Patents by Inventor Velibor Kilibarda
Velibor Kilibarda 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).
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Publication number: 20110172788Abstract: Disclosed is a method for controlling a plurality of machines. The method includes identifying a first prerequisite operating condition for a first machine in the plurality of machines, the first machine having at least one control unit and configured to perform at least a first operation, obtaining at least one current operating condition corresponding to a second machine in the plurality of machines and if the at least one current operating condition meets the first prerequisite operating condition, performing the first operation.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 12, 2011Publication date: July 14, 2011Applicant: COMAU, INC.Inventors: Velibor Kilibarda, David Wang
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Publication number: 20110162191Abstract: A motor vehicle car body framing apparatus for use at a welding station, the apparatus including a gate having a frame structure and a plurality of tooling members carried by the frame structure for use in positioning components of the vehicle body at the welding station for welding. The tooling members are mounted on the frame structure by a plurality of mounting brackets. Each mounting bracket includes a base member mounted on the frame structure and a riser mounted on the base and mounting a respective tooling member. The riser is fixedly mounted on the base by a single central fastener bolt which may include a reduced diameter portion sized to break away in response to predetermined impact against the riser. Each mounting bracket further includes means defining a triangulated mounting interface between the base and the riser arranged in concentric relation to the fastener bolt.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 3, 2011Publication date: July 7, 2011Applicant: COMAU, INC.Inventor: Velibor Kilibarda
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Publication number: 20110138601Abstract: A vehicle body positioning and locking devices for use in assembling a vehicle body positioned on a movable vehicle support positioned at a vehicle build station. The locking device includes a remote vehicle locking device for selectively securing and locking a vehicle body to a support pallet. The support pallet is accurately and precisely positioned at a build station through alignment and inserting engagement of locating pads in at least one four-way and at least one two way receiver mounted to a build station foundation.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 15, 2010Publication date: June 16, 2011Applicant: COMAU, INC.Inventor: Velibor Kilibarda
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Publication number: 20110099788Abstract: A final assembly machine and method of using the final assembly machine for the sequential building and assembly of a passenger vehicle. The final assembly machine includes a frame, body support and lifting device for receiving, supporting and selectively and independently raising and lowering a vehicle body along a production assembly line while additional components are installed on the vehicle. Component carts may be removably attached to the assembly machines to provide the necessary components to be installed along the assembly line eliminating storage of build components next to the assembly lines. In one example, the final assembly machines may be independently powered, and guided along an assembly line through a plurality of build stations for increased efficiency and use of assembly plant resources.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 28, 2010Publication date: May 5, 2011Applicant: COMAU, INC.Inventor: Velibor Kilibarda
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Patent number: 7896217Abstract: A motor vehicle car body framing apparatus for use at a welding station, the apparatus including a gate having a frame structure and a plurality of tooling members carried by the frame structure for use in positioning components of the vehicle body at the welding station for welding. The tooling members are mounted on the frame structure by a plurality of mounting brackets. Each mounting bracket includes a base member mounted on the frame structure and a riser mounted on the base and mounting a respective tooling member. The riser is fixedly mounted on the base by a single central fastener bolt which may include a reduced diameter portion sized to break away in response to predetermined impact against the riser. Each mounting bracket further includes means defining a triangulated mounting interface between the base and the riser arranged in concentric relation to the fastener bolt.Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2006Date of Patent: March 1, 2011Assignee: Comau, Inc.Inventor: Velibor Kilibarda
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Publication number: 20100329820Abstract: A motor vehicle car body framing apparatus for use at a welding station, the apparatus including a gate having a frame structure and a plurality of tooling members carried by the frame structure for use in positioning components of the vehicle body at the welding station for welding. The tooling members are mounted on the frame structure by a plurality of mounting brackets. Each mounting bracket includes a base member mounted on the frame structure and a riser mounted on the base and mounting a respective tooling member. The riser is fixedly mounted on the base by a single central fastener bolt which may include a reduced diameter portion sized to breakaway in response to predetermined impact against the riser. The interface between the riser and the base comprises a plurality of contact points arranged in concentric relation with respect to the fastener bolt.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 21, 2010Publication date: December 30, 2010Applicant: COMAU, INC.Inventors: Velibor Kilibarda, Michael R. Dugas, William T. Maybee, Hans Nikesch
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Publication number: 20100241260Abstract: Disclosed here is a method for controlling at least one industrial device using a remote infrastructure environment having at least one computing resource and a cloud communication network. The method includes establishing communication between the at least one industrial device and the remote infrastructure environment, transmitting data from the at least one computing resource using the cloud communication network to a plant communication network, the at least one industrial device configured to perform at least one predetermined function in response to at least a portion of the transmitted data and receiving data from the at least one industrial device by the at least one computing resource using the cloud communication network, the received data generated in response to performance of the at least one predetermined function.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 17, 2010Publication date: September 23, 2010Applicant: Comau, Inc.Inventors: Velibor Kilibarda, David Wang
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Patent number: 7784665Abstract: A motor vehicle car body framing apparatus for use at a welding station, the apparatus including a gate having a frame structure and a plurality of tooling members carried by the frame structure for use in positioning components of the vehicle body at the welding station for welding. The tooling members are mounted on the frame structure by a plurality of mounting brackets. Each mounting bracket includes a base member mounted on the frame structure and a riser mounted on the base and mounting a respective tooling member. The riser is fixedly mounted on the base by a single central fastener bolt which may include a reduced diameter portion sized to breakaway in response to predetermined impact against the riser. The interface between the riser and the base comprises a plurality of contact points arranged in concentric relation with respect to the fastener bolt.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2007Date of Patent: August 31, 2010Assignee: Comau, IncInventors: Velibor Kilibarda, Michael R. Dugas, William J. Maybee, Hans Nikesch
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Publication number: 20100180711Abstract: A robotic end effector system and method having a plurality of end effectors which are selectively suitable for particular applications on a workpiece. The end effectors include a resident controller adapted to execute tasks specific to the end effector and are rapidly attachable and removable from the robot for easy change over to different workpieces.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 19, 2010Publication date: July 22, 2010Applicant: COMAU, INC.Inventors: Velibor Kilibarda, Joseph Cyrek, David Reid
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Patent number: 7677428Abstract: A motor vehicle body framing apparatus located at a welding station of a motor vehicle assembly line for use in precisely positioning body panels arriving at the welding station for welding. The apparatus includes a base structure positioned at the welding station and having a longitudinal extent in the direction of body panel movement and a transverse extent; a parking structure upstanding vertically from the base structure on either side of the welding station and each defining parking devices; and a pair of longitudinal side gates each carrying tooling fixtures for engagement with body side panels and each including parking devices operative in coaction with the parking devices on the upstanding parking structures to precisely position the gates on the parking structure and thereby precisely position the tooling fixtures relative to the body panels.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2007Date of Patent: March 16, 2010Assignee: Comau, Inc.Inventor: Velibor Kilibarda
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Publication number: 20090289043Abstract: A palletized framing system for a motor vehicle body assembly system in which the pallet with a body structure positioned thereon is positioned at the framing station on balls to establish the vertical Z dimension with the pallet free to float on the balls in longitudinal X and lateral Y dimensions, whereafter positioners carried by one of the gates of the framing station engage and lock onto the pallet to precisely position the pallet and the body structure at the framing station at X and Y dimensions corresponding to the precisely attainable X and Y positioning of the gate.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 24, 2008Publication date: November 26, 2009Applicant: Comau, Inc.Inventor: Velibor Kilibarda
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Publication number: 20090285666Abstract: A method and apparatus for welding motor vehicle body component subassemblies at a weld station. First and second pallets are arranged for reciprocal movement between a load/unload station and the weld station and the pallets are alternately moved from a load/unload station to the weld station while the other pallet is moved from the weld station to a load/unload station. Each pallet has a plurality of substations for receipt of component subassemblies and, while each pallet is at the load/unload station, the component subassembly at each substation is moved to the next successive substation and a further component is added to the moved component.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 13, 2008Publication date: November 19, 2009Applicant: COMAU, INC.Inventor: Velibor KILIBARDA
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Publication number: 20090234488Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing the delivery of component parts and tooling to a robotic welding assembly positioned on a motor vehicle body assembly line. Automatic guided vehicles deliver component parts from a source of parts to a parts staging area on the robotic welding assembly including a substage awaiting area, a substage in-use area and a substage empty area, and further automatic guided vehicles deliver tooling from a tooling management area to the robotic welding assembly whereafter the tooling, upon model changeover, is moved to a tooling use area proximate the assembly line whereafter, upon further model changeover, the tooling is removed from the tooling use area and loaded onto an automatic guided vehicle for return to the tooling management area.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 31, 2008Publication date: September 17, 2009Applicant: COMAU, INC.Inventor: Velibor Kilibarda
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Patent number: 7510109Abstract: An apparatus and method for randomly interchanging up to four pairs of side framing gates at a framing station of a vehicle assembly line while maintaining a predetermined build cycle time interval of the assembly line. The system employs first and second carousels positioned on opposite sides of the assembly line upstream of the framing station and third and fourth carousels positioned on opposite sides of the production line downstream of the framing station.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2005Date of Patent: March 31, 2009Assignee: Comau Pico, Inc.Inventors: Velibor Kilibarda, Leonard A. Zanger
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Publication number: 20090071943Abstract: A weld gun in which the first weld arm is fixedly but removably connected to the weld gun body and the second weld arm includes a first arm segment, pivotally mounted at one end thereof on the gun body and pivotally connected at another end thereof to the gun actuator, and a second arm segment fixedly but removably connected atone end thereof to an intermediate portion of the first arm segment. Conversion of the gun from an X axis configuration to a Y axis configuration is achieved by removing the second arm segment from the first arm segment, removing the first weld arm from the body, rotating the second arm segment and the first weld arm through 90°, attaching the first arm to the first arm segment, and connecting the second arm segment to the body.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 10, 2008Publication date: March 19, 2009Applicant: COMAU, Inc.Inventor: Velibor Kilibarda
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Publication number: 20090008457Abstract: An apparatus for positioning a workpiece carrier with respect to a workstation can include a workpiece carrier movable relative to the workstation and having an encoder strip, at least one encoder reader located at the workstation for generating a signal in response to interaction with at least one encoder strip, and a drive engaging the workpiece carrier for moving the carrier relative to the workstation, the drive responsive to the signal from the encoder reader. The encoder reader can be selected from a group consisting of an optical encoder reader, a magnetic encoder reader, and any other absolute positioning encoder reader. A closed loop feedback control system can be provided for receiving the signal from the encoder reader, and for generating an output signal in response to the signal from the encoder reader in accordance with a program stored in memory.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 16, 2008Publication date: January 8, 2009Applicant: Comau, Inc.Inventor: Velibor Kilibarda
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Publication number: 20080295335Abstract: A method for randomly interchanging up to four pairs of side framing gates at a framing station of a vehicle for randomly interchanging up to four pairs of side framing gates at a framing station of a vehicle assembly line while maintaining a predetermined build cycle time interval of the assembly line. The method includes positioning first and second carousels on opposite sides of the assembly line upstream of the framing station and third and fourth carousels on opposite sides of the production line downstream of the framing station.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 28, 2008Publication date: December 4, 2008Applicant: COMAU, INC.Inventors: Velibor Kilibarda, Leonard A. Zanger
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Patent number: 7416130Abstract: An apparatus for positioning a workpiece carrier with respect to a workstation can include an encoder reader located in a fixed position at a workstation for generating a signal in response to interaction with at least one encoder strip, a workpiece carrier movable along a path of travel through the workstation, and having an encoder strip connected thereto, the encoder strip operably interacting with the encoder reader located at the workstation, and a non-direct drive or friction drive engaging the workpiece carrier for moving the carrier along the path of travel through the workstation, the non-direct drive or friction drive responsive to the signal from the encoder reader in a closed loop feedback control system. The encoder reader can be selected from a group consisting of an optical encoder reader, a magnetic encoder reader, and any other absolute positioning encoder reader.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2006Date of Patent: August 26, 2008Assignee: Comau, Inc.Inventor: Velibor Kilibarda
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Publication number: 20080116247Abstract: A motor vehicle body framing apparatus located at a welding station of a motor vehicle assembly line for use in precisely positioning body panels arriving at the welding station for welding. The apparatus includes a base structure positioned at the welding station and having a longitudinal extent in the direction of body panel movement and a transverse extent; a parking structure upstanding vertically from the base structure on either side of the welding station and each defining parking devices; and a pair of longitudinal side gates each carrying tooling fixtures for engagement with body side panels and each including parking devices operative in coaction with the parking devices on the upstanding parking structures to precisely position the gates on the parking structure and thereby precisely position the tooling fixtures relative to the body panels.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 25, 2007Publication date: May 22, 2008Applicant: COMAU INC.Inventor: Velibor Kilibarda
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Publication number: 20080084013Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing motor vehicle sub-assemblies with unrestricted model mix and quick changeover between models. The apparatus includes a track; a carriage mounted for longitudinal movement along the track between first and second positions; and first and second turrets rotatably mounted on the carriage at longitudinally spaced locations and each including a plurality of circumferentially spaced individual faces and unique tooling fixtures on the respective faces for receiving unique work piece components corresponding to a plurality of motor vehicle body styles.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 21, 2006Publication date: April 10, 2008Applicant: Progressive Tool & Industries, Co.Inventor: Velibor Kilibarda