Method for monitoring proper fastening of an article of assembly at more than one location
DC CAFCFirst Claim
1. A method for assembling an article of assembly, the article of assembly having a plurality of fastening locations including first and second fastening locations in spaced apart relation, comprising:
- holding the article of assembly in a predetermined position;
providing a plurality of targets including at least a first target fixed relative to the article of assembly corresponding to the first fastening location of the article of assembly and a second target fixed relative to the article of assembly corresponding to the second fastening location, the second target having a different characteristic than the first target;
manually fastening fasteners into the article of assembly at the first and second fastening locations; and
sensing the first and second targets when said fastening is occurring at the first and second locations, respectively, and generating an electronic target output based upon said sensing that differentiates between the first and second targets thereby indicating when a fastening tool is in either of the first and second fastening locations.
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Abstract
A more reliable and fool-proof method and apparatus for assembling an article of assembly (e.g. with predetermined screw torque requirements) in which the article of assembly has multiple fastening locations. The method comprises holding the article of assembly fixed while providing at least two different types of targets fixed relative to the article of assembly that correspond to the individual fastening locations. Fasteners are fastened into the article of assembly at the fastening locations. When fastening is occurring at one of the fastening locations, one of the targets is being sensed. Based on the target sensed, a target output is generated that differentiates between different types of targets thereby indicating fastening location of the fastening tool. The electronic target output is used for electronic control such as for stopping a conveyor to keep the article of assembly at an assembly station until the fastening operations have been completed.
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Citations
55 Claims
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1. A method for assembling an article of assembly, the article of assembly having a plurality of fastening locations including first and second fastening locations in spaced apart relation, comprising:
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holding the article of assembly in a predetermined position; providing a plurality of targets including at least a first target fixed relative to the article of assembly corresponding to the first fastening location of the article of assembly and a second target fixed relative to the article of assembly corresponding to the second fastening location, the second target having a different characteristic than the first target; manually fastening fasteners into the article of assembly at the first and second fastening locations; and sensing the first and second targets when said fastening is occurring at the first and second locations, respectively, and generating an electronic target output based upon said sensing that differentiates between the first and second targets thereby indicating when a fastening tool is in either of the first and second fastening locations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method for assembling an article of assembly, the article of assembly having a plurality of fastening locations including first and second fastening locations in spaced apart relation, comprising:
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holding the article of assembly in a predetermined position; manually fastening fasteners into the article of assembly using a fastening tool at the first and second fastening locations according to a predetermined fastening sequence; sensing the position of the fastening tool; electronically comparing the sensed position of the fastening tool with a predetermined sequence of fastening among the first and second fastening locations; and providing a sequence output indicating whether the predetermined sequence has been achieved. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A method for assembling components of an article of assembly, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing at least first and second physically separate components that, when assembled together, form at least a portion of the article of assembly, wherein (a) a single set of discrete portions of the first and second components, when placed together, form a single process site consisting of a plurality of fastening locations within the single process site including first and second fastening locations, (b) each of the first and second fastening locations consists of a single opening for receiving a single fastener that, when fastened in the single opening, partially assembles the first and second components together, and (c) wherein the article of assembly is structurally designed so that the first and second fastening locations are positioned within the single process site in spaced apart relation to each other such that a fastener must be inserted in the first fastening location before a fastener is inserted in the second fastening location to reduce the risk of structural failure of the assembled combination of the first and second components that would arise if a fastener were inserted in the second fastening location before a fastener were inserted in the first fastening location, holding the first and second components of the article of assembly in a predetermined position in which the first and second components are placed together to form the single process site; manually fastening fasteners into the first and second fastening locations of the article of assembly using a fastening tool; providing an electronic controller having stored in a memory thereof before an operator has commenced any aspect of manually fastening fasteners using the fastening tool (a) data representative of the location of the first fastening location within the single process site together with first order data indicating that a fastener must be inserted in the first fastening location at a point in time before a fastener is inserted in the second fastening location, and (b) data representative of the location of the second fastening location within the single process site together with second order data indicating that a fastener must be inserted in the second fastening location at a point in time after a fastener has been inserted in the first fastening location, wherein the location data and the first and second order data for the first and second fastening locations from a predetermined fastening sequence that must be followed in order for the first and second components to be assembled together in a manner that reduces the risk of structural failure of the assembled combination that would arise if a fastener were inserted in the second fastening location before a fastener were inserted in the first fastening location; sensing the position of the fastening tool; electronically comparing the sensed position of the fastening tool with the data representative of the location of the first and second fastening locations to determine if the fastening tool is located in operative relation to one of the first and second fastening locations and then using the order data associated with the one of the first and second fastening locations to ensure the operator'"'"'s use of the fastening tool conforms to the predetermined sequence of fastening among the first and second fastening locations by (a) enabling the fastening tool, when it is positioned in operative relation to the first fastening location, to insert a fastener in the first fastening location only if the operator has not inserted a fastener in the second fastening location, and (b) enabling the fastening tool, when it is positioned in operative relation to the second fastening location, only if the operator already has inserted a fastener in the first fastening location, which reduces the risk of structural failure of the assembled combination that would arise if a fastener were inserted in the second fastening location before a fastener were inserted in the first fastening location; providing a sequence output each time that the operator attempts to fasten a fastener in one of the first and second fastening locations indicating whether the predetermined fastening sequence has been achieved; wherein the electronic controller also has stored in its memory first and second predetermined torque values that represent torque values that the operator is supposed to apply to fasteners inserted in the first and second fastening locations when the operator'"'"'s use of the fastening tool conforms to the predetermined sequence of fastening; and when the operator'"'"'s use of the fastening tool conforms to the predetermined sequence of fastening, (a) measuring torque applied to fastener by the fastening tool as it is being fastened in the first fastening location and then comparing the measured torque to the first predetermined torque value, (b) requiring that the torque applied to the fastener located in the first fastening location equal the first predetermined torque value before the operator is allowed to insert a fastener in the second fastening location, which reduces the risk of structural failure of the assembled combination that would result if the operator were allowed to insert a fastener in the second fastening location when the torque applied to the first fastener does not equal the first predetermined torque value, (c) measuring torque applied to a fastener by the fastening tool as it is being inserted in the second fastening location and then comparing the measured torque to the second predetermined torque value, and (d) requiring that the torque applied to the fastener located in the second fastening location equal the second predetermined torque value after the first fastener has been inserted in the first fastening location at the first predetermined torque value, which reduces the risk of structural failure of the assembled combination that would result if the operator were allowed to complete assembly of the first and second components when the torque applied to the fastener inserted in the second fastening location did not equal the second predetermined torque value. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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Specification