JPS646073B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention is a robot used in the assembly of automobile bodies, etc., to perform complex work by robots that perform work transfer in addition to the original work such as welding. It is about the method.

(Prior Art) Recently, a wide variety of robots have come to be used in automobile body assembly, etc., and efforts are being made to automate and save labor.

However, conventional robots are all specialized; for example, welding robots perform only welding work, and transport robots only perform workpiece transport. For this reason, it is necessary to install many robots even in one work process, resulting in problems such as high equipment costs and the need for a large work area.

Therefore, in order to solve this problem, the present applicant has developed a welding robot that can grip and transport workpieces with a welding gun, and that one robot can be used for both welding work and transporting workpieces. (See Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 151972/1983). However, in this proposal, the electrode, which is the part of the welding gun that grips the workpiece, is thin and small, so it is unsuitable for transporting large workpieces, and there is a risk of damage to the electrode itself. There are problems in terms of practicality.

In addition, as a solution different from the one proposed above,
It is conceivable to provide two types of jigs for one robot, each of which performs a different task. However, in this case, the arm of the robot becomes extremely heavy due to the two types of jigs, and the accuracy of stopping the arm due to inertia may deteriorate, so the working speed of the robot cannot be increased very much. Also,
The increased weight tends to cause member fatigue, and the working accuracy or processing accuracy of the robot tends to deteriorate over time. Conversely, in order to prevent this deterioration of processing accuracy, it is necessary to increase the rigidity of the arms, etc., and the robot itself becomes larger accordingly.

(Object of the Invention) In view of these points, the object of the present invention is to provide a workpiece holder that is detachably attached to the robot and equipped with a workpiece clamping mechanism, instead of gripping the workpiece with a welding gun of a welding robot as proposed above. By using a robot to efficiently perform combined work such as welding by robots and transporting workpieces using the workpiece holder, it is possible to efficiently perform combined work such as welding by robots and transporting workpieces using the workpiece holder. The aim is to reduce the number of robots involved, and to improve work efficiency and accuracy.

(Structure of the Invention) In order to achieve the above object, the structure of the present invention is to operate a robot having a work tool attached to the tip of an arm, and to attach and detach a workpiece to the robot and disposed at a predetermined position. a first step of connecting the workpiece to the robot; and a second step of bringing the robot closer to the workpiece after connecting the workpiece holder to the robot.
a third step in which, when the robot approaches the workpiece, a clamp mechanism provided on a workpiece holder connected to the robot is operated to hold the workpiece in the robot and the robot transfers the workpiece; and a third step in which the workpiece transfer is completed. After that, the clamping mechanism of the workpiece holder connected to the robot is operated to unclamp the workpiece and release it from the robot.
In the fourth step of operating the robot and returning the workpiece holder to its original position, and in at least one of the pre-process of the first step and the post-process of the fourth step, the robot is attached to the tip of the arm relative to the workpiece. This process consists of the step of making the robot perform the operation of performing the work using the work tool. Due to this,
When the robot works on a workpiece, it uses the work tool at the end of the arm without the work holder attached, while when the robot transfers the work, the work holder is attached to the robot in advance. The workpiece is transferred while being held through the workpiece holder, and one robot is used for both the original work and the workpiece transfer.

(Effects of the Invention) Therefore, according to the present invention, even with one robot, the combined work of the original work on the workpiece and the transfer of the workpiece using the workpiece holder can be performed without causing any hindrance to the work itself. Since it can be carried out efficiently and efficiently, it not only reduces equipment costs by reducing the number of robots required in one work process and reduces the space required for work, but also significantly improves work efficiency. be able to. Moreover, when transferring a workpiece, a workpiece holder is attached to the robot itself, and the workpiece is held by the workpiece holder, which not only prevents damage to the workpiece but also ensures stable workpiece transfer. It can be carried out reliably, and is not limited by the size of the work itself, making it practical and
It also has the advantage of versatility. Furthermore, the working accuracy is less likely to deteriorate over time, and it also has the advantage of contributing to the miniaturization of robots.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to welding and assembling the side surface of an automobile body using a welding robot.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a storage section for storing various members and parts, 2 a first loading system for transporting the temporarily attached outer panel W ₁ from the storage section 1 to a predetermined welding position S ₁ , 3 to 5 is the above welding position
Outer panel _W 1 arranged around S ₁ and transported to the welding position S ₁ by the first carry-in shooter 2
A rotary welding robot that performs welding on
One of the welding robots 3 to 5 is configured to weld part W ₂ on part welding table 6 between welding to outer panel W ₁ at welding position S ₁ . ing. Also,
After the welding of the outer panel W 1 at the welding position S ₁ is completed, the other welding robot 5 holds _{the outer panel W 1 via} the workpiece holder 7,
It is configured to be transferred onto the assembly table 8 from the welding position _S1 . With the above configuration, the outer panel W ₁ that has been transferred to the welding position S ₁ by the first carry-in shooter 2 is subjected to main welding by the welding robots 3 to 5 at the welding position S ₁ , and then welded. It is designed to be transferred to an assembly table 8 by a robot 5.

Further, numeral 9 is a second carry-in shooter for transferring the temporarily attached quarter inner panel W ₃ from the storage section 1 to a predetermined standby position S ₂ , and 10 is a transfer robot equipped with a workpiece holder 11 . The transport robot 10 receives the quarter inner panel that has been transported to the standby position _S2 by the second transport system 9.
Hold W ₃ with work holder 11 and move to standby position S ₂
It is configured so that it can be transferred from there to the temporary storage stand 12. Further, 13 and 14 are the transfer robots 1
The welding machines 13 and 14 are stationary welding machines arranged corresponding to the quarter inner panel W ₃ that is transferred from the standby position S ₂ to the temporary stand 12 by the transfer robot 10. During the transfer, the final welding on one side is performed.

Furthermore, 15 is a rotating welding robot placed between the assembly table 8 and the temporary storage table 12,
The welding robot 15 performs welding assembly of the workpieces on the assembly table 8 (welding assembly between the outer panel W ₁ , the quarter inner panel W ₃ , and the front pillar inner W ₄ as described later), and also performs welding assembly of the workpieces on the assembly table 8 . Quarter inner panel W ₃ placed on temporary stand 12 during welding and assembly of workpieces at
is held via the workpiece holder 16 and placed on the temporary stand 12.
It is configured so that it can be transferred from there onto an assembly table 8. 17 is a stationary welding machine disposed corresponding to the rotary welding robot 15;
The quarter inner panel W ₃ is transferred from the standby position S 2 to the assembly table 8 during its transfer from the standby position S ₂ to the temporary placement table 12, and is permanently welded by the welding machines 13 and 14 as described above. This involves performing the final welding on one side of the weld and the opposite side. With the above configuration, the quarter inner panel W ₃ transferred to the standby position S ₂ by the second carry-in shooter 9 is transferred from the standby position S ₂ to the temporary storage stand 12 by the transfer robot 10 and the rotary welding robot 15. are transferred to the assembly table 8, and during the transfer, final welding is performed by welding machines 13, 14, and 17.

In addition, in the vicinity of the assembly table 8, there are two other rotary welding robots 18 and 19 that work together with the rotary welding robot 15 to weld and assemble workpieces on the assembly table 8. One of the welding robots 18 and 19, the welding robot 18, is placed on the mounting table 20 and clamped by the workpiece holder 40 between welding and assembling the workpieces on the assembly table 8. front pillar inner
It is configured to transfer the W ₄ together with the workpiece holder 40 from the mounting table 20 onto the assembly table 8. Further, after the assembly and welding of the workpieces on the assembly table 8 is completed, the other welding robot 19 holds the assembled workpiece assembly W ₅ via the workpiece holder 21 and carries it out from the assembly table 8 to the shutter 22. It is configured to be transferred to the removal position _S3 . Therefore, on the assembly table 8, the outer panel _W1 , the quarter inner panel _W3 , and the front pillar inner _W4 , which have been transferred to the assembly table 8, are welded together by the welding robots 15, 18, and 19. A work assembly W ₅ of a predetermined shape that will constitute the side surface of the vehicle body is assembled, and then this work assembly W ₅ is transferred and placed on the carry-out shooter 22 at the take-out position S ₃ by the welding robot 19, and then It is designed to be transferred to the next process by the shutter 22. Here, the second carry-in shooter 9, the first carry-in shooter 2, the assembly table 8, and the carry-out shooter 22 each have a function as a workpiece mounting table.
are arranged parallel to each other with a predetermined interval in one direction (vertical direction), and temporary storage stands 1
2 is disposed on the extension line of the first carry-in shooter 2 in the conveying direction, that is, at an intermediate position between the second carry-in shooter 9 and the assembly table 8.

And the above-mentioned rotary welding robots 3 to 5, 1
5, 18, and 19, the workpieces (i.e., outer panel W ₁ , quarter inner panel W ₃ ,
Front pillar inner W ₄ or work assembly W ₅ )
Welding robots 5, 15, 18, 19 transporting
As shown in detail in FIG. 2, there is a rotary base 23 that can be rotated, a support 24 that is swingably erected on the rotation base 23, and a support that extends horizontally from the top of the support 24. The arm 25 is provided to be rotatable around its axis and swingable in the vertical direction. In addition, the arm 2
A welding gun 26 is connected to the tip of the welding gun 5 via a connecting member 32.
is attached to the connecting member 32, and a joint portion 27 made of a hook member is formed. between the two workpiece mounting tables (that is, the outer panel
In the case of the welding robot 5 that transfers W ₁ , between the welding position S ₁ of the first carry-in shooter 2 and the assembly table 8,
In the case of the welding robot ₁₅ that transfers the quarter inner panel W3, there is a gap between the temporary holding table 12 and the assembly table 8, and in the case of the welding robot 18 that transfers the front pillar inner panel _W4 , there is a gap between the placing table 20 and the assembly table 8. In addition, in the case of the welding robot 19 that transfers the work assembly W ₅ , the assembly table 8 and the unloading shooter 2
It is provided so that it can be reciprocated between the take-out position S 2 and the take-out position S ₃ ).

On the other hand, the rotary welding robots 5, 15, 1
The workpiece holders 7, 16, 40, 21 used for transferring the workpieces 8, 19 are the welding robots 5, 15, 18, 1 between the workpiece mounting tables, respectively.
9 (welding gun 26 or joint portion 27 at the tip of arm 25) is placed at a predetermined position within the movement area. In addition, each work holder 7, 16, 4
0 and 21 are joint portions 27 of each welding robot 5, 15, 18, and 19, as shown in FIG.
It is equipped with a chuck mechanism 28 that can be connected to the welding robot 5, 15, 18, 19 (joint part 2
7) The work clamp mechanism 31 is attached to the
It is configured to hold the workpiece.

In addition, rotating type welding robots 3 to 5, 15, 18,
Of the 19 robots, welding robots 3 and 4, which only perform welding work, are not shown in detail in the figure, but they are equipped with only a welding gun at the tip of the arm and do not have a joint part. Welding robots 5 and 1 that transport large workpieces together with
It has almost the same structure as 5 and 19.

Next, of the rotary welding robots 5, 15, 18, and 19 that transport large workpieces in addition to the above-mentioned welding work, welding robot 5 that transports the outer panel _W1 will be described. The explanation will be given according to the order of operation.

Suppose now that the outer panel W ₁ in a temporarily attached state has been transferred to a predetermined welding position S ₁ by the first carry-in shooter 2 . In this case, the welding robot 5
is in a state where the workpiece holder 7 is not attached.
Then, the welding robot 5 is operated together with the other two welding robots 3 and 4 placed around the welding position _S1 , and at the welding position _S1 , the welding gun 26 at the tip of the arm 25 is used to weld the outer panel _W1. Welding will be performed.

Then, the outer panel W ₁ at the above welding position S ₁
After the welding work is completed, the welding robot 5 is moved to the workpiece holder 7 placed at a predetermined position between the welding position _S1 of the first carry-in shooter 2 and the assembly table 8 (rotation base). At that position, the joint portion 27 of the welding robot 5 is connected to the chuck mechanism 31 of the workpiece holder 7, and the workpiece holder 7 is mounted on the welding robot 5 (first step).

Thereafter, the first carry-in shooter 2 moves the welding robot 5, with the workpiece holder 7 still attached, close to the outer panel _W1 that has been welded.
( _second step). Then,
The work clamp mechanism 31 of the work holder 7 is operated to cause the welding robot 5 to hold the outer panel W ₁ via the work holder 7, and the welding robot 5 also moves the outer panel W ₁ to the welding position of the first carry-in shooter 2. Transfer from S ₁ to assembly table 8 (third step).

After the transfer of the outer panel W ₁ to the assembly table 8 is completed, the work clamp mechanism 31 of the work holder 7 that holds the outer panel W ₁ is operated to unclamp the outer panel W ₁ and release it from the welding robot 5. , and transfer it onto the assembly table 8. Subsequently, the workpiece holder 7 is attached to the assembly table 8 and the first
It is returned to its original position between the carry-in shooter 2 (fourth step). Thereafter, the welding robot 5 is moved from the assembly table 8 to the welding position _S1 of the first carry-in shooter 2, and one cycle of work is completed. After that, welding is repeatedly performed on the outer panel W 1 that is being transferred next by the first carry-in shooter ₂ at the welding position S ₁ .

The operations of the other welding robots 15, 18, and ₁₉ that transfer the workpieces together with the welding operation, which are related to the robot-based composite work method of the present invention, will not be explained in detail. In the case of the robot 19, welding work is performed on the workpiece on the assembly table 8, and workpiece assembly _W5 is carried out from the assembly table 8 at the take-out position _S3 of the shooter 22.
The sequence of operations of transferring the workpiece to and attaching and detaching the workpiece holder 21 is exactly the same as in the case of the welding robot 5 that transfers the outer panel _W1 described above. In addition, in the case of the robot 15 that transfers the quarter inner panel _W3 , the unworked (outer panel
Place the quarter inner panel W ₃ (unassembled in the work assembly W ₅ together with W ₁ etc.) on temporary stand 1.
The only difference is that a workpiece holder 16 used for transferring the workpiece from 2 to the assembly table 8 is separated onto the outer panel W1 of the assembly table ₈ together with the quarter inner panel _W3 .

Therefore, in the above embodiment, the four welding robots 5, 15, 18, and 19 used in welding and assembling the side surfaces of the car body perform the original welding work as well as the workpiece holders 7, 16, and 4, respectively.
0,21 can also be used to transfer workpieces, so the number of robots required in the past can be reduced by four robots in total, reducing equipment costs and the space required for work. can be achieved.

Moreover, at that time, each of the welding robots 5, 1
The transition from welding work to workpiece transfer and the transition from workpiece transfer to welding work in steps 5, 18, and 19 are made smooth by simply attaching and detaching (installing or removing) workpiece holders 7, 16, 40, and 21. be able to. In addition, the welding work is not affected by the workpiece holders 7, 16, 40, 21, and even if the operating speed is increased, the stopping accuracy due to inertia is less likely to decrease, making the above-mentioned complex work more efficient and welding. The work accuracy can be improved. Moreover, the work holder 7, 1
Attachment and detachment of 6, 40, 21 is done by welding robot 5, 1.
Since this is performed during movement between the workpiece mounting tables 5, 18, and 19, the time required for movement and attachment/detachment can be shortened, and the efficiency of complex work can be further improved.

Furthermore, each of the welding robots 5, 15, 18,
19 is a joint part 27 separate from the welding gun 26 when transferring the workpiece, and the workpiece holder 7, 16, 4
0, 21, and the work holders 7, 16, 4
Since the work clamp mechanism 31 of 0 and 21 holds the work, the work can be transferred stably and reliably, and the welding gun 26
There will be no damage to the electrodes etc. Moreover, since the size, shape, etc. of the workpiece holders 7, 16, 40, 21 can be freely selected, the scope of application is not limited by the size of the workpiece, etc., and the practicality and It also has the advantage of versatility.

Furthermore, each welding robot 5, 15, 18,
19 does not always have the workpiece holders 7, 16, 40, 21 at the tip of the arm 25 together with the welding gun 26, so the arm 25 etc. due to increased weight causes member fatigue, resulting in poor work accuracy or processing accuracy. It does not deteriorate over time. Also,
Therefore, there is no need to particularly increase the rigidity of the arm 25, etc., and it is possible to contribute to downsizing of the welding robots 5, 15, 18, 19.

In the above embodiment, the present invention was applied to the case where the side surface of the car body was welded and assembled by a welding robot, but it can be similarly applied to cases where work is performed by a robot in various other places. Of course. In this case, the original work of the robot is not limited to the welding work as in the above embodiment, but may also be work such as bolt tightening work or painting work.

Further, in the above embodiment, the welding robots 5, 1
5 and 19, the workpiece is transferred only before or after the original work of welding, but in the present invention, the workpiece is transferred by connecting the workpiece holder to the robot before and after the original work process. You may also do this.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is a schematic plan view showing the entire equipment for welding and assembling the side of a car body, and Figure 2 is a diagram of a rotary welding robot that transfers workpieces during welding work. FIG. 5, 15, 18, 19... Rotating welding robot, 7, 16, 21, 40... Work holder, 2
5...Arm, 26...Welding gun, 27...Joint part, 28...Chuck mechanism, 31...Work clamp mechanism, _W1 ...Outer panel, _W3 ...
Quarter inner panel, W ₅ ... Work assembly.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A first step of operating a robot with a work tool attached to the tip of the arm and connecting a work holder that is detachably attached to the robot and placed at a predetermined position to the robot; and a step of connecting the work holder to the robot. After the connection, a second step is to bring the robot close to the workpiece, and when the robot approaches the workpiece, a clamp mechanism provided on a workpiece holder connected to the robot is operated to hold the workpiece to the robot, and the robot After the work is transferred, the clamp mechanism of the work holder connected to the robot is operated to unclamp the work and released from the robot, and the robot is operated to hold the work. In the fourth step of returning the tool to its original position, and in at least one of the steps before the first step and after the fourth step, an operation of performing work on the workpiece with a work tool attached to the tip of the arm is performed. A composite work method using a robot, characterized by comprising a process for the robot to perform.