Assembly task verification system and method

• US 8,630,729 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2012
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Freeman, Philip L., Shepherd, Thomas E., Zuver, Christopher K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Norton, Jennifer L
• Application Number:
  US13/486,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20120271448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 700/114, 700/245, 700/258, 700/259, 318/568.11, 318/568.12, 701/468, 701/482, 901/30, 901/41, 901/42, 901/44, 901/46, 901/47
• US Class Current: 700/114
• 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: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/30 End effector
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/41 Tool
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/42 Welding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 Optical

Abstract

A method for verifying completion of a task. Location coordinates of at least one location sensor within a work cell are obtained. At least one sensor is affixed to a tool used to operate on a feature of a structure to be assembled, fabricated or inspected. A virtual object locus is generated based on the location coordinates of the at least one location sensor. The virtual object locus corresponds to a computerized schematic of the structure to be assembled and represents of all possible locations of an object end of the tool within the work cell. One of a plurality of candidate features is identified as the most likely to be the feature operated on by the tool. The identification is based on a probability calculation for each of the candidate features that each respective candidate feature is the feature operated on by the tool.

Claims

1. An assembly task verification system (ATVS), said system comprising:

a work cell within a localized environment, the work cell utilized for assembling a structure using a tool configured to operate on a feature of a structure to be assembled;

an indoor global positioning system configured to use vector bars to define a point of space for locating at least one location sensor affixed to the tool within the work cell to provide three-dimensional location coordinates of the at least one location sensor; and

an indoor object detection system base station comprising at least one sensor beacon and a base station communicatively linked to the at least one location sensor, the base station configured to;

acquire location coordinates from the at least one locations sensor within the work cell upon receipt of an event signal from the tool and

identify one of a plurality of candidate features as the feature operated on by the tool at the time the event signal was received based on a probability calculation for each of the candidate features that each respective candidate feature is the feature operated on by the tool.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the base station is further configured to generate a virtual object locus based on the location coordinates of the at least one location sensor, the virtual object locus corresponding to a computerized assembly schematic of the structure to be assembled and representative of all possible locations of an object end of the tool within the work cell at the time of receipt of the event signal.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein to identify one of the plurality of candidate features as the most likely to be the feature operated on by the tool, the base station is configured to calculate a probability that the location of each candidate feature indicated in the computerized assembly schematic matches the location of each point within the virtual object locus.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the candidate features include every feature of the structure indicated by the computerized assembly schematic.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the candidate features include a select set of all the features indicated by the computerized assembly schematic.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the assembly task comprises one of a fabrication task and an inspection task.