Patent Description:
A conductor assembly typically comprises a plurality of wire cables electrically connected to respective plurality of connectors. During installation, each wire cable/connector is intended to connect to other corresponding electrical connectors/systems. Manual installation of wire cables/connectors by a human installer can be time consuming and costly, particularly for less experienced human installers and for more complex installation projects (e.g., conductor assemblies having a large number of wire cables/connectors). Automated installation by a robotic installer may be preferable to manual human installation due to increased speed and decreased costs. The robotic installer, however, must be able to accurately identify each wire cable/connector and obtain movable control of then in order to complete the robotic installation. In some cases, multiple cable/connector pairs may need to be moved and installed simultaneously, which further increases the complexity. Complex visual scanning or viewing systems could be utilized by the robotic installer, but this could further increase costs and complexity. Accordingly, while conventional conductor assemblies and conventional robotic installers work well for their intended purpose, an opportunity exists for improvement in the art of robotic installation of conductor assemblies.

Publication <CIT> discloses a wiring-harness that includes an electrical connector and a staging device. The staging device has a cavity defining a flexible member in compressive contact with the electrical connector. The flexible member is configured to removably retain the electrical connector within the cavity. The cavity locates the electrical connector in a predetermined position within the staging device, such that the electrical connector is presented to an assembler in the predetermined position. Publication <CIT> discloses an assembly inspection apparatus that includes a marker having four or more unit pattern marks which are provided, at a predetermined positional relationship, in a portion of an assembly component to be put into a receiving assembly component and which are formed in such a way that a density pattern sequentially changes from a center position to a periphery of the pattern mark; an imaging tool that is disposed opposite the assembly component put into the receiving assembly component and that captures an image of the marker; a layout information recognition block that recognizes layout information about a position and an attitude of the assembly component put into the receiving assembly component by use of at least imaging information about the marker whose image has been captured by the imaging tool; and an assembly inspection block that inspects whether or not a superior assembly state is achieved. Publication <CIT> discloses a wiring harness that includes a wire cable, a connector, and a dress cover. The connector is attached to a portion of the wire cable. The connector has a terminal face and a wire cable face with a body between the terminal-face and the wire cable face. The dress cover is attached to a portion of the body. An extension of the dress-cover overlays the wire cable face. The extension is configured to guide the wire cable in a predetermined direction. The extension is further configured to be releasably retained by a robotic assembler. The dress cover is further configured to transmit an insertion force from the robotic assembler to the connector when the terminal-face is inserted into a mating connector.

According to the invention defined by claim <NUM>, a staging system for robotic installation of a conductor assembly that includes a set of wire cables connected to a respective set of connectors is presented. In one exemplary implementation, the staging system comprises: a base member defining a base identifier that is identifiable by a robotic installer, a set of receptacles attached to the base member and defining respective receptacle identifiers that are identifiable by the robotic installer, wherein each receptacle is configured to receive and temporarily secure one or more of the set of connectors of the conductor assembly, and a set of robotic installation features at least temporally attached to or defined by the set of connectors, respectively, and defining respective installation identifiers that are identifiable by the robotic installer, wherein each robotic installation feature is configured to be temporarily interacted with by an end effector of the robotic installer such that the robotic installer obtains movable control of the connector to remove it from its respective receptacle and to install it with a corresponding electrical connector. At least one of the base identifier, the receptacle identifiers, and the installation identifiers are physical identifiers in the form of markings defined on a respective surface.

In some implementations, the base identifier is a scannable identifier defined on a surface of the base member. In some implementations, the set of receptacle identifiers are predefined positions with respect to the base member that are known by the robotic installer without scanning. In some implementations, the set of receptacle identifiers are scannable identifiers defined on surfaces of the respective receptacles or on the surface of the base member proximate to the respective receptacles. In some implementations, the installation identifiers are scannable identifiers defined on surfaces of the respective connectors, surfaces of the set of wire cables corresponding to the respective connectors, or surfaces of the robotic installation features corresponding to the respective connectors. In some implementations, corresponding pairs of receptacle identifiers and installation identifiers collectively form a single complimentary scannable identifier.

In some implementations, the staging system further comprises one or more preliminary robotic installation features at least temporarily attached to or defined by the base member, wherein the one or more preliminary robotic installation features are configured to be interacted with by the end effector or another end effector of the robotic installer to position the base member, the set of receptacles, the conductor assembly, and the set of robotic installation features in an installation position for a vehicle. In some implementations, the base member is at least temporarily attached to an outer surface of a controller of the vehicle. In some implementations, the one or more preliminary robotic installation features are removable from the base member upon the controller, the base member, the set of receptacles, the conductor assembly, and the set of robotic installation features being positioned in the installation position for the vehicle. In some implementations, opposing ends of the set of wire cables of the conductor assembly are preconnected to the controller, and wherein the set of connectors of the conductor assembly are configured to be installed with corresponding electrical connectors associated with sensor systems of the vehicle.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of robotic installation of a conductor assembly including a set of wire cables and a respective set of connectors is presented. In one exemplary implementation, the method comprises: identifying, by a robotic installer, a base identifier defined by a base member of a staging system, wherein the staging system further comprises a set of receptacles attached to the base member and wherein each receptacle is configured to receive and temporarily secure one or more of the set of connectors of the conductor assembly, identifying, by the robotic installer, a set of receptacle identifiers defined the set of receptacles in response to identifying the base identifier, identifying, by the robotic installer, a set of installation identifiers defined by a set of robotic installation features at least temporally attached to or defined by the set of connectors, respectively, in response to identifying the set of receptacle identifiers, and temporarily interacting with, by an end effector of the robotic installer, at least one of the set of robotic installation features to obtain movable control of a respective connector to remove it from its respective receptacle in response to identifying the set of installation identifiers and to then install it with a corresponding electrical connector. At least one of the base identifier, the receptacle identifiers, and the installation identifiers are physical markings defined on a respective surface.

In some implementations, the base identifier is a scannable identifier defined on a surface of the base member that is scanned by the robotic installer to identify the base identifier and the base member. In some implementations, the set of receptacle identifiers are predefined positions of the set of receptacles with respect to the base member that are known by the robotic installer without scanning. In some implementations, the set of receptacle identifiers are scannable identifiers defined on surfaces of the respective receptacles or on the surface of the base member proximate to the respective receptacles and are scanned by the robotic installer to identify the set of receptacle identifiers and the set of receptacles. In some implementations, the installation identifiers are scannable identifiers defined on surfaces of the respective connectors, surfaces of the set of wire cables corresponding to the respective connectors, or surfaces of the robotic installation features corresponding to the respective connectors, and are scanned by the robotic installer to identify the set of installation identifiers, the set of robotic installation features, and the set of connectors. In some implementations, corresponding pairs of receptacle identifiers and installation identifiers collectively form a single complimentary scannable identifier.

In some implementations, the staging system further comprises one or more preliminary robotic installation features at least temporarily attached to or defined by the base member, and the method further comprises: identifying, by the robotic installer, the one or more preliminary robotic installation features, and temporarily interacting with, by the end effector or another end effector of the robotic installer, the one or more preliminary robotic installation features in response to identifying the one or more preliminary robotic installation features to thereby position the staging system in an installation position for a vehicle. In some implementations, the base member of the staging system is at least temporarily attached to an outer surface of a controller of the vehicle. In some implementations, the one or more preliminary robotic installation features are removable from the base member upon the controller and the staging system being positioned in the installation position for the vehicle, and opposing ends of the set of wire cables of the conductor assembly are preconnected to the controller, and wherein the set of connectors of the conductor assembly are configured to be installed with corresponding electrical connectors associated with sensor systems of the vehicle.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a staging system for robotic installation of a conductor assembly that includes a set of wire cables connected to a respective set of connectors is presented. In one exemplary implementation, the staging system comprises a base member means defining a base identifier means that is identifiable by a robotic installer means, a set of receptacle means attached to the base member means and defining respective receptacle identifier means that are identifiable by the robotic installer means, wherein each receptacle means is configured to receive and temporarily secure one or more of the set of connectors of the conductor assembly, and a set of robotic installation feature means at least temporally attached to or defined by the set of connectors, respectively, and defining respective installation identifier means that are identifiable by the robotic installer means, wherein each robotic installation feature means is configured to be temporarily interacted with by an end effector means of the robotic installer means such that the robotic installer means obtains movable control of the connector to remove it from its respective receptacle means and to install it with a corresponding electrical connector.

Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.

<FIG> illustrates a view of a first example conductor assembly staging system according to some implementations of the present disclosure;.

<FIG> illustrate views of a second example conductor assembly staging system according to some implementations of the present disclosure; and.

<FIG> illustrates a flow diagram of a method of robotic installation of a conductor assembly according to some implementations of the present disclosure.

Referring now to <FIG>, a first example staging system <NUM> for a conductor assembly <NUM> is illustrated. The term "conductor assembly" as used herein refers to a set of wire cables electrically connector to a set of respective connectors. The staging system <NUM> comprises a base member <NUM> having a set of receptacles 112a, 112b, 112c, 112d (collectively, "receptacles <NUM>") attached thereto. While four receptacles are shown, it will be appreciated that other quantities of receptacles could be implemented. In the illustrated example, receptacles 112a, 112b, 112c, 112d have received connectors 108a, 108b, 108c, and 108d (collectively "connectors <NUM>") and fix them therein, respectively. While differently sized square or rectangular shaped connectors are illustrated, it will be appreciated that any suitable size, shape, or type of connector could be used by providing specifically designed or universal configurations for the receptacles <NUM>. At least temporarily attached to or defined by the connectors <NUM> is a respective set of robotic installation features 116a, 116b, 116c, 116d (collectively, "robotic installation features <NUM>"). In the illustrated example, these robotic installation features <NUM> are each a graspable, X-shaped member, but it will be appreciated that any suitable shaped or different type of robotic installation feature could be utilized. The robotic installation features <NUM> are temporarily interacted with by an end effector <NUM> (e.g., a grasping member) of the robotic installer <NUM>. As shown, the end effector <NUM> has grasped robotic installation feature 116d, which gives the end effector <NUM> and the robotic installer <NUM> movable control of connector 108d via robotic installation feature 116d.

It will be appreciated that the robotic installer <NUM> could include a plurality of different end effectors, such as four end effectors (i.e., one per robotic installation feature 116a, 116b, 116c, 116d). This could be necessary, for example, for the simultaneous removal of all of the connectors <NUM> due to unique wire cable designs, such as the one illustrated. As shown, four portions 132a, 132b, 132c, 132d have different widths and/or lengths and are electrically connected to the connectors <NUM>. More specifically, portion 132a is the widest and shortest portion and is electrically connected only to connector 108d. Portion 132a then branches out into the three other portions 132b, 132c, 132d (from shortest to longest in length), which are in turn electrically connected to connectors 108c, 108b, and 108a, respectively. By obtaining movable control of all of the robotic installation features <NUM> and the connectors <NUM> simultaneously, the conductor assembly <NUM> is in its entirety movably installable without potentially damaging the conductor assembly <NUM> (e.g., tearing a portion of the wire cable <NUM>). Identification of the various components described above by the robotic installer <NUM> could be achieved in a variety of ways. As previously mentioned, complex high-precision viewing systems could be utilized, but these increase costs and/or complexity. In the illustrated example, the base member <NUM> defines a base identifier <NUM>.

The term "identifier" as used herein refers to any marking that could be identified by the robotic installer <NUM>, including, but not limited to, barcodes, quick-read (QR) codes, numerical, alphabetical, or alphanumerical strings, or symbols/shapes. For example only, the base identifier could be laser etched or engraved onto the surface of the base member <NUM> as shown. In some implementations, there could be one or more receptacle identifiers <NUM>, <NUM> for each receptacle-connector pair. For example, in the illustrated example, receptacle 112c defines a first receptacle identifier <NUM> and connector 108c defines a second complimentary receptacle identifier <NUM>. By scanning these complimentary receptacle identifiers <NUM>, <NUM> as a single identifier, the robotic installer <NUM> could be able to verify that the connector 108c is properly fixed in the receptacle 112c. It will be appreciated that receptacle identifiers <NUM>, <NUM> could also be separate and not otherwise connected or complimentary. In another implementation not covered by the invention, the receptacle identifiers <NUM>, <NUM> could be predefined or known locations of the receptacles <NUM> with respect to the base member <NUM> (i.e., not a physical identifier). In other words, after identifying the upper left corner of the base member <NUM> via base identifier <NUM>, the robotic installer <NUM> would then know the x-y coordinate positioning of the receptacles <NUM>. Installation identifiers could also be utilized, such as the installation identifier on the surface of robotic installation feature 116a. It will be appreciated, however, the robotic installation features <NUM> could also be identified using other suitable methods, such as predefined or known locations as described above or by recognizing the shape (e.g., an X-shape) using a scanning system.

Referring now to <FIG>, a second example staging system <NUM> positioned in an installation position of a vehicle <NUM> is illustrated. <FIG> illustrates a rear-left (RL) quarter portion <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM> where the staging system <NUM> is used for installation. The vehicle <NUM> defines a base or bottom surface <NUM> where the staging system <NUM> is positioned. The vehicle <NUM> comprises, among other components that are not illustrated, a driveline <NUM> (wheels, tires, axles, etc.) that are driven by an electric motor <NUM> or another suitable drive system. A controller <NUM> controls operation of at least the RL quarter portion <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM>. The controller <NUM> is electrically connected to and in communication with other modules (e.g., other vehicle controllers) via cables 224a, 224b. <FIG> shows a more detailed view of the staging system <NUM>, which includes the controller <NUM>. The controller <NUM> is preconnected via connector <NUM> to a plurality of flat or band wire cables 232a and a plurality of round coaxial cables 232b. While these specific wire cable types/configurations are illustrated, it will be appreciated that the controller <NUM> could have any suitable preconnected wire cables. The controller <NUM> is mountable in an installation position on the base or bottom surface <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM> via brackets <NUM>. The staging system <NUM>, including the controller <NUM> and the other above-described components, could be initially positioned in its installation position by the robotic installer <NUM> as described in greater detail below.

The staging system <NUM> further comprises a base member <NUM> that is at least temporarily attached to the top of the controller <NUM>. Attached to the base member are a plurality of receptacles <NUM> having a plurality of respective connectors <NUM> received and fixed therein. As shown, some of the connectors <NUM> are connected to the flat or band wire cables 232a whereas other connectors <NUM> are connected to the round coaxial cables 232b. For example, these connectors <NUM> could be used to connect the controller <NUM> to respective electrical devices or systems (e.g., RADAR, LIDAR, electric traction motors, and the like). As shown, the staging system <NUM> further comprises preliminary robotic installation features <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> that are at least temporarily attached to or defined by the base member <NUM>. More specifically, an upper member <NUM> covers (e.g., and protects from damage) the connectors <NUM> fixed in the receptacles <NUM>. The upper member <NUM> is at least temporarily attached to the base member <NUM> via corner post members <NUM> and respective receptacle features <NUM> attached to or defined by the base member <NUM>. Robotic installation feature <NUM> (e.g., a graspable handle) is configured to be interacted with by a grasping member <NUM> of end effector <NUM> of the robotic installer <NUM>. For example, the upper member <NUM> and then the robotic installation feature <NUM> could be identified by the robotic installer using respective identifiers <NUM>, <NUM>. After obtaining movable control of the staging system <NUM> via end effector <NUM>, the robotic installer <NUM> can position the staging system <NUM> (including the controller <NUM>) in the installation position of the vehicle <NUM> (see <FIG>). The preliminary robotic installation features could then be removed and installation of the connectors <NUM> could continue, which could involve the use of the same or a different type of end effector to interact with robotic installation features <NUM> of the connectors <NUM> (keyhole slots, equal arm cross shaped slots, t-shaped slots, etc.).

<FIG> illustrates a flow diagram of a method <NUM> of robotic installation of a conductor assembly (a set of wire cables and a set of respective connectors) that are staged by a staging system. At optional <NUM>, a robotic installer (e.g., robotic installer <NUM>) determines whether preliminary identifier(s) of the staging system have been identified. When true, the method <NUM> proceeds to optional <NUM>. Otherwise, the method <NUM> ends or returns. At optional <NUM>, the robotic installer obtains movable control of the staging system (e.g., staging system <NUM> with controller <NUM>) and positions the staging system in an installation position (e.g., of vehicle <NUM>). At <NUM>, the robotic installer determines whether a base identifier for a base member of the staging system has been detected. When true, the method <NUM> proceeds to <NUM>. Otherwise, the method <NUM> returns to <NUM> or ends. At <NUM>, the robotic installer determines whether receptacle identifier(s) of the staging system have been identified. When true, the method <NUM> proceeds to <NUM>. Otherwise, the method <NUM> ends or returns to <NUM>. At <NUM>, the robotic installer determines whether installation features of the staging system have been identified. When true, the method <NUM> proceeds to <NUM>. Otherwise, the method <NUM> ends or returns to <NUM>. At <NUM>, the robotic installer obtains movable control of at least some of the connectors via end effector(s) and removes the connector(s) from their respective receptacles. At <NUM>, the robotic installer, via the end effector(s), installs the connector(s) with corresponding electrical connectors. At <NUM>, the robotic installer determines whether more connectors need to be installed (e.g., according to a set of installation instructions). When true, the method <NUM> returns to <NUM>. When false, however, the method <NUM> end or returns to <NUM>.

In some example embodiments, well-known procedures, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

As used herein, the term module may refer to, be part of, or include: an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC); an electronic circuit; a combinational logic circuit; a field programmable gate array (FPGA); a processor or a distributed network of processors (shared, dedicated, or grouped) and storage in networked clusters or datacenters that executes code or a process; other suitable components that provide the described functionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as in a system-on-chip. The term module may also include memory (shared, dedicated, or grouped) that stores code executed by the one or more processors.

The term code, as used above, may include software, firmware, byte-code and/or microcode, and may refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, and/or objects. The term shared, as used above, means that some or all code from multiple modules may be executed using a single (shared) processor. In addition, some or all code from multiple modules may be stored by a single (shared) memory. The term group, as used above, means that some or all code from a single module may be executed using a group of processors. In addition, some or all code from a single module may be stored using a group of memories.

The techniques described herein may be implemented by one or more computer programs executed by one or more processors. The computer programs include processor-executable instructions that are stored on a non-transitory tangible computer readable medium. The computer programs may also include stored data. Non-limiting examples of the non-transitory tangible computer readable medium are nonvolatile memory, magnetic storage, and optical storage.

Certain aspects of the described techniques include process steps and instructions described herein in the form of an algorithm. It should be noted that the described process steps and instructions could be embodied in software, firmware or hardware, and when embodied in software, could be downloaded to reside on and be operated from different platforms used by real time network operating systems.

The present disclosure also relates to an apparatus for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes, or it may comprise a general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored on a computer readable medium that can be accessed by the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a tangible computer readable storage medium, such as, but is not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, and each coupled to a computer system bus. Furthermore, the computers referred to in the specification may include a single processor or may be architectures employing multiple processor designs for increased computing capability.

The algorithms and operations presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purpose systems may also be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specialized apparatuses to perform the required method steps. The required structure for a variety of these systems will be apparent to those of skill in the art, along with equivalent variations. In addition, the present disclosure is not described with reference to any particular programming language. It is appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the present disclosure as described herein, and any references to specific languages are provided for disclosure of enablement and best mode of the present invention.

The present disclosure is well suited to a wide variety of computer network systems over numerous topologies. Within this field, the configuration and management of large networks comprise storage devices and computers that are communicatively coupled to dissimilar computers and storage devices over a network, such as the Internet.

Claim 1:
A staging system (<NUM>; <NUM>) for robotic installation of a conductor assembly (<NUM>) that includes a set of wire cables (132a, 132b, 132c, 132d; 232a) connected to a respective set of connectors (108a, 108b, 108c, 108d; <NUM>), the staging system comprising:
a base member (<NUM>; <NUM>) defining a base identifier (<NUM>) that is identifiable by a robotic installer (<NUM>);
a set of receptacles (112a, 112b, 112c, 112d; <NUM>) attached to the base member (<NUM>) and defining respective receptacle identifiers (<NUM>, <NUM>) that are identifiable by the robotic installer (<NUM>), wherein each receptacle is configured to receive and temporarily secure one or more of the set of connectors (108a, 108b, 108c, 108d) of the conductor assembly (<NUM>); and
a set of robotic installation features (116a, 116b, 116c, 116d; <NUM>) at least temporally attached to or defined by the set of connectors (108a, 108b, 108c, 108d; <NUM>), respectively, and defining respective installation identifiers that are identifiable by the robotic installer (<NUM>), wherein each robotic installation feature is configured to be temporarily interacted with by an end effector (<NUM>; <NUM>) of the robotic installer (<NUM>) such that the robotic installer (<NUM>) obtains movable control of the connector to remove it from its respective receptacle and to install it with a corresponding electrical connector,
characterized in that
at least one of the base identifier (<NUM>), the receptacle identifiers (<NUM>, <NUM>), and the installation identifiers are physical identifiers in the form of markings defined on a respective surface.