Workpiece carrier locating and clamping mechanism for assembly line arrangement

Claim 1

In an assembly line arrangement defining a linear conveying path for successive workpiece carriers for a workpiece, which comprises a succession of work stations, each work station having a conveyor section and the conveyor sections of successive ones of the work stations being arranged in series to constitute the linear conveying path, the conveyor section of each work station having a succession of areas each of which accommodates a respective one of the workpiece carriers and at least one of the successive areas being a waiting area and at least one other one of the areas being a processing area for working on the workpiece, and each conveyor section including guide means for vertically and laterally supporting and guiding the successive workpiece carriers along the conveying path and drive means spaced along and separate from the guide means, the drive means being operable for driving each workpiece carrier only through the waiting area of the conveyor section, and means for stopping and securely clamping a respective one of the workpiece carriers in a respective one of the processing areas, the improvement of the stopping means being independent of the clamping means and including a stop operable between a rest position permitting the workpiece carrier to be driven from the one processing area to a successive one of the areas and an arresting position wherein the stop retains the workpiece carrier in the one processing area, the clamping means including a selective stop-defining means affixed to the workpiece carrier and a detent element depressable into engagement with the stop-defining means for accurately locating the workpiece carrier retained in the processing area by the stop in the arresting position thereof.