JPH11188532A - Work supplying device and supplying method, and work housing device and housing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To supply a proper work from a cassette by housing works in cassettes, performing a communication with a control unit with respect to a work to be housed, and housing the work in any of the cassettes according to the received information. SOLUTION: A control unit 4 controls a work station 20 constituting manufacturing lines. A line controller 1 manages the whole operation of manufacturing line systems and performs a shared processing of data related to control units 4-1 to 4-N. A machining device 5 for performing a prescribed machining to a work and a carrying device 6 for carrying the work subjected to the prescribed machining to the work station for the following process are connected to the control units 4-1 to 4-N for controlling work stations 20-1 to 20-N. A housing device 10 for housing a work completed in the manufacturing lines into a cassette is connected to the control unit 4-N of the final process. According to this, a work can be precisely housed in a proper slot.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to, for example, a supply apparatus and a supply method for supplying a work in a production line including a plurality of processing steps, and a storage apparatus and a storage method for storing the work.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As represented by an industrial product assembly factory, a production line for mass-producing products is generally provided with a supply device for supplying a work to the production line, a completed work and a predetermined processing process. And a storage device for storing the work to which the work is applied.

[0003] Such a conventional supply device picks up workpieces one by one from a cassette (container) in which a plurality of workpieces to be processed are stored in advance at a predetermined timing, and supplies the workpieces to a manufacturing line. It has the function to do.

Further, the conventional storage device has a function of storing the work sequentially flowing from the previous process in a cassette or the like in that order.

[0005]

However, in the above-described supply apparatus, since one supply apparatus has only one work supply unit, the supply order of the work to the production line may be changed. Can not. For this reason,
When processing a test work during mass production on the production line, mix the work for mass production and the work for test processing, or mix the work for test processing supplied to the production line. Automatic management is difficult, for example, it is necessary to prepare a cassette or the like accommodating only the work and replace the cassette at a predetermined timing.

Further, when a cassette containing a plurality of workpieces to be processed in advance is not delivered to a supply device at a predetermined timing by a so-called automatic transport vehicle or the like, there is only one work supply unit. Operation may be stopped.

On the other hand, in the above-mentioned storage device, since one supply device is provided with only one storage unit for storing the work sequentially flowing from the previous process in a cassette or the like, the work of replacing the work with an empty cassette is required. If it takes time, the operation of the entire production line may be stopped instead of the work of the previous process.

In the above storage device, a control signal for synchronizing with the operation of the device in the preceding process is the main communication data. For this reason, for example, a work with a defective product, a work with a machining accuracy or a machining state which is out of a predetermined range flowing in the production line for a while after starting production on the production line, and a production state of the production line. There is also a case where the workpieces within the predetermined range, which flow after the stabilization, are stored in the cassette of the storage device in a mixed state, and the operator has to separate them later, which is not efficient.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a work supply apparatus and a work supply method for supplying an appropriate work from a plurality of cassettes in accordance with information on the work.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a work storage device and a work storage method for appropriately storing a work in a plurality of cassettes according to information about the work.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a work storage device of the present invention has the following configuration.

That is, a work storage device for storing a work supplied from a previous process in a manufacturing line in a cassette, and a storing means for storing the work in a plurality of cassettes;
Communication means for communicating with a control unit for controlling a preceding process, and in accordance with information on a work to be stored received from the control unit by the communication means, the work is stored in the plurality of cassettes by the storage means. And control means to be stored in any one of the above.

Further, for example, the information on the work to be stored is written in the communication means at a predetermined time period, and the control means determines that the work corresponding to the information written in the communication means is the work. The information may be determined when transferred to the storage device.

Alternatively, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a work supply device according to the present invention has the following configuration.

That is, a work supply device for supplying a work to a next process in a production line, a supply means for supplying a work stored in a plurality of cassettes to the next process,
Communication means for communicating with the control unit controlling the next step, and according to the information on the work to be supplied, which is received from the control unit by the communication means, selects a work from the plurality of cassettes, Control means for supplying the selected work to the next step by the supply means.

Alternatively, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a work storage method of the present invention has the following configuration.

That is, a work storing method for storing a work supplied from a previous process in a cassette in a manufacturing line, comprising: a communication process for communicating with a control unit for controlling the previous process; And storing the work in one of the plurality of cassettes in accordance with the information on the work to be stored received from the storage device.

Alternatively, in order to achieve the above object, a work supply method according to the present invention is characterized by having the following configuration.

That is, there is provided a work supply method for supplying a work to a next process in a manufacturing line, wherein a communication process for communicating with a control unit for controlling the next process, and a process for receiving the work from the control unit in the communication process. And selecting a work from the plurality of cassettes in accordance with the information on the work to be supplied, and supplying the selected work to the next step.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of a work supply device and a work storage device of a production line according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment] First, a work storage apparatus according to the present invention will be described as a first embodiment.
In the following description, first, the configuration and operation of a plurality of control units constituting the manufacturing line will be described, and then the configuration and operation of the work storage device will be described based on the description.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a manufacturing line system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

In the production line system shown in FIG.
The control unit 4 is a control device such as a so-called programmable controller (PLC) that controls the work station 20 configuring the manufacturing line. In the present embodiment, the production line system includes control units 4-1 to 4-N (N is a natural number). Here, the work station refers to one of a plurality of manufacturing processes performed in the manufacturing line, or a unit of a work area or an automatic machine in which a plurality of predetermined processes are performed. In FIG. 1, each work station is represented by a broken line, and a work (substrate) processed in the manufacturing line is shown.
Is subjected to a predetermined processing while being managed in order from the control unit 4-1 to the control unit 4-N.

The line controller 1 manages the overall operation of the manufacturing line system and performs a process of sharing data relating to the control unit 4-N from the control unit 4-1 as described later. As the line controller 1, for example, a PLC may be used similarly to the host computer or the control unit 4. Reference numeral 2 denotes a storage device such as a hard disk connected to the line controller 1.

Each work station 20-1 to 20-N
Control unit 4-1 to control unit 4-N
The processing device 5 (5-1 to 5-N) for performing a predetermined processing on the work sent from the previous process, and a transport for transferring the work subjected to the predetermined processing to the work station of the next process. The mounting devices 6 (6-1 to 6-N) and the like are connected. The processing device 5 receives the work from the loading device 6 and temporarily holds the work, and also temporarily stores the processed work before discharging (dispensing) the work to the loading device 6. It has. Further, a supply unit 9 for supplying a work to the production line is connected to the control unit 4-1 in the first step.

On the other hand, to the control unit 4-N in the final step, a storage device 10 for storing the work completed on the production line in a cassette (container) or the like is connected.
In addition, the storage device 10 is provided with a work station 20 of a previous process.
And-a main storage unit 10-1 and a temporary storage unit 10-2 for storing the work received from (N-1) (details will be described later).

It is needless to say that the control unit 4 for controlling the storage device 10 may be separate from or integrated with the device.

The communication network 3 is of a ring-type shared memory system which is often used in the related art. From each station control unit 4 connected to the network 3 to a specific area of the shared memory of each control unit. Can be written, the entire area of the shared memory of another control unit can be read, and the line controller 1, which is the master station, can write and read the specific area of the shared memory of each control unit. Network. The network 3 may be a bus type connection as long as it is of a shared memory type.

Here, refreshing of data in the shared memory will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 26 is a diagram for explaining a method of refreshing data in the shared memory system.

Each shared memory 204 has a data memory storage area 204a and a link area storage area 204b, which are described later with reference to FIGS.
8 has the same data structure as the data structure shown in FIG. Here, the data memory storage area 204a is a data storage area used for operation control in each station, and is a link area storage area 204b.
Is for making the contents of the data memory storage area 204a of each control unit the same without affecting each operation control.

Slave station, that is, control units 4-1 to 4-
In n, when there is a state change in each station, the corresponding address portion of the corresponding own control unit is rewritten in the data memory storage area 204a. Considering the control unit 4-1, data relating to the state changed in the work station 20-1 is stored in B000H to B000H associated with the control unit 4-1.
The corresponding address portion of B04FH is rewritten.

Refreshing of the data memory storage area 204a is performed as follows. First, the data stored in the link area storage area 204b is transmitted to the data memory storage area 204a.
Excluding data related to the data memory storage area 204
Overwrite the data on the a side. That is, the control unit 4
-1, the data in the data memory storage area 204a is stored in the address B00 associated with the control unit 4-1.
Except for the portions from 0H to B04FH, the data is overwritten with the data stored in the link area storage area 204b. on the other hand,
Addresses B000H to B000 related to control unit 4-1
For the area of 04FH, link area storage area 2
The data stored on the 04b side is overwritten with the data in the data memory storage area 204a. When processing is completed for all addresses, the data in the data memory storage area 204a is refreshed. Thereafter, the refreshed data is returned to the link area storage area 204b, and the data in the data memory storage area 204a and the data in the link area storage area 204b match.

Although the above description has been made with reference to the control unit 4 of the slave station, the same applies to the data refresh inside the line controller 1 which is the master station.

The above description relates to refreshing data in one shared memory 204. Next,
Data refresh between control units will be described.

First, the line controller 1 reads out data related to each control unit 4 from each control unit 4. Specifically, data is read from each link area storage area 204b.
Then, the data in the link area storage area 204b of the line controller 1 is rewritten by the read data.

Next, the rewritten data in the link area storage area 204b of the line controller 1 is transmitted to each of the control units 4-1 to 4-n as slave stations.
The data in the link area storage area 204b of each of the control units 4-1 to 4-n is rewritten, and as a result, the line controller 1 and the control unit 4-n are always rewritten.
The data of the shared memories 204 of 1 to 4-n is kept the same. Therefore, since each control unit 4 can know the status of another station by its own shared memory 204, there is no need to exchange data between the control units 4 during each operation control.

In the above example, the contents of the memories provided in all the control units connected to the line are shared by all the control units. However, only the processing devices arranged before and after in the line are used. If the work can be processed by the data, the control units having the relation can share the data of the preceding and following control units.

<Control Unit> Next, the configuration and operation of the control unit 4 will be described.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control unit used in a network according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The control units 4-1 to 4-N shown in FIG. Each has the same configuration.

In the figure, 201 is a program memory 202
CPU such as a microprocessor for controlling the entire control unit 4 according to a control program stored in advance in the CPU
It is. Reference numeral 202 denotes a program memory in which a control program executed by the CPU 201 is stored in advance, and for example, a ROM is used. A RAM 203 is used as a work area for temporarily storing various data when the CPU 201 executes various controls. The storage area in the RAM 203 includes a control unit 4
-1 to the shared memory area 204 in which data relating to the control unit 4-N is written by the line controller 1
Having.

Reference numeral 205 denotes an input / output interface (I / O-I / I /
F). In the present embodiment, C of the control unit 4
The PU 201 controls the operations of the processing device 5, the loading device 6, and the like via the input / output interface 205.

Reference numeral 207 denotes an operation panel on which various key switches operable by an operator, a pilot lamp, a display, and the like are arranged.

Reference numeral 208 denotes a sensor group which detects the position and state of the work being processed by the processing device 5 and the loading device 6, and inputs a signal corresponding to the detection result to the input / output interface 205. The sensor group 208 includes a substrate positioning / discharge sensor 902 described later and an arrival sensor 903.
And

The shared memory area 204 in the RAM 203
An area for storing data in units of words (16 bits) and an area for storing data in units of bits (1 bit) are set. These storage areas (details will be described later) It is used for sharing information to be described later with the control unit 4. Also, the control unit 4
Has a register (not shown) for holding tracking data to be described later.

The above-mentioned CP of the control unit 4
Each block from U201 to operation panel 207 is connected by an internal bus 210.

Here, the entire bit map and word map in the shared memory area 204 will be described with reference to FIGS. 27 and 28.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a bit map in the shared memory area 204 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 28 is a diagram showing a word map in the shared memory area 204 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Each station control unit 4 connected to the communication network 3 stores a shared memory area (hereinafter referred to as a shared memory) 204 in a word (16) for transmitting information to and from other station control units. An area for storing data in units of (bit) and an area for storing data in units of bit (1 bit) are provided. Further, each control unit has an internal register for storing and holding the tracking data.

Next, the data structure of the shared memory 204 will be described in detail. FIG. 27 and FIG.
FIG. 27 shows an area for storing data in bit units (hereinafter referred to as “bit map”).
FIG. 28 shows an area for storing data in word units (hereinafter referred to as a “word map”).

The bit map and the word map are both information of the control units 4-1 to 4-n as the slave stations, and the line controller 1 as the master station and the respective control units 4 to 4-n.
-1 to 4-n are stored. The line controller 1 and the control units 4-1 to 4-n have the shared memory 204 in which common data is stored. Therefore, the data format of the shared memory 204 in the line controller 1 and the control units 4-1 to 4-n is the same, and the address of each data is shifted in the same memory space by the address corresponding to the base address for each station. Are assigned.

Next, the data structure of the storage area set in the shared memory area 204 of the control unit 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6 by taking the control unit 4-1 and the control unit 4-2 as examples. explain.

FIG. 3 (FIG. 5) is a diagram showing a data structure of link bit information managed by the control unit 4-1 (4-2) as the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration of link word information managed by the control unit 4-1 (4-2) according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

3 to 6 for simplicity, the shared memory area 204 of each control unit 4 is provided with a memory area for all control units. Have the same data format. The difference is that the address of each data is equal to the predetermined address for each control unit in the RAM.
That is, it is shifted and allocated in the memory space 203.

That is, in the control unit 4-1, "W000h" is used as the base address as shown in FIGS.
(Hereinafter, h represents a hexadecimal number) "and" B000h ". For example, in the shared memory area 204 of the control unit 4-1, as shown in FIG. The set “automatic” operation instruction information is stored in the address “B000” of the shared memory area 204.
The address is set to the third bit from the address "h", and the address is "B003h".
The “discharge board ID” of the link word information is stored at addresses “W000h to W003h” of the shared memory area 204. On the other hand, in the shared memory area 204 of the control unit 4-2, the base address of the link word information in FIG. 6 is “W030h”, and the base address of the link bit information in FIG. 5 is assigned as “B050h”. Thus, it can be seen that the data configuration itself of the shared memory area 204 is the same, and the memory area is different.

<Line Controller> The line controller 1, which is the parent station, will now be described. As described above, the line controller 1 performs a scan process for sharing data between the control units 4 and a data write process.

A general host computer or PLC can be used for the line controller 1. Since the internal configuration of the line controller 1 is basically the same as the internal configuration of the control unit 4, a detailed description will be given. Is omitted.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a data structure of link bit information managed by the line controller according to the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein the base address is "B400".
h ”. The line controller 1
Has a shared memory area for storing data relating to the control unit 4-1 to the control unit 4-N, like the control units 4, in addition to the link bit information.

<Work Transfer Operation> Next, the storage device 10
Prior to the description of the specific processing, the work transfer operation performed by the line controller 1 and each control unit 4 in the preceding process is described from the work station 20-1 to the work station 20-2.
Is described as an example.

FIG. 8 is a timing chart for explaining the transfer of control flags between the control units 4-1 and 4-2 and the line controller according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 9 to 11 are diagrams illustrating the transfer of a substrate between a work station 20-1 and a work station 20-2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows that the substrate 901 is the control unit 4-1.
In the work station 20-1 managed by the control unit 4-2, and the work station 20-2 managed by the control unit 4-2 can receive the substrate 901. At this time, the control unit 4-2
Turns on the carry-in permission flag (address "B071h") indicating that the substrate 901 can be accepted (timing T1 in FIG. 8). The change in the state of the carry-in permission flag is determined by the above-described predetermined processing performed by the line controller 1 in the shared memory area 2 of the other control unit 4.
04 is written.

When the control unit 4-1 detects that the work station 20-2 can accept the new substrate 901 by referring to the area in the shared memory area 204 of the control unit, the control unit 4-1 executes the control. Prior to the start of the transfer operation of the substrate 901 from the unit 4-1 to the control unit 4-2, the following two writing processes are performed.

First, in the processing apparatus 5-1, the sampling data of the substrate 901 processed this time is stored in the address (W012h to W015) of the shared memory area 204 of the own unit.
h), and a series of processing in the processing device 5-1 is completed. Next, the control unit 4-1 transmits information relating to the quality of the substrate 901 after processing (hereinafter, “quality information”) and ID information such as a substrate number (hereinafter, “substrate I”).
D information ”) at predetermined timing by the control unit 4-
A 12-word area from “W00Ah” to “W015h” of the first shared memory area 204, and “
The control unit 4-1 stores the type of the substrate 901 (product,
Bit information (hereinafter referred to as “type information”) indicating a monitor, a dummy, a lot-to-lot, etc. is transmitted from the address “B030h” to “
B035h ". The data written to the shared memory area 204 by the control unit 4-1 is written to the shared memory area 204 of another control unit 4 by the above-described predetermined processing by the line controller 1 (FIG. 8). Timing T0).

Then, the control unit 4-1 starts transporting the substrate 901 to the next work station 20-2 by driving a motor (not shown) of the loading device 6-1.

Next, as the substrate 901 moves,
As shown in FIG. 10, a substrate positioning / discharge sensor 90
2, when the substrate 901 is not detected, the control unit 4-1 determines that the discharge of the substrate is completed, and sets a discharge completion flag (bit of the address “B011h”) indicating that the discharge of the substrate is completed. It is set to ON (timing T2 in FIG. 8). The change in the state of the discharge completion flag is also written in the shared memory area 204 of the other control unit 4 by the above-described predetermined processing by the line controller 1.

When the line controller 1 detects that the discharge completion flag of the control unit 4-1 has been turned on by referring to the bit of the address "B011h" in the shared memory area of the line controller 1, the line controller 1 controls the control unit 4-1. −
1 is stored in the shared memory area 204 of the
D information "(W000h-W003h)," Quality information "
(W00Ah to W014h) and “Type information” (B
030h to B035h), stores the read data in a target area in the shared memory area of the own device, and when the storage of these data is completed, a read completion flag (address "B4
11h ″ bit) is turned on (timing T3).

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, when the control unit 4-2 detects that the board 901 has arrived at its own work station 20-2 by a change in the detection state of the arrival sensor 903, the control unit 4-2. The CPU 201 reads “board ID information” (W000h to W003h) and “type information” (B030h to B035h) from the area for the control unit 4-1 in the shared memory area of the own unit.
(Timing T4 in FIG. 8). As a result, the control unit 4-2 has obtained information on the substrate 901 from which processing is newly started.

Next, the control unit 4-2 sets the arrival flag (address "B") in the shared memory area 204 of the own unit.
061h ″ bit), and notifies the control unit 4-1 of the completion of the transfer via a predetermined process of the line controller 1.

The control unit 4-1 notifies the shared memory area of its own unit that the read completion flag has been turned on in the line controller 1 and that the arrival flag has been turned on in the control unit 4-2. If it is detected by referring to the area 204, the discharge completion flag (address "B011h") which has been set to on until now is reset to off (timing T5 in FIG. 8). Changes in the state of the discharge completion flag also
By the above-described predetermined processing by the line controller 1, the data is written to the shared memory area 204 of the other control unit 4.

The control unit 4-2 refers to the area (address "B011h") for the control unit 4-1 in the shared memory area 204 of the own unit, and the control unit 4-1 turns off the discharge completion flag. When the reset is detected, the carry-in permission flag (bit of the address “B070h”) of the shared memory area 204 of the own unit which has been set to on is reset to off (timing T6 in FIG. 8). Similarly, when the line controller 1 detects that the discharge completion flag has been reset to off, the line controller 1 resets the read completion flag of the shared memory area of its own unit, which has been set to on until now, to off (see FIG. 8). Timing T7). Changes in the states of the carry-in permission flag and the read completion flag are also written to the shared memory area 204 of another control unit 4 by the above-described predetermined processing by the line controller 1.

<Description of Software> In this embodiment, data sharing by the line controller 1 is always performed at a predetermined time period as described above. The software processing described below is performed by the control unit 4 in the preceding process.
Information about the substrate 901 obtained from the
1 can be taken into the CPU at the timing of physically transferring to the work station 20 in the next process.

Each work station 20 performs a common operation of processing a work received from a previous process and discharging the processed work to the next process in principle. Accordingly, the structure of the control program included in each control unit 4 needs to be set so as to refer to different memory areas, but it goes without saying that the software structure itself may be substantially the same. . Here, since the transfer operation of the substrate 901 from the work station 20-1 to the work station 20-2 described above is described as an example, for convenience of explanation, the operation of the control unit 4 will be described by the control unit 4-1 of FIG. Operation and FIG. 13 control unit 4-
The operation will be described separately for the second operation.

Note that the description that the shared memory area of each control unit 4 is equalized by the above-described predetermined processing by the line controller 1 is omitted, and FIGS.
It is represented by a numeral from 2 to 5 surrounded by a circle and correspondingly described between 3 and 3. The operation of the software of the line controller 1 for realizing the predetermined processing is as follows.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a process in the control unit 4-1 as the first embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, in step S1, the control unit 4-1 causes the transfer device 6-1 to control the substrate 9 to be processed.
01 in its own work station 20-1. A change in the detection state of the sensor 902 is used to determine whether or not the reception into the own work station 20-1 has been completed.

Next, in step S2, the control unit 4-1 performs a predetermined processing on the substrate 901 by the processing device 5-1.

In step S3, the control unit 4-
1 determines whether the carry-in permission flag (address “B070h”) of the control unit 4-2 is set to ON by referring to the shared memory area 204 of the own unit, and if it is set to ON. If so, proceed to step S4.

In step S4, the control unit 4-
1 confirms, by a predetermined method, that the predetermined processing by the processing device 5-1 is completed, the sampling data relating to the processed substrate 901 is stored in the shared memory area 204 of its own unit at addresses “W012h to W012”.
015h ". The control unit 4-1 further writes
The “substrate ID information” of the completed substrate 901 is written into addresses “W000h to W003h”, “quality information” is stored in addresses “W00Ah to W011h”, and “type information” is stored in “B030h to B035h”. .

In step S5, the control unit 4-
1 starts the transfer of the substrate 901 to the next work station 20-2 by driving the motor or the like of the transfer device 6-1.

In step S6, the control unit 4-
When the sensor 902 detects that the substrate 901 has been discharged from the work station 20-1, the process proceeds to step S7.

In step S7, the control unit 4-
1 sets the discharge completion flag (address “B011h”) of the shared memory area 204 of the own unit to ON.

Next, the control unit 4-1 refers to the shared memory area 204 of its own unit, so that the control unit 4-2 sets the arrival flag to ON (step S8), and When it is detected that the reading completion flag is set to ON, in step S10, the discharging completion flag set in step S7 is reset to OFF.

In step S11, the control unit 4
-1 indicates the work station 2 controlled by the own unit
Whether the preparation for receiving the substrate 901 to be processed next from 0-1 is confirmed based on a predetermined condition, and when the preparation is completed, the process proceeds to step S12.

In step S12, the control unit 4
-1 sets the carry-in permission flag (address "B020h") in the shared memory area 204 of the own unit to ON. Thereby, the control unit 4-1 can notify the control unit (not shown) that controls the work station in the previous process that the new substrate 901 can be received.

When the control unit 4-1 receives a new substrate 901 from the work station (not shown) in the previous process, the control unit 4-1 executes the operation from step S1 described above.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing processing in the control unit 4-2 as the first embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, in step S21, the control unit 4-2 determines whether preparation for receiving the substrate 901 to be processed next in the work station 20-2 controlled by the control unit is completed based on a predetermined condition. When the preparation is completed, the process proceeds to step S22.

At step S22, control unit 4
-2 turns on the carry-in permission flag (bit of the address “B071h”) in the shared memory area 204 of the own unit. Thereby, in the control unit 4-1, the process shifts from step S3 to S4 in FIG. Then, the control unit 4-1 starts discharging the substrate 901.

In step S23, control unit 4
If the control unit 2-1 detects that the discharge completion flag (the bit of the address “B011h”) of the control unit 4-1 is on by referring to the shared memory area 204 of the own unit, the process proceeds to step S24.

In step S24, control unit 4
-2 indicates a change in the state of the sensor 903,
It is determined whether or not has arrived. When it is determined that the vehicle has arrived, the process proceeds to step S25.

In step S25, control unit 4
-2 refers to the shared memory area 204 of the own unit to obtain “board ID information” (W000h to W00h).
3h) and “type information” (B030h to B035h) are taken into the CPU 201.

In step S26, the control unit 4
-2 sets the arrival flag (bit of the address "B061h") of the shared memory area 204 of the own unit to ON. As a result, the control unit 4-1
1 recognizes that it has arrived at the work station 20-2 of the next process, and proceeds from step S8 to step S8 in FIG.
Go to 9.

Next, in step S27, the control unit 4-2 turns off the discharge completion flag (bit of the address “B061h”) of the control unit 4-1 by referring to the shared memory area 204 of the control unit 4-2. It is determined whether or not it is turned off, and if it is off, step S28
Proceed to.

In step S28, the control unit 4
-2 resets the arrival flag (address "B061h") and the carry-in permission flag (address "B071h") of the shared memory area 204 of the own unit to off.

In step S29, control unit 4
In step -2, a predetermined processing is performed on the substrate 901 by the processing device 5-2.

The processing after step S29 is the same as the processing after step S3 in FIG. 12, and a description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing processing in the line controller according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, the line controller 1 samples the shared memory area 204 of each control unit 4 at a predetermined sampling timing every predetermined time period (steps S31 and S32).

In step S33, the line controller 1 outputs a discharge completion flag (address “BXX1h”) among the control units 4 scanned in step S32.
Bits: where XX is 01, 06, 0B, 10, 1
It is determined whether or not "5" etc. can be set). If it is on, the process proceeds to step S34. Here, as an example, the discharge completion flag (bit of the address "B011h") of the control unit 4-1 is set. ) Is set to ON.

In step S34, the line controller 1 controls the control unit 4 in which the discharge completion flag is on.
From the shared memory area 204 of (4-1), “board ID”
Information "(W000h-W003h)," Quality Information "(W
00Ah to W014h) and “type information” (B03
0h to B035h), and reads the read data into the shared memory area 204 of each control unit 4.
Has the same memory area space as that time,
The area for storing data is a predetermined memory area corresponding to the control unit 4 from which the line controller 1 has read data.

In step S35, the line controller 1 turns on the read completion flag (bit of the address "B411h") for the control unit 4-1, and returns to step S31.

If the control unit 4 in which the discharge completion flag is turned off is detected in step S33, the flow proceeds to step S3.
At 7, the line controller 1 determines whether or not the reading completion flag is set to ON for the control unit 4 whose discharging completion flag is OFF, and determines whether the reading completion flag for the control unit 4 is OFF. Sometimes, the process returns to step S31. On the other hand, when the reading completion flag for the control unit 4 (4-1) is set to ON, in step S38, the reading completion flag is reset to OFF and the process proceeds to step S3.
Return to 1. As a result, for example, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 12, the process shifts from step S9 to step S10, and the discharge completion flag of the target control unit is reset to off.

<Processing when Defective Product Occurs> Next, a process when a defective product occurs in a certain manufacturing process (for example, an inspection process) in the manufacturing line will be described.

For example, when a defective product (NG) is generated in a process controlled by the control unit 4-1, the history of the defective product is stored in a register (not shown in FIG. 2) of the CPU 201. (OK / NG) determination flag (bit of the address “B034h” or “B035h”) shown in (1) is set to the ON state indicating NG, and the defect information of the substrate is stored in accordance with the procedure of each flowchart described above. Tracking is performed to the control unit 4-2 of the process.
Here, the reason why the pass / fail judgment flag is located at two addresses “B034h” and “B035h” is that in the present embodiment, it is assumed that two products (semi-finished products) are taken out from one substrate 901. Because. Therefore, one substrate 9
In the case of a configuration in which more products (semi-finished products) are taken out from 01, the pass / fail judgment information of each board is stored in the address “B036h”.
By assigning to areas corresponding to .about. "B03Fh", it is possible to cope similarly.

<Work Storage Apparatus> Next, the storage apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described based on the configuration and operation of each control unit 4 described above.

FIG. 16 is a top view of the work storage device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a front view of the work storage device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The storage device 10 shown in FIG. 16 and FIG.
Book storage unit 10- in which book storage cassette 103 is set
1. Temporary storage unit 1 in which temporary storage cassette 102 is set
0-2, and a storage robot 101 that stores the substrate 901 in these cassettes. In this embodiment, a non-defective “product” is stored in the book storage cassette 103.
Is stored. The temporary storage cassette 102 stores a defective substrate 901 and dummy and monitor works. Here, the dummy and monitor workpieces are the workpieces supplied on a trial basis to the production line, or the machining precision and machining state that have been machined for a while after the production started on the production line. The work is out of a predetermined range. In addition, the temporary storage cassette 102
It is also used for temporary storage of the substrate 901.

The storage cassette 103 and the temporary storage cassette 102 are provided with a plurality of slots capable of storing the substrates 901 one by one. The substrate 901 is stored in a predetermined slot according to the instruction. In the present embodiment, the temporary storage cassette 102 is provided with 30 slots, and the first to tenth stages are temporarily stored for temporary storage.
The 1st to 20th stages (hereinafter, the first area) are for storing defective products, the 21st to 25th stages (hereinafter, the 3rd region) are for dummy storage, and the 30th to 30th stages are for dummy storage. Stage (hereinafter,
The second area) is used for storing the monitor. It goes without saying that the proper use of the slots is set in the control unit 4-N in advance. In addition, the control unit 4-N includes 30
Needless to say, it always recognizes which slot is empty among the slots in the row, and which slot is to store the substrate or the like next.

The main operation of the storage robot 101 is as follows.
Work station 2 in the previous process by the conveyor belt 104
The substrate 901 discharged from 0- (N-1) is lifted from below at a predetermined position (the position where the storage robot 101 shown in FIG. 16 is shown), and the substrate 901 is appropriately rotated and advanced to perform the operation. Is inserted into a predetermined slot of the main storage cassette 103 or the temporary storage cassette 102. Then, the storage robot 101 leaves the substrate in the cassette by descending downward by a predetermined distance, and returns to the initial predetermined position.

<Operation of Work Storage Apparatus> Next, the operation of the storage apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The operation of the storage device 10 is controlled by the control unit 4-N, and the operation of the unit is basically the same as the control unit 4-2 described above. For this reason, in the following description, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the control unit 4 that controls the storage device 10 is the control unit 4-2, and different portions will be mainly described.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a control process of the control unit for controlling the work storage device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The control unit 4-2 (N)
Shows a process performed in place of the substrate processing process in step S29 in FIG.

In the figure, in step S291, FIG.
In step S25, the shared memory area 20 of the own unit
4, using the “board ID information” and “type information” taken into the CPU 201 from the
Among the bits of the “type information” (B030h to B035h), it is determined whether only B030h is ON, that is, whether the board is a “product” and a “non-defective product”.

In the determination in step S291, YES
When the control unit 4-2 determines that the
It is determined by a predetermined method whether the main storage cassette 103 is set to -1 (step S292).

If the determination in step S292 is YES (there is a cassette), the control unit 4-2 places the target board 9 in the predetermined slot of the main storage cassette 103 at present.
01 is stored (step S293), and the processing from step S3 described above is performed.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S292 is NO (no cassette), control unit 4-2 determines whether temporary storage cassette 102 is set in temporary storage section 10-2 by a predetermined method. (Step S294) When the temporary storage cassette 102 is not set, an alarm is issued and, for example, the cassette absence flag (B065h) of FIG. 5 of the control unit 4-2 is turned on (Step S295). Since the information of the cassette absence flag in the control unit 4-2 is notified to the other control units 4 by the data sharing process of the predetermined cycle by the line controller 1, the substrate 90 is stored in the work storage device 10.
The other control unit 4 that recognizes that the cassette for storing the first substrate 901 is not set can take measures such as stopping supply and discharge of the new substrate 901.

On the other hand, YES is determined in step S294.
In the case of (with cassette), the control unit 4-2 stores the target substrate 901 in the temporary storage slot of the temporary storage cassette 102 (step S296),
The processing after step S3 described above is performed.

In the determination in step S291,
NO (Multiple bits from B030h to B035h are on)
At this time, the control unit 4-2 determines by a predetermined method whether the temporary storage cassette 102 is set in the temporary storage section 10-2 (step S297).

If the determination in step S297 is YES (there is a cassette), the control unit 4-2 causes the substrate 90
1 is “product” and “defective”, that is, B030
It is determined whether h and B034h or B035h are on (step S298), and in the case of YES, the substrate 901 that is currently targeted is stored in a predetermined slot of the first area of the temporary storage cassette 102 (step S298). S29
9), the processing after step S3 described above is performed. on the other hand,
If the determination in step S298 is NO, the control unit 4
A-2 issues an alarm and turns on, for example, the cassette absence flag (B065h) in FIG. 5 of the control unit 4-2 (step S297A).

On the other hand, if the determination in step S298 is NO, control unit 4-2 determines whether the board is for "monitor", that is, whether B031h is on (step S300), and YES. In this case, the current target substrate (monitor work) is stored in a predetermined slot in the second area of the temporary storage cassette 102 (step S30).
1) The processing after step S3 described above is performed. on the other hand,
If the determination in step S300 is NO, the board (dummy work) that is currently targeted is stored in a predetermined slot in the third area of the temporary storage cassette 102 because the board is for "dummy" (step S302). Then, the processing after step S3 described above is performed.

<Effects of the First Embodiment> As described above, according to the present embodiment, first, as each substrate 901 is processed in each work station of the production line, That is, when the board 901 is transferred from one work station 20 to the next work station 20, information on the board (“board ID information”,
The “quality information” and “type information” can be tracked (transmitted) between the control units 4 in the latest state. Therefore, the work storage device 10 uses the information on the board that has been tracked from the control unit 4 in the previous process to store the board.
The main storage cassette 103 or the temporary storage cassette 1 according to flags such as “product”, “defective”, and “dummy”.
02 can be properly stored in the appropriate slot, and the mixing of substrates (work) of different states and types into the same cassette can be prevented.

The storage device 10 has a main storage unit 10-.
1 and the temporary storage section 10-2, for example, the main storage cassette 10 is provided in the main storage section 10-1.
Even when 3 is not set, if the temporary storage cassette 10 is set in the temporary storage unit 10-2, it is possible to prevent a serious trouble relating to the entire production line such as a line stop. This is particularly effective in a manufacturing line that includes a process in which stopping is difficult.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a work supply apparatus according to the present invention will be described as a second embodiment. The work supply device described in the present embodiment is included in the production line shown in FIG.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a manufacturing line system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, processes such as communication in each control unit 4 are substantially the same as those in the above-described first embodiment, and redundant description will be omitted. The difference is that a work supply device 9 described later includes two supply units, a first supply unit 9-1 and a second supply unit 9-2 for supplying a substrate 901 as a work to the production line.

The work supply device 9 is controlled by the control unit 4-1 as shown in FIG. 18, but it goes without saying that the work supply device 9 may be separate from or integrated with the device.

First, link bit information of the control unit 4-1 and the control unit 4-2 in the present embodiment will be described. Also in the present embodiment, the data sharing process by the line controller 1 is performed at a predetermined time period, and the link word information and the link bit information can be shared between the respective control units 4. Assignments are different.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the data structure of link bit information managed by the control unit 4-1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment is that it will be described later. The acknowledgment flag for the “dummy request flag” or the “monitor request flag”
2 to the control unit 4-N, one for each of the units from B021h.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the data structure of link bit information managed by the control unit 4-2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment is that The dummy or monitor work
The "dummy request flag 2" and the "monitor request flag 2" for requesting the control unit 4-1 are B072h and B
073h.
Note that the data configuration of the link bit information is the same in the units subsequent to the control unit 4-3. For example, in the case of the control unit 4-3, the relevant bits are “dummy request flag 3” and “monitor Request flag 3 ".

Further, data corresponding to the requested number is set in a predetermined address (not shown) of the link word information managed by the control unit 4-2.

Next, based on the configuration and operation of each control unit 4 described in the first embodiment, and the link bit information in FIGS. 19 and 20, the supply device 9 in this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 23 is a top view of a work supply device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 24 is a front view of a work supply device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The supply device 9 shown in FIGS. 23 and 24 includes a first supply unit 9- in which a first supply cassette 303 is set.
1, a second supply unit 9-2 in which the second supply cassette 302 is set, and a supply robot 301 for taking out the substrate 901 stored in these cassettes and placing the substrate 901 on the transport belt 304. In the present embodiment, the first
A plurality of substrates 901 to be processed are stored in the supply cassette 303. Further, the second supply cassette 302 has a substrate 901 to be supplied to the production line in an irregular state.
(Hereinafter referred to as a spare substrate), and dummy and monitor works are stored.

The first supply cassette 303 and the second supply cassette 302 are provided with a plurality of slots capable of accommodating the substrates 901 one by one. The substrate 901 is taken out from a predetermined slot according to the instruction,
Place on 4. In the present embodiment, the second supply cassette 302 is provided with thirty slots, and a spare substrate is provided in the first to tenth stages, a monitor work is provided in the eleventh to twentieth stages, and A work for dummy is stored in the 30th to 30th stages. Needless to say, the proper use of the slots is set in the control unit 4-1 in advance. Needless to say, the control unit 4-1 always recognizes which of the 30 slots is vacant and from which slot a substrate or the like should be supplied next.

The main operation of the supply robot 301 is as follows.
First supply cassette 303 or second supply cassette 302
In order to take out a substrate or the like stored in advance in the cassette from the slot of the cassette, appropriate rotation operation and advance operation are performed, so that the supply robot 301 shown in FIG.
Is moved from the position (indicated by) to the target slot, and the target substrate or the like is lifted from below by ascending a predetermined distance upward. And the supply robot 30
1 returns to the initial predetermined position with the substrate or the like lifted, and places the substrate or the like on the transport belt 104.

As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the supply device 9 is a work storage device 10 according to the first embodiment.
It can be selectively used for work supply or work storage by operation control by the control unit 4.

<Work Request to Work Supply Device> At the work station 20-2 controlled by the control unit 4-2, a dummy (monitor) that the operator processes on a trial basis.
When the work is required, the operator performs a predetermined operation on the operation panel 207, for example.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an operation panel 207 as a second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG.
This switch sets and displays the type of workpiece to be processed.By operating the upper and lower switches on the display,
For example, the monitor work is set to 1, the dummy work is set to 2, and so on. Reference numeral 92 denotes a switch for setting and displaying the number of requested works. The operator sets the desired type and number of workpieces using the switches 91 and 92, and then presses the interrupt setting switch 90.

When the above operation is performed on the operation panel 207 by the operator, the control unit 4-2 is operated according to the operation.
Indicates “Dummy request flag 2” (B073h) (“Monitor request flag 2”) in the link bit information of the own unit.
If so, B072h) is set to ON. Further, data corresponding to the requested number is set at a predetermined address of the link word information. These pieces of information are transmitted to the control unit 4-1 by the data sharing process by the line controller 1.

When the control unit 4-1 recognizes that the control unit 4-2 needs a dummy work by referring to the state of the "dummy request flag 2" (B073h) of its own unit, the control unit 4-1 executes the control. In the link bit information of the unit 4-1, the interrupt acknowledgment flag of B022h indicating the acknowledgment of the request from the control unit 4-2 is set to ON. Needless to say, this setting information is also transmitted to the control unit 4-1 by the data sharing process by the line controller 1.

The control unit 4 for controlling the supply device 9
The work request processing to −1 can be similarly performed from another control unit 4.

<Operation of Work Supply Device> Next, the operation of the supply device 9 will be described with reference to FIGS. 21 and 22. The operation of the supply device 9 is controlled by the control unit 4-1. For this reason, in the following description, a description will be given focusing on portions different from the control processing of the control unit 4-1 described in the first embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a control process of the control unit for controlling the work supply device 9 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. ) And substrate processing (step S2). Step S5 in FIG. 12 corresponds to a supply process of the substrate 901, the dummy work, or the monitor work by the supply device 9.

In the figure, when a counter provided therein has a predetermined tact time (step S101), the control unit 4-1 checks the link bit information of its own unit.
For example, the control unit 4-2 refers to B072h and B073h to determine whether the unit requests a work (step S10).
2) If there is an interrupt, the process proceeds to an interrupt process (step S200) described later. On the other hand, when none of the control units 4 requests a work in step S102, for example, the “interrupt acknowledge 2” of the control unit 4-2 is performed.
The flag (B021h) is set to ON, and step S1
Go to 03.

In step S103, the control unit 4-1 sends the first supply cassette 303 to the first supply section 9-1.
Is set by a predetermined method. If the determination is YES (there is a cassette), the control unit 4-1 performs the processing from step S3 described above.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S103 is NO (no cassette), the control unit 4-1 issues a warning that the first supply cassette 303 is not set (step S104), and proceeds to step S105. move on.

In step S105, the control unit 4-1 sends the second supply cassette 302 to the second supply section 9-2.
Is set by a predetermined method.

YES in step S108
At the time of (with cassette), the control unit 4-1 operates the second unit.
It is determined by a predetermined method whether or not spare substrates are stored in the first to tenth stages of the supply cassette 302, and YES
When (there is a cassette), the processing after step S3 described above is performed. Thus, when the first supply cassette 303 is not set, or when there is no stored substrate 901 even if it is set, it is possible to prevent the substrate 901 supplied to the production line from being interrupted. .

If the determination in step S105 is NO (no cassette), the control unit 4-1 issues an alarm indicating that the second supply cassette 302 is not set (step S106), and the operator enters the first supply cassette 302. The user sets the supply cassette 303 or the second supply cassette 302 and waits until the alarm is reset (step S107). In addition, the worker can use the first supply cassette 303 or the second supply cassette 30.
2 is set and the alarm is reset.
Return to 103.

When there is no spare substrate in the second supply cassette 302 in the judgment of step S108, the control unit 4-1
Issues an alarm indicating that there is no spare board (step S10).
9) The operator sets the first supply cassette 303 or the second supply cassette 302 and waits until the alarm is reset (step S110). When the operator sets the first supply cassette 303 or the second supply cassette 302 and resets the alarm, the process returns to step S103.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing an interrupt process in the control process of the control unit for controlling the work supply device 9 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, in step S201, the control unit 4-1 determines whether the second supply cassette 302 is set in the second supply section 9-2 by a predetermined method.

YES in determination in step S201
At the time of (with cassette), the control unit 4-1 determines, for example, B072h and B02 for the control unit 4-2.
73h, it is determined whether the requested work is a monitor work (step S20).
4). On the other hand, if the determination in step S201 is NO (no cassette), the same processing as in steps S106 and S107 described above is performed, and step S2 is performed.
Return to 01.

When the work requested in the determination in step S201 is a work for monitoring, the control unit 4-1 stores the work for monitoring in the eleventh to twentieth stages of the second supply cassette 302. It is determined by a predetermined method whether it is present or not, and if YES (there is a monitor work), the processing from step S3 described above is performed. on the other hand,
If the determination in step S205 is NO (no monitor work is included) (including the case where the number of requested works is not reached), the same processing as in steps S109 and S110 described above is performed, and the process returns to step S201. .

In the determination in step S204,
When the requested work is not a monitor work (when a dummy work is requested), the control unit 4-1 determines in step S208 that the second supply cassette 302 is in the 21st to 30th stages. It is determined by a predetermined method whether or not a dummy work is stored in
When there is a dummy work, step S described above is performed.
The processing after 3 is performed. On the other hand, if the determination in step S208 is NO (there is no dummy work), the same processes as those in steps S109 and S110 are performed, and the process returns to step S201.

<Effects of the Second Embodiment> The supply device 9 is provided with two supply units, a first supply unit 9-1 and a second supply unit 9-2. -1 first
Even when the supply cassette 303 is not set, if the second supply cassette 302 storing the spare substrate is set in the second supply unit 9-2, the supply of the substrate 901 to the manufacturing line is performed. Can be prevented from being interrupted.

The data sharing process by the line controller 1 transmits a request for a monitor or dummy work from the control unit 4-2 in the next process to the control unit 4-1. Unit 4-
1 can be supplied from the second supply cassette 302 containing the work for monitoring and the work for dummy, so that it can flexibly cope with the interruption of the work request for monitor or dummy at an arbitrary timing from the downstream process. can do.

[0156]

[Other Embodiments] The present invention may be applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, etc.) or an apparatus including a single device.

An object of the present invention is to provide a storage medium storing a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or an apparatus, and to provide a computer (or CPU) of the system or apparatus.
And MPU) read and execute the program code stored in the storage medium.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD
-R, magnetic tape, non-volatile memory card, ROM, etc. can be used.

When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the OS (Operating System) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. ) And the like perform part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program code, It goes without saying that a CPU or the like provided in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs a part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

[0162]

As described above, according to the present invention,
According to the present invention, there is provided a work supply apparatus and a supply method for supplying an appropriate work from a plurality of cassettes in accordance with information on the work.

Further, it is possible to provide a work storage device and a storage method for appropriately storing a work in a plurality of cassettes according to information on the work.

[0164]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a production line system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit used in a network according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration of link bit information managed by a control unit 4-1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration of link word information managed by a control unit 4-1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration of link bit information managed by a control unit 4-2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration of link word information managed by a control unit 4-2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration of link bit information managed by a line controller according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a timing chart illustrating the transfer of control flags between the control units 4-1 and 4-2 and the line controller according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a view for explaining the transfer of a substrate between a work station 20-1 and a work station 20-2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the transfer of a substrate between a work station 20-1 and a work station 20-2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the transfer of a substrate between a work station 20-1 and a work station 20-2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a process in a control unit 4-1 as the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing processing in a control unit 4-2 as the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a process in a line controller according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a control process of a control unit that controls the work storage device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a top view of the work storage device as the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a front view of the work storage device as the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a manufacturing line system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration of link bit information managed by a control unit 4-1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration of link bit information managed by a control unit 4-2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a control process of a control unit that controls a work supply device 9 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating an interrupt process among control processes of a control unit that controls the work supply device 9 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a top view of a work supply device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a front view of a work supply device as a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 shows a control panel 207 as a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG.

FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating a method of refreshing data in the shared memory system.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a bitmap in a shared memory area 204 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing a word map in a shared memory area 204 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: line controller, 2: storage device, 4: control unit, 5: processing device, 6: loading device, 7: storage cassette, 9: work supply device, 9-1: first supply unit, 9-2: Second supply unit, 10: Work storage device, 10-1: Main storage unit, 10-2: Temporary storage unit, 101: Storage robot, 102: Temporary storage cassette, 103: Main storage cassette, 104: Transport belt , 201: CPU, 202: program memory (ROM), 203: RAM, 204: shared memory area, 205: input / output interface, 206: communication interface, 207: operation panel, 208: sensor group, 301: supply robot, 302: second supply cassette, 303: first supply cassette, 304: conveyor belt, 902: positioning / discharge sensor, 903: arrival sensor ,

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A work storage device for storing a work supplied from a previous process in a cassette on a production line, wherein communication between a storage unit for storing the work in a plurality of cassettes and a control unit for controlling the previous process is performed. Communication means for performing, and control means for storing the work in any of the plurality of cassettes by the storage means, in accordance with the information on the work to be stored received from the control unit by the communication means. A work storage device, comprising: 2. The information on the work to be stored,
The communication means is written in the communication means at a predetermined time period, and the control means judges the information when the work corresponding to the information written in the communication means is transferred to the work storage device. The work storage device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The control means stores the work in another cassette when a cassette which normally stores the work among the plurality of cassettes is not set in the storage means. The work storage device according to claim 1. 4. The control means, when a specific cassette among the plurality of cassettes is not set in the storage means, transmits the fact to the control unit by the communication means. The work storage device according to claim 1. 5. The plurality of cassettes are provided with a plurality of storage areas for storing the work, and the control means controls the plurality of storage areas of the cassette in accordance with information on the work to be stored. The work storage device according to claim 1, wherein the storage means is controlled so as to sort and store different types of works. 6. A work supply device for supplying a work to a next process in a manufacturing line, a supply unit for supplying a work stored in a plurality of cassettes to a next process, and a control unit for controlling the next process. Communication means for performing the communication of the above, according to the information on the work to be supplied received from the control unit by the communication means, to select a work from the plurality of cassettes, the selected work, by the supply means Control means for supplying to the next step. 7. The control means, when a cassette containing a work to be normally supplied to the next step among the plurality of cassettes is not set in the storage means, is stored in another cassette. The workpiece supply device according to claim 6, wherein the workpiece is supplied to the next step. 8. The plurality of cassettes are provided with a plurality of storage areas, and the plurality of storage areas store different types of works corresponding to the information on the work to be stored. The means selects a work from any of the plurality of storage areas according to the information on the work to be stored, and supplies the selected work to the next process by the supply means. Item 7. The work supply device according to Item 6. 9. The work supply device according to claim 6, having a common structure with the work storage device according to claim 1. 10. The work storage device according to claim 1, having a common structure with the work supply device according to claim 6. 11. A work storing method for storing a work supplied from a previous process in a cassette on a manufacturing line, wherein the communication process communicates with a control unit that controls the previous process; And storing the work in one of a plurality of cassettes according to the information on the work to be stored received from the storage device. 12. The control unit writes information relating to the work to be stored in a predetermined memory area at a predetermined time period, and transfers a work corresponding to the information written in the memory area to the work storage device. 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the information is determined when the work is performed. 13. A work supply method for supplying a work to a next step in a production line, comprising: a communication step of performing communication with a control unit controlling the next step; and a step of receiving from the control unit in the communication step. A work to be selected from the plurality of cassettes in accordance with the information on the work to be supplied, and a supply step of supplying the selected work to the next step.