Optimal TCP and Robot Base Placement for a Set of Complex Continuous Paths

• Published in: 2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) pp. 9659 - 9665
• Main Authors: Weingartshofer, Thomas, Hartl-Nesic, Christian, Kugi, Andreas
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 30-05-2021
• Subjects: Footwear; Kinematics; Manufacturing; Production; Service robots; Turning
• ISSN: 2577-087X
• DOI: 10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561900

The robot base placement of an industrial robot in flexible production lines is crucial due to the limited workspace of robots, in particular for complex continuous paths that change frequently. Costly and time-consuming repositioning of the robot can be avoided by merely adapting the tool center point (TCP) of the robot, which is the focus of this work. To this end, an algorithm for the optimal TCP placement for a set of tool paths is proposed. This algorithm is based on a fast joint-space path planner which is capable of moving through kinematic singularities and takes into account wide turning ranges of individual robot axes. Furthermore, the proposed concept also applies to the optimal robot base placement. The feasibility of the approach is demonstrated for a trim application in shoe production for a set of 44 complex continuous tool paths.