Assembly process workstation

Work Device for Assembly Processes

This technology is an end-effector mounted on a manipulator tip. It includes a moving part that presses and grips flexible objects through vertical motion driven by a drive unit, and a fixed part equipped with a support plate where the flexible object is seated. Through fine-adjustment and fixed-adjustment units, it enables multi-degree-of-freedom fine movement—including forward/backward, left/right, and rotational motion—during the fastening of flexible objects, allowing for precise assembly.

Existing industrial grippers are composed of rigid bodies, making precise position control and gripping force regulation difficult when handling flexible objects. They are often unable to fasten connectors located deep within a board, while high-end multi-degree-of-freedom robotic hands are complex to control and lack cost-effectiveness.

This technology uses a ball-screw-based vertical drive moving part and a fixed part to grip flexible objects. It provides degrees of freedom for the object's position through a fine-adjustment unit (forward/backward, left/right, rotation) utilizing ball plungers and elastic elements, along with a fixed-adjustment unit. A force sensor module regulates gripping force in real-time to prevent damage to the flexible object and improve fastening success rates. Applicable to logistics picking, service robots, and manufacturing automation, it improves the gripping and coupling of flexible bodies to connectors, enhancing the success rate of insertion through precise position control.

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Key Features:

• A work device for assembly processes that moves a flexible object via a manipulator to fasten it to a connector, comprising a body installed on the manipulator to move toward the connector, and a drive unit installed inside the body.
• A work device for assembly processes including a fine-adjustment unit installed on the upper side of the body, which provides degrees of freedom to the flexible object through forward/backward, left/right, and rotational movement.
• A fixed part with one end installed on the lower side of the body and the other end positioned below the moving part, equipped with a support plate on its upper surface for the flexible object to be seated.
• A moving part installed on the lower side of the body that moves vertically via the drive unit to press and grip the flexible object.

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for the development of safety modules with a maximum output range of 150Nm and force-torque/joint sensor technology for dual-arm working robots.