JPH04169908A - production management system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a production control system that is applied to an automatic production line such as an automatic assembly line for automobiles, etc., and starts and stops each process at once.

[Conventional technology]

An automobile assembly line consists of many processes, and each of these processes consists of many automatic machines. Further, the automatic machine is configured to perform various processes on the workpieces moving on the line, depending on the type of the workpieces. In addition, in the production line mentioned above, it is necessary to accurately understand the operating status of each automatic machine, such as operation mode, processing speed, type of workpiece, etc., for production management purposes, and for this purpose, It is necessary to collect information from a control means such as a sequencer controlling each automatic machine or a plurality of automatic machines.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, the control means is required to process information randomly supplied from each automatic machine and quickly supply appropriate control signals to each automatic machine, and for such processing, Since most of its processing capacity is used, there is a problem in that, for example, when there is a demand for outputting information about the operating status of an automatic machine, this demand cannot be met. In other words, in order to control the automatic machine that is the target of control and output the operating status of this machine as necessary, a very large processing capacity is required. There was a problem in that it was difficult to collect information about the operating status. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a production management system that can grasp information without restricting the control operations of the control unit of each process.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an automatic line in which a predetermined process is sequentially performed on the workpiece through a plurality of steps arranged along the movement direction of the workpiece. An individual control unit that controls each process,
and a collective control section that controls the individual control section, and the individual control section is provided with a storage section that updates and stores information about the operating status of the equipment to be controlled by the individual control section at predetermined intervals. , the collective control unit is provided with a reading unit that reads information stored in the storage unit of the individual control unit, and a display unit that displays the information read by the reading unit. .

[Effect]

With the above configuration, the latest information about the controlled device is stored in the storage section in the individual control section.
By reading the information in this storage section, the collective control section can obtain information on the equipment to be controlled in each process and display that information.

【Example】

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the flow of automobiles, which are workpieces, in a production line to which the present invention is applied will be explained with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a part of an automobile production line to which the present invention is applied. In this figure, numeral 1 is a body, and numerals 2 to 9 are processing stations that perform predetermined processing, such as window mounting and bumper mounting, respectively. Further, when the processing at the processing station 9 is completed, the body moves to the next line. Each of the processing stations 2 to 9 is equipped with an automatic machine 11, which performs predetermined processing on bodies moving along the line. In addition, in FIG. 2, some automatic machines are omitted for the sake of simplification. Further, in the line shown in FIG. 2, each body is placed on an automatic transport vehicle 12, and the automatic transport vehicle 12 moves the body 1 along the line. However, when the processing of the processing stage 1-9 of the illustrated line is completed, the automatic transport vehicle 12 and the body are separated, and only the automatic transport vehicle 12 moves to the input section 15 (see the broken line in FIG. 2). In this way, the automatic transport vehicle 12 circulates along the line shown in FIG. 2. In the input section 15, the bodies that have been processed in the pre-process line are transferred to an empty automatic transport vehicle 12.
It is now being transferred to. Further, an ID plate 20 is provided at the center of the side surface of the automatic transport vehicle 12. This ID plate 20 is
Various information is written by microwaves generated from the antenna, and the written information can be read out via the antenna. Further, the ID plate attached to the pallet has a structure as shown in FIG. 3. In other words, the ID plate 20 contains the number n of the car that is the object to be processed that is mounted on the pallet to which the ID plate 2o is attached, and the operation factor code Cn that indicates the details of the process to be performed in each process for this number n. However, storage areas 20a to 20d are provided for electrically recording information from the number n to the n+ith (1=3 in the embodiment) cars mounted on the following pallets. Next, the overall configuration of the production management system controlled by the ID plate 20 will be explained with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 21 is a host computer 21, and a processing object (car) with a certain number n is sent from this host computer 21.
Regarding 1, when body information Db indicating a specific car model, derivative type, optional specifications, etc. is output, the operation regarding the control content of each automatic machine (the content of processing performed in each process) is performed in accordance with this body information Db. A factor code Cn is output from the device verification terminal 22, and this operating factor code Cn is written on the ID plate 20 together with the number data n by the antenna 23 as a writing/reading means. This ID plate 20 is attached to the automatic transport vehicle 12 (or the vehicle itself) on which the target car 1 of number n is mounted, moves through each process together with the car 1, and is attached to the automatic I/O of each process. The number data n and the operating factor code Cn are read by an antenna 26 as a writing/reading means attached to the antenna 25. and,
By controlling each automatic machine 25 according to the factor hood Cn read by the reading means 26, processing according to the operation factor hood Cn is executed for the corresponding automobile 1. Note that if it is necessary to transfer the workpiece from one automatic conveyance cart 12 to another valet 12 due to layout conditions such as when lines are arranged in multiple 1111s, this transfer Along with,
The data is once read by the reading means 26, and is supplied to the writing means 23 via the transfer control section 27,
By writing on the ID plate of another automatic transport vehicle 12, the corresponding data is moved together with the automatic transport vehicle 12. Note that when the automatic transport vehicle 12 is empty, that is, when a workpiece is removed from the automatic transport vehicle 12 due to some reason such as detection of a defect, data indicating this is written by a writing means owned by the line worker. is written on the ID plate of the automatic transport vehicle 12, or the operation factor hood Cn for the automatic transport vehicle 12 is erased. Further, the automatic machines 25 are connected to a sequencer 28 in units of multiple units or individually, and are further connected to a general panel 29 via this sequencer 28, and output data regarding the work status to these. It looks like this. That is, this data is supplied to the overall panel 29 provided for each of the multiple automatic machines, and the work status (
For which number of cars the work has been completed, or
(time required for the work, etc.), which is aggregated by the overall panel 29 and supplied to other terminals connected to the LAN. Further, the sequencer 28 controls the reading means 26 to read information from the ID plate, and also specifies the content of the work to be performed by the automatic machine 25 under its control based on the read information. In this embodiment, the overall panel 29 of each line is connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) via a data manager 30, and data communication with the model verification terminal 22 is performed via this LAN. The configuration of this network will be described later. Furthermore, in the case of the embodiment, - each overall board 29 includes not only the automatic machine 25 constituting each line, but also the automatic machine 25
It is also connected to a conveyance control section 31 consisting of a sequencer that controls conveyance means such as conveyors and transfer devices provided in the line to convey the objects to be processed. in this way,
By exchanging information with each sequencer 28 and 31, the overall panel 29 collectively controls automatic machines and conveyance under the sequencers 28 and 31 for each line, and also supplies information from the sequencer 28. The operating status of each automatic machine 25 can be grasped by receiving the information. In other words, it is possible to grasp phenomena that randomly occur in each automatic machine 25 as necessary, or to understand phenomena that occur randomly in each automatic machine 25.
The sequencer 28 supplies random control signals to the
31, this can be done smoothly. Next, the contents of the processing performed in the line will be explained for each function. ◎Monitoring function Each sequencer 28 reads information from the ID plate 20 when a pallet carrying a workpiece approaches, and based on the read information, supplies a control signal to the automatic machine under control to specify the operation content. . Further, the work content of each automatic machine 25 is monitored at every predetermined sampling period, and the monitored information, such as the operating mode of the automatic machine and the number of the automatic machine that has been processed, is updated and recorded in a predetermined storage area. In addition, the sequencer 31 as a conveyance control unit checks the operation status of the conveyance means at every predetermined sampling period, such as the tact (conveyance speed) and the position (whether it is at the starting point or end point of the operation stroke, or whether it is in the middle of the operation stroke). The operating status is updated and recorded in a predetermined storage area. On the other hand, the whole board 29
is a predetermined sampling period from each sequencer 28 and 31 (a period unrelated to the sampling period of the sequencer)
The data in each storage area of the sequencers 28 and 31 is read, and the read information is updated and recorded or sequentially recorded in chronological order. Therefore, by operating the overall panel 29, a worker managing the line can arbitrarily grasp the operating status of each device in the line via the display section 29a provided thereon. Furthermore, since it is connected to the network via the data manager 30, other devices connected to this network can be similarly monitored. ◎Line start/stop function In the automatic line of the embodiment, the automatic line can be started or stopped by operating the overall panel 29. In other words, "starting the line" can be carried out into and out of the work area of each automatic machine 25 based on the presence of the work, and can also be carried out by each automatic machine 25 based on the input of information read from the ID plate. Defining the state as a state in which a predetermined operation can be performed, the sequencer 28 that controls each automatic machine enters the start state after waiting for the input of a start command from the general panel 29, as shown in FIG. 4 (step 10). , on the condition that the information has been read from the ID plate (step 11), output control information to specify the operation of the automatic machine 25 based on this information (step 12), and repeat the above operations until a stop command is input. (
Steps 13 and 14). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the sequencer 30 that controls the conveyance waits for the input of a start command from the overall board 29 (step 20), requests information about the tact to the overall board 29, and supplies the information to the main board 29 (step 21). The tact is set based on the information obtained, and the operation is started at the set tact (step 22), and the above operations are repeated until a stop command is input. Furthermore, if it becomes necessary to change the takt time for some reason, by changing the takt setting on the overall panel 29, the takt setting value supplied in response to the request in step 21 will be changed. Note that takt change usually refers to changing the conveyance speed yL in the line<the number of workpieces conveyed per unit time by the conveyance means. Therefore, if the takt is lowered, work will be supplied to each automatic machine 25 less frequently and the interval between operations will be longer, whereas if the takt is increased, each automatic machine 25 will be supplied with work less frequently.
Heavy work will be supplied more frequently. Further, the whole board 29 is, as shown in FIG.
It is determined whether activation is instructed from the keyboard switch or the like provided at step 9 (step 30), and if activation is to be performed, a activation command signal is output to the sequencer 30 (step 31). If the operation has not been performed, refer to the start-stop schedule (step 32) and compare the current time (step 3'3), with the condition that the start time and current time match. (step 34), the process proceeds to step 31 and outputs a startup command. The schedule is recorded in a predetermined storage area in the overall board 29, and has a configuration in which the starting and stopping times of the line are recorded along the time axis. That is, a production plan input using the keyboard switch 7 provided on the main board 29 or a production plan supplied from a host computer is recorded in a predetermined area of the main board 29. Further, by using the above-mentioned monitoring function and recognizing the operating status of each automatic machine on the line prior to issuing the start command, it is possible to more reliably judge whether or not the start command is possible. Furthermore, in addition to the above-mentioned terminals, terminals such as a collation backup terminal 40, a file manager 41, and an office terminal 42 are connected to the LAN. The verification backup terminal 40 has exactly the same configuration and functions as the model verification terminal 22, and performs similar data communication with the host computer 21 and with each terminal connected to the network. ing. This is to enable an immediate replacement when the model verification terminal 22 goes down for some reason. The file manager 41 is
It reads and files various information flowing through the network (for example, equipment operation information, etc.) and periodically monitors whether each terminal is operating normally. The office terminal 42 divides the entire line into several blocks and monitors the operating state of each professional. It also issues a command to start or stop the line. The operating state monitor in this office terminal 42 displays the line layout on the CR7 display device, for example,
In addition, the color indicates whether each block is in an automatic operation state, a manual operation state, or an end state. In this case, since the automatic machine 25 can recognize its own operating state, it transmits information indicating this to the overall panel 29 and the data manager 3.
0 to the file manager 41, and the file manager 41 displays the above-mentioned colors based on the information. In addition, a file manager 41 and an office terminal 42
has the same function as the data manager 30, and becomes a substitute when the data manager 30 goes down. On the other hand, during normal operation, each terminal extracts and captures only the information necessary for its own operation. Also, data manager 30. The file manager 41 and the office terminal 42 store each entry number and its corresponding ID information as a set. If the information on the ID plate 2o is lost for some reason, it can be restored according to the respective stored contents. Further, if the ID information stored in the data manager 30 is destroyed for some reason, recovery processing can be performed using the ID information stored in the file manager 41 or the office terminal 42. Further, from the entire board 29 of one line, the entire board 29 of another line is connected via the data manager 30 and LAN.
It is also possible to monitor information on the lines, or supply start and stop commands to other lines.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description, the present invention provides the individual control unit that controls each process of the automatic line with predetermined information about the operating status of the equipment to be controlled by the individual control unit. A storage unit that updates and stores data every cycle is provided, and a reading unit that reads information stored in the storage unit of the individual control unit is provided in a collective control unit that controls the individual control units, and the information read by the reading unit is displayed. Since the latest information about the devices to be controlled is stored in the storage section in the individual control section, collective control can be performed by reading the information in this storage section. The department can obtain information on the controlled equipment in each process, and the collective control unit can accurately grasp the operating status of the controlled equipment without affecting the control operations for the controlled equipment in the individual control units. It has the effect of being able to do it.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a production line management system, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the layout of the production line, FIG. The figure is a flowchart of starting and stopping processing in one sequencer, FIG. 5 is a flowchart of starting and stopping processing in another sequencer, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart of starting processing in the entire board. 1...Workpiece, 25...Automatic machine, 2
8...Sequencer-129...Full board, 30...Data manager, 31...
Conveyance control section. Applicant Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Figure 6

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] In an automatic line in which a predetermined process is sequentially performed on the workpiece through a plurality of processes arranged along the movement direction of the workpiece, each of the processes is controlled respectively. It is composed of an individual control unit and a collective control unit that controls the individual control unit, and the individual control unit stores updated information on the operating status of the equipment controlled by the individual control unit at predetermined intervals. The collective control unit is provided with a reading unit that reads information stored in the storage unit of the individual control unit, and a display unit that displays the information read by the reading unit. A production management system characterized by: