Abstract: A hydraulically operated handler for drums and the like is mounted on the boom of a tractor so as to be selectively pivoted from a vertical position to fifteen degrees past a horizontal position. Grappling arms are mounted on a front plate which is selectively rotatable through 360.degree. by a hydraulic motor. A spindle rotatably supporting the front plate contains hydraulic operating fluid passages which are coupled through a rotating coupling mechanism to hydraulic cylinders operating the grappling arms. The selective pivotal motion together with the ability to selectively rotate the grappling hooks 360.degree. enables effective gripping and handling of drums.

Abstract: A coupling piece for releasably connecting corner fittings of adjacent containers, especially of containers stacked on top of one another on board of ships. The coupling piece includes a single-piece housing, having a locking bolt which is rotatable to different positions by an actuating device being mounted in the housing in a longitudinally shiftable manner. The single-piece housing is provided with a passage, through which an appropriately formed cross-bar of the locking bolt can be pushed while being in an assembly position.

Abstract: A support surface or deck (12), and in particular the upper-most support platform (20), of a traveler or cart (10) securely transports television monitors, audio-visual recording or playback equipment, projectors, or other heavy or bulky articles (14). The support surface includes an adjustable safety strap (20) secured to slidable and lockable anchoring devices (24) in a guide channel (26) recessed in a groove (28) in the support surface. The top surface (34) of the guide channel is flush with the deck. A pair of safety strap anchoring devices (24) enter and slide along the length of the guide channel. Each anchoring device is attached to an opposing end (22) of the safety strap which is looped over to secure or harness the article being transported. Each anchor has a set screw (44) for immobilizing the anchor at any desired position within the guide channel and an eyelet (38) with stem (40) for cinching one end of the safety strap thereto with a single bar slide (54).

Abstract: A loader mounting arrangement includes a pair of mounting frames secured to the opposite sides of the tractor frame for receiving the lower ends of the loader mast posts. Each bracket includes a transversely extending pin for receiving a C-shaped forwardly opening front portion of the mast post. The rear of the mounting frame opens upwardly to guide the aft portion of the mast post end as the mast post is rocked downwardly about the axis of the rod. Projecting pin-receiving bushings in the aft portion of the mast post end are received within mating upwardly opening pockets in the mounting frame. The bushings are positively forced into the pockets by operating the boom lift cylinders with the loader attachment on the ground to assure alignment of the mast post end and the bracket. With the bushings forced downwardly into the fully seated position within the pockets, hole in the bracket are aligned with the bushing bores, and a locking pin is easily inserted to secure the mast post to the tractor.

Abstract: A robotic handling system is described that includes a support column aligned along a vertically aligned Z axis with a dual-wand assembly rotatably mounted atop the support column and defining a `reach` or R axis. Drive motor/encoder assemblies are mounted adjacent the support column for raising or lowering the dual-wand assembly along the Z axis and mounted within the support column for slewing the dual-wand assembly to any selected .theta. angle within the range of operation under the control of a stored program processor.

Abstract: A bank having a coin slot and a repository for deposited coins is provided. The bank can detect coins deposited. A coin is returned upon deposit of a predetermined amount of money to return interest such as a nickel in interests for depositing twenty-five cents.

Abstract: An apparatus for separating and counting coins comprising a pair of rail spaced from each other to define a coin slot and a closed-loop chain for stably moving coins of different diameters on the pair of rails. The two rails are inclined with respect to a horizontal plane so that the coins are supported thereon in an inclined manner. The coin slot increases incrementally from an upstream of the coin slot to a downstream of the coin slot. Each coin, which has a diameter larger than a first width of the coin slot at the upstream and smaller than a second width of the coin slot at the downstream and moves along the coin slot, falls from the pair of rails. A counting device is suitably provided near the coin slot so that, upon falling of the coin, a count is registered.

Abstract: A car wash system includes a pair of car washing areas to either side of an upstanding wall, a pair of coin/token boxes within the upstanding wall with each having a front face opening toward an associated car was area, a coin/taken vault within the upstanding wall below the pair of coin/token boxes, and a pair of tubes leading from the coin/token box to the coin/token vault whereby coins/tokens deposited in the coin/token boxes are guided into the coin/token vault.

Abstract: A coin slide (11) bearing a coin is movable into a casing (2) of a coin lock (1) to release a locking member (14) and allow full insertion of the coin slide (11). In this position a space (recess 20) in the coin slide (11) is aligned with a space (aperture 21) in a coupling member (8) and with a space (aperture (19) in a casing position separating the coin slide (11) and the coupling member (8). A locking member (e.g. ball 18) in the apertures (19 and 21) may now be moved upwardly, on pulling of the coupling member (8), to occupy the recess (20) and the aperture (19) so as to allow complete withdrawal of the coupling member (8), e.g. to free a shopping trolley. The coin is released by reversing the procedure on re-insertion of the coupling member (8).

Abstract: A quick tie load binding system for securing loads to trucks or vehicles having a flat bed surface by uniformly pulling the binding which holds the load to the flat-bed surface. The load is secured to the vehicle by a binding which is connected to main shafts that run along opposite sides of the load and which are driven in a counter-rotational fashion from a gear box. The main shafts have binding pegs projecting outward to which the binding is attached. The gear box rotates the main shafts in opposite directions to bind or release the entire load from a single location.

Abstract: In a human-in-the-loop robotic control loop, the constrained forces and moments at the gripper (also called hand or end effector) of the manipulator are measured by a force-mement sensor. The resulting force and moment signals are scaled and fed as input voltages to motors in a hand controller to provide torques which oppose deflection of the hand controller. Thus, the operator feels the opposing torques which are proportional to the magnitude of the constrained forces and moments. The force feedback loop may be opened to selectively provide a passive control loop. In either the active or passive mode, the hand controller position signals may be selectively mapped to either gripper position signals or gripper velocity signals in order to control movement of the gripper in the desired manner.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a movable conveyor for construction sites. The platform includes: (a) a stage having two opposite end portions for conveying objects thereon; (b) a pair of elongated arms attached to the respective end portion of the stage, slidable and rotatable with respective to the stage in a horizontal plane; (c) a plurality of holders installed in the arms, the holders being adapted to grasp the structure and to hang therefrom; (d) a driving mechanisms to slide and rotate the elongated arms with respect to the stage and the holders; and (e) controller for sliding and rotating the driving mechanisms and for holders and releasing the holding, whereby the stage is conveyed with respect to the structure.

Abstract: A susceptor carrying semiconductor wafers for processing is suspended from a compliant attachment at its upper end and is lowered into a reaction chamber for processing. At the completion of processing, the susceptor is withdrawn vertically to permit a robot to unload the processed wafers and load unprocessed wafers. In order to fix the position of the susceptor during the loading operations, a support carriage is moved into position to engage the lower end of the susceptor. Noxious and corrosive chloride vapors are simultaneously withdrawn from the reaction chamber by a vacuum line attached to the support carriage.

Abstract: A rotator for use on backhoe boom to rotate attachments thereon relative to the boom. The rotator has a main support frame pivotally secured to the boom with a rotating extension mount onto which the attachment is secured. A rotary joint for hydraulic controls extends from the main support frame and a hydraulic drive motor and gear assembly engage and rotate the extension mount extending from the main support frame.

Abstract: A palletizer or depalletizer of containers with a product carrier and product support having four pickup or deposit positions providing improved operational speeds and container placement precision. The ends of two air cylinders are slidably secured to at least one crank arm of a pivot shaft disposed in the carrier, actuation of the cylinders causing rotation of the shaft and the product support.

Abstract: An improved coin sorter sorts coins of at least a first and second denomination according to their denominations. The first coin denomination defines coins which are thicker and wider than the coins of the second denomination. The coin sorter includes a rotatably mounted coin carrying disk having a resilient surface onto which coins may be fed, a mechanism for rotating the coin carrying disk, and a guideplate having a central opening in a configured surface positioned closely adjacent to the disk and over the resilient surface. The configured surface includes an inner recess area for receiving coins of all denominations from the central opening and for allowing those coins to move radially outward.

Abstract: A step device in a miniature shovel car includes a vehicle body, a working boom mounted to a front portion of the vehicle body, a boom cylinder for vertically pivotably operating the boom, a swing cylinder for horizontally pivotably operating the boom, and an engine and a transmission case both mounted on a rear portion of the vehicle body. The step device includes a recess formed at a laterally central portion of a lower surface of the transmission case and extending in a longitudinal direction of the transmission case, a step arm pivotably mounted at its front end to a front portion of the recess, and a step mounted to a rear end of the step arm. The step arm is adapted to be raised and lowered, and the step arm is retracted into the recess when raised.

Abstract: A susceptor carrying semiconductor wafers for processing is suspended from a compliant attachment at its upper end and is lowered into a reaction chamber for processing. At the completion of processing, the susceptor is withdrawn vertically to permit a robot to unload the processed wafers and load unprocessed wafers. In order to fix the position of the susceptor during the loading operations, a support carriage is moved into position to engage the lower end of the susceptor. Noxious and corrosive chloride vapors are simultaneously withdrawn from the reaction chamber by a vacuum line attached to the support carriage.

Abstract: A damper device for a precision assembling robot is capable of dampening the residual vibrations of the robot arm resulting from a lack of rigidity of the arm. The damper device is fixed to the tip of the robot arm to absorb the vibration energy of the swinging robot arm. The damper device includes a cylindrical weight member and a columnar rubber member. The damper device further includes a metallic rod inserted in the columnar rubber member. The length and position of the inserted metallic rod controls the dampening factor of the damper device. Therefore, the precision assembling robot with the damper device is capable of preventing a failure of assembly due to positioning errors resulting from residual vibrations, or nonconformities due to the impact of the robot arm against an object.

Abstract: A robotic apparatus, and components thereof, which is characterized by a high degree of modularity, enabling complex robotic mechanisms to be assembled on a customized basis from relatively standardized components on an efficient and economical basis. Individual numbers of a multi-axis device may be comprised of inverted channel-like support members, cut to predetermined length and provided at the extremities of their flange walls with opposed, longitudinally extending track strips. A movable carriage mounts series of guide rollers engageable with and guided and confined by the track strips for movement along a predetermined axis defined by the support member. A drive sprocket, driving by a digitally controlled stepping motor, with a drive sprocket, is mounted at one end of the support member and an idler sprocket at the opposite end.