Modular system for automated portable electronic device disassembly

1. A system including a modular arrangement for disassembling a portable electronic device having a housing that carries a display assembly including a cover glass in a front opening, a battery, and operational components, the system comprising:

a first module capable of:

receiving the portable electronic device,

characterizing physical attributes of the portable electronic device,

separating the display assembly from the housing, and

binning the housing;

a second module operably coupled to the first module and capable of:

receiving the binned housing,

separating the battery from the housing without damaging the battery, and

isolating the separated battery in a thermal event containment compartment.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first module includes:

an automatic loading station including a vision system for characterizing the physical attributes of the portable electronic device using image analysis techniques; and

a disassembly station configured to separate the display assembly from the housing.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first module further includes:

a robot configured to transfer the housing from the disassembly station to a transfer station of the first module, wherein the transfer station is capable of determining whether the battery is present within a cavity of the housing.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a third module operably coupled to the second module and capable of:

removing operational components that are connected to the housing.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the third module includes:

a robot, and

at least one pressing unit configured to remove one or more connections that secure the operational components to the housing.

6. The system of claim 4 , further comprising a fourth module operably coupled to the third module and capable of:

removing an insert from the housing;

removing a structure associated with a camera assembly from the housing; and

displacing the operational components.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the fourth module includes:

a removal station configured to remove the insert from the housing; and

a component removal station configured to displace the operational components from the housing by moving an auger rotating on a spindle based on a tool path through at least a portion of a cavity of the housing.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the fourth module further includes

a shear station operable to shear off a portion of the housing that includes one or more antennas of the portable electronic device; and

a sorting table operable to separate the operational components into one or more receptacles.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a control system including a controller that implements logic for disassembling the portable electronic device utilizing the first module and the second module, wherein the controller tracks the portable electronic device during disassembly and associates the portable electronic device with a data payload that includes the physical attributes of the portable electronic device.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein separating the display assembly from the housing is based on the physical attributes of the portable electronic device.

11. A method for disassembling a portable electronic device by a modular system including a plurality of modules operable to automatically perform disassembly tasks, the method comprising:

by a first module of the modular system:

receiving the portable electronic device,

characterizing physical attributes of the portable electronic device,

separating a display assembly secured to a housing of the portable electronic device from the housing, and

transferring the housing, including operational components carried therein, to a transfer station;

by a second module coupled to the first module:

receiving the housing from the transfer station,

removing a battery of the portable electronic device from the housing, and

monitoring a temperature of the battery in the compartment.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, by a third module coupled to the second module:

removing the operational components from the housing.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising, by a fourth module coupled to the third module:

removing an insert from the housing;

removing a structure associated with a camera assembly from the housing; and

displacing the operational components from the housing.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising, by the fourth module:

transferring the operational components via a conveyor to a sorting table.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein each of the first module and the second module includes at least one multi-axis robot configured to move the portable electronic device between stations included in the first and second modules.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the modular system includes a controller configured to:

provide control signals to actuators in the first module and the second module, and

receive input signals from one or more sensors included in the first module and the second module.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a controller of a modular system for disassembling a portable electronic device that includes a housing, a display assembly secured to the housing, and operational components carried within a cavity formed between the display assembly and the housing, cause the modular system to carry out steps comprising:

by a first module of the modular system:

receiving the portable electronic device,

characterizing physical attributes of the portable electronic device, and

separating the display assembly from the housing; and

by a second module of the modular system that is coupled to the first module:

separating a battery of the portable electronic device from the housing, and

placing the battery in a thermal event containment container.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 , the steps further comprising, by a third module of the modular system that is coupled to the second module:

removing the operational components carried within the cavity of the housing.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 , the steps further comprising, by a fourth module of the modular system that is coupled to the third module:

removing an insert from the housing;

removing a structure associated with a camera assembly from the housing; and

displacing the operational components from the housing.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 , the steps further comprising, by the second module:

monitoring the battery in the thermal event containment container during an occurrence of a thermal event.