A Robotic Solution to Peg in/out Hole Tasks with Latching Requirements

Abstract

Connectors with latches, such as LC fiber connectors, RJ45 network cable connectors, and certain electronic connectors, have significant automation requirements for connection and disconnection. To accomplish not only the peg-in-hole but also the peg-out-hole tasks, careful consideration must be given to both the safety of the connectors and the coordination between assembly strategies and latch actions. Therefore, achieving safe and reliable automation in such scenarios is challenging. This letter presents a comprehensive robotic solution to peg-in/out-hole tasks with latching requirements. We design a robotic hand with a single driver capable of performing latch pressing, peg clamping, and opening operations. Leveraging the hand's unique attributes, we also outline a systematic peg-in/out-hole strategy that incorporates a positioning method and a Zig-Zag search strategy. Finally, extensive experiments and a 40-hour trial are conducted to validate the reliability, safety, and convenient application of the proposed robotic hand and strategy.