Computer program product, apparatus and system for managing a manual assembly sequence

• US 8,417,364 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2008
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Seaman, James W., Boss, Greg J., Finn, Peter G., Hamilton, Rick A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rapp, Chad
• Application Number:
  US12/025,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20090198365A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,891 Days
• Field of Search: 700/95, 700/96, 700/108, 700/115, 700/116
• US Class Current: 700/95
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41805 characterised by assembly
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31027 Computer assisted manual assembly CAA, display operation, tool, result
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31034 Component identifier and location indicator corresponding to component
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A computer program product, apparatus and system are disclosed for managing a manual assembly sequence by electronically referencing unique identifiers associated with physical components to be assembled in the sequence. Certain embodiments facilitate management of an assembly of a consumer product. In one embodiment, RFID tags are used as unique identifiers. Such embodiments may use RFID tags to determine the presence of the components before each assembly step in the assembly sequence and to determine that the components are being assembled in sequence. Other embodiments determine whether the components are properly assembled after being assembled, that the distance between the components falls within a predetermined range, and/or that the components for an assembly steps is properly orientation with respect to other components.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer readable program code, wherein, the computer readable program code when executed by a computer directs the computer to perform operations for managing an assembly sequence, the operations comprising:

in response to a determination that a first set of components is properly assembled, proceeding to a subsequent assembly step if a second set of components is available for the subsequent assembly step; and

wherein the determination is based on a reading that corresponding unique identifiers of the first set of components are positioned relative to each other.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, the operations further comprising verifying a presence of the second set of components for the subsequent assembly step by referencing the unique identifiers associated with each component of the second set of components.

3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, the operations further comprising detecting an incorrect component and displaying instructions for resolving the incorrect component by replacing the incorrect component with a missing component that is a member of the first set of components.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, the operations further comprising prompting to collect the second set of components for the subsequent assembly step in response to determining that the first set of components is properly assembled.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, the operations further comprising exclusively presenting a corresponding assembly step for the first set of components as a single assembly step to a human assembler.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the single assembly step comprises one or more of optional instructions and one or more required instructions.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 5, the operations further comprising receiving an override command of an instruction to correct a corresponding assembly step for the first set of components.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, the operations further comprising instructing a human assembler by presenting an instruction by way of an interface in communication with the computer, the instruction presented in a human language preselected by the human assembler.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein in response to the determination that the first set of components is not properly assembled, displaying instructions for reversing a corresponding assembly step for the first set of components, wherein the instructions for reversing the corresponding assembly step are selected from the group consisting of audio instructions, video instructions, and text instructions.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, the operations further comprising collecting assembly data for the first set of components.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, the operations further comprising transmitting the assembly data to an external data collector.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the unique identifiers comprise radio frequency identification (“

RFID”

) tags.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein assembling each set of components according to each assembly step produces a consumer product.

14. An apparatus to manage an assembly sequence, the apparatus comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer readable program code, the computer readable program code comprising;

a verification module determining if a first set of components is properly assembled, wherein the determination is based on a reading that corresponding unique identifiers of the first set of components are positioned relative to each other; and

a control module proceeding to a subsequent assembly step if a second set of components is available for the subsequent assembly step in response to the determination that the first set of components is properly assembled.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a scanner configured to detect the unique identifiers of each component.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the scanner is configured to detect one of a position of each component and an orientation of each component having at least one unique identifier.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein determining if the first set of components is properly assembled comprises verifying at least one of a presence of one or more components of the first set of components for a corresponding assembly step, and a confirmation that the first set of components for the corresponding assembly step is properly assembled.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a feedback module configured to transmit assembly data to an external data collector.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a measurement module configured to measure assembly data, the assembly data comprising at least one of an assembly error rate, a presence of an incorrect component for a corresponding assembly step for the first set of components, a distance between components, and an assembly step duration.

20. A system to manage a manual assembly sequence, the system comprising:

a first set of components configured for assembly in a first assembly step; and

an electronic assembly manager managing a plurality of assembly steps, the electronic assembly manager comprising;

a processor;

a transceiver configured to wirelessly reference one or more radio frequency identification (“

RFID”

) tag unique identifiers associated with the first set of components;

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory comprising;

a verification module determining if the first set of components is properly assembled according to the first assembly step based on a reading that corresponding unique identifiers of the components are properly assembled; and

a control module proceeding to a subsequent assembly step if a second set of components is available for the subsequent assembly step in response to the determination that the first set of components is properly assembled.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the transceiver is configured to detect one of a position of each component, and an orientation of each component having at least one unique identifier.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising a feedback module for displaying assembly data to an external data collector.

23. The system of claim 21, further comprising a measurement module configured to measure assembly data, the assembly data comprising at least one of an assembly error rate, a presence of incorrect component for a corresponding assembly step for the first set of components, a distance between components, and an assembly step duration.