Patent ID: 8434214

Claim:
Apparatus for assembling vehicle bodies comprising: a sensor assembly for sensing longitudinal X, lateral Y, and vertical Z positions of a vehicle body in connection with assembly of the vehicle body; the sensor assembly including a stationary base, an upper base, and a top base, the top base including a vertical tower mounting a Y sensing pad; a Y slide assembly of the sensor assembly including tracks and slide blocks that mount the upper base on the stationary base for movement along the lateral Y direction; an X slide assembly of the sensor assembly including tracks and slide blocks that mount the top base with the vertical tower and a pin thereon on the upper base for movement along the longitudinal X direction; a Z slide assembly including a slidable track mount that mounts the pin on the vertical tower for movement along the vertical Z direction; an X magnetostrictive linear position sensor that senses the longitudinal X position of upper base and thus of the pin of the vertical tower on the top base along the X direction; a Y magnetostrictive linear position sensor that senses the lateral Y position on the stationary base of the upper base and thus of the Y sensing pad on the vertical tower along the Y direction; a Z magnetostrictive linear position sensor that senses the vertical Z position of the pin on the vertical tower along the Z direction; the X, Y, and Z magnetostrictive linear position sensors of the sensor assembly generating signals of the X, Y, and Z positions sensed; a controller that receives the X, Y, and Z signals from the sensor assembly; and a vehicle body assembly device operated by the controller for use in the vehicle body assembly with the signals of the X, Y, and Z positions from the sensor assembly through the assembly device providing assembly manipulation of the vehicle body assembly.