Contact state determination for robotic-based cylindrical pair height adjustment under dynamic conditions

This paper investigates fine motion strategies associated with the height adjustment manipulations of a cylindrical pair which can be utilised in dynamic assembly and reconfigurable workholding systems. The outer link of the cylindrical pair is held by the end-effector of a 6DOF serial articulated robot. The environment which holds the inner link can be dynamic. Formulations capable of identifying the type of contact between the links and parameters vital for control purposes based on the force and torque data provided by a wrist mounted F/T sensor are established for a generic spatial case. Experimental results indicate that the established methodology is effective in determining the state of contact for the height adjustment operation.