Orienting small parts with passive juggling

Abstract

Motivated by the problems of flexible manufacturing and parts feeding in sensorless assembly, a flat, level vibrating table is proposed as a means of orienting small parts for assembly. Ideas inspired by academic literature regarding juggling and dynamic manipulation are used to design an oscillatory motion of the table for simple 1 and 3 degree of freedom parts. Passive juggling, in which a part is repeatedly caught and tossed by the table without sensing or feedback, forms the fundamental manipulation strategy. The oscillation is intended to ensure attraction to a predetermined orientation from any initial orientation within a few seconds, without the need for sensing or fixtures. Preliminary simulation results suggest the feasibility of this approach.

Citation

Swanson, P. (1997), "Orienting small parts with passive juggling", Assembly Automation, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 122-128. https://doi.org/10.1108/01445159710171338