Vision system for sealant accuracy

Abstract

A vehicle assembly system for sealing and skiving a vehicle seam. The assembly system includes an upstream seam sealant station that determines an offset between the vehicle reference point and the seam using a visual sensor and sends the offset to a downstream seam skiving station. The assembly system also measures the size of the sealant beads and controls the sealant dispensing pressure to maintain the desired size.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 589,730, filed on October 12, 2023, entitled “ROBOTIC SEALANT DISPENSING AND SKAW APPLICATOR AND PROCESS.” Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to a vehicle assembly system for sealing and scraping vehicle seams, and more particularly to a vehicle assembly system for sealing and scraping vehicle seams, wherein the assembly system includes an upstream seam sealant station that utilizes a vision sensor to determine an offset between a vehicle reference point and a seam and sends the offset to a downstream seam scraping station. Background Art

[0004] Various components require seals. One of these components is a vehicle. For example, a vehicle typically requires seals around certain vehicle components, such as windshields, rear windows, lamp covers, etc., to prevent moisture and smoke from intruding into the vehicle passenger compartment. Current vehicle paint shop sealing processes typically require a human operator to lay down a viscous sealant, such as a liquid polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sealant. The current process requires a human operator to wipe (scrape or brush) the sealant off the seam and leave a small amount of sealant in the seam, which is a very labor intensive process and wastes excess sealant, thus being costly. This process is required for components that are assembled on a sealed vehicle body.

[0005] During the vehicle manufacturing process, gauge holes set in the floor pan or subframe of the vehicle are used as key reference points for building the body structure. The subassemblies and panels of the vehicle are assembled using the gauge holes as a baseline. As the vehicle is assembled, key body features that are important to the appearance of the vehicle must be maintained. In order to achieve the dimensional requirements of the exterior of the vehicle body, the seams of the body panels are used to adjust the key body features. This creates seam drift, where the seams are constantly moving in size to compensate for the key body features. The seams of the vehicle require small beads of sealant to meet the process requirements. Known systems employ vision sensors to measure the seam drift of the process or fixed sensors. This vision process is very time consuming.

[0006] PVC sealants are manufactured in large batch mixers, which creates viscosity variations between batches. Additionally, PVC sealants are pre-catalyzed and therefore are very sensitive to aging, which also affects the viscosity of the material. This variation in viscosity causes variations in the sealant applied to the seam, which causes variations in the width of the bead seam of sealant applied to the seam. A sealant bead that is too narrow can allow water to leak into the vehicle, causing warranty claims. A sealant bead that is too wide can cause assembly problems, where the subassembly cannot be assembled to the vehicle without removing the large bead of sealant from the interference point, resulting in the need for manual repairs to the production vehicle. The current correct action for the end user is to manually adjust the pre-pressure of each bead / seam to compensate for the variation in material viscosity. This manual adjustment process is very time consuming.

[0007] Modern vehicle assembly employs robots to perform a variety of tasks, such as body welding and painting. The tasks performed by vehicle assembly robots have become more complex and intricate. Dispensing sealants into intricate vehicle locations is one of those areas where robots have become more useful. However, in certain areas of the vehicle, such as in the taillight area, the seams are dimensionally unstable, which makes the robotic application of sealants more difficult. Summary of the invention

[0008] The following discussion discloses and describes a vehicle assembly system for applying sealant to a seam on a vehicle, wherein the vehicle includes a gauge reference hole. The assembly system includes a first assembly station having at least one vision sensor and at least one robot, the at least one robot having a vision sensor and a dispensing applicator, wherein the dispensing applicator is configured to apply sealant to the seam. The at least one vision sensor at the first assembly station provides an image of the gauge reference hole on the vehicle, and the vision sensor on the at least one robot at the first assembly station provides an image of the seam on the vehicle. The assembly system also includes a second assembly station, the second assembly station being positioned downstream of the first assembly station and having at least one vision sensor and at least one robot, the at least one robot having a vision sensor and a scraper, wherein the scraper is configured to remove excess sealant from the seam on the vehicle. The at least one vision sensor at the second assembly station provides an image of the gauge reference hole on the vehicle. The assembly system also includes a control system responsive to signals from the vision sensors. The control system utilizes signals from the at least one vision sensor at the first assembly station and the second assembly station to identify an orientation and position of the vehicle in space, and utilizes signals from the vision sensor on the at least one robot at the first assembly station to provide an offset of the seam relative to the gauge reference hole on the vehicle. The control system provides the offset from the first assembly station to the second assembly station so that the second assembly station knows the position of the seam determined at the first assembly station relative to the gauge reference hole. The control system also uses a signal from a vision sensor on at least one robot at the first assembly station to measure the size of the sealant that has been dispensed by the dispensing applicator and controls the dispensing pressure of the dispensing applicator to maintain a specific size of the sealant.

[0009] Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 is a diagram of an assembly line for applying sealant to a vehicle;

[0011] Figure 2 is a cutaway isometric view of a robot including a precision seal applicator attached to a robotic arm;

[0012] Figure 3 is an illustration of a manufacturing system showing a vehicle component receiving a sealant and a robot having a scraping tool assembly having a sealant dispensing nozzle;

[0013] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A cutaway isometric view of a scraper assembly is shown with one scraper extended;

[0014] Figure 5is a cutaway isometric view of a sealant dispensing and scraping applicator for a robot for simultaneously applying and scraping sealant;

[0015] Figure 6 is an isometric view of a scraper cleaner;

[0016] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 a front view of the shaving cleaner shown, showing the internal filter and waste collection container; and

[0017] Figure 8 is an isometric view of a scraping solvent washing cleaner. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The following discussion of embodiments of the present disclosure relates to a vehicle assembly system for sealing and skiving a vehicle seam, wherein the assembly system includes an upstream seam sealant station that utilizes a vision sensor to determine an offset between a vehicle reference point and a seam and sends the offset to a downstream seam skiving station, which is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure or its application or uses.

[0019] Figure 1 is an illustration of an assembly line 10 for applying sealant to a vehicle 12 moving along the assembly line 10. The assembly line 10 includes a stopping station 14 at which sealant is dispensed into a seam on the vehicle 12 currently stopped at the stopping station 14. The assembly line 10 also includes a stopping station 16 at which excess sealant is removed from a seam on the vehicle 12 currently stopped at the stopping station 16. In alternative embodiments, the stopping station 14 and / or the stopping station 16 may provide both sealant dispensing and scraping, as will become apparent from the following discussion.

[0020] The stop station 14 includes two robots 18 and 20 that can slide on the track 22, two vision sensors 24 and 26 positioned on one side of the vehicle 12, two robots 28 and 30 that can slide on the track 32, and two vision sensors 34 and 36 positioned on the other side of the vehicle 12. Similarly, the stop station 16 includes two robots 40 and 42 that can slide on the track 44, two vision sensors 46 and 48 positioned on one side of the vehicle 12, two robots 50 and 52 that can slide on the track 54, and two vision sensors 56 and 58 positioned on the other side of the vehicle 12. The number of robots at the stop stations 14 and 16 is shown by way of example, and any reasonable number of robots may be employed for a particular operation. Each of the robots 18, 20, 28, and 30 includes a vision sensor 60 mounted on the robot that locates each seam on the vehicle 12. Vision controller 62 represents all vision control devices necessary to control vision sensors 60 on robots 18, 20, 28, 30, 40, 42, 50 and 52, as well as vision sensors 24, 26, 34, 36, 46, 48, 56 and 58, consistent with the discussion herein where multiple controllers and devices will be required.

[0021] The vehicle 12 is equipped with gauge holes (not shown) on each quadrant of the body of the vehicle 12 that provide a reference position on the vehicle 12. The gauge holes are imaged by the vision sensors 24, 26, 34, and 36, and the vision controller 62 uses those images to identify the location and position of the vehicle 12 in space. After the gauge holes are imaged and the position of the vehicle 12 when stopped at the stop station 14 is mathematically identified by the vision controller 62, the vision sensors 60 on the robots 18, 20, 28, and 30 provide images to the vision controller 62, which identifies the position or offset of the seam on the vehicle 12 relative to the gauge holes to which the robots 18, 20, 28, and 30 apply sealant. In particular, the vision sensors 60 on the robots 18, 20, 28, and 30 provide seam drift position measurements and changes. The robot paths are modified for the seam drift variation, and the robots 18, 20, 28, and 30 utilize appropriate sealant applicators to apply sealant to the various seams on the vehicle 12 parked at the station 14. As will be discussed below, the seam drift offset is sent from the station 14 to the station 16 to be used by the robots 40, 42, 50, and 52 to perform a scraping operation to remove excess sealant from the vehicle 12 parked at the station 16.

[0022] Conventionally, this process of identifying the offset of the seam or some other feature on the vehicle 12 is performed at each stop station 14 and 16. The present disclosure proposes that the mathematical offset between the seam and the gauge hole or other feature is determined at the first stop station (here, stop station 14), and those offsets are passed or sent to the downstream stop station (such as stop station 16) so that the offsets at the downstream stop station do not need to be recalculated, which reduces the cycle time. In addition, if the offsets do not need to be recalculated at the downstream stop station, the robots at those stop stations may not need vision sensors 60, which reduces hardware. The vision system at those downstream stop stations still needs to identify the location of the gauge hole on the vehicle 12. Once the location of the gauge hole is identified, the offset that has been received from the upstream stop station is used to identify the location of the seam. In other embodiments, it may be desirable to have a first stop station that only determines the offset between the gauge hole and the feature on the vehicle and then sends it to the downstream stop station.

[0023] Typically, a positive displacement metering system is used to maintain a constant flow rate of sealant to the sealant applicator on the robot. As generally discussed above, when the viscosity of the material changes, the amount of pre-pressure used when starting to dispense the sealant bead is constant and causes the sealant bead to begin to change as the viscosity of the sealant changes. As the material viscosity decreases, upon initial opening of the sealant applicator, the bead size will initially increase, which produces a larger bead than desired. As the material viscosity increases upon initial opening of the sealant applicator, a smaller sealant bead than desired is produced.

[0024] The present disclosure proposes using a vision system and control algorithms, such as vision sensors 24, 26, 34 and 36, vision sensor 60, vision controller 62 and sealant dispensing controller to adjust the dispensing system pre-pressure of the sealant applicator on, for example, robots 18, 20, 28 and 30 to compensate for changes in the viscosity of the sealant as it is dispensed. The vision system measures critical areas of the seam, typically the starting point of the bead width on each vehicle 12. The vision controller 62 provides the bead width data back to the sealant dispensing controller associated with each robot 18, 20, 28 and 30. The vision system also measures multiple points on the seam to provide individual seam width data and very precise metal sheet seam location, such as less than 0.5 mm seam location accuracy. Using the control algorithm, the dispensing controller adjusts the pre-pressure up or down to compensate for the changing viscosity of the sealant.

[0025] The present disclosure also proposes a robotic sealant applicator that includes robotic vision and a precision applicator tip to precisely place sealant on a joint, eliminating or reducing the labor-intensive manual scraping process. In one embodiment, a small sealant bead width of 3 mm to 12 mm is dispensed to a precise location on the joint to eliminate or reduce the need for manual or robotic scraping. The precision sealant applicator is designed to fit into tight areas, such as the taillight area of ​​a vehicle.

[0026] Figure 2 is a cutaway isometric view of a precision robotic end or arm tool 70 including a precision sealant applicator 72 and a material / air line swivel 74 suitable for the purposes discussed herein. The applicator 72 includes an applicator body 80 and an optional camera 76 attached to the swivel 74, the applicator body having three nozzles 82, 84, and 86 extending therefrom, and the three nozzles are oriented 120° relative to each other. Nozzle 82 includes a straight nozzle end 88 oriented at 0°, nozzle 84 includes a curved nozzle end 90 oriented at 45°, and nozzle 86 includes a curved nozzle end 92 oriented at 90°. Thus, nozzles 82, 84, and 86 provide a compact design with optimized angles to accurately dispense sealant into tight or complex locations with minimal waste, for example, sealant bead widths ranging from 2 mm to 8 mm. In other designs, a different number of nozzles may be provided.

[0027] The present disclosure also includes a discussion of a robotic process in which one or more robots utilize precision tools to dispense sealant onto and scrape sealant off one or more seams of a vehicle. The robotic applicator includes one or more precision applicator tips to precisely place the sealant onto the seam to facilitate robotic scraping, thereby eliminating the labor-intensive manual scraping process. A small bead of sealant is dispensed into a precise location on the seam, and then one or more scrapers located on the tool scrape off excess material to leave a very flat sealed seam in which components such as window glass or other subassemblies can be assembled over the sealed joint without interfering with the seal of the glass to the vehicle body.

[0028] Figure 31 is a cutaway isometric view of a manufacturing system 100 including a robotic arm 102 having an end effector 104 showing such a design in which the end effector is coupled to the robotic arm. The end effector 104 includes a nozzle 106 from which a viscous sealant (e.g., liquid PVC) is dispensed. The nozzle 106 is attached to various devices 108, including a sealant dispensing controller that controls the nozzle 106 to dispense the sealant. The end effector 104 also includes a scraping assembly 112 having three scrapers 114, 116, and 118 rigidly attached to and extending from a coupling 120 on a rod 124, wherein the scrapers 114, 116, and 118 are positioned in a circle and spaced 120° relative to each other. Figure 4 1 is a cutaway isometric view of the end effector 104 with the nozzle 106 and the device 108 removed. In one non-limiting embodiment, the scrapers 114, 116 and 118 are triangular paddles made of a rubber compound. The scrapers 114, 116 and 118 are formed to have a cup-shaped portion 122 that allows the scrapers 114, 116 and 118 to retain a certain amount of sealant during the scraping operation. During the scraping operation, one of the scrapers 114, 116 and 118 extends on the rod 124, and the scraper 114, 116 or 118 is used to remove excess sealant. When changing the scraper, the scrapers 114, 116 and 118 and the rod 124 are keyed to maintain the scraping position. Figure 4 The extended scraper 116 is shown. When the cup 122 of the scraper 114, 116 or 118 is full, the scraper 114, 116 or 118 is retracted, the coupling 120 is rotated, and another scraper 114, 116 or 118 is extended to continue the scraping operation. When the cup 122 of all scrapers 114, 116 and 118 is full of sealant, the sealant is removed from the cup 122 and the scrapers 114, 116 and 118 are cleaned, as will be discussed in detail below.

[0029] In this embodiment, manufacturing assembly 100 includes a vehicle component 130, specifically a rear window frame of a truck, to receive sealant. Robot arm 102 is controlled so that nozzle 106 is positioned in a suitable position close to component 130. Robot arm 102 moves nozzle 106 along component 130 so that when sealant is dispensed from nozzle 106, sealant is deposited on component 130 as a sealant bead 132. After sealant bead 132 is deposited on component 130, robot arm 102 is controlled to position one of scrapers 114, 116, and 118 over the sealant and move the selected scraper 114, 116, or 118 along bead 132 to remove excess sealant. Component 130 is then placed in oven 134 to heat and cure the sealant to provide a desired seal.

[0030] Figure 5 1 is a cutaway isometric view of a robotic sealant system 150 that includes an end effector 152 that can be configured to be attached to a robotic arm 102, rather than the end effector 104 in an alternative embodiment. The system 150 includes a sealant tool 154 having a hollow stem 156 secured at one end to the end effector 152. The tool 154 also includes a scraper 160 attached to the stem 156 opposite the end effector 152. The scraper 160 has a shape, size, and material similar to the scrapers 114, 116, and 118, but also includes a hollow upper portion 162 having an opening 164. A nozzle 166 is secured in the opening 164 and faces downwardly at a lower end 168 of the scraper 160. An applicator 170 is attached to the nozzle 166 inside the hollow portion 162 and passes upward through the stem 156 and is attached to a dispensing system 174 that includes a sealant source. The system 174 also includes a valve through which the sealant is dispensed and a metering device that selectively dispenses the appropriate amount of sealant. In one embodiment, the dispensing system 174 controls the valve to spray the sealant in a pulsed manner using, for example, pulse width modulation (PWM), so that the nozzle 166 does not deposit the sealant continuously, but deposits the sealant as sealant dots in a pulsed manner, which saves sealant material. The controller 176 represents all control devices necessary to control the position of the tool 154 and the operation of the dispensing system 174.

[0031] The tool 154 is positioned, for example, relative to the component 130 so that the nozzle 166 is in position to place the sealant bead 132. The controller 176 controls the dispensing system 174 to pump the sealant down to the applicator 170 to be dispensed by the nozzle 166 as a continuous sealant stream 178 or in pulses. The controller 176 moves the tool 154 so that the nozzle 166 dispenses the sealant stream 178 to form the bead 132 and simultaneously the scraper 160 removes excess sealant as it is laid down on the component 130.

[0032] As mentioned above, the scrapers 114, 116, and 118 require periodic cleaning in order to remove collected sealant therefrom. Figure 6 is an isometric view of a scraper cleaner 180 for removing sealant from scrapers 114, 116, and 118, and Figure 71 is a front view thereof. The scraper cleaner 180 can also clean the scraper 160. The cleaner 180 includes a rectangular frame 182 having an open bottom 184 that allows a collection bucket 186 to be positioned within the frame 182. The cleaner 180 also includes a top plate 190 that supports a scraper front / rear wiping structure 192 having a frame 194 and an opening 196 that is shaped to receive the scrapers 114, 116, and 118. When the cup-shaped portion 122 of each of the scrapers 114, 116, and 118 is full, in this embodiment, the robot arm 102 moves the scraper assembly 112 to the scraper cleaner 180. One of the scrapers 114, 116, and 118 extends and is inserted into the opening 196 so that the sealant in the cup-shaped portion 122 is scraped off on the edge of the opening 196. The extended scraper 114, 116, or 118 is then placed in the air wiping device 200, which blows air onto the extended scraper 114, 116, or 118 to remove any residual sealant on the extended scraper 114, 116, or 118. While the air wiping device 200 blows air onto the extended scraper 114, 116, or 118, the actuator 202 extends the cleaning arm 204 into the structure 192, which pushes the sealant collected in the frame 194 into the bucket 186. The scraper 114, 116, or 118 is then retracted, and the other scrapers 114, 116, or 118 are cleaned in the same manner. A media filter 208 is attached to the frame 182.

[0033] Eventually, a film will form on the scrapers 114, 116, and 118 which cannot be cleaned by the scraper cleaner 180 but needs to be removed. Figure 8is an isometric view of a scraper solvent wash cleaner 210 for removing this film from the scrapers 114, 116, and 118. The wash cleaner 210 includes a frame 212 that supports a tank 214 containing a cleaning solvent and a strategically positioned brush (not shown), and has a top opening 216 extending through a top plate 218 on the frame 212, with a cover 220 slidably mounted to the plate 218 to cover the opening 216 when the cleaner 210 is not in use and to open the opening 216 when the cleaner 210 is in use. A pump and circulation system 222 provides solvent to the tank 214 and removes solvent from the tank. After the scrapers 114, 116, and 118 have been cleaned by the scraper cleaner 180 as described above, the robot arm 102 moves the scraper assembly 112 to the cleaning cleaner 210, extends all the scrapers 114, 116, and 118, and moves the scraper assembly 112 through the opening 216 and into the tank 214 to clean the film off the scrapers 114, 116, and 118. The robot arm 102 rotates and swings the scraper assembly 112 up and down while it is in the tank 214 to rub the scrapers 114, 116, and 118 against the brush to help remove the film. The scraper assembly 112 is then removed from the tank 214, and the scrapers 114, 116, and 118 are retracted. In an alternative embodiment, the brush can be movable, and the scrapers 114, 116, and 118 can be fixed.

[0034] Solvent cleaner 210 may also have many features. For example, a brush may be configured to clean both the front and rear of the scraper and may be configured to be removed and replaced without the use of tools. Tank 214 may have a fluid level sensor to indicate the solvent level therein and may have simple drain and replacement features. Solvent cleaner 210 may have a closed design to minimize steam and solvent evaporation and a closed recirculation system to maintain solvent levels. Opening 216 may be covered with a lid that opens and closes automatically. A filter reservoir may be provided to clean and maintain solvent levels.

[0035] A cleaner may also be provided to clean the applicator 72 including nozzles 82, 84 and 86. This cleaner may have air nozzles for sealant blow-off, a design to manage airflow to eliminate overspray on the vision equipment, and independent air nozzle controls to optimize cleaning.

[0036] The various sealant dispensing and scraping devices and systems discussed herein can provide many advantages and features, many of which have been discussed above. For example, as described above, the bead size of the dispensed sealant can be measured by a visual system to adjust the dispensing pressure, thereby dynamically adjusting the bead size. In addition, the component gap size can be measured, the robot speed can be changed, and / or the dispensing parameters can be adjusted to increase or decrease the sealant bead size. The sealant dispensing nozzle can be accurately positioned, and the amount of the dispensed sealant can be minimized to reduce the sealant waste volume, wherein too much sealant leads to more waste, sealing defects and the need to provide additional scraping. A visual system can be used to independently locate each sealed joint to adjust the changes in the metal sheet body structure. The scraper can be keyed to facilitate the precise positioning of each scraper. The scraping assembly provides the ability to accurately install a replacement scraper. A position sensor can be used to identify the extended / retracted position of the scraper, and a visual system can be used to provide a joint offset to accurately arrange the scraper.

[0037] The foregoing discussion discloses and describes only exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize from this discussion and from the accompanying drawings and claims that various changes, modifications and variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. An assembly system for applying a sealant to a joint on a component, the component including a gauge reference hole, the system comprising: a first assembly station including at least one station vision sensor and at least one robot having a robot vision sensor and a dispensing applicator, the dispensing applicator being configured to apply the sealant to the seam, the at least one station vision sensor at the first assembly station providing an image of the gage reference hole on the component, and the robot vision sensor on the at least one robot at the first assembly station providing an image of the seam on the component; a second assembly station positioned downstream of the first assembly station, and the second assembly station includes at least one station vision sensor and at least one robot having a robot vision sensor and a scraper, the scraper configured to remove excess sealant from a seam on the component, and the at least one station vision sensor at the second assembly station provides an image of the gage reference hole on the component; as well as A control system, in response to signals from the station vision sensor and the robot vision sensor, the control system uses signals from the station vision sensor at the first assembly station and the station vision sensor at the second assembly station to identify the orientation and position of the component in space, and the control system uses signals from the robot vision sensor on at least one robot at the first assembly station to provide an offset of the seam relative to the gauge reference hole on the component, and the control system provides the offset from the first assembly station to the second assembly station so that the second assembly station knows the position of the seam determined at the first assembly station relative to the gauge reference hole.

2. The assembly system according to claim 1, wherein: The control system utilizes signals from a robot vision sensor on at least one robot at the first assembly station to measure a size of the sealant that has been dispensed by the dispensing applicator, and the control system controls a dispensing pressure of the dispensing applicator to maintain a specific size of the sealant.

3. The assembly system according to claim 2, wherein: The control system utilizes signals from a robot vision sensor on at least one robot at the first assembly station to measure dimensions of the sealant at a plurality of points on the seam to provide individual seam width data.

4. The assembly system according to claim 2, wherein: A specific dimension of the sealant is a sealant strip width in the range of 3 mm to 12 mm.

5. The assembly system according to claim 1, wherein: The first assembly station further includes a scraper configured to remove excess sealant from the seam on the components, and the second assembly station further includes a dispensing applicator configured to apply the sealant to the seam.

6. The assembly system according to claim 1, wherein: The component is a vehicle.

7. The assembly system according to claim 1, wherein: At least one station vision sensor at the first assembly station is a first vision sensor and a second vision sensor positioned at one side of the component and a third vision sensor and a fourth vision sensor positioned at the opposite side of the component, and wherein at least one station vision sensor at the second assembly station is a fifth vision sensor and a sixth vision sensor positioned at the one side of the component and a seventh vision sensor and an eighth vision sensor positioned at the opposite side of the component.

8. The assembly system according to claim 1, wherein: At least one robot at the first assembly station is a first robot and a second robot that can be slidably positioned on a track at one side of the component, and a third robot and a fourth robot that can be slidably positioned on a track at an opposite side of the component, and wherein at least one robot at the second assembly station is a fifth robot and a sixth robot that can be slidably positioned on a track at the one side of the component, and a seventh robot and an eighth robot that can be slidably positioned on a track at the opposite side of the component.

9. An assembly system for applying a sealant to a joint on a component, the component including a gauge reference hole, the system comprising: an assembly station including at least one station vision sensor and at least one robot, the at least one robot having a robot vision sensor and a dispensing applicator, the dispensing applicator configured to apply sealant to a seam on the component, the at least one station vision sensor providing an image of the gage reference hole on the component, and the robot vision sensor on the at least one robot providing an image of the seam on the component; as well as a control system responsive to signals from the at least one station vision sensor and from the robot vision sensor on the at least one robot, the control system utilizing the signals from the at least one station vision sensor to identify the orientation and position of the component in space, and the control system utilizing the signals from the robot vision sensor on the at least one robot to provide an offset of the seam relative to the gauge reference hole on the component, the control system utilizing the signals from the robot vision sensor on the at least one robot to measure a size of the sealant that has been dispensed by the dispensing applicator, the control system controlling the dispensing pressure of the dispensing applicator to maintain a specific size of the sealant.

10. The assembly system according to claim 9, wherein: The control system utilizes signals from the robot vision sensor on the at least one robot to measure dimensions of the sealant at a plurality of points on a seam to provide individual seam data.

11. The assembly system according to claim 9, wherein: A specific dimension of the sealant is a sealant strip width in the range of 3 mm to 12 mm.

12. The assembly system of claim 9, wherein: The assembly station also includes a scraper configured to remove excess sealant from the seams on the components.

13. The assembly system of claim 9, wherein: The component is a vehicle.

14. The assembly system of claim 9, wherein: The at least one station vision sensor is a first vision sensor and a second vision sensor positioned at one side of the component and a third vision sensor and a fourth vision sensor positioned at an opposite side of the component.

15. The assembly system of claim 9, wherein: The at least one robot is a first robot and a second robot slidably positioned on a track at one side of the component and a third robot and a fourth robot slidably positioned on a track at an opposite side of the component.

16. A vehicle assembly system for applying a sealant to a seam on a vehicle, the vehicle including a gauge reference hole, the system comprising: a first assembly station including a plurality of station vision sensors and a plurality of robots, each robot having a robot vision sensor and a dispensing applicator, the dispensing applicator configured to apply the sealant to the seam, the plurality of station vision sensors at the first assembly station providing images of the gauge reference holes on the vehicle, and the robot vision sensors on the plurality of robots at the first assembly station providing images of the seams on the vehicle; a second assembly station positioned downstream of the first assembly station and comprising a plurality of station vision sensors and a plurality of robots, each robot having a robot vision sensor and a scraper, the scraper configured to remove excess sealant from a seam on the vehicle, and the plurality of station vision sensors at the second assembly station providing an image of the gauge reference hole on the vehicle; as well as A control system, in response to signals from the robot vision sensor and the station vision sensor, the control system uses signals from the station vision sensor at the first assembly station and the station vision sensor at the second assembly station to identify the orientation and position of the vehicle in space, and the control system uses signals from the robot vision sensors on multiple robots at the first assembly station to provide an offset of the seam relative to the gauge reference hole on the vehicle, the control system provides the offset from the first assembly station to the second assembly station so that the second assembly station knows the position of the seam determined at the first assembly station relative to the gauge reference hole, the control system also uses signals from the robot vision sensors on multiple robots at the first assembly station to measure the size of the sealant that has been dispensed by the dispensing applicator, and the control system controls the dispensing pressure of the dispensing applicator to maintain a specific size of the sealant.

17. The assembly system of claim 16, wherein: The first assembly station further includes a scraper configured to remove excess sealant from a seam on the vehicle, and the second assembly station further includes a dispensing applicator configured to apply the sealant to the seam.

18. The assembly system of claim 16, wherein: A specific dimension of the sealant is a sealant strip width in the range of 3 mm to 12 mm.

19. The assembly system of claim 16, wherein: The multiple station vision sensors at the first assembly station are a first vision sensor and a second vision sensor positioned at one side of the vehicle and a third vision sensor and a fourth vision sensor positioned at an opposite side of the vehicle, and wherein the multiple station vision sensors at the second assembly station are a fifth vision sensor and a sixth vision sensor positioned at the one side of the vehicle and a seventh vision sensor and an eighth vision sensor positioned at the opposite side of the vehicle.

20. The assembly system of claim 16, wherein: The multiple robots at the first assembly station are a first robot and a second robot that can be slidably positioned on a track at one side of the vehicle and a third robot and a fourth robot that can be slidably positioned on a track at an opposite side of the vehicle, and wherein the multiple robots at the second assembly station are a fifth robot and a sixth robot that can be slidably positioned on a track at the one side of the vehicle and a seventh robot and an eighth robot that can be slidably positioned on a track at the opposite side of the vehicle.

Images