Vehicle body gap measurement support system and vehicle body gap measurement support method

Abstract

By allowing workers to check the location and information of the gaps to be measured using augmented reality (AR), the work time for the workers is reduced. [Solution] The vehicle body gap measurement support system comprises a model providing unit 11 that provides a CAD model, a conversion unit 13 that converts information including the design value of the gap into a data format that can be digitally processed, an integrated output unit 14 that associates the CAD model provided by the model providing unit 11, the digitally processable data converted by the conversion unit, and a CAD shot diagram of the gap to be measured, and outputs position information and design value information of the gap to be measured, and a display unit 15 that performs AR display based on the information input from the integrated output unit 14.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle body gap measurement support system and a vehicle body gap measurement support method.

Background Art

[0002] In automobile production, quality checks are carried out. As one of the quality check processes, there is an operation of plate gap measurement for measuring the size of the gap at the overlapping part of vehicle body parts to prevent quality defects such as water leakage.

[0003] As a related technology, there is a method of transmitting specific AR content from a content management server that stores AR content containing work items for specifying operations on external devices and standard measurement values of measurable measurement values for those work items to a mobile device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Generally, as a working method for finding gaps, a method is taken in which the CAD shot diagram around the gap to be measured is confirmed for each gap and compared with the actual vehicle to identify the location. However, it is difficult to identify the location of the measurement target from the vehicle as a whole only with the CAD shot diagram of a small area around the gap, and there is a problem that the work takes time.

[0006] The present disclosure provides a vehicle body gap measurement support system and a vehicle body gap measurement support method that can shorten the working time of workers by making the position and information of the gap to be measured visible in AR (Augmented Reality).

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The vehicle body gap measurement support system according to this disclosure is a vehicle body gap measurement support system that assists an operator in measuring the gaps of overlapping parts of a vehicle body, and comprises: a model providing unit that provides a CAD model; a conversion unit that converts information including the design value of the gap into a data format that can be digitally processed; and an integrated output unit that associates the CAD model provided by the model providing unit, the digitally processable data converted by the conversion unit, and a CAD shot drawing of the gap to be measured, and outputs position information and design value information of the gap to be measured. This allows information about gaps to be displayed using augmented reality (AR) at the appropriate location on the vehicle body.

[0008] Furthermore, the vehicle body gap measurement support method according to this disclosure comprises the steps of: converting information including the design value of the gap into a data format that can be digitally processed; associating a CAD model, the converted digitally processable data, and a CAD shot drawing of the gap to be measured, and outputting location information and design value information of the gap to be measured. This allows information about gaps to be displayed using augmented reality (AR) at the appropriate location on the vehicle body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] This disclosure provides a vehicle body gap measurement support system and a vehicle body gap measurement support method that can shorten the worker's working time by making it possible to confirm the location and information of the gap to be measured using augmented reality. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the configuration of the vehicle body gap measurement support system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of a report output by the gap information output unit according to Embodiment 1 and data converted by the conversion unit. [Figure 3]This figure shows the state in which the CAD model according to Embodiment 1 and the data input from the conversion unit are integrated to display the location of the gap. [Figure 4] This figure shows the state in which the CAD model according to Embodiment 1 and the data input from the conversion unit are integrated to display the location of the gap. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of a state in which the gap information necessary for measurement according to Embodiment 1 is displayed in AR according to the target vehicle. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Embodiment 1 The configuration of the vehicle body gap measurement support system according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the vehicle body gap measurement support system. In the following description, the gap will be defined as the gap between overlapping parts of the vehicle body.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle body gap measurement support system 1 comprises a model provisioning unit 11, a gap information output unit 12, a conversion unit 13, an integrated output unit 14, and a display unit (AR glasses) 15.

[0013] The model supply unit 11 provides the integrated output unit 14 with a CAD (Computer-Aided Design) model that shows the position of the vehicle and the gap.

[0014] The gap information output unit 12 outputs report data containing gap information, which is used in practical applications, to the conversion unit 13. In this case, the report data output by the gap information output unit 12 is data from an Excel report created in Excel.

[0015] The conversion unit 13 converts the data from the Excel report input from the gap information output unit 12, which includes the design values ​​for the gaps, into a digitally processable data format and outputs it to the integrated output unit 14. The conversion unit 13 can change the data format by executing a conversion program.

[0016] More specifically, in the conversion unit 13, by executing an Excel macro for data modification that has been created in advance, it is possible to convert the data of the Excel form into a data format that is easier to process digitally in the output unit.

[0017] Here, FIGS. 2(a) to 2(c) are diagrams showing an example of the Excel form output by the gap information output unit 12 and the data converted by the conversion unit 13.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2(a), in the Excel form output by the gap information output unit 12, an image of a CAD shot drawing / design drawing around the gap, a detailed image around the gap, and an image representing the state of the gap are attached, and information such as the area where the gap has occurred in the vehicle, serial number, tolerance, design value, etc. are assumed to be described. Note that the information described in the Excel form is not limited to these.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 2(b) and 2(c), the conversion unit 13 divides the Excel form input from the gap information output unit 12 while changing the format. As a specific example, the conversion unit 13 extracts the CAD shot drawing attached in the Excel form and extracts the information necessary for measurement to generate a setting file described in a csv (Comma Separated Values) format or the like.

[0020] Here, the file set by the conversion unit 13 is output as a csv file which is text data with each item separated by a comma, but it is not limited to this format as long as it is data in a format that can be handled by the integrated output unit 14.

[0021] The integrated output unit 14 associates and integrates the CAD model indicating the position of the vehicle and the gap input from the model providing unit 11 and the data input from the conversion unit 13. Here, a game engine can be used in the integrated output unit 14. Note that the integrated output unit 14 outputs the information of the AR app data created by the integration to the AR glasses 15.

[0022] Figures 3 and 4 show an example of CAD data indicating the location of gaps, which is generated by the integrated output unit 14 by integrating the CAD model input from the conversion unit 13 and the data input from the conversion unit 13.

[0023] On the left side of the screen shown in Figure 3, the gaps to be measured are indicated, each numbered. When the user selects a gap to measure, the CAD data on the panel indicating the gap to be measured can be displayed on the right side of Figure 3.

[0024] As shown in Figure 4, the multiple selection gaps shown on the left side of Figure 3 are described as multiple child nodes belonging to a single parent node in a tree structure. Here, the naming rule for each node in this tree structure is that the parent node is described as the name of the vehicle area to be measured, and as mentioned above, each child node is described as a number for the gap to be measured.

[0025] Therefore, as shown in Figure 4, the integrated output unit 14 associates the CAD data with the information of each gap on the Excel report. In other words, in this structural tree, the name of the parent node is "Fr_FLOOR_IN," which represents the front, floor, and inside areas of the vehicle being measured, and the child nodes belonging to this parent node "Fr_FLOOR_IN" are assigned numbers within "Fr_FLOOR_IN." The integrated output unit 14 can output this information as AR application data to the AR glasses 15.

[0026] The AR glasses 15 is a display unit that performs augmented reality (AR) display based on information input from the integrated output unit 14.

[0027] Figure 5 shows the AR glasses 15 displaying information based on AR application data input from the integrated output unit 14. In other words, Figure 5 is an example of the viewpoint from the perspective of a worker wearing the AR glasses 15, where the AR glasses 15 display information about the gaps necessary for measurement, tailored to the target vehicle.

[0028] In this way, when a worker wears the AR glasses 15 and looks at the vehicle, the AR glasses 15 can display information about the gap in augmented reality near the location where the gap exists. Therefore, the worker can recognize the gap to be measured while the information is displayed on the AR glasses 15, perform the measurement, and output the measurement results in a format such as CSV data.

[0029] In this way, by processing the necessary information of the gap to be measured in association with CAD data, the location and design values ​​of the gap can be displayed in AR using AR glasses, making them easy for the worker to understand.

[0030] This makes it easier to identify the location of the gap to be measured from the entire vehicle, reducing the time spent searching for the gap to be measured, and thus improving work efficiency.

[0031] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. In other words, the above description has been omitted and simplified as appropriate for the sake of clarity, and those skilled in the art can easily change, add, and modify each element of the embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

[0032] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or in dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some embodiments may be implemented in hardware, while others may be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device.

[0033] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions contained in a program module, and is executed on a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the processes or methods of this disclosure. The program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform a specific task or implement a specific abstract data type. The functionality of the program module may be combined or divided among the program module as desired in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions of the program module can be executed on a local or distributed device. On a distributed device, the program module can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0034] Program code for performing the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes are provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, or other programmable data processing device. When the program code is executed by the processor or controller, the functions / operations in the flowchart and / or block diagrams it implements are performed. The program code may run entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, partially as a standalone software package, partially on a machine, partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0035] Programs can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-temporary computer-readable media. Non-temporary computer-readable media include various types of tangible recording media. Examples of non-temporary computer-readable media include magnetic recording media, magneto-optical recording media, optical disc media, and semiconductor memory. Magnetic recording media include, for example, flexible disks, magnetic tapes, and hard disk drives. Magneto-optical recording media include, for example, magneto-optical disks. Optical disc media include, for example, Blu-ray discs, CD (Compact Disc)-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R (Recordable), and CD-RW (ReWritable). Semiconductor memory includes, for example, solid-state drives, mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, and RAMs (random access memory). Programs may also be supplied to a computer using various types of temporary computer-readable media. Examples of temporary computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. Temporary computer-readable media can supply programs to a computer via wired communication channels such as electric wires and optical fibers, or via wireless communication channels. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1. Vehicle body gap measurement support system 11 Model Provision Department 12. Gap Information Output Unit 13 Conversion section 14. Integrated Output Section 15 AR Glasses (Display Unit)

Claims

1. A vehicle body gap measurement support system that assists workers in measuring the gaps between overlapping parts of a vehicle body, The Model Provision Department provides CAD models, A conversion unit that converts information including the design value of the gap into a data format that can be digitally processed, The system includes an integrated output unit that associates the CAD model provided by the model provisioning unit, the digitally processable data converted by the conversion unit, and the CAD shot diagram of the gap to be measured, and outputs positional information and design value information of the gap to be measured. Vehicle body gap measurement support system.

2. It is equipped with a gap information output unit that outputs form data containing gap information used in practical applications, The conversion unit is The documents used in practical operations, output from the aforementioned gap information output unit, are converted into digitally processable data by executing a conversion program. The vehicle body gap measurement support system according to claim 1.

3. The conversion unit is From the documents used in practical work output from the gap information output unit, only the CAD shot diagrams are extracted, and a file containing the information necessary for measurement is generated. The vehicle body gap measurement support system according to claim 2.

4. The system includes a display unit that performs AR display based on the information input from the integrated output unit, The integrated output unit is, The area name of the vehicle to be measured is designated as the parent node, and the gap to be measured is designated as the child node. Information is then output to the display unit. A vehicle body gap measurement support system according to claim 1 or claim 2.

5. The aforementioned integrated output unit utilizes a game engine. A vehicle body gap measurement support system according to claim 1 or claim 2.

6. The steps include converting information, including the design values ​​for the gaps, into a data format that can be digitally processed, The system includes a step of associating a CAD model, the converted digitally processable data, and a CAD shot diagram of the gap to be measured, and outputting location information and design value information of the gap to be measured. A method for assisting in measuring the gap between vehicle body sections.

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