Requirements of Wall Cleaning and Development of Climbing ... · PDF filewall-climbing robot for rescue missions last year, which was developed as a flexible mobile ... What I am working

Dr. Houxiang Zhang [email protected]

Institute TAMS Technical Aspects of Multimodal Systems http://tams-www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de

University of Hamburg

Department of Informatics 18 April, 2005

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Requirements of Wall Cleaning and Development of Climbing Robot

Dr. Houxiang Zhang

TAMS University of Hamburg

18.4.2005





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OutlineOutline

● Background of climbing and cleaning robots● Basic functions provided by cleaning

robots ● Pneumatic glass wall cleaning robots● My new project





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Background of Background of CCleaning leaning RRobotsobots





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Outer Outer GGlass lass WWall all CCleaning leaning





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Benefits of Benefits of DDeveloping the eveloping the GGlass lass WWall all CCleaning leaning RRobotobot

● Realize automatic cleaning of high- rise buildings, thus improving the technological level

● Saving the cost of installing expensive investment for permanent gondola systems at the individual building.





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Climbing and cleaning robotsClimbing and cleaning robots





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Basic functions provided by cleaning Basic functions provided by cleaning robotrobots s

● Safe and reliable attachment to the glass surface● Movement spreading over all the working areas● The ability of crossing window obstacles● Enough intelligence for the discrimination of a variety of obstacle

situations ● Working autonomously with the corresponding effective treatment ● Motion control function● Friendly Graphical User Interface● Efficient cleaning





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Why Designing Pneumatic RobotsWhy Designing Pneumatic Robots

• Advantages1. With the pneumatic actuators the climbing robot can be made lightweight,

which is one of the most important specifications for devices working on high-rise buildings.

2. Because of the compressibility of air, the motion driven by pneumatic actuators has a passive compliance, which makes the robot safer than being driven by motors under the situation of interacting with the glass.





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Advantages of the pneumatic systemAdvantages of the pneumatic system

Definition

5.297.2111.72Power-to-weight ratio

12.6610.46.4Total weight Gdrive (Kg)

0.50.50.5Connectors (Kg)

6.0<1.0<1.0Weight for actuator(Kg)

6.168.94.9Weight for linear unit(Kg)

5019.6110MZ(NM)

8758.8110MY(NM)

1619.639MX(NM)

67.075.075.0Fdrive(Kg)

WH50/400MYC-40046140/400Model

SMCNORGREN

Electrical

NEFF

Pneumatic

Driven linear guidance units

Items

Power-to-weight ratio=F driveGdrive

A linear cylinder is 1-2 times lighter than a motor-driven linear-motion unit with the similar specifications.





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Sky cleaner 1Sky cleaner 1 • Designed the first kind of robot for cleaning the glass top of the

Beijing Railway Station before 2000.





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Sky cleaner 1Sky cleaner 1• A PC is used as a console on the ground,

and the on-board controller includes PC104 and PLC. The PC104 computer is the core controller and in charge of the global intelligent control such as planning and identifying the sensor inputs. PLC is the assistant controller that collects the internal switch sensor signals and actuates all the solenoid valves.

• The attachment on window glass uses vacuum suckers which is generally controlled by a vacuum ejector. The vacuum ejector needs to share the compressed air source with other pneumatic cylinders, which simplifies the whole system.





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Sky cleaner 1Sky cleaner 1

• It cannot work on a vertical wall.• Because it has no waist joint, the robot is unable to correct the direction of motion.• Cleaning efficiency is only about 37.5 m2/ hour.





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Sky cleaner Sky cleaner 22• The following project was aimed at developing a cost-

effective, mobile robotic system for moving on vertical glass walls and high quality cleaning on the surfaces of high-rise curtain walls.





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Sky cleaner Sky cleaner 22• It featured with 16 suction pads• A pair of cylinders provides both vertical and horizontal motion• A specially designed waist joint gives a turning motion to the robot.

• The robot is portable and cleaning efficiency is about 75 m2/ hour. But considerable stress was laid on weight reduction the stiffness is somewhat low so that there is a small distortion while cleaning.





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Sky cleaner Sky cleaner 33





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The Robotic The Robotic SystemSystem





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Sky cleanerSky cleaner 3 3

On opposite ends in the Y direction there are also four brush cylinders, which actuate the brushes up and down. An adaptive cleaning head is designed especially for effective, efficient and safe cleaning, equipped with a drainage collecting device.





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Sky cleanerSky cleaner 3 3 ● In order to move from one column of glasses to another in the right-left

direction, an ankle joint gives a passive turning motion to the suckers.

● All mechanical parts are designed specifically and mainly manufactured in aluminum.





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Control Control IImplementationmplementation





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Some Pics about Cleaning in Some Pics about Cleaning in ShanghaiShanghai





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ConclusionConclusionss

1-21-21Operators

50(reused)50(reused)50(reused)Supply water(L/hour)

Supporting vehicle and following unit

Supporting vehicle and following unitSupporting vehicleSupporting unit

1136×736×3771220×1340×370935×900×320Body Mass(mm3):

Length×Width×Height

452525Weight (kg)

Window frame:10×60;Seal:-1×20

Window frame:30×60;Seal: -1×20

Window frame:30×60

Cross obstacles (mm2):Height×Width

100-1257537.5Efficiency(m2/8 hours)

Glass wall 0°-90°(with < 2° angle)Glass wall 0°-90°Glass wall 0°-45°Target character

Sky Cleaner 3Sky Cleaner 2Sky Cleaner 1 Type Capability





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Open Topic for Future ResearchOpen Topic for Future Research

● Research on Climbing Mechanism

● Evaluation on the Path Planning for Wall-climbing Robot by Synthesis of Standards

● Smart climbing robot





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A miniature wall-climbing robotic platform for rescue A miniature wall-climbing robotic platform for rescue missionsmissions

• Our backgroundWe proposed a lightweight smart wall-climbing robot for rescue missions last year, which was developed as a flexible mobile platform carrying a CCD camera and other sensors. Firstly we designed a semi-autonomous climbing prototype with wheels and negative pressure, as shown in Fig. This prototype is only 390mm wide and 390mm long, the weight is 5kg including the battery.





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Research on a smart climbing mechanismResearch on a smart climbing mechanism





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A miniature wall-climbing robotic platform for rescue A miniature wall-climbing robotic platform for rescue missionsmissions

Miniaturization Modularization Flexibility Multi-function

This robotic system is with five same modules. The mechanical structure is reconstructed flexible due to special connection joints.





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Main specificatitons Main specificatitons

● Climbing ability on walls of different materials such as glass, metal, plastic, tiles;

● Velocity of movement: about 100mm/s;● Traveling between surfaces with a 0-90 degrees angle;● The ability to cross obstacles (Height×Width =50mm ×50mm ) ● Gross weight: 6 Kg;● Carrying tools and sensors;● Few connection with the remote GUI.





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1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

Traveling between two faces





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What I am working on for this proposal now…What I am working on for this proposal now…

• Designing a new mechanical module in detail;

• Making a simulation;

• Adding some things on sensory fusion;





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Thanks a lot!Questions?





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Research on Climbing MechanismResearch on Climbing Mechanism

1 Trunk kinematics





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2 Multiple-legs kinematics





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gecko

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Requirements of Wall Cleaning and Development of Climbing ... · PDF filewall-climbing robot for rescue missions last year, which was developed as a flexible mobile ... What I am working