the processing time. It has a function (processing time reduction function). The specific contents of this processing will be described later in detail.

As will be described later, the cycle time management unit 10 checks the cycle time in steps S4, S6, and S8 in the flowchart of FIG. 6, and if the determination is NO in each step, the sub-module A certain operation time reduction unit 11, a parallel operation verification unit 12,
The cutting condition correcting unit 13 is sequentially activated in this order. However, starting in this order is performed by three verification functions (or coping methods) for shortening the cycle time.
This is because priorities are set from the viewpoint of optimization. In other words, to shorten the cycle time, it is preferable to advance the interlock position of the operating part rather than shortening the machining time itself, and to shorten the operating time of non-machining operation rather than advance the interlock position of the operating part. This is because it is more preferable to do so.

Next, the operation of the present apparatus will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 6 is a main flowchart showing the operation of the present apparatus, FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the contents of a subroutine of the operation time reduction processing in FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the contents of a subroutine of the parallel operation verification processing in FIG. is there. The processing in FIG. 6 is mainly executed by the cycle time management module 10, and the operation time reduction processing in FIG. 7 is executed by the operation time reduction module 11,
The parallel operation verification process shown in FIG.
Executed in

First, a case where the processing operation is changed will be described. If it is determined in step S1 that the machining operation has been changed, a machining operation time is calculated in step S2. That is, when the processing axis is assigned or the processing axis is corrected in the target processing station, the cutting conditions (cutting speed [m / min], cutting speed [m / min], Feed amount [mm / re
v]) is automatically corrected, and the processing operation time [s] is calculated based on the corrected value. The details of this processing are described in
No. 178646.
When the machining operation time [s] is calculated in this way, the cycle time management module 10 is activated.

When the cycle time management module 10 is started, the cycle time management module 10
In the next step S3, the operation information source data file 14
See Then, based on the machining operation time calculated in step S2, the operation part where the flag 1 (non-machining operation / machining operation flag) of the motion information source data file 14 is 1, that is, the region of the machining operation is updated. . At this time, when there is no area in which the flag 1 is 1, that is, the processing is not set in the operation information source data file 14 (that is, the setting of the non-processing operation of the target processing machine is already performed). However, if the machining axis has not been assigned yet), the user is prompted to set which non-machining operation follows the end of the machining operation and which non-machining operation follows the end of the machining operation. . The contents set by the user are stored in the operation information source data file 14. Thereafter, the contents of the updated operation information source data file 14 are copied to the verification buffer. This is the initial data for verification. That is, in this step S3, the operation information source data file 14 is updated. At this time, if necessary, the user is instructed to update the data. Then, the contents are copied to a buffer. Here, for the sake of explanation, a case as shown in FIG. 4 is considered as an example of the cycle diagram data of the verification buffer.

In the next step S4, it is determined whether or not the initial data for verification obtained in step S3 satisfies a given condition regarding the cycle time, that is, whether or not the cycle time is OK. Specifically, first, after calculating the final operation end time of the target station, the margin time is calculated by subtracting the final operation end time from the cycle time. For example, assuming that the cycle time is 60 [s] in the case of FIG. 4, the operation start time of the final operation content (escape “retreat” operation) is 45 [s], and the operation time is 2 [s]. Therefore, the final operation end time is 47
[S]. Therefore, spare time = cycle time−final operation end time = 60 [s] −47 [s] = 13 [s]. Next, it is determined whether or not the obtained margin time is 0 [s] or more, and a condition determination is made as to whether or not the cycle time is OK. That is, if the spare time is equal to or longer than 0 [s] (the spare time ≧ 0), it is determined that the cycle time is OK. If the spare time is less than 0 [s] (the spare time <0), it is determined that the cycle time is NG. I do. And the cycle time is OK
In the case of, the process immediately proceeds to step S12, and in the case of the cycle time NG, the process proceeds to the next step S5.

In step S5, the cycle time management module 10 activates the operation time reduction module 11, and executes the operation time reduction processing. The contents of the operation time reduction processing are as shown in the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S21, the model number of the operating device (actuator, motor, etc.) that operates the operating part is read from the cycle diagram data for one operating part of the target station, and operation is performed using the read model number as a key. The apparatus performance specification file 16 is searched. Then, by this search, a limit value given to the operating device, for example, a maximum operating speed for an actuator and an allowable maximum rotational speed for a motor are read.

In the next step S22, the design know-how file 17 is searched, and design constraints, for example,
Read the maximum operation speed when the operation device is an actuator and the operation stop method is stopper abutment.

In the next step S23, step S21
In step S22, the operation time is calculated based on the maximum operation speed read from the operating device performance specification file 16 and the design know-how file 17, respectively. More specifically, a smaller one of the maximum operation speeds obtained in steps S21 and S22 is selected, and the stroke distance (in the cycle diagram data) is divided by this value to calculate the operation time. Then, a difference from the operation time before the change (hereinafter referred to as “difference time”) is obtained. Further, the obtained difference time is added to the total value of the difference times obtained up to the previous time (hereinafter, referred to as “difference time total value”). That is, the difference time for each operation part is summed up every time the processing from step S21 is repeated for the target operation part. When the operation time change permission flag in the cycle diagram data is OFF (that is, when the change is not possible by the intention of the system user), the operation time is not recalculated in step S23.

When the recalculation of the operation time is completed, step S
At 24, it is determined whether further reduction in operating time is required. More specifically, the overflow time (= 0−the extra time =
(Operation end time-cycle time) and step S23
Is compared with the total difference time obtained in the step, and if the total difference time is equal to or longer than the overflow time (total difference time ≧ overflow time), it is determined that there is no need to further reduce the operation time, and at this time Immediately step S26
However, if the total difference time is less than the overflow time (total difference time <overflow time), it is determined that the operation time needs to be further reduced, and the process proceeds to step S25.

In step S25, it is determined whether or not the check has been completed for all the operation parts of the target station. If NO, the process returns to step S21, and the operation returns to step S21 for another operation part of the target station.
To step S24 are repeated. On the other hand, if YES, the process for the number of operating parts of the target station has already been completed, and it is impossible to further reduce the operating time, so the process proceeds to step S26.

In step S26, the change result, that is,
In step S23, the recalculated operation time is stored in the verification buffer for the corresponding operation part (operation content), and the process returns to the main flowchart.

In step S6, a condition determination as to whether or not the cycle time is OK is made based on the result of the processing executed in step S5. That is, first, based on the change result obtained in step S5, a margin time is calculated in the same manner as in step S4. Next, the obtained margin time is 0
It is determined whether or not the cycle time is longer than [s], and a condition determination is made as to whether or not the cycle time is OK. If the spare time is 0 [s] or more (allowance time ≧ 0), it is determined that the cycle time is OK and immediately, step S12 is performed. If the margin time is less than 0 [s] (margin time <0), it is determined that the cycle time is NG, and the routine proceeds to the next step S7.

In step S7, the parallel operation verification module 12 is started by the cycle time management module 10, and the parallel operation verification processing is executed. The content of the parallel operation verification processing is as shown in the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S31, all combinations of the operation contents related by the interlock in the target station are extracted. At this time, those having an interlock relationship within the same operation part name are not extracted as a combination. For example, in the case shown in FIG. 4, the combinations to be extracted are as shown in FIG.

In the next step S32, step S31
Among the combinations extracted in the above, those which are set so that the parallel operation is impossible (or impossible) (parallel operation permission flag (flag 2) in the cycle diagram data = ON) are excluded from the combination. . here,
The fact that the parallel operation is impossible (or impossible) means that, for example, in a setting in which the work is clamped and then the work is reversed, the operation of clamping the work and the operation of reversing the work are performed in parallel. In such a case, the work falls down, so that parallel operation is naturally impossible. On the other hand, the fact that the parallel operation is possible means that in a setting in which the workpiece is reversed after the machining axis is retracted, if the machining axis and the workpiece do not interfere, the workpiece may be reversed while retracting the machining axis. Such is the case. The constraint on the parallel operation can be controlled by turning the parallel operation permission flag (flag 2) ON (1) or OFF (0) in the data structure. For example, in the example of the combination shown in FIG. 9, since the combination 4, the combination 5, and the combination 6 are each set to the non-parallel operation setting (see FIG. 4), they are deleted from the combination.

Thereafter, in step S33, step S3
For one of the remaining combinations in Step 2, verify whether the position of the interlock can be changed while examining the interference. Specifically, it is automatically examined whether or not the interlock position can be advanced using the operation verification unit 18. That is, the operation verification unit 18 is used to obtain the operation prohibition time zone, verify the parallel operation of the interlocking operation parts, and change the interlock position of the succeeding operation part in the direction of shortening the cycle time. Consider whether it can be corrected. For example, for the combination of the operating parts P and Q having an interlocking relationship as shown in FIG. 10A, the back calculation is performed from the interference region occupation time zone (operation prohibition time zone) of the operating part P obtained by the operation verification unit 18. Then, it is verified whether or not the operation start time of the following operation part Q can be advanced. The time shortened by this processing (hereinafter, referred to as “shortened time”) is added to the total value of the shortened times obtained up to the previous time (hereinafter, referred to as “total shortened time”). That is, the shortening time for each combination is added up each time the process of step S33 is repeated for the target combination.

Thereafter, in step S34, it is determined whether or not the time needs to be further reduced. More specifically, the overflow time (= 0−the spare time = the end time of the operation end−the cycle time) when the cycle time is determined to be NG in step S6 is compared with the total value of the shortened time obtained in step S33. If the total time is equal to or longer than the overflow time (total shortened time ≧ overflow time), it is determined that further time reduction is not necessary, and the process immediately proceeds to step S36 at this point. If there is (total value of the shortening time <overflow time), it is determined that the time needs to be further reduced, and the process proceeds to step S35.

In step S35, it is determined whether the check has been completed for all combinations. If NO, the process returns to step S33, and the processes from step S33 to step S34 are repeated for another combination.
On the other hand, if YES, the process for the number of combinations has already been completed, and further time reduction is impossible. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S36.

In step S36, the change result, that is,
The operation start time (interlock position) recalculated in step S33 is stored in the verification buffer for the corresponding operation part (operation content), and the process returns to the main flowchart.

In step S8, a condition determination as to whether or not the cycle time is OK is made based on the result of the processing executed in step S7. That is, first, based on the change result obtained in step S7, a margin time is calculated by the same method as in step S4. Next, the obtained margin time is 0
It is determined whether or not the cycle time is longer than [s], and a condition determination is made as to whether or not the cycle time is OK. If the spare time is 0 [s] or more (allowance time ≧ 0), it is determined that the cycle time is OK and immediately, step S12 is performed. If the margin time is less than 0 [s] (margin time <0), it is determined that the cycle time is NG, and the routine proceeds to the next step S9.

In step S9, the cycle time management module 10 activates the cutting condition correction module 13 to execute a processing time reduction process. That is, in this step, the processing time itself is shortened as a final means. Specifically, with reference to the cutting condition file 19 and the axis information file 20, the cutting condition related to the operation part (machining axis) assigned to the machining time is corrected to shorten the machining time. More specifically, the maximum and minimum values of the cutting conditions (cutting speed [m / min] and feed amount [mm / rev]) are given to each machining axis, and are assigned to the same machining head. All new setting values for the machining axis of simultaneous machining are increased within that range. At this time, of course, the feed speed [mm / m
in] are corrected to the same value. Here, whether to increase the cutting speed or the feed amount differs depending on the machining type (drill, reamer, tap, etc.) of the machining axis to be corrected. The result of the change is stored in the verification buffer. The reason that the cutting time can be reduced by modifying the cutting conditions is
For example, if there are four machining axes in the same machining head, these are simultaneous machinings, so that the forward speed for cutting must be the same. The forward speed is calculated based on the processing diameter, the cutting speed, and the feed amount. Since the cutting speed and the feed amount have allowable ranges, the forward speed can be increased within the allowable range. Therefore, the processing time can be reduced by this processing. In addition,
Details of this processing are disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-178646.

In the next step S10, the cycle time OK is determined based on the result of the processing executed in step S9.
The condition is determined. That is, first, based on the change result obtained in step S9, the margin time is calculated by the same method as in step S4. Next, it is determined whether or not the obtained margin time is equal to or greater than 0 [s], and a condition determination is performed as to whether or not the cycle time is OK. If the margin time is equal to or greater than 0 [s] (margin time ≧ 0), It is determined that the cycle time is OK, and the process proceeds to step S12. If the margin time is less than 0 [s] (the margin time <0), it is determined that the cycle time is NG, and the process proceeds to step S11.

In step S11, as a result of the examination of the cycle time, the cycle time is still NG despite the fact that the cycle time has been reduced by the processing of steps S5, S7 and S9, that is, The system user is notified via the display 24 and the printer 25 that the axis cannot be assigned or corrected. As a result, the user reviews the process examination or reviews the non-machining operation. By this reviewing operation, this module in FIG. 6 is re-executed from the beginning.

On the other hand, in step S12, since the cycle time is OK as a result of the examination of the cycle time,
After asking the system user for approval of the analysis result, the contents of the changed verification buffer are stored in the management data, constraint data, and cycle diagram data in the operation information file 15.

Next, a case where the cycle diagram data or the cycle time of the non-machining operation is changed will be described. If it is determined in step S1 and step S2 that the cycle diagram data or the cycle time of the non-machining operation has been changed, step S
At 14, the cycle time management module 10 is started,
The operation information source data file 14 is updated, and the contents are copied to the verification buffer. More specifically, based on the change information (addition / deletion of operation part name, replacement of interlock, change of operation time, etc.), management data, constraint condition data, and cycle Update diagram data. However, when only the cycle time is changed, the operation information source data file 14 is not updated. Thereafter, the contents of the updated operation information source data file 14 are copied to the verification buffer. This is the initial data for verification. When this process ends, the process advances to a step S4 to execute a series of processes described above.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a processing line cycle time management device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a data structure of management data.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a data structure of cycle diagram data.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of cycle diagram data in the form of a list.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a data structure of constraint condition data.

FIG. 6 is a main flowchart showing the operation of the present apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the contents of a subroutine of an operation time reduction process in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the contents of a subroutine of a parallel operation verification process in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing result of step S31 in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a diagram provided for explanation of a process in step S33 in FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a processing equipment line.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Cycle time management part (start-up determination means) 11 ... Operation time reduction part (operation time reduction means) 12 ... Parallel operation verification part (parallel operation verification means) 13 ... Cutting condition correction part (processing time reduction means) 14 ... Operation Information source data file 15 ... Operation information file 16 ... Operating device performance specification file 17 ... Design know-how file 18 ... Operation verification unit

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A cycle time management device for a machining line for automatically examining a cycle time in a machining line in which a machining machine is juxtaposed to a transfer device and sequentially processes a workpiece input thereto, wherein the cycle time is assigned to a non-machining time. An operation time reduction means for reducing the operation time of the operation part, and a parallel operation for verifying the parallel operation of the operation part related by the interlock and correcting the interlock position of the subsequent operation part in the direction of shortening the cycle time. An operation verification means; a processing time reducing means for shortening the processing time by correcting a cutting condition related to an operation part assigned to the processing time; and a case where the initial data for verification does not satisfy a given condition regarding the cycle time. The operation time reduction means, the parallel operation verification means, and the processing time reduction means are sequentially activated in this order as necessary, and Time, cycle time management device processing line and having a a start determining means for determining the conditions based on the processing results. 2. The cycle time management device for a machining line according to claim 1, wherein said operation time reducing means performs processing based on preset operation device performance specification data and design know-how data. 3. The parallel operation verification unit according to claim 1, wherein the parallel operation verification unit simulates a parallel operation of the operation part to acquire operation constraint condition data, and performs processing based on the operation constraint condition data. Cycle time management device for processing line. 4. The cycle time management device for a processing line according to claim 1, wherein the user input data and the data automatically updated as a result of each examination process are stored in separate storage locations.