Feature sponsored by Test & measurement
Smart sensors for smarter industrial robotics
Over the past decade, the global sales volume of industrial robots has tripled, according to Statista. Not only are robots becoming more popular, but their functionality has also increased, allowing more complex tasks to be automated. Here Richard Mount, director of Sales at ASIC design and supply company Swindon Silicon Systems, explains how custom integrated circuits (ICs) can enable smarter, sensor-driven robots.
collaborative robots, or cobots, this traditional view of industrial robots is no longer true. By the end of 2025, cobots are expected to represent 34 per cent of overall robot sales, representing a new era of industrial robotics. To move safely around the factory
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with precision, cobots must collect and analyse vast amounts of data about their environment. That includes positional data related to the location of the cobot and its human colleagues, and key operational parameters to help ensure efficient, productive and safe operation of the robot. As robotic technology and automation continue to advance, sensors will be the basis for the critical data needed for these systems.
obots have long been used in factories, but for many years they were confined in safety cages performing one task perfectly, over and over again. With the advent of
MAXIMUM CONTROL The first industrial robots were primarily used to simply move objects from one location to another. Today, there is almost no limit to the capabilities of robots, from welding and drilling to assembly and inspection. To complete each of these processes, it is vital that robots have accurate control over their movements. Industrial robots use a large number of sensors to choose paths, perceive changes in the environment and make correct judgements in complex situations. For example, torque sensors give robots a sense of ‘touch’, enabling them to interact safely with their environment. Most torque sensors employ strain gauges, which convert applied pressure into an electrical signal that can be measured. By combining multiple gauges, the torque sensor is able to determine the intensity and direction of the force. This allows industrial robots to delicately handle and assemble fragile items without causing damage.
WORKING SAFELY WITH HUMANS Even the most highly automated factory will still have many human employees, so industrial robots must be able to work safely alongside their human co-workers. A factory floor environment can be busy and unforgiving, so robots can have difficulties distinguishing between human workers and other factory equipment. Tactile sensors used in cobots include piezoelectric, piezoresistive, capacitive and elastoresistivity types. Piezoelectric technologies can gather data from the cobot’s joints and transmit that information to the controller. Capacitive sensors can act as proximity sensors, allowing the cobot to slow down when it detects the presence of an object in its path. Most detection sensors, like area sensors, to help it slow down or stop when human workers are close by avoiding collisions.
KEEPING MOVING Sensor technology can also aid robot maintenace. Connected sensor technology enables manufacturers to understand when robotic equipment needs repairs and proactiviely address performance issues before any drastic damage occurs. Temperature sensing is an important part
of a robot’s self-diagnosis, as overheating parts are a good indication of a fault. In addition, machine axis patterns - determined by smart sensors in linear
18 November 2022 Instrumentation Monthly
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