Method and setting arrangement for dispensing tolerance compensation elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for attaching tolerance compensation elements to battery modules and other components in motor vehicles are largely manual, inefficient, and lack automation, especially for high-voltage batteries with numerous modules, leading to increased labor and time requirements.
Innovation Solution
A setting arrangement comprising a storage unit, provision unit, and movable setting unit that automatically sorts, positions, and dispenses tolerance compensation elements, ensuring they are oriented correctly and attached to components like battery housing parts, using a magazine and robotic arm for precise placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If tolerance compensation elements are installed manually by workers, then installation flexibility is maintained, but productivity is low and labor requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses self-service mechanisms where the magazine automatically feeds tolerance compensation elements to the setting unit, and the setting unit automatically attaches them to components without requiring manual intervention for each element, thereby increasing productivity while reducing manual labor
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical installation with an automated mechanical system consisting of a magazine for storage and a setting unit for automatic attachment, transforming the manual operation into an automated process that significantly improves installation speed
2Manufacturing precision
If tolerance compensation elements are stored without orientation, then storage is simple, but positioning precision is insufficient for automatic attachment
Solution Approach 1:
The storage unit performs preliminary orientation of tolerance compensation elements before they are dispensed to the setting unit. This preliminary action ensures that elements are correctly positioned and oriented in advance, enabling precise automatic attachment without requiring complex real-time adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The magazine acts as an intermediary between storage and the setting unit, providing a buffer that pre-positions and orients elements. This intermediary structure simplifies the overall system by handling orientation tasks in advance, reducing the complexity of the setting unit itself
3Productivity
If a large number of tolerance compensation elements are handled individually, then attachment precision is maintained, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The magazine pre-positions multiple tolerance compensation elements in ready-to-use positions before the setting unit needs them. This preliminary preparation eliminates waiting time during the attachment process, allowing the setting unit to continuously attach elements without interruption, thereby increasing throughput without sacrificing precision
Data Source
AI summary
A setting arrangement for automatically attaching tolerance compensation elements to a respective component, in particular a battery housing part. The setting arrangement has a storage unit which is designed to receive the tolerance compensation elements and to position them correctly in a row in such a way that the tolerance compensation elements positioned in the row are oriented in the same way, and a movable setting unit which has a magazine in which the tolerance compensation elements correctly positioned in a row are receivable. The magazine has a first longitudinal extension in which the tolerance compensation elements received in the magazine are arranged adjacent to one another. The magazine has an opening, and the setting unit is designed to dispense the tolerance compensation elements individually through the opening.