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Precise positioning and compliance synthesis for automatic assembly using Lorentz levitationMany manufacturing assembly tasks require fine compliant motion and fast, accurate positioning. Conventional robots perform poorly in these tasks because of their large mass, friction and backlash in gears, cogging in drive motors and other deleterious effects. Even robots equipped with special control systems enabling compliant operation offer only partial solutions. It is difficult or impossible to automate many product assemblies requiring fine, compliant motion. This problem can be greatly alleviated by dividing the manipulation system into coarse and fine domains. In this scenario, a standard industrial robot can serve as a coarse positioner which in turn carries a six degrees of freedom fine motion wrist. Thus the robot can access a workspace measured in meters at low bandwidth and low resolution while the wrist can move over millimeters at high bandwidth and high resolution during the final phase of the assembly operation. Work indicates that fine motion wrists using Lorentz levitation can greatly augment the accuracy and dexterity of robots because they are frictionless, have high bandwidths and have a single back drivable moving part. Also, since there is no contact between the moving and stationary parts, wear and contamination can be eliminated. The use of six Lorentz force actuators in combination with real time position and orientation sensing offers several important advantages over magnetic bearing approaches.
Document ID
19920018554
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Hollis, R. L.
(IBM Research Lab. Yorktown Heights, NY., United States)
Salcudean, S.
(British Columbia Univ. Vancouver., United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
May 1, 1992
Publication Information
Publication: NASA. Langley Research Center, International Symposium on Magnetic Suspension Technology, Part 2
Subject Category
Mechanical Engineering
Accession Number
92N27797
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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