JPS63200949A - Controller for automatic machining system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate operation resumption after an accident, by performing motion control on the basis of a process proceeding state out of a state monitor by a management and control computer, and reading out process proceeding state data in a memory at need. CONSTITUTION:A state monitor 9 receives state signals (a)-(o), showing the presence of an NC pallet and the operating state or the like, from each of machining equipments 1-7, collating these signals with the master file that stored machining procedures, and it operates process proceeding state data (p) at each NC pallet, storing and holding these data, while feeds them to a management and control computer 8 which outputs control commands (q)-(t) to these equipments 1-7 via the state monitor 9. And, when trouble occurs in this computer 8 and internal data are erased, the process proceeding state data is read out of the state monitor 9, and it these data are reinputted, an internal state of the computer 8 is easily accordable with an in-plant state. Thus, resetting can be made simply attainable even if the management and control computer is stopped.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a control device for an automatic processing system for machine parts and the like.

(Prior Art) Systems that are capable of automatically processing various parts by combining various NC processing machines, unmanned conveyance devices, etc. have been widely used in recent years. Conventionally, the method of automation in such a Canadian system is to use a management/control computer to write various status information output from various equipment in the system, such as NC processing machines and transport devices, to the main memory of this computer. A method is adopted in which the information in this main memory is updated as the process progresses, and the operation of each piece of equipment is controlled according to predetermined processing procedures for each part based on this status information. .

In such conventional control methods, the management/control computer usually manages status information through presence monitoring and driving monitoring functions. Attendance monitoring refers to the NC to which the workpiece is attached.
It keeps track of the status information of where the pallet is currently in the system, and stores the identification number of each NC pallet in association with the station number in the system where it currently exists. It is designed so that it can be read out and displayed on a screen or output to a printer as needed. Operation monitoring is the process of keeping track of the operating status of each piece of equipment connected to this management/control computer, such as whether it is running, stopped, or experiencing an abnormality. be.

The management/control computer compares the status information grasped through the presence monitoring and operation monitoring with the master file that records predetermined processing procedures for each type of workpiece, and calculates the status information for each NC pallet. Process progress status data indicating the current process stage of the workpieces assembled on the machine is calculated, and based on this process progress status data, the next conveyance destination, conveyance time, and each equipment are determined for each NC pallet. Comprehensively determines drive/stop timing, etc.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In this way, the conventional control device writes the status information of each facility in the system to the main memory of the management/control computer, and performs internal operations within the computer based on the information in the main memory. The process progress status data of each NC pallet is calculated by logical operation processing, but this process progress status data is only used for judgment processing inside the computer, and is not configured to be able to output it to the outside. .

Therefore, if the management/control computer stops due to an abnormality or the like and the data inside the computer is erased, the on-site This requires a human to check the status of the computer one by one, investigate process progress status data inside the computer before an abnormality occurs, and then re-enter the process progress status data obtained in this way into the computer, which is a very tedious task.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a control device for an automatic control system that can be easily restored without such troublesome work when the management/control computer is stopped.

[Structure of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides a management/control computer for controlling the operations of various equipment constituting an automatic machining system, and a computer for controlling workpieces based on various status information of each of the equipment. and a state monitoring device that calculates process progress status data indicating the current process stage of the machine and stores and holds it in memory, and the management/control computer performs the operation control described above based on the process progress status data from the status monitoring device. The present invention provides an automatic machining system control device which is configured to be able to read machining progress state data in the memory as necessary.

(Function) In the control device of the present invention, process progress status data for each NC pallet is calculated by a management/control computer and a separate status monitoring device, and is held in a memory in real time. Therefore, even if an error occurs in the management/control computer and its internal data is deleted, the process progress status data of each NC pallet will be retained in the memory of the status monitoring device as long as the status monitoring device is operating normally. By reading this out and re-entering it into the management/control computer, you can easily match the internal state of the computer with the on-site state.
A quick recovery is possible.

(Example) The present invention will be explained below with reference to Examples.

In one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, a condition monitoring device 9 is connected to various equipment 1 to 7 that make up the automatic adding system, and monitors information such as the presence or absence of an NC pallet and the operating status of the equipment. Heel state information a to 0 indicating the state of the heels is received.

Then, by comparing these status information a''-o with the master file that records the machining procedure of each workpiece, process progress status data p for each NC pallet is calculated by predetermined logical operation processing, and this is is stored and sent to the management/control computer 8.The management/control computer 8 determines the destination of each NC pallet based on the process progress status data p for each NC pallet sent from the status monitoring device 9. It comprehensively judges the timing of transport, driving and stopping of each equipment 1-7, and the timing thereof, and issues various control commands q-t to each stage Q1-7 via the condition monitoring device 9.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of an automatic processing system to which the control device shown in FIG. 1 is applied.

The configuration of this example system consists of a setup/disassembly station 1 where workers assemble workpieces and jigs onto the NC pallet 10 before starting machining, and remove them after machining is completed; A pallet stocker 2 is used to temporarily hold the machine until it is sent to another location.
A C processing machine 3, a cleaning machine 4 for removing chips etc. attached to the workpiece, an automatic guided vehicle 5 for transporting pallets between these facilities, and a pallet transfer between the automatic guided vehicle 5 and the NC processing machine 3. Automatic Pallet Changer (APC) 6.6
(APC entrance side 6, exit side 6'), a cleaning station 7 for transferring pallets between the automatic guided vehicle 5 and the cleaning machine, and other equipment.

FIG. 3 shows the internal configuration of the condition monitoring device 9 and the signal transmission relationships between each component and each part of the system.

The facilities mentioned above! 1 to 7 include external input devices IE to 7E for sending status information of the equipment to the status monitoring device 9, and external input devices IF to 7F for receiving control commands from the management/control computer 8. is provided. External output devices IE to 7E include, for example, device 1E for setup/disassembly stage equipment, which detects the number of NC pallets present at this station, and which allows workers to check the stage of each NC pallet. There are button switches to notify the completion of assembly and disassembly, and equipment 5E for automatic guided vehicles includes a presence detection device that detects whether an NC pallet is loaded or not, and whether it is currently being transported or has been transported. There are conveyance state detection devices that notify if an abnormality has occurred. In this way, each of the facilities 1 to 7 is provided with various external input devices IE to 7E according to their respective functions.

Below, typical status information issued from these external input devices IE to 7E will be listed for each facility.

(1) Setup/disassembly station 1 ■ Presence signal a ■ Preparation completion signal b ■ Disassembly completion signal C (2) Pallet stocker 2 ■ Presence signal d (3) Processing machine 3 ■ APC presence signal e ■ Inside the machine Presence signal f ■ Processing completion signal g ■ Abnormal signal h (4) Washing machine 4 ■ In-flight seating signal i ■ Washing completion signal j ■ Abnormal signal k (5) Automatic guided vehicle 5 ■ Cargo presence signal 1 ■ Transporting signal m ■ Transport completion signal n ■ Abnormal signal 0 These status information a - o are input part 9A of status monitoring device 9
The signal is sent to the logic operation control section 9B via the .

The logical operation control unit 9B compares the status information a to 0 for each piece of equipment with a master file (not shown) that records predetermined processing procedures for each workpiece, and determines the current status for each NC pallet. Create process progress status data p indicating the process steps of
The data is output from the computer to the management/control computer 8.

The types of machining progress state data p are listed below. Note that what is in parentheses is the specific content of the process step indicated by the status data p.

(1) Waiting for setup (waiting for setup at No. N pallet stocker 2) (2) Transporting I (transferring from No. N pallet stocker 2 to No. M setup/disassembly station 1) (3) Under setup (Assembling is in progress at No. N setup/disassembly station 1) (4) During transportation (Transporting from No. N setup/disassembly station 1 to No. 8 pallet stocker) (5) During machining (
During processing at No. 8 pallet stocker 2) (6) During transportation ■ (From No. 8 pallet stocker 2 to 1st
(Transferring to FAPc user side 6) (7) Processing (processing on No. 1 APC user side 6) (8) Processing (processing on No. 1 processing machine 3 with No. 1 program) ) (9) Processing completed (waiting at No. ■ APC exit side 6') (1
0) Ill is being transported ■ (Transporting from No. 1 APC output side 6' to No. 8 pallet stocker 2) (11) Waiting for cleaning (waiting for cleaning at No. 8 pallet stocker 2) (I2) Transporting V ( (Transferring from No. 8 pallet stocker 2 to No. 4 washer 4) (13) Washing (cleaning in No. 8 washer 4) (14)
During transportation ■ (Transferring from No. 4 washer 4 to No. 8 pallet stocker 2) (15) Waiting for disassembly (Waiting for disassembly at No. N pallet stocker 2) (16) During transportation ■ (No. 8 pallet stocker 2nd to Mth
(17) During disassembly (Disassembly work in progress at No. M setup/disassembly station 1) (18) During transportation ■ (No. M setup/disassembly station) From 1 a) In this way, the process progress status data p indicating the process stage of each NC pallet
For management/control = 1 When sent to the computer 8, the computer 8 for management/control: [Based on this status data p, the computer 8 grasps the next state of each NC pallet 10] and determines the next conveyance. The destination, transport time, driving/stopping of each equipment 1 to 7, and the timing thereof are comprehensively determined. Then, according to this comprehensive judgment, various $ control commands q-t are output to the condition monitoring device 9. The condition monitoring device 9 uses this control command qt for its own logical judgment processing as necessary, stores it in the storage section 9D, and outputs it to each external input device IF to 7F.

Examples of control commands qt are listed below.

■ Setup/disassembly request command q ■ Machining start command r ■ Cleaning start command S ■ Transport instruction command Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained in chronological order.

When the preparation for assembly is completed at the setup/disassembly station 1, the worker notifies the status monitoring device 9 by using a button switch. This signal is sent from the status monitoring device 9 to the management/control computer 8 along with the process progress status data p for each NC pallet.
and the management/control computer 8 determines that the state data p is “
A setup request signal q is issued by specifying the NC pallet 10 that is the "setup holder." In response to this, the automatic guided vehicle 5
is the NC pallet 10 specified from pallet stocker 2.
is transported to the setup/disassembly station 1, and a stock signal g
and sends a conveyance signal m to the condition monitoring device 9. In response to this, the status monitoring device 9 changes the status data P of the NC pallet 10 from "waiting for setup" to "transporting 1", writes this in the storage section 9D, and transmits it to the management/control computer 8.

When the NC pallet 10 arrives at the setup/disassembly station, a presence signal a is issued from the station 1, and the status monitoring device 9 changes the status data P of the NC pallet 100 from "Transporting I" to "Setting up" , write and transmit in the same way as above.

When the setup is completed, the setup/disassembly station 1 issues a setup completion signal through operation d, and the automatic guided vehicle 5 moves to the N
The C pallet 10 is transported from the setup/disassembly station 1 to the pallet stocker 2, and the state data p of the NC pallet 10 becomes "transporting ■°" due to the transporting signal m. When the NC pallet 10 reaches the pallet stocker 2, Due to the presence signal d, the state data p changes to "I" at the time of processing.

After that, when the APC input side 6 of the processing machine 3 becomes empty,
With the transport instruction command t, the automatic guided vehicle 5 performs the NC of “processing”
The pallet 10 is fed six times by the APC operator, and the processing progress status data p becomes "transporting ■" in response to the transporting signal m. AP
When person C arrives, the APC presence signal e is issued and the processing progress status data p becomes "processing time ■". Next, when the machining of the previously machined part is completed, the NC pallet is carried into the processing machine, and machining starts with a machining start command r from the computer 8. At this time, the machining progress status data p changes from "machining time ■" to "
The state changes to "Machining in progress". When the machining is completed, the NC pallet 10 is carried out of the machine, and the machining progress status data p changes to "Machining complete" in response to the machining completion signal g.

When "processing is completed", the NC pallet is returned to the pallet stocker 2 by the automatic guided vehicle 5 in response to the transport instruction command t. During this time, the status data p of the NC pallet 10 is “transporting ■”
After that, the state changes to “Waiting for cleaning”.

Next, when the washer 4 is empty, the unmanned conveyor 5 moves the NC pallet 10 to the pallet stocker 2 according to the conveyance instruction command t.
Then, the NC pallet 10 is transported to the washing machine 4, and when the transport is finished, cleaning is started with a cleaning start command S. When the cleaning is finished, the automatic guided vehicle 5 again transports the NC pallet 10 to the pallet stocker 2 with a transport start command t. During this time, the status data p of the NC pallet 10 changes from "Waiting for cleaning" to "Transporting V", "Cleaning", "Transporting ■"
After that, it changes to "waiting for disassembly".

After that, when preparations for disassembly are completed at the setup/disassembly station 1, the automatic guided vehicle 5 transports the NC pallet 10 "waiting for disassembly" to the setup/disassembly station in response to a disassembly request command q from the management/control computer 8. . When the operator removes the workpiece and presses the disassembly completion button, a disassembly completion signal C is output, and the automatic guided vehicle 5 transports the NC pallet 10 from the setup/disassembly station 1 to the pallet stocker 2. During this time, the status data p of the NC pallet 10 changes from "Transporting ■'" to "Disassembling", then "Transporting ■", and finally returns to "Waiting for setup" again.

As described above, the state monitoring device 9 forms the machining progress state data p according to the progress state of the machining process and stores it in the storage section 9D.
Based on this, the management/control computer 8 issues a control signal qt to proceed with the process.

Therefore, even if an abnormality occurs in the management/control computer 8 during the process and the internal data is erased, the progress of the machining process up to now will be stored in the storage section 9D of the status monitoring device 9.
Since it is recorded in , if this is read out and re-inputted into the management/control computer 8, operation can be resumed immediately.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, a state monitoring device separate from the management/control computer is provided, and the internal state can be maintained in the same state as at the site, so that it can be maintained after an accident. It becomes possible to restart operation easily.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an automatic adding system control device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an automatic adding system to which the embodiment is applied, and FIG.
The figure is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the condition monitoring device of the same embodiment. 1... Setup/disassembly station, 2... Pallet stocker, 3... NC processing machine, 4... Washing machine, 5...
・Automated guided vehicle, 6...Automatic pallet changer entry side,
6'...Automatic pallet changer exit side, 7...Washing machine station, 8...Management/control computer, 9...
・Status monitoring device, 9A...Manpower section, 9B...Logic operation section, 9C...Output section, 9D...Storage section, IE~7
E...External human power equipment, IF~7F...External output equipment, a~0...Status information, p...Process progress status data, qt...Control command. Applicant's agent Sato -Yugei 1 Figures 2 and 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] Based on a management/control computer for controlling the operations of the various equipment that constitutes the automatic processing system, and various status information of each of the equipment, process progress status data indicating the current process stage of the workpiece is calculated. and a state monitoring device stored and held in memory, and the management/control computer performs the operation control based on process progress state data from the state monitoring device, and monitors the process progress in the memory as necessary. A control device for an automatic processing system configured to read out state data.