Education and demonstration – Occupation
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-14
2001-05-01
Rovnak, John Edmund (Department: 3712)
Education and demonstration
Occupation
C434S118000, C434S30700R, C434S323000, C434S335000, C434S362000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06224385
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a job aiding apparatus for assisting a worker in accurately and efficiently working on a workpiece based on job images displayed on a display unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Production lines for manufacturing products, such as automobiles, made of a large number of parts have a plurality of work stations each provided with an assembly manual which describes a work procedure and the numbers of parts assembled in the work station. The worker in each work station assembles desired parts by seeing the assembly manual.
Recent years have seen trends for the manufacture of many types of products in small quantities to meet various needs of users. To minimize investments in production facilities, one production line is supplied with mixed parts for a plurality of products of different kinds. The worker in each work station of such a production line assembles parts according to different assembly manuals for the respective types of products.
However, such a production process is disadvantageous in that the workers cannot fully avoid errors in their job no matter how skilled they may be. For example, the worker in each work station may assemble parts in a wrong sequence or may put together parts of different products. Furthermore, in order to inspect a fastened bolt to see if the torque with which the bolt has been tightened is in a predetermined torque range, the worker reads the torque value from a torque meter and decides whether the torque value falls within the predetermined torque range that is given in the assembly manual. At this time, the worker may make an error in making such a decision.
There have heretofore been available an apparatus for displaying the video of a work procedure for the worker to avoid errors in the work procedure, an apparatus for displaying inspection data on a display unit for the worker to easily confirm the inspection data, and an apparatus for reading a number inherent in a part from the part for the worker to process the part according to an instruction given on the basis of the read number.
However, even with these apparatus being used, it has been unable to check if jobs have been performed as instructed, and it has been impossible to completely avoid errors made by the worker.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a job aiding apparatus for allowing a worker to perform jobs accurately and efficiently on a workpiece.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a job aiding apparatus which is capable of deciding whether an inherent number of a workpiece or an inherent number of a part assembled on a workpiece is proper or not, and giving a proper job instruction to the worker.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a job aiding apparatus which can reliably decide whether a supplied workpiece or a part assembled on such a supplied workpiece corresponds to a product on a production line which manufactures a plurality of mixed different types of products, so that the products can be manufactured at an increased production rate.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3490160 (1970-01-01), Friedhoff et al.
patent: 4812125 (1989-03-01), Strashun
patent: 4977524 (1990-12-01), Strege et al.
patent: 6033226 (2000-03-01), Bullen
patent: 1254445 (1971-11-01), None
patent: 1569065 (1980-06-01), None
patent: 2059409A (1980-07-01), None
patent: 2057717A (1980-08-01), None
patent: 356082141 (1981-07-01), None
Hamano Hiroshi
Namiki Kou
Nitta Masao
Tsuji Tadatoshi
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Rovnak John Edmund
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