21世纪非制造业自动化的发展与特种机器人研究思考

21世纪初将是非制造业自动化(包括农业自动化、服务自动化和地下、水下、地面(建设)作业自动化等)的快速发展时期.文中从分析工业机器人技术的进步对制造业自动化发展的影响着手,指出非制造业自动化的快速发展,将对特种机器人产生巨大的需求;特种机器人作为一种具有高度灵活性的自动化并逐渐智能化的机器,无疑具有很大的发展空间;同时特种机器人技术的发展,将极大地推动非制造业自动化的发展,特种机器人技术将成为非制造业自动化中的核心技术之一.该文还建议,我国特种机器人研究应放在非制造业自动化发展的大环境中开展,同时应重视多学科交叉,研究队伍不能局限于自动化领域.     

Utilizing cable winding and industrial robots to facilitate the manufacturing of electric machines

Cable wound electric machines are used mainly for high voltage and direct-drive applications. They can be found in areas such as wind power, hydropower, wave power and high-voltage motors. Compared to conventional winding techniques, cable winding includes fewer manufacturing steps and is therefore likely to be better suited for automated production. Automation of the cable winding production step is a crucial task in order to lower the manufacturing costs of these machines. This article presents a production method using industrial robots for automation of cable winding of electric machine stators. The concept presented is validated through computer simulations and full-scale winding experiments, including a constructed robot-held cable feeder tool prototype. A cable wound linear stator section of an Uppsala University Wave Energy Converter and its winding process is used as a reference in this article. From this example, it is shown that considerable production cycle time and manufacturing cost savings can be anticipated compared to manual winding. The suggested automation method is very flexible. It can be used for the production of cable wound stators with different shapes and sizes, for different cable dimensions and with different winding patterns.     

Criteria for selecting control systems in flexible manufacturing

Industry in Europe has been undergoing major structural changes during the last twenty years or so. Against the background of high demand for consumer and capital goods with corresponding, mostly fixed production capacities, it was necessary to build flexible and, at the same time, efficient production plants in order to cope with the increasing variety of products and shorter innovation cycles.Flexible manufacturing is inconceivable without information technology. Thus, the word “information” has rightly taken its place in the list of primary factors associated with modern production technology. The “gating” of data into production planning and quality assurance, combined with concepts of logistics and control, keeps the flow of materials on the move and helps to shorten lead times.The organization of production and the plant equipment itself have to be matched to the size of the plant, the product range and the market. In large-batch production, for example, a customized vehicle is required; in small-batch or unit production it is often necessary to manufacture a machine to specific customer requirements. Despite such great variations in the type of requirement, it is still possible to distinguish a number of common factors—one of them being the hierarchical structure of the automation landscape with objective and transparent distribution of information across all levels; from the control level for pre-production, assembly and transport up to the planning level for capacity planning and materials management.Hierarchical levels enable particular tasks to be assigned to specific automation equipment. Mainframes and minicomputers are used at the planning level. Dedicated systems such as numerical controls and programmable controllers are now used almost exclusively on the shopfloor control level.Local area networks connect the automation systems of different manufactures without the need for any adaptation. Protocols must be unified for this purpose. Since stable standards are not yet in existence, Siemens has decided to follow the strategy of standard harmonized development.Programmable controllers are part of all production, transport and storage systems. The main requirements are for control, operator communication, monitoring, counting and positioning. A comprehensive production family is a very important factor. Excellent hardware compatibility, easy interlinking and a uniform programming language are all characteristic of the family philosophy.Industrial robots are used mainly in the automobile industry. Largely thaks to them it is possible to produce economically and rationally any mix of model variants and to automate assembly. Programming facilities such as teach-in, on-line or off-line are therefore an important selection criterion for robot control.The majority of numerical controls in use today are used for controlling single machines in heavy-duty and special-purpose machinery manufacture. In networked applications, numerical controls form part of flexible manufacturing systems. In addition to machine control and management, the capacity for communication is an important criterion for selection in this case.In many controls for individual machines the priority is for quick and easy programming. “Shopfloor programming” has assumed considerable importance in such applications. Shopfloor programming requires controls with a sophisticated, user-friendly, graphics interface.Examples show how dedicated automation subsystems have been finding widespread application in the automation of manufacturing, transport and warehouse equipment. They are designed specially to perform certain tasks, both in programming and operation, in order to provide an economic solution to a problems in terms of matched performance and functionality.     

Robots assembling machines: learning from the World Robot Summit 2018 Assembly Challenge

ABSTRACT

The Industrial Assembly Challenge at the World Robot Summit was held in 2018 to showcase the state-of-the-art of autonomous manufacturing systems. The challenge included various tasks, such as bin picking, kitting, and assembly of standard industrial parts into 2D and 3D assemblies. Some of the tasks were only revealed at the competition itself, representing the challenge of ‘level 5’ automation, i.e. programming and setting up an autonomous assembly system in less than one day. We conducted a survey among the teams that participated in the challenge and investigated aspects such as team composition, development costs, system setups as well as the teams' strategies and approaches. An analysis of the survey results reveals that the competitors have been in two camps: those constructing conventional robotic work cells with off-the-shelf tools, and teams who mostly relied on custom-made end effectors and novel software approaches in combination with collaborative robots. While both camps performed reasonably well, the winning team chose a middle ground in between, combining the efficiency of established play-back programming with the autonomy gained by CAD-based object detection and force control for assembly operations.     

Coloured Petri nets and graphical simulation for the validation of a robotic cell in aircraft industry

This paper proposes a mixed validation approach based on coloured Petri nets and 3D graphic simulation for the design of supervisory systems in manufacturing cells with multiple robots. The coloured Petri net is used to model the cell behaviour at a high level of abstraction. It models the activities of each cell component and its coordination by a supervisory system. The graphical simulation is used to analyse and validate the cell behaviour in a 3D environment, allowing the detection of collisions and the calculation of process times. The motivation for this work comes from the aeronautic industry. The automation of a fuselage assembly process requires the integration of robots with other cell components such as metrological or vision systems. In this cell, the robot trajectories are defined by the supervisory system and results from the coordination of the cell components. The paper presents the application of the approach for an aircraft assembly cell under integration in Brazil. This case study shows the feasibility of the approach and supports the discussion of its main advantages and limits.     

Collaboration of Multiple Autonomous Industrial Robots through Optimal Base Placements

Multiple autonomous industrial robots can be of great use in manufacturing applications, particularly if the environment is unstructured and custom manufacturing is required. Autonomous robots that are equipped with manipulators can collaborate to carry out manufacturing tasks such as surface preparation by means of grit-blasting, surface coating or spray painting, all of which require complete surface coverage. However, as part of the collaboration process, appropriate base placements relative to the environment and the target object need to be determined by the robots. The problem of finding appropriate base placements is further complicated when the object under consideration is large and has a complex geometric shape, and thus the robots need to operate from a number of base placements in order to obtain complete coverage of the entire object. To address this problem, an approach for Optimization of Multiple Base Placements (OMBP) for each robot is proposed in this paper. The approach aims to optimize base placements for multi-robot collaboration by taking into account task-specific objectives such as makespan, fair workload division amongst the robots, and coverage percentage; and manipulator-related objectives such as torque and manipulability measure. In addition, the constraint of robots maintaining an appropriate distance between each other and relative to the environment is taken into account. Simulated and real-world experiments are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach and to verify that the simulated results are accurate and reliable.     

机器人感知与控制关键技术及其智能制造应用

智能机器人在服务国家重大需求,引领国民经济发展和保障国防安全中起到重要作用,被誉为“制造业皇冠顶端的明珠”.随着新一轮工业革命的到来,世界主要工业国家都开始加快机器人技术的战略部署.而智能机器人作为智能制造的重要载体,在深入实施制造强国战略,推动制造业的高端化、智能化、绿色化过程中将发挥重要作用.本文从智能机器人的感知与控制等关键技术的视角出发,重点阐述了机器人的三维环境感知、点云配准、位姿估计、任务规划、多机协同、柔顺控制、视觉伺服等共性关键技术的国内外发展现状.然后,以复杂曲面机器人三维测量、复杂部件机器人打磨、机器人力控智装配等机器人智能制造系统为例,阐述了机器人的智能制造的应用关键技术,并介绍了工程机械智能化无人工厂、无菌化机器人制药生产线等典型案例.最后探讨了智能制造机器人的发展趋势和所面临的挑战.     

Automation of surface finishing processes

The development of robots capable of interacting dynamically with the environment has proven to be a difficult task. Since a majority of manufacturing tasks require interaction of robots with their environment, this has become an important focus for research in the industry. Solutions both to specific manufacturing operations and to the theoretical body of knowledge within the industry are extremely important. The interaction of the robot with its environment is investigated in this paper for the configuration of a quick actuator and sensor attached to the robot tool. This configuration has been tested in an industrial application for Steinway & Sons, the world renowned piano manufacturer, specifically for the automation of the labor-intensive rubbing and finishing operations. The robot architecture utilizes a combination of macro-micro manipulator to improve its response time. A quick actuator added to the end of the robot arm is the micromanipulator, and the robot arm is the macromanipulator. Force and impedance control laws are executed concurrently by two separate controllers to control the quick actuator and the robot arm respectively. The experimental system proves the ability of this configuration to follow the complex contour of a grand piano rim and to exert a given force while rubbing its surface.     

A methodology for expressing CIM reference architectures

TNO is doing research in many areas of industrial automation and is heavily involved in European projects financed by R&D programmes such as Esprit, Eureka and Brite, and in many ISO and CEN standardization activities. From this experience it becomes clear that the I of Integration in CIM has not only to do with the integration of the so-called “islands of automation” but also with the integration of ”islands of manufacturing”: how we can improve the transfer of manufacturing knowledge. We have to increase the semantic content of our integration approaches, so that not only can computer scientist be involved, but also people from the companies we are trying to help, and people who are responsible for the development of new CIM components. The real problem is not a problem of technical integration of computers, but much more a “conceptual modelling” problem. Fundamental questions are, for instance, how we can, on the semantic level really required, model information transfer upstream and downstream in the product life cycle. Based on the analysis of existing CIM projects such as CAD*I, CIM- OSA, Open CAM Systems (Esprit I) IMPACT (Esprit II), CAM-I's CIM Architecture, the Danish Principal model for CIM, and more, we developed a generic and reusable CIM reference architecture. This architecture shows manufacturing activities, real and information flow objects, CIM components and industrial automation standards like STEP, MAP, TOP, EDIFACT, MMS etc. in an integrated way. In this paper we describe the CIM base model used to express the CIM reference architecture and give some details of the CIM reference architecture itself.     

An efficient multi-camera, multi-target scheme for the three-dimensional control of robots using uncalibrated vision

A vision-based control methodology is presented in this paper that can perform accurate, three-dimensional (3D), positioning and path-tracking tasks. Tested with the challenging manufacturing task of welding in an unstructured environment, the proposed methodology has proven to be highly reliable, consistently achieving terminal precision of 1 mm. A key limiting factor for this high precision is camera–space resolution per unit physical space. This paper also presents a means of preserving and even increasing this ratio over a large region of the robot's workspace by using data from multiple vision sensors.In the experiments reported in this paper, a laser is used to facilitate the image processing aspect of the vision-based control strategy. The laser projects “laser spots” over the workpiece in order to gather information about the workpiece geometry. Previous applications of the control method were limited to considering only local, geometric information of the workpiece, close to the region where the robot's tool is going to be placed. This paper presents a methodology to consider all available information about the geometry of the workpiece. This data is represented in a compact matrix format that is used within the algorithm to evaluate an optimal robot configuration. The proposed strategy processes and stores the information that comes from various vision sensors in an efficient manner.An important goal of the proposed methodology is to facilitate the use of industrial robots in unstructured environments. A graphical-user-interface (GUI) has been developed that simplifies the use of the robot/vision system. With this GUI, complex tasks such as welding can be successfully performed by users with limited experience in the control of robots and welding techniques.     

Applying CIM technology to image factories

Image processing allows the automation of the business transaction, turning “paper factories” into “image factories.” This burgeoning new area of computerization needs new paradigms, theories, and methods to maximize its effectiveness at cutting time and costs. This paper investigates what this new area of computerization can gain from CIM technology. It examines the similarities between the processing of computer images in a paperless business environment and the processing of materials into products in the manufacturing plant. These similarities will allow us to apply mature, well-tested CIM techniques to emerging image factories.     

The good old days versus today: The changed hardware and software security requirements with automation

The introduction of a computer, whether it is an integral part of a larger system or not, brings with it many security problems that must be addressed. Frequently the new security needs are the results of the loss of old security measures, such as separation of duties or access control to documents, destroyed by the introduction of new equipment. Also, one must now protect the equipment from theft, environment hazards, and both careless and malicious acts of individuals.

In “the good old days” (read ten to twenty years ago), computer security was a relatively simple matter, even in a manufacturing environmental. The reason for the apparent simplicity was that the use and impact of computgers was limited. Employees learning how to use a computer could be told “Go ahead. There is nothing you can do that will really hurt anything,” with a fair chance of having been told the trut. Computers were used primarily in business (office) applications with a frew “island” out in the shop. Now, all that has changed. In generally, as computers have gotten closer to the user, security has become more of a problem. In early installations, security has a secure room. Later, users and programmrs submitted their program through a window, then went back later to pick up their results through the same window. Now, access may be from a great distance.

In the new computer integrated environment, whether in office automation or in Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM), the impact of bad input into a computer or the deliberate or inadvertent alteration of awhat is already in the computer can have disastrous consquences throughout the business. The acronyms crucial to the automation of the manufacturing and engineering functions (e.g., MRP, CAD, CAM, CAE, DFA, FMS, AS/RS, AGV, CIM, et al) all depends heavily upon file data interdependenc and integrity (which, in turn, depents on file security). Yet, in general, the topics of security, training in security, and the need for security tend to get short shift in industry. We belive that a formal, intense, and continuous information and training program, starting with those officers at the top of the corporation, is needed for a heavily automated company to stand the best chance of having a system that is not violated.     

Design of a modular assembly of four-footed robots with multiple functions

Modern industries use many types of robots. In addition to general robotic arms, bipedal, tripedal, and quadrupedal robots, which were originally developed as toys, are gradually being used for multiple applications in manufacturing processes. This research begins with establishing the platform for four-footed robots with multiple functions, high sensitivity, and modular assembly and this is how a fundamental model of the industrial robots is constructed. Under additional loads, the four feet of the quadrupedal robot reinforce its carrying ability and reliability compared to bipedal or tripedal robots, which helps it to carry more objects and enhances functionality. Based on different requirements and demands from the manufacturing processes, the highly sensitive four-footed robot provides an expandable interface to add different sensing components. In addition, when combined with a wireless communication module or independent 1.2 GHz radio frequency CCD wireless image transmission system, the user can control the robot remotely and instantly. The design helps the four-footed robot to expand its applications. By assembling and disassembling modules and changing the sensing components, the highly sensitive four-footed robot can be used for different tasks. Moreover, the remote control function of the robot will increase interaction with human beings, so it can become highly become involved in people's lives. The platform of the four-footed robot will become a design reference for the commercialization of different industrial robots, and it will provide the design of industrial robots with more options and useful applications.     

A support-design framework for Cooperative Robots systems in labor-intensive manufacturing processes

Manufacturing processes and industrial systems gradually change their traditional layouts and configurations, preparing to introduce novel integrated human-robot technologies as collaborative robots and exoskeletons. Whether mass customization of lot size and the production mix discourages the adoption of capital-intensive automation, collaborative robots become affordable and effective and a hotspot of the debate on manufacturing systems. This paper provides a novel support-design framework for the cooperative robot system in labor-intensive manufacturing processes to aid layout and task scheduling design. Through an iterative closed-loop methodology, this framework explores the impact of a cooperative robot in a labour-intensive manufacturing system like the production facility of a food service company. The framework leads the designer through the re-layout of the end-of-line, the economic and technical feasibility analyses, using simulation to estimate payback and ergonomics benefits for workers. Within the proposed layout, we state that adopting a cooperative cobot for the end-of-line is affordable and ergonomically convenient without representing a safety threat for workers. The testbed confirms the framework as an enabling tool for human-robot technologies integration in current manufacturing systems under budget and workers-driven constraints.     

Experimental performance evaluation of Profibus-FMS

Examines the performance characteristics of the industrial communications network via an experimental model of a manufacturing automation system. In the study presented in this article, an experimental model of a Profibus-based manufacturing automation system was developed. The experimental model consisted of two robots, two conveyor belts, a PLC, an NC machine, and an operator station. Using the experimental model, this study evaluated the delay characteristics of a message transmitted through the fieldbus message specification (FMS) services. FMS is the application layer protocol of Profibus and Foundation Fieldbus. The message delay was measured at each sublayer of the Profibus protocol stack. In this article, after an overview of progress in industrial communication networks and a brief introduction to Profibus and the FMS, the experimental model of the Profibus-based manufacturing automation system developed in this study is presented, and the FMS service delay characteristics obtained from the experimental model are discussed     

Selection of the optimal configuration for a flexible surface mount assembly system based on the interrelationships among the flexibility elements

Flexibility has been widely recognized as a key competitive factor for manufacturing firms coping with the increasingly turbulent manufacturing environment today. Establishing a flexible surface mount assembly (SMA) system is critical for organizations to achieve a cost-effective assembly and gain competitive advantages in the printed circuit board (PCB) assembly industry. To find a practicable operating strategy, a multi-criteria decision-making framework that combines the analytic network process (ANP) with the consistent fuzzy preference relations (CFPR) is proposed to explore the interrelationships among the six dimensions and twenty-one criteria of manufacturing flexibility and resolve the uncertainty and divergence between decision-makers with the least amount of pairwise comparisons. Based on the results of prior analysis, an optimum configuration of a flexible SMA system is suggested for the capacity investment intended by a Taiwan electronics manufacturing service (EMS) provider to quickly respond to dynamic production requirements.     

Application of robotics in onshore oil and gas industry—A review Part I

With ever increasing global demand and depleting resources for fossil fuels, oil and gas industry is now positively looking for advanced robotic solutions to increase their productivity and safety. With time easy resources of the fossil fuels are shrinking and newly searched reservoirs, to feed supply demands of global consumption, are mostly located in extreme environmental conditions such as hot deserts, deep water and arctic zone etc. Production of the fossil fuels, in such inhospitable environmental conditions, poses difficult challenges to health, safety and environment (HSE). Tragic incidents like Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon oil spills are examples of such challenges. Therefore, oil and gas industry has lot to learn from successful implementation of robotics and automation for dull, dirty and dangerous (3D) tasks of manufacturing industry. Most of the robotics technologies, currently used in the oil and gas industry, are mainly focused on inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) of plant facilities with higher frequency and accuracy. Fundamental idea, involved in the automatization of these processes, is based on the principle of teleoperation with skilled operator. Automation of 3D tasks not only improves HSE standards but also lead to much needed economic efficiency by reducing production cycle, floor space and number of staff members required for continuous inspection and manipulation of plant facilities. Considering the risks involved in this industry usage of completely autonomous robots, first without achieving very high reliability, is still a far fetch choice. Therefore, semi-autonomous robots, where actions are performed by robots but cognitive decisions are still taken by skilled operator, is an excellent choice for this industry as a near future solution. In the onshore oil and gas industry robotic solutions are used both in upstream and downstream processes, such as site survey, drilling, production and transportation, mainly focused in the form of in-pipe inspection robots (IPIRs), tank inspection robots (TIRs), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and wireless sensor networks (WSNs) etc. This paper presents the state of art robotic solutions currently used in onshore oil and gas facilities.     

Intelligent Manufacturing:Present State and Future Trends

AI methods are introduced to an increasing extent in the field of CIM and robotics. This development results in intelligent CIM components – ICAD, ICAP, ICAM, ICAQ – and in intelligent manufacturing systems (IMS) as well as in intelligent robots. This new philosophy requires a lot of prerequisites and research. ICIM or IMS is partially introduced in industry but mainly for large companies. AI as knowledge based and expert systems is ready to be introduced in an efficient way in CIM components. Intelligent, mobile robots as integrated parts of CIM and IMS are ready to be used in factory automation. One of the next steps could be the introduction of Multi-Agent and/or holonic systems. In this contribution the history and the present state of flexible manufacturing, with special emphasis on robotics, are described and further trends in development – Multi Agent Systems – are discussed mainly from the viewpoint of SMEs.     

An automated gantry crane as a large workspace robot

In the context of further automation of manufacturing processes, automated transportation of heavy weights using cranes becomes more and more important. Applying the skills of robots to crane automation, a wide market of new applications could be developed. The main idea is to interpret the crane as a large workspace-serving robot. The crane hook represents the effector of the robot. As an example for the effector, an automated storage and retrieval unit for rack operations by a crane with three active auxiliary effector axes has been developed and integrated into the control concept. The control has been realized for a reconstructed 5-t-bridge crane with workspace dimensions of 30 m×8.7 m×7 m.