Dynamic Worker Guidance for Flexible Multi-Variant Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current worker guidance systems are rigid and inflexible, making them unsuitable for versatile production systems where product variants increase and lifespan decreases, requiring significant reprogramming efforts to adapt to changing work processes.
Innovation Solution
A programmable and graphically programmable worker guidance system that uses a control device and communication device to dynamically adjust guidance based on process data, allowing for flexible support of versatile production systems by selecting suitable process devices and communicating work steps through various media, such as displays and sensors, without requiring extensive programming changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If worker guidance systems are programmed and configured for specific work processes, then quality and training costs are improved, but flexibility and adaptability to changing production requirements deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The worker guidance system implements dynamic configurability where work processes, work steps, and communication methods can be adjusted in real-time without reprogramming. The system transitions from static programmed instructions to dynamic adaptive guidance that responds to changing production requirements, allowing the same system to serve multiple product variants and process configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is designed to perform multiple functions by supporting various communication devices (display screens, acoustic outputs, haptic feedback) and adapting to different work processes. A single unified guidance system replaces multiple specialized programs, enabling it to handle diverse production scenarios including assembly, inspection, and machining tasks across different product variants.
2Manufacturing precision
If worker guidance systems use rigid programming for specific products, then execution precision is improved, but reprogramming effort and time increase when product variants change
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-configures multiple communication methods and process templates that can be selectively activated based on production needs. Rather than programming specific product variants in advance, the system prepares a library of reusable process templates and communication modes that can be quickly assembled and configured for new variants, eliminating time-consuming reprogramming while maintaining execution precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains execution precision by allowing dynamic parameter adjustments for different work steps and processes without changing the underlying program structure. Configuration parameters such as communication method selection, process sequence, and guidance content can be modified to match different product variants, preserving precision while enabling rapid adaptation.
3Measurement precision
If worker guidance systems are highly specialized for specific processes, then work step accuracy is improved, but system complexity and reconfiguration difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The guidance system is segmented into independent modular components: process definition modules, work step configuration modules, and communication device selection modules. Each module handles a specific aspect of worker guidance independently, allowing precise control over work steps while simplifying reconfiguration. The segmentation enables the system to maintain high work step accuracy through specialized modules without requiring the entire system to be complex and difficult to reconfigure.
Data Source
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AI summary
Worker guidance system (2) for guiding a worker (5) when carrying out a process with a process system (1), wherein the process system (1) has at least one process device (12, 12a-c) with process device capabilities, wherein the process comprises at least one work step (14, 14a-14c), having a control device (8) and a communication device (7, 7a-e), wherein the control device (8) is designed to control the communication device (7, 7a-e), on the basis of process data, to communicate the work step (14, 14a-c) to be carried out to the worker (5), wherein the process device capabilities are made available to the control device (8) as process device capability data, wherein the process data comprise the process device capability data.