Control system and equipment configuration for a modular product assembly platform
AssigneeAllen-Bradley Company, Inc.
InventorsZ. Val Kukuljan, George T. Plonski
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A modular product assembly platform which includes a multiple number of industrial robots or other similar assembly devices. The product assembly platform also includes a programmable controller system housed in a logic control cabinet, a vision control system housed in a vision control cabinet and a set of robot controllers which operate together to control the robots or assembly devices for performing product assembly tasks. The layout and configuration of the platform and the control equipment provide for convenience and flexibility in configuring and reconfiguring the assembly platform for different assembly procedures associated with different products.
Claims11
A modular product assembly platform, comprising:
- a plurality of industrial robots adapted for assembly tasks including robot arms and robot tools;
- a deck for mounting said industrial robots having first and second sides and first and second ends including means for detachably mounting said robots;
- a plurality of robot controllers for controlling the geographic positioning of said robot arms including said robot tools;
- a conveyance system for transporting parts or products under assembly across said deck past said robots;
- a programmable controller mounted at said first end of said deck for coordinating the operations of said robots by controlling the positioning of said robots arms through said robot controllers, by directly controlling said robot tools and by directly controlling said conveyance system for product assembly;
- and
- a user configurable vision system mounted on said second end of said deck for use in identifying and locating products or parts in coordination with the operation of said industrial robots.
A product assembly network which may be readily reconfigured to assemble different products, comprising:
- A) a plurality of modular product assembly platforms each of which includes:
- a deck for mounting industrial robots having mounting gear for mounting said robots onto said deck,
- a plurality of industrial robots adapted for performing product assembly tasks which are detachably mounted on said deck and each of which includes a movable robot arm and a robot tool attached to this arm,
- a conveyance system for transporting products under assembly across said mounting deck past said robots,
- a plurality of robot controllers one of which is associated with each of said robots for controlling the geographic positioning of the arm of the robot with which each robot controller is associated,
- a programmable controller for regulating and coordinating the operations of said robots by actuating said robot controllers to control said robots in performing robot arm positioning operations and directly controlling the operation of said robot tools on said robots and said conveyance system for product assembly purposes;
- and
- B) means for conveying products and parts between said modular platforms;
- and
- C) a network controller in communication with said programmable controllers on said platforms for regulating and coordinating the operations of said platforms and said means for conveying products or parts.
A modular product assembly platform, comprising:
- a plurality of industrial assembly machines;
- a deck for mounting said assembly machines;
- a set of mounting gear for detachably securing said assembly machines onto said deck at variable locations including;
- a set of mounting rails characterized by a modified T shape having an incline on one lateral side which intersects said deck at an acute angle and a notch its on the other lateral side which intersects said deck at a right angle;
- a plurality of machine control units mounted under said deck and connected to said machines for controlling said machines;
- a conveyance system for transporting products under assembly across said mounting bed past said assembly machines from a first side of said bed to a second side of said bed;
- a programmable controller connected to said machine control units for controlling and coordinating the operations of said machines and said conveyance system for product assembly purposes;
- and
- a control console mounted along a third side of said platform for communicating with said programmable controller.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.