US 12,012,320 B2
Deployable mobile transporters for easy plant reconfiguration
Kenneth Yesh, Dearborn, MI (US); Anthony Mario D'Amato, Canton, MI (US); Shankar Narayan Mohan, Ann Arbor, MI (US); Mario Anthony Santillo, Canton, MI (US); Gregory P. Linkowski, Dearborn, MI (US); and Meghna Menon, Ann Arbor, MI (US)
Assigned to Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed by Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed on Sep. 28, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/954,804.
Application 17/954,804 is a continuation of application No. 16/779,848, filed on Feb. 3, 2020, granted, now 11,460,862.
Prior Publication US 2023/0195139 A1, Jun. 22, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B66F 9/06 (2006.01); B25J 5/00 (2006.01); B25J 9/16 (2006.01); B25J 15/00 (2006.01); B66F 9/075 (2006.01); B66F 9/12 (2006.01); G05B 19/418 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01); G06F 30/13 (2020.01); G06T 17/00 (2006.01); H02J 7/00 (2006.01)
CPC B66F 9/063 (2013.01) [B25J 5/00 (2013.01); B25J 9/1664 (2013.01); B25J 15/0014 (2013.01); B66F 9/0755 (2013.01); B66F 9/12 (2013.01); G05B 19/41895 (2013.01); G05D 1/0291 (2013.01); G05D 1/0297 (2013.01); G06F 30/13 (2020.01); G06T 17/00 (2013.01); G06T 2219/2004 (2013.01); H02J 7/0042 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for reconfiguring a factory having equipment at different workstations throughout the factory and a plurality of sensors disposed throughout the factory, the system comprising:
a factory configuration module configured to store a plurality of predetermined factory configurations; and
a plurality of mobile transporters configured to engage and transport the equipment to the different workstations throughout the factory based on the predetermined factory configurations and dynamic inputs, wherein the dynamic inputs include a status of the equipment, a status of the plurality of mobile transporters, sensor data output by the plurality of sensors, or a combination thereof.
 
14. A method of operating a factory having equipment at different workstations throughout the factory, the method comprising:
receiving status information from a set of the equipment and dynamic inputs;
comparing the status information and dynamic inputs to a 3D model of the factory and a plurality of predetermined factory configurations to determine new positions for a set of the equipment; and
transmitting control signals to a plurality of mobile transporters to engage and reposition the set of the equipment identified.