US 8,630,729 B2Granted

Assembly task verification system and method

AssigneeThe Boeing Company

InventorsPhilip L. Freeman, Thomas E. Shepherd, Christopher K. Zuver

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Abstract

A method for verifying completion of a task. Location coordinates of at least one location sensor within a work cell are obtained. At least one sensor is affixed to a tool used to operate on a feature of a structure to be assembled, fabricated or inspected. A virtual object locus is generated based on the location coordinates of the at least one location sensor. The virtual object locus corresponds to a computerized schematic of the structure to be assembled and represents of all possible locations of an object end of the tool within the work cell. One of a plurality of candidate features is identified as the most likely to be the feature operated on by the tool. The identification is based on a probability calculation for each of the candidate features that each respective candidate feature is the feature operated on by the tool.

Claims6

Dependent claims

An assembly task verification system (ATVS), said system comprising:

a work cell within a localized environment, the work cell utilized for assembling a structure using a tool configured to operate on a feature of a structure to be assembled;
an indoor global positioning system configured to use vector bars to define a point of space for locating at least one location sensor affixed to the tool within the work cell to provide three-dimensional location coordinates of the at least one location sensor;
and
an indoor object detection system base station comprising at least one sensor beacon and a base station communicatively linked to the at least one location sensor, the base station configured to:
acquire location coordinates from the at least one locations sensor within the work cell upon receipt of an event signal from the tool and
identify one of a plurality of candidate features as the feature operated on by the tool at the time the event signal was received based on a probability calculation for each of the candidate features that each respective candidate feature is the feature operated on by the tool.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/486,172Filed 1 Jun 2012 · division
Priority: 21 Apr 2006
Published: US 2012/0271448 A125 Oct 2012
Granted: 14 Jan 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

G05B 19/402
Numerical control [NC], i.e. automatically operating machines, in particular machine tools, e.g. in a manufacturing environment, so as to…
G06Q 10/08
Administration; Management: logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
G06Q 10/087
Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management: inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling,…
G06Q 10/0877
Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders: by inventory control or reporting using inventory…

Family

Application11/408,754Parent of this division · filed 21 Apr 2006
US 2012/0271448 A1Pre-grant publication · published 25 Oct 2012
US 8,200,354 B2Parent of this division
US 2007/0265942 A1Published application
US 8,630,729 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.