Rotor assembly method and system employing central multi-tasking robotic system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11557944-B2
Application number	US-202117161121-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 28, 2021
Priority date	Jan 28, 2021
Publication date	Jan 17, 2023
Grant date	Jan 17, 2023

Abstract

A rotor assembly system for a manufacturing cell includes a central robotic system comprising a multi-axial central robot and a conveyor platform and one or more multi-axial auxiliary robotic systems secured at one or more locations within the cell. The conveyor platform is operable to move the central robot within the cell. The central robotic system and the one or more auxiliary robotic systems are configured to perform a plurality of rotor manufacturing processes on at least one rotor component in coordination with one another, and the central robotic system is configured to transfer the at least one rotor component between one or more rotor manufacturing processes of the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotor assembly system for a manufacturing cell, the system comprising:
a central robotic system comprising a multi-axial central robot and a conveyor platform, wherein the conveyor platform is operable to move the multi-axial central robot within the cell; and
one or more multi-axial auxiliary robotic systems secured at one or more locations within the cell, wherein:
the central robotic system and the one or more auxiliary robotic systems are configured to perform a plurality of rotor manufacturing processes on at least one rotor component in coordination with one another, and
the central robotic system is configured to transfer the at least one rotor component between one or more rotor manufacturing processes of the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes.

2. The rotor assembly system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more auxiliary robotic systems includes:
an insert assembly robotic (IAR) system including a multi-axial insert assembly robot to perform, in association with the central robotic system, a core stack assembly process as part of the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes,
wherein, for the core stack assembly process:
the central robotic system is configured to place a rotor core from among a plurality of rotor cores on a mandrel, and
the IAR system is configured to, for each of the plurality of rotor cores, place a plurality of magnetizable inserts into a plurality of cavities in the rotor core.

3. The rotor assembly system of claim 2 , wherein the central robotic system is configured to perform a selected rotor manufacturing processes among the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes while the IAR system places magnetizable inserts into the rotor core and return to the core stack assembly process prior to all of the magnetizable inserts being in the cavities.

4. The rotor assembly system of claim 3 further comprising a control system configured to control and coordinate movement of the central robotic system, the IAR system, and the MPR system.

5. The rotor assembly system of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes includes a pre-mold-press process performed prior to the mold-press process and a post-mold-press process performed after the mold-press process.

6. The rotor assembly system of claim 5 , wherein:
the central robotic system is configured to perform a selected rotor manufacturing processes among the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes while the IAR system places magnetizable inserts into the rotor core and return to the core stack assembly process prior to all of the magnetizable inserts being in the cavities, and
the selected rotor manufacturing process is the pre-mold-press process, mold-press process, the post-mold-press process, or a combination thereof.

7. The rotor assembly system of claim 6 , wherein:
the pre-mold-press process includes a first weighing process of the rotor component, a preheating process of the rotor component, or a combination thereof, and
the post-mold-press process includes a press tool removal process, a second weighing process of the rotor component, a cleaning process, or a combination thereof.

8. The rotor assembly system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more auxiliary robotic systems includes a mold-press robotic (MPR) system including a multi-axial mold-press robot to perform, in association with the central robotic system, a mold-press process as part of the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes, the mold-press process is performed subsequent to the core stack assembly process.

9. The rotor assembly system of claim 8 , wherein, for the mold-press process:
the MPR system is configured to position a press tool onto the rotor component,
the central robotic system is configured to transfer the rotor component with the press tool to a transfer mold press and remove the rotor component with the press tool after a press operation by the transfer mold press, and
the MPR system is configured to remove the press tool from the rotor component.

10. The rotor assembly system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more auxiliary robotic systems includes a mold-press robotic (MPR) system including a multi-axial mold-press robot to perform a mold-press process as part of the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes in association with the central robotic system.

11. The rotor assembly system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more auxiliary robotic systems includes an insert assembly robotic (IAR) system including a multi-axial insert assembly robot to perform, in association with the central robotic system, a core stack assembly process as part of the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes, the core stack assembly process being performed prior to mold-press process.

12. A method of assembling a rotor, the method comprising:
providing a central robotic system having a multi-axial central robot and a conveyor platform at a manufacturing cell, wherein the conveyor platform is operable to move the multi-axial central robot within the cell; and
providing one or more multi-axial auxiliary robotic systems secured at one or more locations within the manufacturing cell, wherein:
the central robotic system and the one or more auxiliary robotic systems are configured to perform a plurality of rotor manufacturing processes on at least one rotor component in coordination with one another, and
the central robotic system is configured to transfer the at least one rotor component between one or more rotor manufacturing processes among the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the one or more auxiliary robotic systems includes an insert assembly robotic (IAR) system including a multi-axial insert assembly robot to perform, in association with the central robotic system, a core stack assembly process as part of the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes, wherein, for the core stack assembly process, the method further comprises:
placing, by the central robotic system, a rotor core from among a plurality of rotor cores on a mandrel; and
for each of the plurality of rotor cores, placing, by the IAR system, a plurality of magnetizable inserts into a plurality of cavities in the rotor core.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
performing, by the central robotic system, a selected rotor manufacturing processes among the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes while the IAR system places magnetizable inserts into the rotor core; and
returning the central robotic system to the core stack assembly process prior to all of the magnetizable inserts being placed in the cavities.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the one or more auxiliary robotic systems further includes a mold-press robotic (MPR) system including a multi-axial mold-press robot to perform, in association with the central robotic system, a mold-press process as part of the plurality of rotor manufacturing processes, the mold-press process is performed subsequent to the core stack assembly process.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein for the mold-press process, the method further comprises:
positioning, by the MPR system, a press tool onto the rotor component;
transferring, by the central robotic system, the rotor component with the press tool to a transfer mold press;
removing, by the central robotic system, the rotor component with the press tool after a press operation by the transfer mold press; and
removing, by the MPR system, the press tool from the rotor component.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of rotor manu

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc
• Abb Inc

Inventors

• Briscoe Mark E
• Sochacki Nick
• Marrocco Al
• Cameron Jeffrey
• Mollan Michael

Classifications

• H02K15/03 Primary

  having permanent magnets · CPC title

• Y10T29/53313

  Means to interrelatedly feed plural work parts from plural sources without manual intervention · CPC title

• H02K15/02 Primary

  of stator or rotor bodies · CPC title

• H02K1/276

  Magnets embedded in the magnetic core, e.g. interior permanent magnets [IPM] · CPC title

• B25J9/0084

  comprising a plurality of manipulators · CPC title