Patents by Inventor Douglas Martin Linn

Douglas Martin Linn has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Programmable pogo welding apparatus and method
    Patent number: 6621036
    Abstract: A pogo welding apparatus especially for spot welding metal sheets at selected locations spaced away from their edges wherein the sheets are held in a temporary assembly with the selected locations engaged and separate programmable positioners move a primary (pogo) electrode and a backup electrode sequentially against opposite sides of the selected locations to spot weld the sheets at the selected locations in sequence. Various alternative programmable positioners, including robots of varying types, may be used to carry the electrodes. A multi head back-up electrode is adapted for efficient use of the apparatus and method in difficult to reach workpiece locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Peter C. Sun, Pei-Chung Wang, Charles Weldon Wampler, II, Douglas Martin Linn
  • Programmable pogo welding apparatus and method
    Publication number: 20030038118
    Abstract: A pogo welding apparatus especially for spot welding metal sheets at selected locations spaced away from their edges wherein the sheets are held in a temporary assembly with the selected locations engaged and separate programmable positioners move a primary (pogo) electrode and a backup electrode sequentially against opposite sides of the selected locations to spot weld the sheets at the selected locations in sequence. Various alternative programmable positioners, including robots of varying types, may be used to carry the electrodes. A multi head back-up electrode is adapted for efficient use of the apparatus and method in difficult to reach workpiece locations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2002
    Publication date: February 27, 2003
    Inventors: Peter C. Sun, Pei-Chung Wang, Charles Weldon Wampler, Douglas Martin Linn
  • PROGRAMMABLE POGO WELDING APPARATUS AND METHOD
    Publication number: 20020104829
    Abstract: A pogo welding apparatus especially for spot welding metal sheets at selected locations spaced away from their edges wherein the sheets are held in a temporary assembly with the selected locations engaged and separate programmable positioners move a primary (pogo) electrode and a backup electrode sequentially against opposite sides of the selected locations to spot weld the sheets at the selected locations in sequence. Various alternative programmable positioners, including robots of varying types, may be used to carry the electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2001
    Publication date: August 8, 2002
    Inventors: Peter C. Sun, Pei-Chung Wang, Charles Weldon Wampler, Douglas Martin Linn
  • Programmable pogo welding apparatus and method
    Patent number: 6429397
    Abstract: A pogo welding apparatus especially for spot welding metal sheets at selected locations spaced away from their edges wherein the sheets are held in a temporary assembly with the selected locations engaged and separate programmable positioners move a primary (pogo) electrode and a backup electrode sequentially against opposite sides of the selected locations to spot weld the sheets at the selected locations in sequence. Various alternative programmable positioners, including robots of varying types, may be used to carry the electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Peter C. Sun, Pei-Chung Wang, Charles Weldon Wampler, II, Douglas Martin Linn
  • Programmable adaptable assembly system
    Publication number: 20020077721
    Abstract: A positioner for use in a tooling apparatus, the positioner including a tool, at least one servo-motor for actuating said tool, a controller for controlling the servo-motor, nonvolatile memory in the controller, and a calibration stored in the nonvolatile memory, the calibration including compensation parameters for the build variance of the positioner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2000
    Publication date: June 20, 2002
    Inventors: Douglas Martin Linn, Gerald Charles Rieck, Charles Weldon Wampler, Kevin U. Carriere