基于自然语言的分拣机器人解析器技术研究

工业机器人通常采用特定的机器人语言进行示教编程与控制,对于操作人员需要具有较高专业与技能要求,并且示教周期长导致工作效率降低。为了提高工业机器人使用效率与易用性,提出一种基于受限自然语言解析器的设计方法。该系统通过对受限自然语言进行词法解析、语法解析、语义解析,得到所需求的工作意图,然后与实时生成的三维空间语义地图进行匹配,结合机械臂轨迹规划,生成能够完成工作任务的机器人作业程序,并完成了机器人作业程序的解析与实际机械臂的控制。通过实验证明设计的基于受限自然语言处理的分拣机器人解析器能够正确解析自然语言命令,实现对机械臂的控制。     

一种用于求解机械手MTTP问题的新算法及其在PVR环境中提高投射式操作精度的应用

机械手的最小时间轨迹规划（MTTP）问题是机器人技术研究的一个重要方面，由于该问题数学模型的非线性以及所对应机器人动力学上的强耦合性，使得该问题很难达到优化目标。本文提出了求解MTTP问题的一种新算法，即基于机器人运动学的加强型进化规划算法，通过数值分析和计算验证了算法的有效性，同时，我们结合该优化算法设计了一种基于投射式虚拟现实（PVR）技术的图形仿真软件，通过实现的仿真，我们发现，利用设计的仿真软件可有效地在虚拟世界中实现直觉性操作，控制和管理，从而极大地提高了投射式操作的精度。     

码垛机器人运动学分析及仿真研究

针对当前码垛机器人实际运动规划难度较大的问题,以某真实生产线上六自由度码垛机器人为研究对象,采用D-H法建立机械臂数学模型,对机械臂的正运动学、逆运动学进行分析,确定码垛机器人的工作空间。使用Robot Studio软件对末端机械爪、托盘、物料、传送链等进行建模,完成虚拟场景空间布局,通过编程实现码垛机器人的运动仿真。经综合调试,系统工作稳定、可靠,对现阶段码垛机器人的设计与仿真有一定借鉴意义。     

The manipulator language with the characteristic of a functional programming language

This article describes the motion-oriented robot language IML (interactive manipulator language) with the characteristic of a functional programming language. The main functions of IML are (1) It is possible to describe the iterative motions without using a loop. (2) The user-defined procedures (commands) can be called by specifying the command name. (3) It is possible to describe robot motion (a sequence of the position and orientation of a robot hand) and force magnitude in the task-oriented Cartesian coordinate system (task coordinate system) suitable for robot tasks. Furthermore, it is possible to describe the translation and rotation of the coordinate system without syntactic distinction. (4) As the teaching data can be easily embedded in the language and can be played back in the force control mode, complex task programming becomes easy. In IML, as the user-defined command and the teaching data can be used just as the builtin system command; the system can be extended easily and naturally. In this article these features are described, and it is shown that these functions can be realized with the unified representation by introducing the concept of a functional programming language. The effectiveness of IML was confirmed by actually making a robot perform some tasks programmed in IML.     

Multiple robot programming using a concurrent logic language

Advances in robotics has led to the cooperation of multiple robots among themselves and with their industrial automation environment. Efficient interaction with industrial robots thus becomes one of the key factors in the successful utilization of this modern equipment. When multiple manipulators have to be coordinated, there is a need for a new programming approach that facilitates and encompasses the needs of concurrency, synchronization, timing, and communication. Most robot languages have been developed with little attention being given to the integration of the robot with its environment. Currently, there is a gap between the robot capabilities, the task definition environment, and language facilities supplied to use robots.This paper analyzes the needs and then establishes that a concurrent logic programming approach is a step towards achieving a multi-robot knowledgeable task programming. In particular, the FCP dialect of concurrent Prolog is demonstrated, and analyzed.This research is partially supported by the Paul Ivanier Center for research in robots and production management.     

Interactive robot trajectory planning and simulation using Augmented Reality

Human-robot interaction in industrial robotics has largely been confined to finding better ways to reconfigure or program the robots. In this paper, an Augmented Reality based (RPAR-II) system is proposed to facilitate robot programming and trajectory planning considering the dynamic constraints of the robots. Through the various simulation capabilities provided in the proposed AR environment, the users are able to preview the simulated motion, perceive any possible overshoot, and resolve discrepancies between the planned and simulated paths prior to the execution of a task. By performing the simulation, the performance of the trajectory planning and the fitness of the selection of the robot controller model/parameters in the robot programming process can be visually evaluated. Practical issues concerning the system implementation are also discussed.     

A programming environment for real-time control of distributed multiple robotic systems

In recent years there has been great interest in robot software control architectures. However, although many interesting solutions have been presented, most of the research problems tackled related to a single robot perception, navigation and action in everyday environments. Instead, most of the practical applications of mobile robotics for service tasks in civilian environments consist of systems composed of multiple robots communicating with each other, with external sensing and actuating devices, and with external supervising workstations. RoboCup offers a great opportunity to deal with this problem. In fact the software architecture of a robot soccer player must allow successful intra-robot integration of the different activities (visual perception, path planning, strategy planning, motion control, etc.) spanning many different types of representation (raw sensor data, images, symbolic plans, etc.) and it must also guarantee successful inter-robot integration by supporting communication and cooperation. This paper focuses on this problem, presenting ETHNOS-IV - a programming environment for the design of a real-time control system composed of different robots, devices and external supervising or control stations - which has been successfully used within the Italian ART robot team in the RoboCup-99 competition. ETHNOS provides support from three main point of views which will be addressed in detail: inter-robot and intra-robot communication, realtime task scheduling, and software engineering and code reuse. Experimental results illustrating the advantages of this approach will also be presented.     

Automatically composing and parameterizing skills by evolving Finite State Automata

We propose a robotics algorithm that is able to simultaneously combine, adapt and create actions to solve a task. The actions are combined in a Finite State Automaton whose structure is determined by a novel evolutionary algorithm. The actions parameters, or new actions, are evolved alongside the FSA topology. Actions can be combined together in a hierarchical fashion. This approach relies on skills that with which the robot is already provided, like grasping or motion planning. Therefore software reuse is an important advantage of our proposed approach. We conducted several experiments both in simulation and on a real mobile manipulator PR2 robot, where skills of increasing complexity are evolved. Our results show that (i) an FSA generated in simulation can be directly applied to a real robot without modifications and (ii) the evolved FSA is robust to the noise and the uncertainty arising from real-world sensors.     

六自由度检修机械臂合理路径规划系统设计

为减少六自由度检修机械臂抓取动作花费的时间,设计一种六自由度检修机械臂合理路径规划系统。此次研究的系统硬件部分主要包含主控制器、伺服电机控制器与通信模块。系统软件部分,计算出机器人与障碍物之间的距离,并计算出所有机器人上点与障碍物之间的距离,采用设置虚拟障碍物的创新型人工势场法进行路径规划,避免传统人工势场法的弊端,以保证机器人与障碍物之间有一定的安全距离,以此完成六自由度检修机械臂合理路径规划。实验结果表明,在有障碍的情况下,此次研究的六自由度检修机械臂合理路径规划系统在2~4 min之内就能够完成抓取动作,并且此次研究的系统控制后的关节曲线较为平稳,证明此次研究的六自由度检修机械臂合理路径规划系统具有较好的控制效果,满足了系统设计需求。     

Transputer-based robot control system for six-joint robot manipulators

A transputer-based robot control system was designed and built to control an industrial robot PUMA 560. The goal was to develop a research tool for the investigation of practical and theoretical aspects of various advanced control strategies in the robot system. A transputer network consisting of thirteen transputers is employed for the application, where the parallelization of the algorithms is utilized for speeding up the computation. The kinematics, path planning and a collision avoidance module associated with a vision system are implemented on the network. Six joint controller modules were designed and constructed to handle input/output signals from the joint motors of the robot manipulator. The advanced multitransputer structure is capable of integrating the extern sensor information in a simple way and implementing control algorithms in parallel processes. For Software development, the parallel programming language Occam is used. The code development is performed on an IBM-PC-based toolset system.     

Task-oriented programming of large redundant robot motion

Large robots are a new domain of advanced robotics. Examples of their application fields are tasks like operations on large free-form surfaces, especially aircraft cleaning and removing paint from hulls. They are equipped with a programmable robot control comparable to a control system used for industrial robots. However, conventional teach-in methods are not able to manage the complexity of programming large redundant robot operation on free-form geometries. The Fraunhofer IPA has developed an innovative off-line programming system that allows the creation of robot motion programs which satisfy time and energy optimization criteria. This system helps to avoid collisions within the workspace and to fulfill conditions that arise from the robot kinematics and dynamics. This advanced programming system has been successfully used to generate motion programs for the world's largest mobile robot, the aircraft cleaning manipulator SKYWASH. In this context offline programs for eleven different types of aircraft have been developed.     

Robot accuracy and stiffness—An experimental study

Investigations in robotics have been mainly directed toward the design of robots with a significant degress of intelligence, capable of high adaptability. However, very little research has been done on the design of a robot manipulator as an executive mechanism of the intelligent control system, whose high quality design will allow the sophisticated functions imposed by the control system.

Experimental investigations of robot accuracy show unacceptable results which limit their future wider application. This is the reason why the off-life programming of robots has not been widely used, without which it is impossible to imagine a more significant integrationof robots in the CIM environment.

The object of our study has been to find out the causes of low degreee of robot accuracy, emphasizing the non-corresponding choice of the robot coordinate system, algorithmic and computational errors and drive and transmission element design. Comparison with corresponding results gained from investigations of CNC machine tools cannot be avoided because of the fact that robots are also machines from which accuracy is required. What is missing in robotics today, but which inevitably is required, is the establishment of a standard methodology for testing robot accuracy and other performance.     

Collision avoidance for Robot manipulators: Application to Catia/IBM 7565 interface

A collision avoidance algorithm has been developed to augment the capability of an automatic (off-line) robot path planning (programming) tool. The use of off-line programming tools for robot task programming is becoming increasingly important, but the advantages to be gained by off-line programming may be lost if collision-free path planning capabilities are not included. This article addressed the problem of collision-free path planning in the context of a gantry type robot. The collision avoidance algorithm described here uses the <heuristic approach> to collision-free path planning. The manipulator and obstacles are modeled as spheres to simplify tests for collision. An important feature of this algorithm is that it permits the manipulation of objects in the robot's environment. When compared against an algorithm from the literature, given a lightly cluttered environment modelled by spheres, the new algorithm finds a collision-free path much faster. This new algorithm has been implemented as part of the CATIA/IBM 7565 interface which forms an automatic off-line programming system for the IBM 7565 robot. It has also been implemented as a supervisory collision filter to allow collision-free control of the robot from the operator's console. In both cases the algorithm has been demonstrated to provide efficient and effective collision avoidance for the IBM 7565 robot.     

基于状态空间的机械臂轨迹规划

提出一种基于状态空间的机械臂轨迹规划方法,定义并构造了机械臂系统的状态空间,根据内在机构约束与外部环境约束描述出系统状态的可达范围,并给出了任务的可实现条件.对于可实现任务,在状态空间能搜索到任务完成的最优解.如果任务无法完成,则修改系统配置或约束,在新的状态空间确定任务实现的转化条件,并对任务的设计与规划给予指导.研究了障碍约束下两连杆机械臂的点到点任务,实验结果验证了该方法的有效性.     

Strategy of approach for seizure of an assistive mobile manipulator

In assistive robotics, a manipulator arm constitutes one possible solution for restoring some manipulation functions to victims of upper limb disabilities. The aim of this paper is to present a global strategy of approach of an assistive mobile manipulator (manipulator arm mounted on a mobile base). A manipulability criterion is defined to deal with the redundancy of the system. The aim is to keep the arm manipulable, i.e. capable of moving by itself. The strategy is based on human-like behaviour to help the disabled operator to understand the action of the robot. When the robot is far from its objective, only the mobile base moves, thus avoiding obstacles if necessary. When the objective is close to the robot, both mobile base and arm move and redundancy can be used to maximise a manipulability criterion. All the situations are tested separately and a global mission is realised in which all the previous situations are encountered. The partial results obtained with the real robot consolidate the results of simulation. This paper does not propose an autonomous path planning and navigation of the mobile arm but an assistance to the user for remote controlling it.     

机器人路径规划研究

机器人路径规划是在有障碍物的工作空间中寻求一条安全无障的最优路径,是当前机器人研究领域的热点问题,是实现机器人自主导航和完成复杂任务的关键技术之一。在对智能路径规划方法研究的基础上,提出了基于人工免疫算法的机器人路径规划,并对免疫算法进行了详细设计。仿真结果表明,人工免疫算法可以很好地规划出恰当的路径,收敛速度快,规划效果好,较好地验证了所提出方法的正确性和有效性。     

机器人及机器人学中的控制问题

机器人已成为进一步实现制造业、非制造业、军事活动以至家庭服务自动化的重要工具.机器人学则是更综合地研究如何使机器或系统具有“思想、感知或动作功能的一门交叉性新学科”.机器人的发展是波浪式的,经历了多次的曲折.目前工业机器人中除装配机器人外,其他点焊、弧焊、喷漆及搬运机器人,由于应用范围限制,以及工业生产装备更新速度和投资规模的影响,市场日趋饱和.以美国为例.制造商订单1984年达到高峰6046台.至1986年下降至5713台,不过对机器人未来市场大都持乐观态度.但进一步开拓市场.有待于推出适用于各种环境作业的各式各样的机器人.日本东京大学教授认为机器人当前处于又一次高潮的前夜(Nightmare),正是需要大力加强研究开发的时期.我国正在着手建立工业机器人产业,这一情况值得我们注意.本文着重从研究角度来介绍当前机器人及机器人学中的控制问题的现状及主要问题.     

Incorporating decision-theoretic planning in a robot architecture

The goal of robotics research is to design a robot to fulfill a variety of tasks in the real world. Inherent in the real world is a high degree of uncertainty about the robot’s behavior and about the world. We introduce a robot task architecture, DTRC, that generates plans with actions that incorporate costs and uncertain effects, and states that yield rewards.The use of a decision-theoretic planner in a robot task architecture is demonstrated on the mobile robot domain of miniature golf. The miniature golf domain shows the application of decision-theoretic planning in an inherently uncertain domain, and demonstrates that by using decision-theoretic planning as the reasoning method in a robot task architecture, accommodation for uncertain information plays a direct role in the reasoning process.