Product modeling based integration of robot related engineering activities

In this paper an integration of product modeling with robot control is discussed. The authors propose a method to enhance applications of geometric and other product and production equipment related information in robot control. Research of the related methodology was motivated by a growing significance of robots in highly flexible manufacturing systems. Difficulties of reproduction of modeled product geometry at its applications resulted a growing importance of online real time communications between a centralized product modeling and several model applications. The reported research concentrates on the creation and application of model data information understandable by robot controls, on communication of model data with robot environments through the Internet, and finally on some related telerobotics issues. It covers one of the actual problem complexes in the integration of engineering modeling with its shop floor level applications. Systems integration, data model, data communication and model processing have been investigated. In the paper an introduction of the robot related activities of engineers and the modeling environment are first given, taking into account the robot control aspect. Following this, key issues regarding robot tasks and their shape model based control are explained. Then an approach to interactive application of Internet-based telerobotics for product model driven control of robots is outlined. Finally, possibilities for an integration of remote robot control applications with product modeling environments are discussed.