Module aims: • To provide theoretical and practical knowledge of different industrial robot configurations, specifications and models, including kinematic analysis of robot manipulators. • To provide theoretical and practical knowledge of the hardware, optics and software components of inspection systems. • To familiarize learners with industry standard tools and techniques and so underline the growing importance and relevance of automated inspection in industry and its limitations. • To give learners the necessary knowledge and skills to specify and/or implement both robotic and industrial inspection systems and see potential application methods for their integration.
Industrial Robotics - Overview
Industrial robot applications and arrangements: cartesian, cylindrical, spherical & SCARA etc.Components and specifications: degrees of freedom, co-ordinate systems, repeatability, accuracy, control resolution, working envelope, payload, tool centre point etc. Robot sensors, actuators and end-effectors.
Manipulator Kinematics
Frame representations, transformations (pure translation, rotation and combinations). Denavit-Hartenberg representations. Position and orientation analysis. Forward kinematics. Inverse kinematics. Singularities.
Robotic Applications
Robot programming: languages, offline modelling, kinematic and path planning emulation. Artificial Intelligence concepts. Navigation techniques: vision guided motion, assembly & conveyor tracking. Case studies of industrial available systems.
Vision Inspection - Image sensors & hardware
Classification of the different types of solid-state image sensors and their characteristics. Camera types (digital, analogue & line scan) and associated image representations. Video standards. Digital imaging including sub-pixel resolution. Overview architecture and functionality of frame grabbers & vision processors.
Optical principles and lighting design
Lens calculations, selection and application examples. Lighting design methods; principles of light, front/back lighting, light/dark field illumination, offset illumination, use of diffusers, industrial systems available. Filter selection (polarization, UV, IR, etc.). Image calibration & accuracy.
Image transforms
Mathematical morphology (greyscale & binary). Binary structuring element, erosion, dilation, opening, closing, advanced functions. Distance transforms. Hough transform and generalised form. Frequency domain analysis. Inspection applications.
Feature extraction
To include histograms, histogram equalization, thresholding, lookup tables, convolution, edge detection techniques, pattern matching (greyscale & binary), template matching and correlation, blob analysis, optical character recognition/verification. Colour image processing. Inspection applications.
The module will be delivered by weekly in person lectures and practical laboratory sessions.
Additional online resources will be made available to further supplement the students learning.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Formal Examination | 70 |
| Other Assessment(s) | 30 |