Claims
- 1. A workstation for processing a plurality of workpieces comprising:
a first fixture positionable along a first processing path for supporting a first workpiece moveable along the first processing path; a second fixture positionable along a second processing path for supporting a second workpiece moveable along the second processing path; and a plurality of robots positionable between the first and second fixtures, each robot moveable to selectively engage each of the first and second workpieces.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least two of the robots have overlapping ranges of movement.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality of robots further comprises:
at least three robots, a first robot operable to engage a first portion of the first workpiece, a second robot operable to engage a second portion of the first workpiece, and a third robot operable to engage the first and second portions of the first workpiece.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each robot is independently moveable with respect to at least one other robot.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each robot is operable to perform a plurality of different processing operations.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one robot can process the first workpiece while at least one other robot can process the second workpiece.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality of robots can concurrently engage one of the first and second workpieces.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a third fixture adjacent the first fixture along the first processing path; and a fourth fixture adjacent the second fixture along the second processing path, each of the third and fourth fixtures for supporting at least one workpiece during a processing operation with respect to the workpiece.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:
a transfer robot for moving workpieces between the fixtures positioned along at least one of the first and second processing paths.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:
a processing robot for processing a workpiece while the workpiece is engaged by the transfer robot.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
control means for controlling each of the plurality of robots.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
means for determining the next workpiece to be supported by at least one of the first and second fixtures.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
at least one of the fixtures operable to selectively support a plurality of differently configured workpieces.
- 14. A method for processing a plurality of workpieces moveable along first and second processing paths comprising the steps of:
selectively supporting at least two workpieces with first and second fixtures, the first fixture positionable along the first processing path and the second fixture positionable along the second processing path; and engaging each workpiece with a plurality of robots positionable between the first and second processing paths, each robot operable to selectively engage each workpiece supported by the first and second fixtures.
- 15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of:
moving each of the plurality of robots independently with respect to at least one other robot.
- 16. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of:
moving each of the plurality of robots to concurrently engage one of the first and second workpieces.
- 17. The method of claim 14 further comprising the steps of:
moving a first workpiece along the first processing path; and moving a second workpiece along the second processing path, the first workpiece and second workpiece having different configurations with respect to each other.
- 18. An apparatus for processing a plurality of workpieces comprising:
a first fixture positionable along a first processing path for supporting a first workpiece; a second fixture positionable along a first processing path for supporting a second workpiece; and a plurality of robots positionable between the first and second processing paths, each robot independently moveable with respect to each other to selectively engage each of the first and second workpieces.
- 19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the plurality of robots are welding robots.
- 20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein at least one of the first and second fixtures is operable to selectively receive one of a plurality of differently configured automotive body components.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of the provisional patent application No. 60/244,517 for a Multiple Robotic Workstation With Multiple Fixtures, filed on Oct. 31, 2000. This claim is made under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) and 37 C.F.R. 1.53(c)(3).
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60244517 |
Oct 2000 |
US |