Semi-automated task-based synthesis and design of serial robotic systems

• Teilautomatisierte, taskbasierte Synthese und Entwicklung von seriellen Robotersystemen

Zumpe, Veronika; Hüsing, Mathias (Thesis advisor); Corves, Burkhard (Thesis advisor); Pfurner, Martin (Thesis advisor)

Aachen : RWTH Aachen University (2023)
Dissertation / PhD Thesis

In: Mechanism theory, machine dynamics and robotics
Page(s)/Article-Nr.: 1 Online-Ressource : Illustrationen, Diagramme

Dissertation, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, 2023

Abstract

For decades, humans have been supported by automation technology, especially in the industrial sector. However, service robotics is also gradually gaining importance and an enormous growth in turnover is predicted for the next years. Due to ever shorter development times and the competition on the market, it is essential to develop these robotic systems efficiently. The varying environmental conditions and applications result in different requirements for the design of service robots compared to industrial robotics. The standard articulated arm kinematics, for instance, is not the ideal solution for all applications and the need for new kinematics is increasing, so that systems with less than six degrees of freedom can be more suitable or redundant robots are a valid solution. Although the field of robot kinematics is well researched, there are still gaps in the integration possibilities in development processes, ease of access and tools to support the engineers. For this reason, a methodology for semi-automated task-based kinematics development is presented in this thesis and the approach has been implemented in a tool to support the engineer in the development of new robotic systems. The approach is limited to the design of serial regional structures and is based on three core elements. In the pre-processor, the user interactively plans the motion task and defines the boundary conditions so that this data can be further processed within the solver. Suitable robot schemes with appropriate link lengths can then be identified fully automated within the framework of the type and dimensional synthesis. Finally, the results can be evaluated, prioritized, and modified by the user, so that on this basis the further development process can be continued, and the system can be designed. For the further development, important properties of the system as well as possibilities to increase the inherent safety are addressed. The procedure is illustrated and evaluated by the development of a robot within the REFILLS project for the optimization of intralogistics in supermarkets.In summary, this work proposes a solution approach to develop new kinematics tailored to the required application in a semi-automated and efficient way.

Institutions

• Chair and Institute of Mechanism Theory, Machine Dynamics and Robotics [411910]