Provided is an insertion guide that performs accurate rotation correction between a shaft and a hole and phase correction between the shaft and hole. The shaft includes: a first guide portion at a distal end of the shaft having a diameter smaller than a diameter of the hole; a second guide portion, provided on a base end side of a first narrow cylindrical portion, and having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the hole and larger than a diameter of the first narrow cylindrical portion; and a third guide portion, provided at the distal end of the shaft, and is a recessed portion to be engaged with a protruding portion formed in the hole. The shaft being inclined with respect to the hole, is brought into contact with the hole at two points or less before the third guide portion is brought into contact with the protruding portion.

An automated assembly apparatus includes an assembly robot, which has a plurality of hands of different heights and an XY-axis moving unit movable in a horizontal direction, and a plurality of operation base units which have operation bases and Z-axis moving unit capable of moving the operation bases in a vertical direction. The automated assembly apparatus further includes a control unit which raises in advance, before the assembly robot reaches above the operation bases, the operation bases by the Z-axis moving unit to positions where the operation bases do not interfere with the plurality of hands.

An apparatus for detecting a weather strip seam includes a sensing roller connected to one surface of a weather strip and rotating along with movement of the weather strip, a load cell unit sensing a signal corresponding to force transmitted to the sensing roller in the weather strip, and a controller that senses a seam formed in the weather strip using the signal sensed by the load cell unit.

A horizontal assembly press apparatus for performing a press-fit operation of a workpiece assembly along a horizontal axis includes a machine body unit, two moving units, two camera units, two pressing bed units and a processing unit. The machine body unit includes two main machine bodies defining an operating channel therebetween. The moving units are respectively and movably disposed on the main machine bodies. The camera units fetch images of the workpiece assembly entered the operating channel and output image signals. The pressing bed units are operated to press the workpiece assembly. The processing unit receives and analyzes the image signals, determines a target position of the horizontal axis, controls movement of the moving units to bring the pressing bed units to the target position, and controls movement of the pressing bed units to perform the press-fit operation of the workpiece assembly.

A method of assembling a detail to a flexible member includes positioning the detail against a plurality of reader pogos, and axially displacing the plurality of reader pogos to substantially conform to a detail contour. The method additionally includes recording reader pogo position data representing the detail contour, clamping a flexible member against a plurality of positioning pogos, and axially displacing the plurality of positioning pogos complementary to the reader pogo position data. In addition, the method includes deflecting, using the positioning pogos, the flexible member into a contour corresponding to the reader pogo position data, and assembling the detail to the flexible member.

An automated assembly apparatus includes an assembly robot, which has a plurality of hands of different heights and an XY-axis moving unit movable in a horizontal direction, and a plurality of operation base units which have operation bases and Z-axis moving unit capable of moving the operation bases in a vertical direction. The automated assembly apparatus further includes a control unit which raises in advance, before the assembly robot reaches above the operation bases, the operation bases by the Z-axis moving unit to positions where the operation bases do not interfere with the plurality of hands.

An insertable fastener installation apparatus for a flat substrate has a thickness, T. A roller press station is used to press T-nuts into holes in the substrate. An optical vision system detects the location of the holes in the moving substrate and aligns the t-nuts with the holes. A computer controlled pick and place robot takes T-nuts from an escapement of a hopper feed system and aligns, but does not fully insert, the t-nuts in the substrate. A conveyor system feeds the substrates through the optical vision system, the pick and place robot station and the roller press station. A first roller is spaced apart from a second roller by a gap in the roller press station and the gap is less than the thickness of the substrate. The hopper feed system includes a bulk hopper, a bowl, a track and an escapement.

A system includes an alignment system. The alignment system includes a first bladder configured to be positioned under a first component of a first gas turbine system. The alignment system further includes a first valve configured to adjust a first flow of fluid from a fluid source to the first bladder to expand the first bladder to adjust a position of the first component of the first gas turbine system.

Example methods and apparatus to align threaded fasteners are disclosed herein. An example apparatus includes a socket to hold a fastener and a sensor disposed adjacent the socket. The sensor is to measure acoustic waves near the socket while the socket rotates the threaded fastener in a reverse-thread direction against an end of a threaded pin. The example apparatus also includes an electronic control unit to determine whether the fastener and the threaded pin are aligned based on the acoustic waves measured by the sensor.

When plate-shaped components are inserted in the correct order and orientation into component insertion grooves of a component assembly jig, the component insertion grooves are blocked by the plate-shaped components, and the blowing of compressed air is stopped. When the blowing of compressed air from the component insertion grooves is stopped, the pressure in a compressed-air path increases, and an alignment-complete lamp is illuminated. Using the component assembly jig enables an assembly operation for overlapping the plurality of plate-shaped components in the correct order and orientation, without excess or deficiency, to be efficiently performed without error.