Picking sensor and picking system

Abstract

To easily incorporate large or heavy objects or parts into a control line of a picking system.SOLUTION: Each picking sensor (1) comprises: detection means (11) which is provided at a gate space (PG) for taking out an object and detects the object passing through the gate space; notification means (12) which notifies an operator of information in the gate space; a radio communication interface (13) which receives the information by a radio system between an external controller (2) and itself; and a control unit (14) which communicates with the external controller via the radio communication interface and controls the receiving and processing of detection information detected by the detection means and notification information to be notified by the notification means. The picking sensors (1) are provided at the respective gate spaces (PG), and the taking-out of the object in each gate space is controlled by the controller (2).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a picking sensor and a picking system, and relates to a picking sensor and a picking system that are applied, for example, to a production / assembly line that assembles products by sequentially assembling various parts including electronic parts. [Background technology]

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses a rotary multi-tiered tray (movable component storage device) configured to move a storage compartment selected from a plurality of storage compartments for storing electronic components to a predetermined component removal port. By giving instructions from a controller to the rotary multi-tiered tray to remove the predetermined components in accordance with the order in which the components should be assembled to manufacture a predetermined product made up of a plurality of components, the storage compartment storing the required components is moved to the component removal port, thereby facilitating manual removal of the required components.

[0003] Furthermore, for example, in a factory production or assembly line, an optical picking sensor is installed at the removal port of a parts storage unit that stores parts, and when a worker performs a part removal (picking) operation from the removal port, the picking sensor detects this. When assembling a product consisting of multiple parts, each component is stored in a separate parts storage unit, and a picking sensor is installed in each parts storage unit. Each picking switch is equipped with a control unit and a work indicator light, and based on a control signal input from an external control device such as a sequencer, the control unit turns on the work indicator light to visually indicate the parts storage unit that stores the part to be removed (e.g., Patent Documents 2 and 3). The worker assembles the product by sequentially removing each component of the product from the parts storage unit and assembling them according to the instructions of the work indicator light of each picking sensor.

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 4 below discloses a technology in which an RFID tag is attached to the hand of a worker in a picking system and information about the worker is wirelessly transmitted to a controller. Furthermore, Patent Document 5 below discloses a technology in which an RFID tag is attached to an item to be sorted, thereby automating the sorting of goods. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 1-179498 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-179226 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-213980 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-137748 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-241570 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In both of the conventional technologies, information is exchanged between the picking sensor and control devices such as a controller or sequencer via a wired connection. Also, in both of the conventional technologies, the components stored in the rotating multi-tiered tray (movable component storage device) or component storage unit are relatively small and lightweight components such as circuit components, and the supply and assembly of sheet metal components such as mounting brackets and large, heavy components had to be carried out in advance outside the control line of the picking system.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide a picking sensor and a picking system that allow large or heavy items or parts to be easily incorporated into the control line of the picking system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The picking sensor of the present invention is a picking sensor that is placed in a gate space for picking up items, and is equipped with a detection means that detects objects passing through the gate space, an alarm means that notifies information to workers in the gate space, a wireless communication interface that wirelessly exchanges information with an external controller, and a control unit that communicates with the external controller via the wireless communication interface and controls the exchange and processing of detection information detected by the detection means and alarm information to be notified by the alarm means.

[0009] According to the present invention, the picking sensor wirelessly transmits and receives information to and from an external controller, so the gate space in which the picking sensor is placed can be any location away from the external controller. Therefore, by installing the gate space in a location where large items or parts are stored and placing the picking sensor therein, it becomes easy to supply and / or assemble large items or parts under the control of the external controller, and the supply and / or assembly of large items or parts can be easily incorporated into the control line of the picking system.

[0010] The picking system according to the present invention includes a picking sensor disposed corresponding to each of a plurality of gate spaces, and a controller that wirelessly exchanges information with each picking sensor via the wireless communication interface of each picking sensor, and the controller controls the picking of items in each gate space. Since the picking sensor disposed in each gate space wirelessly exchanges information with the controller, each gate space in which the picking sensor is disposed may be located anywhere remote from the controller. Therefore, by installing each gate space in a location where large items or parts are stored and arranging the picking sensor therein, the supply and / or assembly of large items or parts can be easily performed under the control of the controller, and the supply and / or assembly of large items or parts can be easily incorporated into the control line of the picking system.

[0011] The picking system according to the present invention may further include a component storage device that allows components to be removed from a selected storage compartment among a plurality of storage compartments for storing components, the component storage device communicating with the controller and controlled by the controller to remove components from a required storage compartment. Such a component storage device is suitable for storing various non-bulky small or medium-sized components (e.g., circuit elements, screws, etc.). This makes it possible to provide a picking system that can incorporate all types of components, from various non-bulky small or medium-sized components to bulky large components (e.g., sheet metal components such as mounting brackets and heavy components), into a control line. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a picking sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of a picking system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure executed by a picking sensor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a picking sensor 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The picking sensor 1 is disposed at a pick-up gate PG (a gate space for picking up an article or part) of a storage location S for a large part B (e.g., a sheet metal part such as a mounting bracket or a heavy part). The picking sensor 1 includes a detection unit 11 that detects an object passing through the pick-up gate PG (gate space), a notification unit 12 that notifies an operator at the pick-up gate PG (gate space), a wireless communication interface 13 that wirelessly exchanges information with an external controller 2, and a control unit 14 that communicates with the external controller via the wireless communication interface 13 and controls the exchange and processing of the detection information detected by the detection unit 11 and the notification information to be notified by the notification unit 12. In the picking sensor 1, each element (the detection unit 11, the notification unit 12, and the wireless communication interface 13) is connected to and controlled by the control unit 14. These elements 11 to 14 that make up the picking sensor 1 may all be housed in one casing, or may be housed separately in multiple casings as necessary.

[0014] As an example, the detection means 11 is an infrared object detection sensor, the notification means 12 is a visible indicator such as an RGB LED (multicolor LED), and the wireless communication interface 13 is a wireless LAN module (hereinafter referred to as a WIFI module) that conforms to the WIFI (registered trademark) standard. Of course, the external controller 2 also has a wireless communication interface (for example, a WIFI module) for communicating with the wireless communication interface 13 on the picking sensor 1 side.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a picking system according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is configured using the above-described picking sensor 1. The controller 2 is configured to store and execute a control program for giving instructions to a worker to sequentially pick up various parts according to the assembly order of the parts to be assembled to manufacture a predetermined product. The controller 2 may be configured as a well-known computer including a CPU, memory, keyboard, display, etc. For example, the controller 2 is placed near a workbench used by a worker to perform product assembly work (for example, the entire controller 2 is placed on the workbench, or the keyboard and display are placed on the workbench, and the computer main unit is installed under or beside the workbench).

[0016] In order to store a plurality of types of large parts B, storage locations S for the parts B are installed at locations appropriately separated from the work table, and a pick-up gate PG (a gate space for picking up articles or parts) is installed corresponding to each storage location S. At each pick-up gate PG, a pick-up sensor 1 is disposed as shown in FIG. 1, and each pick-up sensor 1 communicates wirelessly with a central controller 2. The controller 2 transmits pick-up instruction information to one pick-up gate PG from which a part is to be picked up, according to a programmed part assembly order. This pick-up instruction information includes, for example, a gate ID specifying a specific pick-up gate PG and command data indicating the content of the instruction.

[0017] Each picking sensor 1 receives the removal instruction information transmitted from the controller 2 via its respective wireless communication interface 13. If the gate ID is its own ID, the picking sensor 1 performs a predetermined notification operation via the notification means (RGB LED) 12 in accordance with the received command data (e.g., by lighting the RGB LED blue). Following this notification, the worker recognizes the gate PG from which the component should be removed, goes to the removal gate PG associated with the notification, and removes component B from that gate PG. When the detection means 11 detects the removal operation performed by the worker, it transmits removal detection information along with the ID of the removal gate PG to the controller 2 via the control unit 14 and wireless communication interface 13. At this time, the notification means (RGB LED) 12 may be configured to perform another predetermined notification operation in response to the detection of the removal operation by the detection means 11. For example, the RGB LED flashes blue while the removal operation is being performed, and then lights red when the removal operation is completed.

[0018] As an example, information indicating the desired number of components B to be removed (in other words, information specifying the number of times to be removed in response to one removal command) may be included in the command data, and the control unit 14 may count the number of components B removed based on the detection signal from the detection means 11 and determine whether the number has reached the number indicated by the information included in the command data. From the time the removal operation is detected until the number of removed components reaches the number indicated by the information, the RGB LED of the notification means 12 flashes blue, and when the number of removed components reaches the number indicated by the information, the RGB LED lights red. This allows the worker to intuitively know that the required number of components B have been removed. Note that when information indicating the desired number of components B to be removed is included in the command data, the removal detection information is sent to the controller 2 when the instructed number (number of times) of components have been removed.

[0019] When the controller 2 receives the removal detection information transmitted from the picking sensor 1, it advances the control procedure to the next step. Meanwhile, the worker returns to the workbench with the removed part B and assembles the part B to the product in progress. At that time, the controller 2 also gives instructions via a display or the like as to the position and location on the product in progress where the part B should be assembled, but a detailed description of this will be omitted.

[0020] In FIG. 2, a component storage device 3 having multiple storage compartments 3s is optionally located near the controller 2 (near the workbench). This component storage device 3 has multiple storage compartments 3s for storing various types of components A, and is configured to allow a component A to be removed from a selected one of the storage compartments 3s. The component storage device 3 has a compact configuration suitable for storing various small or medium-sized components A (e.g., circuit elements, screws, etc.). The component storage device 3 is connected to the controller 2 and moves the selected storage compartment 3s to a component removal opening in accordance with component removal instruction information provided by the controller 2 in accordance with a programmed component assembly sequence, allowing a worker to remove the required component A from the storage compartment 3s located at the component removal opening. As an example, the component storage device 3 can be a rotating multi-tiered tray (movable component storage device) as shown in Patent Document 1.

[0021] As shown by the dashed line in Figure 2, a small component pick-up gate sPG (gate space for component pick-up) can be installed at the component pick-up port of the component storage device 3. A picking sensor 1 such as that shown in Figure 1 can also be installed at this component pick-up gate sPG. The picking sensor 1 installed at this component pick-up gate sPG can be configured and operate in the same manner as described above. In this way, by installing the component storage device 3 in the picking system according to this embodiment, all types of components, from various non-bulky small or medium-sized components A to bulky large components B (for example, sheet metal components such as mounting brackets and heavy components), can be incorporated into the control line of the controller 2.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure executed by the control unit 14 of the picking sensor 1. In step S1, information transmitted from the controller 2 is received by the wireless communication interface 13 and temporarily stored. In step S2, it is determined whether the received information includes an all-processes-end signal. The all-processes-end signal is a signal transmitted from the controller 2 when all processes in the part assembly sequence have been completed, and normally, the determination in step S2 is NO, and the process proceeds to step S3. In step S3, it is determined whether the received information includes its own gate ID. If the information includes its own gate ID, the process proceeds to the next step S4, and if the information does not include its own gate ID, the process returns to step S1. Note that in this example, it is assumed that the command data associated with the gate ID includes the aforementioned number-of-pickup instruction information (information specifying the number of picks to be performed in response to one pick-up instruction).

[0023] In step S4, a predetermined notification operation is performed via the notification means (RGB LED) 12 (for example, lighting up the RGB LED in blue). This allows the worker to recognize the gate PG from which the component should be removed, go to the removal gate PG related to the notification, and remove component B from that gate PG.

[0024] In step S5, the detection means 11 (infrared object detection sensor) detects the manual removal action of the worker passing through the removal gate PG, and counts the number of times the item is removed. In the next step S6, the notification mode of the notification means (RGB LED) 12 is changed to another mode (for example, the RGB LED is made to flash blue).

[0025] In step S7, it is determined whether the count value of the number of picking attempts has reached the number indicated by the picking number instruction information in the command data. If not, the process returns to step S5, and the notification (blue flashing of the RGB LED) in step S6 continues. This allows the worker to easily recognize that more parts B should be picked and repeats the picking operation. On the other hand, if the instructed number of parts B has been picked, the process proceeds from YES in step S7 to step S8, where the notification mode of the notification means (RGB LED) 12 is changed to another mode (for example, the RGB LED is turned on red). This allows the worker to easily recognize that the instructed number of parts B has been picked and stops the picking operation. In the next step S9, a picking completion signal is sent to the controller 2 via the wireless communication interface 13. Upon receiving the picking completion signal sent from the picking sensor 1, the controller 2 advances the control sequence to the next step. Meanwhile, the worker returns to the workbench with the picked parts B and assembles them into the product in progress.

[0026] Eventually, when all the processes in the part assembly sequence for assembling the product are completed, the controller 2 sends an all-processes-completed signal. If it is determined in step S2 that the all-processes-completed signal has been received, the process proceeds to step S10. In step S10, a predetermined notification operation is performed via the notification means (RGB LED) 12 (for example, by lighting the RGB LED blue). The processing of step S10 based on this all-processes-completed signal is performed by the picking sensors 1 of all take-out gates PG, sPG, and therefore the notification means (RGB LED) 12 of all take-out gates PG, sPG perform the predetermined notification operation (lighting blue). With all gates PG, sPG lit up in blue, the worker can easily recognize that all the processes in the part assembly sequence have been completed.

[0027] The processing of steps S11 and S12 following step S10 is provided as an option to easily restart the same part assembly sequence. In step S11, it is determined whether the detection means 11 (infrared object detection sensor) detected the passage of an object within a predetermined time after all gates PG and sPG began to light up blue. If the result is YES, the process proceeds to step S12, where a restart request signal is sent to the controller 2 via the wireless communication interface 13. Upon receiving the restart request signal from the picking sensor 1, the controller 2 proceeds with the control sequence to restart (resume) the same part assembly sequence from the beginning. Therefore, when all gates PG and sPG are lit up blue, a worker can insert their arm into any gate PG or sPG to cause the detection means 11 (infrared object detection sensor) to detect the passage of an object and request the restart of the same part assembly sequence. According to the present invention, since the picking / assembly of large part B is incorporated into the control line, workers are often able to go to any pick-up gate PG as needed without being permanently stationed at their workbenches. Therefore, with this option, when all steps of the part assembly sequence are completed while a worker is near any take-out gate PG, the worker can easily request the resumption of the same part assembly sequence on the spot without returning to the workbench, which is convenient. Note that if step S11 is NO, the process ends without transmitting a resumption request signal.

[0028] The notification means 12 is not limited to a multicolor LED (RGB LED) and may be other visible notification means (for example, a liquid crystal display). Furthermore, the notification means 12 is not limited to a visual notification means and may be a means for notifying information by an audible sound such as a voice. In this case, the notification means 12 may be configured using AI voice synthesis technology (audio guide, etc.).

[0029] The picking sensor according to the present invention can be applied not only to the picking of parts for product assembly but also to the picking of any other item. Furthermore, the storage location S in which the take-out gate PG (a gate space for taking out an item or part) is installed need not be a fixed location but may be a movable location (e.g., on a cart). That is, the take-out gate PG (a gate space for taking out an item or part) shown in FIG. 1 may be formed on a movable cart. Alternatively, at least one of the multiple take-out gates PG shown in FIG. 2 may be formed and installed on a movable cart. For example, it is convenient to store large parts B that are frequently taken out on a cart equipped with a take-out gate PG and move this cart near a workbench in advance. That is, for each type of product to be assembled on the workbench, a cart equipped with a take-out gate PG and storing a different large part B can be brought near the workbench. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 1. Picking sensor 2 Controller 3 Parts storage device 11. Detection methods 12 Notification methods 13 Wireless communication interface 14 Control Unit PG, sPG Removal gate (gate space for removing goods or parts) A Small or medium-sized parts B Large parts

Claims

1. A picking sensor disposed in a gate space for picking up an article, a detection means for detecting an object passing through the gate space; a notification means for notifying a worker of information in the gate space; a wireless communication interface for wirelessly transmitting and receiving information to and from an external controller; a control unit that communicates with the external controller via the wireless communication interface and controls the exchange and processing of detection information detected by the detection means and notification information to be notified by the notification means; A picking sensor comprising:

2. The picking sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication interface is a wireless LAN module conforming to the WIFI (registered trademark) standard.

3. 2. The picking sensor according to claim 1, wherein the notification means is a multicolor LED that visually notifies information.

4. 2. The picking sensor according to claim 1, wherein the notification means notifies the information by an audible sound.

5. a picking sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is arranged corresponding to each of a plurality of gate spaces; a controller that wirelessly transmits and receives information to and from each picking sensor via the wireless communication interface of each picking sensor; and a picking system that controls the removal of articles in each gate space by the controller.

6. 6. The picking system according to claim 5, further comprising a component storage device that enables components to be picked up from a selected storage compartment among a plurality of storage compartments that store components, the component storage device communicating with the controller and controlled by the controller to pick up components from a required storage compartment.

7. The information provided by the controller includes information specifying the number of times to be taken out in response to one command, The picking system of claim 5, wherein the control unit is configured to determine that the specified number of times of removal has been performed based on the removal detection by the detection means, and to cause the notification means to issue a notification in a specific form according to the determination.

8. 6. The picking system of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to transmit a process completion signal to the wireless communication interface of each picking sensor when a series of component assembly processes is completed, and the control unit of each picking sensor is configured to cause the notification means to issue a notification in a predetermined form when the control unit receives the process completion signal.

9. 6. The picking system of claim 5, wherein the control unit is configured to transmit a signal to the controller via the wireless communication interface requesting resumption of the process if the detection means detects the process when the control unit issues the predetermined notification in response to the process end signal.

10. 6. The picking system according to claim 5, wherein at least one of said gate spaces is formed on a movable carriage.

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