Line design device and line design method

Abstract

To provide a design device for a manufacturing line including a pass / fail determination function that achieves control specifications and facility specifications that complete own process and do not pass defects to the next process in a manufacturing line composed by combining facility modules with specific functions.SOLUTION: A line design device comprising a calculation unit and a storage unit. The storage unit holds process design information, facility module information, and pass / fail determination information. The calculation unit generates pass / fail determination content information that associates work in a process with facility modules that are used for the work and are to be pass / fail determination targets based on the process design information and the pass / fail determination information, generates pass / fail determination method information that associates the work in the process, facility modules, and types of sensors used for the pass / fail determination based on the facility module information and the pass / fail determination content information, and outputs information including work included in the process, facility modules used in the work, and types of sensors associated with the facility modules.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a manufacturing line design technique. [Background technology]

[0002] In the manufacturing industry, there is a demand for production formats that can manufacture a wide variety of products, and so there is a need for production lines that can be flexibly reconfigured.In order to guarantee the manufacturing quality of the production line after the configuration is changed, it is important to sequentially check whether the work was performed appropriately in each process and facility, that is, to determine whether the work is pass or fail.

[0003] Background of the present technical field is JP 2018-158431 A (Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 describes the use of a definition of pass / fail judgment content for fastening specialized for screw fastening work and a definition of a pass / fail judgment method (parameter setting) specialized for use with an electric screwdriver.

[0004] In addition, there is Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-096232 (Patent Document 2). Patent Document 2 describes the use of a predefined inspection device (means) and quality information (pass / fail judgment information) as a pass / fail judgment method.

[0005] In addition, there is Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-157317 (Patent Document 3). Patent Document 3 describes that definitions are used for process design information and abnormality (pass / fail) judgment contents specialized for welding processes.

[0006] Here, the pass / fail judgment content can be rephrased as what information is used to judge pass / fail, and the pass / fail judgment method can be rephrased as how to judge pass / fail using the information used. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-158431 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-096232 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2020-157317 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In Patent Document 1, application to processes other than the fastening process is not assumed, and therefore it is not possible to calculate pass / fail judgment contents and pass / fail judgment methods suitable for various types of work included in the process design.

[0009] In addition, Patent Document 2 does not describe how to calculate pass / fail judgment content, and does not assume the use of process design information. Therefore, it is not possible to calculate pass / fail judgment content suitable for each task type included in the process design.

[0010] In addition, in Patent Document 3, the device used for pass / fail judgment is limited to a sensor, and the selection of the device is not assumed. Therefore, it is not possible to calculate a pass / fail judgment method suitable for each work type included in the process design.

[0011] In a system that constructs a manufacturing line by flexibly combining devices (equipment modules) with specific functions in accordance with the process design information, equipment information, and work allocation information required for manufacturing a product, the requirements for ensuring quality in the manufacturing of a wide variety of products and satisfying constraints such as work time and equipment costs can be considered to include determining the pass / fail judgment function, such as the pass / fail judgment content and pass / fail judgment method for determining the normal completion of each task according to the net work and incidental work in each process, and determining the pass / fail judgment equipment, such as the necessary and sufficient equipment performance and equipment configuration for pass / fail judgment.In addition, automatic determination of the pass / fail judgment function and pass / fail judgment equipment can be considered as a requirement for reducing the line design labor when building or reconstructing a manufacturing line.

[0012] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a line design device that can determine the pass / fail judgment content for each process and the pass / fail judgment method for each module using process design information, equipment module information, work allocation information, and pass / fail judgment information as indicators, and that can design a manufacturing line that includes a pass / fail judgment function. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] In order to solve at least one of the above problems, the present invention provides, as an example, a line design device comprising a calculation unit and a memory unit, wherein the memory unit stores process design information that associates work included in each process of a line for manufacturing a product with an equipment module used for the work, equipment module information that indicates the types of sensors that can be attached to the equipment module, pass / fail judgment information that indicates measurement items necessary for pass / fail judgment to evaluate the completion state of the work, and sensor information that associates the type of the sensor with a model of a sensor that can be applied to the line; Hold The sensor information includes at least one of information associating a combination of the sensor type and the equipment module type with a template of a sensor control ladder that controls the sensor, and information associating a combination of the sensor type and the equipment module type with a template of a robot program for pass / fail judgment, The calculation unit generates pass / fail judgment content information that matches the work of the process with the equipment module used for the work and that is the subject of pass / fail judgment based on the process design information and the pass / fail judgment information, generates pass / fail judgment method information that matches the work of the process with the equipment module used for the work and that is the subject of pass / fail judgment, and the type of sensor used for pass / fail judgment for the equipment module based on the equipment module information and the pass / fail judgment content information, and outputs information including the work included in the process, the equipment module used for the work, and the type of sensor associated with the equipment module. Based on the pass / fail determination method information and the sensor information, a sensor of a type that can be attached to the equipment module and is of a model that can be applied to the line is assigned to the equipment module as a sensor to be used for pass / fail determination, and based on the sensor information, at least one of a sensor control ladder that controls the sensor for pass / fail determination of the equipment module and a robot program template that corresponds to a combination of the type of the equipment module and the model of the sensor assigned to the equipment module is generated, and at least one of a sensor control ladder that controls the sensor for pass / fail determination of the equipment module and a robot program for pass / fail determination of the equipment module is generated, and based on the sensor control ladder and at least one of the robot program, a work time for pass / fail determination of the equipment module is calculated. The present invention is characterized by the above. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to one aspect of the present invention, in a manufacturing line configured by flexibly combining equipment modules having specific functions, the content of pass / fail judgment for each process and the method of pass / fail judgment for each module can be determined, and a manufacturing line can be designed that includes a pass / fail judgment function so that each process is self-contained and has control specifications and equipment specifications that do not pass defects to the next process.

[0015] Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a line design device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a process in which the line design device according to the first embodiment of the present invention generates an acceptance / rejection determination method. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a process design and task allocation information management table 300 stored in a process design and task allocation information storage area in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an equipment module information management table 400 stored in an equipment module information storage area in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a pass / fail judgment information management table 500 stored in a pass / fail judgment information storage area in Example 1 of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a pass / fail determination content management table held by the line design device in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a pass / fail determination method management table held by the line design device in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of details of a process in which a pass / fail decision content calculation unit generates a pass / fail decision content in Example 1 of the present invention. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of details of a process in which an acceptance / rejection judging method calculation unit generates an acceptance / rejection judging method in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10A] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an output screen of the line design device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10B] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an output screen of the line design device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11]FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a line design device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a process in which the line design device according to the second embodiment of the present invention generates an assignment of sensors for pass / fail determination. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a sensor information management table stored in a sensor information storage area in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a pass / fail determination sensor allocation management table held by the line design device in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of details of a process in which a pass / fail determination sensor allocation unit in Example 2 of the present invention allocates pass / fail determination sensors. [Figure 16A] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an output screen of the line design device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16B] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an output screen of the line design device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a line design device according to first and second embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. EXAMPLES

[0018] As a first embodiment of the present invention, an example will be described in which an acceptance / rejection judgment method is generated from process design / work allocation information, equipment module information, and acceptance / rejection judgment information.

[0019] First, an example of the configuration in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a line design device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] 1, the line design device 100 includes an input unit 110, a storage unit 120, an output unit 130, a display unit 140, and a calculation unit 150.

[0022] The input unit 110 receives input to the line design device 100 from a user.

[0023] The storage unit 120 includes a process design and work assignment information storage area 121, an equipment module information storage area 122, and an acceptance / rejection judgment information storage area 123.

[0024] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the process design and task allocation information management table 300 stored in the process design and task allocation information storage area 121 in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] The process design and work allocation information management table 300 has a process number 300a, a work content 300b, a target part 300c, part information 300d, an equipment module type (robot) 300e, an equipment module type (tool) 300f, an equipment module type (part supply) 300g, an equipment module type (transport) 300h, and an equipment module type (table) 300i.

[0026] The process number 300a is a number that identifies each process. The work content 300b is information that identifies each task in each process. The value of the work content 300b is information that identifies each task, but may also include information that indicates the type of each task (e.g., assembly, screw tightening, visual inspection, inspection, etc.). The target part 300c is information that identifies the target part of each task. The part information 300d is information that indicates the characteristics, properties, etc. (e.g., dimensions, shape, length, material, etc.) of the target part of each task. The equipment module type (robot) 300e to the equipment module type (table) 300i are information that identifies the equipment module for each type of equipment module. In this example, the types of equipment modules include a robot, a tool attached to a robot, part supply, transport, and a table.

[0027] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an equipment module information management table 400 stored in the equipment module information storage area 122 in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] The equipment module information management table 400 includes a module type 400a, a detailed module type 400b, and attachable sensor type 1_400c to attachable sensor type N_400f.

[0029] The module type 400a is information for identifying the type of the equipment module. The detailed module type 400b is information for identifying the type of the equipment module by subdividing it. For example, a robot, which is a type of equipment module, is further classified into detailed types such as an arm robot, a parallel link robot, and a SCARA robot. The attachable sensor types 1 to N 400c to 400f are information for identifying the types of sensors that can be attached to each type of robot. In this example, the sensor types include a position sensor, a camera, and a force sensor.

[0030] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the pass / fail determination information management table 500 stored in the pass / fail determination information storage area 123 in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] The pass / fail judgment information management table 500 has a task type 500a, an operation element number 500b, an operation element 500c, a pass / fail judgment number 500d, a pass / fail judgment timing 500e, a pass / fail judgment equipment module type 500f, a pass / fail judgment content 500g, and a pass / fail judgment accuracy 500h.

[0032] The work type 500a is information for identifying each work type. The action element number 500b and the action element 500c are information for identifying action elements in each type of work. The pass / fail judgment number 500d is information for identifying the pass / fail judgment. The pass / fail judgment timing 500e, the pass / fail judgment equipment module type 500f, the pass / fail judgment content 500g, and the pass / fail judgment accuracy 500h indicate the pass / fail judgment timing, the equipment module type subject to the pass / fail judgment, the pass / fail judgment content, and the pass / fail judgment accuracy for each pass / fail judgment identified by the pass / fail judgment number.

[0033] For example, the first row of the pass / fail determination information management table 500 shown in FIG. 5 indicates that the workpiece pull-in operation of the assembly work in the transport module is determined to be pass if it is detected that the workpiece is present at the time when it should be present.

[0034] The eighth and ninth rows of pass / fail determination information management table 500 shown in FIG. 5 indicate that a sub-part assembling operation in an assembly work using a tool is determined to be pass when a position satisfying the accuracy shown in pass / fail determination accuracy 500h in row 8 is detected, or a force satisfying the condition shown in pass / fail determination accuracy 500h in row 9 is detected.

[0035] 1 again, the output unit 130 outputs the result of the calculation performed by the calculation unit 150 to the storage unit 120 and the display unit 140.

[0036] The display unit 140 presents output contents from the line design device 100 to the user.

[0037] The calculation unit 150 includes a pass / fail judgment content calculation unit 151 and a pass / fail judgment method calculation unit 152 .

[0038] The pass / fail judgment content calculation unit 151 generates pass / fail judgment content from the process design / work allocation information (e.g., FIG. 3) stored in the process design / work allocation information storage area 121 and the pass / fail judgment information (e.g., FIG. 5) stored in the pass / fail judgment information storage area 123, and outputs information according to a pass / fail judgment content management table 600. The generated pass / fail judgment content management table 600 is stored in the storage unit 120, for example.

[0039] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the pass / fail determination content management table 600 held by the line design device 100 in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] The pass / fail judgment content management table 600 has a process number 600a, a work content 600b, a target part 600c, an operation element number 600d, an operation element 600e, a pass / fail judgment number 600f, a pass / fail judgment timing 600g, an equipment module type 600h, a pass / fail judgment content 600i, and a pass / fail judgment accuracy 600j.

[0041] Each row of the pass / fail judgment content management table 600 corresponds to a combination of a row of the process design and work allocation information management table 300 and one or more rows of the pass / fail judgment information management table 500 that have a value of the work type 500a that corresponds to the value of the work content 300b of that row. The process number 600a, the work content 600b, and the target part 600c correspond to the process number 300a, the work content 300b, and the target part 300c of the process design and work allocation information management table 300, respectively. The motion element number 600d, motion element 600e, pass / fail judgment number 600f, pass / fail judgment timing 600g, pass / fail judgment content 600i, and pass / fail judgment accuracy 600j correspond to the motion element number 500b, motion element 500c, pass / fail judgment number 500d, pass / fail judgment timing 500e, pass / fail judgment content 500g, and pass / fail judgment accuracy 500h in the row corresponding to the type of work content specified by the value of work content 600b in the pass / fail judgment information management table 500. The equipment module type 600h corresponds to the value of the equipment module type (robot) 300e to the equipment module type (table) 300i that corresponds to the type specified by the value of the pass / fail judgment equipment module type 500f.

[0042] 6 corresponds to a combination of the first row of the process design / work allocation information management table 300 and the first row of the pass / fail judgment information management table 500. In this case, the process number 600a, the work content 600b, and the target part 600c in the first row of the pass / fail judgment content management table 600 store the values ​​of the process number 300a, the work content 300b, and the target part 300c in the first row of the process design / work allocation information management table 300, respectively. The action element number 600d, action element 600e, pass / fail judgment number 600f, pass / fail judgment timing 600g, pass / fail judgment content 600i, and pass / fail judgment accuracy 600j in the first row of the pass / fail judgment content management table 600 store the values ​​of the action element number 500b, action element 500c, pass / fail judgment number 500d, pass / fail judgment timing 500e, pass / fail judgment content 500g, and pass / fail judgment accuracy 500h in the first row of the pass / fail judgment information management table 500, respectively. The equipment module type 600h in the first row of the pass / fail judgment content management table 600 stores the value “Conveyor A” of the equipment module type (transport) 300h, which corresponds to the value “Transport” of the pass / fail judgment equipment module type 500f in the first row of the pass / fail judgment information management table 500, among the values ​​of the equipment module type (robot) 300e to the equipment module type (table) 300i in the first row of the process design and work allocation information management table 300.

[0043] 6 corresponds to a combination of the first row of the process design and work allocation information management table 300 and the second row of the pass / fail judgment information management table 500. In this case, the equipment module type 600h in the second row of the pass / fail judgment content management table 600 stores the value "suction hand A" of the equipment module type (transport) 300h that corresponds to the value "tool" of the pass / fail judgment equipment module type 500f in the second row of the pass / fail judgment information management table 500, among the values ​​of the equipment module type (robot) 300e to the equipment module type (table) 300i in the first row of the process design and work allocation information management table 300. The values ​​of the other columns in the second row of the pass / fail judgment content management table 600 are the same as those in the first row.

[0044] 1 again. The pass / fail judgment method calculation unit 152 generates a pass / fail judgment method from the equipment module information (e.g., FIG. 4) stored in the equipment module information storage area 122 and the pass / fail judgment content (e.g., FIG. 6) generated by the pass / fail judgment content calculation unit 151, and outputs information according to a pass / fail judgment method management table 700. The generated pass / fail judgment method management table 700 is stored in the storage unit 120, for example.

[0045] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a pass / fail determination method management table 700 held by the line design device 100 in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] The pass / fail determination method management table 700 has a process number 700a, a work content 700b, a target part 700c, an operation element number 700d, an operation element 700e, a pass / fail determination number 700f, a pass / fail determination timing 700g, an equipment module type 700h, a pass / fail determination content 700i, a pass / fail determination accuracy 700j, and a pass / fail determination method 700k.

[0047] Each row of the pass / fail determination method management table 700 corresponds to a combination of a row of the pass / fail determination content management table 600 and a row of the module type corresponding to the value of the equipment module model 700h in the equipment module information management table 400. For example, the first to fourth rows of the pass / fail determination method management table 700 shown in Fig. 7 correspond to the combination of the first row of the pass / fail determination content management table 600 shown in Fig. 6 and the eleventh row of the equipment module information management table 400 shown in Fig. 4.

[0048] More specifically, for example, the process number 700a through pass / fail judgment accuracy 700j in the first row of the pass / fail judgment method management table 700 respectively store the values ​​of the process number 600a through pass / fail judgment accuracy 600j in the first row of the pass / fail judgment content management table 600. The pass / fail judgment accuracy 700j in the first row of the pass / fail judgment method management table 700 stores the value “position sensor” of the attachable sensor type 1_400c in the 11th row of the equipment module information management table 400. Similarly, the pass / fail judgment accuracy 700j in the second and third rows of the pass / fail judgment method management table 700 respectively store the value “camera” of the attachable sensor type 2_400d and the value “force sensor” of the attachable sensor type 3_400e in the 11th row of the equipment module information management table 400.

[0049] Next, an example of processing in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0050] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process in which the line design device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention generates a pass / fail determination method.

[0051] In step S201 of FIG. 2, the pass / fail judgment content calculation unit 151 generates pass / fail judgment content from the process design / work allocation information and the pass / fail judgment information.

[0052] In step S202, the pass / fail judgment method calculation unit 152 generates a pass / fail judgment method from the equipment module information and the pass / fail judgment content.

[0053] Through the above steps, a pass / fail judgment method can be generated from process design / work allocation information, equipment module information, and pass / fail judgment information.

[0054] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of details of the process (step S201) in which the pass / fail decision content calculation unit 151 generates the pass / fail decision content in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] In step S 801 in FIG. 8, the pass / fail judgment content calculation unit 151 reads the process design and task allocation information stored in the process design and task allocation information storage area 121 according to the process design and task allocation information management table 300 .

[0056] In step S802, the pass / fail judgment content calculation section 151 reads the pass / fail judgment information stored in the pass / fail judgment information storage area 123 according to the pass / fail judgment information management table 500.

[0057] In step S803, the pass / fail judgment content calculation unit 151 identifies the corresponding task type for the task content 300b in the process design / task allocation information management table 300 from the task type 500a in the pass / fail judgment information management table 500. The pass / fail judgment content calculation unit 151 outputs the process number 300a and target part 300c corresponding to the task content 300b in the process design / task allocation information management table 300, together with the task content 300b, to the pass / fail judgment content management table 600. Furthermore, the pass / fail judgment content calculation unit 151 outputs the action element number 500b, action element 500c, pass / fail judgment number 500d, pass / fail judgment timing 500e, pass / fail judgment content 500g, and pass / fail judgment accuracy 500h corresponding to the task type 500a in the pass / fail judgment information management table 500 to the pass / fail judgment content management table 600.

[0058] In step S804, the pass / fail judgment content calculation unit 151 identifies only one equipment module type from 300e to 300i in the process design / work allocation information management table for the pass / fail judgment equipment module type 500f in the pass / fail judgment information management table 500. Then, the pass / fail judgment content calculation unit 151 outputs the identified equipment module type to the pass / fail judgment content management table 600.

[0059] In step S805, pass / fail judgment content calculation section 151 outputs the information generated up to step S804 as pass / fail judgment content in accordance with pass / fail judgment content management table 600.

[0060] Through the above steps, pass / fail judgment content including the timing for performing pass / fail judgment, the module, judgment content, and candidates for judgment accuracy for each operation element constituting the work content in each process can be generated from the process design / work allocation information stored in the process design / work allocation information storage area 121 and the pass / fail judgment information stored in the pass / fail judgment information storage area 123, and the information on the pass / fail judgment content can be output in accordance with the pass / fail judgment content management table 600.

[0061] Here, for a particular timing of pass / fail judgment for each operational element constituting the work content, the combination of the module that performs the pass / fail judgment, the judgment content, the judgment method, and the judgment accuracy may be single or multiple.

[0062] 5, the 8th and 9th rows of the pass / fail judgment information management table 500 indicate that a child part assembling operation in an assembly task using a tool may be judged as pass if a position satisfying the accuracy shown in the pass / fail judgment accuracy 500h in the 8th row is detected, or may be judged as pass if a force satisfying the condition shown in the pass / fail judgment accuracy 500h in the 9th row is detected. Both of these may be registered in the pass / fail judgment content management table 600 as shown in the 8th and 9th rows of the pass / fail judgment content management table 600 in the example of FIG. 6, or only one of them may be registered.

[0063] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of details of the process (step S202) in which the pass / fail judging method calculation unit 152 generates the pass / fail judging method in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] In step S901 of FIG. 9, the pass / fail judgment method calculation unit 152 reads the equipment module information stored in the equipment module information storage area 122 according to the equipment module information management table 400.

[0065] In step S 902 , pass / fail judgment method calculation section 152 reads the pass / fail judgment content generated by pass / fail judgment content calculation section 151 and managed in accordance with pass / fail judgment content management table 600 .

[0066] In step S903, the pass / fail judgment method calculation unit 152 identifies the corresponding detailed module type from the detailed module type 400b in the equipment module information management table 400 for the equipment module type 600h in the pass / fail judgment content management table 600. Then, the pass / fail judgment method calculation unit 152 outputs the process number 600a, task content 600b, target part 600c, operation element number 600d, operation element 600e, pass / fail judgment number 600f, pass / fail judgment timing 600g, pass / fail judgment content 600i, and pass / fail judgment accuracy 600j corresponding to the equipment module type 600h in the pass / fail judgment content management table 600 to the pass / fail judgment method management table 700, together with the equipment module type 600h.

[0067] In step S904, the pass / fail judgment method calculation unit 152 specifies, as pass / fail judgment methods, all of the attachable sensor types 400c to 400f for the module detailed type 400b in the equipment module information management table 400. Then, the pass / fail judgment method calculation unit 152 outputs the specified pass / fail judgment methods to the pass / fail judgment method management table 700.

[0068] In step S905, the pass / fail judgment method calculation section 152 outputs the information generated up to step S904 as the pass / fail judgment method in accordance with the pass / fail judgment method management table 700.

[0069] By following the above steps, a pass / fail judgment method can be generated from the equipment module information stored in the equipment module information storage area 122 and the pass / fail judgment content generated by the pass / fail judgment content calculation unit 151, and information can be output according to the pass / fail judgment method management table 700.

[0070] Next, an example of output in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B.

[0071] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams illustrating an example of an output screen of the line design device 100 in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0072] An output screen 1000 shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B is an example of a screen displayed by the display unit 140 of the line design device 100.

[0073] 10A and 10B, the line configuration display section 1000a is a section that displays the entire line configuration. For example, the entire line configuration is displayed based on process design information identified by the process number 300a and the work content 300b in the process design and work assignment information management table 300, and equipment information identified by the equipment module types 300e to 300i. For example, a block diagram showing the connection relationships between modules for all modules that make up the line may be displayed.

[0074] The module display section 1000b is a section that displays a specific module in the line configuration. The user can select a specific module from among the modules that make up the entire line. For example, when the user of the line design device 100 selects one module from the entire configuration of the line configuration display section 1000a via the input section 110, an overview of the module is displayed, such as process design information identified by the process number 300a and work content 300b in the process design / work assignment information management table 300, and equipment information identified by the equipment module types 300e to 300i. For example, a block diagram showing the connection relationship between modules may be displayed for a plurality of modules selected by the user from among the modules that make up the line.

[0075] The process display section 1000c is a section that displays the processes and their operations assigned to the module displayed in the module display section 1000b. The user can select a specific process from among the processes assigned to the module. For example, for the module selected and displayed in the module display section 1000b, details of the process design information such as process information specified by the process number 300a, operation content 300b, and target part 300c in the process design / work assignment information management table 300 are displayed.

[0076] The pass / fail judgment method display section 1000d is a section that displays the pass / fail judgment method for the work displayed in the process display section 1000c. The user can select the equipment module type and pass / fail judgment method to be used for pass / fail judgment for each operation element and pass / fail judgment timing that constitutes the work. For example, for a module selected and displayed in the module display section 1000b, candidates of the pass / fail judgment method including the operation element number 700d, operation element 700e, pass / fail judgment number 700f, pass / fail judgment timing 700g, equipment module type 700h, pass / fail judgment content 700i, and pass / fail judgment accuracy 700j of the pass / fail judgment method management table 700 are displayed. In addition, the user of the line design device 100 selects a specific pass / fail judgment method by selecting the equipment module type and pass / fail judgment content from among multiple candidates of the pass / fail judgment method via the input section 110.

[0077] With the above description, the user of the line design device 100 can manually select the equipment module type and pass / fail judgment method to be used for pass / fail judgment for the line configuration.

[0078] Here, the configuration of the equipment module types and pass / fail determination methods used for pass / fail determination for the line configuration may all be determined by automatic selection, all may be determined by manual selection, or some may be determined by automatic selection and the rest may be determined by manual selection.

[0079] According to the first embodiment described above, a pass / fail judgment method can be generated, which is a means for evaluating the pass / fail judgment content for each process in each module, based on equipment module information used when manufacturing the target product, process information when manufacturing the product, process design / work allocation information that associates the equipment modules, and pass / fail judgment information for evaluating the completion state of each work, etc. EXAMPLES

[0080] As a second embodiment of the present invention, an example of generating sensor allocation from pass / fail judgment information, sensor information, and a pass / fail judgment method will be described. Except for the differences described below, each part of the system of the second embodiment has the same function as each part of the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 10B with the same reference numerals, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0081] First, an example of the configuration in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0082] FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a line design device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0083] 11, a line design device 1100 includes an input unit 1110, a storage unit 1120, an output unit 1130, a display unit 1140, and a calculation unit 1150.

[0084] The input unit 1110 receives input to the line design device 1100 from the user.

[0085] The storage unit 1120 includes a process design and work assignment information storage area 1121 , an equipment module information storage area 1212 , a pass / fail determination information storage area 1123 , and a sensor information storage area 1124 .

[0086] The process design and task allocation information storage area 1121 stores process design and task allocation information according to the process design and task allocation information management table 300 (FIG. 3).

[0087] The equipment module information storage area 1122 stores equipment module information according to the equipment module information management table 400 (FIG. 4).

[0088] The pass / fail judgment information storage area 1123 stores pass / fail judgment information according to the pass / fail judgment information management table 500 (FIG. 5).

[0089] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a sensor information management table 1300 stored in the sensor information storage area 1124 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0090] The sensor information management table 1300 includes a sensor type 1300a, a sensor model 1300b, a sensor specification 1300c, a task type 1300d, an operation element 1300e, a pass / fail determination timing 1300f, an equipment module type 1300g, a pass / fail determination content 1300h, a ladder template 1300i, and a robot program template 1300j.

[0091] The sensor type 1300a indicates the type of each sensor (e.g., position sensor, camera, force sensor, torque sensor, etc.). The sensor model 1300b indicates the model of each sensor. For example, it may be the model of a sensor (e.g., a sensor owned by a factory having the line) that can be applied to the equipment module of the line, which is a type of sensor of the various types indicated by the sensor type 1300a. The sensor spec 1300c indicates the specifications of each sensor, such as measurement accuracy and measurement range. The work type 1300d and the operation element 1300e indicate the work type and operation element of the target for which measurement is performed by each sensor. The pass / fail judgment timing 1300f indicates the timing at which pass / fail judgment is performed using each sensor. The equipment module type 1300g indicates the type of the equipment module of the target for which measurement is performed by each sensor. The pass / fail judgment content 1300h indicates the content of the pass / fail judgment using each sensor. The ladder template 1300i indicates a template of a sensor control ladder for pass / fail judgment corresponding to each sensor. The robot program template 1300j shows a template of a robot program for pass / fail judgment corresponding to each sensor.

[0092] The sensor information management table 1300 may also include information indicating the cost of each type of sensor.

[0093] 11 again, the output unit 1130 outputs the result of the calculation by the calculation unit 1150 to the storage unit 1120 and the display unit 1140.

[0094] The display unit 1140 presents output contents from the line design device 1100 to the user.

[0095] The calculation unit 1150 includes a pass / fail judgment content calculation unit 1151, a pass / fail judgment method calculation unit 1152, a pass / fail judgment sensor allocation unit 1153, a sensor control ladder generation unit 1154, a robot program generation unit 1155, an operation time calculation unit 1156, and an equipment cost calculation unit 1157.

[0096] The pass / fail judgment content calculation unit 1151 generates pass / fail judgment content from the process design / work allocation information (e.g., FIG. 3) stored in the process design / work allocation information storage area 1121 and the pass / fail judgment information (e.g., FIG. 5) stored in the pass / fail judgment information storage area 1123, and outputs the information according to the pass / fail judgment content management table 600.

[0097] The pass / fail determination method calculation unit 1152 generates a pass / fail determination method from the equipment module information (e.g., Figure 4) stored in the equipment module information storage area 1122 and the pass / fail determination content (e.g., Figure 6) generated by the pass / fail determination content calculation unit 1151, and outputs information according to the pass / fail determination method management table 700.

[0098] The pass / fail determination sensor allocation unit 1153 generates a sensor allocation from the sensor information (e.g., FIG. 13) stored in the sensor information storage area 1124 and the pass / fail determination method (e.g., FIG. 7) generated by the pass / fail determination method calculation unit 1152, and outputs information according to the pass / fail determination sensor allocation management table 1400.

[0099] The sensor control ladder generation unit 1154 generates a sensor control ladder for pass / fail judgment from the pass / fail judgment information stored in the pass / fail judgment information memory area 1123 and the sensor assignment generated by the pass / fail judgment sensor assignment unit 1153, and outputs information according to the pass / fail judgment sensor assignment management table 1400.

[0100] The robot program generation unit 1155 generates a robot program for pass / fail judgment from the pass / fail judgment information stored in the pass / fail judgment information storage area 1123 and the sensor allocation generated by the pass / fail judgment sensor allocation unit 1153, and outputs information according to the pass / fail judgment sensor allocation management table 1400. For example, when a robot is used to perform measurements for pass / fail judgment using sensors, a program is generated to control the robot to perform the measurements.

[0101] The work time calculation unit 1156 calculates the work time from the sensor allocation generated by the pass / fail determination sensor allocation unit 1153, the sensor control ladder generated by the sensor control ladder generation unit 1154, and the robot program generated by the robot program generation unit 1155, and outputs information according to the pass / fail determination sensor allocation management table 1400.

[0102] The equipment cost calculation unit 1157 calculates the equipment cost from the sensor allocation generated by the pass / fail judgment sensor allocation unit 1153, the sensor control ladder generated by the sensor control ladder generation unit 1154, and the robot program generated by the robot program generation unit 1155, and outputs information according to the pass / fail judgment sensor allocation management table 1400.

[0103] FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a pass / fail determination sensor allocation management table 1400 held by the line design device 1100 in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0104] The pass / fail determination sensor allocation management table 1400 has a process number 1400a, a work content 1400b, a target part 1400c, an operation element number 1400d, an operation element 1400e, a pass / fail determination number 1400f, a pass / fail determination timing 1400g, an equipment module type 1400h, a pass / fail determination content 1400i, a pass / fail determination method 1400j, a pass / fail determination accuracy 1400k, a sensor type 1400l, a ladder 1400m, a robot program 1400n, an operation time 1400o, and an equipment cost 1400p.

[0105] The process number 1400a to the pass / fail judgment content 1400i are respectively the same as the process number 700a to the pass / fail judgment content 700i in the pass / fail judgment method management table 700. The pass / fail judgment method 1400j and the pass / fail judgment accuracy 1400k are respectively the same as the pass / fail judgment method 700k and the pass / fail judgment accuracy 700j in the pass / fail judgment method management table 700. The sensor type 1400l indicates the type of the sensor of the type specified by the value of the pass / fail judgment method 1400j among the sensors used for pass / fail judgment of the operation of each task in each process. The ladder 1400m and the robot program 1400n are information (for example, the file names of the sensor control ladder and the program) that respectively identify the sensor control ladder and the robot program for making a pass / fail judgment of the operation of each task in each process using the sensor of the type specified by the value of the sensor type 1400l. The operation time 1400o and the equipment cost 1400p respectively indicate the operation time and the equipment cost required to determine pass / fail of the operation of each task in each process using a sensor of a type specified by the value of the sensor type 1400l.

[0106] Next, an example of processing in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 12 and FIG.

[0107] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process in which the line design device 1100 generates an assignment of pass / fail determination sensors in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0108] In step S1201 in FIG. 12, the pass / fail judgment content calculation unit 1151 generates pass / fail judgment content from the process design / work allocation information and the pass / fail judgment information.

[0109] In step S1202, the pass / fail judgment method calculation unit 1152 generates a pass / fail judgment method from the equipment module information and the pass / fail judgment content.

[0110] In step S1203, the pass / fail determination sensor allocation unit 1153 generates a pass / fail determination sensor allocation to be used for pass / fail determination based on the pass / fail determination method and the sensor information.

[0111] In step S1204, the sensor control ladder generating unit 1154 and the robot program generating unit 1155 generate a sensor control ladder and a robot program for pass / fail judgment, respectively, from the pass / fail judgment information and the pass / fail judgment sensor assignment.

[0112] In step S1205, the operation time calculation unit 1156 and the equipment cost calculation unit 1157 calculate the operation time including pass / fail judgment and the equipment cost including the sensor from the pass / fail judgment sensor allocation including the sensor control ladder and the robot program, respectively. For example, the operation time calculation unit 1156 may refer to the sensor control ladder and the robot program to calculate the time required to perform measurement for pass / fail judgment using the sensor. Furthermore, when the sensor information management table includes information indicating the cost of the sensor, the equipment cost calculation unit 1157 may calculate the equipment cost based on the information.

[0113] In step S1206, the user selects whether or not pass / fail judgment is required for each process based on the pass / fail judgment sensor allocation including the ladder, robot program, operation time, and equipment cost.

[0114] Through the above steps, a sensor allocation for pass / fail judgment can be generated from the pass / fail judgment information, the pass / fail judgment method, and the sensor information, and the sensors required for pass / fail judgment can be selected.

[0115] In step S1201, the pass / fail decision content calculation unit 1151 performs processing in accordance with the detailed flow chart of pass / fail decision content calculation shown in FIG.

[0116] In step S1202, the pass / fail judging method calculation unit 1152 performs processing in accordance with the detailed flowchart of pass / fail judging method calculation shown in FIG.

[0117] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of details of the process (step S1203) of the pass / fail determination sensor allocation unit 1153 allocating the pass / fail determination sensor in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0118] In step S1501 of FIG. 15, the pass / fail determination sensor allocation unit 1153 reads the pass / fail determination method generated by the pass / fail determination method calculation unit 1152 in accordance with the pass / fail determination method management table 700.

[0119] In step S1502, the pass / fail determination sensor allocation unit 1153 reads the sensor information stored in the sensor information storage area 1124 according to the sensor information management table 1300.

[0120] In step S1503, the pass / fail determination sensor allocation unit 1153 identifies the corresponding sensor information for the task content 700b, the operation element 700e, and the equipment module model 700h in the pass / fail determination method management table 700 based on the sensor information management table 1300. Then, the pass / fail determination sensor allocation unit 1153 outputs the process number 700a, the target part 700c, the operation element number 700d, the operation element 700e, the pass / fail determination number 700f, the pass / fail determination timing 700g, the equipment module model 700h, the pass / fail determination content 700i, the pass / fail determination accuracy 700j, and the pass / fail determination method 700k corresponding to the task content 700b, the operation element 700e, and the equipment module model 700h in the pass / fail determination method management table 700 to the pass / fail determination sensor allocation management table 1400 together with the task content 700b, the operation element 700e, and the equipment module model 700h.

[0121] In step S1504, the pass / fail determination sensor allocation unit 1153 identifies a sensor type corresponding to the pass / fail determination method 700k in the pass / fail determination method management table 700 from the sensor type 1300a in the sensor information management table 1300, among the sensor information identified in step S1503. Then, the pass / fail determination sensor allocation unit 1153 outputs the sensor model 1300b in the sensor information management table 1300 to the pass / fail determination sensor allocation management table 1400.

[0122] In step S1505, the information generated up to step S1504 is output as the pass / fail determination sensor allocation in accordance with the pass / fail determination sensor allocation management table 1400.

[0123] Through the above steps, a pass / fail determination sensor allocation can be generated from the sensor information stored in the sensor information storage area 1124 and the pass / fail determination method generated by the pass / fail determination method calculation unit 1152, and information can be output according to the pass / fail determination sensor allocation management table 1400.

[0124] Here, for a combination of a task content, an operation element, and an equipment module type, the sensor type serving as the pass / fail determination method may be a single type or a plurality of types.

[0125] 12, the sensor control ladder generation unit 1154 generates a ladder based on the ladder template 1300i corresponding to the sensor type 1400l output to the pass / fail determination sensor allocation management table 1400 in step S1204, and outputs it to the ladder 1400m of the pass / fail determination sensor allocation management table 1400. The robot program generation unit 1155 generates a robot program based on the robot program template 1300j corresponding to the sensor type 1400l output to the pass / fail determination sensor allocation management table 1400 in step S1204, and outputs it to the robot program 1400n of the pass / fail determination sensor allocation management table 1400.

[0126] In step S1206, the operation time calculation unit 1156 calculates an operation time from the ladder 1400m and the robot program 1400n output to the pass / fail determination sensor allocation management table 1400, and outputs it to the operation time 1400o of the pass / fail determination sensor allocation management table 1400. The equipment cost calculation unit 1157 calculates an equipment cost from the equipment module type 1400h and the sensor type 1400l output to the pass / fail determination sensor allocation management table 1400, and outputs it to the equipment cost 1400p of the pass / fail determination sensor allocation management table 1400.

[0127] Next, an example of output in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 16A and 16B.

[0128] 16A and 16B are explanatory diagrams showing an example of an output screen of the line design device 1100 in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0129] An output screen 1600 shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B is an example of a screen displayed by the display unit 1140 of the line design device 1100.

[0130] 16A and 16B, a line configuration display section 1600a is a section that displays the entire line configuration. The line configuration display section 1600a can display, for example, the same content as the line configuration display section 1000a in Fig. 10A. For example, the entire line configuration is displayed based on process design information identified by the process number 300a and work content 300b in the process design / work assignment information management table 300, and equipment information identified by the equipment module types 300e to 300i.

[0131] The module display section 1600b is a section that displays a specific module in the line configuration. A user can select a specific module from among the modules that configure the entire line. For example, the module display section 1600b can display the same content as the module display section 1000b in FIG. 10A. For example, when a user of the line design device 1100 selects one module from the entire configuration of the line configuration display section 1000a via the input section 1110, an overview of the module is displayed, including process design information identified by the process number 300a and work content 300b in the process design / work assignment information management table 300, and equipment information identified by the equipment module types 300e to 300i.

[0132] The process display section 1600c is a section that displays the processes and their operations assigned to the module displayed in the module display section 1600b. The user can select a specific process from among the processes assigned to the module. For example, the process display section 1600c can display the same content as the process display section 1000c in FIG. 10B. For example, for the module selected and displayed in the module display section 1600b, details of the process design information such as process information specified by the process number 300a, operation content 300b, and target part 300c in the process design / work allocation information management table 300 are displayed.

[0133] The pass / fail judgment method display section 1600d is a section that displays the pass / fail judgment method and sensor allocation for the work displayed in the process display section 1600c. The user can select the equipment module type, pass / fail judgment method, and sensor type used for pass / fail judgment for each operation element constituting the work and pass / fail judgment timing. For example, for a module selected and displayed in the module display section 1600b, candidates for pass / fail judgment sensor allocation including the operation element number 1400d, operation element 1400e, pass / fail judgment number 1400f, pass / fail judgment timing 1400g, equipment module type 1400h, pass / fail judgment content 1400i, pass / fail judgment method 1400j, pass / fail judgment accuracy 1400k, sensor type 1400l, operation time 1400o, and equipment cost 1400p of the pass / fail judgment sensor allocation management table 1400 are displayed. Furthermore, a user of the line design device 1100 selects a specific pass / fail determination sensor allocation by selecting an equipment module type, pass / fail determination content, sensor type, and the like from among multiple candidates for pass / fail determination sensor allocation via the input unit 1110.

[0134] With the above description, the user of the line design device 1100 can manually select the equipment module type, pass / fail judgment method, and sensor type to be used for pass / fail judgment for the line configuration.

[0135] Here, the configuration of the equipment module type, the pass / fail judgment method, and the sensor type used for the pass / fail judgment for the line configuration may all be determined by automatic selection, all may be determined by manual selection, or some may be determined by automatic selection and the rest may be determined by manual selection. Furthermore, the selection criteria for the configuration of the equipment module type, the pass / fail judgment method, and the sensor type used for the pass / fail judgment for the line configuration may be to minimize the equipment cost or to minimize the operation time.

[0136] According to the second embodiment described above, a sensor assignment including an equipment module type, a pass / fail determination method, and a sensor type used for pass / fail determination for a line configuration can be generated based on pass / fail determination information for evaluating the completion state of each task constituting a process, a pass / fail determination method which is a means for evaluating the pass / fail determination content for each process in each module, and sensor information associated with the pass / fail determination content indicating the measurement content for evaluating the completion state of the task in each process.

[0137] FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the line design devices 100 and 1100 according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention.

[0138] The line design devices 100 and 1100 can be realized as a general computer 1700 having a central processing unit CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1701, a memory 1702, an external storage device 1703 such as a hard disk drive HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an input device 1704 such as a keyboard, mouse, or barcode reader, an output device 1705 such as a display, and a communication device 1706 that communicates with other computers via a communication network such as the Internet or a dedicated line, or as a network system having a plurality of such computers 1700.

[0139] For example, the memory units 120 and 1120 can be realized by the CPU 1701 using the memory 1702 or the external storage device 1703, the calculation units 150 and 1150 can be realized by loading a predetermined program stored in the external storage device 1703 into the memory 1702 and executing it with the CPU 1701, the input units 110 and 1110 can be realized by the CPU 1701 using the input device 1704, and the output units 130 and 1130 can be realized by the CPU 1701 using the output device 1705.

[0140] In addition, the programs and data placed in the memory units 120 and 1120, the calculation units 150 and 1150, and the external storage device 1703 may be placed in advance inside the computer 1700, or may be obtained by reading from an external storage medium or downloading via communication.

[0141] According to the embodiment of the present invention described above, in a manufacturing line configured by flexibly combining equipment modules having specific functions, the contents of the pass / fail judgment for each process and the pass / fail judgment method for each module can be determined using process design information, equipment module information, work allocation information, and pass / fail judgment information as indicators, making it possible to realize a manufacturing line design that includes a pass / fail judgment function, with control specifications and equipment specifications that are self-contained and do not pass defects to the next process.

[0142] Furthermore, the system according to the embodiment of the present invention may be configured as follows.

[0143] (1) A line design device (e.g., line design device 100 or 1100), comprising a calculation unit (e.g., calculation unit 150 or 1150)) and a memory unit (e.g., memory unit 120 or 1120). The memory unit holds process design information (e.g., process design and work assignment information management table 300) that associates work included in each process of a line for manufacturing a product with an equipment module used for the work, equipment module information (e.g., equipment module information management table 400) that indicates the type of sensor that can be attached to the equipment module, and pass / fail judgment information (e.g., pass / fail judgment information management table 500) that indicates measurement items required for pass / fail judgment to evaluate the completion state of the work. The calculation unit stores the process design information and the pass / fail judgment information. Based on the determination information, pass / fail judgment content information (e.g., pass / fail judgment content management table 600) is generated that matches the work of the process with the equipment module used for the work and the subject of pass / fail judgment, and based on the equipment module information and the pass / fail judgment content information, pass / fail judgment method information (e.g., pass / fail judgment method management table 700 or pass / fail judgment sensor assignment management table 1400) is generated that matches the work of the process with the equipment module used for the work and the subject of pass / fail judgment, and the type of sensor used for pass / fail judgment for the equipment module is generated, and information including the work included in the process, the equipment module used for the work, and the type of sensor associated with the equipment module (e.g., the information shown in Figure 10 or Figure 16) is output.

[0144] This makes it possible to determine the pass / fail judgment content for each process and the pass / fail judgment method for each module in a production line that is composed of a flexibly combined equipment module with specific functions, and to design a production line that includes a pass / fail judgment function so that each process is self-contained and has control and equipment specifications that do not pass defects to the next process.

[0145] (2) In the above (1), the memory unit holds sensor information (e.g., sensor information management table 1300) that associates the type of sensor with the model of sensor applicable to the line, and the calculation unit assigns to the equipment module, based on the pass / fail determination method information and the sensor information, a sensor of a type that can be attached to the equipment module and is applicable to the line, as a sensor to be used for pass / fail determination (e.g., step S1203).

[0146] This allows a manufacturing line to be designed in which each equipment module is assigned an appropriate sensor for pass / fail determination.

[0147] (3) In the above (2), the sensor information includes information (e.g., ladder template 1300i) that matches a combination of a sensor model and an equipment module type with a template of a sensor control ladder that controls the sensor, and the calculation unit generates a sensor control ladder that controls the sensor for pass / fail judgment of the equipment module based on the sensor information, using a template of a sensor control ladder that corresponds to a combination of the equipment module type and the type of sensor assigned to the equipment module (e.g., step S1204).

[0148] This allows the generation of an appropriate sensor control ladder for pass / fail determination.

[0149] (4) In (2) above, the sensor information includes information (e.g., robot program template 1300j) that matches a combination of a sensor model and an equipment module type with a robot program template for pass / fail determination, and the calculation unit generates a robot program for pass / fail determination for the equipment module based on the sensor information using a robot program template that corresponds to the combination of the equipment module type and the sensor model assigned to the equipment module (e.g., step S1204).

[0150] This allows an appropriate robot program to be generated for pass / fail determination.

[0151] (5) In (2) above, the sensor information includes at least one of information correlating a combination of a sensor type and an equipment module type with a template of a sensor control ladder that controls the sensor, and information correlating a combination of a sensor type and an equipment module type with a template of a robot program for pass / fail determination, and the calculation unit generates at least one of a sensor control ladder that controls the sensor for pass / fail determination for the equipment module and a robot program template for pass / fail determination for the equipment module based on the sensor information, using at least one of a sensor control ladder template and a robot program template corresponding to the combination of the equipment module type and the sensor type assigned to the equipment module, and calculates the work time for pass / fail determination for the equipment module based on at least one of the sensor control ladder and the robot program (e.g., step S1205).

[0152] This makes it possible to calculate the work time for a process, including the time required for pass / fail determination.

[0153] (6) In (2) above, the calculation unit calculates the cost of the equipment for pass / fail judgment of the equipment module based on the assignment of the sensor type to the equipment module (eg, step S1205).

[0154] This makes it possible to calculate the cost of the production line, including the cost of the sensors for pass / fail determination.

[0155] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications are included. For example, the above-mentioned embodiment has been described in detail for better understanding of the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Also, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Also, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration.

[0156] In addition, the above-mentioned configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be realized in part or in whole by hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. In addition, the above-mentioned configurations, functions, etc. may be realized in software by a processor interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function. Information such as a program, table, file, etc. that realizes each function can be stored in a storage device such as a non-volatile semiconductor memory, a hard disk drive, or an SSD (Solid State Drive), or in a computer-readable non-transitory data storage medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD.

[0157] In addition, the control lines and information lines are shown as those considered necessary for the explanation, and not all control lines and information lines in the product are shown. In reality, it can be considered that almost all components are connected to each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0158] 100... line design device, 110... input section, 120... memory section, 121... process design and work allocation information storage area, 122... equipment module information storage area, 123... pass / fail judgment information storage area, 130... output section, 140... display section, 150... calculation section, 151... pass / fail judgment content calculation section, 152... pass / fail judgment method calculation section, 300... process design and work allocation information management table, 400... equipment module information management table, 500... pass / fail judgment information management table, 600... pass / fail judgment content management table, 700... pass / fail judgment method management table, 1000... line design device output screen, 1100... line design device, 1110... input section, 11 20...storage unit, 1121...process design / work allocation information storage area, 1122...equipment module information storage area, 1123...pass / fail judgment information storage area, 1124...sensor information storage area, 1130...output unit, 1140...display unit, 1150...calculation unit, 1151...pass / fail judgment content calculation unit, 1152...pass / fail judgment method calculation unit, 1153...pass / fail judgment sensor allocation unit, 1154...sensor control ladder generation unit, 1155...robot program generation unit, 1156...work time calculation unit, 1157...equipment cost calculation unit, 1300...sensor information management table, 1400...pass / fail judgment sensor allocation management table, 1600...line design device output screen

Claims

1. A line design device, comprising: The apparatus includes a calculation unit and a storage unit, The storage unit is process design information that associates operations included in each process of a line for manufacturing a product with equipment modules used for the operations; Equipment module information indicating the types of sensors that can be attached to the equipment module; Pass / fail judgment information indicating measurement items required for pass / fail judgment to evaluate the completion state of the work; storing sensor information that associates the type of the sensor with a model of a sensor that can be applied to the line; The sensor information includes at least one of information associating a combination of the sensor type and the equipment module type with a template of a sensor control ladder that controls the sensor, and information associating a combination of the sensor type and the equipment module type with a template of a robot program for pass / fail judgment, The calculation unit is generating pass / fail judgment content information that associates the work of the process with the equipment module that is used in the work and is the subject of pass / fail judgment based on the process design information and the pass / fail judgment information; generating pass / fail judgment method information that associates the work of the process, the equipment module that is used in the work and is the subject of pass / fail judgment, and the type of the sensor that is used for the pass / fail judgment of the equipment module based on the equipment module information and the pass / fail judgment content information; Outputting information including a task included in the process, the equipment module used for the task, and the type of the sensor associated with the equipment module; assigning, to the equipment module, a type of sensor that can be attached to the equipment module and is applicable to the line based on the pass / fail determination method information and the sensor information, as a sensor to be used for pass / fail determination; Based on the sensor information, at least one of a sensor control ladder template that controls the sensor for pass / fail judgment of the equipment module and a robot program template that corresponds to a combination of the type of the equipment module and the model of the sensor assigned to the equipment module is used to generate at least one of a sensor control ladder that controls the sensor for pass / fail judgment of the equipment module and a robot program for pass / fail judgment of the equipment module; A line design device, characterized in that it calculates a work time for pass / fail judgment for the equipment module based on at least one of the sensor control ladder and the robot program.

2. A line design device as claimed in claim 1, The line design device is characterized in that the calculation unit calculates an equipment cost for pass / fail judgment for the equipment module based on the assignment of the sensor type to the equipment module.

3. A line design method executed by a line design device, comprising: The line design device includes a calculation unit and a storage unit, The storage unit is process design information that associates operations included in each process of a line for manufacturing a product with equipment modules used for the operations; Equipment module information indicating the types of sensors that can be attached to the equipment module; Pass / fail judgment information indicating measurement items required for pass / fail judgment to evaluate the completion state of the work; storing sensor information that associates the type of the sensor with a model of a sensor that can be applied to the line; The sensor information includes at least one of information associating a combination of the sensor type and the equipment module type with a template of a sensor control ladder that controls the sensor, and information associating a combination of the sensor type and the equipment module type with a template of a robot program for pass / fail judgment, The line design method includes: a step of generating pass / fail judgment content information by the calculation unit, which associates the work of the process with the equipment module that is used in the work and is the subject of pass / fail judgment based on the process design information and the pass / fail judgment information; a step of the calculation unit generating pass / fail judgment method information that associates the work of the process, an equipment module that is used in the work and is the subject of pass / fail judgment, and a type of the sensor that is used for the pass / fail judgment of the equipment module, based on the equipment module information and the pass / fail judgment content information; a step in which the calculation unit outputs information including a task included in the process, the equipment module used for the task, and the type of the sensor associated with the equipment module; a step of the calculation unit assigning, to the equipment module, a type of sensor that can be attached to the equipment module and is applicable to the line, as a sensor to be used for pass / fail judgment, based on the pass / fail judgment method information and the sensor information; a step in which the calculation unit generates, based on the sensor information, at least one of a sensor control ladder for controlling the sensor for pass / fail judgment of the equipment module and a robot program template for the equipment module, using at least one of the sensor control ladder template and the robot program template corresponding to a combination of the type of the equipment module and the model of the sensor assigned to the equipment module; a step of the calculation unit calculating a work time for pass / fail judgment of the equipment module based on at least one of the sensor control ladder and the robot program.

4. A line design method according to claim 3, comprising: The line design method further comprises a step of calculating a cost of equipment for pass / fail judgment for the equipment module based on an assignment of the sensor type to the equipment module by the calculation unit.

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