Sensor-based analysis of high-precision insertion tasks

This paper investigates the mechanism of a high-precision insertion process from the viewpoint of sensory information. Tolerance considered in the present study is approximately 5 /spl mu/m. Currently the assembly task is being conducted by skilled human workers. In order to analyze the insertion task, we focus on force and moment information and inclination measurements. A conventional approach, i.e. a position-based analysis, is not appropriate for such a narrow dimensional tolerance because it is unlikely that human operators conduct the task based on position information. This paper presents a newly developed, high-sensitivity moment sensor and experimental results in high-precision insertion tasks.