Entwicklung eines intelligenten, robotergestützten Assistenzsystems für die Demontage industrieller Produkte

Doctoral thesis (2019)

Technical assistance systems are used in many aspects of our private environment to simplify our daily lives. Such assistance would also be desirable in our working environment, especially in physically ... [more ▼]

Technical assistance systems are used in many aspects of our private environment to simplify our daily lives. Such assistance would also be desirable in our working environment, especially in physically demanding activities such as dismantling products for maintenance, corrective maintenance, or remanufacturing. However, the use of robot-supported assistance systems is prevented by the imponderabilities in the dismantling process of different products due to the lack of autonomy of the technical systems. In the course of this dissertation, the development of intelligent, robot-supported assistance systems that can support people in such complex processes in a target-oriented manner are considered, and the following research question is posed: What are the technical requirements for such assistance systems and how can they be implemented? In the reviewed scientific literature, no holistic approach has been identified for the development of these systems, but many approaches to partial aspects of such a system have been collected across several research disciplines. In order to address the research question, this dissertation discusses the theoretical fields of technical assistance systems, human-robot systems, and the field of application in order to define technical requirements. A demonstrator for experimental validation is implemented in the form of a multi-agent system in which various technical systems are integrated and interconnected by software. The function of the developed robot-based assistance system could be verified in concrete dismantling processes in conjunction with suitable man-machine communication interfaces. Finally, this dissertation identifies further research questions that must be addressed before such systems can be introduced in the industrial environment. [less ▲]

Recent Progress Toward Intelligent Robot Assistants for Non-Destructive Disassembly

in Müller, Rainer; Plapper, Peter; Brüls, Olivier (Eds.) et al Robotix-Academy Conference for Industrial Robotics (RACIR) 2018 (2018)

One key to successful and fluent human-robot collaboration in disassembly processes is equipping the robot systems with greater autonomy and intelligence. In this paper, we present our progress in ... [more ▼]

One key to successful and fluent human-robot collaboration in disassembly processes is equipping the robot systems with greater autonomy and intelligence. In this paper, we present our progress in developing such an intelligent robot assistant system. We present the multi-agent control architecture we developed and describe its technical implementation. Our control approach relies on two types of knowledge models: product and process models. The product model describes the structure of the product to be dismantled through a description of the parts involved and the connections between them. A connection type-related process model describes which agents and objects participate in the disassembly process and which methods of human-robot cooperation or collaboration are most useful. When supplied with a product model and a goal definition, our robotic assistant can automatically generate a partially ordered disassembly task sequence. For each disassembly task, the user can choose one of the divisions of labor defined in the process model. Using the process model, through perception and deliberation, the control system can both execute actions and coordinate and synchronize the actions of human and machine. This approach allows the system to be more autonomous when providing assistance to human coworkers in complex and one-piece disassembly processes. [less ▲]

An intelligent agent-controlled and robot-based disassembly assistant

in Conference Proceedings on the 2nd International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics ( ICAIR 2017) (2017)

One key for successful and fluent human-robot-collaboration in disassembly processes is equipping the robot system with higher autonomy and intelligence. In this paper, we present an informed software ... [more ▼]

One key for successful and fluent human-robot-collaboration in disassembly processes is equipping the robot system with higher autonomy and intelligence. In this paper, we present an informed software agent that controls the robot behavior to form an intelligent robot assistant for disassembly purposes. While the disassembly process first depends on the product structure, we inform the agent using a generic approach through product models. The product model is then transformed to a directed graph and used to build, share and define a coarse disassembly plan. To refine the workflow, we formulate “the problem of loosening a connection and the distribution of the work” as a search problem. The created detailed plan consists of a sequence of actions that are used to call, parametrize and execute robot programs for the fulfillment of the assistance. The aim of this research is to equip robot systems with knowledge and skills to allow them to be autonomous in the performance of their assistance to finally improve the ergonomics of disassembly workstations. [less ▲]

Demontage von Elektroantrieben mit Assistenzrobotern zum wirtschaftlichen Recycling

in Tagungsband AALE 2016 (2016)

Die zerstörungsfreie Demontage zum Zweck der Refrabrikation oder des höherwertigem Produktrecyclings findet nur selten im industriellen Umfeld Anwendung. Allerdings ist mit einem Anstieg dieses trennenden ... [more ▼]

Die zerstörungsfreie Demontage zum Zweck der Refrabrikation oder des höherwertigem Produktrecyclings findet nur selten im industriellen Umfeld Anwendung. Allerdings ist mit einem Anstieg dieses trennenden Fertigungsverfahrens in naher Zukunft zu rechnen da die immer stärker begrenzten und zugänglichen Ressourcen durch strengere Gesetze im Rahmen der Abfallwirtschaft gesichert werden müssen. Zum Beispiel wurden durch das Kreislaufwirt-schaftsgesetz der europäischen Union [1] die Hersteller dazu verpflichtet Rücknahmesysteme für elektrische und elektronische Geräte zu schaffen um sie einer weiteren wirtschaftlichen Nutzung oder umweltgerechten Entsorgung zugänglich zu machen. Für die umweltgerechte Entsorgung ist eine wertstoffgerechte Trennung der Produktkomponenten vorgesehen. Aus wirtschaftlichen Gründen erfolgt diese Materialtrennung meist verfahrenstechnisch durch Zerkleinern und Sortieren der Wertstoffe. Die weitere wirtschaftliche Nutzung ganzer Kompo-nenten wird, trotz hoher Einsparpotenziale [2], durch den Aufwand der Refabrikation kaum in Betracht gezogen. Denn die zerstörungsfreie Trennung kann bisher meist nur manuell und damit kostenintensiv erfolgen. In der Folge werden gerade im Bereich der Elektroschrottver-wertung häufig illegale Entsorgungswege über das außereuropäische Ausland gewählt [3]. Zur Verbesserung der Wirtschaftlichkeit der Demontage bietet oft die Automatisierung Lösun-gen. Um diesen Sektor der Automatisierung zugänglich zu machen, erfolgten bereits For-schungsaktivitäten zur Automatisierung der Demontage von Fernsehgeräten [4] und PCs [5]. Das Ergebnis dieser Studien zeigt, dass durch die hohe Variation der Produktgestalt oder aufgrund von Beschädigungen der Produkte, der [less ▲]