Assembly Task Assignment for Robot Usage Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing design support technologies fail to effectively consider the usage effect of robots in assembly process planning, making it difficult to maximize robot usage and productivity, as they do not adequately account for the combination of tasks that can be performed continuously by robots or the arrangement freedom of work sequences.
Innovation Solution
A design support device and method that calculates the continuous work number and arrangement freedom indices to identify tasks that can be assigned to robots, using a block diagram of a design support device with components like a candidate selector, continuous work number calculator, arrangement freedom calculator, and automatic generator to optimize task assignment and improve robot usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If robot usage is increased in assembly process planning, then productivity is improved, but it becomes difficult to determine which tasks can be continuously performed by robots without adequate calculation methods
Solution Approach 1:
The design support device automatically calculates the continuous work number and arrangement freedom for each work using stored assembly flow data and precedence constraints, eliminating the need for manual analysis and enabling designers to easily identify robot-suitable tasks
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual task assignment methods with an automated calculation system that uses a calculator to compute continuous work numbers and arrangement freedom indices, substituting human judgment with systematic computational analysis
2Productivity
If manual task assignment methods are used, then flexibility in design is maintained, but the usage effect of robots cannot be maximized due to lack of systematic analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates and stores the continuous work number and arrangement freedom for each work in advance, based on the assembly flow and precedence constraints, so that task assignment can be quickly determined without time-consuming manual analysis
Solution Approach 2:
The design support device provides feedback by presenting the calculated continuous work number and arrangement freedom to the designer, enabling data-driven decisions about which tasks to assign to robots to maximize productivity
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
A design support device includes: a receiver configured to receive a precedence restriction of each work, a work time of each work and advisability of a robot work of each work, with respect to a product, a plurality of works being needed for producing the product; a first calculator configured to calculate, as a first index, a continuous work number in a case where each work which a robot cannot perform is changed to a work which the robot can perform, on a basis of the precedence restriction and the advisability of the robot work; a second calculator configured to calculate, as a second index, an arrangement freedom in the case where each work which the robot cannot perform is changed to a work which the robot can perform, on a basis of the precedence restriction, the work time and the advisability of the robot work; and a presenter configured to associate information according to the first index and the second index with an object work of the first index and the second index, and present the information and the object work.