Method and apparatus for constructing structures

• US 5,122,971 A
• Filed: 01/31/1990
• Issued: 06/16/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Hamada, Tomoyuki, Takeuchi, Ikuo, Miyahara, Ryohei, Yoshinaga, Toshiaki, Kamejima, Kohji, Ohcoshi, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Dixon, Joseph L.
• Application Number:
  US07/472,819
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 364/512, 364/550, 364/505, 364/506, 364/570, 358/103, 358/107, 358/108, 73/865.8, 73/865.9, 73/866
• US Class Current: 703/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4083 Adapting programme, configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31033 Record on site dimensions of pipe, tube configuration, to install pipe
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37555 Camera detects orientation, position workpiece, points of workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45055 Assembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Information with respect to the shapes and attaching positions of component parts which are necessary for a construction work is stored into a design information memory device by use of a keyboard, an image of a construction location is picked up by a TV camera before the component parts are actually processed, the image is processed to obtain observation information, and the shapes and attaching positions of the component parts are corrected using the observation information and the design information which has already been stored. The corrected information obtained by the correction is stored into a corrected information memory device. A processing device processes the component parts by preferentially using the corrected information. An attaching device attaches the processed component parts to the construction locations while using the corrected information.

Claims

1. An apparatus for constructing a structure comprising:

memory means for storing information about shapes and attaching positions of component parts for the structure;

observing means for picking up an observed image of the attaching positions of the component parts as observation information;

correcting means connected to said memory for correcting at least one of the shapes and the attaching positions of the component parts based on the information stored in said memory means and the observation information from said observing means, and for correcting the information stored in said memory means based on the corrected at least one of the shapes and the attaching positions;

working means connected to said memory means for producing said component parts based on the corrected information stored in said memory means;

navigating means connected to said memory means for generating, through an arithmetic operation, navigation information based on the corrected information stored in said memory means, and for outputting the navigation information; and

attaching means connected to said navigating means for attaching the component parts based on the navigation information outputted from the navigating means.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said correcting means includes:

predictive image producing means for producing a predictive image of the component parts which is predicted to be picked up by the observing means based on the information stored in said memory means and a position and an observing direction of said observing means; and

processing means for overlapping the observed image and the predictive image, for calculating correction amounts of at least one of the shapes and the attaching positions of the component parts based on the overlapped observed and predictive images, and for correcting the information stored in said memory means based on the calculated correction amounts.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein data indicative of whether correction of the information about shapes and attaching positions stored in the memory means is to be permitted or inhibited is stored in said memory means.

4. An apparatus for constructing a structure comprising:

first memory means for storing design information about shapes and attaching positions of component parts for the structure;

correcting means connected to said first memory means for correcting at least one of the shapes and the attaching positions of the component parts based on the design information stored in said first memory means;

second memory means connected to said correcting means for storing corrected design information based on the corrected at least one of the shapes and the attaching positions;

working means connected to said first and second memory means for producing the component parts based on the design information and corrected design information respectively stored in said first and second memory means;

navigating means connected to said first and second memory means for outputting navigation information based on the design information and corrected design information respectively stored in said first and second memory means; and

attaching means connected to said navigation means for attaching the component parts based on the navigation information outputted from said navigating means.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising observing means connected to said correcting means for picking up an image of the attaching positions of the component parts as an observed image;

wherein the correcting means includes;

predictive image producing means for producing a predictive image of the component parts which is predicted to be picked up by said observing means based on the design information stored in said first memory means and a position and an observing direction of said observing means; and

processing means for overlapping the observed image and the predictive image, for calculating correction amounts of at least one of the shapes and the attaching positions of the component parts based on the overlapped observed and predictive images, for reading out and correcting the design information stored in said first memory means based on the calculated correction amounts, and for storing the corrected design information in said second memory means.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said processing means includes means for recognizing a deviation amount between the overlapped observed and predictive images and for calculating the correction amounts based on the recognized deviation amount.