Communication and Control of an Assembly, Disassembly and Repair Flexible Manufacturing Technology on a Mechatronics Line Assisted by an Autonomous Robotic System

Abstract

This paper aims to describe modeling and control in what concerns advanced manufacturing technology running on a flexible assembly, disassembly and repair on a mechatronic line (A/D/RML) assisted by an Autonomous Robotic System (ARS), two robotic manipulators (RM) and visual servoing system (VSS). The A/D/RML consists of a six workstations (WS) mechatronics line (ML) connected to a flexible cell (FC) equipped with a 6-DOF ABB industrial robotic manipulator (IRM) and an ARS used for manipulation and transport. A hybrid communication and control based on programmable logic controller (PLC) architecture is used, which consists of two interconnected systems that feature both distributed and centralized topology, with specific tasks for all the manufacturing stages. Profinet communication link is used to interconnect and control FC and A/D/RML. The paper also discusses how to synchronize data between different field equipment used in the industry and the control systems. Synchronization signals between the master PLC and ARS is performed by means of Modbus TCP protocol and OPC UA. The structure of the ARS consists of a wheeled mobile robot (WMR) with two driving wheels and one free wheel (2DW/1FW) equipped with a 7-DOF RM. Trajectory tracking sliding-mode control (TTSMC) is used to control WMR. The end effector of the ARS RM is equipped with a mobile eye-in-hand VSS technology for the precise positioning of RM to pick and place the workparts in the desired location. Technology operates synchronously with signals from sensors and from the VSS HD camera. If the workpiece does not pass the quality test, the process handles it by transporting back from the end storage unit to the flexible cell where it will be considered for reprocessing, repair or disassembling with the recovery of the dismantled parts. The recovered or replaced components are taken over by the ARS from disassembling location and transported back to the dedicated storage warehouses to be reused in the further assembly processes.

Digital Twin for a Multifunctional Technology of Flexible Assembly on a Mechatronics Line with Integrated Robotic Systems and Mobile Visual Sensor—Challenges towards Industry 5.0

“…The real world of the multifunctional technology of flexible manufacturing working on A/D/RML assisted by CAS consists of three main components and subsystems, which are synchronized to work together and act as a flexible manufacturing line that performs several operations, such as the assembly of two different products (workpieces) with disassembly, repair, and recover functionality [ 2 , 3 ].…”

“…Therefore, the model for the multifunctional process is the synchronized connection between the three models. The three models are interconnected through synchronization signals, as shown in Figure 6 [ 3 , 12 ].…”

“…The use of the SPN model for the assembly process for the WP1 on the FC and WP2 on the ML is justified by the necessity of synchronization between the two resources: Hera & Horstmann ML and the flexible cell FC [ 2 , 3 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. The need for synchronization is determined by the fact that the FC is also implied in the disassembly process and in the repair process, and the storage and the quality control of the workpiece is performed by the Hera & Horstmann ML.…”

“…The discrete model corresponds to the disassembly operations on FC with ABB IRM, while the continuous one corresponds to the CAS displacements for recovery and storage of the components. Thus, the model becomes a hybrid one [ 2 , 3 , 12 , 13 , 14 ].…”

“…The main contribution of this article is the “digital twin” approach of an assembly technology that works on a mechatronic laboratory system, a technology that integrates and is assisted by robotic systems and a mobile visual servoing. The characteristics of the technology consist of the assembly of two different products, with the possibility of recovery by disassembling the components for the products that do not meet the quality (do not pass a quality test) or repair the products that allow this (partially satisfy the quality test) [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Digital twin targets two worlds, one virtual and another real.…”