TITLE : tooling plate for conveying different work parts in an assembly line, and method for configuring the same.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

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

It is known in automotive industry, as described in document \L/OΊ9020Ί99, 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 comprising 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 plant, different tooling plate which is 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 plate is not compatible for several model production, so that the manufacturer has to prepare several type of tooling plate respectively for several different models to be produced. Changing tooling plate in a production plant lasts a long time, and unused tooling plates are stored in space beside production line, all this being costly.

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

The present invention provides a tooling plate for conveying a plurality of work parts to be assembled on an assembly line, the tooling plate comprising :

- a platform, and

- a supporting element fixed on and protruding from a surface of the platform, and

- one 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.

According to an embodiment, the invention comprises one or more of the following features, alone or in any combination technically compatible.

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

According to an embodiment, further comprises a magazine associated with the supporting element, the magazine being attached, preferably in a removable way, 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.

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

According to an embodiment, the tooling plate comprises 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 to change the whole tooling plate, 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 comprise 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) comprise 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, 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 comprises 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 comprising 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 comprises 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 invention provides a method for configuring a tooling plate according to anyone of the embodiments described hereinabove, the method comprising 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, preferably using an industrial robot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other purposes, features, aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments, given by way of illustration and not limitation with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference refer to similar elements or to elements having similar functions, and in which:

[Fig. Ί] represents a tooling plate carrying work parts, according to an embodiment of the invention. [Fig. 2] represents a zoom focusing on some aspects of the tooling plate represented on figure Ί.

[Fig. 3] represents another example of tooling plate configured to carry work parts, according to an embodiment of the invention. This tooling plate is carrying a sub-plate that can be replaced. [Fig. 4] illustrates some of the steps of the method according to an aspect of the invention.

[Fig. 5] is a schematic representation of the steps of the method according to an aspect of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION ACCORDING TO AN

EMBODIMENT

Figure Ί represents a tooling plate 1, carrying a plurality of work parts 2. The work parts are each configured to be assembled on an assembly line, comprising different automated assembling workstations, and the tooling plate Ί has been prepared to convey the plurality of work parts 2 from a workstation to another workstation (not represented on the figure).

The tooling plate comprises a platform 3 and one or more supporting element(s) 4, the one or more supporting element(s) 4 being configured to support a work part 2, more precisely a portion of a work part 2.

According to an embodiment illustrated on figure 2, the supporting element 4 is a tubular or prismatic element 4, fixed to the platform 3, and protruding from a surface of the platform 3.

To configure the supporting element 4 so that it supports a given work part 2, more precisely, so that it supports a portion of a given work part 2, an interfacing element 7 is attached in a removable way to the supporting element 4, the interfacing element 7 being itself configured to support the portion of the work part once it is attached in a removable way to the supporting element 4. The configuration of the interfacing element 7 is 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 part 2 to be supported by the supporting element 4 in combination with the matching interfacing element 7.

Of course, there are almost as many interfacing elements 7 as there are differing work parts 2 shapes. In order to enable the same supporting element 4 to support alternatively a work part 2 with a given shape, and then another work part 2 with another given shape, alternatively, a first interfacing element 7 with the given shape is attached in a removable way to the supporting element 4, and then a second interfacing element 7 with the other given shape is attached in a removable way to the same supporting element 4, after having previously removed the first interfacing element 7 from the supporting element 4.

According to these provisions, the tooling plate Ί may be easily configured to support many different work parts 2, by just attaching to the supporting element 4 the right interfacing element 7; thus, supporting a new work part 2, or a new set of work parts 2, does not require to change the whole tooling plate Ί, only the interfacing element 7, or the set of interfacing elements 7, needs to be changed.

As illustrated in figure 2 and 3, interfacing elements 7 may be in the form of a blade with differing shapes, for example; interfacing elements 7 may also be in the form of tubular, or cylindrical, or prismatic elements having different shapes, to accommodate for different kind of work parts 2 portions to be supported. According to an embodiment a first set of interfacing elements 7 may be designed and configured to support a first set of work parts 2, the first set of work parts 2 being configured to be assembled into a first model of an industrial product, for example a motor vehicle; and a second set of interfacing elements 7 may be designed and configured to support a second set of work parts 2, the second set of work parts 2 being 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 plate Ί when the product model to be assembled changes, only a set of interfacing elements 7 needs to be changed to reconfigure the tooling plate Ί for the new product model. According to an embodiment, the sets of interfacing elements 7 may be stored in one or more magazines 6, the one or more magazines 6 being placed either outside the surface of the platform 3 of the tooling plate 1, or on the surface of the platform 3 of the tooling plate Ί. The magazines 6 may further be placed close to the supporting element 4 on which the interfacing elements 7 are to be attached to support a portion of a work part 2. The magazines 6 may be attached, preferably in a removable way, to the surface of the platform 3 of the tooling plate Ί.

According to an embodiment illustrated in figure 3, a sub-plate 9 may be placed and fixed in a removable way on the surface 5 of the platform 3, the sub-plate 9 comprising supporting elements 4 attached to a surface of the sub-plate. The sub-plate 9 may also comprise magazines 6 attached in a removable way to the surface of the sub-plate 9. Thus, a preconfigured sub-plate 9 may be placed on a tooling plate Ί to be conveyed by the tooling plate Ί. According to an aspect, the invention relates to a method Ί00 for configuring a tooling plate Ί according to anyone of the embodiments which have been described before; the method Ί00 will now be described in reference to figure 5, schematically representing the steps of method Ί00; the method Ί00 comprises the steps of :

- identifying Ί0Ί the work part 2 among the plurality of work parts 2, to be supported on the tooling plate Ί; this step may for example be automated, for example by selecting successively the work parts 2 in a list of the work parts 2 to be assembled to manufacture a given product.

- identifying Ί02 an interfacing element 7, among the one or more interfacing elements 7, a shape of the interfacing elements 7 matching with a portion of a corresponding shape of a portion of the work part 2 identified at previous step; this step of identifying Ί02 an interface element 7, may for example be automated based on the use of corresponding lists, preferably lists of work parts 2 on the one hand, and lists of interfacing elements 7 the shape of which is matching with a portion of the shape of a portion of a work part 2 from the list of work parts 2.

- if another interfacing element 7 is attached to the supporting element 4, removing Ί03 the another interfacing element 7 from the supporting element 4 associated with the supporting element 4,

- attaching in a removable way Ί04 to the supporting element 4 the interface element 7 identified previously.

As illustrated on figure 4, steps of removing Ί03 the another interfacing element 7 and attaching in a removable way Ί04 the interface element 7 may for example be automated through the use of an industrial robot, not represented on the figure 4, for example with an end-tool 8 configured to grab and displace the interfacing elements 7.

According to an embodiment, the step of removing Ί03 the another interfacing element from the supporting element is followed by a step of storing t03bis the another interfacing element into a magazine associated with the supporting element. Hence, in figure 4, figures 4a, 4b, and 4c illustrate the sequence of steps of grabbing, removing Ί03, and storing t03bis in a magazine 6, an interfacing element 7 being removed from a supporting element 4 by using an end-tool 8 carried by an industrial robot, not represented on the figure; in the upper part of figures 4a, 4b, and 4c the interfacing elements 7 belong to a first category of so- called blade interfacing elements; interfacing elements 7 belong to the category of blade interfacing elements 7 when the interfacing element 7 extends along a plane; the lower part of figures 4a, 4b, and 4c illustrate the same sequence of steps of grabbing, removing Ί03, and storing 103bis in a magazine 6, an interfacing element 7, wherein the interfacing elements 7 belong to a second category of cylindrically shaped interfacing elements 7.

According to an embodiment, the step of attaching Ί04, in a removable way, to the supporting element the interface element 7 identified previously, is preceded by a step of grabbing 104bis the interface element from a magazine associated with the supporting element. In figure 4, upper and lower figures 4d, and 4e, illustrate the sequence of steps of grabbing t04bis from a magazine 6, and attaching Ί04 in a removable way to a supporting element 4, an interfacing element 7, by using an end-tool 8 carried by an industrial robot, not represented on the figure; similarly, the interfacing elements 7 belong respectively in the upper part of figure 4, to a first category of so-called blade interfacing elements, and, in the lower part of figure 4, to a second category of cylindrically shaped interfacing elements 7.