Tooling plate for conveying different work parts in an assembly line, and method for configuring the same

Disclosed herein is a tooling plate for conveying a plurality of work parts to be assembled on an assembly line, the tooling plate including a platform, a supporting element fixed on and protruding from a surface of the platform, and one or more interfacing elements configured to be attached in a removable way to the supporting element, and configured to support at least a portion of a work part from the plurality of work parts when the one or more interfacing elements is attached to the supporting element. A shape of the interfacing element matches a portion of a shape of the portion of the work part, so that the tooling plate can be configured to convey, successively, different sets of work parts by only changing interfacing elements on the supporting element, from one set to another set, without changing the platform.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a National Stage Entry of PCT/EP2019/070749, filed Aug. 1, 2019 and titled “TOOLING PLATE FOR CONVEYING DIFFERENT WORK PARTS IN AN ASSEMBLY LINE, AND METHOD FOR CONFIGURING THE SAME”, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates to the field of industrial manufacturing, and more specifically to a mobile tooling plate configured to host a plurality of types of work parts compatible with different models to be produced.

It is known in the automotive industry, as described in document WO19020199, to use a unique mobile platform as a tooling plate to convey a complete set of automotive work parts from a workstation to another workstation within an assembly line including several workstations, wherein different work parts are successively assembled together, the assembly being put back on the platform among other work parts, until a final or an intermediate assembly is produced at the end of the assembly line process.

Today, in such automotive production plants, different tooling plates which are dedicated to nest work parts or intermediate work parts have to be prepared respectively, when dealing with a production line designed for several different models to be produced.

Traditional design of such tool plates is not compatible for several model production, so that the manufacturer has to prepare several types of tooling plates respectively for several different models to be produced. Changing tooling plates in a production plant takes a long time, and unused tooling plates are stored in spaces beside production lines, all this being costly.

Therefore, there is a need to enable several different models to be produced with the same tooling plate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a tooling plate for conveying a plurality of work parts to be assembled on an assembly line, the tooling plate including:a platform, anda supporting element fixed on and protruding from a surface of the platform, andone or more interfacing element(s) configured to be attached in a removable way to the supporting element, and configured to support at least a portion of a work part from the plurality of work parts, when it is attached to the supporting element, the one or more interfacing element(s) being shaped to match a portion of a shape of the portion of the work part, so that the tooling plate can be configured to convey successively different sets of work parts, by only changing interfacing elements on the supporting element, from one set to another set, without changing the platform.

Embodiments of the present disclosure include one or more of the following features, alone or in any combination technically compatible.

According to an embodiment, the tooling plate includes a plurality of supporting elements.

According to an embodiment, the tooling plate further includes a magazine associated with the supporting element, the magazine being attached to the platform, and the magazine being configured to store the one or more interfacing element(s), so that the tooling plate can convey the one or more interfacing elements required for configuring the tooling plate. The magazine may be attached to the platform in a removable way.

According to an embodiment, the tooling plate includes a plurality of magazines.

According to an embodiment, the tooling plate includes a plurality of supporting elements and one magazine is associated with one supporting element from a plurality of supporting elements.

According to these provisions, the tooling plate may be easily configured to convey different work parts by just attaching to the supporting element the right interfacing element. Thus, supporting a new work part does not require changing the whole tooling plate, and only the interfacing element needs to be changed, which may be stored and conveyed by the tooling plate after the interfacing element has been removed from the supporting element.

According to an embodiment, the plurality of work parts include a first plurality of first model work parts and a second plurality of second model work parts, the first plurality of first model work parts being configured to be assembled into a first model of a product, and the second plurality of second model work parts being configured to be assembled into a second model of the product, and wherein the one or more interfacing element(s) include one or more first interfacing element(s) and one or more second interfacing element(s), the one or more first interfacing element(s) being configured to support a portion of a first model work part from the first plurality of first model work parts, when the one or more first interfacing element(s) is attached in a removable way to the supporting element, and the one or more second interfacing element(s) being configured to support a portion of a second model work part from the second plurality of second model work parts, when the one or more second interfacing element(s) is attached in a removable way to the supporting element, so that the tooling plate may be configured to support alternatively the work parts of a first model of a product to be assembled, and the work parts of a second model of a product to be assembled.

According to these provisions, there is no more need to change the whole tooling plate when the product model changes, and only a set of interfacing elements needs to be changed to reconfigure the tooling plate.

According to an embodiment, the interfacing elements have a main extension along a plane.

According to an embodiment, the interfacing elements have a cylindrical or prismatic shape.

According to an embodiment, the one or more interfacing element(s) is/are configured to be automatically attached in a removable way to, or removed from, the supporting element.

According to an embodiment, the one or more interfacing element(s) is/are configured to be attached in a removable way to, or removed from, the supporting element, by using an industrial robot.

According to an embodiment, the tooling plate is mobile.

According to an embodiment, the tooling plate is autoguided.

According to an embodiment, the tooling plate includes a sub-plate, the sub-plate being placed and fixed in a removable way on the surface of the platform of the tooling plate, the sub-plate including supporting elements fixed on and protruding from a surface of the sub-plate, and one or more interfacing element(s) configured to be attached in a removable way to the supporting elements.

According to an embodiment, the sub-plate includes magazines attached in a removable way to the surface of the sub-plate, the magazines being configured to store the one or more interfacing elements.

According to an embodiment, the sequence of manufacturing stations is an automotive manufacturing assembly line.

According to another aspect, the disclosure provides a method for configuring a tooling plate according to anyone of the embodiments described hereinabove, the method including the steps of:identifying the work part among the plurality of work parts, to be conveyed on the tooling plate,identifying an interfacing element, among the one or more interfacing elements, a shape of the interfacing element matching with a portion of a shape of a portion of the work part identified at previous step,if another interfacing element is attached to the supporting element, removing the another interfacing element from the supporting element,attaching in a removable way, the interface element identified previously, to the supporting element.

According to an embodiment, the step of removing the another interfacing element from the supporting element is followed by a step of storing the another interfacing element into a magazine associated with the supporting element.

According to an embodiment, the step of attaching, in a removable way, to the supporting element the interface element identified previously, is preceded by a step of grabbing the interface element from a magazine associated with the supporting element.

According to an embodiment, the method is carried out automatically, and the method may be carried out using an industrial robot.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG.1shows a tooling plate1, carrying a plurality of work parts2. The work parts are each configured to be assembled on an assembly line, including different automated assembling workstations, and the tooling plate1has been prepared to convey the plurality of work parts2from a workstation to another workstation (not represented in the figure).

The tooling plate includes a platform3and one or more supporting element(s)4, the one or more supporting element(s)4being configured to support a work part2, more precisely a portion of a work part2.

According to an embodiment illustrated inFIG.2, the supporting element4is a tubular or prismatic element4, fixed to the platform3, and protruding from a surface of the platform3.

To configure the supporting element4so that it supports a given work part2, more precisely, so that it supports a portion of a given work part2, an interfacing element7is attached in a removable way to the supporting element4, the interfacing element7being itself configured to support the portion of the work part once it is attached in a removable way to the supporting element4. The configuration of the interfacing element7is based on its shape which is partly matching with, meaning that it matches a portion of a corresponding shape of the portion of the work part2to be supported by the supporting element4in combination with the matching interfacing element7.

Of course, there are almost as many interfacing elements7as there are differing work parts2shapes. In order to enable the same supporting element4to support alternatively a work part2with a given shape, and then another work part2with another given shape, alternatively, a first interfacing element7with the given shape is attached in a removable way to the supporting element4, and then a second interfacing element7with the other given shape is attached in a removable way to the same supporting element4, after having previously removed the first interfacing element7from the supporting element4.

According to these provisions, the tooling plate1may be easily configured to support many different work parts2, by just attaching to the supporting element4the right interfacing element7. Thus, supporting a new work part2, or a new set of work parts2, does not require to change the whole tooling plate1, only the interfacing element7, or the set of interfacing elements7, needs to be changed.

As illustrated inFIGS.2and3, interfacing elements7may be in the form of a blade with differing shapes, for example; interfacing elements7may also be in the form of tubular, or cylindrical, or prismatic elements having different shapes, to accommodate for different kind of work parts2portions to be supported.

According to an embodiment, a first set of interfacing elements7may be designed and configured to support a first set of work parts2, the first set of work parts2being configured to be assembled into a first model of an industrial product, for example a motor vehicle, and a second set of interfacing elements7may be designed and configured to support a second set of work parts2, the second set of work parts2being configured to be assembled into a second model of the industrial product, the first model and the second model being different models of the industrial product.

Thus, there is no more need to change the whole tooling plate1when the product model to be assembled changes, only a set of interfacing elements7needs to be changed to reconfigure the tooling plate1for the new product model.

According to an embodiment, the sets of interfacing elements7may be stored in one or more magazines6, the one or more magazines6being placed either outside the surface of the platform3of the tooling plate1, or on the surface of the platform3of the tooling plate1. The magazines6may further be placed close to the supporting element4on which the interfacing elements7are to be attached to support a portion of a work part2. The magazines6may be attached to the surface of the platform3of the tooling plate1. The magazines6may be attached to the surface of the platform3of the tooling plate1in a removable way.

According to an embodiment illustrated inFIG.3, a sub-plate9may be placed and fixed in a removable way on the surface5of the platform3, the sub-plate9including supporting elements4attached to a surface of the sub-plate. The sub-plate9may also include magazines6attached in a removable way to the surface of the sub-plate9. Thus, a preconfigured sub-plate9may be placed on a tooling plate1to be conveyed by the tooling plate1.

According to an aspect, the disclosure relates to a method100for configuring a tooling plate1according to anyone of the embodiments which have been described before. The method100will now be described in reference toFIG.5, schematically representing the steps of method100; the method100includes the steps of:identifying101the work part2among the plurality of work parts2, to be supported on the tooling plate1; this step may for example be automated, for example by selecting successively the work parts2in a list of the work parts2to be assembled to manufacture a given product.identifying102an interfacing element7, among the one or more interfacing elements7, a shape of the interfacing elements7matching with a portion of a corresponding shape of a portion of the work part2identified at previous step; this step of identifying102an interface element7, may for example be automated based on the use of corresponding lists, which may be lists of work parts2on the one hand, and lists of interfacing elements7the shape of which matches with a portion of the shape of a portion of a work part2from the list of work parts2.if another interfacing element7is attached to the supporting element4, removing103the another interfacing element7from the supporting element4associated with the supporting element4,attaching in a removable way104to the supporting element4the interface element7identified previously.

As illustrated inFIG.4, the steps of removing103the another interfacing element7and attaching in a removable way104the interface element7may, for example, be automated through the use of an industrial robot not represented inFIG.4, for example, with an end-tool8configured to grab and displace the interfacing elements7.

According to an embodiment, the step of removing103the another interfacing element from the supporting element is followed by a step of storing103bisthe another interfacing element into a magazine associated with the supporting element. Hence, inFIG.4,FIGS.4a,4b, and4cillustrate the sequence of steps of grabbing, removing103, and storing103bisin a magazine6, an interfacing element7being removed from a supporting element4by using an end-tool8carried by an industrial robot, not represented in the figure. In the upper part ofFIGS.4a,4b, and4cthe interfacing elements7belong to a first category of so-called blade interfacing elements. Interfacing elements7belong to the category of blade interfacing elements7when the interfacing element7extends along a plane. The lower part ofFIGS.4a,4b, and4cillustrate the same sequence of steps of grabbing, removing103, and storing103bisin a magazine6, an interfacing element7, wherein the interfacing elements7belong to a second category of cylindrically shaped interfacing elements7.

According to an embodiment, the step of attaching104, in a removable way, to the supporting element the interface element7identified previously, is preceded by a step of grabbing104bisthe interface element from a magazine associated with the supporting element. InFIG.4, upper and lowerFIGS.4d, and4e, illustrate the sequence of steps of grabbing104bisfrom a magazine6, and attaching104in a removable way to a supporting element4, an interfacing element7, by using an end-tool8carried by an industrial robot not represented in the figure. Similarly, the interfacing elements7belong respectively in the upper part ofFIG.4, to a first category of so-called blade interfacing elements, and, in the lower part ofFIG.4, to a second category of cylindrically shaped interfacing elements7.