Workstation Enclosure Guide Path for Autonomous Workpiece Transfer
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing production systems face challenges in efficiently transferring work objects between transport vehicles and workstation enclosures, particularly in flexible assembly strategies where safety and ease of movement are crucial.
Innovation Solution
The system incorporates a workstation enclosure with an entrance and exit, featuring a guide path between them. The transport vehicle, equipped with a surroundings scanner, navigates this path independently, allowing for safe and efficient transfer of work objects between the transport vehicle and the workstation enclosure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the entrance and exit of the workstation enclosure are made wider to improve safety and facilitate autonomous navigation of transport vehicles, then the safety and ease of movement are improved, but the space utilization and compactness of the workstation enclosure deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the entrance and exit openings in the cross-sectional direction (width) rather than increasing the longitudinal dimension, creating a funnel-shaped entrance/exit that provides adequate navigation space for autonomous vehicles without significantly increasing the overall footprint of the workstation enclosure
2Ease of operation
If the transport vehicle is equipped with autonomous navigation capabilities using a surroundings scanner, then the flexibility and ease of operation are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transport vehicle is equipped with a surroundings scanner that enables it to autonomously detect obstacles, navigate the guide path, and position itself at the workstation enclosure entrance without requiring external guidance systems or manual operation, making the system self-sufficient
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual guidance or centralized control systems with autonomous sensing and navigation capabilities using the surroundings scanner, substituting mechanical control with sensor-based autonomous decision-making
3Area of stationary object
If the transport vehicle travels largely under the workstation enclosure along a guide path, then the space utilization is improved, but the safety risk to workers increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses wide, funnel-shaped entrance and exit openings that create a buffer zone, effectively 'sacrificing' some entrance/exit structure to provide adequate clearance and detection space for autonomous vehicles, preventing accidental contact with workers
Solution Approach 2:
The surroundings scanner acts as an intermediary between the autonomous transport vehicle and the workstation environment, detecting workers and obstacles in the guide path area to prevent collisions, while the wide entrance/exit serves as a buffer zone
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an assembly system comprising a workstation enclosure (100) in which assembly and/or machining activities can take place on a work object (127), and a transport vehicle (107) on which the work object (127) can be releasably mounted. In order to offer an even more flexible assembly strategy, the invention is characterized in that the workstation enclosure (100) is provided with an entrance (112) and an exit (113), a guide path (114) being provided between the entrance (112) and the exit (113), along which guide path the transport vehicle (107) can be guided from the entrance (112) to the exit (113). The invention also relates to a method for transferring a work object (127) between a transport vehicle (107) and a workstation enclosure (100).