Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

University of Michigan

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

Jeffrey A Abell

John Patrick Spicer

Debejyo Chakraborty

Michael Anthony Wincek

Wayne Cai

Hui Wang

Ryan Curtis Sekol

Teresa J Rinker

Yhu-Tin Lin

Jennifer Bracey

Xiang Zhao

Paul F Spacher

Mark Allen Smith

Shixin Jack Hu

Daniel C Hutchinson

Benjamin R Christian

Peter W Tavora

Paul J Boor

Jason C H Tang

Jeffrey S Davis

Ronald L Reardon

Shawn Utz

Pei-chung Wang

Li Sun

Haijing Liu

John Stilianos Agapiou

James W Wells

Muhammad E Abdallah

Xiaochao Que

Xiaochun Li

Ningjian Huang

Miguel Arturo Saez

Wu Tao

Ronald Charles Daul

Megan E McGovern

Diana Marie Wegner

Hongseok Choi

Raymond Guo

Thomas James Oetjens

David A Okonski

Jinglin Li

Stephen R Smith

Daniel J Casoli

Raymond D Turner, Iii

Lane G Lindstrom

Timothy Daro

Jessica E Weber

Hang Li

Jingzhou Zhao

Elmer B Santos

A component assembly system comprises a first robot arm having a first end-of-arm tool mounted thereon and adapted to grasp a first subcomponent; a second robot arm having a second end of arm tool mounted thereon and adapted to grasp a second subcomponent. A system controller is adapted to control the first and second robot arms and first and second end-of-arm tools to position the first and second subcomponents relative to one another. A first interlocking mechanism is mounted onto the first end-of-arm tool and a second interlocking mechanism is mounted onto the second end-of-arm tool, wherein the first and second interlocking mechanisms engage one another and lock the first end-of-arm tool to the second end-of arm tool, thereby locking the first and second subcomponents into an initial position relative to one another.

Component assembly system

Systems and methods are provided for determining and correcting autonomous transport imbalances. A transport vehicle operates over a route. A fixture plate is coupled to the transport vehicle by a joint to carry a payload. A sensor determines a position of the joint. A controller modifies the operation of the transport vehicle in response to a change in the position of the joint to correct imbalances.

Smart fixturing system and method

A method for laser welding a plurality of battery foils to a battery tab that does not include ultrasonic welding and includes clamping the plurality of battery foils and the battery tab together. Each of the plurality of battery foils has a thickness that is between 0.004 millimeters and 0.03 millimeters. The battery tab has a thickness that is between 0.1 millimeters and 0.5 millimeters. The method further includes laser welding the plurality of battery foils to the battery tab.

Clamping system and method for laser welding battery foils to a battery tab

An apparatus for in-situ monitoring of a welded joint in a workpiece includes an ultrasonic sending transducer and a receiving transducer. The ultrasonic sending transducer includes a probe head disposed on a plurality of individually-activatable piezoelectric elements, and a plurality of waveguide probes projecting orthogonally from a planar surface. A wave attenuator is disposed between individual ones of the waveguide probes. A receiving transducer is disposed therein. The workpiece is insertable between the waveguide probes of the ultrasonic sending transducer and the receiving transducer. The ultrasonic sending transducer urges the probe head towards the receiving transducer such that the waveguide probes physically contact the welded joint in the workpiece. The piezoelectric elements individually excite the waveguide probe that is in physical contact with the welded joint in the workpiece. The acoustic receiving transducer is disposed to monitor the welded joint in the workpiece.

Portable acoustic apparatus for in-situ monitoring of a weld in a workpiece

A releasable adhesive system for joining a first surface to a second surface. The system includes a primary material having a first portion including at least one first-portion molecule configured to be positioned parallel with at least one first-surface molecule of the first surface, and a second portion, opposite the first portion, including at least one second-portion molecule configured to be positioned parallel with at least second surfaced one molecule of the second surface. The first surface molecule, positioned parallel with the first-surface molecule, is configured to maintain bonds between the first portion and the first surface up to one or more pre-determined three scenarios, such as pre-determined shear, pull, and peel forces being exerted on the first surface. The second portion can function similarly with respect to the second surface.

Systems for bonding surfaces using a releasable adhesive

A vehicle-battery system including a battery cell and a micro heat exchanger. The micro heat exchanger includes at least one fluid tube positioned in direct contact with the battery cell. The fluid tube comprises a heat-transfer tube section positioned between a fluid tube entrance and exit and in direct contact with the battery cell. The fluid tube is configured to receive a heat-transfer fluid, such a nanofluid, and channel the heat-transfer fluid through the heat-transfer tube section, to the fluid tube exit. The heat-transfer fluid is configured to cool or heat the battery cell when, in operation of the vehicle-battery system, the heat-transfer fluid is channeled through the heat-transfer tube section. The technology in various embodiments also includes a fluid modification device and a computerized controller for controlling the fluid modification device or other operations of the system such as pumping of the heat-transfer fluid.

Micro heat exchangers and methods for use in thermal management of transportation vehicle batteries

A mechanically conformable micro-heat exchanger for use in managing temperature of a subject component. The exchanger includes a flexible fluid tube. In various embodiments, the tube is connected to a flexible substrate, such as by a flexible polymer. The exchanger can be changed manually from an initial shape to a first shape to conform to a shape of the subject component. The flexible fluid tube is configured to channel heat-transfer fluid through a heat-transfer tube section of the tube. The heat-transfer fluid is configured to cool or heat the subject component when, in operation of the mechanically conformable micro-heat exchanger, the heat-transfer fluid is channeled through the heat-transfer tube section.

Mechanically conformable micro-heat exchangers and methods for use in thermal management of target components

An automated method for discovering features in a repeatable process includes measuring raw time series data during the process using sensors. The time series data describes multiple parameters of the process. The method includes receiving, via a first controller, the time series data from the sensors, and stochastically generating candidate features from the raw time series data using a logic block or blocks of the first controller. The candidate features are predictive of a quality of a work piece manufactured via the repeatable process. The method also includes determining, via a genetic or evolutionary programming module, which generated candidate features are most predictive of the quality of the work piece, and executing a control action with respect to the repeatable process via a second controller using the most predictive candidate features. A system includes the controllers, the programming module, and the sensors.

Automated stochastic method for feature discovery and use of the same in a repeatable process

A thermal-management system, for use in controlling temperature of a first workpiece of workpieces being joined by welding. The system includes a micro heat exchanger including a heat-transfer fluid tube extending between an inlet and an outlet. The system in some implementations has a body and the inlet and outlet are connected to the body. The heat-transfer fluid tube is configured to channel heat-transfer fluid, such as a nanofluid, to heat or cool the workpiece(s). The heat-transfer fluid is configured to cool or heat at least the first workpiece when the heat-transfer fluid is channeled through the heat-transfer fluid-tube section in operation of the thermal-management system. The technology further includes methods and hardware-based controlling apparatus for using the micro heat exchanger to cool or heat the workpieces.

Micro heat exchangers for controlling temperature of workpieces being joined by welding

A method includes receiving, during a vibration welding process, a set of sensory signals from a collection of sensors positioned with respect to a work piece during formation of a weld on or within the work piece. The method also includes receiving control signals from a welding controller during the process, with the control signals causing the welding horn to vibrate at a calibrated frequency, and processing the received sensory and control signals using a host machine. Additionally, the method includes displaying a predicted weld quality status on a surface of the work piece using a status projector. The method may include identifying and display a quality status of a suspect weld. The laser projector may project a laser beam directly onto or immediately adjacent to the suspect welds, e.g., as a red, green, blue laser or a gas laser having a switched color filter.

Quality status display for a vibration welding process

A reconfigurable autonomous workstation includes a multi-faced superstructure including a horizontally-arranged frame section supported on a plurality of posts. The posts form a plurality of vertical faces arranged between adjacent pairs of the posts, the faces including first and second faces and a power distribution and position reference face. A controllable robotic arm suspends from the rectangular frame section, and a work table fixedly couples to the power distribution and position reference face. A plurality of conveyor tables are fixedly coupled to the work table including a first conveyor table through the first face and a second conveyor table through the second face. A vision system monitors the work table and each of the conveyor tables. A programmable controller monitors signal inputs from the vision system to identify and determine orientation of the component on the first conveyor table and control the robotic arm to execute an assembly task.

Reconfigurable assembly work station

An assembly for a vehicle includes a first member including a plurality of elastically deformable locating protrusions extending outward, and a second member defining a cavity extending inward and including a plurality of elastically deformable compression features disposed within the cavity. The locating protrusions of the first member are disposed within the cavity of the second member in press fit engagement with the compression features of the second member to secure the first member relative to the second member. The average of the elastic deformation between all of the locating protrusions of the first member and all of the compression features of the second member precisely aligns the first member relative to the second member. The assembly may include but is not limited to a multiple unit battery pack, a multiple unit fuel cell pack, a dashboard assembly or adjoining body panels.

Using elastic averaging for alignment of battery stack, fuel cell stack, or other vehicle assembly

A system includes a host machine and a status projector. The host machine is in electrical communication with a collection of sensors and with a welding controller that generates control signals for controlling the welding horn. The host machine is configured to execute a method to thereby process the sensory and control signals, as well as predict a quality status of a weld that is formed using the welding horn, including identifying any suspect welds. The host machine then activates the status projector to illuminate the suspect welds. This may occur directly on the welds using a laser projector, or on a surface of the work piece in proximity to the welds. The system and method may be used in the ultrasonic welding of battery tabs of a multi-cell battery pack in a particular embodiment. The welding horn and welding controller may also be part of the system.

A method includes the following steps: actuating a robotic arm to perform an action at a start position; moving the robotic arm from the start position toward a first position; determining from a vision process method if a first part from the first position will be ready to be subjected to a first action by the robotic arm once the robotic arm reaches the first position; commencing the execution of the visual processing method for determining the position deviation of the second part from the second position and the readiness of the second part to be subjected to a second action by the robotic arm once the robotic arm reaches the second position; and performing a first action on the first part using the robotic arm with the position deviation of the first part from the first position predetermined by the vision process method.

System and method for controlling a vision guided robot assembly

An ultrasonic welding system, for welding together two workpieces wherein at least one of the workpieces includes a polymeric composite, comprising an energy applicator positioned along an action axis so that, in operation, ultrasonic vibrations transmitted from the energy applicator during a welding routine, are transmitted to the workpieces generally at and/or adjacent the axis. The system also includes a primary, course-control, actuator positioned along action axis so that a first load, output by the primary actuator, acts along the system action axis. The system further comprises a secondary, fine-control, actuator positioned along the system action axis so that a second load output, by the secondary actuator, acts along the axis. And the system comprises a controller for providing first command signals and second command signals to the primary actuator and second actuator to control them to effect loads on the workpieces, during the welding routine and along the axis.

Systems and methods for adaptive process control using a target kinematics profile in welding together multiple polymeric workpieces

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Rochester Hills, MI, United States of America

Jeffrey A Abell