Patent ID: 11890706
Assignee: ABB SCHWEIZ AG
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  G  Y | IPC B  G

Claim 10:
11. A method for assembling parts in an assembly line, comprising:
advancing a part along the assembly line with an Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV), the part having a target area at which an assembly operation is to be performed,
providing a first real time vision system to monitor a position of the AGV in at least a horizontal advance direction and a vertical direction, the first real time vision system being stationary in the assembly line,
providing an assembly unit comprising an industrial robot with an end effector and with a robot controller to control an automated assembly operation to be performed by the end effector at the target area of the part that is advanced by the AGV,
the method further comprising, while the part is advancing,
displacing the robot or the end effector of the robot synchronized with the advance of the AGV along the assembly line in the advance direction based on readings of the first real time vision system, and displacing the end effector of the robot in a vertical direction synchronized with vertical oscillations of the AGV based on readings of the first real time vision system, and
performing the assembly operation at the target area with the industrial robot, the assembly operation performed with the industrial robot comprising
a visual servoing process in which movement of the end effector of the robot is controlled in real time based at least on readings of a second real time vision system arranged to monitor a position of the target area, and
a compliant behaviour process in which movement of the end effector of the robot is controlled at least to allow compliant behaviour of the end effector in at least one direction.