Method for coupling quality control data of a subassembly of components to a main product assembly

1. A method for coupling quality control data of a subassembly of components with a main product assembly, the method comprising:

generating quality control data associated with the subassembly;

determining that the quality control data associated with the subassembly does not match quality control standards;

generating a hold in place action, which holds the subassembly at a work station in a locked state;

reading an identification of an authorized person having authority to authorize a bypass operation for retrying an assembly operation, and authorizing the bypass operation;

retrying an assembly operation of the subassembly such that the subassembly meets the quality control assembly standards;

printing a barcode on a document, the barcode containing the quality control data associated with the subassembly;

attaching the document including the barcode to the subassembly;

at the time of installation of the subassembly to the main product assembly, reading the barcode on the document attached to the subassembly; and

coupling, by a controller, the quality control data associated with the subassembly with quality control data and a unique identification of the main product assembly.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

recording the coupled quality control data of the subassembly with the unique identification of main product assembly.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the main product assembly is a vehicle; and

the step of coupling couples the quality control data associated with the subassembly with a vehicle identification number of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

recording the identification of the authorized person with the quality control data associated with the subassembly.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

recording the steps occurring in the bypass operation with the quality control data associated with the subassembly.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

recording a retry operation of any assembly operation associated with the subassembly with the quality control data associated with the subassembly.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the barcode is a two dimensional barcode.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of printing the barcode on a document further comprises:

removably attaching the barcode to the subassembly.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that the subassembly includes at least one fastener and the fastener does not meet quality control assembly standards,

wherein retrying the assembly operation comprises reassembling the fastener, no more than one time, such that the subassembly meets the quality control assembly standards.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

storing the step of retrying the assembly operation associated with the fastener in the quality control data associated with the subassembly.

11. A system for associating quality control data associated with a subassembly with quality control data and unique main product assembly identification when the subassembly is installed in a main product assembly, the system comprising:

a plurality of assembly operation stations configured for consecutively adding components to the subassembly, or for performing operations on previously added components of the subassembly; and

a processor executing a control program and receiving inputs and generating outputs to:

record quality control information generated during the assembly of the sub assembly;

compare the quality control data with quality control standards;

upon determining that the quality control data associated with the subassembly does not match quality control standards:

generate a hold in place action, which holds the subassembly at one of the plurality of assembly operation stations in a locked state;

read an identification of an authorized person having authority to authorize a bypass operation for retrying an assembly operation, and authorize the bypass operation;

after a reassembly of the subassembly, determine that the subassembly meets the quality control assembly standards;

print a two dimensional barcode on a two dimensional document, where the barcode contains the quality control information associated with subassembly;

read the barcode on the subassembly at the time of installation of the subassembly to the main product assembly;

associate the quality control data of the subassembly with the unique main product assembly identification; and

store the coupled subassembly quality control data with the main product assembly identification.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein:

the processor further executes the control program and receives inputs and generates outputs to:

record the coupled quality control data of the subassembly with the main product assembly identification.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein:

the main product assembly is a vehicle; and

the processor further executes the control program and receives inputs and generates outputs to:

couple the quality control data of the subassembly with a vehicle identification number of the main product assembly.

14. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

the processor further executes the control program and receives inputs and generates outputs to:

record the identification of the authorized person with the quality control data associated with the subassembly.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein:

the barcode is a two dimensional barcode.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein:

the barcode is removably attached to the subassembly.

17. A method for coupling quality control data of a subassembly of components to a main product assembly, the method comprising:

generating quality control data associated with the subassembly;

determining that the subassembly includes at least one fastener, and the fastener does not match quality control assembly standards;

generating a hold in place action, which holds the subassembly at a work station in a locked state;

retrying an assembly operation of the fastener, no more than one time, such that the subassembly matches the quality control assembly standards;

printing a barcode on a document, the barcode containing the quality control data associated with the subassembly;

attaching the document including the barcode to the subassembly;

at the time of installation of the subassembly to the main product assembly, reading the barcode on the document attached to the subassembly; and

coupling, by a controller, the quality control data associated with the subassembly with quality control data and a unique identification of the main product assembly.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

storing the step of retrying the assembly operation associated with the fastener in the quality control data associated with the subassembly.