JP7654262B2 - Industrial equipment design equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a device for designing industrial equipment.

Industrial equipment, mainly industrial robots, are being introduced in factories and other facilities to improve work efficiency. When introducing such robots, the design is carried out by designers who have knowledge of robots and know-how for introducing equipment.

Patent Document 1 discloses a system that uses a database that stores information on previously manufactured equipment to make it easier for designers to design industrial equipment, making it easier for them to design. Patent Document 2 discloses a system that turns equipment such as robots into icons, allowing the design to be performed by arranging the icons on a design screen, and at the same time making it possible to estimate the cost of introducing the equipment.

JP 2014-219857 A JP 2019-061404 A

The system described in Patent Document 1 makes it easy for designers to design industrial equipment and also allows them to obtain estimate information, but there is an increasing demand for designing industrial equipment even when such designers are not available.

However, the system described in Patent Document 1 does not allow design work to be carried out without knowledge of robots and other equipment, and it is not possible to obtain an estimate of the costs required for the equipment to be designed.

The present invention aims to provide a device that allows users to design industrial equipment according to their needs, even if they do not have specialized knowledge of robots, etc. The present invention also aims to provide a device that allows users to obtain an estimate of the costs required to introduce the designed equipment.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the industrial equipment design device of the present invention is a device that uses a computer to design industrial equipment including a robot that transports and processes workpieces, and is equipped with an input unit that accepts input from a user, and an equipment design unit that selects necessary equipment from the input information input from the input unit to design the equipment, and is characterized in that the input unit is capable of inputting the type of transportation/processing, the method of supplying the workpiece, work information including the shape of the workpiece, the processing time for each workpiece, takt time information as to whether or not to place importance on the takt time, which is the time it takes for the robot to grasp a single workpiece and complete processing , and operating time information that determines the degree of continuous operating time.

According to the industrial equipment design device of the present invention, when designing industrial equipment, a user need only input to the input section the type of transport and processing, the method of supplying the workpiece, workpiece information including the shape of the workpiece, the processing time for each workpiece, takt time information indicating whether or not importance is attached to the takt time, and operation time information determining the extent of continuous operation time. In other words, even a user who has no knowledge of industrial equipment including robots and no design experience can design industrial equipment. Here, the takt time is the time from when a robot grasps one workpiece to when processing is completed.

In addition, in the industrial equipment design device of the present invention, the type of transport/processing may be selected from at least one of receiving/unloading, transport/removal, processing, assembly, inspection, or packaging, the supply method may be selected from at least one of bulk loading, stocker, with conveyor positioning, or without conveyor positioning for the supply of the work, the work information may be selected from at least one of ring/disc/nut-type parts, rod-shaped parts, or others (complex shapes made by sheet metal, casting, or forging) as the shape of the work, the dimensions of the work and the weight of the work may be input, and the operating time information may be selected from at least whether long-term operation is required for a predetermined operating time or more or whether long-term operation is not required.

According to this configuration, the user can design industrial equipment by selecting pre-prepared items for each input item and inputting work information.

In addition, when the industrial equipment design device of the present invention is equipped with an estimate calculation unit that estimates the costs required to construct the equipment and the equipment, it can calculate estimates of the equipment costs, including mechanical design costs, electrical design and wiring costs, and costs, including software design, for the industrial equipment designed by the equipment design unit.

According to the present invention, even if a user does not have specialized knowledge of robots, etc., the user can design industrial equipment according to the user's needs. In addition, the user can obtain an estimate of the cost required to introduce the industrial equipment that the user has designed.

1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of a facility design device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a target process selection screen for selecting a process for a workpiece. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a supply selection screen for selecting a work supply method. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a quantity input unit for inputting the number of workpieces stored in a stocker. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an information input section for a workpiece when the workpiece is ring-shaped; FIG. 4A is an explanatory diagram showing the work information input portion when the work is a rod-shaped part, and FIG. 4B is an explanatory diagram showing the work information input portion when the work has another shape. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a cycle time input screen for inputting a machining time per workpiece. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a screen for inputting information on a workpiece takt time. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a screen for inputting the continuous operation time of the equipment. An explanatory diagram showing a design result screen that displays images or videos of the designed equipment and the equipment specifications and estimates.

Next, an industrial equipment design device, which is an example of an embodiment of the present invention, will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 10. The design device 1 of this embodiment is a device realized by a server 2 and software stored in the server 2, as shown in Fig. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the server 2 is connected to a network 3 such as the Internet. A user terminal 4 and an equipment information database 5 are also connected to the network 3. The user terminal 4 may be a personal computer, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or any other terminal capable of viewing and operating a screen formed by the design device 1 of this embodiment. The equipment information database 5 is a database that stores equipment information on various robots including industrial robots, as well as on stockers, conveyors, recognition sensors, etc.

The server 2 includes a computer as its main hardware. The computer includes a processor such as a CPU, a storage device such as a RAM, a ROM, a hard disk, or an SSD (solid state drive), a communication unit that connects to the network 3, and the like. The storage device of the server 2 stores a program for operating the server 2 as the design device 1 of this embodiment. The computer includes a cloud computing system.

As shown in FIG. 1, the server 2 has an input unit 11, an equipment design unit 12, and an estimate calculation unit 13 as functional units realized by a program. The input unit 11 is a functional unit that displays various input screens on the user terminal 4 and accepts information input by the user. The equipment design unit 12 is a functional unit that designs industrial equipment that meets the user's needs using the input information acquired by the input unit 11 and equipment data such as devices stored in the equipment information database 5. The estimate calculation unit 13 is a functional unit that estimates the cost of the equipment designed by the equipment design unit 12.

The input unit 11 displays each of the screens in Figures 2 to 9 on the user terminal 4, and allows the user to input information that can be answered based on the user's knowledge regarding the specifications of the equipment desired. With this input unit, even if the user is not familiar with equipment such as robots, it is sufficient to input information about the type of processing that is desired to be performed on the workpiece.

The equipment design unit 12 can design industrial equipment that meets the user's needs and display the designed industrial equipment on the user terminal 4 (Figure 10). Similarly, the estimate calculation unit 13 can make an estimate for the production equipment designed by the equipment design unit 12 and display details of the estimated costs on the user terminal 4 (Figure 10).

The equipment information database 5 stores information on various robots, including industrial robots, storage units, conveyors, recognition sensors, etc. The data on the robots stored includes the type, size, shape, function, operating speed, operating range, power consumption, optional equipment, and price of the robot.

Data related to stockers in the equipment information database 5 includes data on the type, size, shape, and price of the stocker. Data related to conveyors includes data on the type, length, width, drive mechanism, transport speed, power consumption, optional equipment, and price of the conveyor. Data on other equipment necessary for factories, such as recognition sensors, protective fences, rotating lights, and control panels, is also stored in the equipment information database 5. This data is provided by the manufacturers or agents of these products.

Next, the operation of the design device 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 10. A user can connect to the design device 1 of this embodiment via a user terminal 4. For example, the user can access the design device 1 from a web browser or an application (program) pre-installed on the user terminal 4. In this case, the user can access the design device 1 even if he or she has not previously registered as a user of the design device 1.

When a user accesses the design device 1 to design industrial equipment or estimate costs, the user accesses the URL of the design device 1 using a web browser or the like on the user terminal 4. When the user accesses the design device 1 of this embodiment, the target process selection screen 21 shown in FIG. 2(A) is displayed.

The user selects the process desired on this target process selection screen 21. The options are receiving/unloading, transporting/removing, processing, assembly, inspection, packaging, or other. The following describes the operation in this embodiment when processing is selected on the target process selection screen 21.

When a user selects a processing operation on the target process selection screen 21 and clicks (or taps) the Next button 23, the processing content selection screen 22 shown in FIG. 2 (B) is displayed. The user selects the desired processing content on this processing content selection screen 22. For example, when selecting polishing and deburring processing, the user clicks the "○" in front of the words "polishing and deburring processing" on the user terminal 4, and the circle becomes a "●" as shown in FIG. 2 (B).

In this way, when the user selects polishing and deburring on the processing content selection screen 22 and clicks the Next button 23, the supply selection screen 25 shown in FIG. 3 is displayed. On the other hand, if the user wants to return to the target process selection screen 21, the user clicks the Back button 24.

The supply selection screen 25 displays a flow chart 26 showing the procedure for constructing industrial equipment for polishing and deburring, and a supply selection section 27 for work supply. In FIG. 3, the "1" displayed below the supply method in the flow chart 26 is inverted, indicating that the currently displayed screen is the screen for selecting the work supply method.

The user selects the work supply method in the supply selection unit 27. In this embodiment, the work supply method has the following options: bulk loading, stocker, with conveyor positioning, and without conveyor positioning.

Depending on the work supply method, the specifications of the equipment when picking up the work will differ, so the user is asked to select a supply method from the above options according to their needs. For example, if the user selects bulk loading, bulk loading is selected in the supply selection unit 27.

Here, as shown in FIG. 3, when the user selects bulk loading and clicks the Next button 23, a quantity input section 28 is displayed as shown in FIG. 4, in which the number of workpieces stored in the Paletina Stocker is entered. In this embodiment, bulk loading of workpieces means that the workpieces are stored in a container such as a Paletina Stocker without being arranged. If the user wishes to return to the target process selection screen 21, the user clicks the Back button 24.

When the user selects a stocker in the supply selection section 27 and clicks the next button 23, as shown in FIG. 4, a quantity input section 28 is displayed for inputting how many workpieces are stored in the Palletina Stocker, and the number of workpieces can be input. In this embodiment, a stocker means that the workpieces are arranged and stored in the Palletina Stocker.

When the user inputs the number 20 in the quantity input section 28 in FIG. 4 if the number of workpieces is about 20, for example, and clicks the Next button 23, the work shape selection screen 29 shown in FIG. 5 is displayed.

If the user selects "with conveyor positioning" or "without conveyor positioning" in the supply selection section 27 in FIG. 3 and clicks the Next button 23, the work shape selection screen 29 shown in FIG. 5 is also displayed. In the case of transport by conveyor, the work is picked up from the conveyor, so options related to stockers, etc. are not displayed.

On the workpiece shape selection screen 29, the user selects the shape of the workpiece and inputs the weight of the workpiece, and the workpiece information is acquired by the input unit 11. In this embodiment, the shape of the workpiece is selected from ring/disc/nut-type parts, rod-shaped parts, and others (complex shapes made by sheet metal, casting, forging, etc.). Here, the number "2" below the workpiece shape description in flow chart 26 is inverted, indicating that this is the screen for selecting the workpiece shape.

When the user selects ring/disc/nut type parts, the ring-shaped workpiece information input section 30 shown in FIG. 5 is displayed. Here, the workpiece outer diameter (inner diameter) and workpiece height, i.e., the dimensions of the workpiece, are input. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, a weight input section 31 for inputting the workpiece weight is displayed below the ring-shaped workpiece information input section 30. When the user inputs the workpiece outer diameter (inner diameter) and workpiece height in the ring-shaped workpiece information input section 30, inputs the workpiece weight in the weight input section 31, and clicks the Next button 23, a cycle time input screen 34 shown in FIG. 7, which will be described later, is displayed.

When the user selects a rod-shaped part on the work shape selection screen 29 in FIG. 5, the rod-shaped work information input section 32 shown in FIG. 6 (A) is displayed. Here, the diameter and length (dimensions) of the work are input.

When the user selects "Other", the other work information input section 33 shown in FIG. 6(B) is displayed. Here, the work width, work depth, and work height are input. In either case, when the work weight is input and the Next button 23 is clicked, the cycle time input screen 34 shown in FIG. 7 is displayed.

Referring to FIG. 7, on the cycle time input screen 34, the expected processing time is input, which indicates how long it will take to process one workpiece. If the cycle time is shorter than a predetermined threshold, priority is given to speed, and a SCARA robot is the first choice for the robot. Also, if the workpieces are piled up in a random pile, it may be necessary to provide a work feeder between the palette and the processing device to shorten the time it takes to pick up the workpieces.

On the other hand, when the cycle time is longer than a certain threshold, speed is not an important factor, so for example, random picking can be performed even when the workpieces are piled up in bulk, allowing the equipment configuration to be simplified.

The cycle time threshold here differs depending on the process performed on the workpiece, either transport or processing, but the threshold can be set for each process, such as 1 to 10 seconds for transport and 20 seconds to 5 minutes for processing.

Generally, known types of robots include cartesian coordinate robots (rectangular coordinate type), cylindrical coordinate robots, polar coordinate robots, articulated robots (vertical articulated type), SCARA robots (horizontal articulated type), parallel link robots, and dual-arm robots. In the design device 1 of this embodiment, information on various robots that can be traded as products is stored in the equipment information database 5, and the equipment design unit 12 selects these robots based on various conditions.

When the user inputs the processing time on the cycle time input screen 34 and clicks the Next button 23, the takt time information input screen 35 shown in Figure 8 is displayed.

On the takt time information input screen 35, the user selects whether to place importance on the takt time or not. The takt time is the time it takes for a robot to grasp a workpiece and complete machining.

The threshold for whether or not to prioritize takt time is pre-stored in the equipment design unit 12 according to the type of processing performed on the workpiece, but can be changed according to the user's needs.

When takt time is important, speed is required for the robot, so the fast SCARA robot is the first choice. However, depending on the type of processing work, a SCARA robot may not be able to handle it, in which case another type of robot, such as a six-axis articulated robot, should be selected.

When the user selects whether to place importance on takt time or not on takt time information input screen 35 and clicks the Next button 23, an operation time selection screen 36 is displayed, as shown in FIG. 9, in which the user can determine the degree of continuous operation time and whether to place importance on continuous operation time.

On the operation time selection screen 36, the user selects operation time information indicating whether a long operation time (e.g., 30 minutes) longer than a predetermined operation time is required or whether long operation time is not required. If a long operation time is desired, it is preferable to supply the workpieces using a conveyor, and if a Paletina Stocker is used, it is necessary to use one that can store a large number of workpieces.

On the other hand, if long-term operation is not required, equipment such as conveyors can be eliminated. The standard time for long-term operation is pre-stored in the equipment design unit 12 according to the type of work, etc., but can be changed according to the user's requests.

When the user selects whether a long continuous operation time is desired or a short one is acceptable on the operation time selection screen 36 and clicks the estimate button 37, the data entered from the input unit 11 is sent to the equipment design unit 12. In the equipment design unit 12, equipment such as robots, storage units, or conveyors are designed based on the data in the equipment information database 5.

The equipment design unit 12 acquires data related to robots, etc. from the data stored in the equipment information database 5 based on the input information entered from the input unit 11. For example, if the type of transport/processing is transport, data on robots capable of transporting workpieces is acquired. At that time, the input unit 11 has acquired the workpiece supply method, workpiece information including the shape of the workpiece, cycle time which is the processing time for one workpiece, and takt time information as to whether or not to prioritize takt time, and a robot that meets these conditions is searched for and extracted.

The estimate calculation unit 13 also estimates the costs associated with the industrial equipment designed by the equipment design unit 12. The estimate calculation unit 13 calculates estimates of the costs associated with the industrial equipment designed by the equipment design unit 12, including equipment costs including mechanical design costs, electrical design and wiring costs, and software design costs.

After the equipment design unit 12 designs the equipment and the estimate calculation unit estimates the cost, the design result screen 38 is displayed on the user terminal 4 as shown in FIG. 10. The design result screen 38 displays details of the equipment designed by the equipment design unit 12, an image or video of the equipment, and a cost estimate, etc.

In Figure 10, the equipment specifications column displays the system name, system functions, processing specifications, and equipment information. The figure also displays information such as the equipment price, continuous operation time, takt time, cost breakdown, delivered items, and delivery location.

If multiple robots are extracted by the equipment design unit 12, they are ranked based on the installation location constraints, whether they are linked to other ancillary equipment, etc., and also based on price, and the one with the lowest overall price is finally extracted. In addition, multiple extracted pieces of equipment can be displayed in a column for similar robot systems on the design result screen 38 shown in Figure 10 and presented to the user.

In the above embodiment, the operation when polishing and deburring the workpiece is described, but problems can also be solved by the same operation when receiving and unloading, transporting and removing, assembling, inspecting, packaging, or other processes.

In the above embodiment, the facility information database 5 is provided separately from the server 2, but the facility information database 5 may be provided within the server 2. In addition, various screens may be provided with a button or the like for displaying a chat screen to respond to user questions, etc.

As described above, with the design device 1 of the present invention, a user can design equipment even if he or she has no experience in designing robots or other equipment, simply by inputting the information required on the various screens displayed by the input unit 11. In addition, a cost estimate for the designed equipment can also be obtained.

Furthermore, by repeating the above operations while changing the information to be entered, it is possible to learn the specifications and costs of various types of equipment. This will provide the user with new insights and information about equipment that the user was not aware of, which is expected to bring out the user's potential needs.

1...design device 2...server 3...network 4...user terminal 5...equipment information database 11...input section 12...equipment design section 13...estimate calculation section 21...target process selection screen 22...processing content selection screen 23...next button 24...back button 25...supply selection screen 26...flow diagram 27...supply selection section 28...quantity input section 29...work shape selection screen 30...ring-shaped work information input section 31...weight input section 32...rod-shaped work information input section 33...other work information input section 34...cycle time input screen 35...takt time information input screen 36...operation time selection screen 37...estimate button 38...design result screen

Claims (3)

An apparatus for designing industrial equipment including a robot that transports and processes workpieces using a computer,
an input unit for accepting input from a user;
an equipment design unit that selects necessary equipment from the input information input from the input unit and designs the equipment;
The input unit is capable of inputting work information including the type of transportation/processing, the method of supplying the workpiece, the shape of the workpiece, the processing time for each workpiece, takt time information indicating whether or not to place importance on takt time, which is the time it takes for the robot to grasp a single workpiece and complete processing , and operating time information determining the degree of continuous operating time. The industrial facility design device according to claim 1,
The type of transportation/processing is selected from at least one of receiving/unloading, transporting/removing, processing, assembly, inspection, or packaging;
The supply method selects the supply of the workpiece from at least one of bulk pile, stocker, conveyor positioning, or conveyor positioning without conveyor positioning;
The workpiece information includes at least one of a ring, disk, or nut type part, a rod-shaped part, or other (complex shape by sheet metal, casting, or forging) as the shape of the workpiece, and the dimensions and weight of the workpiece are input;
The operating time information is at least a design device for industrial equipment that selects whether long-term operation equal to or longer than a predetermined operating time is required or whether long-term operation is not required. The design device for industrial equipment according to claim 1 or 2,
an estimate calculation unit that estimates the cost required for constructing the device and the facility;
The estimate calculation unit is an industrial equipment design device that calculates estimates of costs, including equipment costs including mechanical design costs, electrical design and wiring costs, and software design costs, for the industrial equipment designed by the equipment design unit.

Images