Precut processing device

Abstract

To provide a precut processing device capable of suitably stacking components.SOLUTION: A precut processing apparatus includes processing means for performing cutting processing or cutoff processing on a material to manufacture plate-shaped or rod-shaped parts used for a building and a crosspiece member capable of being interposed between the parts when the parts are stacked in a plurality of layers, loading means for stacking the plurality of parts processed by the processing means in a plurality of layers including the crosspiece member, and identification information adding means for adding individual identification information capable of identifying the parts processed by the processing means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pre-cutting device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, buildings such as houses use plate-shaped members (components) as rod-shaped members such as pillars and beams, as well as roofing members that form the roof or base members that serve as the base for laying the roofing members, wall members that form the exterior walls or the interior walls of compartmented spaces, flooring members that form the floors of compartmented spaces, etc. These members are processed in advance by cutting or shearing into various shapes depending on the location of use in the building, and then subjected to so-called pre-cut processing, stacked in multiple layers, and delivered to the construction site (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-19995 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There was potential for improvement in the configuration of devices that can be used when stacking plate- or rod-shaped components used in construction in multiple layers.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object to provide a precut processing device that can stack parts in a suitable state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve this object, the pre-cut processing device of the present invention is characterized by comprising: processing means for performing cutting or cutting on material to produce plate- or rod-shaped parts to be used in buildings and batten members that can be interposed between the parts when the parts are stacked in multiple layers; loading means for stacking the multiple parts processed by the processing means in multiple layers, including the batten members; and identification information adding means for adding individual identification information that can identify the parts processed by the processing means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pre-cut processing device that can identify parts by individual identification information and can appropriately stack a plurality of parts, including crosspiece members. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] Schematic diagram showing the configuration of a plate-shaped part manufacturing device [Figure 2] (A) is a partially exploded perspective view of a part of the laminate, and (B) and (C) are top views showing the arrangement of parts and crosspiece members within the layer. [Figure 3] (A) is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the imaging device, (B) and (C) are schematic diagrams showing the operation of the holding device. [Figure 4] (A) is a schematic diagram showing a crosspiece member support portion, (B) is a schematic diagram showing the operation of supplying a single crosspiece member, (C) is a schematic diagram showing the operation of supplying a plurality of crosspiece members simultaneously, and (D) is a schematic diagram showing the operation of supplying a plurality of crosspiece members simultaneously. [Figure 5] A diagram showing an example of using letters and symbols as common symbols DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a plate-shaped component manufacturing apparatus 1. Fig. 2(A) is a partially exploded perspective view showing an example of a stack in which a predetermined number of components and crosspiece members are stacked in multiple layers, Fig. 2(B) is a top view showing an example of the arrangement of the components and crosspiece members in the upper layer of two layers stacked one above the other, and Fig. 2(C) is a top view showing an example of the arrangement of the components and crosspiece members in the lower layer.

[0010] The plate-shaped component manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a processing device that processes plate-shaped material and a plate-shaped component moving device that can stack a predetermined number of plate-shaped components, including components processed by the processing device, in multiple layers. The plate-shaped component manufacturing apparatus 1 is capable of simultaneously processing the plate-shaped material and stacking the components cut out by the processing. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1 , the plate-shaped component manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a material support unit 10, an identification information addition unit 20, a processing unit 30, a component support unit 40, a stacking support unit 50, a crosspiece support unit 60, a loading unit 70, a waste material recovery unit 80, and a control unit 90. The processing unit 30 includes a functional portion as a processing device and a functional portion as a plate-shaped component moving device, and each portion, including a portion of the processing unit 30, constitutes the plate-shaped component moving device.

[0011] The material support unit 10 supports plate-shaped materials 12 before processing in a multi-tiered stack, and supplies the materials 12 one by one to the processing unit 30 via an identification information addition unit 20, which will be described later. Plate-shaped materials 12 of a quality and size suitable for the part to be manufactured are supplied to the material support unit 10 by an operator.

[0012] The identification information adding unit 20 is a device that can add predetermined identification information to each material 12 on the transport path that transports the material 12 from the material support unit 10 to the processing unit 30, including individual identification information that can distinguish a predetermined number of parts 13 to be manufactured (to be stacked) from each other, and directional identification information that can identify the orientation of each part 13, and specifically, it is equipped with a printing machine (printing machine) that can print identification information such as letters, symbols, barcodes, QR codes (registered trademark) on one side (top surface) of each material 12.

[0013] The identification information adding unit 20 prints a barcode 21 as code information including use position information indicating correspondence with the use position of each part in the building as individual identification information. The identification information adding unit 20 also prints a common symbol 22 (see FIG. 3(C) ) that is common to each part 13 and can be used as direction identification information indicating the orientation of each part 13 to be cut out from each material 12 at a predetermined position a certain distance away from the position of the barcode 21 in a predetermined direction. The common symbol 22 is preferably added at a position within a certain range (e.g., 10 cm) close to the center of gravity of each part 13 rather than at an edge part away from the center of gravity of each part 13, and may also be added at a position overlapping the center of gravity of each part 13.

[0014] The parts 13 to which identification information is added by the identification information adding unit 20 include parts 13a to 13d (processed parts: hereinafter abbreviated as parts 13a, etc.) formed by processing by the processing unit 30, and also parts (non-processing parts) that do not require processing by the processing unit 30. The identification information adding unit 20 is configured not to add identification information to waste material (remaining material 15), which is a portion separated by processing by the processing unit 30 and cannot be used as part 13.

[0015] In addition to the individual identification information, the barcode 21 may also include layer information specifying which of the multiple layers constituting the stack 11 the component is to be placed on and intra-layer position information specifying the position within the layer to be placed. In this configuration, in the control unit 90 described below, if the control device storing the stacking state of the stack 11 is different from the control device managing the loading by the loading unit 70 described below, even if the latter management device does not have information about the stacking state, the predetermined number of components 13 can be appropriately stacked based on the information in the barcode 21 and the common symbol 22. Furthermore, the individual identification information does not necessarily have to be added using a single barcode 21. Instead, or in addition to this, other code information such as a QR code may be added, or two or more code information may be added. Furthermore, the common symbol 22 does not necessarily have to be added; the individual identification information may be added using only a shape that allows a specific direction to be identified, and the individual identification information may also be used as direction identification information.

[0016] Furthermore, the identification information adding unit 20 is not limited to a configuration that prints the identification information on the material 12, but may instead or in addition be configured to attach a sticker on which the identification information is printed or an IC chip that stores the identification information to the material 12. Furthermore, the identification information adding unit 20 is not limited to a configuration that adds the identification information to the material 12 before processing by the processing unit 30, but may be configured to add the identification information to each component 13 after processing by the processing unit 30. Furthermore, at least part of the identification information (e.g., common symbol 22) may not be added to at least some of the components 13. For example, components that do not require processing are not processed, so that positional deviation during movement can be easily minimized. Furthermore, for small components that are below a certain size (e.g., with a longest side length of 30 cm or less), even if there is rotational deviation, the amount of deviation during loading is small. Therefore, loading may be performed using only the barcode 21.

[0017] The processing unit 30 is composed of a processing device that cuts the plate-shaped material 12 and a transport device that transports the material 12 and parts 13, and includes, for example, a cutting device such as an electric saw or cutter, a movement mechanism that moves the cutting device, material 12, and parts 13, and a drive device that drives the movement mechanism, although these are not shown. The processing unit 30 processes the material 12 supplied sequentially from the material support unit 10, manufactures one or more parts 13 from each material 12, and transports the manufactured one or more parts 13 to the part support unit 40. For parts that do not require processing, the material 12 is moved to the part support unit 40 without being processed.

[0018] Furthermore, processing in the processing unit 30 is performed by allocating one or more parts 13 to the material 12 under the control of the control unit 90, taking into consideration the construction order, yield, etc. The remaining portion that cannot be used as a part 13 due to this allocation may be discarded (remaining material 15) or may be used as a crosspiece member 14 (hereinafter also referred to as a processed crosspiece member 14R) to be interposed between the parts 13 when stacking the parts 13. Details of the processing and use of this remaining portion of the material 12 as a processed crosspiece member 14R will be described later.

[0019] The component support unit 40 is configured to be able to support the components 13a, etc., processed by the processing unit 30 in a component support area 40A that is set to a size that allows the placement of the plate-shaped material 12 and that can support the components 13a, etc., with the barcode 21 and the common symbol 22 facing at least one side in the up-down direction (height direction or vertical direction). The component support unit 40 also supports components that do not require processing with the barcode 21 and the common symbol 22 facing at least one side in the up-down direction.

[0020] Here, in this embodiment, we will mainly explain the case where all barcodes 21 and common symbols 22 are read from above, and we will explain the case where the barcodes 21 and common symbols 22 are printed facing upward and face upward in the component support area 40A. However, it is also possible to print the barcodes 21 and common symbols 22 facing downward, and support the underside of the components 13a, etc. in the component support section 40 with, for example, a transparent support surface, and read the barcodes 21 and common symbols 22 from the underside of the components 13a, etc.

[0021] Furthermore, the component support unit 40 is configured to be able to transfer each component 13 received from the processing unit 30 in a predetermined direction (downward in FIG. 1 ), and sequentially receives the components 13 transported from the processing unit 30. In this receiving, all of the components 13 may be transported together after being cut from one material 12, or, for example, when multiple components 13 are cut sequentially from one material 12, the components cut earlier may be transported to the component support unit 40 at an earlier stage so that the components 13 are easily supported spaced apart from each other.

[0022] Specifically, the component support unit 40 includes a plurality of drive rollers 41 driven by power, a plurality of idle rollers 42 arranged between the drive rollers 41 and capable of idling, a support belt 43 wound in a circular shape so as to contact part of the outer edges of the drive rollers 41 and the idle rollers 42, and a drive motor 44 that supplies power to the drive rollers 41 and moves the support belt 43 in a circular motion. The component support unit 40 also supports remnants 15 remaining after components 13a and the like are manufactured from the material 12, and the remnants 15 are transported by the circular movement of the support belt 43 to a remnant recovery unit 80, which will be described later.

[0023] The stack support part 50 is a part configured to be able to support the underside of the stack 11 as shown in Fig. 2(A). The components 13 supported by the component support part 40 are stacked in order on the stack support part 50. When the stack 11 reaches a certain height, the stack 11 is transported together to another location.

[0024] The laminate 11 stacked on the laminate support section 50 includes parts 13a to 13d processed by the processing section 30, may include parts that do not need to be processed, and may include crosspiece members 14. The multiple layers that make up the laminate 11 include a layer made up of one part 13, a layer made up of multiple parts 13, or a layer made up of at least one part 13 and at least one crosspiece member 14, and the configuration of the multiple layers is determined by the control section 90 depending on the number and size of the parts 13 that need to be manufactured, etc.

[0025] The crosspiece member support portion 60 is configured to be able to support the crosspiece members 14 required for stably stacking the components 13 in the stacking support portion 50 in a multi-tiered state, and supports two types of crosspiece members 14 of different shapes, for example, a strip-shaped crosspiece member 14 whose long side is the same length as one of the shorter sides of the stacking support area 50A and whose short side is shorter than one of the shorter sides of the stacking support area 50A (hereinafter also referred to as long crosspiece member 14L), and a square-shaped crosspiece member 14 whose one side is shorter than the long side of the long crosspiece member 14L and longer than the short side (hereinafter also referred to as short crosspiece member 14S).

[0026] The loading unit 70 (loading means) is configured to be capable of stacking a predetermined number of plate-like components 13, including processed components 13a, in multiple layers, and includes a contact portion for contacting the components 13a (processed components) and lifting them, and an operating portion for operating the contact portion so that the contact portion can move relative to a base 74. Specifically, the loading unit 70 includes holding equipment 71 that holds the components 13 by the contact portion that adheres to or grips the components 13 in order to lift the components 13 or the crosspiece members 14, and operating equipment 73 (operating portion) such as an articulated robot or a crane for moving the holding equipment 71. When each component 13 is held by the holding equipment 71, the operating equipment 73 moves the components 13 arranged on the component support unit 40 or the crosspiece members 14 supported by the crosspiece member support unit 60 to the stacking support unit 50.

[0027] An information input device for inputting identification information including the common symbol 22 (direction identification information) to the control unit 90 (control means) is attached to the tip side of the loading unit 70 where the holding device 71 (contact unit) is located relative to the operating device 73 (operating unit). Specifically, the information input device is composed of an imaging device 72 such as a CCD camera that can read identification information.

[0028] The loading unit 70 detects one or more components 13 supported in the component support area 40A of the component support unit 40 by detecting the barcode 21 and common symbol 22 using the imaging device 72, lifts the detected component 13 in a manner that takes into account the center of gravity position based on the common symbol 22, for example, by contacting the area including the center of gravity, and moves the lifted component 13 to a planned position within the stacking support area 50A of the stacking support unit 50 based on the information in the barcode 21. Furthermore, during this movement, the loading unit 70 rotates the component 13, if necessary, to match the orientation of the component 13 with the planned orientation based on the orientation of the common symbol 22. The detailed operation of the loading unit 70 will be described later.

[0029] The remnant material recovery unit 80 is configured to recover and hold the remnant material 15 remaining after the parts 13 have been cut out from the material 12, and is configured, for example, as a belt conveyor or a movable recovery tank with wheels. Note that the remnant material recovery unit 80 may be configured to include other equipment, such as equipment for breaking the remnant material 15 into pieces of a predetermined size or smaller, or may be configured to only have space for storing the remnant material 15.

[0030] Here, the material support unit 10, the component support unit 40, the stacking support unit 50, and the waste material recovery unit 80 do not necessarily have to be part of the plate-shaped component manufacturing apparatus 1. Each unit only needs to have a space in which the material 12, the component 13, or the waste material 15 can be placed, and the plate-shaped component manufacturing apparatus 1 may be configured, for example, by discharging the waste material 15 onto the floor and recovering it later, by supporting the component 13a etc. with a thin plate-shaped pallet, or by placing the material 12 on a movable cart.

[0031] The control unit 90 is configured, for example, by a personal computer, and is equipped with a ROM (IC chip) or RAM (magnetic disk or SSD) as a memory device for storing various programs and various data, a RAM for temporarily storing various data, a CPU as an arithmetic processing device, a recording medium as an input device, a communication device for acquiring data from other control devices, a keyboard and mouse for inputting various operating instructions, and a display as an output device for outputting the operating status.

[0032] The control unit 90 stores a stacking pattern determination program (arrangement determination means) for determining the stacking pattern (packaging style) of a predetermined number of parts 13 of various shapes and various crosspiece members 14 that help stably support the parts 13, a material processing program for controlling the processing of the material 12 in the processing unit 30, and a plate-like part movement program (part movement program) for stacking a predetermined number of parts 13 and crosspiece members 14 in multiple layers. Part data relating to the shape of each part 13 to be manufactured and the construction order at the construction site is input to the control unit 90, and the control unit 90 executes the stacking pattern determination program to generate processing data relating to the processing of each part referenced by the material processing program and stacking data relating to the stacking pattern referenced by the plate-like part movement program.

[0033] In determining the stacking pattern by executing the stacking pattern determination program, the control unit 90 determines the layer in which each component 13 is to be placed and the position and orientation within that layer based on the component data, and also determines the positions and orientations of the crosspiece members 14 required for each layer. In this case, in determining the placement of the crosspiece members 14, short crosspiece members 14S and long crosspiece members 14L are selected as needed from a variety of sizes of crosspiece members 14, making it possible to reduce the number of components used. Note that the control unit 90 does not necessarily have to be configured to determine the stacking pattern (packaging style) of the components 13 and the crosspiece members 14. For example, the stacking pattern determination program may be omitted, and data related to the stacking pattern (packaging style) may be input to the control unit 90, and the components 13 and the crosspiece members 14 may be stacked based on the input data.

[0034] Next, the configuration of the component support portion 40 will be described in more detail.

[0035] The component support section 40 has a component support area 40A that is large enough to accommodate at least one processed component cut out from a single material 12 without overlapping the other component.

[0036] The component support unit 40 may be configured to have a component support area 40A that can accommodate at least the processed components cut from one material 12 and transported sequentially, as well as an area that can accommodate processed components cut from at least one material 12 to be subsequently processed. In this configuration, the component support unit 40 can accept the components 13 from the subsequent material 12 even if they are transported before the components 13 from the preceding material 12 are moved by the loading unit 70. This prevents the need to temporarily stop the operation of the processing unit 30 that processes the subsequent material 12 due to the progress of loading of the components 13 from the preceding material 12. Furthermore, the components 13 cut from the materials 12 to be subsequently processed can be easily arranged in a single layer on the component support unit 40.

[0037] Furthermore, the component support unit 40 keeps the various pieces of information (including directional identification information) added by the identification information addition unit 20 facing at least one side in the vertical direction (upward in Figure 3), and moves each component 13 in a predetermined direction (to the right in Figures 3(A) and (B) and downward in Figure 3(C)) without turning it over so that the various pieces of information can be read from the top side of the component support unit 40 even if the position or orientation of the information is misaligned from a predetermined reference position or direction during processing in the processing unit 30, transfer from the processing unit 30 to the component support unit 40, or movement by the component support unit 40.

[0038] In addition, the control unit 90 (control means) is configured to identify the orientation of the processed parts based on the orientation identification information attached to the processed parts supported by the part support unit (processed part support means), and to control the operation of the loading unit (loading means) so that the parts are oriented in the orientation determined by the control unit 90 (arrangement storage means), thereby stacking a predetermined number of plate-shaped parts in multiple layers.

[0039] Specifically, the loading unit 70 is configured so that the holding device 71 (contact unit) and the imaging device 72, which are provided at the tip of the operating device 73 (operating unit), can move freely within the range indicated by the dashed circle in Figure 1, and are also configured so that they can rotate around a central axis in the vertical direction (a direction perpendicular to the surface of the component 13 or the crosspiece member 14: the vertical direction) that passes through the holding center of the holding device 71 (for example, the suction center of the suction pad).

[0040] Although the case where the held device 71 and the imaging device 72 move and rotate together (without changing their relative positions or orientations) will be described, they may also move and rotate individually. For ease of explanation, the following description will be given as if the control unit 90 directly controls the movement and rotation of the held device 71 and the imaging device 72. However, the movement and rotation of the held device 71 and the imaging device 72 are indirectly performed by the operating device 73, and are realized by the control unit 90 controlling the operation of the operating device 73.

[0041] 3A, the control unit 90 moves the imaging device 72 to a position near the estimated position of the center of gravity of the part 13a to be moved, and a predetermined distance above the top surface (the surface on which the common symbol or barcode is attached) of the part 13a. Thereafter, the control unit 90 searches for the common symbol 22 as direction identification information based on the image captured by the imaging device 72.

[0042] If the control unit 90 can detect the common symbol 22 within the recognition range (hereinafter also referred to as the wide-area recognition range 72H) in which the presence or absence of the common symbol 22 can be identified by searching from that position, it moves the imaging device 72 so that it approaches the common symbol 22, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 3(A).

[0043] Specifically, the control unit 90 moves the imaging device 72 within a horizontal plane (a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction) so that the common symbol 22 is positioned near the center of the wide-area recognition range 72H (see FIG. 3(C)), captures an image of the common symbol 22 again, and recognizes the orientation of the common symbol 22 based on the captured image. In this way, by capturing an image of the common symbol 22 after adjusting the position by moving the imaging device 72 again within the wide-area recognition range 72H, the orientation of the common symbol 22, i.e., the orientation of the component 13 when supported on the component support area 40A, can be detected with high accuracy. The control unit 90 detects the difference between the recognized orientation of the component 13a and the orientation in which it should be placed on the stacking support unit 50, and rotates the component 13a around the vertical direction by an angle corresponding to the difference, as shown in FIG. 3(B).

[0044] Note that the control of position adjustment by second movement of the imaging device 72 so as to approach the common symbol 22 is not limited to movement within the horizontal plane, and may also be performed to narrow the recognition range in which the common symbol 22 can be identified to narrower recognition range 72L than the wide recognition range 72H. Specifically, the imaging device 72 may also be moved in the height direction so as to be lower and closer to the surface of the component 13a than the high position indicated by the solid line, and then the common symbol 22 may be photographed to recognize the orientation of the common symbol 22. Furthermore, the control of moving the imaging device 72 so as to approach the common symbol 22 may omit the second photograph if the common symbol 22 is located within a certain range, such as near the center, in the first photograph of the wide recognition range 72H.

[0045] Furthermore, the control unit 90 reads information contained in the barcode 21, which is individual identification information, from the image of the imaging device 72, and determines whether it is the part 13a to be moved. When reading the information in the barcode 21, it is preferable to use an image captured by bringing the imaging device 72 close to the barcode 21 in order to display the barcode 21 in a small size or to include more information, but the image may be captured separately from the image of the common symbol 22, or the image may be captured after bringing the imaging device 72 close to the barcode 21.

[0046] If the detected barcode 21 is the barcode 21 of the component 13a to be moved, the control unit 90 moves the holding device 71 downward until it contacts the component 13a. Note that the recognition of the barcode 21 and the common symbol 22 may be performed based on an image captured once.

[0047] The control unit 90 then operates the holding device 71 to hold the component 13a in a state where it can be lifted. In this case, even if the detected barcode 21 is that of the component 13 to be moved, if the component 13 to be moved cannot be supported in a predetermined holding manner, for example, as in the case of component 13b shown in FIG. 3(C), if the center of gravity (tip of the arrow) of the component 13b is located in a predetermined region 40B near both ends of the support belt 43 and the component 13 is supported in a position where holding device 71 interferes with fall prevention walls 45 that prevent the component 13 from falling from the support belt 43 when the center of gravity is tried to be centered at the center of the holding device 71, the control unit 90 determines whether the component 13 can be held by rotating it from the orientation to be held initially set as the standard (reference or optimal) about an axis passing through the center of gravity. If the component 13 can be held, the control unit 90 holds the component 13 in an orientation different from the standard orientation. If the component 13 cannot be held, the control unit 90 holds the component 13 in a position away from the standard position to be held in a predetermined direction. In this case, the control unit 90 stores information specifying the change from the standard holding state, such as the differential rotation angle from the standard holding angle or the differential distance from the standard holding position, and controls the movement and rotation of the holding device 71 by subtracting the holding deviation.

[0048] The control unit 90 may be configured to pre-set and store multiple candidate holding positions and angles in case the component 13 cannot be held at the specified holding position and angle, and select from these candidates.

[0049] The control unit 90 raises the holding device 71 holding the component 13a to a predetermined height and rotates it so that the orientation of the common symbol 22 (component 13a) is aligned with the reference direction (downward in FIG. 3C), as shown in FIG. 3C. The control unit 90 then moves the holding device 71 back and forth and left and right to move the component 13a from above the component support area 40A to above the planned stacking position in the stacking support area 50A. After moving the component 13a above the planned stacking position, the control unit 90 lowers the holding device 71 to bring it into contact with the component 13d, short member 14S, and long member 14L arranged in the lower layer. The control unit 90 then releases the holding device 71 from the state in which the component 13a is held. This completes stacking the component 13a in the predetermined position and orientation. The control unit 90 repeats the same control for the other components 13b and 13c, stacking them sequentially.

[0050] The control unit 90 has been described as being configured to control the movement of the imaging device 72 so as to search for the common symbol 22 of the part 13 to be moved along a path corresponding to the position of the common symbol 22 of the part 13 to be moved. However, the control unit 90 may also be configured to control the movement of the imaging device 72 along a path corresponding to the position of the part 13 to be moved. Even in this case, the imaging device 72 can be moved closer to the common symbol 22 along a path corresponding to the position of the common symbol 22 attached to the part 13 to be moved.

[0051] The control unit 90 may also have a function of searching for the common symbol 22 by moving the imaging device 72 along a predetermined route that does not depend on the position of the common symbol 22 . For example, a specified path may be set that is independent of the component 13 to be moved, such as a zigzag path that moves from the rear side to the front side at the left end, then from the rear side to the front side at the center, and then from the rear side to the front side at the right end, and the control unit 90 may control the movement of the imaging device 72 along a fixed path that is independent of the component 13 to be moved. In a special situation where the control unit 90 cannot detect the common symbol 22 from the image in the wide area recognition range 72H, it can confirm whether the component 13 being searched for is within the range in which the common symbol 22 can be recognized from above on the component support unit 40, or is not present anywhere.

[0052] In addition, the control unit 90 can move the imaging device 72 along a fixed path without presetting the parts 13 to be moved, and move the parts 13 having the recognized common symbol to the stacking support unit 50 in the order in which they are recognized.

[0053] Furthermore, if a special situation occurs in which the common symbol 22 cannot be detected from the image in the wide-area recognition range 72H, for example, if the position of the component 13 to be moved is significantly shifted in the component support unit 40 (component support area 40A) or if the component 13 is under another component 13, the control unit 90 may perform a predetermined separate process. For example, the control unit 90 may notify the worker of the occurrence of an error by sound or display, allowing the worker to check the component 13 to be moved. Alternatively, the imaging device 72 may be moved a predetermined distance along a predetermined direction relative to the wide-area recognition range 72H (for example, a movement direction in which the component 13 or the crosspiece 14 can be moved in the component support unit 40), and the common symbol 22 may be searched for again. At this time, the control unit 90 preferably moves the imaging device 72 so that the recognition ranges in which the common symbol 22 can be recognized overlap before and after the movement, and if the common symbol 22 cannot be detected even after this movement, the control unit 90 may further repeat the movement of the imaging device 72 in the same direction and the search for the common symbol 22. Furthermore, if the common symbol 22 cannot be detected by movement in the same direction, the control unit 90 may move the imaging device 72 a predetermined distance along a direction intersecting the direction of movement, and then search for the common symbol 22 while changing the position along the direction of movement in the same manner as above.

[0054] Furthermore, for example, if the barcode 21 detected from the image in the wide area recognition range 72H is not the part to be moved (for example, part 13a) but only another part (for example, parts 13b and 13c), even if the other part is moved, if it is possible to load all parts into the layer for which the planned loading position is set, the control unit 90 may control to move the other part corresponding to the detected barcode 21 to the planned loading position, that is, to change the part to be moved in accordance with the detection result of the identification information. Furthermore, for the other parts (for example, parts 13b and 13c), a separate support table (temporary placement unit) on which they can be temporarily placed may be set in advance, separate from the stacking support unit 50, and the other parts may be temporarily placed thereon.

[0055] Thus, according to the plate-shaped component manufacturing apparatus 1, when the operation of the loading unit 70 is controlled to stack a predetermined number of plate-shaped components 13, including at least components 13a, etc., in multiple layers, the orientation of the components 13 is identified based on the common symbols 22 attached to the components 13a, etc. supported by the component support unit 40, and the control unit 90 controls the orientation of the components 13 to match the orientation determined by the stacking pattern determination program. As a result, even if the orientation of the components 13 when processed from the material 12 differs from the orientation in which they will be arranged when stacked, or even if the orientation of the components 13 is misaligned during processing or before stacking by the loading unit 70, the orientation can be adjusted based on the common symbols 22 (orientation identification information), and the components 13 can be arranged at the desired positions and in the desired orientations with high accuracy. Therefore, the components 13 can be stacked in an optimal state, and the occurrence of a load collapse due to a misalignment of the stacked components 13 can be prevented. In addition, it is possible to prevent parts 13 from protruding from the stacking support area 50A where a predetermined number of parts 13 are stacked, and it is also possible to prevent the protruding parts from being easily damaged during transportation to the construction site or at the construction site.

[0056] Furthermore, with the plate-shaped part manufacturing apparatus 1, the orientation of each part 13, which takes on a variety of shapes as a result of being processed by the processing unit 30, can be identified by recognizing the orientation identification information. Therefore, compared to identifying the orientation of each part 13 of such a variety of shapes by individually recognizing the external shape of each part 13, the orientation of the part 13 can be identified quickly based on a simple plate-shaped part movement program, and each part 13 can be placed at the desired position in the desired orientation easily and quickly.

[0057] Furthermore, according to the plate-shaped component manufacturing apparatus 1, the operation of the loading unit 70 is controlled so that the holding device 71 and the imaging device 72 approach the component support area 40A along different paths according to the estimated position within the component support area 40A where the component 13 to be moved or the common symbol 22 attached thereto is likely to be located. This makes it possible to search for the common symbol 22 of the component 13 to be moved near the position where the common symbol 22 is likely to be located, and to efficiently recognize the common symbol 22 of the component 13 to be moved. Therefore, it becomes possible to efficiently place each component 13 at a desired position and in a desired orientation.

[0058] In addition, the device that identifies the orientation of parts 13 based on the common symbols 22 attached to parts 13a, etc. under the control of the control unit 90 and stacks the plate-shaped parts 13 in multiple layers is not limited to the plate-shaped part manufacturing device 1 that includes a processing device, but can also be configured as a plate-shaped part moving device that does not include a processing device, and can achieve the same effect, and in this case, the control part in the control unit 90 related to the processing of the material 12 may be omitted.

[0059] Next, the configuration of the plate-shaped part manufacturing apparatus 1 relating to processing and use when the remaining portion of the material 12 is made into the processed crosspiece member 14R will be described in detail.

[0060] The control unit 90 is configured to assign components 13a, etc. (processed components) and processed crosspiece members 14R (crosspiece members) to the plate-shaped material 12 to be processed by the processing unit 30 (processing device), and control the processing to have the processing unit 30 (processing device) process the components 13a, etc. and the processed crosspiece members 14R. Specifically, the control unit 90 determines the positions and orientations of the crosspiece members 14 required for each layer based on the execution of the stacking pattern determination program. At this time, the control unit 90 determines the allocation areas for all of the one or more components 13a, etc. cut out from each material 12, and then assigns the processed crosspiece members 14R to areas of each material 12 to which no components 13a, etc. are assigned. Furthermore, when the control unit 90 assigns a processed crosspiece member 14R smaller than a predetermined size to the material 12, the control unit 90 determines its outer shape to be a specific shape, for example, the same shape as the short crosspiece members 14S, so that individual identification is not required. The small processed crosspiece member 14R has the same shape as the short crosspiece member 14S so that they can be used interchangeably or in combination, but they do not have to have the same shape.

[0061] The identification information adding unit 20, under the control of the control unit 90, adds identification information to at least one surface of the processed slat member 14R facing the thickness direction, similar to the case of the components 13a, etc., to identify the component 13, etc., or the processed slat member 14R. Specifically, for processed slat members 14R larger than a predetermined size, the identification information adding unit 20 prints a barcode corresponding to the slat member 14, similar to the barcode 21, as individual identification information, and the same common symbol 22 as the components 13a, etc., as orientation identification information. For processed slat members 14R smaller than the predetermined size, the identification information adding unit 20 prints only the same common symbol 22 as the components 13a, etc., as orientation identification information. Note that the orientation identification information added to the processed slat member 14R does not have to be the same common symbol as the components 13a, etc., but may be another form as described above that can be used for the components 13a, etc., or may be a dedicated form not used for the components 13a, etc.

[0062] The component support section 40 also supports the processing crosspiece 14R in a state in which the common symbol 22 (direction identification information) faces at least one side in the up-down direction, similarly to the case of the component 13a and the like. Furthermore, the component support portion 40 supports the processing block member 14R in a manner similar to that of the components 13, etc., such that the processing block member 14R is spaced apart from each component 13, etc. and other processing block members 14R.

[0063] When the control unit 90 is able to recognize the presence of the common symbol 22 in a search using the imaging device 72 for the component 13a to be moved and the common symbol 22 attached thereto, but is unable to recognize the presence of the barcode 21 at a predetermined position relative to the common symbol 22, the control unit 90 determines that the component is a small processed bar member 14R processed into a specific shape. Furthermore, even if the recognized barcode 21 is not that of the component 13a to be moved but that of a large processed bar member 14R, or even if the barcode 21 is that of a small processed bar member 14R for which no barcode 21 is recognized, the control unit 90 moves the recognized processed bar member 14R as long as moving the recognized processed bar member 14R before the completion of movement of the component 13a to be moved does not prevent any of the other components 13 or bar members 14 from being positioned correctly.

[0064] In this way, according to the plate-shaped part manufacturing apparatus 1, the control unit 90 assigns the parts 13a, etc. and the processed bar member 14R to the material 12, causes the processing unit 30 to process the parts 13a, etc. and the processed bar member 14R, and causes the identification information adding unit 20 to add a bar code and a common symbol 22 as identification information that enables identification of the parts 13a, etc. and the processed bar member 14R to at least one surface facing in the thickness direction of the parts 13a, etc. and the processed bar member 14R. This makes it possible to adjust the orientation of the parts 13a, etc. and the processed bar member 14R processed from the material 12 based on the identification information before loading.

[0065] Furthermore, since the common symbol 22 is added to the processed bar member 14R as orientation identification information, it is possible to arrange it with high precision in the position and orientation determined by the control unit 90 (stacking mode determination program). Therefore, the components 13a, etc. and the processed bar member 14R can be stacked appropriately, and the occurrence of load collapse due to misalignment of the stacked components 13a, etc. and the processed bar member 14R can be prevented.

[0066] Furthermore, with the plate-shaped component manufacturing apparatus 1, it is possible to process the processed crosspiece members 14R, which are used to assist in stably supporting the components 13a, etc., from the remaining portion of the material 12 after the components 13a, etc. have been processed, thereby improving the yield rate related to the processing of the components 13a, etc. and the processed crosspiece members 14R.

[0067] Furthermore, with the plate-shaped component manufacturing apparatus 1, it is possible to adjust the orientations of the components 13a, etc. and the processed bar member 14R based on the common symbol 22 as described above, so when allocating multiple processing targets including the components 13a and the processed bar member 14R to one material 12, it is not necessary to align the orientations of the multiple processing targets on the material 12 with the orientations determined by the control unit 90 (stacking pattern determination program), increasing the degree of freedom in the combination of multiple processing targets that can be allocated to one material 12. This makes it possible to improve the yield related to the processing of the components 13a, etc. and the processed bar member 14R compared to when aligning the orientations of the multiple processing targets on the material 12 with the orientations determined by the control unit 90.

[0068] Furthermore, the plate-shaped part manufacturing apparatus 1 may be configured such that the control unit 90 (stacking pattern determination program) determines which of a plurality of layers the components 13a, etc. and the processed bar members 14R will be placed on, and then the components 13a, etc. and the processed bar members 14R are assigned to the determined layer positions and processed. When this configuration is adopted, the components 13a, etc. and the processed bar members 14R placed on each of a plurality of layers are processed from the same material 12, simplifying the control for assigning the components 13a, etc. and the processed bar members 14R to the material 12 and reducing the processing load. Furthermore, the components 13a, etc. and the processed bar members 14R on each material 12 may be assigned so that their arrangement is the same as the arrangement of the components 13a, etc. and the processed bar members 14R that make up each layer.

[0069] Next, a detailed description will be given of the crosspiece member support section 60. Fig. 4(A) is a schematic top view showing an example of the configuration of the crosspiece member support section 60, (B) is a schematic front view thereof, (C) is a schematic side view showing an example of an operation mode for supplying a single crosspiece member 14 (long crosspiece member 14L), and (D) is a side view showing an example of an operation mode for simultaneously supplying multiple crosspiece members 14 (long crosspiece members 14L).

[0070] As shown in Figures 1, 4(A) and 4(B), the crosspiece member support portion 60 is configured to support the long crosspiece members 14L (strip-shaped crosspiece members) in a horizontally aligned state in the short direction that intersects the longitudinal direction, with the positions of their ends shifted in a top view.

[0071] Specifically, as shown in Figures 4(A) and 4(B), the rail member support part 60 includes, as walls protruding upward from an intermediate wall 61 having openings 61a to 61c, longitudinal limiting walls 62a and 63a that limit the longitudinal ends of the rail member 14L supported on the front side (the lower side in Figure 4(A) and the front side perpendicular to the paper surface in Figure 4(B)), and a lateral limiting wall 64a that limits the lateral ends of the rail member 14L. Similarly, the rail member support part 60 includes longitudinal limiting walls 62b and 63b that limit the longitudinal ends of the rail member 14L supported on the rear side, and a lateral limiting wall 64b that limits the lateral ends of the rail member 14L, and the longitudinal limiting walls 62b and 63b are offset from the longitudinal limiting walls 62a and 63a along the longitudinal direction of the rail member 14L. The crosspiece member support portion 60 supports the long crosspiece members 14L in a stacked state in a direction along the various restricting walls.

[0072] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4(A) and 4(B), the crosspiece member support portion 60 is provided with a support frame 66 formed above the bottom wall 65 to support the intermediate wall 61 and having an opening 66a (openings 66b, 66c) communicating with the opening 61a (openings 61b, 61c), a regulating plate 67a (regulating plate 67b) fixed to the bottom wall 65, which comes into contact with the underside of the front (rear) long crosspiece member 14L located at the bottom when stacked, and which can move the front (rear) long crosspiece member 14L of the stacked crosspiece member in the vertical direction together with the stacked crosspiece member, and a cylinder 68a (cylinder 68b) which drives the regulating plate 67a (regulating plate 67b).

[0073] The control unit 90 is configured to be able to control two or more crosspiece members 14 to come into contact with the holding device 71 (contact unit) and be lifted up, and to move the two or more crosspiece members 14 together to at least some of the layers (layers that make up the laminate 11). For example, the control unit 90 may be configured to control the movement of two or more long crosspiece members 14L together, or to control the movement of two or more short crosspiece members 14S together, or may further be configured to control the movement of one or more long crosspiece members 14L and one or more short crosspiece members 14S together.

[0074] The control unit 90 also controls the operation of the loading unit 70 (loading means) so that the holding device 71 (contact unit) is positioned above two or more long bar members 14L (strip-shaped bar members) supported side by side by the bar member support unit 60 (bar member support means), and after the two or more long bar members 14L come into contact with the contact unit, the control unit 90 lifts up the two or more long bar members 14L and moves them together to at least some of the layers.Furthermore, the control unit 90 also performs single-bar member movement control so that only one long bar member 14L (strip-shaped bar member) comes into contact with the holding device 71 (contact unit), lifts it up, and moves the single long bar member 14L to at least some of the layers.

[0075] Specifically, the control unit 90 is configured to control the operation of the cylinders 68a, 68b to position the regulating plates 67a, 67b so as to maintain the position of the top surface of the top long member 14L at a constant height H1, and when the top long member 14L is removed, the control unit 90 controls the remaining stacked long members 14L to be raised integrally by the thickness of the long member 14L. Furthermore, when the top long member 14L is held by the holding device 71, the control unit 90 moves the holding device 71 to a position (hereinafter referred to as the holding standby position) that is the center of the portion where the front and back long members 14L overlap along their longitudinal direction, where the top surface of the top long member 14L and the bottom end of the holding device 71 are a predetermined distance H2 (e.g., the thickness of the long member 14L). The control unit 90 then controls the cylinders 68a and 68b to raise the regulating plates 67a and 67b until the top surface of the top-layer long bar 14L comes into contact with the bottom end of the holding device 71. The control unit 90 is configured to be able to control the cylinders 68a and 68b individually, and can raise the front or back long bar 14L by operating the cylinder 68a or cylinder 68b (as shown in FIG. 4C) (when the cylinder 68b is operated), as shown in FIG. 4D. Alternatively, the control unit 90 can simultaneously operate the cylinders 68a and 68b to raise both the front and back long bar 14L. This allows the control unit 90 to hold only a single long bar 14L in the holding device 71, or to hold multiple long bar 14L (two in the drawing). Also, although not shown in the figure, with regard to short bar members 14S, as in the case of long bar members 14L, the control unit 90 can cause the holding device 71 to hold only a single short bar member 14S, or can cause the holding device 71 to hold multiple short bar members 14S (two or four in the figure).

[0076] Here, the crosspiece support portion 60 is arranged so that the crosspieces 14L are aligned in a lateral direction intersecting the longitudinal direction in a top view. Therefore, one front crosspiece 14L can be supported so that its right longitudinal end (the end not facing the rear crosspiece 14L; hereinafter abbreviated as the right end) is aligned with the longitudinal-side restricting wall 62a, and the other rear crosspiece 14L can be supported so that its left longitudinal end (the end not facing the rear crosspiece 14L; hereinafter abbreviated as the left end) is aligned with the longitudinal-side restricting wall 62b. This allows the distance between the right end of the front crosspiece 14L and the left end of the rear crosspiece 14L (hereinafter referred to as the offset total length) to be kept constant even if the longitudinal lengths of the front and rear crosspieces 14L are uneven. Furthermore, the total offset length of the crosspiece member support portion 60 is set to a length corresponding to the long side of the stacked support area 50A (see Figures 1 and 2), and the control portion 90 can move the two long crosspiece members 14L while maintaining the relative positions supported by the crosspiece member support portion 60, thereby positioning them exactly along the long side of the stacked support area 50A.

[0077] The crosspiece support section 60 is configured to support the front and rear crosspieces 14L so that their longitudinal directions are approximately parallel to the long sides of the stacking support area 50A, and when the crosspieces 14L are arranged along the long sides of the stacking support area 50A, the crosspieces 14L can be moved without rotation, which would more easily cause the crosspieces 14L to be released from the holding state by the holding device 71 than with linear movement. This allows the crosspieces 14L to be moved at a higher speed than when they are moved with rotation.

[0078] In addition, the crosspiece member support portion 60 is not limited to a configuration in which the front and rear long crosspiece members 14L are supported in close proximity in the short side direction, but may also be configured to support them in a state in which they are spaced apart at a predetermined interval in the short side direction.

[0079] Furthermore, when moving the two long beam members 14L, the control unit 90 does not necessarily have to hold them simultaneously, but may hold them separately. That is, after one of the long beam members 14L on the front side and the back side is held by the holding device 71, that long beam member 14L may be moved by the operating device 73 so as to be close to the other long beam member 14L, and then the other long beam member 14L may be held by the holding device 71.

[0080] Furthermore, the crosspiece support unit 60 is not limited to a configuration in which multiple stacks of long crosspieces 14L are arranged side by side, such as on the front side or the back side, but may be configured to provide only one stack. When this configuration is adopted, the control unit 90 holds one long crosspiece 14L with the holding device 71, moves that long crosspiece 14L with the operating device 73, and then holds another long crosspiece 14L with the holding device 71 in a position different from the position where the previously held long crosspiece 14L is held. When the long crosspiece 14L is moved with the operating device 73, the total offset distance of the two long crosspieces 14L held by the holding device 71 is adjusted by the amount of movement of the long crosspiece 14L along the longitudinal direction, and the spacing between the long crosspieces 14L is adjusted by the amount of movement of the long crosspiece 14L along the lateral direction. Furthermore, it is preferable that the crosspiece member support portion 60 is configured to support the long crosspiece members 14L by aligning one end of each long crosspiece member 14L, and that the control portion 90 is configured to hold the long crosspiece member 14L to be held first, then rotate the long crosspiece member 14L 180 degrees around the front-to-back direction of the long crosspiece member 14L as the central axis, and then hold another long crosspiece member 14L so that the one end of the held long crosspiece member 14L that was aligned in the supported state does not face the next long crosspiece member 14L to be held.By adopting this configuration, the total offset length of the two held long crosspiece members 14L can be kept constant even if the longitudinal lengths of the long crosspiece members 14L are uneven.

[0081] Furthermore, the control unit 90 is not limited to a configuration that performs single-rail member movement control and multiple-rail member movement control, and may be configured not to perform single-rail member movement control. If this configuration is adopted, the rail member support unit 60 may be configured to be unable to move the front and rear long rail members 14L individually. For example, the cylinder 68a and the cylinder 68b may operate only in conjunction with each other, or the front and rear long rail members 14L may be supported by a single regulating plate. When moving a single long rail member 14L using single-rail member movement control, the control unit 90 is preferably configured to alternately select and move the front and rear long rail members 14L so that they are evenly used. Furthermore, when moving a single long rail member 14L, the control unit 90 is preferably configured to change the position at which the holding device 71 holds the long rail member 14L, for example, so that the holding device 71 holds the center (center of gravity) of each long rail member 14L.

[0082] Furthermore, when the holding device 71 holds one or more objects, the control unit 90 is not limited to a configuration in which the objects are held close to the center (holding center) of the area that can be held by the holding device 71, but may be a configuration in which the objects are held close to one end. In this case, the control unit 90 can cause the operating device 73 to move the object held by the holding device 71 to a range farther from the base 74 (see FIG. 1) than when the object is held close to the center.

[0083] In this way, the plate-shaped part manufacturing apparatus 1 can at least control the operation of the loading means (loading unit 70) to stack parts 13 and long and short members 14L and 14S in multiple layers. It can also control the contact unit (holding device 71) to contact and lift two or more long and short members 14L and 14S, and move them together to at least some of the multiple layers. This allows two or more members 14L to be lifted and moved to the desired position at once, improving the time efficiency of placing members on each layer. This allows plate-shaped or rod-shaped parts to be stacked together, including multiple members.

[0084] Furthermore, the plate-shaped part manufacturing apparatus 1 can simultaneously lift two or more crosspiece members 14L, improving the time efficiency of lifting the crosspiece members 14L, 14S. Furthermore, by previously shifting the multiple crosspiece members 14L so that their relative positions are the same as those at the movement location, it becomes possible to simultaneously place two or more crosspiece members 14L in desired positions without further moving at least one of the crosspiece members 14L after moving them onto the layer.

[0085] Furthermore, with the plate-shaped part manufacturing apparatus 1, it is possible to select whether to move a single batten member or multiple batten members, so that a predetermined number of batten members can be easily moved to a layer that requires only one batten member, or to a layer that requires multiple batten members.

[0086] The device that controls the control unit 90 to bring two or more crosspiece members 14 into contact with the contact unit (holding device 71), lift them up, and move them together to at least some of the layers is not limited to the plate-shaped component manufacturing device 1 that includes a processing device, but can also be configured as a plate-shaped component moving device that does not include a processing device, and can achieve the same effect. Furthermore, in this plate-shaped component moving device, at least one of the identification information adding unit 20 and the processing unit 30 may be omitted, and the control part in the control unit 90 related to the processing of the material 12 may be omitted.

[0087] Furthermore, the device that controls the collective movement of two or more crosspiece members 14 under the control of the control unit 90 is not limited to the case where the parts to be moved by the loading unit 70 are plate-shaped parts 13, and may be configured as a part moving device that moves rod-shaped parts, and may be used as crosspiece members 14 used for structural members such as pillars and crossbeams that form the framework of a building, or auxiliary members such as feather-shaped members. In this case, the above-mentioned long crosspiece member 14L may be used, and the long crosspiece member 14L may be placed in one of a plurality of stacked tiers of rod-shaped parts, and the overlap in the longitudinal direction may be adjusted by varying the amount of misalignment of the end positions of the two long crosspiece members 14L to match the width of the truck bed, thereby allowing the long crosspiece member 14L to be used as a crosspiece member 14 that can be adjusted to fit the width of a variety of truck beds.

[0088] Furthermore, the control unit 90 is not limited to a configuration that performs both single-rail member movement control and multiple-rail member movement control, and may be configured to perform only single-rail member movement control without performing multiple-rail member movement control.

[0089] Next, the configuration of the direction identification information added to the parts 13 and the crosspiece members 14 by the identification information adding unit 20 will be further described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example in which characters and symbols are used as the common symbol 22 used as the direction identification information. Specifically, the diagram schematically illustrates an example in which the identification information adding unit 20 adds a barcode 21 and a common symbol 22 as identification information to multiple processed parts (parts 13 and crosspiece members 14) manufactured using a single material 12.

[0090] The common symbol 22 usable as direction identification information may be added using characters or graphics, as shown in Fig. 5. It is preferable that the common symbol 22 uses characters, symbols, or graphics usable by a personal computer serving as the control unit 90. Examples of characters include hiragana, katakana, alphabets, numbers, and kanji, and examples of symbols include "￥" and "&". The direction identification information used for this common symbol 22 may be limited to characters belonging to one type of classification, such as kanji or symbols, or may be limited to characters belonging to two or more classifications.

[0091] Furthermore, any of the character and symbol information may be used as the direction identification information as the common symbol 22, but it is preferable to use information (hereinafter also referred to as "non-use information") that is different from information (hereinafter also referred to as "use information") that is used to identify the component 13, such as the number of the component 13 or the location of the component 13. This makes it possible to avoid a situation in which the use information is mistakenly recognized as direction identification information.

[0092] Furthermore, it is preferable to use kanji characters as unused information that can be used as direction identification information. There are many types of kanji characters, so unused information can be easily selected from them, and there are many options for later changes or additions, making it easy to make changes or additions.

[0093] Here, the common symbol 22 is printed by controlling the identification information adding unit 20 under the control of the control unit 90. For this reason, one or more types of non-use information that can be used as the common symbol 22 may be stored (set) in advance in the control unit 90, and the control unit 90 may control the identification information adding unit 20 to add the non-use information, or new non-use information that can be used as the common symbol 22 may be added by inputting (adding) unset non-use information to the control unit 90.

[0094] As the Chinese characters used as direction identification information, Chinese characters in a form that can identify a specific direction can be used. For example, Chinese characters such as "土", "円", "山", "出" can be used. In setting these Chinese characters, if the Chinese characters used as direction identification information are too simple, there may be a possibility of misrecognition due to the grain or dirt of part 13 in the case of manufacturing part 13 by processing wooden materials. On the other hand, if they are too complex, in order to accurately identify the identification information, a high-resolution camera may be required, or the possible positions for information input may be limited, such as it being difficult to accurately identify when the distance is far. Therefore, as the Chinese characters used as direction identification information, for example, as the number of strokes, Chinese characters with three or more strokes and not too simple are preferred, and it is also preferable to use Chinese characters with no more than five strokes and not too complex.

[0095] Also, as the Chinese characters used as direction identification information, it is preferable to use Chinese characters having linear parts facing multiple directions. For example, Chinese characters such as "工" and "土" are more preferable than using Chinese characters such as the Chinese numeral "三". Thereby, it is possible to easily avoid a situation where the grain that is likely to be arranged in a large number in a certain direction is misrecognized as direction identification information.

[0096] Also, it is preferable to use Chinese characters (for example, "土") in a form where the direction can be limited to one direction even if the length of the straight part changes slightly, rather than Chinese characters (for example, "工") that can be recognized as characters in another direction when the length of the straight part changes slightly. Thereby, it is possible to easily avoid a situation of misrecognition, such as the direction being reversed due to the grain or dirt overlapping on some linear parts.

[0097] Also, it is preferable to use, as direction identification information, Chinese characters (for example, "山") in which two or more linear parts facing at least one of a plurality of directions (for example, the vertical direction) are provided in parallel, as this can easily avoid misrecognition. Also, it is suitable to use, as direction identification information, Chinese characters (for example, "円") in which the directions in which two or more linear parts are parallel are provided in two directions.

[0098] In addition, as the direction identification information, it is preferable that a plurality of types of common symbols 22 added by the identification information addition unit 20 are set. For example, it is preferable to set a plurality of types of Chinese characters as the direction identification information in advance, and assign different characters to the plurality of parts 13 divided when the plate-like material is cut, and add them by the identification information addition unit 20. Thereby, when the common symbol 22 is detected by the control unit 90, it is possible to easily identify one part to be moved, detect only the common symbol 22, easily identify the moving destination of the part 13 by the control unit 90, and control the loading unit 70 to move the part 13.

[0099] When using a plurality of types of identification information as the direction identification information, the characters or symbols added by the identification information addition unit 20 may be printed in different sizes, and the control unit 90 may identify and control that they are different direction identification information based on the difference in the size of the characters or the like. For example, for the parts 13 divided into a plurality when the plate-like material is cut, the same Chinese character may be added in different sizes, and the parts 13 may be identified by the type and size of the Chinese character. FIG. 5 illustrates a case where the direction identification information of "￥" and "mountain" is used as the common symbol 22 in different sizes.

[0100] In addition, as the number of types of direction identification information to be set, it is preferable to set the number corresponding to the number of parts that need to be moved after being divided from one material. For example, when a maximum of six parts 13 can be manufactured from one material 12, it is preferable to set six or more different direction identification information in advance. FIG. 5 illustrates a case where different direction identification information is added as the common symbol 22 to three types of parts 13a to 13c.

[0101] Furthermore, when a plurality of identical parts 13 (parts 13 having the same shape and size) are manufactured from one material 12, the same direction identification information may be added to the identical parts 13. Fig. 5 illustrates an example in which the same direction identification information, "mountain", is added as a common symbol 22 to crosspiece members 14, which are processed parts having the same shape and size.

[0102] Furthermore, the same orientation identification information may be added to a plurality of components 13 manufactured by cutting one material 12. In this case, it is preferable to add the same orientation identification information only when the same orientation identification information printed on the plurality of components 13 is spaced apart by a predetermined distance or more. For example, control may be performed to add the same orientation identification information to positions within the wide recognition range 72H described above that are spaced apart by a distance at which the same orientation identification information is not placed.

[0103] Alternatively, direction identification information of different colors may be added to multiple components 13 as direction identification information, and the control unit 90 may identify the type of direction identification information, including the color of the added identification information, thereby determining the direction identification information.

[0104] Furthermore, the common symbol 22 added to one component 13 may be a single character or symbol added as direction identification information, or multiple different pieces of identification information (for example, identification information in which either or both the type and size of the character or symbol differ) may be added. Fig. 5 illustrates an example in which two types of direction identification information are added to each of three types of components 13a to 13c.

[0105] When multiple different types of identification information are added to one component 13 as the common symbol 22, the same character or symbol (e.g., kanji) may be added in multiple locations in different sizes, or different characters or symbols (e.g., two types of kanji) may be added. In this case, it is preferable that the control unit 90 stores the relative positional relationship between the center of gravity of the component 13 and the printing position for the multiple types of identification information added to one component 13, and controls the loading unit 70 to move the component 13 if any of the identification information is detected. Figure 5 shows an example where direction identification information of different sizes is added to one component 13 as the common symbol 22.

[0106] Here, a control example in which multiple characters or symbols are added as direction identification information to one component 13 will be described. First, an image of the component 13 to which multiple pieces of direction identification information have been added is input to the control unit 90 via the information input device (image capture device 72). If one piece of direction identification information is detected in the image, the control unit 90 controls the movement of the component 13 based on that direction identification information. If multiple pieces of direction identification information are detected, the control unit 90 compares the detected pieces of direction identification information with pre-stored ideal direction identification information data, and selects one piece of information with a higher percentage of correct parts (score) as the direction identification information to be used for movement control. In this case, multiple types of direction identification information may be input to the control unit 90 by capturing images multiple times. However, it is preferable to add multiple types of direction identification information to the control unit 90 at positions close enough to each other that the information can be input by a single image capture using the image capture device 72. This allows multiple types of direction identification information to be input to the control unit 90 with fewer information inputs (image captures), making it easier to speed up the control of the movement of the component 13.

[0107] In this way, the identification information adding unit 20 as an identification information adding means is configured to add a part (one or more) of the multiple types of kanji or symbols set as identification information to the processed parts 13 and crosspiece members 14 as processed parts processed under the control of the processing unit 30 as a processing device, as a common symbol 22. For this reason, the control unit 90 can identify the type and size of the kanji or symbol added to the processed part, and can control the movement of the processed part according to the type of directional identification information formed by the combination of the type and size of the kanji or symbol added to the processed part.

[0108] That is, when multiple processed parts are manufactured from one sheet of material 12, different orientation identification information can be attached to the multiple processed parts, and in this case, the processed part can be moved by identifying which of the multiple processed parts it is by the common symbol 22, without having to input individual identification information such as a barcode 21 into the control unit 90 using the information input device (imaging device 72). Therefore, movement control can be suitably performed using identification information (orientation identification information) that can identify the orientation of the processed part, for example, by simplifying the input of identification information using the information input device to shorten the time required to complete the movement of the processed part, or by using a low-resolution imaging device 72 as an information input device for inputting orientation identification information to reduce the cost of the plate-shaped part manufacturing apparatus 1.

[0109] Furthermore, information on kanji characters that can be generally used on personal computers, etc., is included as the direction identification information set in the control unit 90. This diversifies the objects that can be set as identification information, making it easier to set (select) appropriate identification information, and by using existing characters, it becomes easier to set identification information for the control unit 90 and to set identification control of identification information based on information input from the information input device (imaging device 72).

[0110] Furthermore, direction identification information set in the control unit 90 includes different types of direction identification information with different character sizes. Therefore, it is possible to perform control using a variety of identification information using limited characters and figures.

[0111] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is easily conceivable that various improvements and modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention, and for example, the present invention may be implemented in the following modified form.

[0112] In the above embodiment, in the plate-shaped part manufacturing apparatus 1, even if the material 12 is a part that does not require processing by the processing unit 30 and is itself used as a part 13, the configuration has been described in which the material 12 is moved to the stacking support unit 50 through the identification information addition unit 20, the processing unit 30, and the part support unit 40.However, for materials 12 that are parts that do not require processing, the configuration may also be such that the material 12 is moved directly from the material support unit 10 to the stacking support unit 50.

[0113] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the plate-shaped part manufacturing apparatus 1 is configured to move the parts 13 and the crosspiece members 14 by the loading unit 70, but the operating device 73 may also be configured to move the material 12, for example, from the material support unit 10 to the identification information addition unit 20, or from the identification information addition unit 20 to the processing unit 30. Furthermore, the plate-shaped part manufacturing apparatus 1 may be configured to move the material 12 that does not need to be processed by the processing unit 30 from the material support unit 10 or the identification information addition unit 20 to the stacking support unit 50 by the loading unit 70.

[0114] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the loading section 70 of the plate-shaped part manufacturing apparatus 1 is controlled by the control unit 90, and the parts 13 and crosspiece members 14 as processed parts are stacked in multiple layers based on the direction identification information (common symbol 22). However, the direction identification information does not necessarily need to be used when stacking in multiple layers; instead of or in addition to this, the direction identification information may be used to move the processed parts; for example, the direction identification information may be used in the control of the control unit 90 when moving the processed parts to a support table on which they can be temporarily placed.

[0115] Furthermore, as an invention that can be extracted from the above embodiment, the plate-like part moving device may be configured as follows.

[0116] a moving means for moving a processed part that is processed by a processing device capable of dividing a plate-shaped material into a plurality of parts, the processed part having identification information (direction identification information) that can identify the orientation of the processed part attached to at least one surface facing the thickness direction; an arrangement storage means for storing the position and orientation of the component when the component is moved by the moving means; a processed part support means for supporting the processed part processed by the processing device in a processed part support area set to a size that allows the plate-shaped material to be placed therein, with the identification information facing at least one side in the up-down direction; a control means for identifying the orientation of the processed part based on the identification information attached to the processed part supported by the processed part support means, and for controlling the operation of the moving means so that the orientation of the processed part is the orientation stored in the arrangement memory means.

[0117] According to this plate-shaped part moving device, even if there is a deviation or variation in the orientation of the processed part before the moving means moves, the orientation of the processed part can be adjusted based on the identification information (orientation identification information), and the processed part can be placed in a preset position with high precision.

[0118] Furthermore, since the orientation of each processed part, which takes on various shapes when processed by the processing device, can be identified by recognizing the identification information (orientation identification information), the orientation of the processed part can be identified quickly based on simple orientation recognition control, compared to when the orientation is identified by individually recognizing the external shape of each processed part of various shapes, and each processed part can be placed at the desired position in the desired orientation easily and quickly. [Industrial Applicability]

[0119] As described above, the present invention is suitable for a precut processing device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0120] 1... Plate-shaped part manufacturing apparatus (pre-cut processing apparatus), 11... Laminated body, 12... Material, 13, 13a to 13d... Parts, 14, 14L, 14R, 14S... Crosspiece members, 10... Material support section, 20... Identification information adding section (identification information adding means, printing device), 21... Barcode (identification information, individual identification information), 22... Common symbol (identification information, direction identification information), 30... Processing section (processing means), 40... Part support section (processed part support means), 50... Stacking support section, 60... Crosspiece member support section (crosspiece member support means), 70... Loading section (loading means, moving means), 71... Holding device (contact section), 72... Imaging device (information input device), 73... Operating device (operating section), 80... Remaining material collection section, 90... Control section (arrangement storage means)

Claims

[Claim 1] a processing means for performing cutting or cutting on a material to manufacture plate- or rod-shaped parts to be used in buildings and crosspiece members that can be interposed between the parts when the parts are stacked in multiple layers; a stacking means for stacking the plurality of parts processed by the processing means, including the crosspiece members, in a plurality of layers; A precut processing device comprising an identification information adding means for adding individual identification information that can identify the part processed by the processing means.

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