Automatic micro-indentation and inspection system by piezo driven micro robot with multiple inner sensors

In this report, it is described that a fully automatic micro-indentation and inspection system performed by piezo driven micro robot with multiple inner sensors. In the process of micro-indentation, the sample can be transported to the micro indentation tool on the reference block to provide array of micro indentation. After completing the micro tooling, the sample can be also conveyed to the other location in which the microscope is focusing precisely. The small robot that is equipped with optical surface gauging devices can navigate to the specified position with the manner of dead reckoning. Thus the sample that is given the micro indentation can be transported from the machining port to the inspection port automatically. In order to fix the sample within the focus zone of the microscope, the small robot also can be maneuvered precisely with the help of the closed loop positioning property based on the eddy current distance sensor signal. In the experiments, the basic performances such as the dead reckoning navigation based on the surface gauged position and the closed loop final positioning with the distance sensors as well as the combination of dead-reckoning navigation and local position feedback manner are demonstrated. At last, it is concluded that the combination of two kinds of inner sensories based navigation can provide the accurate path navigation over the wider working range to achieve the micro production system by micro robots system without such the global visual image tracking instrument.