Positioning and aligning the parts of an assembly

A process performed by one or more collaborating entities for obtaining values for one or more alignment quantities using one or more transportable devices, the values for the entirety of alignment quantities being denoted as alignment data, alignment data including the three position coordinate values and the three orientation coordinate values of one or more target objects and data derivable from the position coordinate values and orientation coordinate values of one or more target objects, the term “target object” referring to either an assembly part or any other object involved in obtaining alignment data, each transportable device or target object being associated with an individual coordinate system fixed with respect to the transportable device or target object, the position of a transportable device or target object being defined as the origin of the associated coordinate system, the orientation of a transportable device or a target object being defined as the orientation of the associated coordinate system, positions and orientations being expressed in terms of coordinate values in a common frame of reference, the process comprising:

• a step (a) for designating a transportable device and then establishing and maintaining the designated transportable device in a reference position and a reference orientation, the step being executed for each of the one or more transportable devices;
• a step (b) for establishing and then maintaining a designated transportable device in one of a class of positions and in one of a class of orientations with respect to a designated target object, the class of positions and the class of orientations each including one or more members, the step being executed for each of the one or more transportable devices with respect to one or more target objects;
• a step (c) for determining the maintained position coordinates and the maintained orientation coordinates of a transportable device when the transportable device is being maintained in a fixed position and orientation with respect to a target object from measurements of acceleration and angular velocity of the transportable device as it moves from a reference position to the fixed position and as it rotates from a reference orientation to the fixed orientation, the step being executed for each of one or more transportable devices and with respect to one or more target objects for each transportable device;
• a step (d) for determining one or more of the position coordinates and/or one or more of the orientation coordinates of a target object from the maintained position coordinates and the maintained orientation coordinates of a transportable device when the transportable device is in a maintained position and a maintained orientation with respect to the target object, the step being executed for each of one or more transportable devices and with respect to one or more target objects for each transportable device;
• a step (e) for determining the values of one or more alignment quantities utilizing one or more position coordinates and/or one or more orientation coordinates of one or more target objects.