Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23P—METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; COMBINED OPERATIONS; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS
  • B23P21/00—Machines for assembling a multiplicity of different parts to compose units, with or without preceding or subsequent working of such parts, e.g. with programme control
  • B23P21/004—Machines for assembling a multiplicity of different parts to compose units, with or without preceding or subsequent working of such parts, e.g. with programme control the units passing two or more work-stations whilst being composed
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
  • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
  • B62D65/00—Designing, manufacturing, e.g. assembling, facilitating disassembly, or structurally modifying motor vehicles or trailers, not otherwise provided for
  • B62D65/02—Joining sub-units or components to, or positioning sub-units or components with respect to, body shell or other sub-units or components
  • B62D65/022—Transferring or handling sub-units or components, e.g. in work stations or between workstations and transportation systems
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
  • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
  • B62D65/00—Designing, manufacturing, e.g. assembling, facilitating disassembly, or structurally modifying motor vehicles or trailers, not otherwise provided for
  • B62D65/02—Joining sub-units or components to, or positioning sub-units or components with respect to, body shell or other sub-units or components
  • B62D65/18—Transportation, conveyor or haulage systems specially adapted for motor vehicle or trailer assembly lines
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
  • G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
  • G05B19/00—Programme-control systems
  • G05B19/02—Programme-control systems electric
  • G05B19/418—Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM]
  • G05B19/4189—Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM] characterised by the transport system
  • G05B19/41895—Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM] characterised by the transport system using automatic guided vehicles [AGV]
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23P—METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; COMBINED OPERATIONS; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS
  • B23P2700/00—Indexing scheme relating to the articles being treated, e.g. manufactured, repaired, assembled, connected or other operations covered in the subgroups
  • B23P2700/50—Other automobile vehicle parts, i.e. manufactured in assembly lines
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
  • G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
  • G05B2219/00—Program-control systems
  • G05B2219/30—Nc systems
  • G05B2219/31—From computer integrated manufacturing till monitoring
  • G05B2219/31014—Synchronization between AGV movement and workpiece treatment chambers
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
  • G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
  • G05B2219/00—Program-control systems
  • G05B2219/30—Nc systems
  • G05B2219/50—Machine tool, machine tool null till machine tool work handling
  • G05B2219/50393—Floor conveyor, AGV automatic guided vehicle
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
  • Y02P90/00—Enabling technologies with a potential contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation
  • Y02P90/60—Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the field of robotic assembly methods.
• FIG. 1 shows schematically the operation of an assembly line LA according to the known prior art.
• an assembly line LA comprising 3 assembly stations SI, S2, S3, each assembly station being dedicated to the assembly of certain objects, elementary parts or partial assemblies constituting a given product.
• the SI assembly station is dedicated to the assembly of parts PIA, P2A, and P3A;
• the bins Cl and C2 were positioned near the SI station, after being loaded respectively batches of PI pieces on the one hand, and batches of parts P2 and P3 on the other hand.
• the pieces PIA, P2A, and P3A are transferred from the lockers C1 and C2 to the SI station which can then proceed to the assembly of these parts.
• This assembly gives rise to an intermediate assembly Garlic which is conveyed to the next station S2 so that it completes this intermediate assembly with the pieces P4 and P5.
• An assembly station can also receive, via the bins, partial assemblies from another assembly line; for example, as shown in FIG.
• the station S3 receives, via the rack C3, a batch pieces P6 and a batch of partial assemblies AP, from another assembly line; these partial assemblies are intended to be completed on the station S3, each with a part P6 on the one hand and with an intermediate assembly AI2 conveyed from the station S2, consisting of the pieces P1A + P2A + P3A + P4 + P5 assembled successively on SI then on S2.
• the assembly line LA can also aim to assemble several different models of the same product; thus, on the first station the parts P1A, P2A and P3A are intended for the assembly of the model A, while the pieces PIB, P2B, and P3B are intended to assemble the parts of another model B of the product.
• the bins must be loaded beforehand so that the parts to be assembled of the same model are simultaneously transferred to the station, avoiding being in the situation where a part of a model A is transferred from a rack Cl to be assembled with a part of a model B from the rack C2.
• the method according to the prior art therefore requires the preparation of different batches of elementary pieces PI, P2, ... Pi and / or partial assemblies API, AP2, .. APi stored in bins, these bins being positioned in the vicinity different assembly stations SI, S2, ... If, according to the scheduled scheduling of assembly operations.
• Intermediate assemblies produced on an assembly station are conveyed from one station to another of the same assembly line, to be completed, and can also be positioned in a rack intended for a station of another Assembly line.
• the assembly lines thus formed implement many different means for conveying parts, from storage warehouses to assembly stations, and from an assembly station to the next assembly station in the assembly line. 'assembly.
• the arrangement of the stations is constrained by the conveying devices to be arranged between them. This results in a complex programming of the succession of assembly steps and a logistic management of the flow of parts and intermediate or partial assemblies very complex.
• the present invention relates to a method for assembling a product or part of a product, on an assembly site, comprising an assembly line, the assembly line comprising a plurality assembly stations and at least one mobile platform, the method comprising the following steps applied to each mobile platform of the at least one mobile platform:
• step d) modify, or assemble the object or objects transferred to step c), so as to constitute an intermediate object
• step e) transfer on the mobile platform the intermediate object constituted in the preceding step, so that, for the following steps of the method, the object or objects transferred to step c) are replaced in the plurality of objects by the intermediate object constituted in step d);
• a conveying of the plurality of elementary parts and partial assemblies for the assembly of a product or part of a product is provided by a single mobile platform that moves from one assembly station to the other assembly station.
• a series of mobile platforms provides conveying for the assembly of one or more different models of a product.
• step a) is preceded by a step aO) of configuration of each mobile platform of the at least one mobile platform.
• step a) is followed by a step al) of automated verification of the loading of each mobile platform the at least one mobile platform.
• the loading of the at least one mobile platform is adapted to the assembly, on the assembly line, of the product or part of the product, or of a model of the product or of a part a product model.
• the assembly site comprises a plurality of assembly lines, each dedicated to the assembly of one or more partial assemblies of the product or part of a product, the method comprising the following additional steps, performed before step b):
• the at least one mobile platform is moved by an autonomous vehicle controlled by a programmed system.
• the production line can be implemented very flexibly.
• the at least one mobile platform carries at least one manipulator robot to perform at least part of the steps a), and / or c), and / or e) of the method.
• the at least one mobile platform comprises an electronic memory accessible in writing and read in succession by each assembly station of the plurality of assembly stations, said electronic memory containing information relating to the product or to the part of a product to be assembled and / or to the objects of the plurality of objects loaded on the at least one mobile platform, said information being exploited and updated by each assembly station of the plurality of stations; assembly.
• step al) of automated verification of the loading of the mobile platform comprises a reading of the contents of the electronic memory of the mobile platform. Thanks to these provisions, monitoring the progress of the assembly process is simplified.
• the assembled product is a motor vehicle.
• the invention also relates to an installation for assembling a product, or a part of a product, comprising at least one assembly line, each assembly line of the at least one assembly line comprising a plurality of assembly stations and at least one mobile platform, the steps of the method according to the invention being applied to each mobile platform of the at least one mobile platform.
• Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the operation of an assembly line according to the prior art.
• Figure 2 is a schematic representation of the operation of an assembly line according to the invention.
• Figures 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d illustrate the step of configuring the mobile platform that precedes the loading step of the mobile platform.
• Figure 4 shows the different process steps on an assembly site with two assembly lines, and a suite of mobile platforms.
• Figure 5 shows a mobile platform with its load of parts.
• Figure 6 shows a mobile platform with a partial assembly.
• An elementary part is an object that does not result from a prior assembly or a modification as defined below.
• a modification of an elementary part, or of an intermediate or partial assembly is the automatic addition of a simple component, for example a screw or a nut, or of any other element which is not taken from a platform mobile; in this case the simple component or the added element is prepositioned on the assembly station.
• a modification can also be a deformation or a transformation, for example crimping, sizing, painting, or any other transformation, of a part or an intermediate assembly, carried out on the station without adding a complementary part, a simple component or any other element not taken from the platform.
• a modification may finally be a combination, performed on the station, the addition of a single component or any other element not taken from the platform and a deformation or a transformation.
• An intermediate object is an object resulting from at least one modification and / or at least one intermediate assembly, the modification (s) of an object and / or at least one intermediate assembly having been carried out on an assembly station of the assembly line considered.
• An intermediate assembly is an object that results from a prior assembly of at least two objects on an assembly station of the assembly line in question; an intermediate assembly does not result from a simple modification of an object.
• intermediate assembly will preferably be reserved to designate an object that results exclusively from the prior assembly of two objects on the assembly line considered.
• a partial assembly is an object that results from at least one prior assembly with other objects on an assembly station of another assembly line that the assembly line considered.
• references to the drawings, Al, AlI, AI2, ... may designate intermediate assemblies or intermediate objects, while the references AP, API, AP2, ... will preferably designate partial assemblies.
• An assembly line consists of one or more assembly stations. This (or these) station (s) of assembly are not necessarily aligned.
• the moving platform moving system will allow to move from one station to another in a very flexible way in terms of positioning in the workshop.
• PMA, PMB ... respectively denotes a platform configured to transport the objects or assembly (s) of the product A and product B.
• a mobile platform PMA can become a mobile platform PMB, .... following the configuration made in step aO).
• FIG. 2 represents the operating mode of an assembly line LA according to an implementation mode of the method according to the invention.
• a series of mobile platforms PMA, PMB, ... move from assembly station to assembly station.
• only one PMA station is shown. At the beginning of the process, each mobile platform PMA, PMB, ...
• FIG. 6 schematically represents the partial or intermediate assembly 10 obtained from the assembly of the loaded objects and present on the mobile platform PMB, such as as shown in FIG. 5.
• each mobile platform PMA at the beginning of the method implemented on this assembly line LA can comprise a plurality of objects, comprising on the one hand one or more elementary pieces P1A, P2A,
• Each mobile platform PMA, PMB, ... may, as indicated above, be loaded manually or automatically, for example by robots, a plurality of objects different from one platform to another.
• each mobile platform PMA, PMB, ... may temporarily carry other assemblies, said intermediates, Al; an intermediate assembly A1 was made from objects (elementary parts and / or partial assemblies) taken manually or automatically, for example by robots, on this same mobile platform PMA, PMB, ...
• the plurality of objects present on the mobile platform PMA, PMB, ... comprises said objects, and after said intermediate assembly has been formed and placed on the mobile platform PMA, PMB, said plurality of objects present on said mobile platform PMA, PMB, no longer includes said objects but comprises said intermediate assembly Al consisting of said objects; the position of said intermediate assembly Al on said mobile platform PMA, PMB, may be identical for certain objects of said assembly but is in general different from the position of said objects which have been assembled to constitute said intermediate assembly A1.
• said assembled objects are replaced by said intermediate assembly A1 in the plurality of objects present on the mobile platform PMA, PMB, ....; for example, in FIG. 5 a plurality of objects P2, P3, P4, P5, P6 have been loaded and are present on the mobile platform PMB; in FIG. 6, the objects P2, P3, P4, P5, P6 have been assembled and the intermediate assembly 10 thus constituted has replaced the objects P2, P3, P4, P5, P6 in the plurality of objects, which is more than an intermediate object 10.
• An intermediate object A1 can also result from a modification, in the sense specified above, of an elementary part, or of an intermediate or partial assembly, taken from this same mobile platform PMA, PMB, ... on which it will be posed immediately after said modification has been made, without, again, its position on said mobile platform PMA, PMB, ... is necessarily the same as that of the object taken before its modification.
• the modified intermediate object Al will replace, in the plurality of objects present on the mobile platform PMA, PMB, the intermediate assembly A1 initially present in this plurality of objects before it is modified, in the sense indicated herein. -before.
• the assembly line LA comprises a series of mobile platforms and a plurality of assembly stations SI, S2, S3 .... Each assembly station is configured to allow:
• Each assembly line is thus configured to assemble a product or a variety of particular models A, B, ... of a product or a variety of products, or a part of a product or model. of a product.
• the first step a) of the method according to the invention for the assembly of a particular product or model A, B, ... of a product, or of a part of a product or of a a model of a product, includes three sub-steps:
• FIG. 3a An embodiment of the first substep of configuration, then loading of a mobile platform PMA, PMB, ... is illustrated, for example, in Figures 3a to 3d.
• the configuration of the platform consists in positioning on the mobile platform PMA, PMB, certain support elements which will then receive the intermediate or partial parts or assemblies during the following steps of the method.
• support elements 11 are represented on the mobile platform PMA, PMB, one of which is represented in particular, by way of example, in the following figures 3b and 3c.
• This particular support element is provided with notched extensions mobile in rotation; Figure 3b shows an angular position of these notched extensions, and Figure 3c shows another.
• FIG. 3a Another example of configuration of a mobile platform PMA, PMB, is also illustrated in FIG. 3a, consists in positioning on a mobile platform PMA, PMB, one or more modular subassemblies 12, 13 each comprising one or more supports integrally attached to an interface, for example, a plate, this interface being able to be positioned in a sufficiently precise manner on the platform to ensure positioning of the objects as it is possible to load and unload them automatically.
• the verification sub-step consists of a visual or automated inspection, for example by one or more robots equipped with sensors, for example with a digital camera and an automated comparison processing of the digital images with a standard model of loading of the mobile platform PMA, PMB, to ensure that it carries all the parts or partial assemblies necessary for the assembly of a particular product or model A, B, ... of a product or part of a product or model of a product.
• the platform can also be equipped, for example, with an electronic memory system accessible in writing and reading, to memorize and identify the nature of the product that it is to assemble from different objects that have been loaded on the platform, as well as information on the progress of assembly stages, or qualitative validation information, etc.
• the different assembly stations can be equipped with a reading system. write to update the contents of the electronic memory of the platform.
• This device makes it possible to ensure extremely simple monitoring of the assembly process.
• This tracking function is very complicated to implement in the state of the prior art as previously described, because the constituent objects of the product to be assembled are distributed between different bins and these objects do not individually comprise a memory system; thus in the state of the prior art, only the global process management automaton makes it possible to ensure this follow-up through a very complex programming.
• the method according to the invention continues with the following steps:
• step d) modifying the object or assembling the at least two objects transferred in the previous step, so as to constitute an intermediate object; e) transfer manually or automatically, for example by one or more robots, to the mobile platform the intermediate object constituted in the previous step, so that for the steps following the method, the object or objects at least transferred to step c) are replaced in the plurality of objects, in the sense indicated above, by the intermediate object constituted in step d); f) repeating steps b) to e) so that the platform moves successively from one station, where an intermediate object is constituted, to another station, where another intermediate object is constituted, until the mobile platform is passed to all stations in the assembly line, or until the assembly of the product or the part of the product that was to be assembled on that assembly line is completed.
• the result of the assembly can consist of one or more partial assemblies.
• the method makes it possible to complete the partial assembly carried out on this assembly line LA, by moving the mobile platform PMA, PMB, to another assembly line LAi, after having, if necessary, according to the first step a) of the method, configured again the mobile platform PMA, PMB, then, if necessary, loaded it with a new plurality of objects, intended to be assembled with the partial assembly or assemblies obtained on the assembly line LA previous.
• the partial assemblies obtained on the previous assembly line LA will not necessarily need to be completed for the rest of the process implemented on the assembly line LAi following.
• steps b) to f) of the process are then implemented.
• the assembly site can thus comprise several assembly lines, configured so that the successive application of the method according to the invention on the various assembly lines ultimately leads to the assembly of a complete product or a model.
• the mobile platform then suffices to convey the parts to be assembled from assembly station to assembly station within the same assembly line, and assembly line assembly line, to the assembly line. assembling a complete product or a particular model A, B, ... of a complete product, or a part of a product or a model A, B, ... d ' a product.
• a Reloading the mobile platform may however be necessary to move from an assembly line to the next assembly line.
• FIG. 4 illustrates the method according to the invention implemented on an assembly site SA composed of several assembly lines, for example 2 assembly lines LAI, LA2 on the example represented, and a series of mobile platforms.
• PMA, PMB These mobile platforms follow each other by traversing a circuit C in the direction indicated by the arrow.
• the circuit starts with an empty mobile platform positioned on an area aO on which instead of the step aO of configuration of the empty mobile platform PMA, PMB.
• This step a0 is followed by a step a of manual or automatic loading, for example by one or more robots, then a loading verification step al, until arriving at the assembly stations SI, S2, S3, ... of the assembly line LAI.
• the mobile platform PMA, PMB passes to the step ab of manual or automatic configuration and reloading, for example by one or more robots, if necessary, before passing to the next assembly line LA2 on which steps b) to f) will be repeated at the various stations of SI, S2 assembly of this assembly line LA2.
• the platform can also be equipped for example with a memory system accessible in reading and writing to memorize and identify the nature of the product to be assembled on the platform as well as progress information on the steps assembly, and / or qualitative validations.
• the mobile platform PM can be automated to move unmanned from one assembly station to the next and from one assembly line to the next.
• the mobile platform can be configured to perform simple assembly operations, for example, welding, gluing, etc., directly on the platform, without the need to transfer the objects concerned on an assembly station.
• the mobile platform PM is equipped with manipulator robots that make it possible to automate the transfer of parts, and / or partial assemblies and / or intermediate assemblies of the mobile platform PM to the station Si, and from the Si station to the PM mobile platform.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• Quality & Reliability (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Automatic Assembly (AREA)
• Automobile Manufacture Line, Endless Track Vehicle, Trailer (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

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• 2017
  • 2017-07-28 US US16/634,810 patent/US20210354256A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2017-07-28 BR BR112020001649-7A patent/BR112020001649B1/pt active IP Right Grant
  • 2017-07-28 CA CA3069267A patent/CA3069267A1/fr active Pending
  • 2017-07-28 CN CN201780093502.5A patent/CN111050989B/zh active Active
  • 2017-07-28 KR KR1020207003571A patent/KR102435779B1/ko active IP Right Grant
  • 2017-07-28 WO PCT/EP2017/069226 patent/WO2019020199A2/fr active Application Filing
  • 2017-07-28 EP EP17745721.5A patent/EP3658329A2/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2017-07-28 MX MX2020000978A patent/MX2020000978A/es unknown
  • 2017-07-28 JP JP2020503860A patent/JP6956253B2/ja active Active

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