Heavy-Object Precision Assembly With Cooperative Robot Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The assembly of heavy objects like vehicle doors to vehicle bodies is challenging due to the need for labor-saving apparatuses that require modifications for new models, posing safety risks and incurring high costs.
Innovation Solution
A heavy object precision assembly device comprising a gripper, cooperative robot, balancer, loader arm, and servo gantry, which allows for precise positioning and orientation of heavy objects without requiring gripper modifications, ensuring worker safety and reducing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a labor-saving apparatus with a gripper is used to handle heavy objects, then assembly work is made convenient and productivity is improved, but the gripper requires modification for each new door model, increasing cost and time
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper is designed with a universal structure that can handle multiple door models without modification. The gripper includes a base body with a spherical bearing connection that allows it to adapt to different door shapes and sizes through positional adjustment, making it multi-functional across various assembly tasks.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripper incorporates dynamic adjustment capabilities through spherical bearing connections and adjustable linkages that allow real-time positional and angular adjustments. This dynamic structure enables the gripper to adapt to different door configurations without requiring physical modification, resolving the contradiction between productivity and adaptability.
2Extent of automation
If a labor-saving apparatus automatically transports heavy objects, then assembly work is automated, but safety risks increase due to collision or entrapment of workers
Solution Approach 1:
The cooperative robot acts as an intermediary between the automated transport system and the worker. It performs the heavy lifting and positioning tasks, while the worker only needs to guide the cooperative robot for precise alignment, reducing direct exposure to safety risks while maintaining automation benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates real-time feedback mechanisms where the cooperative robot can detect worker presence and adjust its operations accordingly. The spherical bearing connection and adjustable linkages allow the gripper to respond to positional feedback, ensuring safe operation near workers while maintaining automated transport capabilities.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the gripper structure is modified for each new door model, then the gripper can handle the specific door, but production time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper is pre-configured with a universal structure that includes spherical bearing connections and adjustable linkages, eliminating the need for modifications when switching door models. The preliminary design incorporates adaptability, so no additional setup time is required for different door types.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripper uses parameter adjustments (positional and angular) rather than structural modifications to adapt to different door models. By changing operational parameters through the spherical bearing connection and adjustable linkages, the system can handle various door configurations without time-consuming reconfiguration.
4Manufacturing precision
If a worker directly handles a heavy door for alignment, then precise assembly can be performed, but the worker cannot physically handle the heavy object
Solution Approach 1:
The cooperative robot serves as an intermediary that the worker can easily guide for precise alignment while the gripper handles the heavy door. This allows the worker to benefit from precise control without physically struggling with the heavy object, combining ease of operation with manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces the worker's direct mechanical handling capability with an automated gripper mechanism. The spherical bearing connection and adjustable linkages provide the necessary precision and ease of operation, substituting the worker's physical limitation with a mechanical system that overcomes the weight issue while maintaining precision.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention comprises: a gripper configured to grip a heavy object to be assembled; a cooperative robot for adjusting a location and an angle of the gripper; a balancer for supplementing loading weight of the cooperative robot and supporting the gripper; a loader arm for supporting the balancer and the cooperative robot; a servo gantry configured to support the loader arm at the upper side of an assembly object with which the heavy object is to be assembled, and enable a plane movement of the loader arm in the horizontal direction.