Solution

The vehicle body is the core component of the entire vehicle, composed of hundreds or even thousands of sheet metal parts of varying sizes and shapes, precisely assembled through processes such as welding, riveting, and gluing. These components together form the basic framework of the vehicle body, and this stage of the body is what the industry commonly refers to as the "body-in-white." As one of the core processes in vehicle manufacturing, the assembly precision of the body-in-white directly determines the subsequent assembly quality and driving safety of the entire vehicle, making it a crucial node for quality control in the automobile production process

During the body-in-white manufacturing stage, precise control of key dimensions is particularly important. Due to the complex structure and numerous connection points of the body-in-white, even a dimensional deviation of only a few millimeters can trigger a domino effect, thus affecting the subsequent assembly process

Solution

01

To address the high-precision requirements for body-in-white dimension inspection and in line with the core demands of efficient mass production in the automotive manufacturing industry, an automated inspection solution is adopted to replace traditional manual inspection, achieving a triple improvement in accuracy, efficiency, and stability

The core of the solution is to construct a control loop using a power module, an EtherCAT splitter, and an AUEX IO module in conjunction with an ECT host – a fully automated detection system that enables precise scanning, data acquisition, analysis, judgment, and feedback control of key dimensions of the body-in-white

The body-in-white is automatically transferred to the inspection station via the production line conveyor. The positioning device quickly calibrates the body posture based on a preset benchmark, ensuring consistency of the inspection starting point. Subsequently, the ECT host issues control commands, which are distributed at high speed via an EtherCAT splitter, synchronously driving multiple inspection execution units (such as laser displacement sensors, vision inspection cameras, and contact probes) to move along preset paths. The AUEX IO module is responsible for real-time acquisition of inspection data from each sensor and high-speed transmission back to the ECT host via the EtherCAT bus. Data transmission latency is controlled at the millisecond level, ensuring the real-time performance of the inspection process

Automated closed-loop detection-analysis-feedback-correction

02

The AUEX IO module can quickly respond to and drive the actuator to complete action switching according to the instructions issued by the ECT host.In response to problems such as out-of-tolerance dimensions, the module can not only receive the early warning instructions from the ECT host and trigger the local audible and visual alarm device to remind on-site maintenance personnel to intervene and check, but also accurately output control signals to the actuators of the preceding welding station. By fine-tuning key parameters such as welding pressure and weld point position, it can prevent the continuous expansion of dimensional deviations from the source, forming a seamless closed loop of "detection-feedback-correction".