阅读说明：本技术 作业系统以及作业方法 (Operation system and operation method ) 是由 橘胜义 于 2018-03-29 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种作业系统以及作业方法。该作业系统具备第一作业站以及第二作业站。所述第一作业站具备第一输送单元、第二输送单元、第一定位单元、以及对定位在所述第一输送单元上的工件进行规定的作业的第一作业单元。所述第二作业站具备第三输送单元、第四输送单元、第二定位单元以及对定位在所述第四输送单元上的工件进行规定的作业的第二作业单元。在所述第一输送单元的下游连接所述第三输送单元,在所述第二输送单元的下游连接所述第四输送单元。(The invention provides an operating system and an operating method. The work system includes a first work station and a second work station. The first work station includes a first conveyance unit, a second conveyance unit, a first positioning unit, and a first work unit that performs a predetermined work on a workpiece positioned on the first conveyance unit. The second work station includes a third conveyance unit, a fourth conveyance unit, a second positioning unit, and a second work unit that performs a predetermined work on the workpiece positioned on the fourth conveyance unit. The third conveyance unit is connected downstream of the first conveyance unit, and the fourth conveyance unit is connected downstream of the second conveyance unit.)

1. A work system for performing a predetermined work on a workpiece to be conveyed, wherein,

the work system includes: a first work station for performing a predetermined work on the workpiece; and a second work station arranged in series downstream of the first work station and configured to perform a predetermined work on the workpiece,

the first work station includes:

a first conveying unit that conveys the workpiece;

a second conveying unit that is provided in parallel with the first conveying unit and conveys the workpiece;

a first positioning unit that positions the workpiece conveyed by the first conveying unit at a prescribed position within the first work station; and

a first operation unit that performs a predetermined operation on the workpiece positioned on the first conveyance unit by the first positioning unit,

the second work station includes:

a third conveying unit that conveys the workpiece;

a fourth conveyance unit that is provided in parallel with the third conveyance unit and conveys the workpiece;

a second positioning unit that positions the workpiece conveyed by the fourth conveying unit at a predetermined position in the second work station; and

a second operation unit that performs a predetermined operation on the workpiece positioned on the fourth conveyance unit by the second positioning unit,

the third conveying unit is connected downstream of the first conveying unit,

the fourth conveying unit is connected downstream of the second conveying unit.

2. The work system according to claim 1,

the first work station further includes:

a first moving unit that moves the first working unit; and

a first control device that controls the first moving unit and the first working unit,

the second work station further includes:

a second moving unit that moves the second working unit; and

a second control device that controls the second moving unit and the second working unit.

3. The work system according to claim 2,

the first mobile unit includes: a first guide provided above the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit; and a first slider movable along the first guide,

the first working unit is provided on the first slider,

the second mobile unit includes: a second guide provided above the third conveying unit and the fourth conveying unit; and a second slider movable along the second guide,

the second work unit is provided on the second slider.

4. The work system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the first operation unit includes: a first turning device that turns the workpiece conveyed by the first conveying unit; and a first working device for performing the predetermined work on the workpiece,

the second operation unit includes: a second turnover device that turns over the workpiece conveyed by the fourth conveying unit; and a second working device that performs the predetermined work on the workpiece.

5. The work system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the first work station and the second work station each include:

a partition member that partitions a working space in which the predetermined work is performed and an external space located outside the working space;

a frame body to which the partition member is fitted;

an opening/closing member provided in the partition member and configured to open and close a first opening formed in the partition member; and

a device mounting member provided to the partition member and mounting a first moving unit for moving the first working unit and a first control device for controlling the first working unit or mounting a second moving unit for moving the second working unit and a second control device for controlling the second working unit,

the partition member has a plurality of common fitting portions to which the opening and closing member or the apparatus mounting member is selectively fitted.

6. The work system according to claim 5,

the common fitting portions have the same shape and size.

7. The work system according to claim 5 or 6,

the frame body is provided with:

a positioning unit support portion that supports the first positioning unit or the second positioning unit in the working space;

a working unit support portion that supports the first working unit or the second working unit in the working space; and

a partition member fitting portion that fits the partition member.

8. The work system according to claim 7,

the frame body includes a base, a column supported by the base, and a beam supported by the column,

the positioning unit support portion is provided on the base or the column,

the work unit support portion is provided to the beam.

9. The work system according to claim 7,

the base or the column is further provided with the work unit support portion,

the frame body includes a base, a column supported by the base, and a beam supported by the column,

the positioning unit support portion is provided on the base or the column,

the work unit support portion is provided on the base.

10. The work system according to claim 7,

the base or the column is further provided with the work unit support portion,

the frame body includes a base, a column supported by the base, and a beam supported by the column,

the positioning unit support portion is provided on the base or the column,

the work unit support portion is provided to the column.

11. The work system according to any one of claims 7 to 10,

the work unit support unit of at least one of the first work station and the second work station further includes a plane movement mechanism for performing plane movement of the first work unit or the second work unit.

12. The work system according to any one of claims 5 to 11,

at least one of the first work station and the second work station is provided with a control device for performing upper control of all the devices of the work station,

the frame body includes a control device support portion that supports the control device in the external space.

13. The work system according to any one of claims 5 to 12,

the partition member of at least one of the first work station and the second work station is formed of a plurality of plate bodies,

the plurality of plate bodies include a common plate body provided with the common fitting portion,

the opening and closing member or the apparatus installation member is selectively mounted on the common mounting portion of the common plate body.

14. The work system according to claim 13,

the shared plate body has a common external dimension and is provided with a plurality of plates.

15. The work system according to any one of claims 5 to 14,

a second opening and a third opening that communicate with the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit are formed in the partition member of the first work station,

a fourth opening and a fifth opening that communicate with the third conveying unit and the fourth conveying unit are formed in the partition member of the second work station.

16. The work system according to any one of claims 5 to 15,

the partition member, the frame body, the opening and closing member, and the equipment mounting member of the first work station have the same structures as the partition member, the frame body, the opening and closing member, and the equipment mounting member of the second work station, respectively.

17. A working method using the working system according to any one of claims 1 to 16, comprising:

a step of conveying a first workpiece of the plurality of workpieces to the first conveying unit of the first work station, positioning the first workpiece by the first positioning unit, and performing the predetermined work on the first workpiece by the first work unit;

a step of passing the first workpiece from the first conveying unit through the second work station by the third conveying unit;

a step of passing a second workpiece of the plurality of workpieces through the first work station by the second conveying unit; and

and a step of conveying the second workpiece from the second conveying unit to the fourth conveying unit of the second work station, positioning the second workpiece by the second positioning unit, and performing the predetermined work on the second workpiece by the second working unit.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a work system for performing a predetermined work on a workpiece and a work method using the work system.

Background

For example, as described in patent document 1, there is known a work system which includes a plurality of work stations provided with work units for performing predetermined work on a workpiece and continuously performs a plurality of works.

In such a work system, the work time at the work station is long, and the desired cycle time may not be satisfied. In this case, there is a case where 2, 3, and … … work stations for performing the same work are arranged in parallel to perform the work on a plurality of workpieces at the same time. This increases the number of processes per unit time for the workpiece, and thus can shorten the cycle time substantially.

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing an example of a conventional work system. The work station 100a1 performs a predetermined work on the workpiece W-1(W), and the work-finished workpiece W is conveyed to the next work stations 100B and 100C (next step) in the conveying direction indicated by the arrow F. Each of the work stations 100A to 100C includes: a conveying line 111 that conveys the workpiece W in a conveying direction F; positioning units 130a to 130c for stopping the workpiece W conveyed by the conveyor line 111 at a predetermined position; and operation units 113a to 113c for performing a predetermined operation on the workpiece W stopped by the positioning units 130a to 130 c.

Among the work stations 100A to 100C, two work stations 100 (for example, the work station 100A in fig. 7) having a long cycle time are arranged in parallel. Specifically, the transport line 111 is formed with branch lines by the transport units 112a1 to 112A3, and the work station 100a2 is disposed in the transport unit 112a2 in the branch line. This makes it possible to perform branching movement of the workpiece W-2(W) from the first lane L1 (transfer line 111) to the second lane L2 (branch line) and, conversely, merging movement of the workpiece W-2(W) from the second lane L2 to the first lane L1.

[ Prior Art document ]

[ patent document ]

Patent document 1: international publication No. 2008/026278

Disclosure of Invention

[ SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION ]

[ problem to be solved by the invention ]

In the conventional work system having the above-described configuration, the work stations 100a1 and 100a2 are arranged in parallel, whereby a wide dead space (a region not contributing to production) is formed as indicated by reference numeral DS in fig. 7. In order to reduce the installation area and the area DS for arranging the work stations 100a1 and 100a2 in parallel as much as possible, it is conceivable to narrow the distance between the first lane L1 and the second lane L2 as much as possible. However, the sizes of the work stations 100a1 and 100a2 themselves are almost unchanged, and there is a limit to space saving by bringing the tables 100a1 and 100a2 close to each other in consideration of the securing of the passage and workability when the operator visits the work stations 100a1 and 100a2 during maintenance or the like.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an operation system and an operation method using the operation system, which have good productivity and can reduce the installation area and the dead space of equipment in a factory.

[ MEANS FOR solving PROBLEMS ] A method for solving the problems

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following configuration.

One aspect of the present invention provides a work system that performs a predetermined work on a conveyed workpiece, the work system including: a first work station for performing a predetermined work on the workpiece; and a second work station arranged in series downstream of the first work station and configured to perform a predetermined work on the workpiece, the first work station including: a first conveying unit that conveys the workpiece; a second conveying unit that is provided in parallel with the first conveying unit and conveys the workpiece; a first positioning unit that positions the workpiece conveyed by the first conveying unit at a prescribed position within the first work station; a first working unit that performs a predetermined work on the workpiece positioned on the first conveying unit by the first positioning unit, the second working station including: a third conveying unit that conveys the workpiece; a fourth conveyance unit that is provided in parallel with the third conveyance unit and conveys the workpiece; a second positioning unit that positions the workpiece conveyed by the fourth conveying unit at a predetermined position in the second work station; and a second operation unit configured to perform a predetermined operation on the workpiece positioned on the fourth conveyance unit by the second positioning unit, wherein the third conveyance unit is connected downstream of the first conveyance unit, and the fourth conveyance unit is connected downstream of the second conveyance unit.

Another aspect of the present invention provides an operating method using the operating system, including: a step of conveying a first workpiece of the plurality of workpieces to the first conveying unit of the first work station, positioning the first workpiece by the first positioning unit, and performing the predetermined work on the first workpiece by the first work unit; a step of passing the first workpiece from the first conveying unit through the second work station by the third conveying unit; a step of passing a second workpiece of the plurality of workpieces through the first work station by the second conveying unit; and a step of conveying the second workpiece from the second conveying unit to the fourth conveying unit of the second work station, positioning the second workpiece by the second positioning unit, and performing the predetermined work on the second workpiece by the second working unit.

[ Effect of the invention ]

According to the work system and the work method of the present invention, the installation area and the dead space of the equipment in the factory can be reduced with good productivity.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a production line using a work system 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a positional relationship between work devices 10A and 10B included in work system 50.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view for explaining the detailed configuration of the working device 10A provided in the working system 50, and shows a state in which the partition member 15 is attached.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view for explaining the detailed configuration of the working device 10A, and shows a state in which the partition member 15 is removed.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the conveyance unit 14A provided in the working device 10A.

Fig. 6 is a plan view showing a modification of this working system 50.

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing a conventional work system.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, an operating system and an operating method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 6.

[ working System ]

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a production line using a work system 50 according to the present embodiment. In the following description, in the conveyance direction F indicated by an arrow in fig. 1, a start point side (left side in fig. 1) may be referred to as an upstream side, and an end point side (right side in fig. 1) may be referred to as a downstream side.

The work system 50 is mainly constituted by the work stations 10A and 10B. A plurality of work stations 10C and 10D are connected to the work system 50, thereby constituting a production line. In this production line, work is performed on the workpieces W conveyed by the conveying units 14A to 14F at the work stations 10A to 10D. As the conveying units 14A to 14F, a conveyor, for example, a self-flow conveyor, a roller conveyor, or the like can be used.

As shown in fig. 1, the work stations 10A to 10D are arranged in series along the conveying direction of the workpiece W.

Further, a turntable 20A is disposed upstream of the conveyance unit 14A, a turntable 20B is disposed upstream of the conveyance unit 14B, a turntable 20C is disposed between the conveyance unit 14C and the conveyance unit 14E, and a turntable 20D is disposed downstream of the conveyance unit 14D.

In the work stations 10A and 10B, the downstream ends of the conveying units 14A and 14B of the upstream work station 10A and the upstream ends of the conveying units 14C and 14D of the downstream work station 10B are connected, and the work stations 10A and 10B are disposed in proximity to each other.

Two conveyance units 14A and 14B are provided in parallel at the work station 10A. Two conveyance units 14C and 14D are provided in parallel in the work station 10B. On the other hand, one transport unit 14E and one transport unit 14F are disposed in each of the work stations 10C and 10D.

A positioning unit 12A (12) described later is disposed on one of the two conveyance units 14A or 14B of the work station 10A. Further, a positioning unit 12B (12) described later is disposed on one of the two conveying units 14D or 14C of the work station 10B.

Here, as shown in fig. 1, between the work stations 10A and 10B, the positioning unit 12 is disposed on one of the connected conveying units 14. That is, in work station 10A, conveyor unit 14A on line L1 provides positioning unit 12A, and in work station 10B, conveyor unit 14D on line L2 provides positioning unit 12B. The conveying units 14E and 14F of the work stations 10C and 10D also include positioning units 12C and 12D.

The conveying path of the workpiece W in this production line is formed by the conveying units 14A to 14F provided in the work stations 10A to 10D.

More specifically, the conveying units 14A, 14C, 14E, 14F are aligned in a straight line, thereby forming the first conveying passage L1.

Further, the conveying units 14B, 14D are aligned in a straight line, thereby forming a second conveying path L2. The second conveyance path L2 is arranged in parallel with the first conveyance path L1.

The turn tables 20A and 20C are provided at two locations on the first conveyance path L1. Similarly, the turn tables 20B and 20D are also provided at two locations on the second conveyance path L2. The turn tables 20A and 20C on the first conveying path L1 and the turn tables 20B and 20D on the second conveying path L2 are disposed adjacent to each other, and the workpiece W can be conveyed therebetween. If necessary, a conveyance unit (not shown) may be provided between the turntables 20A and 20B and between the turntables 20C and 20D. Therefore, any of the plurality of workpieces W conveyed on the first conveyance path L1 is branched and conveyed from the first conveyance path L1 to the second conveyance path L2. At this time, the direction of travel of the workpiece W is switched by 90 ° in the turn table 20A, and the workpiece W is transferred to the turn table 20B located in the vicinity thereof. Then, the traveling direction of the workpiece W is switched again by 90 ° by the turn table 20B to be along the conveying direction F, and the workpiece W is conveyed on the second conveying path L2. When the workpiece W is returned again to the first conveyance path L1 from the second conveyance path L2, the traveling direction of the workpiece W is switched by 90 ° toward the first conveyance path L1 in the turn table 20D, and the workpiece W is transferred to the turn table 20C. Further, the traveling direction of the workpiece W is switched again by 90 ° by the turn table 20C to be along the conveying direction F, so that the workpiece W is conveyed again on the first conveying path L1.

Since the work stations 10A and 10B in the work system 50 of the present embodiment have substantially the same configuration, the work station 10A will be described below with reference to fig. 2 to 5.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a positional relationship between work stations 10A and 10B in work system 50. Fig. 3 and 4 are perspective views for explaining the detailed structure of the work station 10A, and fig. 3 shows a state in which the partition member 15 is attached, and fig. 4 shows a state in which the partition member 15 is detached. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the conveyance unit 14A provided in the work station 10A. X, Y, Z in fig. 2 to 5, X, Y represents two orthogonal directions in a horizontal plane, and Z represents a normal direction to the horizontal plane including X, Y.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the work station 10A includes: a plurality of partition members 15 that partition the working space S from an external space outside the working space S; a frame body 11 to which each partition member 15 is fitted; a positioning unit 12A (12) supported by the frame body 11 and holding the workpiece W at a predetermined position in the working space S; a working unit 13 supported by the frame body 11 and performing a predetermined work on the workpiece W held by the positioning unit 12A using a working tool 13 a; an opening/closing member 16 provided in the partition member 15 and opening/closing an opening 15ax (first opening) formed in the partition member 15; and a device mounting member 17 provided on the partition member 15 and on which a plurality of control devices 17a that control input devices and output devices used in the work station 10A are mounted.

Two plate bodies of the partition member 15 located at both ends in the X direction of the XZ plane are common plate bodies provided with a plurality of common fitting portions 15a to which the opening and closing member 16 and the apparatus mounting member 17 are selectively fitted to each other.

The work station 10A further includes: a control device 18 for performing upper control of all the devices included in the work station 10A; and two conveying units 14A and 14B capable of transferring the workpiece W between the working space S and the external space.

As shown in fig. 4, the frame body 11 includes a base 11a, a plurality of columns 11b supported by the base 11a, and a plurality of beams 11c supported by the upper ends of the columns 11 b. In the present embodiment, the base 11a is formed of a flat plate having a rectangular horizontal surface. This horizontal surface is an upper surface of the base 11a and serves as a mounting surface on which each component of the work station 10A is mounted. In the following description, the longitudinal direction of the horizontal surface of the base 11a is sometimes referred to as the X direction, the width direction is sometimes referred to as the Y direction, and the direction (vertical direction) of the base 11a perpendicular to the horizontal surface (XY plane) is sometimes referred to as the Z direction.

A plurality of columns 11b extending in the vertical direction are provided upright on the horizontal surface of the base 11 a. In the present embodiment, two columns 11b are arranged along each long side of the horizontal surface of the base 11a, and a total of four columns 11b are erected on the horizontal surface. At the upper end of the column 11b, a pair of beams 11c extending in the X direction are supported by the two columns 11b, respectively. Both ends of a pair of beams 11c extending in the X direction are connected via a pair of beams 11c extending in the Y direction to form a rectangular frame. On each upper surface of the beam 11c extending in the X direction, an X-axis rail 11c1 is provided along the X direction.

The frame body 11 is provided with partition member mounting portions to which the partition members 15 are mounted. The working space S is divided from the outer space outside thereof by fitting each partition member 15 to the partition member fitting portion. In the present embodiment, the base 11a, the column 11b, and the beam 11c of the frame body 11 correspond to the partition member attachment portion. The working space S is a space for performing a predetermined work on the workpiece W, and is a space surrounded by the partition member 15 in the X direction and the Y direction. Hereinafter, in the X direction, a direction toward the inside of the working space S is referred to as X direction inside, and a direction toward the outside from the working space S is referred to as X direction outside. In the Y direction, a direction toward the inside of the working space S is referred to as a Y direction inside, and a direction toward the outside from the working space S is referred to as a Y direction outside. The surrounding by the partition member 15 includes not only the surrounding without a gap by the partition member 15 but also the surrounding by the partition member 15 having a part opened.

Two support bases 11x1 and 11x2 are provided in parallel on the horizontal surface of the base 11 a. One of the support bases 11x1 and 11x2 supports the transport unit 14A, and the other supports the transport unit 14B.

The working unit 13 is supported by the pair of beams 11c so as to be movable in the X direction by the pair of X-axis rails 11c 1. Since the work unit 13 performs work on the workpiece W on the conveyance unit 14A, the movement range in the X direction can be limited to a range necessary for performing work on the workpiece W on the conveyance unit 14A.

A control device support surface 11a1 that supports the control device 18 is formed at an end portion (left side of the paper surface in fig. 3 and 4) in the X direction in the horizontal plane of the base 11 a. The control device 18 can be installed outside (outside) the working space S by the control device support surface 11a 1.

As shown in fig. 4, the working unit 13 of the present embodiment includes a working tool 13a, a pair of X-axis sliders 13b, a Y-axis guide 13c, a Y-axis slider 13d, and a Z-axis guide 13 e. The pair of X-axis sliders 13b are supported to be movable along X-axis rails 11c1 provided on the beam 11 c. The pair of X-axis sliders 13b are provided with X-axis drive motors, not shown, as drive sources, respectively. A Y-axis guide 13c extending in the Y direction is provided astride the pair of X-axis sliders 13 b. The X-axis drive motors are driven by synchronous control, and the pair of X-axis sliders 13b are moved synchronously along the X-axis rails 11c1, thereby moving the Y-axis guides 13 c. The Y-axis slider 13d is attached to the Y-axis guide 13c so as to be movable along the Y-axis guide 13c (Y direction). A Z-axis guide 13e extending in the Z direction is integrally provided on the Y-axis slider 13 d. The Y-axis slider 13d includes a Y-axis drive motor, not shown, serving as a drive source for moving the Y-axis slider 13 d. The Y-axis slider 13d is moved along the Y-axis guide 13c by driving the Y-axis drive motor, thereby moving the Z-axis guide 13 e. The X-axis slider 13b, the Y-axis guide 13c, and the Y-axis slider 13d constitute a plane movement mechanism that freely moves the work tool 13a along a horizontal plane (XY plane).

The working unit 13 further includes a Z-axis slider 13f and a rotation mechanism 13 g. The Z-axis slider 13f is attached to the Z-axis guide 13e so as to be movable in the Z direction. The Z-axis slider 13f is moved in the Z direction by a Z-axis drive motor, not shown. A rotation mechanism 13g is provided at the lower end of the Z-axis slider 13f in the Z direction. The rotation mechanism 13g holds the work tool 13a to be rotatable about a center axis (Z axis) of a Z axis slider 13f extending in the Z direction. The Y-axis slider 13d, the Z-axis guide 13e, and the Z-axis slider 13f constitute a vertical plane moving mechanism that freely moves the work tool 13a along a vertical plane (YZ plane).

The plane movement mechanism, the vertical plane movement mechanism, and the rotation mechanism 13g constitute a movement unit 13X (a first movement unit and a second movement unit) that holds the work tool 13a so as to be movable in the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction and rotatable about the Z axis. According to the work unit 13, a predetermined work can be performed on the workpiece W on the transport unit 14A held by the positioning unit 12A using the work tool 13 a.

The work tool 13a may be, for example, a nut runner for screwing the workpiece W. The working tool 13a may be a press-fitting head for press-fitting a component into the workpiece W, an assembly head for assembling a component into the workpiece W, an application head for applying an adhesive or a sealant to the workpiece W, an assembly robot for combining the workpiece W with other components, or the like. When the working tool 13a is a press-fitting head, the working stations 10A and 10B function as press-fitting devices. When the work tool 13a is an assembly head, the work stations 10A and 10B function as assembly devices. When the work tool 13a is an applicator head, the work stations 10A and 10B function as an applicator device. When the working tool 13a is an assembly robot (for example, a vertical six-axis robot, a two-arm robot, or the like), the work stations 10A and 10B function as an assembly device.

Further, a turning unit for turning the front and back of the workpiece W may be provided as another work tool.

For example, in a work station including a work unit including a nut runner and a work unit including an inverting unit, first, a workpiece W whose front surface is oriented upward is screwed by the nut runner from above the workpiece W. Next, the workpiece W is turned by the turning unit so that the back surface side of the workpiece W becomes the upper surface, and the nut runner is screwed from above the workpiece W. Then, the workpiece W can be inverted again by the inverting machine so that the front surface side of the workpiece W becomes the upper surface, and then the positioning of the workpiece W is released and the conveyance of the workpiece W is started again.

With such a configuration, for example, as shown in fig. 2, after the workpiece W conveyed on the conveying unit 14A is positioned by the positioning unit 12A, when the workpiece W is operated by the operation unit 13A, another workpiece W can be freely conveyed on the conveying unit 14B arranged in parallel with the conveying unit 14A. This is because the control device 18 performs control for limiting the movement range of each moving mechanism of each working unit 13A so as to avoid interference between the working range (movable range) of the working unit 13A and the upper region of the conveying unit 14B.

As shown in fig. 4, the support bases 11x1 and 11x2 are stands which are accommodated in the working space S and placed on the horizontal surface of the base 11 a. The two support bases 11X are arranged in parallel in the X direction. The conveying unit 14A is provided on the support 11X1 on the back side in the X direction, and the conveying unit 14B is provided on the support 11X2 on the front side in the X direction. The conveying units 14A and 14B are roller conveyors, and convey a tray on which the workpiece W is placed in the Y direction (conveying direction F of the workpiece W). Each of the conveyance units 14 is disposed in the working space S so as to face an opening 15b described later in the Y direction.

The positioning unit 12A is provided in the conveying unit 14A of the conveying units 14A and 14B, and the workpiece W conveyed in the first conveying path L1 is positioned in the working space S by the positioning unit 12A. On the other hand, the other work W conveyed on the conveying unit 14B is not positioned and passes directly through the second conveying path L2. That is, the workpiece W conveyed by the conveyance unit 14G of the work station, not shown, is branched from the first conveyance path L1, guided to the second conveyance path L2, and conveyed on the conveyance unit 14B. Then, the workpiece W carried into the work station 10A is directly conveyed to the conveying unit 14D (the work station 10B) without performing work in the work station 10A.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the support base 11x1 and the conveying unit 14A.

As shown in fig. 5, the support table 11x1 supports the conveying unit 14A and the positioning unit 12A. The positioning unit 12A is fixed to the support base 11x1 via a bracket or the like, not shown. Alternatively, the positioning unit 12A may be directly fixed to the base 11a shown in fig. 4.

The positioning unit 12A may be any positioning unit that is conventionally used as a stopper for a conveyor or the like, and examples thereof include an air-driven stopper and an electric stopper. The positioning unit 12A is preferably an electric stopper that does not require the arrangement, handling, and the like of an air hose. The positioning unit 12A is brought into contact with the tray P conveyed by the conveying unit 14A to position the tray P.

Since the position of the workpiece W placed on the tray P is determined by the plurality of pins P1 formed on the upper surface of the tray P, the positioning unit 12A positions the tray P and thus the workpiece W is also positioned.

As shown in fig. 3, each partition member 15 is formed of a plurality of plate bodies 15A to 15D. The plate bodies 15A to 15D are attached to the frame body 11, thereby forming wall surfaces that divide the working space S from the external space. Here, the "division" of the working space S from the external space by the partition member 15 means that the working space S is determined by the wall surfaces constituting the partition member 15, the extension surfaces of the wall surfaces, and a virtual plane connecting the end edges of the facing wall surfaces.

First, among the partition members 15, the partition members arranged along the XZ plane on the front side of the paper will be described.

In this XZ plane, the two plate bodies 15A located at both ends in the X direction form a common fitting portion 15A where the opening and closing member 16 and the device mounting member 17 are selectively fitted to each other, having a common outer dimension. The common outer dimensions referred to herein mean that at least the dimensions on a plane dividing the working space S and the external space are the same. The common mounting portions 15a also have the same shape and size.

Further, a plate body 15B having the same outer dimensions as those of the plate body 15A is disposed in the vicinity of each of the two plate bodies 15A. A laterally long plate 15C is disposed above the adjacent plates 15A and 15B. Further, a laterally long plate 15D is disposed in the opening 15B formed between the pair of plates 15B.

The partition members arranged along the XZ plane on the back side of the paper among the partition members 15 also have substantially the same arrangement structure as the partition member on the front side of the paper. However, the XZ plane on the back side of the drawing is provided with a plate 15B instead of the plate 15A.

The plate bodies 15A to 15D are attached to the base 11a, the column 11b, and the beam 11 c.

The opening 15B is a horizontally long rectangular space formed by the lower edge of the plate 15D, the side edges of the pair of plates 15B, and the upper surface of the base 11a, and is formed at the same position in the transport direction F in both the XZ plane on the front side of the paper surface and the XZ plane on the back side of the paper surface. The working space S communicates with the external space through the two openings 15B, and the workpiece W can be taken in and out between the conveying units 14A and 14B when viewed in the Y direction (conveying direction F).

Next, among the partition members 15, partition members arranged along the YZ plane will be described.

Two plates 15B arranged in parallel in the Y direction on the base 11a and a plate 15C arranged on the plate 15B are provided on the YZ plane. These plate bodies 15B, 15C of the YZ plane have the same structure as the plate bodies 15B, 15C of the XZ plane. The plate bodies 15B and 15C are attached to the base 11a and the beam 11C.

The plate bodies 15B and 15C are also provided on one of the two YZ planes of the work station 10A on which the control device 18 is provided, and the plate bodies 15B and 15C may be omitted only on the one surface because the plate bodies are also covered by the control device 18.

The opening and closing member 16 selectively fitted to the common fitting portion 15a opens and closes an opening 15ax formed in the common fitting portion 15 a. The opening 15ax communicates the working space S with the external space, and serves as an entrance when an operator enters and exits the working space S. In the illustrated example, a door is used as the opening/closing member 16, but a shutter or the like may be used instead of the door.

A control device 17a (for example, a control device that controls an input device and an output device included in the positioning unit 12 and the working unit 13) that controls an input device and an output device, not shown, used in the working station 10A is mounted on the device mounting member 17 that is selectively mounted to the common mounting portion 15 a. Examples of the control device 17a include a control device that amplifies an input signal from a sensor or diagnoses an operation state, and a solenoid valve that switches a pressure operation to a cylinder. The operator controls various devices included in the work station 10A, such as the positioning unit 12 and the working unit 13, by operating the control device 17a outside the work space S.

The control device 18 is placed on the base 11a in the external space. The control device 18 is adjacent to the partition member 15 or the working space S in such a manner as to divide the working space S from the external space. The controller 18 performs upper-level control of all the devices included in the work station 10A, such as the positioning unit 12A, the work unit 13, and the conveying units 14A and 14B. In the present embodiment, control device 18 is a housing that houses switches, distributors, breakers, controllers including operation programs of work station 10A, and the like that control power supplied to devices included in work station 10A.

The detailed configuration of the work station 10A is described above. The work station 10B disposed downstream of the work station 10A has the same configuration, but differs in the following configuration. That is, as shown in fig. 4, in work station 10A, positioning unit 12A is disposed on gantry 11X1 on the X-axis rear side, while in work station 10B, positioning unit 12B is disposed on gantry 11X2 on the X-axis front side.

[ working method ]

Next, a description will be given below of a working method using the above-described working system 50, that is, a procedure for performing a predetermined operation on a plurality of workpieces W. In the following example, a case will be described in which, as the plurality of workpieces W, a first workpiece W is first supplied, a second workpiece W is then supplied, and predetermined work is performed on both the first workpiece W and the second workpiece W. The predetermined work performed on the first workpiece W and the predetermined work performed on the second workpiece W are performed in parallel with a slight time difference, but the first workpiece W will be described first, and the second workpiece W will be described next.

The first workpiece W conveyed from the upstream side in the conveying direction F by the conveying unit 14G of the work station, not shown, of the first lane L1 shown in fig. 1 is guided to the conveying unit 14A by the turn table 20A. Then, the first workpiece W is carried into the work station 10A and positioned by the positioning unit 12A provided in the conveying unit 14A. Then, the operation unit 13A (13) performs a predetermined operation on the first workpiece W.

The first workpiece W after completion of the predetermined operation is released from the positioning by the positioning unit 12, and is conveyed again by the conveying unit 14A and guided to the conveying unit 14B of the work station 10B. The first workpiece W passes through the work station 10B without being positioned therein, and is conveyed to the outside of the work station 10B. The first workpiece W is further conveyed on the conveying unit 14E of the work station 10C through the next turn table 20C. The work station 10C positions the first workpiece W, and performs a different operation on the first workpiece W from the operation performed by the work station 10A.

The first workpiece W after completion of the predetermined work in the work station 10C is guided to the conveying unit 14F via the conveying unit 14E. Then, the first workpiece W is carried into the work station 10D. The first workpiece W is positioned by the positioning means 12D of the work station 10D, and a work different from the work performed up to this point is performed on the first workpiece W. The first workpiece W after completion of the predetermined work in the work station 10D is conveyed on the first lane L1 in the conveying direction F via the conveying unit 14F.

The operation time of the work station 10A in all the operations performed on the first workpiece W is too long, which may cause a bottleneck in production, and the work station 10A alone may not satisfy a desired cycle time. In this case, the work system 50 of the present embodiment has the work stations 10A and 10B arranged adjacent to each other. In the work system 50, the control devices 18 and 18 control and operate the conveying units 14A to 14D, the positioning units 12A and 12B, the work units 13A and 13B, and the like as if the two work stations were one work station, and thus work on the two workpieces W can be performed substantially simultaneously.

Thus, even if the operation times of the operation stations 10A and 10B are the same, the number of workpieces W produced after the operation per unit time is doubled, and the substantial cycle time is halved. As a result, the possibility that the work stations 10A and 10B become production bottlenecks with respect to the other work stations 10C and 10D is reduced. That is, the productivity of the work system 50 is good.

In the work system 50, the work stations 10A and 10B are arranged adjacently in parallel (arranged in series). Thus, when comparing the work system 50 with the two work stations 100a1 and 100a2 shown in fig. 7, the installation area of the equipment in the plant can be significantly reduced. In addition, when comparing the production line using the work system 50 shown in fig. 1 with the production line shown in fig. 7, the dead space in the factory (shaded area in fig. 1 and 7) can be significantly reduced.

In addition, the work stations 10A and 10B of the work system 50 according to the present embodiment can change their door positions and the like. For example, as shown in fig. 6, the mounting positions of the opening/closing member 16 and the equipment mounting member 17 in the work station 10A may be reversed left and right (left-right symmetry). This makes it possible to bring the work stations 10A and 10B closer to each other and avoid interference between the doors, and the operator can freely visit the inside of the work stations 10A and 10B. The work stations 10A and 10B can be closely arranged without a gap therebetween. By applying such a configuration to a plurality of work stations, the installation area of the work system can be further reduced.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above configuration. Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The partition member 15 is not limited to the plurality of plate bodies 15A to 15D, and may be, for example, a metal mesh or the like that is attached (supported) to the frame body 11 to divide the working space S and the external space.

The partition member 15 may be self-standing on the installation surface of the base 11a with the frame body 11 serving as only the base 11 a. In this case, the base 11a corresponds to the partition member fitting portion. When the partition member 15 is to stand by itself, a columnar support member (not shown) that stands vertically on the installation surface of the base 11a may be provided as a part of the frame body 11, and the partition member 15 may be attached to a side surface of the columnar support member.

The configuration of the operation unit 13 is not limited to the above configuration, and may be appropriately changed according to the content of the performed operation. For example, an articulated robot may be used as the working unit 13, and a partial region of the base 11a on which the articulated robot is provided may be used as the working unit support portion.

Although a conveyor is exemplified as each of the conveyor units 14A to 14F, the conveyor is not limited to a conveyor, and a self-propelled carrier vehicle may be used. Further, only a part of the conveying units 14A to 14F may be used as a self-propelled conveyance vehicle.

The "predetermined job" in the above description is not limited to one job (operation), and may include a plurality of jobs (operations).

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the workpiece W is branched from the first conveyance path L1 to the branch line (the second conveyance path L2), that is, an example in which two parallel conveyance paths are provided, has been described, but three or more conveyance paths (two or more branch lines) may be provided. In this case, the number of work stations provided with the branch lines is increased, the work stations are arranged in series along the conveying direction F and adjacent to each other, and a single opening (first opening) through which all the conveying units can be inserted is formed in each work station. However, the number of work stations constituting the work system 50 is preferably two or three in consideration of the size of the work station and the opening width of the first opening.

[ INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY ]

According to the work system and the work method of the aspect of the present invention, the installation area and the dead space of the equipment in the factory can be reduced with good productivity.

Description of the symbols:

10A work station (first work station)

10B work station (second work station)

11 frame body

11a base (base, partition component assembly part)

11a1 control device support surface (control device support part)

11b column (column, partition component assembly part)

11c Beam (Beam, partition component assembly part)

11c 1X-axis orbit (first guide, second guide)

11x supporting table (positioning unit supporting part)

12A, 12B, 12C, 12D positioning units (first positioning unit, second positioning unit)

13a work tool (first work unit, second work unit)

13b X Axis sliding part (first sliding part, second sliding part, operation unit supporting part)

13c Y Axis guide (operation unit support part)

13d Y Axis sliding part (operation unit support part)

13e Z Axis guide (operation unit support part)

13g rotating mechanism (work unit support)

13x mobile unit (first mobile unit, second mobile unit)

14A conveying unit (first conveying unit, third conveying unit)

14B conveying unit (second conveying unit, fourth conveying unit)

15 partition member

15A plate body and shared plate body

15a common mounting portion

15ax opening (first opening)

15B, 15C, 15D plate body

15b opening (second, third, fourth, fifth opening)

16 opening and closing member

17 equipment mounting member

17a control device (first control device, second control device)

18 control device

50 operating system

S work space

W workpiece, first workpiece, second workpiece