Manufacturing control in the metal processing industry

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11361391-B2
Application number	US-201916388166-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2019
Priority date	Oct 21, 2016
Publication date	Jun 14, 2022
Grant date	Jun 14, 2022

Abstract

An interior localization system for manufacturing control, with multiple, fixedly installed transceivers for determining the position of multiple mobile units, the position being determined in particular by evaluating the runtime of electromagnetic (radio) signals. The interior localization system is used to associate one of the mobile units to a person in an industrial manufacturing plant that processes steel and/or sheet metal, to determine the position of the associated person by localizing the associated mobile unit using the interior localization system and to integrate the interior localization system into a manufacturing control system of the industrial manufacturing plant.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of controlling process procedures in an industrial processing of workpieces from steel or sheet metal within a manufacturing hall, the method comprising the steps of:
spatially associating a mobile unit with a person by attaching the mobile unit to a body part of the person, the mobile unit being configured to transmit and receive electromagnetic signals to and from one or more transceiver units permanently installed in the manufacturing hall, wherein the signals are generated by performing specific gestures with the mobile unit;
determining, by an interior localization system, a position of the person or the body part of the person to which the mobile unit is attached, by localizing the associated mobile unit based on runtimes of the electromagnetic signals travelling between the transceiver units and the mobile unit;
integrating the determined position of the person or the body part into controlling an industrial manufacturing plant that comprises the manufacturing hall, by:
determining a motion trajectory of the mobile unit by evaluating positions of the mobile unit determined by the interior localization system over time,
detecting a gesture in a section of the motion trajectory,
determining that the gesture is a first gesture in a plurality of specific gestures, wherein associations between the specific gestures and respective processes are stored in the manufacturing control system, and
performing a process associated with the first gesture based on the associations stored in the manufacturing control system.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein integrating the determined position of the person into controlling the industrial manufacturing plant includes a motion analysis of movements of the person detected by the mobile unit.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the motion analysis determines, from one or more relative orientations and movements of one or both hands of the person provided by mobile units, whether or which workpiece is processed, gripped, transported or placed.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile unit further includes a sensing element comprising at least one of an acceleration sensor, a position sensor, a MEMS-based sensor, and a barometer sensor, and wherein the sensing element is configured to provide data for a motion analysis of the person or the body part of the person for sensors attached to the person or the body part, and
wherein the method further comprises integrating a signal from the sensing element into controlling the industrial manufacturing plant.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the process includes at least one of booking a removal operation or booking a placing operation.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile unit includes a signal output unit selected from the group consisting of: an optical signal unit, an acoustic signal unit, and a vibration signal unit, and the method further comprises:
outputting, by the signal output unit, information to process a workpiece, the information comprising data about a number of workpieces, missing workpieces, a subsequent processing step, an underlying order, a customer, or a desired material.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile unit is a first mobile unit, and the method further comprises:
associating a second mobile unit with an item that comprises at least one of a workpiece, a transport device, a machine tool, and a tool;
determining, by the interior localization system, a position of the item based on a position of the associated second mobile unit; and
integrating the determined position of the item into controlling manufacturing of an end product of the industrial manufacturing plant or into a motion analysis component of the item.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile unit is a first mobile unit, and the method further comprises:
associating a second mobile unit with a group of workpieces;
performing a workpiece-specific processing of a first workpiece of the group of workpieces by the person, the processing of the first workpiece being undetectable via the mobile unit associated with the group; and
performing a motion analysis of the person with respect to the processing of the first workpiece in order to obtain information about the processing of the first workpiece and an effect of the processing on a material flow of a manufacturing of the group of workpieces.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
defining zones or spatial gates within the manufacturing hall; and
comparing the determined position of the person or the body part to the zones or to the spatial gates to control a manufacturing of a workpiece that is handled by the person based on the comparison.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein comparing of the determined position to the zones or to the spatial gates results in determining that the mobile unit is located in a zone or has left the zone, or has passed a spatial gate.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein integrating the determined position into controlling the industrial manufacturing plant comprises:
evaluating a motion analysis with regard to a load handled by the person or ergonomics in handling of a workpiece by the person or a qualification of a performance capability of the person in the manufacturing to determine motion information or position information of the person; and
evaluating the motion information or the position information of the person to:
document processing operations and to determine one or more time periods that the person has spent at one or more respective machine tools,
control operating parameters of the industrial manufacturing plant,
set a person-specific setting of operating parameters of a machine tool, and displayed information setting of safety-relevant operating parameters of robot units,
communicate with the manufacturing control system via specifically executed motion trajectories, or
digitize motion sequences for programming robot units,

wherein the motion information or position information of the person is evaluated at least with regard to access authorization to an area of the industrial manufacturing plant.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting a head movement or an eye movement of the person with a camera;
determining a viewing cone of the person by evaluating image data of a head or eye movement; and
identifying an object present in the viewing cone by the manufacturing control system to incorporate information about the identified object into the manufacturing control of the industrial manufacturing plant to manufacture an end product.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the positions of the mobile units are determined with an accuracy of less than 30 cm.

14. A manufacturing control system to control manufacturing processes in a manufacturing hall, the system comprising an interior localization system to control process procedures in industrial manufacturing of steel or sheet metal workpieces within the manufacturing hall, the interior localization system comprising:
a plurality of transceiver units permanently installed in the manufacturing hall;
at least one mobile unit attachable to a body part of a person; and
an analysis unit,
wherein the transceiver units and the at least one mobile unit are configured to transmit and receive electromagnetic signals, wherein the signals are generated by performing specific gestures with the mobile unit, and
wherein the analysis unit is configured to
determine runtimes of the electromagnetic signals between the transceiver units and the at least one mobile unit, and
determine a position of the at least one mobile

Assignees

• Trumpf Werkzeugmaschinen Gmbh Co Kg

Inventors

• Ottnad Jens
• Weiss Korbinian
• Schwarz Benjamin
• Schneider Ulrich

Classifications

• G05B2219/39527

  Workpiece detector, sensor mounted in, near hand, gripper · CPC title

• G05B19/41865

  characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow · CPC title

• G05B19/4183 Primary

  characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification · CPC title

• G06Q10/08

  Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management · CPC title

• G05B2219/31372

  Mes manufacturing execution system · CPC title