# US 12,149,133 B2 · Rotor assembly system employing central multi-tasking robotic system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,149,133 B2 - Document ID: US12149133B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/155,368 - Filed: 2023-01-17 - Published: 2023-05-18 - Granted: 2024-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2021-01-28 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC; ABB AB - Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC; ABB Inc. - Inventors: Mark E. Briscoe; Nick Sochacki; Al Marrocco; Jeffrey Cameron; Michael Mollan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12149133B2 ## CPC - H02K 15/03: having permanent magnets - B25J 9/0084: {comprising a plurality of manipulators} - B25J 11/005: {Manipulators for mechanical processing tasks} - H02K 1/276: Magnets embedded in the magnetic core, e.g. interior permanent magnets [IPM] - Y10T 29/53313: Means to interrelatedly feed plural work parts from plural sources without manual intervention - H02K: DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES (dynamo-electric relays H01H53/00; conversion of DC or AC input power into surge output power {H03K3/53}) - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract A rotor assembly system includes a central robotic system, which itself includes a conveyor platform and a multi-axial central robot arranged on the conveyor platform. The multi-axial central robot is configured to perform a set of manufacturing processes from among a plurality of rotor manufacturing processes related to at least one rotor component. The conveyor platform is operable to move the multi-axial central robot within the manufacturing cell to transfer the at least one rotor component between one or more rotor manufacturing processes from among the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A rotor assembly system for a manufacturing cell, the rotor assembly system comprising: a central robotic system comprising: a conveyor platform; and a multi-axial central robot arranged on the conveyor platform, wherein: the multi-axial central robot is configured to perform a set of manufacturing processes from among a plurality of rotor manufacturing processes related to at least one rotor component, and the conveyor platform is operable to move the multi-axial central robot within the manufacturing cell to transfer the at least one rotor component between one or more rotor manufacturing processes from among the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The rotor assembly system of claim 1 further comprising: a multi-axial auxiliary robotic system, wherein the central robotic system and the multi-axial auxiliary robotic system are configured to operate in coordination with one another. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The rotor assembly system of claim 2 further comprising a control system configured to control and coordinate movement of the central robotic system and the multi-axial auxiliary robotic system. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The rotor assembly system of claim 2, wherein: the central robotic system is configured to perform a first selected rotor manufacturing process among the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes, the multi-axial auxiliary robotic system is configured to perform a second selected rotor manufacturing process while the central robotic system performs the first selected rotor manufacturing process, and the first selected rotor manufacturing process and the second selected rotor manufacturing process are among the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The rotor assembly system of claim 2, wherein the multi-axial auxiliary robotic system includes a multi-axial insert assembly robot to perform, in association with the central robotic system, a core stack assembly process as part of the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The rotor assembly system of claim 2, wherein the multi-axial auxiliary robotic system includes a multi-axial mold-press robot to perform, in association with the central robotic system, a mold-press process, as part of the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The rotor assembly system of claim 2, wherein the multi-axial auxiliary robotic system includes a multi-axial mold-press robot secured at a location in the manufacturing cell. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The rotor assembly system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes includes: a pre-mold-press process performed prior to the mold-press process and including a first weighing process of the rotor component, a preheating process of the rotor component, or a combination thereof, and a post-mold-press process performed after the mold-press process and including a press tool removal process, a second weighing process of the rotor component, a cleaning process, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The rotor assembly system of claim 8, wherein the central robotic system is configured to perform at least one process of the pre-mold press process and at least one process of the post-mold-press process. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The rotor assembly system of claim 1 further comprising: an insert assembly robotic (IAR) system including a multi-axial insert assembly robot to perform, in association with the central robotic system, a core stack assembly process as part of the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes at a first location of the manufacturing cell; and a mold-press robotic (MPR) system including a multi-axial mold-press robot to perform, in association with the central robotic system, a mold-press process, as part of the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes at a second location of the manufacturing cell, wherein the multi-axial central robot is configured to travel to the first location and the second location. ### Claim 11 A rotor assembly system for a manufacturing cell, the rotor assembly system comprising: a multi-axial auxiliary robotic system configured to perform a first selected rotor forming process among a plurality of rotor forming processes related to at least one rotor component; and a central robotic system including: a conveyor platform, and a multi-axial central robot arranged on the conveyor platform, wherein: the multi-axial central robot is configured to perform at least two selected rotor manufacturing processes from among the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes related to the at least one rotor component, wherein the at least two selected rotor manufacturing processes includes the first selected rotor manufacturing process, the conveyor platform is operable to move the multi-axial central robot within the manufacturing cell to transfer the at least one rotor component between one or more rotor manufacturing processes from among the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes, and the central robotic system and the multi-axial auxiliary robotic system are configured to perform the first selected manufacturing process on the at least one rotor component in coordination with one another. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The rotor assembly system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes includes: a pre-mold-press process performed prior to the mold-press process and including a first weighing process of the rotor component, a preheating process of the rotor component, or a combination thereof, and a post-mold-press process performed after the mold-press process and including a press tool removal process, a second weighing process of the rotor component, a cleaning process, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The rotor assembly system of claim 12, wherein the central robotic system is configured to perform at least one process of the pre-mold press process and at least one process of the post-mold-press process. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The rotor assembly system of claim 11 further comprising a control system configured to control and coordinate movement of the central robotic system and the multi-axial auxiliary robotic system. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The rotor assembly system of claim 11, wherein: the central robotic system is configured to perform a second selected rotor manufacturing process among the at least two selected rotor manufacturing process includes, and the multi-axial auxiliary robotic system is configured to perform a portion of the first selected rotor manufacturing process while the central robotic system performs the second selected rotor manufacturing process. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The rotor assembly system of claim 11, wherein the multi-axial auxiliary robotic system includes a multi-axial insert assembly robot to perform, in association with the central robotic system, a core stack assembly process as the first selected rotor manufacturing process. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The rotor assembly system of claim 11, wherein the multi-axial auxiliary robotic system includes a multi-axial mold-press robot to perform, in association with the central robotic system, a mold-press process, as the first selected rotor manufacturing process. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The rotor assembly system of claim 11, wherein the multi-axial auxiliary robotic system includes a multi-axial mold-press robot secured at a location in the manufacturing cell. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The rotor assembly system of claim 11 further comprising a second multi-axial auxiliary robotic system configured to perform a third selected rotor manufacturing process from among the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The rotor assembly system of claim 19, wherein: the multi-axial auxiliary robotic system includes a multi-axial insert assembly robot to perform, in association with the central robotic system, a core stack assembly process as the first selected rotor manufacturing process at a first location of the manufacturing cell, and the second multi-axial auxiliary robotic system includes a multi-axial mold-press robot to perform, in association with the central robotic system, a mold-press process, as the third selected rotor manufacturing processes at a second location of the manufacturing cell, wherein the multi-axial central robot is configured to travel to the first location and the second location.