Automated assembly method and automated assembly apparatus

An automated assembly apparatus, comprising:

• an assembly robot having a first hand, a second hand, and a third hand, the first hand (i) being provided at a position lower than the second hand and the third hand in a Z-axis direction and (ii) being arranged to perform a predetermined job, the assembly robot being configured to integrally move the first hand, the second hand, and third hand in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction by an X-axis moving unit and a Y-axis moving unit;
• and
• a first workbench, a second workbench and a third bench which are movable in the Z-axis direction independently of one another by a Z-axis moving unit provided in each workbench,
• wherein a first work area (i) is provided in the first workbench and (ii) is a work area on which the predetermined job is performed by the first hand,
• wherein a second work area is provided in the second workbench,
• wherein a third work area is provided in the third workbench,
• wherein the first work area, the second work area, and the third work area are independent of one another, a width of the first work area being (i) larger than a width of the second work area and (ii) larger than a width of the third work area,
• wherein, when the second hand performs a job on the second work area or the third hand performs a job on the third work area, the first hand is positioned in a place in which the first hand does not come in contact with the second workbench and the third workbench.

An automated assembly method comprising:

• performing an assembly operation with an assembly robot, a first workbench, and a second workbench, the assembly operation including:
• performing a predetermined job on a first work area of the first workbench with a first hand of the assembly robot, the assembly robot having the first hand and a second hand, the first hand being provided at a position lower than the second hand in a Z-axis direction;
• preforming a job on a second work area of the second workbench with the second hand of the assembly robot, the first hand is positioned in a place in which the first hand does not come in contact with the second workbench when the second hand performs the job on the second work area, the first work area and the second work area being independent of each other and a width of the first work area being larger than a width of the second work area;
• moving the first hand and the second hand, integrally, in an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction above the first work area and the second work area by an X-axis moving unit and a Y-axis moving unit;
• and
• moving the first workbench and the second workbench in the Z-axis direction, the first workbench and the second workbench being movable in a Z-axis direction independently of each other by a Z-axis moving unit provided in each workbench.