Implementation System

Abstract

To reduce the decline in the operating rate of mounting lines that use multiple mounting machines to mount components onto circuit boards.SOLUTION: A mounting system according to the present disclosure includes a mounting line having a plurality of mounting machines arranged in a predetermined arrangement direction for mounting components onto a circuit board, a supply device that moves in the arrangement direction to transport components used by the mounting machines and supply the components to the mounting machines, and an alarm unit that issues a warning when the components are not supplied to the mounting machine by the supply device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an implementation system and a notification control device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as an implementation system, there is known one including a mounting line in which a plurality of mounting machines for mounting components on a substrate are arranged, and an automated guided vehicle for supplying members to the mounting machines (for example, Patent Document 1). In the implementation system described in Patent Document 1, the automated guided vehicle includes a monitoring unit that detects obstacles in a monitoring area, and stops traveling when an obstacle is detected by the monitoring unit.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in an implementation system having a supply device such as an automated guided vehicle, when the supply device stops, the operating rate of the mounting line may decrease, such as the mounting line stopping until the members transported by the supply device are supplied to the mounting machine. In Patent Document 1, the decrease in the operating rate of the mounting line due to the stop of the supply device is not considered.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-described problems, and mainly aims to suppress a decrease in the operating rate of the mounting line.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present disclosure has taken the following means to achieve the above-described main object.

[0007] The implementation system of the present disclosure is A mounting line having multiple mounting machines for mounting components onto a substrate, arranged in a predetermined orientation, A supply device that transports the components used in the mounting machine by moving in the aforementioned arrangement direction and supplies the components to the mounting machine, A notification unit that issues a warning if the component is not supplied to the mounting machine by the supply device, It is something that is provided.

[0008] In this mounting system, if the supply device fails to supply material to the mounting machine, the notification unit issues a warning. This allows the system to prompt the operator to take appropriate action, such as removing the cause of the material supply failure (e.g., an obstacle obstructing the operation of the supply device). Therefore, this mounting system makes it easier to resolve the situation of material not being supplied to the mounting machine at an early stage, and can suppress a decrease in the operating rate of the mounting line.

[0009] The notification control device of this disclosure is A notification control device used in a mounting system comprising: a mounting line having mounting machines for mounting components onto a substrate arranged in a predetermined arrangement direction; a supply device that transports materials used by the mounting machines by moving in the arrangement direction and supplies the materials to the mounting machines; and a notification unit that issues a warning when the materials are not supplied to the mounting machines by the supply device, A notification control unit performs a determination process to determine whether or not the component is supplied to the mounting machine by the supply device, and if the determination process determines that it is not supplied, it controls the notification unit to issue the warning. It is something that is provided.

[0010] In this notification control system, if the notification control unit determines that material is not being supplied to the mounting machine by the supply device, the notification unit issues a warning. This allows the notification control system to prompt the operator to take appropriate action, such as removing the cause of the material failure (for example, an obstacle obstructing the operation of the supply device). Therefore, a mounting system equipped with this notification control system can resolve the situation of material failure to be supplied to the mounting machine more quickly, thereby suppressing a decrease in the operating rate of the mounting line. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] A diagram showing an overview of the configuration of the implemented system 10. [Figure 2] Configuration diagram for the control of the implemented system 10. [Figure 3] An explanatory diagram showing an example of work information 89d stored in the memory unit 89. [Figure 4] Flowchart of the work control process. [Figure 5] Flowchart of the work control process for modified examples. [Figure 6] A schematic diagram showing an implementation system 10 equipped with a modified mobile robot 50. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Embodiments of the implementation system of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the implementation system 10, and Figure 2 is a configuration diagram relating to the control of the implementation system 10. In Figure 1, the left-right direction is the X direction, the front-back direction is the Y direction, and the up-down direction is the Z direction.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1, the mounting system 10 includes a mounting line 11 having multiple devices, including mounting machines 20. The mounting line 11 includes multiple (five in this embodiment) mounting machines 20 that mount components supplied from feeders 30 onto substrates, a feeder storage unit 60 capable of storing multiple feeders 30, a portable terminal 70 carried by workers, and a management device 80 that manages the entire mounting system 10. In the mounting line 11, the management device 80, the feeder storage unit 60, and the multiple mounting machines 20 are arranged in this order in a predetermined arrangement direction (here, the X direction, i.e., left-right direction). The arrangement direction is parallel to the substrate transport direction (X direction) in the mounting line 11. Of the X direction (left-right direction), the left side is the upstream side in the transport direction, and the right side is the downstream side in the transport direction. The supply and retrieval of feeders 30 to the feeder storage unit 60 and mounting machines 20 is also called the loading and unloading of feeders 30.

[0014] Furthermore, the mounting system 10 includes a mobile robot 50 that automatically loads and unloads the feeder 30 between each of the multiple mounting machines 20 and the feeder storage unit 60. The mobile robot 50 is an example of a supply device and is movable along an X-axis rail 18 that is provided parallel to the substrate transport direction (X direction) on the front of the multiple mounting machines 20 and the front of the feeder storage unit 60.

[0015] As shown in Figure 2, the mounting machine 20 includes a substrate transport device 21, a head 22, a head movement mechanism 23, a plurality of connectors 24, a robot detection sensor 25, a display operation unit 26, a light-emitting unit 42, a mounting control unit 28, and a storage unit 29. The substrate transport device 21 transports the substrate in the X direction. The head 22 has a suction nozzle that picks up components supplied by the feeder 30. The head movement mechanism 23 includes, for example, a slider and a motor, and moves the head 22 in the XY direction. Each of the plurality of connectors 24 is capable of having a feeder 30 attached to it, and the feeder control unit of the attached feeder 30 and the mounting control unit 28 are connected in a communication manner. As shown in Figure 1, the mounting machine 20 has a supply area 20A at the front. The supply area 20A has a plurality of slots on which feeders 30 can be attached, corresponding to the plurality of connectors 24. Each feeder 30 delivered to a slot in the supply area 20A is attached to the corresponding connector 24. The robot detection sensor 25 is a sensor that detects the mobile robot 50. The robot detection sensor 25 has a detection range in front of the mounting machine 20 and detects whether or not a mobile robot 50 is present in front of the mounting machine 20. The robot detection sensor 25 may be, for example, a contact-type sensor mounted on the X-axis rail 18, or a non-contact sensor such as an infrared sensor. The display and operation unit 26 is equipped with, for example, a touch panel and operation buttons, and displays various information to the operator and allows the operator to input various operations. The display and operation unit 26 is positioned so that it can be seen from the front of the mounting machine 20. The light-emitting unit 42 is a light source unit equipped with multiple red, green, and blue LEDs, and can emit light in various colors. The light-emitting unit 42 is located on the front of the mounting machine 20. The mounting control unit 28 is equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and controls the entire mounting machine 20. The storage unit 29 is a non-volatile memory such as an HDD, and various information is stored in it. The mounting control unit 28 outputs drive signals to the substrate transport device 21, the head 22, and the head movement mechanism 23, outputs display signals to the display operation unit 26, and outputs light emission signals to the light emission unit 42. The mounting control unit 28 also receives various information from the feeder 30 via the connector 24, receives detection signals from the robot detection sensor 25, and receives operation signals from the display operation unit 26.The implementation control unit 28 performs information input and output with the storage unit 29.

[0016] The feeder 30 is configured as a tape feeder equipped with a tape containing multiple components arranged at a predetermined pitch. Although detailed illustrations are omitted, the feeder 30 comprises a reel around which the tape is wound, a tape feeding mechanism that pulls out and feeds the tape from the reel, a feeder control unit that controls the entire feeder, and a storage unit. In the feeder 30, the feeder control unit outputs a drive signal to the tape feeding mechanism 33, which feeds out the tape, making the components contained on the tape ready to be picked up by the suction nozzle of the head 22. The storage unit stores feeder information such as the ID information of the feeder 30, the types of components contained, and the number of components. When the feeder 30 is mounted on connector 24 or connector 64, the feeder control unit can communicate with the control unit at the mounting location (mounting control unit 28 or management control unit 88) via connector 24 or 64.

[0017] The mobile robot 50 is a device that transports the feeder 30 used in the mounting machine 20. The mobile robot 50 comprises a robot movement mechanism 51, a feeder transfer mechanism 52, an encoder 53, an ambient monitoring sensor 55, a display operation unit 56, a robot control unit 58, and a storage unit 59. The housing of the mobile robot 50 is also provided with a robot transfer area 50A capable of accommodating multiple feeders 30. The robot transfer area 50A has multiple slots capable of accommodating feeders 30. The robot movement mechanism 51 includes, for example, a drive belt and a servo motor to drive it, and moves the mobile robot 50 in the X direction along the X-axis rail 18 shown in Figure 1. The feeder transfer mechanism 52 is a mechanism that moves the feeder 30 back and forth, and includes, for example, a clamping part that clamps the feeder 30, a Y-axis motor and a Y-axis slider that move the clamping part in the Y direction. The feeder transfer mechanism 52 transports the feeder 30 housed in the robot transfer area 50A forward and brings it into the supply area 20A of the mounting machine 20 or the storage area 60A of the feeder storage unit 60. The feeder transfer mechanism 52 also transports the feeder 30 mounted in the supply area 20A of the mounting machine 20 or the storage area 60A of the feeder storage unit 60 backward and houses it in the robot transfer area 50A. The encoder 53 detects the movement position in the X direction by the robot movement mechanism 51. The surrounding monitoring sensor 55 is a sensor that monitors the presence or absence of obstacles (including workers) in the surrounding area, and its detection range (monitoring range) is within the monitoring area S shown in Figure 1. The surrounding monitoring sensor 55 includes a left monitoring sensor 55a that monitors the left side of the monitoring area S (within the left monitoring area Sa shown in Figure 1) and a right monitoring sensor 55b that monitors the right side of the monitoring area S (within the right monitoring area Sb shown in Figure 1). The left monitoring sensor 55a and the right monitoring sensor 55b are, for example, infrared sensors. As shown in Figure 1, the range of the monitoring area S is set to be large enough to include the area in front of the mounting machine 20 to the left and right of the mounting machine 20 when the mobile robot 50 is positioned in front of the mounting machine 20, but not to include the areas in front of the mounting machines 20 to the left and right of those units. The display and operation unit 56 is equipped with, for example, a touch panel and operation buttons, and displays various information to the operator and allows the operator to input various operations.The display operation unit 56 is arranged on the front side so as to be visible from the front of the mobile robot 50. The robot control unit 58 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., and controls the entire mobile robot 50. The storage unit 59 is a non-volatile memory such as an HDD, and stores various information. The robot control unit 58 outputs drive signals to the robot movement mechanism 51 and the feeder transfer mechanism 52, and outputs display signals to the display operation unit 56. The robot control unit 58 inputs detection signals from the encoder 53 to detect the current position of the mobile robot 50 in the X direction, inputs detection signals from the surrounding monitoring sensor 55, and inputs operation signals from the display operation unit 26. The robot control unit 58 performs input / output of information with the storage unit 59.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the feeder storage 60 has a storage area 60A on the front side of the housing. The storage area 60A has a plurality of slots to which the feeder 30 can be attached. The storage area 60A is provided at the same height (Z-direction position) as the supply area 20A of the mounter 20. Therefore, the mobile robot 50 can attach and detach the feeder 30 to and from the storage area 60A of the feeder storage 60 in the same operation as attaching and detaching the feeder 30 to and from the supply area 20A of the mounter 20. In the storage area 60A, a plurality of connectors 64 similar to the connector 24 are arranged corresponding to each of the plurality of slots. The feeder 30 carried into the storage area 60A is attached to the connector 64 (see FIG. 2). Both the feeder 30 scheduled to be used by the mounter 20 and the feeder 30 after being used by the mounter 20 are accommodated in the storage area 60A. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the feeder storage 60 includes a robot detection sensor 65 and a light emitting unit 46 similar to the robot detection sensor 25 and the light emitting unit 42. The robot detection sensor 65 has a detection range in front of the feeder storage 60 and detects whether the mobile robot 50 exists in front of the feeder storage 60. The light emitting unit 42 is arranged on the front surface of the housing of the feeder storage 60. In this embodiment, the supply of the feeder 30 to the storage area 60A and the recovery of the used feeder 30 from the storage area 60A are performed by an operator. However, instead of the operator, for example, an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) not shown may perform the supply, recovery, and conveyance of the feeder 30.

[0019] The portable terminal 70 includes a display operation unit 76, a terminal control unit 78, and a storage unit 79. The display operation unit 76 includes, for example, a touch panel and operation buttons, and displays various information to the operator and inputs various operations from the operator. The terminal control unit 78 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., and controls the entire portable terminal 70. The terminal control unit 78 exchanges various information and signals with the display operation unit 76 and the storage unit 79. The storage unit 79 is a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, and stores various information.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, the management device 80 includes an input device 84 such as a keyboard or mouse, a display 86 such as an LCD, and a light-emitting unit 48. The light-emitting unit 48 is a light source unit similar to the light-emitting units 42 and 46, and is located on the front of the housing of the management device 80. The light-emitting units 42, 46, and 48 are collectively referred to as the light-emitting unit 40. The management device 80 also includes a management control unit 88 and a storage unit 89, as shown in Figure 2. The management control unit 88 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and controls the entire management device 80 as well as the entire implementation system 10. The storage unit 89 is a non-volatile memory such as an HDD, and stores various information. The management control unit 88 receives instructions from the operator via the input device 84, outputs display signals to the display 86, and outputs light-emitting signals to the light-emitting unit 48. The management control unit 88 receives various information from the feeder 30 attached to the storage area 60A via a wired connection through the connector 64, receives detection signals from the robot detection sensor 65, and outputs light emission signals to the light emission unit 46. The management control unit 88 performs information input and output with the storage unit 89. In addition, the management control unit 88 is connected to the mounting control unit 28 via a wired connection and is also connected to the robot control unit 58 and the mobile terminal 70 via wireless connection, and outputs various control signals to them. The management control unit 88 receives information regarding the mounting status of the mounting machine 20 from the mounting control unit 28, information regarding the driving status of the mobile robot 50 from the robot control unit 58, and various information from the mobile terminal 70.

[0021] As shown in Figure 2, the storage unit 89 stores device location information 89a, a production program 89b, feeder holding information 89c, work information 89d, and monitoring area information 89e. The device location information 89a is information that can identify the location of each device that constitutes the mounting line 11 (here, the mounting machine 20, the feeder storage unit 60, and the management device 80). The device location information 89a is, for example, information that associates the identification information of each device with its location information. The location information may be, for example, a number assigned from the upstream side to the downstream side in the X direction, or it may be an X coordinate. In this embodiment, each device that constitutes the mounting line 11 is equipped with one light-emitting unit 40, and the management control unit 88 can also identify the location of each of the multiple light-emitting units 40 (here, the location in the X direction) based on this device location information 89a. That is, the device location information 89a also serves as information that can identify the location of each of the multiple light-emitting units 40. Production program 89b is a program that specifies which components should be mounted on which circuit board using which mounting machine 20, and how many such mounted circuit boards should be manufactured.

[0022] The feeder ownership information 89c is information relating to the feeders 30 set in each area: the supply area 20A, the robot transfer area 50A, and the storage area 60A. For example, the feeder ownership information 89c is information that associates area identification information that identifies each area, a slot number that represents the position of the feeder 30 within the area, and feeder information of the feeder 30 (information such as ID information, the type of parts contained, and the number of parts). Using this feeder ownership information 89c, the control unit 88 can identify which feeder 30 is installed in which position (slot) in each area, and which slots in each area are empty (not equipped with a feeder 30). The feeder ownership information 89c is updated to the latest state in accordance with the installation and removal of feeders 30 in each area. For example, when a feeder 30 is attached to either connector 24 or connector 64, the control unit at the attachment point (mounting control unit 28 or management control unit 88) acquires feeder information from the feeder 30, and the management control unit 88 updates the feeder ownership information 89c for the supply area 20A and the storage area 60A. In addition, since the management control unit 88 knows the area and feeder 30 that the mobile robot 50 will next load or unload, it updates the feeder ownership information 89c for the robot transfer area 50A based on that information. For example, if a feeder 30 is detached from either connector 24 or connector 64, and that feeder 30 is an item to be unloaded by the mobile robot 50, the management control unit 88 considers it to have been accommodated by the mobile robot 50 and updates the feeder ownership information 89c for the robot transfer area 50A. The mobile robot 50 is equipped with a connector similar to connector 24, and the management control unit 88 may also update the feeder ownership information 89c by receiving information regarding the attachment and detachment of the feeder 30 and feeder information from the mobile robot 50. The information regarding the number of parts in the feeder information may be information that can identify whether the number of parts in that feeder 30 is "Full" (unused) or "Empty" (already used by the mounting machine 20), or it may be a value representing the remaining number of parts. In the latter case, the management control unit 88 obtains the remaining number of parts in each feeder 30 from the mounting control unit 28 at predetermined intervals and updates the feeder ownership information 89c.

[0023] The work information 89d is information about the work to be performed by the mobile robot 50, such as which of the mounting machine 20 and the feeder storage unit 60 the mobile robot 50 will move to and in what order the feeders 30 will be loaded and unloaded. Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of work information 89d stored in the storage unit 89. As shown in Figure 3, the work information 89d is associated with the order in which the work will be performed, the location information of the work target device (referred to as the target location information), the work content information, the scheduled work time, and completion information indicating whether the work has been completed or not. The target location information may be the same as the location information of the device included in the device location information 89a, for example. In this embodiment, among the target location information in Figure 3, "00" represents the location of the feeder storage unit 60, and "01" to "05" represent the position from the left among the multiple mounting machines 20. The target location information may be used as identification information for the device, and the target location information and the location information of the work target device may be associated via the device location information 89a. The work content information includes, for example, a work type indicating whether to supply (load) or retrieve (load) the feeder 30, and information on the slot number of the work target. The slot number of the work target is the slot number of the robot transfer area 50A of the mobile robot 50 and the slot number of the supply area 20A or storage area 60A of the work target device. When the work type is "supply," the feeder 30 located at the position of the slot number of the mobile robot 50 is supplied to the position of the slot number of the work target device. When the work type is "retrieval," the feeder 30 located at the position of the slot number of the work target device is retrieved to the position of the slot number of the mobile robot 50. In this embodiment, one "work" corresponding to one work sequence includes the movement of the mobile robot 50 and the supply or retrieval of the feeder 30 by the mobile robot 50. For example, the work corresponding to work sequence "004" includes the movement to the third mounting machine 20 from the left (target position information "03"), i.e., the transport of the feeder 30, and the supply of the feeder 30 to that mounting machine 20. However, if the device being worked on remains the same as the previous task (for example, tasks "002" and "003" in the task sequence), the mobile robot 50 may not move as a result. The scheduled work time is the time at which the task specified in the corresponding work content information should be completed.The scheduled work time is predetermined by the worker, for example, based on a production program 89b, so that the feeder 30 containing the necessary parts is supplied from the mobile robot 50 to each mounting machine 20 before the mounting line 11 stops due to a shortage of parts in the feeder 30. Multiple tasks included in the work information 89d are basically executed in order of work sequence. Therefore, the scheduled work time corresponding to a certain work sequence is set to a time that allows any subsequent tasks corresponding to the work sequence to be completed without stopping the mounting line 11. In other words, regardless of whether the task corresponding to a certain work sequence is the supply of feeder 30 to the mounting machine 20 or not, if that task is not completed by the scheduled work time, the supply of feeder 30 to any of the mounting machines 20 will not be completed in time, and the mounting line 11 will stop. In this embodiment, the scheduled work time is the time based on the start time of operation of the mounting line 11, that is, the elapsed time from the start time of operation. In Figure 3, the completion information is indicated by "Completed" for the corresponding task and by "-" for the corresponding task not being completed. If the supply of parts from the feeder 30 to the mounting machine 20 is delayed, for example, due to the mobile robot 50 stopping, the control unit 88 may change the work information 89d based on the production program 89b and the feeder holding information 89c to minimize the downtime of the mounting line 11 due to a shortage of parts.

[0024] The monitoring area information 89e is information that can identify the monitoring area S of the surrounding monitoring sensor 55 of the mobile robot 50. The feeder holding information 89c includes, for example, information representing the relative position of the surrounding monitoring sensor 55 with respect to the position of the mobile robot 50. In this embodiment, the monitoring area information 89e includes information indicating that the monitoring area S includes the equivalent of one unit to the left and right of the position of the mobile robot 50. The monitoring area information 89e may also include information representing the monitoring area S in relative XY coordinates with the mobile robot 50 as the origin.

[0025] Next, the operation of the thus configured mounting system 10 will be described, in particular the control of the mobile robot 50 by the management control unit 88 and the notification of a warning to the worker when the feeder 30 is not supplied to the mounting machine 20 by the mobile robot 50. Figure 4 is a flowchart of an example of the work control process. For example, when the management control unit 88 receives an instruction from the worker to start the operation of the mounting line 11 via the input device 84, it causes the multiple mounting machines 20 on the mounting line 11 to start mounting components onto the board and starts this work control process. When the work control process starts, the management control unit 88 first determines the next task that the mobile robot 50 will perform based on the work information 89d (step S100). For example, the management control unit 88 identifies the earliest task in the work sequence among the incomplete tasks stored in the work information 89d and determines that task to be the next task that the mobile robot 50 will perform.

[0026] Next, the management control unit 88 derives the estimated work time for the determined task (step S110). The estimated work time is derived, for example, based on the travel time of the mobile robot 50 and the loading / unloading time of the feeder 30 required from the present time until the completion of the task. The management control unit 88 derives the travel time of the mobile robot 50, for example, based on the current position of the mobile robot 50 and the target position information of the task determined in step S100. The current position of the mobile robot 50 is derived, for example, based on the detection signals of the robot detection sensors 25 and 65 input to the management control unit 88 from the implementation control unit 28 and the robot detection sensor 65. The management control unit 88 may also obtain the current position of the mobile robot 50 from the robot control unit 58 based on the encoder 53. Regarding the loading / unloading time of the feeder 30, in this embodiment, for example, the time required for supplying one feeder 30 and the time required for retrieving one feeder 30 are stored in advance in the storage unit 89 for each type of work. Then, the management control unit 88 obtains the loading and unloading times of the feeder 30 based on the type of work determined in step S100 and the time for each type of work stored in the storage unit 89. The management control unit 88 may also derive the loading and unloading times of the feeder 30 by taking into account, for example, the slot number included in the work content information.

[0027] Once the estimated work time is derived, the management control unit 88 retrieves the scheduled work time for the work determined in step S100 from the storage unit 89 and derives the difference between the scheduled work time and the estimated work time as buffer time (step S120). Then, the management control unit 88 sends a work command to the mobile robot 50 to start the work determined in step S100 (step S130). The work command includes, for example, the target location information and work content information for the work determined in step S100.

[0028] Upon receiving a work command, the robot control unit 58 of the mobile robot 50 executes the work based on the received command. At this time, if the robot control unit 58 detects an obstacle in the monitoring area S based on a detection signal from the surrounding monitoring sensor 55, it stops the operation of the mobile robot 50 (in this case, movement and loading / unloading of the feeder 30) and sends a stop signal to the management control unit 88. After no more obstacles are detected in the monitoring area S, the robot control unit 58 releases the stop signal and continues the work, and also sends a stop release signal to the management control unit 88. Furthermore, when the work is completed, the robot control unit 58 sends a work completion signal to the management control unit 88.

[0029] When a work command is transmitted in step S130, the control unit 88 determines whether the mobile robot 50 has stopped operating based on whether or not it has received the aforementioned stop signal (step S140). If the mobile robot 50 has not stopped operating, the control unit 88 determines whether or not the mobile robot 50 has completed the work based on whether or not it has received the aforementioned complete signal (step S150). If the work has not been completed, the control unit 88 executes the processes from step S140 onward. That is, the control unit 88 waits for either the mobile robot 50 to stop operating or to complete the work. If it is determined in step S150 that the work has been completed, the control unit 88 updates the work completion information in the work information 89d, which was determined in step S100, from information indicating incomplete to information indicating completed (step S160). Subsequently, the control unit 88 determines whether or not all the work included in the work information 89d has been completed (step S170), and if there is any work that has not been completed, it executes the processes from step S100 onward. On the other hand, once all tasks are completed, the management control unit 88 terminates this routine.

[0030] In this manner, if the mobile robot 50 does not stop operating, the control unit 88 repeatedly performs steps S100 to S170, causing the mobile robot 50 to sequentially execute the tasks included in the work information 89d. As a result, the mobile robot 50 performs tasks such as retrieving unused feeders 30 stored in the feeder storage unit 60, transporting the unused feeders 30 to the mounting machine 20 and supplying them to the mounting machine 20, retrieving used feeders 30 from the mounting machine 20, and transporting the used feeders 30 to the feeder storage unit 60 and supplying them to the feeder storage unit 60, in accordance with the work sequence of the work information 89d. When the control unit 88 acquires information on newly supplied or retrieved feeders 30, for example via connector 24 or connector 64, it updates the feeder ownership information 89c based on the acquired information.

[0031] On the other hand, if the control unit 88 determines in step S140 that the mobile robot 50 has stopped operating, it starts timing the stop time of the mobile robot 50 (step S180) and derives the difference between the buffer time derived in step S120 and the timed stop as the remaining buffer time Tr (step S190). This remaining buffer time Tr is the time remaining for the work determined in step S100 to be performed at the scheduled work time. For example, if the derived remaining buffer time is 15 minutes, then if the mobile robot 50 is released from operation within the next 15 minutes, the work determined in step S100 can be completed before the scheduled work time or the work stop time, that is, it will be completed on time. Furthermore, the longer the timed stop time of the mobile robot 50, that is, the longer the duration of the stop of the mobile robot 50, the shorter this remaining buffer time Tr will be.

[0032] Next, the management control unit 88 performs a determination process to determine the relationship between the derived remaining leeway time Tr and predetermined first to third thresholds T1 to T3 (step S200). The first threshold Tr is the minimum value at which the remaining leeway time Tr can be considered sufficiently long without needing to warn the worker, and in this embodiment, it is set to 10 minutes. The second threshold T2 is the minimum value at which the remaining leeway time Tr can be considered somewhat long, although it is necessary to warn the worker, and in this embodiment, it is set to 5 minutes. The third threshold T3 is the minimum value of the remaining leeway time Tr required for the work determined in step S100 to be completed by the scheduled work time, and in this embodiment, it is set to a value of 0. If the management control unit 88 determines in step S200 that the remaining leeway time Tr is greater than or equal to the first threshold T1, it proceeds to the process of step S240 described later without issuing a warning to the worker. If the control unit 88 determines in step S200 that the remaining leeway time Tr is less than the first threshold T1 and greater than or equal to the second threshold T2, it notifies the worker of a warning in the first mode (step S210). If it determines that the remaining leeway time Tr is less than the second threshold T2 and greater than or equal to the third threshold T3, it notifies the worker of a warning in the second mode (step S220). If it determines that the remaining leeway time Tr is less than the third threshold T3, it notifies the worker of a warning in the third mode (step S230). As will be described in detail later, the warning modes from the first to the third tend to increase in intensity in this order. After the control unit 88 determines in step S200 that the remaining leeway time Tr is greater than or equal to the first threshold T1, or after performing any of steps S210 to S230, it determines whether the operation stop release signal described above has been received and whether the operation stop has been released (step S240). Then, if the control unit 88 determines in step S240 that the mobile robot 50 has not been deactivated, it proceeds with the processing from step S190 onward. On the other hand, if the control unit 88 determines in step S240 that the mobile robot 50 has been deactivated, it proceeds with the processing from step S150 onward.

[0033] Thus, when the mobile robot 50 stops operating, the control unit 88 repeats steps S190 to S240 until it determines in step S240 that the mobile robot 50 has stopped operating. In other words, the control unit 88 alternately repeats the process of deriving the remaining buffer time Tr based on the measured stop time, and the process of not issuing a warning or issuing a warning in one of the first to third modes depending on the length of the remaining buffer time Tr. Here, if the remaining buffer time Tr in step S200 is greater than or equal to the first threshold T1, the control unit 88 does not issue a warning even if the mobile robot 50 has stopped operating. In other words, if the remaining buffer time Tr is greater than or equal to the first threshold T1, the control unit 88 determines that the remaining buffer time Tr is long enough that a state in which the feeder 30 is not supplied to the mounting machine 20 will not occur (i.e., the mounting line 11 will not stop), and therefore determines that a warning is unnecessary. In response, if the remaining buffer time Tr falls below the first threshold T1 in step S200, the control unit 88 determines that the feeder 30 will not be supplied to the mounting machine 20 due to the mobile robot 50 stopping, and issues a warning in one of the first to third modes. Specifically, when the remaining buffer time Tr falls below the first threshold T1, the control unit 88 first issues a warning in the first mode. Then, as the duration of the mobile robot 50's shutdown lengthens and the remaining buffer time Tr decreases, it issues a warning in the second mode, which is a stronger warning than the first mode, and then an even stronger warning in the third mode.

[0034] In this embodiment, the first mode is such that the light-emitting unit 40 of the device corresponding to the current position of the mobile robot 50 and the monitoring area S emits yellow light, and the display operation unit 26 of the device corresponding to the current position of the mobile robot 50 and the monitoring area S displays a warning screen including the remaining time Tr. In step S210, the management control unit 88 derives the current position of the mobile robot 50 in the same manner as when step S110 is executed, and identifies the device among the devices in the implementation line 11 that is facing the mobile robot 50, i.e., located behind the mobile robot 50, based on the derived current position and the device position information 89a. The management control unit 88 also identifies the device among the devices in the implementation line 11 that is facing the monitoring area S of the mobile robot 50, i.e., located behind the monitoring area S, based on the derived current position, the monitoring area information 89e, and the device position information 89a. The management control unit 88 then controls the light-emitting unit 40 and the display operation unit 26 of the identified device to notify a warning in the first mode. For example, if the mobile robot 50 is stopped in the state shown in Figure 1, the control unit 88 identifies the second mounting machine 20 from the left as the device corresponding to the current position of the mobile robot 50. The control unit 88 also identifies the second mounting machine 20 from the left and the two devices to its left and right as devices corresponding to the monitoring area S. If the identified device is the feeder storage unit 60 or the management device 80, since these devices do not have a display unit like the display operation unit 26, the control unit 88 controls only the light-emitting unit 40 (light-emitting unit 46 or light-emitting unit 48). The remaining slack time Tr that the control unit 88 displays on the display operation unit 26 is, for example, the value derived in the previous step S190. The warning screen that the control unit 88 displays on the display operation unit 26 may include not only the remaining slack time Tr, but also text such as a statement that the mounting line 11 will stop if the obstacle is not removed before the displayed remaining slack time Tr becomes 0.

[0035] In this embodiment, the second aspect is the same as the first aspect, except that the light-emitting unit 40 emits red light. Therefore, in step S220, the control unit 88 controls the light-emitting unit 40 and the display operation unit 26 in the same manner as in step S210, except for controlling the light-emitting color of the light-emitting unit 40.

[0036] In this embodiment, the third aspect is the same as the second aspect, except that the display operation unit 26 displays a warning screen including the delay time from the scheduled work time instead of the remaining slack time Tr, and the display operation unit 76 of the mobile terminal 70 also displays a warning screen similar to that of the display operation unit 26. In step S230, the management control unit 88 controls the light-emitting unit 40 in the same way as in step S210, and controls the display operation unit 26 in the same way as in step S210, except that it displays the delay time. The management control unit 88 also sends a control signal to the mobile terminal 70 to display a warning screen similar to that of the display operation unit 26. The terminal control unit 78 of the mobile terminal 70 displays a warning screen including the delay time on the display operation unit 76 based on the received control signal. The delay time is another name for the remaining slack time Tr when the value is negative (when the stop time is longer than the slack time). In this embodiment, the delay time displayed on the display operation unit 26 and the display operation unit 76 is an absolute value, but it may remain a negative value. For example, a state where the absolute value of the delay time is 30 seconds means that even if the mobile robot 50 is released from its stop now, the work determined in step S100 will not be completed until 30 seconds after the scheduled work time. The absolute value of the delay time increases as the duration of the mobile robot 50's stop increases. The control unit 88 may also measure the elapsed time since the remaining buffer time Tr became 0 and use the measured value as the delay time.

[0037] Upon receiving a warning in any of the first to third embodiments, the worker checks whether they or another object are obstructing the movement of the mobile robot 50 and takes action to remove the obstacle, such as moving themselves or removing the other object. In this embodiment, only the light-emitting unit 40 and the display operation unit 26 located at the current position of the mobile robot 50 and the monitoring area S emit a warning. Therefore, the worker can determine the area where obstacles should be checked based on whether the light-emitting unit 40 or the display operation unit 26 is emitting a warning. In this embodiment, in the third embodiment, the display operation unit 76 of the mobile terminal 70 also emits a warning. Therefore, compared to the case where only the light-emitting unit 40 and the display operation unit 26 emit a warning, the worker carrying the mobile terminal 70 is more likely to notice the warning.

[0038] Here, the correspondence between the components of this embodiment and the components of the present disclosure will be clarified. The mounting machine 20 of this embodiment corresponds to the mounting machine of the present disclosure, the mounting line 11 corresponds to the mounting line, the mobile robot 50 corresponds to the supply device, and the light-emitting unit 40, the display operation unit 26, and the display operation unit 76 correspond to the notification unit. In addition, the management control unit 88 that executes steps S110, 120, S180~S240 of the work control processing in Figure 4 corresponds to the notification control unit, the surrounding monitoring sensor 55 corresponds to the monitoring sensor, and the storage unit 89 corresponds to the storage unit.

[0039] In the implementation system 10 described in detail above, if the mobile robot 50 fails to supply the feeder 30 to the implementation machine 20, at least the light-emitting unit 40 and the display operation unit 26 will issue a warning. This allows the implementation system 10 to prompt the operator to take appropriate action, such as removing the cause of the failure to supply the feeder 30 (for example, an obstacle that hinders the movement of the mobile robot 50). Therefore, the implementation system 10 makes it easier to resolve the situation in which the feeder 30 is not supplied to the implementation machine 20 at an early stage, and can suppress a decrease in the operating rate of the implementation line 11. Furthermore, in the implementation system 10, the management control unit 88 performs a determination process in step S200, and if it determines in this determination process that the feeder 30 is not supplied to the implementation machine 20 (here, if the remaining slack time Tr in step S200 is less than the first threshold T1), the management control unit 88 controls at least the light-emitting unit 40 and the display operation unit 26 to issue a warning.

[0040] Furthermore, in step 120, the management control unit 88 obtains the scheduled work time, and in step S200, it determines whether the work will be performed by the scheduled work time based on whether the remaining slack time Tr derived from the scheduled work time is less than 0, and determines whether the feeder 30 will be supplied to the mounting machine 20 based on this determination. If the management control unit 88 determines that the feeder 30 will not be supplied to the mounting machine 20 (in this case, when the remaining slack time Tr is less than the third threshold T3, i.e., less than 0), the management control unit 88 controls the light-emitting unit 40, the display operation unit 26, and the display operation unit 76 to issue a warning in the third mode. Thus, the management control unit 88 can appropriately determine whether the feeder 30 will be supplied to the mounting machine 20 based on the scheduled work time.

[0041] Furthermore, if the management control unit 88 determines that the work will not be performed by the scheduled work time (in this case, when the remaining slack time Tr is less than 0), it controls the display operation unit 26 to notify the delay time from the scheduled work time. Therefore, since this implementation system 10 can notify the degree of decrease in the operating rate of the implementation line 11 based on the length of the delay time, the operator can understand the status of the implementation line 11 in more detail.

[0042] Furthermore, in step 120, the management control unit 88 obtains the scheduled work time, and in step S200, based on the remaining slack time Tr derived from the scheduled work time and the second threshold T2, it determines whether the work will be performed by a predetermined time before the scheduled work time (in this case, 5 minutes before), and determines whether the feeder 30 will be supplied to the mounting machine 20. If this determination determines that the feeder 30 will not be supplied to the mounting machine 20, the management control unit 88 controls the light-emitting unit 40 and the display operation unit 26 to issue a warning in the first mode. Therefore, this mounting system 10 issues a warning at least a predetermined time earlier than the timing at which the work will not be performed by the scheduled work time (the timing at which the remaining slack time Tr becomes less than 0). As a result, if an operator takes action within that predetermined time, the stopping of the mounting line 11 can be avoided. Consequently, this mounting system 10 can further reduce the decrease in the operating rate of the mounting line 11.

[0043] Then, if the management control unit 88 determines that the work will not be performed by a predetermined time before the scheduled work time, it will notify the remaining buffer time Tr, which is the remaining time required for the work to be performed at the scheduled work time, from the display operation unit 26 (steps S210, S220). As a result, the worker can judge the urgency of the response based on the length of the remaining buffer time Tr. For example, based on the length of the notified remaining buffer time Tr, the worker can determine whether the assembly line 11 will not stop even if the cause of the mobile robot 50's operation stoppage is removed after the completion of their current work, or whether the assembly line 11 will stop unless they interrupt their current work and remove the cause of the mobile robot 50's operation stoppage. Thus, this assembly system 10 can prompt the worker to take a more appropriate action.

[0044] Furthermore, the management control unit 88 controls at least one of the light-emitting unit 40, the display operation unit 26, and the display operation unit 76 to issue a stronger warning the longer the duration of the state (the shorter the remaining time Tr becomes) if the state in which the feeder 30 is determined not to be supplied to the mounting machine 20 continues (in this case, the state in which the remaining time Tr is less than the first threshold T1 in step S200). More specifically, the management control unit 88 sets the light-emitting color of the light-emitting unit 40 to yellow before the remaining time Tr falls below the second threshold T2, and changes the light-emitting color of the light-emitting unit 40 to red, which represents a stronger warning, after the remaining time Tr falls below the second threshold T2 and is equal to or greater than the third threshold T3. In addition, after the remaining time Tr falls below the third threshold T3, the management control unit 88 also causes the display operation unit 76 to issue a warning in addition to the light-emitting unit 40 and the display operation unit 26. Therefore, the longer the duration of the feeder 30 being unsupplied, the more prompt the operator will be to respond, thus preventing prolonged downtime of the assembly line 11. In addition, the operator can determine the urgency of the response based on whether the warning falls into one of the first to third categories.

[0045] It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited in any way to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various forms as long as they fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0046] For example, in the embodiment described above, when an obstacle was detected in the monitoring area S, the mobile robot 50 stopped operating until the obstacle was removed. However, the mobile robot 50 may continue working even if an obstacle is detected. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the work control process in this modified example. For the work control process in Figure 5, the same steps as in the work control process in Figure 4 are given the same step numbers and detailed explanations are omitted. In this modified example, if the mobile robot 50 is loading or unloading from the feeder 30, the robot control unit 58 continues loading or unloading even if an obstacle is detected in the monitoring area S, and does not send a stop signal. That is, the robot control unit 58 only stops movement when an obstacle is detected in the monitoring area S. In the work control process of the modified example in Figure 5, if the management control unit 88 receives a stop signal from the robot control unit 58 in step S140 and determines that the mobile robot 50 has stopped operating (in this case, stopped moving), it issues a warning (step S300). The warning may be in any of the forms shown in steps S210 to S230 of Figure 4, for example. The control unit 88 may continue to broadcast this warning until it is determined that the obstacle has been removed in step S360, which will be described later. Also, as in the embodiment described above, the manner of the warning may be varied depending on the stop time. Next, the control unit 88 determines whether the obstacle detected by the surrounding monitoring sensor 55 is in only one of the left or right monitoring areas Sa or Sb (step S310). The control unit 88 makes this determination by obtaining, for example, the detection status of the left and right monitoring sensors 55a and 55b from the robot control unit 58. If the obstacle is in only one of the left or right monitoring areas Sa or Sb, the control unit 88 determines whether there is another task that can be performed in the area in the direction without the obstacle, based on the position of the mobile robot 50 in the arrangement direction of the implementation line 11 (step S320). In step S320, the control unit 88 first acquires the current position of the mobile robot 50, and based on the acquired current position, information on which of the left and right monitoring sensors 55a and 55b does not detect an obstacle, and the device position information 89a, identifies the device in the implementation line 11 that is in an area where the mobile robot 50 can move without being obstructed by an obstacle.The control unit 88 then makes the determination in step S320 based on whether the work information 89d contains an incomplete task for which the identified device is designated as the target device, and whether the mobile robot 50 is ready to perform that task. Whether the mobile robot 50 is ready to perform the task means, for example, if the type of task is "supply," whether the feeder 30 to be supplied is already housed in the robot transfer area 50A. If the type of task is "retrieval," whether there is space in the robot transfer area 50A to house the feeder 30. The control unit 88 then makes the determination based, for example, on the feeder ownership information 89c, to determine whether the mobile robot 50 is ready to perform the task. The control unit 88 may change the slot number of the mobile robot 50 included in the work content information of the work information 89d as needed. For example, suppose that after completing the tasks in the work sequence "001" to "004" in Figure 3, the mobile robot 50 is moving to the left from the state in Figure 1 toward the mounting machine 20 to its left as the next task in the work sequence "005", when only the left-side monitoring sensor 55a detects an obstacle and the mobile robot 50 stops moving. In this case, the control unit 88 identifies the four mounting machines 20 from the right, which are located to the right of the current position of the mobile robot 50 on the mounting line 11, as being within the area where the mobile robot 50 can move. The control unit 88 then examines the work information 89d and identifies the tasks in the work sequence "006" and "007" as incomplete tasks targeting one of the identified devices (in this case, the mounting machines 20 with target position information "02" to "05"). If the mobile robot 50 is ready to perform at least one of these tasks, the control unit 88 makes a positive determination in step S320. If the control unit 88 determines in step S320 that there is another task that can be performed, it decides that the other task will be the next task to be performed (step S330) and sends a work command for that task to the mobile robot 50 (step S340). If there are multiple other tasks that can be performed, the control unit 88 may decide in step S330 that the task with the earliest execution sequence among them will be the "next task to be performed". The control unit 88 then waits until the mobile robot 50 completes the task (step S350).If the control unit 88 determines in step S310 that an obstacle exists in both the left and right monitoring areas Sa and Sb, if it determines in step S320 that there are no other tasks that can be performed, or if it determines in step S350 that the task has been completed, it determines whether or not the obstacle has been removed (step S360). For example, if the worker confirms the warning in step S300 and removes the obstacle, they input that the obstacle has been removed by operating at least one of the display operation units 26, 56, 76, or the display 86, and the control unit 88 obtains an obstacle removal signal indicating this. In step S360, the control unit 88 makes the determination in step S360 based on whether or not it has obtained this obstacle removal signal. If it determines in step S360 that the obstacle has not been removed, the control unit 88 executes the processing from step S310 onward. That is, until the obstacle is removed, if there is another task that can be performed without being obstructed by the obstacle, the control unit 88 has the mobile robot 50 perform that task. Furthermore, if there are no other tasks that can be performed without being obstructed by the obstacle, or if the obstacle is present in both the left and right monitoring areas Sa and Sb and the mobile robot 50 cannot move, the control unit 88 waits for the obstacle to be removed. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S360 that the obstacle has been removed, the control unit 88 executes the processing from step S100 onward. That is, the control unit 88 determines that the next task to be performed is the one with the earliest work order among the incomplete tasks stored in the work information 89d, and has the mobile robot 50 perform the incomplete tasks in the order of work. Thus, in the modified work control processing, if the mobile robot 50 has not stopped moving due to an obstacle, the control unit 88 has the mobile robot 50 perform the tasks in the order of work information 89d. On the other hand, if the mobile robot 50 has stopped moving due to an obstacle, the control unit 88 has the mobile robot 50 perform the tasks first, even if it is not in the order of work, if there is another task that can be performed while the worker removes the obstacle. Therefore, in this modified implementation system 10, the decrease in the operating rate of the implementation line 11 can be further suppressed even if the obstacle is not immediately removed.If the mobile robot 50 stops moving due to an obstacle while waiting for the work to be completed in step S350, the control unit 88 may wait in step S360 for the obstacle to be removed.

[0047] In the embodiment described above, when the control unit 88 receives a warning stop operation input from the operator via the display operation unit 26, it may refrain from issuing any of the warnings in steps S210 to S230 and wait until it determines in step S240 that the stop operation of the mobile robot 50 has been released. This allows the operator who has seen the warning to arbitrarily stop it.

[0048] In the embodiment described above, one operation corresponding to one work sequence included, but is not limited to, the movement of the mobile robot 50 and the supply or retrieval of the feeder 30 by the mobile robot 50. For example, the transport of the feeder 30 and the supply of the feeder 30 performed by the mobile robot 50 may be included as separate operations in the work information 89d. In this case, a scheduled work time may be set for each of the operations of transporting the feeder 30 and supplying the feeder 30.

[0049] In the embodiment described above, the scheduled work time was set for all tasks included in the work information 89d, but it is not limited to this. For example, the scheduled work time may be set for tasks that include at least one of the transport of the feeder 30 and the supply of the feeder 30 to the mounting machine 20 performed by the mobile robot 50. In this case, for example, if the scheduled work time is not associated with the task determined in step S100, the management control unit 88 may identify the incomplete task that is closest in order to the task determined in step S100 among the tasks to which the scheduled work time is associated, and perform steps S110, S120, and S190 for the identified task.

[0050] In the embodiment described above, the scheduled work time was defined as the time when the work specified in the corresponding work content information should be completed. However, it is not limited to this; for example, it could be the time when the work should start, or the time when the mobile robot 50 should arrive at the location of the work target device. For example, similar to the modified example described in Figure 5, if the mobile robot 50 stops moving but does not stop loading or unloading the feeder 30 when an obstacle is detected in the monitoring area S, then once the mobile robot 50 arrives at the location of the work target device, the supply or retrieval of the feeder 30 will continue without interruption. In such a case, the scheduled work time could be defined as the time when the mobile robot 50 should arrive at the location of the work target device, and it could be assumed that the supply or retrieval of the feeder 30 will be completed in time if the mobile robot 50 arrives at the location of the work target device by the scheduled work time.

[0051] In the embodiment described above, the control unit 88 notified the warning using at least one of the light-emitting unit 40, the display operation unit 26, or the display operation unit 76. However, in addition to or instead of these, the display operation unit 56 or the display 86 may also notify the warning. Furthermore, the notification unit that notifies the warning is not limited to devices that notify the warning visually, such as the light-emitting unit 40 and the display operation unit 26, but may also be a device such as a speaker that notifies the warning audibly.

[0052] In the embodiment described above, the management control unit 88 compares the remaining slack time Tr with the first to third thresholds T1 to T3 and switches between the first to third modes in stages, but it is not limited to this. The management control unit 88 only needs to control at least one of the one or more notification units so that it tends to issue stronger warnings as the remaining slack time Tr decreases (the longer the duration of the state in which the feeder 30 is not supplied). For example, the management control unit 88 may continuously change the mode of the warning according to the length of the remaining slack time Tr. For example, when an alert is issued by sound from a speaker, the management control unit 88 may continuously increase the volume of the alert as the remaining slack time Tr decreases. Furthermore, the management control unit 88 does not have to change the mode of the warning according to the remaining slack time Tr.

[0053] In the embodiment described above, the management control unit 88 tends to issue stronger warnings as the remaining slack time Tr decreases, but it is not limited to this. For example, the management control unit 88 may issue stronger warnings as the stop time, which was started in step S180, increases. In this case, the management control unit 88 does not need to derive the slack time and the remaining slack time Tr, and the work information 89d does not need to include information on the scheduled work time.

[0054] In the embodiment described above, the control unit 88 issued a warning if the remaining slack time Tr was greater than 0 but less than the first threshold T1. However, it is not limited to this, and may only issue a warning after the remaining slack time Tr becomes less than 0. Alternatively, if the control unit 88 determines in step S140 that the mobile robot 50 has stopped operating, it may immediately issue a warning if it determines that the feeder 30 is not being supplied by the mobile robot 50. In this case, the control unit 88 does not need to derive the slack time and the remaining slack time Tr, and the work information 89d does not need to include information on the scheduled work time.

[0055] In the embodiment described above, the control unit 88 caused the light-emitting unit 40 and display operation unit 26 of the device corresponding to the current position of the mobile robot 50 and the monitoring area S to issue a warning, but it is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 88 may cause the light-emitting unit 40 and display operation unit 26 of the device corresponding to the current position of the mobile robot 50 to issue a warning, or it may cause all light-emitting units 40 and display operation units 26 to issue a warning. Also, in the embodiment described above, the number of light-emitting units 40 and display operation units 26 that issue a warning was the same in the first and second embodiments, but it is not limited to this, and the number of light-emitting units 40 and display operation units 26 that issue a warning may be greater in the second embodiment.

[0056] In the embodiment described above, an obstacle was cited as a cause of the mobile robot 50 stopping, but other causes such as a malfunction of the mobile robot 50 could also be cited.

[0057] In the embodiment described above, the material transported and supplied by the mobile robot 50 was a feeder 30, but it is not limited to this; any material used in the mounting machine 20 of the mounting line 11 may be used. For example, the mobile robot 50 may transport a suction nozzle and supply it to the mounting machine 20.

[0058] In the embodiment described above, the mounting system 10 is equipped with an X-axis rail 18 positioned perpendicular to the array direction and vertically forward of the multiple mounting machines 20, and the mobile robot 50 moves along this X-axis rail 18 in the array direction. However, the mobile robot 50 is not limited to this configuration and only needs to be able to move in the array direction. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the mobile robot 50 may be an AGV that moves by wheels 51a. In this case, the mounting system 10 does not need to be equipped with an X-axis rail 18. In the modified mobile robot 50 shown in Figure 6, the mobile robot 50 moves in the array direction by the robot movement mechanism 51 driving the wheels 51a. The mobile robot 50 may be able to move not only in the array direction (here, left-right direction) but also in the front-back direction. In this mobile robot 50, the robot transfer area 50A and the feeder transfer mechanism 52 are provided on the upper part of the housing of the mobile robot 50.

[0059] In the embodiment described above, the mobile robot 50 was equipped with an encoder 53, but it may also be equipped with a position sensor in addition to or instead of the encoder. It is particularly preferable to equip the mobile robot 50 with a position sensor if it is an AGV. The position sensor is a sensor for detecting the position of the mobile robot 50, and may also be able to detect the orientation (rotation) of the mobile robot 50. Examples of position sensors include GPS sensors, gyro sensors, geomagnetic sensors, and acceleration sensors, and the mobile robot 50 may be equipped with one or more of these sensors as position sensors. The management control unit 88 may acquire the position information of the mobile robot 50 detected by the position sensor from the robot control unit 58.

[0060] The implementation system and display control device of this disclosure may be configured as follows.

[0061] The implementation system of this disclosure may include a notification control unit that performs a determination process to determine whether or not the component is supplied to the implementation machine by the supply device, and controls the notification unit to issue the warning if the determination process determines that the component is not supplied.

[0062] In the implementation system of this disclosure, the notification control unit may acquire the scheduled time for work including at least one of the transport of the member by the supply device and the supply of the member to the implementation machine, and in the determination process, it may determine whether or not the member will be supplied based on whether or not the work is performed by the scheduled time. In this way, the notification control unit can appropriately determine whether or not the member will be supplied based on the scheduled time.

[0063] Here, "the work will be performed by the scheduled work time" may mean either the work will start by the scheduled work time, or the work will be completed by the scheduled work time.

[0064] In the implementation system of this disclosure, if the notification control unit determines that the work will not be performed by the scheduled work time, it may control the notification unit to notify the delay time from the scheduled work time. In this way, the implementation system can notify the degree of decrease in the operating rate of the implementation line based on the length of the delay time, so that the worker can understand the status of the implementation line in more detail.

[0065] In the implementation system of this disclosure, the notification control unit may acquire the scheduled time for work including at least one of the transport of the material by the supply device and the supply of the material to the implementation machine, and in the determination process, it may determine whether or not the material will be supplied based on whether or not the work is performed by a predetermined time before the scheduled time. In this way, the implementation system will issue a warning at least a predetermined time earlier than the time when the work will no longer be performed by the scheduled time, and if an operator takes action within that predetermined time, the implementation line can be stopped. Therefore, the implementation system can further reduce the decrease in the operating rate of the implementation line.

[0066] In this case, if the notification control unit determines that the work will not be performed by the predetermined time before the scheduled work time, it may have the notification unit notify the remaining time until the work is performed at the scheduled work time. In this way, the worker can judge the urgency of the response based on the length of the remaining time. Therefore, this implementation system can encourage the worker to take a more appropriate response.

[0067] In the implementation system of this disclosure, there is one or more notification units, and the notification control unit may control at least one of the notification units to issue a stronger warning the longer the duration of the condition in which the determination process determines that the material is not being supplied. In this way, the implementation system can encourage workers to respond more quickly the longer the duration of the condition in which the material is not being supplied, thereby suppressing prolonged stoppages of the implementation line. Here, "the tendency to issue a stronger warning the longer the duration of the condition" includes cases where the strength of the warning is continuously changed according to the length of the duration, and cases where the strength of the warning is changed stepwise according to the length of the duration. Furthermore, the notification control unit may differentiate the strength of the warning by different notification modes within the same notification unit, or by differently instructing different notification units to issue warnings from among multiple notification units, or by differently instructing different numbers of notification units to issue warnings from among multiple notification units.

[0068] In this case, the notification control unit may control at least one of the notification units so that it issues a stronger warning after the duration exceeds the threshold than before the duration exceeds the threshold.

[0069] In the implementation system of this disclosure, the supply device may include a monitoring sensor that detects obstacles in a first monitoring area on one side of the arrangement direction and obstacles in a second monitoring area on the other side, with respect to the supply device; a storage unit that stores work information including a plurality of pieces of information that associate the content of work performed by the supply device, which includes at least one of transporting the members and supplying the members to the implementation machine, the location information of the work target device among the plurality of implementation machines that perform the work, and the work order in which the work is performed; and a work control unit that causes the supply device to perform the incomplete work in the work order based on the work information, and if the monitoring sensor detects an obstacle in either the first monitoring area or the second monitoring area, and the work information includes an incomplete work that is associated with the location information of the work target device located in the monitoring area on the side of the arrangement direction where the obstacle has not been detected with respect to the supply device, the work control unit that allows the supply device to perform the work without following the work order. In this way, the supply device will perform any tasks that can be done before the worker removes the obstacle, even if they are not in the correct work order. Therefore, this mounting system can better suppress the decrease in the operating rate of the mounting line even if the obstacle is not removed immediately.

[0070] The implementation system of this disclosure includes rails arranged along the arrangement direction, and the supply device may move along the rails in the arrangement direction.

[0071] In the implementation system of this disclosure, the supply device may be moved in the direction of the arrangement by wheels.

[0072] In the notification control device of this disclosure, various forms of the implementation system of this disclosure described above may be adopted, and configurations that realize each of the functions of the implementation system of this disclosure described above may be added. [Industrial applicability]

[0073] This invention can be used in manufacturing industries such as assembly lines. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 10 Mounting system, 11 Mounting line, 18 X-axis rail, 20 Mounting machine, 20A Supply area, 21 Board transport device, 22 Head, 23 Head movement mechanism, 24 Connector, 25 Robot detection sensor, 26 Display operation unit, 28 Mounting control unit, 29 Storage unit, 30 Feeder, 40, 42, 46, 48 Light-emitting unit, 50 Mobile robot, 50A Robot transfer area, 51 Robot movement mechanism, 51a Wheels, 52 Feeder transfer mechanism, 53 Encoder, 55 Surroundings monitoring sensor, 55a Left side monitoring sensor, 55b Right side monitoring sensor, 56 Display operation unit, 58 Robot control unit, 59 Storage unit, 60 Feeder storage unit, 60A Storage area, 64 Connector, 65 Robot detection sensor, 70 Mobile terminal, 76 Display operation unit, 78 Terminal control unit, 79 Storage unit, 80 84 Control device, 86 Input device, 88 Display, 89 Control unit, 89 Storage unit, 89a Device location information, 89b Production program, 89c Feeder ownership information, 89d Work information, 89e Monitoring area information, S Monitoring area, Sa Left side monitoring area, Sb Right side monitoring area.

Claims

1. A mounting line having multiple mounting machines for mounting components onto a substrate, arranged in a predetermined orientation, A supply device that transports components used in the aforementioned mounting machine and supplies the components to the aforementioned mounting machine, The supply device is provided with an ambient monitoring sensor that monitors the presence or absence of obstacles in the surrounding area, A robot control unit controls the supply device to stop moving when an obstacle is detected by the surrounding monitoring sensor, and controls the supply device to continue supplying the material to the mounting machine even if an obstacle is detected by the surrounding monitoring sensor while the supply device is supplying the material, An implementation system equipped with these features.

2. The supply device is movable along rails arranged in the direction of the arrangement, The implementation system according to claim 1.

3. The supply device has wheels and is movable in the direction of the arrangement and in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the arrangement by driving the wheels, The implementation system according to claim 1.

Images