Assembly system

Claim 1

A system for assembling a product out of a variety of raw materials and components, comprising at least one production preparation station for sorting raw materials and components brought thereto on standard-size pallets by a first robot conveyor from a storage, a plurality of subsequent intermediate handling stations in communications with said preparation station via display terminals, a second robot conveyor being provided for the transportation of raw material and component pallets to the intermediate stations, a plurality of assembly lines, one for each intermediate handling station, each assembly line comprising a plurality of work stations provided with required tools for performing predetermined assembling operations and in communication with the respective intermediate handling station via display terminal means, the work stations being positioned to form at least one pair on opposite sides of the robot conveyor, the opposite work stations preferably being mirror images of each other, each pair of work stations having a common table surface, the central portion of which is reserved for receiving pallets from the assembly line robot conveyor and for feeding pallets thereto, the common table surface being divided into sections dimensioned according to said pallets and provided with edge conveyor bands for moving pallets in desired directions, control means being provided for operating said conveyor bands, and each work station comprising a lift operable to place incoming pallets into a pallet storage and to lift said pallets from the storage in level with the table surface, an assembly line robot conveyor being provided for the transportation of component pallets from the respective intermediate handling station and back thereto and further to said second robot conveyor, control means for operating said first, second and assembly line robot conveyors; and a packing station arranged after the intermediate handling stations at the end of said second robot conveyor.

Claim 2

A system for assembling a product out of a variety of raw materials and components, comprising at least one production preparation station for sorting raw materials and components brought thereto on standard-size pallets by a first robot conveyor from a storage, a plurality of subsequent intermediate handling stations in communications with said preparation station via display terminals, a second robot conveyor being provided for the transportation of raw material and component pallets to the intermediate stations, a plurality of assembly lines, one for each intermediate handling station, each assembly line comprising a plurality of work stations provided with required tools for performing predetermined assembling operations and in communication with the respective intermediate handling station via display terminal means, the work stations being positioned to form at least one pair on opposite sides of the robot conveyor, the opposite work stations preferably being mirror images of each other, each pair of work stations having a common table surface, the central portion of which is reserved for receiving pallets from the assembly line robot conveyor and for feeding pallets thereto, the common table surface being divided into sections dimensioned according to said pallets and provided with edge conveyor bands for moving pallets in desired directions, control means being provided for operating said conveyor bands, and each work station comprising a lift operable to place incoming pallets into a pallet storage and to lift said pallets from the storage in level with the table surface, an assembly line robot conveyor being provided for the transportation of component pallets from the respective intermediate handling station and back thereto and further to said second robot conveyor, control means for operating said first, second and assembly line robot conveyors; and a packing station arranged after the intermediate handling stations at the end of said second robot conveyor.