I. Industrial Robot Collision Detection System
However, with technological advancements, robots are taking on increasingly complex tasks. These tasks sometimes require human intervention at any time, making human-robot interaction safety paramount. To ensure safety, the controller needs to detect collisions between the robot and the worker in real time, using control strategies to prevent injury to the worker in the event of a collision. Currently, most collision or collision force detection is achieved by adding external sensors.
Several methods exist for collision detection, including using wrist force sensors: These can accurately detect collision forces at the end effector of the gripper, but cannot detect collisions to other parts of the robot, limiting their detection range. They are typically used for detecting end effector collision forces such as grinding and assembly forces. Sensing skin is another method: Covering the entire robot with sensing skin allows for the detection of collisions at any location. However, this method is more complex in terms of wiring, has poor anti-interference capabilities, and increases the computational load on the processor. Detecting collisions using motor current or feedback torque is a widely used collision detection solution in various industrial robots. It does not require additional sensors and its advantage is that the detection range can cover the entire surface of the robot.
II. What benefits can industrial robots bring to enterprises?
Industrial robots bring many benefits to the manufacturing industry, the most important of which is improved production efficiency. Compared with manual labor, industrial robots such as AGVs and robotic arms can complete tasks faster and can operate continuously for 24 hours without rest.
Secondly, it saves on labor costs. For example, in the printed circuit board industry, using a six-axis robotic arm to replace manual labor for simple, repetitive tasks such as loading and unloading materials and polishing can replace 2-4 workers (working in two shifts, day and night). Therefore, using industrial robots can indeed significantly reduce labor costs. Moreover, because machines are more reliable than humans, they can reduce scrap costs caused by quality defects and avoid management problems caused by human individuality, thus saving on management costs.
Improve production consistency. Once set up, industrial robots such as AGVs and robotic arms can move accurately and repeatedly without management, maintaining a high degree of quality consistency. In some ways, industrial robots are both employees and quality control systems; they have no preferences, eliminate the possibility of human error, and produce predictably good products every time.
Reducing the impact of manual labor turnover on factory production and minimizing labor disputes. Businesses often expend significant resources filling vacancies in repetitive manual tasks. Temporary workers lack stability and reliability, or require substantial time to learn production processes. Furthermore, repetitive or hazardous operations can negatively impact employee health and safety. AGVs, robotic arms, and other industrial robots require no training, offer high stability, and can improve work efficiency while ensuring safety.
In recent years, in manufacturing-intensive regions such as the Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta, and Bohai Rim, the use of industrial robots to replace manual labor has become increasingly common for monotonous and frequent tasks such as handling, palletizing, loading and unloading, and packaging, as well as for hazardous and harsh environments such as gluing and welding. AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) handling robots, in particular, have gained popularity among many companies due to their efficient and accurate operation, effectively connecting various production stages and delivering materials to designated locations within specified times, thus significantly improving productivity.
