Control of manufacturing processes in metal processing industry

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11520314-B2
Application number	US-201916388336-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2019
Priority date	Oct 21, 2016
Publication date	Dec 6, 2022
Grant date	Dec 6, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed is an interior tracking system for manufacturing control. The interior tracking system has multiple, fixedly installed transceivers for determining the position of multiple mobile units, the position being determined in particular by evaluating the propagation time of electromagnetic (radio) signals. The interior tracking system is used to assign one of the mobile units to one or more workpieces in an industrial manufacturing plant that processes steel and/or sheet metal, to determine the position of the assigned workpieces by localizing the assigned mobile unit using the interior tracking system and to integrate the interior tracking system into a manufacturing control system of the industrial manufacturing plant.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of controlling industrial processing of workpieces from steel or sheet metal in a manufacturing hall to manufacture an end product, the method comprising:
providing an interior localization system comprising a plurality of fixed transceiver units permanently installed in the manufacturing hall, at least one mobile unit, and an analysis unit, wherein the interior localization system comprises an ultra-wideband (UWB) communication technology and wherein the at least one mobile unit is configured to receive and transmit UWB electromagnetic signals from and to one or more of the plurality of fixed transceiver units of the interior localization system;
associating the at least one mobile unit with at least one workpiece;
determining, by the analysis unit in the interior localization system, a position of the at least one workpiece in the manufacturing hall by localizing the associated mobile unit from runtimes of the UWB electromagnetic signals travelling between at least two of the plurality of fixed transceiver units and the mobile unit; and
integrating the determined position into a manufacturing control system of an industrial manufacturing plant to manufacture the end product, wherein the industrial manufacturing plant comprises the manufacturing hall.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile unit includes a sensing element comprising at least one of an acceleration sensor, a position sensor, a MEMS-based sensor, and a barometer sensor, wherein the method further comprises integrating a signal from the sensing element into the manufacturing control system for manufacturing the end product, [ ] wherein the sensing element provides a movement signal or an orientation signal used to determine the position of the at least one workpiece associated with the mobile unit.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the signals are generated by shaking the mobile unit, by orienting the mobile unit in specific orientations, or by performing specified gestures using the mobile unit.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile unit includes a signal input device, and the method further comprises:
inputting information for processing the position of the at least one workpiece with the signal input device.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving image information of the at least one workpiece or the mobile unit; and
evaluating the image information for a mark, a barcode, or an image on the at least one workpiece.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile unit includes a signal output unit, and the method further comprises:
outputting, by the signal output unit, information to process the at least one 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,
wherein the signal output unit is selected from the group consisting of: an optical signal unit, an acoustic signal unit, and a vibration signal unit.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
associating the mobile unit with an operator, transport device, machine tool, or tool;
determining, by the interior localization system, the position of the mobile unit; and
integrating the determined position of the mobile unit into the control system for manufacturing the end product of the industrial manufacturing plant, or into a motion analysis of the associated operator, transport device, machine tool, or tool.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
defining zones or spatial gates in the manufacturing hall; and
comparing the determined position to the zones or to the spatial gates to control manufacturing the end product based on the comparison.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein comparing 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.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein in response to integrating the determined position into the manufacturing control system, the method further comprises one or more of:
transmitting signals to support localization;
displaying information of manufacturing status on a graphical user interface of a mobile output device;
setting operating parameters of a machine tool that processes the at least one workpiece to manufacture the end product;
updating a protocol that logs manufacturing processing steps;
associating the mobile unit with an order of manufacturing one or more end products in several different manufacturing processes; and
controlling and/or monitoring:
a processing of the at least one workpiece in a plurality of different manufacturing processes performed at different locations;
a transport of the at least one workpiece between different manufacturing processes performed at different locations;
a processing of the at least one workpiece at workstations linked to or integrated into the manufacturing control system; and
a processing of the at least one workpiece at workstations that are separate from the manufacturing control system.

11. An interior localization system to control process procedures in an industrial production of workpieces from steel or sheet metal in a manufacturing hall, the interior localization system comprising:
a plurality of fixed transceiver units permanently installed in the manufacturing hall that comprises one or more machines for processing steel or sheet metal;
at least one mobile unit that during use is associated with one or more workpieces in the manufacturing hall; and
an analysis unit,
wherein the plurality of fixed transceiver units and the at least one mobile unit are configured to transmit and receive ultra-wideband (UWB) electromagnetic signals, and wherein the analysis unit is configured
to determine runtimes of the UWB electromagnetic signals travelling between two or more the plurality of fixed transceiver units in the manufacturing hall and the at least one mobile unit, and
to determine a position of the at least one mobile unit and any workpiece associated with the mobile unit in the manufacturing hall based on the runtimes of the UWB electromagnetic signals.

12. The interior localization system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one mobile unit has a display unit adapted to display at least one of
information of the one or more respective workpieces, and
a position of the at least one mobile unit in a site plan of the manufacturing hall.

13. The interior localization system of claim 11 , wherein the interior localization system is part of a manufacturing control system for controlling manufacturing processes in the manufacturing hall,
wherein the interior localization system is configured to provide data on a position of the at least one mobile unit in the manufacturing hall, and
wherein the manufacturing control system is configured to associate the position of the at least one mobile unit with a position of at least one workpiece and to use the position of the at least one workpiece in controlling the manufacturing processes.

14. The manufacturing control system of claim 13 , further comprising:
a display unit configured to display the position of the at least one mobile unit in a site plan of the manufacturing hall.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile unit comprises its own time determining unit to determine runtimes, the method further comprising determining a position of the mobile unit from the runtimes of the electromagnetic signals travelling between the transmitters and the mobile unit.

16. The method

Assignees

• Trumpf Werkzeugmaschinen Gmbh Co Kg

Inventors

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

Classifications

• G05B2219/31322

  Work still to be done on workpiece · CPC title

• G05B19/4183 Primary

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

• G05B2219/40543

  Identification and location, position of components, objects · CPC title

• G05B19/19

  characterised by positioning or contouring control systems, e.g. to control position from one programmed point to another or to control movement along a programmed continuous path · CPC title

• G05B2219/31306

  Read identification only if object is present · CPC title