METHOD FOR EQUIPPING A MOUNTING PLATE WITH EQUIPPING COMPONENTS OF A SWITCHGEAR AND/OR CONTROL SYSTEM

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for equipping a mounting plate (1) with equipping components (2) of a switchgear and/or control system, the method comprising the steps: Reading planning data of a switchgear and/or control system into an automatic equipping machine (3), which has a equipping robot (4); Extracting position data of at least one equipping component (2) to be mounted on the mounting plate (1) and/or at least one machining position of the mounting plate (1) from the planning data; Detecting a spatial orientation and/or a position of the mounting plate (1) with an image processing system (5) of the equipping robot (4); Assigning the position data to at least one position on the mounting plate (1); and Execution of at least one processing or equipping step linked to the position on the mounting plate (1) via the planning data at the position on the mounting plate (1) with the equipping robot (4).

Claims

1. A method for equipping a mounting plate with equipping components of a switchgear and/or control system, the method comprising the steps: Reading planning data of a switchgear and/or control system into an automatic equipping machine, which has a equipping robot; Extracting position data of at least one equipping component to be mounted on the mounting plate and/or at least one machining position of the mounting plate from the planning data; Detecting a spatial orientation and/or a position of the mounting plate with an image processing system of the equipping robot; Assigning the position data to at least one position on the mounting plate; and Executing at least one processing or equipping step linked to the position on the mounting plate via the planning data at the position on the mounting plate with the equipping robot, wherein the detecting comprises detecting an orientation and/or a position of at least one borehole, at least one borehole pattern, or at least one breakout in the mounting plate and matching at least one orientation and/or position detected thereby with a target specification extracted from the planning data. wherein at least one borehole, at least one borehole pattern, or at least one breakout is introduced into the mounting plate with the equipping robot if at least one missing borehole, a missing borehole pattern, or a missing breakout has been detected during the matching deviating from the target specification.

2. (canceled)

3. (canceled)

4. The method according to claim 1, comprising the insertion of at least one borehole, at least one borehole pattern, or at least one knockout into the mounting plate with the equipping robot, for which purpose the equipping robot uses a gripper on its end effector to remove a tool device from a reference position associated with the mounting plate.

5. The method according to claim 4, in which the equipping robot feeds the tool device removed from the reference position to a position on the mounting plate to which at least one machining step is assigned via the planning data, preferably the insertion of at least one borehole, at least one borehole pattern, or at least one cutout into the mounting plate, and in which the equipping robot executes the at least one machining step with the tool device.

6. The method according to claim 1, comprising extracting a bill of materials of equipping components from the planning data and providing at least one of the equipping components included in the bill of materials at a component feeder arranged in the access area of the equipping robot.

7. The method according to claim 6, comprising picking up the equipping component from the access area with a gripper at the end effector of the equipping robot and marking the picked-up equipping component with a unique marking extracted from the planning data, preferably from the parts list.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein providing at least one of the equipping components included in the bill of materials comprises providing a plurality of identical equipping components, a single one of which is picked up by the equipping robot and marked with a unique identifier.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the labeling comprises placing the equipping component on a labeling unit with the equipping robot and optically readably labeling the equipping component with the labeling unit, and after the labeling, picking up the equipping component again from the labeling unit with the equipping robot.

10. Method according to claim 7, in which the equipping component is placed on the mounting plate by the equipping robot after being provided, picked up and marked, for which purpose position data associated with the equipping component are extracted from the planning data via the unique marking.

11. The method according to claim 10, in which the equipping component is released by the gripper at the end effector of the equipping robot after equipping, whereupon the equipping robot uses the gripper to pick up a tool device, such as an electrically driven screwdriver or a riveting tool, from a device pick-up position, in that the equipping robot grips the tool device with the gripper or picks it up via a changing system, such as a quick-change coupling, and feeds it to at least one fastening position on the mounting plate, for which purpose mounting position data assigned to the equipping component are extracted from the planning data.

12. The method according to claim 6, wherein providing at least one of the equipping components included in the bill of materials comprises providing a mounting rail that is removed from the component feeder by the equipping robot, placed at a mounting position on the mounting plate, and mounted at the mounting position on the mounting plate, wherein subsequently at least one further equipping component contained in the parts list is removed from the component feed by the equipping robot and mounted on the mounting rail mounted on the mounting plate, preferably snapped onto the mounting rail.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein further mounting position data associated with the further equipping component is extracted from the planning data specifying a mounting position of the further equipping component along the mounting rail, wherein for mounting the further equipping component on the mounting rail, movement data associated with the equipping component is extracted from the planning data, by means of which movement data a mounting movement to be executed by the equipping robot for mounting the further equipping component on the mounting rail is specified.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the equipping component is provided as bar stock or continuous stock, the method comprising cutting the equipping component to length, for which purpose length data for a equipping component to be mounted on the mounting plate are extracted from the planning data, and wherein the equipping component, after being cut to length, is made available at a component feeder, which is arranged in the access area of the equipping robot, for removal by the equipping robot.

15. The method according to claim 1, in which, after the execution of the at least one machining or equipping step and a related quality inspection, a result of the quality inspection is stored in the planning data and is unambiguously assigned to the equipping component or the machining position via the position data of the planning data.

16. The method according to claim 1, in which all method steps relating to the removal by the equipping robot are carried out during the entire method with the same end effector and gripper of the equipping robot, for which purpose two mutually adjustable gripper jaws, preferably two plate-shaped gripper jaws which are linearly adjustable relative to one another, clamp the respective element to be removed by adjusting the gripper jaws, and for which purpose the element to be removed engages with an adapter in a gripping region of the gripper jaws which are adjustable relative to one another.

Description

DRAWINGS

[0045] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0046] Further details of the invention are explained with reference to the figures below. Thereby shows:

[0047] FIG. 1 a schematic overview illustrating an embodiment of the process according to the invention;

[0048] FIG. 2 a schematic diagram of the assembly of a mounting plate with components;

[0049] FIG. 3 an exemplary embodiment of a multifunctional gripper for use in a process according to the invention;

[0050] FIG. 4 the use of the gripper according to FIG. 3 for maneuvering a mounting rail; and

[0051] FIG. 5 the use of the gripper according to FIG. 3 for maneuvering a terminal block.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0053] FIG. 1 shows a schematic system structure for implementing the method according to one embodiment of the invention. Accordingly, an automatic pick-and-place machine 3 can have a pick-and-place robot 4, which in the present case is designed as an articulated-arm robot and has a multifunctional end effector 10 at its gripper end, as well as an image processing system 5. The image processing system 5 can have a camera, a scanner or another electromagnetic measuring device, in particular a device for optical detection of the surface of the mounting plate 1 and, if applicable, of equipping components 2 arranged thereon or of holes and cutouts made therein.

[0054] The mounting plate 1 is fed to the automatic equipping machine 3 by a transport cart 15, preferably aligned horizontally. For example, the transport cart 15 can be set up to enable the assisted removal of the mounting plate from a pre-assembled control cabinet without the load of the mounting plate 1 having to be held by a person carrying out the transfer of the assembly. Accordingly, it can be provided that the transport cart 15 has suitable holders and fastening means with the aid of which the mounting plate 1 can be removed from the switch cabinet and fastened to the transport cart 15. After the mounting plate 1, which is mounted vertically in the switch cabinet, has been removed from the switch cabinet, the mounting plate 1 can be pivoted with the transport cart 15 into the horizontal position shown in FIG. 1 and fed to the automatic equipping machine 3. After the mounting plate 1 has been fitted with components 2 using the automatic equipping machine 3, it can be reintroduced into the control cabinet with the transport cart 15 and fixed there manually or semi-automatically if necessary. For the complete handling of the mounting plate 1 from the removal of the mounting plate 1 from the control cabinet to the return of the mounting plate 1 into the control cabinet, the mounting plate 1 can be permanently held and maneuvered with the transport cart 15, so that no force-consuming manual handling of the mounting plate 1 is required in this respect either.

[0055] The assembly process is illustrated in the synopsis of FIGS. 1 and 2. After the mounting plate 1 has been brought into the horizontal position in the manner described above and fed to the pick-and-place machine 3 and, in particular, to the pick-and-place robot 4 of the pick-and-place machine 3, the pick-and-place robot 4 can, in a first processing step, check the exact alignment of the mounting plate 1 with respect to the robot 4, so that the handling of the mounting plate 1 is also facilitated to the extent that it is not absolutely necessary to manually create the mounting plate 1 in a precise, defined position in order to enable process-reliable processing or equipping of the mounting plate 1.

[0056] The detection of the orientation of the mounting plate 1 with respect to the equipping robot 4 can be carried out, for example, using the image processing system 5 at the end effector 10 of the equipping robot 4, in that this system optically detects, for example, a borehole image or another optically detectable concise contour on the upper side of the mounting plate 1 and compares a desired orientation of the mounting plate 1 with an actual orientation of the mounting plate 1 by image processing and calculates an offset from this, if necessary.

[0057] The nominal orientation of the mounting plate 1 and all additional planning data required for the assembly of the mounting plate 1 can be provided directly from a planning system, for example from an ECAD system and/or from an MCAD system. The target orientation of the mounting plate 1 can be determined by the planning system to the equipping machine 3 directly or indirectly (via a server or cloud-based) based on the planning data provided. The planning data may, for example, contain a target borehole image, which is matched in the manner described above with an actual borehole image acquired by the image processing system 5 to determine the orientation of the mounting plate 1 with respect to the equipping robot 4.

[0058] Before the actual equipping of equipping components 2 on the mounting plate 1 begins, provision can be made for the project to be placed to be checked for its suitability for automation using a test routine and, if necessary, manipulated if the check reveals at least one equipping step that cannot be automated, for example because the equipping robot 4, in particular the end effector 10 with its gripper 9, is unsuitable for the equipping step in question. In particular, the optimization can be carried out to the effect that all equipping steps can be carried out at least to the greatest possible extent with the same end effector 10, in particular with the same gripper 9 at the end of the end effector 10 (cf. FIGS. 3 to 5), so that at the end of the process an essentially completely populated mounting plate 1 is actually provided, which requires no or at most very minor manual rework. Optimization of the equipping process can be performed by the equipping machine 3 itself or decentrally on a server, for example cloud-based, which can be accessed by both the ECAD system or other planning system and the equipping machine 3.

[0059] The determination of the relative orientation of the mounting plate 1 with respect to the pick-and-place machine 3 and in particular the pick-and-place robot 4 may comprise optically detecting, for example scanning, the entire surface of the mounting plate 1, so that in the same work step the complete hole pattern already formed on the mounting plate, if any, which may for example have boreholes, cutouts and the like for the mounting of pick-and-place components, is detected. The hole pattern determined as part of the complete detection of the mounting plate 1 can be compared with corresponding hole pattern data that can be extracted from the planning data. This extraction process can again be performed by the automatic equipping machine 3 itself or decentrally on a server, for example cloud-based, to which the automatic equipping machine 3 has access. If the check reveals that a borehole, a breakout or other mechanical processing of the mounting plate 1, which should be present according to the installed hole pattern data, is not present, this hole or breakout can be introduced into the mounting plate 1 by a processing step carried out by the equipping robot 3. For this purpose, the equipping robot 4 can use its end effector 10 to pick up a suitable tool device 11 from a tool transfer interface of the equipping machine 3, guide it to the mounting plate 1 and control the tool device 11 in such a way that the required machining of the mounting plate 1 is performed. The tool devices 11 can, for example, be hand-held machining devices known from the prior art, for example a hand-held drilling machine, which has on its housing an adapter 20 formed on or subsequently mounted on it, which is compatible with the gripper 9 (cf. FIGS. 3 to 5) of the end effector 10, so that the equipping robot 4 can handle the tool device 11 in a process-safe manner.

[0060] After it has been verified, if necessary by scanning the top of the mounting plate again with the image processing system 5, that the actual hole pattern introduced into the mounting plate 1 corresponds to a target hole pattern according to the hole pattern data from the planning data, the actual assembly process of the mounting plate 1 can begin. The automated assembly of the mounting plate 1 can be carried out with the aid of pre-assembled components/supplies and fastening elements. As shown in FIG. 1, the components 2 can, for example, be assigned to the pick-and-place machine 3 using transport carts 15 so that the pick-and-place robot 4 can remove the components 2 from the respective transport cart 15 in a process-safe manner. Small components 2, for example terminal blocks, can be stored in magazines 19.

[0061] The equipping components 2 can, for example, be divided into the following five main groups: Mounting rails, cable ducts, small and series components, large and individual components, and fasteners, such as screws, rivets and the like. The mounting rails and cable ducts can, for example, be transferred in a preassembled state, for example stacked or lined up, on the transport cart from a corresponding cutting system for cutting mounting rails and/or cable ducts to the automatic equipping machine 3. Alternatively, mounting rails and cable ducts in particular can also be cut directly at the automatic equipping machine 3 from bar stock or continuous goods in a process-related manner and provided individually or via a buffer at a transfer interface from which the equipping robot 4 can take the respective component 4. Similarly, the small and series components can be loaded or picked in the goods receiving area in a stationary or mobile manner via a transport cart 15 which has various magazines 19 and then transferred to the pick-and-place machine 3 and, if necessary, coupled or fixed to the pick-and-place machine 3 for the purpose of defined alignment of the magazines 19 with respect to the pick-and-place machine 3. The large and individual components can also be provided stationary or via a mobile transport cart 15, which for example has different levels and thus offers the possibility of picking with the end effector 10.

[0062] The fasteners, such as screws, rivets and the like, are supplied either via a feed bowl or via a magazine, or are transferred to the fastening system semi- or fully automatically. For example, one of the tool devices 11 can be designed as an electric screwdriver to which suitable screws are fed via a screw magazine.

[0063] In addition, the pick-and-place machine 3 shown in FIG. 1 has a labeling unit 14 that enables individual labeling of the pick-and-place components. For example, the marking unit 14 can have a marking laser. It is thus possible, for example, for the equipping robot 4 to remove a equipping component 2, for example a terminal block, from the magazine 19, which, according to a parts list extracted from the planning data, is a next component to be mounted on the switchgear and/or control system to be created on the mounting plate 1. The component taken from the magazine 19 can be deposited by the equipping robot 4 on the labeling unit 14 or brought close to it before being mounted on the mounting plate 1, whereupon the component is given an individual labeling by the labeling unit 14, which is either predetermined by the planning data or generated by the equipping robot 3 itself and subsequently stored in the planning data. Once the equipping component 2 has been labeled, it can then be mounted on the mounting plate 1 by the equipping robot 4.

[0064] In particular, the process according to the invention allows, for example, a top-hat rail for mounting terminal blocks to be mounted on the mounting plate 1, even before the terminal blocks are mounted on the top-hat rail, in deviation from the processes known from the prior art. In particular, this has the advantage that for handling and mounting the top-hat rail on the mounting plate 1, no free space has to be left at the opposite ends of the top-hat rail to allow subsequent screwing of the top-hat rail to the mounting plate 1. Instead, the method according to the invention allows the top-hat rail, since it is already fixed to the mounting plate, to be equipped over its entire length with assembly components, for example with terminal blocks, so that better utilization of the mounting surface of the mounting plate 1 is achieved. The above principle is transferable to other rail-based mounting systems commonly used in switchgear construction and, in particular, is not limited to DIN rails for mounting terminal blocks.

[0065] For example, a mounting rail can be removed from the transport cart 15, placed on the labeling unit 14 and, after being labeled by the labeling unit 14, positioned on the mounting plate 1 in accordance with the planning data, in particular the position data of the planning data, and screwed to the mounting plate 1 or otherwise fastened to it. After the mounting rail 16 has been fastened to the mounting plate 1, the equipping robot 4 can be used, for example, to remove a terminal block from the magazine 19, to label it with the aid of the labeling unit 14, and thereupon to snap it onto the mounting rail 16, which may in particular be a top-hat rail. The equipping components 2 accommodated in the magazine 19 can, for example, be preassembled in a defined sequence which corresponds to a sequence of the equipping components with which they are fastened to the mounting rail 16. This storage is particularly useful if not only components of the same type are to be lined up on the top-hat rail, but also components that are structurally different. Components of the same design are individualized exclusively with the aid of the labeling unit 14.

[0066] After the mounting plate 1 has been provided with mounting rails 16 and electrical components 18 mounted thereon, cable ducts 17 can be mounted on the mounting plate in an analogous manner.

[0067] FIGS. 3 to 5 show an exemplary embodiment of a gripper 9 which can be used for an end effector 10 (see FIG. 1) and is characterized in particular by the fact that it is suitable for handling a wide variety of equipping components and tooling devices. This essentially has an adjustment unit 13, which can be a linear adjustment unit, and with the aid of which two gripper jaws 12, which can be plate-shaped, can be adjusted relative to one another, in particular linearly.

[0068] FIGS. 4 and 5 show that the contours formed on the opposite inner sides of the gripper jaws 12 enable the handling of a wide variety of components, for example, on the one hand the handling of mounting rails such as top-hat rails (see FIG. 4), or on the other hand the handling of electrical components such as conductor connection terminals (see FIG. 5).

[0069] The features of the invention disclosed in the foregoing description, in the drawings as well as in the claims may be essential to the realization of the invention both individually and in any combination.

[0070] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.