Mobile robot, automated production system, and mobile robot system

• US 6,463,360 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2000
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Sato, Takashi, Hirota, Tomoyuki, Inoue, Yutaka, Terada, Hiroyuki, Ueyama, Tsuyoshi, Fukaya, Kazuhisa, Ohta, Hajime
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan
• Application Number:
  US09/538,498
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/95, 700/257, 700/117, 700/258, 700/247, 700/262, 318/580, 318/587, 318/568.12, 701/23, 701/3, 701/36, 701/200, 701/25, 714/46, 714/47, 714/57, 342/13, 342/16, 901/1, 901/46, 901/47, 180/168, 706/904
• US Class Current: 700/257
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1679 characterised by the tasks executed
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41845 characterised by system universality, reconfigurability, modularity
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32015 Optimize, process management, optimize production line
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32277 Agv schedule integrated into cell schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33198 Laser, light link, infrared
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37563 Ccd, tv camera
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39453 Select program as function of location of mobile manipulator
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A mobile robot placed on an automatic production line is provided. The mobile robot collects information on operating conditions of other mobile robots placed around it and flow of workpieces on the production line and determines action to be taken next based on the formation. A production system using such a mobile robot and a system inputting an operation program corresponding to a workstation into a mobile robot automatically are also provided. This enables measures to be taken quickly against a change in production, thereby providing a system which achieves high efficiency production.

Claims

1. A mobile robot executing a given operation on a workpiece supplied to a workstation comprising:

a neighboring robot condition information collecting circuit collecting first information on an operating condition of a second mobile robot placed around said mobile robot;

a work information collecting circuit collecting second information on flow of workpieces on a production line; and

an action determining circuit determining an action based on said first and second information.

2. A production system comprising:

a production line having a plurality of workstations at each of which one of processes is performed;

a transportation mechanism transporting a plurality of workpieces along said production line; and

a plurality of mobile robots, each of the mobile robots executing a given operation on the workpiece transported by said transportation mechanism at an assigned one of the workstations, each of the mobile robots including,

a neighboring robot condition information collecting circuit collecting information indicating whether another of the mobile robots is placed at the neighboring workstation, and

a determining circuit determining a process to be executed by the each of the mobile robots based on the information collected by said neighboring robot condition information collecting circuit.

3. A production system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said action determining circuit determines whether each of the mobile robots should be moved to another process or not based on the information collected by said neighboring robot condition information collecting circuit.

4. A production system as set forth in claim 2, wherein each of the mobile robots further includes a work information collecting circuit collecting information on flow of the workpieces at the neighboring workstations, and wherein said action determining circuit determines whether a corresponding one of the mobile robots should be moved to another process or not based on the information collected by said work information collecting circuit.

5. A production system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said action determining circuit determines the process to be executed by a corresponding one of the mobile robots according to degrees of priority of said plurality of processes.

6. A robot system comprising:

a storage circuit storing a plurality of operation programs for carrying out processes at workstations provided on a given production line;

a first transmission device transmitting workstation position signals each indicating a position of one of the workstations;

an output circuit responsive to each of the workstation position signals to output a corresponding one of the operation programs stored in said storage circuit; and

mobile robots each receiving one of the operation programs outputted from said output circuit corresponding to an assigned one of the workstations to take action according to the one of the operation programs.

7. A robot system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said transmission device transmits each of the workstation position signals when one of the mobile robots is turned on at a corresponding one of the workstations.

8. A robot system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said output circuit is mobile communication equipment.

9. A method of taking measures against a change in production in production line including workstations at a given one of which a first mobile robot 1 is placed to carry out a given operation comprising:

a first step of placing a second mobile robot at a selected one of the workstations of the production line according to an increase in production;

a second step of collecting first information on an operating condition of the first mobile robot;

a third step of collecting second information on flow of workpieces on said production line; and

a fourth step of determining an operation to be executed by the second mobile robot based on said first and second information.

10. A method as set forth in claim 9, further comprising a fifth step of selecting one of a plurality of operation programs corresponding to the operation determined in said fourth step and a sixth step of executing the selected one of the operation programs to work the second mobile robot.

11. A method as set forth in claim 9, further comprising a fifth step of transmitting a request signal requesting an operation program to be performed by said second mobile robot at the workstation at which the second mobile robot is placed and a sixth step of outputting the operation program in response to said request signal, and wherein said fourth step initiates a download of the operation program outputted in said sixth step to said second mobile robot to work said second mobile robot according to the downloaded operation program.