Manufacturing of a shoe or a portion of a shoe is enhanced by executing various shoe-manufacturing processes in an automated fashion. For example, information describing a shoe part may be determined, such as an identification, an orientation, a color, a surface topography, an alignment, a size, etc. Based on the information describing the shoe part, automated shoe-manufacturing apparatuses may be instructed to apply various shoe-manufacturing processes to the shoe part, such as a pickup and placement of the shoe part with a pickup tool.

Systems and methods for retuning a surface to a nominal geometry using local reference points are disclosed. The system can include an imaging device for detecting the location of local features on an object. The system can use the location of local features, as opposed to an absolute reference frame, to determine one or more reference areas and one or more surface defects on an object. The system can then determine a nominal geometry for the surface (i.e., a surface that is substantially free of surface defects) and calculate the tool path necessary to create a nominal geometry. The system can machine the surface and, in some cases, rescan the surface to ensure the operation has machined the part to the nominal geometry.

A computer-implemented method executed by a robotic system for performing a positional search process in an assembly task is presented. The method includes decomposing, by the robotic system, a perturbation motion into a plurality of actions, the perturbation motion being a motion for an assembly position searched by the robotic system, each action of the plurality of actions related to a specific direction. The method further includes performing reinforcement learning by selecting an action among decomposed actions and assembly movement actions at each step of the positional search process based on corresponding force-torque data received from at least one sensor associated with the robotic system. The method also includes outputting a best action at each step for completion of the assembly task as a result of the reinforcement learning.

This method includes a step for the extraction of robot control program creation data from an animation program displaying an assembly sequence for the manufacturing of an assembled product with a plurality of parts, a step for the addition of predetermined robot control data to the robot control program creation data, and a step for the creation of a robot control program relating to the assembly operations of the assembled product using the robot control program creation data and the predetermined robot control data. A robot control program for manufacturing an assembled product with a plurality of parts can be easily generated.

An apparatus and a method for assembling optical module. The apparatus includes: a plurality of fixtures, an alignment mechanism, a power supply, a spectroscopic prism with a light incident surface close to the plurality of optical modules to be aligned, a first color image collecting means close to a first light emitting surface of the spectroscopic prism and a second color image collecting means with a second light emitting surface of the spectroscopic prism; the controller is configured to determine a light spot that does not meet a quality requirement according to the positions and/or sizes of the plurality of imaging light spots, and generate a corresponding aligning instruction, and determine a to-be-assembled lens necessary to be adjusted according to a color of the light spot that does not meet quality requirements, and output the aligning instruction to an alignment mechanism to adjust a position of the lens necessary to be adjusted.

A method of operating an automated machine is provided for inserting wires into grommet cavity locations of an electrical connector to compensate for manufacturing tolerances associated with the electrical connector. The method comprises inserting wires into grommet cavity locations of the electrical connector based upon a plug map having offset values to compensate for manufacturing tolerances associated with the electrical connector. The method may further comprise selecting from a plurality of pre-generated plug maps having offset values the closest matching pre-generated plug map for the electrical connector based upon offset values associated with each of the plurality of pre-generated plugs maps. The selected pre-generated plug map having offset values corresponds to the plug map used to insert wires into grommet cavity locations of the electrical connector.

A robot apparatus includes: a robotic arm provided with a robotic hand capable of changing its position and its orientation by using joints; a visual sensor which measures a position or an orientation of a gripped object gripped with the robotic hand at a measurement teaching point; and a control device. The control device controls the position or the orientation of the gripped object when the gripped object is attached to an attachment target object at a corrected teaching point corrected based on a measurement result by the visual sensor. In this case, the control device determines a measurement teaching point, where the measurement with the visual sensor takes place, such that a driving direction of each of the joints from the measurement teaching point to the corrected teaching point is set to a definite driving direction.

A method for producing or assembling a product which includes at least two components, for example a motor vehicle or a motor vehicle module, by at least two fixing parts. The first fixing part is formed as a female part and the second fixing part is formed as a male part. The components disposed at a processing station and the first fixing part are measured by a measuring device, for example by a stationary camera or a camera fastened on a first or a second manipulator or photogrammetry bar having three cameras, and a deviation from a target geometry or target position is determined, and a corrected target position of the second fixing part is calculated on the basis of the determined deviation, such that the second fixing part is joined together with the first fixing part by the first manipulator and the product is thus produced.

In order to hold a long member without using a fixing jig and without deforming the long member in holding the long member, a long member assembling device is provided with: multiple hand parts for gripping a long member; and arm parts and trunk parts for moving the hand parts to adjust the positions of the hand parts gripping the long member. The hand parts have a configuration such that, when the positions thereof are adjusted by the arm parts and the trunk parts, the hand parts are capable of moving in the longitudinal direction of the long member while gripping the long member.

A device and method for automated computer controlled manufacture of assemblies composed of discrete linked product segments includes reciprocating product segment grippers having surface features engageable with the product segments, at least one robotic manipulating device whereby the product segments may be engage the product segment grippers. A fastener-insertion device is included to engage a fastener linking the product segments together, a segment container containing interchangeable product segments. The device also includes a machine vision device for verifying the identity of the selected product segment. A computer operated control mechanism with associated hardware and software operates and controls the reciprocating product segment grippers, the robotic manipulator arms, the machine vision device, and the fastener-insertion device.