Model-based design of granulate-based grippers for the form-variable handling in automated production

• Applicants: Professor Dr.-Ing. Klaus Dröder; Professor Dr.-Ing. Arno Kwade
• Subject Area: Production Automation and Assembly Technology ; Automation, Mechatronics, Control Systems, Intelligent Technical Systems, Robotics
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 450839725

Increasing component complexity and variant diversity lead to major challenges in automated production, especially in the flexibilization of parts handling. The disordered provision of highly variant components in containers results in a number of technical challenges for the automated separation of these components (bin picking). Since standardized end effectors have usually been used in bin picking up to now, more and more effort is being put into sensor-based localization of individual components to ensure a robust separation process. However, it is still unknown how the need for adaptive web planning can be reduced by sufficiently universal and robust gripping technology. This is the basis for the fundamental research required for the efficient implementation of bin picking processes using variable shape gripping technology. In this project, a model-based design method for a handling system designed at IWF will therefore be elaborated. The efficient process-specific design, configuration and control of the handling system is to be enabled for the robust implementation of bin picking processes. The research approach is based on own preliminary work, in which a granulate-based handling technology for variable shape and area gripping was proposed and a design methodology based on static characteristic maps was developed. While this technology enables a significant increase in flexibility with regard to gripping a wide variety of objects with the same tool, the complexity of gripper design increases at the same time. With previous experimental design approaches, it was necessary to simplify the considered cause-and-effect relationships in order to be able to control the design complexity. It must be accepted that although the solutions generated can be realized at high experimental cost, they may be far from an optimal solution. The limited solution quality and the low design efficiency motivate research into new design methods for granule-based handling technology. The model-based design methodology to be developed in this project enables an active decision to be made on the design effort to be invested. Depending on the expected effort-dependent result quality of the gripper design (using an empirical meta model and spatially resolved numerical discrete element simulation), this methodology suggests a suitable downstream process planning strategy that enables a robust bin picking process. On the basis of a component spectrum, the design methodology is developed, experimentally validated and generalized for transferability to similar problems. The result is a transferable reference procedure based on the developed design methodology, which takes into account the combined design effort and quality.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants