Tracking control of a free-ranging automatic guided vehicle

Industrial robots have proved to be a key technology for promoting flexible automation in manufacturing. However, integrating robots into a flexible manufacturing cell (FMC) is still facing a few obstacles. In this paper a research project on the development of a robot and its integration into an FMC is presented. The main research areas of the project were the development of the robot control, the mechanical system, the establishment of an off-line and online programming system, and the links between the cell modules.

Robot system integration into a flexible manufacturing cell

High-accuracy pose estimation method for workpiece exchange automation by a mobile manipulator

This paper describes the features and performance of a mobile robot carried out for the application in the small-sized industry, capable of ranging within a production department using a wireless navigation system.<br> The reasons that have led to the development, of this mobile robot, at the laboratory of the Institute of Mechanical Technology of the University of Pisa, are discussed: In particular, this vehicle represents the material transport and handling unit of some experimental manufacturing cells developed in order to test new technologies and strategies to be used in a small-sized automated factory. On this puipose, the following cells are developed and briefly described: blank part preparation cell, machining cell, dimensional inspection cell and assembly cell. The solutions adopted for the definition of the main structure of the mobile robot and the workstations installed in each cell are described in detail. Particular emphasis has been given to the description of the navigation system, which is fundamentally based on the use of optical sensors on board the mobile robot and laser emitters, placed in the working area, that define the routes. 

Ilan Alter

Papers

A Free Ranging A.G.V. for an FMC