A fastening device for feeding fasteners to a workpiece and for joining it, the fastening device comprising a fastening tool, a fastening device system. The fastening device including a magazine arrangement mounted on the fastening tool. The magazine arrangement having a magazine for holding a fastener, a magazine plate, and a base plate. The magazine plate includes a plate body and a closure arrangement with a closure slider adapted to move between an open position and a closed position, and a toggle mechanism adapted to move the closure slider from the closed position to the open position.

A method for determining a position of a workpiece includes: acquiring image data of a workpiece via a camera which defines an optical axis parallel to an impact direction of a tool in a z-direction; searching for a reference structure of the workpiece using the acquired image data; determining a current position of at least one point of the structure in an x/y direction relative to the optical axis; comparing the current position with a nominal position thereof;

generating commands to place the tool to an area of the workpiece to be machined; and, determining the current position in the z-direction of the optical axis by determining a current x/y image size of the structure and by determining a distance of the structure from the camera by comparison with the known x/y size of the structure and considering the distance of the structure from the camera when generating the commands.

An attachment for an end effector. The attachment may include a clamp and a foot adhesively bonded to an edge of the clamp and having a set of interlocking features that form a mechanical interlock with the clamp.

The present invention discloses a riveting robot, comprising: a robot part provided on a chassis, and detachably coupled with a riveting tool part through a hydraulically quick change disk; a visual position identification part provided on a side of the hydraulically quick change disk and secured on the sixth axis of the front end of the robot part; an automatic rivet feeding part provided on a mounting baseplate which is secured on a chassis through a two-stage vibration damping structure; a riveter tailing material collection part used for collecting tailing materials produced during riveting; a riveting quality judgment part used for collecting riveting data, and processing and generating a riveting curve to realize judgment of the riveting quality. A riveting robot system provided in the present invention can realize unmanned quick mounting of a pulling rivet at a specific riveting position; a vibration damping structure effectively isolates interference of riveting operation of a robot from a vibration source; radial and axial damping mechanisms can absorb axial and radial impact energies during the process of rivet pulling and mounting, ensuring that the operating accuracy of the riveting robot system and service life of the riveting robot mechanism.

Methods and apparatuses for aligning a first hole in a first panel with a second hole in a second panel to define a through-hole. A wall that defines the second hole is gripped from within the through-hole to pull the second panel towards the first panel and thereby establish a clamp-up of the first panel and the second panel.

A robot vision-based automatic rivet placement system and method. The automatic rivet placement system includes: an industrial robot installed on a frame, a multi-functional end effector, a rivet blowing mechanism, a detection disk, and a rivet holding tray. The multi-functional end effector consists of a flange disk, a support frame, an industrial CCD camera, a laser displacement sensor, a spring, a mixing rod, and a vacuum nozzle. The multi-functional end effector is connected to a terminal end of the industrial robot via the flange disk. The industrial CCD camera is installed directly in front of the support frame, and is used to acquire a rivet image and measure a rivet parameter. The laser displacement sensor is installed at a side surface of the support frame, and is used to measure a rivet depth.

A method and apparatus for building a fuselage assembly for an aircraft. A number of fixtures may be drive across a floor to an assembly area to form an assembly fixture. The fuselage assembly may be built on the assembly fixture.

An apparatus for accessing an interior of a fuselage assembly. A tower having a number of platform levels may be driven into a selected tower position within an assembly area. The interior of the fuselage assembly may be accessed using the number of platform levels.

A method and apparatus for building a fuselage assembly for an aircraft. A number of fixtures may be drive across a floor to an assembly area to form an assembly fixture. The fuselage assembly may be built on the assembly fixture.

A method for performing operations on a target workpiece including taking an operating tool unit by an industrial robot, carrying the tool unit to the workpiece, releasing the tool unit at the workpiece, moving the robot away from the tool unit, performing one or more operations on the workpiece through the tool unit while the tool unit moves with the workpiece; and retrieving the tool unit from the workpiece after the tool unit has performed the one or more operations on the workpiece. A robotic assembly for performing a method including at least one industrial robot, at least one operating tool unit, and a quick tool changer for detachably coupling the tool unit with the industrial robot including a first tool changer part arranged in the industrial robot and a second tool changer part arranged in the operating tool unit.