Conveyance control system and determination method

Abstract

The invention relates to a transport control system and a determination method. Provided are a conveyance control system and a normality determination method capable of suppressing a reduction in processing efficiency. A conveyance control system (8) is provided with: an imaging unit (31) that captures an image above a tray (6) on which a workpiece cut by a processing machine (1) is placed; and a processing unit (32) for determining the presence or absence of an abnormality on the basis of a captured image captured by the imaging unit (31), the processing unit (32) acquiring, from the imaging unit (31), a captured image including the product (Wa) and the remaining material (Wb) as the workpiece, and determining that an abnormality is present when the position of the workpiece on the acquired captured image deviates from the originally desired position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveyance control system and a determination method. Background Art

[0002] There is known a technique of performing seamless machining, which is machining without a connection portion between a product and a remaining material, when cutting a product from a material placed on a pallet by a processing machine (see Patent Document 1). According to this seamless machining, it is possible to omit a manual removal operation for separating the product from the remaining material. Further, as a process after the seamless machining, by carrying out the removal of the product from the pallet and the discharge of the remaining material by a conveyance device or the like, it is possible to automate a series of operations from machining to the removal of the product and the discharge of the remaining material.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 4847269

[0004] In seamless machining, in order to completely separate the product and the remaining material, sometimes the state (for example, position) of the product and the remaining material on the pallet is changed by vibration or the like when the pallet moves after machining. Such a change in the state sometimes affects the removal of the product and the discharge of the remaining material. For example, if the product and the remaining material on the pallet change from a normal state (that is, the state in which they should originally be), the posture of the product or the remaining material changes, or the product and the remaining material overlap, and thus there is a case where the product or the remaining material cannot be taken out and the removal of the product and the discharge of the remaining material cannot be appropriately performed by a conveyance device or the like. In a case where the removal of the product and the discharge of the remaining material are not appropriately performed, in order to eliminate the cause, it is necessary to stop the processing machine, the conveyance device, etc., resulting in a reduction in processing efficiency. Regarding the states of both the product and the remaining material on the pallet, neither disclosure nor teaching is provided in Patent Document 1, and it is impossible to suppress the above-described reduction in processing efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a conveyance control system and a determination method capable of suppressing a reduction in processing efficiency.

[0006] A conveyance control system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a photographing unit that photographs above a pallet on which an object to be processed cut by a processing machine is placed; and a processing unit that determines the presence or absence of an abnormality based on a photographed image photographed by the photographing unit. The processing unit obtains the photographed image including a product and a remaining material as the object to be processed from the photographing unit, and determines an abnormality when the position of the object to be processed in the obtained photographed image deviates from a position where it should originally be.

[0007] The determination method of the embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps: a step of photographing above a tray on which a workpiece after being cut by a processing machine is placed by a photographing unit; and a step of obtaining a photographed image including a product and a remaining material as the workpiece from the photographing unit, and determining as abnormal when the position of the workpiece on the obtained photographed image deviates from the position where it should originally be.

[0008] According to the conveying control system or the determination method of the above embodiment, it includes a photographing unit that photographs above the tray; and a processing unit that determines the presence or absence of an abnormality based on the photographed image photographed by the photographing unit. The processing unit obtains a photographed image including the workpiece after being cut by the processing machine, that is, the product and the remaining material, from the photographing unit, and determines as abnormal when the position of the workpiece on the obtained photographed image deviates from the position where it should originally be. Therefore, when determining the product and the remaining material on the tray as abnormal, corresponding measures can be taken for this abnormality. Thus, it is possible to suppress the phenomenon that the product is not properly carried out and the remaining material is not properly discharged, and it is possible to suppress the reduction of processing efficiency.

[0009] In the conveying control system of the above embodiment, it may also include a take-out control unit that controls a take-out device that takes out the workpiece on the tray as the take-out object. When the position of the take-out object determined by the processing unit deviates from the position where it should originally be, the take-out control unit may change at least one of the position and posture of the take-out device when taking out the take-out object according to the deviation amount of the position of the take-out object. According to such a structure, it is possible to take out the take-out object with a position deviation on the tray.

[0010] In the conveying control system of the above embodiment, it may also include a take-out control unit that controls a take-out device that sequentially takes out the workpieces on the tray according to the take-out order. When the position of the workpiece deviates from the position where it should originally be, the take-out control unit changes the take-out order. In addition, when the position of the workpiece deviates from the position where it should originally be and there is an overlap of the workpieces, the take-out control unit may change the take-out order in such a way as to take out from the top of the overlapping workpieces. According to such a structure, even if there is an overlap of the workpieces on the tray, it is possible to take out the take-out object.

[0011] In the conveying control system of the above embodiment, the initial take-out order may also be determined to take out the product after the remaining material, and when at least a part of the product overlaps the remaining material, the take-out control unit may change the initial take-out order in such a way as to take out the product before the remaining material. According to such a structure, even if there is an overlap of the product and the remaining material on the tray, it is possible to take out the take-out object.

[0012] In the conveying control system of the above-described embodiment, the photographing unit may also photograph the tray each time a product is taken out by the conveying device, and the taking-out control unit may also execute a determination as to whether the products overlap each time a product is taken out. If there is an overlap of products, the taking-out order may be changed so as to take out from the product located at the top of the overlap. With such a configuration, even if there is an overlap of products on the tray, the object to be taken out can be taken out. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the conveying control system of the present embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2 is a top view showing an example of the conveying control system of the present embodiment.

[0015] Figure 3A is a view showing an example of the processing tray and the lifting device of the present embodiment.

[0016] Figure 3B is a view showing an example of the processing tray and the lifting device of the present embodiment.

[0017] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the processing unit and the information processing device of the present embodiment.

[0018] Figure 5 is a view showing an example of the design position of the present embodiment.

[0019] Figure 6 is a view for explaining the layout data of the present embodiment.

[0020] Figure 7 is a view schematically showing an example of a photographed image when photographing an object to be processed on the processing tray of the present embodiment.

[0021] Figure 8 is a view showing an example of the taking-out order of the present embodiment.

[0022] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the taking-out process of the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described by way of embodiments. However, the following embodiments do not limit the above-described invention to which the technical solution pertains. In addition, all combinations of the features described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential for the solution mechanism of the invention. Further, in the drawings, the same or similar parts may sometimes be denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions may be omitted. In addition, for clearer explanation, the shapes and sizes of the components in the drawings may sometimes be exaggerated, and the shapes and dimensions are different from those of the actual products.

[0024] In the drawings, an XYZ coordinate system is often used to illustrate the directions in the figures. In the XYZ coordinate system, the plane parallel to the horizontal plane is set as the XY plane. One direction of the XY plane is marked as the X direction, and the direction orthogonal to the X direction is marked as the Y direction. In addition, the direction perpendicular to the XY plane is marked as the Z direction. Each of the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction is described as follows: the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure is the + direction, and the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow is the - direction.

[0025] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the conveyance control system 8 of the embodiment. Figure 2 is a top view showing an example of the conveyance control system 8 of the embodiment. In the present embodiment, the conveyance control system 8 is applied to the processing system PS. As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the processing system PS includes, for example: a processing machine 1, a stacker 2, a loading device 3, a clamping device 4, a processing tray 5, a tray changer 6, a lifting device 7, and a conveyance control system 8. In addition, each of the loading device 3 and the clamping device 4 is an example of a taking-out device.

[0026] The processing machine 1 performs processing such as cutting on the workpiece W before processing placed on the processing tray 5, and cuts the workpiece W into a product Wa and a remaining material Wb. This processing is a so-called seamless processing without a connecting portion between the product Wa and the remaining material Wb. For example, the processing machine 1 cuts the workpiece W on the processing tray 5 into a product Wa and a remaining material Wb by irradiating the workpiece W before processing placed on the processing tray 5 with a laser. The workpiece W is, for example, a plate-shaped material. The remaining material Wb is the plate-shaped material remaining after the processing machine 1 cuts out the product Wa from the workpiece W, and is sometimes referred to as a skeleton. For example, the remaining material Wb is a plate-shaped material that includes the peripheral portion of the workpiece W and is connected to each other. The product Wa and the remaining material Wb are each an example of a workpiece to be processed. In addition, the processing machine 1 is not limited to laser processing, and seamless processing can also be performed by a processing method other than laser processing.

[0027] Here, a storage area AR1 and a loading / unloading area AR2 are provided in the processing system PS. For example, the workpiece W before processing is stored in the storage area AR1. In addition, the processed workpiece W, that is, the product Wa, is stored in the storage area AR1.

[0028] The loading and unloading area AR2 is arranged on the +X side of the processing machine 1. The loading and unloading area AR2 is arranged between the processing machine 1 and the storage area AR1. For example, the workpiece W before processing is transported from the storage area AR1 to the loading and unloading area AR2. Moreover, the workpiece W before processing is loaded into the processing machine 1 from the loading and unloading area AR2 and cut into a product Wa and a remaining material Wb by the processing machine 1.

[0029] The stacker 2 is arranged in the storage area AR1. The stacker 2 stores the workpiece W before processing and the processed product Wa. The stacker 2 includes, for example, a plurality of storage racks 11 and a lift 12.

[0030] The plurality of storage racks 11 are arranged, for example, in the vertical direction (Z direction). The storage rack 11 stores, for example, a material tray (not shown) on which a plurality of workpieces W before processing are placed. The lift 12 is lifted and lowered by a lift driving device (not shown). The lift 12 can take out the material tray from the storage rack 11 and lift and lower the material tray.

[0031] A temporary placement area AR3 is provided in the storage area AR1. The temporary placement area AR3 is provided adjacent to the stacker 2 on the +Y side, for example. The stacker 2 uses the lift 12 to place the material tray on which a plurality of workpieces W before processing are placed in the temporary placement area AR3.

[0032] In addition, the storage rack 11 stores the product tray 13 on which the products Wa are accumulated. The lift 12 can take out the product tray 13 from the storage rack 11 and lift and lower the product tray 13. The stacker 2 places the product tray 13 in the temporary placement area AR3. The product Wa is placed on the product tray 13 arranged in the temporary placement area AR3 by the loading device 3. The stacker 2 transfers the product tray 13 on which the product Wa is placed from the temporary placement area AR3 to the storage rack 11.

[0033] The loading device 3 transports the workpiece W before processing or the product Wa. For example, the loading device 3 transports the workpiece W before processing from the temporary placement area AR3 to the loading and unloading area AR2 and places it on the processing tray 5 placed in the loading and unloading area AR2. In addition, the loading device 3 performs the product unloading process of the product Wa from the processing tray 5. For example, as the product unloading process, the loading device 3 takes out the product Wa from the processing tray 5 placed in the loading and unloading area AR2 and transfers the taken-out product Wa to the product tray 13 in the temporary placement area AR3. The loading device 3 includes, for example, a Y rail 15, a traveling carriage 16 capable of traveling on the Y rail 15, and a transfer device 17 provided above the traveling carriage 16.

[0034] The Y rail 15 extends in the cross direction (Y direction) with respect to the moving direction (X direction) of the processing pallet 5. An X rail 18 extending in the X direction is provided on the upper part of the traveling carriage 16. The transfer device 17 is mounted on the X rail 18.

[0035] The transfer device 17 includes: an X moving body 19 capable of moving along the X rail 18, a Z moving body 20 provided on the X moving body 19, and a suction portion 21 provided at the lower end of the Z moving body 20. The X rail 18 is provided above the temporary placement area AR3 and above the loading / unloading area AR2. The X moving body 19 can move between the temporary placement area AR3 and the loading / unloading area AR2. The Z moving body 20 can move in the vertical direction (up and down direction). The suction portion 21 moves in the Y direction by the traveling carriage 16, moves in the X direction by the X moving body 19, and moves in the vertical direction by the Z moving body 20. The suction portion 21 can adsorb and hold the workpiece W or the product Wa before processing.

[0036] As the product unloading process of the product Wa, the loading device 3 can uniformly take out a plurality of products Wa from the processing pallet 5, or can take them out in units of the product Wa. In addition, as the product unloading process of the product Wa, the loading device 3 can uniformly transfer a plurality of products Wa taken out from the processing pallet 5 onto the product pallet 13, or can transfer them onto the product pallet 13 in units of the product. In addition, in the case where two or more types of products Wa are formed by processing one workpiece W, the loading device 3 can also distinguish the products Wa by type and transfer them onto the product pallet 13 according to the type of each product Wa.

[0037] The clamping device 4 is arranged above the processing pallet 5 on the +X side of the processing machine 1. In addition, the clamping device 4 can move in the Y direction and can avoid the upper part of the processing pallet 5. In addition, in Figure 1 and Figure 2 Although the form in which the clamping device 4 retreats to the +Y side of the processing pallet 5 is shown, the form in which the clamping device 4 retreats to the -Y side of the processing pallet 5 is also possible.

[0038] The clamping device 4 removes the remaining material Wb placed on the processing pallet 5 from the processing pallet 5. The clamping device 4 includes a plurality of gripping portions 4a that grip the +Y side and the -Y side of the remaining material Wb. The plurality of gripping portions 4a are arranged in the X direction and are provided to be able to move up and down. The clamping device 4 holds and removes the remaining material Wb from the workpiece held by the lifting device 7 through the gripping portions 4a.

[0039] For example, before removing the workpiece Wa from the processing tray 5 by the loading device 3, the remaining material Wb is removed from the processing tray 5. However, it is not limited to this. For example, the clamping device 4 may also remove the remaining material Wb from the processing tray 5 after removing the workpiece Wa from the processing tray 5 by the loading device 3. The clamping device 4 may also perform a remaining material discharging process of discharging the remaining material Wb to the remaining material recovery unit 10 after removing the remaining material Wb from the processing tray 5. The remaining material recovery unit 10 is arranged on the -Y side of the processing tray 5 of the processing machine 1 while avoiding it.

[0040] For example, when the clamping device 4 removes the remaining material Wb from the processing tray 5, it is positioned such that the plurality of gripping portions 4a are arranged above the periphery of the processed workpiece W. In this state, after the plurality of gripping portions 4a descend and grip the remaining material Wb, they rise to lift the remaining material Wb from the workpiece W. The clamping device 4 moves to above the remaining material recovery unit 10 (refer to Figure 1 ) on the -Y side while gripping the remaining material Wb by the gripping portions 4a. By releasing the grip of the remaining material Wb by the plurality of gripping portions 4a, the remaining material Wb falls and is discharged to the remaining material recovery unit 10. That is, the remaining material recovery unit 10 is arranged below the range where the clamping device 4 can move, and recovers the remaining material Wb discharged by the clamping device 4.

[0041] The processing tray 5 can mount the workpiece W and move in and out of the processing machine 1. The processing tray 5 is provided with wheels that can move along the track 28, for example. The track 28 extends from the processing machine 1 to the tray replacement device 6. The processing tray 5 supports the workpiece W before processing. In addition, the processing tray 5 supports the workpiece to be processed including the product Wa and the remaining material Wb obtained by cutting the workpiece W by the processing machine 1. The processing tray 5 conveys the workpiece W before processing or the workpiece to be processed between the loading / unloading area AR2 and the processing machine 1.

[0042] The processing tray 5 is rectangular when viewed from the vertical direction, for example. The processing tray 5 includes a frame portion 5a and a plurality of support plates 5b, for example. The plurality of support plates 5b are each plate-shaped and are provided in a state of standing up with respect to the frame portion 5a. The plurality of support plates 5b each extend in the Y direction and are arranged at a predetermined interval in the X direction. The plurality of support plates 5b are arms that extend in the long side direction in a top view and are arranged parallel to each other. The plurality of support plates 5b each have an upper end portion formed in a serrated shape. The plurality of support plates 5b support the lower surface of the workpiece W at a plurality of points (the tips of the serrations). The processing tray 5 can mount the workpiece to be processed including the product Wa and the remaining material Wb obtained by laser processing cutting on the plurality of support plates 5b and move.

[0043] The pallet changer 6 is disposed in the loading / unloading area AR2 and is arranged on the +X side with respect to the processing machine 1. The pallet changer 6 replaces the processing pallet 5 that is loaded or unloaded with respect to the processing machine 1. In addition, the pallet changer 6 performs the handover of the processing pallet 5 with respect to the processing machine 1. The pallet changer 6 conveys the processing pallet 5 along the rail 28, for example, by pulling the processing pallet 5. For example, a hook connected to a wire rope is hung on the processing pallet 5, and the wire rope is wound by the driving unit to pull the processing pallet 5. In addition, the mechanism for moving the processing pallet 5 can be appropriately changed. For example, the processing pallet 5 can also be self-mobile.

[0044] The lifting device 7 lifts the workpiece to be processed placed on the processing pallet 5. The lifting device 7 lifts at least one of the product Wa and the remaining material after the workpiece W is cut by the processing machine 1.

[0045] FIG. 3 shows an example of the processing pallet 5 and the lifting device 7. Figure 3A It is a perspective view of the state in which the workpiece W is supported by the processing pallet 5. Figure 3B It is a perspective view of the state in which the workpiece W is supported by the lifting device 7. As shown in FIG. 3, the lifting device 7 includes a movable plate 8a and a plurality of arm portions 8b. When the processing pallet 5 is disposed in the loading / unloading area AR2, the movable plate 8a is disposed directly below the processing pallet 5 (see Figure 1 ). The movable plate 8a can be moved in the vertical direction by a driving device (not shown). The plurality of arm portions 8b are respectively provided on the upper surface of the movable plate 8a. The plurality of arm portions 8b extend in the long side direction (Y direction) in a top view and are arranged in parallel with each other.

[0046] The arm portion 8b is, for example, plate-shaped and extends vertically upward from the upper surface of the movable plate 8a. The arm portion 8b can be a shape other than plate-shaped, for example, it can also be columnar. The arm portion 8b is sized and arranged so as to be able to be inserted between two adjacent support plates 5b in the processing pallet 5. The positions (heights) of the upper surfaces of the plurality of arm portions 8b are the same. As Figure 3A shown, when the lifting device 7 rises from the state below the processing pallet 5, as Figure 3B shown, the upper surface of the arm portion 8b exceeds the support plate 5b and protrudes upward, and the workpiece to be processed is transferred from the processing pallet 5 to the lifting device 7. That is, the workpiece to be processed is in a state of being supported by the lifting device 7 (arm portion 8b). The loading device 3 picks up the product Wa supported by the arm portion 8b and transfers it onto the product pallet 13. In addition, the clamping device 4 performs the remaining material discharging process of removing the remaining material Wb supported by the arm portion 8b from the processing pallet 5 and discharging it to the remaining material recovery unit 10.

[0047] The conveyance control system 8 includes, for example, a lighting unit 30, one or more imaging units 31, a processing unit 32, and an extraction control unit 33. In Figure 1 and Figure 2 the example shown, the conveyance control system 8 includes two imaging units 31A and 31B. In addition, without distinguishing between the individual imaging units 31A and 31B, they are sometimes simply referred to as the "imaging unit 31".

[0048] The lighting unit 30 is arranged on one side of the lifting device 7 in the horizontal direction. In addition, the lighting unit 30 is arranged on one side of the processing tray 5 arranged in the loading / unloading area AR2. In the present embodiment, the side with respect to the lifting device 7 is the +X side of the lifting device 7. As an example, the lighting unit 30 is mounted on the stacker 2. The lighting unit 30 is arranged, for example, in the loading / unloading area AR2 in a direction (posture) of irradiating light over the entire upper surface of the processing tray 5 including. The lighting unit 30 uses, for example, LED lighting. The light irradiated from the lighting unit 30 is, for example, visible light.

[0049] In addition, in the present embodiment, although one lighting unit 30 is used, two or more lighting units 30 may also be used. The lighting unit 30 may be in a form of continuously irradiating light or in a form of intermittently irradiating light. In addition, although the lighting unit 30 irradiates diffused light so as to irradiate the entire upper surface of the lifting device 7, it is not limited to this form. For example, the lighting unit 30 may also irradiate (scan) light diffused in a narrow range by changing the angles of the lifting device 7 and the processing tray 5 in plan view, and irradiate light in a form of irradiating the entire upper surface of the lifting device 7 and the processing tray 5 at a predetermined time period. In this case, the lighting unit 30 irradiates light in a manner of covering the entire upper surface of the lifting device 7 and the processing tray 5 for at least one cycle during the period when the imaging unit 31 performs imaging.

[0050] The imaging unit 31 is arranged, for example, on the -X side of the processing tray 5 arranged in the loading / unloading area AR2. The imaging unit 31 is, for example, mounted on the processing machine 1. For example, among the two imaging units 31, the imaging unit 31A is arranged on the +Y side in the Y direction, and the imaging unit 31B is arranged on the -Y side in the Y direction.

[0051] The photographing unit 31 photographs the processing tray 5. The photographing unit 31 has a viewing angle capable of photographing the workpiece including the product Wa and the remaining material Wb on the processing tray 5. That is, the photographing unit 31 obtains a photographed image reflecting all the workpieces on the processing tray 5. The photographing unit 31 sends the obtained photographed image to the processing unit 32. The photographed image can be a still image or an animated image. The workpiece on the processing tray 5 can be in a state placed on the processing tray 5 or in a state lifted above the processing tray 5 by the lifting device 7. The photographing unit 31 can separately photograph the light reflected from the workpiece on the processing tray 5 from the illumination unit 30. In addition, in the present embodiment, the interval in the Y direction between the photographing unit 31A and the photographing unit 31B is set so as to be able to capture the reflected light of the workpiece from each end of the upper surface of the lifting device 7.

[0052] When the taking-out device (for example, the loading device 3 or the gripping device 4) takes out the workpiece on the processing tray 5, the photographing unit 31 obtains a photographed image on the processing tray 5 by photographing the processing tray 5. For example, when the taking-out device takes out the workpieces on the processing tray 5 one by one, the photographing unit 31 photographs above the processing tray 5 when the workpieces are taken out one by one. As an example, in the case of performing the product unloading process after the remaining material discharging process, the photographing unit 31 first photographs above the processing tray 5 before performing the remaining material discharging process, that is, before the gripping device 4 takes out the remaining material Wb. In addition, as the product unloading process, when the loading device 3 takes out the products Wa from the processing tray 5 one by one, the photographing unit 31 photographs each time one product Wa is taken out. And the photographing unit 31 photographs above the processing tray 5 after both the remaining material discharging process and the product unloading process have been performed.

[0053] The processing unit 32 is connected to each of the photographing units 31A and 31B in a wired or wireless manner. In addition, the processing unit 32 is connected to the illumination unit 30 in a wired or wireless manner. The processing unit 32 is connected to the taking-out control unit 33 in a wired or wireless manner. Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of the processing unit 32 and the taking-out control unit 33 of the present embodiment. As Figure 4As shown, the processing unit 32 includes, for example, an identification unit 40, an abnormality determination unit 41, an overlap determination unit 42, a residue detection unit 43, and an output unit 44. The above-described structural components are implemented, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of the above-described structural components may be implemented by hardware (circuit unit; including circuits) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be implemented by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be pre-stored in a storage device (a storage device having a non-temporary storage medium) such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory, may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-temporary storage medium) such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, or may be installed in the storage device by mounting the storage medium on a drive device. The storage device is constituted, for example, by an HDD, a flash memory, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), or a RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0054] Based on the captured image from the imaging unit 31, the processing unit 32 performs various processes such as identifying the workpiece on the processing tray 5 or determining the presence or absence of an abnormality. In this case, the captured image from the imaging unit 31 may be the captured image from the imaging unit 31A, may be the captured image from the imaging unit 31B, or may be both. The processing unit 32 may also generate a new captured image using the captured image from the imaging unit 31A and the captured image from the imaging unit 31B, and use the generated captured image to perform the following processes (for example, identification of the workpiece, abnormality determination, overlap determination, residue determination).

[0055] The recognition unit 40 acquires the captured image captured by the imaging unit 31. Based on the acquired captured image, the recognition unit 40 recognizes each of the workpieces on the processing tray 5. Further, the recognition unit 40 detects the position information of each recognized workpiece. The position information includes at least one of the position in one direction parallel to the horizontal plane (hereinafter referred to as "X-direction position"), the position in the direction parallel to the horizontal plane and orthogonal to the one direction (hereinafter referred to as "Y-direction position"), and the position in the direction around the vertical direction (hereinafter referred to as "arrangement angle") θ. The X-direction position and the Y-direction position represent the distances from a reference arbitrarily set in the XY coordinate system (hereinafter referred to as "layout reference") to the reference position Pa of each product Wa or the reference position Ps of the remaining material Wb. In addition, the arrangement angle θ is an angle that determines the coordinates, orientation, etc. of the arranged product or remaining material. For example, the arrangement angle θ is the arrangement angle of the product or remaining material with respect to the straight line in the Y direction.

[0056] For example, the recognition unit 40 recognizes each workpiece reflected in the captured image obtained from the imaging unit 31 based on the design information of the workpiece. For example, the recognition unit 40 recognizes the product Wa and the remaining material Wb from the captured image by pattern matching based on the design shapes of the workpiece, that is, the product Wa and the remaining material Wb. However, it is not limited thereto, and the recognition unit 40 can use a known technique other than pattern matching, such as another image recognition method such as template matching, as a method for recognizing the product Wa and the remaining material Wb.

[0057] The design information includes design values (hereinafter referred to as "design shapes") of the shape information of each product Wa and the remaining material Wb on the processing tray 5 and design values (hereinafter referred to as "design positions") of the position information. The design information may also be, for example, nesting data in which a plurality of products Wa are assigned to the workpiece W. The nesting data is, for example, layout data for cutting a plurality of products from the workpiece W, and includes the design shapes and design positions of the product Wa and the remaining material Wb.

[0058] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of the design position. Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of the layout data of the present embodiment. Here, the design position is each design value of the X-direction position, the Y-direction position, and the arrangement angle θ. For example, the design information includes the design positions in which the X-direction position and the Y-direction position are associated with the arrangement angle θ in units of the product Wa. In addition, the design information includes the design position of the remaining material Wb (for example, the X-direction position, the Y-direction position, and the arrangement angle).

[0059] For example, as the design positions of the workpiece Wa1, the X-direction position X1, the Y-direction position Y1, and the arrangement coordinate θ1 are associated. The X-direction position X1 is the distance in the X direction from the layout reference position P0 to the reference position Pa1 of the workpiece Wa1. The Y-direction position Y1 is the distance in the Y direction from the layout reference position P0 to the reference position Pa1. For example, as the design positions of the workpiece Wa2, the X-direction position X2, the Y-direction position Y2, and the arrangement coordinate θ2 are associated. The X-direction position X2 is the distance in the X direction from the layout reference position P0 to the reference position Pa2 of the workpiece Wa2. The Y-direction position Y2 is the distance in the Y direction from the layout reference position P0 to the reference position Pa2. For example, as the design positions of the remaining material Wb1, the X-direction position Xb1, the Y-direction position Yb1, and the arrangement coordinate θb1 are associated. For example, as the design positions of the remaining material Wb2, the X-direction position Xb2, the Y-direction position Yb2, and the arrangement coordinate θb2 are associated.

[0060] The abnormality determination unit 41 determines the presence or absence of an abnormality based on the captured image on the processing tray 5 captured by the imaging unit 31. Specifically, the abnormality determination unit 41 determines the presence or absence of an abnormality based on the captured image of the workpiece after being cut by the processing machine 1. The workpiece may include the workpiece Wa and the remaining material Wb, or may include either the workpiece Wa or the remaining material Wb. For example, the abnormality determination unit 41 determines whether the positions of the workpieces identified by the identification unit 40 deviate from their original positions. Moreover, the abnormality determination unit 41 determines that there is an abnormality when the positions of one or more workpieces deviate from their original positions.

[0061] When the workpiece unloading process is performed after the remaining material discharging process, the abnormality determination unit 41 obtains the captured image on the processing tray 5 from the imaging unit 31 before the workpiece unloading process, that is, before the remaining material Wb is removed by the clamping device 4. All the workpieces Wa and the remaining material Wb after being cut by the processing machine 1 are reflected in this captured image. The abnormality determination unit 41 determines whether the positions of the multiple workpieces Wa and the remaining material Wb on the processing tray 5 deviate from their original positions based on this captured image. Moreover, the abnormality determination unit 41 determines that there is an abnormality when the positions of one or more workpieces (workpiece Wa or remaining material Wb) deviate from their original positions. In addition, during the workpiece unloading process, the abnormality determination unit 41 obtains the captured image on the processing tray 5 from the imaging unit 31 each time the workpiece Wa is taken out by the loading device 3. Moreover, the abnormality determination unit 41 determines whether the positions of the multiple workpieces Wa on the processing tray 5 deviate from their original positions based on this captured image.

[0062] More specifically, the abnormality determination unit 41 calculates the difference, i.e., the position offset amount Δd1, between the position of the workpiece Wa recognized from the captured image and the designed position corresponding to the workpiece Wa. When the calculated position offset amount Δd1 is within the first allowable range, it is determined that the workpiece Wa is located at the position where it should be. In other words, when the position offset amount Δd1 is within the first allowable range, the abnormality determination unit 41 determines that the position of the workpiece Wa is normal.

[0063] The position offset amount Δd1 may be, for example, the difference in at least any one of the X-direction position, the Y-direction position, and the arrangement angle, but preferably the differences in all of the X-direction position, the Y-direction position, and the arrangement angle. For example, allowable ranges are set for each of the X-direction position, the Y-direction position, and the arrangement angle. The abnormality determination unit 41 calculates the difference ΔPx1 between the X-direction position of the workpiece Wa recognized from the first captured image and the X-direction position corresponding to the workpiece Wa. The abnormality determination unit 41 calculates the difference ΔPy1 between the Y-direction position of the workpiece Wa recognized from the first captured image and the Y-direction position corresponding to the workpiece Wa. The abnormality determination unit 41 calculates the difference Δθ1 between the arrangement angle of the workpiece Wa recognized from the first captured image and the arrangement angle corresponding to the workpiece Wa.

[0064] When each of the difference ΔPx1, the difference ΔPy1, and the difference Δθ1 is within the first allowable range, the abnormality determination unit 41 determines that the workpiece Wa is located at the position where it should be. On the other hand, when at least any one of the difference ΔPx1, the difference ΔPy1, and the difference Δθ1 is outside the first allowable range, the abnormality determination unit 41 determines that the workpiece Wa is not located at the position where it should be.

[0065] Similarly, the abnormality determination unit 41 determines whether the position of the remaining material Wb recognized from the captured image is the position where the remaining material Wb on the processing tray 5 should be. For example, the abnormality determination unit 41 compares the position of the remaining material Wb recognized from the captured image with the designed position corresponding to the remaining material Wb, and based on the comparison result, determines whether the remaining material Wb is normal. More specifically, the abnormality determination unit 41 calculates the position offset amount Δd2 between the position of the remaining material Wb recognized from the captured image and the designed position corresponding to the remaining material Wb. When the calculated position offset amount Δd2 is within the second allowable range, it is determined that the remaining material Wb is located at the position where it should be. In other words, when the position offset amount Δd2 is within the second allowable range, the abnormality determination unit 41 determines that the position of the remaining material Wb is normal.

[0066] The position offset Δd2 can be, for example, the difference in at least any one of the position in the X direction, the position in the Y direction, and the arrangement angle. However, it is preferably the difference in all of the position in the X direction, the position in the Y direction, and the arrangement angle. For example, the abnormality determination unit 41 calculates the difference ΔPx2 between the position in the X direction of the remaining material Wb recognized from the captured image and the position in the X direction corresponding to the remaining material Wb. The abnormality determination unit 41 calculates the difference ΔPy2 between the position in the Y direction of the remaining material Wb recognized from the captured image and the position in the Y direction corresponding to the remaining material Wb. The abnormality determination unit 41 calculates the difference Δθ2 between the arrangement angle of the remaining material Wb recognized from the captured image and the arrangement angle corresponding to the remaining material Wb. The abnormality determination unit 41 determines that the remaining material Wb is located at the position where it should originally be when each of the difference ΔPx2, the difference ΔPy2, and the difference Δθ2 is within the second allowable range. On the other hand, the abnormality determination unit 41 determines that the remaining material Wb is not located at the position where it should originally be when at least any one of the difference ΔPx2, the difference ΔPy2, and the difference Δθ2 is outside the second allowable range.

[0067] When the overlap determination unit 42 determines that it is abnormal by the abnormality determination unit 41, that is, when it is determined that the position of the workpiece has deviated from the position where it should originally be, the overlap determination unit 42 performs an overlap determination to determine whether there is an overlap of the workpiece. Here, the case where there is an overlap of the workpiece includes the case where at least a part of the workpiece overlaps. For example, the overlap determination unit 42 determines that there is an overlap of the workpiece when it is unable to detect the entire or a part of the edge (outline) of the workpiece on the captured image recognized by the recognition unit 40. That is, the overlap determination unit 42 determines that another workpiece overlaps on the workpiece when it is unable to detect the entire or a part of the edge (outline) of the workpiece. When the overlap determination unit 42 determines that there is an overlap of the workpiece, the overlap determination unit 42 identifies the recognition information of the workpiece for which a part or all of the edge cannot be detected and the workpiece that overlaps above the workpiece.

[0068] The residue detection unit 43 acquires a captured image on the processing tray 5 after the remaining material discharge process and the product removal process from the imaging unit 31. The residue detection unit 43 performs a residue determination to determine the presence or absence of residues on the processing tray 5 based on the acquired captured image. For example, the residue detection unit 43 determines the presence or absence of residues by comparing a previously acquired reference image with the captured image acquired from the imaging unit 31. The reference image is an image obtained by capturing with the imaging unit 31 in a state where no workpiece is placed on the processing tray 5. When the conveyance control system 8 includes two imaging units 31A and 31B, the reference images corresponding to the respective imaging units 31A and 31B are used.

[0069] The output unit 44 outputs the data obtained through the processing by the recognition unit 40, the abnormality determination unit 41, the overlap determination unit 42, and the residue detection unit 43 to the take-out control unit 33. For example, the output unit 44 outputs the position information of each workpiece recognized by the recognition unit 40 to the take-out control unit 33. As an example, the output unit 44 outputs to the take-out control unit 33 the information (hereinafter referred to as "recognition result") obtained by associating the recognition information of each workpiece recognized by the recognition unit 40 on the processing tray 5 with the position information of the workpiece. The recognition information can be a recognition number or the name of the workpiece. The output unit 44 outputs the determination result of the abnormality determination unit 41 to the take-out control unit 33. For example, when the abnormality determination unit 41 determines an abnormality, the output unit 44 outputs, as the abnormality determination result, the information including the recognition information of the workpiece, the position offset of the workpiece, and the determination result of the overlap determination to the take-out control unit 33. In the overlap determination, the determination result when it is determined that there is an overlap of workpieces includes the recognition information of the workpiece for which part or all of the edge cannot be detected, and the recognition information of the workpiece that overlaps the workpiece above. In addition, when the residue detection unit 43 detects a residue, the output unit 44 outputs the information including the position of the residue to the take-out control unit 33.

[0070] The take-out control unit 33 uniformly controls the processing machine 1. The take-out control unit 33 controls the operations of the processing machine 1, the stacker 2, the loading device 3, the clamping device 4, the processing tray 5, the tray replacement device 6, and the lifting device 7. For example, the take-out control unit 33 controls the operations of each unit by reading a prescribed program and data stored in a storage device (not shown) or based on the program and data sent from an upper device.

[0071] The take-out control unit 33 controls the clamping device 4 to perform the surplus material discharge process. In addition, the take-out control unit 33 performs the product unloading process by controlling the loading device 3. That is, the take-out control unit 33 controls the operations of the loading device 3 and the clamping device 4, and sequentially takes out the workpieces on the processing tray 5 according to the take-out order. This take-out order fixes the order of the workpieces taken out from the processing tray 5 by the take-out devices (the loading device 3 and the clamping device 4). That is, among the multiple workpieces on the processing tray 5, the order of the workpieces set as the take-out objects is preset as the take-out order. Hereinafter, an example of the structure of the take-out control unit 33 will be described.

[0072] The take-out control unit 33 includes, for example, a planning unit 50 and a drive control unit 51.

[0073] The Planning Department 50 determines the control information required to pick up the objects to be picked up in the order of picking up. The control information is, for example, at least any one of the position and posture of the picking device when the picking device picks up the object to be picked up. For example, in the Planning Department 50, information on at least any one of the position and posture of the picking device when picking up the object to be picked up is preset in units of the workpieces on the processing tray 5 (hereinafter referred to as "control information"). The initially set control information is at least any one of the position and posture of the picking device when picking up the object to be picked up in a state where the object to be picked up has no position deviation. The initially set control information is preset according to the design information, for example. In addition, the position deviation means a situation where the workpiece deviates from the position where it should originally be.

[0074] When the object to be picked up is at the position where it should originally be, the Planning Department 50 outputs a pick-up instruction including the initially set control information to the Drive Control Department 51. On the other hand, when the object to be picked up deviates from the position where it should originally be, the Planning Department 50 changes the control information of the object to be picked up based on the amount of position deviation. In other words, when the object to be picked up deviates from the position where it should originally be, the Planning Department 50 changes from the initially set control information to the control information considering the amount of position deviation in such a way that the object to be picked up can be picked up. For example, when the object to be picked up has a position deviation, the Planning Department 50 changes the control information of the object to be picked up by adding the amount of position deviation (for example, the difference ΔPx, the difference ΔPy) to the initially set control information (for example, the X coordinate position, the Y coordinate position). The Planning Department 50 outputs a pick-up instruction including the changed control information to the Drive Control Department 51.

[0075] Here, during the conveyance of the processing tray 5 and the picking up of the workpieces, it may cause the workpieces on the processing tray 5 to deviate from the positions where they should originally be and the workpieces to overlap on other workpieces. In this case, for example, when the object to be picked up is under the workpiece, it is often difficult to pick up the object to be picked up. Therefore, the Planning Department 50 can also change the picking-up order when there is an overlap of workpieces. As an example, when the positions of the workpieces on the processing tray 5 deviate from the positions where they should originally be and there is an overlap of workpieces, the Planning Department 50 can also change the picking-up order in such a way that it picks up from the top of the overlapping workpieces. In this case, after changing the picking-up order, the Planning Department 50 determines the control information of the object to be picked up and outputs a pick-up instruction including the determined control information to the Drive Control Department 51. In addition, the Planning Department 50 can grasp the situation where there is an overlap of workpieces based on the determination result of the overlap determination and can identify the overlapping workpieces.

[0076] An example of the change in the picking-up order will be described. Figure 7This is a diagram schematically showing an example of a captured image when capturing the workpiece on the processing tray 5. Figure 8 Shows the removal Figure 7 An example of the removal order when removing the workpiece shown. Figure 8 (A) shows an example of the initially set removal order. Figure 8 (B) shows an example of the changed removal order.

[0077] The imaging unit 31 obtains by imaging the workpiece on the processing tray 5 Figure 7 The captured image shown. The processing unit 32 identifies each of the products Wa1 to Wa9 and the remaining material Wb in the Figure 7 Captured image shown. Here, in the Figure 7 Example shown, the product Wa1 has deviated from its original position and overlaps the product Wa2 and the remaining material Wb. In addition, the product Wa5 has deviated from its original position and overlaps the remaining material Wb. In addition, the product Wa8 has not been processed by the processing machine 1 for some reason and does not exist on the processing tray 5. In such a case, the planning unit 50 changes the initially set removal order so as to preferentially remove the overlapping workpieces, that is, the products Wa1 and Wa5.

[0078] For example, the planning unit 50 changes the Figure 8 Removal order shown in (A) to Figure 8 Removal order shown in (B). Specifically, in the initial setting, although it is set that after removing the remaining material Wb, the order of removing the products Wa1 to Wa9, the planning unit 50 changes the removal order so as to remove the products Wa1 and Wa5 before removing the remaining material Wb. In addition, which of the products Wa1 and Wa5 to remove first is not particularly limited, but in the initial setting, it is set that the product Wa1 is removed before the product Wa5, so the planning unit 50 changes to remove in the order of the product Wa1, the product Wa5, and the remaining material Wb. In the changed removal order, the order of the workpieces in their original positions is set according to the order specified by the initial setting. In addition, since the product Wa8 does not actually exist, the planning unit 50 sets to skip the removal of the product Wa8. For example, the planning unit 50 sets to invalidate the removal of the ninth, that is, the product Wa8, and after removing the product Wa7, removes the product Wa9 in the changed removal order.

[0079] If the drive control unit 51 receives an extraction instruction for the extraction target from the planning unit 50, it controls the extraction device to perform the extraction of the extraction target. For example, the drive control unit 51 receives the extraction instruction. The drive control unit 51 controls at least one of the position and posture of the extraction device so that at least one of the position and posture of the extraction device becomes the position and posture of the control information included in the extraction instruction. Thereby, the remaining material discharge process and the product transfer process are performed.

[0080] Hereinafter, Figure 9 The process flow of the extraction process of the workpiece to be processed in the present embodiment will be described. Figure 9 It is a flowchart showing an example of the extraction process of the present embodiment.

[0081] If the processing tray 5 on which the workpiece W before processing is placed is carried into the processing machine 1, the processing machine 1 processes the workpiece W on the processing tray 5 and cuts the workpiece W into the product Wa and the remaining material Wb. The workpiece to be processed including the product Wa and the remaining material Wb cut by the processing machine 1 is carried out from the processing machine 1 to the loading / unloading area AR2 in a state of being placed on the processing tray 5. In other words, the processing tray 5 on which the workpiece to be processed including the product Wa and the remaining material Wb is placed is carried out from the processing machine 1 to the loading / unloading area AR2. When the processing tray 5 is carried out to the loading / unloading area AR2, steps S101 to step S110 are started. That is, the processing (extraction process) of steps S102 to step S109 is carried out until there is no extraction target.

[0082] For example, the extraction control unit 33 sends a shooting instruction to the processing unit 32. This shooting instruction includes the design information of the workpiece to be processed. If the processing unit 32 receives the shooting instruction, it controls the lighting unit 30 to irradiate light on the processing tray 5 on which the workpiece to be processed is placed, and causes the shooting unit 31 to shoot an image of the workpiece to be processed on the processing tray 5 (step S102). For example, the processing unit 32 may also obtain a captured image by shooting the workpiece to be processed in a state of being lifted from the processing tray 5 by the lifting device 7 by the shooting unit 31, or may obtain a captured image by shooting the workpiece to be processed in a state of being placed on the processing tray 5.

[0083] The processing unit 32 identifies the shape and position of the workpiece on the processing tray 5 based on the acquired captured image and the design information included in the shooting instruction (step S103). Then, the processing unit 32 determines whether each of the identified workpieces has deviated from its original position (step S104). Here, since the product Wa and the remaining material Wb on the processing tray 5 are separately cut off, each of the product Wa and the remaining material Wb may sometimes deviate from its original position. For example, as an example of the reasons for the deviation of the product Wa and the remaining material Wb from their original positions, there are vibrations during tray movement, interference between the nozzle and the workpiece (product Wa or remaining material Wb) during cutting, tilting of the workpiece caused by gas ejection, or scattering of the workpiece caused by gas ejection. In such cases, sometimes the loading device 3 cannot properly pick up the product Wa from the processing tray 5 or the clamping device 4 cannot properly pick up the remaining material Wb, and the processing efficiency often decreases. Therefore, from the viewpoint of suppressing the decrease in processing efficiency, it is important to determine whether the positions of the product Wa and the remaining material Wb on the processing tray 5 are at their original positions. That is, in the present embodiment, the processing unit 32 can suppress the decrease in processing efficiency by determining whether the position of the workpiece is at its original position.

[0084] When the processing unit 32 determines that each of the identified workpieces, that is, the workpieces on the processing tray 5, has not deviated from its original position, it determines that it is normal and outputs this intention to the extraction control unit 33. On the other hand, when the processing unit 32 determines that one or more workpieces on the processing tray 5 have deviated from their original positions, it determines that it is abnormal. When the processing unit 32 determines that the workpiece has deviated from its original position, that is, when it determines that it is abnormal, it determines whether there is an overlap of the workpieces (step S105).

[0085] When the processing unit 32 determines that there is an overlap of the workpieces, it outputs an abnormality determination result including information related to the overlapping workpieces and the identification result identified in step S103 to the extraction control unit 33. The information related to the overlapping workpieces is the identification information of the overlapping workpieces and the position offset amount of the workpiece, etc. On the other hand, when the processing unit 32 determines that there is no overlap of the workpieces, it outputs an abnormality determination result indicating this intention and the identification result identified in step S103 to the extraction control unit 33.

[0086] The planning department 50 can determine whether there is an overlap of workpieces based on the abnormal determination result from the processing department 32. When there is an overlap of workpieces, the planning department 50 changes the extraction order in such a way that the workpiece is preferentially extracted from the top of the overlapping workpieces (step S106). On the other hand, when there is no overlap of workpieces, the planning department 50 does not change the extraction order and proceeds to step S107.

[0087] The planning department 50 changes the control information of the extraction target that has deviated from its original position (step S107). For example, the planning department 50 changes from the initially set control information to the control information considering the position offset amount in such a way that the extraction target that has deviated from its original position can be extracted. In this case, the planning department 50 sends the extraction instruction including the changed control information to the drive control department 51 (step S108). On the other hand, in step S104, when the extraction target has not deviated from its original position, the planning department 50 sends the extraction instruction including the initially set control information to the drive control department 51.

[0088] The drive control department 51 controls the extraction device based on the extraction instruction to perform the extraction of the extraction target. The extraction of the extraction target is the product unloading process of the product Wa or the residual material discharging process of the residual material Wb. When the extraction of the extraction target is completed, the drive control department 51 sends an end signal indicating the completion to the planning department 50. When the planning department 50 receives the end signal, it sends a shooting instruction for the next extraction process to the processing department 32. In this way, the processes of steps S102 to S110 are repeatedly implemented until the extraction of all extraction targets specified by the extraction order is completed.

[0089] When the extraction control department 33 determines that all extraction processes are completed, in other words, when the residual material discharging process and the product unloading process are completed, the processing department 32 causes the imaging unit 31 to image above the processing tray 5. Thus, the processing department 32 obtains the captured image on the processing tray 5 after the residual material discharging process and the product unloading process are completed (step S111). The residue detection unit 43 determines the presence or absence of residues on the processing tray 5 based on the captured image obtained in step S111 when the residual material discharging process and the product unloading process are completed (step S112).

[0090] Here, after the processing of discharging the remaining material and the processing of unloading the product are completed, usually not all of the products Wa and the remaining material Wb remain on the processing tray 5. However, for some reason, a situation may occur where the product Wa or the remaining material Wb is lost. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the residue detection unit 43 determines the presence or absence of residues on the processing tray 5 in step S114. Thereby, the loss of the product Wa or the remaining material Wb can be detected. In addition, when the residue detection unit 43 determines that there are residues, the extraction control unit 33 obtains information on the residues from the residue detection unit 43 and controls the extraction device so that the extraction device extracts the residues. For example, when there are residues and the residues are the product Wa, the extraction control unit 33 may also receive the information on the residues and, based on the received information, execute the unloading of the residues by the loading device 3. Further, when there are residues and the residues are the remaining material Wb, the extraction control unit 33 may also receive the information and, based on the received information, execute the discharging of the residues by the clamping device 4.

[0091] In addition, the abnormality determination unit 41 may also determine whether there is a foreign object on the workpiece when determining the presence or absence of an abnormality. Here, when a removal unit for removing foreign objects from the workpiece is provided in the processing system PS, when the abnormality determination unit 41 determines that there is a foreign object on the workpiece, it notifies the extraction control unit 33 of this fact and the position of the foreign object. When receiving this notification, the extraction control unit 33 may also cause the removal unit to remove the foreign object by sending an instruction signal including the position of the foreign object to the removal unit.

[0092] In the processing system PS to which the conveyance control system 8 is applied, the arrangement positions of the processing machine 1, the stacker 2, the loading device 3, the clamping device 4, the processing tray 5, the tray replacement device 6, and the lifting device 7 can be arbitrarily changed and are not limited to the above arrangement positions. For example, in Figure 1 and Figure 2 the example shown, although the workpiece W is conveyed to the processing machine 1 from the +X direction, it is not limited thereto, and the workpiece W may also be conveyed to the processing machine 1 from the -X direction.

[0093] In addition, the processing unit 32 executes Figure 9At the time of the taking-out process shown, for example, various image processes are applied to the captured image on the processing tray 5 to identify the shape, position, overlap, etc. of the workpiece. Here, this image process may also include, for example, a process of detecting at least any one of the contour and the shadow. In addition, the image process may also include a correction process of correcting the deformation of the workpiece in the captured image. For example, in the case where the captured image obtained by the imaging unit 31 is an image of the workpiece captured obliquely, the correction process may include a process of correcting the captured image so as to be an image of the workpiece captured from directly above.

[0094] In addition, the above-described embodiment discloses the following structure.

[0095] (Structure 1)

[0096] A conveyance control system including:

[0097] An imaging unit 31 that images above a processing tray 5 on which a workpiece cut by a processing machine 1 is placed; and

[0098] A processing unit 32 that determines the presence or absence of an abnormality based on the captured image captured by the imaging unit 31,

[0099] The processing unit 32 acquires a captured image including a product Wa and a remaining material Wb as a workpiece from the imaging unit 31, and determines an abnormality when the position of the workpiece on the acquired captured image deviates from the position where it should originally be.

[0100] (Structure 2)

[0101] The conveyance control system according to Structure 1, including:

[0102] A take-out control unit 33 that controls a take-out device (loading device 3, gripping device 4) that takes out the workpiece on the processing tray 5 as a take-out object,

[0103] When the take-out control unit 33 determines that the position of the take-out object has deviated from the position where it should originally be, at least any one of the position and the posture of the take-out device when taking out the take-out object is changed according to the deviation amount of the position of the take-out object.

[0104] (Structure 3)

[0105] The conveyance control system according to Structure 1, including:

[0106] A take-out control unit 33 that controls a take-out device (loading device 3, gripping device 4) that sequentially takes out the workpieces on the processing tray 5 according to the take-out order,

[0107] When the position of the workpiece has deviated from the position where it should originally be, the take-out control unit 33 changes the take-out order.

[0108] (Structure 4)

[0109] The conveying control system according to Structure 2 or Structure 3, wherein,

[0110] When the position of the workpiece deviates from the position where it should originally be and there is an overlap of the workpieces, the taking-out control unit 33 changes the taking-out order so as to take out from the topmost of the overlapping workpieces.

[0111] (Structure 5)

[0112] The conveying control system according to Structure 3 or Structure 4, wherein,

[0113] The initial taking-out order is determined to take out the product after the remaining material,

[0114] When at least a part of the product Wa overlaps on the remaining material Wb, the taking-out control unit 33 changes the initial taking-out order so as to take out the product Wa before the remaining material.

[0115] (Structure 6)

[0116] The conveying control system according to any one of Structures 2 to 4, wherein,

[0117] The photographing unit 31 photographs the processing tray 5 each time a product is taken out by the conveying device,

[0118] The taking-out control unit 33 judges whether there is an overlap of the products each time the product Wa is taken out. If there is an overlap of the products Wa, the taking-out order is changed so as to take out from the product Wa located at the topmost of the overlap.

[0119] Sometimes one or more elements described in the above embodiments and the like are omitted. In addition, the elements described in the above embodiments and the like can be appropriately combined. In addition, as long as the subsequent steps do not use the results of the previous steps, the execution order of each step shown in the present embodiment can be realized in any order. In addition, regarding the operations of the above embodiments, for convenience, even if described using "first", "second", "next", etc., it is not necessary to implement them in that order. In addition, within the scope permitted by law, the disclosures of Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-177226 cited as well as all the documents cited in the above embodiments and the like are incorporated by reference and made part of the description of the text.

[0120] Explanation of reference numerals

[0121] W... workpiece

[0122] Wa... product

[0123] Wb… Remaining material

[0124] PS… Processing system

[0125] 1… Processing machine

[0126] 2… Stacking machine

[0127] 3… Loading device (unloading device)

[0128] 4… Gripping device (unloading device)

[0129] 5… Processing tray

[0130] 6… Tray replacement device

[0131] 7… Lifting device

[0132] 10… Conveyor control system

[0133] 30… Lighting unit

[0134] 31… Shooting unit

[0135] 32… Processing unit

[0136] 33… Unloading control unit.

Claims

1. A conveying control system, comprising: A photographing unit that photographs above a tray on which a workpiece after being cut by a processing machine is placed; and A processing unit that determines the presence or absence of an abnormality based on a photographed image photographed by the photographing unit. The processing unit obtains the photographed image in which the workpiece includes a product and a remaining material from the photographing unit, and determines an abnormality when the position of the workpiece on the obtained photographed image deviates from the position where it should originally be.

2. The conveying control system according to claim 1, comprising: A taking-out control unit that controls a taking-out device that takes out the workpiece on the tray as a taking-out object. When the processing unit determines that the position of the taking-out object deviates from the position where it should originally be, the taking-out control unit changes at least one of the position and posture of the taking-out device when taking out the taking-out object according to the deviation amount of the position of the taking-out object.

3. The conveying control system according to claim 1, comprising: A taking-out control unit that controls a taking-out device that sequentially takes out the workpieces on the tray according to a taking-out order. When the position of the workpiece deviates from the position where it should originally be, the taking-out control unit changes the taking-out order.

4. The conveying control system according to claim 3, wherein, When the position of the workpiece deviates from the position where it should originally be and there is an overlap of the workpieces, the taking-out control unit changes the taking-out order in such a way as to take out from the topmost of the overlapping workpieces.

5. The conveying control system according to claim 4, wherein, The initial taking-out order is determined to take out the product after the remaining material. When at least a part of the product overlaps on the remaining material, the taking-out control unit changes the initial taking-out order in such a way as to take out the product before the remaining material.

6. The conveying control system according to claim 4 or 5, wherein, The photographing unit photographs the tray each time the taking-out device takes out the product. The taking-out control unit performs a determination of whether there is an overlap of the products each time the product is taken out. If there is an overlap of the products, the taking-out control unit changes the taking-out order in such a way as to take out from the product located at the topmost of the overlapping products.

7. A determination method, comprising the following steps: A step of photographing above a tray on which a workpiece after being cut by a processing machine is placed by a photographing unit; and A step of obtaining a photographed image in which the workpiece includes a product and a remaining material from the photographing unit, and determining an abnormality when the position of the workpiece on the obtained photographed image deviates from the position where it should originally be.

Images