FR3076754A1 - METHOD FOR THE SUCCESSIVE MOUNTING OF PARTS ON PALLETS WITH RFID IDENTIFICATION - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for successively assembling parts (3) requiring one or more assembly operations specific to each part (3) with at least one assembly station (1a) carrying out at least one assembly operation on each part, the assembly having in memory assembly operations specific to each piece (3) and, secondly, at least one pallet (2) transporting its associated part (3) in front of the mounting station (1a). It is proceeded to an identification of the pallet (2) positioned in front of the mounting station (1a) by reading a radiofrequency identification (6) carried by the pallet (2) also allowing the identification of the associated part (3). , at a pairing of the part (3) thus identified with at least one mounting operation to be performed and implementation of the mounting operation at the mounting station (1a) on the workpiece (3).

Description

The present invention relates to a successive assembly process of parts on pallets provided with a radio frequency identification chip, also known as RFID identification (for Radio Frequency IDentification in English). The assembly process requires one or more specific assembly operations for each part.

This is done in an assembly comprising, on the one hand, at least one assembly station performing at least one assembly operation on each part, the assembly having in memory assembly operations specific to each part and, d on the other hand, at least one transport pallet for a specific part, the transport pallet positioning its associated part in front of said at least one assembly station. The present invention also relates to a mounting assembly.

In the non-limiting case of an engine as a part to be mounted, each engine is mounted on a respective pallet moving on a conveyor to one or more assembly stations having one or more tools, for example screwdrivers, welding tongs or the like. This or these tools are to be controlled differently depending on the engines worked. After work, the work results should be traced by associating them with each engine produced.

Currently, the tools on the assembly lines are associated with an operator work step. It is therefore a geographic location whose unit of precision is the step of work. For example, a screwdriver as a working tool is linked to a single work step and the assembly assembly detects when a motor enters and leaves the work step by checking the input and output of the succession for the assembly stations.

A main disadvantage of such an association of tools with a work step in an assembly workshop is that there is no possibility of providing a computer system controlling the tools. The so-called operator cycle times, varying between 30 seconds and one minute, do not allow the workpiece to be identified by scanning a barcode, this before working on it according to its specific characteristics.

Very often, the size of the parts also does not allow geolocation of the tool. This applies for example to engines but also to other parts. The scope of action of a tool is therefore reduced only to the size of a part, delimited by two radio frequency readers fixed on the conveyor of the pallets of parts to be assembled.

The previous solutions did not allow the operator to occasionally overflow from his station step, which caused line stops and therefore had repercussions on several operators.

A workpiece cannot be worked by a tool when it is outside the area of an assembly station comprising this tool. Consequently, such a mounting assembly according to the state of the art admits no operator overhang. In the event of an overflow, the line will stop with the risk of uncycling.

Document EP-A-2 691 205 describes a process for the treatment of parts intended to carry out a machining step on a part by means of a tool, in particular to execute a stud assembly operation, the the working step being carried out taking into account at least one parameter value which is chosen from a series of values, the working step having to be carried out at a certain position of the part, said position determining the value of the parameter, a radio frequency transponder having been placed in the region of the position before the work step is carried out. In the radiofrequency transponder the value of the parameter for this position is stored and the tool has a radiofrequency communication device, by means of which the value of the parameter is read on the radiofrequency transponder.

This document is only related to the detection of the position of the tool and not to its technical characteristics which impose on it a specific assembly treatment for a workpiece.

Consequently, the problem underlying the present invention is, in a mounting assembly comprising a plurality of mounting stations with one or more tools for working successively on different parts, to fix a programming of the tool specifically adapted to the part to be worked as soon as the part presents itself in front of the assembly station involved.

To achieve this objective, there is provided according to the invention a successive assembly method of parts requiring one or more specific assembly operations for each part, the assembly comprising, on the one hand, at least one assembly station performing at least one assembly operation on each part, the assembly having in memory assembly operations specific to each part and, on the other hand, at least one transport pallet for a specific part, the transport pallet positioning its part associated in front of said at least one assembly station, characterized in that it is carried out:

an identification of the pallet positioned in front of said at least one assembly station by reading by said at least one assembly station of a radio frequency identification carried by the pallet also allowing the identification of the associated part,

a pairing of the part thus identified with at least one assembly operation to be carried out, and

- An implementation of said at least one assembly operation at said at least one assembly station on the associated part.

The technical effect is to obtain an automatic adaptation of the tool or tools of an assembly station to the type of parts to be worked. There are several variants of the same type of parts in the automotive field, for example several variants of an engine. The pallet has a number associated with the specific engine to be worked presented to an assembly station and communicates it to the station by radio frequency. The assembly assembly, advantageously controlled by an automaton, reads the number or bar code of the pallet, deduces therefrom the specific workpiece associated with the pallet and can act accordingly by programming the tools of the assembly station.

The radio frequency chip on the pallet is not used to retrieve the parameters of the work carried out at the assembly station but to identify the workpiece, and this at any time on the line. In the past, transponders were used on the part to perform this function, but this required reading the chip at a fixed point. According to the concept of the present invention, the radio frequency reader is on the tool or the mounting station, which makes it possible to read the motor on scrolling and without position constraint, which was not known from the state of the technical.

The present invention also relates to a successive assembly assembly of parts requiring one or more specific assembly operations for each part in a mounting assembly comprising, on the one hand, at least one assembly station provided with a tool work performing at least one assembly operation on each part, the assembly comprising means for memorizing assembly operations specific to each part and, on the other hand, at least one transport pallet associated with a specific part, said at at least one transport pallet positioning its associated part in front of said at least one assembly station, characterized in that said at least one pallet carries a radio frequency identification chip also allowing the identification of the associated part and in that said at least an assembly station comprises a reader of the radio frequency chip of said at least one pallet, the assembly comprising means of sel ction of at least one assembly operation depending on the part identified.

Each tool is provided with a radio frequency reader. Each pallet has a radio frequency chip, advantageously encoded with a unique pallet number and frozen at startup. When approaching the tool near an assembly station, the radio frequency chip is read, the references of the motor to be worked are acquired by the assembly assembly. The tool or tools of the assembly station are dynamically configured according to the work to be performed depending on the part. At the end of work, the assembly results can be associated with the part thus assembled for a technical check.

Advantageously, said at least one assembly station comprises means for configuring the working tool as a function of said at least one selected assembly operation. The tool path is thus specifically adapted to the workpiece, various tool setting programs for each assembly station being memorized as a whole, advantageously in a PLC.

Advantageously, the radiofrequency chip reader of said at least one assembly station identifies the pallet positioned in front of said at least one assembly station by a number stored in the radiofrequency chip, said at least one assembly station comprising means for memorization of specific assembly operations associated with a specific identification of the pallet and of the selection means as a function of the pallet number of at least one assembly operation to be carried out on the associated part.

This is a first embodiment which requires a microprocessor at the assembly station having the necessary capacities to recognize, from a pallet number, the specific part to be worked among several variants of part and to keep in memory all tool programming from the assembly station for various parts. The assembly station is thus independent, once all the data on the pallet numbers and their correspondence with specific parts as well as all the programming of the tools for the work of each part have been communicated to it.

Advantageously, the radiofrequency chip reader of said at least one assembly station identifies the pallet positioned in front of said at least one assembly station by a number stored in the radiofrequency chip, the assembly comprising a central controller having means of reception and transmission of data with said at least one assembly station as well as means for memorizing assembly operations specific to each part to be carried out at said at least one assembly station, said at least one assembly station comprising means for transmitting the pallet number to the central controller, the central controller comprising means for selecting as a function of the pallet number at least one mounting operation to be carried out on the associated part and means for transmitting to said at least one editing station of a program of said at least one editing operation to be performed.

This illustrates the preferred embodiment. A supervisory automaton centralizes the recognition of a specific part to be assembled from a pallet number and stores in memory the treatment which should be applied to the part at each assembly station. The assembly stations then only need to read the pallet number and receive a processing program suitable for the part corresponding to the pallet number.

At the start of the line, the machine knows all the operations to be carried out on various parts. The line of the assembly station (s) is cut into different segments for which the controller checks whether the operations carried out in the line previously have all been effectively carried out and that they are correct.

Advantageously, after an execution of said assembly operation, said at least one assembly station comprises means for recording a type of assembly carried out with identification of the part. This allows tracking of mounted parts.

Advantageously, the type of assembly carried out, the identification of the part and the identification of said at least one assembly station are sent to the automaton by transmission means carried by said at least one assembly station. . The controller therefore centralizes all data on the parts before and after assembly.

Advantageously, the assembly includes several successive assembly stations each carrying out one or more assembly operations.

Advantageously, each editing station is assigned a station number that each editing station sends to the machine with the pallet number then positioned in front of said at least one editing station and the type of editing performed. Each assembly station is then recognized by the PLC.

Advantageously, the assembly is suitable for mounting engines, gearboxes, bodies or transmissions of motor vehicles as parts, said at least one mounting operation being one or more screw connections, one or more welds , one or more collages and / or one or more rivets.

Other characteristics, aims and advantages of the present invention will appear on reading the detailed description which follows and with regard to the attached drawing given by way of non-limiting example and in which:

- Figure 1 is a schematic representation according to the present invention.

It should be borne in mind that the figure is given by way of example and is not limitative of the invention. It constitutes a schematic representation of principle intended to facilitate the understanding of the invention and is not necessarily on the scale of practical applications. In particular, the dimensions of the various elements illustrated are not representative of reality.

In what follows mounting is to be taken in its broad sense, that is to say in the sense of any work on the part or treatment of the part.

Referring to Figure 1, the invention relates to a successive assembly process for parts 3 requiring one or more specific mounting operations for each part 3 in a mounting assembly.

The assembly assembly comprises, on the one hand, at least one assembly station 1a performing at least one assembly operation on each part, the assembly having in memory assembly operations specific to each part.

On the other hand, the mounting assembly comprises at least one transport pallet 2 for a specific part 3, the pallet 2 being moved by a conveyor 4. The transport pallet 2 positions its part 3 associated in front of said au minus an assembly station 1a.

According to the invention there is an identification of the pallet 2 positioned in front of said at least one mounting station 1a by reading by said at least one mounting station 1a of a radio frequency identification 6 carried by the pallet 2 allowing also the identification of the associated part 3. This can be a pallet number 2 which has previously been associated with a specific part 3 from a batch of different parts but of the same type. The reading is done by a reader 5 at the mounting station 1a which can for example be fixed on a tool 1 of the mounting station 1a.

The pallet number 2 is used for pairing the part 3 thus identified with at least one mounting operation to be performed. We know that the treatment that a part 3 must undergo depends on its technical characteristics. The pairing can be determined at the mounting station 1a or can be carried out at another location in communication with the mounting station 1a, for example by a controller supervising the entire mounting assembly.

There is then carried out an implementation of said at least one mounting operation at said at least one mounting station 1a on the part 3 associated with a programming of the tool or tools 1 of the mounting station 1a in line with the part 3 worked.

The present invention also relates to a successive assembly of parts 3 requiring one or more specific mounting operations for each part. As previously mentioned, the assembly comprises, on the one hand, at least one assembly station 1a provided with a working tool 1 performing at least one assembly operation on each part 3, the assembly comprising storage means for '' specific assembly operations for each part.

On the other hand, the assembly includes at least one transport pallet 2 moved by a conveyor 4 associated with a specific part 3. The transport pallet 2 positions its associated part 3 in front of the assembly station 1a or each assembly station 1a to which the part 3 must be worked.

According to the invention, each pallet 2 carries a radio frequency identification chip 6 also allowing the identification of the associated part 3. The or each assembly station 1a comprises a reader 5 of the radio frequency chip 6 for pallets 2. The reader 5 of the radio frequency chip 6 can for example be carried by a tool 1 for mounting the assembly station 1 a or by a frame from the assembly station 1 a.

The assembly assembly, advantageously by a central supervisor automaton, comprises means for selecting at least one assembly operation as a function of the part 3 identified so that the part 3 is worked according to its specifications which have been linked the identification of the pallet 2.

All the difficulty and the interest of applying the present invention to an assembly assembly is knowing which part 3 it is working on at a given assembly station 1a. When approaching tool 1 or assembly station 1a, the part, by the bar code of its palette, is identified and recognized. This makes it possible to activate one or more tools 1 in line with the part 3 to be worked and, if necessary, to make a work report which can be sent to the central supervisor PLC.

At the end of operation at this assembly station 1a, it is recorded in a map of the part 3 or in means of monitoring the part, the results of the assembly process of the part 3 at this assembly station 1 a. The or each assembly station 1a presents means for transmitting these results to a supervision unit, for example the supervisor central controller which has in memory the bar code or the number of the pallet associated with the part 3 and, the if applicable, an identifier of the assembly station 1a.

Throughout the operations, therefore, if necessary, at various successive assembly stations 1a, a set of process values for this part 3 is recovered, in particular by the supervisor central controller.

The or each assembly station 1a may include means for setting the working tool 1 as a function of said at least one selected mounting operation, these setting means being in correspondence with the workpiece 3.

In a first non-preferred embodiment, the radio frequency chip 5 reader 6 of said at least one assembly station 1a can identify the pallet 2 positioned in front of said at least one assembly station 1a by a number stored in the chip 6 radio frequency, advantageously a bar code.

The or each assembly station 1a can comprise means for memorizing specific assembly operations associated with a specific identification of the pallet 2 and means for selection as a function of the pallet number 2 of at least one operation of mounting to be performed on the associated part 3.

In a second preferred embodiment, the reader 5 of radio frequency chip 6 of said at least one assembly station 1a identifies the pallet 2 positioned in front of said at least one assembly station 1a by a number stored in the radio frequency chip 6 , as in the first mode.

The contribution of this second embodiment is that the assembly may include a central controller or supervisor controller having means for receiving and transmitting data with said at least one mounting station 1a. The central controller can also include means for memorizing assembly operations specific to each part 3 to be carried out at the or each assembly station 1a, in order to be able to have all the different parts 3 treated by their adequate processing at the station. mounting 1a concerned.

The or each assembly station 1a can also include means for transmitting the pallet number 2 to the central controller, the central controller comprising means for selection as a function of the pallet number 2 of at least one mounting operation to be performed on the associated part 3 and means for transmitting to said at least one mounting station 1a a program of said at least one mounting operation to be performed. This makes it possible to communicate to the assembly station 1a concerned the assembly operation for the appropriate tool 1 or tools 1.

After an execution of said assembly operation, the or each assembly station 1a can comprise means for recording a type of assembly carried out with identification of the part.

The type of assembly carried out, the identification of the part 3 and the identification of each assembly station 1a can be sent to the automaton by transmission means carried by the or each assembly station 1a. The central controller can thus supervise all operations before and after assembly of each specific part 3.

The assembly assembly may include several successive assembly stations 1a each carrying out one or more assembly operations. So that each editing station 1a can be recognized, each editing station 1a can be assigned a station number that each editing station 1a sends to the machine with the pallet number 2 then positioned in front of the editing station 1a concerned and the type of assembly carried out. Thus, all the information for tracking parts 3 is available in the central controller.

The treated parts 3 can be of different natures. In general, a mounting assembly is specific to a given type of parts 3, being made in a respective workshop, for example, engines, gearboxes, bodies or transmissions of a motor vehicle. The mounting operations can be varied, for example being one or more screw connections, one or more welds, one or more glues and / or one or more rivets. The present invention can also be applied in terminal factories for the final assembly of motor vehicles.

The invention is in no way limited to the embodiments described and illustrated which 5 have been given only by way of examples.

Claims (10)

1. A method for successive assembly of parts (3) requiring one or more assembly operations specific to each part (3) in an assembly assembly comprising, on the one hand, at least one assembly station (1a) performing at least one assembly operation on each part (3), the assembly having in memory assembly operations specific to each part (3) and, on the other hand, at least one transport pallet (2) for a specific part (3) , the transport pallet (2) positioning its associated part (3) in front of said at least one assembly station (1a), characterized in that it is carried out: - an identification of the pallet (2) positioned in front of said at least one assembly station (1a) by reading by said at least one assembly station (1a) of a radio frequency identification (6) carried by the pallet (2) allowing also the identification of the associated part (3), a pairing of the part (3) thus identified with at least one assembly operation to be carried out, and - An implementation of said at least one mounting operation at said at least one mounting station (1a) on the part (3) associated. 2. Successive assembly assembly of parts (3) requiring one or more specific assembly operations for each part (3), the assembly comprising, on the one hand, at least one assembly station (1a) provided with a tool (1) working carrying out at least one assembly operation on each part (3), the assembly comprising means for memorizing assembly operations specific to each part (3) and, on the other hand, at least one pallet (2) of transport associated with a specific part (3), said at least one transport pallet (2) positioning its associated part (3) in front of said at least one assembly station (1a), characterized in that said at least a pallet (2) carries a radio frequency identification chip (6) also allowing the identification of the associated part (3) and in that said at least one assembly station (1a) comprises a chip reader (5) (6) radiofrequency of said at least one pallet, the assembly comprising means ens of selecting at least one assembly operation according to the part (3) identified. 3. Assembly according to the preceding claim, wherein said at least one assembly station (1a) comprises means for setting the tool (1) working as a function of said at least one selected assembly operation. 4. Assembly according to any one of claims 2 or 3, wherein the reader (5) of chip (6) radio frequency of said at least one assembly station (1a) identifies the pallet (2) positioned in front of said at least one assembly station (1a) by a number stored in the radio frequency chip (6), said at least one assembly station (1a) comprising means for memorizing specific assembly operations associated with a specific identification of the pallet (2) and means for selecting as a function of the pallet number (2) at least one mounting operation to be carried out on the associated part (3). 5. An assembly according to any one of claims 2 or 3, wherein the reader (5) of chip (6) radio frequency of said at least one mounting station (1a) identifies the pallet (2) positioned in front of said at least one editing station (1a) by a number stored in the radio frequency chip (6), the assembly comprising a central controller having means for receiving and transmitting data with said at least one editing station (1a) as well as means for memorizing assembly operations specific to each part (3) to be carried out at said at least one assembly station (1a), said at least one assembly station (1a) comprising means for transmitting the pallet number ( 2) at the central controller, the central controller comprising means for selecting as a function of the pallet number (2) at least one mounting operation to be performed on the associated part (3) and transmission means for said at least one station e mounting (1a) of a program of said at least one mounting operation to be performed. 6. An assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein, after execution of said mounting operation, said at least one editing station (1a) comprises means for recording a type of editing performed with part identification (3). 7. The assembly of claims 5 and 6, wherein the type of assembly performed, the identification of the part (3) and the identification of said at least one assembly station (1a) are sent to the machine by transmission means carried by said at least one editing station (1a). 8. An assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 7, which comprises several successive assembly stations (1a) each carrying out one or more assembly operations. 9. The assembly of claims 5 and 8, wherein at each assembly station 5 (1a) is assigned a station number which each assembly station (1a) sends to the automaton with the pallet number (2) then positioned in front of said at least one assembly station (1a) and the type of assembly carried out . 10. An assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 9, which is suitable for mounting motors, gearboxes, cases or transmissions of 10 motor vehicle as parts (3), said at least one mounting operation being one or more screw connections, one or more welds, one or more adhesives and / or one or more rivets.