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Automotive industry

For the love of automation

 The automotive industry has always placed extremely high demands on quality and process reliability, with automated tasks that are becoming more and more challenging. Sensors from SensoPart satisfy all the expectations of both manufacturers and suppliers.

Thus, the VISOR® Object is ideally suited to check components for completeness, for example, while the VISOR® Robotic acts as the "eye" of handling and assembly robots. The VISOR® Code Reader enables the identification of directly marked components such as car body sheets. Our optical sensors, especially our distance sensors such as the FT 55-RLAM, are also ubiquitous in automotive production processes, e.g. to control the position of parts.

 

Typical applications

Our code reader reads plain text, barcodes and directly marked data matrix codes.
Tracking & Tracing

The VISOR® Code Reader enables reliable component identification throughout the entire manufacturing process. It reliably reads all industry-standard 1D and 2D codes, even on difficult surfaces and achieves a perfect reading rate thanks to special software features. With three integrated optical variants, the working distance can be freely selected; in addition, the C-mount variant with the optional external illumination enables reading distances of over 2 meters.

Distance sensor for precise gripping of objects
Position determination of body parts on the assembly line

If, in addition to the X/Y plane, height information, i.e. Z-axis, is also required for a pick-and-place application, the compact FT 55-RLAM distance sensor is used. This enables precise gripping, even for parts delivered in stacks. The sensor is a real all-rounder, reliably detecting surfaces from black to shiny.

Assembling battery packs in e-cars with vision sensors
Multiple checks for battery pack assembly

The correct assembly of battery packs involves several tasks to be solved simultaneously - from the presence of safety-relevant components such as protective caps to the exact positioning of the assemblies for automated assembly. With its large number of detectors, the VISOR® reliably solves even such complex tasks.

Mounting door rubbers in moving car doors with our vision sensors
Position control of components

To ensure that door rubbers are fitted correctly, the position of the door must first be determined exactly - a real challenge, especially if the door is moving on an overhead conveyor. Once calibrated, the VISOR® Robotic masters this task with ease - even with changing door colors and from greater distances to leave room for the robot to work.

Collision-free transport of car body parts on electric monorail systems with our sensor
Safe travel for electric monorail systems

In automotive manufacturing, optical collision prevention sensors are used for distance control and collision avoidance in electric monorail systems. With its large operating range of up to 6 meters and its large detection range, the FR 85 Rail Pilot is particularly suitable for this purpose. The sensor guarantees collision-free transport of the car body parts as well as optimized suspension density in the congested area.

Application examples

The following application examples show you the possible uses of our products in practice.

Filter application examples

23 Application examples match your search criteria

Description
Application
Description
Automated assembly of electrical plug connections

The modules installed in the high-voltage battery must be electrically connected to each other, and the connectors must be applied accurately to avoid damage.

Application
Positioning
Description
Automated bolting of the upper housing part

The upper part of the housing must be screwed to the lower part of the housing. To do this, the sensor must detect the position of the screw holes in the housing top.

Application
Positioning
Description
Check of the correct feeding of screws in the right position

The quantity of screws required for battery pack assembly is stored in a bunker feed system  and fed from there to the screwing systems accordingly. For smooth production, it is important that misaligned screws are detected by the sensor and only those in the correct position are fed to the screwing system.

Application
Inspection
Description
Control of safety and identification labels

The labeling of the battery pack requires the manual application of safety and identification stickers. Incorrect or inaccurately positioned labels could lead to misinterpretation or misuse of the battery pack, necessitating label verification.

Application
Inspection
Description
Detection of the screws in the feeder

The quantity of screws required for battery pack assembly is stored in a bunker feed system and fed from there to the screwing systems individually. For subsequent control of the correct position of the screws , they must be detected at a specific position in the feed system in order to provide a trigger signal.

Application
Inspection
Description
Determining the stacking height of housing parts

For further processing, stacked housing parts must be removed from a material container and placed in the correct position. This requires determining the current stack height in order to use it to align the robot gripper, including the cameras mounted on it, at the correct working distance for determining the position.

Application
Distance measurement
Description
Filling quantity monitoring of the screw supply

A large number of screws are processed during the assembly of a battery pack. Bunker feed systems are used to stock these screws. In order to avoid an interruption in production, it is important to be informed in good time that screws need to be replenished.

Application
Distance measurement
Description
Identification by means of directly marked codes

Each component installed in a battery pack usually has a directly marked code on it. Before the components are installed in the housing bottom part, this code must be read out and transmitted to the higher-level control system for subsequent tracking.

Application
Identification
Description
Inserting battery modules into the housing bottom part

In order for the robot gripper to be able to insert the components into the lower part of the housing, contactless position detection of the housing bottom part is necessary. 

Application
Positioning
Description
Locking check of the connections

Regardless of whether the wiring is automated or manual, it is necessary to check the connector latches. Improperly latched connectors can trigger a subsequent defect and cannot be corrected due to the battery pack design.

Application
Inspection
Description
Measuring a gap between two metal sheets

During assembly, it is frequently necessary to align two metal sheets as close as possible in the joining process in order to guarantee a good weld seam. The aim of the application is to determine the gap between two metal sheets and to transfer the measured value to the control system. 

Application
Distance measurement
Inspection
Description
Position control of the fastening clips of cable harnesses

Inside the battery pack there are wiring harnesses which need to be fixed with fastening clips. Failure to engage the clamps correctly can result in damage to the cables or rattling noises during subsequent driving operation.

Application
Inspection
Description
Position detection for automated bolting

The battery modules must be screwed into the lower part of the housing. The screw holes are usually located under mechanical devices, which in turn have an opening. The sensor is to be used to detect the position of the screw holes underneath.

Application
Positioning
Description
Position detection for removal of the upper housing part

In order to close the battery pack, the housing top must be removed from a material container using a gantry or articulated-arm robot. To do this, it is first necessary to determine the position of the component in the container without contact.

Application
Positioning
Description
Position detection of the lower housing part in the material container

The base of a battery pack is the housing bottom part, which is first removed from a material container by a gantry or articulated-arm robot. For his purpose, it is necessary to determine the position of the component without contact.

Application
Positioning
Description
Position determination for the removal of battery modules

Several components, such as battery modules, are installed in a battery pack. To remove the individual battery modules, their position in the material container must be determined without contact. 

Application
Positioning
Description
Positioning of sniffer lances for leak testing

Leak testing is one of the last production steps of a battery pack. So-called sniffer lances must be precisely guided to specific positions for the gas check.

Application
Positioning
Description
Presence check of protective caps

The protection of external electrical connections and coolant lines requires the manual application of protective caps. Without protective caps, accidental contact with high-voltage connections or damage as well as contamination may occur, so their presence must be monitored.

Application
Inspection
Description
Presence of clips on sheet metal parts

When assembling vehicles, sheet metal parts and / or plastic parts must be connected to one another. These are often assembled with clips which the parts are screwed or plugged together.

Application
Detection
Description
Reading DOT codes on vehicle windows

Vehicle windows must be identified during production and mounting processes to avoid mix-ups with similar windows. The aim of the application is that a window is clearly identified by means of a DOT code.

Application
Identification
Description
Reading the delivery note

In order to guarantee the traceability of the components installed in a battery pack, the codes on the delivery notes attached to the transport boxes are read with a sensor. The contents can consist of one-dimensional barcodes, two-dimensional data matrix codes or plain text.

Application
Identification
Description
Setting down the housing top for final assembly

After determining the position of the housing top in the material carrier, the component is placed on the housing bottom part.

Application
Positioning
Description
Visualisation of entire process with SensoWeb

Throughout the production process, a large quantity of data is generated that has to be monitored and checked. The operator must be able to consult, manage and evaluate this data easily in order to identify and implement any necessary modifications to the process.

Application
Classification
Detection
Distance measurement
Identification
Inspection
Positioning