Method for equipping a mounting plate with marked components of a switchgear and / or control system

Abstract

Method for equipping a mounting plate (1) with marked components (2) of a switchgear and / or control system, comprising the steps: - reading planning data of a switching and / or control system into an automatic assembly machine (3) which has a placement robot (4); - Extracting position data of at least one assembly component (2) to be mounted on the mounting plate (1) and / or at least one processing position of the mounting plate (1) from the planning data; - detecting a spatial orientation and / or a position of the mounting plate (1) with an image processing system (5) of the assembly robot (4); - Assigning the position data to at least one position on the mounting plate (1); and - Carrying out at least one processing or assembly step linked to the position on the mounting plate (1) via the planning data at the position on the mounting plate (1) with the assembly robot (4), characterized in that the method comprises extracting a parts list of assembly components (2) from the planning data and providing at least one of the assembly components (2) contained in the parts list at a component feed arranged in the access area of the assembly robot (4), wherein the provision of at least one of the assembly components (2) contained in the parts list comprises either providing a plurality of identical assembly components (2) or magazine-stored assembly components (2) of different designs, which are arranged in a magazine in an assembly sequence that corresponds to a sequence,in which the placement machine (3) positions the placement components (2) on the mounting plate (1), wherein a single one of the placement components (2) is picked up by the placement robot (4) and marked with a unique identification.,

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for equipping a mounting plate or the like with marked components of a switchgear and / or control system according to the preamble of claim 1. Such a method is known from US 2019 / 01 93268 A1. A similar method is also described in DE 44 385 25 A1.

[0002] In the manufacture of switchgear and control systems, the process of equipping the mounting plate with components such as mounting rails, electrical switching elements, cable ducts, and the like, along with the wiring of the switchgear, is the most central and time-consuming work process, and to this day, it is largely performed manually. Not only the complexity of this process, but above all the requirement for as error-free execution as possible, places great demands on the personnel carrying out the assembly.

[0003] The basis for the assembly of the components is a parts list of the components or the circuit diagram itself. In particular, the manual reading of the quantities and article numbers from the circuit diagram, which is often available in paper format and which in practice represents the most common form of instructions for manual assembly, is a complex and error-prone process, since a document comprising several hundred pages must usually be reviewed, which can only be understood with a basic understanding of electrical engineering.

[0004] To make matters worse, the majority of the required assembly components are not picked and prepared on a per-order basis, but must be kept at the workstation of the person performing the assembly in order to retrieve the required quantities. The person performing the assembly is responsible for monitoring inventory levels and, if necessary, requesting replenishment from a central warehouse.

[0005] The placement and assembly of the components on the mounting plate is in most cases based on a design drawing with position specifications for mounting rails, cable ducts and the first components on each mounting rail. Placement based solely on the circuit diagram is a common procedure in around 20% of cases. This usually requires many years of experience because the circuit diagram does not contain any geometric information regarding the components, but only functional information. Thus, positioning is based on empirical values and involves "trying out" and manually pre-distributing the components on the mounting plate. For these reasons, the work step of equipping the mounting plate with components, which has so far been carried out almost exclusively manually, with its approx.25% share of the total processing time, there is considerable potential for improvement both in terms of quality and in terms of processing time and the resulting costs.

[0006] It is therefore the object of the invention to propose a method for assembling a mounting plate of a switchgear and / or control system which, on the one hand, ensures high process reliability and, on the other hand, enables short processing times.

[0007] This object is achieved by a method having the features of claim 1. The dependent claims each relate to advantageous embodiments of the invention.

[0008] Accordingly, the method comprises the steps: - Reading planning data of a switching and / or control system into a placement machine which has a placement robot; - Extracting position data of at least one assembly component to be mounted on the mounting plate and / or at least one processing position of the mounting plate from the planning data; - Detecting a spatial orientation and / or a position of the mounting plate with an image processing system of the placement robot; - Assigning the position data to at least one position on the mounting plate; and - Carrying out at least one processing or assembly step linked to the position on the mounting plate via the planning data at the position on the mounting plate with the assembly robot, wherein the method comprises extracting a parts list of assembly components from the planning data and providing at least one of the assembly components contained in the parts list at a component feed arranged in the access area of the assembly robot, wherein the provision of at least one of the assembly components contained in the parts list comprises either providing a plurality of identical assembly components or magazined assembly components of different designs, which are arranged in a magazine in an assembly sequence that corresponds to an order in which the assembly machine positions the assembly components on the mounting plate,whereby a single component of the assembly is picked up by the assembly robot and marked with a unique identifier.

[0009] The invention takes advantage of the fact that the planning data generated during the development of a switchgear or control system using modern software-supported engineering systems, for example, an ECAD or MCAD system, already contains all the information required for the automated assembly of the mounting plate in digital form, such as position data, alignment data, assembly type data, component design data, hole pattern data, and the like. With the help of a placement robot, which can be an articulated-arm robot, for example, machine data for controlling the placement robot can be generated on the basis of the aforementioned data, which allows for the automated assembly of the mounting plate. The parts list already contained in the planning data can, for example, be used to specify an assembly sequence for the placement robot.If the assembly components are fed to the assembly robot in a defined sequence at a defined transfer position located within the robot's operating range, and the exact alignment of the mounting plate to be assembled relative to the assembly robot is known, process-reliable assembly of the assembly plate is possible. For example, a placement layout can be extracted from the planning data. This layout contains position data regarding the assembly components, which can be used to generate machine data for controlling the placement machine.

[0010] The assembly of the mounting plate can also include machining the mounting plate insofar as the assembly robot performs the required machining steps on the mounting plate, as required and derived from the planning data. For example, the planning data can contain a drill hole pattern of the mounting plate, which can be inserted into the mounting plate by the assembly robot using a suitable tool. It can also be provided that the assembly machine, in particular the assembly robot, merely checks for the presence of a prepared machining step on the mounting plate, for example, the presence of a drill hole pattern.

[0011] Likewise, a drill hole pattern already present in the mounting plate can also be used by the placement robot to record the spatial orientation and / or position of the mounting plate in relation to the placement robot or the placement robot. For this purpose, the drill hole can be recorded using the placement robot's image processing system and compared with a drill hole pattern stored in the planning data. This can be used, for example, to determine an angular offset or lateral offset of the mounting plate relative to a target position of the mounting plate in relation to the placement robot or the placement robot. This offset can be taken into account as an offset when determining the positions on the mounting plate by extracting corresponding position data from the planning data.

[0012] The planning data can be provided from a planning system, for example, an ECAD system. In this case, it can be provided that, in a first step, before the planning data obtained from the planning system is read in, the planning data is checked using a test routine to determine the suitability for automation of the processing and / or assembly steps stored in the planning data. The method can further include optimizing processing or assembly steps that cannot be automated to the extent that they are automatable.For example, two components that are arranged too close to each other according to the planning data from the planning system to be positioned automatically on the mounting plate using the placement robot and its end effector or to be wired in a wiring process following the placement can be positioned further apart, provided that the overall planning stored in the planning data allows this.

[0013] The planning data can be read in manually or by automatic identification by reading a product identification code, an RFID chip, or the like. The planning data can be loaded directly into the pick-and-place machine. Alternatively, the pick-and-place machine can be connected via IP to an external server, which the planning system can also access if necessary, providing the planning data for retrieval by the pick-and-place machine.It can be provided that the extraction of the data required for the method according to the invention from the planning data, for example the extraction of position data of the assembly components to be mounted on the mounting plate, is carried out by the assembly machine itself or by a decentralized computer which, for example, has access to the aforementioned server or is hosted on it and, at the request of the assembly machine, provides the assembly machine with the correspondingly extracted data via the server.

[0014] The method can further provide that, before the mounting plate is equipped with the assembly components, the assembly robot scans the borehole image formed in the mounting plate with the aid of its image processing system and compares the determined actual data of the holes found with the target data for the borehole image stored in the planning data.

[0015] The mounting plate can be equipped with components, particularly with the help of pre-assembled components, operating materials, and fastening elements. These can be divided into the following five main groups: mounting rails, cable ducts, small and serial components, large and individual components, and fastening elements such as screws and / or rivets. These components can be provided in various designs so that they can be picked up, positioned, and, if necessary, mounted on the mounting plate by the placement robot. The mounting rails and cable ducts can be pre-assembled, for example, stacked or lined up on a transport trolley and fed from a cutting machine to the placement machine.Alternatively, these two component types can also be cut to size directly on the placement machine in a process-related manner and provided individually or via a buffer from where the placement robot picks up the mounting rails or cable ducts.

[0016] The small and series components can be arranged stationary or mobile via a transport trolley containing various magazines that are picked on a project-specific basis and then transferred to the pick-and-place machine. They can be arranged in a defined orientation and position relative to the pick-and-place robot, allowing the robot to reliably remove the components stored in the magazines. In the magazines, the components can be arranged in a predetermined order, for example, corresponding to an advantageous assembly sequence of the components derived from the parts list.

[0017] The large and individual components such as load break switches and the like can also be provided for the placement machine in a stationary manner or via a mobile transport trolley, which in turn is designed and arranged in relation to the placement machine in such a way that a process-reliable removal of the components from the transport trolley by the placement robot is possible.

[0018] The fastening elements, such as screws, rivets, and the like, can be provided either via a conveyor or a magazine, or transferred semi-automatically or fully automatically to a fastening tool of the pick-and-place machine. For example, a screw magazine can be fed to an electric screwdriving tool, which has an adapter that allows the tool to be adapted to the gripper on the end effector of the pick-and-place robot, so that the pick-and-place robot can reliably maneuver the electric tool relative to the mounting plate, for example, to screw a mounting rail to the mounting plate.

[0019] The placement robot can, for example, be designed as an articulated-arm robot. Advantageously, the placement robot has a multifunctional end effector, which simultaneously allows the handling of the components required for placement as well as the handling of tooling devices. This can, in particular, perform the necessary movements, such as positioning and locking the components onto the mounting plate or onto a mounting rail. For example, the multifunctional end effector can be designed to pick up and handle the various placement components, as well as a drilling module and a fastening system, and place them on the mounting plate as required. The image processing system can also be located on the end effector.This can, for example, have a camera or a scanner that can identify the orientation and / or position of the mounting plate as well as any holes and cutouts and (already assembled) components on the mounting plate or on supply units such as transport trolleys.

[0020] An end effector can be used to grip and secure the various assembly components. It uses a force- and / or displacement-controlled gripping module. This ensures that the components to be gripped by the gripping module during the assembly process, which can differ significantly from one another, particularly in terms of their geometry, do not need to be taught individually. Instead, they can be gripped individually. A minimum force can be applied to each component regardless of its size, enabling process-reliable handling and fastening.With the assembly robot, particularly when it is equipped as an articulated arm robot with a multifunctional end effector of the type described above, it can be achieved that the components can be assembled both in a vertical direction from above, in a horizontal direction from the side, and in an inclined position in an angular range lying between the horizontal and the vertical.

[0021] After the placement or assembly of an assembly component on the mounting plate, it can be provided that a functional and quality control is carried out by monitoring a defined pull-off force and / or by additionally checking a defined torque in screwing processes or the pull-off force in riveting processes.

[0022] The detection of the spatial orientation and / or a position of the mounting plate can comprise the detection of an orientation and / or a position of at least one borehole, at least one borehole image, or at least one breakout in the mounting plate and the comparison of at least one detected orientation and / or position with a target specification extracted from the planning data.

[0023] At least one drill hole, at least one drill hole pattern, or at least one breakout can be made in the mounting plate with the placement robot if at least one missing drill hole, a missing drill hole pattern, or a missing breakout has been detected during the calibration, deviating from the target specification.

[0024] The method may further comprise the insertion of at least one drill hole, at least one drill hole pattern, or at least one cutout into the mounting plate using the placement robot. For this purpose, the placement robot, using a gripper on its end effector, can pick up a tool from a reference position associated with the mounting plate. The tool may be, for example, an electrically driven drill. The tool may be, for example, a hand drill or a router equipped with an adapter molded onto the drill or router housing so that it can be reliably engaged and guided by the gripper.

[0025] The placement robot can move the tool removed from the reference position to a position on the mounting plate to which at least one processing step is assigned via the planning data, for example, the creation of at least one drill hole, at least one drill hole pattern, or at least one cutout in the mounting plate. The placement robot can then perform the at least one processing step with the tool. In addition to spatially guiding the tool relative to the mounting plate, this can also include controlling the tool, for example, activating or deactivating a drive of the tool.

[0026] Furthermore, the method can comprise picking up the assembly component from the access area with a gripper on the end effector of the assembly robot and marking the picked up assembly component with a unique identifier which is extracted from the planning data, preferably from a parts list of the planning data.

[0027] Providing at least one of the assembly components contained in the parts list involves providing a plurality of identical assembly components, a single one of which is picked up by the assembly robot and provided with a unique identification. Instead of identical assembly components, magazined assembly components of different designs can also be provided, with the assembly components being arranged in the magazine in a sequence that corresponds to the sequence in which the assembly robot positions the components on the mounting plate.

[0028] For marking, the relevant assembly component can be placed on a labeling unit by the assembly robot. The process can include optically readable labeling of the assembly component with the labeling unit, and, after labeling, retrieving the assembly component from the labeling unit with the assembly robot.

[0029] After being prepared, picked up, and marked, the assembly component can be placed on the mounting plate by the assembly robot. For this purpose, the unique marking of the assembly component can be used to extract associated position data from the planning data.

[0030] After placement, the assembly component can be released by the gripper on the end effector of the assembly robot, whereupon the assembly robot uses the gripper to pick up a fastening tool device, such as an electrically driven screwdriver or a riveting device, from a device removal position by the assembly robot gripping the fastening tool device with the gripper or picking it up via a changing system, such as a quick-change coupling, and feeding it to at least one fastening position on the mounting plate, for which purpose assembly position data assigned to the assembly component are extracted from the planning data.

[0031] The provision of at least one of the assembly components contained in the parts list can comprise the provision of a mounting rail which is removed from the component feeder by the assembly robot, placed at a mounting position on the mounting plate, and mounted at the mounting position on the mounting plate. Subsequently, at least one further assembly component contained in the parts list can be removed from the component feeder by the assembly robot and mounted on the mounting rail mounted on the mounting plate, preferably snapped onto the mounting rail. It can also be provided that all mounting rails, such as top-hat rails, are first placed one after the other on the mounting plate at their mounting position, and only then are the mounting rails mounted on the mounting plate.

[0032] It can be provided that additional assembly position data assigned to the additional assembly component are extracted from the planning data, which specify a mounting position of the additional assembly component along the mounting rail. In this case, movement data assigned to the assembly component for mounting the additional assembly component on the mounting rail can be extracted from the planning data, which movement data specify an assembly movement to be performed by the assembly robot for mounting the additional assembly component on the mounting rail.

[0033] The assembly component can be provided as a bar or continuous product and can be, for example, a cable duct or a mounting rail, such as a top-hat rail. The method comprises cutting the assembly component to length, for which purpose, length data for a component to be mounted on the mounting plate is extracted from the planning data. After cutting to length, the assembly component can be provided at a component feeder located within the access area of the assembly robot for removal by the assembly robot.

[0034] After at least one processing or assembly step and a related quality check have been carried out, a result of the quality check can be stored in the planning data and clearly assigned to the checked assembly component or the checked processing position via the position data of the planning data.

[0035] Preferably, at least all assembly component and tool movements are carried out by the assembly robot during the entire process with the same end effector and gripper of the assembly robot, for which purpose the gripper can have two gripper jaws that can be adjusted relative to one another, preferably two plate-shaped gripper jaws that can be adjusted linearly relative to one another, which clamp the respective element to be removed by adjusting the gripper jaws relative to one another.

[0036] In order to ensure process-reliable removal, it can be provided that the element to be removed, for example a component for assembly, a tool or the like, engages with an adapter in a gripping area of the gripper jaws that can be adjusted relative to one another.

[0037] Further details of the invention are explained with reference to the following figures. Fig. 1 a schematic overview to illustrate an embodiment of the method according to the invention; Fig. 2 shows a schematic representation of a flow diagram of the assembly of a mounting plate with assembly components; Fig. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of a multifunctional gripper for use in a method according to the invention; Fig. 4 the application of the gripper according to Fig. 3 for maneuvering a mounting rail; and Fig. 5 the use of the gripper according to Fig. 3 for maneuvering a series connection terminal.

[0038] The Fig. 1 shows a schematic system structure for implementing the method according to one embodiment of the invention. Accordingly, a placement machine 3 can comprise a placement robot 4, which is embodied here as an articulated-arm robot and has a multifunctional end effector 10 at its gripper end, as well as an image processing system 5. The image processing system 5 can comprise a camera, a scanner, or another electromagnetic measuring device, in particular a device for optically detecting the surface of the mounting plate 1 and, if applicable, the placement components 2 arranged thereon, or the holes and cutouts introduced therein.

[0039] The mounting plate 1 is fed to the pick and place machine 3 by means of a transport carriage 15, preferably aligned horizontally. For example, the transport carriage 15 can be designed to enable the assisted disassembly of the mounting plate from a pre-assembled control cabinet without the load of the mounting plate 1 having to be held by a person carrying out the transfer of the assembly. Accordingly, it can be provided that the transport carriage 15 has suitable holders and fastening means with the aid of which the mounting plate 1 can be removed from the control cabinet and fastened to the transport carriage 15. After the removal of the mounting plate 1, which is mounted vertically in the control cabinet, from the control cabinet, the mounting plate 1 can be transported with the transport carriage 15 into the Fig. 1 and fed to the placement machine 3. After the mounting plate 1 has been equipped with the components 2 using the placement machine 3, it can be reinserted into the control cabinet using the transport carriage 15 and secured there manually or semi-automatically if necessary. For the complete handling of the mounting plate 1, from the removal of the mounting plate 1 from the control cabinet to the return of the mounting plate 1 into the control cabinet, the mounting plate 1 can be permanently held and maneuvered using the transport carriage 15, so that no strenuous manual handling of the mounting plate 1 is required.

[0040] In summary, the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 illustrates the assembly process. After the mounting plate 1 has been brought into a horizontal position in the manner described above and fed to the placement machine 3, and in particular to the placement robot 4 of the placement machine 3, the placement robot 4 can check the exact alignment of the mounting plate 1 with respect to the robot 4 in a first processing step, thus facilitating the handling of the mounting plate 1 in that it is no longer absolutely necessary to manually move the mounting plate 1 into a precise, defined position in order to enable reliable processing or assembly of the mounting plate 1.

[0041] The detection of the alignment of the mounting plate 1 with respect to the placement robot 4 can be carried out, for example, using the image processing system 5 on the end effector 10 of the placement robot 4, for example by optically detecting a drill hole image or another optically detectable concise contour on the upper side of the mounting plate 1 and by image processing comparing a desired alignment of the mounting plate 1 with an actual alignment of the mounting plate 1 and calculating an offset therefrom if necessary.

[0042] The target orientation of the mounting plate 1 as well as all other planning data required for the assembly of the mounting plate 1 can be provided directly from a planning system, for example from an ECAD system and / or an MCAD system. The target orientation of the mounting plate 1 can be determined by the planning system of the placement machine 3 directly or indirectly (via a server or cloud-based) based on the provided planning data. The planning data can, for example, contain a target drill hole pattern, which is compared in the manner described above with an actual drill hole pattern acquired by the image processing system 5 to determine the orientation of the mounting plate 1 with respect to the placement robot 4.

[0043] Before the actual assembly of the mounting plate 1 with assembly components 2 begins, it can be provided that the project to be assembled is checked for its suitability for automation using a test routine and, if necessary, manipulated if at least one assembly step turns out to be non-automatable during the check, for example because the assembly robot 4, in particular the end effector 10 with its gripper 9, is unsuitable for the respective assembly step. The optimization can be carried out in particular such that all assembly steps are carried out at least largely with the same end effector 10, in particular with the same gripper 9 at the end of the end effector 10 (cf. Fig. 3 to 5) can be carried out, so that at the end of the process, a substantially fully assembled mounting plate 1 is actually provided, which requires no or at most very minimal manual rework. The optimization of the assembly process can be carried out by the placement machine 3 itself or decentrally on a server, for example, cloud-based, which can be accessed by both the ECAD system or another planning system and the placement machine 3.

[0044] Determining the relative orientation of the mounting plate 1 with respect to the placement machine 3 and in particular the placement robot 4 can involve optically capturing the entire surface of the mounting plate 1, for example by scanning it, so that in the same work step, the complete hole pattern that may already be formed on the mounting plate, which may include, for example, drill holes, cutouts, and the like for the assembly of placement components, is captured. The hole pattern determined as part of the complete capture of the mounting plate 1 can be compared with corresponding hole pattern data that can be extracted from the planning data. This extraction process can also be carried out by the placement machine 3 itself or decentrally on a server, for example cloud-based, to which the placement machine 3 has access.Should the inspection reveal that a drill hole, a breakout, or other mechanical processing of the mounting plate 1, which should be present according to the installed hole pattern data, is missing, this hole or breakout can be created in the mounting plate 1 by a processing step performed by the pick and place machine 3. For this purpose, the pick and place robot 4, with its end effector 10, can take a suitable tool 11 from a tool transfer interface of the pick and place machine 3, guide it to the mounting plate 1, and control the tool 11 such that the required processing of the mounting plate 1 is carried out. The tools 11 can, for example, be hand-held processing devices known from the prior art, for example a hand-held drill having an adapter 20 molded onto its housing or subsequently mounted thereon, which adapter is compatible with the gripper 9 (cf. Fig. 3 to 5) of the end effector 10, so that the assembly robot 4 can handle the tool device 11 in a process-reliable manner.

[0045] After verifying, if necessary by re-scanning the top of the mounting plate with the image processing system 5, that the actual hole pattern introduced into the mounting plate 1 corresponds to a target hole pattern according to the hole pattern data from the planning data, the actual assembly process of the mounting plate 1 can begin. The automated assembly of the mounting plate 1 can be carried out with the aid of pre-assembled components / equipment and fastening elements. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the components 2 can be assigned to the pick-and-place machine 3, for example, using transport carriages 15, so that the pick-and-place robot 4 can reliably remove the components 2 from the respective transport carriage 15. Small-sized assembly components 2, for example, series connection terminals, can be stored in magazines 19.

[0046] The assembly components 2 can, for example, be divided into the following five main groups: support rails, cable ducts, small and series components, large and individual components, and fastening elements such as screws, rivets, and the like. The support rails and cable ducts can, for example, be pre-assembled, for example stacked or lined up, and transferred on the transport carriage from a corresponding cutting system for cutting support rails and / or cable ducts to the assembly machine 3. Alternatively, support rails and cable ducts in particular can also be cut directly on the assembly machine 3 from bar stock or continuous material in a process-related manner and provided individually or via a buffer at a transfer interface from which the assembly robot 4 can remove the respective component 4.Similarly, the small and series components can be loaded or picked in the goods receiving area either stationary or mobile via a transport carriage 15 having various magazines 19 and then transferred to the pick-and-place machine 3 and, if necessary, coupled or fixed to the pick-and-place machine 3 for the purpose of defined alignment of the magazines 19 with respect to the pick-and-place machine 3. The large and individual components can also be provided stationary or via a mobile transport carriage 15, which, for example, has different levels and thus offers the possibility of being picked up by the end effector 10.

[0047] The fasteners, such as screws, rivets, and the like, are provided either via a conveyor or a magazine, or are transferred to the fastening system semi-automatically or fully automatically. For example, one of the tool devices 11 can be designed as an electric screwdriver, to which suitable screws are fed via a screw magazine.

[0048] In addition, the Fig. The placement machine 3 shown in Figure 1 has a labeling unit 14 that enables the individual marking of the components to be assembled. For example, the labeling unit 14 can have a marking laser. For example, it is possible for the placement robot 4 to remove a component 2, such as a series connection terminal, from the magazine 19, which, according to a parts list extracted from the planning data, is the next component to be assembled in the switchgear and / or control system to be created on the mounting plate 1.The component removed from the magazine 19 can be placed on the labeling unit 14 by the placement robot 4 before assembly on the mounting plate 1 or brought close to it. The labeling unit 14 then applies an individual marking to the component, which is either specified by the planning data or generated by the placement machine 3 itself and subsequently stored in the planning data. After the labeling of the placement component 2, it can then be mounted on the mounting plate 1 by the placement robot 4.

[0049] The method according to the invention allows, in particular, that, in contrast to the processes known from the prior art, for example, a top-hat rail for mounting series connection terminals is mounted on the mounting plate 1 before the series connection terminals are mounted on the top-hat rail. This has the particular advantage that, for handling and fastening the top-hat rail on the mounting plate 1, no free space needs to be left at the opposite ends of the top-hat rail in order to enable the subsequent screwing of the top-hat rail to the mounting plate 1. Instead, the method according to the invention allows the top-hat rail, since it is already fixed to the mounting plate, to be equipped with components, for example with series connection terminals, over its entire length, thus achieving better utilization of the mounting surface of the mounting plate 1.The above principle is transferable to other rail-based mounting systems commonly used in switchgear construction and, in particular, is not limited to DIN rails for mounting series connection terminals.

[0050] For example, a mounting rail can be removed from the transport carriage 15, placed on the labeling unit 14, and after labeling by the labeling unit 14 on the mounting plate 1 according to the planning data, in particular the position data of the planning data, and screwed to the mounting plate 1 or otherwise fastened thereto. After the mounting rail 16 has been fastened to the mounting plate 1, the assembly robot 4 can, for example, remove a series connection terminal from the magazine 19, label it using the labeling unit 14, and then lock it onto the mounting rail 16, which can in particular be a top-hat rail. The assembly components 2 accommodated in the magazine 19 can, for example, be pre-assembled in a defined sequence that corresponds to a sequence of the assembly components with which they are fastened to the mounting rail 16.This type of magazine is particularly useful when not only similar components are to be lined up on the DIN rail, but also components with different constructions. Structurally similar components are individually labeled exclusively with the help of the labeling unit 14.

[0051] After the mounting plate 1 has been provided with mounting rails 16 and electrical components 18 fastened thereon, cable ducts 17 can be mounted on the mounting plate in an analogous manner.

[0052] The Fig. 3 to 5 show an exemplary embodiment of a gripper 9 which is used for an end effector 10 (see Fig. 1) and is particularly characterized by its suitability for handling a wide variety of assembly components and tooling devices. It essentially comprises an adjustment unit 13, which may be a linear adjustment unit, and by means of which two gripper jaws 12, which may be plate-shaped, can be adjusted relative to one another, in particular linearly.

[0053] The Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 show that with the help of the contours formed on the opposite inner sides of the gripper jaws 12, the handling of a wide variety of components is possible, for example, on the one hand, the handling of mounting rails such as top hat rails (see Fig. 4) or the handling of electrical components, such as conductor terminals (see Fig. 5).

[0054] The features of the invention disclosed in the above description, in the drawings and in the claims may be essential for the realization of the invention both individually and in any combination. List of reference symbols:7 1 mounting plate 2 Assembly components 3 placement machine 4 assembly robots 5 Image processing system 6 borehole 7 Borehole diagram 8 Outbreak 9 grippers 10 End effector 11 Tool device 12 gripper jaw 13 Adjustment unit 14 Labeling unit 15 transport trolleys 16 mounting rail 17 cable duct 18 electrical components 19 Magazine 20 adapters

Claims

[1] Method for equipping a mounting plate (1) with marked components (2) of a switchgear and / or control system, comprising the steps: - reading planning data of a switching and / or control system into an automatic assembly machine (3) which has a placement robot (4); - Extracting position data of at least one assembly component (2) to be mounted on the mounting plate (1) and / or at least one processing position of the mounting plate (1) from the planning data; - detecting a spatial orientation and / or a position of the mounting plate (1) with an image processing system (5) of the assembly robot (4); - Assigning the position data to at least one position on the mounting plate (1); and - Executing at least one processing or assembly step linked to the position on the mounting plate (1) via the planning data at the position on the mounting plate (1) with the assembly robot (4) characterized byin that the method comprises extracting a parts list of assembly components (2) from the planning data and providing at least one of the assembly components (2) contained in the parts list at a component feed which is arranged in the access area of the assembly robot (4), wherein the provision of at least one of the assembly components (2) contained in the parts list comprises either the provision of a plurality of identical assembly components (2) or magazine-stored assembly components (2) of different designs, which are arranged in a magazine in an assembly sequence which corresponds to an order in which the assembly machine (3) positions the assembly components (2) on the mounting plate (1), wherein a single one of the assembly components (2) is picked up by the assembly robot (4) and marked with a unique identifier. [2] Method according to claim 1, wherein the detection comprises detecting an orientation and / or a position of at least one borehole (6), at least one borehole image (7), or at least one breakout (8) in the mounting plate (1) and comparing at least one orientation and / or position detected thereby with a target specification extracted from the planning data. [3] Method according to claim 2, in which at least one borehole (6), at least one borehole pattern (7), or at least one breakout (8) is introduced into the mounting plate (1) by the assembly robot (4) if, during the adjustment, at least one missing borehole (6), a missing borehole pattern (7), or a missing breakout (8) has been detected which deviates from the target specification. [4] Method according to one of the preceding claims, which comprises introducing at least one borehole (6), at least one borehole pattern (7), or at least one excavation (8) into the mounting plate (1) with the assembly robot (4), for which purpose the assembly robot (4) removes a tool device (11) from a reference position assigned to the mounting plate (1) with a gripper (9) on its end effector (10). [5] Method according to claim 4, in which the placement robot (4) feeds the tool (11) removed from the reference position to a position on the mounting plate (1) to which at least one processing step is assigned via the planning data, preferably the introduction of at least one drill hole (6), at least one drill hole pattern (7), or at least one breakout (8) in the mounting plate (1), and in which the placement robot (4) carries out the at least one processing step with the tool (11). [6] Method according to claim 4, which comprises picking up the assembly component (2) from the access area with the gripper (9) on the end effector (10) of the assembly robot (4) and marking the picked up assembly component (2) with a unique identification which is extracted from the planning data, preferably from the parts list. [7] Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which the marking comprises placing the assembly component (2) on a labelling unit (14) with the assembly robot (4) and optically readable labelling of the assembly component (2) with the labelling unit (14) and, after the labelling, picking up the assembly component (2) with the assembly robot (4) from the labelling unit (14). [8] Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which the assembly component (2) is placed on the mounting plate (1) after being provided, picked up and marked by the assembly robot (4), for which purpose position data associated with the assembly component (2) are extracted from the planning data via the unique marking. [9] Method according to claim 8, wherein the assembly component (2) is released after placement by the gripper (9) on the end effector (10) of the assembly robot (4), whereupon the assembly robot (4) with the gripper (9) removes a fastening tool device (11), such as an electrically driven screwdriver or a riveting device, from a device removal position by the assembly robot (4) gripping the fastening tool device (11) with the gripper (9) or picking it up via a changing system, such as a quick-change coupling, and feeding it to at least one fastening position on the mounting plate (1), for which purpose assembly position data assigned to the assembly component (2) are extracted from the planning data. [10] Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which the provision of at least one of the assembly components (2) contained in the parts list comprises the provision of a mounting rail (16) which is removed from the component feeder by the assembly robot (4), placed at a mounting position on the mounting plate (1) and mounted at the mounting position on the mounting plate (1), wherein subsequently at least one further assembly component (2) contained in the parts list is removed from the component feeder by the assembly robot (4) and mounted on the mounting rail (16) mounted on the mounting plate (1), preferably snapped onto the mounting rail (16). [11] Method according to claim 10, in which further mounting position data assigned to the further assembly component (2) are extracted from the planning data, which predetermine a mounting position of the further assembly component (2) along the mounting rail (16), wherein for mounting the further assembly component (2) on the mounting rail (16) movement data assigned to the assembly component (2) are extracted from the planning data, by which a mounting movement to be carried out by the assembly robot (4) for mounting the further assembly component (2) on the mounting rail (16) is specified. [12] Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which the assembly component (2) is provided as a bar or continuous product, wherein the method comprises cutting the assembly component (2) to length, for which purpose length data for an assembly component (2) to be mounted on the mounting plate (1) are extracted from the planning data, and wherein the assembly component (2) is provided after cutting to length at the component feeder, which is arranged in the access area of the assembly robot (4), for picking up by the assembly robot (4). [13] Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which, after the execution of the at least one processing or assembly step and a related quality check, a result of the quality check is stored in the planning data and is unambiguously assigned to the assembly component (2) or the processing position via the position data of the planning data. [14] Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which all method steps relating to the removal by the placement robot (4) are carried out during the entire method with the same end effector (10) and gripper (9) of the placement robot (4), for which purpose two gripper jaws (12) which are adjustable relative to one another, preferably two plate-shaped gripper jaws (12) which are linearly adjustable relative to one another, clamp the respective element (2, 11) to be removed by adjusting the gripper jaws (12) and for which purpose the element (2, 11) to be removed engages with an adapter (20) in a gripping region of the gripper jaws (12) which are adjustable relative to one another.

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