A system for controlled distribution of components, the system including a vibrating bowl provided with an enclosure having a wall extending right around an axis of revolution of the bowl and in which the components are placed in bulk, and an articulated gripping arm provided to distribute the components to the automatic assembly installation, the vibrating bowl including an ascending helical ramp extending along an internal face of the wall between a base and an upper edge of the vibrating bowl constituting an exit of the ramp, the components being able to travel along this ramp towards a supply platform, particularly a slide, on which at least one component is arranged in advance of its seizure by the articulated gripping arm, the supply platform being connected to the exit and extending above or in the enclosure of the vibrating bowl.

An automatic locking device for assembling a part to a workpiece is provided. The device includes a feeding mechanism, a fixture mechanism, a loading and unloading mechanism, a lifting mechanism, a rotating mechanism, and a locking mechanism. The feeding mechanism feeds the part to the fixture mechanism. The loading and unloading mechanism places the workpiece on the part. The lifting mechanism lifts up the fixture mechanism together with the part and the workpiece. The rotating mechanism rotates the fixture mechanism. The locking mechanism locks the part to the workpiece after the part and the workpiece are rotated by the rotating mechanism. The automatic locking device integrates multiple functions in a single station, reduces the number of the work stations and operatives, lowers the cost, and improves accuracy of the assembly. An assembling apparatus including the automatic locking device is also provided.

A system for singulating objects includes a bin for receiving a collection of objects, a robotic manipulator for grasping objects from the bin, a scale for measuring a weight of the grasped objects, and a computer system for comparing measured weights to acceptable weight ranges to detect double picks. Methods include determining acceptable weight ranges by weighing a plurality of objects.

A projection portion is formed on a distal end surface of a supply rod with which a surface of a flange is brought into close contact. A circular-arc receiving surface is formed at a boundary portion between the distal end surface and the projection portion, and is configured to fit a flange outer peripheral portion. One side of the circular-arc receiving surface is continuous with the distal end surface, and another side of the circular-arc receiving surface is continuous with an inclined guide surface. The close contact of the flange with the distal end surface is achieved with a magnet of an advancing/retreating type provided in the supply rod.

A robot includes a gripping section adapted to grip an object by open and close a pair of finger sections, a moving device adapted to relatively move the object and the gripping section, and a control device adapted to control the moving device to move the gripping section relatively toward the object, and dispose the pair of finger sections in a periphery of the object, and then control the gripping section to open and close the pair of finger sections in a plane parallel to a mounting surface on which the object is mounted, pinch the object between the pair of finger sections from a lateral side of the object, and grip the object with the gripping section at at least three contact points.

A pick tooling device including a pick tool configured to pick up an object such as fastener, and a driver having a drive bit that is configured to drive the fastener. The pick tool may be a pneumatically-operable gripper tool that is used to pick up the fastener, or the pick tool may be a vacuum-operable pick tool that utilizes suction to pick up the fastener. The drive bit may be axially movable relative to the pick tool to engage and drive the fastener picked up by the pick tool. The device may include a tool changer having one side that is operably connected to the driver, and another side that is operably connected to a fastener-specific pick tool, in which the pick tool can be separated from the driver to permit quick-changeover to a different type of pick tool.

Disclosed is a pick and place device comprising of a novel mechanism that can be used to pick up and move a payload from one location to another location and descend and release such payload before repeating the cycle. This same device can act as a rotary/linear linkage to provide the horizontal motion of the device and also become a straight-line generator to provide vertical motion and alternate between the two thus generating a rectangular type motion. This novel mechanism provides balanced force distribution through the system as well as appropriate acceleration control of the payload and moving mechanism components during the work cycle to ensure a smooth and efficient overall performance.

A plurality of workpieces on which components are to be placed are lined up in a row and held by a workpiece holding body, and the workpiece holding body is placed on a carrier and is transported to a working position using a transport conveyor. After the workpiece holding body is chucked by a chuck portion, the workpiece holding body is separated from the carrier by linking an operation of lifting and lowering the chuck portion using a lifting-lowering mechanism and an operation of moving the carrier in a transport direction. The chuck portion which chucks the workpiece holding body is rotated by a rotation mechanism, postures of the plurality of workpieces which are held in the workpiece holding body are adjusted, and then, the components are placed on component placing parts using a placing head.

A tooling system has means for applying a vacuum to hold the fastener at the working end of the tool. A cavity in a hollow pusher pin has lateral ports for exclusively providing a airway between the vacuum source and the fastener. In other embodiments of the invention the pusher pin has fastener-gripping jaws in the form of balls moveable within lateral passageways in the pusher pin open into the cavity. The balls are biased inwardly against the fastener by an outer elastic band on the tool body which encircles the pusher pin. When adapted for installing magnetic-release type fasteners, the bottom end of the pusher pin is of reduced diameter for insertion into a magnetic release fastener. The fastener-receiving panel is supported by an anvil having a magnet whereby the fastener is released from the pusher pin as the fastener is pressed into the panel.

The present disclosure relates to a clamping apparatus and a transport device. The clamping apparatus comprises: a base; a support plate, stacked with the base in a vertical direction; a locking assembly, by which the support plate is connected to the base, wherein the locking assembly comprises a first locking member disposed on the support plate and a second locking member disposed on the base, the support plate is movable in the vertical direction and is capable of being connected to or separated from the base by connection or separation of the first locking member to or from the second locking member, and a horizontal load is able to be transmitted between the support plate and the base via the locking assembly; and a clamping assembly disposed on a surface of the support plate facing away from the base.