Production facility control device and control method

Abstract

To rationally control maintenance of a production facility including plural drive units.SOLUTION: The present invention includes: a first operation control unit that controls the operations of plural drive units according to preplanned first production plan information; a production plan change unit that changes the first production plan information into second production plan information; and a second operation control unit that controls the operations of the plural drive units according to the second production plan information. The second product plan information is control information for use in optimizing maintenance of the production facility by increasing or decreasing at least part of plural loads imposed on the respective plural drive units when the first operation control unit controls the plural drive units.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control technique for controlling production equipment provided with a plurality of drive units. [Background technology]

[0002] A component mounter that mounts components on a circuit board is widely used as an example of production equipment. Another widely used example of the production equipment is a board production system that combines not only a component mounter but also a solder printer that prints solder on the mounting location on the board. Such production equipment is provided with multiple drive units. A control device is installed in the production equipment to control these multiple drive units. For example, the system described in Patent Document 1 is provided with an equipment diagnostic system as an example of a control device. This equipment diagnostic system diagnoses malfunctions in each unit based on operation information of the machines and devices used to manufacture boards in the production equipment, and manages the maintenance of the production equipment so that maintenance is performed on the machines and devices diagnosed as malfunctioning. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-27329 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-described conventional technology, malfunctions of machines, devices, etc. installed in a production facility are diagnosed based on operation information, and the diagnosed malfunctioning machines, devices, etc. are individually maintained. This makes it difficult to perform maintenance of the production facility at a reasonable timing for the entire production facility. For example, as described in detail below, by adjusting the load on the drive unit incorporated in the machine, device, etc. diagnosed as malfunctioning with the load on the drive unit incorporated in the other machine, device, etc., it becomes possible to reduce the frequency of maintenance for the entire production facility and to develop a maintenance plan for the entire production facility. However, because the conventional technology only considers individual maintenance work, it is impossible to reduce the frequency of maintenance or develop a maintenance plan. As a result, it is not possible to streamline maintenance work for the entire production facility.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a production equipment control device and control method that can rationally control the maintenance of production equipment equipped with multiple drive units. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention is a control device for production equipment provided with a plurality of drive units, the control device comprising: a first operation control unit that controls the operation of the plurality of drive units in accordance with first production plan information that has been planned in advance; a production plan switching unit that switches from the first production plan information to second production plan information; and a second operation control unit that controls the operation of the plurality of drive units in accordance with the second production plan information, the second production plan information being determined by increasing or decreasing at least some of a plurality of loads that are applied to each of the plurality of drive units when the first operation control unit controls the plurality of drive units. The maintenance timings of the plurality of drive units are brought closer to each other, or the maintenance timings of some of the plurality of drive units are advanced or delayed. It is characterized by being control information for

[0007] A second aspect of the present invention is a control method for production equipment provided with a plurality of drive units, the method comprising the steps of controlling the plurality of drive units in accordance with first production plan information that has been planned in advance, switching from the first production plan information to second production plan information, and controlling the plurality of drive units in accordance with the second production plan information, wherein the second production plan information increases or decreases at least some of a plurality of loads that are applied to the plurality of drive units when the plurality of drive units are controlled in accordance with the first production plan information. The maintenance timings of the plurality of drive units are brought closer to each other, or the maintenance timings of some of the plurality of drive units are advanced or delayed. The information is characterized by being information for controlling the operations of a plurality of driving units.

[0008] In a production facility, multiple drive units are controlled according to pre-planned first production plan information. Uniformly controlling the multiple drive units according to the first production plan information can make it difficult to perform maintenance of the production facility as a whole at a reasonable timing. Therefore, the present invention provides second production plan information in addition to the first production plan information, and allows switching from the first production plan information to the second production plan information. This second production plan information is control information for optimizing maintenance of the production facility by increasing or decreasing at least some of the loads applied to each of the multiple drive units when controlling the multiple drive units according to the first production plan information, thereby enabling maintenance of the production facility to be performed at a reasonable timing.

[0009] Production equipment to which the present invention is applicable includes, for example, equipment having at least two mounting heads for mounting components on a board and multiple head drivers for driving each of the multiple mounting heads, i.e., a component mounter, as described below. In this production equipment, the first operation control unit controls the multiple head drivers so that component mounting is performed in accordance with the first production plan information before the production plan switching unit switches to the second production plan information. Controlling the multiple head drivers solely by the first operation control unit can result in uneven loads on some of the head drivers, making rational maintenance difficult. However, the second operation control unit controls the multiple head drivers so that component mounting is performed in accordance with the second production plan information after the production plan switching unit switches to the second production plan information, thereby alleviating the uneven load and allowing production equipment maintenance to be performed at a rational timing.

[0010] In a production facility in which the multiple mounting heads include a first mounting head and a second mounting head, and the multiple head drive units include a first head drive unit that drives the first mounting head and a second head drive unit that drives the second mounting head, it is preferable that the first production plan information be a first production program for driving the first head drive unit and the second head drive unit at a first load and a second load lower than the first load, respectively, and the second production plan information be a second production program for driving the first head drive unit and the second head drive unit at a third load and a fourth load higher than the third load, respectively, and that the production plan switching unit alternately switch between the first production program and the second production program, because such switching equalizes the loads on the first head drive unit and the second head drive unit, enabling standardization and planning of maintenance timing for the mounting heads.

[0011] In order to perform this leveling more reliably, it is preferable to further include a load acquisition unit that acquires first head load information that is the accumulated load required to move the first mounting head and second head load information that is the accumulated load required to move the second mounting head, and to configure the production plan switching unit to switch from the first production plan information to the second production plan information when a first load difference obtained by subtracting the second head load information from the first head load information becomes equal to or greater than a first predetermined value, and to switch from the second production plan information to the first production plan information when a second load difference obtained by subtracting the first head load information from the second head load information becomes equal to or greater than a second predetermined value.

[0012] Furthermore, the load change may be performed after identifying a change target head from among the multiple mounting heads. More specifically, the control device may further include a head identification unit that identifies a change target head from among the multiple mounting heads, the first production plan information being a third production program for driving a third head drive unit that drives the change target head at a fifth load and a fourth head drive unit that drives a mounting head other than the change target head at a sixth load, the second production plan information being a fourth production program for driving the third head drive unit at a seventh load that is higher than the fifth load and the fourth head drive unit at an eighth load that is lower than the sixth load, and the production plan switching unit adjusting the maintenance timing of the multiple mounting heads by switching from the third production program to the fourth production program in response to the identification of the change target head by the head identification unit. This configuration enables flexible response to the status of the production equipment.

[0013] In order to have the head specifying unit specify the head to be changed, an input unit may be further provided that accepts the user's selection of the head to be changed and provides head information regarding the head to be changed to the head specifying unit. By adding an input unit, the user can arbitrarily specify the head to be changed, making it possible to respond appropriately to the status of the production equipment.

[0014] The present invention also applies to production facilities that are comprised of multiple maintenance devices, such as a circuit board production system (described later). To control this production facility, an equipment identification unit is provided that identifies a maintenance device among the multiple maintenance devices to be subject to a load change. Each of the maintenance devices includes at least one drive unit. The first production plan information is control information for operating the drive units included in the maintenance devices in a normal mode, and the second production plan information is control information for operating the drive units included in the maintenance devices in a load increase mode with a higher load than the normal mode or a load decrease mode with a lower load than the normal mode. The production plan switching unit may selectively adjust the maintenance timing of the maintenance device by switching the information for controlling the operation of the maintenance device from the first production plan information to the second production plan information in response to the selection of the maintenance device by the maintenance device identification unit, while maintaining the information for controlling the operation of the maintenance devices other than the maintenance device in the first production plan information. This allows maintenance of the maintenance device identified by the maintenance device identification unit to be performed at a reasonable timing.

[0015] Here, if it is desired to advance the maintenance of the device to be changed, the second production plan information is control information for operating the work device in a load increase mode, and the production plan switching unit can be configured to switch the information for controlling the operation of the device to be changed from the first production plan information to the second production plan information, thereby advancing the timing of maintenance of the device to be changed.

[0016] On the other hand, if it is desired to postpone the maintenance of the device to be changed, the second production plan information is control information for operating the work device in a load reduction mode, and the production plan switching unit can be configured to switch the information for controlling the operation of the device to be changed from the first production plan information to the second production plan information, thereby delaying the timing of maintenance of the device to be changed.

[0017] In order to allow the equipment specifying unit to specify the equipment to be changed, an input unit may be further provided that accepts the user's selection of the equipment to be changed and provides the equipment specifying unit with equipment information regarding the equipment to be changed. By providing an additional input unit, the user can arbitrarily specify the equipment to be changed, making it possible to respond appropriately according to the status of the production equipment.

[0018] Furthermore, multiple operating devices that make up the production equipment may have different takt times. A control device for controlling such production equipment preferably includes an apparatus identifying unit that identifies a slowest operating device among the multiple operating devices that make up the production equipment, the multiple operating devices performing work on workpieces using drive units, the production equipment being configured such that the multiple operating devices are connected in a row and sequentially transport the workpieces between the multiple operating devices, the first production plan information being control information for operating the drive units included in the operating devices in a normal mode, and the second production plan information being control information for operating the drive units included in the operating devices in a load reduction mode that is lower than the normal mode, and the production plan switching unit maintaining the information for controlling the operation of the slowest operating device in the first production plan information while switching the information for controlling the operation of operating devices other than the slowest operating device from the first production plan information to the second production plan information. Using this control device, it is possible to reduce variations in takt times among the multiple operating devices and delay the timing of maintenance of operating devices other than the slowest operating device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to rationally control the maintenance of production equipment provided with a plurality of drive units. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a component mounter equipped with a first embodiment of a control device according to the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a partial front view schematically illustrating the vicinity of the lower end of an example of a head unit. [Figure 3] 3 is a partial plan view schematically showing the bottom of the head unit of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a flowchart showing a method for controlling the component mounter by the control device shown in FIG. [Figure 5] 5 is a diagram showing a schematic view of a load state when the component mounter repeatedly performs mounting turns according to the control method shown in FIG. 4. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a component mounter equipped with a control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7A] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the number of mounted components for each mounting head in each production program. [Figure 7B] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating the effects of switching the production program in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a board production system, which is an example of production equipment equipped with a third embodiment of a control device according to the present invention. [Figure 9] 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of control of maintenance timing in the board production system shown in FIG. 8. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing an operation executed in a fourth embodiment of a control device according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] First Embodiment Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a component mounter equipped with a control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 1 and Fig. 6, which will be described later, XYZ orthogonal coordinate axes are appropriately shown, in which the Z direction is the vertical direction and the X and Y directions are the horizontal directions.

[0022] The component mounter 1 is an example of the "production equipment" of the present invention. The control device 100 controls multiple drive units provided in the component mounter 1 according to a pre-stored production program. As a result, components P are mounted on the board B according to the procedure defined by the production program. The components P include electronic components such as ICs (Integrated Circuits), transistors, capacitors, and resistors. As will be described later, the control device 100 optimizes the maintenance of the component mounter 1 by increasing or decreasing at least some of the multiple loads applied to each of the multiple drive units. Below, the configurations of the component mounter 1 and the control device 100 will be described, followed by a detailed description of the maintenance optimization performed by the control device 100.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 1, the component mounter 1 is equipped with a pair of conveyors 2 arranged in parallel in the Y direction. The component mounter 1 mounts components P on a board B that has been carried in by the conveyors 2 from the upstream side (left side in Fig. 1) in the Y direction (board transport direction) to a mounting work position Lo (the position of board B in Fig. 1), and then carries out the board B (component-mounted board B) on which the mounting of components P has been completed from the mounting work position Lo to the downstream side in the Y direction by the conveyors 2. The transport of the board B by this conveyor 2 is controlled by a control device 100.

[0024] The component mounter 1 is also provided with a pair of X-axis rails 31 parallel to the X direction, an X-axis ball screw 32 parallel to the X direction, and an X-axis motor Mx (servo motor) that rotates and drives the X-axis ball screw 32. A Y-axis rail 34 parallel to the Y direction is supported on the pair of X-axis rails 31 so as to be movable in the X direction and is fixed to the nut of the X-axis ball screw 32. A Y-axis ball screw 35 parallel to the Y direction and a Y-axis motor My (servo motor) that rotates and drives the Y-axis ball screw 35 are attached to the Y-axis rail 34. The head unit 4 is supported on the Y-axis rail 34 so as to be movable in the Y direction and is fixed to the nut of the Y-axis ball screw 35. Therefore, the control device 100 can rotate the X-axis ball screw 32 using the X-axis motor Mx to move the head unit 4 in the X direction, and rotate the Y-axis ball screw 35 using the Y-axis motor My to move the head unit 4 in the Y direction.

[0025] A board recognition camera C is attached to the head unit 4. The board recognition camera C faces downward and captures an image of the fiducial mark on the board B located at the mounting work position Lo. The image captured by the board recognition camera C is transferred to the control device 100, which can then determine the position of the board B from the fiducial mark included in the image.

[0026] Fig. 2 is a partial front view schematically showing the vicinity of the lower end of an example of a head unit, and Fig. 3 is a partial plan view schematically showing the bottom of the head unit of Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the head unit 4 has a rotary head in which a plurality of nozzles N are arranged circumferentially.

[0027] The head unit 4 has a main shaft 41 extending in the Z direction, and a nozzle holder 42 supported at the lower end of the main shaft 41. The nozzle holder 42 is supported so as to be rotatable in a rotation direction R about a rotation axis AX (virtual axis) parallel to the Z direction, and rotates by receiving a driving force from an R-axis motor Mr provided at the upper end of the head unit 4. The nozzle holder 42 also supports multiple (eight) lift shafts 43 that are arranged circumferentially around the rotation axis AX at equal angles θ.

[0028] Each lift shaft 43 is supported so that it can be raised and lowered, and is biased upward by a biasing member (not shown). A nozzle N is detachably attached to the lower end of each lift shaft 43. As a result, the nozzle holder 42 supports multiple nozzles N that are arranged circumferentially around the rotation axis AX at equal angles θ. Therefore, when the drive control unit 130 of the control device 100 outputs a rotation command to the R-axis motor Mr, the nozzle holder 42 rotates by receiving driving force from the R-axis motor Mr, and the multiple nozzles N rotate together along a circular orbit O centered on the rotation axis AX.

[0029] The main shaft 41 also supports a nozzle lifting mechanism 44 above multiple lifting shafts 43. The nozzle lifting mechanism 44 has two pressing members 441 arranged 180 degrees apart around the rotation axis AX. Each pressing member 441 receives a driving force from a Z-axis motor Mz built into the nozzle lifting mechanism 44 and moves up and down independently of each other. Therefore, when the drive control unit 130 outputs a lowering command to the Z-axis motor Mz, the pressing member 441 receives a driving force from the Z-axis motor Mz and moves down. As a result, the pressing member 441 lowers one of the multiple lifting shafts 43 located directly below it against the biasing force acting on that lifting shaft 43, thereby lowering the nozzle N to a lowered position Zd where the component P is picked up or mounted. On the other hand, when the drive control unit 130 outputs an upward command to the Z-axis motor Mz, the pressing member 441 moves up by receiving a driving force from the Z-axis motor Mz. As a result, one lift shaft 43 that has been pressed down by the pressing member 441 rises in accordance with the biasing force, taking the nozzle N with it, and the nozzle N rises to the raised position Zu. Note that in FIG. 2, the lowered position Zd and the raised position Zu are respectively shown with respect to the lower end of the nozzle N.

[0030] In this head unit 4, the position directly below the pressing member 441 is the operating position Po where the nozzle N picks up and mounts the component P. That is, corresponding to the arrangement of the two pressing members 441 described above, the head unit 4 has two operating positions Po, Po spaced apart by an angle of 180 degrees around the rotation axis AX. Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 3 , the nozzle holder 42 has four pairs (nozzle pairs) of two nozzles N spaced apart by 180 degrees around the rotation axis AX (two nozzles N located on opposite sides of the rotation axis AX), and 2 × 4 (= 8) nozzles N are arranged along a circular orbit O. In this way, the two paired nozzles N satisfy an arrangement relationship in which one nozzle N can be located at one operating position Po while the other nozzle N can be located at the other operating position Po. Therefore, the drive control unit 130 adjusts the rotation angle of the multiple nozzles N using the R-axis motor Mr, so that each of the two nozzles N, N constituting any one of the four nozzle pairs can be positioned at the operating positions Po, Po and used to pick up and mount the component P.

[0031] For example, when picking up a component P at the operating position Po, the head unit 4 is moved above the component supply point 52 (FIG. 1) to position the operating position Po directly above the component supply point 52. In this state, the nozzle N that is not picking up the component P is stopped at the operating position Po in the rotation direction R and lowered in the Z direction from the raised position Zu to the lowered position Zd. Then, when the nozzle N comes into contact with the component P supplied to the component supply point 52, negative pressure is applied to the nozzle N, and the component is picked up from the component supply point 52 to the nozzle N. Next, the nozzle N that has picked up the component P is raised in the Z direction from the lowered position Zd to the raised position Zu, thereby removing the component P from the component supply point 52.

[0032] Alternatively, when mounting a component at the operating position Po, the head unit 4 is moved above the board B supported at the mounting work position Lo, and the operating position Po is positioned directly above the mounting target location on the board B. In this state, the nozzle N that picks up the component P is stopped at the operating position Po in the rotation direction R and lowered in the Z direction from the raised position Zu to the lower position Zd. Then, when the component P comes into contact with the board B, atmospheric pressure or positive pressure is applied to the nozzle N, and the component P is mounted on the board B from the nozzle N. Next, the nozzle N from which the component P has been released is raised in the Z direction from the lower position Zd to the raised position Zu. In this manner, in this embodiment, the nozzle N attached to the lower end of the lift shaft 43 picks up the component P, moves it to a position above the board, and mounts it on the board B. Therefore, in this specification, the structure with the nozzle N attached to the lower end of the lift shaft 43 is referred to as the "mounting head H." Furthermore, a series of operations, including removal of one component P by a mounting head H, movement to a position above the board, and placement on the board B, is referred to as a "mounting turn." That is, in this embodiment, the head unit 4 has eight mounting heads H, and the mounting turn is repeated multiple times by each mounting head H to manufacture the board B.

[0033] Returning to FIG. 1, we will continue to explain the configuration of the component mounter 1. Two component supply units 5 are lined up in the X direction on each side of the pair of conveyors 2 in the Y direction. Multiple tape feeders 51 are lined up in the Y direction and detachably attached to each component supply unit 5. The tape feeders 51 extend in the X direction and have component supply points 52 at their ends on the conveyor 2 side in the X direction. A component supply reel around which a tape containing small pieces of components P, such as integrated circuits, transistors, and capacitors, is wound at predetermined intervals is disposed for each tape feeder 51, and the tape unwound from the component supply reel is loaded into the tape feeder 51. In response to a command from the control unit 410, the tape feeder 51 intermittently feeds the tape in the X direction toward the conveyor 2. As a result, the components P on the tape are fed in the X direction (feed direction) and sequentially supplied to the component supply points 52 of the tape feeder 51.

[0034] Then, the head unit 4 mounts components P on the board B by operating the drive units (conveyor 2, X-axis motor Mx, Y-axis motor My, R-axis motor Mr, Z-axis motor Mz, etc.) in response to a drive command from the control device 100. The head unit 4 moves above the tape feeder 51 and brings the nozzle 432 into contact with the component P supplied to the component supply location 52 by the tape feeder 51. The head unit 4 picks up the component P by suction using the negative pressure applied to the nozzle 432. The head unit 4 then transfers the component P held by the nozzle 432 in this way to a mounting location (land) on the board B at the mounting work position Lo.

[0035] The control device 100 that controls the component mounter 1 configured as described above includes an arithmetic processing unit 110, a memory unit 120, a drive control unit 130 that controls the drive unit of the component mounter 1, and an imaging control unit 140 that controls imaging of the nozzle N (FIGS. 2 and 3). The memory unit 120 is a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and stores a first production program 121 and a second production program 122 as production programs for the component mounter 1 created by the production program creation device 200. These production programs 121 and 122 are created by the production program creation device 200.

[0036] The production program creation device 200 has an arithmetic processing unit 210 including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), and RAM (Random Access Memory), and creates control information that optimizes the component mounting procedure for mounting components in the shortest time as a first production program 121. In addition, as will be described in detail later, it creates control information that specifies the component mounting procedure for optimizing the maintenance of the component mounter 1 by increasing or decreasing at least a portion of the loads applied to the above-mentioned multiple driving units as a second production program 122.

[0037] The arithmetic processing unit 110 controls each device of the mounter 1 based on these production programs 121 and 122. The arithmetic processing unit 110 includes a central processing unit (CPU), read-only memory (ROM), and random access memory (RAM), and selectively reads the first production program 121 or the second production program 122 from the storage unit 120 to perform component mounting. That is, the arithmetic processing unit 110 controls the operation of the above-mentioned multiple drive units in accordance with the first production program 121 to mount components P on the board B in the shortest time, thereby functioning as the "first operation control unit" of the present invention. The arithmetic processing unit 110 also controls the operation of the above-mentioned multiple drive units in accordance with the second production program 122 to optimize maintenance timing, thereby functioning as the "second operation control unit" of the present invention. The arithmetic processing unit 110 also acquires the integrated value of the load on each drive unit while the mounter 1 is operating, thereby functioning as the "load acquisition unit" of the present invention. Furthermore, as will be described in detail below, the calculation processing unit 110 also functions as the "production plan switching unit" of the present invention, that is, the function of switching between component mounting operations based on the first production program 121 and component mounting operations based on the second production program 122 based on the load on each drive unit.

[0038] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a method for controlling the component mounter by the control device shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a load state when the component mounter repeatedly performs mounting turns according to the control method shown in Fig. 4. The control device 100 reads a control program stored in advance in the storage unit 120, and controls each unit of the device in accordance with the control program as follows, thereby repeatedly mounting components P on the board B.

[0039] Here, to clarify the characteristics of the present invention, we focus on two of the eight mounting heads H, namely, H1 and H2, and consider the loads on the drive units for driving each of the mounting heads H1 and H2. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, the control method will be described on the assumption that the loads on the drive units for driving the first mounting head H1 and the drive units for driving the second mounting head H2 differ between the first production program 121 and the second production program 122. More specifically, in order to mount 100 components P on the board B, in the first production program 121, the first mounting head H1 repeats the mounting turn (= component removal + movement to a position above the board + placement on the board) 70 times to mount 70 components P, and the second mounting head H2 repeats the mounting turn 30 times to mount 30 components P. In other words, while the mounting turns are repeated according to the first production program 121, the load on the drive unit of the first mounting head H1 is greater than the load on the drive unit of the second mounting head H2. Therefore, if the mounting turns are continued according to the first production program 121, the load will be unevenly distributed on the drive unit of the first mounting head H1. As a result, the integrated value of the load on the drive unit of the first mounting head H1 will reach the maintenance reference value, i.e., the limit value at which it is determined that maintenance of the mounting head H is necessary, before the second mounting head H2.

[0040] Therefore, in this embodiment, a second production program 122 is prepared in advance for the first mounting head H1 to perform 30 mounting turns to mount 30 components P and for the second mounting head H2 to perform 70 mounting turns to mount 70 components P, and this second production program 122 is executed in place of the first production program 121. In other words, by respectively decreasing and increasing the loads applied to the drive units (corresponding to the "head drive units" of the present invention) for driving the first mounting head H1 and the second mounting head H2, the load is leveled across the entire head unit 4, thereby standardizing and planning the timing of maintenance of the mounting heads. Thus, in this embodiment, the drive unit that drives the first mounting head H1 when mounting 70 or 30 components P with the first mounting head H1 corresponds to an example of the "first head drive unit" of the present invention, and the loads applied to the drive units when mounting 70 and 30 components P correspond to examples of the "first load" and "third load" of the present invention, respectively. Furthermore, the drive unit that drives the second mounting head H2 when mounting 30 or 70 components P using the second mounting head H2 corresponds to an example of the "second head drive unit" of the present invention, and the load applied to the drive unit when mounting 70 and 30 components P corresponds to an example of the "second load" and "fourth load" of the present invention, respectively.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 4, in step S1, the calculation processing unit 110 clears the integrated value of the load applied to the drive unit of the first mounting head H1 (first head load information L1) and the integrated value of the load applied to the drive unit of the second mounting head H2 (second head load information L2) (timing T0 in FIG. 5). At this timing T0, as shown in FIG. 5, the difference between the first head load information L1 and the second head load information L2 becomes zero. Note that this step S1 can be executed when maintenance of the first mounting head H1 and the second mounting head H2 is completed. Of course, it can also be executed immediately after the manufacture of the component mounter 1.

[0042] In the next step S2, the calculation processing unit 110 repeats mounting turns using the first mounting head H1 and the second mounting head H2 based on the first production program 121, thereby mounting the components P on the board B. In this case, since the load on the drive unit of the first mounting head H1 is greater than the load on the drive unit of the second mounting head H2, as shown in the period (T0 to T1) in FIG. 5, the first load difference D1 (= first head load information L1 - second head load information L2) increases proportionally as the mounting turns are repeated.

[0043] Therefore, in this embodiment, the calculation processing unit 110 acquires the first head load information L1 and the second head load information L2 during component mounting based on the first production program 121 (step S3), and calculates the first load difference D1 from them (step S4). As long as this first load difference D1 does not reach or exceed the first predetermined value corresponding to the first production program 121 ("NO" in step S5), the calculation processing unit 110 returns to step S2 and repeats the above process (steps S2 to S5).

[0044] On the other hand, as shown at timing T1 in FIG. 5, when it is determined that the first load difference D1 has become equal to or greater than the first predetermined value ("YES" in step S5), the arithmetic processing unit 110 switches the program for executing component mounting from the first production program 121 to the second production program 122 (step S6). Then, the arithmetic processing unit 110 repeats mounting turns using the first mounting head H1 and the second mounting head H2 based on the second production program 122, thereby executing mounting of components P on the board B (step S7). In this case, the loads applied to the drive units of the first mounting head H1 and the second mounting head H2 are reversed, and therefore, as the mounting turns are repeated, the first load difference D1 (=first head load information L1-second head load information L2) decreases as the mounting turns are repeated, as shown in the period (T1 to T2) in FIG. 5, and becomes zero at timing T2. Furthermore, after the timing T2, the second load difference D2 (=second head load information L2-first head load information L1) increases proportionally as the mounting turns are repeated.

[0045] Therefore, in this embodiment, the arithmetic processing unit 110 acquires the first head load information L1 and the second head load information L2 during component mounting based on the second production program 122 (step S8), and calculates the second load difference D2 from them (step S9). As long as the second load difference D2 does not reach or exceed the second predetermined value corresponding to the second production program 122 ("NO" in step S10), the arithmetic processing unit 110 returns to step S7 and repeats the above process (steps S7 to S10).

[0046] 5, when it is determined that the second load difference D2 is equal to or greater than the second predetermined value ("YES" in step S10), the calculation processing unit 110 switches the program for executing component mounting from the second production program 122 to the first production program 121 (step S11). Then, returning to step S2, component mounting based on the first production program 121 (steps S2 to S5) and component mounting based on the second production program 122 (steps S6 to S10) are alternately repeated.

[0047] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the difference between the integrated value of the load on the drive unit of the first mounting head H1 (first head load information L1) and the integrated value of the load on the drive unit of the second mounting head H2 (second head load information L2) can always be kept between the first load difference D1 and the second load difference D2. In other words, load leveling can be achieved. Therefore, the maintenance timings for the first mounting head H1 and the second mounting head H2 can be brought closer, and the first mounting head H1 and the second mounting head H2 can be maintained at the same time, reducing the frequency of maintenance and streamlining maintenance work.

[0048] Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the load from concentrating on the drive unit of the first mounting head H1, and the life of the component mounter 1 can be extended.

[0049] In the first embodiment, the switching from the second production program 122 to the first production program 121 is performed based on the second load difference D2, but the switching may be performed at timing T2 in Fig. 5, that is, when the first load difference D1 becomes zero. This allows further progress in leveling.

[0050] 5, in the first embodiment, the loads applied to the drive units of the first mounting head H1 and the second mounting head H2 are reversed between the first production program 121 and the second production program 122, but this is not limiting. For example, the amount of reduction in the load applied to the drive units of the first mounting head H1 and the amount of increase in the load applied to the drive units of the second mounting head H2 in the second production program 122 may not match. Furthermore, the second production program 122 may only reduce the load applied to the drive units of the first mounting head H1, or only increase the load applied to the drive units of the second mounting head H2.

[0051] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, a second production program 122 is additionally stored to increase or decrease the load on the drive units of the two mounting heads H1 and H2, and the load is equalized by switching between the production programs 121 and 122. However, when equalizing the load on three or more mounting heads H, further production programs can be added to increase or decrease the load on the drive units of those mounting heads H, and this can be achieved by switching between the production programs.

[0052] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the present invention is applied to a component mounting machine 1 having a rotary head in which multiple nozzles N are arranged circumferentially, but even in a component mounting machine 1 having a so-called inline type head unit 4 in which multiple nozzles N are arranged in a row, as described below, it is possible to level out the load by increasing or decreasing the load on the drive unit.

[0053] Second Embodiment In the first embodiment, the load is leveled by switching between two types of production programs, thereby rationally controlling the maintenance of a component mounter (production equipment) 1 equipped with multiple drive units. However, if, for example, some of the multiple mounting heads H are already subject to a maintenance plan, it is more rational to increase the load on the drive units that drive the mounting heads H other than the mounting heads H subject to the maintenance plan (hereinafter referred to as "heads to be changed") and maintain the heads to be changed in accordance with the maintenance plan. To meet such demands, two types of production programs corresponding to the heads to be changed may be prepared in advance, and the demand may be satisfied by switching between the production programs (second embodiment). Below, the configuration and operation of a second embodiment of a control device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6, 7A, and 7B.

[0054] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a component mounter equipped with a control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The component mounter 1 shown in Fig. 6 differs from the component mounter 1 shown in Fig. 1 in the structure of the head unit 4, in which five mounting heads H are arranged in a row. Note that, since the other components are basically the same, the same components are assigned the same reference numerals and a description of the configuration will be omitted.

[0055] The control device 100 that controls the component mounter 1 includes a calculation processing unit 110, a storage unit 120, a drive control unit 130, and an imaging control unit 140, similar to the first embodiment. The control device 100 also includes an input unit 150 configured with a liquid crystal panel or the like. The input unit 150 accepts a user's designation of a head to be changed and provides head information related to the head to be changed to the calculation processing unit 110. The calculation processing unit 110 identifies the head to be changed designated by the user based on the head information. As described above, in the second embodiment, the calculation processing unit 110 includes a head identification unit that identifies the head to be changed instead of the load acquisition unit. For example, if a user inputs via the input unit 150 that the mounting head H1 located furthest upstream in the Y direction (the left end in FIG. 6 ) among the five mounting heads H is the head to be changed, the head identification unit of the calculation processing unit 110 identifies the mounting head H1 as the head to be changed based on the input content.

[0056] When the head to be changed has not been identified, the arithmetic processing unit 110 controls each device of the component mounter 1 based on control information that optimizes the component mounting procedure for mounting components in the shortest time among the production programs for the component mounter 1 created in advance by the production program creation device 200, i.e., the third production program 123. On the other hand, when the head to be changed has been identified, the arithmetic processing unit 110 switches from the third production program 123 to the fourth production program 124 and controls each device of the component mounter 1 based on the fourth production program 124.

[0057] The fourth production program 124 is control information that defines a component mounting procedure for mounting components while increasing the load on the drive unit of the head to be changed and reducing the load on the drive units of all or some of the other mounting heads, and is stored in advance in the storage unit 120 in this embodiment. That is, for each mounting head H, the production program creation device 200 stores, as a candidate for the fourth production program, a production program that increases the load on the drive unit of the head to be changed and reduces the load on the drive units of all or some of the other mounting heads when the mounting head H is identified as the head to be changed. When the user specifies a head to be changed, the production program corresponding to the specified head to be changed is transmitted from the production program creation device 200 to the control device 100 and stored in the storage unit 120 as the fourth production program 124. Note that in the second embodiment, the user specifies a head to be changed and the fourth production program 124 corresponding to the specification is received. However, multiple types of fourth production programs created by the production program creation device 200 may be stored in advance in the storage unit 120. Alternatively, the production program creation device 200 may create the fourth production program 124 in response to a user's designation of the head to be changed, and provide the fourth production program 124 to the control device 100.

[0058] Before describing the operation of the component mounter 1, the load state on the drive unit of each mounting head H when the component mounter 1 operates based on the production programs 123 and 124 will be described with reference to Fig. 7A. In order to clearly distinguish between the five mounting heads H, the above-mentioned mounting head H1 will be referred to as the "first mounting head H1" in this specification and drawings, and the four mounting heads H arranged in order from this first mounting head H1 in the (+Y) direction will be referred to as the "second mounting head H2," "third mounting head H3," "fourth mounting head H4," and "fifth mounting head H5," respectively.

[0059] In order to mount 100 components P on the board B, in the third production program 123, for example, the first mounting head H1 through the fifth mounting head H5 each repeat mounting turns 20 times to mount 20 components P. In contrast, in the fourth production program 124, which corresponds to the first mounting head H1 being the head to be changed, for example, the number of mounting turns of the first mounting head (head to be changed) H1 is increased to 15, increasing the number of components from 20 to 35, while the number of mounting turns of the second mounting head H2 through the fourth mounting head H4 is decreased by five each, decreasing the number of components from 20 to 15. Note that in this embodiment, considering that the fifth mounting head H5 is the target of the maintenance plan, the maintenance plan is maintained by not changing the number of components mounted by the fifth mounting head H5. Thus, in this embodiment, the drive unit that drives the first mounting head H1 corresponds to an example of a "third head drive unit" of the present invention, the load applied to the third head drive unit when the first mounting head H1 mounts 20 components P corresponds to an example of a "fifth load" of the present invention, and the load applied to the third head drive unit when the first mounting head H1 mounts 35 components P corresponds to an example of a "seventh load" of the present invention. Also, the drive units that drive the second mounting head H2 to the fourth mounting head H4 each correspond to an example of a "fourth head drive unit" of the present invention, the load applied to each fourth head drive unit when each mounting head H2 to H4 mounts 20 components P corresponds to an example of a "sixth load" of the present invention, and the load applied to each fourth head drive unit when each mounting head H2 to H4 mounts 15 components P corresponds to an example of an "eighth load" of the present invention.

[0060] Next, the operation of the component mounter 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 7B. FIG. 7B is a diagram schematically illustrating the change in the remaining number of drives until a failure is predicted for the drive unit that drives each mounting head in the second embodiment. In this diagram, the horizontal axis represents the number of drives for the drive unit that drives each mounting head. The hatched area in this diagram corresponds to the remaining number of drives until a failure is predicted, and the point at which the remaining number of drives reaches the recommended replacement value (dash-dotted line) corresponds to the timing for maintenance. Also, in this diagram, the vertical axis represents the operating time of the component mounter 1. The left side of this diagram shows the change in the remaining number of drives when component mounting is continued using the third production program 123, while the right side of this diagram shows the change in the remaining number of drives when switching from the third production program 123 to the fourth production program 124 is performed at timing Tb when the user specifies the head to be changed.

[0061] As shown in the left area of the figure, if component mounting is performed continuously with the third production program 123 in place, the remaining number of drives will be calculated according to the load on each drive unit between timing Ta and timing Tc for maintenance of mounting head H5, as follows: Mounting head H1: Decrease in remaining number of drives Δa0 Mounting heads H2 to H4: Decrease in remaining number of drives Δb0 Mounting head H5: Decrease in remaining number of drives Δc0 As shown in the left area of the figure, at the maintenance timing Tc, the remaining number of drives for the mounting heads H1 to H4 is relatively large, and it is not reasonable to perform maintenance work on the other mounting heads H1 to H4 together with the mounting head H5.

[0062] In contrast, if the third production program 123 is switched to the fourth production program 124 at timing Tb (>Ta) before the maintenance timing Tc, the load on the drive unit that drives the mounting head H1 increases, causing the decrease in the remaining number of drives Δa1 to be greater than the decrease Δa0. As a result, the remaining number of drives at the maintenance timing Tc is smaller than when the production program is not switched (the left area in the figure), making it more reasonable to perform maintenance work on the mounting head H1 together with the mounting head H5. Furthermore, the load on the drive unit that drives the mounting heads H2 to H4 is reduced, causing the decrease in the remaining number of drives Δb1 to be smaller than the decrease Δb0. As a result, the maintenance timing for the mounting heads H2 to H4 can be delayed, reducing the frequency of maintenance of the component mounter 1.

[0063] As described above, according to the second embodiment, the maintenance timing of the mounting heads H1 to H5 can be adjusted individually, and the maintenance work for the component mounter 1 as a whole can be streamlined.

[0064] In the second embodiment, the load applied to the driver that drives some of the mounting heads H2 to H5 other than the mounting head H1 identified as the head to be changed, i.e., mounting head H5, is not changed, but control may be performed to change the load on these as well. Also, control may be performed so that the load applied to the driver for some of the mounting heads H2 to H4 is not changed. In essence, by configuring the third head driver that drives the head to be changed at a fifth load in response to the identification of the head to be changed, and by configuring the fourth head driver that drives all or some of the mounting heads other than the head to be changed at a sixth load, the maintenance of the component mounter 1 can be rationally controlled.

[0065] <Third embodiment> In the above first and second embodiments, a component mounter 1 is exemplified as an example of production equipment to be controlled by the control device 100, but the present invention can also be applied to other production equipment, such as a board production system.

[0066] FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a board production system, which is an example of production equipment equipped with a third embodiment of the control device according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of maintenance timing control in the board production system shown in FIG. 8. This board production system 300 is a system that produces boards B, which are an example of the "workpiece" of the present invention, on which components P are mounted. The board production system 300 includes a printing device 310, two component mounting devices 320 and 330 having the same configuration as the component mounter 1, a pre-reflow inspection device 340, a reflow device 350, and a post-reflow inspection device 360. These devices (=printing device 310 + component mounting device 320 + component mounting device 330 + inspection device 340 + reflow device 350 + inspection device 360) are arranged in a line from upstream to downstream in this order. Furthermore, delivery conveyors (not shown) are arranged between each device to transport and transfer boards B between the devices. The delivery conveyor transports the substrate B in the substrate transport direction (X direction) and delivers it from an upstream device to a downstream device.

[0067] As part of the production work of the board B, the printing device 310 performs a printing operation to screen-print a bonding material such as solder onto the board B. As part of the production work of the board B, the component mounting devices 320 and 330 perform a mounting operation to mount components P onto the board B that has been printed by the printing device 310. As part of the inspection work of the board B, the pre-reflow inspection device 340 performs an inspection operation to inspect the board B that has been mounted by the component mounting devices 320 and 330. As part of the production work of the board B, the reflow device 350 performs a reflow operation to melt and solidify the bonding material printed on the board B, thereby bonding the components P to the board B that has been inspected by the pre-reflow inspection device 340. As part of the inspection work of the board B, the post-reflow inspection device 360 performs an inspection operation to inspect the board B that has been reflowed by the reflow device 350.

[0068] Each of the devices 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, and 360 constituting the board production system 300 has at least one driving unit and corresponds to an example of a "working device" in the present invention. In the board production system 300, as is well known, the driving units, such as motors, included in each device are operated in normal mode according to preset production plan information. Here, the control information for operating in normal mode is referred to as "first production plan information." Continuous operation of the board production system 300 based solely on this first production plan information can result in the maintenance timings Ta and Tb0 of the component mounting devices 320 and 330 occurring at the same time, as shown in FIG. 9(a), which can lead to the following problem. In a case where one maintenance worker spends a day working on each of the component mounting devices 320 and 330, the coincidence of the maintenance timings Ta and Tb0 requires the component mounting devices 320 and 330 to be shut down for two days. This results in the board production system 300 also being shut down for two days, resulting in a decrease in the operating rate.

[0069] Therefore, in the third embodiment of the control device 100, control information for operating the drive units included in the component mounting apparatuses 320 and 330 in a load increase mode (FIG. 9(b)) that is higher than the normal mode and control information for operating the drive units in a load reduction mode (FIG. 9(c)) that is lower than the normal mode are prepared as second production plan information. Then, until the user identifies one of the component mounting apparatuses 320 and 330 as a change-target apparatus whose load is to be changed, the board production system 300 can be operated in an optimized state by operating both component mounting apparatuses 320 and 330 in the normal mode as shown in FIG. 9(a). Furthermore, for example, as shown in FIG. 9(b), when the user identifies the component mounting apparatus 330 as a change-target apparatus to be operated in the load increase mode, the load on the drive units included in the component mounting apparatus 330 may be increased compared to the normal mode. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9(b), the maintenance timing Tb of the component mounting apparatus 330, which is the change-target apparatus, is performed earlier than the timing Tb0 in the normal mode, i.e., at timing Tb1. Conversely, as shown in FIG. 9(c), if a user identifies the component mounting apparatus 330 as a change-target apparatus that operates in load reduction mode, the load on the drive unit included in the component mounting apparatus 330 may be configured to be reduced compared to normal mode. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9(c), the maintenance timing for the component mounting apparatus 330, which is the change-target apparatus, is delayed from that in normal mode (time Tb0), i.e., performed at time Tb2. In this way, maintenance of the board production system (production facility) 300 can be rationally controlled so that the maintenance timings of the apparatuses are staggered. Of course, the component mounting apparatus 320 may also be identified as the change-target apparatus. Furthermore, if both component mounting apparatuses 320 and 330 are identified as change-target apparatuses, one apparatus may be controlled to perform component mounting in load increase mode and the other apparatus may be controlled to perform component mounting in load reduction mode. This allows the interval between maintenance timings to be wider than in FIGS. 9(b) and 9(c).

[0070] To effectively control the timing of such maintenance, the control device 100 according to the third embodiment includes a calculation processing unit 110, a storage unit 120, a drive control unit 130, an imaging control unit 140, and an input unit 150, similar to the second embodiment. Specifically, the storage unit 120 pre-stores a normal mode (first production plan information), a load increase mode (second production plan information), and a load reduction mode (second production plan information). A specific method for increasing or decreasing the load may be to change the number of components allocated between the component mounting devices 320 and 330. Alternatively, the speeds of the drive units included in the component mounting devices 320 and 330 may be uniformly increased or decreased. Furthermore, some of the components originally mounted by the component mounting device 320 may be mounted by the component mounting device 330. The load increase mode and the load reduction mode can be set by using these methods alone or in combination.

[0071] The input unit 150 receives a user's designation of a device to be changed and provides device information regarding the device to be changed to the arithmetic processing unit 110. The arithmetic processing unit 110 includes a CPU, ROM, and RAM, and functions as a device identification unit that identifies a device to be changed based on the device information from the input unit 150. The arithmetic processing unit 110 then selectively reads out the normal mode, the load increase mode, or the load decrease mode from the storage unit 120, and produces a board B on which a component P is mounted.

[0072] As described above, according to the third embodiment, the maintenance timing of the component mounting devices 320 and 330 is adjusted in response to the user's identification of the device to be changed. As a result, the maintenance timing between the devices can be adjusted mutually, that is, the maintenance of the board production system (production facility) 300 can be rationally controlled.

[0073] In the third embodiment, the component mounting devices 320 and 330 are specified as devices to be changed, but other devices may be specified as devices to be changed, and the maintenance timings of the devices may be adjusted mutually.

[0074] <Fourth embodiment> 8 is composed of multiple devices 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, and 360. An ideal operating situation would be for these devices 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, and 360 to operate in normal mode with identical takt times. However, in reality, the takt times of devices 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, and 360 vary considerably. Therefore, the device with the slowest takt time may be identified from among devices 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, and 360 that make up board production system 300, and the devices other than the slowest device may be operated at low loads, thereby suppressing the variation in takt times of devices 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, and 360 (fourth embodiment).

[0075] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a fourth embodiment of the control device according to the present invention. It shows the variation in takt time when the entire board production system shown in FIG. 8 is operated in normal mode and when the devices other than the slowest device are operated in reduced load mode. The control device 100 according to the fourth embodiment differs significantly from the third embodiment in the following two respects. Specifically, the device identification unit of the arithmetic processing unit 110 has the function of identifying the slowest device. For example, when the takt times of the devices 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, and 360 are in the state shown in FIG. 10(a), the reflow device 350 is identified as the slowest device. Furthermore, in the fourth embodiment, the memory unit 120 does not have a load increase mode and stores a normal mode and a load decrease mode. Note that the other configurations are basically the same as those of the third embodiment. Therefore, in the following, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted.

[0076] In the fourth embodiment, the storage unit 120 stores control information for uniformly increasing or decreasing the speed of the drive units included in each device as the load reduction mode (second production plan information). Furthermore, the arithmetic processing unit 110 acquires the devices 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, and 360 that make up the board production system 300 operating in the normal mode at a predetermined timing, such as when a takt time adjustment command is received from the user via the input unit 150 or when a certain amount of time has elapsed since the start of startup of the board production system 300. For example, as shown in FIG. 10(a), when the takt time variation SC0 is equal to or greater than a certain value, the device identification unit of the arithmetic processing unit 110 identifies the reflow device 350 as the slowest device. The calculation processing unit 110 then maintains the information for controlling the operation of the reflow device 350 in normal mode (first production plan information) and switches the information for controlling the operation of the other devices 310, 320, 330, 340, and 360 from normal mode to load reduction mode (second production plan information), thereby reducing the variation SC1 in takt time below the variation SC0 in normal mode, as shown in Figure 1(b).

[0077] As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, when there is a large variation in takt time, the production plan switching unit of processing unit 110 switches the operation of devices other than the slowest device from normal mode to load reduction mode, making it possible to rationally control the load on the drive units included in devices 310, 320, 330, 340, and 360 other than the slowest device. As a result, it is possible to suppress the thermal effects generated in devices 310, 320, 330, 340, and 360 and postpone the timing of maintenance, compared to operating the entire board production system 300 in normal mode all the time.

[0078] Although the fourth embodiment focuses on variations in takt time, it is also possible to switch from normal mode to reduced load mode taking into account the type of product being produced and differences in equipment performance. In other words, for equipment that does not need to operate at maximum speed, the speed of the drive unit can be reduced to match the takt time of the slowest equipment, i.e., by switching to reduced load mode, the progression of deterioration of the drive unit can be slowed. This is suitable for systematically updating the equipment that makes up the board production system 300, and is particularly effective when there is a large difference in performance between new and old equipment.

[0079] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications other than those described above are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the first and second embodiments, the component mounter 1 is exemplified as the "production equipment" of the present invention, and in the third and fourth embodiments, the board production system 300 is exemplified as the "production equipment" of the present invention, but the present invention may also be applied to a control device that controls production equipment other than these. In short, the present invention is applicable to a control device and control method that controls production equipment equipped with multiple drive units, and can rationally control the maintenance of production equipment equipped with multiple drive units. [Industrial Applicability]

[0080] The present invention can be applied to the general control technology for controlling production equipment provided with a plurality of drive units. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1...Component mounting machine (production equipment) 100...Control device 110...arithmetic processing unit 121...First production program (121) (first production plan information) 122...Second production program (122) (second production plan information) 123...Third production program (first production plan information) 124...Fourth Production Program (Second Production Plan Information) 150...Input section 300... Circuit board production system (production equipment) 310...Printing device (work device) 320, 330...Component mounting device (work device) 340, 360...Inspection equipment (work equipment) 350...Reflow device (working device) B...Substrate (work object) D1…1st load difference D2…Second load difference H1...(1st) mounting head H2...(Second) mounting head H3~H5...Mounting head L1...First head load information L2: Second head load information P…Parts Mr...R-axis motor (drive unit, head drive unit) Mx...X-axis motor (drive unit, head drive unit) My...Y-axis motor (drive unit, head drive unit) Mz...Z-axis motor (drive unit, head drive unit)

Claims

1. A control device for production equipment provided with a plurality of drive units, a first operation control unit that controls operations of the plurality of drive units in accordance with first production plan information that has been planned in advance; a production plan switching unit that switches from the first production plan information to second production plan information; a second operation control unit that controls operations of the plurality of drive units in accordance with the second production plan information, A control device for production equipment, characterized in that the second production plan information is control information for bringing the maintenance timings of the plurality of drive units closer together or for advancing or delaying the maintenance timings for some of the plurality of drive units by increasing or decreasing at least some of the plurality of loads applied to each of the plurality of drive units when the first operation control unit controls the plurality of drive units.

2. The production facility control device according to claim 1, the production facility has at least two mounting heads that mount components onto a substrate; the plurality of driving units include a plurality of head driving units that drive the plurality of mounting heads, respectively; the first operation control unit controls the plurality of head driving units so that the components are mounted in accordance with the first production plan information before the production plan switching unit switches to the second production plan information; The second operation control unit is a control device for production equipment that controls the multiple head drive units so that component mounting is performed in accordance with the second production plan information after the production plan switching unit switches to the second production plan information.

3. The production facility control device according to claim 2, the plurality of mounting heads include a first mounting head and a second mounting head, the plurality of head driving units include a first head driving unit that drives the first mounting head and a second head driving unit that drives the second mounting head, the first production plan information is a first production program for driving the first head driving unit and the second head driving unit at a first load and a second load lower than the first load, respectively; the second production plan information is a second production program for driving the first head driving unit and the second head driving unit at a third load and a fourth load higher than the third load, respectively; The production plan switching unit is a production equipment control device that alternately switches between the first production program and the second production program, thereby bringing the maintenance timings of the first head drive unit and the second head drive unit closer to each other.

4. The production facility control device according to claim 3, a load acquisition unit that acquires first head load information obtained by integrating the load required for moving the first mounting head and second head load information obtained by integrating the load required for moving the second mounting head, The production plan switching unit when a first load difference obtained by subtracting the second head load information from the first head load information becomes equal to or greater than a first predetermined value, switching from the first production plan information to the second production plan information; a control device for the production facility that switches from the second production plan information to the first production plan information when a second load difference obtained by subtracting the first head load information from the second head load information becomes equal to or greater than a second predetermined value;

5. The production facility control device according to claim 2, a head specifying unit that specifies a change target head that is a target for load change from the plurality of mounting heads, the first production plan information is a third production program for driving a third head driving unit that drives the head to be changed at a fifth load and for driving a fourth head driving unit that drives a mounting head different from the head to be changed at a sixth load, the second production plan information is a fourth production program for driving the third head driving unit at a seventh load higher than the fifth load and for driving the fourth head driving unit at an eighth load lower than the sixth load, The production plan switching unit is a production equipment control device that adjusts the maintenance timing of the multiple mounting heads by switching from the third production program to the fourth production program in response to the identification of the head to be changed by the head identification unit.

6. The production facility control device according to claim 5, The production facility control device further comprises an input unit that receives a user's selection of the head to be changed and provides head information regarding the head to be changed to the head specifying unit.

7. The production facility control device according to claim 1, a device specifying unit that specifies a change target device that is a target for load change from among a plurality of operation devices that constitute the production facility, each of the plurality of working devices includes at least one or more of the driving units; the first production plan information is control information for operating the drive unit included in the work device in a normal mode, the second production plan information is control information for operating the drive unit included in the work device in a load increase mode with a higher load than the normal mode or in a load decrease mode with a lower load than the normal mode, The production plan switching unit is a production equipment control device that selectively adjusts the maintenance timing of the change target device by switching information for controlling the operation of the change target device from the first production plan information to the second production plan information in accordance with the selection of the change target device by the device identification unit, while maintaining information for controlling the operation of the work devices other than the change target device in the first production plan information.

8. The production facility control device according to claim 7, the second production plan information is control information for operating the work device in the load increase mode, The production plan switching unit is a production equipment control device that advances the timing of maintenance of the change target device by switching information for controlling the operation of the change target device from the first production plan information to the second production plan information.

9. The production facility control device according to claim 7, the second production plan information is control information for operating the work device in the load reduction mode, The production plan switching unit is a production equipment control device that delays the timing of maintenance of the change target device by switching information for controlling the operation of the change target device from the first production plan information to the second production plan information.

10. The production facility control device according to any one of claims 7 to 9, The production facility control device further comprises an input unit that receives a user's selection of the change target device and provides device information regarding the change target device to the device specifying unit.

11. The production facility control device according to claim 1, a device specifying unit that specifies a device with the slowest takt time from among a plurality of operating devices that make up the production facility; the plurality of working devices are devices that perform work on a workpiece using the driving units, The production facility connects the plurality of work devices in a row and sequentially transports the workpiece between the plurality of work devices, the first production plan information is control information for operating the drive unit included in the work device in a normal mode, the second production plan information is control information for operating the drive unit included in the work device in a load reduction mode with a load lower than that in the normal mode, The production plan switching unit is a production equipment control device that reduces variation in takt time among the multiple work devices by switching information for controlling the operation of the work devices other than the slowest device from the first production plan information to the second production plan information while maintaining information for controlling the operation of the slowest device in the first production plan information.

12. A control method for production equipment provided with a plurality of drive units, comprising: controlling the plurality of driving units in accordance with first production plan information that has been planned in advance; a step of switching from the first production plan information to second production plan information; controlling the plurality of driving units in accordance with the second production plan information; a control method for production equipment, characterized in that the second production plan information is information for controlling the operation of the plurality of drive units so as to bring the maintenance timings of the plurality of drive units closer to each other or to advance or delay the maintenance timings for some of the plurality of drive units by increasing or decreasing at least some of the loads applied to each of the plurality of drive units when controlling the plurality of drive units in accordance with the first production plan information.

Images