Nissan Motor Company Limited

Minoru Nomaru

Hiroyuki Kanno

Tohru Nishiyama

Kazuyoshi Abe

Haruo Koyanagi

Kazuhiko Yazaki

Hiroyuki Ono

Tomoyasu Yamazaki

Toru Nishiyama

Tomohiko Noda

Tatsuo Naitoh

Atsushi Takahama

An information managing apparatus comprising memories for storing a single or plural application kits including no decision process and no data storage process. The application kits are defined only by an execution element routine. A software kit interface is provided for constructing the application kits independently of hardware and operating system. The software kit interface includes a library group for storing and processing a flow of the constructed application kits. The information managing apparatus also includes a BASE section for integrally managing temporary storage and process of information shared by the application kits, an operating system interface for supplying a function group to operate the application kits and the BASE section while completely separating the application kits from the hardware and the operating system, and an application program interface for operating with the software kit interface and the application program interface to provide coordination with the application kits with no modification of the memories storing a working sequence operable only with a specified operation system.

Information managing apparatus

A control for robots wherein a plurality of control units are connected in a hierarchical structure including a plurality of ranks including the lowest rank, and the robots subordinate to the control units belonging to the lowest rank.

Control for a group of robots

A method and apparatus for positioning a plurality of works combined to assemble an article. Values of positions of a plurality of reference points set on each of the works are measured. The measured position values are accumulated to provide measured position data defining a measured position of the work. The measured position data are compared with design data defining a position specified for the work to provide error data defining a difference between the measured and specified positions for the work. The error data are used to position the work with respect to the other works.

Work positioning method and apparatus

A method and apparatus controlling a production line including at least one work station operable in one of a normal production posture and at least one extraordinary production posture for producing products and a checking station located downstream of the work station for making a quality check to provide a quality audit result for each of the products transferred in succession from the work station. Trouble data are provided in succession for respective troubles which have occurred in the work station. The trouble data are accumulated to provide trouble history data specifying each of the troubles in relation to a nature of the corresponding trouble, a cause of the corresponding trouble, and a stoppage time required to restore the work station so as to remove the corresponding trouble. A failure signal is produced when the work station ceases to function due to a trouble. The failure signal indicates detected nature and cause of the trouble. A stoppage time is estimated from the trouble history data based on the detected trouble nature and cause when the failure signal occurs. A first command is produced to restore the work station when the estimated stoppage time is less than a predetermined time. Alternatively, a second command is produced to place the work station into the extraordinary production posture when the estimated stoppage time exceeds a predetermined value.

Method and apparatus for production line fault management

A method and apparatus for controlling an automotive vehicle body assembling line including a floor main assembling unit for positioning a plurality of floor main components and jointing the positioned floor main components to assemble a floor main, a body side assembling unit for positioning a plurality of body side components and jointing the positioned body side components to assemble a body side, and a vehicle body assembling unit for positioning the body side and the floor main and jointing the positioned body side and the positioned floor main to assemble a vehicle body. The pushing forces applied to respective positioning points set on the body side are measured when the vehicle body assembling unit positions the body side with respect to the floor main. A pattern of distribution of the measured pushing forces is compared with a pattern of distribution of predetermined pushing forces required to push the respective positioning points of the body side when each of the floor main components is placed at a position deviated from a predetermined position to estimate at least one floor main component which is positioned incorrectly in the floor main assembling unit. Position errors are estimated from respective standard equations based on the pushing forces measured for the estimated floor main component. Each of the standard equations defines a predetermined relationship between a pushing force and a corresponding position error. The floor main assembling unit is controlled to eliminate the estimated position errors.

Method and apparatus for car body assembling line control

A work piece support device features two pincer members which can be moved toward and away from each other and which can be varied in length in manner to accomodate different shaped work pieces. The device is mounted on a manipulator which selectively displace the same in three mutually opposed directions. Location and locking probes can be used in combination with the support device to locate and/or lock the work piece in place.

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Yokohama, Japan

Minoru Nomaru