Divergent Technologies, Inc.

Czv, Inc.

Kevin Robert Czinger

Broc William TenHouten

Antonio Bernerd Martinez

David Charles O'Connell

Zachary Meyer Omohundro

Matthew Michael O'Brien

Narender Shankar Lakshman

Praveen Varma Penmetsa

Jon Paul Gunner

William Bradley Balzer

John Russell Bucknell

Eahab Nagi El Naga

Chukwubuikem Marcel Okoli

David Brian TenHouten

Stuart Paul Macey

William David Kreig

Richard Winston Hoyle

Muhammad Faizan Zafar

Alex James Hamade

Eli Rogers

Jinbo Chen

John Franklin Dunham

Cheng Wei Yu

Hyuk Woo Jung

Donald J Christian

Lukas Philip Czinger

Michael Thomas Kenworthy

Steven Blair Massey, Jr

Matthew Cooper Keller

Gregory S Weaver

Broc William Tenhouten

Joon Hyung Yi

John Paul Gunner

Bill David Kreig

Matthew M O'BRIEN

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an additively manufactured transport structure. The transport structure includes cavities into which components that use an external interface are inserted. A plurality of components are assembled and integrated into the vehicle. In an embodiment, the components and frame are modular, enabling reparability and replacement of single parts in the event of isolated failures.

Methods and apparatus for additively manufactured endoskeleton-based transport structures

Integrated vehicle structures are provided herein. An integrated vehicle structure can include an enclosure portion configured to house an electric motor and a plurality of extended portions extending from the enclosure portion. The enclosure portion and the plurality of extended portions can be load-bearing and configured to bear vehicle loads. The extended portions of the integrated vehicle structures can include a connection portion configured to connect with another load-bearing structure to at least receive or transmit loads. The plurality of extended portions can be configured to transfer vehicle loads along physically separate paths. A portion of the enclosure portion can define an opening configured to allow a drive shaft to connect the electric motor to a wheel. The enclosure portion can be configured with an opening for allowing the installation and removal of the electric motor.

Motor nodes

One aspect is an apparatus including a plurality of additively manufactured components each having an adhesive injection channel. The components are connected together such that adhesive injection channels are aligned to form an adhesive path that allows adhesive flow between the components. Another aspect is an apparatus, including an additively manufactured component having an adhesive injection channel and an adhesive flow mechanism comprising at least one of an adhesive side end effector or a vacuum side end effector, the adhesive flow mechanism configured to provide adhesive to the adhesive injection channels.

Assembling structures comprising 3D printed components and standardized components utilizing adhesive circuits

Adaptable manufacturing systems, methods, and apparatuses are disclosed. An apparatus for manufacturing a product in accordance with the present disclosure may include a design apparatus, an assembly apparatus, and a control apparatus, coupled to the design apparatus and the assembly apparatus. The control apparatus receives input information from the design apparatus and the assembly apparatus. The control apparatus provides output information for altering at least one parameter used by at least one of the design apparatus and the assembly apparatus in the manufacture of the product.

Adaptive production system

A virtual railroad of vehicles is disclosed. In one aspect of the disclosure, a system includes one or more passenger vehicles of a peloton, and a first engine vehicle of the peloton. The first engine vehicle communicatively connected to the one or more passenger vehicles, wherein the first engine vehicle comprises: a processor communicatively connected to a memory and is configured to receive status information of the one or more passenger vehicles, determine, based on the received status information, a set of current values for a set of vehicle attributes for each of the one or more passenger vehicles, and adjust, based on the set of current values for the set of vehicle attributes, a position of a corresponding passenger vehicle of the one or more passenger vehicles.

Virtual railroad

A high precision Interface Node is disclosed. The Interface Node includes an integrated structure including one or more complex or sophisticated features and functions. The Interface Node may connect with another component or a Linking Node. The Interface Node is manufactured to achieve high precision functionality while enabling volume production. Current additive manufacturing technologies allow for the printing of high precision features to be manufactured, but generally this is performed at a slower rate. Consequently, in one aspect, the size of the Interface Nodes is reduced in order to overcome at least part of the slower production volume caused by creating the high precision Interface Nodes. The components and Linking Nodes to which the Interface Node is connected may only have basic features and functions. Accordingly, this latter category of components may use a high print rate and thus high production volume. In other embodiments, these low precision components may also be produced using a non-print manufacturing technology, such as casting, forging, etc., that may provide the requisite high throughput, or to high precision machined parts that lack the geometric flexibility of the Interface Node. In an embodiment, the Interface Nodes may be connected to other components via a Linking Node.

Structures and methods for high volume production of complex structures using interface nodes

A node to panel interface structure for use in a transport structure such as a vehicle is disclosed. In an aspect, the node includes a base, first and second sides protruding from the base to form a recess for receiving a panel, ports for adhesive injection and/or vacuum generation, one or more adhesive regions disposed on a surface of each side adjacent the panel, and at least one channel coupled between the first and second ports and configured to fill the adhesive regions with an adhesive, the adhesive being cured to form a node-panel interface. The node may be additively manufactured. In an exemplary embodiment, the node may use sealant features for including sealants that border and define the adhesive regions, and that may hermetically seal the region before and after adhesive injection. In another embodiment, the node may include isolation features for including isolators for inhibiting galvanic corrosion. In another aspect, adhesive may be filled serially on the adhesive regions on the first side and then on the adhesive regions on the second side. Adhesive may alternatively may be filled in parallel, or concurrently, on the adhesive regions of both sides.

Methods and apparatus for forming node to panel joints

Motor vehicle body and/or replica

Systems and methods for co-casting of additively manufactured, high precision Interface Nodes are disclosed. The Interface Node includes an integrated structure including one or more complex or sophisticated features and functions. Co-casting of Interface Nodes by casting a part onto the Interface Node results in a hybrid structure comprising the cast part and the additively manufactured Interface Node. The interface node may include at least one of a node-to-tube connection, node-to-panel connection, or a node-to-extrusion connection. In an embodiment, engineered surfaces may be provided on the Interface Node to improve the blend between the Interface Node and the cast part during the co-casting process.

Systems and methods for co-casting of additively manufactured interface nodes

Techniques for flexible, on-site additive manufacturing of components or portions thereof for transport structures are disclosed. An automated assembly system for a transport structure may include a plurality of automated constructors to assemble the transport structure. In one aspect, the assembly system may span the full vertically integrated production process, from powder production to recycling. At least some of the automated constructors are able to move in an automated fashion between the station under the guidance of a control system. A first of the automated constructors may include a 3-D printer to print at least a portion of a component and to transfer the component to a second one of the automated constructors for installation during the assembly of the transport structure. The automated constructors may also be adapted to perform a variety of different tasks utilizing sensors for enabling machine-learning.

Robotic assembly of transport structures using on-site additive manufacturing

An additively manufactured node is disclosed. A node is an additively manufactured (AM) structure that includes a feature, e.g., a socket, a channel, etc., for accepting another structure, e.g., a tube, a panel, etc. The node can include a node surface of a receptacle extending into the node. The receptacle can receive a structure, and a seal interface on the node surface can seat a seal member between the node surface and the structure to create an adhesive region between the node and the structure, the adhesive region being bounded by the node surface, the structure, and the seal member. The node can also include two channels connecting an exterior surface of the node to the adhesive region. In this way, adhesive can be injected into the adhesive region between the node and the structure, and the adhesive can be contained by the seal member.

Systems and methods for joining nodes and other structures

A metal extrusion and nodes based structure is provided. The structure comprises one or more arc members connected by one or more node members, wherein the arc comprises (i) a wing feature which is configured to mate with one or more non-structural components, (ii) an internal passage feature which is configured to be inserted into a connecting feature of the corresponding node member, and (iii) one or more keying features formed from a mating interface with the corresponding node member.

Systems and methods for arc and node design and manufacture

Connections between nodes and tubes are provided. An apparatus can include additively manufactured first and second nodes, a tube, and an interconnect connecting the tube to the first and second nodes. An apparatus can include a node having an end portion with inner and outer concentric portions forming an annular gap therebetween, and a tube having an end portion extending into the gap.

Systems and methods for joining node and tube structures

Growing community of inventors

Santa Monica, CA, United States of America

Kevin Robert Czinger