Schneider Automation Gmbh

Siegfried Ralf Neubert

Ronald Schoop

Eckart I Tietze

The invention relates to a method for monitoring a workpiece (WSx) during a transportation and/or production process with at least one workpiece agent (WA . . . WAn) assigned to the workpiece. To enhance the freedom of the process from failure on the one hand and to facilitate the incorporation of new workpieces into the process on the other, it is provided that the failure of a workpiece agent (WA . . . WAn) assigned to a workpiece (WSx) is detected; that the monitoring of the workpiece (WSx) is taken over by a further workpiece agent (WAk), and workpiece-specific data of the taken-over workpiece (WSx) are contained in the workpiece agent (WAk) taking over the monitoring and/or in a database and are transmitted in the workpiece agents.

Method for monitoring a workpiece during a transportation and/or production process

The invention relates to a transportation system ( ) for transporting objects (WSx), in particular workpieces, including a plurality of parallel or substantially parallel transportation paths ( ) and a device ( ) for shifting the objects (WSx) between at least two adjacent transportation paths ( ). In order to reduce both the space required for the transportation path and the time consumption for displacing the workpieces between the transportation paths, it is proposed that the transportation paths ( ) are disposed one above the other in different planes, and that the workpieces (WSx) on being shifted are moved on a path ( ) that defines a plane extending perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the transportation paths ( ).

Transportation system for transporting objects

The invention relates to a method for adjusting the workpiece flow in a production system ( ), including workpieces ( ) and workpiece agents ( ) associated with the workpieces, machines ( ) for machining the workpieces ( ), and machine agents ( ) associated with the machines ( ) and transportation device ( ). To make a flexible production system available that is tolerant of at least partial failures of system components, it is provided that each transportation agent ( ) is assigned at least one machine ( ) with a specified machine address Mn; that the transportation agent ( ) is tasked to transport the workpiece ( ) to a desired destination machine address Mz; and that the transportation agent ( ) autonomously controls the transportation device ( ) in such a way that the workpiece ( ) is transported to the machine with the destination machine address Mz via a specified destination exit (A -A ).

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Aschaffenburg, Germany

Siegfried Ralf Neubert