Abstract

To reduce communication network operation costs, an automated main distribution frame (AMDF) system, capable of connecting telephone sets to exchange equipment, has been studied.¹ In the AMDF system, electrical connections are made by precision robot handling, such as inserting small connecting pins into small cross-connection holes (<1 mm in diameter) in a printed circuit board. Such high precision pin insertion requires a high quality robot sensor that can detect the 3-D position and 2-D inclination angle of an object. However, conventional robot sensors, using a quadrant detector² or a TV camera,³ can only detect 2-D positions.

© 1990 Optical Society of America