Plug connections
The click must be right
In car production, manufacturers often rely on practical plug-in connections. However, it costs time and money if a connection is not plugged in correctly and this goes unnoticed. The Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT in Oldenburg has developed a solution to this problem.
An audio-based technology analyzes the clicking sound that is made when a connection is made. If a connection does not click into place, employees or the robot are alerted by an error message. First, microphones record the sound, then it is analyzed by algorithms. Finally, the system gives positive feedback or sends a warning if it has not clicked properly. The feedback to a human can be acoustic, visual or tactile, for example via vibration. A robot receives the necessary information directly from the sensor system.
This testing system tackles a problem in the assembly of cars: cars usually have many plug connections. If a single one of these connections does not click into place correctly during production and the fault is only noticed after the car has been delivered to the customer, the car has to be recalled for repair. This is avoided with the click test system.
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