Abstract: A conveyor assembly having a pallet including a deformable drive pin. The drive pin is comprised of urethane and is operable to deform as the pallet engages the teeth of a pallet driving sprocket employed to drive the pallet around curved end portions of the conveyor. The deformability of the drive pin enables smoother engagement of the pallet with the pallet driving sprocket teeth when the drive pin does not fall perfectly inbetween adjacent teeth of the pallet driving sprocket. The deformable drive pin is also disposed within oversized openings allowing the drive pin to be urged outwardly by a tooth of the pallet driving sprocket as the deformable drive pin comes into contact with the tooth. The pallet further includes a drive block for holding the deformable drive pin, the drive block having leg portions operable to circumscribe at least a portion of the pallet driving sprocket.

Abstract: A variable compliance assembly is disclosed for use in automatic assembly operations. The variable compliance assembly includes a housing having an interior chamber; a base member, positioned on the surface of the interior chamber, moveable in a multi-directional fashion; a fluid spring operably associated with the housing and base member for controlling the multi-directional movement of the base member and for returning the base member to a normal, self-centering seating position; and a mechanism for associating a pressurized fluid source with the fluid spring to vary the amount of control exerted by the fluid spring on the base member.