An apparatus and method for supporting an article during transport is disclosed. The apparatus includes a support surface oriented to support an underside of an article to be transported. The apparatus also includes a plurality of pins distributed over at least a portion of the support surface and movable between an extended position and a retracted position, the plurality of pins being urged into the extended position such that a lateral retaining portion of each pin protrudes above the support surface. The underside of the article, when received on the support surface, causes a first portion of the plurality of pins underlying the article to be depressed into the retracted position while a second portion of the plurality of pins remain in the extended position such that the lateral retaining portions of pins disposed adjacent to the article constrain the article to prevent movement of the article on the support surface while being transported.

The inventive concept provides a substrate transfer robot. The substrate transfer robot includes a fastening body; a support body protruding to a front from the fastening body, and supporting a bottom surface of the substrate if the substrate is positioned in a first posture; a gripper member coupled to the fastening body and relatively movable with respect to the support body; and a gripper driver moving the gripper member between a first position and a second position, and wherein the gripper member includes: a first gripper positioned at a side of the support body; and a second gripper positioned at another side of the support body, and wherein an alignment pin for aligning a position of the substrate is installed at the support body, and if a position at which the substrate is aligned with the support body is referred to as a reference position, the first position is a position at which the first gripper and the second gripper contact a substrate positioned at the reference position to grip the substrate, and the second position is a position at which the first gripper and the second gripper are spaced apart from the substrate positioned at the reference position, and the first posture is a posture that a top surface of the substrate is horizontal to the ground.

An automated assembly apparatus, characterized by comprising an assembly robot having a plurality of hands, the plurality of hands being movable in an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction by an X-axis moving unit and a Y-axis moving unit, and a plurality of workbenches which are provided with Z-axis moving unit and which are movable in a Z-axis direction by the Z-axis moving unit. A work area is independently provided for the plurality of workbenches, a width of a predetermined work area among the work areas is larger than clearance widths of the plurality of hands, widths of the work areas other than the predetermined work area are smaller than the clearance widths of at least some of the plurality of hands, and the hand which performs a job on the predetermined work area is disposed at a lowermost level in the Z-axis direction.

A box unpacking device includes a robot, and a cutting device. A robot hand is attached to a wrist of the robot. The robot hand has a holding device configured to hold a packed box. The cutting device has a cutting blade of which the point is oriented downward or obliquely downward. The robot can move the box held by the holding device in a vertical plane, and change an angle of the box in the vertical plane.

An end effector is disclosed that is configured for connection to a robotic unit used to manipulate a door of a vehicle (e.g., during vehicle painting). The end effector includes a base plate; a sensor that is supported by the base plate; and a piston that is configured for engagement with the door. The piston is operatively connected to an interrupter such that movement (displacement) of the piston causes corresponding movement (displacement) of the interrupter between a first position, in which the interrupter is positioned in alignment with a signal transmitted across the sensor to interfere with the signal and thereby interrupt circuit completion, and a second position, in which the interrupter is out of alignment with the signal transmitted across the sensor to permit circuit completion and thereby inform the robotic unit that the door is present and engaged with the end effector.

An automated assembly apparatus, characterized by comprising an assembly robot having a plurality of hands, the plurality of hands being movable in an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction by an X-axis moving unit and a Y-axis moving unit, and a plurality of workbenches which are provided with Z-axis moving unit and which are movable in a Z-axis direction by the Z-axis moving unit. A work area is independently provided for the plurality of workbenches, a width of a predetermined work area among the work areas is larger than clearance widths of the plurality of hands, widths of the work areas other than the predetermined work area are smaller than the clearance widths of at least some of the plurality of hands, and the hand which performs a job on the predetermined work area is disposed at a lowermost level in the Z-axis direction.

A robot assembling system comprises a first assembling workstation, a second assembling workstation, and a robot. The first assembling workstation is configured to assemble a contact of a connector assembly and a light guide pipe of the connector assembly to form a contact subassembly. The second assembling workstation is configured to assemble the contact subassembly and a cage to form the connector assembly. The robot is configured to transmit the cage, the light guide pipe, the contact, or the contact subassembly between the first assembling workstation and the second assembling workstation and configured to assist an assembling operation at the first assembling workstation and the second assembling workstation.

A robot assembling system for assembling a multi-layer cage comprises a first assembling workstation, a second assembling workstation, a third assembling workstation, and a robot. The multi-layer cage includes a bottom case, a top case, a partition plate, and a partition assembly. The first assembling workstation assembles the partition plate and the partition assembly to form a partition device. The second assembling workstation assembles the partition device and the top case to form a top case assembly. The third assembling workstation assembles the top case assembly and the bottom case to form the multi-layer cage. The robot transmits the bottom case, the top case, the partition plate, the partition assembly, the partition device, or the top case assembly between the workstations. The robot assists an assembly process at each of the workstations.

A packing foam positioning jig for assembling a piece of packing foam to a workpiece includes a suction tube. The suction tube includes a rod body and a positioning seat. The rod body is coupled to the positioning seat. The rod body defines a suction channel. The positioning seat defines at least one suction hole. The at least one suction hole communicates with the suction channel. The positioning seat includes at least one positioning post protruded from an outer surface of the positioning seat. The piece of packing foam is sleeved on the at least one positioning post. The at least one suction hole suctions the piece of packing foam. The at least one positioning post and the at least one suction hole cooperate to assemble the piece of packing foam to the workpiece.

A part manipulator includes a robot arm movable between a pick station and a place station. The part manipulator includes an end effector coupled to a distal end of the robot arm. The end effector includes a part support fixture and a pin gripper adjacent the part support fixture. The pin gripper includes a pin member and a pin actuator operated to move the pin member between a retracted position and an extended position. A distal end of the pin member extends from the part support fixture in the extended position to engage and hold a part against the part support fixture in the extended position. The pin member is configured to pick up the part in the extended position at the pick station. The pin actuator is configured to release the part at the place station when the pin member is moved to the retracted position.