Window frame installation device

Abstract

To provide a window installation device capable of saving labor in window construction by efficiently assisting workers on site.SOLUTION: A window installation device include a vehicle body and an arm. The vehicle body has a traveling unit. The arm is capable of holding a window and is configured to feed a window to a skeleton opening and is capable of adjusting the position of the window.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a window installation device that contributes to labor-saving window installation. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, it is not uncommon for buildings to have large sashes, and in some cases, extra-large sashes. Naturally, erecting such sashes requires heavy labor. In addition, the installation of sashes requires precision, based on three-dimensional reference lines (see Figure 9) for height, left and right, and access. Meanwhile, construction sites continue to suffer from a chronic labor shortage, placing an increasingly heavy burden on each worker, creating a serious situation. Under these circumstances, there was a need for a system that could efficiently assist workers on site. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a window installation device that contributes to labor-saving window installation so as to efficiently assist workers on site. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] The present invention comprises a vehicle body and an arm, the vehicle body having a running part, the arm holding the window frame and feeding the window frame into the opening in the main body, and the vehicle body and the arm working together to adjust the position and angle of the window frame relative to the opening in the main body. However, the angle around the horizontal axis parallel to the opening in the building structure is ignored from the adjustment target. The above-mentioned problem was solved by providing a window frame installation device characterized in that the vehicle body and the arm share the responsibility of adjusting the rotation angle in one axial direction and the rotation angle in the other axial direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0005] It is possible to provide a window installation device that can significantly reduce the heavy labor involved in erecting a sash and efficiently assist on-site workers. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] Perspective view of the entire window installation system from inside the building [Figure 2] A perspective view of the entire window installation system from the outside of the building [Figure 3] (a) Top view, (b) front view, and (c) left side view of the vehicle body that is the window installation device [Figure 4] A perspective view of a vehicle body that is a window installation device [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a front view of a vehicle body that is a window installation device, showing the left arm in a raised position. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a front view of a vehicle body that is a window installation device, showing the right arm in a raised position. [Figure 7] System block diagram for window guidance control [Figure 8] System block diagram of another embodiment for window guidance control [Figure 9] Conceptual diagram showing sash installation standards DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] (Example) The following explanation will be made using drawings, but the drawings have been created for explanatory purposes, and for the sake of clarity, components not necessary for the explanation may be intentionally omitted. Furthermore, components may be intentionally drawn larger or smaller for the purpose of explanation, and the drawings are not drawn to an accurate scale. In the following explanation, the same reference numerals in different drawings indicate parts with the same function, and duplicate explanations in each drawing will be omitted as appropriate.

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of an embodiment of a window installation system 100 including a window installation device according to the present invention as an element, showing how a window (before the shoji screen is installed) is installed into an opening in a building frame. Figure 1 shows the state as seen from inside the building, and Figure 2 shows the state as seen from outside the building.

[0009] As shown in Figure 1, the window installation system 100 is made up of a vehicle body 1, a reference marker 21, a window marker 31, a camera 4 which is a marker detection means, and a control unit 6 (not shown). This system guides and controls the window 3 to a predetermined installation position in a body opening 51 provided in a body 5, and stably holds the heavy window 3 during the process of fixing it to the body opening 51.

[0010] The outline of the window 3 guidance control is as follows. A plurality of feature points are attached directly or indirectly to each of the body opening 51 and the window 3, and are linked to each other in terms of their positional relationship. In this embodiment, the reference marker 21 is attached to the reference point stand 2 and is indirectly linked and associated with the position of the body opening 51. The window marker 31 is attached to the window 3 and is directly associated with the position of the window 3. These feature points are photographed by the installed camera 4, enabling the positions of the body opening 51 and the window 3 to be observed. Specifically, values ​​(pixel values) of the feature points associated with the body opening 51 and the window 3 are obtained from the image of the camera 4, and these pixel values ​​provide position information. From this information, the deviation of the position and orientation of the window 3 from the position and orientation of the target body opening 51 is calculated, and the deviation is set to zero. The control unit 6, not shown, is implemented in a general-purpose PC and issues commands to the vehicle body 1 to perform the above-mentioned guidance control by communicating with the vehicle body 1 and the camera 4 via a communication unit provided in the general-purpose PC. The window installation system 100 will be described in detail below, starting with the car body 1 that constitutes the window installation device as a drive mechanism section, and then the control system that controls the guidance of the car body 1.

[0011] (Configuration of the car body as a window installation device) FIG. 3 shows the vehicle body 1 as viewed from three sides. FIG. 3(a) is a top view, FIG. 3(b) is a front view, and FIG. 3(c) is a left side view. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the vehicle body 1 as viewed from the front left and slightly above. The vehicle body 1 is positioned so that its front faces the body 5 or the body opening 51. For convenience, FIG. 4 also shows the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in three-dimensional space.

[0012] Four wheels, a right front wheel 111, a left front wheel 112, a right rear wheel 121, and a left rear wheel 122, are arranged on the bottom of the vehicle body 1, forming the running section 11. Each wheel of the running section 11 is made up of a Mecanum wheel, which will be described later.

[0013] Four frames 15 stand upright from the bottom of the vehicle body 1, constituting the body frame. A pair of arms 13, 13 are provided on the left and right sides parallel to these frames 15. The arm 13 is composed of an arm vertical section 131, an arm horizontal section 132 connected to the lower end of the arm vertical section 131, and a ball screw 133. The arm horizontal section 132 can be raised and lowered by the ball screw 133.

[0014] A window holding part 14 capable of holding the window 3 is connected to the upper end of the arm vertical part 131. The window 3 can be held by supporting the horizontal surface of the window holding part 14 on the lower inside part of the upper edge of the window frame of the window 3 where the shoji screen is not installed. A protruding piece 141 is provided at the tip of the window holding part 14, which helps to prevent the window 3 from falling off and to ensure accurate positioning of the holding position.

[0015] In Figures 3 and 4, the running wheels are depicted as ordinary tire wheels. However, as shown in the lower right corner of Figure 4, Mecanum wheels are actually used as the running wheels. Four motors are provided for each Mecanum wheel so that the four wheels can be rotated independently. Controlling the direction of wheel rotation enables movement in various directions. Rotating all four wheels in the same direction at the same speed enables simple forward and backward movement. Rotating the right front wheel 111 and right rear wheel 121 and the left front wheel 112 and left rear wheel 122 in opposite directions, like a crawler, enables rotation around an axis at the center of the four wheels. Rotating the right front wheel 111 and left rear wheel 122 and the left front wheel 112 and right rear wheel 121 in opposite directions enables translational movement in the left and right directions. Furthermore, by not driving some of the wheels, a total of two rotation axes can be realized, one at the center of the front and two rear wheels, and a total of four rotation axes can be realized around each wheel. In addition to this, it is possible to rotate around a total of seven rotation axes, including the rotation axes centered around the four wheels mentioned above.

[0016] Omni-wheels can be used instead of Mecanum wheels, but to ensure effective control response, especially linear response, four-wheel drive is preferable when using omni-wheels rather than three-wheel drive. These characteristics of Mecanum and omni-wheels minimize travel time loss. While rapid response is important for the guidance control of the window installation system 100, accurate position control takes priority. Therefore, posture control around the Y-axis (vertical axis) is controlled on only one axis: the central axis of the four wheels. Furthermore, given the single required rotation axis, crawlers could be used, but the lack of translational movement in the left-right direction requires rotational movement, making control somewhat complicated. However, this does not negate the applicability of crawlers. Furthermore, the type of wheel is not limited, and normal wheels may be used. Although it may take longer to turn, this does not mean that the system is inapplicable.

[0017] As shown in Figure 4, two arms 13 are erected on the outside of the four frames 15, allowing the height position of the window 3 to be controlled. The reason there are two arms 13 is not only to stably hold the window 3 in two places, but also to enable posture control around the Z axis (the axis in the front-to-back direction). This posture control is achieved by the difference in height between the left and right sides of the arms 13. In relation to this, Figure 5 shows the left arm in a raised position, and Figure 6 shows the right arm in a raised position. For the sake of understanding, both are drawn with a large difference in height; however, except for special cases where a window is intentionally installed at an angle for design reasons, windows are usually installed horizontally, and such a large difference in height between the left and right sides is not imparted to the arms 13.

[0018] In the window installation device of this embodiment, the lifting and lowering movement of the arm horizontal section 132 is transmitted to the arm vertical section 131 and further to the window holder 14 connected to the upper end of the arm vertical section 131, thereby realizing the lifting and lowering of the window holder 14. The lifting and lowering of the arm horizontal section 132 is achieved with almost no backlash by the rotation of the ball screw 133 driven by the ball screw rotation motor 1331. Note that to prevent bending of the entire arm 13 and the window holder 14 connected to it, a linear shaft 134 is provided in addition to the ball screw 133, and the arm is supported by two rails. However, this is not essential as long as sufficient rigidity can be ensured by taking other measures, etc.

[0019] In this embodiment, a ball screw arm is used, but the arm's lifting motion may also be achieved by a slider crank mechanism or belt pulley mechanism. Furthermore, if the arm can be rotated about the Z-axis (front-rear axis) at its upper end in addition to its lifting motion, it may be possible to configure the arm with a single arm. However, a structure capable of stably supporting the window 3 is required, such as by splitting the arm tip into two and spreading it out to the left and right.

[0020] As described above, the window holder 14 is designed to be non-flexible and has high dimensional tolerances, ensuring high horizontality. This is closely related to the degrees of freedom required for guiding control when installing the window 3. When the position and orientation of the window 3 are expressed in a Cartesian coordinate system in the three-dimensional space that serves as the work space for aligning the window 3 with the target installation position, a total of six degrees of freedom are essentially required: one degree of freedom in the X-axis direction, one degree of freedom in the Y-axis direction, one degree of freedom in the Z-axis direction, one degree of freedom around the X-axis, one degree of freedom around the Y-axis, and one degree of freedom around the Z-axis. However, considering orientation around the X-axis can overly complicate the mechanism and programming process. Therefore, assuming high horizontality maintained by the window holder 14, orientation control around the X-axis is excluded, and control is performed with five degrees of freedom, as shown below. That is, position control in the X-axis direction is controlled by moving the body 1, position control in the Y-axis direction is controlled by raising and lowering the arm 13, position control in the Z-axis direction is controlled by moving the body 1, attitude control around the Y-axis is controlled by moving the body 1, and attitude control around the Z-axis is controlled by the difference in height between the left and right arms created by raising and lowering the arm 13, making it possible to control position and attitude with five degrees of freedom. If the accuracy of maintaining the horizontality of the window holder 14, which is related to its orientation around the X-axis, or the control of the other five degrees of freedom is insufficient, it may not be possible to completely match the target position and orientation. However, the aim of the present invention is not to install the window fully automatically, but to efficiently assist the on-site worker. In other words, the worker can complete the final adjustments. In short, the basic idea of ​​the present invention is that reducing the heavy labor of workers constantly supporting the heavy window 3 with their own hands and arms is sufficient to reduce the labor required for construction. On the other hand, if high-level control of horizontality and position and orientation in the five degrees of freedom can be ensured, fully automated installation becomes possible.

[0021] (Control system that performs guidance control) Next, a control system for performing guidance control of the car body 1 will be described. To control the position and orientation of the window 3 by driving the traveling section 11 and arm 13 of the car body 1, it is necessary to acquire the positions and orientations of the window 3 and the building frame 5 (more precisely, the building frame opening 51). In the window installation system 100 of this embodiment, the relative position and orientation of the reference marker 21, which provides four image feature values ​​of the building frame opening 51 acquired from the camera 4, and the window marker 31, which provides four image feature values ​​of the window 3, are estimated from the reference marker 21 and the window marker 31, which provides four image feature values ​​of the window 3, and guidance control is performed to install the window 3 into the building frame opening 51. The position and orientation in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions are acquired from the image of the camera 4 using the pixel positions of feature points associated with the window 3 and the building frame opening 51. In this case, an appropriate estimation method may be used in combination depending on the characteristics and accuracy of the markers.

[0022] As shown in Figure 1, window markers 31 for observing the position and orientation of window 3 are attached directly to the four corners of window 3, whereas reference markers 21 for observing the position and orientation of body opening 51 are attached to four locations on reference point stand 2, which is placed at a predetermined set position on body 5. The reasons for this are: (1) if reference marker 21 were placed near body opening 51, there is a risk that the vehicle body 1 would occupy a large portion of the field of view of camera 4 when installing window 3, and reference marker 21 would be hidden; and (2) windows 3 are usually attached at multiple locations, and when multiple openings are lined up in a relatively small area, one reference marker 21 can be used, but when applying to multiple openings where the coordinate systems are widely separated, such as between the first and second floors, a stand type that can be easily installed and moved is more convenient during construction. Of course, the positional relationship between the frame opening 51 and the reference point stand 2 must be determined with precision, but the reference point stand 2 may be installed based on points and reference marks made at the construction site. Figure 9 shows a conceptual diagram of sash installation standards. In order to install sashes in a building according to the construction drawings, three-dimensional standards for height, approach (left and right), and entrance / exit are required. As shown by the dashed dotted lines in Figure 9, black lines are drawn on the construction site so that the positions of height, approach (left and right), and entrance / exit can be grasped. This state is called being marked out.

[0023] Although the position of the window marker 31 can be detected using three points in principle, it is detected using four points to improve measurement accuracy and because it is convenient to attach them to the four corners of the window. Regarding specific markers, given the situation of installing a window 3 into a body opening 51, there is no need to rotate the vehicle body 1 significantly to control it, and there is no risk of the feature points on the top, bottom, left, and right being swapped. Therefore, while it is possible to measure the position and orientation using the same simple feature points, such as red circle markers, in order to reduce measurement errors resulting from resolution issues, in this embodiment of the present invention, AR markers are used. However, it is of course also possible to use simple circle markers, for example, by using a high-resolution camera.

[0024] Figure 7 shows a system block diagram for window guidance control based on the use of such reference markers 21 and window markers 31. Image feature quantities are obtained from the image captured by camera 4, and the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis positions, as well as the orientation around the Y and Z axes, of the window 3 are calculated. Note that the Y-axis and Z-axis positions may be supplemented using information from an encoder attached to the motor that raises and lowers arm 13. Similarly, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis positions, as well as the orientation around the Y and Z axes, of the frame opening 51 are calculated. Then, the relative position and orientation of the window 3 relative to the position and orientation of the frame opening 51 are calculated, and control is performed so that these become the target specified values. The specified values ​​may be "0" or any other significant value. Control is performed by inputting the translational velocity of the car body 1 in the X-axis direction, translational velocity of the Z-axis direction, rotational velocity around the Y-axis, and velocity inputs to the left and right arms 13, 13, and these input values ​​are calculated by a control unit 6 implemented in a general-purpose PC. The car body 1 is equipped with single-board computers (not shown) for driving and controlling the running unit 11 and the arm 13, and these are given as velocity inputs from the control unit 6 to control the translation and rotation of the running unit 11 and the elevation control of the left and right arms 13, 13. Note that a Logitech C920n was used as the camera 4, and Raspberry Pi (registered trademark) and Arduino (registered trademark) were used as single-board computers for the vehicle body 1 to control the running section 11 and arm 13, but any camera and single-board computer can be used.

[0025] (Window installation procedure) The procedure for installing the window 3 according to the present invention will now be described. First, the inside lower part of the upper edge of the window 3 (before the shoji screen is installed) is placed on the window holder 14 of the window installation device. At this time, the window is positioned by accurately abutting it against the protruding piece 141 provided at the tip of the window holder 14. Next, the window installation system 100 is started, and under its control, the vehicle body 1 is guided to the target position, and the window 3 is automatically guided to the temporary installation position in the body opening 51. Due to the limitations of the control system, a certain degree of residual deviation is unavoidable, but to address this, adjustment work is performed similar to that performed during installation, when the window 3 is temporarily fixed to the frame opening 51 and then permanently fixed. For example, if there is any misalignment in the X-axis or Z-axis direction, adjustment is performed by sliding the window 3 on the window holder 14. During this time, the vehicle body 1 stably supports the window 3, which is a heavy object, thereby achieving significant labor savings compared to the conventional method in which on-site workers support the window. To address misalignment in the Y-axis direction, if a weight-support bolt or the like is provided, the bolt can be rotated to adjust the height, etc. The effect of the present invention, that the window 3 can be semi-automatically installed into the opening 51 in the main body, is particularly noteworthy and significant, but it should also be properly understood that the ability to continue to hold the heavy window 3 after it has been installed in the temporary position until the worker completes the adjustment work, greatly contributes to reducing the labor required for window installation.

[0026] (Another Example) The embodiment of the present invention is based on the premise that the final adjustment will be performed manually by an operator, that is, manual adjustment will be performed during the fixing work within the range that the window 3 can be moved relative to the window holder 14. However, adjustments can also be made by operating the running part 11 or the arm 13. Figure 8 shows a system block diagram of a window installation system equipped with an operation input unit 7 to make this possible. Manual adjustment is usually made by rotating the weight support bolt, which can set the height position relative to the opening, but if there is a deviation that exceeds the adjustment allowance, adjustment can also be made by operating via the operation input unit 7. Also, if a situation arises in which a residual deviation in the guidance control remains, making it possible to respond effectively by making it operable.

[0027] Above, we have described in detail the simplified structure of an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings, and explained its structure. However, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention also includes design changes within the scope of the present invention that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention. For example, if the size of the window 3 is not large compared to the size of the car body 1 and the window marker 31 is hidden by the car body 1, the window marker 31 can be attached to the car body 1. The positions in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction can be calculated from the dimensions of each part that makes up the car body 1. The position in the Y-axis direction and the orientation around the Z-axis can be found from information from an encoder provided in the motor that raises and lowers the arm 13. Furthermore, if a high-resolution camera 4 is available, it will be possible to detect the contours of the vehicle body 1 and windows 3 through image recognition and extract these as features. In addition, it will be possible to recognize marked black lines (reference marks) as shown in Figure 9, making it possible to measure and record the error between the reference marks and the actual construction position, and it will also be possible to use the reference marks themselves instead of reference markers. Furthermore, while the window holder 14 was previously designed to support the lower inside portion of the upper edge of the window frame, it is also possible to use suction cups to hold the window glass portion of the window 3 containing the shoji screen and window glass, as long as the weight is below a certain level. In addition to this suction cup holding method, a six-degree-of-freedom vertical articulated robot arm can also be mounted on the vehicle body 1. As can be understood from these explanations, the drive mechanism is not limited to that of the embodiment of the present invention, and it is not the case that window installation for reduced installation is impossible. It should be fully understood that the significance of the present invention lies in providing an arm that can hold a window and adjust the window position by feeding it into the opening in the frame. Furthermore, the present invention makes it possible to control the window installation position according to the number of degrees of freedom. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] 100 Window Installation System 1. Car body (window installation device) 11 Running part 111 right front wheel 112 Left front wheel 121 Right rear wheel 122 left rear wheel 13 Arm 131 Arm vertical section 132 Arm horizontal section 133 Ball screw 1331 Ball screw rotary motor 14 Window holder 15 frames 2 Reference Stands 21 fiducial markers 3. Windows 31 Window Marker 4. Camera (marker detection means) 5 skeleton 51 Body opening 6 Control unit (control means)

Claims

[Claim 1] Equipped with a body and arms, The vehicle body has a running section, The arm holds the window frame and feeds the window frame into the opening in the building frame. The vehicle body and the arm work together to adjust the position and angle of the window frame relative to the opening in the main body, but the angle around the horizontal axis parallel to the opening in the main body is not included in the adjustment targets, and The body and the arm share the responsibility of adjusting the rotation angle in one axial direction and the rotation angle in the other axial direction. A window frame installation device characterized by:

Images