The general purpose of sensors is to obtain information on the system. However, in many cases, sensors cannot provide all the information on the system being controlled. On the other hand, the controller system does not need all the information in the process to guide the system into the goal, which provides the opportunity of utilizing simple sensors and then reducing the operational cost and time. The key point is that the information needed from the strategy should match the information which can be provided from the sensory signal. The difficulty left is due to the dependence between the sensor selection and strategy investigation. In other words, the two issues, (a) how to select the sensors and (b) how to form the commanded action, depend on each other. Benefited from the pre-image concept proposed by Lozano-Perez, Mason and Taylor1 and the attractive region concept proposed in the author’s previous work (2000), a logical method to design the pre-image of the goal is presented in this paper. Then the requirement of sensory feedback and the design of commanded action are given. Within this principle, the strategies in the robotic assembly with force sensors are investigated and applied in experiments in the present paper. It should be noted that the robotic assembly plays an important role in manufacturing automation. Also the assembly strategy presented here can be used with any machine.

Issue Section:
Technical Papers
Keywords:
sensors, motion control, robot vision, controllers, manufacturing processes, manipulators
Topics:
Force sensors, Manufacturing, Robotic assembly, Sensors, Signals, Uncertainty, Feedback, Path planning
1.
Lozano-Perez, T., Mason, M. T., and Taylor, R. H., 1983, “Automatic Synthesis of Fine Motion Strategies,” 1st International Symp. of Robotics Research, pp. 65–96.
2.
Lazanas
,
A.
, and
Latombe
,
J. C.
,
1995
, “
Motion Planning with Uncertainty: A Landmark Approach, Motion Planning with Uncertainty: A Landmark Approach
,”
Artif. Intel.
,
76
, pp.
287
–
317
.
3.
Erdmann, M., 1984, “On Motion Plannign with Uncertainty,” Tech Report 810, AI Lab., MIT, Cambridge, MA.
4.
Erdmann
,
M.
,
1986
, “
Using Backprojections for Fine Motion Planning with Uncertainty
,”
Int. J. Robot. Res.
,
5
, No.
1
, pp.
19
–
45
.
5.
Canny, J. F., and Goldberg, K. Y., 1994, “RISC for Industrial Robotics: Recent Results and Open Problems,” IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.
6.
Canny, J. F., and Reif, J. H., 1987, “New Lower-bound Techniques for Robot Motion Planning Problems,” Proceedings of 28th Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science, Los Angeles, CA, pp. 49–60.
7.
Qiao, H., 2000, “Attractive Region in the Environment,” IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Vol. 2, pp. 1420–1427.
8.
Simunovic, S., 1975, “Force Information in Assembly Processes,” Proc. 5th Int. Symp. on Ind. Robots, Soc. of Manufacturing Engineers Illinois Inst. of Technology Res. Inst.-Robot List of AM, pp. 415–431.
9.
Whitney
,
D. E.
,
1982
, “
Quasi-static Assembly of Compliantly Supported Rigid Parts
,”
ASME J. Dyn. Syst., Meas., Control
,
104
, No.
1
, pp.
65
–
77
.
10.
Cho
,
H. S.
,
Warnecke
,
H. J.
, and
Gweon
,
D. G.
,
1987
, “
Robotic Assembly: A Synthesizing Overview
,”
Robotica
,
5
, No.
2
, pp.
153
–
165
.
11.
Qiao
,
H.
,
Dalay
,
B. S.
, and
Knight
,
J. A. T.
,
1996
, “
Robotic Assembly Operation Strategy Investigation Without Force Sensors Through the Research on Contact Point Location and Range of Peg Movement
,”
Proc. ImechE, Journal of Mechanical Engineering
,
210
, pp.
481
–
485
.
12.
Qiao
,
H.
, and
Tso
,
S. K.
,
1998
, “
Strategy Investigation of Precise Robotic Assembly Operations with Symmetric Regular Polyhedral Objects
,”
Proc. ImechE, Journal of Mechanical Engineering
,
212
, pp.
571
–
589
.
13.
Qiao
,
H.
, and
Tso
,
S. K.
,
1999
, “
Three-step Precise Robotic Peg-hole Insertion Operation with Symmetric Regular Polyhedral Objects
,”
Int. J. Prod. Res.
37
, pp.
3541
–
3563
.
14.
Brost
,
R. C.
,
1988
, “
Automatic Grasp Planning in the Presence of Uncertainty
,”
Int. J. Robot. Res.
,
7
, No.
1
, pp.
3
–
17
.
15.
Jameson, J., 1985, “Analytic Techniques for Automated Grasp,” PhD thesis, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University.
16.
Goldberg, K. Y., 1990, “Stochastic Plans for Robotic Manipulation,” PhD thesis, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Technical Report CMU-CS-90-161.
17.
Goldberg
,
K. Y.
,
1993
, “
Orienting Polygonal Parts Without Sensors
,”
Algorithmica
,
10
, pp.
23
–
24
.
18.
Lynch
,
K. M.
, and
Mason
,
M. T.
, (
1996
) “
Stable Pushing: Mechanics, Controllability, and Planning
,”
Int. J. Robot. Res.
,
15
, No.
6
, pp.
533
–
556
.
19.
Akella
,
S.
, and
Mason
,
M. T.
,
1998
, “
Posing Polygonal Objects in the Plane by Pushing
,”
Int. J. Robot. Res.
,
17
, No.
1
, pp.
70
–
88
.
20.
Inoue, H., 1974, “Force Feedback in Precise Assembly Tasks,” Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, AI Memo-308 (Reprinted in Winston, P. H., and Brown, R. H., eds., Artificial Intelligence: An MIT Perspective, MIT Press, 1979).
21.
Galloway
,
G.
, and
Goumas
,
P.
,
1986
, “
Force/torque Sensing in Automated PCB Assembly: A Case Study
,”
Robotic Engineering
,
8
(
9
), pp.
6
–
11
.
22.
Inoyama, G. T., and Takeyasu, K., 1974, “Precise Insertion Operation by Tactile Controlled Robot HI-T-HAND Expert 2,” Proc. 4th International Symposium on Industrial Robots Tokyo, Japan, Soc. of Manufacturing Engineers Illinois Inst. of Technology, pp. 154–160.
23.
Inoyama, G. T., and Takeyasu, K., 1980, “Precise Insert Operation by Tactile Controlled Robot,” The Industrial Robot, pp. 210–213.
24.
Hirzinger, G., and Brunet, U., 1983, “Fast and Self-improving Compliance Using Digital Force-Torque-Control,” 4th International Conference on Assembly Automation, pp. 268–281.
25.
Hopkins
,
S. H.
,
Bland
,
C. J.
, and
Wu
,
M. H.
,
1991
, “
Force Sensing as Aid to Assembly
,”
Int. J. Prod. Res.
,
29
(
2
), pp.
293
–
301
.
26.
Kim, H. G., 1991, “A New Interpretation of Force/Servo Control of Robot Arms,” IEEE/RSJ International Workshop on Intelligent Robots and Systems IROS’91, pp. 1623–1627.
27.
Lee, C. S. G., and Smith, R. H., 1984, “Force Feedback Control in Insertion Process Using Pattern Analysis Technique,” Amer. Control Conference, San Diego, U.S.A., American Automatic Control Council, pp. 39–44.
28.
Kakinuma, T. M., and Yokoyama, S., 1985, “One Procedure Concerning the Peg-hole Insertion of the Assembly Operation,” Proc. 15th. Int. Symp. on Industrial Robots, Tokyo, Japan, pp. 811–817.
29.
Piller, G., 1982, “A Compact Six Degree of Freedom Force Sensor for Assembly Robot,” Proceedings of the Twelfth International Symposium on Industrial Robots (IFS Publications, UK), pp. 121–129.
30.
Qiao
,
H.
,
Dalay
,
B. S.
, and
Parkin
,
R. M.
,
1993
, “
A Robotic Peg-hole Insertion Operation Using a Six Component Force Sensor
,”
Proc. ImechE, Journal of Mechanical Engineering
,
207
, pp.
289
–
306
.
Copyright © 2002
 by ASME
You do not currently have access to this content.