Integrated optical position and orientation sensing for manufacturing robotics

该提案的目的是对新型光学仪器进行研究，以提高传统机器人制造操作的精度，并支持未来更敏捷和灵活的制造系统的制造目标。这将通过建立在我们目前的研究，其中我们已经开发了两个互补的技术，机器人定位测量;距离分辨干涉测量（RRI）和激光散斑相关（LSC）。在本提案中，我们的目标是进一步开发这种新型仪器，提供新的测量和过程中监测能力，并通过这种额外的功能显着提高性能，通过项目合作伙伴，同时探索机器人和自动化、激光加工和增材制造等新的应用领域。这将提高机器人的性能，扩大柔性机器人在高精度制造过程中的适用性，并通过在线质量控制提高生产率。为了实现这一目标，我们确定了一些最有前途的方向，需要进一步研究，使技术达到适当的水平，以供开发：第一个是除了当前实现的定位（x，y，z）之外，通过测量平面外倾斜（俯仰和滚动）角度来实现机器人取向测量。这将使一系列新的应用领域成为可能，包括在机器人无损检测过程中保持对零件的范围和正常测量，以及在加工操作过程中保持方向和运动控制。同样，在机身制造中，保持钻孔操作的正交性对于用于确保疲劳寿命和表面光滑度以及空气动力学性能的铆钉/紧固孔的质量至关重要。除此之外，还将通过应用光纤传感器头来研究传感器的小型化，以实现远程定位，从而实现一系列新的机器人制造应用。例如，需要在靠近相互作用点处进行测量的应用，以便于在现有机床上进行改装，并且为了额外的鲁棒性和灵活性，仪器可以位于远离机器人加工或处理中的潜在损坏原因的位置。最后要研究的领域是仪器与激光加工头的集成。这将使传感器能够在机器人激光加工的新应用领域中使用，例如基于激光的增材制造，其中需要在线过程监测，例如沉积层高度测量和沉积期间的干扰控制。或者在激光切割中，控制相对于工件的焦点位置对于确保切割质量至关重要，并且能够在存在面外振动的情况下对薄板进行快速加工。与加工激光器构造的仪器的集成将产生能够高达5个自由度定位和/或切割/消融深度监测的新型柔性仪器，这是现有技术目前无法实现的。

The aim of this proposal is to undertake research into novel optical instrumentation to improve the precision of traditional robot-based manufacturing operations and to support future manufacturing aims for more agile and flexible manufacturing systems. This will be achieved by building upon our current research, in which we have developed two complimentary techniques for robotic positioning measurement; range-resolved interferometry (RRI) and laser speckle pattern correlation (LSC).In this proposal we aim to further develop this novel instrumentation, to provide new measurement and in-process monitoring capabilities and to improve significantly the performance via this additional functionality, together with concomitant exploration of new application areas in robotics and automation, laser processing and additive manufacturing via project collaborators. This will enable improved robot performance, extend the applicability of flexible robots in high-precision manufacturing processes, and improve productivity through on-line quality control.To achieve this we have identified a number of the most promising directions which require further research to bring the techniques to an appropriate level for exploitation: The first is to enable robot orientation measurements by the measurement of out-of-plane tilt (pitch and roll) angles, in addition to the positioning (x, y, z) currently implemented. This will enable a range of new application areas including maintaining range and normal measurements to the part during robotic non-destructive testing and orientation and movement control during machining operations. Similarly in air-frame manufacturing maintaining orthogonality in hole drilling operations is critical to the quality of rivet/fastening holes used to ensure fatigue lifetime and surface smoothness and hence aerodynamic performance.In addition to this, the miniaturisation of the sensors will be investigated via the application of optical fibre sensor heads to allow remote positioning, to enable a range of new robotic manufacturing applications. For example applications requiring measurements to be made close to the interaction point, for ease of retro-fitting on existing machine tools and for additional robustness and flexibility in that the instrument can be located further from causes of potential damage in robotic machining or processing. The final area to be investigated is the integration of the instrumentation with laser processing heads. This will enable the use of the sensors in new application areas in robotic laser processing, such as laser based additive manufacturing, in which there is a need for on-line process monitoring such as deposition layer height measurements and control of disturbances during deposition. Or in laser cutting, where control of the focus position relative to the work-piece is critical to ensure cut quality, and to enable rapid processing on thin sheets in the presence of out-of-plane vibrations. The integration of the instruments constructed with the processing laser will result in a novel flexible instrument capable of up to 5 degree-of-freedom positioning and/or cut/ablation depth monitoring, something currently unavailable with existing technologies.