Digital Twin for Designing and Reconfiguring Human–Robot Collaborative Assembly Lines

Niki Kousi,Christos Gkournelos,Angelos Christos Bavelos,Sotiris Aivaliotis,Panagiotis Baris,George Michalos,Konstantinos Lotsaris,Sotiris Makris

doi:10.3390/app11104620

Abstract

This paper discusses a digital twin-based approach for designing and redesigning flexible assembly systems. The digital twin allows modeling the parameters of the production system at different levels including assembly process, production station, and line level. The approach allows dynamically updating the digital twin in runtime, synthesizing data from multiple 2D–3D sensors in order to have up-to-date information about the actual production process. The model integrates both geometrical information and semantics. The model is used in combination with an artificial intelligence logic in order to derive alternative configurations of the production system. The overall approach is discussed with the help of a case study coming from the automotive industry. The case study introduces a production system integrating humans and autonomous mobile dual arm workers.

Highlights

This paper discusses a digital twin-based approach for designing and redesigning flexible assembly systems
The current work aims to enable the deployment of such reconfigurable production systems employing mobile dual arm workers that can navigate across the shopfloor to undertake different operations while acting as assistants to human operators
Regarding the re-design of the system, below, we present the responsiveness of the system in two cases of execution disturbances against current industrial practice

Summary

Introduction

This paper discusses a digital twin-based approach for designing and redesigning flexible assembly systems. The approach allows dynamically updating the digital twin in runtime, synthesizing data from multiple 2D–3D sensors in order to have up-to-date information about the actual production process. The model integrates both geometrical information and semantics. Traditional production systems are facing difficulties in accommodating the market demand for customized products [1] This is attributed to the rigidity of their structure and control logic [2] as well as the isolation between design and production phases [3].

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Conclusion