Method of and system for work transportation control

• US 5,995,646 A
• Filed: 01/16/1998
• Issued: 11/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Arataki, Hiroo, Yonezawa, Yasuaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Boudreau, Leo H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEHTA, BHAVESH M
• Application Number:
  US09/008,570
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 382/141, 382/143, 382/151, 382/152, 348/86, 348/91, 348/92, 901/26-8, 901/46, 364/468.01, 364/468.19-468.21, 364/478.01-478.06, 364/478.16-478.18, 209/576, 209/577, 209/587, 209/939
• US Class Current: 382/141
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 17/24 using optics or electromagnetic waves
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 7/1426 with work holders not rigidly fixed to the transport devices B23Q7/005, B23Q7/035 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41835 characterised by programme execution
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32127 Read identification of part and generate automatically manufacturing conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37556 Camera detects fictive contour of workpiece, by reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37572 Camera, tv, vision
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/939 Video scanning

Abstract

A work transportation line includes a work handling apparatus which has an operation that is automatically changed in response to alteration of a work type, from one type to another, so as to be suitable for a work type to which a subject work is altered. An indication of a work type alteration is provided as a result of a comparison between specified attributes of a subject work, which are extracted from a two-valued image of the subject work, and predetermined reference attributes for various work types.

Claims

1. A work transportation line control system for controlling a work handling apparatus to hold works on pallets placed, one on top of another, in a stack and load a work transportation line with different types of works in a timed sequence, each of said pallets bearing one type of works thereon, the different types of works having different attributes which are distinguishable from one another, said work transportation line control system comprising:

a camera for forming an image of a pattern of an attribute of a subject work to be handled by said work handling apparatus;

work examination means for examining a position of said subject work and detecting an alteration of work types from one type to another type to provide an instruction indicating a work alteration from one type of works to another type of works whenever a pallet is removed from said stack; and

control means for processing said image of said pattern to recognize a specified pattern of said attribute and a position of said subject work and control said work handling apparatus so as to suitably hold said subject work according to said position of said subject work, and comparing said specified pattern of said attribute of said subject work with predetermined reference patterns of said attribute provided for said subject work to change operation of said work handling apparatus according to said work types and adapt said work handling apparatus to suitably hold said subject work whenever said alteration of work types is detected, said predetermined reference patterns of said attribute being replaced in response to said instruction with other predetermined reference patterns of said attribute intrinsic to a type of works designated by said instruction.

2. A work transportation line control system as defined in claim 1, wherein said camera is mounted on said work handling apparatus located immediately before said work transportation line.

3. A work transportation line control system as defined in claim 2, wherein said work handling apparatus includes a work hand adjustable according to different work types whenever a work alteration occurs.

4. A work transportation line control system as defined in claim 1, wherein said control means changes an image processing program of according to said instruction.

5. A work transportation line control system as defined in claim 1, wherein said work alteration instruction means provides said instruction based on control data for a work station preceding said work handling apparatus.

6. A work transportation line control system as defined in claim 1, wherein said work alteration instruction means provides said instruction indicating a work alteration based on control data for a work station following said work handling apparatus.

7. A work transportation line control system as defined in claim 1, wherein said work alteration instruction means enables an operator to manually provide said instruction.

8. A work transportation line control system as defined in claim 1, wherein said work alteration instruction means stores predetermined reference patterns of attributes intrinsic to different work types and makes a comparison of said specified patterns of said attribute of said subject work and said predetermined reference patterns of attributes so as to recognize a work alteration, from one to another, based on a result of said comparison.

9. A method of controlling a work handling apparatus involved in a work transportation line to hold works on pallets placed, one on top of another, in a stack and load a work transportation line with different types of works by said work handling apparatus, each of said pallets bearing one type of a plurality of works thereon, said different types of works having different attributes distinguishable from one another, said method comprising the steps of:

forming an image of a pattern of said attribute of a subject work to be handled by said work handling apparatus;

processing said image of said pattern in a programmed sequence to recognize a specified pattern and a position of said attribute of said subject work;

examining a position of said subject work and detecting an alteration of work types from one type to another type to provide an instruction of a work type alteration from one work type to another work type whenever said pallet is moved away from said stack;

retrieving, in response to said instruction, predetermined reference patterns of said attribute provided for a work type designated by said instruction;

processing said image of said pattern to recognize a specified pattern of said attribute and a position of said subject work and control said work handling apparatus so as to suitably hold said subject work according to said position of said subject work; and

comparing said specified pattern of said attribute of said subject work with retrieved predetermined reference patterns to change operation of said work handling apparatus according to said work types and adapt said work handling apparatus to operate suitably for said work type designated by said instruction whenever said alteration of work types is detected.

10. A work transportation line control method as defined in claim 9, wherein said programmed sequence is changed according to said instruction of the work type alteration.

11. A work transportation line control method as defined in claim 9, wherein said instruction is provided based on data from a work station preceding said work handling apparatus.

12. A work transportation line control method as defined in claim 9, wherein said instruction is provided based on data from a work station following said work handling apparatus.

13. A work transportation line control method as defined in claim 9, wherein said instruction is manually provided.

14. A work transportation line control method as defined in claim 9, wherein said specified pattern of said attribute of said subject work is compared with predetermined reference attributes for different work types so as to recognize a work type alteration from one work type to another.

15. A work transportation line control method as defined in claim 9, and further comprising the step of changing a work hand of said work handling apparatus according to different work types whenever a work type alteration occurs.

16. A work transportation line control system as defined in claim 9, and further comprising adjusting a work hand of said work handling apparatus according to different work types whenever a work type alteration occurs.