JP3663319B2 - Moving image data generation method and production equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for generating moving image data about equipment and a production facility capable of browsing a moving image of the equipment.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Automation is progressing in production lines of various products such as automobiles, and production facilities such as computer-controlled robots (hereinafter referred to as robots) are widely adopted. In such a production line, a plurality of terminals are provided, and various operation inputs can be performed from these terminals and the operation status can be monitored.
[0003]
On the other hand, a robot or the like is composed of a plurality of parts, and for maintenance work such as maintenance and inspection, work such as disassembly and assembly of the robot or the like is required. In order to perform such maintenance work, various manuals are created, and maintenance work is performed according to this manual. Furthermore, in the event of equipment failure, measures are taken with reference to specifications and troubleshooting manuals.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in an apparatus composed of a large number of parts such as a robot and facilities that have become complicated in recent years, operations such as disassembly and assembly are complicated, and it is often difficult to understand even by looking at a manual or the like. In particular, the device is three-dimensional, and even if drawings are shown, the structure cannot be understood and there are many cases where it is difficult to take a concrete measure. In addition, manuals and the like are not provided in various places on the site, and there is a problem that they are difficult to use.
[0005]
On the other hand, the technology for displaying a three-dimensional moving image in a computer has progressed, and various types of display using computer graphics have been performed. Various product catalogs using moving images have also appeared.
[0006]
Therefore, it is also conceivable to create disassembly / assembly of a robot or the like by computer graphics. In this case, three-dimensional data of each part is created based on a production drawing or the like, and moving image data for work explanation is created by combining them.
[0007]
However, robots and the like are composed of a large number of parts. If an attempt is made to express work such as disassembly and assembly with moving images (computer graphics: CG) while accurately representing the shape of each part, the amount of data is enormous. Therefore, there is a problem that processing cannot be performed with a normal personal computer.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a production facility that is easy to use in the field for explanation of a moving image data generation method and maintenance work that can be easily used by a personal computer or the like. .
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The method of generating moving image data according to the present invention includes a step of dividing the two-dimensional CAD data for the target equipment into predetermined parts that are units for creating a moving image data file, and for each divided part. A step of estimating the data size of each file when a moving image data file for each corresponding part is created based on the two-dimensional CAD data, and a step of determining whether the data size of each estimated file is a predetermined size or less. If the estimated data size of each file is not less than or equal to the predetermined size, a step of reducing the two-dimensional CAD data to be less than or equal to the predetermined size and a third order based on the reduced two-dimensional CAD data a step of creating the original CAD data, based on the three-dimensional CAD data created, and characterized in that it comprises a step of generating moving image data, the That.
[0010]
As described above, according to the present invention, the data size of the moving image data is predicted at the stage of the two-dimensional CAD data, and the amount of the two-dimensional CAD data is reduced. Therefore, the data capacity of the moving image data can be limited to a predetermined value or less, so that the moving image can be viewed on a controller having a function equivalent to that of a personal computer.
[0011]
Further, in the step of reducing the amount, it is preferable to give priority to the appearance shape and reduce the amount by discarding the data of the detailed structure. As described above, by selectively discarding the data having the detailed structure, the entire shape can be maintained close to the real shape while reducing the data amount. Therefore, a moving image that can be easily recognized by the user can be obtained.
[0012]
Further, in the step of reducing the weight, it is preferable to discard data about a small part and create and add moving image data about the part using another moving image data creation tool. In this way, small parts can be created directly with the moving image data creation tool, eliminating the need for creating 2D data, examining unnecessary parts at the creation stage, and converting to moving image data. Therefore, the total amount of work can be reduced.
[0013]
The moving image obtained by the moving image data generation method according to the present invention is preferably used for production equipment. That is, the production facility is connected to each other by a network, and a plurality of terminals used for controlling the target facility, and a server that is provided on the network and stores a moving image explaining maintenance work of the target facility It has, in the plurality of terminals, and can be viewed moving images for maintenance work of the relevant equipment.
[0014]
With such a configuration, when performing maintenance work such as maintenance / inspection of equipment such as a robot, a terminal in the immediate vicinity can be connected to the server and a necessary moving image can be viewed on the terminal. Therefore, the work can be performed with reference to the moving image, and even a person who is not skilled in the work can easily and reliably perform the work.
[0015]
The server preferably stores the moving image data created by the moving image data creating method as described above.
[0016]
As a result, the data size of the moving image data can be limited to a predetermined value or less as described above. For this reason, a robot controller having a function similar to that of a personal computer can display not only numerical values and character data but also moving images, can visually represent maintenance work, and can achieve more effective work support.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0018]
Creation of moving image data according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. First, drawing data is obtained for a target facility such as a robot (S11). Usually, production drawings etc. of equipment are stored and can be obtained. The drawing data includes an overall assembly drawing, a part drawing, and a photograph. If there is CAD data, obtain it.
[0019]
Two-dimensional CAD data is created from the obtained drawing data (S12). This two-dimensional CAD data is created for the assembled form and each part. Here, detailed parts such as bolts and washers are not created. This is because the shape is small and is a typical part, and it is considered inefficient to create CG data from two-dimensional CAD data. Also, no color data is created. In this way, the shape of each selected part is grasped.
[0020]
Next, preparation work for creating three-dimensional CAD data from the two-dimensional CAD data is performed (S13). That is, for each part, the outline shape necessary for understanding the part at the time of display is examined. Also, consider the detailed shapes that may be deleted to adjust the size of the file. Furthermore, color division in computer graphics (CG) and component division for modeling complex shapes are also considered. Then, the CG file capacity (data size) for each part (for each divided part when divided) is estimated, and a map describing the capacity for each CG file is created. Note that any CG file format may be used. For example, an AVI (Audio Video Interleave) file that operates on Windows (trademark) of Microsoft Corporation in the United States can be used.
[0021]
It is determined whether the file capacity of each CG file is equal to or less than a specified value (S14). If the capacity exceeds the specified value, the process returns to S13 to further delete the detailed shape and reduce the file size.
[0022]
In S14, when the estimated value of the file capacity is equal to or less than the specified value, three-dimensional modeling is performed based on the obtained two-dimensional CAD to generate three-dimensional CAD data (S15).
[0023]
Then, a CG file is created based on the three-dimensional CAD data (S16). For creating the CG file, for example, application software for creating and editing the AVI file is used. Thus, a CG file can be created by reading the three-dimensional CAD data. Next, for detailed parts such as bolts and washers for which 3D CAD data has not been created, a CG file is created directly using the file creation function of the application software. Further, rendering processing such as shading and coloring is performed on the CG of each component to add texture. Further, according to a procedure such as disassembling and assembling the robot, the images are assembled to create a CG.
[0024]
Then, an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) file is created, a CG file is placed here (S17), and this HTML file is loaded onto a server on the network (S18). As a result, the CG can be browsed using various browsing software (browser) on a terminal on the network.
[0025]
In particular, in this embodiment, a restriction on the capacity of the CG file is provided in S13. Therefore, the capacity of the completed CG file can be made within a predetermined size. For example, by determining the capacity of the CG file in accordance with the ability of the personal computer to be used, a CG that can operate sufficiently on the personal computer can be easily created. In addition, a CG file is directly created by a CG creation application for parts that have simple shapes such as washers and bolts and do not require detailed shapes. Therefore, a complicated conversion operation or the like is unnecessary, and the total efficiency can be increased. Further, coloring is also performed directly on the CG data. Therefore, in an actual CG, it is possible to easily perform appropriate shading so as to have a texture or the like.
[0026]
FIG. 2 shows one screen for the upper arm rear gear disassembly structure of the robot, and FIG. 3 shows one screen for the robot neck disassembly structure. Thus, the disassembled state can be shown realistically by a stereoscopic image. Further, CG is a moving image and can sequentially show the disassembling procedure and assembling procedure of each part of one robot. For example, the operation of removing the bolt with the tool from the entire display of the robot is shown, and then the parts are expanded as shown in FIG. 3, so that the user can easily be informed of how to disassemble the parts. In addition, the explanation data can be made easier to understand by creating the explanation data of the voice in the same manner and making the voice output at the same time.
[0027]
FIG. 4 shows a production line incorporating a CG browsing system for the target equipment. This example shows an automobile production line, where the body 10 is placed on a conveyor 12 and moves along the line. A plurality of robots (not shown) are arranged on the side of the belt conveyor 12 and perform various operations such as welding. A robot controller 14 is provided to control the robot. The robot controller 14 is usually a programmable controller, and stores a program for operating the robot therein. Then, by executing this program, the detection values of various sensors are taken in or the actuator is driven to control the operation of the robot.
[0028]
Further, the control panel 16 controls the plurality of robot controllers 14 and manages various power sources. Further, the display panel 18 displays the driving state of the robot.
[0029]
Here, the robot controller 14, the control panel 16, and the display panel 18 are all connected by a network. A server 20 is connected to the network, and various equipment such as each robot controller 14, the control panel 16, and the display panel 18 can access the server 20 via the network. In particular, this network is connected as an intranet to the robot controllers 14 in other lines in the factory, and can also be connected to terminals located far away on the Internet.
[0030]
The server 20 stores CG data for the maintenance (maintenance / inspection) described above. That is, the server 20 has a database 22 as shown in FIG. 5. The database 22 stores not only numerical data and character data but also image data. In this example, the CG data for maintenance support is stored in the HTML format as described above. Therefore, the CG data can be browsed by a browser in the terminal (robot controller 14).
[0031]
The contents of the data stored in the database 22 include (i) an oil level gauge level confirmation image (an image with a visual representation of the amount of lubricating oil is shown), and (ii) cause investigation for various troubles. Images for troubleshooting (selectable items can be investigated in order, including visual images as appropriate), (iii) replacement procedures (disassembly / replacement / assembly of various parts) And so on).
[0032]
In addition, audio data is also stored in the database 22, and explanation audio is also output when various displays and moving images are output. Therefore, it is very easy to understand various operations. In particular, even if the detailed shape is omitted in the image, the user can easily understand the member and the like by the explanation by voice.
[0033]
When the robot is inspected and repaired, it is connected to the server 20 by the robot controller 14 in the immediate vicinity, and the necessary CG is viewed on the display of the robot controller 14. Accordingly, the work can be performed with reference to the CG, and even a person who is not skilled in the work or a foreign worker in an overseas factory can easily and reliably perform the work.
[0034]
In particular, the CG of the present embodiment is devised so that the capacity of the CG file is not so large as described above. For this reason, in the robot controller 14 having a function similar to that of a personal computer, a moving image based on a CG file can be viewed.
[0035]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the server 20 is connected to various terminals via the network, the robot controller 14 or the like displays not only numerical values and character data but also moving images near the actual device. Can be done. Therefore, maintenance work can be expressed visually, and more effective work support can be achieved.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, moving image data can be obtained while maintaining an appropriate data size. Therefore, a moving image of the target equipment can be obtained with a terminal such as a personal computer. Also, effective support of maintenance work can be achieved by allowing a moving image of maintenance work to be seen on a terminal such as a robot controller provided in the production line.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a view showing a display example of an exploded structure of a rear gear portion of a robot upper arm.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a display example of an exploded structure of a robot wrist.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a maintenance system.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a server and a database.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 bodies, 12 conveyors, 14 robot controllers, 16 control panels, 18 display panels, 20 servers, 22 databases.

Claims (4)

Dividing the two-dimensional CAD data for the target equipment into predetermined parts that are units for creating a moving image data file ;
Based on the two-dimensional CAD data for each divided component, a step of estimating the data size of each file in the case of creating a moving image data file corresponding each part,
Determining whether the data size of each estimated file is less than or equal to a predetermined size;
If the estimated data size of each file is not less than or equal to a predetermined size, reducing the two-dimensional CAD data to be less than or equal to the predetermined size;
Creating three-dimensional CAD data based on the reduced two-dimensional CAD data ;
Generating moving image data based on the generated three-dimensional CAD data ;
A method of generating moving image data, comprising: The method of claim 1, wherein
The method of generating moving image data is characterized in that, in the step of reducing, the appearance shape is prioritized and the detailed structure data is discarded to reduce the amount. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
A method of generating moving image data, characterized in that, in the step of reducing the amount, data on a small part is discarded, and moving image data on the part is created and added using another moving image data creation tool. A plurality of terminals connected to each other by a network and used to control the target equipment;
A server that is provided on the network and stores a moving image explaining maintenance work of the target facility;
Have
Wherein the plurality of terminals, a browsing can Ru raw production facility a moving image of the maintenance work of the target equipment,
The said server memorize | stores the moving image data produced | generated by any one method of Claims 1-3, The production equipment characterized by the above-mentioned .

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