JP7595186B2 - Automated guided vehicle allocation device, automated guided vehicle system, automated guided vehicle allocation program, and automated guided vehicle allocation method - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed in this specification relates to an automated guided vehicle allocation device, an automated guided vehicle system, an automated guided vehicle allocation program, and an automated guided vehicle allocation method.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in factories and the like, supplies are automatically transported to equipment by automatic transport vehicles (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-233634).
Specifically, the manufacturing system described in Patent Document 1 is a system for manufacturing a mounted board by mounting components on a board, and includes a plurality of manufacturing equipment including a printer and a component mounter. In the manufacturing system, materials stored in a material storage facility are transported to the manufacturing equipment by an automated guided vehicle, and a supply worker retrieves the materials from the automated guided vehicle and supplies them to the manufacturing equipment. The document also describes that the workers do not need to be human, and can be replaced by working means such as an articulated robot.

JP 2019-61310 A

In the manufacturing system described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above, the work of supplying the materials transported by the automated guided vehicle to the manufacturing equipment is performed by a person or an alternative means, and the automated guided vehicle itself does not have the function of automatically supplying materials to the manufacturing equipment.
In response to this, in recent years, studies have been conducted on making equipment compatible with automatic replenishment of supplies and equipping automatic guided vehicles with the function of automatically replenishing supplies to such equipment, thereby allowing the automatic guided vehicles to automatically replenish supplies to the equipment. In the following explanation, equipment that is compatible with automatic replenishment of supplies is referred to as automatic replenishment compatible equipment, and an automatic guided vehicle that has the function of automatically replenishing supplies is referred to as an automatic replenishing vehicle.

However, it is not guaranteed that all equipment will be replaced with automatic replenishment-compatible equipment at the same time, and it is expected that there will be a mixture of automatic replenishment-compatible equipment and equipment that is not compatible with automatic replenishment. In that case, it is expected that there will be a mixture of automatic replenishment vehicles and manual replenishment vehicles, which are automatic guided vehicles that do not have the function of automatically replenishing supplies.

This specification discloses a technology that, in a situation where there is a mixture of automatic supply-compatible equipment and equipment that is not automatic supply-compatible, and where there is a mixture of automatic supply vehicles and manual supply vehicles, allows the supply of supplies to the automatic supply-compatible equipment to be performed as automatically as possible, while reducing the possibility of the automatic supply-compatible equipment being stopped due to a lack of automatic supply vehicles that can be assigned, while suppressing an increase in the number of automatic supply vehicles.

An automated guided vehicle allocation device that allocates automated guided vehicles to transport supplies to equipment, the equipment includes automatic supply-compatible equipment that supports automatic supply of supplies and automatic supply-incompatible equipment that does not support automatic supply of supplies, the automated guided vehicles include automatic supply vehicles that have the function of automatically supplying supplies to the automatic supply-compatible equipment and manual supply vehicles that do not have the function of automatically supplying supplies to the automatic supply-compatible equipment, the automated guided vehicle allocation device includes a communication unit that communicates with the equipment and a control unit, the control unit executes a reception process that receives a supply request from the equipment via the communication unit, and an allocation process that allocates the automated guided vehicle to transport supplies to the equipment that is the source of the supply request, and in the allocation process, if the requesting equipment is the automatic supply-compatible equipment, the automated guided vehicle is preferentially allocated.

According to the above configuration, when there is a mixture of automatic supply-compatible equipment and equipment that is not automatic supply-compatible, and a mixture of automatic supply vehicles and manual supply vehicles, the supply of supplies to the automatic supply-compatible equipment can be performed as automatically as possible, while reducing the possibility of the automatic supply-compatible equipment being stopped due to a lack of automatic supply vehicles that can be assigned, while suppressing an increase in the number of automatic supply vehicles.

Schematic diagram of a manufacturing factory according to the first embodiment Schematic diagram of the automatic transport system A block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the automated guided vehicle allocation device. Flowchart of automatic guided vehicle allocation process Flowchart of automatic guided vehicle allocation process FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between a flowchart and specific examples 1 to 6. Schematic diagram of various tables according to specific example 1 Schematic diagram of various tables according to specific example 2 Schematic diagram of various tables according to specific example 3 Schematic diagram of various tables according to Example 4 Schematic diagram of various tables according to specific example 5 Schematic diagram of various tables according to Example 6 A schematic diagram to explain the process of loading supplies A schematic diagram to explain the flow of supplies

(Outline of this embodiment)
(1) An automated guided vehicle allocation device according to the present disclosure is an automated guided vehicle allocation device that allocates automated guided vehicles to transport supplies to equipment, the equipment including automatic resupply-compatible equipment that supports automatic resupply of supplies and automatic resupply-incompatible equipment that does not support automatic resupply of supplies, the automated guided vehicles including automatic resupply vehicles that have the function of automatically resupplying supplies to the automatic resupply-compatible equipment and manual resupply vehicles that do not have the function of automatically resupplying supplies to the automatic resupply-compatible equipment, the automated guided vehicle allocation device includes a communication unit that communicates with the equipment and a control unit, the control unit executes an acceptance process that accepts a resupply request from the equipment via the communication unit, and an allocation process that allocates the automated guided vehicle to transport supplies to the equipment that is the source of the resupply request, and in the allocation process, if the equipment that is the source of the request is the automatic resupply-compatible equipment, the automated guided vehicle is preferentially allocated.

In the following description, "an automatic supply vehicle that can be assigned" refers to an automatic supply vehicle that can replenish supplies before the automatic supply response equipment runs out of supplies. A specific example of an automatic supply vehicle that can replenish supplies before the automatic supply response equipment runs out of supplies is an automatic supply vehicle that is on standby. If there is no automatic supply vehicle on standby, an automatic supply vehicle that can replenish supplies before the automatic supply response equipment runs out of supplies may be an automatic supply vehicle that is in operation and can replenish supplies before the automatic supply response equipment runs out of supplies. The same applies to manual supply vehicles.

When automatic replenishment compatible equipment and non-automatic replenishment compatible equipment are mixed, and automatic replenishment vehicles and manual replenishment vehicles are mixed, it is possible to divide the roles such that the automatic replenishment compatible equipment is delivered by the automatic replenishment vehicle, and the manual replenishment vehicle is delivered to the non-automatic replenishment compatible equipment. However, dividing the roles may result in the following problems.
(Problem 1) If there is no automatic resupply vehicle available to be allocated when a resupply request is received from an automatic resupply response facility, the automatic resupply response facility may stop operating.
(Problem 2) If a large number of automated supply vehicles are prepared, the possibility that no automated supply vehicles are available for allocation can be reduced. However, costs increase as the number of automated supply vehicles increases.

According to the above-mentioned automatic guided vehicle allocation device, if the equipment that made the request is an automatic supply-compatible equipment, an automatic supply vehicle is preferentially allocated, so that the supply of supplies to the automatic supply-compatible equipment can be performed as automatically as possible. On the other hand, if there is no automatic supply vehicle that can be allocated, a manual supply vehicle is allocated, so that the operator manually supplies the supplies transported by the manual supply vehicle to the automatic supply-compatible equipment, thereby reducing the possibility that the automatic supply-compatible equipment will stop due to the lack of an automatic supply vehicle that can be allocated.

Therefore, according to the above-mentioned automatic transport vehicle allocation device, when there is a mixture of automatic supply-compatible equipment and equipment that is not automatic supply-compatible, and a mixture of automatic supply vehicles and manual supply vehicles, the supply of supplies to the automatic supply-compatible equipment can be performed as automatically as possible, while reducing the possibility of the automatic supply-compatible equipment being stopped due to a lack of automatic supply vehicles that can be assigned, while suppressing an increase in the number of automatic supply vehicles.

(2) In the allocation process, when the equipment that has made the request is an automatic replenishment-compatible equipment and there is no automatic replenishment vehicle on standby, the control unit may preferentially allocate an automatic replenishment vehicle among the automatic replenishment vehicles in operation that can replenish supplies before the automatic replenishment-compatible equipment runs out of supplies.

According to the above-mentioned automated guided vehicle allocation device, when there is no automated supply vehicle waiting, the possibility of automatically replenishing supplies is higher than when a manual supply vehicle is allocated.

(3) In the allocation process, if there are no automatic supply vehicles on standby, none of the automatic supply vehicles in operation that can replenish supplies before the automatic replenishment compatible equipment runs out of supplies, and there are no manual supply vehicles on standby, the control unit may allocate the automatic transport vehicle that will be on standby the earliest, regardless of whether it is an automatic supply vehicle or a manual supply vehicle.

According to the above-mentioned automated guided vehicle allocation device, supplies can be replenished at an earlier stage to the automatic supply-compatible equipment compared to the case where an automated guided vehicle other than the earliest waiting automated guided vehicle is allocated.

(4) In the allocation process, the control unit may allocate the manual supply vehicle if the equipment that made the request is equipment that does not support automatic supply.

Typically, supplies used in automatic replenishment-enabled equipment are different in shape and other aspects from supplies used in non-automatic replenishment-enabled equipment. Generally, automatic replenishment vehicles are designed to transport supplies used in automatic replenishment-enabled equipment, and therefore cannot transport supplies used in non-automatic replenishment-enabled equipment. In contrast, manual replenishment vehicles are generally versatile and can transport supplies used in both automatic replenishment-enabled equipment and non-automatic replenishment-enabled equipment.
According to the above-mentioned automatic guided vehicle allocation device, a manual resupply vehicle is allocated to equipment that does not support automatic resupply, so that equipment that does not support automatic resupply can be resupplied with supplies.

(5) In the allocation process, if there are no manual supply vehicles waiting, the control unit may allocate the manual supply vehicle that will be waiting earliest.

According to the above-mentioned automatic guided vehicle allocation device, the earliest waiting manual supply vehicle is allocated, so that supplies can be supplied to equipment that does not support automatic supply at an earlier point in time than when a manual supply vehicle other than the earliest waiting manual supply vehicle is allocated.

(6) When the control unit assigns the manual supply vehicle to transport supplies to the equipment that originated the request in the allocation process, the control unit may execute a guidance process to inform the operator of the equipment that originated the request and the scheduled time that the assigned manual supply vehicle will arrive at the equipment.

When supplies are transported by a manual supply vehicle, an operator must manually supply the transported supplies to the equipment. The above-mentioned automated guided vehicle allocation device informs the operator of the requesting equipment and the scheduled time when the assigned manual supply vehicle will arrive at the equipment, so that the transported supplies can be supplied to the equipment.

(7) The automatic transport system of the present disclosure is an automatic transport system that automatically transports supplies to equipment, and includes an automatic supply vehicle that is an automatic transport vehicle having a function of automatically supplying supplies to automatic supply-compatible equipment, which is the equipment that supports automatic supply of supplies, a manual supply vehicle that is an automatic transport vehicle that does not have the function of automatically supplying supplies to the automatic supply-compatible equipment, and an automatic transport vehicle assignment device described in any one of (1) to (6).

According to the above-mentioned automatic transport system, when there is a mixture of automatic supply-compatible equipment and non-automatic supply-compatible equipment, and a mixture of automatic supply vehicles and manual supply vehicles, the supply of supplies to the automatic supply-compatible equipment can be performed as automatically as possible, while reducing the possibility of the automatic supply-compatible equipment being stopped due to a lack of automatic supply vehicles that can be assigned, while suppressing an increase in the number of automatic supply vehicles.

[Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure]
The present disclosure will be described below with reference to the embodiments. The present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.
The embodiments of the present disclosure can be realized in various forms, such as an apparatus, a system, a method, a computer program for implementing the functions of these apparatus, systems, or methods, and a recording medium on which the computer program is recorded.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 14. In the following description, the reference numerals of the drawings may be omitted for the same components, with some exceptions.

(1) Manufacturing Factory A manufacturing factory 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The manufacturing factory 1 is a factory that manufactures mounting boards on which components are mounted. The manufacturing factory 1 is provided with a plurality of mounting lines L (L1, L2, L3), an automated storage cabinet 11, a storage shelf 12, a plurality of automated guided vehicles V, a setup area terminal 13, an operator terminal 14, and an automated guided vehicle allocation device 15.
Each device (i.e., the mounting line L, the automated storage 11, the automated guided vehicles V, the setup area terminal 13, the operator terminal 14, and the automated guided vehicle allocation device 15) other than the storage shelf 12 is communicatively connected via a communication network (not shown). The automated guided vehicles V and the operator terminal 14 are wirelessly connected to the communication network via an access point (not shown).

1 , a setup area 20 is a place for setting up supplies (described later) and loading (in other words, stowage) the supplies onto the automated guided vehicle V. The setup area 20 is provided with an automated storage cabinet 11, a storage shelf 12, and a setup area terminal 13. The waiting area 21 is a place where the automated guided vehicle V waits. The waiting area 21 is provided near the setup area 20.
The setup area operator 22 is an operator who sets up supplies in the setup area 20 and loads the supplies onto the automatic guided vehicle V. The equipment operator 23 is an operator who performs work that occurs on the mounting line L (such as replenishing supplies and responding to errors).

Each mounting line L is equipped with multiple surface mount machines M (mounting line L1 is equipped with surface mount machines M1 to M3, mounting line L2 is equipped with surface mount machines M4 to M6, and mounting line L3 is equipped with surface mount machines M7 to M9). The surface mount machine M is an example of equipment. In addition to the surface mount machines M, each mounting line L is equipped with other equipment that performs work on boards (loaders, screen printers, print inspection machines, dispensers, post-mounting appearance inspection machines, reflow devices, post-curing appearance inspection machines, unloaders, etc.), but this other equipment is omitted from Figure 1.

A surface mount machine M is equipment that mounts components on the surface of a board. There are surface mount machines M that mount components supplied by component tape, and surface mount machines M that mount components supplied by component trays. A component tape is a tape that contains components. A component tray is a tray on which components are placed in a matrix. Some surface mount machines M are capable of both mounting components supplied by component tape and mounting components supplied by component trays, but for convenience, we will assume that each surface mount machine M is supplied with components by either a component tape or a component tray.

A surface mount machine M that mounts components supplied by component tape has multiple removably attached tape feeders. The tape feeder is a device that supplies components one by one in sequence by intermittently feeding out the component tape. Surface mount machines M that mount components supplied by component tape include surface mount machines M that support automatic replenishment of component tape and surface mount machines M that do not support automatic replenishment of component tape. In the following explanation, a surface mount machine M that supports automatic replenishment of component tape is referred to as an automatic replenishment-compatible mount machine M (an example of equipment that supports automatic replenishment), and a surface mount machine M that does not support automatic replenishment of component tape is referred to as an automatic replenishment-incompatible mount machine M (an example of equipment that does not support automatic replenishment).

A surface mounter M that mounts components supplied by a component tray is equipped with a component supply device having a magazine that stores component trays in multiple vertical tiers, a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the magazine, and an insertion/removal mechanism that inserts and removes component trays from the magazine. In this embodiment, it is assumed that none of the surface mounters M that mount components supplied by a component tray are compatible with automatic replenishment of component trays. In the following description, surface mounters M that mount components supplied by a component tray are also referred to as mounting machines M that are not compatible with automatic replenishment.

The following describes the supplies supplied to the mounting machine M that does not support automatic supply, and the supplies supplied to the mounting machine M that supports automatic supply.
In the case of a mounting machine M not compatible with automatic supply, reels around which component tape is wound or component trays are supplied as replenishment items. Replenishment of reels and component trays to a mounting machine M not compatible with automatic supply is performed by an equipment operator 23 manually attaching reels and component trays that have been transported to the mounting machine M not compatible with automatic supply by a manual supply vehicle V, which will be described later. When the replenishment item is a reel, the equipment operator 23 sets the leading end of the component tape wound around the reel in the tape feeder before or after attaching the reel.

In the case of the automatic replenishment-compatible mounting machine M, a cassette containing a reel and a tape feeder is replenished as a supply item. In other words, in the case of the automatic replenishment-compatible mounting machine M, not only reels but also tape feeders are replenished as a supply item. As will be described in detail later, both the automatic replenishment vehicle V and the manual replenishment vehicle V described later can transport cassettes to the automatic replenishment-compatible mounting machine M. When the cassette is transported by the automatic replenishment vehicle V, the cassette is replenished to the automatic replenishment-compatible mounting machine M automatically by the automatic replenishment vehicle V. When the cassette is transported by the manual replenishment vehicle V, the cassette is replenished to the automatic replenishment-compatible mounting machine M manually by the equipment operator 23. The component tape is stored in the cassette with the tip already set in the tape feeder. Therefore, when replenishing the cassette, it is not necessary to set the tip of the component tape in the tape feeder.

The automated storage 11 is a storage that has the function of automatically storing and retrieving reels. The storage shelf 12 is a shelf where parts trays, tape feeders, empty cassettes, etc. are stored. When replenishing cassettes in the automatic replenishment-compatible mounting machine M, the setup work of storing the reel and tape feeder in the cassette is performed by the setup area operator 22.

The automatic transport vehicle V is a transport vehicle that automatically transports supplies from the setup area 20 to the surface mounter M. There are automatic supply-compatible automatic transport vehicles V that have the function of automatically supplying cassettes to the automatic supply-compatible mounter M (hereinafter referred to as automatic supply vehicles V), and automatic supply-incompatible automatic transport vehicles that do not have the function of automatically supplying cassettes to the automatic supply-compatible mounter M (hereinafter referred to as manual supply vehicles V). The manual supply vehicle V is specifically, for example, an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle). The automatic supply vehicle V is specifically, for example, an AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot) equipped with a robot on an AGV.

The automatic supply vehicle V is an automatic transport vehicle designed to automatically supply cassettes, and is not designed to be able to carry reels or component trays by themselves. In contrast, the manual supply vehicle V is versatile and can carry any component. Since the manual supply vehicle V can also carry cassettes, both the automatic supply vehicle V and the manual supply vehicle V can transport cassettes to the automatic supply compatible mounting machine M. In contrast, since the automatic supply vehicle V cannot carry reels or component trays by themselves, only the manual supply vehicle V can transport reels or component trays to the automatic supply non-compatible mounting machine M.
Each automated guided vehicle V (automated supply vehicle V and manual supply vehicle V) is equipped with a control unit, a wireless communication unit, a position sensor that detects the vehicle's position, sensors for detecting people and obstacles while traveling, etc. The automated guided vehicle V is wirelessly connected to the above-mentioned communication network via the wireless communication unit.

The setup area terminal 13 is a terminal through which the automated guided vehicle allocation device 15 instructs the setup area operator 22 to carry out setup work and to load supplies onto the automated guided vehicles V. The setup area terminal 13 is, for example, a personal computer.
The operator terminal 14 is a terminal by which the automatic guided vehicle allocation device 15 instructs the equipment operator 23 to replenish the surface mounter M (the surface mounter M compatible with automatic replenishment or the surface mounter M not compatible with automatic replenishment) with the replenishment items transported to the surface mounter M by the manual replenishment vehicle V. The operator terminal 14 may be a portable terminal such as a tablet computer, or a stationary terminal such as a personal computer.

The automated guided vehicle allocation device 15 is a device that allocates an automated guided vehicle V to transport supplies to the surface mounter M.
As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of automated guided vehicles V and an automated guided vehicle allocation device 15 constitute an automated guided vehicle system 50 according to the first embodiment.

(2) Electrical Configuration of the Automated Guided Vehicle Assignment Device The electrical configuration of the automated guided vehicle assignment device 15 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The automated guided vehicle assignment device 15 is a so-called personal computer (an example of a computer), and includes a control unit 30, a storage unit 31, a communication unit 32, an input unit 33, and an output unit 34.

The control unit 30 includes a CPU 30A, a RAM 30B, etc. The memory unit 31 stores various programs and data executed by the control unit 30. The communication unit 32 is a communication circuit for connecting the automated guided vehicle allocation device 15 to a communication network. The input unit 33 is an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch panel. The output unit 34 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display.
The programs stored in the storage unit 31 include an automated guided vehicle allocation program that causes a personal computer to function as the automated guided vehicle allocation device 15. The data stored in the storage unit 31 includes an equipment information table, a supply item information table, an automated guided vehicle information table, and a supply request table, which will be described later.

(3) Resupply Request A resupply request transmitted from the surface mounter M to the automated guided vehicle allocation device 15 will now be described. The surface mounter M predicts the time when components will run out based on the remaining number of components stored on the component tape (or components placed on the component tray) and the usage status of the components. The surface mounter M stores the margin time until the time when components will run out. When the time until the time when components will run out falls short of the margin time, the surface mounter M transmits a resupply request to the automated guided vehicle allocation device 15.

An example of a replenishment request is shown in Table 1. The replenishment request includes the facility name, automatic replenishment, replenishment information, and the expected time of replenishment shortage.
Automatic replenishment is information indicating whether the surface mounting machine M that made the replenishment request supports automatic replenishment of supplies. If it supports it, it will be ``supported'', and if it does not support it, it will be ``not supported''.

The supply item information is information indicating the supply item (reel, component tray or cassette) to be supplied and the mounting position number of the supply item. There are various types of reels, component trays and cassettes depending on the components contained therein, but for ease of understanding, the types will be omitted here. The mounting position number is information indicating the mounting position on the surface mounter M. The surface mounter M is provided with multiple mounting positions on which the reels, component trays or cassettes are mounted, and the mounting positions are numbered. The mounting position number in the supply item information indicates at which mounting position on the surface mounter M the supply item is to be mounted.
The predicted time of supply shortage is the time when the part will run out as described above.

(4) Various Tables Stored in the Automated Guided Vehicle Assignment Device The equipment information table, the supply item information table, the automated guided vehicle information table, and the supply request table stored in the memory unit 31 of the automated guided vehicle assignment device 15 will be described.

Table 2 is an example of the equipment information table. The equipment information table is a table in which information about each surface mounting machine M is registered. The equipment information table includes the equipment name, automatic supply, and the time required from the setup area 20 to the surface mounting machine M.

Table 3 is an example of a supply item information table. The supply item information table includes supply item information, transport vehicle loading time, and supply time. The transport vehicle loading time is the time required to load the supply item indicated by the supply item information onto the automatic transport vehicle V. The supply time is the time required to supply the supply item indicated by the supply item information to the surface mounter M.

An example of an automated guided vehicle information table is shown in Table 4. The automated guided vehicle information table includes the vehicle name, automatic replenishment, status, and estimated time of completion of the status.
The statuses include waiting, transporting, resupplying, and forwarding. When waiting, the robot is waiting in the waiting area 21. When transporting, the robot is moving toward the surface mount machine M. When resupplying, the robot is resupplying the surface mount machine M with supplies. When forwarding, the robot is moving toward the waiting area 21. In the following explanation, a status other than waiting is referred to as operating.

The scheduled status completion time is the scheduled time for changing from the current status to the next status. When the status of the automated guided vehicle V changes, it notifies the automated guided vehicle allocation device 15 of the changed status. When the automated guided vehicle allocation device 15 is notified of the changed status, it updates the status in the automated guided vehicle information table to the changed status and updates the scheduled status completion time.

For example, if the status of the surface mounter M changes from waiting to being transported, the scheduled status completion time is the current time plus the "time required from the setup area" in the equipment information table. If the status changes from being transported to being replenished, the scheduled status completion time is the current time plus the "replenishment time" in the supplies information table. If the status changes from being replenished to being sent, the scheduled status completion time is the current time plus the "time required from the setup area."

Table 5 is an example of a supply request table. The supply request table is a table in which supply requests received from each surface mounting machine M are registered.

(5) Automated Guided Vehicle Allocation Processing The following describes the automated guided vehicle allocation processing executed by the automated guided vehicle allocation device 15. The automated guided vehicle allocation processing is processing for allocating an automated guided vehicle V to transport supplies to the surface mounter M. This processing is started when the automated guided vehicle allocation device 15 receives a supply request from the surface mounter M. The processing by the automated guided vehicle allocation device 15 to receive a supply request is an example of a reception processing.
Here, the flow of the automatic guided vehicle allocation process will be described first, and then a specific example will be described.

(5-1) Flow of Automated Guided Vehicle Allocation Processing The flow of automated guided vehicle allocation processing will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG.
In S101, the control unit 30 judges whether or not the surface mounter M that has issued the replenishment request is an automatic replenishment compatible mounter M. If the surface mounter M is an automatic replenishment compatible mounter M, the control unit 30 proceeds to S102, and if the surface mounter M is not an automatic replenishment compatible mounter M, the control unit 30 proceeds to S109 ( FIG. 5 ).

In S102, the control unit 30 judges whether or not there is a waiting automated supply vehicle V. If there is a waiting automated supply vehicle V, the control unit 30 proceeds to S103, and if there is not, the control unit 30 proceeds to S104.
In S103, the control unit 30 assigns an automatic supply vehicle V that is waiting.
In S104, the control unit 30 judges whether or not there is an automatic supply vehicle V that can supply cassettes to the automatic supply-compatible mounting machine M before the parts run out among the automatic supply vehicles V in operation. If there is an automatic supply vehicle V that can supply cassettes before the parts run out, the control unit 30 proceeds to S105, and if not, proceeds to S106.

In S105, the control unit 30 assigns an automatic supply vehicle V that can supply cassettes before the part runs out.
In S106, the control unit 30 judges whether or not there is a waiting manual supply vehicle V. If there is a waiting manual supply vehicle V, the control unit 30 proceeds to S107, and if there is not, the control unit 30 proceeds to S108.
In S107, the control unit 30 assigns a manual supply vehicle V that is waiting.

In S108, the control unit 30 assigns the automated guided vehicle V that will be placed on standby earliest, regardless of whether it is an automated supply vehicle V or a manual supply vehicle V.
In S109, the control unit 30 determines whether or not there is a waiting manual supply vehicle V. If there is a waiting manual supply vehicle V, the control unit 30 proceeds to S110, and if there is not, the control unit 30 proceeds to S111.
In S110, the control unit 30 assigns a manual supply vehicle V that is on standby.
In S111, the control unit 30 assigns the manual supply vehicle V that will be placed on standby earliest.

(5-2) Specific Examples of Automated Guided Vehicle Allocation Processing As shown in FIG. 6, specific examples 1 to 6 of the automated guided vehicle allocation processing will be described.

(5-2-1) Specific example 1
7, the replenishment request of specific example 1 indicates that the surface mounter M (mounter M1) that made the request is an automatic replenishment compatible mounter M. The automatic guided vehicle information table of specific example 1 indicates that there is an automatic replenishment vehicle V (automatic guided vehicle V1) on standby. In this case, it is determined in S101 that the mounter M is an automatic replenishment compatible mounter M, and it is determined in S102 that there is an automatic replenishment vehicle V on standby. Therefore, in S103, the automatic replenishment vehicle V (automatic guided vehicle V1) is assigned.

(5-2-2) Specific example 2
8, the replenishment request of specific example 2 indicates that the surface mounter M (mounter M1) that made the request is an automatic replenishment compatible mounter M, and the predicted time of replenishment shortage is 12:35. The automatic guided vehicle information table of specific example 2 indicates that there is no waiting automatic replenishment vehicle V. In this case, it is determined in S101 that the surface mounter M is an automatic replenishment compatible mounter M, and it is determined in S102 that there is no waiting automatic replenishment vehicle V.

In the second specific example, the automatic guided vehicle V3 is in transit, and its status changes to standby at 12:28. Since the "required time from setup area" of the mounting machine M1 in the equipment information table is 3 minutes, the "vehicle loading time" of the cassette in the supply information table is 2 minutes, and the "replenishment time" is 2 minutes, adding these total times to 12:28, replenishment is completed at 12:35. 12:35 is the same time as the supply shortage forecast time. Here, if the time at which replenishment is completed is the same as the supply shortage forecast time, replenishment is completed before the parts run out. For this reason, in S104, it is determined that there is an automatic guided vehicle V that can replenish the cassette to the automatic replenishment-compatible mounting machine M before the parts run out, and in S105, the automatic replenishment vehicle V (automatic guided vehicle V3) in transit is assigned.

(5-2-3) Specific example 3
9, the replenishment request of specific example 3 indicates that the surface mounter M (mounter M1) that made the request is an automatic replenishment compatible mounter M. The automatic guided vehicle information table of specific example 3 indicates that there is no waiting automatic replenishment vehicle V, but there is a waiting manual replenishment vehicle V (automatic guided vehicle V2). In this case, it is determined in S101 that the mounter M is an automatic replenishment compatible mounter M, and it is determined in S102 that there is no waiting automatic replenishment vehicle V.

In specific example 3, automatic guided vehicle V3 is in transit and the status is completed at 12:45. That is, the status of automatic guided vehicle V3 changes to waiting at 12:45. 12:45 is later than 12:35, which is the predicted time of supply shortage in the supply request. For this reason, in S104, it is determined that there is no automatic guided vehicle V that can supply cassettes to the automatic supply-compatible mounting machine M before the parts run out among the automatic supply vehicles V in operation. Then, in S106, it is determined that there is a waiting manual supply vehicle V, and in S107, a waiting manual supply vehicle V (automatic guided vehicle V2) is assigned.

(5-2-4) Specific example 4
10, the replenishment request of specific example 4 indicates that the surface mounter M (mounter M1) that made the request is an automatic replenishment compatible mounter M. The automatic guided vehicle information table of specific example 4 indicates that there are no waiting automatic replenishment vehicles V and no waiting manual replenishment vehicles V. In this case, it is determined in S101 that the mounter M is an automatic replenishment compatible mounter M, and it is determined in S102 that there is no waiting automatic replenishment vehicle V.

In specific example 4, automated guided vehicle V1 is in transit and its status is completed at 12:36. That is, the status of automated guided vehicle V2 changes to waiting at 12:36. 12:36 is beyond 12:35, which is the predicted time of supply shortage in the resupply request. In specific example 4, automated guided vehicle V3 is also in transit and its status is completed at 12:40. That is, the status of automated guided vehicle V3 changes to waiting at 12:40. 12:40 is beyond 12:35, which is the predicted time of supply shortage in the resupply request.

Therefore, in S104, it is determined that there is no automatic guided vehicle V that can replenish cassettes to the automatic replenishment-compatible mounting machine M before the parts run out among the automatic supply vehicles V in operation, and in S106, it is determined that there is no waiting manual supply vehicle V. Then, in S108, regardless of whether it is an automatic supply vehicle V or a manual supply vehicle V, automatic supply vehicle V1 is assigned as the automatic guided vehicle V that will become waiting earliest.

(5-2-5) Specific example 5
11, the replenishment request of specific example 5 indicates that the requesting surface mounter M (mounter M2) is a mounter M not compatible with automatic replenishment. The automatic guided vehicle information table of specific example 5 indicates that there is a manual replenishment vehicle V (automatic guided vehicle V2) on standby. In this case, it is determined in S101 that the mounter M is not compatible with automatic replenishment, and it is determined in S109 that there is a manual replenishment vehicle V on standby. Therefore, in S110, the manual replenishment vehicle V (automatic guided vehicle V2) on standby is assigned.

(5-2-6) Specific example 6
12, the replenishment request of specific example 6 indicates that the surface mounter M (mounter M2) that made the request is a non-automatic replenishment compatible mounter M. The automatic guided vehicle information table of specific example 6 indicates that there is no waiting manual replenishment vehicle V. In this case, it is determined in S101 that the mounter M is not automatic replenishment compatible, and it is determined in S109 that there is no waiting manual replenishment vehicle V.
In the sixth specific example, the automated guided vehicle V2 is in transit and its status is completed at 12:33. That is, the status of the automated guided vehicle V2 changes to standby at 12:33. Since there are no other manual supply vehicles V whose status changes to standby before 12:33, in S111, the automated guided vehicle V2 is assigned as the manual supply vehicle V whose status changes to standby the earliest.

(6) Flow of Loading Supplies The flow of loading supplies will be outlined with reference to Fig. 13. Loading of supplies begins when the automated guided vehicle allocation device 15 allocates an automated guided vehicle V.

[1-1] The automated guided vehicle allocation device 15 notifies the setup area terminal 13 of the supply item and the automated guided vehicle V assigned to transport the supply item.

[1-2] When the supply items and the automated guided vehicle V are notified to the setup area terminal 13, the supply items are prepared.
(A1) Regarding the supplies (i.e., reels) stored in the automated storage cabinet 11, an instruction to retrieve the supplies is given from the setup area terminal 13 to the automated storage cabinet 11. The automated storage cabinet 11 retrieves the instructed supplies.
(A2) The setup area operator 22, having seen the information displayed on the setup area terminal 13, removes necessary supplies (parts trays, tape feeders, empty cassettes, etc.) from the parts shelves.
(A3) For supplies that are automatically replenished (i.e., cassettes), the setup area operator 22 performs the setup work of housing the reel and tape feeder in the cassette.
[1-3] The setup area operator 22 loads the supplies onto the automated guided vehicle V notified by the automated guided vehicle allocation device 15 among the automated guided vehicles V waiting in the waiting area 21. If the notified automated guided vehicle V is not waiting, the operator loads the supplies onto the automated guided vehicle V after it becomes waiting.

[1-4] When the loading of the supplies is completed, the setup area operator 22 operates the setup area terminal 13 to input information that loading onto the automatic guided vehicle V is completed.
[1-5] The setup area terminal 13 notifies the automated guided vehicle allocation device 15 that loading has been completed.
[1-6] When the automated guided vehicle allocation device 15 is notified of the completion of loading, it notifies the allocated automated guided vehicle V of destination information (specifically, for example, the facility name, automatic replenishment, and replenishment item information included in the replenishment request).
[1-7] When the automated guided vehicle V is notified of the destination information, it changes its status to "in transportation" and notifies the automated guided vehicle allocation device 15 of the changed status.
[1-8] The automated guided vehicle V transports the supplies to the surface mounter M indicated by the destination information.

(7) Flow of Supply of Supplies The flow of supplying the surface mounter M with the supplies transported by the automatic guided vehicle V will be outlined with reference to FIG.

[2-1] When the automatic transport vehicle V is an automatic supply vehicle V, the automatic supply vehicle V automatically supplies supplies to the automatic supply compatible mounting machine M.
[2-2] When the automated guided vehicle V is a manual resupply vehicle V (B1) The automated guided vehicle allocation device 15 notifies the operator terminal 14 of the destination surface mount machine M, the resupply item, the mounting position number of the resupply item, and the scheduled time when the assigned manual resupply vehicle V will arrive at the surface mount machine M (an example of guidance processing). The operator terminal 14 displays the notified information. This allows the equipment operator 23 to be informed of the information.
(B2) When the scheduled time is displayed, the equipment operator 23 travels to the destination surface mount machine M (a mounting machine M compatible with automatic replenishment or a mounting machine M not compatible with automatic replenishment) before the scheduled time and supplies the surface mount machine M with the supplies transported by the manual supply vehicle V.
(B3) When replenishment is completed, the equipment operator 23 operates the operator terminal 14 to notify the manual supply vehicle V that replenishment is completed. The manual supply vehicle V may be provided with an operation button, and when replenishment is completed, the equipment operator 23 operates the operation button to notify the manual supply vehicle V that replenishment is completed.

[2-3] When the automated supply vehicle V has completed supplying, it changes its status to "in transit" and notifies the automated guided vehicle allocation device 15 of the changed status.
[2-4] The automated supply vehicle V returns to the waiting area 21.

(8) Effects of the embodiment According to the automatic guided vehicle allocation device 15 of the first embodiment, when the requesting surface mounter M is an automatic replenishment compatible mounting machine M, an automatic replenishment vehicle V is preferentially allocated, so that the replenishment of supplies to the automatic replenishment compatible mounting machine M can be performed as automatically as possible (Specific examples 1 and 2). On the other hand, when there is no automatic replenishment vehicle V that can be allocated, a manual replenishment vehicle V is allocated, so that the equipment operator 23 manually replenishes the supplies transported by the manual replenishment vehicle V to the automatic replenishment compatible mounting machine M, thereby reducing the possibility that the automatic replenishment compatible mounting machine M will stop due to the absence of an automatic replenishment vehicle V that can be allocated (Specific example 3).
Therefore, according to the automatic transport vehicle allocation device 15, when there is a mixture of automatic supply-compatible mounting machines M and mounting machines M that are not compatible with automatic supply, and a mixture of automatic supply vehicles V and manual supply vehicles V, the supply of supplies to the automatic supply-compatible mounting machines M can be performed as automatically as possible, while reducing the possibility of the automatic supply-compatible mounting machines M stopping due to the lack of automatic supply vehicles V that can be assigned, while suppressing an increase in the number of automatic supply vehicles V.

According to the automatic guided vehicle allocation device 15, when the requesting surface mounting machine M is an automatic replenishment-compatible mounting machine M and there is no waiting automatic supply vehicle V, the automatic supply vehicle V that can replenish the supplies before the automatic replenishment-compatible mounting machine M runs out of supplies is preferentially allocated from among the automatic supply vehicles V in operation, so that when there is no waiting automatic supply vehicle V, the possibility of automatically replenishing the supplies is higher than when a manual supply vehicle V is allocated (specific example 2).

According to the automatic guided vehicle allocation device 15, when there are no automatic supply vehicles V on standby, when there are no automatic supply vehicles V in operation that can replenish supplies before the automatic replenishment-compatible mounting machine M runs out of supplies, and when there are no manual supply vehicles V on standby, the automatic guided vehicle V that is on standby first is assigned regardless of whether it is an automatic supply vehicle V or a manual supply vehicle V, so that the automatic replenishment-compatible mounting machine M can be replenished with supplies at an earlier point in time than when an automatic guided vehicle V other than the automatic guided vehicle V that is on standby first is assigned (specific example 4).

According to the automatic guided vehicle allocation device 15, if the requesting surface mounting machine M is a mounting machine M that does not support automatic replenishment of supplies, a manual supply vehicle V is allocated, so that supplies can be replenished to the mounting machine M that does not support automatic replenishment (specific example 5).

According to the automatic guided vehicle allocation device 15, if there is no waiting manual supply vehicle V, the earliest waiting manual supply vehicle V is allocated, so that supplies can be replenished to the mounting machine M that does not support automatic replenishment at an earlier point in time than when a manual supply vehicle V other than the earliest waiting manual supply vehicle V is allocated (specific example 6).

According to the automated guided vehicle allocation device 15, when a manual supply vehicle V is assigned to transport a supply item to the requesting surface mount machine M, the automatic guided vehicle allocation device 15 informs the equipment operator 23 of the destination (requesting) surface mount machine M and the scheduled time when the assigned manual supply vehicle V will arrive at the surface mount machine M, so that the transported supply item can be supplied to the surface mount machine M [2-2] (B1).

<Other embodiments>
The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the embodiments described above and in the drawings, and for example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope disclosed in this specification.

(1) In the above embodiment 1, a surface mount machine M has been described as an example of equipment, but the equipment may be other equipment that constitutes the mounting line L. For example, if the equipment is a screen printer, solder paste for printing circuit patterns on boards is replenished as a supply item. In the case of a dispenser, adhesive to be applied to boards is replenished as a supply item.

(2) In the above embodiment 1, when there is no standby automatic supply vehicle V, an automatic supply vehicle V that can replenish supplies before the automatic supply-compatible mounting machine M runs out of supplies is preferentially allocated among the operating automatic supply vehicles V. In contrast, when there is no standby automatic supply vehicle V, a standby manual transport vehicle may be allocated regardless of whether there is an operating automatic supply vehicle V that can replenish supplies before the automatic supply-compatible mounting machine M runs out of supplies.

(3) In the above embodiment 1, the transport of supplies (reels and parts trays) to a mounting machine M that does not support automatic supply is described as an example in which only the manual supply vehicle V is capable of transporting the supplies (reels and parts trays). In contrast, if the automatic supply vehicle V can be loaded with reels and parts trays alone, the automatic supply vehicle V may transport the reels and parts trays to the mounting machine M that does not support automatic supply.

(4) In the above embodiment 1, a case has been described in which none of the surface mounters M that mount components supplied by component trays supports automatic replenishment of component trays. In contrast, the surface mounters M that mount components supplied by component trays may support automatic replenishment of component trays. In that case, the surface mounters M that support automatic replenishment of component trays are also referred to as automatic replenishment-compatible mounters M.

(5) In the above embodiment 1, a surface mounter M that mounts components supplied by a component tape or components supplied by a component tray has been described as an example. In contrast, the surface mounter M may be one that receives semiconductor wafers cut into semiconductor chips by dicing as supplies. In that case, the surface mounter M may be an automatic supply-compatible mounter M that supports automatic supply of semiconductor wafers, or a non-automatic supply-compatible mounter M that does not support automatic supply of semiconductor wafers.

(6) In the above embodiment 1, AGVs and AMRs are used as examples of the automated guided vehicle V, but the automated guided vehicle V is not limited to AGVs and AMRs as long as it can automatically transport supplies to the surface mounter M.

15: Automatic guided vehicle allocation device (an example of a computer)
23: Equipment operator (an example of an operator)
30: Control unit 32: Communication unit 50: Automatic conveying system M: Surface mounter (one example of equipment)
M1, M3 to M5: Automatic replenishment compatible mounting machines (examples of automatic replenishment compatible equipment)
M2, M6 to M9: Mounting machines that do not support automatic replenishment (examples of equipment that does not support automatic replenishment)
V: Automatic transport vehicle V1, V3, V4: Automatic supply vehicle V2, V5: Manual supply vehicle

Claims (8)

An automated guided vehicle allocation device that allocates automated guided vehicles to transport supplies to a facility,
The equipment includes automatic supply compatible equipment that supports automatic supply of supplies and automatic supply non-compatible equipment that does not support automatic supply of supplies,
The automatic transport vehicle includes an automatic supply vehicle having a function of automatically supplying supplies to the automatic supply corresponding facility, and a manual supply vehicle not having a function of automatically supplying supplies to the automatic supply corresponding facility,
The automated guided vehicle allocation device is
A communication unit that communicates with the equipment;
A control unit;
Equipped with
The control unit is
a receiving process of receiving a supply request for supplies from the facility via the communication unit;
an allocation process for allocating the automated guided vehicle to transport supplies to the facility that is the source of the supply request;
Run
In the allocation process, when the facility that originates the request is the facility that supports automatic replenishment, the automatic replenishment vehicle is allocated with priority over the manual replenishment vehicle ;
An automatic guided vehicle allocation device that allocates the manual resupply vehicle when the facility that made the request is a facility that does not support automatic resupply . 2. The automated guided vehicle allocation device according to claim 1,
The control unit of the automatic transport vehicle allocation device, in the allocation process, when the equipment that made the request is the automatic supply-compatible equipment and there is no automatic supply vehicle on standby, prioritizes allocating, among the automatic supply vehicles in operation, an automatic supply vehicle that can replenish supplies before the automatic supply-compatible equipment runs out of supplies. 3. The automated guided vehicle allocation device according to claim 2,
The control unit, in the allocation process, when the equipment that made the request is the automatic supply-compatible equipment, there are no automatic supply vehicles on standby, there are no automatic supply vehicles among the automatic supply vehicles in operation that can replenish supplies before the automatic supply-compatible equipment runs out of supplies, and there are no manual supply vehicles on standby, allocates the automatic transport vehicle that will be on standby the earliest, regardless of whether it is an automatic supply vehicle or a manual supply vehicle, in the automatic transport vehicle allocation device. The automated guided vehicle allocation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The control unit, in the allocation process, allocates the manual supply vehicle that will be waiting the earliest when the equipment that made the request is equipment that does not support automatic supply and there is no manual supply vehicle waiting, an automatic guided vehicle allocation device. The automated guided vehicle allocation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The control unit of the automatic guided vehicle allocation device executes a guidance process to inform an operator of the requesting equipment and the scheduled time when the assigned manual supply vehicle will arrive at the equipment when the allocation process assigns the manual supply vehicle to transport supplies to the equipment that is the requesting equipment. An automatic transport system for automatically transporting supplies to a facility, comprising:
an automatic supply vehicle that is an automatic transport vehicle having a function of automatically supplying supplies to an automatic supply-compatible facility that is the facility that supports automatic supply of supplies;
a manual supply vehicle which is an automatic transport vehicle that does not have a function of automatically supplying supplies to the automatic supply corresponding equipment;
The automated guided vehicle allocation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
An automatic transport system comprising: An automated guided vehicle allocation program for allocating automated guided vehicles to transport supplies to a facility,
The equipment includes automatic supply compatible equipment that supports automatic supply of supplies and automatic supply non-compatible equipment that does not support automatic supply of supplies,
The automatic transport vehicle includes an automatic supply vehicle having a function of automatically supplying supplies to the automatic supply corresponding facility, and a manual supply vehicle not having a function of automatically supplying supplies to the automatic supply corresponding facility,
The automated guided vehicle allocation program is
A receiving process for receiving a supply request for supplies from the facility;
an allocation process for allocating the automated guided vehicle to transport supplies to the facility that is the source of the supply request;
on the computer,
In the allocation process, when the facility that originates the request is the facility that supports automatic replenishment, the automatic replenishment vehicle is allocated with priority over the manual replenishment vehicle ;
an automatic guided vehicle allocation program that allocates the manual resupply vehicle when the facility that made the request is a facility that does not support automatic resupply ; 1. An automated guided vehicle allocation method for allocating automated guided vehicles to transport supplies to a facility, comprising the steps of:
The equipment includes automatic supply compatible equipment that supports automatic supply of supplies and automatic supply non-compatible equipment that does not support automatic supply of supplies,
The automatic transport vehicle includes an automatic supply vehicle having a function of automatically supplying supplies to the automatic supply corresponding facility, and a manual supply vehicle not having a function of automatically supplying supplies to the automatic supply corresponding facility,
The automated guided vehicle allocation method includes:
a receiving step of receiving a supply request for supplies from the facility;
an allocation step of allocating the automated guided vehicle to transport supplies to the facility that is the source of the supply request;
Including,
In the allocating step, when the facility that originates the request is the facility that supports automatic replenishment, the automatic replenishment vehicle is allocated with priority over the manual replenishment vehicle ;
The automatic guided vehicle allocation method further comprises allocating the manual resupply vehicle when the requesting facility is a facility that does not support automatic resupply .

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