Abstract: A component assembling apparatus includes an intermittently rotatable index table for holding a plurality of positioning tools for use in positioning components to be assembled, and an index table driving mechanism for intermittently rotating the index table. The apparatus also includes a component feeding device for feeding one of the components and holding the component at a removal position of the device, a tool container for storing the plurality of assembling tools for assembling the components, and an arm robot for removably securing one of the assembling tools at its end. The arm robot is operable to move the component from the removal position of the component feeding device to a predetermined position of the positioning tool on the table, and to assemble the component on the positioning tool. An arm robot driving mechanism is provided for actuating the arm robot and the assembling tool.

Abstract: In an industrial robot including a control apparatus capable of executing control of the robot in a position control mode, a velocity control mode and a current control mode. The control apparatus includes a changeover section (20) for executing changeover between the position control mode and the current control mode. The position of an object is sensed by driving a set of arms of the robot in a force control mode which is a combination of the velocity control mode and the current control mode, and detecting the position at which the arms contact an object and are halted. Detection of the halted condition is performed based on a condition of an output signal produced from a position sensor (13), and by repetitively performing such detection for a plurality of different points on the body surface, a plurality of position values are derived which are compared with reference position data.

Abstract: The image of an object is focused on a pair of photoelectric transducer arrays through a focusing lens, a beam splitter, and cylindrical lenses, the photoelectric transducer arrays having longitudinal axes extending substantially perpendicularly to each other. A scanning unit operates to move object images one-dimensionally over the photoelectric transducer arrays at an angle to the longitudinal axes thereof. A control unit is responsive to detected signals from the photoelectric transducer arrays and generates a scanning signal for the scanning unit for determining a two-dimensional position of the object with respect to the photoelectric transducer arrays. The beam splitter and the cylindrical lenses may be dispensed with, and the photoelectric transducer arrays may be replaced with a matrix of four photoelectric transducers.

Abstract: A reduction gear equipped with a wave generator nearly elliptical in shape, two circular splines with differing numbers of internal teeth, a flex spline which partially meshes with the internal teeth of each of the circular splines and which is deformable in the radial direction and a bearing deformable in the radial direction, which, placed between the wave generator and the flex spline, renders both members relatively slidable, with notches which permit partial deformation of the bearing (6) or the flex spline provided in the wave generator or circular splines at positions corresponding to the balls of the aforementioned bearing, whereby backlash is eliminated and its positive operation is assured.

Abstract: Upper parallelogram links (8, 8, 5, 12) and lower parallelogram links (14, 14, 12, 17) are series connected at an intermediate driving unit 12 with direction of the journal shafts (7, 7, 10, 10) of the upper parallelogram links and direction of the journal shafts (13, 13, 16, 16) of the lower parallelogram links being perpendicular to each other; thereby a third driving unit 17, to which a shaft of a hand 19 is mounted, is always kept in parallel to a first driving unit 5 irrespective of the position of the hand 19; thus a reliable handling by hand is assured, and also accurate horizontal motions are attainable with conventional computing means.

Abstract: In a rotary head assembly for a magnetic recording and reproducing device of the type in which rotary head member is engaged through a hydraulic bearing with a shaft whose one end is securely fixed to a base and the other end is free, the position of a thrust supporting member formed at the free end of the shaft is suitably selected so as to minimize the adverse effects caused by the thermal expansions of the component parts whereby the variation in relative position between the head and tape due to the temperature variation can be minimized and the high radial rigidity can be attained.