Multi-Camera Tooling Fixture Alignment for Sub-Millimeter Calibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inflexible and misaligned tooling fixtures in complex production equipment lead to production stoppages, delays, and potential damage to manufactured products, particularly evident in the automotive industry with heavy electric vehicle batteries, due to incorrect configuration or damage.
Innovation Solution
A multi-camera monitoring system that calibrates tooling fixtures by measuring the position of reference features and features of interest, calculating a frame of reference, and applying correction functions to account for misalignment within sub-millimeter tolerances, ensuring accurate alignment and preventing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional manual alignment methods are used for tooling fixtures, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision deteriorates below sub-millimeter tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical alignment methods with an automated optical monitoring system using multiple cameras and computational algorithms. The system captures images of reference features and features of interest, then uses computer vision and correction functions to automatically determine and correct fixture misalignment, achieving sub-millimeter precision without manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a digital copy of the physical fixture's spatial configuration by imaging reference features and features of interest. This digital representation is then processed through correction functions that model the relationship between apparent positions and actual positions, enabling precise alignment correction without physically adjusting each component.
2Productivity
If heavy battery fixtures are manually repositioned during production, then adaptability is improved, but loss of time increases due to production stoppages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary alignment verification and correction function calculation during fixture installation or maintenance periods. The system pre-determines correction functions based on imaged reference features, so that during production, only simple position measurements are needed rather than full realignment procedures, minimizing production stoppages.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the monitoring system continuously measures the positions of features of interest relative to reference features, compares them against correction functions, and provides alignment status information. This enables rapid detection and correction of misalignment without manual intervention during production cycles.
3Measurement precision
If multiple cameras are used to image all features, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the measurement task among multiple cameras, with each camera responsible for imaging specific reference features or features of interest from particular viewpoints. The computational device then integrates data from these segmented measurements, using correction functions to combine them into a comprehensive alignment assessment, achieving complete coverage through coordinated partial observations.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided herein is a tool monitoring system and method of use. The tool monitoring system includes a plurality of panels forming a tunnel having a plurality of cameras disposed therein. The plurality of cameras take measurements of a tooling fixture, the tooling fixture having fixtures and features of interest thereon, as the tooling fixture moves in the tunnel. The system calculates a frame of reference of the tooling fixture and compares the actual position of one or more of the features of interest with the apparent position of the one or more features of interest in the frame of reference to determine an offset between the actual and apparent position of the of the one or more features of interest. The system then calculates a function to correct for the offset.