JP2007011493A - Production system and production method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely prevent a data carrier from being not detached from a work of which the working such as assembly on a production line ends. <P>SOLUTION: Any one (final process #Nb) of processes after the final process out of processes for communicating with a wireless tag (data carrier) 4 attached to a work 3 is provided with an initializing processing means for initializing the wireless tag 4 detached from the work 3 and an error notification control means for allowing a picture display device (notification means) 2b to display process incompletion error notification when abnormality such as the disablement or incompletion of initialization is generated. If the tag 4 is not detached and initialization can not be performed, the end of the final process is suppressed to surely prevent the tag 4 from being not detached. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a production system and a production method for an automobile factory or the like in which a wireless data carrier is attached to a work moving on a production line, and more particularly, to prevention of forgetting to remove a data carrier after completion of work in all processes on the production line. .

  Conventionally, in a production line (assembly line) of an automobile factory or the like, a wireless data carrier such as an IC tag or an RF tag, which is also called an ID tag, is attached to a workpiece to be processed (assembled), and the workpiece is put in this state in the production line. It moves to the position of each process in order.

  Then, the management terminal of each process recognizes information such as the ID of the data carrier via a medium such as electromagnetic waves such as microwaves, light, and ultrasonic waves, and based on the recognized information, the management terminal etc. The operations of each process applied to the workpiece are controlled and managed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3).

  Specifically, the case of an assembly line in an automobile factory will be described with reference to the block diagram of the conventional system in FIG. 3. An entrance to the host device 1 such as an assembly line controller (ALC) that manages and manages the assembly line is provided. The management terminals 2 of the respective steps # 1,..., #Na, #CK in order from the side are connected via a LAN or the like, and a control / management mechanism of the production system is constructed. In the figure, reference numeral 2a denotes a main body device of a microcomputer configuration of each management terminal 2, and 2b denotes a screen display device such as a liquid crystal display of each management terminal 2.

  In addition, each work (vehicle) 3 to be assembled has a tag 4 as an example of the wireless data carrier, which is detachably mounted on the roof. The process moves from the # 1 process to the position of each process in order.

  At this time, when a tag reading antenna 5 is provided at an appropriate height position in each process, and the workpiece 3 moves to the position in each process, the ID of the tag 4 and information on the work content are stored in the antenna near the upper side. 5 is read and recognized by the management terminal 2 of each process in a non-contact manner.

  Then, each management terminal 2 controls and manages the work of each process applied to the work 3 by controlling and instructing the work of each process according to the exchange with the host device 1 based on the read information.

  By the way, in FIG. 3, the Nth #Na process is an inspection process of the workpiece 3 that is assembled and completed, and is a substantial final process that requires work.

  When the work of the #Na inspection process is finished, the work of all the processes is finished and the tag 4 is not required. Therefore, as shown in the figure, the worker 4 removes the tag 4 from the work 3.

  Thereafter, the workpiece 3 may be unconditionally unloaded from the exit. Conventionally, the management terminal 2 for the tag removal check process of #CK is provided near the exit, and the information of the tag 4 is transmitted by the antenna 5 of the management terminal 2. Since it is not read (there is no response and communication is impossible), it is confirmed that the tag 4 has been removed, and the work 3 is carried out.

  On the other hand, when information on the tag 4 is read by the antenna 5 of the management terminal 2 in the tag removal check process (when there is a response and communication is possible), it is assumed that the tag 4 has been forgotten to be removed from the work 3. An error message to that effect is displayed on the screen display device 2b of the terminal 2 to alert the user and prevent the work 3 from being carried out when the tag 4 is forgotten to be removed.

  The tag 4 removed by the worker 6 is initialized and reused.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 5-23749 ([0002]-[0004], [0011]-[0015], FIG. 1) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-21612 ([0002]-[0004], [0012]-[0019], FIG. 1) JP 2002-32110 A (Abstract, paragraphs [0001]-[0002], FIG. 2 etc.)

  By the way, in the case of the conventional system shown in FIG. 3, after completion of the final process, whether or not the tag 4 is removed from the completed work 3 is checked based on whether or not the antenna 5 is received. As will be described, there is a problem that forgetting to remove the tag 4 cannot be reliably prevented.

  That is, depending on the work attachment position of the tag 4 or the positional relationship between the tag 4 and the antenna 5, the antenna 5 of the management terminal 2 in the tag removal check process does not receive even though the tag 4 is attached to the work 3. In this case, the management terminal 2 erroneously recognizes that the tag 4 has been removed from the work 3, and the work 3 is unloaded with the tag 4 attached.

  Further, in the case where the tag 4 has a structure that operates with a built-in battery, the antenna 5 of the management terminal 2 in the tag removal check process also receives the tag 4 when the tag 4 no longer reacts due to exhaustion of the battery. The management terminal 2 erroneously recognizes that the tag 4 has been removed from the work 3, and the work 3 is carried out with the tag 4 attached.

  In various production systems in which various wireless data carriers such as the tag 4 are attached and processing such as assembly is performed on the workpiece, there are the same problems as described above.

  An object of the present invention is to reliably prevent forgetting to remove a wireless data carrier from a workpiece that has been processed such as assembly.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the production system of the present invention has a plurality of steps of communicating with a wireless data carrier attached to a workpiece, and after the work of all steps is completed, the workpiece is Initialization processing means for initializing the data carrier removed from the work in any one of the steps after the last step among the steps of performing communication in the production system for carrying out the data carrier in a detached state And an error notification control unit that causes the notification unit to perform an error notification of an incomplete process due to the occurrence of the inability to be initialized and the incomplete abnormality (claim 1).

  In addition, the production method of the present invention has a plurality of steps of communicating with a wireless data carrier attached to a work, and after the work of all steps is completed, the data carrier is removed from the work. In the production method for carrying out in the state, the process of initializing the data carrier removed from the work is incorporated in any of the steps after the last step among the steps of performing the communication. An error notification that the process has not been completed is performed when a termination abnormality occurs (claim 2).

  According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the data carrier attached to the work in any one of the steps after the last step among the steps of communicating with the wireless data carrier attached to the work. Removing and initializing is incorporated as an operation of the process.

  If the data carrier is not removed from the workpiece and cannot be initialized, an error notification indicating that the process has not been completed is performed and the final process cannot be completed. In other words, the final process ends only when the data carrier is removed from the work and its initialization can be performed.

  Therefore, the data carrier is always removed from the work that is carried out after completing all the steps, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the data carrier from being forgotten to be removed. Never carry out.

  Next, in order to describe the present invention in more detail, an embodiment thereof will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a production system in an automobile factory, and the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 3 denote the same or corresponding components. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the final process.

  As is clear from comparison between FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the step of checking tag removal of #CK in FIG. 3 is omitted, and the Nth ## corresponding to #Na in FIG. When the final process of Nb is completed, the workpiece 3 is carried out from the outlet as it is. Note that #M in FIG. 1 is the process immediately before #Nb, and is the same process as the process immediately before #Na in FIG.

  Next, the final process of #Nb will be described. This final process is configured to incorporate the initialization process of the tag 4 removed from the roof of the work 3 after the conventional #Na inspection process.

  Therefore, the control terminal 2 of the final process of #Nb is formed by adding a processing program for initializing the tag 4 to the control process program of the main body apparatus 2a and executing the program. An inspection processing unit similar to the conventional one, an initialization processing unit, and an error notification control unit are provided.

  Specifically, the inspection by the inspection processing means is performed by causing a barcode reader provided on a work table (not shown) in the vicinity of the management terminal 2 to read the barcode of the inspection certificate provided to the work 3. Then, it is performed by checking whether or not so-called important parts of the workpiece 3 are normal.

  The initialization processing means is means for initializing the tag 4 as the data carrier removed from the roof of the work 3 in a non-contact manner via the antenna 7 for tag initialization. This is done automatically following the inspection.

  Incidentally, the antenna 7 for tag initialization is an antenna connected to the management terminal 2 in the final process instead of the antenna 5 for reading tags. In the case of the microwave specification, the antenna 7 is small, for example, about 10 cm square. Instead of being provided at an appropriate height above the workpiece 3 like the antenna 5, it is provided on the work table.

  Then, when the work 3 moves to the final process, the worker 8 puts the tag 4 removed from the roof of the work 3 on the antenna 7 or sets it near the antenna 7, so that the inspection process is performed. After the end, the contents of the tag 4 are automatically deleted in a non-contact manner via the antenna 7 and the tag 4 is initialized.

  The error notification control means is means for causing the screen display device 2b as the notification means to perform an error display as an error notification indicating that the process has not been completed when the tag 4 cannot be initialized and an incomplete abnormality has occurred. Even if the operator 8 forgets to remove the tag 4 and the initialization program is executed after the inspection process is completed, if the process cannot be performed or stops halfway, the process is not completed in the screen display device 2b. Error display.

  Only when the initialization is performed normally, the final process is completed and the workpiece 3 is unloaded from the outlet.

  Next, a specific operation of the final process will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, when the workpiece 3 moves to the position of the final process #Nb, the operator 8 removes the tag 4 from the roof of the workpiece 3 and places it on the antenna 7, and then uses the barcode on the inspection certificate as a barcode reader. Let me read.

  At this time, the management terminal 2 in the final process executes control / management of the inspection process in step S1 of FIG. 2, and based on the read barcode, the important parts of the workpiece 3 are inspected by a known method.

  When this inspection process ends, it is determined in step S2 whether or not a mode for skipping initialization of the tag 4 is selected. The skip mode is manually set by the operator when the tag 4 is placed on the antenna 7 but cannot be initialized due to exhaustion or damage of the built-in battery. If the skip mode is not set, the process proceeds to step S3, where the initialization of the tag 4 is started. When the contents of the tag 4 are erased and the initialization is performed normally, the process proceeds to step S4 through the determination of step S4. The process proceeds to S5, and the final process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if the operator 8 has forgotten to remove the tag 4, the initialization of step S3 cannot be performed, so the process proceeds from step S3 to step S6 via step S4, and the screen display device 2b has an unfinished process error. The display is performed and the process returns to step S2, and the loop process of steps S2, S3, S4, and S6 is repeated until initialization is performed or the skip mode is set.

  Therefore, the tag 4 is always removed from the workpiece 3 when the process of the final process is completed after the transition from step S4 to step S5.

  Therefore, the workpiece 3 that is transported from the outlet after finishing this final process is reliably prevented from forgetting to remove the tag 4, and the completed workpiece 3 is not transported with the tag 4 attached, and the production quality is improved. Improvements are made.

  Moreover, there is no need to perform the tag removal check of #CK in FIG. 3 in the vicinity of the outlet, and there is an advantage that the number of production line processes is reduced.

  Further, since the initialization of the tag 4 is performed by bringing the tag 4 and the antenna 7 close to each other, there is no malfunction due to the tag 4 of another work 3 and there is an advantage that the reliability is high.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications other than those described above can be made without departing from the spirit thereof, for example, when the tag 4 cannot be initialized. Instead of error display, notification may be performed by error voice or the like. The final step may be at least a step for initializing the data carrier.

  Next, in the above embodiment, all the processes # 1 to #Nb communicate with the tag 4, and the tag 4 is initialized and removed in the final process #Nb. However, in this type of production system, Since the communication with the tag of the workpiece is not always performed in all steps, the step of removing the tag by the initialization may be any step after the last step of communicating with the tag, and the step is at least Any device including an initialization processing unit and an error notification control unit and incorporating tag (data carrier) initialization processing may be used.

  Further, in this type of production system, a management terminal such as the management terminal 2 in FIG. 1 is not necessarily in all processes. In such a case, a normal process without a management terminal is the upper apparatus 1 in FIG. An antenna is connected to the equipment main body provided with, and the equipment main body and the tag communicate with each other through the antenna. Furthermore, even in a process where there is a management terminal, the antenna may be connected to the management terminal or the equipment body as necessary. Of course, the present invention can be similarly applied to these production systems.

  And, of course, any work or data carrier moving on the production line may be used, and the present invention is a data carrier of various production systems which is performed by attaching a wireless data carrier to the work. It can be applied to prevent forgetting to remove.

It is a block diagram of the production system of one embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for operation | movement description of the last process of FIG. It is a block diagram of a conventional system.

Explanation of symbols

2 Management terminal 2a Main unit 2b Screen display device 3 Work 4 Tag #Nb Final process

Claims (2)

In a production system having a plurality of steps of communicating with a wireless data carrier attached to a work, and carrying out the work in a state where the data carrier is removed after the work of all steps is completed,
In any step after the last step among the steps of performing the communication,
Initialization processing means for initializing the data carrier removed from the workpiece;
A production system comprising: error notification control means for causing the notification means to notify an error that the process has not been completed due to the occurrence of an incomplete or incomplete abnormality. In a production method having a plurality of steps of performing communication with a wireless data carrier attached to a work, and carrying out the work in a state where the data carrier is removed after the work of all steps is completed,
The process of initializing the data carrier removed from the work is incorporated into any of the steps after the last step among the steps of performing the communication,
A production method characterized by performing an incomplete error notification when an incomplete or incomplete abnormality occurs.

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