Method for automated assembly of assemblies such as automotive assemblies and system utilizing same

A system for assembling a series of sets of parts movable along a guide track having a closed loop in an assembly area, the system comprising:

• a kitting station in the assembly area including a program-controlled kitting robot having a work envelope;
• means for storing sets of parts at the kitting station within the work envelope of the kitting robot;
• an assembly station in the assembly area including a program-controlled assembly robot having a work envelope;
• an unload station for unloading each of the assemblies, wherein each of the stations is located along the guide track;
• transport means including first and second assembly pallets for conveying first and second sets of the parts along the guide track and for stopping and maintaining each of the assembly pallets in a stationary and predetermined position relative to the guide track prior to and during the kitting, assembly and unloading functions performed in the kitting, assembly and unload stations, respectively;
• and
• control means for causing the kitting robot to pick and place the first set of the parts on the first assembly pallet at a first set of predetermined positions thereon, to pick and place the second set of parts on the second assembly pallet at a second set of predetermined positions thereon;
• for causing the assembly robot to assemble the parts on the first assembly pallet into a first assembly and to assemble the parts on the second assembly pallet into a second assembly;
• and for causing the transport means to move the first and second assembly pallets in an asynchronous fashion, to each of the different stations along the guide track, wherein the control means further causes the transport means to move the first and second assembly pallets from the unload station to the kitting station after unloading of the first and second assemblies for further assembly of additional sets of parts wherein the system further comprises a plurality of kitting stations in the assembly area, and a like plurality of means for storing sets of the parts within the respective kitting stations wherein each of the stations is located along the guide track, the control means further causing the transport means to move the first and second assembly pallets to and from the kitting stations and causing each kitting robot to pick and place at least one part on the assembly pallets at a predetermined position thereon;
• and wherein the control means automatically monitors and coordinates operation of each of the kitting robots with the automatic transferring of the assembly pallet to and from the kitting stations to control the flow of parts and the pallets in the assembly area and in the event of failure of a kitting robot the control means automatically redistributes any remaining work of the failed kitting robot.

A system for assembling a series of sets of parts movable along a guide track having a closed loop in an assembly area, the system comprising:

• first and second kitting stations in the assembly area including first and second program-controlled kitting robots, respectively, each of the kitting robots having a work envelope;
• means for storing the sets of parts at the kitting stations within the work envelopes of the kitting robots;
• an assembly station in the assembly area to assemble each set of parts into an assembly;
• an unload station for unloading each of the assemblies, wherein each of the stations is located along the guide track;
• transport means including first and second assembly pallets for conveying first and second sets of the parts along the guide tracks and for stopping and maintaining each of the assembly pallets in a stationary and predetermined position relative to the guide track prior to and during the kitting, assembly and unloading functions performed in the kitting, assembly and unload stations, respectively;
• and
• control means for causing the first kitting robot to pick and place a subset of the first set of the parts on the first assembly pallet at a corresponding subset of a first set of predetermined positions thereon, to pick and place the second set of parts on the second assembly pallet at a corresponding subset of a second set of predetermined positions thereon;
• for causing the second kitting robot to pick and place the remainder of the first set of parts at the remainder of the first set of predetermined positions and to pick up and place the remainder of the second set of parts at the remainder of the second set of predetermined positions;
• and for causing the transport means to move the first and second assembly pallets in an asynchronous fashion to each of the different stations along the guide track, wherein the control means further causes the transport means to move the first and second assembly pallets from the unload station to the kitting station after unloading the assemblies for further assembly of additional sets of parts and wherein the system further comprises a plurality of kitting stations in the assembly area, and a like plurality of means for storing sets of the parts within the respective kitting stations wherein each of the stations is located along the guide track, the control means further causing the transport means to move the first and second assembly pallets to and from the kitting stations and causing each kitting robot to pick and place at least one part on the assembly pallets at a predetermined position thereon;
• and wherein the control means automatically monitors and coordinates operation of each of the kitting robots with the automatic transferring of the assembly pallet to and from the kitting stations to control the flow of parts and the pallets in the assembly area and in the event of failure of a kitting robot the control means automatically redistributes any remaining work of the failed kitting robot.

A system for assembling a series of sets of parts movable along a guide track having a closed loop in an assembly area, the system comprising:

• first and second kitting stations in the assembly area including first and second program-controlled kitting robots, respectively, each of the kitting robots having a work envelope;
• means for storing the sets of parts at the kitting stations within the work envelopes of the kitting robots;
• first and second assembly stations in the assembly area including first and second program-controlled assembly robots, respectively, each of the assembly robots having a work envelope;
• an unload station for unloading each of the assemblies, wherein each of the stations is located along the guide track;
• transport means including first and second assembly pallets for conveying first and second sets of parts along the guide track and for stopping and maintaining each of the assembly pallets in a stationary and predetermined position relative to the guide track prior to and during the kitting, assembly and unloading functions performed in the kitting, assembly and unload stations, respectively;
• and
• control means for causing the first kitting robot to pick and place a subset of the first set of the parts on the first assembly pallet at a corresponding subset of a first set of predetermined positions thereon, to pick and place a subset of the second set of parts on the second assembly pallet at a corresponding subset of a second set of predetermined positions thereon;
• for causing the second kitting robot to pick up and place the remainder of the first set of parts at the remainder of the first set of predetermined positions and to pick up and place the remainder of the second set of parts at the remainder of the second predetermined positions;
• for causing the first assembly robot to partially assemble the parts on the first assembly pallet and to partially assemble the parts on the second assembly pallet;
• for causing the second assembly robot to finish the assembly of parts on the first assembly pallet into a first assembly and to finish the assembly of parts on the second assembly pallet into a second assembly;
• and for causing the transport means to move the first and second assembly pallets in an asynchronous fashion to each of the different stations along the guide track, wherein the control means further causes the transport means to move the first and second assembly pallets from the unload station to the kitting station after unloading the first and second assemblies for further assembly of additional sets of parts and wherein the control means automatically monitors and coordinates operation of each of the kitting robots with the automatic transferring of the assembly pallet to and from the kitting stations to control the flow of parts and the pallets in the assembly area and in the event of failure of a kitting robot the control means automatically redistributes any remaining work of the failed kitting robot.

A system for assembling a series of sets of parts movable along guide tracks, each of the guide tracks having a closed loop in an assembly area, the system comprising:

• a first kitting station in the assembly area including a program-controlled kitting robot having a work envelope;
• first means for storing the sets of parts at the kitting station within the work envelope of the kitting robot;
• a first assembly station in the assembly area to assemble the sets of parts into first and second subassemblies;
• a first unload station for unloading each of the subassemblies wherein the first kitting, the first assembly and the first unload stations being located along a first guide track;
• first transport means including first and second assembly pallets for conveying first and second sets of the parts along the first guide track and for stopping and maintaining each of the first and second assembly pallets in a stationary and predetermined position relative to the first guide track prior to and during the kitting, assembly and unloading functions performed in the first kitting, assembly and unload stations, respectively;
• control means for causing the first kitting robot to pick and place the first set of the parts on the first assembly pallet at a first set of predetermined positions thereon, to pick and place the second set of parts on the second assembly pallet at a second set of predetermined positions thereon and for causing the first transport means to move the first and second assembly pallets in an asynchronous fashion to each of the different stations along the first guide track, wherein the control means further causes the first transport means to move the first and second assembly pallets from the unload station to the kitting station after unloading the subassemblies for further assembly of additional sets of parts;
• a second guide track having a closed loop in the assembly area;
• a second kitting station in the assembly area including a second program-controlled kitting robot having a work envelope;
• second means for storing third and fourth sets of parts at the second kitting station within the work envelope of the second kitting robot;
• transfer means for transferring each of the subassemblies from the unload station to the second kitting station within the work envelope of the second kitting robot;
• a second assembly station in the assembly area to assemble the third set of parts and the first subassembly into a first assembly and the fourth set of parts and the second subassembly into a second assembly;
• a second unload station for unloading each of the assemblies wherein the second kitting, second assembly and second unload stations are located along the second guide track;
• second transport means including third and fourth assembly pallets for conveying third and fourth sets of the parts and the first and second subassemblies along the guide track and for stopping and maintaining each of the third and fourth assembly pallets in a stationary and predetermined position relative to the second guide track prior to and during the kitting, assembly and unloading functions performed in the second kitting, assembly and unload stations, respectively;
• said control means further causing the second kitting robot to pick and place the third set of the parts and the first subassembly on the third assembly pallet at a third set of predetermined positions thereon, to pick and place the fourth set of parts and the second subassembly on the fourth assembly pallet at a fourth set of predetermined positions thereon and for causing the second transport means to move the third and fourth assembly pallets in an asynchronous fashion to each of the different stations along the second guide track, wherein the control means further causes the second transport means to move the third and fourth assembly pallets from the second unload station to the second kitting station after unloading the first and second assemblies for further assembly of additional sets of parts and subassemblies wherein the system further comprises a plurality of kitting stations located along each of the guide tracks in the assembly area and a plurality of means for storing the sets of parts within the respective kitting stations and wherein each of the kitting stations includes a program-controlled kitting robot having a work envelope, the control means further causing each of the first and second transport means to move the first and second assembly pallets to and from the kitting stations and causing each kitting robot to pick and place at least one part on the assembly pallets at a predetermined position thereon;
• and wherein the control means automatically monitors and coordinates operation of each of the kitting robots with the automatic transferring of the assembly pallet to and from the kitting stations to control the flow of parts and the pallets in the assembly area and in the event of failure of a kitting robot the control means automatically redistributes any remaining work of the failed kitting robot.