Pin design for part feeding
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 October 2001
Abstract
Industrial parts can be fed (oriented) using a sequence of fixed horizontal pins to topple the parts as they move past on a conveyor belt. We give an algorithm for designing a sequence of such pins for a given part. Given the n-sided convex polygonal projection of a part, its center of mass and frictional coefficients, our O(n2) algorithm computes the toppling graph, a new data structure that explicitly represents the mechanics of toppling, rolling, and jamming. We verify the toppling graph analysis with experiments. Our O(n3n) design algorithm uses the toppling graph to design a sequence of pin locations that will cause the part to emerge in a unique orientation or to determine that no such sequence exists.
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- Research Article
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- © 2001 Cambridge University Press
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