SYSTEM FOR POSITIONING A PRODUCT ALONG AN ASSEMBLY LINE

Abstract

A system for positioning a product along an assembly line, comprising: a motor having a brake and a drive shaft that interacts with a platform via a coupling, wherein a rotation of the drive shaft in a first direction rotates the coupling to an upper position to raise the platform, and a rotation of the drive shaft in a second direction rotates the coupling to a lower position to lower the platform, and the brake is configured to stop any movement of the drive shaft; a sensor configured to identify any movement of the coupling between the lower position and the upper position;and a controller configured to receive inputs from the sensor, to measure a cycle time of each of several motion cycles of the coupling between the lower position and the upper position based on the inputs, and to identify cycle times that progressively decrease or increase.

Description

INTRODUCTION

[0001] The information provided in this section serves the purpose of providing a general overview of the context of the disclosure. Neither the work of the inventors currently named, to the extent described in this section, nor those aspects of the description that could not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are expressly or implicitly recognized as prior art against the present disclosure.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for analyzing the brake wear of a transport equipment lifting table motor in order to predict the occurrence of a failure event.

[0003] A transport lift table is used during manufacturing to facilitate the transport of a specific product along an assembly line. The product can be any suitable product being manufactured, such as a vehicle frame, another vehicle component, or a non-vehicle product. The lift table is configured to be raised and lowered by a motor that incorporates a mechanical brake to maintain the precise position for proper task transfer. Should the motor brake require maintenance or replacement, the lift table must be out of service during maintenance, which can disrupt the assembly line and slow down or halt production.

[0004] DE 10 2008 036 288 B4 discloses a lifting and lowering conveyor in which the rotational position of a driving groove roller is precisely detected by means of a rotary encoder. A control system evaluates this position data together with the signals from upper and lower initiators in order to switch off the drive motor precisely in the respective end position, compensating for brake wear. DE 10 2019 119 728 B3 describes a transport device for a vehicle along an assembly line, which has a transport base for translational movement in the X and Y directions. In addition, the transport device has a receiving device that can perform a lifting movement in the Z direction as well as a rotational movement about a horizontal axis to tilt the vehicle for assembly work. DE 10 2011 000 211 B4 shows an interchangeable system for an assembly line in which picking trolleys coupled with movable push plates are used to transport load carriers.The order picking trolleys have a tilting platform to deliver filled load carriers to a pre-assembly station and to pick up empty load carriers from a discharge conveyor. DE 20 2013 007 358 U1 discloses an electronic inspection system for a motor vehicle that, in addition to age and mileage, records further parameters describing the stress on a component. From this data, a wear measure for the respective vehicle component is determined and displayed to enable condition-based maintenance instead of purely interval-based maintenance. SUMMARY

[0005] A system for positioning a product along an assembly line comprises the following: a platform configured to support the product and to be raised and lowered; a motor incorporating a brake and a drive shaft interacting with the platform by means of a coupling, wherein a rotation of the drive shaft in a first direction rotates the coupling to an upper position to raise the platform, and a rotation of the drive shaft in a second direction opposite to the first direction rotates the coupling to a lower position to lower the platform; and the brake is configured to stop a movement of the drive shaft to stop the coupling at the upper position and the lower position, wherein the lower position of the coupling and the upper position of the coupling are separated by 180°;A sensor configured to identify movement of the coupling between the lower and upper positions, and a controller configured to receive input from the sensor, measure the cycle time of each of several cycles of movement of the coupling between the lower and upper positions based on the input, and identify a series of recent cycle times that progressively decrease or increase relative to previously observed cycle times. The controller is configured, in response to the identification of the series of recent cycle times that progressively decrease or increase relative to previously observed cycle times, to generate a maintenance warning for the motor brake.

[0006] According to further features, the platform is configured to support a motor vehicle frame.

[0007] According to further features, the product is configured for use in a cross-transfer system of the assembly line.

[0008] According to further features, the platform contains rolling elements configured for transferring the product onto and off the platform.

[0009] According to further features, the brake includes a brake disc and the maintenance warning contains a message to check the brake disc for wear.

[0010] According to further features, the sensor includes a first detection device configured to identify when the coupling is in the upper position, and a second detection device configured to identify when the coupling is in the lower position, with the sensor being configured to measure the cycle time of the coupling as a movement between the first detection device and the second detection device.

[0011] According to further features, the controller is configured to isolate the motor's cycle times from other equipment on the assembly line.

[0012] According to further features, the controller is configured to receive the cycle times of each of the multiple motion cycles for each day of the previous 180 days.

[0013] According to further features, the controller is configured to identify a long-term average of the multiple motion cycles and a short-term average of the multiple motion cycles, and the progressively decreasing cycle times of the series are included in the short-term average and are smaller than the long-term average of the multiple motion cycles.

[0014] According to further characteristics, the long-term average uses as its basis the multiple movement cycles measured over the preceding 180 days, and the short-term average uses as its basis the multiple movement cycles measured over the preceding 7 days.

[0015] According to further features, the controller is configured to exclude outliers of the multiple motion cycles measured over the preceding seven days by executing a density-based spatial grouping algorithm for applications with noise (DBSCAN algorithm).

[0016] According to further features, the controller is configured to generate the maintenance warning for the motor brake only if a series of progressively decreasing or increasing cycle times has been identified in the preceding seven days.

[0017] The present disclosure also provides, in various features, a system for positioning a product along an assembly line. The system includes the following: a platform configured to support the product and to be raised and lowered; a motor comprising a brake and a drive shaft that interacts with the platform via a coupling, wherein a rotation of the drive shaft in a first direction rotates the coupling to an upper position to raise the platform, and a rotation of the drive shaft in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, rotates the coupling to a lower position to lower the platform; and the brake is configured to stop any movement of the drive shaft to stop the coupling in both the upper and lower positions.A sensor configured to identify movement of the coupling between the lower and upper positions, and a controller configured to receive input from the sensor, measure the cycle time of each of several movement cycles of the coupling between the upper and lower positions based on the input, identify a long-term average of the several movement cycles and a short-term average of the several movement cycles, and identify a series of recent cycle times included in the short-term average that progressively decrease with respect to the long-term average of the several movement cycles. The controller generates a maintenance warning for the motor brake in response to the identification of the series of recent cycle times that progressively decrease.

[0018] According to further characteristics, the lower position of the coupling and the upper position of the coupling are in a relationship of 180° to each other.

[0019] According to further features, the sensor includes a first detection device configured to identify when the coupling is in the upper position, and a second detection device configured to identify when the coupling is in the lower position, with the sensor being configured to measure the cycle time of the coupling as a movement between the first detection device and the second detection device.

[0020] The present disclosure further provides, in various features, a method comprising: actuating a motor to raise and lower a platform configured to carry a product that is transported along an assembly line; identifying, by means of a sensor movement, a coupling connecting the motor to the platform, wherein the movement comprises a rotation of the coupling in a first direction by the motor to an upper position to raise the platform, and a rotation of the coupling in a second direction by the motor to a lower position to lower the platform, and a brake of the motor is configured to stop a movement of the coupling at the upper position and the lower position;Measuring, with a controller receiving input from the sensor, a cycle time of each of several motion cycles of the coupling between the upper and lower positions based on the inputs; identifying, with the controller, a series of recent cycle times that progressively decrease with respect to previously observed cycle times; and generating, with the controller, a maintenance warning for the motor brake in response to the identification of the series of recent cycle times that progressively decrease.

[0021] According to further characteristics, the lower position of the coupling and the upper position of the coupling are 180° apart.

[0022] According to further features, the method includes identifying a long-term average of several motion cycles and a short-term average of several motion cycles with the controller. The progressively decreasing cycle times of the series are included in the short-term average and are smaller than the long-term average of several motion cycles.

[0023] According to further features, the procedure includes generating the maintenance warning for the motor brake by the controller only when the series of progressively decreasing cycle times is identified in a preceding predetermined period.

[0024] Further applications of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, the claims, and the drawings. The detailed description and the specific examples serve only for illustration and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The present revelation is more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings; they show: Fig. 1 a perspective view of a system according to the present disclosure for transporting a product along an assembly line; Fig. 2 a perspective view of an engine of the system of Fig. 1, wherein the motor includes a brake and is configured to raise and lower a platform of the system; Fig. 3A a side view of the motor interacting with the platform in a lowered position; Fig. 3B a side view of the motor interacting with the platform in a raised position; Fig. 4. A graph of cycle times for the motor, measured at various data points; and Fig. 5 a method according to the present disclosure for transporting a product along an assembly line.

[0026] Reference symbols can be used multiple times in the drawings to identify similar and / or identical elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The present disclosure contains systems and methods for predicting when a lifting table motor requires maintenance due to brake wear. The lifting table includes a platform configured to be raised and lowered by the motor. The platform is configured to support a product during a manufacturing process. The product can be any suitable product, such as an automotive or non-automotive product.

[0028] A controller is configured to monitor changes in the motor's cycle time, which is the time required to raise and lower the platform. The controller monitors the platform's lifting and lowering cycle time and sends it to an IT server. Specifically, the controller is configured to identify a series of progressively decreasing or increasing cycle times that differ from previously observed consistent cycle times, likely indicating that the motor's brake will require maintenance in the near future. Upon identifying such a series of progressively decreasing cycle times, the controller is configured to generate a maintenance alert for the motor's brake. This maintenance alert can take the form of any suitable notification, such as an email to an operator on an assembly line that includes the lifting table.The motor's brake can then undergo preventive maintenance to reduce or eliminate downtime of the motor and lifting table.

[0029] Fig. Figure 1 illustrates a system 10 according to the present disclosure for transporting a product 20 along an assembly line 30. The product 20 can be any suitable manufactured product, such as a motor vehicle frame, as illustrated. The product 20 can also be any other suitable motor vehicle product. The present disclosure is applicable to both motor vehicle and non-motor vehicle applications. Thus, the product 20 can alternatively be any suitable non-motor vehicle product.

[0030] Assembly line 30 can be any suitable motor vehicle or non-motor vehicle assembly line, or any other suitable production line, production system, or production process. Assembly line 30 generally includes an input line 32 and an output line 34. Each of the input line 32 and output line 34 can include any suitable conveying system. The input line 32 is configured to convey the product 20 to a cross-transfer system 40, and the output line 34 is configured to convey the product away from the cross-transfer system 40.

[0031] The transverse transfer system 40 includes a platform 50, which can be any suitable platform, such as a lifting table platform. Any suitable number of platforms 50 can be included in the transverse transfer system 40. The platform 50 is part of a transport device lifting table configured to be raised and lowered by a motor 60, as described herein. The platform 50 includes rolling elements 52 on an upper surface 54. The rolling elements 52 enable the transfer of the product 20 to and from the platform 50. Conveyor belts or chains are located on opposite sides of the platforms 50. Although conveyor belts are described herein, the conveyor belts can be replaced or supplemented by chains or by any other suitable transport device or apparatus. Specifically, a first belt 56 is located between the platforms 50 and both the input line 32 and the output line 34.A second volume 58 is located on one side of platform 50, opposite the first volume 56.

[0032] The input line 32 is configured to transport the product 20 to the transverse transfer system 40 and onto the upper surface 54 of platform 50 when platform 50 is in a raised position. After the product 20 has been placed on the upper surface 54, the motor 60 is configured to lower platform 50. The product 20, or a base on which the product 20 is placed, is longer than platform 50. Thus, when platform 50 is lowered, the product 20 is carried by and placed on the first belt 56 and the second belt 58. The first belt 56 and the second belt 58 are operated to transport the product 20 to one or more subsequent downstream platforms (in the orientation of Fig. 1 behind) platform 50. Each of the subsequent platforms can be raised by a motor to lift the product 20 from the first belt 56 and the second belt 58, to hold the product 20 in place until the assembly line 30 is ready for the product 20 to be moved from the transverse transfer system 40 via the output line 34. At that time, the subsequent platform will be lower, which will allow the product 20 to be moved to the output line 34 for further processing.

[0033] With continued reference to Fig. 1 and additional reference to Fig. 2, Fig. 3A and Fig. Section 3B now describes additional details of the motor 60. The motor 60 is any suitable electric motor that includes a rotor and a stator. A drive shaft 62 is attached to the rotor. The operation of the motor 60 is controlled by a controller 170. When activated, the motor 60 rotates the drive shaft 62 in either a first direction or a second direction opposite to the first. Specifically referring to Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B The drive shaft 62 is connected to the platform by a coupling 70. The coupling 70 includes an arm 72 and a cam 74. The arm 72 is connected to the drive shaft 62, and the cam 74 is connected to the platform 50. The arm 72 is further connected to the cam 74. The coupling 70 can be configured in any suitable way such that rotation of the drive shaft 62 by the motor 60 moves the coupling 70 to raise and lower the platform.

[0034] Fig. Figure 3A illustrates the coupling 70 in a lowered position A and the platform 50 lowered. In the lowered position A, the arm 72 is aligned along a vertical axis X that passes through the axial center of a drive shaft 62. The cam 74 is also on the vertical axis X. Fig. Figure 3B illustrates the coupling 70 in an upper position B and the platform 50 raised. In the upper position B, the arm 72 is aligned along the vertical axis X and oriented at 180° with respect to the lower position A. Thus, the lower position A and the upper position B of the coupling 70 are 180° relative to each other.

[0035] A sensor is included to track movement of coupling 70 between the lower position A and the upper position B. Any suitable sensor can be used. In the example shown in Fig. 3A and Fig. As illustrated in Figure 3B, the sensor includes a first detection device 80 and a second detection device 82. The first detection device 80 is positioned such that it is near the coupling 70 when the coupling 70 is in the lower position A of Fig. 3A is. The second detection device 82 is positioned such that it is near the coupling 70 when the coupling 70 is in the upper position B of Fig. 3B is. The first detection device 80 and the second detection device 82 can be light sensors or other suitable sensors configured to identify a coupling location 70.

[0036] The motor 60 also includes a brake 110, as e.g. in Fig. Figure 2 illustrates this. The brake 110 generally includes a disc 120 mounted on the drive shaft 62 such that the disc 120 rotates with the drive shaft 62 and such that the disc 120 does not rotate independently of the drive shaft 62. The disc 120 is a friction disc containing any suitable friction material. The brake 110 further includes a coil 130 and a pressure plate 140. The drive shaft 62 (or a shaft connected to it) passes through the pressure plate 140, and the pressure plate 140 is mounted such that it remains stationary regardless of the rotation of the drive shaft 62 and the disc 120. Between the coil 130 and the pressure plate 140 are springs 150. When the coil 130 is energized, the coil 130 pulls the pressure plate 140 away from the disk 120 towards the coil 130 and the springs 150 are compressed.When the coil 130 is not energized, the springs 150 push the pressure plate 140 away from the coil 130 into engagement with the disc 120. The pressure plate 140, which is rotationally fixed, contacts the disc 120, and friction between the pressure plate 140 and the disc 120 prevents rotation of the disc 120, thus braking the drive shaft 62. In this way, the brake 110 prevents rotation of the drive shaft 62, locking the coupling 70 in the lower position A or the upper position B, thereby holding the platform 50 in the lowered position. Fig. 3A or the elevated position of Fig. 3B is blocked.

[0037] The time required for the coupling 70 to move from the lower position A to the upper position B in order to raise the platform 50 is a cycle time for the motor 60 to raise the platform 50. Similarly, the time required for the coupling 70 to move from the upper position B to the lower position A in order to lower the platform 50 is a cycle time for the motor 60 to lower the platform 50. The controller 170 is configured to receive inputs from the first sensing device 80 and the second sensing device 82, which identify the position of the coupling 70 relative to the lower position A and the upper position B, respectively. A movement of the coupling 70 from the lower position A to the upper position B is a movement cycle of the coupling 70. A movement of the coupling 70 from the upper position B to the lower position A is also a movement cycle.

[0038] Based on the inputs from the first acquisition device 80 and the second acquisition device 82, the controller 170 is configured to measure the cycle time of each of several motion cycles of the coupling 70 between the lower position A and the upper position B and vice versa, and to send the cycle times to the controller 170, which may be contained in any suitable IT server. The controller 170, and in particular an algorithm thereof, is further configured to identify a series of recent cycle times that progressively decrease or increase with respect to previously observed cycle times. In response to the identification of a series of recent cycle times that progressively decrease or increase, the controller 170 is configured to generate a maintenance alert for the brake 110 of the motor 60, as explained below and in the procedure of Fig. 5 is illustrated.

[0039] Fig. Figure 4 is a graph of 210 different cycle times 220, which were measured by the controller 170 to different data based on inputs from the first acquisition device 80 and the second acquisition device 82. Fig. Figure 4 illustrates cycle times for raising platform 50 from the lower position. Fig. 3A to the upper position of Fig. 3B. Thus, the cycle times of Fig. 4 the time the coupling 70 needs to move from the lower position A ( Fig. 3A) to the upper position B ( Fig. 3B) to move. Each cycle time 220 of Fig. 4 is an aggregate cycle time for a specific day. The cycle times 220 are in Fig. 4 along line I. Any suitable date range, such as the preceding 180 days, can be used. Controller 170 is configured to calculate a moving average of the cycle times 220 over both a long-term and a short-term period. The long-term period can be, for example, the preceding 180 days. The short-term period can be, for example, the preceding 7 days. Fig. Figure 4 illustrates an example long-term average at II and an example short-term average at III. Starting approximately at date F, the cycle times for raising platform 50 progressively increase relative to the long-term average II. This could be, for example, the result of an operator over-tightening of the brake 110, causing the pressure plate 140 to generate excess friction against the disc 120. The brake 110 thus excessively slows down the movement of the coupling 70 and increases the cycle time. The brake 110 decelerates the movement more quickly, causing the disc 120 to stop earlier. With a new starting position, the next cycle will take longer to reach the position of the sensing devices 80 or 82.

[0040] Just before date G, the short-term average cycle time for raising platform 50 progressively decreases relative to the long-term average, as represented by line III progressively falling lower than line II. This is most likely the result of wear of the friction material on the disc 120, which inhibits the ability of the brake 110 to slow the movement of the drive shaft 62 and the coupling 70 as the coupling 70 approaches the upper position B. In some cases, the arm 72 may move beyond the upper position B or overshoot, as shown in Fig. 3B illustrates this. Fig. Figure 3B illustrates the arm 72', which has moved beyond the upper position B. Should the coupling move beyond the upper position B, the platform 50 will not be vertically aligned with the input line 32 (or the output line 34), making it difficult or impossible to transfer the product 20 to and from the upper surface 54 of the platform 50.

[0041] Fig. Figure 5 illustrates an operating procedure of system 10, or any other suitable system, configured to assess the operational health of brake 110, or any other suitable brake. Although the procedure is described as being performed by controller 170, it can be performed by any other suitable controller. The procedure can be performed in the sequence shown in Figure 5. Fig. The procedure is illustrated in Figure 5, or can be performed in any suitable sequence. The procedure begins in Block 310 when activated by a technician or other suitable user. From Block 310, the procedure proceeds to Block 320. In Block 320, Controller 170 is configured to isolate the cycle times of Motor 60 and the coupling 70 connected to Platform 50 from the cycle times of several other platforms or other equipment on Assembly Line 30, or of a factory in general. For example, Controller 170 is configured to identify the timing and magnitude of an input voltage to Motor 60 and cycle times of Motor 60 that are unique to Motor 60. Controller 170 is configured to filter out and ignore cycle times that are not unique to Motor 60.

[0042] From block 320, the procedure proceeds to block 330. In block 330, the procedure is configured to summarize the cycle times for each day of a measurement period. For example, and as shown in Fig. As illustrated in Figure 4, each of the cycle times 220 is an aggregate cycle time for a specific measurement date. From block 330, the procedure proceeds to block 340. In block 340, the controller 170 is configured to apply any suitable quality control metrics to the measured cycle time data. For example, the controller 170 may be configured to capture a minimum of 100 cycle time data points per measurement day. From block 340, the procedure proceeds to block 350. In block 350, the controller 170 is configured to identify and ignore any recently observed outlier or anomaly cycle time in any suitable manner. For example, the controller 170 is configured to use a density-based spatial grouping algorithm for applications with noise (DBSCAN algorithm) to filter out any “noise” in the form of outlier or anomaly cycle times. For example, as illustrated in Figure 4, the procedure proceeds to block 350. Fig. 4. An outlier cycle time 220 of approximately 160 seconds was recorded at measurement date D. Using DBSCAN or another suitable algorithm, controller 170 is configured to ignore this cycle time data point.

[0043] Controller 170 is configured to advance from block 350 to block 360. In block 360, controller 170 is configured to identify a long-term moving average of the cycle times 220. Fig. Figure 4 illustrates an example of a long-term moving average for line II. The long-term moving average can be taken over the preceding 180 days or any other suitable long-term period. In block 370, controller 170 is configured to identify a short-term moving average of the cycle times 220. Fig. Figure 4 illustrates an example of a short-term moving average for line III. The short-term moving average can be taken over the preceding 7 days or any other suitable short-term period.

[0044] In block 380, controller 170 is configured to compare the short-term moving average of cycle times 220 along line III with the long-term moving average of cycle times along line II and to identify any recent developments in a deviation of the short-term moving average with respect to the long-term moving average. For example, and as shown in Fig. As illustrated in Figure 4, the most recent short-term cycle times 220 along Line III become progressively shorter relative to the long-term moving average along Line II. This deviation indicates that the brake 110 is unable to bring the drive shaft 62 to a sharp stop and that the disc 120 may slip relative to the pressure plate 140 due to wear on the disc 120 (specifically, the friction material of the disc 120). In Block 390, the controller 170 is configured to generate a maintenance alert for the brake 110 in response to the identification of the short-term cycle time deviation 220 along Line III relative to Line II. The maintenance alert can be any suitable notification, such as an email to an operator or technician instructing the technician to inspect the brake 110 for maintenance (e.g., replacing the disc 120 with one containing new friction material).Such preventive maintenance can reduce the downtime of motor 60 and brake 110, and thus the downtime of the entire assembly line 30. Controller 170 can also be configured to issue a maintenance warning in response to an identification of the short-term cycle time as progressively exceeding the long-term average cycle times 220 along line II. Fig. 4 to create, which can occur if the brake 110 is calibrated too tightly, causing excessive friction between the disc 120 and the pressure plate 140.

[0045] The preceding description is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. The comprehensive teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in various forms. While this disclosure contains specific examples, the true scope of protection of the disclosure should therefore not be so limited as to reveal other modifications upon study of the drawings, the description, and the following claims. It is to be understood that one or more steps within a process may be carried out in a different order (or overlapping in time) without altering the principles of the present disclosure.Although each of the embodiments described above has been described with specific features, one or more of these features described with respect to any embodiment of the disclosure may also be implemented in any of the further embodiments and / or combined with its features, even if this combination is not explicitly described. In other words, the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and permutations of one or more embodiments with each other remain within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0046] Spatial and functional relationships between elements (e.g., between modules, circuit elements, semiconductor layers, etc.) are described using various terms, such as "connected," "interlocking," "coupled," "adjacent," "next to," "on top of," "above," "below," and "arranged." Unless explicitly described as "direct," when a relationship between a first and a second element is described in the disclosure above, this relationship can be a direct relationship in which no further intervening elements exist between the first and the second element, or it can be an indirect relationship in which one or more intervening elements (either spatial or functional) exist between the first and the second element.As the expression "at least one of A, B and C" is used here, it should be interpreted as meaning a logical (A OR B OR C) using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be interpreted as meaning "at least one of A, at least one of B and at least one of C".

[0047] In the diagrams, the direction of an arrow, indicated by its tip, generally demonstrates the flow of information (such as data or commands) that is relevant for illustration. For example, if element A and element B exchange various pieces of information, but the information transferred from element A to element B is relevant for the illustration, the arrow may point from element A to element B. This unidirectional arrow does not imply that no further information is sent from element B to element A. Furthermore, element B may send requests or acknowledgments of the information sent from element A to element B to element A.

[0048] In this application, including the definitions below, the term "module" or "controller" may be replaced by the term "circuit." The term "module" may refer to, be part of, or include: an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC); a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital discrete circuit; a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital integrated circuit; a combinational logic circuit; a field-programmable gate array (FPGA); a processor circuit (shared, dedicated, or grouped) that executes code; a memory circuit (shared, dedicated, or grouped) that stores code executed by the processor circuit; other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as in a system-on-a-chip.

[0049] The module may contain one or more interface circuits. In some examples, the interface circuits may include wired or wireless interfaces connected to a local area network (LAN), the internet, a wide area network (WAN), or combinations thereof. The functionality of any given module of this disclosure may be distributed among several modules connected by interface circuits. For example, multiple modules may enable load balancing. In another example, a server module (also known as a remote or cloud module) may perform some functionality on behalf of a client module.

[0050] The term "code," as used above, can include software, firmware, and / or microcode, and can refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, data structures, and / or objects. The term "shared processor circuit" refers to a single-processor circuit that executes some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "group processor circuit" refers to a processor circuit that, in combination with additional processor circuits, executes some or all of the code from one or more modules. References to multiprocessor circuits include multiprocessor circuits on discrete chips, multiprocessor circuits on a single chip, multiple cores of a single-processor circuit, multiple threads of a single-processor circuit, or a combination of the above.The term shared memory circuit refers to a single memory circuit that stores part or all of the code from multiple modules. The term group memory circuit refers to a memory circuit that, in combination with additional memory, stores part or all of the code from one or more modules.

[0051] The term memory circuit is a subset of the term computer-readable medium. The term computer-readable medium, as used here, does not include transitory electrical or electromagnetic signals that propagate through a medium (such as on a carrier wave); the term computer-readable medium can therefore be considered tangible and non-transient. Non-restrictive examples of a non-transient, tangible computer-readable medium are non-volatile memory circuits (such as a flash memory circuit, an erasable programmable read-only memory circuit, or a mask read-only memory circuit), volatile memory circuits (such as a static read / write memory circuit or a dynamic read / write memory circuit), magnetic storage media (such as analog or digital magnetic tape or a hard disk drive), and optical storage media (such as...a CD, a DVD or a Blu-ray Disc).

[0052] The devices and methods described in this application can be implemented partially or completely by a special-purpose computer, created by configuring a general-purpose computer to execute one or more specific functions embodied in computer programs. The functional blocks, flowchart components, and other elements described above serve as software specifications that can be translated into computer programs through the routine work of a trained technician or programmer.

[0053] Computer programs contain processor-executable instructions stored on at least one non-transient, machine-readable physical medium. Computer programs may also contain or access stored data. Computer programs may include a basic input / output system (BIOS) that interacts with the computer's hardware for a specific purpose, device drivers that interact with specific devices of the computer for a specific purpose, one or more operating systems, user applications, background services, background applications, and so on.

[0054] The computer programs may contain: (i) descriptive text to be parsed, such as... B. HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), XML (Extensible Markup Language), or JSON (JavaScript Object Name), (ii) assembly code, (iii) object code generated from source code by a compiler, (iv) source code for execution by an interpreter, (v) source code for compilation and execution by a compiler at runtime, etc. For illustrative purposes only, the source code may be written using the syntax of languages ​​including C, C++, C#, Objective-C, Swift, Haskell, Go, SQL, R, Lisp, Java®, Fortran, Perl, Pascal, Curl, OCaml, Javascript®, HTML5 (Hypertext Markup Language, 5th Revision), Ada, ASP (Active Server Pages), PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor), Scala, Eiffel, Smalltalk, Erlang, Ruby, Flash®, Visual Basic®, Lua, MATLAB, SIMULINK, and Python®.

Claims

[1] System (10) for positioning a product (20) along an assembly line (30), wherein the system (10) comprises: a platform (50) configured to support the product (20) and to be raised and lowered; a motor (60) comprising a brake (110) and a drive shaft (62) which interacts with the platform (50) by means of a coupling (70), wherein a rotation of the drive shaft (62) in a first direction rotates the coupling (70) to an upper position (B) to raise the platform (50), and a rotation of the drive shaft (62) in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, rotates the coupling (70) to a lower position (A) to lower the platform (50), and the brake (110) is configured to stop a movement of the drive shaft (62) to stop the coupling (70) at the upper position (B) and the lower position (A), wherein the lower position (A) of the coupling (70) and the upper position (B) of the coupling (70) are separated by 180°; a sensor configured to identify movement of the coupling (70) between the lower position (A) and the upper position (B); and a controller (170) configured to receive inputs from the sensor, to measure a cycle time of each of several motion cycles of the coupling (70) between the lower position (A) and the upper position (B) based on the inputs, and to identify a series of recent cycle times that progressively decrease or increase with respect to previously observed cycle times, wherein the controller (170) is configured to generate a maintenance warning for the brake (110) of the motor (60) in response to the identification of the series of most recent cycle times which progressively decrease or increase with respect to the previously observed cycle times. [2] System (10) according to claim 1, wherein the platform (50) is configured to support a motor vehicle frame. [3] System (10) according to claim 1, wherein the product (20) is configured for use in a transverse transfer system (40) of the assembly line (30). [4] System (10) according to claim 1, wherein the platform (50) includes rolling elements (52) configured to transfer the product (20) onto and off the platform (50). [5] System (10) according to claim 1, wherein the brake (110) includes a brake disc (120) and the maintenance warning includes a message to check the brake disc (120) for wear. [6] System (10) according to claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a first detection device (80) configured to identify when the coupling (70) is in the upper position (B), and a second detection device (82) configured to identify when the coupling (70) is in the lower position (A), and the sensor is configured to measure the cycle time of the coupling (70) as a movement between the first detection device (80) and the second detection device (82). [7] System (10) according to claim 1, wherein the controller (170) is configured to isolate the cycle times of the motor (60) from further equipment of the assembly line (30). [8] System (10) according to claim 1, wherein the controller (170) is configured to receive the cycle times of each of the multiple motion cycles for each day of the preceding 180 days. [9] System (10) according to claim 1, wherein the controller (170) is configured to identify a long-term average of the multiple motion cycles and a short-term average of the multiple motion cycles, and the progressively decreasing cycle times of the series are included in the short-term average and are smaller than the long-term average of the several movement cycles.

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