An apparatus for positioning a workpiece carrier in a machining station includes at least one positioning device. The workpiece carrier is movable on a rail system and one or more machining stations are arranged along the rail system for machining a workpiece arranged on the workpiece carrier. The at least one positioning device is arranged in an area of the machining station and has fixtures for positioning and high-precision retention of the workpiece carrier with respect to a stationary reference surface. The positioning device further includes fixtures for decoupling the workpiece carrier from the rail system, and a deceleration and acceleration device for the workpiece carrier.

A vehicle precision location assembly including a precision shoe mounted on the vehicle and having planar surfaces which converge towards an end of the shoe and intersect along an edge inclined with respect to the horizontal and a pair of rollers mounted alongside a track and having their axes of rotation canted with respect to each other such that each roller contacts the shoe surfaces along a line substantially parallel to the axis of the roller whereby the vehicle will be centered in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the vehicle and without any play in the transverse direction regardless of wear.

In a transfer apparatus in which a pallet is stationary when the crossing angle between the axes of rotation of a driven roller and a driving shaft is zero, and the pallet may be driven when the angle is greater than zero, a stop-start apparatus comprising a cam follower roller supported by a support member of said driven roller, a stopper block guided and supported at a stop position of the pallet so as to move to and fro in the directions of the transfer and having a notch into which said cam follower roller fits so as to keep said angle zero, a cam the proximal end of which is pivotally supported at a forward position of said stop position having a cam surface on which said cam follower roller makes a rolling contact, a spring urging said cam to a predetermined position, the distal end of said cam, in said predetermined position, being near said notch and said cam being so shaped as to increase said angle from zero to 45 degrees from said distal end toward the proximal end.

Disclosed is an automatic carrier system having one or more self-propelled robotic carriers for carrying products-in-assembly between assembly stations of an automated assembly line. The running speed and stopping position of individual carriers is controlled by command indicators. The carriers are capable of stopping within a small distance of a desired position relative to an assembly station. Each carrier supports a pallet upon which is slidably disposed a subpallet. Each assembly station has a robotic arm upon which is located a positioning member and an assembling tool. Accurate positioning of product-in-assembly is effected by lowering the positioning member, which comprises two cylinders with tapered openings, over a pair of positioning projections mounted on the slidable subpallets. As the positioning projections slide within the tapered opening of the positioning member cylinders, the sloped surface of the tapered opening causes the positioning projections to move toward the center of the cylinders. When the positioning member reaches its lowermost point, the positioning projections are centered in the cylinders, thus causing the subpallet and workpiece to be in the desired position relative to the assembling machine.