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 Title: |
US6233538:
Apparatus and method for multi-purpose setup planning for sheet metal bending operations
[ Derwent Title ]
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| Country: |
US United States of America
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| Inventor: |
Gupta, Satyandra Kumar; Pittsburgh, PA
Bourne, David Alan; Pittsburgh, PA
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| Assignee: |
Amada America, Inc., Buena Park, CA
other patents from AMADA AMERICA, INC. (742653) (approx. 15)
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| Published / Filed: |
2001-05-15
/ 1997-09-11
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| Application Number: |
US1997000927291
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| IPC Code: |
Advanced:
B21D 5/01;
B25J 9/16;
G05B 19/4097;
Core:
more...
IPC-7:
G06G 7/48;
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| ECLA Code: |
B25J9/16P3C;
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| U.S. Class: |
Current:
703/006;
703/007;
Original:
703/006;
703/007;
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| Field of Search: |
395/500.28,500.27
703/6-7
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| Priority Number: |
| 1997-09-11 |
US1997000927291 |
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| Abstract: |
A setup planning technique is provided in which a family of parts to be manufactured is identified, and the setup constraints imposed by the various bending operations in the part family are determined. The setup constraints may define or describe spatial constraints on the sizes and locations of various tooling stages in the setup. After identifying setup constraints, setup plans are generated that satisfy all setup constraints. Any setup plan that satisfies all setup constraints may then be utilized to accommodate every part in the part family. Constraint propagation techniques may be utilized to identify compatible setup constraints and create setup plans. According to the various features and aspects of the invention, dissimilar sheet metal parts can share setups, and the need for extra tooling and fixturing may be minimized. Further, the present invention provides potential savings over state-of-the-art systems, and increases production capability and overall through-put of manufacturing facilities.
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| Attorney, Agent or Firm: |
Greenblum & Bernstein, P.L.C. ;
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| Primary / Asst. Examiners: |
Teska, Kevin J.; Jones, Hugh
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| INPADOC Legal Status: |
Show legal status actions
Family Legal Status Report
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| Designated Country: |
DE EP JP
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| Family: |
Show 10 known family members
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First Claim:
Show all 38 claims |
What is claimed:
1. A method for multi-part setup planning for operations to be performed by a bending workstation on a plurality of sheet metal parts in accordance with a composite setup plan, said method comprising:
- identifying setup constraints for operations to be performed on each of said plurality of parts;
- determining, in accordance with the setup constraints that are identified, operations to be performed on said parts that have compatible setup constraints; and
- assigning operations that are determined to have compatible constraints to corresponding tooling stages of the bending workstation to develop a composite setup plan for said plurality of parts;
- wherein each of the setup constraints comprises a set of setup constraint parameters, said setup constraint parameters defining setup constraints relating to the positioning of the parts in the workstation to perform said operations; and
- wherein said setup constraint parameters for each part comprise: a gap length "Gr" on a right side of a bend position of the part, which denotes the distance by which a tooling stage can be extended towards the right side of the bend position; a gap length "GI" on a left side of the bend position of the part, which denotes the distance by which a tooling stage can be extended towards the left side of the bend; an obstruction length "Or" on the right side of the bend position, which denotes a space in which no tooling is allowed on the right side of the bend position; an obstruction length "Ol" on the left side of the bend position; which denotes a space in which no tooling is allowed on the left side of the bend position; a safety distance "Sr" on the right side of the bend position, which denotes a minimum distance between the bend position and a next tooling stage towards the right side of the bend position; and a safety distance "Sl" on the left side of the bend position, which denotes a minimum distance between the bend position and a next tooling stage towards the left side of the bend position.
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| Background / Summary: |
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| Drawing Descriptions: |
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| Description: |
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| Forward References: |
Show 21 U.S. patent(s) that reference this one
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| Foreign References: |
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| Other Abstract Info: |
DERABS G1999-229307
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| Other References: |
Amada Windows Unfold: Manual for Cadkey , Table of Contents, pp. 1-35, and Index, U.S. Amada Ltd., Buena Park, CA (Nov. 1995).
Bourne, David A.,Intelligent Manufacturing Workstations, Knowledge-Based Automation of Processes , Session at the 1992 ASME Winter Annual Meeting (Nov. 1992).
Wang, Cheng-Hua, "A Parallel Design System For Sheet Metal Parts", Mechanical Engineering Report , presented at the Mechanical Engineering Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA (May 1992).
Wysong Literature, The Perfect Forming Touch: New PH PLUS Series , DNC Press Brakes, Cat. PHP-1, Wysong and Miles Company, Greensboro, NC (1993).
Bourne et al., David A., "Feature Exchange Language Programmer's Guide", Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University (Jan. 1994).
Bourne, et al., David A., "The Operational Feature Exchange Language", Technical Report CMU-RI-TR-90-06 , The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University (Mar. 1990).
Amacom: AP40 Literature , Version 4, Amada Company, Ltd. Japan (Jul. 1996).
Amacom: AP60 Literature , Amada Company, Ltd. Japan (Jul. 1996).
Amacom: AP200 Literature , Amada Company, Ltd. Japan (Jul. 1996).
"Bending Soft", Literature on the AMACOM AP40, No. 9112-01, Amada Company, Ltd., Japan (Date Unknown).
Bourne, et al., David A. "Using The Feature Exchange Language In The Next Generation Controller", Technical Report CMU-RI-TR-90-19 , The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University (Aug. 1990).
Numao et al., "Scheplan-a scheduling expert for steel-making process", IEEE A1 '88; pp. 467-472 May 1988.*
Uckun et al., "Managing genetic search in job shop scheduling"; IEEE Expert; pp. 15-24 Oct. 1993.*
Gopalakrishnan et al.; "Product design for manufacturing: the use of knowledge based systems in concurrent engineering"; IEEE Int. Conf. Systems, Man and Cybernetics; pp. 566-568. Nov. 1990.*
Jain et al.; "Expert Simulation for on-line scheduling"; IEEE 1989 Winter Sim. Conf.; pp. 930-935 Dec. 1989.*
Nomura et al.; "A heuristics guided scheduling framework for domains with complex conditions"; IEEE 6th Int. Conf. Tools Art. Intell.; pp. 752-755. Nov. 1994.*
Arbon et al.; "Auto-MPS: an automated master production scheduling system for large volume manufacturing"; IEEE 10th Conf. Art. Intell. Applicat.; pp. 26-32 Mar. 1994.*
Levner et al.; "A tandem expert system for batch scheduling in a CIM system based on group technology concepts"; 95 INRIA/IEEE Symp. Emerg. Tech. and Factory Automat.; pp. 667-674. Oct. 1995.*
Niew at al.; "Knowledge based master production scheduler"; IEEE 1st. Int. Conf. Expert Planning Sys.; pp. 88-93 1990.*
Readdie; "A prototype Al-based tool for production scheduling"; IEE Coll. Art. Intell. in Planning for Product. Control; pp. 2/1-2/4 1988.*
Ohkura et al.; "Semiconductor process line scheduling expert system"; IEEE/UCS/SEMI Int. Symp. Semi. Manufact.; pp. 89-92 Sep. 1995.*
Tomastik et al.; "Optimization-based scheduling of flexible manufacturing systems for apparel production"; 34th IEEE Conf. Decision and Control; pp. 3152-3157 Dec. 1995.
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| Continuity Data: |
| Application Number | Filed | Notes |
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US1997000927291 | 1997-09-11 | is a
related to the prior publication |
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US20010016805A1 issued 2001-08-23 Apparatus and method for multi-part setup planning for sheet metal bending operations
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US2001000818505 | 2001-03-28 | is a
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US6233538 issued 2001-05-15 Apparatus and method for multi-purpose setup planning for sheet metal bending operations
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US2001000818505 | | is a
continuation of |
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US6233538 issued 2001-05-15 Apparatus and method for multi-purpose setup planning for sheet metal bending operations
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