机器人技术英文翻译

20

世纪前

20

年机器人一样的机制被称为自动机。在韦伯斯特的早

期的词典中，一 个机器人被定义为“自我运动的机器或一个无形的弹簧

移动。”

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

In

a

number

of

respects,

robots

are

like

numerically

controlled

automated

machine

tools,

such

as

an

automated

lathe,

since

they

are

both

reprogrammable

to

produce

a

number

of

different

objects.

What

distinguishes

robots

is

their

flexibility

regarding

both

range

of

tasks

and

motion. In one typical manufacturing application, robots move parts in their

various stages of completion from one automated machine tool to the next,

the system of robots and machine tools making up a flexible manufacturing

workcell.

Robots

are

classified

as

soft

automata,

whereas

automated

machine tools are classified as hard automata. The Japanese Industrial Robot

Association

also

classifies

manually

operated

manipulators

and

nonreprogrammable,

single-function

manipulators

as

robots,

and

one

must

bear this in mind when comparing data on robot use between Japan and the

United States.

Since robots are defined by their capacity to move objects or tools through

space, key issues in robotic control are location and movement, referred to in

the industry as kinematics and dynamics. The position of an object in a

three-dimensional space can be defined relative to a fixed point with three

parameters via the Cartesian coordinate system, indicating placement along

x, y, and z axes. The orientation of an object requires three additional

parameters, indicating rotation on these axes. These parameters are referred

to as degrees of freedom. Together these six parameters and the movement

among them make up the data of kinematic control equations. Robots

carrying out simpler tasks may operate with fewer than six degrees of

freedom, but robots may also operate with more than six, which is referred

to as redundancy. Redundancy gives a robot greater mobility, enabling it to

more readily work around obstructions and to choose among a set of joint

positions to reach a given target in less time.

Two types of joints are commonly used in robots, the prismatic or sliding

joint, resembling a slide rule, and the re volute joint, a hinge. The simplest

type of robot to control is one made up of three sliding joints, each

determining placement along a Cartesian axis. Robots made solely of

revolute joints are more complex to control, in that the relation of joint

position to control parameters is less direct. Other robots use both types of

joints. Among these, a common type uses a large sliding joint for vertical

placement of an arm made of revolute joints. The vertical rigidity and

horizontal flexibility of such robots make them ideal for heavy assembly

work (this configuration is referred to as SCARA for Selectively Compliant

Arm for Robot Assembly). Robots may also be made of a system of arms

each with restricted movement (i.e., with relatively few degrees of freedom)

but which together can perform complex tasks. These are referred to as

distributed robots. Such robots have the advantage of high speed and

precision, but the disadvantage of restricted range of movement.

Robots are activated by hydraulic, pneumatic, and electrical power. Electric

motors have become increasingly small with high power-to-weight ratios,

enabling them to become the dominant means by which robots are powered.

The hand of a robot is referred to in the industry as an end effector. End

effectors may be specialized tools, such as spot welders or spray guns, or

more general-purpose grippers. Common grippers include fingered and

vacuum types.

One of the central elements of robotics control technology involves sensors.

It is through sensors that a robotic system receives knowledge of its

environment, to which subsequent actions of the robot can be adjusted.

Sensors are used to enable a robot to adjust to variations in the position of

objects to be picked up, to inspect objects, and to monitor proper operation.

Among the most important types are visual, force and torque, speed and

acceleration, tactile, and distance sensors. The majority of industrial robots

use simple binary sensing, analogous to an on/off switch. This does not

permit sophisticated feedback to the robot about how successfully an

operation was performed. Lack of adequate feedback also often requires the

use of guides and fixtures to constrain the motions of a robot through an

operation, which implies substantial inflexibility in changing operations.

Robots may also be able to adjust to variations in object placement without

the use of sensors. This is enabled by arm or end effector flexibility and is

referred to as compliance. Robots with sensors may also make use of

compliance.

Robots are programmed either by guiding or by off-line programming. Most

industrial robots are programmed by the former method. This involves

manually guiding a robot from point to point through the phases of an

operation, with each point stored in the robotic control system. With off- line

programming, the points of an operation are defined through computer

commands. This is referred to as manipulator level off-line programming.

An important area of research is the development of off-line programming

that makes use of higher-level languages, in which robotic actions are

defined by tasks or objectives.

Robots may be programmed to move through a specified continuous path

instead of from point to point. Continuous path control is necessary for

operations such as spray painting or arc welding a curved joint.

Programming also requires that a robot be synchronized with the automated

machine tools or other robots with which it is working. Thus robot control

systems are generally interfaced with a more centralized control system

显着特点

机器人在许多方面，如数控 自动化，如自动车床，机床，因为它们都是

可重复编程产生一些不同的对象。

运动范围的灵活性。在一个典型的制造 业应用中，机器人移动部分完成

的各个阶段到下一个自动化机床，

机器人和一个柔性制造工作单元机床

系统。

被列为软自动机器 人，

自动化机床，

而硬盘的自动分类。

在日本，

工业机器人协会还分为手动操作机器人和

nonrep rogrammable

，单一功

能的机器人作为机器人，

我们必须牢记这个机器人使用日本和美国之间

的比较数据时。

由于机器人定义自己的能力，通过空间移动的对象或工具，机器人控 制

中的关键问题是位置和运动，运动学和动力学的行业中提及。可以定义

在三维空间中的对象的位置相对固定点有三个参数，通过直角坐标系，

这表明沿

X

，

Y

，

Z

轴的位置。对象的定位需要三个额外的参数，表明这

些轴的旋转。

这些参数被称为自由度。

这六个参数以 及它们之间的运动，

使运动控制方程的数据。机器人进行简单的任务可能少于

个自由度，

但也可能超过六个月，被称为冗余操 作机器人。冗余给出了机器人的更

大的流动性，使得它更容易绕过障碍物，并选择一套共 同立场之间在更

短的时间内达到一个给定的目标。

两种类型的关节通常使用机器人，棱柱或滑动的关节，类似计 算尺，重

新蜗壳关节，

铰链。

最简单的 机器人控制的类型是由三个滑动关节之一，

沿着直角轴的每个位置确定。机器人做纯粹的 旋转关节更复杂的控制，

在共同立场，以控制参数的关系是那么直接。其他机器人使用两 种类型

的关节。其中，普通型使用转动关节臂垂直放置一个大的滑动关节。垂

置被 称为选择性规定的

SCARA

机器人装配臂）的理想选择。机器 人也可

能作出的武器系统，运动受限（即，自由的相对数度）

， 但它可以执行

复杂的任务。这些被称为分布式机器人。这种机器人有优势，速度快，

精度高，但运动范围限制的缺点。

液压，气动，电力机器人被激活。电动马达已越来越小，具有高功率重

量比，使他们能够成为其中的机器人供电的主要方式。机器人的手，在

同行业中被称为 末端效应。末端效应可能是专门的工具，如点焊机或喷

枪，或更一般用途爪。常见的夹子 ，包括手指和真空类型。

机器人控 制技术的核心内容之一，涉及传感器。它是一个机器人系统通

过传感器接收知识的环境， 可以调整机器人的后续行动。传感器可用于

使一个机器人，以适应变化中的位置被拾起的 对象，检查对象，监控正

常运作。其中最重要的类型是视觉，力和扭矩，速度和加速度， 触觉，

和距离感应器。大多数工业机器人使用简单的二进制检测，类似于一个

/

OFF

开关。 这不允许如何成功地进行操作的复杂反馈的机器人。缺

乏足够的反馈也往往需要导游及固 定装置的使用，限制机器人的运动，

通过操作，这意味着大幅改变操作的僵化。

机器人也可能是没有使用传感器能够调整对 象位置的变化。

这是通过手

臂或末端效应器的灵活性和简称合格 。与传感器的机器人，也可能使遵

守。

机器人编程指导或离线编程。大多数工业机器人编程前一种方 法。这涉

及到手动引导机器人从点到机器人控制系统中存储的每个点，点，通过

操作阶段。与离线编程，操作点是指通过计算机的命令。这被称为操纵

水 平离线编程。

一个重要的研究领域是离线编程，

使用更高级别的 语言，

在机器人行动的任务或目标定义的发展。

编程机器人可以通过指定的连续路径移动，而不是点对点。连 续轨迹控

制是必要的，如喷涂或电弧焊接弯曲关节的操作。规划还要求，机器人

与自动化机床或其他机器人与它同步。因此，机器人控制系统一般都更

集 中控制系统的接口

MAJOR USES

Industrial robots perform both spot and electric arc welding. Welding guns

are heavy and the speed of assembly lines requires precise movement, thus

creating an ideal niche for robotics. Parts can be welded either through the

movement of the robot or by keeping the robot relatively stationary and

moving the part. The latter method has come into widespread use as it

requires less expensive conveyors. The control system of the robot must

synchronize the robot with the speed of the assembly line and with other

robots working on the line. Control systems may also count the number of

welds completed and derive productivity data.

Industrial robots also perform what are referred to as pick and place

operations. Among the most common of these operations is loading and

unloading pallets, used across a broad range of industries. This requires

relatively complex programming, as the robot must sense how full a pallet is

and adjust its placements or removals accordingly. Robots have been vital in

pick and place operations in the casting of metals and plastics. In the die

casting of metals, for instance, productivity using the same die-casting

machinery has increased up to three times, the result of robots' greater speed,

strength, and ability to withstand heat in parts removal operations. In 1992,

CBW Automation Inc. of Colorado announced the development of the

world's fastest parts-removal robot for plastics molding. Their robot moves

through a four-foot stroke in under one-fifth of a second.

Assembly is one of the most demanding operations for industrial robots. A

number of conditions must be met for robotic assembly to be viable, among

them that the overall production system be highly coordinated and that the

product be designed with robotic assembly in mind. The sophistication of

the control system required implies a large initial capital outlay, which

generally requires production of 100,000 to 1,000,000 units per year in order

to be profitable. Robotic assembly has come to be used for production of

printed circuit boards, electronic components and equipment, household

appliances, and automotive subassemblies. As of 1985, assembly made up

just over ten percent of all robotic applications.

Industrial robots are widely used in spray finishing operations, particularly

in the automobile industry. One of the reasons these operations are

cost-effective is that they minimize the need for environmental control to

protect workers from fumes. Most robots are not precise enough to supplant

machine tools in operations such as cutting and grinding. Robots are used,

however, in machining operations such as the removal of metal burrs or

template-guided drilling. Robots are also used for quality control inspection,

to determine tightness of fit between two parts, for example. The use of

robots in nonindustrial applications such as the cleaning of contaminated

sites and the handling and analysis of hazardous materials represent

important growth markets for robotics producers.

THE ROBOTICS INDUSTRY

EARLY DEVELOPMENT.

The first industrial robot was developed in the mid-1950s by Joseph

Engelberger (1925), who has been referred to as the father of industrial

robots. Engelberger also founded Unimation, Inc., which became the largest

producer of industrial robots in the United States.

His early research involved touring Ford, Chrysler Corp., General Motors,

and 20 other production plants. Engelberger observed that men performed

the higher-paying jobs in which they lifted heavy objects with two hands

simultaneously, while women performed tasks in which they used their

hands asynchronously. Economic and technical considerations thus led

Engelberger to focus on the development of a one-armed robot. Engelberger

developed his first prototype in 1956, the design of which is very similar to

Unimation robots produced decades later.

General Motors purchased a test model in 1959, though by 1964, Unimation

had sold only 30 robots. It was not until the late 1960s that sales increased

strongly and not until 1975 that the firm turned a profit. Together with

number-two producer Cincinnati Milacron, Unimation accounted for 75

percent of the U.S. robotics market in 1980. Unimation Inc. became a

wholly owned subsidiary of Westinghouse in 1982. By 1983, the firm had

sales of $$43 million.

TEPID DEMAND AND CYCLICAL SALES.

Generally, there was much greater reluctance to adopt the use of robots in

the United States than in places like Japan, which led the world in robot

production and use. Among other apprehensions, U.S. companies balked at

the heavy investments required and were sensitive to opposition from

organized labor. Other times, when robots were ordered, they failed to