Ford Motor Company Limited

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

University of California

James Robert Panyard

Thomas E Pearson

Richard Earl Williford

Christopher Bernard Trombetta

George Frederick MacDonald

Timothy Jay Potter

Larry Allen Peterson

Scott Louis Radabaugh

Ronald Rene Wiggle

Benjamin P Winter

William Charron

Deborah Hopkins

Frederic Reverdy

Shannon Mullane

Lawrence William Staley

A system for ultrasonic profiling of a weld sample includes a carriage movable in opposite first and second directions. An ultrasonic sensor is coupled to the carriage to move over the sample as the carriage moves. An encoder determines the position of the carriage to determine the position of the sensor. A spring is connected at one end of the carriage. Upon the carriage being moved in the first direction toward the spring such that the carriage and the sensor are at a beginning position and the spring is compressed the spring decompresses to push the carriage back along the second direction to move the carriage and the sensor from the beginning position to an ending position. The encoder triggers the sensor to take the ultrasonic measurements of the sample when the sensor is at predetermined positions while the sensor moves over the sample between the beginning and positions.

Method and system having ultrasonic sensor movable by translation device for ultrasonic profiling of weld samples

A tool for installing a hose clamp. The tool includes a tab, an engagement surface that engages the clamp, and a sensor. The sensor provides a signal indicative of the shifting of the clamp from an open position to a closed position.

Hose clamp tool

A hose clamp installation tool and a method for installing a hose assembly. A first rod engages the clamp and releases the clamp from an open position to a closed position. A sensor indicates release of the clamp.

A hose clamp installation tool and a method for installing a hose assembly. The hose clamp installation tool includes a hook that engages a clamp. A first rod engages the clamp and releases the clamp from an open position to a closed position. A sensor indicates release of the clamp.

An automotive vehicle body can be sanded with a robotic sanding (polishing) disk that is carried on a robotic head, such that the sanding disk has a relatively constant unit pressure on the vehicle surface as the head moves the sanding disk along the vehicle surface. An automatic supply mechanism can be employed to periodically remove a worn sanding disk from the head, and replace the worn sanding disk with a new sanding disk.

Method and tooling for automated wet or dry sanding of a vehicle surface

In one embodiment of the present invention, machining chips (34) left in the slots (31) of an end face commutator (28) of a motor's rotor (20) are removed using a high-pressure water spray. The windings (26) of the rotor (20) are substantially shielded from water spray by the rotor (20) being located within a cavity (42) of a pallet carrying the rotor (20). Any water which gets on the windings (26) is dried by a brief application of heated forced air.

Method for cleaning a commutator of an electric motor

A system including a specifically-shaped probe and a complementarily-shaped hole formed in a surface of a part to be picked up ensures proper alignment between an end effector which picks up the part and the part itself. The probe includes first, second, third and fourth mutually converging locating surfaces terminating at a rounded tip at a free end of the probe. The probe is preferably diamond-shaped in cross-section along its entire length and the hole, consequently, is also diamond-shaped. The hole is defined by an inner peripheral diamond-shaped surface configured to be immediately adjacent and substantially parallel to each of the locating surfaces only when the end effector is in a proper pick up position and orientation with respect to the part. Preferably, the end effector is a gripper wherein the probe is adapted to be secured between gripping jaws of the gripper. In the preferred embodiment, the part comprises dunnage.

System for locating an end effector of a robot relative to a part

A robotic end effector adapted to be mounted at the end of an arm of a program-controlled robot is capable of providing compliance within a vertical plane as well as alignment along a horizontal axis. A method and system utilizing the end effector to pick up flat or curved glass panels from glass racks and place the glass panels into irregularly-shaped wooden crates. Due to the compliance and horizontal alignment provided by the end effector, the system allows essentially perfect piece-to-piece vertical edge-of-glass alignment and side-edge to side-edge alignment during the packaging process so as to eliminate glass etching/scratching and breakage. The end effector includes a base frame on which compliance devices and side-shift alignment devices in the form of linear bearing systems support a number of material handling devices in the form of suction devices. The handling devices are typically material holding/gripping devices. Selected ones of the compliance devices can be locked out under the control of a controller for the robot. Also, a number of counterbalancers change counterbalance forces based on glass panel size also under control of the controller of the robot. Each suction device includes a spring-biased suction cup to also provide compliance in a direction substantially normal to the compliance provided in the vertical plane.

Method and system for loading panels into shipping containers at a work

A gripper is provided for mounting to a distal end of a robotic arm for gripping a workpiece having a pair of spaced apart longitudinally extending contoured faces and at least two extending cylindrical bores, each cylindrical bore having an inner surface, the gripper including a base, a pair of spaced apart longitudinally extending stabilizing members each affixed to the base, each of the stabilizing members having an engagement surface adapted to abutting engage a respective contoured face of the workpiece, at least one pair of opposing clamping arms, each clamping arms being pivotal from a first position wherein the clamping arm is disposed adjacent a respective cylindrical bore to a second position wherein the clamping arm abuttingly engages the inner surface of a cylindrical bores, a pair of biasing cylinders means connected to one of said pair of clamping arms for moving said one clamping arm from said first position to said second position, a pair of spaced apart compliant devices affixed to the base for releasably connecting the base to the distal end of the robotic arm and a control system for selectively controlling the actuation of the biasing cylinders.

Robotic gripper

Method of bonding cylinder liners to cylinder bore walls, comprising: (a) inserting a cylindrical work hardenable liner into a complementary sized cylindrical bore wall of the block, with a uniform annular radial spacing therebetween of about 0.005 inch; and (b) forcing a nondeformable mandrel throughout the interior length of the cylindrical liner to uniformly circumferentially expand the radially outer surface of the liner into full annular surface-to-surface heat exchange relationship with the interior surface of the bore wall, the mandrel having a cross-sectional radius greater than the interior radius of the liner by a dimension which is at least 0.001 inch in excess of such radial spacing. Preferably, the cylindrical liner is comprised of steel having a ductility of at least 30%, a hardness of at least 35 HRB, and a wall thickness in the range of 0.050-0.250. The mandrel is preferably formed as a spherical element by a process of pressing and sintering followed by precise grinding to shape, and has a hardness greater than either the liner or bore wall.

Growing community of inventors

Livonia, MI, United States of America

James Robert Panyard