U.S. patent application number 11/049055 was filed with the patent office on 2005-06-30 for method for manufacturing an item.
This patent application is currently assigned to Ford Motor Company. Invention is credited to Lubash, John J., Moore, Diane E..
Application Number | 20050138785 11/049055 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 29215987 |
Filed Date | 2005-06-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050138785 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Moore, Diane E. ; et
al. |
June 30, 2005 |
Method for manufacturing an item
Abstract
A method for notifying installers 14-22 of the existence, type,
and location of a portion 26 of an item within an assembly line 10.
The notification allows the installers 14-22 to respectively ensure
that the components 40 which are needed to be placed upon the
portion 26 are available for use by the installer 14-22 in a timely
manner.
Inventors: |
Moore, Diane E.; (Pleasant
Ridge, MI) ; Lubash, John J.; (Northville,
MI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BROOKS KUSHMAN P.C./FGTL
1000 TOWN CENTER
22ND FLOOR
SOUTHFIELD
MI
48075-1238
US
|
Assignee: |
Ford Motor Company
Dearborn
MI
|
Family ID: |
29215987 |
Appl. No.: |
11/049055 |
Filed: |
February 2, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11049055 |
Feb 2, 2005 |
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10445497 |
May 27, 2003 |
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10445497 |
May 27, 2003 |
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09544422 |
Apr 6, 2000 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
29/407.1 ;
29/407.01; 29/407.04; 29/407.09; 29/430 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10T 29/4978 20150115;
Y10T 29/53548 20150115; Y10T 29/49622 20150115; Y02P 90/02
20151101; B23P 21/004 20130101; Y10T 29/49778 20150115; G05B
2219/32005 20130101; Y10T 29/49828 20150115; G05B 19/41805
20130101; Y10T 29/53365 20150115; G05B 2219/31046 20130101; Y10T
29/49769 20150115; Y10T 29/49764 20150115; Y10T 29/49829 20150115;
Y10T 29/53052 20150115; Y02P 90/04 20151101; G05B 2219/31432
20130101; Y10T 29/53087 20150115; Y10T 29/534 20150115; G05B
2219/31466 20130101; B23P 19/001 20130101; B23P 2700/50 20130101;
B62D 65/18 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
029/407.1 ;
029/407.01; 029/407.04; 029/407.09; 029/430 |
International
Class: |
B23Q 017/00; G01M
019/00 |
Claims
What is claimed:
1. A method for use with an assembly line of the type having a
plurality of installers and an item which is to receive at least
one component from each of said plurality of installers, said
method comprising the step of: notifying each of said plurality of
installers of the existence of said item and the type of said item
when said item enters said assembly line.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said item comprises a portion of a
vehicle.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: remotely
locating some of said components from said assembly line; and
retrieving at least a portion of said remotely located components
in response to the notification.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of notifying said
installers comprises the step of visually notifying said
installers.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein said step of visually notifying
said installers comprises the steps of: creating a visual
representation of said assembly line; and displaying an icon upon
said visual representation.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein said visual representation
comprises a computer screen.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein said item traverses various
locations upon said assembly line and wherein said icon is
displayed upon said computer screen at a position corresponding to
a current location of said item.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 10/445,497 filed May 27, 2003, published on Oct. 23, 2003 as
Pub. No. U.S. 2003/0196312 A1, which in turn is a divisional
application of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/544,422 filed Apr. 6,
2000.
(1) FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention generally relates to a method for
manufacturing or assembling an item and more particularly to a
method for manufacturing or assembling an item, such as a vehicle,
which requires the assembly of a relatively large number of
components.
(2) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Items, such as vehicles, are typically manufactured or
assembled by the use of a relatively large number and variety of
components such as, by way of example and without limitation,
wiring harnesses, sun roofs, and hoods. It should be appreciated
that the terms "manufactured" and "assembled", in this Application,
mean the creation or construction of an item, such as a
vehicle.
[0004] Oftentimes, an "assembly line" is used to manufacture or
assemble vehicles or other items. In this arrangement, for example,
the various components of the vehicle are operatively placed upon
the body or frame of the vehicle at various stations or locations
of the assembly line. In this manner, each station or location
corresponds to a unique stage of the overall vehicle assembly
process and requires the placement of a unique component or the
performance of a certain function upon the partially formed
vehicle. Oftentimes, a single assembly line is used to produce a
wide variety of different models or types of vehicles in order to
efficiently utilize the manufacturing machinery and personnel
included within and/or cooperatively forming the assembly line.
[0005] While the manufacture of a wide variety of vehicles by the
use of a single assembly line does allow efficient use of existing
resources, it does have some drawbacks. For example, many of these
dissimilar vehicles respectively require unique types of
components. Hence, the number of dissimilar vehicles which may be
built or created by an assembly line is typically and directly
proportional to the number of different types of components which
must be used during the manufacturing process. Therefore, a great
variety of components must be used in order to allow a great
variety of vehicles to be produced.
[0006] Further, since these vehicles are manufactured and "flow
through" the assembly line at a relatively fast pace, this
relatively large number of components must be readily available to
the assembly line personnel. Due to the typical lack of component
storage space existing along the assembly line, many of these
components must be selectively "shuttled" into the assembly area on
an "as needed" basis, thereby further complicating the
manufacturing or assembly process. It is desirable to have these
components available to the installers before these components are
actually needed or utilized in order to allow for a continuous
manufacturing process and to maximize the amount of vehicles which
are produced.
[0007] Particularly, in one non-limiting embodiment, the transport
of these components into the assembly area is typically scheduled
by the use of a "build schedule" which identifies the order that
vehicles are to be manufactured by the assembly line. The build
schedule is typically created before assembly actually begins,
thereby allowing a planned or scheduled "shuttle" of components in
the assembly area to occur.
[0008] While this approach does sometimes allow a relatively
accurate component transport schedule to be created, oftentimes the
"build schedule" must be dynamically altered or changed due to
difficulties or occurrences, which arise after the build schedule
has been created (e.g. the identity of faulty components which
prevent a certain type of vehicle to be built in accordance with
the build schedule). Oftentimes the component transport schedule is
not modified to reflect these "build schedule changes" or is
incorrectly modified, thereby undesirably disrupting the assembly
process.
[0009] There is therefore a need for a new and improved method for
manufacturing and/or assembling an item, such as a vehicle, which
overcomes some or all of the previously delineated drawbacks of
prior methods.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] It is a first object of the present invention to provide a
method for manufacturing an item which overcomes the various and
previously delineated drawbacks of prior manufacturing
methodologies.
[0011] It is a second object of the present invention to provide a
method for manufacturing an item which overcomes the various and
previously delineated drawbacks of prior manufacturing
methodologies, which provides for the manufacture of an item by the
use of several components which are cooperatively assembled onto a
portion of the item by several individuals, and which further
provides certain information to these individuals, effective to
ensure that the several components are available for assembly,
thereby allowing the item to be manufactured in a timely
manner.
[0012] According to a first aspect of the present invention a
method is provided for manufacturing an item by the use of several
components. The method comprises the steps of selecting a first
individual; selecting a second individual; creating a first portion
of the item; causing the first portion of the item to pass in close
proximity to the first individual; assembling a first of the
several components on the first portion of the item by the first
individual; notifying the second individual of the existence of the
first portion of the item and the location of the first portion of
the item proximate to the first individual; causing the first
portion of the item and the assembled first of the several
components to pass in close proximity to the second individual; and
assembling a second of the several components onto the first
portion of the item by the second individual.
[0013] These and other aspects, features, and advantages of the
present invention will become apparent from a reading of the
following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the
invention and by reference to the following drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an assembly line to which the
methodology of the preferred embodiment of the invention may be
selectively applied.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE
INVENTION
[0015] Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a vehicle
manufacturing or assembly line 10 which is adapted to produce a
vehicle 12. It should be appreciated that while assembly line 10
is, in this example, adapted to produce a vehicle 12, assembly line
10 could also be adapted to selectively produce other non-vehicular
assemblies and/or items and that the methodology of the present
invention is not limited to the manufacture and/or assembly of a
vehicle.
[0016] Particularly, assembly line 10 includes several individuals
or "installers" 14, 16, 18, 20, and 22 who are respectively and
uniquely positioned in close proximity to a transport assembly or
member 24 (e.g., a conveyor belt or assembly line). A first portion
26 of a vehicle 12 (e.g., a previously formed body or frame
assembly) is placed at the beginning or "entry point" 28 of the
conveyor 24 and is sequentially and subsequently transported in
close proximity to individuals 14, 16, 18, 20, and 22 who
respectively place unique components onto the first portion 26,
thereby cooperatively producing a vehicle 12. Several other
substantially identical vehicular first portions 26 may also be
sequentially placed upon transport member 24 and used to assemble
or create a vehicle, such as vehicle 12, in the foregoing manner.
Each of these other first portions 26 may represent respectively
unique models or types of vehicles 12 which respectively require
unique types of components. These other components may be placed on
these other first portions 26 by these individuals 14, 16, 18, 20,
and 22. Hence, each individual 14, 16, 18, 20, and 22, during the
vehicular assembly process may be respectively required to place
many different types of components on the various received first
portions 26.
[0017] Typically, some components, such as components 32, 34, 36,
38, and 39 may respectively reside in close proximity to assemblers
or installers 14-22 while other components, such as components 40,
are stored at area or location 42 which is remotely located from
conveyor 24 and from assembly line 10. These remotely located
components 40 may be selectively transported to the individuals
14-22 by an individual 44 operating a "lift truck" 46.
Alternatively, these components may be transported to these
individuals 14-22 by use of a handcart or some other manual or
selectively driven transport assembly or vehicle.
[0018] In one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, each
portion of the assembly line 10 which is respectively proximate to
a unique one of the individuals 14-22 has a sensor 50 (i.e. a radio
frequency receiver). Each sensor 50 senses the identity of the
first portion 26 which is currently located proximate to it (e.g.,
by the use of a radio frequency tag 52 on each first portion 26).
The sensor produced "identifying information" also includes the
types of components which the identified first portion 26 requires
and/or the model of vehicle that this first portion 26 represents
since such information may be selectively placed upon the tag 52
which resides upon this first portion 26. A sensor 50 is also
placed at entry portion 28 in order to identify the existence of
each first portion 26 as it enters the assembly line 10.
[0019] In operation, the sensors 50 respectively transmit a signal
51 which is received by a computer 53. As shown, computer 53 is
physically and communicatively coupled, by bus 54, to various
computer type display devices 56 and these devices 56 are
respectively and proximately positioned by a unique one of the
individuals 14-22. Signals 51 are effective to cooperatively cause
these screens 56 to display the existence and location, within
assembly line 10, of each of the identified first portions 26 which
are positioned upon conveyor 24. The sensor information therefore
allows the displayed location of the items 26 upon devices 56 to be
dynamically updated. That is, in one non-limiting embodiment, an
icon is uniquely assigned to each first item 26 which is positioned
upon conveyor 24 and each uniquely assigned icon is displayed upon
each display device 56.
[0020] The sensor information allows the location of an item upon
the devices 56 to be dynamically updated. That is, in one
non-limiting embodiment, each display device 56 includes or has a
graphical representative of the assembly line which may, by way of
example and without limitation, be substantially similar to the
graphical representation which is shown in FIG. 1. The location of
an icon upon each of the display devices 56 corresponds to the
location, upon conveyor or transport assembly 24 of the member 26
to which that icon is respectively and uniquely assigned. That is,
as a member 26 proceeds through the assembly line 10 its
corresponding icon "moves along" or changes position upon each of
the displays 56 in order to substantially ensure that an icon on a
display 56 resides at a position, within the displayed graphical
representation of the assembly line 10, which corresponds to its
current position within the actual assembly line 10. In an
alternate embodiment of the invention, computer 53 may contain
and/or include the type of components required by and the model
number or type of each such displayed first portion 26.
[0021] In this manner, each individual 14-22 is apprised of the
identity of each of the first portions 26 which reside upon the
transport assembly 24 and which are to be transported to the
individuals 14-22. Such information allows the individual to order,
by telephone, or by use of radio pagers, individual 44 to bring
needed components 40 necessary to assemble the first portions 26.
Such components 40 are then selectively transported to the
individuals 14-22. Hence, actual assembly data or information is
presented to these individual assemblers 14-22 to "warn" or inform
them of the need for remotely located components 40 and allows the
assembly process to occur without substantial component
transportation disruption. Hence, by providing actual or "real
time" warning information of the existence of a first portion 26
upon conveyor 24, each individual 14-22 may ensure the availability
of needed componentry 40. The use of such "real time" warning data
therefore improves upon the use of such previously delineated
"build schedules" which were often times changed/modified and were
susceptible to the previously delineated difficulties.
[0022] It should be understood that the invention is not limited to
the exact construction and method which has been previously
delineated but that various changes and modifications may be made
without departing from the spirit and the scope of the inventions
as are more fully delineated in the following claims.
* * * * *