The docking process is analyzed with the geometric method. Contact states in the docking process are explained in detail. At last, a simulation of six-module is shown that the modules can finish the docking process effectively. | Journal of Automation and Control Engineering Vol. 3, No. 3, June 2015 Docking Process Analysis in Self-repairing Robots Yanqiong Fei, Pengwei Gong, and Libo Song Research Institute of Robotics, Shanghai Jiaotong University Email: fyq@ Abstract—For the self-reconfigurable robot, one of its main functions is its self-repairing ability. First, the mechanical structure of the self-repairing robot is presented, which composes of a central cube and six rotary arms. In order to finish the self-repairing action, the disconnection/connection mechanism of each module is designed, which consists of one expansile hole (connection hole) and one extension peg (connection peg). Then, the docking process is analyzed with the geometric method. Contact states in the docking process are explained in detail. At last, a simulation of six-module is shown that the modules can finish the docking process effectively. modules to keep the completeness of the system configuration. This characteristic is unique compared with the fixed-architecture system. However, it’s common in biological systems. In this paper, the configuration of a homogeneous and lattice SMR is described. Its mechanical structure and disconnection/connection mechanism are designed. Based on different contact states, the docking process is analyzed with the geometric constraint method. Index Terms—self-reconfigurable process, module A. Structure of Module The self-reconfigurable robot “M-Cubes” is proposed (). In M-Cubes, the output of the DC motor is delivered to six transmission shafts (located in the centers of the cube) using five bevel gears. It uses the peg-in-hole principle to finish the docking process. In M-Cubes, each module in M-Cubes composes of a central cube and six rotary arms which are distributed on the six sides of the central cube. The size of the central cube is 23 cm. Each rotary arm can rotate 90° n about the axis of the cube (n=1, 2, 3, ). The rotary arm has a connection peg
