Device for processing the front and / or rear spoiler of a passenger car

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (10) for processing the front and / or rear spoiler (28) of a passenger car, comprising a robot (12) which has gripping elements (22, 24, 26) for the spoiler (28), comprising a processing station (14) arranged in the action region of the robot (12) for processing the spoiler (28), and a detection device (18) which is designed to detect the position of the spoiler (28) at least in the region of the at least one processing station (14). The detection device (18) is connected to a controller (16) of the robot (12), the robot (12) being designed to hold the spoiler (28) in the processing station (14) during processing, and the controller (16) being designed to control the robot (12) to achieve a target position of the spoiler (28) in the at least one processing station (14) depending on the signals of the detection device (18).

Description

[0001] Device for machining the front and / or rear apron of a passenger car

[0002] In car manufacturing, the processing of the bumpers, i.e., the front and / or rear apron, plays a crucial role. This is because the rear apron not only contains cutouts for auxiliary lights, such as fog lights or rear fog lights, but also largely houses driver assistance systems, such as distance sensors. Therefore, the front and / or rear apron of a car must be modified by punching out recesses for the installation of these systems, and these systems must then be mounted within the apron. These bumpers are typically made of a thin plastic profile that is extremely malleable and flexible. For this reason, a 3D-molded support is used during the processing of bumpers, ensuring the aprons rest securely on this support during the manufacturing process.For processing, the entire 3D molded part, including the attached apron, is positioned relative to the processing stations such as punching, ultrasonic welding, and gluing. This is not only complex to handle, but also limits maneuverability and positioning due to the complexity and size of the 3D molded part and its apron, not to mention the cost of handling such a bulky 3D molded part.

[0003] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a device of the type mentioned above that allows for simpler and more cost-effective processing of bumpers, i.e., front and / or rear aprons of a passenger car. This object is achieved by a device according to claim 1 and by a method according to claim 12. Advantageous embodiments are the subject of the associated dependent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are also described in the description and in the drawing.

[0004] According to the invention, the device for machining the front and / or rear bumper of a passenger car during vehicle manufacturing comprises at least one movable robot, which has at least two gripping elements, preferably exactly three gripping elements, for the bumper. The device further includes at least one machining station for machining the bumper. This combination has the advantage that no solid 3D support structure needs to be handled in the machining station along with the bumper. Of course, due to its deformability and torsional flexibility, the position of the bumper handled by the at least two, and in particular three, gripping elements is not precisely defined on the grippers, unlike a known 3D molded part.For this reason, the invention provides a detection device, preferably an optical detection device, configured to detect the position of the apron, at least in the area to be processed by the at least one processing station. The detection device is connected to a controller for the at least one robot, and the robot is configured to position and hold the apron during processing in the at least one processing station. The controller, in turn, is configured to control the robot, based on signals from the detection device, to achieve a target position of the processing area of ​​the apron in the at least one processing station, such that even the undefined, hanging parts of the apron can be precisely positioned for processing. Of course, the processing station can also process multiple areas of the apron.

[0005] The detection device is formed in particular by an optical detection device, especially by at least one laser scanner or a camera. This device detects, particularly when it is arranged near the processing area, the exact position of the area of ​​the apron to be processed in the processing station.

[0006] For this purpose, the area to be processed can preferably be provided with a marking that can be detected by the detection device, so that the detection device can more easily recognize the area of ​​the apron to be processed, which contributes to the accuracy of the positioning of the apron in the at least one processing station. Instead of an optical detection device, an inductive detection device or other type of position-detecting detection device can also be used, as long as its signals are suitable for use by the robot control system to position the processing areas on the apron in a correct target position in the processing station.

[0007] The lower positioning accuracy achieved using at least two gripping elements is thus compensated for by the fact that the detection device enables precise positioning of the apron within the processing station. This eliminates the need for the previously used, complex 3D molded parts for handling the apron in the processing stations, thereby simplifying overall handling and reducing the size of the processing stations, as they no longer need to handle the entire complex and bulky 3D molded parts.The invention thus offers advantages in terms of the size of the processing device, the cost of handling the skirts (since the production of the 3D molded parts is quite complex), and faster processing of the skirts in the processing stations, as handling by the robot's gripping elements is significantly faster than handling the skirts on the 3D molded parts. It should be noted that the gripping elements are generally arranged on multi-segment robot arms with multiple degrees of freedom and are therefore highly mobile. The robot arms for the individual gripping elements are also preferably independently controllable, allowing the gripping elements to be positioned very freely on the skirt. In this way, several different skirts, such as front and rear skirts, can be handled on a single processing device.

[0008] Preferably, the gripping elements are vacuum grippers that grip the apron at at least two, and in particular three, gripping points without damaging it. The vacuum grippers can also be quickly brought into contact with and released from the apron.

[0009] The use of exactly three gripping elements is advantageous because one gripping element can hold the apron in the middle, and this gripping element can even be stronger to bear the main weight of the apron. The other two gripping elements can then each grip the apron near the curved side sections, thus ensuring that the apron is held securely and firmly despite its flexibility and potential for twisting.

[0010] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the robot is rotatably arranged on a base between a feed position, the at least one processing station, and a discharge position, where the processed aprons are placed for further processing. This ensures optimal handling of the aprons with minimal space requirements. The feed position can also be identical to the discharge position.

[0011] Preferably, two processing stations for the apron are arranged within the robot's reach. This has the advantage that a separate robot is not required for each processing station, which in turn saves space and effort.

[0012] Preferably, a processing station is a punching machine, an ultrasonic welding device, or an adhesive bonding device. In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, a processing station is an assembly station for attaching components to the bumper. These are the types of processing stations typically provided for processing a motor vehicle bumper. Preferably, at least one conveyor for the bumpers is arranged within the robot's reach, and the robot is configured to use its gripping elements to remove a bumper to be processed from the conveyor, feed it to the processing station, hold it there during processing, and after processing, transfer it back to a conveyor for removal and further processing of the bumper, wherein the conveyors for feeding and removal can be identical or separate.In this way, no additional manipulators or manual interventions are necessary to transfer the aprons from a conveyor to the robot's gripping elements. Here, too, vacuum grippers are advantageous because they can be easily positioned relative to the apron. Furthermore, vacuum grippers do not require a precise holding position on the apron, so slight gripping tolerances are acceptable.

[0013] Preferably, the robot is rotatably mounted on a fixed base and positioned within a work area enclosed by a barrier that is open on one or two sides. At least one conveyor device for the aprons to be processed or removed is mounted on this barrier. This creates a closed area for the complete receiving, processing, and discharge of the processed apron, which is also secure against unauthorized access and thus meets occupational safety requirements. Alternatively, only one opening in the barrier can be provided if the aprons are fed in and removed from the same point.

[0014] Preferably, the individual gripping elements are arranged on the robot so that they can be moved independently of each other, allowing them to be controlled independently in order to bring a processing point of the apron into its correct position in the processing station.

[0015] For controlling the robot, self-learning or genetic algorithms or AI can preferably be used to optimize positioning based on the signals from the detection device.

[0016] The detection device can also include multiple detection elements, such as laser scanners or cameras arranged in different positions, to optimally position the area of ​​the bumper to be processed in conjunction with a processing element of the processing device. Multiple detection elements thus enable, for example, precise 3D scanning of the bumper in space. The invention also relates to a method for processing the front and / or rear bumper of a passenger car, in which the bumper is gripped by at least one robot controlled by a controller using at least two gripping elements and fed to at least one processing station within the reach of the at least one robot. During processing, the bumper is held in the processing station only by the robot's gripping elements.The position of the apron or a processing area of ​​the apron is detected by a detection device, in particular an optical detection device, and the control system directs the robot based on the signals from the detection device to achieve a target position of the apron or the processing area of ​​the apron in the processing station. For the advantages and basic principles of the invention, reference is made to the above description of the device.

[0017] In particular, this method is applicable using a device as described above.

[0018] In this method, a specific area of ​​the apron to be processed is preferably marked, and the detection device is designed to detect the position of the mark. This has the advantage that the detection device does not need to detect the entire apron, but only the area to be processed, which reduces the complexity of the detection device and improves the accuracy of the positioning.

[0019] The following terms are used synonymously: carrier - 3D carrier - 3D molded part; robot - at least one robot; processing station - at least one processing station; gripping elements - at least two gripping elements; processing area - processing point; gripping element - vacuum gripper - gripper; bumper - vehicle apron - apron - front apron - rear apron;

[0020] It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that the above embodiments of the invention can be combined with each other in any way, provided that features of different embodiments do not contradict each other.

[0021] The invention is described below by way of example with reference to the schematic drawing. In this drawing: Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a processing device with a robot having three gripping elements for handling a car bumper, and a processing station,

[0022] Fig. 2 shows a side view of the machining device from Fig. 1.

[0023] Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the machining device from Fig. 1, in which the robot positions the car bumper in the machining device, and

[0024] Fig. 4 shows a side view of the machining device from Fig. 3.

[0025] Fig. 1 shows a processing device 10 comprising a robot 12 and a processing station 14, both of which are connected to a central controller 16 that controls and synchronizes the activities of the robot 12 and the processing station 14. The controller 16 can also be decentralized and assigned to the two components 12 and 14. The decentralized parts of the controller 16 only need to be connected to each other in some way to transmit data.

[0026] A laser scanner 18 is arranged near the processing element 32 of the processing device 14 and is also connected to the central control unit 16. The robot 12 has multi-jointed robot arms 20, movable with multiple degrees of freedom, on which three gripping elements 22, 24, 26 are arranged, designed as vacuum grippers. These vacuum grippers 22, 24, 26 are capable of holding a motor vehicle bumper, i.e., a vehicle apron 28, at three points. The situation shown in Figures 1 and 2 depicts the robot 12 picking up the vehicle apron 28 from a feeder (not shown).

[0027] The robot 12 is rotatably mounted on a base 30 and can rotate from the feed position shown in Figures 1 and 2 to a processing position shown in Figures 3 and 4. Using its three gripping elements 22, 24, 26, the robot 12 feeds the vehicle bumper 28 to a processing unit 32 of the processing station 14 and holds it there during processing. The processing station 14 can, for example, be a punch press. Due to its position near the processing area of ​​the processing unit 32, the laser scanner 18 can precisely detect the position of the vehicle bumper 28, or the area of ​​the vehicle bumper 28 to be processed, on the processing unit 32 of the processing station 14. This enables the controller 16 to move the area of ​​the vehicle bumper 28 to be processed into an exact position using the gripping elements 22, 24, 26, despite the inherent positioning tolerances.

[0028] After the processing of the vehicle bumper 28, for example by punching or attaching components using the processing element 32 of the processing station 14, has taken place, the robot 12 can pivot further in the rearward direction on the base 30, where a receiving 34 for removing the processed vehicle bumper 28 is located. The processing device 10 is surrounded by a barrier 36, which is open on its inlet and outlet sides.

[0029] The barrier also houses input / output devices 38 of the control system, such as a display and a keyboard. It goes without saying that the control system 16 is microprocessor-controlled.

[0030] It is possible, in principle, for the three gripping elements 22, 24, 26 to be arranged in a fixed, mutually oriented configuration. Preferably, however, the grippers are also independently movable on the robot arms 20 to allow for optimal positioning. Preferably, each of the gripping elements 22, 24, 26 is assigned a robot arm 20, and the robot arms 20 are also preferably independently movable. This increases the freedom of independent positioning of the gripping elements 22, 24, 26, enabling different bumpers 28 to be processed with a single processing device 10. Suction grippers are preferably used as gripping elements 22, 24, 26 because they do not leave any marks on the vehicle bumper 28 and are easily attached to and detached from the bumper 28.The illustrated machining device 10 can operate entirely without the use of 3D molded parts to support the vehicle aprons 28, which is advantageous in terms of both cost and space requirements.

[0031] Instead of one processing station 14, the processing device 10 could also have two or more processing stations, with the second processing station then being located on the opposite side of the current processing station with respect to the robot. If there are multiple processing stations, they would preferably be arranged in a circle around the axis of rotation of the robot 12. In this way, it would be possible to perform both punching operations and attachment operations on the vehicle bumper 28 in one processing device.

[0032] The invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment, but can instead be varied within the scope of the accompanying claims. List of reference numerals:

[0033] 10 Machining device

[0034] 12 rotating robots

[0035] 14 processing stations

[0036] 16 Control

[0037] 18 laser scanners or cameras

[0038] 20 robot arms, on which the vacuum grippers are movably held

[0039] 22 First vacuum gripper for the vehicle apron

[0040] 24 Second vacuum gripper for the vehicle apron

[0041] 26 third vacuum gripper for the vehicle apron

[0042] 28 Car apron - Bumper - Front apron - Rear apron

[0043] 30 Base for rotatable robot

[0044] 32 Processing unit of the processing station, e.g. punch

[0045] 34 removal sleds for receiving processed vehicle skirts

[0046] 36 Fencing

[0047] 38 Keyboard and display of the controller

Claims

Claims:

1. Device (10) for processing the front and / or rear apron (28) of a passenger car, comprising at least one robot (12) which has at least two gripping elements (22, 24, 26) for the apron (28) and is configured to move the apron (28) from a feed position to the at least one processing station (14), comprising at least one processing station (14) arranged in the working area of ​​the robot (12) for processing the apron (28), a detection device (18) which is configured to detect the position of the apron (28) at least in the area of ​​the at least one processing station (14), which detection device (18) is connected to a control unit (16) of the at least one robot (12), wherein the robot (12) is configured to hold the apron (28) in the at least one processing station (14) during processing and the control unit (16) is configuredto control the robot (12) to achieve a target position of the apron (28) in the at least one processing station (14) depending on the signals of the detection device (18).

2. Device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the robot (12) has at least three gripping elements (22, 24, 26), in particular exactly three gripping elements (22, 24, 26).

3. Device (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the gripping elements (22, 24, 26) are vacuum grippers.

4. Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the detection device (18) is an optical detection device, in particular a laser scanner.

5. Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the robot (12) is rotatably arranged on a base (30).

6. Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that two processing stations (14) for the apron (28) are arranged in the access area of ​​the robot (12).

7. Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the processing station (14) is a punching machine, ultrasonic welding device and / or gluing device.

8. Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the processing station (14) is an assembly station for attaching components to the skirt (28).

9. Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one conveying device (34) for the aprons (28) is arranged in the access area of ​​the robot (12), that the robot (12) is designed to remove an apron (28) to be processed from the conveying device (34) by means of its gripping elements (22, 24, 26) and to transfer the apron (28) to a conveying device (34) after processing.

10. Device (10) according to claim 9, characterized in that the robot (12) is rotatably arranged on a fixed base (30) and is arranged in a working area surrounded by a barrier (36) which is open to one or two sides, on which at least one conveying device (34) for the aprons (28) to be treated or transported is arranged.

11. Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the individual gripping elements (22, 24, 26) are arranged independently of each other on the robot (12).

12. Method for processing the front and / or rear apron (28) of a passenger car, in which the apron (28) is gripped by at least one robot (12) controlled by a controller (16) by means of at least two gripping elements (22, 24, 26) and fed to at least one processing station (14) in the reach of the at least one robot (12), wherein the apron (28) is held during processing in the at least one processing station (14) only by the gripping elements (22, 24, 26) of the at least one robot (12), wherein the position of the apron (28) in the at least one processing station (14) is detected by a detection device (18), and the controller (16) controls the at least one robot (12) based on the signals of the detection device (18) to achieve a target position of the apron (28) in the processing station (14).

13. Method according to claim 12 using a device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

14. Method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that a part of the apron to be processed is provided with a marking, and the detection device (18) is designed to detect the position of the marking.

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