Abstract: A hollow container is formed with a thin-walled, plastic body; and a discrete plastic handle is attached by ultrasonic energy to the plastic body. The handle has a pair of spaced bosses at each end of the handle with a central opening therein to receive an ultrasonic horn. A plurality of integral, energy-directing protrusions are spaced from one another on the bosses to be melted and mixed with the plastic of the container. The energy directors melt first and mix with the plastic of thin-walled bottle to provide a secure attachment. The preferred container and preferred handle are each made of PET plastic.

Abstract: Two plastic pieces such as a handle and a container are welded together using an ultrasonic horn. Protrusions serving as energy directors are arranged on one piece in a substantially circular array, in a starburst design. A hole or cavity is formed at a central axis of the circular array so that the amount of energy concentrating at inner ends of the energy directors will not create a burned spot or a hole in the container. The ultrasonic energy at the inner ends of the protrusions is concentrated at the smaller inner area defined by the inner ends of the protrusions to first melt inner ends of the protrusions and then the entire protrusions.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for joining a plastic insert or component to a plastic base having a recess therein. The component is provided with integral projections thereon that are in a circular array with the projections being separated circumferentially from one another by spaces. The projections are force-fitted against the plastic base. The plastic of projections is caused to flow circumferentially into the spaces, and the plastic of the base is caused to flow into the spaces where the plastics are melded together. Then the flowed, melded plastics are brought to a solid condition with spaces now filled with solid, melded plastics that interlock the components to the base against rotation relative to one another and to prevent them from being pulled apart. The preferred component is a boss. The boss may be inserted into a recess in the plastic base, and a shoulder on the boss may abut the plastic base and limit the insertion of the boss into the base.

Abstract: Two plastic pieces such as a handle and a container are welded together using an ultrasonic horn. Protrusions serving as energy directors are arranged on one piece in a substantially circular array, in a starburst design. A hole or cavity is formed at a central axis of the circular array so that the amount of energy concentrating at inner ends of the energy directors will not create a burned spot or a hole in the container. The ultrasonic energy at the inner ends of the protrusions is concentrated at the smaller inner area defined by the inner ends of the protrusions to first melt inner ends of the protrusions and then the entire protrusions.

Abstract: A hollow container is formed with a thin-walled, plastic body; and a discrete plastic handle is attached by ultrasonic energy to the plastic body. The handle has a pair of spaced bosses at each end of the handle with a central opening therein to receive an ultrasonic horn. A plurality of integral, energy-directing protrusions are spaced from one another on the bosses to be melted and mixed with the plastic of the container. The energy directors melt first and mix with the plastic of thin-walled bottle to provide a secure attachment. The preferred container and preferred handle are each made of PET plastic.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for joining a plastic insert or component to a plastic base having a recess therein. The component is provided with integral projections thereon that are separated from one another by spaces. The component is inserted into the recess with the projections force-fitted against the plastic base. The plastic of projections is caused to flow into the spaces, and the plastic of the base is caused to flow into the spaces where the plastics are intermixed. Then, the flowed, intermixed plastics are brought back into a solid condition with spaces now filled with solid, intermixed plastics that interlock the components to the base against rotation relative to one another and to prevent them from being pulled apart. The preferred projections are spaced in rows and have inclined sidewalls extending outwardly to small, cross-sectional, free ends for rapidly melting and flowing into the spaces.

Abstract: A bolt and nut formed from a plastic material are provided with the bolt having proximate and distal ends and the nut having an interior surface defining a bore. Raised projection members are formed integrally extending from the nut interior surface into the bore and together define a diameter slightly smaller than the shank diameter. In this manner, an interference fit is provided between the shank and projection members. With the bolt shank inserted through aligned holes in parts to be fastened, the nut can be mounted on the distal end of the bolt shank, as by a force fit, and slid thereon by exerting an axial force on the nut until the parts are clamped between the bolt head and nut.

Abstract: Disclosed is an insert comprising a tubular plastic body having a hollow, axially extending threaded interior, and a plurality of interlocking portions preferably in the form of integrally formed plastic protrusions extending outward from the plastic body. The insert is maintained by force-fit engagement within a corresponding recess in a plastic base. Thereafter, the plastics of the body, protrusions and base are brought to a flowable condition at their interface to integrally bond the insert to the base and/or to interlock portions of the base and insert. The threaded interior of the insert remains intact during this insert bonding procedure to then accept and threadably engage with a threaded member, which may be metal or any other material. The metal threaded fastener may be already threaded into the insert at the time of bonding together of the plastics of the insert and base so that a driving of the metal fastener into the base is eliminated.

Abstract: A digital position and velocity feedback system is provided for a multiaxis robot control and it employs an LSI chip to process incremental position signals for position change and velocity computations. At low speeds, velocity is computed from the reciprocal of elasped time. At higher speeds, velocity is computed from the rate at which incremental position signals are generated.

Abstract: Circuitry is provided for applying a pulse width modulation (PWM) scheme to a brushless DC motor that operates as a robot axis drive. A pulse width modulation (PWM) scheme provides for digital implementation of robot control commands. For this purpose, it provides time stabilized current sampling synchronized to the sampling frequency of the position and velocity loops in the robot control. The brushless drive application circuitry provides for application of the PWM control outputs to commutate the motor energization from winding pair to winding pair.

Abstract: A coordinate conversion system is provided for moving the manipulator arm and hand in repsonse to an input command signal of the 3.times.4 matrix type. The manipulator is provided with a fixed offset between two of the secondary wrist axes so that a stronger wrist configuration is provided which can handle heavier payloads.

Abstract: A digital robot control is provided with digital position, velocity and torque control looping to operate joint motors associated with multiple axes of the robot. Motion programming includes planning and trajectory programs for generating position commands for the control looping on the basis of acceleration, slew and deceleration values that specify robot program specifications for timed moves.

Abstract: A digital control is provided for a robot having a plurality of arm joints. The control includes an electric motor for driving each of the robot arm joints and a power amplifier supplies drive current to each motor.Each joint motor has feedback control loop means including at least digital position, velocity and torque control loops operable at a predetermined sampling rate to control the associated power amplifier. Digital motor position, velocity and drive current feedback signals are generated for the control loop means for all of the robot axes.Paired system microprocessors or paired position/velocity microprocessors generate position commands for the feedback control loop means in accordance with predefined moves set forth in a robot program. A planning program generates a time profile including acceleration, slew and deceleration time segments for each commanded robot program move.

Abstract: A digital control for a robot having a plurality of arm joints includes an electric motor for driving each of the robot arm joints and a power amplifier operable to supply drive current to each motor. Pulse width modulators generate digital control signals for the power amplifiers.Feedback control loop means for each joint motor includes at least position, velocity and torque control loops operable to control the associated power amplifier. Motor position, velocity and drive current feedback signals are generated for the control loop means for all of the robot axes.A position/velocity microprocessor control executes a planning program to generate a time profile including acceleration, slew and deceleration time segments for implementing each commanded robot program move.

Abstract: The invention is a wire harness fabrication apparatus for use in the manual fabrication of wire harnesses and as a wire receiving member for use in combination with an automated factory cell. The apparatus is a rotatable cylindrical member with a continuous surface upon which the wire is disposed. The wire is secured to the continuous surface by clamps and the various branches of the harness are defined by further clamps and routing pins. The various lengths of wire are secured to the surface as the cylindrical member rotates about a generally horizontal axis. Upon completion of the fabrication of the wire harness, the cylindrical member is rotated in the opposite direction to remove the wire harness.

Abstract: A control system for manipulator apparatus having a manipulator arm movable in a plurality of axes utilizes resolved compliant motion control to improve servo response characteristics. The position and velocity of the manipulator arm are controlled using load modeling to account for compliance in the arm and to synthesize feedback signals representing movement of a remote point of the arm to provide a loop bandwidth greater than is possible using feedback signals from inner less remote points of the manipulator that are closer to the drive points. The feedback signals are derived using predetermined combinations of force related feedback signals from the axis drive arrangements and position and velocity feedback signals of the manipulator apparatus at points closer to the main drive and support structure of the manipulator and before certain compliant portions of the manipulator arm.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to an improvement for an apparatus which utilizes a preheating step in which the wire heat content of a consumable electrode is increased by means other than the welding current. Thus, the invention provides in combination with at least a first source of electrical power for heating a consumable electrode, a first electrode contact tip having a bore therethrough, a second electrode contact tip having a bore therethrough and a dielectric element having a bore therethrough disposed between the first and second electrode contact tips. The bores are adapted to receive therethrough the consumable electrode for the application of electrical power thereto. The bore of at least one of the electrode contact tips is axially displaced relative to the electrode contact bore of the other electrode contact tip. The invention provides several embodiments whereby either one of the electrode tip bores or the bores of both electrode contact tips are axially displaced.

Abstract: Manipulator apparatus is provided with an energy efficient control arrangement. The control arrangement in a point-to-point mode of operation utilizes a servo valve to selectively admit fluid from a pressurized source to one end of a cylinder. A piston is slidably mounted within the cylinder and connected to move a manipulator arm that is movable in a plurality of axes. The servo valve is closed when a predetermined arm velocity is reached and a bypass valving arrangement is opened to interconnect the ends of the cylinder. At a predetermined position of the manipulator arm, the control arrangement closes the bypass valving arrangement and the manipulator arm is decelerated as the arm approaches the desired final position.

Abstract: Control apparatus for manipulator welding apparatus is provided that includes a vision correction system for workpiece sensing. During an initial teach mode, the manipulator is taught the desired welding path on a workpiece and data is recorded representing the welding path relative to a frame of reference defined by the workpiece. In addition to the data representing the taught welding path and the frame of reference, data representing one or more reference images or templates are also recorded in the teach mode. As successive workpieces are presented to the manipulator for performing the desired welding path, the control apparatus in a repeat work cycle mode is first controlled to measure and define the new location and orientation of the frame of reference in accordance with the workpiece. The new frame of reference data is utilized to modify the path data.

Abstract: A programmable automatic assembly system is provided which may be employed to assemble small parts. Each assembly station includes cooperating manipulator arms which are programmable to assemble parts on a centrally located work table. Improved facilities are provided for teaching the manipulator arms at each station, these facilities including a computer which assists the teaching operator in setting up the programs required for assembly of small parts to close tolerances. Each manipulator arm includes closed loop teach facilities for maintaining the arm at a previously located position during the teaching mode of operation. The computer is employed as a teach assist facility in performing a number of tasks during the teaching operation which are extremely difficult for the operator to perform manually. All of the assembly stations may be controlled during playback from a common disc storage facility so that the control circuitry and memory storage facilities at each manipulator are minimized.