Ford Motor Company Limited

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Thomas E Pearson

James Robert Panyard

Richard Earl Williford

Christopher Bernard Trombetta

George Frederick MacDonald

John C Handelman

Jimmy R Burcham

Dimitar Petrov Filev

Scott Louis Radabaugh

Francis Michael Migda

Ronald Rene Wiggle

Lawrence J Stock

Thomas James

Richard Joseph Wagner

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.

Hose clamp tool

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

The protruding edge of a plastic sheet in a laminated safety glass panel can be removed, or trimmed, by moving the panel edgewise over a rotating grinding wheel, such that fragments generated by the wheel are directed away from the feed path of the panel. The grinding wheel is resiliently supported by an air cylinder that maintains a desired contact pressure between the edge surface of the wheel and the protruding edge of the plastic sheet.

Method for removing edge areas of a laminated panel

Typically, paint film thickness is measured at a plurality of locations on a vehicle body by a hand-held sensor which is positioned by an operator at a position normal to the respective locations being sensed. This operation may be inaccurate and time-consuming because substantial reliance is placed upon the operator. The invention provides an apparatus for positioning a plurality of sensors in contact with a plurality of locations, respectively, on a non-planar surface such that each sensor is positioned normal to the non-planar surface at the respective location on the surface. The apparatus includes a movable fixture and a plurality of pistons carried by the movable fixture. Each of the pistons is movable independently with respect to the fixture. Each piston includes a distal end, and a sensor is pivotally mounted to each distal end. Each distal end is spring-biased away from the fixture, and each sensor includes at least two contact points for contacting the non-planar surface on opposing sides of the respective location for orienting the sensor in a position normal to the non-planar surface at the respective location.

Method and apparatus for positioning sensors against a non-planar surface

A method to automatically align the internal splines (20) of a torque converter (16) to mating external splines (18) of a transmission subassembly (14) during the assembly of the torque converter (16) to the transmission subassembly (14). The apparatus includes a robotic end effector assembly (26) coupled to an arm (22) of a robot (24). The end effector assembly (26) includes a compliance mechanism (51) and a distance sensor (48) that provide for compliance to allow the splines to align and detect if the splines are not properly mating. The end effector assembly (26) also includes an oscillator assembly (69) that is activated to cause non-aligned splines to become aligned during the automated assembly process.

Automated assembly of transmission components

A method to automatically align internal splines (20) of a torque converter (16) to mating external splines (18) of a transmission subassembly (14) during the assembly of the torque converter (16) to the transmission subassembly (14). The apparatus includes a robotic end effector assembly (26) coupled to an arm (22) of a robot (24). The end effector assembly (26) includes a counterbalance mechanism, such as spring assemblies (62) and a position sensor (64) that provide for a reduced effective weight of the torque converter (10) to allow the splines to align and detect if the splines are not properly aligned. Upon sensing non-engagement, robot (24) lifts, rotates and lowers the torque converter (16) until the position sensor (64) detects alignment of the mating splines.

Automated assembly of torque converters to transmissions

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 robotic system for inserting cylinder liners into the cylinder block from an internal combustion engine includes an articulated robot arm for cycling an end effector between a dunnage unloading position and a cylinder insertion position. The end effector, which is attached to the robot arm, picks liners from dunnage and places the liners in the cylinder bores of the cylinder block. The end effector includes remotely deployable combination teeth for gripping the liners to permit removal from their dunnage and for aligning the end effector and liner into the cylinder bores to permit insertion of the liners.

Method for inserting cylinder liners into internal combustion engine

Robotic system for inserting cylinder liners into internal combustion

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. A method and system utilizing the end effector pick-up flat or curved glass panels from glass racks and place the glass panels into irregularly-shaped wooden crates. Due to the compliance provided by the end effector, the system allows essentially perfect piece-to-piece vertical edge-of-glass alignment during the packaging process so as to eliminate glass etching/scratching. The end effector includes a base frame on which compliance devices in the form of linear bearing systems support a number of material handling devices in the form of suction devices. Selected ones of the compliance devices can be locked out under the control of a controller for 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.

Growing community of inventors

Grosse Ile, MI, United States of America

Thomas E Pearson