A transport system for transporting workpieces includes a plurality of objects disposed along a path of travel and a driverless transport vehicle having a workpiece holder and a personal protection sensor such as a laser scanner. The sensor has a transmitter for generating detection radiation and a receiver adapted to receive detection radiation generated by the transmitter and reflected from persons or objects located in a monitoring area that is monitored by the detection radiation. A control device steers the transport vehicle along the travel path so that it does not collide with the objects and triggers a safety measure if the personal protection sensor has detected a person in the monitoring area. The objects support a coating or cladding that absorbs detection radiation impinging thereon or reflects it in such a direction that it cannot reach the receiver. As a result, the objects become invisible to the personal protection sensor and cannot trigger any safety measures.

Provided is a transfer cart that that has a simple structure, facilitates operation in front and back spaces of a moving direction, and does not take up a redundant transfer space in a locations where operation is not performed. The transfer cart includes a running frame, a main carrier capable of carrying thereon an object to be transferred, and moving-direction operation decks disposed at front and back of the moving direction on the main carrier and running frame. The moving-direction operation decks are configured to change angle with the main carrier in accordance with the radius of curvature of a track, and configured to have a variable height mechanism to be able to change height thereof in the up and down direction.

Provided is a transfer cart that that has a simple structure, facilitates operation in front and back spaces of a moving direction, and does not take up a redundant transfer space in a locations where operation is not performed. The transfer cart includes a running frame, a main carrier capable of carrying thereon an object to be transferred, and moving-direction operation decks disposed at front and back of the moving direction on the main carrier and running frame. The moving-direction operation decks are configured to change angle with the main carrier in accordance with the radius of curvature of a track, and configured to have a variable height mechanism to be able to change height thereof in the up and down direction.

A free-moving transport carriage for conveying at least one workpiece, having, in addition to a control unit, a near-field sensor arrangement which can be coupled to a track control unit, wherein the track control unit is able to determine, by means of position raw information which can be determined by the near-field sensor arrangement, a relative position of one or more points of the free-moving transport carriage with regard to one or more position information sources of a near-field travelling environment. The main orientation of the transport carriage and the variable conveying direction can be coordinated to one another by the track control unit. A conveying system for conveying at least one workpiece with at least one such free-moving transport carriage, a treatment system, a treatment system having such a conveying system and a method carried out by a track control unit.

A free-moving transport carriage for conveying at least one workpiece, having, in addition to a control unit, a near-field sensor arrangement which can be coupled to a track control unit, wherein the track control unit is able to determine, by means of position raw information which can be determined by the near-field sensor arrangement, a relative position of one or more points of the free-moving transport carriage with regard to one or more position information sources of a near-field travelling environment. The main orientation of the transport carriage and the variable conveying direction can be coordinated to one another by the track control unit. A conveying system for conveying at least one workpiece with at least one such free-moving transport carriage, a treatment system, a treatment system having such a conveying system and a method carried out by a track control unit.

An assembly station for interconnecting a chassis and a body of a vehicle comprises a first carrier to support the chassis. A second carrier is suspended in a positive z-direction with respect to the first carrier and includes a plurality of spaced apart rests adapted to support the body prior to interconnecting the chassis and the body. A plurality of supports are coupled to the second carrier and spaced apart from the body when the body is supported on the rests. A portion of each of the supports is pivotable from a first position in a path of travel of the chassis to a second position outside of the path of travel of the chassis. The first carrier is moveable relative to the second carrier. The supports are adapted to engage the chassis and simultaneously support both the chassis and the body when the supports are in the first position.

An assembly station for interconnecting a chassis and a body of a vehicle comprises a first carrier to support the chassis. A second carrier is suspended in a positive z-direction with respect to the first carrier and includes a plurality of spaced apart rests adapted to support the body prior to interconnecting the chassis and the body. A plurality of supports are coupled to the second carrier and spaced apart from the body when the body is supported on the rests. A portion of each of the supports is pivotable from a first position in a path of travel of the chassis to a second position outside of the path of travel of the chassis. The first carrier is moveable relative to the second carrier. The supports are adapted to engage the chassis and simultaneously support both the chassis and the body when the supports are in the first position.

A control system for controlling a plurality of manufacturing capsules in a manufacturing system for assembling a vehicle includes a processor and a nontransitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that are executable by the processor. The instructions include generating vehicle assembly instructions based on the vehicular manufacturing process, one or more selected levels from among the plurality of levels, and one or more selected manufacturing cells disposed at the one or more selected levels, defining a nominal path based on the one or more selected manufacturing cells and the one or more selected levels, and controlling movement of the manufacturing capsules based on the nominal path.

A control system for controlling a plurality of manufacturing capsules in a manufacturing system for assembling a vehicle includes a processor and a nontransitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that are executable by the processor. The instructions include generating vehicle assembly instructions based on the vehicular manufacturing process, one or more selected levels from among the plurality of levels, and one or more selected manufacturing cells disposed at the one or more selected levels, defining a nominal path based on the one or more selected manufacturing cells and the one or more selected levels, and controlling movement of the manufacturing capsules based on the nominal path.

The present disclosure provides a workpiece conveyance system that can be configured at a low cost. A first exemplary aspect is a workpiece conveyance system configured to convey a first workpiece inside a facility and raise the first workpiece, the workpiece conveyance system including: an on-floor carriage configured to be movable on a floor of the facility, the on-floor carriage including a placement part on which the first workpiece is placed; and an elevating machine configured to push up the placement part, the elevating machine being configured separately from the on-floor carriage.