Pallet transfer system, pallet transfer method, and pallet transfer program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12179306-B2
Application number	US-201917423278-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2019
Priority date	Jan 25, 2019
Publication date	Dec 31, 2024
Grant date	Dec 31, 2024

Abstract

A technology that can prevent leakage of confidential workpiece information in a course of workpiece transfer is provided. A pallet transfer system includes a transfer device, a pallet storage, a work station, a machine tool, and a control device. The control device determines whether or not the workpiece is a confidential target based on information indicating whether or not the workpiece to be machined is a confidential target, the control device transfers the pallet to which the workpiece is attached by a first transfer method when determining that the workpiece is not the confidential target, and the control device transfers the pallet to which the workpiece is attached by a second transfer method different from the first transfer method when determining that the workpiece is the confidential target.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pallet transfer system comprising:
a transfer device configured to transfer a pallet to which a workpiece is attachable;
a pallet storage that is one of pallet transfer destination by the transfer device and configured to store a plurality of pallets;
a work station that is one of the pallet transfer destinations by the transfer device, where a worker performs work of attaching the workpiece to the pallet transferred from the pallet storage;
a plurality of machine tools that are one of the pallet transfer destinations by the transfer device and configured to machine the workpiece attached to the pallet at the work station; and
a control device configured to control the transfer device,
wherein the control device determines whether or not the workpiece to be machined is a confidential target based on information indicating whether or not the workpiece is a confidential target,
the control device transfers the pallet to which the workpiece to be machined is attached by a first transfer method when determining that the workpiece to be machined is not the confidential target,
the control device transfers the pallet to which the workpiece to be machined is attached by a second transfer method different from the first transfer method when determining that the workpiece to be machined is the confidential target, and
the pallet to which the workpiece to be machined is attached is
transferred from the pallet storage or the work station to an unoccupied machine tool in the plurality of machine tools in the first transfer method, and
transferred from the pallet storage or the work station to a predetermined machine tool in the plurality of machine tools in the second transfer method.

2. The pallet transfer system according to claim 1 , wherein in the second transfer method, the transfer of the pallet to which the workpiece of the confidential target is attached is prohibited in a predetermined time period.

3. The pallet transfer system according to claim 1 , wherein the work station includes:
a display that displays information about the workpiece to be machined; and
a display control part that controls displaying of the display,
the display control part permits displaying, on the display, information about the workpiece of the confidential target when the workpiece to be machined is a confidential target while predetermined first authority is given to the worker, and
the display control part restricts the displaying of the information about the workpiece of the confidential target when the workpiece to be machined is a confidential target while second authority lower than the first authority is given to the worker.

4. A pallet transfer system comprising:
a transfer device configured to transfer a pallet to which a workpiece is attachable;
a pallet storage that is one of pallet transfer destinations by the transfer device and configured to store a plurality of pallets;
a work station that is one of the pallet transfer destinations by the transfer device, where a worker performs work of attaching the workpiece to the pallet transferred from the pallet storage;
a machine tool that is one of the pallet transfer destinations by the transfer device and configured to machine the workpiece attached to the pallet at the work station; and
a control device configured to control the transfer device,
wherein the control device determines whether or not the workpiece to be machined is a confidential target based on information indicating whether or not the workpiece is a confidential target,
the control device transfers the pallet to which the workpiece to be machined is attached by a first transfer method when determining that the workpiece to be machined is not the confidential target,
the control device transfers the pallet to which the workpiece to be machined is attached by a second transfer method different from the first transfer method when determining that the workpiece to be machined is the confidential target, and
the pallet to which the workpiece to be machined is attached is
transferred from the work station or the machine tool to an unoccupied location of the pallet storage in the first transfer method, and
transferred from the work station or the machine tool to a predetermined location of the pallet storage in the second transfer method.

5. A pallet transfer system comprising:
a transfer device configured to transfer a pallet to which a workpiece is attachable;
a pallet storage that is one of pallet transfer destinations by the transfer device and configured to store a plurality of pallets;
a plurality of work stations that are one of the pallet transfer destinations by the transfer device, where a worker performs work of attaching the workpiece to the pallet transferred from the pallet storage;
a machine tool that is one of the pallet transfer destinations by the transfer device and configured to machine the workpiece attached to the pallet at the work station; and
a control device configured to control the transfer device,
wherein the control device determines whether or not the workpiece to be machined is a confidential target based on information indicating whether or not the workpiece is a confidential target,
the control device transfers the pallet to which the workpiece to be machined is attached by a first transfer method when determining that the workpiece to be machined is not the confidential target,
the control device transfers the pallet to which the workpiece to be machined is attached by a second transfer method different from the first transfer method when determining that the workpiece to be machined is the confidential target, and
the pallet to which the workpiece to be machined is attached is
transferred from the pallet storage or the machine tool to an unoccupied work station in the plurality of work stations in the first transfer method, and
transferred from the pallet storage or the machine tool to a predetermined work station in the plurality of work stations in the second transfer method.

6. A pallet transfer method in a pallet transfer system,
the pallet transfer system including:
a transfer device configured to transfer a pallet to which a workpiece is attachable;
a pallet storage that is one of pallet transfer destinations by the transfer device and configured to store a plurality of pallets;
a work station that is one of the pallet transfer destinations by the transfer device, where a worker performs work of attaching the workpiece to the pallet transferred from the pallet storage; and
a plurality of machine tools that are one of the pallet transfer destinations by the transfer device and configured to machine the workpiece attached to the pallet at the work station,
the pallet transfer method comprising:
determining whether or not the workpiece to be machined is a confidential target based on information indicating whether or not the workpiece is a confidential target;
transferring the pallet to which the workpiece to be machined is attached by a first transfer method when determining that the workpiece to be machined is not the confidential target; and
transferring the pallet to which the workpiece to be machined is attached by a second transfer method different from the first transfer method when determining that the workpiece to be machined is the confidential target,
wherein the pallet to which the workpiece to be machined is attached is
transferred from the pallet storage or the work station to an unoccupied machine tool in the plurality of machine tools in the first transfer method, and
transferred from the pallet storage or the work station to a predetermined machine tool in the plurality of machine tools in the second transfer method.

7. A pallet transfer

Assignees

• Dmg Mori Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nakamura Takayuki
• Yoshioka Hideaki
• Sun Xinwei
• Nagata Junya

Classifications

• B23Q41/02

  Features relating to transfer of work between machines (arrangements for handling work for machine tools coordinated in production lines B23Q7/14) · CPC title

• B23Q41/06

  Features relating to organisation of working of machines · CPC title

• B23Q7/12 Primary

  Sorting arrangements · CPC title

• B23Q7/1426 Primary

  with work holders not rigidly fixed to the transport devices (B23Q7/005, B23Q7/035 take precedence) · CPC title