Wearable shear force-sensing for augmenting manual hose connections in an automotive assembly

Abstract

In automotive assembly, hose interfaces for engine and cooling applications are critical safety connections as they carry fluids that are essential to keep the engine running and can be flammable. Incomplete hose connections might loosen in operation resulting in fluid leakage and potential field warranty claims. The current quality control in manual assembly for such connections is a push-pull-push procedure (push to lock, pull to check, push to reseat) that relies on manual verification by the operator, which is a subjective evaluation of the connection quality. This research aims to convert this subjective evaluation of successful hose connection into an objective measure through a wearable shear force sensor that measures the operator-induced shear force during the assembly operation. This system could not only reduce assembly defects but also help in reducing the assembly rework time.