Fraunhofer-Institut für Produktionsanlagen und Konstruktionstechnik IPK

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PowerGrasp: Concept for a novel Soft-Robotic Arm Support System

2018 , Kuschan, Jan , Goppold, Jean-Paul , Schmidt, Henning , Krüger, Jörg

This paper presents a novel concept and first modules for a soft-robotic arm support system for application in overhead assembly in automotive industry. Repetitive manual tasks and associated body movements are still typical in industrial assembly jobs. Even without an additional load or tool, such tasks are monotonous and often lead to stress in the musculoskeletal system, which frequently causes pain and injuries. In light of ageing industrial workforce, solving this problem becomes a major challenge for ergonomics researchers and engineers. In this paper we present a novel active soft orthotic device which is not an exoskeleton, even though there are some similarities. It is designed to induce only moderate external forces into the human skeleton for muscle fatigue compensation, without causing harm. The concept involves different soft-robotic actuators, depending on the human arm joints to be supported, as well as concepts for control, energy storage and sensors. By detecting muscle fatigue of the worker we created an active assist-as-needed system, which has advantages in energy consumption on the one hand and prevents muscle atrophy of the worker on the other hand. To fulfill these requirements we developed pneumatic actuators, which adjust themselves to the user without external calibration. This automatic calibration process requires no special knowledge of the employees and takes place only by using separated pneumatic chambers and adjustable straps and buckles. By using strain gauges and inertial measurement units, as well as pressure sensors and force sensors we measure and analyze all necessary information for the position related force control in real time. We also present first evaluation results with static overhead retaining tasks.

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Rechnerunterstützte Bereitstellung von Montageprozeßwissen für die Konstruktion

1992 , Krüger, S. , Neu, S.

The paper presents a software tool that supports design for assembly in an early design stage. It integrates a 3D solid modeller, an expert system shell and an object-oriented data base, thus providing parallel knowledge-based support in DFA through a CAD-system. At first, the paper describes an integrated information model which serves as a basis for the system development. It is structured into data models for product, process, assembly equipment and order, which has been described using the STEP-EXPRESS language. The data models have been implemented in the expert system object base. Assembly process knowledge is represented within the knowledge base in form of frames, constraints and IF-THEN-rules. Subsequent to the description of the system's architecture four application examples which are concerned with the assembly of mobile telephones are presented. These examples are optimizing of drilling hole coordinates for automated assembly of printed circuit board and telephone housing, optimizing the groove profile for automated pressing-in of a flexible gasket, the selection of standardized endeffectors and the precalculation of assembly costs.

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Integrated planning and off-line programming system for robotized work cells.

1989 , Bernhardt, R.

The paper gives a short survey of the ESPRIT 623 project: Operational Control for Robot System Integration into CIM, Systems Planning, Implicit and Explicit Programming in which twelve companies, universities and research institutions are involved. About three years after the project's commence work has started to combine software modules developed by different partners to integrated systems with increased functionality. To accomplish this four working groups have been installed which are working on different aspects, e.g. access to different data bases or direct usage for industrial application. These realized system reflect also the specific interests of the involved companies. In this paper the realized inegrated planning and explicit offline programming system is presented in more detail and some applications reaching from off-shore over the automotive industry up to space technology are described.

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