JPH02287706A - Generating method for operation program of automatic machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily generate operation programs of plural automatic machines for plural kinds of works in a short time by generating operation positions and operation patterns by the kinds of the works, measuring machine errors of the automatic machines respectively, and generating the operation programs according to them. CONSTITUTION:In the design development stage of the works, the operation positions and operation patterns are determined by the kinds of the works and the machine errors which are deviations in actual operation position from the operation programs are measured as to the respective automatic machines. Then those data are inputted to a file of one computer having, for example, relatively high ability and the combination of the kind of a specified work and an automatic machine is indicated as to all or some of combinations of the kinds of works and automatic machines to generate the respective operation programs by the computer. Consequently, the operation programs which suit with the automatic machines can be generated automatically in a short time for the plural kinds of works.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) This invention is applicable to a case where a plurality of automatic machines each having different characteristics perform a predetermined operation on a plurality of types of workpieces, which differs depending on the type of workpiece. The present invention relates to a method of creating an operating program for an automatic machine, which is suitable for use.

(Prior Art) In the above-mentioned case, for example, a number of robots automatically position and spot weld several car body panels as workpieces that make up a car body to temporarily assemble the car body. Vehicle body assembly equipment (the present applicant previously applied for patent applications No. 62-313023 and No. 63-143
No. 479) is installed in each of multiple car body assembly plants, and each of those factories has multiple desks such as sedans and wagons for multiple car types and for each of those car types, which are common between the factories. In some cases, the body assembly equipment at each factory may have the same specifications at the design stage, but there may be differences in characteristics due to differences in installation conditions or individual differences between robots. , even if the same operating program is given, it often does not operate in exactly the same way.In the past, each factory separately created an operating program for temporarily assembling multiple car types and table-type car bodies. It was necessary to configure each operation program by having the body assembly equipment perform a large number of temporary assemblies of various types of car bodies at each factory based on these operation programs.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the above-mentioned conventional production method, each factory creates and configures programs for temporary assembly of multiple types of car bodies. There is a problem in that it takes a long time for each factory to prepare operation programs for all of the car bodies and start production, and it also takes a long time to prepare operation programs for all of the car bodies at each factory. Incorporate into the operation program at each factory, or incorporate into the operation program at each factory a more suitable temporary assembly method for each type of car body that was discovered when assembling car body plates using the same specification car body assembly equipment at the car body development stage. There was a problem that it was difficult to understand and understand the knowledge, and the knowledge was not put to full use.

The present invention provides a method for creating an operating program that advantageously solves the above-mentioned problems.

(Means for Solving the Problems) A method for creating an operation program for an automatic machine according to the present invention includes:
When creating an operation program for each automatic machine, in order to have each automatic machine with different characteristics perform a predetermined operation that differs for each type of work on multiple types of workpieces, it is necessary to Create motion position data that defines the position of a predetermined motion corresponding to each type of workpiece and record it in a motion position file, and also define a pattern of a predetermined motion corresponding to that type for each type of workpiece. Create pattern data and record it in a motion pattern file, then measure the machine difference, which is the deviation of the actual motion position from the motion program, for each automatic machine, and store the machine difference data, which is the measurement result, in a machine difference file. After that, a step of specifying the type of workpiece, a step of specifying the automatic machine, and the machine difference data corresponding to the specified automatic machine extracted from the machine difference file are used to create the operation position file. a step of correcting the motion position data corresponding to the identified type of workpiece extracted from the motion pattern file; and combining the corrected motion position data with motion pattern data corresponding to the identified type of workpiece extracted from the motion pattern file. and creating an operation program for the specified automatic machine for the specified type of workpiece, and repeating the steps while changing the combination of the specified type of workpiece and the automatic machine. In addition to the above, in this method, for each type of workpiece, the constituent quantities that can improve at least one of the position or the movement pattern of a predetermined operation corresponding to that type are measured in advance, and the measurement results are calculated. recording the configuration data in a configuration file, and correcting the operation position data corrected using the machine difference data using configuration data corresponding to the identified workpiece type extracted from the configuration file. , may be performed before the step of combining the motion position data and the motion pattern data to create the motion program, and for each type of work, a work representing the shape of that type of work is prepared in advance. Create shape data and record it in a work shape file, create machine shape data representing the shape of each part of the automatic machine and record it in the machine shape file, and combine the operation position data and the operation pattern data. After the step of creating the operation program by using the shape data of the specified type of workpiece taken out from the workpiece shape file and the shape data of the automatic machine taken out from the machine shape file, The operation of each part of the automatic machine based on an operation program and the movement of the workpiece due to the operation are simulated by calculation, and each part of the automatic machine causes unnecessary interference with each other or with the workpiece during the operation. and a step of changing the operation program so that the interference will not occur if the unnecessary interference occurs.Furthermore, each part of the automatic machine may be In the step of creating control data defining the normal operating speed and limit operating speed of the controller and recording it in a control file, and creating the operating program by combining the operating position data and the operating pattern data,
After the step of adding the normal operating speed of the control data of the specified automatic machine extracted from the control file to the operating program as the operating speed of each part of the automatic machine and creating the operating program, a step of computationally determining the completion time of the operation of the automatic machine based on the operation program and determining whether the operation completion time is within a predetermined time; and if the operation completion time is not within the predetermined time; If the operating speed of each part of the automatic machine has not reached the limit speed in the control data, the speed increased from the normal operating speed below the limit speed is the speed of each part of the automatic machine. A step of changing the operation program as the operation speed may be performed.

(Function) According to this method, for example, at the workpiece design and development stage,
The operating position and operating pattern for each type of workpiece are determined, and on the other hand, the machine difference, which is the deviation of the actual operating position from the operating program, is measured for each automatic machine, and these data are used for example. Inputs information into a file on a relatively high-capacity computer and instructs all or part of the combination of specified workpiece types and automatic machines, as well as how to combine multiple workpiece types and multiple automatic machines. By simply doing this, the computer can generate each operation program, so it is possible to automatically create operation programs for each of multiple types of workpieces, suitable for each of multiple automatic machines, in a short time. .

By inputting configuration quantities that can improve the position and movement pattern of a given movement, measured during the design and development stage of a workpiece or during the actual operation of one automatic machine, into the computer file, multiple automatic machines can be Since the configuration amount can be included in each operation program, the configuration of each operation program can be automatically performed in a short time.

In addition, workpiece shape data and machine shape data created by, for example, computer-aided design (CAD) at the design and development stage of the workpiece and automatic machine can be input into a file on the computer, or created in a computer with other simulation functions. With the created motion program, the robot manually performs a simulated operation of the automatic machine based on the created motion program, and changes the motion program if unnecessary interference occurs between the various parts of the automatic machine. For example, the operating program can be made more complete in a short time and without causing damage to the actual automatic machine or the workpiece, and furthermore, the normal and limit operating speeds of each part of the automatic machine can be determined by, for example, the computer. file and change the operating speed of each part of the automatic machine in the operating program between the normal operating speed and the limit operating speed according to the operation completion time determined by the same simulation as above. Therefore, it is possible to easily create programs such that the execution time of each operation program falls within a predetermined takt time.

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

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system for teaching operation programs of a plurality of vehicle body assembly devices as automatic machines to which an embodiment of the method of creating an operation program for an automatic machine of the present invention is applied. , 101 to 103 in the figure each indicate a vehicle body assembly device.

The illustrated system teaches operation programs to a plurality of car body assembling apparatuses including car body assembling apparatuses 101 to 103, and each of the car body assembling apparatuses has the same specifications (number of robots and In the same way as described in the conventional example, a large number of robots are operated based on the operation program to automatically position and spot weld several car body panels as workpieces, thereby forming a car body. It functions for temporary assembly, and the temporary assembly is carried out by a common
The test is performed for a plurality of vehicle types (for example, S cars, B cars, R cars, etc.) each having a plurality of table types (for example, sedans, coupes, etc.).

Therefore, each vehicle body assembly device (for example, 101 to 103)
Because of differences in installation conditions and individual differences between robots, even if the same motion program is taught, the robots will not perform the same motions exactly. required.

Therefore, the illustrated system needs to create and teach operation programs for each car type and car type that are suitable for each body assembly machine, and for this reason, this system has relatively high processing power and storage capacity. The computer 1 is comprised of a computer 1 having a normal configuration.Functionally, the computer 1 includes an operation program generation section 2, a simulation section 3, and eight files, namely, a positioning position data file 4. Equipment table file 5, vehicle structure table file 6, machine difference data file 7, operation pattern data file 81, mechanical shape CAD data file 9. Control data file 10 and vehicle body shape C
It is equipped with an AD day file 11. The computer 1 also includes information on each vehicle body assembly device (for example, 101 to 103).
) control devices (for example, 111 to 113), a computer 12 for 〇, and an input/output terminal device 13 having a keyboard and an image display section are connected.

Here, the positioning position data file 4 contains information for positioning one or more vehicle body panels that each robot of the vehicle body assembly device has at its wrist, as shown in Table 1 for each vehicle type. Positioning position data indicating the position of the reference point of the welding gun that joins the gauge or the car body panel is written, and these positioning positions are C
If the AD Koshicomputer 12 is determined when designing the car body structure, and the CAD Koshicomputer 12 is manually operated to position each robot so that the reference point is located at these positioning positions, each The vehicle body panel is positioned at a predetermined relative position and spot welded at a predetermined welding position.

In addition, as shown in Table 2, the equipment table file 5 shows, for each vehicle body assembly device, which factory, which line, which process it is in, and what the communication code of that device is. The equipment table input from the input/output terminal device 13 is written. Therefore, by identifying the factory, line, and process, the vehicle body assembly equipment can be identified, and the communication code for sending and receiving signals to that equipment can be determined. do.

The vehicle structure table file 6 contains the approach position (positioning position x for
(indicated by the distance in the y and z axis direction), and the expected amount as a component amount that can improve the car body assembly accuracy (the amount to be moved extra or less from the original positioning position, and the x, y, (indicated by the distance in the z-axis direction) is written manually from the input/output terminal device f13.

The approach position differs depending on the car model and model as the shape and dimensions of each part of the car body differ, so when designing the car body structure, it is necessary to make sure that each gauge and welding gun can be moved to the approach position without interfering with the car body panel. This is determined as a position where the vehicle body panel can be approached from there, and the expected amount is determined by the gauge being extra or less than the original positioning position because the structure and rigidity of each part of the vehicle body differs depending on the car model and model. If it is discovered at the stage of prototype development of a vehicle body using body assembly equipment with the same specifications as above or during the operation of body assembly equipment at one of the factories that the body assembly accuracy will be higher if the body assembly equipment is moved, This is the amount of extra or less movement.

Furthermore, the machine difference data file 7 contains data indicating individual differences in each axis (degree of freedom) of each robot in each vehicle body assembly device, as shown in Table 4. These data are measured and obtained when the vehicle body positioning device is installed, are manually input from the input/output terminal device 13, and are corrected for equipment deterioration based on periodic measurements after installation.

The amount of deviation of the reference point position at the origin indicates how much the reference point of the gauge or welding gun deviates from its original position when each axis of the robot is at the origin in the operation program. , check point position deviation amount is the amount of position deviation from the original movement position of the above reference point when each axis is operated independently up to the check point, x, y,
This is shown in the z-axis direction.

On the other hand, in the motion pattern data tour 8, the positions of the reference points for each step (positions marked as reference positions) are shown in Table 5 for each robot for each table type, common to all vehicle types. A motion pattern gauge is written that instructs the robot to perform the following: By performing these steps sequentially, each robot can return to its original position by positioning and welding each part, including gauges and welding guns, without unnecessary interference with each other or with the vehicle body panel. It is determined to be performed as efficiently as possible, and is input from the input/output terminal device 13.

For example, in the case of a robot whose role is to position the rear upper side of a body side panel, the robot moves its gauge from its origin to the inside of the trunk area of the sedan model due to its structure, and then moves the gauge to that area. However, apart from the specific approach position and positioning position mentioned above, the shape of the vehicle body will vary regardless of the vehicle type, such as moving the hatchback type above a part of the beeper and then approaching that part. That is, a pattern can be created for each robot for each table type, and the movement pattern data defines the pattern.

In addition, the control data file 10 includes data indicating the operating speed, which is the normal operating speed, and the maximum speed, which is the limit operating speed, for each robot in each vehicle body assembly device, as shown in Table 6. The maximum speed data is measured when the vehicle body positioning device is installed, the operating speed is determined with sufficient margin for the maximum speed, and these data are input manually from the input/output terminal device 13. .

Furthermore, in this example, numerical model data indicating the shape, dimensions, and arrangement of each robot including the gauge part and welding gun is written for each car body assembly device in the mechanical shape CAD data file 9, and the car body shape In the CAD data file 11, numerical model data indicating the shape and dimensions of each part of the car body is written for each table type of each car model, and these data are used in the design of the car body assembly equipment and the design of each car body. When performing the above, it is created in a CAD data file 12 and input from the computer 12. The mechanical shape CAD data is changed when each vehicle body assembly device is installed and when the shape and dimensions are changed thereafter.

Using the eight files 4 to 11 described above, the computer 1 executes the arithmetic processing program shown in FIG. 2, and generates an operation program for each robot of each vehicle body assembly apparatus, for each type of vehicle, and for each table type.

That is, in step 21, first, the equipment table file 5 is opened and the equipment table is read, and the vehicle body positioning device (for example, 101°, 102, 103) in the equipment table is read out.
>, and open each file 7.9.10 and read out machine difference data, mechanical shape data, and control data, which are characteristic values of the corresponding vehicle body positioning device, from there.

In the next step 22, one of the combinations of car type and table type for which an operation program is to be created is specified, and the car body shape CAD data of the corresponding car type and table type is read out from the file 11.

In the next step 23, first open the file 4 and read out the positioning position data of the vehicle type/table type specified above from there.Since the positioning position data is in the coordinate system of each car body, it is A calculation is performed to convert the position in the coordinate system of the assembly device, and then the position after the coordinate conversion is corrected using the previously read machine difference gauge to determine the positioning position for each robot.

Note that since the machine difference data is only for the origin and check points, the correction amounts for other positions are determined by interpolation calculations.

In the next step 24, the table-type motion pattern data specified above is opened and read out in file 8, and the table-type vehicle structure table for the specified vehicle type and table type is read out in file 6.
In step 25, the approach position and positioning position in the corresponding movement pattern gauge are read out.
Incorporating the previously determined positioning position after machine difference correction and the approach position determined from there, as well as incorporating the operating speed in the control data read earlier into the operating speed of each robot, to generate an operating program for each robot. do.

Through the arithmetic processing in steps 21 to 25, an operation program for each robot for the above-mentioned vehicle type and rectangular type is created, as shown in Table 7, for example. Therefore, these steps 21 to 25 function as the operation program generation section 2.

Note that the operation program created as described above includes the expected quantity as configuration data from the vehicle structure table, so all the configuration data obtained during the body development process or the body assembly equipment at any factory is included. This will be reflected appropriately in the operation program of the vehicle body assembly equipment.

In the subsequent step 26, a simulation is performed based on the operation program created above to check whether there is any interference between the robots or unnecessary interference between the robots and the vehicle body panel.
Mechanical shape CAD for the vehicle body assembly equipment specified above
Data and vehicle body shape C for the vehicle type and rectangular type specified above
The AD data are opened and read from files 9 and 11 respectively, and each robot model and each vehicle body panel model are moved three-dimensionally based on the above operation program in a certain time unit using these CAD data. In addition,
This is done by checking whether multiple objects exist in the same place at the same time.

If unnecessary interference occurs as a result of the above simulation, the process proceeds to step 27 to calculate a movement path for the robot that can avoid the interference, and then returns to step 25 to create the movement path in the motion program. Make changes to the .

On the other hand, if no unnecessary interference occurs, the process proceeds from step 26 to step 28, where a tact check is performed. In other words, check the working time from the start of operation to the end when performing the above simulation based on the operation program created as described above, and determine whether or not the time is within the predetermined takt time. do.

If the result of the tact check is that the working time is not within the tact time, the process proceeds to step 29, where the operating speed of the robot that caused the delay is increased until it reaches the maximum speed, and it can be increased further. It is checked whether or not there is, and if the increase is possible, the process returns to step 26 and the operation program is changed so that the operation speed of the robot is increased by a certain amount below the maximum speed.

Therefore, steps 26 to 29 function as the simulation section 3.

If the operating speed of the robot that caused the delay has already been increased to the maximum speed, proceed from step 29 to step 30 and change the takt time or modify the equipment, such as replacing the robot or changing the robot. An instruction to add is output to the terminal device 13.

As a result of the tact check in step 28, if the working time is within the predetermined tact time, the operation program is completed and the process proceeds to step 31.

Then, in step 31, the communication code of the specified vehicle body assembly device is checked with reference to the equipment table, and the communication code is used to connect the control device (for example, 111) of the previously specified vehicle body assembly device (for example, 101). , and transfer the above operating program to that control device.

Therefore, the control device can write the operation program in the memory 121, read it out as required, and operate the vehicle body assembly device 101 based on the operation program.

By repeating this arithmetic processing program by changing the combination of vehicle type and rectangular shape for the vehicle body assembly device specified above, the teaching of the operation program for each rectangular shape of each vehicle type to the control device of the vehicle body assembly device is completed. However, if this procedure is repeated for all the body assembling machines by changing the specified body assembling machine, the teaching to the control devices of all the body assembling machines is completed, and each control device (for example, 111 to 1
The operating program is written into the memory (for example, 121 to 123) of 13).

Therefore, according to the above method, it is possible to automatically create operation programs for each vehicle type and table type combination of each vehicle body assembly apparatus in a short time using the computer 1, and furthermore, by using this method, Since the operation programs created are each corrected using machine difference data, each vehicle body positioning device can be made to perform the same operation extremely accurately, and the vehicle body assembly precision can be made sufficient for each.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the illustrated example, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned example. For example, the reading timing of the table and data can be changed according to the need. It goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to automatic machines other than devices.

(Effects of the Invention) Thus, according to the method of the present invention, operation programs for multiple types of workpieces suitable for each of multiple automatic machines can be easily created in a short period of time. can be put into operation in an extremely short period of time after installation, and improvements to the program discovered during the design and development stage of the workpiece or after the installation of each automatic machine can be easily incorporated into the operation program of all automatic machines. , those operating programs can be easily created.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent unnecessary interference between various parts of an automatic machine, and to create operation programs such that the execution time of each operation program falls within a predetermined takt time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system for teaching an operation program to a plurality of vehicle body assembly devices to which an embodiment of the method for creating an operation program for an automatic machine of the present invention is applied; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a system executed by the computer of the above system 3 is a flowchart showing an arithmetic processing program. 1... Computer 2... Operation program generation unit 3... Simulation unit 4... Positioning position data file 5... Equipment table file 6... Vehicle structure table file 7... Machine difference data file Death...Motion pattern data tour 9...Mechanical shape CAD data file 10...Control data file 11...Vehicle body shape CAD data file 12...C
AD computer computer...Input/output terminal devices 101-103...Vehicle assembly devices 111-113...Control devices 121-123...Memory Table 1 Table 1 Table 1 Table 1

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An operation program is created for each automatic machine in order to cause each of the automatic machines with different characteristics to perform a predetermined operation that differs for each type of work on a plurality of types of workpieces. When doing so, in advance, for each type of workpiece, motion position data that defines the position of a predetermined motion corresponding to that type is created and recorded in a motion position file. Create motion pattern data that defines a predetermined motion pattern and record it in a motion pattern file,
Furthermore, the machine difference, which is the deviation of the actual operating position from the operating program, is measured for each automatic machine, and the machine difference data, which is the measurement result, is recorded in a machine difference file, and then the type of workpiece is identified. and a step of specifying an automatic machine; and an operation corresponding to the specified type of workpiece extracted from the operation position file using machine difference data corresponding to the specified automatic machine extracted from the machine difference file. correcting the position data, and combining the corrected motion position data with motion pattern data corresponding to the identified workpiece type extracted from the motion pattern file, A method for creating an operation program for an automatic machine, comprising repeating the steps of creating an operation program for an automatic machine while changing the combination of the type of workpiece to be specified and the automatic machine. 2. In advance, for each type of workpiece, measure the amount of beading that can improve at least one of the position or the movement pattern of a predetermined operation corresponding to that type, and record the beading data that is the measurement result in a beading file. , the step of correcting the operation position data corrected using the machine difference data using the formation data corresponding to the identified workpiece type extracted from the formation file, the operation position data and the operation pattern data 2. The method for creating an operating program for an automatic machine according to claim 1, wherein the step of creating an operating program for an automatic machine is performed before the step of creating the operating program by combining the above steps. 3. In advance, create workpiece shape data representing the shape of each type of workpiece for each type of workpiece and record it in a workpiece shape file, and create machine shape data representing the shape of each part of the automatic machine to record the machine shape. After the step of recording the operation position data in a file and creating the operation program by combining the operation position data and the operation pattern data, the shape data of the specified type of workpiece extracted from the workpiece shape file and the machine Using the shape data of the automatic machine extracted from the shape file, the operation of each part of the automatic machine based on the created operation program and the movement of the workpiece due to the operation are simulated by calculation, and the automatic machine is a step of determining whether or not each part causes unnecessary interference with each other or the workpiece during its operation; and when the unnecessary interference occurs, changing the operation program so that the interference does not occur. 3. A method for creating an operating program for an automatic machine according to claim 1, comprising the steps of: 4. Create control data that defines the normal operating speed and limit operating speed of each part of each automatic machine in advance and record it in a control file, and combine the operating position data and the operating pattern data. In the step of creating the operation program, the normal operation speed of the control data of the specified automatic machine extracted from the control file is added to the operation program as the operation speed of each part of the automatic machine, and the operation program After the step of creating, a step of calculating a simulated completion time of the operation of the automatic machine based on the created operation program and determining whether the operation completion time is within a predetermined time; If the operation completion time is not within a predetermined time,
When the operating speed of each part of the automatic machine has not reached the limit speed in the control data, the speed increased from the normal operating speed below the limit speed is set as the operating speed of each part of the automatic machine. 4. The method for creating an operating program for an automatic machine according to claim 1, further comprising the step of changing the operating program.