Work system and method for manufacturing product

Abstract

This work system comprises: a traveling carriage (5) provided with a work tool, the traveling carriage performing prescribed work on an object material (1) being transported while traveling on the object material; a detection device (6) that detects the position and the transport speed of the object material being transported; a handling device (7) that executes at least one of placement of the traveling carriage on the object material being transported and recovery of the traveling carriage from the object material during transport; and a control device (10) that controls the operation of the handling device on the basis of the detected position and transport speed of the object material.

Description

Work system and product manufacturing method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a work system and a method for manufacturing a product, and more particularly to a work system and a method for manufacturing a product that perform a predetermined work on a target material such as a steel product being transported.

[0002] For example, in a production line for manufacturing steel products, the material may be cut on-line after the rolling process. During the cutting process, defects such as burrs may occur on the cut surface of the material, but conventionally, inspection and removal of defects have been carried out off-line by workers through visual inspection and grinding.

[0003] Here, methods for performing defect inspection and removal online are being considered. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that includes fixed rollers that fix the position of a product during transport, and processes the product by pressing a grinding wheel with a cylinder against the end face of the product fixed by the fixed roller. Also, Patent Document 2 discloses a system that runs a self-propelled robot over a steel plate and inspects the steel plate for defects and thickness using the self-propelled robot.

[0004] Patent No. 6120543 Patent No. 5999214

[0005] In the system of Patent Document 1, the product is processed while being fixed by fixed rollers, allowing for high-precision processing of the product. However, when the product is a relatively light product with a small cross-sectional area, such as a rail or a right-angle scalene steel, the cost of the fixed rollers is low, making this an economical method, but when the product is a large-section H-beam or a large, heavy steel material such as a steel sheet pile or thick plate, the equipment becomes large-scale and the introduction cost rises.

[0006] The system of Patent Document 2 is based on the premise that a self-propelled robot travels on steel plates placed outside the production line (offline), making it difficult to use the system to inspect target materials being transported on the production line (online).

[0007] The purpose of the present disclosure, made in consideration of the above circumstances, is to provide a work system and a product manufacturing method that can perform specified work on target materials while the target materials are being transported without increasing the size of the equipment.

[0008] (1) A work system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a traveling cart equipped with a work tool, which travels over a target material being transported while performing a predetermined operation on the target material; a detection device which detects the position and transport speed of the target material being transported; a handling device which performs at least one of placing the traveling cart on the target material being transported and retrieving the traveling cart from the target material being transported; and a control device which controls the operation of the handling device based on the detected position and transport speed of the target material.

[0009] (2) As one embodiment of the present disclosure, in (1), the handling device includes an upstream handling device that is arranged upstream in the conveying direction of the target material and places the traveling cart on the target material, and a downstream handling device that is arranged downstream in the conveying direction of the target material and retrieves the traveling cart from the target material.

[0010] (3) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in (1) or (2), the detection device is a camera that captures a moving image of the target material from above the target material.

[0011] (4) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in any of (1) to (3), the control device synchronizes the detected conveying speed of the target material with the operating speed of the handling device when at least one of placing the traveling cart on the target material being transported and recovering the traveling cart from the target material being transported is performed.

[0012] (5) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in any one of (1) to (4), the traveling cart is equipped with a traveling position correction mechanism that detects the position of an edge of the target material while traveling over the target material being transported and corrects the traveling position of the traveling cart based on the position of the edge.

[0013] (6) A method for manufacturing a product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a detection process for detecting the position and transport speed of a target material being transported; a loading process for controlling the operation of a handling device based on the detected position and transport speed of the target material and loading a traveling cart onto the target material being transported by the handling device; a work process for running the loaded traveling cart over the target material and performing a predetermined operation on the target material being transported using a work tool provided on the traveling cart; and a recovery process for recovering the traveling cart from the target material being transported.

[0014] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a work system and a method for manufacturing a product that can perform a predetermined operation on a target material while the target material is being transported, without increasing the size of the device.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a target material. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a work system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a traveling carriage. FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a traveling carriage. FIG. 3C is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a traveling carriage. FIG. 3D is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a traveling carriage. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating placement of a traveling carriage. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating collection of a traveling carriage. FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating an example travel route of a traveling carriage. FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating an example travel route of a traveling carriage. FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating the travel route of a traveling carriage that grinds a workpiece. FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating the travel route of a traveling carriage that grinds a workpiece. FIG. 7C is a diagram illustrating the travel route of a traveling carriage that grinds a workpiece. FIG. 7D is a diagram illustrating the travel route of a traveling carriage that grinds a workpiece. FIG. 7E is a diagram illustrating the travel route of a traveling carriage that grinds a workpiece. FIG. 7F is a diagram illustrating the travel route of a traveling carriage that grinds a workpiece. FIG. 7G is a diagram illustrating the travel route of a traveling carriage that grinds a workpiece. FIG. 7H is a diagram illustrating the travel route of a traveling carriage that grinds a workpiece. FIG. 7I is a diagram illustrating the travel route of a traveling carriage that grinds a workpiece. FIG. 7J is a diagram illustrating the travel route of a traveling carriage that grinds a workpiece. FIG. 7K is a diagram illustrating the travel route of a traveling carriage that grinds a workpiece. FIG. 7L is a diagram illustrating the travel route of a traveling carriage that grinds a workpiece. FIG. 8A is a diagram illustrating travel position correction. FIG. 8B is a diagram illustrating travel position correction. FIG. 8C is a diagram illustrating travel position correction. FIG. 8D is an example of a flowchart showing the travel position correction process. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the effect of reducing work time.

[0016] Hereinafter, a working system and a method for manufacturing a product according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, identical or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals. In the description of this embodiment, the description of identical or corresponding parts will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0017] <Working System> The working system according to this embodiment performs predetermined operations on a target material 1 (see FIG. 1) being transported by a traveling carriage 5 (see FIG. 2). The predetermined operations include, for example, machining operations such as grinding and cutting. For example, burrs, defects, shape defects, and other defects present on the surface of the target material 1 (the workpiece) are removed. The predetermined operations also include, for example, cleaning of dirt on the surface of the target material 1. The predetermined operations also include, for example, measuring the thickness of the target material 1. For example, the working system may perform one or more of the following predetermined operations: machining, cleaning of dirt, and thickness measurement. The working system according to this embodiment is used on a product manufacturing line, and a product is manufactured by performing predetermined operations on the target material 1. For example, if burrs, defects, shape defects, and other defects present on the surface of the target material 1 are removed, surface dirt is cleaned, and the thickness is measured and found to be within an acceptable range, the target material 1 after these operations may become a product. Here, the predetermined operations performed by the traveling carriage 5 are performed on the manufacturing line (online) without stopping the transport of the target material 1.

[0018] FIG. 1 shows a target material 1 having a processing target 2 and a cleaning target 3. Examples of the target material 1 include H-beams and thick plates transported on a production line. In this embodiment, the target material 1 is a thick plate. Burrs, defects, and shape defects that continuously occur parallel to the transport direction at the end of the target material 1 become the processing target 2. Here, the processing target 2 is not limited to burrs, defects, and shape defects that continuously occur parallel to the transport direction, but may also be burrs, defects, and shape defects that occur on a cut surface (divided surface) of the target material 1 perpendicular to the transport direction. In addition, dirt such as machine oil adhering to the target material 1 becomes the cleaning target 3.

[0019] FIG. 2 shows an example of a system according to the present disclosure. The work system includes a traveling carriage 5, a detection device 6, a handling device 7, and a control device 10. As in this embodiment, the work system may further include a handling mechanism 8 and a conveyor 9. As shown in FIG. 2, a coordinate system is set in which the direction parallel to the conveying direction is y, the vertical direction of the target material 1 is z, and the width (horizontal) direction is x. x is the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and is also the width (horizontal) direction of the conveying line 4. This coordinate system is also used in common in FIGS. 3A to 8C.

[0020] The traveling carriage 5 is equipped with a work tool and performs a predetermined operation on the target material 1 while traveling over the target material 1 being transported on the transport line 4. The predetermined operation is machining, cleaning, measurement, etc., as described above. In this embodiment, the traveling carriage 5 is a self-propelled robot. However, the traveling carriage 5 is not limited to one that travels autonomously, and may be remotely operated by a person, for example. The configuration of the traveling carriage 5 will be described in detail below.

[0021] The handling device 7 performs at least one of placing (mounting) the traveling carriage 5 on the target material 1 being transported and retrieving the traveling carriage 5 from the target material 1 being transported. The handling device 7 may be an articulated robot as in this embodiment, but is not limited to this. In this embodiment, the handling device 7 is a robot with multiple axes (e.g., six axes), and therefore is capable of flexible operation. In addition, in this embodiment, a handling mechanism 8 for holding the traveling carriage 5 is attached to the tip of the handling device 7. In addition, in this embodiment, the handling devices 7 are disposed at two locations, one upstream and one downstream, of the conveyor line 4. The two handling devices 7 are disposed on the same side in the width direction of the conveyor line 4 and are spaced apart from each other in the conveyor direction. In addition, a conveyor 9 is provided between the two handling devices 7 to transfer the traveling carriage 5 retrieved by the downstream handling device 7 (downstream handling device) to the upstream handling device 7 (upstream handling device). The movement direction of the conveyor 9, i.e., the movement direction of the collected traveling cart 5, is opposite to the conveying direction. As another example, a configuration is also possible in which one handling device 7 carries out the placement and collection of the traveling cart 5.

[0022] The detection device 6 detects the position and conveying speed of the target material 1 during conveyance. The detection device 6 may be a camera as in this embodiment, but is not limited to this. The detection device 6 may be composed of one camera or multiple cameras. In this embodiment, the detection device 6 is installed above the conveyor line 4 (in the positive z direction) and captures moving images of the target material 1 being conveyed on the conveyor line 4. In other words, the detection device 6 is a camera that captures moving images of the target material 1 from above the target material 1. In this embodiment, two cameras serving as the detection device 6 are installed near each of the two handling devices 7. The two cameras capture the target material 1 before the traveling cart 5 is placed by the upstream handling device 7 and the target material 1 before the traveling cart 5 is collected by the downstream handling device 7, respectively.

[0023] The control device 10 controls the operation of the detection device 6 and the handling device 7 as one of the controls in the work system. Therefore, the control device 10 can be called a robot camera control device. In this embodiment, the control device 10 controls the operation of the handling device 7 based on the position and conveying speed of the target material 1 detected by the detection device 6. The control device 10 also stores dimensional information and the like of the target material 1 in advance, and controls the operation of the handling device 7 when the traveling cart 5 places and retrieves the target material 1 based on the dimensional information. The control device 10 may be configured with any device capable of control and calculation, and may be, for example, a computer.

[0024] <Self-propelled robot> Figures 3A to 3D show the configuration of a self-propelled robot. As described above, in this embodiment, the traveling carriage 5 is a self-propelled robot. Figures 3A to 3D show a plan view, a front view, and a side view of the traveling carriage 5, respectively, and the coordinate system described above is attached to each view to make them distinguishable.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3A , the traveling carriage 5 of this embodiment has a structure with four Mecanum wheels 12 around the robot exterior 11. The Mecanum wheels 12 can move in the x direction (forward and backward) like a normal drive wheel, but by driving the exterior wheels, they can also move arbitrarily in the y direction (left and right). In other words, the traveling carriage 5 can move in any direction on the xy plane on the target material 1. The upper right diagram in FIG. 3A shows a plan view of the traveling carriage 5 with the positive z direction of the robot exterior 11 transparent. Each of the four Mecanum wheels 12 has a structure including an encoder 13 and a servo motor 14. Each of the four Mecanum wheels 12 can be driven independently. Therefore, the traveling carriage 5 can move in any direction. Furthermore, the encoder 13 detects the rotation speed of the servo motor 14, and the travel distance of the traveling carriage 5 can be controlled based on the rotation speed. Therefore, the control unit 16, which acquires the detection value from the encoder 13 and controls the rotation of the servo motor 14, can accurately move the traveling carriage 5 over the target material 1 according to the determined path. The control unit 16 may be a small controller or the like. Here, the traveling carriage 5 also has a built-in battery for driving it, although not shown.

[0026] Furthermore, the traveling carriage 5 of this embodiment is equipped with sensors 15 on all four sides (front, back, left, and right) for detecting the target material 1. The sensors 15 detect the presence or absence of the target material 1 around the traveling carriage 5, and the control unit 16 controls the rotation of the servo motor 14 based on the detection results, thereby preventing the traveling carriage 5 from running away from the target material 1. A method of travel control using the sensors 15 will be described later.

[0027] Furthermore, a handling auxiliary device 17 is attached to the upper part of the traveling carriage 5 in this embodiment. The handling auxiliary device 17 is used in combination with a handling mechanism 8 attached to the handling device 7. The handling auxiliary device 17 may have a chucking structure that uses air pressure, such as that used in an ATC (automatic tool changer). Furthermore, when magnetic attraction is used, the handling auxiliary device 17 may have a tapered structure that serves as a guide during attraction. In the following description, the handling auxiliary device 17 will be described as having a chucking structure.

[0028] Here, the traveling carriage 5 of this embodiment includes a work tool for performing a predetermined work on the target material 1 in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 3A (hereinafter referred to as the "main body").

[0029] The traveling carriage 5 in FIG. 3B is equipped with a work tool for performing machining. The traveling carriage 5 in FIG. 3B includes a grinder frame 18, an elevating mechanism 19, and a grinder fixing portion 20, which are connected to a grinder 21 and a grinding wheel 22 (machining device) on the main body. The grinder 21 and the grinding wheel 22 are jigs for performing grinding, which is an example of machining. The traveling carriage 5 is configured to move the grinder 21 in the vertical direction of the target material 1, i.e., the z-direction, using the elevating mechanism 19. When grinding away burrs or other impurities from the target material 2, the traveling carriage 5 lowers the grinder 21 so that the grinding wheel 22 contacts the target material 1. On the other hand, when grinding away the target material 2, the traveling carriage 5 raises the grinder 21 to prevent contact between the grinding wheel 22 and the target material 1. The control unit 16 controls the power supply for the rotation of the grinder 21 to be turned on and off, and the operation of the lifting mechanism 19 in accordance with the movement of the traveling carriage 5 .

[0030] The traveling carriage 5 in FIG. 3C is equipped with a work tool for performing cleaning work. The traveling carriage 5 in FIG. 3C is equipped with a cleaning brush 24 (cleaning device) via a brush frame 23 attached to the main body. No mechanism for driving the cleaning brush 24 is provided. Here, if only the area where the cleaning target 3 exists is targeted for cleaning work and the cleaning brush 24 is driven only when the cleaning target 3 is detected, the work tool becomes complicated and costs increase. Therefore, cleaning work using the traveling carriage 5 in FIG. 3C is performed so that the entire surface of the target material 1 is cleaned without providing a drive mechanism.

[0031] The traveling carriage 5 in Fig. 3D is equipped with a work tool for performing measurement work. The traveling carriage 5 in Fig. 3D is equipped with a material thickness sensor 26 (measurement device) attached to the main body via a sensor frame 25. As with the work tool for performing cleaning work, measurement work using the traveling carriage 5 in Fig. 3D is performed so as to measure the entire surface of the target material 1 without providing a mechanism for switching the material thickness sensor 26 on and off.

[0032] By combining and mounting additional functions such as machining devices, cleaning devices, and measuring devices on the main body of the traveling cart 5, it is possible to perform predetermined tasks on the target material 1 during transportation.

[0033] <Loading of Self-Propelled Robot> A method for loading (mounting) the traveling carriage 5 onto the target material 1 being transported will be described with reference to Figure 4. First, the handling device 7 arranged on the upstream side (upstream handling device) grasps the handling auxiliary device 17 of the traveling carriage 5 with the handling mechanism 8 attached to the tip, and lifts the traveling carriage 5. The upstream handling device causes the lifted traveling carriage 5 to wait above the transport line 4.

[0034] As the target material 1 being transported by the conveying line 4 approaches the placement position (loading position) of the traveling carriage 5, a video image of the target material 1 is captured by the upstream detection device 6. The area indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 4 is the capture range. The control device 10 calculates the speed and position of a point of interest on the target material 1 in the video image based on the video image. In this embodiment, one corner of the target material 1 is set as the point of interest. Assume that the control device 10 calculates the coordinates p of the point of interest in the xy plane as (x, y) and the speed v as (0, vy, 0). The control device 10 controls the operation of the upstream handling device so that the lifted traveling carriage 5 descends at a speed v' (0, vy, vz). Here, vz is the speed in the negative z direction. The operation of the upstream handling device is controlled so that the transport speed of the target material 1 and the descending speed of the traveling carriage 5 are synchronized (the same) at vy in the transport direction, i.e., the positive y direction. That is, when the traveling carriage 5 is placed on the target material 1 being conveyed, the control device 10 synchronizes the detected conveying speed of the target material 1 with the operating speed of the handling mechanism 8. When the traveling carriage 5 is placed on the target material 1, that is, when the z-direction position of the handling mechanism 8 reaches a height z that is the sum of the thickness of the workpiece 1 and the height of the traveling carriage 5, ０ At this timing, the traveling carriage 5 is separated from the handling mechanism 8. The control device 10 then moves the handling mechanism 8 upward (in the positive z direction) to complete placing the traveling carriage 5 on the target material 1.

[0035] <Recovery of Self-Propelled Robot> A method for recovering the traveling carriage 5 from the target material 1 being transported will be described with reference to Figure 5. First, the handling device 7 arranged on the downstream side (downstream handling device) makes the handling mechanism 8 wait above the target material 1.

[0036] As the target material 1 loaded on the traveling carriage 5 approaches the recovery position, a video image of the target material 1 is captured by the downstream detection device 6. The area indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 5 is the capture range. The control device 10 calculates the speed and position of a point of interest on the target material 1 in the video image based on the video image. In this embodiment, the center of the handling auxiliary device 17 of the traveling carriage 5 is the point of interest. Assume that the control device 10 calculates the coordinate p of the point of interest in the xy plane to be (x, y) and the speed v to be (0, vy, 0). The control device 10 controls the operation of the downstream handling device so that the handling mechanism 8 descends at a speed v' (0, vy, vz). Here, vz is the speed in the negative z direction. The operation of the downstream handling device is controlled so that the transport speed of the target material 1 and the descent speed of the handling mechanism 8 are synchronized (the same) at vy in the transport direction, i.e., the positive y direction. That is, when the traveling carriage 5 is retrieved from the object 1 being transported, the control device 10 synchronizes the detected transport speed of the object 1 with the operating speed of the handling mechanism 8. When the handling mechanism 8 and the handling auxiliary device 17 come into contact with each other, that is, when the lower end of the handling mechanism 8 reaches the height z ０ When the traveling carriage 5 reaches the target material 1, the traveling carriage 5 is connected to the handling mechanism 8. The control device 10 then moves the handling mechanism 8 upward (in the positive z direction) to complete the recovery of the traveling carriage 5 from the target material 1.

[0037] The collected traveling carriage 5 is placed on the conveyor 9 in Figure 2 by the downstream handling device and transported to the placement position. The traveling carriage 5 transported to the placement position is again placed on the target material 1 by the upstream handling device. By repeating this cycle, predetermined operations such as machining, cleaning, and measurement are performed on the target material 1 being transported on the production line (online).

[0038] <Traveling Method> The traveling carriage 5 placed on the target material 1 travels on its own over the target material 1 during transportation. As described above, predetermined work such as machining, cleaning, and measurement is carried out by the work tools provided on the traveling carriage 5. The traveling carriage 5 completes the predetermined work before the target material 1 arrives at the collection position.

[0039] 6A and 6B, an example of a travel route of the traveling carriage 5 will be described. Here, the travel route is a trajectory along which the center of the main body of the traveling carriage 5 moves.

[0040] FIG. 6A shows a travel route that travels only along the edge of the target material 1. In FIG. 6A, the traveling carriage 5 placed on the lower left of the target material 1 moves from the lower left to the upper left, upper right, and lower right of the target material 1, in that order, and is collected at the lower right position of the target material 1. The width Lx and length Ly of the target material 1, as well as parameters x1 to x4 and y1 to y4 for position setting, are provided in advance to the control unit 16 of the traveling carriage 5. The parameters x1 to x4 and y1 to y4 correspond to the length from the center to the edge of the body of the traveling carriage 5. The control unit 16 sets a travel path 27 based on the information about the target material 1 and the parameters, and moves the traveling carriage 5 along the travel path 27 by controlling the rotation of the servo motor 14, for example, based on the detection value of the encoder 13.

[0041] Figure 6B shows a travel route that travels over the entire surface of the target material 1. In Figure 6B, the traveling carriage 5 placed at the lower left of the target material 1 moves back and forth in the x direction from the lower left to the lower right of the target material 1, moving right in the y direction by an inter-path movement amount Δy. The control unit 16 sets a travel path 27 based on the information about the target material 1 (width Lx and length Ly), parameters x1 to x4 and y1 to y4, and Δy. Then, the control unit 16 controls the rotation of the servo motor 14 based on, for example, the detection value of the encoder 13, to move the traveling carriage 5 along the travel path 27.

[0042] <Working Method> Figures 7A to 7L are diagrams illustrating the travel route of the traveling carriage 5 that grinds the workpiece 2. In this example, the traveling carriage 5 moves in the order of Figures 7A to 7L. Also, in this example, the workpiece 2 is located at the edge of the workpiece 1. In this example, parameter x1 is 1 / 2 the length in the x direction of the main body of the traveling carriage 5. Also, parameter x2 is the sum of x1 and the length in the x direction of the work tool used for grinding. Parameter y1 is 1 / 2 the length in the y direction of the traveling carriage 5 including the work tool used for grinding. Also, parameter y0 is the length in the y direction that is set as a margin during operation.

[0043] Figure 7A shows a grinding movement path 28 in which the traveling carriage 5, which is located at the lower left loading position of the target material 1, moves along the edge of the target material 1 in the negative x direction to the upper left (Lx-x1-x2) while grinding.

[0044] FIG. 7B shows a non-grinding movement path 29 in which the traveling carriage 5 moves in the positive x direction (x2-x1) and the positive y direction (y0) without grinding.

[0045] 7C shows the traveling carriage 5 turning over on the spot by rotating 180° around the central axis of the body of the traveling carriage 5. The traveling carriage 5 is provided with the Mecanum wheels 12, which allows it to turn on the spot.

[0046] FIG. 7D shows a non-grinding movement path in which the traveling carriage 5 moves in the negative y direction (y0) without grinding.

[0047] FIG. 7E shows a grinding movement path in which the traveling carriage 5 moves in the positive x direction by (x1+x2) while grinding.

[0048] 7F shows a non-grinding movement path in which the traveling carriage 5 moves in the negative x direction (x1+x2) and in the positive y direction (Ly-2y1) without grinding. Here, "2y1" means "2×y1."

[0049] FIG. 7G shows a grinding movement path in which the traveling carriage 5 moves along the edge of the workpiece 1 in the positive x direction (Lx-x1-x2) while grinding.

[0050] FIG. 7H shows a non-grinding movement path in which the traveling carriage 5 moves in the negative x direction (x2-x1) and the negative y direction (y0).

[0051] FIG. 7I shows the traveling carriage 5 being turned over on the spot by rotating 180° around the central axis of the body of the traveling carriage 5.

[0052] FIG. 7J shows a non-grinding movement path in which the traveling carriage 5 moves in the positive y direction (y0) without grinding.

[0053] FIG. 7K shows a grinding movement path in which the traveling carriage 5 moves in the negative x direction by (x1+x2) while grinding.

[0054] FIG. 7L shows a non-grinding movement path in which the traveling carriage 5 moves in the positive x direction by (x1+x2) without grinding.

[0055] By moving along these non-grinding movement paths and grinding movement paths, the traveling carriage 5 moves from the placement position of the workpiece 1 to the collection position while grinding the workpiece 2. Here, if a machining device is provided on the main body of the traveling carriage 5, it is necessary to set a movement path that includes operations such as reversing. Similarly, if a cleaning device or a measuring device is provided on the main body of the traveling carriage 5, it is also necessary to set a movement path that includes operations such as reversing.

[0056] <Traveling Position Correction> In this embodiment, the traveling carriage 5 is equipped with a traveling position correction mechanism that detects the position of an edge 31 (see FIG. 8A) of the target material 1 while traveling over the target material 1 being transported, and corrects the traveling position of the traveling carriage 5 based on the position of the edge 31. FIGS. 8A to 8C are diagrams illustrating the traveling position correction. The traveling position correction mechanism includes sensors 15 for detecting the target material 1, which are provided on the four sides (front, back, left, and right) of the traveling carriage 5. The examples in FIGS. 8A to 8C illustrate position correction in the y-axis direction by the sensors 15 when the yz plane is viewed as a cross section. In other words, the position correction performed when the traveling carriage 5 moves in the x-axis direction along the edge 31 of the target material 1 is described.

[0057] 8A shows an example of measuring the edge of a target material 1 using a sensor 15. The sensor 15 is, for example, a two-dimensional laser range finder, and has the function of grasping the shape of an object in two dimensions. The sensor 15 is capable of accurately measuring the position of an edge 31 that exists within the measurement range 30 of the sensor 15. With the center of the measurement range 30 as the origin, the distance to the edge 31 of the target material 1 in the y direction is defined as ye, and the range from the center of the measurement range 30 where the presence of the edge 31 does not pose a problem is defined as the edge presence tolerance range ya. Hereinafter, the positive side of the y axis is referred to as the + side, and the negative side of the y axis is referred to as the - side.

[0058] 8B shows an example in which the position of the edge 31 is deviated to the positive side. The distance ye to the edge position is deviated to the positive side beyond the edge existence tolerance ya.

[0059] 8C shows an example in which the position of the edge 31 is deviated to the negative side. The distance to the edge position, ye, exceeds the edge existence tolerance ya and deviates to the negative side.

[0060] 8D is an example of a flowchart showing the process of correcting the traveling position. If the control unit 16 determines based on the edge measurement result of the sensor 15 that the position of the edge 31 deviates to the positive side (ye > ya to the positive side) (Yes in step S1), the control unit 16 moves the traveling carriage 5 to the negative side by the amount of deviation (ye - ya) (step S2). After processing step S2, the control unit 16 returns to processing step S1. If the control unit 16 determines that the position of the edge 31 does not deviate to the positive side (No in step S1), the control unit 16 proceeds to processing step S3. If the control unit 16 determines based on the edge measurement result of the sensor 15 that the position of the edge 31 deviates to the negative side (ye > ya to the negative side) (Yes in step S3), the control unit 16 moves the traveling carriage 5 to the positive side by the amount of deviation (ye - ya) (step S4). After processing step S4, the control unit 16 returns to processing step S1. If the control unit 16 determines that the position of the edge 31 has not deviated to the negative side (No in step S3), the control unit 16 proceeds to the processing of step S5. If the traveling of the traveling carriage 5 has finished (Yes in step S5), the control unit 16 ends the series of processing. If the traveling of the traveling carriage 5 has not finished (No in step S5), the control unit 16 returns to the processing of step S1 again.

[0061] In the work system according to this embodiment, the control unit 16 acquires detection values ​​from the encoder 13 and controls the rotation of the servo motor 14. Therefore, it is unlikely that the position of the edge 31 will deviate from the edge presence tolerance range ya. However, in actual operation, the traveling carriage 5 may deviate from the set path due to, for example, slippage of the Mecanum wheel 12, variations in the plate shape of the target material 1, or vibrations during transport. The traveling position correction mechanism allows the traveling carriage 5 to move more stably along the set path.

[0062] <Product Manufacturing Method> A manufacturing method for manufacturing a product by performing predetermined operations on the target material 1 includes a detection step, a placement step, an operation step, and a recovery step.

[0063] In the detection process, the detection device 6 detects the position and transport speed of the target material 1 being transported. In the placement process, the operation of the handling device 7 is controlled based on the detected position and transport speed of the target material 1, and the handling device 7 places the traveling cart 5 on the target material 1 being transported. In the work process, the placed traveling cart 5 is made to travel over the target material 1, and a predetermined work is performed on the target material 1 being transported using a work tool provided on the traveling cart 5. In the recovery process, the traveling cart 5 is recovered from the target material 1 being transported.

[0064] Through the above process, predetermined operations are performed on the target material 1 to manufacture a product. Here, the traveling carriage 5 has a size of 500 mm x 500 mm, for example. The target material 1 to be used as a steel product generally has a short side that is larger than 500 mm. Therefore, the above-described operation system and method can be applied to steel products of various sizes, and the use of the traveling carriage 5 does not require the production line equipment to be large. In this way, the operation system can use the traveling carriage 5 to perform predetermined operations on the target material 1 while it is being transported, without increasing the size of the equipment.

[0065] <Effects of automation> Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating the effect of reducing work time. "Conventional" indicates the work time for deburring work on rolled products that has been performed offline by workers. "Present embodiment" indicates the work time when the deburring work is automated by applying the above-mentioned work system and method. The work time in this embodiment is shown as a relative time, with the conventional time being set at 100. As shown in Figure 9, automation was able to reduce the work man-hours by approximately 82%.

[0066] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art would easily be able to make various modifications or alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, functions included in each component or step (process) can be rearranged so as not to cause logical inconsistencies, and multiple components or steps can be combined or divided into one. The embodiments of the present disclosure can also be realized as a program executed by a processor included in an apparatus or a storage medium on which a program is recorded. It should be understood that these are also included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0067] 1 Object material 2 Processing object 3 Cleaning object 4 Conveyor line 5 Traveling cart 6 Detection device 7 Handling device 8 Handling mechanism 9 Conveyor 10 Control device 11 Robot exterior 12 Mecanum wheel 13 Encoder 14 Servo motor 15 Sensor 16 Control unit 17 Handling auxiliary device 18 Grinder frame 19 Lifting mechanism 20 Grinder fixing part 21 Grinder 22 Grinding stone 23 Brush frame 24 Cleaning brush 25 Sensor frame 26 Material thickness sensor 27 Travel path 28 Grinding travel path 29 Non-grinding travel path 30 Measurement range 31 Edge

Claims

1. A work system comprising: a traveling cart equipped with a work tool, which travels over an object being transported and performs a specified operation on the object being transported; a detection device which detects the position and transport speed of the object being transported; a handling device which performs at least one of placing the traveling cart on the object being transported and recovering the traveling cart from the object being transported; and a control device which controls the operation of the handling device based on the detected position and transport speed of the object being transported.

2. The work system of claim 1, wherein the handling device includes an upstream handling device arranged upstream in the transport direction of the target material and placing the traveling cart on the target material, and a downstream handling device arranged downstream in the transport direction of the target material and recovering the traveling cart from the target material.

3. A work system as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the detection device is a camera that captures a moving image of the target material from above the target material.

4. A work system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control device synchronizes the detected conveying speed of the target material with the operating speed of the handling device when at least one of placing the traveling cart on the target material being transported and recovering the traveling cart from the target material being transported is performed.

5. A work system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the traveling cart is provided with a traveling position correction mechanism that detects the position of an edge of the target material while traveling over the target material being transported and corrects the traveling position of the traveling cart based on the position of the edge.

6. A method for manufacturing a product, comprising: a detection step for detecting the position and transport speed of a target material being transported; a loading step for controlling the operation of a handling device based on the detected position and transport speed of the target material and loading a traveling cart onto the target material being transported by the handling device; a work step for running the loaded traveling cart over the target material and performing a specified operation on the target material being transported using a work tool provided on the traveling cart; and a recovery step for recovering the traveling cart from the target material being transported.

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