Manufacturing processes for motor vehicles

Abstract

Manufacturing process for motor vehicles, in which electronic units are installed at successive assembly stations (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) during an assembly process and are provided with vehicle-specific programs and / or data during the assembly process, in which the programs and data are taken from one of the units (hereinafter referred to as the central unit), which has been preliminarily loaded with these programs and data and from which these programs and data are read out and distributed under the control of the central unit itself after the units have been installed, where the central unit performs the programming for itself and the other units and the central unit remains in the vehicle after the assembly process.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a manufacturing method for motor vehicles in which electronic units are installed at successive assembly stations during an assembly process. These units are control units and / or assemblies.

[0002] During vehicle production, these units are typically partially programmed at separate pre-assembly stations, i.e., provided with programs and / or data for use in the assigned vehicle. Alternatively, one of several program and data sets already present in the control unit / assemblies is selected (so-called variant coding). Due to frequently occurring electromagnetic interference, it is generally not possible, or only possible to a very limited extent, to load programs and / or data into the vehicle wirelessly within the assembly line, for example.

[0003] The usual procedure is prone to failure due to the large number of programming stations, which usually perform their programming tasks in an uncoordinated manner. Since the programming stations generally do not work in parallel with the assembly line, additional effort is required for resequencing and for the precise, sequential delivery of the already programmed units to the assembly line. End-of-line programming is time-consuming and slows down the production flow. Furthermore, errors that occur during the numerous programming processes are difficult to detect and usually only subsequently at the end of the line.

[0004] DE 101 57 578 A1 discloses the use of a mobile programming device to pre-load multiple control units with the relevant data during vehicle production. This data is transferred from a charging station to the programming device. The programming device remains in the vehicle during the programming process. This requires a programming device that must be connected to and disconnected from the vehicle's electrical system. This results in considerable manufacturing effort, not to mention the risk of wear and damage, as well as the logistical costs of transporting the device to and from the charging station.

[0005] Document EP 1 574 396 A2 also discloses a manufacturing method for motor vehicles in which electronic units are installed at successive assembly stations during an assembly process.

[0006] Document DE 100 00 337 A1 discloses a vehicle management device comprising at least one functional unit and an associated, parameterizable control unit. The management device comprises a parameterization unit installed in the vehicle, which is operatively connected to the control unit.

[0007] The document DE 43 15 494 C1 discloses an arrangement for programming control units to be retrofitted or replaced in a motor vehicle containing several control units.

[0008] The invention is based on the object of creating a method of the type mentioned above which enables reliable and rapid programming and data filling of the electronic units during the manufacturing process.

[0009] The invention solves this problem with the features of patent claim 1.

[0010] The central processing unit is one of the control units already installed in the vehicle. In addition to its primary function, it also performs the programming and data loading of the other control units during vehicle operation. Programming and data loading refer, in short, to all data-related measures used to bring the respective control units into a functional state. This includes, among other things, commissioning, configuration, and testing tasks.

[0011] Of course, two control units can also perform this central unit function. It is advantageous to use a control unit that is installed in the vehicle at an early stage of the production process as the central unit. This ensures that all control units are loaded with their programs and data and are therefore functional at the end of production.

[0012] The information / applications required for the above-described inventive and additional function of the central unit can already be present in the central unit prior to its installation or can be loaded after its installation, preferably via a mobile mass storage device (USB stick). The loading prior to installation can be accomplished via a charging station, as is known per se from DE 101 57 578 A1.

[0013] In addition, the central unit can communicate with the outside world during the production process using an integrated or removable, even wireless, communication interface and, for example, signal an error to a central production control device.

[0014] With the invention, programming / data entry of the units is performed on the assembly line without a separate programming device. Each control unit is enabled via the vehicle's electrical system. Even large amounts of data can be transferred safely and reliably to the individual control units.

[0015] A particular embodiment of the invention addresses the additional task of initializing and testing the units successively installed in the vehicle during assembly. The associated initialization and test information can be pre-loaded into the central unit, like the vehicle-specific programs and / or data, or can be imported into the central unit via a mobile mass storage device after the central unit has been installed.

[0016] This allows previously unusable conveyor belt areas to be used for programming, data loading, initialization, and testing, or to be used more efficiently. Even with large data volumes / volumes, vehicle initialization and testing processes can be performed continuously on the assembly line.

[0017] Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the further patent claims and are explained in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawing. The single figure shows a simplified section of a vehicle assembly line.

[0018] A vehicle 1 passes through a series of assembly stations, labeled 2-10, in the assembly line designated "Production Line." All electronic units (not shown) are installed at two assembly stations, 5 and 6. At the preceding assembly station 4, one of the control units, designated as the central unit 11, is installed in the vehicle.

[0019] The central unit 11 contains all the information necessary for assembling the respective vehicle (control unit programs and data, coding data, activation data, vehicle order data, commissioning sequence, etc.) and, optionally, tools (programming tools, coding tools, etc.). These data and tools are loaded into the central unit 11 in a charging station 12 based on information provided by a control system 13. Alternatively, they can also be supplied to the central unit 11 via a replaceable and appropriately pre-loaded mass storage device. The pre-loading of the replaceable mass storage device can be carried out analogously to the operation of the charging station 12.

[0020] If all unit variants are already available, they can be parameterized for an order via an interface (not shown). The commissioning sequence is generated, for example, from a "test plan" together with rules and restrictions from the respective plant structure and the vehicle order.

[0021] As soon as the central unit 11 is inserted into the vehicle, a connection is established to the vehicle's electrical system and the power supply of the vehicle 1. This powers the central unit 11 and begins its operation by executing the programming, testing, and commissioning sequences (automatically and autonomously) for itself and the other control units.

[0022] Central unit 11 travels with the vehicle along the production line. All data and tools required for programming and loading data into the electronic units installed at assembly stations 5 and 6 are located in central unit 11 and are used as needed and / or transferred from central unit 11 to these units.

[0023] After completion of (partial) tests, the central unit 11 wirelessly transmits status information of the tests to the control system 13. The control units, including the central unit 11, are functional and remain in the vehicle.

[0024] When using removable mass storage devices 11', they are removed from vehicle 1 at the subsequent assembly station 7 and returned to the charging station 12. There, they are loaded with the data / programs, etc., for the next vehicle, which is handled analogously to the process described above. Optionally, additional information about the commissioning of the previous vehicle that has not yet been recorded can be read out and saved.

[0025] The mass storage device 11' can be loaded with the data / programs in the charging station 12 and inserted into the central unit 11. The central unit 11 then takes over its own programming and data loading and also controls the corresponding processes for the other control units. The mass storage device 11' can also be partially loaded with these data / programs in the charging station 12, e.g., for all other control units, while the central unit 11 is prepared separately in the charging station.

[0026] The central unit 11 can additionally visualize instructions for the workers on a display located in the vehicle or via wireless image transmission to monitors located next to the assembly line (not shown) and can also receive acknowledgements of worker actions (directly on the display, e.g. via touchscreen or via separate buttons, which can also be buttons on the vehicle) (also not shown).

[0027] The central unit 11 can send feedback on the progress and success of the wiring to the control system 13. Thanks to the intelligence of the central unit 11, the required data exchange with the control system 13 is minimal. This minimizes the requirements for a wireless data transmission infrastructure. This interface also ensures the documentation of, for example, data that requires documentation.

[0028] Control stations 14 provide information about the status of the vehicles in the assembly line at any location and in any filtered manner based on the information from the control system.

[0029] In summary, the advantages of the invention are as follows: The central unit 11 can independently commission vehicles (configure, test, and display assembly progress). It detects the assembly progress and initiates the necessary configuration and test routines. It reports errors immediately or at specific positions in the assembly line to the control system 13, so that, if necessary, rework can be carried out as early as possible using the necessary spare parts / measuring devices to correct the error. With a suitable wireless infrastructure (in the case of WLAN in the form of a dense network of access points), the central unit 11 can also be used for vehicle tracking. In this case, the control station 14 can also be used to precisely display the vehicle's position.

Claims

[1] Manufacturing process for motor vehicles, in which electronic units are installed at successive assembly stations (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) during an assembly process and are provided with vehicle-specific programs and / or data during the assembly process, in which the programs and data are taken from one of the units (hereinafter referred to as the central unit), which has been preliminarily loaded with these programs and data and from which these programs and data are read out and distributed under the control of the central unit itself after the units have been installed, where the central unit performs the programming for itself and the other units and the central unit remains in the vehicle after the assembly process. [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by that the distribution of data and programs is carried out via the vehicle's on-board network. [3] Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the data and programs are loaded into the central unit via a mobile mass storage device (11'). [4] Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by that the data and programs are loaded into the central unit before it is installed in the vehicle. [5] Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by that initialisation and test steps for the units are carried out after the installation of these units, the initialisation and test information of which is preparatory loaded into the central unit together with the vehicle-specific programs and / or data. [6] Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by that control data for the transfer of data and / or programs carried out by the central unit are stored in the central unit. [7] Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized bythat control data for the initialization and test steps carried out by the central unit are stored in the central unit. [8] Method according to one of claims 6 or 7, characterized by that the stored control data is finally removed from the vehicle using a mobile mass storage device.

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