| Περίληψη: | Human Robot collaboration (HRC) is a promising concept for increasing the flexibility and reconfigurability of the hybrid production work cells. This PhD Dissertation focuses on the study of automatically designing a HRC workplace layout, the easy programming and interaction between humans and robots, the task planning of a HRC workload and finally the coordinated execution of human-robot (HR) tasks. The proposed methods are expected to support the designers, engineers and human operators working in production lines where hybrid working cells are going to be integrated.
The HRC workplace design and the automatic task allocation can significantly decrease the time of a new set-up or a cell’s reconfiguration. A method for an HRC workplace layout generation and the preliminary assignment of human and robot tasks is proposed for this purpose. A decision making framework is used to generate multiple alternatives and evaluate them against a number of criteria including ergonomics, cost, available floor space, accessibility of resources etc.
Given the result of the layout design, the next required step is the robot programming. The design and development of intuitive robot programming frameworks is expected to simplify the programming process of complex tasks. In order to achieve this, a method for intuitive programming for industrial robots and human robot interaction (HRI) is developed, allowing even in non-expert robot programmers to use it. An interactive architecture between different modules including robot, sensors and external applications/libraries is proposed. Task oriented programming is evaluated as well, allowing the decomposition of complex tasks into simpler activities. Interaction between humans and robots is established through enhanced natural interaction ways such as gestures and voice commands, as well as graphical user interfaces (GUIs).
The HR task planning is the next step in the proposed framework, where robots and humans can coexist in the same cell and share tasks according to their capabilities. An intelligent decision making method that allows HR task scheduling is proposed for the allocation of sequential tasks assigned to a robot and a human. Finally, the coordinated execution of HR tasks follows. The coordination of human and robots tasks require situation awareness and timely feedback from both human and robot resources. A method that enables the coordination and monitoring of HR tasks through an external safe HR station controller is developed. The HR station controller allows execution of HR tasks that are eventually stored in external databases. A multi-layer fenceless safety approach is adopted enabling the safe HR coexistence and cooperation. The above methods and tools were applied in different industrial case studies within automotive industry assembly lines, proving the proposed concept in nearly industrial settings.
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