JP7840196B2 - Tile-laying robot and curved panel manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a tile-laying robot and a curved panel manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly to a tile-laying robot for laying multiple tile materials onto a panel member curved in the vertical or horizontal direction, and to a curved panel manufacturing apparatus including a tile-laying robot.

Tiles are sometimes used as finishing materials for building panels, such as exterior wall panels. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-275983 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-149465 (Patent Document 2) disclose tile layout methods for calculating tile placement on the tiled surface of an exterior wall.

Furthermore, to facilitate the application of tiles to curved wall surfaces, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-83031 (Patent Document 3) discloses a tile material in which a flexible substrate is provided on the back surface of the tile.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-275983 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-149465 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-83031

Recently, some buildings have been designed with curved interior and exterior walls for aesthetic purposes. When using tiles as the finishing material for curved interior and exterior walls, it is necessary to select tiles of the appropriate size for each application area, making it impossible to use tile layout methods such as those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2.

Furthermore, although a tile material structure suitable for curved wall surfaces has been proposed, as shown in Patent Document 3, the application of tile materials is generally done manually on-site, regardless of whether the surface to be installed is flat or curved.

This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its objective is to provide a tile-applying robot and a curved panel manufacturing apparatus that can efficiently manufacture curved panel bodies in a factory by attaching multiple tile materials to panel members that are curved in the vertical or horizontal direction.

A tile-laying robot according to one aspect of this invention is a tile-laying robot for laying tile material on a panel member curved in the vertical or horizontal direction, comprising: a plurality of hand parts, each holding a plurality of tile materials; a moving member for moving the plurality of hand parts; and a hand adjustment means for individually adjusting the height and inclination angle of the hand parts, thereby laying the plurality of tile materials held by the plurality of hand parts onto the panel member.

Preferably, the hand adjustment means adjusts the height of each hand portion according to a depth value determined for each reference point in the curvature direction of the panel member.

Preferably, the hand adjustment means adjusts the inclination angle of each hand part according to the tangent slope determined for each reference point.

A curved panel manufacturing apparatus according to another aspect of this invention comprises the tile-laying robot described above and a panel support device that supports the panel members from below. The panel support device includes a plurality of support members arranged along the curvature direction and height adjustment means for adjusting the height of the support members according to the depth value of each reference point.

Preferably, the panel support device includes a main body having a plurality of support members, and a rotational drive unit detachably provided from the main body for adjusting the height of the support members by rotation.

According to this invention, it becomes possible to efficiently manufacture curved panel bodies in a factory, thereby improving the productivity of curved panel bodies. In this case, on-site construction can be made more efficient. Furthermore, mass customization production becomes possible from standardized factory-made panels.

This is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the "exterior wall panel production system," which is the premise for the curved panel production system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figures (A) and (B) show examples of the configuration of exterior wall panels (tile exterior wall panels) in the system shown in Figure 1. (A) is a block diagram showing the hardware and functional configuration of the manufacturing condition information generation device in the system shown in Figure 1, and (B) is a block diagram showing the hardware and functional configuration of the tile application information generation device in the system shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 shows a flowchart illustrating the manufacturing condition information generation process in the system. (A) and (B) are explanatory diagrams showing the method for detecting location information in the system shown in Figure 1. (A) and (B) are explanatory diagrams showing the items of condition data included in the manufacturing condition information in the system shown in Figure 1. (A) to (D) are explanatory diagrams showing the method for determining the end conditions in the system shown in Figure 1. (A) and (B) are explanatory diagrams showing a method for determining the type of edge tile in the system shown in Figure 1. This is a flowchart showing the tile placement information generation process in the system shown in Figure 1. (A) and (B) are explanatory diagrams showing the partition processing usage in the system shown in Figure 1. (A) is a diagram showing specific examples of multiple combination patterns in the system shown in Figure 1, and (B) is a diagram schematically showing an example in the system shown in Figure 1 in which numbers representing the work sequence are assigned to some virtual areas. Figure 1 shows a specific example of a production line for exterior wall panels within a factory, based on the system shown in Figure 1. (A) is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of the pattern generation station in the system shown in Figure 1, and (B) is a diagram showing a specific example of a tile unit in the system shown in Figure 1. This is a flowchart showing the tile unit generation process at the pattern generation station in the system shown in Figure 1. This is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a curved panel production system according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of a tile placement information generation device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and (B) is a flowchart showing the tile condition calculation process performed by the tile condition calculation unit of the tile placement information generation device. Figures (A) to (C) illustrate the tile condition calculation method in an embodiment of the present invention. (A) and (B) are diagrams schematically showing the tile installation conditions in an embodiment of the present invention. This diagram schematically shows two patterns: the first pattern in which the width of the tile material is constant, and the second pattern in which the width of the tile material is not constant. This is a diagram illustrating a grouping calculation method in an embodiment of the present invention. (A) is a schematic diagram showing a tile laying line on which the tile laying device according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed, and (B) is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of a control device that controls the tile laying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a panel support device in an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of the configuration of the gripping part of a tile-laying robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (A) is a front view and (B) is a side view. (A) is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the height and tilt angle of the hand portion of the tile-laying robot are adjusted in an embodiment of the present invention, and (B) is a view of the suction surface of the hand portion from diagonally below. (A) is an image diagram of a curved panel body manufactured by a curved panel body production system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and (B) is an image diagram showing a curved panel body of a comparative example.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, identical or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will not be repeated.

This embodiment describes a curved panel production system for factory-producing "curved panel bodies" by attaching flat tile material as a finishing material to panel members that are curved in the vertical or horizontal direction. The curved panel body is, for example, an exterior wall panel of a building. The basic configuration and operation of the curved panel body production system according to this embodiment may be the same as the system described in the patent application specifications filed by the applicant as Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2021-160274, 2021-160275, and 2021-160276 (hereinafter referred to as the "basic system"). This basic system is a panel body (exterior wall panel) production system that uses flat panel members as the surface to which tile material is attached. Before a detailed description of the curved panel body production system according to this embodiment, the configuration and operation of the basic system will be described.

<Overall Configuration of the Basic System>
Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the exterior wall panel production system 1, which is the premise for the curved panel production system of this embodiment. The exterior wall panel production system 1 is a system for automatically producing exterior wall panels (hereinafter referred to as "tile exterior wall panels") using multiple tile materials such as bricks as finishing materials in a factory, and mainly comprises a teaching data generation system 2 and an exterior wall panel manufacturing device 3 installed in the factory.

Figure 2 shows an example of the configuration of a tile exterior wall panel P, where (A) is an exploded view of the tile exterior wall panel P and (B) is a front view of the tile exterior wall panel P. Referring to Figure 2(A), the tile exterior wall panel (hereinafter abbreviated as "exterior wall panel") P comprises a panel member 110 including a frame member 101, such as a steel frame, and a ceramic base material (hereinafter referred to as "siding") 105, and a finishing material 120 made of numerous tile materials BT attached to the panel member 110. Each tile material BT is a plate-shaped member, and may be formed, for example, by cutting brick BR to a predetermined thickness. As shown in Figure 2(B), numerous tile materials BT are laid on the surface of the panel member 110.

The exterior wall of a house is formed by connecting multiple exterior wall panels P at least horizontally. Figure 5(A) shows a floor plan of the first floor of a house 9, and each exterior wall panel P constituting the exterior wall of house 9 is assigned a symbol W1..., S1..., E1..., N1... according to its direction.

Referring again to Figure 1, the exterior wall panel manufacturing apparatus 3 is a device that manufactures exterior wall panels P in a factory by attaching multiple tile materials BT to a panel member 110, and includes multiple pieces of machinery. Specifically, the exterior wall panel manufacturing apparatus 3 includes a tile unit generating device 30 that generates "tile units" which are units formed from multiple tile materials, a tile unit supply device 40 that supplies the tile units generated by the tile unit generating device 30 to a tile-laying station, and a tile-laying device 50 that attaches the tile units supplied to the tile-laying station to the panel member 110. It also includes a control device 60 that controls these devices 30, 40, and 50.

The teaching data generation system 2 generates the data (teaching data) necessary to operate the exterior wall panel manufacturing apparatus 3. As shown in Figure 1, the teaching data generation system 2 includes a manufacturing condition information generation device 10 that generates "manufacturing condition information" for the exterior wall panels P based on the building's basic design information, and a tile application information generation device 20 that generates "tile application information" for each exterior wall panel P based on the manufacturing condition information generated by the manufacturing condition information generation device 10.

As shown in Figure 2(B), while the panel members 110 of the exterior wall panels P are basically laid with tile material BT of a common shape and width, it is desirable to arrange them in a staggered pattern so that the vertical joints are not continuous. Therefore, at the widthwise ends of each exterior wall panel P, tile material BT with different width dimensions is used alternately in the vertical direction. Furthermore, for exterior wall panels P placed at the corners (outside or inside corners) of the building, it is desirable to use L-shaped tile material BT or dimensionally adjusted tile material BT at the corner ends of the exterior wall panels P to make the joints between panels less noticeable. For these reasons, it is necessary to determine the type of tile material BT to be used at the ends of the exterior wall panels P depending on the location where the exterior wall panels P are placed, and the presence or absence of openings 130 and their installation locations. Dimensionally adjusted tile material BT is also used at both ends of openings.

Therefore, the manufacturing condition information generation device 10 detects the "panel construction information" (described later) from the basic design information for each exterior wall panel P, identifies the end conditions of each exterior wall panel P, and determines the type of tile material BT to be used at the end (at least the starting position) of the exterior wall panel P according to the identified end conditions. Then, for each exterior wall panel P, it generates manufacturing condition information including the determined type of tile material BT (end tile type information) and outputs (transmits) it to the tile application information generation device 20.

The tile application information generation device 20 acquires (inputs) manufacturing condition information and determines the placement pattern of the tile material BT for each exterior wall panel P based on the acquired manufacturing condition information and "tile size information" which defines the width dimensions and shape of each type of tile material BT. Then, for each exterior wall panel P, it generates "tile application information" including the determined placement pattern and outputs (transmits) it to the exterior wall panel manufacturing device 3 installed in the factory. The tile application information is a type of "teaching data" and is transmitted to the control device 60 via a network such as the Internet.

As a result, the exterior wall panel manufacturing apparatus 3, under the control of the control device 60, can attach multiple types of tile material BT to each exterior wall panel P based on a preset tile material BT arrangement pattern. Therefore, the exterior wall panel production system 1 can automatically and appropriately attach the tile material BT to the panel members 110 without requiring manual teaching work. As a result, the production line for exterior wall panels P can be fully automated.

The manufacturing condition information generation device 10 and the tile application information generation device 20 are configured using information processing equipment such as a general-purpose computer. Although these devices 10 and 20 are shown as separate devices for functional reasons, they may also be implemented using a common information processing equipment.

<Basic System Manufacturing Condition Information Generator>
Figure 3(A) is a block diagram showing the hardware and functional configuration of the manufacturing condition information generation device 10. The manufacturing condition information generation device 10 includes, as a hardware configuration, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 that performs various calculations, a storage unit 12 that stores various data and programs, an operation unit 13 that receives instructions from the user, a display unit 14 that displays various information, and a communication I/F (interface) 15 that communicates with other information processing devices via a network. The storage unit 12 includes volatile memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory). The operation unit 13 includes, for example, a keyboard or mouse. The display unit 14 includes, for example, a display such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).

The manufacturing condition information generation device 10 comprises, functionally, a detection unit 161, a condition determination unit 162, a type determination unit 163, a generation unit 164, and an output processing unit 165.

The detection unit 161 extracts information about the exterior wall panels P that make up the exterior wall from the building's "basic design information," which is input, for example via the communication I/F 15. Based on the extracted information, it detects the panel construction information necessary for the construction of the exterior wall panels P. Here, "detection" includes both calculating the necessary information based on the information extracted from the basic design information, and identifying the information extracted from the basic design information directly (without calculation).

The "panel construction information" includes "location information" indicating the placement of the exterior wall panels P, and "shape information" indicating the size and opening range of the exterior wall panels P. The detection unit 161 has the function of directly extracting and identifying the "location information" defined in the design data when the input basic design information is design data of a three-dimensional model such as BIM (Building Information Modeling) data, and the function of converting the numerical values that form the basis of the "shape information" defined in the design data (for example, numerical values indicating the opening range) into numerical values used in construction drawings.

The condition determination unit 162 determines the end conditions of each exterior wall panel P based on the panel construction information (mainly position information) detected by the detection unit 161. Specifically, it determines whether the end condition is a straight section, an inward corner, or an outward corner, and calculates the interface condition with adjacent panels based on the determination result and the aforementioned position information. The interface condition includes the "winner/loser" relationship with adjacent panels and its degree. Note that the condition determination unit 162 may determine the conditions at both ends in the vertical direction as well as the width direction.

The type determination unit 163, based on the end condition determined by the condition determination unit 162, determines the type of tile material BT to be used at least at the starting position for each exterior wall panel P as the "end tile type." The starting position will be described later.

The generation unit 164 generates manufacturing condition information for each exterior wall panel P. Specifically, it generates manufacturing condition information by integrating multiple condition data items, including i) at least a portion of the panel construction information detected by the detection unit 161, ii) the end condition determined by the condition determination unit 162, and iii) the end tile type determined by the type determination unit 163.

Figure 6(B) lists the condition data items (ID symbols) included in the manufacturing condition information. Examples of ID symbols include: Wid: position of the exterior wall panel (orientation and number), Ws: starting end condition, XP: panel width, We: ending end condition, Wu: upper condition, H: panel height, Wd: lower condition, Ow: opening width, Oh: opening height, Osx: x-coordinate of the opening start point, Osy: y-coordinate of the opening start point, Bs: type of tile material BT used at the starting position (end tile type). An ID code is generated from the ID symbol and its corresponding code information. The code information includes at least one of the following: a number, a symbol (+, -, etc.), or a character (alphabet, etc.). Note that the items included in the manufacturing condition information are not limited to those listed in Figure 6(B) and may include other items.

The generation unit 164 integrates the above-mentioned ID codes for each exterior wall panel P to generate manufacturing condition information. More specifically, this manufacturing condition information consists of an identifier for the exterior wall panel P and multiple condition data indicated by multiple ID codes. This manufacturing condition information is used in the tile application information generation device 20, as described later.

The output processing unit 165 executes a process to output the manufacturing condition information for each exterior wall panel P generated by the generation unit 164. Specifically, it executes a process to transmit the manufacturing condition information for each exterior wall panel P to the tile application information generation device 20 via the communication I/F 15, etc. Alternatively, it may write the manufacturing condition information for each exterior wall panel P to a removable recording medium (not shown). Alternatively, it may record the manufacturing condition information for each exterior wall panel P in the manufacturing condition storage unit 18 and output it in response to a request from the tile application information generation device 20. The manufacturing condition storage unit 18 may be implemented by a non-volatile storage device (not shown), such as a hard disk, or by a cloud server.

The functions of the detection unit 161, condition determination unit 162, type determination unit 163, generation unit 164, and output processing unit 165 described above are realized by the CPU 11 executing software. At least one of these functional units may be realized by hardware.

Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the manufacturing condition information generation process. The process shown in Figure 4 is achieved by the CPU 11 of the manufacturing condition information generation device 10 reading and executing a program stored, for example, in the storage unit 12.

First, the manufacturing condition information generation device 10 inputs, for example, BIM basic design data via the communication I/F 15 (step S2). BIM basic design data is the design data for the entire building created using BIM, a 3D, real-time, dynamic modeling software, and includes building shape, spatial relationships, geographic information, and the quantity and characteristics of building components. While this example uses basic design information constructed with BIM, it is not limited to this. The input basic design information may, for example, be design data constructed using other types of 3D building design software, or design data read from scanned building data. It is also possible to scan 2D drawing data and paper-based drawings and read only the necessary information.

When basic design data is input, the detection unit 161 detects information about the exterior wall panels P that constitute the building's exterior wall from the input basic design data. Specifically, it identifies the module (basic unit of measurement for the building) of each exterior wall panel P (step S4), and detects positional and shape information for each exterior wall panel P (steps S6, S8).

"Location information" includes floor information such as the first or second floor, directional information indicating whether it is east, west, north, or south, and information indicating which part of the building it is located in (hereinafter referred to as "attribute information"). The codes shown in Figure 5(A) represent the location information ("Wid" code information) of each exterior wall panel P, with directional information represented by the letters N, W, S, and E, and attribute information represented by numbers.

The numbers representing attribute information are assigned for each direction, starting from the corner (outer corner) on the front side of the building, in a counterclockwise or clockwise order, as indicated by arrow A1 in Figure 5(B). In other words, the detection unit 161 identifies the placement position of each exterior wall panel P along a predetermined numbering direction starting from the corner on the front side of the building, and detects the identified placement position as "position information." The starting point, the outer corner, is one end of the front exterior wall (for example, the northwest corner), and the numbering direction is defined so that the numbering begins from the exterior wall panel P on the front side. For example, the numbering direction is counterclockwise, and the numbering proceeds from left to right on each face of the building. Therefore, the left side of each exterior wall panel P is called the starting point side, and the right side is called the ending point side. The numbering direction indicated by arrow A1 determines the order of determination for the end condition described later.

If the aforementioned positional information is defined in the basic design data, such as BIM data, then in step S6, the detection unit 161 only needs to extract (identify) the positional information directly from the basic design data.

The "shape information" includes panel width (code information "XP"), panel height (code information "H"), and opening range. The opening range is determined by the opening scale (code information "Ow" and "Oh"), the opening's coordinate position (code information "Osx" and "Osy"). Figure 6(A) schematically shows the width XP and height H of the exterior wall panel P, the opening width Ow and height Oh, and the X-coordinate Osx and Y-coordinate Osy of a predetermined point (lower left) of the opening. When detecting shape information based on BIM basic design data, in step S8, the detection unit 161 calculates values that take into account the dimensions of the window mounting frame (sash), etc.

Next, the condition determination unit 162 determines (calculates) the end condition for each exterior wall panel P based on the position information detected in step S6 and the shape information detected in step S8 (step S10). Specifically, it first determines whether both ends of each exterior wall panel P (start end and end end) correspond to a straight section, an inward corner, or an outward corner, as shown in Figure 7(A).

Next, the condition determination unit 162 calculates the interface conditions for both ends of the exterior wall panel P according to a predetermined order indicated by the position information detected in step S6, that is, according to the numbering direction indicated by arrow A1 in Figure 5(B). The "interface conditions" include the "win or lose" relationship with adjacent panels and the degree of that relationship. For example, as shown in Figure 7(B), if the starting end of a certain exterior wall panel Pa is a straight section, there is no "win or lose" relationship with other adjacent exterior wall panels Pb, and therefore the interface condition is determined to be "0" (no + or -).

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 7(C), when the starting end of an exterior wall panel Pa is an external corner, there are two conditions: a "winning" condition (pattern on the left side of the drawing) where the panel is positioned so as to overlap the reference line of the intersecting exterior wall panel Pc, and a "losing" condition (pattern on the right side of the drawing) where the panel is positioned so as not to overlap the reference line of the other exterior wall panel Pc. The same applies to internal corners, as shown in Figure 7(D). In these diagrams, the "winning" condition is represented by "+" and the "losing" condition by "-". Since the degree of winning or losing varies in both cases, the condition determination unit 162 calculates the degree of winning/losing numerically (mm). The condition determination unit 162 calculates the connection conditions so that the exterior wall panel P positioned on the front side meets the "winning" condition.

Once the end conditions (at least the code information for "Ws" and "We") of each exterior wall panel P are determined through the process described above, the type determination unit 163 determines the type of tile material BT to be used at the starting point of the starting end as the end tile type (step S12). The starting point is typically the lower end of the starting end. The ending point is the lower end of the ending end.

Figure 8(A) shows an example of tile material BT types. If there are multiple types of tile materials BTa, BTb, BTc, BTd, ... with different dimensions or shapes, this information is stored as "tile size information" in the storage unit 12 or a non-volatile storage device (not shown). Note that "tile size information" indicates the width dimension and shape (width dimension or shape) for each type of tile material.

As shown in the diagram, tile materials BTa and BTb are both L-shaped, while tile materials BTc and BTd are both straight (I-shaped). For example, the straight-shaped tile material BTc may be used as the basic type. The L-shaped tile material BTa may have the same width as tile material BTc. Although not shown in the diagram, other types of tile material BT may include round or polygonal shapes.

Figure 8(B) is a correspondence table that defines the types of tile material BT that can be used at the starting point for each end condition (specifically, the connection condition) of the exterior wall panel P. In this example, if the starting end of the exterior wall panel P is a "win" condition, one tile material is selected from L-shaped tiles and non-L-shaped tiles, depending on the degree of the win (positive width) and the connection condition of the ending end. If the starting end of the exterior wall panel P is a "lose" condition, one tile material is selected from non-L-shaped tiles, depending on the degree of the loss (negative width) and the connection condition of the ending end. If the connection condition of the starting end of the exterior wall panel P is "0", one of the non-L-shaped tile materials is selected.

The type determination unit 163, while referring to the tile size information and correspondence table described above, determines the type of tile material BT (code information of "Bs") to be used at the starting position for all exterior wall panels P. The selection of the end tile type is also performed according to a predetermined determination order, that is, according to the numbering direction indicated by arrow A1 in Figure 5(B). Therefore, problems such as interference between adjacent tile materials BT or gaps larger than the joints being created during on-site construction can be prevented.

Once the type discrimination unit 163 has finished processing, the generation unit 164 integrates all ID codes for each exterior wall panel P and generates "manufacturing condition information" (step S14). The output processing unit 165 outputs the integrated panel ID codes, i.e., the "manufacturing condition information" (step S16). This completes the manufacturing condition information generation process.

Thus, since the manufacturing condition information generation device 10 can directly generate the "manufacturing condition information" necessary for generating tile application information for the exterior wall panel P from the basic design information, the process of generating design drawings by the designer can be eliminated.

<Basic system tile placement information generation device>
Figure 3(B) is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration and functional configuration of the tile placement information generation device 20. The hardware configuration of the tile placement information generation device 20 may be the same as that of the manufacturing condition information generation device 10, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21 that performs various calculations, a storage unit 22 that stores various data and programs, an operation unit 23 that receives instructions from the user, a display unit 24 that displays various information, and a communication I/F (interface) 25 that communicates with other information processing devices via a network.

The tile placement information generation device 20 comprises, functionally, an acquisition unit 261, a partitioning unit 262, a pattern determination unit 263, a sequence determination unit 264, a generation unit 265, and an output processing unit 266.

The acquisition unit 261 acquires manufacturing condition information generated by the manufacturing condition information generation device 10 via the communication interface 25, etc. That is, it acquires condition data for multiple items, each ID-coded for each exterior wall panel, as shown in Figure 5(B). While the manufacturing condition information acquired by the acquisition unit 261 is typically information generated by the manufacturing condition information generation device 10, it may also be information extracted from design drawing information created by, for example, a design drawing creation device (not shown).

The partitioning section 262 divides the exterior wall panel P (panel member 110) into multiple virtual regions based on shape information indicating the panel width, panel height, and opening range from the acquired manufacturing condition information. Examples of virtual region divisions will be described later.

The pattern determination unit 263 determines the arrangement pattern of the tile material BT for each exterior wall panel P, preferably in virtual area units partitioned by the partitioning unit 262, based on the manufacturing condition information acquired by the acquisition unit 261 and the tile size information described above. In this case, it is desirable for the pattern determination unit 263 to determine the arrangement pattern of the tile material by selecting one or more combination patterns from a predetermined set of combination patterns for each virtual area. Details of the combination patterns will be described later.

The sequence determination unit 264 determines the order in which tile materials are applied to multiple virtual areas based on the placement information of the tile application device 50 (Figure 1) on the production line.

The generation unit 265 generates tile placement information for each exterior wall panel P. This tile placement information corresponds to teaching data for the exterior wall panel manufacturing apparatus 3 and includes the arrangement pattern determined by the pattern determination unit 263 and the placement order determined by the order determination unit 264.

The output processing unit 266 executes a process to output the tile application information for each exterior wall panel P generated by the generation unit 265. Specifically, it executes a process to transmit the tile application information for each exterior wall panel P to the control device 60 of the exterior wall panel manufacturing apparatus 3 via the communication I/F 25, etc. Alternatively, it may write the tile application information for each exterior wall panel P to a removable recording medium (not shown). Alternatively, the tile application information for each exterior wall panel P may be recorded in the application information storage unit 28 and output in response to requests from other devices such as the control device 60. The application information storage unit 28 may be implemented by a non-volatile storage device (not shown), such as a hard disk, or by a cloud server.

The functions of the acquisition unit 261, partitioning unit 262, pattern determination unit 263, sequence determination unit 264, generation unit 265, and output processing unit 266 described above are realized by the CPU 21 executing software. At least one of these functional units may be realized by hardware.

Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the tile placement information generation process. The process shown in Figure 9 is achieved by the CPU 21 of the tile placement information generation device 20 reading and executing a program stored, for example, in the storage unit 22.

First, the tile installation information generation device 20 inputs the panel ID codes of all exterior wall panels P used in a given building via the communication I/F 25 (step S2). As a result, the acquisition unit 261 obtains code information for each exterior wall panel P, including: Wid: position (orientation and number) of the exterior wall panel, Ws: starting end condition, XP: panel width, We: ending end condition, Wu: upper condition, H: panel height, Wd: lower condition, Ow: opening width, Oh: opening height, Osx: x-coordinate of the opening start point, Osy: y-coordinate of the opening start point, and Bs: type of tile material BT used at the start point (end tile type).

Next, based on the shape information (XP: panel width, H: panel height, Ow: opening width, Oh: opening height, Osx: x-coordinate of the opening start point, Osy: y-coordinate of the opening start point) from the ID code information acquired by the acquisition unit 261, the partitioning unit 262 performs a process to partition each exterior wall panel P into multiple virtual areas (step S24). This process will be explained with reference to Figure 10. Note that in Figure 10(A), the number of tile materials BT has been reduced to avoid making the drawing more complex.

As shown in Figure 10(A), the partition section 262 first partitions the exterior wall panel P vertically (up and down) at the location of the opening 130, and then partitions the remaining area according to predetermined rules. Specifically, the partitioning of the exterior wall panel P is performed based on the size that the tile application device 50 installed in the factory can adsorb (hold) at one time. More specifically, the adsorption area that the tile application device 50 can adsorb at one time is calculated, and based on the calculated area, the remaining area is partitioned vertically based on the maximum size of the virtual area.

Assuming the maximum size of the virtual area is X columns × Y rows (when using the basic type of tile material BTc), as shown in Figure 10(B), the remaining area of the exterior wall panel P is partitioned vertically so that it has a maximum of Y rows (where X and Y are natural numbers, and typically Y > X). In the example shown in Figure 10(A), the exterior wall panel P is divided vertically into five areas bounded by four dividing lines B1 to B4. Furthermore, within each of the five areas, the panel's end area and the area adjacent to the opening are partitioned, and then the remaining area is partitioned horizontally so that it has a maximum of X columns. Figure 10(A) shows an arbitrary virtual area VA.

When the exterior wall panel P is divided into multiple virtual regions using the process described above, the division unit 262 temporarily stores the coordinate position data of each virtual region as "pasting position information" in its internal memory. Since the tile material BT is arranged with a half-pitch offset to prevent continuous vertical joints, the edges of horizontally adjacent virtual regions overlap by half a pitch.

The pattern determination unit 263 determines the arrangement pattern of the tile material BT for each virtual region partitioned as described above (step S26). In this case, it is desirable that the pattern determination unit 263 determines the arrangement pattern of the tile material BT in the following order: the virtual regions at both ends of the exterior wall panel P (end regions), the virtual regions at both ends of the opening 130 (opening-side regions), and the remaining region (central region). Since the ID code information acquired by the acquisition unit 261 includes the end tile type (Bs: type of tile material BT used at the starting point), the arrangement pattern of the starting end region can be determined based on the end tile type of the target exterior wall panel P, and the arrangement pattern of the ending end region can be determined based on the end tile type of the next numbered exterior wall panel P after the target exterior wall panel P.

As described above, the pattern determination unit 263 determines the arrangement pattern of the tile material BT by selecting one or more combination patterns from among multiple types of combination patterns for each virtual area. Specific examples of multiple types of combination patterns are shown in Figure 11(A). The multiple types of combination patterns shown in Figure 11(A) are pre-patterned combinations of tile materials BT (BTa, BTb, BTc, BTd, ...) of different types (dimensions or shapes). Each combination pattern is formed by combining one or more tile materials from among the multiple types of tile materials BT.

Multiple combination patterns exist, including patterns where the tile type is the same throughout all rows, patterns where the tile type differs every other row, and patterns where three or more types of tile material BT are arranged randomly. There are also patterns where tile material BT is placed only in odd-numbered or even-numbered rows (grout-crossing patterns). While combinations for five rows are shown here, similar patterns can be formed depending on the number of rows in the virtual area.

The pattern determination unit 263 selects one or more combination patterns from the multiple combination patterns described above, according to the size of each virtual region. In this process, the pattern determination unit 263 performs the selection process in such a way that the number of combination patterns in each virtual region is minimized (preferably to the minimum). This allows for efficient determination of the tile material BT arrangement pattern for each virtual region. A group of (patterned) tile materials BT in each virtual region is called a "tile unit." Note that the combination patterns for the end regions and/or the regions next to openings may be predetermined.

The pattern determination unit 263 temporarily stores tile pattern information, which indicates the arrangement pattern of multiple tile materials BT according to the combination pattern selected for each virtual area, in internal memory, associating it with a unique identifier for each virtual area. The "tile pattern information" includes the type, number, and arrangement of the tile materials BT.

Next, the sequence determination unit 264 determines the order in which tile units are attached to multiple virtual areas based on the positional information of the tile-attaching device 50 (Figure 1) on the production line (step S28). In other words, it determines the work order of the virtual areas so that the tile-attaching device 50 can efficiently (in the shortest time) perform the tile-attaching work on all virtual areas. Figure 11(B) schematically shows an example where some virtual areas are assigned numbers indicating the work order.

As described later, multiple tile-laying devices 50 are installed in the tile-laying station within the factory, and these tile-laying devices 50 operate simultaneously to lay tiles on a single exterior wall panel P. Therefore, the sequence determination unit 264 assigns a number indicating the arrangement order to each virtual area based on this arrangement position information.

Typically, two tile-laying devices 50 are arranged facing each other, with a panel mounting platform (panel transport unit 300 shown in Figure 12) in between. For example, one tile-laying device 50 (50a) is positioned on the lower end side of the exterior wall panel P while it is mounted on the panel mounting platform, and the other tile-laying device 50 (50b) is positioned on the upper end side of the exterior wall panel P while it is mounted on the panel mounting platform. In this case, for example, after tentatively determining the virtual areas to be worked on by each tile-laying device based on a reference line passing through the approximate center of the exterior wall panel P, the work areas may be adjusted so that the number of virtual areas to be worked on is approximately the same, and then each work area may be assigned a number.

The sequence determination unit 264 temporarily stores sequence information indicating the determined pasting order in its internal memory, associating it with a unique identifier for each virtual area. The "sequence information" includes identification information for identifying the tile pasting device 50 performing the work, and the work sequence.

Once the arrangement pattern and placement order for each virtual area are determined by the above-described process, the generation unit 265 generates "tile placement information" (step S30). That is, the information temporarily stored in the internal memory (placement position information, tile pattern information, and order information) through the processes in steps S24, S26, and S28 is integrated for each virtual area to generate the tile placement information. The output processing unit 266 outputs the tile placement information generated by the generation unit 265 (step S32). This completes the tile placement information generation process.

Thus, the tile application information generation device 20 can generate "tile application information" suitable for the exterior wall panel manufacturing device 3 installed in the factory. Therefore, by using this tile application information as teaching data for the exterior wall panel manufacturing device 3, it becomes possible to automatically and efficiently apply the tile material BT to the panel members 110.

<Basic system exterior wall panel manufacturing equipment>
Figure 12 shows an overview of the production line for exterior wall panels P within the factory. The production line includes a panel member manufacturing line that manufactures panel members 110 of the exterior wall panels P along a panel transport section (belt conveyor, etc.) 300 located in the center, and a tile laying line that attaches tile material BT, which will be the finishing material 120, to the panel members 110. The panel member manufacturing line consists of, for example, stations ST101 and ST102 that process the basic components of the panel members 110, and an assembly station ST103 on the panel transport section 300.

The tile-laying line mainly consists of a pattern generation station ST1 and a tile-laying station ST2. The pattern generation station ST1 houses a tile unit generation device 30 and a tile unit supply device 40. The tile-laying station ST2 houses a tile-laying device 50, which functions as a tile-laying robot. The tile-laying station ST2 is located in a position that includes the downstream area of the panel transport unit 300 (the downstream area of the assembly station).

The tile-laying station ST2 has tile-laying devices 50a and 50b positioned on both sides of the panel transport unit 300. Therefore, two pattern generation stations ST are provided. Pattern generation station ST1a generates the arrangement pattern for the tile material BT to be laid by one of the tile-laying devices 50a, while pattern generation station ST1b generates the arrangement pattern for the tile material BT to be laid by the other tile-laying device 50b.

Figure 13(A) shows a schematic configuration of the pattern generation station ST1 (ST1a or ST1b). The pattern generation station ST1 is equipped with a tile supply line 61 having supply lanes for each type of tile material BT, and a unit transport section 62 is provided downstream of the tile supply line 61. The tile unit generation device 30 is installed upstream of the unit transport section 62, and the tile unit supply device 40 is installed downstream of the unit transport section 62.

The control unit of the tile unit generation device 30 has, in advance, a portion of the tile placement information (tile pattern information and sequence information) generated by the tile placement information generation device 20 input as teaching data. Alternatively, it may receive this information from the tile placement information generation device 20 during production line operation. The tile unit generation device 30 generates tile units by arranging multiple tile materials BT for each virtual area according to the input or received tile placement information. In other words, it generates tile units in a predetermined placement order and according to a predetermined arrangement pattern. The tile unit generation device 30 is configured with a known picking robot, such as a delta-type picking robot.

The tile unit supply device 40 receives the tile units generated by the tile unit generation device 30 and supplies them to the pickup position 64 (see Figure 12) of the tile application device 50 in the order they were received. In other words, the tile units are supplied sequentially to the pickup position 64 according to a predetermined application order (sequence information).

The tile unit supply device 40 includes, for example, a transport control unit (not shown) that operates the unit transport unit 62, a mounting table 41 on which to place the tile units TU transported by the unit transport unit 62 one by one, and a standby mechanism 42 for enabling the standby of the tile units TU placed on the mounting table 41 and supplying them to the pickup position 64. The standby mechanism 42 includes, for example, a lifting device for raising and lowering the mounting table 41.

Figure 13(B) shows a specific example of a tile unit TU. A formwork pallet 70 is used to supply the tile unit TU, generated by the tile unit generating device 30, directly to the tile application device 50 by placing it on the mounting table 41 of the tile unit supply device 40. The formwork pallet 70 may be determined according to the type of tile pattern.

Figure 14 is a flowchart showing the tile unit generation process at the pattern generation station ST. This process is performed, for example, under the control of a control device 60, by a tile unit generation device 30, a tile unit supply device 40, and devices (or personnel) that cooperate with these devices 30 and 40. The control device 60 is typically configured as a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller).

Referring to Figure 14, the tile unit generation device 30 receives tile application information for the exterior wall panel P to be manufactured (hereinafter referred to as the "target panel") (step S42). The pattern generation station ST has a pallet supply line (not shown), and multiple types of pallets 70 are supplied to the pallet supply line (step S44). Based on the tile application information for the target panel, the pallet 70 to be used is determined from among the multiple types of pallets 70 (step S46). The determined pallet 70 is placed on the upstream portion of the unit transport section 62.

Furthermore, the tile unit generating device 30 first reads the tile pattern information for the first tile in the application sequence, identifies the type of tile material BT from that tile pattern information, and transmits the identified type and quantity of tile material BT to the tile supply line 61. As a result, the tile supply line 61 supplies the specified type of tile material BT (step S48), and the tile material BT is placed on the supply lane according to type (step S50). Note that the supply of tile material BT may also be performed manually by an operator.

The tile unit generating device 30, upon confirming the supply of all tile materials BT (YES in step S52), picks the tile materials BT one by one from the supply lane (step S54) and places the picked tile materials BT on the pallet 70 placed on the unit transport unit 62 (step S56). In this way, the tile unit generating device 30 picks multiple types of tile materials BT that constitute the tile unit TU from supply lanes provided for each type of tile material BT, and places the multiple types of tile materials BT on the pallet 70 in the arrangement defined by the tile pattern information.

The picking and placement of tile material BT is repeatedly performed until all tile material BTs are placed according to the tile pattern information (NO in step S60).

Furthermore, it is desirable to confirm the placement of the tile material BT on the pallet 70 each time it is placed using a detection means provided on the pallet supply line or the like (step S58). This prevents incomplete tile units TU from being supplied to the next process. The detection means may include, for example, a camera 63 as shown in Figure 13, and may detect the presence or absence of the tile material BT based on the image captured by the camera 63, or it may detect the presence or absence of the tile material BT using a sensor such as an infrared sensor.

Once all the tile materials BT have been placed on the pallet 70, and for example, the first tile unit TU is completed (YES in step S60), the tile unit supply device 40 is activated. After confirming the placement of the tile pattern according to the tile pattern information (step S62), the tile unit supply device 40 activates the belt conveyor, which serves as the unit transport section 62, and also activates the elevators that constitute the standby mechanism 42 (steps S64, S66).

The tile unit supply device 40 supplies the first tile unit TU, along with its pallet 70, to the pickup position 64 via the standby mechanism 42. Upon confirming picking by the tile application device 50 (step S68), the tile unit supply device 40 determines that the supply of the first tile unit TU is complete and proceeds with the supply process for the second and subsequent tile units TU (step S70).

Referring to Figure 12, each tile-laying station ST2 is equipped with a tile-laying device 50, as described above. The tile-laying device 50 includes a tile-laying robot 51 that picks up tile material BT and places it on the panel member 110, and a moving member 52 that moves the tile-laying robot 51 along the transport direction of the panel transport unit 300 (along the width direction of the panel member 110). This allows the tile-laying robot 51 to reciprocate along the panel transport unit 300 between the pickup position 64 at the pattern generation station ST1 and the laying position at the tile-laying station ST2.

As schematically shown in Figure 12, the tile-laying robot 51 has a hand portion 51h for holding multiple tile materials BT. The hand portion 51h is configured to hold multiple tile materials BT at once by suction from above, and has a suction surface (not shown) that contacts the multiple tile materials BT. In this specification, the previously described "tile-laying device 50" mainly refers to the tile-laying robot 51.

Referring to Figure 12, the tile-laying robot 51 picks up the tile units TU supplied to the pickup position 64 by the tile unit supply device 40 and lays the picked-up tile units TU on the designated area (corresponding to the virtual area) on the panel member 110. As described above, since the tile unit supply device 40 supplies the tile units TU to the pickup position 64 according to a predetermined laying order, the tile-laying device 50 can also pick up the tile units TU and lay them on the panel member 110 according to a predetermined laying order.

The control unit of the tile-laying robot 51 has, in advance, a portion of the tile-laying information (laying position information) generated by the tile-laying information generation device 20 input as teaching data. Alternatively, it may receive this information from the tile-laying information generation device 20 during production line operation. Therefore, the tile-laying robot 51 can appropriately place tile units TU, consisting of multiple pre-patterned tile materials BT, into each pre-calculated virtual region according to the input or received tile-laying information.

Furthermore, it is assumed that adhesive has been applied to the surface of the panel member 110 before the tile-laying work begins at the tile-laying station ST2. The adhesive application position can be calculated according to the arrangement pattern of the tile material BT. Once the tile-laying robot 51 has completed the application of the tile material BT, the exterior wall panel P is completed.

[Curved Panel Production System According to the Embodiment]
<Overall Structure>
Figure 15 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the curved panel body production system 1A according to this embodiment. The curved panel body production system 1A, like system 1 described above, includes a teaching data generation system 2A and a curved panel body manufacturing apparatus 3A installed in the factory. Below, the configuration and operation specific to the case where the above-mentioned panel member 110 is a panel member 111 (see Figure 21) that is curved in the horizontal direction (width direction) or the vertical direction (height direction) will be described in detail. In this embodiment, the panel member 111 is assumed to be curved along the horizontal direction. However, the panel member 111 may also be curved along the vertical direction.

The curved panel manufacturing apparatus 3A manufactures a curved panel PA by attaching multiple tile materials BT to a curved panel member (hereinafter referred to as "curved panel member") 111. The curved panel PA, like the basic system 1, is typically an exterior wall panel. The shape of the tile materials BT is a straight, flat plate shape (I-shape), as shown in Figure 8(A) with tile materials BTc, BTd, ... Furthermore, the tile materials BT are rectangular in shape (including rectangles and squares) in plan view.

The teaching data generation system 2A includes a tile application information generation device 20A that generates tile application information for the curved panel member 111 when the building's basic design information includes information indicating "curved panels are present." The tile application information generation device 20A is an information processing device capable of performing both the functions of the manufacturing condition information generation device 10 and the tile application information generation device 20 shown in System 1 of Figure 1.

The curved panel manufacturing apparatus 3A is a device used in a factory to manufacture a curved panel PA by attaching multiple tile materials BT to a curved panel member 111. Similar to System 1 in Figure 1, it comprises a tile unit generating device 30A that generates "tile units" formed by unitizing multiple tile materials BT, a tile unit supply device 40A that supplies the tile units generated by the tile unit generating device 30A to a tile-laying station, and a tile-laying device 50A that attaches the tile units supplied to the tile-laying station to the curved panel member 111. It also includes a control device 60A that controls these devices 30A, 40A, and 50A. The configuration and operation of the tile unit generating device 30A and the tile unit supply device 40A can be the same as those of the tile unit generating device 30 and the tile unit supply device 40 in System 1 in Figure 1.

<Tile Placement Information Generator>
Figure 16(A) is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the tile placement information generation device 20A. The tile placement information generation device 20A comprises a detection unit 171, a tile condition calculation unit 172, a grouping calculation unit 173, a generation unit 174, and an output processing unit 175.

The detection unit 171 corresponds to the detection unit 161 shown in Figure 3(A). The detection unit 171 detects panel construction information necessary for the construction of the curved panel body PA. The panel construction information includes positional information indicating the placement position of the curved panel body PA, and shape information of the curved panel body PA (curved panel member 111). The shape information includes the size and curvature information of the curved panel member 111 (e.g., curvature direction, degree of curvature, etc.). As an example, the curved panel member 111 is assumed to be curved in the lateral direction.

The tile condition calculation unit 172 calculates the depth value from the virtual plane (hereinafter referred to as "z value") and the tangent slope (hereinafter referred to as "m value") for each reference point (x coordinate) that serves as the basis for attaching the tile material BT in the lateral direction (curving direction) of the curved panel member 111. When the tile material BT is arranged in a staggered pattern, the z and m values are calculated for each reference point in the odd-numbered rows and for each reference point in the even-numbered rows, respectively. The specific calculation method used by the tile condition calculation unit 172 will be described later.

The grouping calculation unit 173 groups the adhesive reference positions for each tile material BT based on the number of tile materials BT that the tile-laying robot 51A on the production line can hold at one time. The adhesive reference position corresponds to, for example, the center point of the tile material BT and is specified by the x-coordinate (horizontal reference point) and y-coordinate (vertical point). Considering variations in the specifications of the tile-laying robot 51A, the adhesive reference position may be synonymous with the x-coordinate (reference point). In other words, the grouping calculation unit 173 may simply group the horizontal reference points.

The generation unit 174 generates "tile placement information" that includes the calculation results from the tile condition calculation unit 172 and the calculation results from the grouping calculation unit 173. In other words, the tile placement information includes the z and m values for each reference point, as well as group information to which each placement reference position belongs. This tile placement information includes the identifier of the curved panel body PA and multiple condition data indicated by multiple ID codes as shown in Figure 6(B).

The output processing unit 175 outputs the tile placement information generated by the generation unit 174. Specifically, it may record the tile placement information for each curved panel PA in a placement information storage unit (corresponding to the placement information storage unit 28 in Figure 3(B)), or it may directly transmit the information to the control device 60A of the curved panel manufacturing apparatus 3A. The tile placement information is used as teaching data for the curved panel manufacturing apparatus 3A.

Figure 16(B) is a flowchart showing the tile condition calculation process performed by the tile condition calculation unit 172. First, the tile condition calculation unit 172 calculates a reference point when the width dimension (y-direction size) of the tile material BT is set to a predetermined size (step S61). Here, the predetermined size is, for example, the default size. Alternatively, it may be a size input via the operation unit (not shown), or a size predetermined in the panel construction information. This process will be explained with reference to Figure 17.

As shown in Figure 17(A), first, a virtual plane 113 with the same width and height as the curved panel member 111 is set symmetrically in front of the virtual curved surface 112, which reproduces the curved shape of the curved panel member 111. Then, as shown in Figure 17(B), first, the line representing the virtual plane 113 (a cross-sectional line extending horizontally) is taken as the x-axis, and points Pa are calculated at equal intervals in the x-direction. The x-direction corresponds to the curvature direction A2 of the curved panel member 111. The point on the virtual curved surface 112 with the same x-coordinate as point Pa is the reference point Pb, which serves as the reference for attaching the tile material BT. The spacing (pitch) between adjacent points Pa is, for example, equivalent to the default size (width dimension) of the tile material BT, and more specifically, it corresponds to the distance between the center points of adjacent tile material BT when default-sized tile material BT is placed perfectly along the horizontal direction on the virtual plane 113.

In actual processing, point Pa will be calculated considering the joint dimensions between tile materials BT. The joint dimensions may be predetermined default dimensions or dimensions entered via the control unit (not shown).

Referring again to Figure 16(B), the tile condition calculation unit 172 calculates the depth value (z value) from point Pa on the virtual plane 113, and the slope (m value) of the tangent line of the virtual curved surface 112 that is tangent to the reference point Pb, for each reference point Pb on the virtual curved surface 112 (step S62). As shown in Figure 17(C), the m value is a value that distinguishes between positive and negative, and becomes "±0" when the tangent line is parallel to the virtual plane 113. In this way, the z value and m value are calculated for each reference point Pb taken with the default size. Note that the tangent line is calculated with the reference point Pb as the point of tangency, and specifically, it is a straight line perpendicular to the normal line passing through the reference point Pb.

Next, based on the z and m values when the tile width is set to the default size, it is determined whether all tile materials BT satisfy the predetermined tile installation conditions, assuming that the reference point Pb is the reference position (center point) for attaching the tile material BT (step S64). The "tile installation conditions" include ensuring that the back surface of the tile material BT is within the virtual adhesive thickness range D. For example, a thickness range D of approximately 8 to 10 mm is assumed.

Specifically, as shown in Figures 18(A) and (B), if the width x of the default-sized tile material BT is represented as, for example, 100%, it is determined whether the back surface 181 of the tile material BT fits within the virtual thickness range D of the adhesive material 180 without extending beyond it. Since the back surface of each tile material BT coincides with the tangent to each reference point Pb, such tile installation conditions can be determined by the m value, z value for each adjacent reference point Pb, and the default size of the tile material BT.

In the case shown in Figure 18(A), the curvature of the virtual curved surface 112 is gentle, so the back surface 181 is within the virtual thickness range D, satisfying the tile installation conditions. On the other hand, in the case shown in Figure 18(B), the curvature of the virtual curved surface 112 is steep (very sharp), so the back surface 182 is not within the virtual thickness range D. In this case, both ends of the tile BT cannot be properly bonded, thus failing to satisfy the tile installation conditions.

If the tile installation conditions are met at all reference points Pb (YES in step S64), proceed to step S72. On the other hand, if the tile installation conditions are not met at at least some reference points Pb (NO in step S64), change the width x of the tile material BT from the default size to a standard size that satisfies the tile installation conditions (step S68). In the lower diagram of Figure 18(B), the width x of the tile material BT has been changed to 50%. The width x of the tile material BT is selected from four types, for example, 100%, 75%, 50%, and 25%, depending on the dimensions of the standard (commercially available) tile material BT. Alternatively, the desired width x may be achieved by cutting the standard-sized tile material BT as appropriate.

As shown in the left diagram of Figure 19, when areas "A" that meet the tile installation conditions and areas "B" that do not meet them are mixed, it is desirable to be able to select between two patterns: a "first pattern" where the width x of the tile material BT is kept constant for both areas "A" and "B," as shown in the upper right diagram, and a "second pattern" where the width x of the tile material BT is not kept constant, and the tile size is changed only for area "B," as shown in the lower right diagram. In this case, if the first pattern is selected, the tile condition calculation unit 172 will recalculate all reference points Pb, and if the second pattern is selected, it will recalculate some reference points, including those Pb that were determined not to meet the tile installation conditions. Pattern selection can be achieved, for example, by the operation unit 13 or 23 shown in Figure 3. For areas where the tile size is changed, the position of the reference point Pb (Pa) changes according to the tile size. The changed reference point Pb' corresponds to the center point of the tile material BT when the tile size is set to the normal size.

After calculating the tile size that satisfies the tile installation conditions, the z and m values are recalculated for each modified reference point Pb' (step S70).

In step S72, the z-values and m-values for each reference point Pb calculated in step S62, or the z-values and m-values for each reference point Pb' calculated in step S70, are output to the generation unit 174. This completes the tile condition calculation process.

Referring to Figure 16(A), once the tile condition calculation process described above is complete, the grouping calculation unit 173 first calculates the vertical point (y-coordinate) of the adhesive reference position based on the size of the curved panel member 111 detected by the detection unit 171 and the specified vertical dimension of the tile material BT. The vertical point can be identified by the y-coordinate of the horizontal line 190, which is taken at equal intervals along the y-direction, as shown in Figure 20(B). This identifies the adhesive reference position (center point) of each tile material BT. The adhesive reference position is then ID-coded.

The grouping calculation unit 173 groups the reference positions for attaching tile materials BT according to the number of tile materials BT that the tile-laying robot 51A on the production line can hold at one time. In other words, it groups the ID codes of the attachment reference positions, i.e., the position coordinate identification codes. For example, if the tile-laying robot 51A has three hand units 51h, as shown in the image diagrams 20(A) and (B), the position coordinate identification codes are grouped into groups of three in the x-direction. If the suction surface of the hand unit 51h is long in the y-direction, the number of tiles that can be suctioned along the y-direction (e.g., Ny tiles) is calculated, and 3 × Ny tiles are classified into one group. Note that if the tile materials BT are arranged in a staggered pattern, 3 × (Ny/2) tiles may be classified into one group. Furthermore, the number of tiles in the x-direction included in one group does not necessarily have to match the number of hand units 51h (3 tiles); for example, if the size of the tile materials BT is small, it may be more than the number of hand units 51h.

The grouping calculation unit 173 assigns a group number (group identification code) to each position coordinate identification code and outputs the assigned group number to the generation unit 174.

The generation unit 174 generates tile application information for each ID code (position coordinate identification code) of the reference position for applying the tile material BT, including the z value, m value, and group information (group number). The tile application information further includes the size (at least the width dimension) of the tile material BT. The output processing unit 175 performs the process of transmitting the tile application information to, for example, the control device 60A of the curved panel manufacturing apparatus 3A.

According to the tile application information generation device 20A of this embodiment, tile application information necessary for applying the tile material BT is generated according to the curvature of the curved panel member 111, thereby enabling automatic application by the tile application robot 51A. Alternatively, the tile material BT may be applied manually based on the tile application information generated by the tile application information generation device 20A.

<Curved Panel Manufacturing Equipment>
As shown in Figure 15, the curved panel manufacturing apparatus 3A includes a tile unit generating apparatus 30A, a tile unit supply apparatus 40A, a tile application apparatus 50A, and a control device 60A that controls these.

Figure 21(A) schematically shows a tile-laying line where the tile-laying device 50A is installed. The tile-laying line includes, in this order, a "panel setting process" for setting the curved panel members 111, and a "tile-laying process" for attaching the tile material BT to the curved panel members 111 set in the panel setting process.

The tile-laying apparatus 50A includes a panel support device 80 that supports the curved panel member 111 from below, and a tile-laying robot 51A that lays the tile material BT. The panel support device 80 undergoes height adjustment, which will be described later, during the panel setting process. The panel support device 80 is provided to be movable from the panel setting process to the tile-laying process. In the tile-laying process, with the panel support device 80 supporting the curved panel member 111 from below, the tile-laying robot 51A lays the tile material BT.

The tile-laying robot 51A picks up the tile units (multiple tile materials BT included in one group) sequentially supplied to the pickup position 64 (see Figure 12) by the tile unit supply device 40A, and performs the tile-laying process on the curved panel member 111. Note that the tile-laying robot 51A is not limited to an arm-type robot; for example, it may be a gantry-type robot.

Figure 21(B) is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control device 60A that controls the tile-laying device 50A. The control device 60A includes a non-volatile storage device 601 for storing tile-laying information, a support adjustment control unit 602 for adjusting and controlling the panel support device 80, and a hand adjustment control unit 603 for adjusting and controlling the hand portion 51h of the tile-laying robot 51A. The functions of the support adjustment control unit 602 and the hand adjustment control unit 603 are realized by a processor executing software. The storage device 601 may be realized by a cloud server. Note that the function of the support adjustment control unit 602 may be realized by a control unit mounted on the panel support device 80, and the function of the hand adjustment control unit 603 may be realized by a control unit mounted on the tile-laying robot 51A.

Figure 22 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the panel support device 80. The panel support device 80 comprises a plurality of support rod members 81 arranged in a matrix along both the longitudinal and transverse directions of the curved panel member 111. The curvature direction (transverse direction) of the curved panel member 111 is indicated by arrow A2.

The support rod member 81 is, for example, composed of height adjustment bolts. In this case, the panel support device 80 further includes a cylindrical member 82 having an inner surface that screws onto the outer surface of the support rod member 81, and a rotational drive unit 83 that rotates the cylindrical member 82. The lateral arrangement pitch of the support rod members 81 may be fixed or may be adjustable according to the reference points Pb and Pb' of the mounting reference position. The cylindrical member 82 and the rotational drive unit 83 function as height adjustment means for adjusting the height of the support rod member 81. The rotational drive unit 83 includes a plurality of rotational shafts 83a, a rotational motor (not shown) that rotates each rotational shaft 83a, and a case portion 83b that houses the rotational motor.

The support adjustment control unit 602 of the control device 60A reads the tile placement information stored in the storage device 601 during the panel setting process and adjusts the height of the support rod members 81 of the panel support device 80 based on the information for each position coordinate identification code (information on the placement reference position). Specifically, the height of the corresponding support rod member 81 is individually adjusted by adjusting the number of rotations of the rotation axis 83a of the rotation drive unit 83 according to the z value for each x coordinate (reference point Pb, Pb').

Furthermore, if a one-to-one relationship is established between the reference point and the support rod member 81, the support rod member 81 supporting the curved panel member 111 may be selected from a number of support rod members 81 (and cylindrical members 82), and the spacing between the support rod members 81 may be adjusted. On the other hand, if a one-to-one relationship is not established between the reference point and the support rod member 81, and the position of the support rod member 81 is fixed, the height of the support rod member 81 may be calculated based on the distance from the reference point and the z-value of the reference point. The same applies to the rotating shaft 83a included in the rotational drive unit 83.

This allows the curved panel member 111, which is curved laterally, to be properly supported by multiple support rod members 81. For example, casters 86 are provided at the lower end of the panel support device 80, and the panel support device 80, with the curved panel member 111 supported, can be moved automatically or manually to the tile-laying process.

The rotating shaft 83a of the rotary drive unit 83 may be detachable from the cylindrical member 82. In that case, since the main body, which has a support rod member 81 and a cylindrical member 82 and a caster 86 at its lower end, and the rotary drive unit 83 are provided separately, the rotary drive unit 83 may be fixed in place during the panel setting process.

Furthermore, as shown in the enlarged view of Figure 22, it is desirable that an elastic member 84, such as rubber, be provided at the tip (upper end) of each support rod member 81. This prevents the curved panel member 111 from sliding on the support rod member 81 and shifting laterally. Also, as shown in Figure 22, the panel support device 80 may further include a pair of panel stoppers 85 that clamp the curved panel member 111 from both sides in the lateral direction.

In this embodiment, the "support members" supporting the curved panel member 111 are defined as support rod members 81 arranged in a matrix along both the vertical and horizontal directions. However, the embodiment is not limited to this example. Since the curved panel member 111 in this embodiment is curved only in the horizontal direction, multiple support rod members 81 arranged along the vertical direction (the non-curved direction) may be formed from a single linear member. In other words, it is sufficient that multiple "support members" are provided along at least the horizontal direction (the curving direction).

Figure 23 shows an example configuration of the gripping section 500 of the tile-laying robot 51A, where (A) is a front view and (B) is a side view. As shown in Figure 23(A), the gripping section 500 includes three independently provided hand sections 51h and a support section 510 that supports the three hand sections 51h via a suspension member 520. The suspension member 520 may also be composed of, for example, height adjustment bolts. In this case, the gripping section 500 further includes a cylindrical member 521 having an inner surface that screws into the outer surface of the suspension member 520, and a rotational drive unit (not shown) that rotates the cylindrical member 521.

An angle adjustment member 530 is provided at the connection point between the tip (lower end) of the suspension member 520 and the hand portion 51h, allowing the inclination of the hand portion 51h to be changed. The angle adjustment member 530 is, for example, constructed by a ball joint. The rotational drive unit that rotates the cylindrical member 521 and the angle adjustment member 530 function as hand adjustment means for adjusting the height and inclination angle of the hand portion 51h.

The hand portion 51h has a suction surface 540 that is long in the vertical direction (indicated by arrow A3). It is desirable that an elastic member 543, such as a spring, be provided between the lower plate-like portion 541, which includes the suction surface 540, and the upper plate-like portion 542, which is connected to the angle adjustment member 530. By interposing the elastic member 543 in all hand portions 51h, it is possible to absorb errors in the z-value when attaching multiple tiles BT at once.

The hand adjustment control unit 603 of the control device 60A reads the tile laying information stored in the storage device 601 during the tile laying process and adjusts the height and tilt angle of each hand unit 51h of the tile laying robot 51A based on the information for each position coordinate identification code (information on the laying reference position). The adjustment control by the hand adjustment control unit 603 is performed after the hand unit 51h has picked up multiple tile materials BT (included in one group) supplied from the tile unit supply device 40A. Note that when the tile materials BT are arranged in a staggered pattern on the curved panel member 111, the tile unit supply device 40A distinguishes between tile materials BT for even-numbered rows and tile materials BT for odd-numbered rows. Therefore, as shown in Figure 24(B), multiple tile materials BT are picked up on the suction surface 540 of the hand unit 51h with a vertical gap (by the width of one tile) between them.

The hand adjustment control unit 603 individually adjusts the height of each hand section 51h according to the corresponding z value, as schematically shown in Figure 24(A). By making the virtual plane 113 and the support section 510 that supports the hand section 51h parallel to each other, the height of the hand section 51h can be adjusted according to the z value calculated with respect to the virtual plane 113. The hand adjustment control unit 603 also individually adjusts the inclination angle of each hand section 51h according to the corresponding m value.

As a result, the suction surface 540 of the hand portion 51h (i.e., the tile material BT adsorbed to the suction surface 540) is positioned parallel to the tangent line to the attachment reference point (corresponding to reference point Pb or Pb') on the curved panel member 111, and at a certain distance from the reference point. Therefore, by lowering the entire gripping portion 500, which has multiple hand portions 51h, at once, multiple tile materials BT can be attached to the curved panel member 111 efficiently and accurately.

According to the curved panel production system 1A of this embodiment, as shown in Figure 25(A), a smooth curved panel PA with suppressed irregularities and gaps can be manufactured. Figure 25(B) shows a comparative example where default-sized (unadjusted) tile material BT is laid on the curved panel member 111. In the comparative example's curved panel PB, it can be seen that irregularities and gaps are larger in areas where the curvature is steeper.

By using curved panel bodies PA manufactured by the curved panel body production system 1A for the exterior walls of buildings, the need for on-site tile material BT application can be eliminated (although some parts, such as the joint areas, may be applied manually). Therefore, according to the curved panel body production system 1A of this embodiment, on-site construction of exterior walls can be simplified, resulting in reduced labor costs and shorter construction periods.

Furthermore, when using (sliced) bricks as the material for the tile material BT, it is possible to create the impression that the exterior wall is constructed by stacking actual bricks. Therefore, the aesthetic appeal of the building can be improved without increasing labor costs. Note that the curved panel body PA is not limited to exterior wall panels; it can also be used for other types of surface materials such as partition panels, floor panels, and ceiling panels.

<Different example>
In this embodiment, an example was described in which the tile material BT is made of brick, but it may also be made of other materials such as ceramic or stone. In other words, the tile material BT is not limited to components that are generally called "tiles," but can function as a "finishing material" that divides the decorative surface of a curved panel body, and can form a pattern (decorative pattern) when multiple pieces are assembled together.

The tile placement information generation method performed by the tile placement information generation device 20A according to this embodiment can also be provided as a program. Such a program can be provided by recording it on an optical medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-ROM) or a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium such as a memory card. Furthermore, the program can also be provided via download over a network.

The program according to the present invention may call necessary program modules provided as part of a computer's operating system (OS) in a predetermined sequence and at predetermined timings to execute processing. In this case, the program itself does not contain the above modules, and processing is executed in cooperation with the OS. Programs that do not include such modules may also be included in the program according to the present invention.

Furthermore, the program according to the present invention may be provided as part of another program. In this case, the program itself does not contain modules included in the other program, and processing is executed in cooperation with the other program. Such a program incorporated into another program may also be included as a program according to the present invention.

The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims are intended to be included.

1A Curved Panel Production System, 2A Teaching Data Generation System, 3A Curved Panel Manufacturing Equipment, 20A Tile Application Information Generation Equipment, 50A Tile Application Equipment, 51A Tile Application Robot, 51h Hand Unit, 80 Panel Support Device, 111 Panel Member, 112 Virtual Curved Surface, 113 Virtual Plane, 172 Tile Condition Calculation Unit, 173 Grouping Calculation Unit, 174 Generation Unit, 175 Output Processing Unit, 602 Support Adjustment Control Unit, 603 Hand Adjustment Control Unit, BT Tile Material, PA Curved Panel Body, Pb, Pb' Reference Points.

Claims (5)

A tile-applying robot for attaching tile material to a panel member that is curved in the vertical or horizontal direction,
A gripping section including multiple handles that each hold multiple tile materials,
A moving member for moving the gripping portion ,
The hand section is equipped with a hand adjustment means for individually adjusting the height and inclination angle of each hand section ,
A tile-applying robot that attaches the plurality of tile materials , each held by a plurality of hand parts whose height and tilt angle are adjusted by the hand adjustment means , to the panel member. The tile-laying robot according to claim 1, wherein the hand adjustment means adjusts the height of each hand portion according to a depth value determined for each reference point in the curvature direction of the panel member. The tile-laying robot according to claim 2, wherein the hand adjustment means adjusts the inclination angle of each hand part according to the inclination of the tangent line determined for each reference point. The tile-laying robot according to claim 2 or 3, and a panel support device that supports the panel member from below,
The panel support device comprises a plurality of support members arranged along the curvature direction,
A curved panel manufacturing apparatus, comprising height adjustment means for adjusting the height of the support member according to the depth value of each of the aforementioned reference points. The curved panel manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the panel support device includes a main body having the plurality of support members, and a rotational drive unit detachably provided from the main body for adjusting the height of the support members by rotation.