JPH0686019B2 - Welding management device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a system for centrally managing a plurality of welding timers using one computer.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, in an automobile assembly process, one host computer is installed in an information control room, and the host computer and a welding timer corresponding to many welding machines installed at a welding site are connected to a communication network. Connected with a wire and communicate with each other to read and write welding conditions from the host computer to each welding timer, and to read monitoring data such as welding current detected by the welding timer to check welding quality and maintenance. Welding management system has been introduced.

This system sends monitoring data randomly from many welding timers, and the host computer classifies the monitoring data. In this case, for example, what monitoring timer is this monitoring data, or the start of today's work? From what number of hit points the welding was made, or at what time and what the problem data occurred
It can be said that it is excellent in that various data can be easily classified.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the conventional system, if the number of welding points is the same for all workpieces, which welding point of which workpiece is determined from what number of welding points of which welding timer. However, since the number of welding spots usually differs depending on the type of work, if data with a problem in welding quality is sent, the welded part that is expected to be defective is reworked. Or when removing the corresponding work from the production line,
As a practical matter, it was extremely difficult to easily identify and find the work.

The above problem will be solved by the system of the present invention.

(Means for Resolving the Problem) The present invention relates to a work transfer means for sequentially transferring a work put on a series of welding lines to each welding station, a welding machine group arranged at each welding station, and this welding. A welding timer group for individually controlling various mechanical or electrical operations of the machine group, and a work transfer signal input / output means for inputting a signal during transfer of the work transfer means and outputting the signal to the welding timer group. A communication management means for regulating various data signals of the work transfer signal input / output means and the welding timer group,
It has a computer which is connected to this communication management means by a data communication line to sort and classify various data signals from the communication management means, and various data signals from a plurality of welding timers are individually corresponded to welding parts. We have taken the technical measure of monitoring.

(Operation) In the system of the present invention, when data that causes a problem in welding quality is detected, an alarm is issued to the operator via the host computer, and at the same time, which of the welding lines currently operating is detected. It is also possible to distinguish which welding part of the work is involved, and by performing this management system, it is possible to perform more appropriate and quick processing.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Note that FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram in which the system of the present invention is applied to an automatic welding line of an automobile. According to the example of the figure, the host computer 1 and the communication management unit 2 are connected by a data communication line 4 so that data communication can be performed alternately. The communication management unit 2 is connected to the work transfer signal input device 3 and the welding timers T1 to T16 via the communication network line 5, and the work transfer signal input device 3 is connected.
Alternatively, data communication can be performed with any welding timer. Welding timers T1 to T16 control mechanical or electrical operations according to welding conditions required for welding machines W1 to W16 such as robots. Further, this welding line is divided into four stations S1 to S4, and in the assembled state shown in the embodiment of this figure, the welding machines W1 to W4 weld the work 1 in S1 to the first station. Similarly, the welders W5 to W8 are the work A2 of the second station S2.
, The welding machine W9 ~ 12 is the work A3 of the third station S3,
The welders W13 to W16 weld the work A4 at the fourth station S4. When the predetermined welding work is completed in each of the stations S1 to S4, the work transfer device 6 advances each work to the next station. That is, work A1 is sent to the second station, work A2 is sent to the third station, work A3 is sent to the fourth station, and the emptied first station is supplied with the next new work. All welders are stopped while the work is being transported. When the work transfer is completed, the welding work is started again. At this time, the signal currently being conveyed is input to the work conveyance signal input device 3 manually by an operator or automatically by a sequence controller or a limit switch.

This current conveyance signal is once input to all the welding timers T1 to T16 via the communication management unit 2 via the communication network line 5 or directly via the communication network line 5. When the former method is adopted, the work carrier signal input device 3 may be directly connected to the communication management unit 2 by another signal line instead of the communication network line 5. Alternatively, in other words, if a signal indicating that a carrier is currently being carried is input to one timer and that timer transmits it to all the other timers via the communication network line 5, the work carrier signal input device 3 is incorporated in the timer. It doesn't matter what shape it is. Alternatively, it may be possible to directly input the current carrying signal to all the timers.

At this time, since all the welding work is stopped as described above, each timer receives it and writes a work delimiter signal at the end of its own transmission data buffer. Here, the transmission data buffer is provided for each timer because the communication network line is generally a common line for all welding timers, and multiple timers cannot transmit data at the same time. This is because there is a waiting to follow the communication management of the communication management unit. In other words, even if the welding work is completed and the transport device starts moving, it is possible that past monitoring data is being transmitted.Therefore, each timer has a built-in transmission data buffer for multiple welding times. , While the transmission of past data is not completed,
Even if the next welding start is applied, all monitoring data can be transmitted without exception.
As a result, each timer always transmits the data of the delimiter signal of the work to the host computer 1 between the groups of the monitoring data for each work.

Of course, if there is a guarantee that all monitoring data has been transmitted when the carrier moves, for example, if the number of connected timers is small, this currently-carrying signal should not be used for each timer. It does not matter if the host computer 1 is only notified via the communication management unit.

As a result, each timer transmits special delimiter data each time welding of one station is completed, so that the host computer 1 is the first point of each work produced in sequence from the start of work for each timer. You can see what the eye data is.

FIG. 2 is a state transition diagram of the welding process. According to the example of the figure, the fourth state among them coincides with the state shown in FIG. It is assumed that welding work is started from the first state. In the first state, the work A4 is supplied to the first station S1 and the second to fourth stations are empty. The work A4 is the welding position pre-programmed in the first station, and the first welding timer T1 to T4.
Welded by welding W1-4. At this time, the other 2-4
The station remains stopped. Welding timer T1-4
Sends the detected monitoring data to the host computer 1 via the communication network line 5, the communication management unit 2, and the data communication line 4. At that time, since the robots and the welding machines W1 to W4 connected to the respective timers are generally mechanically controlled independently from each other, each welding part may be changed depending on the speed of mechanical operation at that time. The order of sending monitoring data is not always fixed. However, regarding the individual timers, the welding sequence is predetermined, and if the timer numbers of the individual timers are sent at the same time when the monitoring data of each welding part is sent, the host computer 1 can easily receive the data. The monitoring data can be classified according to each timer.

When the predetermined welding work is completed in the first state, all the welders W1 to W4 are stopped and the work transfer device 6
While advancing the work 4A to the second station S2, a new work A3 is supplied to the first station S1 and enters the second state. At this time, a work conveyance signal is sent from the work conveyance signal input device to each timer, and a delimiter signal is written at the end of the transmission data buffer of each timer. Then, the welding work is started again, but this time, the welders W1 to W4 weld the work A3, the welders W5 to W8 weld the work A4, and the monitoring data detected by the timers T1 to 8 respectively is sent to the host computer 1. Send to. In this case, if all the timers T1 to T4 have transmitted all the monitoring data detected in the first state, of course, there is no problem, but if it is not completed again, the monitoring data in the first state is not completed. If you continue to send
T1 to 4 perform welding work in the second state while transmitting data. When all the monitoring data detected in the first state have been transmitted, the work delimiter signal is subsequently transmitted, and then the transmission of the monitoring data detected in the second state is started. Even if, for example, the timer T1 finishes transmitting the delimiter signal and starts transmitting the monitoring data in the second state, even if the timer T2 continues to transmit the monitoring data in the first state, the host computer can Since each timer is monitored individually like this, there is nothing to be confused about. The same applies to the third and fourth states thereafter.

Further, the input of the work transfer signal input device 3 is expanded so that the type of the work can be input at the same time as the transfer signal by the code number, and it can be transmitted to the host computer 1. If the welding sequence is programmed in the host computer in advance,
It is also possible to sort and classify the monitoring data sent at random and directly correspond to each welding site. By doing so, it is possible to specifically indicate the position of the welded portion or to display it in an image by using a graphic function, not limited to the expression of the number of hitting point of the work piece. In addition, each time a work is supplied to the first station, if the type is input, each work is sent to the station in sequence for each input, so it is possible to determine the type of work in each station. Become. As a result, it is possible to construct a system where the host computer sends in real time instructions to each timer in addition to simply categorizing the monitoring data, for example, to automatically change welding conditions to those suitable for the work. is there. In this case, of course, since the host computer 1 needs to know the work transfer signal in real time, the communication management unit notifies each timer of the work transfer signal from the work transfer signal input device 3 and writes it in the transmission buffer. At the same time, it is simultaneously transmitted to the host computer 1 in real time.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, when the system of the present invention is used, when the data having the problem of welding quality is detected, which work is currently on the production line and at which welding site. Can be quickly and accurately detected by one host computer at hand, which greatly contributes to productivity improvement.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment in which the welding management apparatus according to the present invention is applied to an automobile production line. FIG. 2 is a state transition diagram of the welding process of the device of the present invention. [Explanation of Codes] 1 ... Host computer, 2 ... Communication management means, 3 ...
... Work transfer signal input means, 4 ... Data communication line, 5 ...
… Network lines, 4 …… Work transfer means

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A work transfer means for sequentially transferring a work input on a series of welding lines to each welding station,
A welding machine group arranged at each welding station, a welding timer group for individually controlling mechanical or electrical operations of the welding machine group, and a signal during transfer of the work transfer means are input, and Work transfer signal input / output means for outputting to the welding timer group, and communication management means for regulating various data signals of the work transfer signal input / output means and the welding timer group,
It has a computer which is connected to this communication management means by a data communication line to sort and classify various data signals from the communication management means, and various data signals from a plurality of welding timers are individually corresponded to welding parts. A welding management device characterized by being monitored.