Patent Publication Number: US-2022227441-A1

Title: Parallel cell based mobility production system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0008683, filed Jan. 21, 2021, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     Embodiments generally relate to a parallel cell based mobility production system and a vehicle production method for preparing for the future. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Conventionally, a mass production method of certain kinds of small items has been operated centering on conveyors. However, in the future society to come, industry changes are progressing around electric vehicles, and it is expected that a change in customer-centric manufacturing methods is required to respond to customer needs where diversity is emphasized. 
     In conventional production line, vehicles are supplied according to a consistent sequence, and manufacturing process is performed in a consistent sequence until a finished vehicle is released. The working hours of all processes are the same, and vehicles with parts exceeding the working hours are difficult to be supplied or result in limitations in production. In other words, it is believed that there will be difficulties in responding to various customer needs in the future society while maintaining a manufacturing structure that allows only mass production of certain small items. 
     Therefore, it is necessary to break away from the traditional vehicle manufacturing method and to innovate a manufacturing method that can easily and quickly produce a variety of vehicles at one point. 
     The matters described as the background art are only for enhancing an understanding of the background of the present invention, and should not be taken as acknowledging that they correspond to the prior art already known to those of ordinary skill in the art. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments are proposed to solve the problems and provides a parallel cell based mobility production system capable of responding to various customer needs by producing vehicles of various types together when producing vehicles, continuing productions and increasing production without shutdown or separate construction even in the event of an abnormal situation during the process, securing flexibility by setting the operation of each cell individually, rapidly changing production facilities according to rapid changes in product cycles, and installing and operating in factories inside buildings in downtown rather than outside factories. 
     In order to achieve the object above, an embodiment parallel cell based mobility production system is the parallel cell based mobility production system for producing vehicles of various types with one production system including a front serial production line which is composed of one or more cells arranged in series, and through which vehicles of various types sequentially pass to be processed, a parallel production line which is provided with a plurality of cells arranged in a matrix form, and forms sublines of various combinations to be matched for each type of the vehicle as the vehicle moves from a front to a rear and is fed to a selected cell, and a rear serial production line in which the vehicles of various types passing through the parallel production line are sequentially fed. 
     The front serial production line may perform a pre-task and a chassis installation process. 
     The front serial production line may be composed of a plurality of cells arranged in series, and each cell may perform a pre-task and a chassis installation process in sequence. 
     The front serial production line may be composed of sequentially arranged pre-task cell, roof installation cell, indoor and outdoor trim task cell, chassis alignment task cell, drive module installation cell, and chassis mounting cell, and vehicles of various types may sequentially pass through each cell and be processed. 
     Each cell of the parallel production line may be a cell that selectively performs various tasks. 
     Each cell of the parallel production line may perform one or more of indoor trim installation, console installation, air conditioning duct installation, and floor carpet installation in various way. 
     The indoor and outdoor trim task cell may be composed of sequentially arranged first cell, second cell, and third cell, and the first cell may perform one or more of vehicle wiring installation and seat belt installation. 
     The indoor and outdoor trim task cell may be composed of sequentially arranged first cell, second cell, and third cell, and the second cell may perform one or more of crash pad installation and floor carpet installation. 
     The indoor and outdoor trim task cell may be composed of sequentially arranged first cell, second cell, and third cell, and the third cell may perform one or more of headlining installation and washer liquid reservoir installation. 
     In the rear serial production line, an optional part mounting cell, a wheel mounting cell, a bumper mounting cell, and a door mounting cell may be arranged in series. 
     The optional part mounting cell may perform one or more of sheet installation, glass installation, and FEM installation. 
     The bumper mounting cell may perform one or more of bumper installation, pedal installation, and wiper installation. 
     The wheel mounting cell may perform one or more of wheel installation, tire installation, and undercover installation. 
     The door mounting cell may perform one or more of door installation and weather strip installation. 
     The parallel production line and the rear serial production line may be provided on a side of the front serial production line. 
     The rear serial production line may be arranged below the parallel production line, an extended area may be set between the parallel production line and the rear serial production line, and another parallel production line or another rear serial production line may be added to the extended area. 
     According to an embodiment parallel cell based mobility production system, it is possible to respond to various customer needs by producing vehicles of various types together when producing vehicles, to continue productions and increase production without shutdown or separate construction even in the event of an abnormal situation during the process, to secure flexibility by setting the operation of each cell individually, to rapidly change production facilities according to rapid changes in product cycles, and to install and operate in factories inside buildings in downtown rather than outside factories. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a configuration diagram of a parallel cell based mobility production system according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram showing a passive cell of a parallel cell based mobility production system according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram showing an automatic cell of a parallel cell based mobility production system according to an embodiment; and 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram showing an operation method of a parallel cell based mobility production system according to an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
     Embodiments are related to a parallel cell based mobility production system capable of responding to various customer needs by producing vehicles of various types together when producing vehicles, continuing productions and increasing production without shutdown or separate construction even in the event of an abnormal situation during the process, securing flexibility by setting the operation of each cell individually, rapidly changing production facilities according to rapid changes in product cycles, and installing and operating in factories inside buildings in downtown rather than outside factories. 
       FIG. 1  is a configuration diagram of a parallel cell based mobility production system according to an embodiment,  FIG. 2  is a diagram showing a passive cell of a parallel cell based mobility production system according to an embodiment,  FIG. 3  is a diagram showing an automatic cell of a parallel cell based mobility production system according to an embodiment, and  FIG. 4  is a diagram showing an operation method of a parallel cell-based mobility production system according to an embodiment. 
       FIG. 1  is a configuration diagram of a parallel cell based mobility production system according to an embodiment. The parallel cell based mobility production system according to an embodiment is a parallel cell based mobility production system capable of producing various vehicle models through a single production system. The system includes a front serial production line  100  which is composed of one or more cells arranged in series, and through which vehicles of various types sequentially pass to be processed, a parallel production line  300  which is provided with a plurality of cells arranged in a matrix form, and forms sublines of various combinations to be matched for each type of the vehicle as the vehicle moves from a front to a rear and is fed to a selected cell, and a rear serial production line  500  in which the vehicle of various types passing through the parallel production line are sequentially fed. 
     The vehicle production process is very complex and sequential. In the case of an embodiment, this is simplified into a front serial production line  100 , a parallel production line  300 , and a rear serial production line  500 . In addition, the front serial production line  100  is an integrated series of common production processes, and is composed of processes in which the change in task is not large even though the vehicle types are different. 
     In addition, the parallel production line  300  is composed of variable cells  310  each capable of selectively performing various tasks. 
     Lastly, the rear serial production line  500  is a line in which the vehicles of various types that have passed through the parallel production line  300  are sequentially fed, so that a common task is sequentially performed. Finally, the vehicles pass through an inspection line  700  to perform various inspections and tests. 
     Specifically, an embodiment parallel cell based mobility production system is intended to enable the production of vehicles of various types in one place. When the types of vehicles to be produced are various, there may be a difference in the installation order for each vehicle type. Further, even if the same type of task is performed, there may be a difference in the amount of task. Still further, the difference in optional parts may be large between vehicles, and there may be cases where a customer has ordered a separate special order. Thus, it is difficult to correspond with the conventional conveyor production system. 
     To this end, an embodiment proposes a parallel cell based mobility production system capable of producing various vehicle types through one production system. First, the front serial production line  100  is composed of one or more cells arranged in series, and allows vehicles of various types to sequentially pass through so that the production operation is performed. 
     In addition, the parallel production line  300  is provided with a plurality of cells  310  arranged in a matrix form. Sublines of various combinations to be matched for each type of the vehicle is formed as the vehicle moves from a front to a rear and is fed to a selected cell. The embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  shows a total of 16 sublines derived from a matrix combination of 2 rows and 4 columns, as an example. 
     In addition, the vehicles of various types that have passed through the parallel production line  300  are sequentially fed to the rear serial production line  500 . 
     First, the front serial production line  100  may perform pre-task and chassis installation process. Specifically, the front serial production line  100  is composed of a plurality of cells arranged in series, and each cell may perform pre-task and chassis installation process sequentially. 
     The front serial production line  100  is composed of sequentially arranged pre-task cell  110 , roof installation cell  120 , indoor and outdoor trim task cell  130 ,  140  and  150 , chassis alignment task cell  160 , drive module installation cell  170 , and chassis mounting cell  180 , and the vehicles of various types sequentially pass through each cell so that operation may be performed. 
     For example, in the pre-task cell  110 , a vehicle body is supplied and a pre-task process may be performed before chassis task. This may be a manual cell in which manual task is performed, and operations such as sunroof, engine room task, wiring input, etc. are performed. It is represented by T 1  Manual in the drawing. 
     In addition, in the case of the roof installation cell  120 , it is represented by Roof Auto in the drawing, and a sunroof, a roof rack, and the like may be installed. 
     In addition, the indoor and outdoor trim task cell  130 ,  140 , and  150  is composed of sequentially arranged first cell, second cell, and third cell. The first cell  130  is represented by T 2  Manual in the drawing, and it can perform one or more of vehicle wiring installation and seat belt installation. 
     The indoor and outdoor trim task cell is composed of the sequentially arranged first cell, second cell, and third cell. The second cell  140  is represented by TA 1  in the drawing, and can perform one or more of crash pad installation and carpet input. 
     The indoor and outdoor trim task cell is composed of the sequentially arranged first cell, second cell, and third cell. The third cell  150  is represented by TA 2  in the drawing, and can perform one or more of headlining installation and washer liquid reservoir installation. 
     In the case of the chassis alignment task cell  160 , it is represented by C 1  in the drawing, and the brake tube, EPCU, alignment task before decking, etc., are performed. 
     In the case of the driving module installation cell  170 , it is represented by CM in the drawing, and PE module and high voltage battery mounting are performed. 
     In the case of the chassis mounting cell  180 , it is represented by C 2  in the drawing, and a wheel speed sensor, a wheel guard, a brake hose, etc., are installed. 
     After such a series of processes are sequentially performed for all vehicles, they are respectively fed to a corresponding subline for each vehicle type. 
     In particular, by arranging the chassis mounting cell  180  on the front serial production line  100 , a trim line can be continuously configured in the parallel production line  300 , so that production flexibility can be secured. 
     The parallel production line  300  is composed of a plurality of cells  310 , and a total of 16 sublines can be formed from various combination of the cells along the proceeding direction. Each cell can selectively perform various tasks, and specifically, one or more of indoor trim installation, console installation, air conditioning duct installation, and floor carpet installation can be variously performed. 
     Further, the rear serial production line  500  is arranged below the parallel production line  300 , and an extended area  320  may be set between the parallel production line  300  and the rear serial production line  500 . 
     In the rear serial production line  500 , an optional part mounting cell  510 , a wheel mounting cell  520 , a bumper mounting cell  530 , and a door mounting cell  540  may be arranged in series. 
     The optional part mounting cell  510  is represented by FA 1  in the drawing, and can perform one or more of sheet installation, glass installation, and FEM installation. 
     The wheel mounting cell  520  is represented by FA 2  in the drawing, and can perform one or more of wheel installation, tire installation, and undercover installation. 
     The bumper mounting cell  350  is represented by F Manual in the drawing, and can perform one or more of bumper installation, pedal installation, wiper installation, and wiring installation. 
     The door mounting cell  540  is represented by FA 3  in the drawing, and a door, a weather strip, etc., are installed. 
     Further, the vehicles released from the rear serial production line  500  are sequentially fed to the inspection line  700  to undergo various inspections and tests. 
     Meanwhile, as shown in the drawings, the parallel production line  300  and the rear serial production line  500  may be provided on the side of the front serial production line  100 . Further, the rear serial production line  500  is arranged below the parallel production line  300 , and the extended area  320  may be set between the parallel production line  300  and the rear serial production line  500 . 
       FIG. 4  is a diagram showing an operation method of a parallel cell based mobility production system according to an embodiment. In  FIG. 4 , a parallel production line is added to the extended area  320  through a new cell  310 ′ so that additional subline is formed. By such a new route, an additional subline can be formed and production can be performed via an additional route with the fastest production flow when producing vehicles with a large amount of interior or engine room tasks. 
     Alternatively, if, after adding the maximum number of people to a manual process to increase production, there is difficulty in increasing production due to delay in an automatic process, it is possible to increase an automatic line and add an additional subline. 
     On the other hand, these cells can be divided into a manual cell in which a manual operation is performed and an automatic cell in which automatic assemblies are performed by a robot.  FIG. 2  shows an embodiment of the manual cell, and  FIG. 3  shows an embodiment of the automatic cell. 
     In addition, each cell can be easily moved within a factory, so production efficiency can be increased by efficient cell relocation. If maintenance or replacement of a specific subline is required, there is an advantage that production can be continuously performed without interruption by adding an extra subline and performing maintenance. 
     According to an embodiment parallel cell based mobility production system, it is possible to respond to various customer needs by producing vehicles of various types together when producing vehicles. Further, it is possible to continue productions and increase production without shutdown or separate construction even in the event of an abnormal situation during the process. Still further, it is possible to secure flexibility by setting the operation of each cell individually. Still further, it is possible to rapidly change production facilities according to rapid changes in product cycles, and to install and operate in factories inside buildings in downtown rather than outside factories. 
     Although shown and described in relation to specific embodiments of the present invention, it will be obvious to a person of ordinary knowledge in the art that the present invention can be variously improved and changed within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention provided by the following claims.