A device for measuring a pressure of a vehicle closure member includes a pressure sensitive tip, a base, a plurality of electrical conductors, and a neck. The pressure sensitive tip is configured to output an electronic signal that corresponds to a pressure at the pressure sensitive tip. The electrical conductors electrically couple the pressure sensitive tip to the base. The neck includes an inner layer and an outer layer. The inner layer is disposed about the electrical conductors. The outer layer is disposed about the inner layer. The neck is flexible along a length of the neck.

Systems and methods permit automatic joining of a network associated with a specified area within which wireless nodes reside. Network managers located in or near the specified area use wireless proximity detection to estimate distances to wireless nodes requesting to join the network. The network managers can use the estimated distances to determine whether or not a requesting wireless node is located within the specified area. If the requesting wireless node is located within the specified area, the network managers can permit the wireless node to join the wireless network associated with the respective specified area.

A method of visually checking for alignment between an instrument panel ornament and a door ornament is provided. The method includes locating an enlarged head portion of an alignment tool on a top edge of the instrument panel ornament. The enlarged head portion includes a side measurement feature with a height for checking for a misalignment condition between the instrument panel ornament and the door ornament. It is determined whether a top edge of the door trim ornament is located within the height of the side measurement feature with the enlarged head portion resting on the top edge of the instrument panel ornament.

A vehicle is able to be set to operate in a factory mode (as opposed to a normal mode) in which certain features are disabled, such as an alarm system, a power liftgate, etc. This allows assembly workers to assemble, test, and calibrate the vehicle without various systems in the vehicle being undesirably activated. While in the factory mode, the vehicle can accomplish multiple ignition on/off cycles while being tested or driven between stations. A steering column and connected steering wheel are provided in the vehicle, and are situated between an instrument panel and a front seat. In response to the ignition completing an on/off cycle, a controller commands a motor to move the steering wheel and steering column to a predetermined position that is based on a visibility of the instrument panel relative to the steering wheel and steering column.

A parallel cell based mobility production system is disclosed. The system includes a serial production line composed of a plurality of cells arranged in series, and through which the vehicles of various types are sequentially passed to be processed. The system further includes a parallel production line composed of a plurality of sublines arranged in parallel, wherein each subline is provided with the plurality of cells arranged in series and matched for each vehicle type, and in which a vehicle passing through the serial production line is fed to a corresponding subline for each vehicle type. Furthermore, the system includes an inspection line in which the vehicles of various types passing through the parallel production line are sequentially fed.

A method and system for automatically inspecting an apparatus is provided. The method includes receiving an initial set of software scripts for executing an autonomous inspection process with respect to an apparatus for inspection. A vehicle is directed to a specified geographical location associated with the apparatus for inspection. Hand gesture commands and voice commands of an individual associated with inspecting the apparatus are detected via audio and video retrieval devices of the vehicle and a specified distance is maintained between the vehicle and the individual. In response to the commands, an autonomous inspection process with respect to the apparatus for inspection is executed and a modified set of software scripts for executing future autonomous inspection processes with respect to additional apparatuses for inspection is generated.

An automobile manufacturing plant for manufacturing automobiles has a series of manufacturing sites including a part forming shop, a body shop, a paint shop and an assembly shop. Each manufacturing site is associated with a respective inspection site. The respective inspection sites provide inspection data representing at least one of dimensional characteristics, shape characteristics or surface characteristics of the car body parts, the car body, the painted car body and the car-on-wheels produced in the series of manufacturing sites. The inspection data from the plurality of inspection sites is correlated in a common data base server. Inspection sites at a later stage of the manufacturing process can use inspection data from previous stages and automatically decide whether or not a car body part, the car body, the painted car body or the car-on-wheels has to be reworked.

A quality management apparatus includes an acquisition unit and an extraction unit. The acquisition unit acquires, about products to be managed, a rate of occurrence of a malfunction on an occurrence period basis, an operation condition of the products, and a manufacturing condition for the products. The extraction unit classifies the rate of occurrence into layers under the operation condition, and extracts, for each layer under the operation condition, a relationship between the rate of occurrence and the manufacturing condition.

A system for vibration inspection of a vehicle for inspecting a quality of the vehicle assembled in a vehicle factory's in-line may include an inspection table for guiding and fixing the vehicle to a predetermined inspection position, a sensor detachable robot configured for attaching or detaching vibration sensors to various parts of the vehicle, a vibrating robot configured of generating vibration for the vibration inspection of the vehicle, and an inspection server that analyzes the vibration signal received from the vibration sensor during the vibration inspection of the vehicle, and determines the vehicle to be in inspection pass if the vibration signal matches the normal signal set according to a natural vibration frequency characteristic of each part of the vehicle, and determines the vehicle to be in inspection fail if the vibration signal does not match the normal signal.

A robot system has at least one robot that performs predetermined work on at least first and second work portions among a plurality of work portions, and a plurality of locators each having a locate pin movable in three axial directions orthogonal to one another, and that position the workpiece with the locate pins being inserted into the holes at a first position where the robot performs work on the first work portion, and a control device that controls operation of the plurality of locators, in which after the work of the robot on the first work portion is completed, the control device controls the plurality of locators while keeping a state that the locate pins are inserted into the holes, so as to change a position of the workpiece from the first position to a second position where the robot performs work on the second work portion.