Detachable Robotic Tool Unit for Parallel Vehicle Body Assembly
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In automotive assembly lines, assembly robots often face inefficiencies due to the need to wait for tool units to finish operations before switching to new tools, leading to prolonged assembly times and resource wastage, especially when operations take longer than 10 seconds.
Innovation Solution
A method and robotic assembly where a secondary industrial robot, equipped with standalone driving and power means, performs operations on a vehicle body by detaching from a primary robot, allowing it to work independently and enabling simultaneous or parallel operations with other robots, eliminating the need for expensive and space-consuming robot tracks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If assembly robots wait for tool units to finish operations before switching to new tools, then operational reliability is maintained, but assembly time increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the robot system into a primary robot and a secondary operating robot. The primary robot prepares and holds multiple tool units, while the secondary robot performs operations with one tool unit at a time. This segmentation allows the primary robot to independently switch between tool units without waiting for the secondary robot to complete operations, thereby maintaining operational reliability while reducing assembly time and improving productivity.
2Productivity
If assembly robots use tracks to move along the assembly line, then operations can be performed on moving vehicle bodies, but device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the movement function from the robot system itself and transfers it to the vehicle body conveyor system. The robots remain stationary at fixed positions while vehicle bodies move along the assembly line and are positioned under the robots. This eliminates the need for complex robot tracks and reduces space requirements, while still enabling operations on moving vehicle bodies.
3Device complexity
If a single robot performs all operations sequentially, then device complexity is reduced, but assembly time increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the functions of multiple robots into a coordinated primary-secondary robot arrangement. The primary robot handles tool unit preparation, storage, and switching, while the secondary robot performs the actual operations on vehicle bodies. This merging of functions allows parallel operations to occur simultaneously, reducing assembly time and improving productivity without requiring each robot to be fully independent and complex.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A method for performing operations on a target workpiece (300) comprises taking an operating tool unit (500) by an industrial robot (400), carrying the tool unit (500) to the workpiece (300), releasing the tool unit (500) at the workpiece (300), moving the robot (400) away from the tool unit (500), performing operations on the workpiece (300) through the tool unit (500); and retrieving the tool unit (500) from the workpiece (300) after the tool unit (500) has performed operations on the workpiece (300). A robotic assembly (100) for performing said method comprises at least one industrial robot (400), at least one operating tool unit (500), and a quick tool changer for detachably coupling the tool unit (500) with the industrial robot (400) comprising a first tool changer part arranged in the industrial robot (400) and a second tool changer part arranged in the operating tool unit (500).