System and method for joining workpieces to form an article

• US 10,571,889 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2018
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Processchamp, LLC
• Original Assignee: Processchamp, LLC
• Inventors: Ghanem, George K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Tuan A
• Application Number:
  US16/153,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20190049920A1
• Time in Patent Office: 508 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 3/18 for positioning only
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/00 Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/14 for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures G01B11/26 takes precedence; rangefinders G01C3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/402 characterised by control arrangements for positioning, e.g. centring a tool relative to a hole in the workpiece, additional detection means to correct position G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41805 characterised by assembly
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35134 3-D cad-cam
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/42249 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45067 Assembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 407/2282 including tool holding clamp and clamp actuator

Abstract

A workpiece having at least one physical feature is placed into a workstation fixture having at least one adjustable locator. Measurement data reflecting the position of the at least one physical feature of the workpiece and measurement data reflecting the position of the at least one adjustable locator are obtained. A processor ingests and utilizes the collection of assembly data and the measurement data to define and store in memory at least one ordered pair correlating the physical feature and the adjustable locator. The processor defines a test vector that connects the position of the at least one physical feature and the position of the at least one adjustable locator. The processor to computationally discovers a best fit for adjusting the position of the adjustable locator to register with the physical feature by applying to the test vector a computational optimization process that seeks to minimize the length of the test vector to thereby generate a digital shim vector. The adjustable locator is then physically moved according to the digital shim vector, which is stored in association with the collection of assembly data.

Claims

1. A method for aligning a workpiece in a fixture of a workstation, wherein the workpiece has at least one physical feature which is correlated to a collection of assembly data and the workpiece is mounted via at least one adjustable locator on a frame of the fixture, comprising:

receiving, by a computer processor, measurement data reflecting the position of the at least one physical feature of the workpiece;

receiving, by the computer processor, the collection of assembly data for the workpiece;

determining, by the computer processor, a test vector that represents the measured position of the at least one physical feature to a desired position of the at least one physical feature, where the test vector has vector components represented as variables stored in memory;

computationally discovering, by the computer processor, a best fit between the measured position of the at least one physical feature and the desired position of the at least one physical feature by applying a computational optimization process to the test vector;

computing, by the computer processor, an adjustment for position of the at least one adjustable locator according to the best fit between the measured position of the at least one physical feature and the desired position of the at least one physical feature, where the at least one adjustable locator is movable in more than one degree of freedom in relation to the frame; and

moving, by at least one motor, the adjustable locator in relation to the frame according to the computed adjustment position for the at least one adjustable locator, where the at least one motor is actuated in response to a signal from the computer processor.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprises placing the workpiece in the workstation, where the at least one adjustable locator engages a hole in the workpiece.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprises obtaining the measurement data optically while the workpieces are disposed in the workstation.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising supplying said collection of assembly data to the computer processor as computer aided design data.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the computational optimization process employs a priority-based numerical optimization algorithm.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein each vector component of the test vector is a difference between a coordinate of the measured position of a given physical feature and a coordinate of the desired position of the given physical feature.

7. The method claim 1 further comprises receiving a weight for each of the at least one physical features and computationally discovering the best fit between the measured position of the at least one physical feature and the desired position of the at least one physical feature that accounts for the weights assigned to each of the at least one physical feature.

8. A method for aligning a first workpiece to a second workpiece in a fixture of a workstation, wherein the first workpiece has a first physical feature and is mounted to a frame of the fixture and the second workpiece has a second physical feature and is mounted to the frame of the fixture, comprising:

receiving, by a computer processor, measurement data reflecting the position of the first physical feature of the first workpiece and the position of the second physical feature of the second workpiece;

receiving, by the computer processor, the collection of assembly data for the workpiece;

determining, by the computer processor, a test vector that connects the measured position of the first physical feature to the measured position of the second physical feature, where the test vector has vector components represented as variables stored in memory;

computationally discovering, by the computer processor, a best fit between the measured position of the first physical feature and the measured position of the second physical feature by applying a computational optimization process to the test vector;

computing, by the computer processor, an adjustment for position of at least one adjustable locator according to the best fit between the measured position of the first physical feature and the measured position of the second physical feature, where the first workpiece is mounted via the at least one adjustable locator to the frame and the at least one adjustable locator is movable in more than one degree of freedom in relation to the frame; and

moving, by at least one motor, the at least one adjustable locator in relation to the frame according to the computed adjustment position for the at least one adjustable locator, where the at least one motor is actuated in response to a signal from the computer processor.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprises placing the workpiece in the workstation, where the at least one adjustable locator engages a hole in the workpiece.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprises obtaining the measurement data optically while the workpieces are disposed in the workstation.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising supplying said collection of assembly data to the computer processor as computer aided design data.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the computational optimization process employs a priority-based numerical optimization algorithm.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein each vector component of the test vector is a difference between a coordinate of the measured position of the first physical feature and a coordinate of the measured position of the second physical feature.

14. A method for aligning a first workpiece to a second workpiece in a fixture of a workstation, wherein the first workpiece has a first set of physical features and is mounted to a frame of the fixture and the second workpiece has a second set of physical features and is mounted to the frame, comprising:

receiving, by a computer processor, measurement data reflecting the position of the physical features in the first set of physical features and the position of the physical features in the second set of physical features;

receiving, by the computer processor, the collection of assembly data for the workpiece;

determining, by the computer processor, a test vector that connects the measured positions of the first set of physical features to the measured positions of the second set of physical features, where the test vector has vector components represented as variables stored in memory;

computationally discovering, by the computer processor, a best fit between the measured positions of the first set of physical features and the measured position of the second set of physical features by applying a computational optimization process to the test vector;

computing, by the computer processor, an adjustment for position of at least one adjustable locator according to the best fit between the measured positions of the first set of physical features and the measured position of the second set of physical features, where the first workpiece is mounted via the at least one adjustable locator to the frame and the at least one adjustable locator is movable in more than one degree of freedom in relation to the frame; and

moving, by at least one motor, the at least one adjustable locator in relation to the frame according to the computed adjustment position for the at least one adjustable locator, where the at least one motor is actuated in response to a signal from the computer processor.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprises placing the workpiece in the workstation, where the at least one adjustable locator engages a hole in the workpiece.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprises obtaining the measurement data optically while the workpieces are disposed in the workstation.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising supplying said collection of assembly data to the computer processor as computer aided design data.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the computational optimization process employs a priority-based numerical optimization algorithm.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein each vector component of the test vector is a difference between a coordinate of a measured position of a physical feature in the first set of physical features and a coordinate of a measured position of a mated physical feature in the second set of physical features.

20. The method claim 14 further comprises receiving a weight for each of physical features in the first set of physical features and computationally discovering a best a best fit between the measured positions of the first set of physical features and the measured positions of the second set of physical features that accounts for the weights assigned to each of the physical features in the first set of physical features.

21. The method of claim 14 further comprises moving two adjustable locators in relation to the frame according to the computed adjustment position, where the first workpiece is mounted to the frame via the two adjustable locators.

22. The method of claim 14 further comprises joining the first workpiece to the second workpiece after the step of moving the adjustable locator.