| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080295335 | VEHICLE FRAMING SYSTEM FOR PLURALITY OF VEHICLE BODY STYLES - A method for randomly interchanging up to four pairs of side framing gates at a framing station of a vehicle for randomly interchanging up to four pairs of side framing gates at a framing station of a vehicle assembly line while maintaining a predetermined build cycle time interval of the assembly line. The method includes positioning first and second carousels on opposite sides of the assembly line upstream of the framing station and third and fourth carousels on opposite sides of the production line downstream of the framing station. The method further includes providing a first linear track structure extending from the first carousel to a first side of the framing station, a second linear track structure extending from the second carousel to a second, opposite side of the framing station, a third linear track structure extending from the third carousel to the first side of the framing station, a third linear track structure extending from the third carousel to the first side of the framing station, and a fourth linear track structure extending from the fourth carousel to the second side of the framing station. The carousel are provided with at least two sides, possibly three sides, four sides or more, each side capable of receiving a framing gate. The method includes randomly interchanging framing gates positioned at the framing station by a combination of rotary movements of the carousels and linear movements of framing gates along the linear track structures. | 12-04-2008 |
| 20090071943 | UNIVERSAL WELD GUN CONFIGURATION - A weld gun in which the first weld arm is fixedly but removably connected to the weld gun body and the second weld arm includes a first arm segment, pivotally mounted at one end thereof on the gun body and pivotally connected at another end thereof to the gun actuator, and a second arm segment fixedly but removably connected atone end thereof to an intermediate portion of the first arm segment. Conversion of the gun from an X axis configuration to a Y axis configuration is achieved by removing the second arm segment from the first arm segment, removing the first weld arm from the body, rotating the second arm segment and the first weld arm through 90°, attaching the first arm to the first arm segment, and connecting the second arm segment to the body. | 03-19-2009 |
| 20090289043 | SINGLE GEOMETRY PALLETIZED FRAMING SYSTEM - A palletized framing system for a motor vehicle body assembly system in which the pallet with a body structure positioned thereon is positioned at the framing station on balls to establish the vertical Z dimension with the pallet free to float on the balls in longitudinal X and lateral Y dimensions, whereafter positioners carried by one of the gates of the framing station engage and lock onto the pallet to precisely position the pallet and the body structure at the framing station at X and Y dimensions corresponding to the precisely attainable X and Y positioning of the gate. | 11-26-2009 |
| 20100180711 | ROBOTIC END EFFECTOR SYSTEM AND METHOD - A robotic end effector system and method having a plurality of end effectors which are selectively suitable for particular applications on a workpiece. The end effectors include a resident controller adapted to execute tasks specific to the end effector and are rapidly attachable and removable from the robot for easy change over to different workpieces. | 07-22-2010 |
| 20100241260 | INDUSTRIAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD - Disclosed here is a method for controlling at least one industrial device using a remote infrastructure environment having at least one computing resource and a cloud communication network. The method includes establishing communication between the at least one industrial device and the remote infrastructure environment, transmitting data from the at least one computing resource using the cloud communication network to a plant communication network, the at least one industrial device configured to perform at least one predetermined function in response to at least a portion of the transmitted data and receiving data from the at least one industrial device by the at least one computing resource using the cloud communication network, the received data generated in response to performance of the at least one predetermined function. | 09-23-2010 |
| 20110138601 | VEHICULAR BODY ASSEMBLY LOCKING APPARATUS AND METHOD - A vehicle body positioning and locking devices for use in assembling a vehicle body positioned on a movable vehicle support positioned at a vehicle build station. The locking device includes a remote vehicle locking device for selectively securing and locking a vehicle body to a support pallet. The support pallet is accurately and precisely positioned at a build station through alignment and inserting engagement of locating pads in at least one four-way and at least one two way receiver mounted to a build station foundation. | 06-16-2011 |
| 20110162191 | Welding Station Framing Apparatus with Breakaway Provision - A motor vehicle car body framing apparatus for use at a welding station, the apparatus including a gate having a frame structure and a plurality of tooling members carried by the frame structure for use in positioning components of the vehicle body at the welding station for welding. The tooling members are mounted on the frame structure by a plurality of mounting brackets. Each mounting bracket includes a base member mounted on the frame structure and a riser mounted on the base and mounting a respective tooling member. The riser is fixedly mounted on the base by a single central fastener bolt which may include a reduced diameter portion sized to break away in response to predetermined impact against the riser. Each mounting bracket further includes means defining a triangulated mounting interface between the base and the riser arranged in concentric relation to the fastener bolt. The triangulated mounting interface may comprise a raised ring surface on one of the base and the riser centered on the axis of the fastener bolt and positioned at the mounting interface of the base and the riser. Each mounting bracket further includes two dowels received in aligned apertures in the base and in the riser at locations flanking the axis of the fastener bolt. | 07-07-2011 |
