Tracking line analysis of a robot manipulator for conveyor systems

The concept of dynamic tracking line is proposed as the feasible tracking region for a robot in a robot-conveyor system, which takes the variable conveyor speed into consideration. This paper presents an effective method to find the dynamic tracking line in a robotic workcell. The maximum permissible line-speed which is a quantitative measure of the robot capability for conveyor tracking, is defined on the basis of the relation between the end-effector speed and the bounds on the joint velocities, accelerations, and torques. This measure is derived in an analytic form, and some of its properties are established mathematically. The problem of finding the dynamic tracking line is then formulated as a root-solving problem for a single-variable equation, and solved by the use of a simple numerical technique.