Virtual Triangulation Sensor Development, Behavior Simulation and CAR Integration Applied to Robotic Arc-Welding

Background: An increasing number of industrial robots are being programmed using CAR (Computer Aided Robotics). Sensor guidance offers a means of coping with frequent product changes in manufacturing systems. However, sensors increase the uncertainty and to preserve system robustness, a tool is needed that makes it possible to understand a sensor guided robot system before and during its actual operation in real life.Scope: A virtual sensor is developed and integrated in a CAR hosted environment. The real sensor is of a type commonly used in the arc-welding industry and uses a triangulation method for depth measurements. The sensor is validated both statically and dynamically by matching it with a real sensor through measurements in setups and by comparing a welding application performed in a real and a virtual work-cell created with a CAR application. The experimental results successfully validates its performance. In this context, a virtual sensor is a software model of a physical sensor with similar characteristics, using geometrical and/or process specific data from a computerized model of a real work-cell.