US 6,708,385 B1 · Flexible manufacturing systems and methods

An automatic production method comprising:

(a) stationing a plurality of automatic machines at spaced apart locations along a production line, each of said machines including a respective controller structured to operate the machine to physically alter a unit of work;
(b) preselecting one of a number of possible sequences of automatic machines to perform a preprogrammed sequence of production operations on each of a plurality of units of work requiring differing tool operations, wherein each of the sequences comprises a plurality of the machines and some of the units of work have a different one of the preselected sequences than the others;
(c) automatically delivering each of said units of work in a single pass along said production line only to said stationed plurality of machines in the sequence preselected for each unit of work, whereby each unit of work passes each machine only once;
and
(d) automatically generating and applying a plurality of machine control commands to respective controllers of said preselected sequence of machines to controllably operate said selected machines to automatically perform said preprogrammed sequence of production operations altering each of said units of work.

2 more elements

A method of automatically operating on work comprising:

(a) simultaneously supporting a plurality of different work units requiring differing tool operations with a non-recirculating conveyor system and conveying the work units past a plurality of programmably operated machines, each of which is stationed at a predetermined location along the conveyor, wherein each of the work units passes each of the machines only once;
(b) detecting when a work unit is positioned at a predetermined location with respect to each of the machines in a selected subset of the machines and generating a control signal indicating said work unit positioning;
(c) in response to said control signal, determining, at a first machine of the selected subset, which machine control command set of a plurality of different machine control command sets should be applied to the work unit, and selecting and generating that command set from a selected location of a local addressable storage device located at the first machine, which storage device contains the plurality of different machine control command sets, each of said command sets comprising instructions controlling the machine to perform programmable operations by said machine with respect to one of the work units while the work unit is positioned within range of the machine, and different of said machine control command sets causing the machine to physically alter work units in different ways, and using said generated commands to control said machine to cause said machine to automatically operate on and alter the work unit predeterminately located thereat;
and
(d) determining at the other machines of the selected subset which machine control command sets of a plurality of different sets should be applied to the work unit, and selecting and generating such further machine control commands from local addressable storage devices located at the other machines in the selected subset, and applying said generated further commands to cause the other machines in the selected subset to automatically execute respective programmed operations on said work unit.

2 more elements

A method of effecting automatic production operations on units of work comprising:

(a) simultaneously supporting a plurality of units of work with a non-recirculating conveyor and conveying the plurality of units of work past a plurality of automatic machines, each of which automatic machines is stationed at a location along the conveyor and has a local controller structured to control automatic production operations by said machine on said units of work, said local controller having a storage device containing, in individually and selectively addressable locations, multiple sets of machine control commands, each set causing the machine to physically alter a unit of work in different ways;
(b) as each of said units of work is conveyed to a selected one of said machines at which the unit of work is predetermined to stop, detecting the presence of the unit of work at the machine and generating a control signal;
(c) in response to said control signal, applying a code carried with the unit of work to the local controller to cause the local controller to determine which set of machine control commands defines a production operation on the unit of work, and to select and read from a selected location in said storage device at least the set of machine control commands defining said production operation on the unit of work;
and
(d) applying said selected machine control command set to operate the local controller at the selected machine to cause the machine to execute the production operation on and alter the detected unit of work.

2 more elements

A method of effecting automatic manufacturing operations on work units comprising:

(a) supporting a plurality of work units with a conveyor, and simultaneously conveying the plurality of work units along an open path past a plurality of automatic machines, whereby each of the work units passes each of the machines only once, and wherein each of said automatic machines has a local programmable controller structured to control automatic manufacturing operations by the machine on the work units, said local programmable controller having a selectively addressable storage device structured to hold, in individually and selectively addressable locations, multiple sets of machine control commands that cause the machine to physically alter work units in different ways;
(b) as a first of the work units is conveyed to a respective one of said machines, continuing to convey a plurality of other work units to other machines, and when the first work unit arrives in the vicinity of the respective one of said machines, detecting the presence of the first work unit at the respective one of said machines and generating a control signal;
(c) in response to the control signal, determining whether the first work unit is predetermined to stop at the respective one of said machines, and if so, (1) offloading the first work unit from the conveyor to the respective one of said machines, and (2) causing the local programmable controller to determine which set of machine control commands define a manufacturing operation appropriate for the first work unit and to select that set of commands from a selected location in said storage device;
and
(d) reading the selected set of machine control commands from the storage device and applying the machine control commands of the set to operate said local controller at the respective one of said machines to cause the respective one of said machines to execute an automatic manufacturing operation physically altering the work unit stopped thereat.

2 more elements

A method of effecting the automatic manufacture of product components comprising:

(a) supporting and predeterminately positioning a plurality of different workpieces on respective work-holding pallets, thereby forming pallet-workpiece combinations, and simultaneously supporting the respective pallet-workpiece combinations with a conveyor;
(b) coding each of said pallet-workpiece combinations with information relating to a predetermined sequence of programmed operations to be performed on the workpiece of the combination;
(c) moving said plurality of pallet-workpiece combinations with the conveyor along a predetermined path in a single pass past a plurality of machines, each of said machines being stationed adjacent to the conveyor and having (1) a local storage device holding a plurality of individually and selectively addressable sets of machine control commands, each command set used to operate said machine to cause it to perform a different plurality of tooling operations, and (2) a local controller electrically coupled to said storage device and structured to execute the sets of machine control commands to cause the associated machine to perform preprogrammed tooling operations;
(d) determining when a selected pallet containing a workpiece requiring a first programmed operation to be performed thereon is conveyed to the vicinity of a first machine that is capable of perforating said first programmed operation and that is not in use;
(e) thereafter, with respect to the first machine:
(1) reading the coded information on the selected pallet-workpiece combination and generating a control signal, (2) aligning the selected workpiece and the machine, (3) employing said control signal to cause the local controller to determine which of the machine control command sets should be applied to automatically control the machine to perform a programmed tooling operation on the work on the selected pallet, (4) addressing and reproducing the command set from the local storage device, (5) applying the machine control commands of the reproduced set to cause the machine to perform the preprogrammed tooling operations to physically alter the selected workpiece, and (6) after he machine completes operation on the workpiece on the selected pallet, resuming conveyance of said pallet along said predetermined path past others of said plurality of machines;
and
(f) determining when said pallet arrives in the vicinity of a second machine that is not in use and is capable of performing a second programmed operation to be performed on said work, and thereafter repeating the acts in parts (1) through (6) with respect to said pallet and said second machine.

5 more elements

A method for performing automatic operations on a plurality of units of work, comprising:

(a) supporting a plurality of units of work simultaneously with a conveyor, conveying the units of work along a predetermined path past a plurality of program controllable machines;
(b) generating a plurality of addressed machine control commands on the output of a computer and communicating respective of said machine control commands to selected of the machines over a transmission channel common to all of the machines;
(c) storing at individually addressable locations of memories located at each of the selected machines at least some of said communicated machine control commands, wherein the machine control commands at different addressable locations of each memory predeterminately control the operation of the associated machine to alter units of work at the machine in different ways;
(d) with respect to a first of the selected machines:
(1) determining when a select unit of work is aligned with the machine at a work station and thereupon determining at the machine which of the machine control commands should be applied to alter a select unit of work in a predetermined way;
(2) reproducing the machine control commands stored at a selected one of the addressable locations of the memory of the machine;
and
(3) applying the reproduced commands to cause said machine to automatically perform a select manufacturing operation on the select unit of work;
and
(e) when the select operation on the select unit of work is completed, automatically conveying said unit of work to a second of said plurality of selected machines and repeating the acts of part (1) through (3) with respect to the second machine to cause said second machine to perform a further predetermined operation on said unit of work.

7 more elements

A method for automatically operating on units of work with a plurality of power-operated machines, comprising:

(a) placing one workpiece on each of a plurality of pallets;
(b) moving each of said pallets so that they travel along a path past a series of stations, each station having a separate numerically controlled production machine thereat, wherein each of the pallets passes from each of the stations of the series to the next station of the series in turn;
(c) using a code carried with a first one of said pallets to determine when the pallet is located adjacent to one of a plurality of machines in a predetermined sequence consisting of less than all of said series of machines, and thereupon:
(1) predeterminately positioning, with respect to the one machine of the predetermined sequence, the workpiece on the first pallet;
(2) thereafter controlling the operation of the machine with machine control commands to cause the machine to automatically perform at least one programmed operation on the predeterminately positioned workpiece;
(3) after said programmed operation Is completed, moving the first pallet to carry the workpiece supported thereby to the next machine of the series that is in the predetermined sequence;
and
(4) repeating (1), (2), and (3) with respect to the first pallet for each machine of the predetermined sequence but not other machines that are not in the predetermined sequence;
(d) wherein the first pallet is operated on by a different sequence of machines than a second one of the pallets;
and
(e) wherein the first and second pallets are moved concurrently between one of the machines in their respective predetermined sequences and the next machine in their respective predetermined sequences.

8 more elements

A method of automatically operating on a plurality of different workpieces requiring different types of operations by a plurality of programmed machines, comprising:

(a) placing a plurality of different workpieces so that they are simultaneously supported on a conveyor and concurrently conveying the plurality of workpieces along a predetermined route to a plurality of work stations at which are stationed a plurality of program-controllable machines,
(1) wherein each workpiece passes each of the work stations only once,
(2) wherein at least some of the plurality of machines perform different preselected manufacturing operations on different workpieces, and
(3) wherein each of the machines that operates differently on different workpieces includes a storage device holding, in individually and selectively addressable locations, a plurality of different machine-control programs, each of which programs can control the machine to physically alter the workpiece in a preselected way;
(b) detecting each workpiece as it Is conveyed along said predetermined route near each of the machines and identifying and using a code carried with each workpiece to permit each workpiece to be chosen for a preselected operation at a plurality of machines in a sequence of machines selected for that workpiece, wherein the selected sequences of machines are different for different workpieces;
(c) operatively aligning each workpiece at work stations with each of the machines selected for that workpiece but not at the machines that are not in the sequence selected for that workpiece;
(d) when a workpiece is aligned with one of the machines that includes a storage device, having the machine use the code carried with the workpiece to determine which machine-control program would cause the machine to perform a preselected manufacturing operation on the workpiece and addressing said storage device of the machine and selectively reproducing the program determined to cause the machine to perform the preselected operation from a selected location of said storage device;
and
(e) applying said reproduced program to control the machine to perform the preselected manufacturing operation to physically alter the workpiece in the preselected way.

6 more elements

A method of automatically operating on a plurality of workpieces requiring different forms of operations by a plurality of programmed machines, comprising:

(a) simultaneously supporting a plurality of workpieces with a conveyor and concurrently conveying the supported workpieces along a predetermined route past a plurality of work stations at which program-controllable machines are stationed,
(1) wherein each workpiece passes each of the work stations only once,
(2) wherein at least some of the workpieces require preselected operations by a preselected sequence consisting of more than one and less than all of said plurality of machines, wherein the preselected sequences of machines are different for different workpieces, and
(3) wherein a plurality of the workpieces are simultaneously conveyed along the route to respective of the machines in respective different preselected sequences;
(b) storing in a storage device of each of a plurality of programmable controllers, in individually and selectively addressable locations, a plurality of different programs, each of the programs defining different selected manufacturing operations by the machine on different workpieces, wherein the controllers are distributed along the route;
(c) detecting and identifying a code carried with each of the workpieces that require preselected operations by a preselected sequence of machines as each is conveyed to said preselected sequence of machines and using the code to permit each of the code-carrying workpieces to be chosen for a preselected operation at each of said machines in the preselected sequence for that workpiece;
(d) detaining at a work station and operatively aligning each of the code-carrying workpieces at the machines in the preselected sequence and not at the machines not in the preselected sequence;
and
(e) at each of the machines in the preselected sequence for each of the code-carrying workpieces, locally determining which of the stored programs define preselected manufacturing operations on the workpiece, addressing the storage device of one of the distributed controllers, and selectively reproducing a program from selected locations of the storage device and applying the program to control the preselected manufacturing operation to alter the workpiece.

6 more elements

An automatic production method comprising:

(a) simultaneously supplying a plurality of units of work with a conveyor and concurrently conveying the plurality of units of work in a single direction along a non-recirculating path past a plurality of separately operable and selectively addressable powered machines disposed at different locations adjacent to said path, wherein one unit of work is conveyed to one machine stationed at a location along the path while another unit of work is conveyed to another of the machines stationed at a different location along the path;
(b) generating selectively addressable machine control messages containing machine control commands usable in controlling the operation of respective of said selectively addressable machines;
(c) transmitting said machine-controlling messages over a communication channel common to the plurality of machines;
(d) using a specific message address corresponding to selected machines to receive, at each of said selected machines, only correspondingly addressed of said messages;
(e) detecting the presence of at least one of the plurality of conveyed units of work when said unit of work is operatively aligned with a selected subset consisting of less than all of said machines;
and
(f) applying the selectively addressed and received messages to control the operation of the selected subset of machines to cause a predetermined sequence of machines to perform programmed manufacturing operations physically altering the conveyed unit of work in accordance with information defined by the commands in the selectively addressed messages received at said machine.

4 more elements

An automatic production method comprising:

(a) conveying a plurality of units of work supported together by a conveyor along a non-recirculating conveying path past a plurality of separately operable and selectively addressable powered machines disposed at different locations adjacent to said path,
(1) wherein each of the units of work passes each of said machines only once, and
(2) wherein, at various times during the conveying operation, a plurality of the units of work are conveyed at the same time, each moving along the conveying path to different machines;
(b) forming selectively addressable machine control messages containing machine control commands usable in controlling respective of said machines to perform a pattern of physical alterations of a unit of work aligned thereat;
(c) transmitting said messages to selected of said machines using selected machine addresses, wherein a unique address corresponds to each of said machines, and, storing only at correspondingly addressed of said machines, the messages addressed to that machine in one of a plurality of separately addressable storage locations at the machine;
and
(d) detecting the presence of a unit of work on the conveyor when the unit of work is proximate to a selected plurality of said machines and, when the unit of work is proximate to each of the selected machines but not when the unit of work is proximate to others of the machines:
(1) ceasing conveying of the unit of work and transferring the unit of work off of the conveyor and into operative alignment with the selected machine, and
(2) determining at the machine one of the selectively addressed and received messages to control the operation of the selected machine at which said unit of work is aligned,
(3) retrieving at the machine the message determined to control the operation from its separately addressable storage location, and
(4) applying the machine control commands of the retrieved message to cause the machine to perform at least one programmed manufacturing operation on the aligned unit of work to physically alter the unit of work in accordance with the pattern defined by the selectively addressed and addressably retrieved machine control message.

8 more elements

An automatic production method comprising:

(a) power-conveying a plurality of units of work so that they are travelling at the same time along an open path;
(b) disposing a plurality of separately operable powered machines at different stations located adjacent to said path;
(c) generating at a central location selectively addressable machine control commands arranged in separate machine-control messages;
(d) transmitting the messages from said central location over a transmission channel common to each of said machines, and employing a specific address on said messages to specifically address selected of said machines;
(e) at each of the selected machines, selectively storing said specifically addressed messages in a plurality of addressable data storage locations from which data can be selectively retrieved, other of which data storage locations have prestored messages, different of the stored messages controlling the operation of said selected machines to cause them to alter units of work aligned thereat in different ways;
and
(f) detecting the presence of a conveyed unit of work when the unit is operatively aligned with one of the selected machines and thereupon determining at the machine which one of the messages stored at said machine should be applied to control the machine, selecting the determined message from its addressable data storage location, and applying machine control commands from the selected message to cause the machine to perform a predetermined operation on the unit of work aligned thereat in accordance with the control operation defined by said machine control commands.

4 more elements

An automatic production method comprising:

(a) power-conveying a plurality of units of work in a single pass along a conveying path,
(1) wherein each of the units of work passes each of a plurality of separately operable powered machines disposed at different locations adjacent to said path only once,
(2) wherein a plurality of the units of work are concurrently conveyed to different selected machines, and
(3) wherein at least some of the units of work stop at a plurality of the machines and bypass others of the machines;
(b) generating at a central location selectively addressable machine control commands arranged in separate control messages;
(c) transmitting from said central location over a single transmission channel and receiving and storing at selected of said machines said messages, employing a specific address on each of said messages to select the machines at which the message will be received and stored;
(d) selectively storing said specifically addressed messages at one of a plurality of addressable data storage locations located at each of the selected machines and from which the data can be selectively retrieved, along with other messages at each selected machine, which messages are useable to control the operation of said selected machines to physically alter a unit of work aligned thereat;
and
(e) detecting the presence of a conveyed unit of work that is operatively aligned with one of the machines at which the unit of work is to stop and thereupon;
(1) ceasing conveying of the aligned unit of work and transferring the aligned unit of work off of said conveying path,
(2) determining at the machine which of the control messages stored at said machine should be applied to cause the machine to perform a predetermined manufacturing operation on the unit of work aligned thereat, and
(3) addressing, selectively retrieving from storage locations, and applying the control message determined to apply, to cause the machine to physically alter the unit of work in accordance with the operation defined by the machine control commands of said control message.

9 more elements

An automatic production method comprising:

(a) placing a plurality of different units of work together on a conveyor and power-conveying the units of work in a single direction along an open path including a plurality of individually addressable and separately operable powered machines stationed at different locations adjacent to said path;
(b) generating selectively addressed machine control commands arranged in different messages for communication over a single transmission channel to correspondingly addressed machines for use in controlling the operation of said machines;
(c) using an individual address identifying at least one of said machines for communicating said selectively addressed messages to at least a plurality of said machines but recording the communicated messages at selected of a plurality of addressable data storage locations associated only with said addressed machines, said storage locations containing different recorded messages controlling the associated machine to perform different operations, different of the operations causing aligned units of work to be manufactured differently;
(d) detecting the presence of conveyed work when said work is adjacent to a respective machine and there upon reading a code carried with the conveyed work units;
and
(e) using the code to determine whether to operate on the conveyed work units with the adjacent machine, and if an operation is to be done, (1) operatively aligning the unit of work with respect to the machine, (2) using the code at the machine to determine which of the messages should be applied, (3) reproducing the determined message from the plurality of data storage locations, and (4) applying the machine control commands reproduced from the selected recorded message to cause the machine to perform a predetermined operation on the unit of work at the machine in accordance with the manufacturing operation defined by said selectively addressed machine control commands.

3 more elements

A method of automatically operating on work with a plurality of variably operable automatic machines, said method comprising:

(a) conveying a plurality of units of work on a conveyor in series past a plurality of automatically operable, program-controllable machines;
(b) providing said automatically operable, program-controllable machines to perform different predetermined operations on different units of work;
(c) determining when a select unit of work is conveyed into alignment with a first machine that is not operating on another work unit and that is capable of performing a required automatic operation on said work, and thereafter generating a first control signal;
(d) employing said first control signal to effect the transfer of said select work unit from said conveyor to an operative location at said first machine;
(e) generating a second control signal when said select work unit is operatively located at said first machine and applying said second control signal to secure said work in an operative location at said first machine;
(f) after said work is secured at said operative location at said first machine, remotely controlling the operation of said first machine to cause it to perform programmed operations on the work secured thereat;
(g) when said programmed operations at said first machine have been completed, automatically controlling the release of said work from said operative location, and automatically controlling the transfer of said work from said first machine to said conveyor;
(h) controlling said conveyor to selectively convey said work to a second automatic machine further along the series that is not operating on another unit of work and that is capable of performing a required operation an said work;
and
(i) when said work is aligned with said second machine, repeating acts (c) through (h) to automatically (i) transfer said unit of work into operative relation with respect to said second machine, (ii) operatively secure said work at said second machine, (iii) cause said second machine to perform a programmed operation on said work, (iv) release said work from said second machine, and (v) transfer said work back to said first conveyor to permit the work to be conveyed by said conveyor further along the series for further automatic operations by other of the machines.

7 more elements

A method of effecting the automatic manufacture of product components comprising:

(a) supporting and predeterminately positioning a plurality of different workpieces on respective work-holding pallets;
(b) coding each of said pallet:
with information relating to the work supported thereon;
(c) moving said plurality of pallets on a conveyor along a predetermined path past a plurality of machines, each of said machines having (1) an addressable storage device holding a plurality of machine control signals used to operate said machine to perform a plurality of tooling operations, and (2) tooling electrically coupled to said storage device and structured to be controllable by said machine control signals to perform a plurality of preprogrammed operations an work aligned at the machine;
(d) determining when a selected pallet containing a workpiece requiring a first programmed operation to be performed thereon is conveyed to the vicinity of a first machine that is capable of performing said first programmed operation and that is not in use;
(e) thereafter:
(1) reading the coded information on the selected pallet and generating a control signal, and (2) employing said control signal to align the selected pallet and the first machine and to reproduce selected of said command control signals from said addressable storage device to automatically control the first machine to perform a first programmed operation on the work on the selected pallet;
(f) after the first programmed operation is completed, generating a further control signal and employing said further control signal to resume conveyance of said pallet along said predetermined path past others of said plurality of machines;
and
(g) determining when said pallet arrives in the vicinity of a second machine that is not in use and is capable of performing a second programmed operation required on said work, and thereafter repeating the acts in parts (e) and (f) with respect to said pallet and said second machine to align said pallet and said second machine, to control said second machine to perform said second programmed operation on the work, and to resume conveyance of said pallet along said predetermined path when said second programmed operation is completed.

7 more elements

A method of manufacturing a variety of products along a production line, said method comprising:

(a) locating a plurality of different automatically operable production tools to define a production line, each of said production tools having an addressable recording device structured to store control signals;
(b) conveying a plurality of different units of work-in-process along a conveyor defining a path of said production line, said path passing a plurality of said production tools disposed adjacent thereto;
(c) sensing when each unit of work-in-process conveyed along said path is in alignment with a first of said automatically operable tools and transferring said unit of work-in-process from said conveyor to an operative location at a workstation associated with said first tool;
(d) thereafter selectively addressing and reproducing said control signals stored in said recording device and applying said reproduced signals to automatically operate said first tool to cause it to perform a first predetermined operation on the work unit operatively located at said workstation;
(e) when said first predetermined operation of said first tool on said work unit is completed, transferring the work unit from said workstation back to said conveyor and moving said work unit on said conveyor along said path to a second automatic tool;
and
(f) repeating the acts in parts (b) through (e) with respect to said work unit and selected of the remaining of said plurality of different automatically operable tools until a plurality of second predetermined operations have been performed on said work unit.

4 more elements

An automatic production system comprising:

(a) conveying means for supporting commands carrying a plurality of pallets, each pallet holding at least one unit of work, along a given path defining a production line,
(b) a plurality of production tool means disposed adjacent to said conveying means for performing programmed operations on work presented thereto,
(c) a plurality of pallet transfer means disposed along said conveying means for selectively transferring pallets from said conveying means to a position in range of said tool means,
(d) means aligned with each tool means for engaging a pallet transferred to said tool means by said transfer means,
(e) support means for fixedly holding a pallet in a manner to provide the work held by said pallet in fixed operative relation with respect to the tool means, and
(f) control means for generating machine control commands and selectively applying said control signals to control the operations of only selected of said pallet transfer means and of said support means to effect the selective transfer of only selected work-holding pallets to only selected of said tool means and the fixed retention of said pallets at the tool means to which they are transferred to permit said tool means to perform programmed operations on the work presented thereto by said pallets.

3 more elements

An automatic production system comprising:

(a) a conveyor supporting and carrying a plurality of pallets in a given direction along a select path defining a production line, each pallet holding at least one unit of work,
(b) a plurality of production machines disposed along said conveyor and structured to perform different programmed operations on different units of work conveyed thereto on said pallets,
(c) a plurality of pallet transfer devices, located adjacent to said conveyor so as to transfer a pallet from said conveyor to dispose it and the work it holds adjacent to at least one selected production machine,
(d) a securing device at each machine structured to engage and hold a pallet at a predetermined location with respect to said machine and to dispose the work held by the pallet in a fixed position with respect to the machine, within operating range of the machine, and
(e) a controller structured to generate and selectively address command control messages to control selected pallet transfer devices, securing devices, and production machines:
(1) to transfer selected of said pallets to selected of said machines, and (2) to perform selected programmed operations on selected work supported by said selected pallets.

3 more elements

An automatic production system comprising:

(a) first means, including a plurality of self-propelled conveying means, for conveying a plurality of units of work in sequence along a path,
(b) second means for performing variable powered operations on units of work including a plurality of machines, each of which is stationed during operation of the first means at a different location adjacent to said path,
(c) third means for generating selectively addressable machine control commands in the form of separate machine control messages for use in controlling the operation of said machines,
(d) fourth means, at each of said machines, for receiving selectively addressed messages generated by said third means,
(e) fifth means for transmitting selectively addressed messages generated by said third means to said receiving means of selected of said machines,
(f) sixth means, at each of said machines, for applying the selectively received messages to control the operation of said machine, and
(g) seventh means for detecting the presence of work carried by said conveying means when said work is operatively aligned with respective of said machines and for initiating the generation and application of select control signals to control the operation of the machine at which the work is aligned,
(h) said programmed operation on said work being in accordance with the information defined by the selectively addressed messages received at the machine.

5 more elements

An automatic production system comprising:

(a) a plurality of machines disposed at a sequence of respective work positions, each of said machines including a controller and a local addressable storage device coupled to the corresponding controller, each of which storage devices contains storage areas for a plurality of different machine control command sets, each of said machine command sets comprising instructions controlling the machine to perform programmable operations by said machine, different of said machine control command sets causing the machine to operate in different ways;
(b) a work unit transporter extending to respective of the work positions;
(c) at least one transfer device, capable of moving a work unit from the transporter to any of the work positions in turn;
(d) a remote controller located remote from said controllers having an output for a plurality of machine control commands capable of controlling a machine through its controller to physically alter a unit of work at a work station;
and
(e) a selective communication channel coupling the output of the remote controller to the controllers;
(f) wherein the selective communication channel distributes addressed machine control commands from the remote controller to the storage device of only selected ones of said machines from where it is applied by the corresponding machine controller to control the selected machine to automatically perform operations physically altering a work unit of work transported and transferred to the selected machine by the transporter and transfer device.

4 more elements

An automatic production system comprising:

(a) a plurality of fixed-base production machines located to form a production line in a work area,
(b) a work conveyor including a plurality of separate work carriers moveable along the production line with a powered carrier drive system,
(c) a movement control system structured to stop each of said carriers only at selected of said production machines,
(d) a positioning system structured to dispose work stopped at each machine in operative alignment with the machine,
(e) a securing device structured to hold work aligned at each machine, and
(f) a controller coupled to the plurality of machines to control the operation of each selectively addressed machine on work operatively aligned and secured at the machine to permit the machine to execute a programmed operation on the work and to effect the release of work secured at each machine after the operation of the machine is completed,
(g) said controller further coupled to the movement control system to permit one of the carriers to transport the work to the next one along said production line of the selected production machines.

4 more elements

An automatic production system comprising:

(a) a power-operated conveyor structured to move a plurality of units of work along a path,
(b) a plurality of separately operable powered machines, each disposed during operation of said conveyor at different fixed locations adjacent to and along said conveyor and each having a local addressable storage device coupled to the machine, each of which storage devices contains storage areas for a plurality of different machine control command sets, each of said machine command sets comprising instructions controlling the machine to perform programmable operations by said machine, different of said machine control command sets causing the machine to operate in different ways,
(c) a generator of selectively addressable machine control command sets arranged in the form of separate transmissible messages,
(d) a receiver at each of said machines coupled to the corresponding local storage device, some of said receivers having a different address from others of said receivers,
(e) a transmission system coupling said generator and said receivers and responsive to an addressed message to communicate messages from the generator to the storage devices at selected of said machines, and
(f) a detector positioned to read a code associated with work conveyed by said conveyor when said work is aligned with a respective machine, wherein said detector is coupled to the corresponding machine and associated storage device;
whereby the machine selects from the storage device those command sets corresponding to a code on the work recognized by the detector and applies the machine control commands in the selected command set to cause the machine to perform a predetermined operation altering the work aligned thereat.

4 more elements

An automatic production system comprising in combination:

(a) a plurality of production tools arranged to form a production line in a work area,
(b) a work conveyor including a plurality of separate work carriers and a power drive system for the carriers,
(c) a movement control system structured to cause said carriers to stop only at selected of said production tools,
(d) a positioning system structured to dispose work stopped at each tool in operative alignment with the tool,
(e) a securing device structured to hold work aligned at each tool, and
(f) a controller coupled to selectively address the plurality of tools and control the operation of each addressed tool on work operatively aligned and secured at the tool to permit the tool to execute a programmed operation on the work, and
(g) said controller further coupled to effect the release of work secured at each tool after the operation of the tool is completed to permit the work to be carried to the next selected production tool along said production line.

4 more elements

An automatic production system for performing different tool operations, such as cutting and shaping operations on different units of work, and wherein the dimensions and shapes of the workpieces vary during the tool operations thereon and wherein quality control is required to properly process work, comprising:

(a) a plurality of selectively addressable, program-controllable machine tool means for performing the different tool operations on the different units of work,
(b) automatic conveying means for operatively disposing selected of the different work units at selected machine tools,
(c) means for automatically addressing and controlling selected machine tools to operate on the work units conveyed thereto,
(d) automatic inspection means located proximate said conveying means for inspecting work after it has been operated on by selected of said tools to determine if the tools have properly performed their automatic operations on the work inspected,
(e) means for effecting predetermined relative alignment between said work and said automatic inspection means,
(f) control means for controlling the operation of said automatic inspection means to cause said inspection means to perform different programmed inspection operations on different units of work,
(g) means for identifying work operatively aligned for inspection by said automatic inspection means and generating code signals identifying said work, and
(h) means for applying said code signals to control the operation of said control means to effect selected inspection operations on different units of work operatively aligned with said inspection means.

5 more elements

An automatic production system comprising in combination:

(a) first conveying means for supporting and carrying a plurality of pallets, each pallet holding at least one unit of work, along a given path defining a production line,
(b) a plurality of production tool means disposed adjacent said first conveying means for performing programmed operation on work presented thereto,
(c) a plurality of pallet transfer means disposed adjacent said fit conveying means for selectively transferring pallets to said tool means,
(d) means aligned with each tool means for engaging a pallet transferred to said tool means by said transfer means,
(e) support means for fixedly holding a pallet in a manner to provide the work held by said pallet in fixed operative relation with respect to the tool means, and
(f) control means for generating command control signals and selectively applying said control signals to control the operations of only selected of said pallet transfer means and of said support means to effect the selective transfer of only selected work-holding pallets to only selected of said tool means and the fixed retention of said pallets at the tool means to which they are transferred to permit said tool means to perform programmed operations on the work presented thereto by said pallets.

3 more elements

An automatic production system comprising in combination:

(a) a conveyor supporting and carrying a plurality of pallets in a given direction along a select path defining a production line, each pallet holding at least one unit of work,
(b) a plurality of production tools disposed adjacent to said conveyor and structured to perform different programmed operations on different units of work conveyed thereto on said pallets,
(c) a plurality of pallet transfer devices, located adjacent to said conveyor so as to transfer a pallet from said conveyor to dispose it and the work it holds adjacent to at least one selected production tool,
(d) a securing device at each tool structured to engage and hold a pallet at a predetermined location with respect to said tool and to dispose the work held by the pallet in a fixed position with respect to the tool, within operating range of the tool, and
(e) a controller structured to generate and selectively address command control messages to control selected pallet transfer devices, securing devices, and production tools:
(1) to transfer selected of said pallets to selected of said tools, and (2) to perform selected programmed operations on selected work supported by said selected pallets.

3 more elements

A method of automatically operating on work comprising:

(a) spacing a plurality of automatic machines apart from each other along a production line, each of said machines having a local tool controller that controls the machine to perform respective automatic tool operations on a unit of work to alter it in respective predetermined ways;
(b) conveying a unit of work along the production line only to work locating positions proximate to a selected plurality of the series of spaced-apart machines, including supporting the unit of work at a work locating position proximate to a first and a second of said machines;
and
(c) controllably operating said first and second machines to simultaneously operate on said selected unit of work by (1) generating on the output of a master controller located remote from said automatic machines a plurality of machine control commands defining information controlling the operation of said first and second machines, (2) communicating the commands to the first and second machines respectively on a common communications channel together with addresses identifying the respective machines, and (3) applying said machine control commands to respective of said tool controllers of said first and second machines to cause the machines controlled thereby to simultaneously perform automatic tool operations on the selected unit of work supported at said work locating position.

1 more element

A method of automatically operating on work comprising:

(a) stationing a plurality of automatic machines apart from each other along a production line, each of said machines having a local tool controller holding a plurality of separately addressable machine command sets that controls the machine to perform respective automatic tool operations on a unit of work to alter it in respective predetermined ways;
(b) supporting a selected unit of work at a work locating position proximate to a first and a second of said machines;
and
(c) controllably operating said first and second machines to simultaneously operate on said selected unit of work by (1) generating from a common source a plurality of machine control commands defining selected of the machine command sets for controlling the operation of said first and second machines, and (2) applying said machine control commands to respective of said tool controllers of said first and second machines to cause the machines controlled thereby to address and apply the respective selected machine command sets to simultaneously perform automatic operations on the selected unit of work supported at said work locating position.

1 more element

A method of automatically operating on work comprising:

(a) spacing a plurality of automatic machines apart from each other along a production line, each of said machines having a local tool controller that controls the tool to perform respective automatic tooling operations on units of work;
(b) applying selected of a plurality of commands to control the conveying of a selected unit of work in a single direction along the production line and transferring the unit of work off the conveyor only to a plurality of selected work locating positions proximate to selected of the machines, including a first position proximate to a first and a second of said machines;
and
(c) applying others of the plurality of commands to cause said first and second machines to simultaneously operate on said selected unit of work by applying a plurality of said commands defining information for controlling the operation of said first and second machines to respective of said tool controllers of said first and second machines to cause the machines controlled thereby to simultaneously perform automatic operations on the selected unit of work supported at said first work locating position to physically alter the unit of work in a selected way.

1 more element

An automatic production method comprising:

(a) spacing apart a plurality of automatic powered machines along a production line, each of said machines including a respective controller;
(b) providing at least some of said plurality of machines so that they can be controllably moved along said production line;
(c) preselecting one of a number of different possible sequences of machines to perform a preprogrammed sequence of operations that alter a selected unit of work;
(d) automatically delivering said unit of work in a single direction along said production line only to a preselected sequence of stationary positions along the line, so that only the machines of said preselected sequence of machines operate on the unit of work in a predetermined order;
(e) automatically generating and applying a plurality of machine control commands to move selected of said moveable machines along said production line;
and
(f) automatically generating and applying a plurality of machine control commands to said respective controllers of said preselected sequence of machines to controllably operate said selected machines to automatically perform said preprogrammed sequence of operations on said unit of work, while the unit of work is held in said stationary positions.

4 more elements

A method for performing automatic operations on a plurality of units of work, comprising:

(a) conveying a plurality of units of work on a conveyor along a predetermined path past a predetermined sequence consisting of a plurality of program-controllable machines, some units of work having a different predetermined sequence than others, wherein at least one of said machines is moveable relative to said conveyor;
(b) with respect to a first selected machine:
(1) generating a plurality of machine control commands on the output of a computer and addressably communicating respective of said machine control commands to the selected machine;
(2) storing in an addressable memory at said selected machine at least some of said communicated machine control commands, wherein the memory contains, at different addresses, different sets of machine control commands, and wherein each set of machine control commands controls the movement of the selected machine or the operation of the selected machine to alter an aligned unit of work;
and
(3) determining at the machine an address in the memory of the selected machine from which to reproduce command control messages and reproducing, from that address, at least a portion of said stored machine control commands and applying the reproduced commands to control the operation of said selected machine to cause the selected machine to move into alignment with a select unit of work at a stationary location and to automatically perform a predetermined operation on the select unit of work altering it in a predetermined fashion, wherein the selected machine is in the sequence that is predetermined for the select unit of work;
and
(c) determining when the predetermined operation on the select unit of work is completed and automatically conveying the unit of work to a selected second of said plurality of machines and repeating steps (1) through (3) to cause said selected second machine to perform a further predetermined operation altering the unit of work.

5 more elements

An automatic production method comprising:

(a) spacing apart a plurality of automatic machines along a production line, each of said machines including a respective controller;
(b) providing at least some of said plurality of automatic machines so that they can be controllably moved along said production line;
(c) preselecting one of a number of possible sequences of machines to perform a preprogrammed sequence of operations on a selected unit of work;
(d) generating and applying a plurality of control commands from a common source and applying some of the control commands to deliver the unit of work in a single pass along said production line only to a preselected series of stationary work stations adjacent to the production line;
(e) applying others of the plurality of control commands to move selected of said moveable machines along said production line to said work stations;
and
(f) applying others of the plurality of control commands to said respective controllers of said preselected sequence of machines to controllably operate said selected machines to automatically perform said preprogrammed sequence of production operations on said unit of work at said work stations.

4 more elements

A method for performing automatic operations on a plurality of units of work, comprising:

(a) simultaneously conveying a plurality of units of work on a conveyor along a predetermined path to a predetermined sequence consisting of a plurality of work stations to which can be moved a plurality of program-controllable machines moveable along side of said conveyor, wherein some units of work have a different predetermined sequence than others;
(b) with respect to a selected first of said plurality of machines:
(1) generating a plurality of machine control commands on the output of a computer and addressably communicating respective of said machine control commands to the selected machine;
(2) storing in an addressable memory at said selected machine at least some of said communicated machine control commands, wherein the memory contains, at different addresses, different sets of machine control commands, and wherein each set of machine control commands controls the movement of the machine or the operation of the machine to alter an aligned unit of work in a predetermined way, different sets physically altering the aligned unit of work differently;
and
(3) determining at the machine, in response to reading a code carried with the workpiece, an address in the memory of the selected machine from which to reproduce a set of machine control commands and reproducing, from that address said stored machine control commands and applying the reproduced commands to control the operation of said selected machine to cause said machine to move into alignment with a select unit of work at a first stationary work station in the predetermined sequence and to automatically perform at the work station a predetermined operation on the select unit of work altering it in a predetermined fashion;
and
(c) determining when the predetermined operation on the select unit of work is completed and automatically conveying the unit of work to a selected second stationary work station at which a selected second of said plurality of machines is aligned and repeating steps (1) through (3) to cause said selected second machine to perform a further predetermined operation altering the unit of work.

5 more elements

An automatic production method for operating on selected transported workpieces with selected of a plurality of automatic machines, each of said machines having a respective base supporting an operating tool end capable of supporting at least one individual tool, said method comprising;

(a) generating from an electronic storage a plurality of machine control commands;
(b) applying selected of said generated machine control commands to control simultaneous transport of a plurality of workpieces along a substantially horizontal path that defines a production line to a plurality of stationary work stations, and to transfer the workpieces to the work stations adjacent to the production line;
(c) directing other of said generated machine control commands to selected of said machines
(d) applying selected of said directed machine control commands to move selected of the bases of the machines parallel and adjacent to said production line independently of the other machines to align the selected machines with workpieces at the work stations along the production line, wherein at least one of the workpieces is aligned with a predetermined subset of machines in a predetermined sequence, and wherein at least another of the workpieces is not aligned with the same predetermined subset of machines in the same sequence;
and
(e) applying other of said directed machine control commands to cause each of the machines to perform a tool operation altering each workpiece held at a work station aligned with each machine.

3 more elements

The system comprising:

(a) a workpiece transporter that defines a production line and that carries work-in-process in a substantially horizontal path,
(b) a plurality of automatic machines having respective local controllers, operating tool ends, and at least one individual tool bit supported at each tool end capable of performing at least one operation on work aligned with the respective machines,
(c) respective powered tool transporters that support selected of said plurality of machines adjacent to the production line and that move said selected machines adjacent to and along said production line under the control of the local controller of the respective machine,
(d) respective multi-part, flexible manipulator arms, each coupled to move the respective tool end to execute multi-axis travel with respect to the work, each of which arms is coupled to and under the control of the local controller of the respective machine, and
(e) a remote controller including an electronic storage device having a plurality of machine control commands stored there in and a reproduction device structured to reproduce from said storage device selected machine control commands and coupled to apply said reproduced signals to control operation of the workpiece transporter and the local controller of selected machines to:
(1) predeterminately align work on the workpiece transporter with respect to selected of said machines, (2) cause said selected machines to execute multi-axis movement of their tool ends with respect to the aligned work and to cause their tool bits to perform predetermined operations thereon, and (3) cause selected of said plurality of tool transporters to move along said production line.

3 more elements

An automatic production system comprising:

(a) a workpiece transporter defining a production line and structured to carry work-in-process in a substantially horizontal path from one end of the production line to the other without backtracking;
(b) a plurality of automatic machines, each of said machines having a respective:
(i) local controller,
(ii) base supporting an operating tool end, which is capable of supporting at least one individual tool bit,
(iii) drive system positioned to move said tool bit in multi-axis travel with respect to work aligned with said machine, and
(iv) local electronic storage device associated with said local controller, which storage device stores machine control commands applied by the local controller to operate the drive system and the machine to perform at least one operation on work aligned with said machine;
(c) powered tool transporters coupled to and supporting selected of said plurality of machines adjacent to the production line, each of said transporters including a power drive that is controllable to move its respective machine back and forth adjacent to and along said production line independently of the other machines;
(d) a remote controller including an electronic storage device that stores a plurality of machine control commands and a reproduction system positioned to extract from said storage device selected machine control commands;
and
(e) a communications system linking the remote controller with the workpiece transporter and the local controllers of said machines and structured to:
(1) communicate selected of said reproduced machine control commands to selected local storage devices associated with the local controllers of selected of said machines so that programmed automatic operations can be carried out on work aligned with said machines, (2) apply selected of said reproduced machine control commands to control the workpiece transporter to cause supported work to move in a controlled manner along the production line relative to said machines, and (3) apply selected of said reproduced machine control commands to control the powered tool transporters to selectively move the associated machines adjacent to the production line to carry out operations on work moving along the production line;
and
(f) wherein the machine control commands stored by the electronic storage device of the remote controller control the workpiece transporter and the tool transporters to coordinate operation on the work by a predetermined sequence of machines.

10 more elements

An automatic production system comprising:

(a) a workpiece transporter that defines a production line and that carries work-in-process in a substantially horizontal path,
(b) a plurality of automatic machines having respective local controllers, operating tool ends, and at least one individual tool bit supported at each tool end capable of performing at least one operation on work aligned with the respective machines,
(c) respective powered machine transporters that support selected of said plurality of machines adjacent to the production line and that move said selected machines along said production line under the control of the local controller of the respective machine,
(d) respective multi-part, flexible manipulator arms, each coupled to move the respective tool end to execute multi-axis travel with respect to the work, each of which arms is coupled to and under the control of the local controller of the respective machine,
(e) a plurality of stationary work stations adjacent to the workpiece transporter and the machine transporters, and
(f) a remote controller including an electronic storage device having a plurality of machine control commands stored therein and a reproduction device structured to reproduce from said storage device selected machine control commands and coupled to apply said reproduced signals to control operation of the workpiece transporter and the local controller of selected machines to:
(1) predeterminately align work at said work stations with respect to selected of said machines, (2) cause said selected machines to execute multi-axis movement of their tool ends with respect to the aligned work and to cause their tool bits to perform predetermined operations thereon, and (3) cause selected of said plurality of machine transporters to move along said production line.

4 more elements

An automatic production system comprising:

(a) a workpiece transporter defining a production line and structured to carry work-in-process in a substantially horizontal path from one end of the production line to the other without backtracking;
(b) a plurality of automatic machines, each of said machines having a respective:
(i) local controller,
(ii) base supporting an operating tool end, which is capable of supporting at least one individual tool bit,
(iii) drive system positioned to move said tool bit in multi-axis travel with respect to work aligned with said machine, and
(iv) local electronic storage device associated with said local controller, which storage device stores machine control commands applied by the local controller to operate the drive system and the machine to perform at least one operation on work aligned with said machine;
(c) powered machine transporters coupled to and supporting selected of said plurality of machines adjacent to the production line, each of said transporters including a power drive that is controllable to move its respective machine back and forth adjacent to and along said production line independently of the other machines;
(d) a remote controller including an electronic storage device that stores a plurality of machine control commands and a reproduction system positioned to extract from said storage device selected machine control commands;
and
(e) a communications system linking the remote controller with the workpiece transporter and the local controllers of said machines and structured to:
(1) communicate selected of said reproduced machine control commands to selected local storage devices associated with the local controllers of selected of said machines so that programmed automatic operations can be carried out on work aligned with said machines, (2) apply selected of said reproduced machine control commands to control the workpiece transporter to cause supported work to move in a controlled manner along the production line relative to said machines and to position the work at selected work stations, and (3) apply selected of said reproduced machine control commands to control the powered machine transporters to selectively move the associated machines adjacent to the production line to carry out operations on work at the selected work stations;
and
(f) wherein the machine control commands stored by the electronic storage device of the remote controller control the workpiece transporter and the machine transporters to coordinate operation on the work by a predetermined sequence of machines.

10 more elements

Flexible manufacturing systems and methods

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Flexible manufacturing systems and methods

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims694