Non-linear, animated, interactive assembly guide and method for controlling production
AssigneeElectrical Controls, Inc.
InventorWayne S. Freeze
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A non-linear, animated, interactive assembly guide, and a method and system for creating, using, and managing non-linear, animated, interactive assembly guides to facilitate the assembly of one or more articles of manufacture. The method includes identifying the parts, tools, and test fixtures necessary to create a particular article; creating a three-dimensional graphic representing each said part, tool and test fixture; annotating said graphics; combining said graphics according to a sequence to create a non-linear, animated, interactive assembly guide; displaying said assembly guide where an assembler can observe it while assembling an article; and managing access to said guides.
Claims20
A method performed on at least one computer, said at least one computer having a means for inputting, a means for displaying video, a means for playing audio files, and a means for storing, for creating and using an assembly guide to control the assembly of an article from a collection of parts based on a bill of material and assembly instructions, including using tools as required by said assembly instructions, testing said article using test fixtures as required by said assembly instructions, and capturing and recording production statistics and test results, said method comprising:
- identifying each part necessary to produce said article from said bill of material;
- identifying each tool necessary to produce said article from said assembly instructions;
- identifying each test fixture necessary to test said article from said assembly instructions;
- identifying the sequence of steps necessary to produce said article from said bill of material, said steps comprising individual states related to each part and each tool needed for the production of said article from said bill of material;
- creating a three-dimensional graphic representing each identified part;
- creating a three-dimensional graphic representing each identified tool;
- creating a three-dimensional graphic representing each identified test fixture;
- storing each graphic;
- annotating each graphic with visual clues to create an annotated graphic;
- storing said annotated graphics;
- generating said assembly guide using said annotated graphics and said sequence;
- storing said assembly guide;
- displaying said assembly guide where an assembler can view said assembly guide while said assembler is assembling said article from said discrete parts;
- and
- controlling access to said assembly guide;
- wherein said assembly guide is non-linear in nature and thus control may be transferred non-sequentially to one of several different states based on test results or worker responses during any stage of assembly of said article.
A system for creating and using an assembly guide to control assembly of articles created from discrete parts according to a bill of material and a set of assembly instructions, said assembly guide specifying the use of tools as required by said assembly instructions and the use of test fixtures to test said articles as required by said assembly instructions, comprising:
- a graphics design tool for creating a graphic of each discrete part, each tool, and each test fixture;
- a first database in which each graphic is stored;
- a design tool for annotating each graphic with visual clues to create an annotated graphic;
- a second database in which each annotated graphic is stored;
- a composition tool for creating said assembly guide using said annotated graphics according to a sequence derived from said bill of materials;
- a third database in which said assembly guide is stored;
- an assembly guide player to display said annotated graphics on a means for displaying animated graphics;
- and
- an administrative utility to control access to said system;
- wherein said assembly guide player is run on a computer system;
- and
- wherein said animated graphics are displayed in a three-dimensional format.
An interactive assembly guide to show an assembly worker how to create an assembly from multiple discrete parts comprising:
- a sequence for combining said parts into an assembly including presentations of steps comprising individual states of assembly;
- a means for displaying said guide;
- a means for inputting information into said guide;
- and
- multiple three-dimensional graphic animations;
- wherein each of said multiple graphic animations relate to a discrete part within said guide, and wherein a user may control said assembly guide at one or more different non-sequential states during the assembly procedure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.