Task-Specific Reconfiguration of Variable Workstations using Automated Planning of Workcell Layouts

Abstract

This paper presents an automated framework for designing and reconfiguring robotic workcells in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing scenarios. The framework utilizes a modular workcell with various tools and a flexible grid system, the Variable Workstation (VWS), and uses an ontological representation of available robotic systems and assembly tasks. The major contribution is a tool for automatic layout planning and reconfiguration, and its integration into the overall pipeline. The tool optimizes component placements for efficient task execution with minimal path lengths and maximized manipulability. Constraints guarantee the reachability of each task and absence of collisions. The framework is evaluated in a real scenario using tasks from the assembly of an electric chainsaw. Overall, the proposed framework provides an efficient and complete system of designing and reconfiguring robotic workcells for high-mix, low-volume manufacturing.