JPS6118640A - Arrangement program system for articles - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the useless space to the min. by displaying the arrangement situation of articles according to the input information for facilitating the searching for the space for the article to be arranged next in figure form, when the articles having arbitrary shape are arranged into the restricted three-dimensional space. CONSTITUTION:A computer 10 connected to an input terminal apparatus 21 and a display apparatus 22 is equipped with a memory part 11 in which operation programs are memorized and a memory part 12 in which the specification of the effective loading space of a pallet 3B and the restricted weight which are previously registered are converted into a table form and memorized. Further, the computer is equipped with a memory part 13 in which the previously registered shape data of the article 3A to be conveyed are converted into table form and memorized and a memory part 14 into which the specification of the enveloped rectangular parallelepiped 4A of each article 3A and the weight of the article 3A are memorized and a memory part 15 into which the arrangement instruction information supplied from the input terminal apparatus 21 is memorized. Thus, control is performed so that the arrangement situation of the article 3A for the enveloped rectangular parallelepiped 4A is displayed onto the display apparatus 22 by the computer 10.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Application of the Invention] The method of the present invention relates to a placement planning device for articles of arbitrary shape,
In particular, various arbitrary shapes suitable for (1) transporting various cargoes using various means of transportation, (n) palletizing various workpieces onto transport jigs, and (iii) putting bricks and chinaware into kilns. This invention relates to a layout planning method for arranging items in a limited three-dimensional space.

[Background of the invention]

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, in various operations in which articles of arbitrary shapes are arranged in a limited three-dimensional space, there have been problems such as the following.

(1) In the business of transporting cargo using means of transportation such as trucks, freight cars, ships, and aircraft, conventionally, cargo of various arbitrary shapes can be efficiently loaded into spaces that can be loaded, such as loading platforms, containers, and pallets. It required human experience and trial and error to attach it. At this time, the following problem arises.

(a) From the perspective of labor saving, if you want to use an automatic loading device such as a robot to load cargo of various arbitrary shapes with high loading efficiency, it is necessary to create a layout plan in advance.

(b) Even if the stowage work is to be carried out manually, if a layout plan is made in advance, trial and error can be reduced and the stowage work can be completed in a short time. This layout plan serves as a kind of simulation.

(c) It requires a lot of experience to load cargo of various arbitrary shapes with high loading efficiency, and a simulation device is needed to convey the know-how to beginners.

(2) In manufacturing plants, especially mass-production manufacturing plants, when workpieces of arbitrary shapes are loaded on transport jigs such as pallets and transported to the next process, conventionally, workpieces of relatively the same shape flow one after another, so The work of palletizing and depalletizing was automated by teaching the robot using the back method. However, as the variety of products has increased recently, product types have to be changed frequently, and the playback teaching method has caused problems such as longer line stop times and reduced production efficiency. Therefore, in order to teach placement data to the robot without stopping the line, it is necessary to create a workpiece placement plan offline from the actual robot machine in advance.

(3) In the ceramics industry, kilns are used to produce bricks, chinaware, etc.
In order to save on fuel costs, bricks and chinaware must be arranged in a way that minimizes wasted space inside the kiln. Traditionally, this placement work was
This was done manually and, like (1) above, required human experience and trial and error. In such a case, the same problem as (1) also occurs.

In addition, especially in the manufacturing industry, there is an increasing need to create a placement plan in advance to minimize wasted space in a limited three-dimensional space for various arbitrary-shaped items. There is.

[Purpose of the invention]

The purpose of the method of the present invention is to create in advance a placement plan that minimizes wasted space before starting placement work when arranging articles of various arbitrary shapes in a limited three-dimensional space in which they can be placed. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for planning the arrangement of articles of arbitrary shapes.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention, that is, a method for planning the placement of articles of arbitrary shapes, includes: a) storing shape data of articles, specifications of a limited three-dimensional space in which they can be placed, and the placement status of articles in the space; b) a terminal device for inputting information on instructions for arranging articles in the space to the computer; C) operation messages output from the computer and the space; a terminal device for displaying the placement status of articles in the space; and a device configured to display the placement status of articles in the space according to the input information graphically as appropriate on the display terminal device in order to facilitate searching. It is characterized by the fact that it is

When the operator selects an article that he thinks is appropriate and inputs its placement information into the input terminal device, the computer outputs the placement status of the articles that have been placed up to that point to the display terminal device. The operator looks at the placement status, selects the item to be placed next, and repeats the same process as above. By interacting with the display terminal device, the operator can repeat the trial and error process until he or she is satisfied with the arrangement.

By the way, when arranging articles of arbitrary shapes, positioning becomes difficult. Particularly in the case of placement using an automatic machine such as a robot, positioning becomes a problem when performing placement work according to the placement created by the above method.

Therefore, by placing the article on a rectangular plate, it is possible to easily position the article.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an article having an arbitrary shape.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the article showing the outermost contour (hereinafter referred to as a contour).

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for determining in which position and direction the article should be placed.

3A is an article, and 3B is a rectangular plate.

When the above-mentioned articles are placed by a robot, a conveying jig is used for the above-mentioned board 3B for both positioning at the time of stacking and positioning at the time of shape measurement.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to Examples. This embodiment will be described assuming that cargoes of various arbitrary shapes are arranged on pallets. In the apparatus of the present invention, the cargo is an example of an article, and the space on the pallet in which the cargo can be loaded corresponds to a limited three-dimensional space in which the cargo can be placed.

First, the present invention will be explained in detail using the article examples shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a rectangular parallelepiped (hereinafter referred to as an enveloping rectangular parallelepiped) that envelops the example article (cargo) in FIG. 3. This enveloping rectangular parallelepiped 4A has four sides perpendicular to the rectangular board 3B on which the cargo 3A is placed, and each side is perpendicular to the rectangle of the board 3B. It is uniquely defined as a rectangular parallelepiped.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of FIG. 4 above. 5A is cargo 3A
is the outline of

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a coordinate system for determining the shape data of the cargo 3A on the plate 3B.

The position and direction of the plate 3B shall match the reference point and direction of the shape measuring device. 6A is the reference point of the shape measuring device. In this embodiment, the point closest to the reference point 6A of the shape measuring device is set as the origin, and a coordinate system is set to match the coordinate system of the shape measuring device.

6B is the origin of the coordinate system (x+y tz ) and is called the reference point of the cargo 3A.

In this embodiment, only the planar arrangement of various types of cargo on a pallet will be considered. In this case, it is important to consider the outline of the cargo and determine its placement so that it does not intersect with the outline of other cargo.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for obtaining shape data of the contour line 5A of the cargo 3B. The contour line 5A is divided using the length ΔX shown by 7B as a pitch, and a set of intersection points between each dividing line and the contour line is defined as shape data. 7A is an example showing one point of the shape data.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a method of outputting to a display terminal device based on this shape data. Here, 8A is a point corresponding to a point 7A in the shape data in Figure 7 of ``2''. In this way, a curve obtained by linearly interpolating each point of the shape data is output to the display terminal device. Therefore, in order to achieve accurate placement, it is necessary to reduce the pitch Ax shown by 7B in FIG. 7 by tJs.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the arrangement of cargo in the effective loading space, that is, the position and direction of the reference point.

4A is the cargo. 9A is a pallet.

9B is a determined point on the pallet 9A, and is the origin for determining the coordinates of the reference point 6B of the cargo 4A. In the figure, a certain determined coordinate system (X, Y,
Z) is shown. 9c is an angle indicating the direction of the cargo (enveloping rectangular parallelepiped 4A). In this way, the direction of the cargo 4A is determined by the angle formed by the X axis and the X axis of the cargo envelope rectangular parallelepiped 4A.

FIG. 10 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of a device for realizing the method of the present invention, in which 10 is a computer, 21 is an input terminal device using a light pen for data input, and 22 is a display device. .

The computer 10 includes a control section that operates according to a program stored in a storage section 11, and four data storage sections 12-15.

As shown in FIG. 12, the storage unit 12 stores the specifications of the effective loading space of the pallet and the weight limit, which are registered in advance, in the form of a table. As shown in FIG. 13, the storage unit 13 stores pre-registered shape data of cargo to be transported in the form of a table. In the storage unit 14,
As shown in FIG. 14, the specifications of the enveloping rectangular parallelepiped and the weight of each of the cargoes registered in advance are stored. As shown in FIG. 15, the storage unit 15 stores the arrangement instruction information input from the input terminal device 21, that is, the coordinates and direction (angle) of the reference point, set in a predetermined column.

FIG. 16 shows a schematic flowchart of the program stored in the storage unit 11.

Hereinafter, specific operations will be explained in detail following operation steps 31 to 39 of this flowchart.

Step 31: The computer 10 waits for input of a pallet code. The operator specifies the required pallet code and inputs it from the input terminal device. Once the input is complete, proceed to the next step 32.
Proceed to.

Step 32: The computer 10 retrieves the specification of the effective loading space of the pallet code set in the storage unit 12, and causes the display device 22 to display the specification and figure.

Computer 10 then proceeds to step 33.

Step 33 The computer 10 waits for input of the cargo code. The operator selects the cargo to be placed next and inputs it to the input terminal device 21.
Enter the cargo code from . When the input is completed, the process proceeds to step 34.

Step 34 The computer 10 retrieves the shape data of the cargo code set in the storage unit 13 and the specifications of the enveloping rectangular parallelepiped of the cargo code set in the storage unit 14, and calculates the three-dimensional shape of the cargo and the enveloping rectangular parallelepiped. Figure display device 2
Display from 2.

FIG. 17 shows an example in which the pallet displayed in step 32 and the cargo displayed in this step are displayed on a display device. Next, proceed to step 35.

Step 35: The computer 10 waits for input of the cargo reference point and angle. The operator indicates the position and angle of the reference point using the light pen 21. 17A in FIG. 17 is an example of the designated reference point. Specify the angle using the numerical menu. Here, it is assumed that the reference point can also be input using the numerical menu. When the input is completed, the process advances to the next step 36.

Step 36 The computer 10 sets each data of the reference point and angle of the cargo inputted from the input terminal device 21 in a predetermined column of the storage section 15. Next, the computer 10 uses the shape data set in the storage unit 13, the specification of the enveloping rectangular parallelepiped set in the storage unit 14, and the reference point and angle data set in the storage unit 15 to determine the three layout conditions. Display device 2 displays the space utilization rate for dimensional figures and effective loading space.
Display from 2. FIG. 18 shows an example of the display on the display device 22 in this state. Next, the process advances to step 37.

Step 37 If the operator is satisfied with the arrangement, the computer 10 proceeds to step 39. Otherwise, proceed to the next step 38.

Step 38 The computer 10 waits for input of the return destination for the modification.

The operator may return to step 33 to make corrections, or
4. The user inputs the return destination from the input terminal device 21. When the input is completed, the process returns to step 33 or step 37 depending on the instruction.

Step 39: When the operator is satisfied with the placement situation and indicates that there is no need to place any more cargo, the computer 10:
Complete the action. Otherwise.

Return to step 33 and repeat the arrangement. FIG. 19 is a display example showing the final arrangement status. The figure shows a display example in which the enveloping rectangular parallelepiped is not displayed.

In the embodiments described above, the arrangement plan was created by arranging the cargo in a plane based on the contours of arbitrarily shaped cargoes, but it is also possible to arrange the cargos in a three-dimensional shape.

Further, although the effective loading space of the pallet is assumed to be a rectangular parallelepiped, it may be possible to handle any shape. Furthermore, if stacking is possible, stacking may be possible.

In this embodiment, the cargo is arranged one by one, but the arrangement of all or part of a plurality of cargo may be automatically calculated and the arrangement status may be displayed at once.

At this time, since it is difficult to calculate the arrangement using an arbitrary shape, the arrangement may be automatically calculated using an envelope rectangular parallelepiped. Further, a function for easily correcting this result may be added.

In this embodiment, the work of stacking cargo on a pallet was explained as an example, but the method of the present invention can be applied to any work where goods are arranged in a limited three-dimensional space in which they can be arranged. It is possible.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, articles of various arbitrary shapes can be arranged.
When arranging in a dimensional space, you can experiment with the arrangement by trial and error while interacting with the computer's display terminal before actually starting the arrangement, which can significantly reduce wasted space and shorten the actual work time. There is an effect that can be done. Furthermore, when it is desired to perform placement work using an automatic machine such as a robot, the use of the placement data created according to the present invention has the secondary effect of saving the effort of inputting placement data for creating robot teaching data.

Furthermore, since articles of arbitrary shape are placed on a rectangular plate, the shape is measured, and the placement work is performed by a robot, the method of the present invention has the effect that positioning can be easily performed according to the planned placement.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1-2 are diagrams showing an example of an article of arbitrary shape, FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a method for determining the position and direction of the article, FIGS. 4-5 are diagrams illustrating an envelope rectangular parallelepiped of the article, and FIGS. Figure 8 is a diagram for determining the shape data of the article, Figures 9 and 10 are diagrams for showing the positional relationship between the pallet and the article, and Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of the device for realizing the method of the present invention. FIGS. 12 to 15 are block diagrams showing examples of storage methods for various data stored in the storage section in the device, and FIGS.
The figure is a flowchart showing an example of control in the above apparatus, and FIGS. 17 to 19 are examples of screens displayed on the display terminal device of the above apparatus. 10... Computer, 11-15... Storage unit, 1
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Claims (1)

[Claims] In order to arrange articles of various arbitrary shapes in a limited three-dimensional space in which they can be placed, the following steps are required: b) a computer that is equipped with a storage means for storing the placement status of the articles and processes input information according to a program; b) a terminal device for inputting information on instructions for placing the articles in the space into the computer; c) the above. It consists of a terminal device for displaying operation messages output from the computer and the status of article placement in the space; 1. A method for planning the placement of articles, characterized in that the placement status of the articles is displayed graphically on the display terminal device as appropriate.