A system for automated disassembly of snap-fit covers

Abstract

This paper reports on a prototype automated system for the disassembly of batteries from a family of electronic devices whose plastic, snap-fit covers house AA or AAA batteries, such as remote controls and calculators. Included in the development of the prototype system was the design of a disassembly tool that uses three force-sensing resistors to provide force feedback information. A pneumatically actuated vacuum gripper and electromagnet system was also developed for recovering the snap-fit cover and batteries once they were released by the disassembly tool. The disassembly module was mounted on the tool head of a three-axis translational motion robot, and a Visual Basic application was developed to interface and control the robot with a Galil digital motion controller. A model-based computer vision application was also developed in Visual C++ using a Kinect sensor and the Open Source Computer Vision library to identify and localize the electronic device placed on the disassembly robot. Using the information gathered by the model-based computer vision application, the robot was able to use the disassembly tool module to perform the necessary disassembly operations to remove the device’s snap-fit cover and batteries. The design of such a disassembly system could aid the future development of fully autonomous disassembly systems that can handle a broader range of electronic products.