A compliance unit includes a return piston that causes a first body and a second body to return to a home position and a locking mechanism that locks the return piston in the home position. The locking mechanism includes a locking member that is capable of being freely displaced to a locking position where the locking member is fixed in place by being in contact with the return piston and to a non-locking position where the locking member is not in contact with the return piston and is not fixed in place, a locking spring that presses the locking member toward the locking position, an unlocking piston that presses the locking member toward the non-locking position, an unlocking pressure chamber that causes the unlocking piston to generate thrust, and an unlocking port for supplying air to the unlocking pressure chamber.

A two-stage insertion system including a gripper to grip a module, a compliance element to provide movement in the XY axis, a first stage insertion control to insert the module into a socket, to a first level, and a second stage insertion control to complete the insertion of the module into the socket, when the first stage insertion control indicates that the module is aligned to the socket, the second level insertion control exerting enough force to complete the insertion of the module into the socket.

A sensor apparatus includes a main body, counter body movable relative to the main body, and a plurality of sensor devices for the output of sensor signals, the sensor devices each including at least one sensor and at least one target area. The sensors are disposed on one of the bodies, and the target areas are disposed on the other body. The sensors are developed for detecting the target areas in each case. The sensor apparatus further includes an evaluation device developed to determine from the sensor signals a relative position, in three translational degrees of freedom and in three rotational degrees of freedom, between the counter body and the main body.

An alignment device has a support base attached to a conveying device, and a mounting plate to which a gripping member is attached, and the mounting plate is transferably abutted on a fastening holder that is fixed to the support base. A movable ring fixed to the mounting plate has a sliding part that is transferably engaged with the fastening holder. A first holding mechanism arranged between the fastening holder and the mounting plate locks the mounting plate to the fastening holder. A second holding mechanism provided between the fastening holder and the movable ring cancels a first-direction force of the mounting plate.

A hand includes a hand body in which a predetermined first reference axis is defined, a gripper in which a predetermined second reference axis is defined and which grips a workpiece, and a coupler that couples the gripper to the hand body. The coupler includes at least one of a decentering supporter that supports the gripper such that the second reference axis is capable of being decentered with respect to the first reference axis, or a tilt supporter that supports the gripper such that the second reference axis is capable of being tilted with respect to the first reference axis.

A core conveying device includes a plurality of holding devices, a support section, a moving device, and a mounting table. The support section has a hole formed at a position corresponding to a positioning pin and is connected so as to slide in a horizontal direction with respect to the moving device. A size of a lower end opening of the hole is larger than a size of an upper end of the positioning pin. The support section is configured such that, when the support section is moved downward so as to grip the core, as the positioning pin abuts against an inner surface of the hole and the support section slides in the horizontal direction with respect to the moving device, a position of the support section in the horizontal direction with respect to the core is determined.

A compensating device, which can be placed between a robot, e.g., used to grip and position workpieces, and a gripper moved by the robot to compensate position tolerances, includes respective interfaces for a manipulator and an end effector, with the compensating device positioned between the manipulator and the end effector and including a joint device aligned with a first axis Z between the interface segments, a first joint partner connected to the first interface segment, and a second joint partner connected to the second interface segment, one of the joint partners including a ball segment and the other including, for the ball segment, a receptacle segment that includes at least one ramp region so that the joint device forms a pivot or ball joint, the ball segment being capable of being displaced from a normal position in a transverse direction X-Y to the first axis Z into a compensating position.

A core conveying device includes a plurality of holding devices, a support section, a moving device, and a mounting table. The support section has a hole formed at a position corresponding to a positioning pin and is connected so as to slide in a horizontal direction with respect to the moving device. A size of a lower end opening of the hole is larger than a size of an upper end of the positioning pin. The support section is configured such that, when the support section is moved downward so as to grip the core, as the positioning pin abuts against an inner surface of the hole and the support section slides in the horizontal direction with respect to the moving device, a position of the support section in the horizontal direction with respect to the core is determined.

A method and apparatus for performing an operation on a workpiece using a multi-axis compliant end-effector for attachment to a robotic device. The end-effector is positioned at a nominal location of a workpiece feature on which the operation is to be performed. The end-effector is passively aligned with the workpiece feature by contacting the end-effector with the workpiece feature. The operation is performed on the workpiece feature in response to aligning the end effector with the workpiece feature.

A displacement measurement device includes a first structure, a second structure, and a coupling portion configured to couple the first structure with the second structure. The first structure includes a first sensor configured to generate an electrical signal corresponding to displacement between a first attachment portion of the first structure and a second attachment portion of the second structure in the at least one first direction. The second structure includes a second sensor configured to generate an electrical signal corresponding to displacement between the first attachment portion and the second attachment portion in the at least one second direction.