Process Navigator for Automotive Body Assembly Process

In this paper, an integrated process monitoring and diagnostic Engineering knowledge is represented based on the hierarchical " " system the process navigator, is developed for automotive body concept proposed for the auto body representation (Ceglarek et. al., 1994). In this paper, the hierarchical group concept is assembly processes. The objective of the process navigator is to extended by defining functional modules, which are implemented transform in-process 100% measurement data into meaningful, in an expert system shell. easy-to-understand engineering information by fusing advanced The PN includes the functions of on-line data collection, on-line monitoring and fault classification, alarm generation and reporting, statistical technique!;, engineering knowledge, and computer variation pattern animation, and knowledge based diagnosis (Fig. technology into an integrated system. The process navigator 1). In this paper, the theoretical development and implementation includes five modules: on-line monitoring and fault classification. of the PN iebresented in the four sectibns of the paper. After the ~~ data and alarm bases, variation pattern animation, and knowledge introduction,' the methodology developed for' the on-line monitoring, variation animation, and knowledge based diagnosis based diagnosis. Both the methodology and implementation are techniaues are resented in Section 2. In this section, the focus is presented in the paper. on the integration of advanced statistics with the engineering knowledge of the BIW assembly. Sections 3 describes the implementation of the process navigator. Finally, conclusions and