Transport control system and determination method

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a transport control system and a normality determining method capable of suppressing a deterioration in processing efficiency. [Solution] A transport control system 8 comprises an imaging unit 31 for capturing an image from above a pallet 6 on which workpieces divided by means of a machining machine 1 are placed, and a processing unit 32 for determining the presence or absence of an abnormality on the basis of a captured image captured by the imaging unit 31, wherein the processing unit 32 acquires the captured image, including a product Wa and remaining material Wb, as machined objects, from the imaging unit 31, and determines that there is an abnormality if positions of the machined objects in the captured image that has been acquired are offset from an original intended position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveyance control system and a determination method.

Background Art

[0002] When a product is cut out from a material placed on a pallet by a processing machine, so-called jointless processing in which there is no connection portion between the product and the residual material is known (see Patent Document 1). According to this jointless processing, manual removal work for separating the product from the residual material can be eliminated. Further, as a post-process of the jointless processing, by carrying out the unloading of the product from the pallet and the discharge of the residual material by a conveying device or the like, a series of operations from processing to the unloading of the product and the discharge of the residual material can be automated.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In jointless processing, the product and waste material are completely separated, so vibrations during pallet movement after processing may cause fluctuations in the state (e.g., position) of the product and waste material on the pallet. These fluctuations in state may affect the unloading of the product and the discharge of the waste material. For example, if the product and waste material on the pallet deviate from their normal state (i.e., the state they should be in), the orientation of the product or waste material may change, or the product and waste material may overlap, making it impossible to remove the product or waste material, and preventing proper unloading of the product and discharge of the waste material by the conveying equipment. If the unloading of the product and discharge of the waste material are not performed properly, it will be necessary to stop the processing machine and conveying equipment to eliminate the cause, leading to a decrease in processing efficiency. Patent Document 1 neither discloses nor suggests the state of either the product or waste material on the pallet, and therefore cannot prevent the aforementioned decrease in processing efficiency.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a transport control system and a determination method that can suppress a decrease in processing efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A transport control system according to an aspect of the present invention includes an imaging unit that images a pallet on which workpieces cut by a processing machine are placed, and a processing unit that determines whether or not there is an abnormality based on the image captured by the imaging unit. The processing unit acquires the image from the imaging unit, which includes the product and leftover material as workpieces, and determines that there is an abnormality if the position of the workpiece on the acquired image is deviated from its original position.

[0007] A determination method according to an aspect of the present invention is a workpiece that has been cut by a processing machine. engineering This includes capturing images of the pallet on which the object is placed using an imaging unit, acquiring an image from the imaging unit that includes the product and leftover material as the workpiece, and determining that there is an abnormality if the position of the workpiece in the acquired image is deviated from its original position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the above embodiment of the transport control system or determination method, the system includes an imaging unit that images the pallet, and a processing unit that determines whether or not there is an abnormality based on the image captured by the imaging unit. The processing unit acquires an image from the imaging unit that includes the product, which is the workpiece cut by the processing machine, and the remaining material. If the position of the workpiece on the acquired image is deviated from its original position, it determines that there is an abnormality. Therefore, if the product and remaining material on the pallet are determined to be abnormal, the system can take action to address that abnormality. Consequently, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of cases where the product is not properly unloaded and the remaining material is not discharged, thereby suppressing a decrease in processing efficiency.

[0009] In the transport control system according to the above embodiment, the system includes a removal control unit that controls a removal device for removing workpieces from a pallet, and if the removal control unit determines that the position of the workpiece is shifted from its original position, it may change at least one of the position and orientation of the removal device when removing the workpiece according to the amount of displacement of the workpiece. With such a configuration, it becomes possible to remove a workpiece that is out of position on the pallet.

[0010] In the transport control system according to the above embodiment, the system includes a removal control unit that controls a removal device that sequentially removes workpieces on a pallet in the order of removal. The removal control unit may change the removal order if the position of the workpieces is shifted from their original position. Furthermore, if the position of the workpieces is shifted from their original position and there is overlapping of workpieces, the removal control unit may change the removal order to remove the workpieces from the top of the overlapping workpieces. With such a configuration, it is possible to remove the workpieces even if they overlap on the pallet.

[0011] In the transport control system according to the above embodiment, the initial retrieval order is set to retrieve products after leftover materials, and the retrieval control unit may change the initial retrieval order to retrieve the product before the leftover materials if at least a part of the product is overlapping with the leftover materials. With such a configuration, it is possible to retrieve the target even if there is overlap between the product and the leftover materials on the pallet.

[0012] In the transport control system according to the above embodiment, the imaging unit is: Take out Each time a product is removed by the device, an image is taken of the pallet. The removal control unit determines whether the products are overlapping each time a product is removed. If there is overlapping, the removal order may be changed so that the product on top of the overlap is removed first. With this configuration, it is possible to remove the target product even if there is overlapping on the pallet. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing an example of the transport control system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a plan view showing an example of a transport control system according to this embodiment. [Figure 3A] This figure shows an example of a processing pallet and lifting device according to this embodiment. [Figure 3B] This figure shows an example of a processing pallet and lifting device according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram of the processing unit and information processing device according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the design position according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] This figure illustrates the layout data according to this embodiment. [Figure 7] This figure schematically shows an example of an image captured when a workpiece on a processing pallet is photographed according to this embodiment. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of the extraction sequence according to this embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a flowchart showing an example of the extraction process according to this embodiment.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments. However, the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Also, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solution means of the invention. In the drawings, the same or similar parts may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations may be omitted. Also, the shapes and sizes of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clearer explanation, and thus may be different in shape and dimensions from actual products.

[0015] In the drawings, the directions in the figure may be described using the XYZ coordinate system. In the XYZ coordinate system, a plane parallel to the horizontal plane is defined as the XY plane. One direction in this XY plane is denoted as the X direction, and a direction orthogonal to the X direction is denoted as the Y direction. Also, a direction perpendicular to the XY plane is denoted as the Z direction. Each of the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction is explained such that the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure is the + direction, and the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow is the - direction.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the conveyance control system 8 according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of the conveyance control system 8 according to the embodiment. In the present embodiment, the conveyance control system 8 is applied to the processing system PS. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the processing system PS includes, for example, a processing machine 1, a stocker 2, a loader device 3, a gripper device 4, a processing pallet 5, a pallet changer 6, a lift device 7, and a conveyance control system 8. Each of the loader device 3 and the gripper device 4 is an example of an extraction device.

[0017] The processing machine 1 performs processing such as cutting on the workpiece W before processing placed on the processing pallet 5, and divides the workpiece W into a product Wa and a residue Wb. This processing is so-called jointless processing where there is no connection part between the product Wa and the residue Wb. For example, the processing machine 1 irradiates the workpiece W before processing placed on the processing pallet 5 with a laser beam to divide the workpiece W on the processing pallet 5 into a product Wa and a residue Wb. The workpiece W is, for example, a plate-shaped material. The residue Wb is a plate-shaped material remaining after the product Wa is cut out from the workpiece W by the processing machine 1, and may be referred to as a skeleton. For example, the residue Wb includes the peripheral portion of the workpiece W and is a plate-shaped material connected to each other. Each of the product Wa and the residue Wb is an example of a workpiece. Note that the processing machine 1 is not limited to laser processing, and jointless processing may be performed by a processing method other than laser processing.

[0018] Here, the processing system PS is provided with a storage area AR1 and a loading / unloading area AR2. In the storage area AR1, for example, the workpiece W before processing is stored. Also, in the storage area AR1, the workpiece W after processing, that is, the product Wa is stored.

[0019] The loading / unloading area AR2 is arranged on the +X side of the processing machine 1. The loading / unloading area AR2 is arranged between the processing machine 1 and the storage area AR1. For example, in the loading / unloading area AR2, the workpiece W before processing is conveyed from the storage area AR1. Then, the workpiece W before processing is loaded from the loading / unloading area AR2 into the processing machine 1 and is divided into a product Wa and a residue Wb by the processing machine 1.

[0020] The stocker 2 is arranged in the storage area AR1. The stocker 2 stores the workpiece W before processing and the product Wa after processing. The stocker 2 includes, for example, a plurality of storage shelves 11 and an elevator 12.

[0021] Multiple storage shelves 11 are arranged, for example, in the vertical direction (Z direction). The storage shelves 11 store, for example, material pallets (not shown) on which multiple unprocessed workpieces W are placed. The elevator 12 is raised and lowered by an elevator drive device (not shown). The elevator 12 can take a material pallet from the storage shelf 11 and raise or lower this material pallet.

[0022] The storage area AR1 includes a temporary storage area AR3. The temporary storage area AR3 is located, for example, adjacent to the stocker 2 on the +Y side. The stocker 2 uses the elevator 12 to place material pallets on which multiple pre-processing workpieces W are placed in the temporary storage area AR3.

[0023] Furthermore, the storage rack 11 stores the product pallets 13 on which product Wa is accumulated. The elevator 12 can take the product pallets 13 from the storage rack 11 and raise or lower the product pallets 13. The stocker 2 places the product pallets 13 in the temporary storage area AR3. Product Wa is placed on the product pallets 13 placed in the temporary storage area AR3 by the loader device 3. The stocker 2 then transfers the product pallets 13 with product Wa on them from the temporary storage area AR3 to the storage rack 11.

[0024] The loader device 3 transports the workpiece W or product Wa before processing. For example, the loader device 3 transports the workpiece W before processing from the temporary storage area AR3 to the loading / unloading area AR2 and places it on the processing pallet 5 located in the loading / unloading area AR2. The loader device 3 also performs product unloading processing of the product Wa from the processing pallet 5. For example, as part of the product unloading process, the loader device 3 takes the product Wa from the processing pallet 5 located in the loading / unloading area AR2 and transfers the taken product Wa to the product pallet 13 in the temporary storage area AR3. The loader device 3 includes, for example, a Y-rail 15, a trolley 16 that can travel on the Y-rail 15, and a transfer device 17 provided on the trolley 16.

[0025] The Y-rail 15 extends in a direction (Y-direction) that intersects the direction of movement (X-direction) of the processing pallet 5. An X-rail 18 extending in the X-direction is provided on the upper part of the traveling trolley 16. The transfer device 17 is attached to the X-rail 18.

[0026] The transfer device 17 comprises an X-movable body 19 that can move along an X-rail 18, a Z-movable body 20 provided on the X-movable body 19, and a suction part 21 provided at the lower end of the Z-movable body 20. The X-rail 18 is provided extending above the temporary storage area AR3 and above the loading / unloading area AR2. The X-movable body 19 is movable between the temporary storage area AR3 and the loading / unloading area AR2. The Z-movable body 20 is movable in the vertical direction (up and down direction). The suction part 21 moves in the Y direction by the traveling trolley 16, moves in the X direction by the X-movable body 19, and moves in the vertical direction by the Z-movable body 20. The suction part 21 can suction and hold the workpiece W or product Wa before processing.

[0027] The loader device 3 may either remove multiple product Wa from the processing pallet 5 all at once, or remove each product Wa individually, as part of the product unloading process for product Wa. Alternatively, the loader device 3 may either transfer multiple product Wa removed from the processing pallet 5 all at once onto the product pallet 13, or transfer each product onto the product pallet 13 individually. Furthermore, if two or more types of product Wa are formed by processing a single workpiece W, the loader device 3 may sort the product Wa by type and transfer each type of product Wa to the product pallet 13.

[0028] The gripper device 4 is positioned above the processing pallet 5 on the +X side of the processing machine 1. The gripper device 4 is also movable in the Y direction and can be retracted from above the processing pallet 5. Although Figures 1 and 2 show the gripper device 4 retracted to the +Y side of the processing pallet 5, the gripper device 4 may also be retracted to the -Y side of the processing pallet 5.

[0029] The gripper device 4 removes the leftover material Wb placed on the processing pallet 5 from the processing pallet 5. The gripper device 4 is equipped with multiple gripping parts 4a that grip the +Y side and -Y side of the leftover material Wb. The multiple gripping parts 4a are arranged in the X direction and are provided to be vertically movable. The gripper device 4 removes the leftover material Wb from the workpiece lifted by the lift device 7 by holding it with the gripping parts 4a.

[0030] For example, the leftover material Wb is removed from the processing pallet 5 before the product Wa is removed from the processing pallet 5 by the loader device 3. However, the gripper device 4 may, for example, remove the leftover material Wb from the processing pallet 5 after the product Wa has been removed from the processing pallet 5 by the loader device 3. After removing the leftover material Wb from the processing pallet 5, the gripper device 4 may perform a leftover material discharge process to discharge the leftover material Wb to the leftover material recovery unit 10. The leftover material recovery unit 10 is located on the -Y side of the processing pallet 5 that has been moved away from the processing machine 1.

[0031] When removing leftover material Wb from the processing pallet 5, for example, the gripper device 4 is positioned so that multiple gripping parts 4a are located above the outer circumference of the processed workpiece W. In this state, the multiple gripping parts 4a descend to grip the leftover material Wb, and then rise to lift the leftover material Wb from the workpiece W. With the leftover material Wb gripped by the gripping parts 4a, the gripper device 4 moves to the -Y side above the leftover material collection unit 10 (see Figure 1). As the multiple gripping parts 4a release their grip on the leftover material Wb, the leftover material Wb falls and is discharged into the leftover material collection unit 10. That is, the leftover material collection unit 10 is located below the range in which the gripper device 4 can move and collects the leftover material Wb discharged by the gripper device 4.

[0032] The processing pallet 5 is movable in and out of the processing machine 1 with the workpiece W on it. The processing pallet 5 is equipped with wheels that can move along rails 28, for example. Rails 28 extend from the processing machine 1 to the pallet changer 6. The processing pallet 5 supports the workpiece W before processing. The processing pallet 5 also supports the workpiece, including the product Wa and leftover material Wb after the workpiece W has been cut by the processing machine 1. The processing pallet 5 transports the workpiece W or workpiece before processing between the loading / unloading area AR2 and the processing machine 1.

[0033] The processing pallet 5 is, for example, rectangular when viewed from the vertical. The processing pallet 5 comprises, for example, a frame 5a and a plurality of support plates 5b. Each of the plurality of support plates 5b is plate-shaped and is provided upright relative to the frame 5a. Each of the plurality of support plates 5b extends in the Y direction and is arranged at predetermined intervals in the X direction. In a plan view, the plurality of support plates 5b are arms that extend in the longitudinal direction and are arranged in parallel to each other. Each of the plurality of support plates 5b has an upper end formed in a sawtooth shape. The plurality of support plates 5b support the lower surface of the workpiece W at multiple points (the tips of the sawtooths). The processing pallet 5 is movable with the workpiece, including the product Wa and leftover material Wb cut by laser processing, placed on the plurality of support plates 5b.

[0034] The pallet changer 6 is located in the loading / unloading area AR2 and is positioned on the +X side relative to the processing machine 1. The pallet changer 6 swaps the processing pallets 5 that are loaded into or unloaded from the processing machine 1. The pallet changer 6 also handles the transfer of processing pallets 5 to the processing machine 1. The pallet changer 6 transports the processing pallets 5 along the rail 28, for example, by pulling the processing pallets 5. For example, a hook connected to a wire is attached to the processing pallet 5, and the processing pallet 5 is pulled when this wire is wound into the drive unit. The mechanism for moving the processing pallets 5 can be changed as appropriate, and for example, the processing pallets 5 may be self-propelled.

[0035] The lifting device 7 lifts the workpiece placed on the processing pallet 5 from the processing pallet 5. The lifting device 7 lifts at least one of the product Wa and the remaining material after the workpiece W has been cut by the processing machine 1.

[0036] Figure 3 shows an example of a processing pallet 5 and a lifting device 7. Figure 3A is a perspective view of the workpiece W supported by the processing pallet 5. Figure 3B is a perspective view of the workpiece W supported by the lifting device 7. As shown in Figure 3, the lifting device 7 is a movable plate 7 a and multiple arms 7 It includes b. Movable plate 7 a is positioned directly beneath the processing pallet 5 when the processing pallet 5 is placed in the loading / unloading area AR2 (see Figure 1). Movable plate 7 a is movable vertically by a drive mechanism (not shown). Multiple arm sections 7 b are movable plates 7 It is located on the upper surface of a. Multiple arm parts 7 Multiple elements of b extend in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) in a plan view and are arranged parallel to each other.

[0037] arm 7 b is, for example, a plate, a movable plate 7 It extends vertically upward from the upper surface of a. (Arm portion) 7 b may be a shape other than a plate, for example, it may be columnar. 7 b is sized and positioned so that it can be inserted between two adjacent support plates 5b on the processing pallet 5. Multiple arm sections 7 b has the top surface position (height) aligned. As shown in Figure 3A, when the lift device 7 rises from a position below the processing pallet 5, as shown in Figure 3B, the arm part 7 The upper surface of b protrudes upward beyond the support plate 5b, and the workpiece is transferred from the processing pallet 5 to the lift device 7. That is, the workpiece is transferred to the lift device 7 (arm part 7 The loader device 3 is supported by the arm. 7The product Wa supported by b is picked up and transferred onto the product pallet 13. The gripper device 4 also has an arm 7 The remaining material Wb, supported by b, is removed from the processing pallet 5 and discharged to the remaining material collection unit 10 in a remaining material discharge process.

[0038] The transport control system 8 includes, for example, an illumination unit 30, one or more imaging units 31, a processing unit 32, and an extraction control unit 33. In the example shown in Figures 1 and 2, the transport control system 8 includes two imaging units 31A and 31B. When imaging units 31A and 31B are not distinguished, they may simply be referred to as "imaging unit 31".

[0039] The lighting unit 30 is positioned on one side of the lift device 7 in the horizontal direction. It is also positioned on one side of the processing pallet 5 located in the loading / unloading area AR2. In this embodiment, the side relative to the lift device 7 is the +X side of the lift device 7. For example, the lighting unit 30 is attached to the stocker 2. The lighting unit 30 is positioned, for example, in the loading / unloading area AR2, in a orientation (position) that illuminates an area including the entire upper surface of the processing pallet 5. For example, LED lighting is used for the lighting unit 30. The light emitted from the lighting unit 30 is, for example, visible light.

[0040] In this embodiment, one illumination unit 30 is used, but two or more illumination units 30 may be used. The illumination unit 30 may emit light continuously or intermittently. Furthermore, the illumination unit 30 emits light that spreads to illuminate the entire upper surface of the lift device 7, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, the illumination unit 30 may emit light that spreads over a narrow area, changing the angle with respect to the lift device 7 and the processing pallet 5 in a plan view (scanning), thereby illuminating the entire upper surface of the lift device 7 and the processing pallet 5 at predetermined time intervals. In this case, the illumination unit 30 emits light for at least one cycle while the imaging unit 31 is capturing images, so as to cover the entire upper surface of the lift device 7 and the processing pallet 5.

[0041] The imaging unit 31 is positioned, for example, on the -X side of the processing pallet 5 located in the loading / unloading area AR2. The imaging unit 31 is attached, for example, to the processing machine 1. For example, of the two imaging units 31, imaging unit 31A is positioned on the +Y side in the Y direction, and imaging unit 31B is positioned on the -Y side in the Y direction.

[0042] The imaging unit 31 images the processing pallet 5. The imaging unit 31 has a field of view that allows it to image the workpiece, including the product Wa and leftover material Wb, on the processing pallet 5. That is, the imaging unit 31 acquires an image showing all the workpieces on the processing pallet 5. The imaging unit 31 transmits the acquired image to the processing unit 32. The image may be a still image or a video. The workpieces on the processing pallet 5 may be workpieces placed on the processing pallet 5, or workpieces lifted above the processing pallet 5 by the lift device 7. The imaging unit 31 is capable of capturing the light reflected from the workpieces on the processing pallet 5 by the light from the illumination unit 30. In this embodiment, the distance in the Y direction between the imaging unit 31A and the imaging unit 31B is set so that the reflected light from the workpieces can be captured from the edges of the upper surface of the lift device 7.

[0043] The imaging unit 31 acquires an image of the processing pallet 5 by imaging the processing pallet 5 when the workpiece is removed from the processing pallet 5 by the removal device (for example, the loader device 3 or the gripper device 4). For example, if the removal device removes the workpieces from the processing pallet 5 one by one, the imaging unit 31 images the processing pallet 5 each time a workpiece is removed. As an example, if the product unloading process is performed after the waste material removal process, the imaging unit 31 first images the processing pallet 5 before the waste material removal process is performed, that is, before the waste material Wb is removed by the gripper device 4. Also, if the loader device 3 removes the products Wa one by one from the processing pallet 5 as part of the product unloading process, the imaging unit 31 images each time a product Wa is removed. Furthermore, the imaging unit 31 images the processing pallet 5 after both the waste material removal process and the product unloading process have been performed.

[0044] The processing unit 32 is connected to the imaging units 31A and 31B, respectively, by wired or wireless connection. The processing unit 32 is also connected to the illumination unit 30 by wired or wireless connection. The processing unit 32 is also connected to the retrieval control unit 33 by wired or wireless connection. Figure 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the processing unit 32 and retrieval control unit 33 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the processing unit 32 includes, for example, a recognition unit 40, an abnormality determination unit 41, an overlap determination unit 42, a residual object detection unit 43, and an output unit 44. These components are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance on a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory (a storage device equipped with a non-transient storage medium), or it may be stored on a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium) and installed on the storage device when the storage medium is inserted into the drive device. The storage device consists of, for example, an HDD, flash memory, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), or RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0045] The processing unit 32 performs various processes based on the image captured from the imaging unit 31, such as recognizing the workpiece on the processing pallet 5 and determining whether or not there are any abnormalities. In this case, the image captured from the imaging unit 31 may be an image captured from imaging unit 31A, an image captured from imaging unit 31B, or both. The processing unit 32 may generate a new image using the image captured from imaging unit 31A and the image captured from imaging unit 31B, and then perform the processes described later (for example, workpiece recognition, abnormality detection, overlap detection, and residual object detection) using the generated image.

[0046] The recognition unit 40 acquires the captured image taken by the imaging unit 31. Based on the acquired image, the recognition unit 40 recognizes each of the workpieces on the processing pallet 5. The recognition unit 40 then detects the position information of each recognized workpiece. The position information includes at least one of the following: a position in one direction parallel to the horizontal plane (hereinafter referred to as the "X-direction position"), a position in a direction parallel to the horizontal plane and perpendicular to one direction (hereinafter referred to as the "Y-direction position"), and a position around the vertical axis (hereinafter referred to as the "placement angle") θ. The X-direction position and Y-direction position indicate the distance from an arbitrarily set reference in the XY coordinate system (hereinafter referred to as the "layout reference") to the reference position Pa of each product Wa or the reference position Ps of the leftover material Wb. The placement angle θ is the angle that determines the coordinates and orientation in which the product or leftover material is placed. For example, the placement angle θ is the placement angle of the product or leftover material when the straight line in the Y direction is used as the reference.

[0047] For example, the recognition unit 40 recognizes each workpiece shown in the captured image acquired from the imaging unit 31 based on the design information of the workpiece. For example, the recognition unit 40 recognizes product Wa and leftover material Wb from the captured image by pattern matching based on the design shapes of the workpieces, product Wa and leftover material Wb. However, it is not limited to this, and the recognition unit 40 can use other known techniques other than pattern matching, such as template matching or other image recognition methods, as a method for recognizing product Wa and leftover material Wb.

[0048] The design information includes the design values ​​of the shape information (hereinafter referred to as "design shape") and the design values ​​of the position information (hereinafter referred to as "design position") for each product Wa and leftover material Wb on the processing pallet 5. The design information may also be nesting data in which multiple products Wa are assigned to a workpiece W. The nesting data may be, for example, layout data for cutting multiple products from a workpiece W, and includes the design shape and design position of the product Wa and leftover material Wb.

[0049] Figure 5 shows an example of a design position. Figure 6 shows an example of layout data according to this embodiment. Here, the design position is the design value of the X-direction position, the Y-direction position, and the placement angle θ. For example, the design information includes a design position associated with the X-direction position, the Y-direction position, and the placement angle θ for each product Wa. The design information also includes the design position of the leftover material Wb (e.g., X-direction position, Y-direction position, and placement angle).

[0050] For example, the design position of product Wa1 is associated with the X-direction position X1, the Y-direction position Y1, and the placement coordinate θ1. The X-direction position X1 is the distance in the X direction from the layout reference position P0 to the reference position Pa1 of product Wa1. The Y-direction position Y1 is the distance in the Y direction from the layout reference position P0 to the reference position Pa1. For example, the design position of product Wa2 is associated with the X-direction position X2, the Y-direction position Y2, and the placement coordinate θ2. The X-direction position X2 is the distance in the X direction from the layout reference position P0 to the reference position Pa2 of product Wa2. The Y-direction position Y2 is the distance in the Y direction from the layout reference position P0 to the reference position Pa2. For example, the design position of leftover material Wb1 is associated with the X-direction position Xb1, the Y-direction position Yb1, and the placement coordinate θb1. For example, the design position of the leftover material Wb2 is associated with the X-direction position Xb2, the Y-direction position Yb2, and the placement coordinate θb2.

[0051] The abnormality determination unit 41 determines whether or not there is an abnormality based on the image captured on the processing pallet 5 by the imaging unit 31. Specifically, the abnormality determination unit 41 determines whether or not there is an abnormality based on the image captured of the workpiece that has been cut by the processing machine 1. The workpiece may include the product Wa and the leftover material Wb, or it may be either the product Wa or the leftover material Wb. For example, the abnormality determination unit 41 determines whether or not each position of the workpiece recognized by the recognition unit 40 is deviated from its original position. The abnormality determination unit 41 then determines that there is an abnormality if the position of one or more workpieces is deviated from their original position.

[0052] When product unloading is performed after waste material discharge, the abnormality determination unit 41 acquires an image of the processing pallet 5 from the imaging unit 31 before the product unloading process, that is, before the waste material Wb is removed by the gripper device 4. This image shows all the products Wa and waste material Wb that have been cut by the processing machine 1. Based on this image, the abnormality determination unit 41 determines whether the positions of the multiple products Wa and waste material Wb on the processing pallet 5 are shifted from their original positions. The abnormality determination unit 41 then determines that there is an abnormality if the position of one or more workpieces (products Wa or waste material Wb) is shifted from their original positions. Furthermore, during product unloading, the abnormality determination unit 41 acquires an image of the processing pallet 5 from the imaging unit 31 each time a product Wa is removed by the loader device 3. Based on this image, the abnormality determination unit 41 then determines whether the positions of the multiple products Wa on the processing pallet 5 are shifted from their original positions.

[0053] More specifically, the abnormality determination unit 41 calculates a positional displacement amount Δd1, which is the difference between the position of product Wa recognized from the captured image and the design position corresponding to product Wa. If the calculated positional displacement amount Δd1 is within a first tolerance range, the unit determines that product Wa is in its proper position. In other words, the abnormality determination unit 41 determines that the position of product Wa is normal if the positional displacement amount Δd1 is within a first tolerance range.

[0054] The positional displacement Δd1 may be the difference between at least one of the X-direction position, Y-direction position, and placement angle, but it is desirable that it be the difference between all three. For example, an acceptable range is set for each of the X-direction position, Y-direction position, and placement angle. The abnormality determination unit 41 calculates the difference ΔPx1 between the X-direction position of product Wa recognized from the first captured image and the X-direction position corresponding to product Wa. The abnormality determination unit 41 calculates the difference ΔPy1 between the Y-direction position of product Wa recognized from the first captured image and the Y-direction position corresponding to product Wa. The abnormality determination unit 41 calculates the difference Δθ1 between the placement angle of product Wa recognized from the first captured image and the placement angle corresponding to product Wa.

[0055] The abnormality determination unit 41 determines that product Wa is in its proper position if all of the differences ΔPx1, ΔPy1, and Δθ1 are within the first acceptable range. On the other hand, the abnormality determination unit 41 determines that product Wa is not in its proper position if at least one of the differences ΔPx1, ΔPy1, and Δθ1 is outside the first acceptable range.

[0056] Similarly, the abnormality determination unit 41 determines whether the position of the leftover material Wb recognized from the captured image is the position where the leftover material Wb should be on the processing pallet 5. For example, the abnormality determination unit 41 compares the position of the leftover material Wb recognized from the captured image with the design position corresponding to that leftover material Wb, and determines whether the leftover material Wb is normal based on the comparison result. More specifically, the abnormality determination unit 41 calculates the positional deviation amount Δd2 between the position of the leftover material Wb recognized from the captured image and the design position corresponding to that leftover material Wb, and determines that the leftover material Wb is in the position where it should be if the calculated positional deviation amount Δd2 is within the second allowable range. In other words, the abnormality determination unit 41 determines that the position of the leftover material Wb is normal if the positional deviation amount Δd2 is within the second allowable range.

[0057] The positional displacement Δd2 may be the difference in at least one of the position in the X direction, the position in the Y direction, and the arrangement angle, but it is desirable that it be the difference in all three directions. For example, the abnormality determination unit 41 calculates the difference ΔPx2 between the position in the X direction of the remaining material Wb recognized from the captured image and the position in the X direction corresponding to that remaining material Wb. The abnormality determination unit 41 calculates the difference ΔPy2 between the position in the Y direction of the remaining material Wb recognized from the captured image and the position in the Y direction corresponding to that remaining material Wb. The abnormality determination unit 41 calculates the difference Δθ2 between the arrangement angle of the remaining material Wb recognized from the captured image and the arrangement angle corresponding to that remaining material Wb. If the difference ΔPx2, difference ΔPy2, and difference Δθ2 are all within the second allowable range, the abnormality determination unit 41 determines that the remaining material Wb is in the position it should be in. On the other hand, the abnormality determination unit 41 determines that the remaining material Wb is not in the position it should be in if at least one of the differences ΔPx2, ΔPy2, and Δθ2 is outside the second acceptable range.

[0058] The overlap determination unit 42 performs an overlap determination to determine whether or not there is overlap of workpieces when the abnormality determination unit 41 determines that there is an abnormality, that is, when it determines that the position of the workpiece is shifted from its original position. Here, the presence of overlap of workpieces includes cases where at least a part of the workpieces overlap. For example, the overlap determination unit 42 determines that there is overlap of workpieces when the entire or a part of the edge (contour) of the workpiece on the captured image recognized by the recognition unit 40 cannot be detected. In other words, the overlap determination unit 42 determines that if the entire or a part of the edge (contour) of the workpiece cannot be detected, another workpiece is overlapping on that workpiece. When the overlap determination unit 42 determines that there is overlap of workpieces, it distinguishes between the workpiece whose edge was partially or completely undetectable and the identification information of the workpiece overlapping on top of that workpiece.

[0059] The residue detection unit 43 acquires an image of the processing pallet 5 from the imaging unit 31 after the residue discharge process and the product unloading process. Based on the acquired image, the residue detection unit 43 performs a residue determination to determine whether or not there is any residue on the processing pallet 5. For example, the residue detection unit 43 determines the presence or absence of residue by comparing a previously acquired reference image with the image acquired from the imaging unit 31. The reference image is an image obtained by the imaging unit 31 when no workpiece is placed on the processing pallet 5. If the transport control system 8 is equipped with two imaging units 31A and 31B, reference images corresponding to each of the imaging units 31A and 31B are used.

[0060] The output unit 44 outputs the data obtained from the processing performed by the recognition unit 40, the abnormality determination unit 41, the overlap determination unit 42, and the residual material detection unit 43 to the extraction control unit 33. For example, the output unit 44 outputs the position information of each workpiece recognized by the recognition unit 40 to the extraction control unit 33. As an example, the output unit 44 outputs to the extraction control unit 33 information (hereinafter referred to as "recognition result") which associates the identification information of each workpiece on the processing pallet 5 recognized by the recognition unit 40 with the position information of that workpiece. The identification information may be an identification number or the name of the workpiece. The output unit 44 outputs the judgment result of the abnormality determination unit 41 to the extraction control unit 33. For example, if the abnormality determination unit 41 determines that there is an abnormality, the output unit 44 outputs to the extraction control unit 33 as an abnormality determination result information including the identification information of the workpiece, the amount of positional displacement of the workpiece, and the judgment result of the overlap determination. In the overlap detection process, if it is determined that there is an overlap of workpieces, the result of the detection includes identification information of the workpiece whose edges could not be detected in whole or in part, and identification information of the workpiece overlapping the workpiece in question. Furthermore, if the residue detection unit 43 detects residue, the output unit 44 outputs information including the position of the residue to the extraction control unit 33.

[0061] The extraction control unit 33 controls the processing machine 1 as a whole. The extraction control unit 33 controls the operation of each of the processing machine 1, stocker 2, loader device 3, gripper device 4, processing pallet 5, pallet changer 6, and lift device 7. The extraction control unit 33 controls the operation of each part, for example, by reading predetermined programs and data stored in a storage device (not shown), or by based on programs and data sent from a higher-level device.

[0062] The extraction control unit 33 controls the gripper device 4 to perform the waste material discharge process. The extraction control unit 33 also controls the loader device 3 to perform the product unloading process. In other words, the extraction control unit 33 controls the operation of the loader device 3 and the gripper device 4 to sequentially extract the workpieces on the processing pallet 5 according to the extraction order. This extraction order defines the order in which the workpieces are extracted from the processing pallet 5 by the extraction device (loader device 3 and gripper device 4). That is, the order in which the workpieces to be extracted are selected from among the multiple workpieces on the processing pallet 5 is predetermined as the extraction order. An example of the configuration of the extraction control unit 33 is described below.

[0063] The extraction control unit 33 includes, for example, a planning unit 50 and a drive control unit 51.

[0064] The planning unit 50 determines the control information necessary to remove the objects in the order of removal. The control information is, for example, at least one of the position and orientation of the removal device when the removal device removes the object. For example, the planning unit 50 has at least one of the position and orientation of the removal device when removing the object (hereinafter referred to as "control information") pre-set for each workpiece on the processing pallet 5. The initial control information is at least one of the position and orientation of the removal device when removing the object when there is no positional displacement of the object. The initial control information is, for example, pre-set from the design information. Positional displacement refers to a case where the workpiece is shifted from its original position.

[0065] The planning unit 50 outputs a retrieval command including initial control information to the drive control unit 51 if the object to be retrieved is in its proper position. On the other hand, if the object to be retrieved is out of its proper position, the planning unit 50 changes the control information of the object to be retrieved based on the amount of positional deviation. In other words, if the object to be retrieved is out of its proper position, the planning unit 50 changes the control information from the initial control information to control information that takes the amount of positional deviation into account so that the object to be retrieved can be retrieved. For example, if the object to be retrieved is out of position, the planning unit 50 changes the control information of the object to be retrieved by adding the amount of positional deviation (e.g., difference ΔPx, difference ΔPy) to the initial control information (e.g., X coordinate position, Y coordinate position). The planning unit 50 outputs a retrieval command including the changed control information to the drive control unit 51.

[0066] Here, during transport of the processing pallet 5 or when workpieces are removed, workpieces on the processing pallet 5 may move from their original positions and overlap with other workpieces. In this case, for example, if the workpiece to be removed is located below the workpiece, it may be difficult to remove it. Therefore, the planning unit 50 may change the removal order if there is overlapping of workpieces. For example, if the position of workpieces on the processing pallet 5 is shifted from their original positions and there is overlapping of workpieces, the planning unit 50 may change the removal order to remove the topmost overlapping workpiece. In this case, after changing the removal order, the planning unit 50 determines the control information for the workpiece to be removed and outputs a removal command including the determined control information to the drive control unit 51. The planning unit 50 can recognize that there is overlapping of workpieces based on the result of the overlap detection and can identify the overlapping workpieces.

[0067] An example of changing the removal order is described below. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an image captured when a workpiece on the processing pallet 5 is photographed. Figure 8 shows an example of the removal order when removing the workpiece shown in Figure 7. Figure 8(A) shows an example of the initial removal order. Figure 8(B) shows an example of the changed removal order.

[0068] The imaging unit 31 acquires the image shown in Figure 7 by imaging the workpieces on the processing pallet 5. The processing unit 32 recognizes each of the products Wa1 to Wa9 and the remaining material Wb in the image shown in Figure 7. In the example shown in Figure 7, product Wa1 is out of its proper position and is overlapping product Wa2 and the remaining material Wb. Also, product Wa5 is out of its proper position and is overlapping the remaining material Wb. Furthermore, product Wa8 is not processed by the processing machine 1 for some reason and is not present on the processing pallet 5. In such cases, the planning unit 50 changes the initial extraction order to prioritize the extraction of overlapping workpieces, namely product Wa1 and product Wa5.

[0069] For example, the planning unit 50 changes the extraction order shown in Figure 8(A) to the extraction order shown in Figure 8(B). Specifically, the initial setting specifies that products Wa1 to Wa9 are extracted after the waste material Wb is extracted, but the planning unit 50 changes the extraction order so that products Wa1 and Wa5 are extracted before the waste material Wb is extracted. There is no particular limit to which of products Wa1 and Wa5 is extracted first, but since the initial setting is set to extract product Wa1 before product Wa5, the planning unit 50 changes the order to extract product Wa1, product Wa5, and then waste material Wb. In the changed extraction order, the order of the workpieces in their original positions is set according to the order specified in the initial setting. Also, since product Wa8 does not actually exist, the planning unit 50 sets it to skip the extraction of product Wa8. For example, the planning unit 50 disables the 9th item, i.e., product Wa8, in the modified extraction order, and sets it so that product Wa9 is extracted after product Wa7 is extracted.

[0070] When the drive control unit 51 receives a removal command for the object to be removed from the planning unit 50, it controls the removal device to perform the removal of the object. For example, the drive control unit 51 receives a removal command. The drive control unit 51 controls at least one of the position and orientation of the removal device so that at least one of the position and orientation of the removal device matches the position and orientation of the control information included in the removal command. This enables the removal of leftover materials and the shipment of products.

[0071] The following describes the workflow for removing a workpiece according to this embodiment, using Figure 9 as an example. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the removal process according to this embodiment.

[0072] When the processing pallet 5 on which the workpiece W is placed before processing is brought into the processing machine 1, the processing machine 1 processes the workpiece W on the processing pallet 5 and cuts the workpiece W into product Wa and leftover material Wb. The workpiece, including product Wa and leftover material Wb cut by the processing machine 1, is carried out from the processing machine 1 to the loading / unloading area AR2 while still on the processing pallet 5. In other words, the processing pallet 5 on which the workpiece, including product Wa and leftover material Wb, is placed is carried out from the processing machine 1 to the loading / unloading area AR2. Once the processing pallet 5 is carried out to the loading / unloading area AR2, steps S101 to S110 begin. That is, the processing from steps S102 to S109 (removal processing) is carried out until there is no more material to be removed.

[0073] For example, the removal control unit 33 transmits a shooting command to the processing unit 32. This shooting command includes design information of the workpiece. Upon receiving the shooting command, the processing unit 32 controls the illumination unit 30 to irradiate light onto the processing pallet 5 on which the workpiece is placed, and causes the imaging unit 31 to capture an image of the workpiece on the processing pallet 5 (step S102). For example, the processing unit 32 may acquire an image by having the imaging unit 31 capture an image of the workpiece while it is lifted from the processing pallet 5 by the lift device 7, or it may acquire an image by having the imaging unit 31 capture an image of the workpiece while it is placed on the processing pallet 5.

[0074] The processing unit 32 recognizes the shape and position of the workpiece on the processing pallet 5 based on the acquired image and the design information included in the imaging command (step S103). The processing unit 32 then determines whether each of the recognized workpieces is deviated from its original position (step S104). Here, since the product Wa and leftover material Wb on the processing pallet 5 are separated, there are cases where the product Wa and leftover material Wb are deviated from their original positions. For example, some of the factors that cause the product Wa or leftover material Wb to be deviated from their original positions include vibration during pallet movement, interference between the nozzle and the workpiece (product Wa or leftover material Wb) during cutting, tilting of the workpiece due to gas ejection, or scattering of the workpiece due to gas ejection. In such cases, the loader device 3 may not be able to properly remove the product Wa from the processing pallet 5, or the gripper device 4 may not be able to properly remove the leftover material Wb, which may reduce processing efficiency. Therefore, from the viewpoint of suppressing a decrease in processing efficiency, it is important to determine whether the product Wa and leftover material Wb on the processing pallet 5 are in their proper positions. In other words, in this embodiment, the processing unit 32 can suppress a decrease in processing efficiency by determining whether the workpiece is in its proper position.

[0075] If the processing unit 32 determines that each of the recognized workpieces, i.e., the workpieces on the processing pallet 5, is not deviated from its original position, it determines that the workpiece is normal and outputs this information to the removal control unit 33. On the other hand, if the processing unit 32 determines that one or more workpieces on the processing pallet 5 are deviated from their original position, it determines that the workpiece is abnormal. If the processing unit 32 determines that the workpieces are deviated from their original position, i.e., that the workpiece is abnormal, it determines whether or not there is overlapping of the workpieces (step S105).

[0076] If the processing unit 32 determines that there is an overlap of workpieces, it outputs an abnormality determination result, which includes information about the overlapping workpieces, and the recognition result recognized in step S103, to the removal control unit 33. The information about the overlapping workpieces includes the identification information of the overlapping workpieces and the amount of positional displacement of the workpieces. On the other hand, if the processing unit 32 determines that there is no overlap of workpieces, it outputs an abnormality determination result indicating that fact and the recognition result recognized in step S103, to the removal control unit 33.

[0077] The planning unit 50 can determine whether or not there is overlapping of workpieces based on the abnormality detection result from the processing unit 32. If there is overlapping of workpieces, the planning unit 50 changes the extraction order to prioritize extraction from the top of the overlapping workpieces (step S106). On the other hand, if there is no overlapping of workpieces, the planning unit 50 proceeds to step S107 without changing the extraction order.

[0078] The planning unit 50 modifies the control information of an object to be retrieved if it is deviated from its intended position (step S107). For example, the planning unit 50 modifies the control information from the initial settings to control information that takes into account the amount of positional deviation, so that the object to be retrieved can be retrieved even if it is deviated from its intended position. In this case, the planning unit 50 transmits a retrieval command including the modified control information to the drive control unit 51 (step S108). On the other hand, if the object to be retrieved is not deviated from its intended position in step S104, the planning unit 50 transmits a retrieval command including the initial settings control information to the drive control unit 51.

[0079] The drive control unit 51 controls the extraction device based on the extraction command to perform the extraction of the items to be extracted. The extraction of the items to be extracted refers to the product discharge process of product Wa or the waste material discharge process of waste material Wb. When the extraction of the items to be extracted is completed, the drive control unit 51 transmits a completion signal to the planning unit 50 to indicate completion. Upon receiving the completion signal, the planning unit 50 transmits a shooting command for the next extraction process to the processing unit 32. In this way, the processes of steps S102 to S110 are repeatedly performed until the extraction of all items to be extracted as defined in the extraction order is completed.

[0080] When the removal control unit 33 determines that all removal processes are complete, in other words, that the waste material discharge process and product unloading process are finished, the processing unit 32 has the imaging unit 31 take an image of the processing pallet 5. As a result, the processing unit 32 acquires an image of the processing pallet 5 after the waste material discharge process and product unloading process are completed (step S111). When the waste material discharge process and product unloading process are completed, the residue detection unit 43 determines whether or not there are any residues on the processing pallet 5 based on the image acquired in step S111 (step S112).

[0081] Here, after the waste material discharge process and product unloading process are completed, normally no product Wa or waste material Wb remains on the processing pallet 5. However, due to some factor, it is possible that product Wa or waste material Wb may be missed. Therefore, in this embodiment, the waste material detection unit 43 performs the following steps: 2In this step, the presence or absence of residue on the processing pallet 5 is determined. This makes it possible to detect any missed product Wa or leftover material Wb. If the leftover material detection unit 43 determines that there is residue, the removal control unit 33 may obtain information about the residue from the leftover material detection unit 43 and control the removal device to remove the residue. For example, if there is residue and that residue is product Wa, the removal control unit 33 may receive information about the residue and, based on the received information, cause the loader device 3 to unload the residue. Also, if there is residue and that residue is leftover material Wb, the removal control unit 33 may receive information about it and, based on the received information, cause the gripper device 4 to discharge the residue.

[0082] Furthermore, the abnormality determination unit 41 may determine whether or not there is a foreign object on the workpiece when determining whether or not there is an abnormality. If a removal unit for removing foreign objects from the workpiece is provided in the processing system PS, the abnormality determination unit 41 will notify the removal control unit 33 of this fact and the location of the foreign object if it determines that there is a foreign object on the workpiece. Upon receiving this notification, the removal control unit 33 may send a command signal including the location of the foreign object to the removal unit, thereby causing the removal unit to remove the foreign object.

[0083] In the processing system PS to which the transport control system 8 is applied, the arrangement positions of the processing machine 1, stocker 2, loader device 3, gripper device 4, processing pallet 5, pallet changer 6, and lift device 7 can be arbitrarily changed and are not limited to the arrangement positions described above. For example, in the examples shown in Figures 1 and 2, the workpiece W is transported to the processing machine 1 from the +X direction, but this is not limited to this, and the workpiece W may be transported to the processing machine 1 from the -X direction.

[0084] Furthermore, when the processing unit 32 performs the removal process shown in Figure 9, it applies various image processing to the captured image on the processing palette 5 to recognize the shape, position, overlap, etc., of the workpiece. Here, this image processing may include, for example, a process to detect at least one of the contour and the shadow. The image processing may also include a correction process to correct distortion of the workpiece in the captured image. For example, if the captured image obtained from the imaging unit 31 is an image of the workpiece taken from an oblique angle, the correction process may include a process to correct the captured image so that it becomes an image of the workpiece taken from directly above.

[0085] The above embodiment discloses the following configuration. (Composition 1) The workpiece cut by processing machine 1 engineering A transport control system comprising an imaging unit 31 that images the processing pallet 5 on which an object is placed, and a processing unit 32 that determines whether or not there is an abnormality based on the image captured by the imaging unit 31, wherein the processing unit 32 acquires an image from the imaging unit 31 that includes the product Wa and the remaining material Wb as the workpiece, and determines that there is an abnormality if the position of the workpiece on the acquired image is deviated from its original position. (Configuration 2) The transport control system according to Configuration 1, comprising a removal control unit 33 that controls a removal device (loader device 3, gripper device 4) that removes a workpiece from a processing pallet 5 as a target for removal, wherein if the removal control unit 33 determines that the position of the target for removal is shifted from its original position, it changes at least one of the position and orientation of the removal device when removing the target for removal according to the amount of displacement of the target for removal. (Composition 3) The transport control system according to Configuration 1 includes a removal control unit 33 that controls a removal device (loader device 3, gripper device 4) that sequentially removes workpieces from the processing pallet 5 in the order of removal, and the removal control unit 33 changes the removal order if the position of the workpieces is deviated from the position they should be in. (Composition 4) The transport control system according to configuration 2 or 3, wherein the removal control unit 33 changes the removal order to remove the workpiece from the top of the overlapping workpieces if the workpieces are out of position and overlapping workpieces are present. (Composition 5) The transport control system according to configuration 3 or 4, wherein the initial removal order is set to remove the product after the leftover material, and the removal control unit 33 changes the initial removal order to remove the product Wa before the leftover material if at least a portion of the product Wa is overlapping the leftover material Wb. (Composition 6) The imaging unit 31 is Take out A transport control system according to any configuration from configuration 2 to configuration 4, wherein the device takes an image of the processing pallet 5 each time a product is removed, the removal control unit 33 determines whether the products are stacked each time a product Wa is removed, and if there is an overlap of products Wa, the removal order is changed so that the product Wa on top of the overlap is removed first.

[0086] One or more of the requirements described in the embodiments described above may be omitted. Furthermore, the requirements described in the embodiments described above can be combined as appropriate. Also, the execution order of each procedure shown in this embodiment can be implemented in any order, as long as the results of the previous procedure are not used in the subsequent procedure. Furthermore, even if the operations in the embodiments described above are described using terms such as "first," "next," and "followed by," it is not mandatory to perform them in this order. In addition, to the extent permitted by law, disclosures from Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-177226 and all documents cited in the embodiments described above are incorporated into this text. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] W...work Wa... Wb...residue material PS Processing System 1...processing machine 2.. Stocker 3. Loader device (extraction device) 4...Gripper device (take-out device) 5. Processing Pallet 6. Pallet Changer 7. Lifting device 10. Transport control system 30. Lighting Department 31. Imaging Unit 32... Processing Unit 33.. Take-out control unit

Claims

1. An imaging unit that images the pallet on which the workpieces cut by the processing machine are placed, The system includes a processing unit that determines whether or not there is an abnormality based on the image captured by the imaging unit, The processing unit acquires the imaged image, which includes the product and leftover material as the workpiece, from the imaging unit, and determines that there is an abnormality if the position of the workpiece on the acquired imaged image is deviated from its original position.

2. The system includes a removal control unit that controls a removal device for removing the workpiece from the pallet as the object to be removed, The transport control system according to claim 1, wherein the extraction control unit, when the processing unit determines that the position of the object to be extracted is shifted from the position it should originally be, changes at least one of the position and orientation of the extraction device when extracting the object to be extracted, according to the amount of the displacement of the position of the object to be extracted.

3. The system includes a removal control unit that controls a removal device that sequentially removes the workpieces on the pallet in the order in which they are removed, The transport control system according to claim 1, wherein the removal control unit changes the removal order if the position of the workpiece is deviated from the position it should originally be.

4. The transport control system according to claim 3, wherein the removal control unit changes the removal order to remove the workpiece from the top of the overlapping workpieces if the position of the workpieces is shifted from the original position and there are overlaps of workpieces.

5. The initial removal order is defined as removing the product after the remaining material. The transport control system according to claim 4, wherein the removal control unit changes the initial removal order so that if at least a portion of the product is overlapping the remaining material, the product is removed before the remaining material.

6. The imaging unit captures an image of the pallet each time the product is removed by the removal device. The transport control system according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the removal control unit determines whether the products are stacked each time a product is removed, and if there is an overlap of products, changes the removal order so that the product on top of the overlap is removed first.

7. The process involves using an imaging unit to capture images of the pallet on which the workpieces, cut by the processing machine, are placed, and A determination method comprising: acquiring an image from the imaging unit that includes the product and leftover material as the workpiece; and determining that there is an abnormality if the position of the workpiece on the acquired image is shifted from its original position.

Images