Patent ID: 11904474
Assignee: FAIRCHILD FASTENERS EUROPE—VSD GMBH
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  G | IPC B  G

Claim 0:
1. An apparatus for compiling a collection of components, particularly a user-specific collection of components as used during assembly in the aeronautics and aerospace or the automotive or other industries, wherein the apparatus comprises the following:
a component supply station having component trays with corresponding components from different production lots and a pick-and-place robot for the automated compiling of a collection of multiple components into a packaging unit or into a collection tray, and
a system for the distinctive identification, authentication and/or tracking of the components,, wherein the system for the distinctive identification, authentication and/or tracking of the components comprises the following:
a camera designed to select a defined area of the component and record it in high resolution for the tracking of the component, and
an evaluation unit designed to calculate a numeric characteristic from the acquired image of the specific surface microstructure of the component and its position and assign a component ID, and wherein the evaluation unit is further designed to return the component ID and preferably further individual characteristics of the component via data reconciliation in a database in which the calculated characteristic and assigned component ID is stored as a pairing for each component.