Method for tracking a component in a production line comprising a plurality of processing systems, and computing unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12242255-B2
Application number	US-202017432200-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2020
Priority date	Apr 24, 2019
Publication date	Mar 4, 2025
Grant date	Mar 4, 2025

Abstract

A method for tracking a component in a production line having a plurality of processing systems includes processing and/or testing, by each of the processing systems, the component, providing a processing signal characterizing the processing and/or testing for a higher-level electronic computing unit, and tracking, by the computing unit based on the received processing signals, the component through the production line. A query signal characterizing a component property of one of the processing systems of the production line is received by the computing unit. The component is ascertained by the computing unit and at least one component information signal characterizing the component property of the ascertained component is provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for tracking a component in a production line comprising a plurality of process systems, the method comprising:
at least one of processing or testing components by each of the plurality of process systems;
providing, by each of the plurality of process systems, a processing signal characterizing the at least one of the processing or the testing for a computing device,
tracking, by the computing device, the component through the production line along the plurality of process systems based on the processing signals received by the computing device,
receiving a signal from one of the plurality of process systems of the production line, wherein the signal is received at the computing device,
determining, by the computing device, the component that is at least one of processed or tested in the one process system, and
providing, by the computing device, at least one component information signal characterizing a component property of the determined component for the one process system, wherein
the tracking includes capturing a serial number of the component at an entrance of the production line, the at least one component information signal is sent to each of the plurality of process systems in the production line and includes the serial number, the plurality of process systems in the production line are configured to process the component without further capturing the serial number, so that after the capturing of the serial number at the entrance of the production line the tracking of the component is conducted by relying only on a course of movement of the component through the production line,
using the one process systems as a test system, determining a test result by testing the determined component, and
based on the received signal, storing the test result in a memory device of the test system in a manner assigned to the determined component characterized by the component information signal.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
a test result determined by the one process system is received by the computing device and is assigned to the determined component.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the component information signal is associated with a test result of the determined component.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the determined component is tracked in the computing device by a shift register.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the component property is a component type, a material of the component, an already determined test result of the component, a processing state of the component, and a test state of the component.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the computing device is a superordinate electronic computing device.

7. An electronic computing device for tracking a component in a production line comprising a plurality of process systems, wherein the electronic computing device is configured to:
receive a signal by each of the plurality of process systems of the production line,
track the component through the production line along the plurality of process systems based on the received processing signals,
receive a signal from one of the plurality of process systems of the production line, wherein the signal is received at the computing device,
determine the component that is at least one of processed or tested in the process system, and
provide a component information signal characterizing the determined component for the process system, wherein
the tracking includes capturing a serial number of the component at an entrance of the production line, the component information signal that is sent to each of the plurality of process systems in the production line includes the serial number, the plurality of process systems in the production line are configured to process the component without further capturing the serial number, so that after the capturing of the serial number at the entrance of the production line the tracking of the component is conducted by relying only on a course of movement of the component through the production line,
using the one process systems as a test system, determining a test result by testing the determined component, and
based on the received signal, storing the test result in a memory device of the test system in a manner assigned to the determined component characterized by the component information signal.

8. The electronic computing device according to claim 7 , wherein a component property is a component type, a material of the component, an already determined test result of the component, a processing state of the component, and a test state of the component.

9. The electronic computing device according to claim 7 , wherein the electronic computing device is a superordinate electronic computing device.

Assignees

• Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag

Inventors

• Ettengruber Gerhard
• Glueck Bernhard
• Werner Stefan

Classifications

• G05B19/4183 Primary

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

• G05B2219/42337

  Tracking control · CPC title

• Y02P90/02

  Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] · CPC title

• Y02P90/30

  Computing systems specially adapted for manufacturing · CPC title

• G05B2219/31282

  Data acquisition, BDE MDE · CPC title