Fundamentals of Robotics Engineering

Robotics engineering has progressed from an infant industry in 1961 to one including over 500 robot and allied firms around the world in 1989. During this growth period, many robotics books have been published, so me of which have served as industry standards. Until recently, the design of robotics sys­ tems has been primarily the responsibility of the mechanical engineer, and their application in factories has been the responsibility of the manufacturing engineer. Few robotics books address the many systems issues facing electron­ ics engineers or computer programmers. The mid-1980s witnessed a major change in the robotics field. The develop­ ment of advanced sensor systems (particularly vision), improvements in the intelligence area, and the desire to integrate groups of robots working together in local work cells or in factory-wide systems have greatly increased the partic­ ipation of electronics engineers and computer programmers. Further, as ro­ bots ga in mobility, they are being used in completely new areas, such as construction, firefighting, and underwater exploration, and the need for com­ puters and smart sensors has increased. Fundamentals af Rabaties Engineering is aimed at the practicing electrical engineer or computer analyst who needs to review the fundamentals of engi­ neering as applied to robotics and to understand the impact on system design caused by constraints unique to robotics. Because there are many good texts covering mechanical engineering topics, this book is limited to an overview of those topics and the effects they have on electrical design and system pro­ grams.

Contenu

I: An Overview of Robotics.- 1. Introduction.- 1.1 Brief History of Robotics.- 1.2 Working Definition of Robot.- 1.3 Growth of the Industry.- 1.4 Introduction to Robotics Engineering.- 2. Types of Robots.- 2.1 Classification by Degrees of Freedom.- 2.2 Classification by Robot Motion.- 2.3 Classification by Platform.- 2.4 Classification by Power Source.- 2.5 Classification by Intelligence.- 2.6 Classification by Application Area.- II: Robotic Technology.- 3. Introduction to Robot Mechanics.- 3.1 Robot Arm Kinematics.- 3.2 End-Effectors.- 3.3 Dynamic Considerations.- 3.4 Obstacle Avoidance.- 4. Robot Electronic Design.- 4.1 Robot Electronic Subsystems.- 4.2 Robot External Sensing Systems.- 4.3 Motor System Design.- 4.4 Servo System Design.- 4.5 Hall-Effect Technology.- 5. Robotic Sensors.- 5.1 Internal Sensors.- 5.2 External Sensors.- 5.3 Sensor Processing.- 6. Vision Systems.- 6.1 Human Vision Considerations.- 6.2 Machine Vision Approaches.- 6.3 Image Acquisition.- 6.4 Image Analysis.- 6.5 Summary of the State of the Art.- 6.6 Applications and Available Systems.- 6.7 Ranging Techniques.- 7. Ultrasonic Systems.- 7.1 Sonar Fundamentals.- 7.2 Theoretical Acoustics.- 7.3 Practical Considerations.- 7.4 Advanced Considerations.- 7.5 Ultrasonics in Bats.- 7.6 System Considerations.- 7.7 Applications.- 8. Mobile Robots.- 8.1 Approaches to Mobility.- 8.2 Design Considerations.- 8.3 Locomotion.- 8.4 Steering.- 8.5 Power and Stability.- 8.6 Intelligence.- 8.7 Error Considerations.- 8.8 Current Applications.- III: Computer Hardware and Software.- 9. Computers for Robots.- 9.1 History.- 9.2 Functions.- 9.3 Program Entry.- 9.4 Computer Hardware.- 9.5 Program Tasks.- 9.6 Robot Simulation.- 9.7 Work Cell Considerations.- 9.8 Other Hardware Considerations.- 10. Robot Languages.- 10.1 Early Languages.- 10.2 Current Languages.- 10.3 Language Command Review.- 10.4 Program Example.- 10.5 Language Approaches and Limitations.- 11. Robot Intelligence.- 11.1 Application of AI.- 11.2 Techniques.- 11.3 Vision System Research.- 11.4 AI Language.- 11.5 Applications.- IV: Robotic Applications.- 12. Robot Standards.- 12.1 Japan Industrial Robot Safety Standards.- 12.2 RIA Standards Program.- 12.3 Testing Standards.- 12.4 Other Standards Activity.- 12.5 Device Communication Standards.- 12.6 Network Standards.- 12.7 Safety.- 13. Applications Engineering.- 13.1 Systems Analysis.- 13.2 System Example.- 13.3 Work Cell Systems.- 13.4 Safety in the Plant.- 14. Application-Oriented Requirements.- 14.1 Application-Oriented Requirements.- 14.2 Clean-Room Environments.- 14.3 Mobile Robot Requirements.- V: Future Considerations.- 15. Trends in Robotic Systems.- 15.1 Current Research Projects.- 15.2 Surveys and Predictions.- 15.3 Technological Trends.- 15.4 Predictions.- 16. New Technology.- 16.1 Natural Language Processing.- 16.2 Speech Recognition.- 16.3 Walking Vehicles (legged Locomotion).- 16.4 Collision Avoidance.- 16.5 Neural Network Computing.- 17. New Application Areas.- 17.1 Tasks for Robots.- 17.2 Current Applications.- 17.3 Future Robotics Applications.- Appendix 1: Robotic Systems Manufacturers.- Appendix 2: Major University Robotics Laboratories.- Appendix 3: International Robotics Organizations.