IP Library › Granted Patent US 8,494,678
Granted Patent B2
US 8,494,678 · App. 12/669,585 · Granted Jul 23, 2013

Method for machining a contour on at least one workpiece by means of a robot

Inventors: Stefan Quandt (Asslar, DE); Andreas Hoffmann (Solingen, DE); Joerg Reger (Wettenberg, DE)
Assignee: ABB AG
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,494,678
App. No.
12/669,585
Granted
Jul 23, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

A process for working a contour on at least one workpiece using a robot includes positioning the workpiece relative to the robot; acquiring an actual position of the workpiece; acquiring a real course of the contour on the workpiece at predefined points using at least one sensor; and actuating the robot according to individual vectors so as to correct a robot motion during the working of the contour.

Claims (26)

1. A process for working a contour on at least one workpiece using a robot, the process comprising:

positioning a workpiece relative to the robot;

acquiring an actual position of the workpiece;

acquiring a real course of a visible contour on the workpiece at predefined points using at least one sensor; and

actuating the robot according to individual vectors so as to correct a robot motion during the working of the contour, wherein the contour is an invisible covered contour disposed close to the visible contour, and

wherein the acquiring the real course of the visible contour includes acquiring and measuring visible points of the visible contour and calculating a position of the invisible covered contour based on the visible points,

wherein the working includes one of welding and sealing a seam between the workpiece and a further workpiece, and

wherein the workpiece and further workpiece include two automotive body parts.

2. The process as recited in claim 1 , further comprising transporting the workpiece using a conveyor system into a robot station including the robot.

3. The process as recited in claim 1 , further comprising dividing the visible contour into a plurality of sectors and performing a partial measurement of certain points in each one of the plurality of sectors so as to determine a correction value for each one of the plurality of sectors so as to determine workpiece and positional tolerances and calculate a course of the robot motion.

4. A process for working a contour on at least one workpiece using a robot, the process comprising:

positioning the workpiece relative to the robot;

acquiring an actual position of the workpiece;

acquiring a real course of a visible contour on the workpiece at predefined points using at least one sensor; the acquiring the real course of the visible contour includes acquiring and measuring visible points of the visible contour and calculating a position of an invisible covered contour based on the visible points;

actuating the robot according to individual vectors so as to correct a robot motion during the working of the contour, wherein the contour is the invisible covered contour disposed close to the visible contour;

positioning an ideally produced workpiece as a reference workpiece in relation to the robot;

determining an ideal course of the contour using the robot to acquire a reference contour of the reference workpiece using at least one sensor at predefined points, wherein the acquiring the real course of the contour is performed so as to acquire a deviation of the real course from the ideal course at the predefined points; and

calculating at least one additional individual vector corresponding to the deviation, wherein the actuating includes actuating the robot according to the at least one additional individual vector so as to correct the robot motion during the working of the contour.

5. The process as recited in claim 4 , wherein the acquiring the actual position includes using at least one position sensor to determine the actual position of the workpiece.

6. A process for working a contour on at least one workpiece using a robot, the process comprising:

positioning the workpiece relative to the robot;

acquiring an actual position of the workpiece;

acquiring a real course of a visible contour on the workpiece at predefined points using at least one sensor; and

actuating the robot according to individual vectors so as to correct a robot motion during the working of the contour, wherein the contour is an invisible covered contour disposed close to the visible contour, and

wherein the acquiring the real course of the visible contour includes acquiring and measuring visible points of the visible contour and calculating a position of the invisible covered contour based on the visible points, and

wherein the invisible covered contour is an invisible seam on an automobile body.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 16, 2026
From: ABB AG
To: ABB SCHWEIZ AG
Reel/Frame 076032/0694 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 31, 2012
From: QUANDT, STEFAN; HOFFMANN, ANDREAS; REGER, JOERG
To: ABB AG
Reel/Frame 027623/0289 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2007 033 309 · Jul 18, 2007 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20100206938A1 · Aug 19, 2010