Assembly apparatus

• US 20020157241A1
• Filed: 04/22/2002
• Published: 10/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Hidetoshi
• Granted Patent: US 6,804,880 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/705
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 21/004 the units passing two or more work-stations whilst being composed
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53 Means to assemble or disassemble
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53022 with means to test work or product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5303 Responsive to condition of work or product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53043 including means to divert defective work part
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53048 Multiple station assembly or disassembly apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5337 including assembly pallet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/534 Multiple station assembly or disassembly apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53543 including transporting track
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53548 and work carrying vehicle

Abstract

An assembly apparatus that may easily conform to increase in production volume and change in specifications of parts, and exhibits high production efficiency is provided. The assembly apparatus 1 includes a part-supplying station 2 in which an operator 8 supplies parts to a conveyor pallet 5, a part-assembling station 3 in which assembly robots R1, R2 assemble the parts in the conveyor pallet 5, and a conveyor means 4 that conveys the conveyor pallet 5 from the part-supplying station 2 to the part-assembling station 3. After the assembly robots R1 have finished assembling the parts on one conveyor pallet 5 in a work area A1, the conveyor means 4 conveys the one conveyor pallet 5 from the work area A1, and concurrently conveys the next conveyor pallet 5 following the one conveyor pallet 5 in the work area A1.

Claims

1. An assembly apparatus comprising:

a part-supplying station in which parts are supplied to a predetermined conveyor pallet through a manual operation;

a part-assembling station in which the parts in the conveyor pallet are assembled through an operation using an assembly robot; and

a conveyor means that conveys the conveyor pallet from the part-supplying station to the part-assembling station,

wherein after the assembly robot finishes assembling parts in one conveyor pallet in a work area of the assembly robot, the conveyor means conveys out the one conveyor pallet from the work area, and conveys another conveyor pallet subsequent to the one conveyor pallet into the work area at the same time.

2. An assembly apparatus including an assembly robot that assembles parts conveyed via a conveyor means, the assembly robot being configured to perform an assembly operation, when one of the conveyed parts is placed in a reverse orientation, by correcting the reverse orientation of the part based upon a signal indicating detection of the reverse orientation of the part.

3. An assembly apparatus that assembles parts using an assembly robot, the assembly robot including:

a gripper portion that holds each part to be assembled;

a dimensions measuring means that measures dimensions of the part held by the gripper portion; and

a part-identifying means that determines whether the part is a target part to be mounted, based upon the dimensions of the part measured by the dimensions measuring means.

4. An assembly apparatus comprising:

a part-supplying station in which parts are supplied to a predetermined conveyor pallet through a manual operation;

a part-assembling station in which the parts in the conveyor pallet are assembled through an operation using an assembly robot; and

a conveyor means that conveys the conveyor pallet from the part-supplying station to the part-assembling station,

wherein the part-assembling station includes a part-supplying means that supplies some of the parts to an assembly robot for assembling the parts; and

wherein the assembly robot receives the some of the parts from the part-supplying means during a period for which the conveyor means conveys the conveyor pallet.

5. An abnormal condition handling process in an assembly apparatus, the assembly apparatus comprising:

a part-supplying station in which parts are supplied to a predetermined conveyor pallet through a manual operation;

a part-assembling station in which the parts in the conveyor pallet are assembled through an operation using an assembly robot; and

a conveyor means that conveys the conveyor pallet from the part-supplying station to the part-assembling station,

wherein when an abnormal condition in assembling the parts by the assembly robot takes place in an assembly step, the assembly apparatus is suspended, and assembly of the parts is restarted from the assembly step at which the abnormal condition has taken place.