APPLICATION OF FACTORY AUTOMATION TO AIRCRAFT ASSEMBLY AND BUILD PROCESS

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and apparatus for work cell and factory level automation using an AGV having laser scanning sensors.SOLUTION: It is necessary for work cell and factory level automation that an automated guided vehicle (AGV) achieve demanding positional accuracy and repeatability relative to a cradle fixture or work stand within a work cell. The AGV makes distance measurements of objects within the work cell using laser scanner sensors. The distance measurements are filtered of objects that are not target features on the cradle fixture or work stand. Systematic or bias errors of the laser scanner sensor are removed from the filtered distance measurements, and a mathematical filter or estimator is applied to the filtered distance measurements using random errors of the laser scanner sensors to generate estimated distance measurements. A map of the target features is then constructed using the estimated distance measurements, and the map is used for path planning and navigation control of the AGV relative to the cradle fixture or work stand within the work cell.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1A