Patent Application
20200108756
The present disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing a vehicle seating system.
One of the issues that must be addressed in a complex manufacturing process is ensuring that the desired components are selected and used for the correct assembly. To address this issue, various machine-based automated processes have been implemented. One such process either prints a barcode directly onto a component, or applies to the component an adhesive-backed label containing a barcode. The barcode is then scanned by a machine reader to ensure that the correct component is used in the assembly.
Depending on the size, shape, and material from which the component is manufactured, direct printing of a barcode onto the component, or applying an adhesive label with the barcode, may be difficult or impossible. This may be the situation encountered with molded foam components of the type often used in vehicle seats. The foam material is very often too porous to accept a printed barcode directly onto its surface, and adhesive-backed labels often do not adhere to the surface with enough reliability to be used in an inspection process. Therefore, a need exists for a method for manufacturing a vehicle seating system that addresses some or all of these concerns.
Embodiments described herein may include a method for manufacturing a vehicle seating system. Steps in the method may include molding a first foam seat part for a first vehicle seating system having a first set of seat-related functions. The first foam seat part may be molded to include a first identification feature that is separate from the first set of seat-related functions. The first identification feature may be located at a first predetermined location on the first foam seat part. The method may also include detecting the first identification feature with a machine-based system, and assembling the first foam seat part into the first vehicle seating system.
Embodiments described herein may include a method for manufacturing a vehicle seating system that includes the step of molding a first foam seat part for a first vehicle seating system having a first set of seat-related functions. The molding may be performed such that a first identification feature is molded into the first foam seat part, where the first identification feature is separate from the first set of seat-related functions. Steps of the method may also include using a machine-based system to look for the presence of the first identification feature after the first foam part is molded and before the first foam part is assembled into the first vehicle seating system. Other steps may include assembling the first foam seat part into the first vehicle seating system when the machine-based system detects the presence of the first identification feature, and not assembling the first foam seat part into the first vehicle seating system when the machine-based system does not detect the presence of the first identification feature.
Embodiments described herein may include a method for manufacturing a vehicle seating system. Steps in the method may include providing a first mold for molding a first foam seat part for a first vehicle seating system having a first set of seat-related functions. The first mold may be configured to form a first identification feature in the first foam seat part at a first predetermined location, where the first identification feature is separate from the first set of seat-related functions. The method may also include the steps of molding the first foam seat part having the first identification feature in the first mold, and using a machine-based system to look for the presence of the first identification feature after the first foam part is molded and before the first foam part is assembled into the first vehicle seating system. Then the method may include assembling the first foam seat part into the first vehicle seating system when the machine-based system detects the presence of the first identification feature.
and
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
In order to help reduce or eliminate the possibility that the foam seat parts 12, 32 will be installed in an incorrect vehicle seating system, embodiments described herein provide a method for manufacturing a vehicle seating system to address this concern. The foam seat parts 12, 32 may be made from any number of different materials, such as polymeric foams, soy- or other natural oil-based foams, or other types of foam materials. These types of foams tend to be porous, so they are not good candidates for printing information directly on their surfaces. Nor are they good candidates for accepting adhesive-backed labels because the labels generally fail to adhere securely to the surfaces. Therefore, common types of identification methods are inappropriate or ineffective for foam seat parts such as the foam seat parts 12, 32.
One method of identification that can be used effectively by a machine-based inspection system—or even by a human operator—is to mold into the foam seat part an identification feature. Molding the identification feature directly into the foam seat part helps to reduce or eliminate errors associated with tagging or other identification methods that are performed on the foam seat part after it is removed from the mold. Molds for a vehicle seat component tend to be large, expensive tools that are made to exacting specifications. Therefore, configuring a mold to mold an identification feature in the molded part is likely to be done accurately, and once having been done, all of the parts manufactured by that mold will be configured with the correct identification feature, thereby reducing or eliminating the opportunity for human error that would otherwise be present in a piece-by-piece process for adding an identification feature in a post-molding process.
One type of identification feature includes a recessed portion or cavity in the foam seat part, while another type of identification feature includes an outwardly-extending portion. Either of these types of identification features may be detectable by a machine-based inspection system, thereby further reducing human error. A recessed portion or cavity may be molded into an edge of the foam seat part, or it may be located on an interior portion of the foam seat part either as a blind hole or a through hole. When a recessed portion or cavity is molded into a foam seat part, it is analogous to removing material from a foam seat part that has already been molded—i.e., the finished part may not appear exactly as specified in an engineering drawing: it has slightly less material in one area. Removing material from a finished part—or using less material than specified—is generally not an acceptable option because it would have a detrimental effect on the part's functionality or appearance. The same may be true when an outwardly-extending identification feature is added to what would otherwise be a finished product. This is one reason that direct printing and adhesive-backed labels are frequently used for identification.
In the embodiments shown in
The second recessed portion 50 is positioned at a second predetermined location 54 on the second foam seat part 32 that is different from a corresponding position of the first predetermined location on the first foam seat part 12. As explained in more detail below in conjunction with
As described above, the first foam seat part 12 is configured to receive various haptic elements, and is also provided with several ventilation holes 28. The first seating system 10 is therefore designed to have a first set of seat-related functions—in this case haptic elements, such as massagers, and a ventilation system. The first seating system 10 may also have one or more other seat-related functions that make up a part of the first set of seat-related functions, such as, for example, a motorized or manual fore-aft seat adjustment, a reclining seat back, an easy-entry positioning mechanism, an occupant sensor system, or a heater mat, just to name a few. Similarly, the second seating system 30 has a second set of seat-related functions that includes a ventilation system that relies on the ventilation holes 44. Although the second foam seat part 32 does not include haptic elements, it is contemplated that the second seating system 30 will have one or more other seat-related functions in the second set of seat-related functions, such as one or more of the seat-related functions described above in regard to the first seating system 10.
Although one or more of the functions in the first and second sets seat-related functions may overlap, it is contemplated that the first set of seat-related functions will be different from the second set of seat-related functions by at least one function. In the example above, the seating systems 10 and 30 differ at least because the seating system 10 has haptic elements and the seating system 30 does not. This is one of the reasons it is important to make sure that the first and second foam seat parts 12, 32 are assembled into the correct seating system. In at least some cases, a first and second foam seat part, such as the first and second foam seat parts 12, 32, may be configured for the same row of seats in the same vehicle, with one of the foam seat parts configured with functionality designed for the driver-side seat, and the other the foam seat parts configured with functionality designed for the passenger-side seat. In such cases, the size and shape, and even the weight, of the first and second foam seat parts may be very difficult to differentiate.
Because of the potential for assembly error, embodiments described herein provide a method for manufacturing a vehicle seating system that helps to reduce or eliminate this potential for error. In at least some embodiments, both the first and second foam seat parts, include recessed portions or cavities that are separate from their respective seat-related functions. In the examples described above, the first and second foam seat parts 12, 32 include recessed portions or cavities 46, 50 that are separate from their respective seat-related functions. In other words, the cavities 46, 50 are specifically configured to facilitate the inspection process, and are not part of the vehicle seating system functionality.
For the second seating system 72, the ventilation system and the occupant-sensor system are both part of a second set of seat-related functions, and because the first seating system 56 does not include an occupant-sensor system, the first and second sets of seat-related functions are once again different. The two foam seat parts 58, 74 are similar in size and shape and may be easy to confuse with one another during a mass-production assembly operation. Therefore, each of the foam seat parts 58, 74 includes an identification feature molded into it, which in this embodiment is a respective recessed portion or cavity 90, 92 disposed inward from their associated rear edge 68, 84. The cavity 90 in the first foam seat part 58 is disposed at a first predetermined position 94, which in this embodiment, is very near an outer edge 96 of the first foam seat part 58. In contrast, cavity 90 of the second foam seat part 74 is disposed at a second predetermined position 96, which in this embodiment, is very near a center 98 of the rear edge 84. In addition, the cavity 92 is to the right side of the center 98 of the second foam seat part 74; whereas, the cavity 90 is positioned to the left of a center 100 of the first foam seat part 58.
In each case, the cavities 90, 92 are separate from the respective first and second sets of seat-related functions, and as noted above have different locations relative to the sides of their respective foam seat parts 58, 74. As explained in conjunction with
In the embodiment shown in
Each of the other photoelectric sensors 106, 108, 112 are positioned to sense an area of the foam seat part 74 away from the recessed portion 92. In addition or as an alternative to a visual indication, a photoelectric sensor may provide an audible or haptic indication, or may output information to another device or system to provide an alert during the assembly process. Although the sensors used in the embodiment shown in
Referring back to
The laser measurement system 126 is positioned at the rear side 118 of the foam seat part 116, and is configured to measure along the rear edge 120 to determine a depth of the recessed portion 122. The measured depth may be relative to the outer surface of the rear edge 120, or some other reference datum may be used. In general, the depth may be measured relative to any convenient reference or references to provide an absolute or relative depth measurement. The laser measurement system 126 can be self-contained, or may be connected to other inspection systems or controllers within the assembly-line operation. When the laser measurement system 126 detects the presence of the recessed portion 120 at the appropriate location 124 along the rear edge 120 it may send this information to another controller, provide a visual, audible, or haptic indication, or some combination of these.
Because a foam seat part is often associated with a particular trim cover, the embodiment illustrated in
Similarly, if the verified foam seat part 142 is a second foam seat part, and the inspection system 146 identifies the trim cover as a second trim cover 152, the process is allowed to continue and the second foam seat part is assembled with the second trim cover 152 as part of a second vehicle seat assembly 154. If, however, there is a mismatch between the foam seat part and the trim cover, communications between the inspection systems 140, 144, 146, can be programmed to stop the assembly process. In this case, the mismatched foam seat part is not assembled into the vehicle seating system, and manual intervention may be required to correct the mismatch.
Each of the laser sensors 160, 162, 164, 166 may then communicate with other portions of the inspection system 157 to indicate that the identification feature 168 has been properly detected in the expected location. The inspection system 157 may be part of a larger production system, in which various machine tools, work cells, transfer lines, etc. are interconnected with inspection systems in an integrated manufacturing facility. With a configuration such as this, identification information for a particular foam seat part can be preprogrammed into the production system; then, when information from the various sensors—such as the laser sensors 160, 162, 164, 166—is compared to information about the expected foam seat part, the production process can be allowed to continue if the correct foam seat part is identified, and conversely, the production system may be shut down automatically when an incorrect foam seat part is identified.
As described above, an identification feature can be molded into a foam seat part as a cavity or as an outwardly-extending portion.
In the embodiment shown in
Similarly, the laser sensor array 158 may also be configured to identify a foam seat part based on one laser beam being blocked while the light emitted from the other lasers is uninhibited. Although the identification feature 172 is illustrated as a rectangular solid emanating from the rear edge 182 of the foam seat part 170, other configurations of and locations for an outwardly-extending identification feature are contemplated. Such features may extend from a side of the foam seat part or upward or downward from the upper or lower surface, respectively. As described in detail, embodiments described herein may be used effectively to help ensure the proper assembly and positioning of complex seating elements within a vehicle seating system.
While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.
