Wiring Harness Optical Inspection Using Dynamic Marker Dependencies
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity and high manual labor in wiring harness manufacturing lead to frequent failures and inefficiencies in optical inspection, as existing systems struggle with adapting to changing products and environmental influences, and require extensive training for minor changes, making them impractical for widespread use in the industry.
Innovation Solution
The use of dynamic markers such as fiducials, barcodes, and data matrix codes for identifying components and locations, which allows for automated detection and evaluation of dependencies between identity and location, enabling efficient optical inspection by leveraging changes in marker visibility and spatial changes during manufacturing processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional optical inspection systems are used to inspect wiring harnesses, then inspection coverage can be achieved, but the systems require extensive training and cannot adapt quickly to changing products and environmental influences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces markers as intermediary elements that are placed on the wiring harness components. These markers serve as reference points that enable the inspection system to quickly adapt to different products without requiring extensive retraining. The markers act as a mediator between the inspection system and the varying wiring harness configurations, providing a consistent reference framework across different product variants.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of reference from complex component recognition to simple marker detection. By transforming the inspection task from recognizing and training on complex wiring harness structures to detecting predefined markers, the system achieves rapid adaptability. The markers provide stable reference parameters that remain consistent across different products, eliminating the need for extensive retraining when product configurations change.
2Manufacturing precision
If manual inspection methods are used, then flexibility in handling various wiring harness configurations is maintained, but inspection accuracy and consistency deteriorate due to human error
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses markers as simplified copies or representations of the actual wiring harness components. Instead of requiring the inspection system to directly analyze and understand complex component geometries and configurations, the system detects marker positions and uses these as proxies to infer component locations and states. This copying approach simplifies the inspection task while maintaining high accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical recognition systems with a simpler marker-based detection system. Rather than using sophisticated algorithms to identify and classify various wiring harness components, the system substitutes this with straightforward marker detection and position verification, significantly reducing system complexity while improving inspection reliability.
3Reliability
If comprehensive testing is performed to account for manual work failures, then product quality can be ensured, but production time and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by placing markers on components during the assembly process itself, rather than adding them later for inspection purposes. This allows the inspection system to immediately use these pre-positioned markers for verification, eliminating the need for separate comprehensive testing phases. The markers are prepared in advance as part of the manufacturing process, enabling real-time quality verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The inspection system uses the markers that are already present on the wiring harness components for self-verification. Rather than requiring external comprehensive testing, the system performs self-inspection by detecting marker positions and verifying they match the expected configuration. This self-service approach ensures product quality while maintaining production speed.
Data Source
AI summary
The described method as a key enabler for Optical Inspection dynamically uses individual marks like fiducials, barcodes, data matrix codes (“markers”) in the scenes, beyond their basic presence, meaning the change of situation between a first processing status and a subsequent processing status in the processing station. The same markers are simultaneously used for: the identification of components (“comp”); the identification of locations (“loc”); the definition of dependencies between identity and location (valid, invalid); and the automated detection and evaluation of the dependencies.