A method and associated system provides automated abrasive paint repair using automated abrasive paint repair devices that selectively sand, buff, and polish a substrate in response to received instructions generated by a controller. The controller receives coordinates of each identified defect in the substrate along with parameters describing characteristics of each defect, selects a sanding process, a buffing process, and/or a polishing process based on empirically derived rules established by skilled/expert human operators and the received parameters. The controller outputs instructions to cause the automated abrasive paint repair devices to execute the selected sanding process, buffing process, and/or polishing process using the received parameters. The empirically derived rules and parameters may be stored in a lookup table and/or updated by a machine learning module.

An apparatus and method, according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, cutting opposing notches in side edges of a flat metallic strip to provide a flat notched strip with pairs of notches extending along a length of the flat notched strip. The flat notched strip is rolled formed to provide a profiled notched strip and a flexible material is extruded to cover the profiled notched strip to provide a roof ditch molding. The roof ditch molding is cut at notch locations to achieve a desired molding length extending between molding cut ends comprising tabs, and a pattern of flexible material is removed from the notches associated with the molding cut ends. The tabs are bent to provide final formed ends for the roof ditch molding.

An apparatus and method, according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, cutting opposing notches in side edges of a flat metallic strip to provide a flat notched strip with pairs of notches extending along a length of the flat notched strip. The flat notched strip is rolled formed to provide a profiled notched strip and a flexible material is extruded to cover the profiled notched strip to provide a roof ditch molding. The roof ditch molding is cut at notch locations to achieve a desired molding length extending between molding cut ends comprising tabs, and a pattern of flexible material is removed from the notches associated with the molding cut ends. The tabs are bent to provide final formed ends for the roof ditch molding.

A system that allows customers to collaborate with vehicle accessory manufacturers to design accessories in an augmented reality environment. A customer decision making and purchasing experience is greatly improved when viewing a physical showroom model (or other real-world model) of a vehicle they intend to purchase and/or customize. The system allows the user to select and customize virtual accessories for the physical vehicle, then overlay those virtual accessories atop the physical vehicle in an augmented reality environment.

A system for automatic wheel alignment adjustment of a vehicle in an inspection line is provided. The system is disposed under a mounting table mounted with a vehicle and includes a front wheel adjustment apparatus disposed in correspondence with a front wheel of the vehicle and configured to adjust alignment of the front wheel by adjusting a tie-rod and a lock-nut employed in a linkage structure of the front wheel, a rear wheel moving apparatus disposed in correspondence with a rear wheel of the vehicle and slidable in a vehicle width direction, and a rear wheel adjustment apparatus disposed in correspondence with the rear wheel of the vehicle, connectable to the rear wheel moving apparatus, and configured to adjust alignment of the rear wheel by adjusting a cam-bolt and a cam-nut employed in a linkage structure of the rear wheel.

A system, method, and apparatus for modifying a vehicle comprising a cab enclosure configured to interface with a vehicle, a fixed deck, configured rearward of, and cooperating with, the vehicle cab, and an extensible deck projecting from, and cooperating with, the fixed deck. The cab enclosure further comprises at least one roof adaptor comprising at least one roof adaptor panel connected to the vehicle and a lower cab enclosure comprising at least one panel connected to the vehicle wherein the cab enclosure elements, fixed deck, and extensible deck are connected to the vehicle without permanent modification to the vehicle.

A vehicle corner module (VCM) is provided for regulating motion of a host vehicle which comprises a vehicle-onboard vehicle-controller. The VCM comprises a sub-frame mountable to a reference frame of the host vehicle; a wheel-hub assembly comprising a wheel-hub; VCM-sub-systems mediating between the sub-frame and the wheel-hub assembly, e.g., a drive subsystem, a steering subsystem, a suspension subsystem and/or a braking subsystem; and an VCM-onboard VCM-controller, comprising one or more processors and a computer-readable medium storing program instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to establish a communication link with a vehicle-controller, including electronically transferring information about the VCM from the VCM-controller to the vehicle-controller, and to perform, in response to an installation of the VCM on a vehicle, a post-installation validation-process that includes validating the VCM-subsystems and communicating a result of the validating to the vehicle-controller.

A bucket wheel assembly (40) includes a structural frame (42) that in use forms a structural part of the boom of a bucket wheel reclaimer. The structural frame (42) supports a bucket wheel (44) having a plurality of attached buckets (46); a ring chute (48) and an associated discharge chute (50). The bucket wheel (44) is attached to the middle of shaft (51), which is supported by two bearings (52). The drive unit is attached to the shaft (51) to provide the rotation torque, and the drive unit is also attached to the structure (42). The structural frame (42) couples to a portion of the boom and transfers the assembly load to the boom when the reclaimer is in operation.

A bucket wheel assembly (40) includes a structural frame (42) that in use forms a structural part of the boom of a bucket wheel reclaimer. The structural frame (42) supports a bucket wheel (44) having a plurality of attached buckets (46); a ring chute (48) and an associated discharge chute (50). The bucket wheel (44) is attached to the middle of shaft (51), which is supported by two bearings (52). The drive unit is attached to the shaft (51) to provide the rotation torque, and the drive unit is also attached to the structure (42). The structural frame (42) couples to a portion of the boom and transfers the assembly load to the boom when the reclaimer is in operation.

A cowl cross bar assembly with a reduced weight and an increased stiffness and a method of manufacturing a pipe of the cowl cross bar assembly. The cowl cross bar assembly includes a pipe disposed laterally inside a chassis and a winding material which is wound at different winding ratios around a surface of a first section of the pipe which needs stiffness and a surface of a second section of the pipe which needs flexibility. The method includes transferring, by a transfer device, a pipe disposed laterally inside a chassis to a winding device and winding, by the winding device, a winding material around only a surface of a section of the pipe which needs stiffness.