Abstract
This paper describes the design and the control architecture of an unsupervised robot developed for grit blasting ship hulls in shipyards. Grit blasting is a very common and environmentally unfriendly operation, required for preparing metallic surfaces for painting operations. It also implies very unhealthy and hazardous working conditions for the operators that must carry it out. The robot presented here has been designed to reduce the environmental impact of these operations and completely eliminate the health associated risks for the operators. It is based on a double frame main body with magnetic legs that are able to avoid the accumulation of ferromagnetic dust during its operation. The control system presents a layered structure with four layers that are physically distributed into two separate components in order to facilitate different operational modes as well as to increase the safety requirements of the system. A low-level control component has been implemented on the robotic unit itself, and a mission planning and control component has been developed on a base station that is also used for interaction with the operator, when the monitoring of the robot's operation is required. This base station component contains three layers of the control system that permit the manual, semiautonomous and autonomous operation of the whole system. A prototype of the robot has been implemented and tested in realistic environments, ascertaining that the design and the control system are perfectly suited to the functions which the robot must carry out.
Highlights
Shipyards are a paradigmatic example of a dynamic and unstructured environment where the real application of robots presents a very significant challenge
Taking into account that there will be a physical connection between the robot and the ground, a decision was made to design the robot control system as a layered structure that is divided into two main parts: a robot control system, onboard the robot, which monitors the sensors and makes real‐time decisions regarding the status of the actuators; and a mission control system, located at a base station on the ground, whose function is to permit the interaction with the operators, perform the necessary path planning required to cover the area to be blasted, and monitor the surface quality achieved using the information received from the cameras
This paper describes the design and implementation of a robot for grit blasting ship hulls, including its architecture and its control system
Summary
Shipyards are a paradigmatic example of a dynamic and unstructured environment where the real application of robots presents a very significant challenge. It consists in blasting the hull with small particles of sand (sand blasting) or metals (grit blasting) using a high pressure jet of fluid, generally air or water, to project these particles onto the surface at very high speeds It is a very effective technique in terms of the final surface results as, in addition to removing whatever coating is present, it is able to provide a given texture level for the surface. This system should be able to attach itself and move securely over the surface as well as receive protection from the effects of the grit and particles generated during the blasting operation To fulfil these requirements, which have not been covered by any system yet, in this work we present a novel small, light and autonomous robotic grit blasting system that can achieve the same or even better surface quality results than those provided by a human operator while minimizing the amount of waste the environment has to support.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
