Assembly support system, assembly support method, and program

Abstract

To provide an assembly support system that outputs the optimal assembly positions of parts to be assembled into an assembly product based on design information. [Solution] An assembly support system according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises an extraction unit, an acquisition unit, a determination unit, and an output unit. The extraction unit extracts the component information and assembly position of each of the multiple components from the design information of an assembly product in which the multiple components are assembled. The acquisition unit acquires the component information of the assembly components to be assembled to the assembly product before the components are assembled. The determination unit determines the assembly position of the assembly components based on the component information of the assembly components. The output unit outputs the assembly position of the assembly components relative to the assembly product before the components are assembled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an assembly support system, an assembly support method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Due to the increase in size or performance of assembled products, the number of parts to be assembled into a single assembled product tends to increase. The increase in the number of parts to be assembled complicates the assembly work, increases the labor and time required for verifying the assembly positions, and raises the risk of rework due to incorrect assembly of parts.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes obtaining order information including product identification information, obtaining process management information including an assembly procedure manual and part information based on the product identification information, and outputting the process management information. However, the assembly method described in Patent Document 1 requires prior preparation of an assembly procedure manual.

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present disclosure provides an assembly support system and the like that suitably outputs the assembly positions of parts to be assembled into an assembled product from design information.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An assembly support system according to one aspect of this disclosure comprises an extraction unit, an acquisition unit, a determination unit, and an output unit. The extraction unit extracts the component information and assembly position of each of the multiple components from the design information of an assembly product in which the multiple components are assembled. The acquisition unit acquires the component information of the assembly components to be assembled to the assembly product before assembly. The determination unit determines the assembly position of the assembly components based on the component information of the assembly components. The output unit outputs the assembly position of the assembly components relative to the assembly product before assembly.

[0007] The assembly support system described above may have an extraction unit that creates a list of multiple parts including part information from design information, and an acquisition unit that presents the list and accepts the selection of parts corresponding to the part information of the assembly parts from the list. The assembly support system may also have an output unit that includes a position detection means and a display means, where the position detection means detects the position of the assembled product before parts are assembled, and the display means superimposes and displays the assembly positions of the assembled parts on the assembled product before parts are assembled.

[0008] In the assembly support system described above, the assembled product may be a casting mold, and the parts and assembly components may be cooling pipes.

[0009] An assembly support method according to one aspect of this disclosure involves a computer performing the following processes: The computer acquires design information of an assembly made up of multiple parts. The computer extracts the part information and assembly position of each of the multiple parts from the design information. The computer acquires part information of the assembly parts to be assembled into the assembly. The computer determines the assembly position of the assembly parts based on the part information of the assembly parts. The computer outputs the assembly position of the assembly parts relative to the assembly before assembly.

[0010] A program according to one aspect of this disclosure causes a computer to perform the following processes: The computer obtains design information of an assembly made up of multiple parts. The computer extracts the part information and assembly position of each of the multiple parts from the design information. The computer obtains part information of the assembly parts to be installed in the assembly before the parts are installed. The computer determines the assembly position of the assembly parts based on the part information of the assembly parts. The computer outputs the assembly position of the assembly parts relative to the assembly before the parts are installed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to this disclosure, an assembly support system, an assembly support method, and a program can be provided that suitably output the assembly positions of parts to be assembled into an assembly product from design information. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing the configuration of the assembly support system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This is a flowchart of the assembly support method according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram of the assembly support system according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart of the assembly support method according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram of the assembly support system according to Embodiment 3. [Figure 6] This is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a computer. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the invention claimed is not limited to the following embodiments. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are necessarily essential as means of solving the problem. For clarity of explanation, the following descriptions and drawings have been omitted and simplified as appropriate. In each drawing, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations have been omitted where necessary.

[0014] <Embodiment 1> The assembly support system 10 according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a block diagram of the assembly support system 10 according to Embodiment 1. The assembly support system 10 determines the assembly position of the assembled parts from the design information of an assembly product in which multiple parts are assembled, and outputs the assembly position of the assembled parts. The assembly support system 10 comprises an extraction unit 101, an acquisition unit 102, a determination unit 103, and an output unit 104.

[0015] The extraction unit 101 identifies the individual component information and assembly position of multiple components from the design information of an assembly made up of multiple components. The design information includes the individual component information and assembly position information of each component assembled to the assembly. The design information is, for example, design drawing data such as CAD (Computer-Aided Design) of the assembly. The design information is preferably three-dimensional data, but is not limited to this and may also be two-dimensional data. Here, component information is information that identifies the component. The component information includes, for example, the name, shape, weight, or identification number of the component.

[0016] The acquisition unit 102 acquires the component information of the component parts to be assembled onto the assembly before component assembly. For example, the acquisition unit 102 acquires the component information of the component parts by receiving the input from the operator. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 102 may acquire the component information by reading the identification information such as the barcode or two-dimensional code provided on the component parts. The acquisition unit 102 is not limited to this, and may also identify the component parts from information such as the shape or weight of the component parts to be assembled and acquire the component information. Further, the acquisition unit 102 may identify the component parts and acquire the component information by receiving a notification from a sensor provided at the storage location such as the shelf where the component parts were stored. Here, the state before component assembly refers to the state where the component parts to be assembled are not yet assembled onto the assembly, and even if a part of the component parts scheduled for assembly is already assembled onto the assembly, it is acceptable.

[0017] The determination unit 103 determines the assembly position of the component parts to be assembled based on the component information of the component parts. Specifically, the determination unit 103 identifies the component corresponding to the component parts from the component information of the component parts. Next, the determination unit 103 acquires the mounting position of the component corresponding to the component parts to be assembled from the extraction unit 101 and determines the assembly position of the component parts to be assembled.

[0018] The output unit 104 outputs the assembly position of the component parts to be assembled with respect to the assembly before component assembly. For example, the output unit 104 outputs the information on the assembly position of the component parts to an external device. Alternatively, the output unit 104 may be provided with a means for presenting information to the operator, and may present the assembly position to the operator using stimuli such as characters, images, sounds, or vibrations.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the assembly support method according to Embodiment 1. The flowchart of the assembly support method according to the assembly support system 10 includes steps S11 to S15.

[0020] In step S11, the extraction unit 101 of the assembly support system 10 acquires the design information of an assembled product in which a plurality of components are assembled. The design information is, for example, three-dimensional CAD data of the assembled product. In step S12, the extraction unit 101 extracts the component information and the assembly position of each of the plurality of components from the design information. Here, the component information is information for identifying a component, and includes the name, shape, weight, or identification number of the component, etc.

[0021] In step S13, the acquisition unit 102 of the assembly support system 10 acquires the component information of the component to be assembled to the assembled product before component assembly. The acquisition unit 102 acquires the component information from the characteristics of the component to be assembled, for example. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 102 may acquire the component information of the component to be assembled by receiving an input from an operator.

[0022] In step S14, the determination unit 103 of the assembly support system 10 determines the assembly position of the component to be assembled based on the component information of the component to be assembled. The determination unit 103 identifies the component corresponding to the component to be assembled from the component information of the component to be assembled, and determines the assembly position with respect to the assembled product before component assembly.

[0023] In step S15, the output unit 104 of the assembly support system 10 outputs the assembly position of the component to be assembled with respect to the assembled product before component assembly. The output unit 104 may transmit the information on the assembly position to an external device, or may present it to an operator using an image, voice, or the like.

[0024] As described above, the assembly support system 10 extracts the assembly position of the components from the design information and outputs the assembly position of the component corresponding to the component to be assembled. According to this, the assembly support system 10 can output the assembly position of the component to be assembled to the assembled product from the design information.

[0025] The assembly support system 10 may also have a processor and a memory device, although these are not shown in the diagram. The memory device of the assembly support system 10 may include, for example, a memory device that includes non-volatile memory such as flash memory or an SSD (Solid State Drive). In this case, the memory device stores a computer program (hereinafter also simply referred to as a program) for executing the above-described method. The processor loads the computer program from the memory device into a buffer memory such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and executes the program.

[0026] Each component of the assembly support system 10 may be implemented with dedicated hardware. Furthermore, some or all of each component may be implemented by general-purpose or dedicated circuits, processors, etc., or combinations thereof. These may be implemented by a single chip or by multiple chips connected via a bus. Some or all of each component of each device may be implemented by a combination of the aforementioned circuits, etc., and programs. Processors include CPUs (Central Processing Units), GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), etc. Also, at least a portion of the processing performed by the assembly support system 10 may be provided as SaaS (Software as a Service). Note that the descriptions of the configurations described herein may also apply to other systems described below in this disclosure.

[0027] <Embodiment 2> Figure 3 is a block diagram of the assembly support system 11 according to Embodiment 2. The assembly support system 11 creates a list of multiple parts, including part information, from design information, and accepts the selection of part information corresponding to the assembly parts in the list. The assembly support system 11 comprises an extraction unit 111, an acquisition unit 112, a determination unit 103, and an output unit 114. Note that the assembly support system 11 has some of the same configuration as the assembly support system 10 in Figure 1. Therefore, the explanation of the configuration of the assembly support system 11, which performs the same processing as the assembly support system 10, is omitted.

[0028] The extraction unit 111 creates a list of multiple parts, including part information, from the design information. Specifically, the extraction unit 111 identifies the part information for each of the multiple parts from the design information and creates a list of parts. The list of parts includes the part information for each part to be assembled into the assembly. Here, part information is information for identifying a part. Part information is, for example, an identification number or name assigned to each part, but is not limited to this. As a result, the assembly support system 11 can obtain a list of parts for the assembly from the design information, and does not need to perform a separate process for creating a list of parts or an assembly procedure manual. Therefore, the assembly support system 11 can reduce the work process required for creating a list of parts.

[0029] The acquisition unit 112 presents a list of parts to the worker. For example, the acquisition unit 112 presents the list of parts to the worker as a printed document or as an image displayed on a monitor. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 112 presents the list of parts to the worker by voice. The acquisition unit 112 is not limited to these methods; it may also present the list of parts to the worker using the display means 1142 provided in the output unit 114. Details of the display means 1142 will be described later.

[0030] Next, the acquisition unit 112 accepts the selection of part information corresponding to the assembly part from the list. More specifically, the operator first selects the part information of the assembly part from the presented list. The selection method can be, for example, input into the interface by the operator, gesture, or reading aloud. Next, the acquisition unit 112 accepts the operator's selection via an interface such as a touch panel or keyboard, or a sensor such as an acceleration sensor or microphone. This allows the operator to specify the assembly part appropriately.

[0031] The output unit 114 displays the assembly position of the assembled product before parts assembly and the assembly position of the assembled parts superimposed. In other words, the output unit 114 displays the assembly position as AR (Augmented Reality). The output unit 114 includes a position detection means 1141 and a display means 1142.

[0032] The position detection means 1141 detects the position of the assembled product before the parts are assembled. For example, the position detection means 1141 acquires an image of the assembled product before the parts are assembled and detects the position of the assembled product by image analysis. The position detection means is not limited to this, and may also detect the position of the assembled product by reading a position detection marker attached to the assembled product before the parts are assembled using a sensor.

[0033] The display means 1142 displays the assembly position so as to superimpose it on the assembled product before the position of the identified parts. This reduces the amount of eye movement required by the worker, allowing them to work more efficiently. The display means 1142 is, for example, an AR device such as AR glasses, an AR head-mounted display, or a mobile terminal. The display means 1142 is not limited to these and may also be a projection mapping device. The display means 1142 may also display a list of parts presented by the acquisition unit 112. This allows the worker to easily check the list of parts information and select the parts information of the assembled parts appropriately.

[0034] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the assembly support method according to Embodiment 2. The flowchart of the assembly support method according to the assembly support system 11 includes steps S21 to S28.

[0035] In step S21, the extraction unit 111 of the assembly support system 11 acquires design information for an assembly made up of multiple parts. The design information is, for example, three-dimensional CAD data of the assembly. In step S22, the extraction unit 111 extracts the part information and assembly position of each of the multiple parts from the design information. In step S23, the extraction unit 111 creates a list of multiple parts, including part information, from the design information. The list of parts includes part information for each part to be assembled into the assembly. Here, part information is information for identifying a part. Part information is, for example, an identification number or name assigned to each part.

[0036] In step S24, the acquisition unit 112 of the assembly support system 11 presents a list of parts to the worker. The acquisition unit 112 may also present the list of parts to the worker using the display means 1142 provided by the output unit 114. In step S25, the acquisition unit 112 accepts the selection of part information corresponding to the assembly parts from the list. The selection of part information is made by the worker. The acquisition unit 112 accepts the worker's selection via an interface such as a touch panel or keyboard, or via a sensor such as an acceleration sensor or microphone.

[0037] In step S26, the determination unit 103 of the assembly support system 11 determines the assembly position of the assembly parts based on the part information of the assembly parts. The determination unit 103 identifies the parts corresponding to the assembly parts from the part information of the assembly parts and determines the assembly position relative to the assembled product before the parts are assembled.

[0038] In step S27, the output unit 114 of the assembly support system 11 uses the position detection means 1141 to detect the position of the assembled product before parts are assembled. In step S28, the output unit 114 uses the display means 1142 to display the assembly position superimposed on the assembled product before parts are assembled, whose position has been identified. The display means 1142 is, for example, an AR device. The series of processes relating to the assembly support method is completed at the end of step S28. The assembly support method may be restarted from step S25 if necessary.

[0039] As described above, the assembly support system 11 creates a list of multiple parts, including part information, from the design information, and accepts the selection of part information corresponding to the assembly parts from the list. The assembly support system 11 also displays the assembly position of the assembly parts determined from the part information superimposed on the assembled product. In this way, the assembly support system 11 can determine the assembly position of the assembly parts from the design information and output it appropriately.

[0040] The assembly support system 11 is used, for example, in the assembly of a casting mold with a cooling pipe attached. In this case, the assembled product is the casting mold, and the parts and assembled parts are the cooling pipe. The cooling pipe is cast into the casting and serves as a passage for a cooling medium such as air or water to cool the inside of the casting after casting. This prevents distortion and defects in the casting caused by uneven cooling inside.

[0041] In this case, the number of cooling pipes assembled to the mold increases as the size of the casting increases. Specifically, in some cases, nearly 100 cooling pipes may be assembled to a single mold. In this case, the need for workers to locate the assembly position of each cooling pipe can lead to delays in the work and an increased risk of incorrect assembly.

[0042] The assembly support system 11 can speed up the worker's work and prevent incorrect assembly by displaying the assembly position of each cooling pipe superimposed on the casting mold. Furthermore, the assembly support system 11 can eliminate the process of creating a parts list or assembly procedure manual by extracting part information and assembly positions from the design information.

[0043] <Embodiment 3> Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the assembly support system 12 according to Embodiment 3. Figure 5 shows how the assembly support system 12 is used. The assembly support system 12 has some of the same configuration as the assembly support system 11 in Figure 3. Therefore, the explanation of the configuration of the assembly support system 12, which performs the same processing as the assembly support system 11, is omitted. In the assembly support system 12, the output unit 124 is AR glasses.

[0044] The assembly support system 12 acquires design information 30 for the assembled product 20. The assembled product 20 is an assembly 201 with the first part 202 and the second part 203 attached to it. The assembly support system 12 creates a parts list 1242 from the design information 30, which includes the first part 202, whose name is "A", and the second part 203, whose name is "B".

[0045] The assembly support system 12 displays a screen 1241 to the worker 40 via AR glasses, which are the output unit 124. The output unit 124 uses its camera to photograph the unfinished assembly 204, the first assembly part 205, and the second assembly part 206 that are actually placed in front of the worker 40, and displays them on the screen 1241. Here, the unfinished assembly 204 corresponds to the assembled product 201. The first assembly part 205 and the second assembly part 206 correspond to the first part 202 and the second part 203, respectively. The unfinished assembly 204 is in a state before parts are assembled.

[0046] Furthermore, the output unit 124 displays the parts list 1242 as a virtual panel on the screen 1241. The parts list 1242 displayed here lists "A" and "B", which are the names of the first part 202 and the second part 203, respectively.

[0047] If worker 40 wants to know the assembly position of the first assembly part 205, worker 40 selects "A," the name of the first assembly part 205, from the parts list 1242 by speaking or inputting into a virtual panel. Upon receiving worker 40's selection, the assembly support system 12 determines the assembly position 2051 of the first assembly part 205 relative to the unfinished assembly 204, based on the assembly position of the first part 202, which is "A," relative to the assembly 201. Next, the assembly support system 12 displays the assembly position 2051 on the screen 1241.

[0048] According to this, the assembly support system 12 can create a parts list 1242 from the design information 30 and display the assembly positions of the parts to be assembled to the worker 40 in an appropriate manner. Therefore, the worker 40 can efficiently assemble the parts to the unfinished assembly 204. In addition, the assembly support system 12 can support the work without occupying the worker's hands by accepting the selection of parts information based on the worker's voice input.

[0049] Furthermore, the assembly support system 12 may recognize each assembly part and highlight the assembly part corresponding to the selected part. In this example, the assembly support system 12 highlights the first assembly part 205, which corresponds to the first part 202 labeled "A," on screen 1241. This allows the worker 40 to confirm whether the assembly part they are about to assemble corresponds to the part they have selected. Therefore, the assembly support system 12 can effectively prevent the worker 40 from making assembly errors.

[0050] 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. For example, the assembly support system may read part information and assembly positions from a server that extracts and stores part information and assembly positions from design information as needed.

[0051] <Example hardware configuration> The following describes examples of how each functional configuration of the assembly support system described in this disclosure can be realized through a combination of hardware and software.

[0052] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a computer. The assembly support system in this disclosure can realize the above-described functions using a computer 500 including the hardware configuration shown in the figure. The computer 500 may be a portable computer such as a smartphone or tablet terminal, or a stationary computer such as a PC. The computer 500 may be a dedicated computer designed to realize each device, or it may be a general-purpose computer. The computer 500 can realize the desired functions by installing a predetermined application.

[0053] Computer 500 includes a bus 502, a processor 504, memory 506, a storage device 508, an input / output interface (I / F) 510, and a network interface (I / F) 512. Bus 502 is a data transmission path for the processor 504, memory 506, storage device 508, input / output interface 510, and network interface 512 to send and receive data to and from each other. However, the method of connecting the processor 504 and other components to each other is not limited to bus connection.

[0054] Processor 504 is a processor such as a CPU, GPU, or FPGA. Memory 506 is main memory implemented using RAM (Random Access Memory), etc.

[0055] The storage device 508 is an auxiliary storage device implemented using a hard disk, SSD, memory card, or ROM (Read Only Memory). The storage device 508 stores a program for realizing a desired function. The processor 504 reads this program into memory 506 and executes it to realize each functional component of each device.

[0056] The input / output interface 510 is an interface for connecting the computer 500 to input / output devices. For example, input devices such as keyboards and output devices such as display devices are connected to the input / output interface 510. The network interface 512 is an interface for connecting the computer 500 to a network. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0057] 10, 11, 12 Assembly support system 101, 111 Extraction part 102, 112 Acquisition Department 103 Decision Section 104, 114, 124 Output section 1141 Position detection means 1142 Display means 1241 screen 1242 Parts List 20 Assembled products 201 Assembled product 202 Part 1 203 Part 2 204 Unfinished assembly product 205 Assembly Part 1 2051 Assembly position 206 Second assembly part 30 Design information 40 workers 500 Computers Bus 502 504 Processors 506 memory 508 Storage Devices 510 Input / Output Interfaces 512 Network Interfaces

Claims

1. An extraction unit that extracts the individual component information and assembly position of multiple components from the design information of an assembly product in which multiple components are assembled, An acquisition unit that acquires information on the assembly parts to be assembled into the assembly before the parts are assembled, A determination unit that determines the assembly position of the assembly part based on the part information of the assembly part, An output unit that outputs the assembly position of the assembled parts on the assembled product before the parts are assembled, An assembly support system equipped with the following features.

2. The extraction unit creates a list of the plurality of parts, including the part information, from the design information. The acquisition unit presents the list and accepts the selection of a component from the list that corresponds to the component information of the assembly component. The output unit comprises a position detection means and a display means, The position detection means detects the position of the assembled product before the parts are assembled, The display means displays the assembly position of the assembled parts superimposed on the assembled product before the parts are assembled. The assembly support system according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned assembly is a casting mold, The aforementioned part and the aforementioned assembly part are cooling pipes. The assembly support system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. We obtain design information for an assembly made up of multiple parts. From the aforementioned design information, extract the component information and assembly position of each of the multiple components. Before the parts are assembled, the part information of the assembly parts to be assembled to the assembly is obtained. Based on the part information of the assembled part, the assembly position of the assembled part is determined. Output the assembly position of the assembled parts on the assembled product before the parts are assembled. Assembly support method.

5. On the computer, We obtain design information for an assembly made up of multiple parts. From the design information, extract the component information and assembly position of each of the multiple components. Before the parts are assembled, the part information of the assembly parts to be assembled to the assembly is obtained. Based on the part information of the assembly part, the assembly position of the assembly part is determined. Output the assembly position of the assembled parts on the assembled product before the parts are assembled. A program that performs an action.

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