Control system for automotive vehicle component assembly lines
First Claim
1. In an automotive vehicle component assembling system having at least one series of assembling lines used in common for assembling various model, standards and specifications of the vehicle components,a system for controlling one of said assembling lines comprising:
- a first means for obtaining information and instructions in relation to the vehicle component to be assembled in order and at a given interval and generating an electric signal representative of the obtained information and instructions of the vehicle component to be assembled;
a second means for receiving said electric signal fed from said first means and converting the electric signal into photoelectrically sensible sign which is printed on a label;
a third means for sticking said label onto a part of said vehicle component and for reading said sign on the label to convert the same to the electric signal fed back to the first means for confirmation, anda fourth means for reading said sign on the label and obtaining necessary information and instructions and for converting the obtained information and intructions into a control signal for identifying a part of the vehicle component to be picked up and for controlling assembling operations performed in said one assembling line.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Control of an automotive vehicle component assembling system having one or more series of assembly lines used in common for assembling various models, standards and/or specifications of vehicle component is provided by converting information and instructions relating to various models, standards and/or specifications of vehicle component into a sign. The sign is fitted onto one of the part of the component. Information and instructions from the sign are detected automatically to control picking up of parts and assembling operations in each assembly line.
61 Citations
41 Claims
-
1. In an automotive vehicle component assembling system having at least one series of assembling lines used in common for assembling various model, standards and specifications of the vehicle components,
a system for controlling one of said assembling lines comprising: a first means for obtaining information and instructions in relation to the vehicle component to be assembled in order and at a given interval and generating an electric signal representative of the obtained information and instructions of the vehicle component to be assembled; a second means for receiving said electric signal fed from said first means and converting the electric signal into photoelectrically sensible sign which is printed on a label; a third means for sticking said label onto a part of said vehicle component and for reading said sign on the label to convert the same to the electric signal fed back to the first means for confirmation, and a fourth means for reading said sign on the label and obtaining necessary information and instructions and for converting the obtained information and intructions into a control signal for identifying a part of the vehicle component to be picked up and for controlling assembling operations performed in said one assembling line. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
-
2. In an automotive vehicle component assembling system having at least one series of assembling lines in common for assembling various models, standards and structures of the vehicle components,
a system for controlling the assembling system comprising: -
a first means for obtaining information and instructions with respect to the vehicle component to be assembled from a medium fed thereto in order and at a given interval, which medium contains the information and instructions of the vehicle component to be assembled and is in a form of punched card, said first means converting the obtained information and instructions into an electric signal; a second means for receiving said electric signal from said first means and for converting the electric signal into photoelectrically sensible sign which is printed onto a label; a third means for sticking said label onto a part of said vehicle component and for reading said sign on the label to convert the same to the electric signal to be fed back to the first means;
said third means including means for comparing the read sign with the electric signal generated in the first means to check whether both of signals are matched together; anda fourth means for reading said sign on the label and for converting the obtained information and instructions from said sign into a control signal for identifying a specific part of the vehicle component and for controlling assembling operations of each individual assembling line.
-
-
3. In an automotive vehicle component assembling system having at least one series of assembling lines in common for assembling various models, standards and specifications of the vehicle component,
a system for controlling the assembling system comprising: -
a first means for reading information and instructions relating to the vehicle compartment to be assembled from a punched tape sequentially fed thereto and including the information and instruction of the vehicle component to be assembled in order and at a given interval, said first means generating an electric signal representative of the read information and instructions of the vehicle component; a second means responsive to said electric signal derived from said first means for converting said electric signal to a bar-code sign which is printed onto a label adapted to be magnetically fitted onto a part of the vehicle component;
said second means generating an electric signal representative of the information and instructions read from the bar-code sign, means for feeding the electric signal generated by the second means back to the first means;
said first means including means for comparing electric signals generated in the first and second means for confirmation;a third means for magnetically picking up and sticking the label onto the part of the vehicle component and for reading the bar-code sign on the label to generate an electric signal;
means for feeding back the electric signal generated by the third means to said first means;
said first means including means for comparing the electric signals generated in the first and third means; anda fourth means provided in each individual assembling line to read out the information and instructions of the vehicle component to be assembled for identifying the specific part of the vehicle component and for controlling the assembling operation performed in each individual assembling line.
-
-
24. In an automotive vehicle component assembling system having at least one series of assembling lines in common for assembling various models, standards, specifications of the vehicle component,
a method for controlling the assembling line comprising: -
obtaining information and instructions from a medium containing all the information and instructions therein;
feeding the medium in sequence and deriving the information and instructions in order of the vehicle component to be assembled and at a given interval;generating an electric signal representative of the derived information and instructions with respect to the vehicle component to be assembled; converting the electric signal into a bar-code sign which is photoelectrically sensible;
printing the bar-code sign onto a magnetically stickable label;sticking the label onto a part of the vehicle component which is identified by the information and instructions in the bar-code sign; reading out the information and instructions from the bar-code sign in each individual assembling line and converting the read out information and instructions into a control signal for identifying parts to be assembled to the designated vehicle component and controlling the assembling operation performed in the assembling line. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
-
-
27. An automotive vehicle body assembling system comprising:
-
a first means for obtaining information and instructions identifying a model, standard and specification of the vehicle body to be assembled and for identifying the parts forming the identified vehicle body, which information and instructions relating to the vehicle body to be assembled are contained in a dynamic tape medium sequentially fed to said first means and containing the information and instructions in order of assembling of the vehicle body and at a given interval, said first means including means for converting the obtained information and instructions to a photoelectrically sensible bar-code sign, means for printing the bar-code sign onto a label, said first means generating an electric signal representative of the information and instructions of the vehicle body, said electric signal identifying a floor assembly for the identified vehicle body, said electric signal containing bar-code information to be stuck to the printed label; a second means for feeding the floor assembly containing the label to a series of assembly lines including a body assembly line and a body finishing line; a third means provided in the body assembly line, which third means reads out the information and instructions contained in the bar-code and generates a control signal for identifying parts to be assembled to the floor assembly and for controlling the assembling operation performed in the body assembly line; and a fourth means provided in the body finishing line for reading out the information and instructions from said bar-code and generating a control signal for identifying the parts to be assembled to the body assembly fed thereto and for controlling the assembling operation performed in the body finishing line. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
-
-
35. A method of controlling the assemblage of automobiles in an assembly system including in series a floor assembly line, a body assembly line, a special treatment line and a body finishing line, different parts for different automobile models being stored at the floor and body lines, comprising preparing a sign for each automobile, said sign including machine readable indicia associated with different parts from the floor and body assembly lines to be included in a particular automobile, as well as from the body finishing line and operations to be performed at the special treatment line;
- at the floor assembly line securing the sign to a common part of each automobile assembled in the assembly system, reading the machine readable indicia at the floor assembly line from the sign on the common part of a particular automobile to derive a first control signal, responding to the first control signal to select which parts are to be assembled on the particular automobile at the floor sub-assembly line, assemblying the parts selected at the floor assembly line onto the part containing the sign, conveying the automobile as partly assembled at the floor assembly line to the body assembly line;
reading the machine readable indicia at the body assembly line from the sign on the common part of the particular automobile to derive a second control signal, responding to the second control signal to select which parts are to be assembled on the particular automobile at the body assembly line, assemblying the parts selected at the body assembly line onto the partly assembled automobile conveyed to the body assembly line, conveying the automobile as partly assembled at the body assembly line to the special treatment line;
reading the machine readable indicia at the special treatment line from the sign on the common part of the particular automobile to derive a third control signal, responding to the third control signal to select which treatments are to be performed on the particular automobile at the special treatment line, performing the selected treatment at the special treatment line, conveying the automobile as partly assembled at the special treatment line to the body finishing line;
reading the machine readable indicia at the body finishing line from the sign on the common part of the particular automobile to derive a fourth control sign, responding to the fourth control signal to select which parts are to be assembled on the particular automobile at the body finishing line, and assemblying the parts selected at the body finishing line onto the partly assembled automobile conveyed to the body finishing line. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
- at the floor assembly line securing the sign to a common part of each automobile assembled in the assembly system, reading the machine readable indicia at the floor assembly line from the sign on the common part of a particular automobile to derive a first control signal, responding to the first control signal to select which parts are to be assembled on the particular automobile at the floor sub-assembly line, assemblying the parts selected at the floor assembly line onto the part containing the sign, conveying the automobile as partly assembled at the floor assembly line to the body assembly line;
-
41. A method of assemblying automobiles on an assembly system including plural assembly lines through which a particular automobile passes in series, there being provided at a first of the assembly lines a common part of every automobile being assembled, different other parts being applied to the common part at the first assembly line, different further parts and steps being applied to and performed on a partially completed automobile at the other assembly lines, the method comprising preparing a sign for each automobile to be assembled, said sign including machine readable indicia associated with parts to be assembled and operations to be performed at the first and other assembly lines, at the first assembly line securing the sign to the common part of each automobile assembled in the system;
- at each assembly line where parts are assembled;
reading the machine readable indicia from the sign on the common part of a particular automobile to derive a control signal, responding to the control signal to select which parts are to be assembled on the particular automobile at the assembly line, assemblying the parts selected at the assembly line onto the partially assembled automobile at the assembly line;
at each assembly line where an operation is performed;
reading the machine readable indicia from the sign on the common part of the particular automobile to derive an additional control signal, and performing selected operations on the particular automobile in response to the additional control signal.
- at each assembly line where parts are assembled;
Specification