KR20150069442A - Automatic tag loading/unloading device for vehicle assembly line and control method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An automatic tag loading/unloading device for a vehicle assembly line is disclosed. Disclosed automatic tag loading/unloading device for a vehicle assembly line automatically loads and unloads an RFID tag with respect to a vehicle in a component assembly line and the inspection line of a design process. The automatic tag loading/unloading device comprises: a tag loading unit installed in at least one component assembly line and gripping the RFID tag stored in a tag pallet through a robot and loading the RFID tag on the vehicle; a tag unloading unit installed in at least one inspection line and gripping the RFID tag attached to the vehicle through the robot and unloading the RFID tag from the vehicle and storing the RFID tag in the tag pallet; and the pallet convey line installed in the component assembly line and the inspection line and conveying the tag pallet along a predetermined path.

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a tag automatic loading / unloading apparatus for a vehicle assembly line and a control method thereof,

The present invention relates to an automobile assembly system, and more particularly, to an automobile assembly system for automatically mounting and unloading an RFID tag for generating sequence information of vehicle bodies in a design process, / Unloading apparatus and control method thereof.

Generally, automobile manufacturers assemble tens of thousands of parts in every mass production process from automobile manufacturing to numerous welding and assembly processes.

In the process of mass production of such vehicles, the car body and its parts move through the work process through the transfer device and manage the work process efficiently by automating the process.

Particularly, the design process in a mass production factory of a vehicle is a process of assembling an engine, a transmission, a suspension, and other component parts in a vehicle body. In the process cycle, a cycle time given through a conveyor, So that the parts to be supplied are mounted.

For example, in the designing process, various parts are assembled to the corresponding mounting positions of the vehicle body in the trim line, and other parts are assembled to the vehicle body in the final line. In the subsequent process, inspection lines such as water- The vehicle is being inspected.

In a trim line and a final line for assembling parts in such a design process, an RFID tag for detecting a body conveyed through a conveyor or a conveyance truck and generating sequence information of the bodies is attached (loaded) to the loop side of the body. .

In the inspection line for inspecting the finished vehicle in the design process, the RFID tag attached to the vehicle body is recovered (unloaded) from the vehicle body.

In this case, in the component assembly line such as the trim line and the final line, an operator manually loads (attaches) the RFID tag contained in the tag pallet to the vehicle body, and in the inspection line for inspecting the finished vehicle, And stores the RFID tag on the tag palette.

If the RFID tags contained in the tag palette are exhausted in the trim line and the final line, or the RFID tag is filled in the tag pallet on the inspection line, the other operator carries the tag pallet manually to each work site.

Therefore, in the prior art, the loading / unloading operation of the RFID tag to the vehicle body and the transportation operation of the tag pallet are performed manually by the operator.

Embodiments of the present invention can automatically load and unload an RFID tag to a vehicle body in a component assembly line and an inspection line of a design process, and can automatically load and unload a tag pallet, Unloading apparatus and a control method thereof.

The automatic tag loading / unloading apparatus for a car assembly line according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a tag assembly line for a design process and a tag automatic loading for an automobile assembly line for automatically loading and unloading an RFID tag A tag loading unit installed in at least one of said component assembly lines for holding an RFID tag accommodated in a tag pallet through a robot and loading the RFID tag into a vehicle; and ii) at least one A tag unloading unit installed on the inspection line of the vehicle and gripping the RFID tag attached to the vehicle through a robot to unload the RFID tag from the vehicle and storing the RFID tag in the tag pallet; And may include a pallet transfer line for transferring the tag pallet along a given path.

The tag loading unit and the tag unloading unit detect the loop position of the vehicle and output the detection signal to the controller. And a position detection sensor, respectively.

Further, in the RFID tag automatic loading / unloading apparatus for a car assembly line according to an embodiment of the present invention, the tag loading unit may detect a position of the RFID tag in the tag pallet and output a detection signal to the controller, A position detection sensor may be provided.

In the automatic tag loading / unloading apparatus for the automobile assembly line according to the embodiment of the present invention, the tag unloading unit may include a third position sensing unit for sensing the position of the tag pallet and outputting the detection signal to the controller, A sensor may be provided.

In the automatic tag loading / unloading apparatus for a car assembly line according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first, second and third position sensors may be a vision sensor or a laser displacement sensor.

Further, in the tag automatic loading / unloading apparatus for a car assembly line according to an embodiment of the present invention, the pallet transfer line may include a conveyor running by magnetic force generating means.

The method for controlling an automatic tag loading / unloading apparatus for a car assembly line according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: (i) a tag assembly line for a design process; and a tag automatic loading / unloading apparatus Ii) detecting a loop position of the vehicle through the first position detecting sensor when the vehicle enters the component assembly line and the inspection line, and iii) detecting a loop position of the vehicle through the second position detecting sensor Sensing the position of the RFID tag in the tag pallet on the line, sensing the position of the tag pallet on the pallet transfer line through the third position sensing sensor on the tag unloading side, and iv) The RFID tag stored in the tag pallet is picked up by the robot of the tag loading unit according to the detection signal of the position detection sensor, the RFID tag is loaded on the vehicle, V) In the inspection line, the RFID tag attached to the vehicle is gripped by the robot of the tag unloading unit according to the detection signals of the first and third position sensors, unloaded from the vehicle, and the RFID tag is moved to the tag pallet And the like.

In addition, the control method of the tag automatic loading / unloading apparatus for the vehicle assembly line according to the embodiment of the present invention can automatically transfer the tag pallet through the pallet transfer line.

The control method of the automatic tag loading / unloading apparatus for the vehicle assembly line according to the embodiment of the present invention may further include the steps of: capturing a subject to be sensed through the first, second, and third position sensing sensors, .

The control method of the automatic tag loading / unloading apparatus for an automobile assembly line according to the embodiment of the present invention may further include irradiating a laser beam on the object to be detected through the first, And output the received signal to the controller.

The embodiments of the present invention can automatically load and unload the RFID tag with respect to the vehicle in the component assembly line and the inspection line of the design process and automatically transfer the tag pallet accommodating the RFID tag, Unlike the prior art in which the loading / unloading operation and the transportation of the tag pallet are manually performed by the operator, the number of workers and the working time can be greatly reduced, and the productivity of the automobile assembly line can be further improved.

These drawings are for the purpose of describing an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and therefore the technical idea of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the accompanying drawings.
1 is a block diagram schematically showing a tag automatic loading / unloading apparatus for a car assembly line according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a process of loading an RFID tag into a vehicle in a method of controlling an automatic tag loading / unloading apparatus for a car assembly line according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of unloading an RFID tag from a vehicle in a method of controlling an automatic tag loading / unloading apparatus for a car assembly line according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

In order to clearly illustrate the present invention, parts not related to the description are omitted, and the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the specification.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

In the following detailed description, the names of components are categorized into the first, second, and so on in order to distinguish them from each other in the same relationship, and are not necessarily limited to the order in the following description.

Throughout the specification, when an element is referred to as "comprising ", it means that it can include other elements as well, without excluding other elements unless specifically stated otherwise.

It should be noted that terms such as " ... unit ", "unit of means "," part of item ", "absence of member ", and the like denote a unit of a comprehensive constitution having at least one function or operation it means.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing a tag automatic loading / unloading apparatus for a car assembly line according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the tag automatic loading / unloading apparatus 100 for a vehicle assembly line according to the embodiment of the present invention includes various kinds of design parts to a vehicle transported along a given path in an automobile design part assembling process (design process) Assembled, and inspecting the finished vehicle.

For example, in the embodiment of the present invention, various parts are assembled at the corresponding mounting positions of the vehicle body in the trim line of the design process for producing a finished vehicle, other parts are assembled to the vehicle body in the final line, Line inspection of finished vehicles.

Hereinafter, a trim line and a final line for assembling various design parts to a vehicle in the above-described design process are referred to as a component assembly line 1, and a process for inspecting a finished vehicle is referred to as an inspection line 3.

In the component assembly line 1, the RFID tag T for detecting the vehicle C being conveyed through the conveyor or the conveyance truck and generating the sequence information of the vehicles C is connected to the roof of the vehicle C . In the inspection line 3, the RFID tag T attached to the vehicle C is recovered (unloaded) from the vehicle C.

In this case, the RFID tag T can be loaded one by one onto the vehicle C while being contained in the box-shaped tag pallet P, and can be loaded into the inside of the tag pallet P while being unloaded from the vehicle C, As shown in Fig.

The RFID tag T periodically transmits a signal of an ultra wide band (UWB) band. For example, the RFID tag T generates sequence information of the vehicles C through a separate controller.

The RFID tag T is composed of an antenna and an integrated circuit. The RFID tag T records information in the integrated circuit and transmits information to the reader through the antenna. This information can be used to identify the tagged object.

Since the RFID tag T is configured as a known ultra wide band RFID tag well known in the art, a detailed description of the configuration will be omitted herein.

The tag automatic loading and unloading apparatus 100 for a vehicle assembly line according to the embodiment of the present invention can be applied to the component assembly line 1 of the design process and the RFID tag T It can be automatically loaded and unloaded, and has a structure that can automatically transfer the tag pallet (P).

For this purpose, the tag automatic loading / unloading apparatus 100 for a car assembly line according to an embodiment of the present invention basically includes a tag loading unit 10, a tag unloading unit 30, a pallet transferring line 50, And a controller (90).

In the embodiment of the present invention, the tag loading section 10 includes a first robot 11 installed on the component assembly line 1 side.

The first robot 11 grasps the RFID tag T stored in the tag pallet P on the pallet transfer line 50 to be described later and loads the RFID tag T onto the vehicle C And attaching the same.

That is, the first robot 11 grasps the RFID tag T in the tag pallet P through the gripper 13, positions the RFID tag T on the loop side of the vehicle C, So that the tag T can be released.

Here, since the gripper 13 of the first robot 11 is a gripper device (hand finger type) of a conventional structure capable of gripping and unregistering a predetermined object at the tip of the arm of the robot as an operation of the actuator, A more detailed description of the configuration will be omitted herein.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the tag unloading section 30 includes a second robot 31 installed on the inspection line 3 side.

The second robot 31 grasps the RFID tag T attached to the vehicle C and unloads the RFID tag T from the vehicle C and places the RFID tag T on a pallet And to store it in the tag pallet P on the transfer line 50.

That is, the second robot 31 positions the gripper 33 for unloading the RFID tag T to the loop side of the vehicle C, and the RFID tag T And unloads the RFID tag T from the vehicle C to release the holding of the RFID tag T in the tag pallet P and store the RFID tag T in the tag pallet P .

Since the gripper 33 of the second robot 31 is configured as a gripper device (hand finger type) of a conventional structure capable of gripping and unregistering a predetermined object at the tip of the arm of the robot as the operation of the actuator, A detailed description of the configuration will be omitted.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the tag loading unit 10 and the tag unloading unit 30 side are provided with a first position detection unit 50 for detecting the loop position of the vehicle C and outputting the detection signal to the controller 90, And a sensor 71, respectively.

The first position detecting sensor 71 may be provided on the arm side of the first and second robots 11 and 31 and may be connected to the component assembly line 1 and the inspection line 3 through separate brackets. It may be installed on the vehicle entry side.

The first position detecting sensor 71 may be a vision sensor or a laser displacement sensor. The vision sensor may take a vision of the loop of the vehicle C and output the vision data to the controller 90.

The laser displacement sensor may irradiate a laser to the loop of the vehicle C, receive the laser reflected from the loop, and output the received signal to the controller 90.

Since the vision sensor and the laser sensor as described above are well known in the art, a more detailed description of the configuration will be omitted herein.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the tag loading unit 10 detects the position of the RFID tag T in the tag pallet P located on the pallet transfer line 50, And a second position sensing sensor 72 for outputting the second position sensing signal.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the tag unloading unit 30 detects the position of the tag pallet P located on the pallet transfer line 50 and outputs the detection signal to the controller 90 A position detection sensor 73 is provided.

The second and third position sensing sensors 72 and 73 may be equipped with a vision sensor or a laser displacement sensor according to a known technique as described above.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the pallet transfer line 50 is for transferring the above-mentioned tag pallet P along a given path, and is installed on the component assembly line 1 and the inspection line 3 side do.

The pallet transfer line 50 may include a conveyor 53 running by the magnetic force generating means 51. That is, the pallet transporting line 50 can drive the conveyor 53 in an endless track by using the magnetic force generated by the magnetic force generating means 51.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the controller 90 controls the overall operation of the apparatus. The controller 90 controls the operation of the tag unloading unit 10 according to the detection signals of the first, second, and third position sensors 71, 72, The operation of the first robot 11 of the tag unloading section 30 and the operation of the second robot 31 of the tag unloading section 30 can be controlled.

In addition, the controller 90 can control the gripping and ungripping operations of the grippers 13 and 33 provided on the first and second robots 11 and 31, respectively.

Hereinafter, a method of controlling the automatic tag loading / unloading apparatus 100 for a vehicle assembly line according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a process of loading an RFID tag into a vehicle in a method of controlling an automatic tag loading / unloading apparatus for a car assembly line according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a process of unloading an RFID tag from a vehicle in a method of controlling an automatic tag loading / unloading apparatus for a vehicle assembly line according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, the process of loading the RFID tag T into the loop of the vehicle C in the component assembly line 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. In the embodiment of the present invention, Confirm that the line 1 is entered.

When the vehicle C enters the component assembly line 1 (step S11), in the embodiment of the present invention, the arm of the first robot 11 of the tag loading section 10 is positioned on the pallet transfer line 50 To the tag pallet P side (step S12).

Then, in the embodiment of the present invention, the position of the RFID tag T in the tag pallet P is sensed through the second position sensing sensor 72 and the sensing signal is output to the controller 90 (step S13) .

Then, the controller 90 compares the detection signal of the second position sensing sensor 72 and determines that the RFID tag T is positioned in the tag pallet P corresponding to the arm of the first robot 11 The RFID tag T is gripped by operating the gripper 11 of the first robot 11 (step S15).

If it is determined in step S14 that the RFID tag T does not correspond to the arm of the first robot 11 in the tag pallet P, the arm of the first robot 11 is moved to the tag pallet P .

Thereafter, the first robot 11 arm is moved to the left side of the entry vehicle C of the component assembly line 1 with the RFID tag T held by the gripper 11 of the first robot 11, To the loop side (step S16).

Then, in the embodiment of the present invention, the predetermined position of the loop of the vehicle C is sensed through the first position sensor 71 of the tag loading unit 10 and the sensed signal is output to the controller 90 S17).

If the controller 90 determines that the arm of the first robot 11 has moved to the predetermined loop position of the vehicle C in step S18 by comparing and analyzing the detection signals of the first position sensor 71, The gripper 11 of the first robot 11 is operated to release gripping of the RFID tag T (step S19).

If it is determined in step S18 that the arm of the first robot 11 has not moved to the predetermined loop position of the vehicle C, the arm of the first robot 11 is moved on the loop side of the vehicle C.

Accordingly, in the embodiment of the present invention, the RFID tag T can be automatically loaded (attached) to the loop of the entering vehicle C of the component assembly line 1 through such a series of processes (step S20) .

In the embodiment of the present invention, the tag pallet P containing the RFID tag T is inserted into the tag loading unit (not shown) through the conveyor 53 running by the magnetic force generating means 51 of the pallet transfer line 50 10 to the first robot 11 side.

The first position detecting sensor 71 can take a vision of the loop of the vehicle C as a vision sensor and output the vision data to the controller 90. As the laser displacement sensor, And receive the laser reflected from the loop and output the received signal to the controller 90. [

The second position sensing sensor 71 can visually photograph the RFID tag T of the tag palette P as a vision sensor and output the vision data to the controller 90. The second position sensing sensor 71 can output the tag palette P to receive the reflected laser beam from the RFID tag T and output the received signal to the controller 90. [

The process of unloading (retrieving) the RFID tag T attached to the loop side of the vehicle C in the inspection line 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. First, in the embodiment of the present invention, Confirms that the vehicle C enters the inspection line 3 with the check valve 3.

When the vehicle C having the RFID tag T attached to the loop side enters the inspection line 3 (step S31), in the embodiment of the present invention, the second robot 31 of the tag unloading section 30 ) Arm to the loop side of the vehicle C (step S32).

Then, in the embodiment of the present invention, the predetermined position of the loop of the vehicle C to which the RFID tag T is attached is sensed through the first position detecting sensor 71 of the tag unloading unit 30, And outputs the signal to the controller 90 (step S33).

If the controller 90 determines that the arm of the second robot 31 has moved to a predetermined loop position of the vehicle C in step S34, the controller 90 compares and analyzes the detection signals of the first position sensor 71, The gripper 33 of the second robot 31 is operated to grip the RFID tag T on the loop (step S35).

If it is determined in step S34 that the arm of the second robot 31 has not moved to the predetermined loop position of the vehicle C, the arm of the second robot 31 is moved on the loop side of the vehicle C .

Thereafter, the arm of the second robot 31 is moved while gripping the RFID tag T on the loop through the gripper 33 of the second robot 31 as described above, The RFID tag T is unloaded (removed) from the loop side of the vehicle C (step S36).

Then, in the embodiment of the present invention, the arm of the second robot 31 holding the RFID tag T via the gripper 33 is moved toward the tag pallet P on the pallet transfer line 50 (S37 step).

 Then, in the embodiment of the present invention, the position of the tag pallet P on the pallet transfer line 50 is sensed through the third position sensing sensor 73 and the sensed signal is output to the controller 90 (step S38).

If the controller 90 determines that the tag palette P is positioned corresponding to the arm of the second robot 31 by comparing the detection signal of the third position sensor 73 with the arm of the second robot 31 in operation S39, , The gripper 33 of the second robot 31 is operated to release gripping of the RFID tag T (step S40).

Thus, in the embodiment of the present invention, the RFID tag T unloaded from the loop side of the vehicle C is moved to the tag pallet P on the pallet transfer line 50 through the gripper 33 of the second robot 31, (Step S41).

If it is determined in step S39 that the tag palette P is not positioned corresponding to the arm of the second robot 31, the arm of the second robot 31 is moved from the tag palette P side.

Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the RFID tag T attached to the loop of the vehicle C entering the inspection line 3 is automatically unloaded through the series of processes and the pallet transporting line 50 is automatically unloaded. Can be stored in the tag pallet P on the tag pallet P.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the tag pallet P for storing the RFID tag T is connected to the tag unloading unit 50 via the conveyor 53 which travels by the magnetic force generating means 51 of the pallet transfer line 50. [ To the second robot (31) side of the robot arm (30).

The first position detection sensor 71 is used as a vision sensor to visually photograph a predetermined loop side of the vehicle C and output the vision data to the controller 90. As the laser displacement sensor, Irradiates the predetermined loop side with a laser, receives the laser reflected from the loop, and outputs the received signal to the controller 90. [

The third position sensing sensor 73 can visually photograph the tag pallet P as a vision sensor and output the vision data to the controller 90. The laser light is irradiated onto the tag pallet P as a laser displacement sensor And can receive the reflected laser beam from the tag pallet P and output the received signal to the controller 90.

According to the tag automatic loading / unloading apparatus 100 for a vehicle assembly line and the control method thereof, as described above, in the component assembly line 1 and the inspection line 3 of the design process, The RFID tag T can be automatically loaded and unloaded to the RFID tag C and the tag pallet P accommodating the RFID tag T can be automatically transported.

Thus, in the embodiment of the present invention, the RFID tag T can be automatically loaded and unloaded on the vehicle C, and the tag pallet P can be automatically transferred. Therefore, loading / unloading of the RFID tag Unlike the prior art in which the operation and the transportation of the tag pallet are performed manually by the operator, it is possible to greatly reduce the number of workers and the working time, and further improve the productivity of the automobile assembly line.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, Other embodiments may easily be suggested by adding, changing, deleting, adding, or the like of elements, but this also falls within the scope of the present invention.

1 ... parts assembly line 3 ... inspection line
10 ... tag loading part 11 ... first robot
13, 33 ... gripper 30 ... tag unloading section
31 ... 2nd robot 50 ... pallet transfer line
51 ... magnetic force generating means 53 ... conveyor
71 ... first position detecting sensor 72 ... second position detecting sensor
73 ... third position sensing sensor 90 ... controller
C ... Vehicle P ... Tag pallet
T ... RFID tag

Claims (10)

An automatic tag loading / unloading device for an automobile assembly line for automatically loading and unloading an RFID tag to a vehicle in a component assembly line and an inspection line of a design process,
A tag loading unit installed in at least one of the component assembly lines, for holding an RFID tag stored in a tag pallet through a robot and loading the RFID tag in a vehicle;
A tag unloading unit installed on at least one of the inspection lines and gripping the RFID tag attached to the vehicle through a robot to unload the RFID tag from the vehicle and storing the RFID tag in the tag pallet; And
A pallet transfer line installed in the component assembly line and the inspection line for transferring the tag pallet along a given path,
And an automatic tag loading / unloading device for a car assembly line. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the tag loading unit and the tag unloading unit,
And a first position detection sensor for detecting the loop position of the vehicle and outputting the detection signal to the controller. 3. The method of claim 2,
On the tag loading unit side,
And a second position sensor for detecting the position of the RFID tag in the tag pallet and outputting the detection signal to the controller. The method of claim 3,
On the tag unloading unit side,
And a third position sensor for sensing the position of the tag pallet and outputting the detection signal to the controller. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the first, second and third position sensing sensors comprise a vision sensor or a laser displacement sensor. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the pallet transfer line includes a conveyor that travels by magnetic force generating means. A tag automatic loading / unloading apparatus for a vehicle assembly line according to claim 1, comprising: a component assembly line and an inspection line of a design process;
When the vehicle enters the component assembly line and the inspection line, detecting a loop position of the vehicle through the first position detection sensor;
The tag loading unit detects the position of the RFID tag in the tag pallet on the pallet transfer line through the second position detecting sensor and detects the position of the tag pallet on the pallet transferring line through the third position detecting sensor on the tag unloading unit side ;
The RFID tag stored in the tag pallet is gripped through the robot of the tag loading unit according to the detection signals of the first and second position sensing sensors in the component assembly line and the RFID tag is loaded into the vehicle;
The RFID tag attached to the vehicle is gripped by the robot of the tag unloading unit according to the detection signals of the first and third position detecting sensors on the inspection line, unloaded from the vehicle, and the RFID tag is stored in the tag pallet And a control method of a tag automatic loading / unloading device for an automobile assembly line including a process for controlling the automatic loading / unloading device. 8. The method of claim 7,
And the tag pallet is automatically transported through the pallet transfer line. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the controller is configured to visually photograph the subject through the first, second, and third position sensors, and output the vision data to the controller. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the controller is configured to irradiate a laser beam on the object to be detected through the first, second, and third position sensors, receive the laser reflected from the object, and output the received signal to the controller. / Control method of unloading device.

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