This diploma thesis presents theoretical possibilities of force/torque control algorithms for industrial robots equipped with force sensor so it deals with interaction between industrial robot and environment. The most important types of control schemes are presented. Practical part deals with design gripper for specific workpiece and for grinding using industrial robot with force feedback. For this operation is given force/torque control design, using industrial robot KUKA KR16, FTC sensor SCHUNK FTC 50-80V and PLC. Further deals with compensation of gravity and dynamics forces.

This master’s thesis deals with design of manipulator which manipulate the types of shift forks 1/5, 2/4, 3/7 and 6/R. The machine takes parts from the belt, which transports them from mark station. Parts are moved to the straightening machine by manipulator. Straightened parts are transported on the storage place, from which are sorted into the boxes and palletized by robot. As a part of work is the proposal of alternativ solutions, selecting the best solution, the design of the chosen variant and technical calculations of the main parts of the manipulator. The work includes the accompanying drawings, assembly drawings and 3D model.

Herrenknecht AG is a German world-leading Tunnel Boring Machines manufacturer showing strong awareness and concern regarding environmental issues. The company supports research on the Energy Efficiency (EE) of their products, aimed at the development of intelligent design for a green Tunnel Boring Machine. The aim of this project is to produce a ’status quo’ report on EE of three types of Tunnel Boring Machines (Hardrock, EPB and Mixshield TBM). In the framework of this research 39 projects are analysed using calculation tools, plotting and statistical functionalities of Excel and Matlab. The findings of this study inter alia confirm the existence of data quality issue and highlight the necessity of data quality control, allow identification of specific distinctions between energy consumption of the three investigated TBM types, and stress the necessity for optimisation of the layout of TBMs energy supply units and main consumers. Moreover the results of the survey suggest that there is a certain energy saving potential, which is achievable by e.g. an adequate selection of the machine type prior to start of a given project and better adjustment of the machines’ layout to the particular local geological environments. An EE implementation strategy, indicating further research needs, is suggested and discussed.

Antibiotics, oncology drugs and other products, mainly for intravenous use, are produced in facilities with very high cleanroom demands. To achieve pharmaceutical class A and ISO 4, the equipment must meet the highest demands of cleanability, sanitation and sterilization. The purpose of this master thesis is to develop a concept of an autonomous gripper to operate together with a robot in a class A environments that would replace humans. Requirements such as wireless communication, internal energy storage as well as gripping force of at least 1000 N per finger are defined. Additional, all materials in contact with the cleanroom must withstand hydrogen peroxide that is used for sterilisation without releasing particles or gases. A full-scale prototype has been manufactured to evaluate the properties of the concept. Several different concepts of grippers have been generated in this paper. A concept with an angular gripper and a bayonet clutch were selected after the concepts were discussed with the costumer and evaluated in an evaluation matrix. The gripper is driven by a stepping motor and has two gears, one planetary gear and one worm gear which together achieves a total ratio of 980:1. The gripper is wireless controlled using a Raspberry Pi which is programmed is CODESYS. Methods such as CAD and FEM has been used in the design of the gripper. The measured mean gripping force of the gripper is 1206 N and the estimated battery life of the gripper in work is 43 minutes. The prototype has the outer dimensions 400∙170∙170 mm and the mass 10.9 kg. This thesis, combined with a number of suggestions for improvements can give the gripper potential for cleanroom classification ISO 4. / Antibiotika, cancerläkemedel och andra läkemedelsklassade produkter i huvudsak för intravenöst bruk tillverkas i anläggningar med mycket höga renrumskrav. För att uppnå renrumsklassificering ISO 4 och GMP EU A ställs krav på rengörbarhet, sanitet och sterilisering av utrustningen. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att ta fram ett koncept till ett autonomt gripdon som tillsammans med en robot ska kunna ersätta människor i renrumsklass ISO 4/klass A. Krav finns på bland annat trådlös kommunikation, intern energilagring samt en gripstyrka på minst 1000 N per finger. Dessutom behöver alla material i kontakt med renrummet kunna motstå väteperoxid som används vid sterilisering utan att släppa ifrån sig partiklar eller gaser. En prototyp i full skala har tillverkats för att utvärdera konceptets egenskaper. Flera koncept på gripdon har genererats vartefter ett koncept med en vinkelgripare och bajonettkoppling valdes efter att de olika koncepten diskuterades med kund och utvärderats i en utvärderingsmatris. Gripdonet drivs av en stegmotor och har två växlar, en planetväxel och en snäckväxel som tillsammans har en total utväxling på 980:1. Gripdonen styrs trådlöst av en Raspberry Pi som är programmerad i CODESYS. Metoder som CAD och FEM har använts för att detaljutveckla gripdonet. Den uppmätta medelgripkraften för gripdonet är 1206 N och den beräknade batteritiden för gripdonet i arbete är 43 minuter. Prototypen har yttermåtten 400∙170∙170 och väger 10.9 kg. Detta arbete i kombination med en rad förbättringsförslag kan ge gripdonet potential att efter vidareutveckling uppnå renrumsklass ISO 4.

Soft actuation methods are a developing field of robotics deemed suitable for physical human-robot interactions due to the adaptability of materials and compliant structures. Thermo-active soft actuators are a subset of these which convert thermal energy to mechanical work in the form of elongation, bending, or twisting to conform to the environment. This study is divided into three major studies that all use actuators with a working principle of phase-change fluid vaporizing for expansion with applied heat from a Peltier. The first study evaluates the bandwidth and efficiency between (i) traditional Joule heating, and (ii) Peltier heating, finding that Peltier heating can considerably improve the operational bandwidth of the actuator. The second study uses a thin membrane actuator placed in a braided mesh to form a McKibben muscle capable of lifting 5N, and formed into a gripper capable of manipulating objects within the environment. The third study uses actuators of a solid, hollow and flexible Peltier embedded silicone structure and are evaluated and optimized in order to increase actuation speed, finding that the embedded flexible Peltier design was able to elongate over 50% of its original height in 20 seconds. The overall aim of all of these studies was to improve bandwidth, efficiency, actuator lifetime, and create more symmetrical actuation and deactuation cycles.

No description available.

Miniature compliant grippers are designed and developed to manipulate biological cells and characterize them. Apart from grippers, other compliant mechanisms are also demonstrated to be effective in manipulation and characterization. Although scalability and force-sensing capability are inherent to a compliant mechanism, it is important to design a compliant mechanism for a given application. Two techniques based on Spring-lever models and kinetoelastostatic maps are developed and used for designing compliant devices. The kinetoelastostatic maps-based technique is a novel approach in designing a mechanism of a given topology and shape. It is also demonstrated that these techniques can be used to tune the stiffness of a mechanism for a given application. In situations where any single mechanism is incapable of executing a specific task, two or more mechanisms are combined into a single continuum with enhanced functionality. This has led to designs of composite compliant mechanisms. Biological cells are manipulated using compliant grippers in order to study their mechanical responses. Biological cells whose size varies from 1 mm (a large zebrafish embryo) to 10 µm (human liver cells), and which require the grippers to resolve forces ranging from 1 mN (zebrafish embryo) to 10 nN (human cells), are manipulated. In addition to biological cells, in some special cases such as tissue-cutting and cement-testing, inanimate specimens are used to highlight specific features of compliant mechanisms. Two extreme cases of manipulation are carried out to demonstrate the efficacy of the design techniques. They are: (i) breaking a stiff cement specimen of stiffness 250 kN/m (ii) gentle grasping of a soft zebrafish embryo of stiffness 10 N/m. Apart from manipulation, wherever it is viable, the mechanisms are interfaced with a haptic device such that the user’s experience of manipulation is enriched with force feedback. An auxiliary study on the characterization of cells is carried out using a micro¬pipette based aspiration technique. Using this technique, cells existing in different conditions such as perfusion, therapeutic medicines, etc., are mechanically characterized. This study is to qualitatively compare aspiration-based techniques with compliant gripper-based manipulation techniques. A compliant gripper-based manipulation technique is beneficial in estimating the bulk stiffness of the cells and can be extended to estimate the distribution of Young’s modulus in the interior. This estimation is carried out by solving an inverse problem. A previously reported scheme to solve over specified boundary conditions of an elastic object—in this case a cell—is improved, and the improved scheme is validated with the help of macro-scale specimens.

Für die hochgenaue Lagezuordnung von Mikrobauteilen in Mikromontageprozessen fehlen bislang Lösungen für eine greifernahe oder greiferintegrierte Winkelfeinstellung. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden Einflussfaktoren und Auswirkungen lokaler Restfehler auf die Lagezuordnung im Mikromontageprozess diskutiert und Strategien für eine Lagekorrektur am Mikrobauteil unmittelbar im Montageprozess abgeleitet. Im Mittelpunkt steht die Herleitung und Erforschung eines kinematischen Grundprinzips für eine greiferintegrierte Winkelfein- stellung. Eine durch Simulation des Verformungsverhaltens optimierte räumliche Biegegelenk- struktur gestattet das spielfreie Einstellen und Halten kleinster Winkellagen im Winkel- sekundenbereich um einen auf dem gegriffenen Bauteil liegenden Drehpunkt. Das Funktions- prinzip dieses Übertragungsgliedes bildet die Grundlage für einen neuartigen modular aufgebauten Präzisionsgreifertyp. Die Wirksamkeit der greiferintegrierten Winkelfein- stellung wird an einem Anlagendemonstrator zur hochgenauen Bestückung optischer Leiter- platten mit elektrisch-optischen Sende- und Empfangsmodulen nachgewiesen. Mithilfe des neu entwickelten modularen Präzisionsgreifers lassen sich Mikromontagestrategien mit prozessintegrierter bauteilindividueller Lagekorrektur umsetzen. Montagegenauigkeiten unter 5 µm können damit besser anlagentechnisch beherrscht werden, ohne dass ein zusätzliches manuelles Feinausrichten notwendig ist. / For state-of-the-art micro assembly processes with high precision alignment of micro components, solutions for a precise angle adjustment near by or integrated into a gripper are not provided yet. In this PhD thesis influencing factors and implications of local alignment failures are will be discussed and correction strategies directly in the assembling flow are will be deduced. In the central point of the PhD thesis the derivation and investigation of a novel kinematic principle for a gripper integrated angle adjustment are located. A flexure hinge structure could be designed that enables a free from backlash adjusting and fixing of angles in a size of less angular seconds whereas the center of rotation is located on the gripped part. The hinge structure was optimized by simulating the deformation behavior. The functional principle of this mechanism presents the base of a novel type of a modular precision gripper. The effectivity of the gripper integrated angle adjustment was verified at the application of high precision mounting of electric-optical circuit boards with light coupling transmitter and receiver modules. With the help of the new developed precision gripper micro assembly strategies could be realized basing on in-process alignment corrections of the individual gripped micro part. Assembly accuracies below 5 microns could be achieved plantspecific in a better way without additional manual steps for fine positioning.

LightLab är ett företag som befinner sig i en expansionsfas. Automatisering innebär att göra enprocess mer eller mindre självfungerande, utan mänsklig inverkan. Detta används för att tillexempel effektivisera, öka kvalitén och/eller avlasta människans arbete i en process. I dettaavseende vill LightLab titta på att automatisera en förflyttning av ett glas (glaschipp) mellan tvåfixturer.I arbetet läggs en teoretisk grund där olika robotmodeller undersöks för att ta fram den somlämpar sig bäst efter LightLabs behov. Det avgörs i en nulägesanalys där kraven specificeras. Enkollaborativ version av länkarmsroboten tas fram som det bästa generella förslaget tillutförandet. Därtill kommer en analys av och förslag på verktyg till roboten för att kunna greppatag om glaset samt förslag på visionsystem för kvalitetssäkring av chippet. Den generellalösningen testas sedan i fysiska experiment samt i simuleringsmjukvaran RobotStudio.Efter att simuleringen är gjord kommer en marknadsundersökning för att hitta kollaborativalänkarmsrobotar som uppfyller kravspecifikationen. Slutligen läggs ett lösningsförslag på tremodeller fram som ett resultat av förstudien. GoFa (ABB), iisy ( KUKA) eller UR3e (UniversalRobots). ABB och KUKA är även intressanta utifrån deras övriga modeller av industrirobotaroch god kontakt med dem samt erfarenhet av deras robotsystem kan ge en god grund införframtiden.Det tillkommer fortsatt arbete med att designa och implementera gripdon av något slag där så välsugkoppar som mekaniskt gripdon är möjliga verktyg till roboten. Ett sugkoppsverktyg somgriper tag i chippet underifrån ger minst påverkan på chippet.Det viosionsystem som finns på LightLab, Gocator inline 2420, kan användas förkvalitetssäkring av glaschippen. Ett 2D-visionsystem är ett gångbart alternativ.I framtiden då produktionsledet blir mer fast kommer det behövas andra modeller av robotar somutför specifika uppgifter. KUKA och ABB är därför favoriter bland de tre då en god kontakt ocherfarenhet med deras system kan ge en mindre tröskel in till framtida utvecklingssteg.

Le travail présenté dans ce mémoire concerne le développement d’un système universel de manipulation de matériaux textiles souples. Il s’agit d’une pince de manipulation universelle qui se compose de trois techniques de manipulation, technique de vide, technique d’intrusion, technique de pincement. Cette pince universelle a été développée pour manipuler une surface textile de 100 x 100 mm². Les buts de cette pince sont les suivants: Acquérir une seule couche à partir d'un empilement de tissus.Tenir une seule couche, la transférer et la manipuler jusqu’au poste suivant.La technique de vide est la première technique développée dans notre recherche, elle se compose des organes de préhension qui sont « trois ventouses pneumatiques » dont les matériaux varient en fonction des matériaux textiles à manipuler, trois compensateurs de hauteur pour fixer les ventouses pneumatique et d'un générateur de vide pour créer le vide nécessaire grâce à un régulateur de pression. Les trois ventouses pneumatiques sont placées précisément sur les têtes d’un triangle équilatéral, au-dessus de la pièce textile. La technique d’intrusion est la deuxième technique développée dans notre recherche, cette technique est constituée de deux parties principales: Une partie qui donne le mouvement et l'actionnement des organes de préhension.Une partie de préhension qui contient des éléments de préhension qui sont des aiguilles.L’ensemble est commandé, au travers de vérins, par de l’air comprimée. La technique de pincement est la troisième technique développée dans notre recherche, elle comprend des organes de serrage opposés qui sont à mis en mouvement de façon alternative par deux vérins pneumatiques Deux types de validation des éléments constituant de la pince de préhension développée ont été réalisés avec succès, une validation statique en utilisant un support de fixation, une validation dynamique en utilisant un bras de robot. Pendant la validation statique, nous avons trouvé que la technique de vide fonctionnait très bien avec les matériaux imperméables à l’air et avec des matériaux ayant une porosité inférieure à 80% et/ou une perméabilité inférieure à 1500 L/m²/s sous 200 Pa.Pour les matériaux textiles ayant une porosité supérieure à 80% et/ou d’une perméabilité supérieure à 1500 L/m²/s sous 200 Pa, la consommation importante d’air comprimé interdit l’utilisation de cette technique et la force réelle d’attraction dépendant des propriétés du matériau manipulé suivant :La porosité, La perméabilité à l’air, La masse surfacique de matériau. Concernant la technique d’intrusion, nous trouvé que cette technique permet une manipulation efficace des matériaux textiles qui sont difficiles à manipuler par la technique de vide. Elle fonctionne très bien pour des matériaux perméables à l’air (tissus d’armure toile, tricots) alors qu’elle endommage les matériaux imperméables. Les risques liés à cette technique est le prélèvement de plusieurs couches à la fois si la profondeur de perçages des aiguilles n’est pas contrôlé précisément. Pendant la validation statique de la technique de pincement, nous avons trouvé que cette technique ne fonctionne pas bien seule.Pour résoudre ce problème, nous avons utilisé, la combinaison de deux technologies La technique d’intrusion technique La technique de pincement Et La technique de vide. La technique de pincement Les résultats trouvés pendant la validation de cette technique sont les suivants : la technologie de vide associée à la technique de serrage est la combinaison la plus efficace et la plus fiable, par contre un des inconvénients de cette technique est le contrôle de la force de serrage afin d’éviter l’endommagement de la surface de matériau manipulé. [...] / The work presented in this thesis concerns the development of a universal system for handling flexible textile materials. This is a universal gripper for manipulation, which consists of three technologies of manipulations, vacuum technology, intrusion technology, pinch technology. This new universal system was developed to handle a pieces of cut fabrics a square shape which had the dimensions of 100 mm×100 mm. The aims of this gripper are: Acquiring a single ply from a stack of woven fabrics Acquiring a single ply, handling and transfer it to the next station.The vacuum technology is the first technique developed in our research, it consists of a grippers which are « three pneumatic flat suction pads with stops » whose materials vary according to the manipulate textile materials, three level compensators for fixing the penumatic flat suction pads and a pneumatic vacuum generator to create the necessary vacuum thanks to a pressure regulator. The three pneumatic flat suction pads are precisely placed on the heads of an equilateral triangle, above the textile piece.The intrusion technology is the second technique developed in our research; this technique consists of two main parts: A party that gives movement and actuation of the gripper A party for gripping witch include the gripping elements that are needles The both parties are controlled, through a penumatic cylinder, by compressed air.The pinch technology is the third technique developed in our research; it comprises clamping grippers which are placed oppositely to moving alternately by two pneumatic cylinders.Two types of validation of the elements constituting of the gripper developed are performed, static validation by using a bracket, dynamic validation by using the robot arm.During the validation static, we found that the vacuum technology performs well for non-permeable materials and with the materials whose their porosity less of the 80 % and their air permeability less than 1500 L/m²/s under 200 pa.For the materials textiles whose their porosity more than 80 % and their permeability more than 1500 L/m²/s under 200 pa, the high consumption of compressed air prohibits the use of this technique, and the real force of attraction dependent on the following material manipulated properties: • Porosity of the material• Air permeability• Weight of the material.Concerning the intrusion technique, we found that this technique allows realizing an effective handling of textile materials which are difficult to handle by the vacuum technique. It performs very well for air permeable materials (plain weave fabrics, knitted fabrics), while damaging waterproof materials. The risk associated with this technique is the manipulation multiplies of the layers at a time if the depth of the piercing of the needles is not precisely controlled.During the static validation of the pinch technique, we found that this technique does not function well alone. To solve this problem, we used, the combination of two technologies: Intrusion technology Pinch technology and Vacuum technology Pinch technologyThe results found during the validation of this technique are: the vacuum technology associated with the pinch technology is the most effective combination and more reliable, by against one disadvantage of this technique is the control of the clamping forces to prevent the damage of the material surface manipulated.For the dynamic validation of the gripper developed, we used the robot manipulation STÄUBLI. We fixed the gripper on the end of the arm of robot and after setting it, we varied the speed of manipulation to determine the limits of the manipulation by each technology.These validation procedures have in evidence the limits of our new gripper in terms of capacity of the gripping, consumption of the compressed air, characteristics and limitations of the flexible materials handled. [...]