Low Cost Automation Research Articles

Design and Fabrication of Automatic Weight, Color and Height Based Sorting System

Sorting is a necessary task that is frequently performed in daily life. Manual sorting is an expensive, difficult, and drawn-out operation. Additionally, it slows down manufacturing operations. To solve these issues the sorting system now uses Low-Cost Automation which aims to decrease labor costs, manufacturing times, and processing complexity while also enhancing product quality, boosting output, etc. In this research, an efficient technique for automatically sorting the object based on color, height, and weight has been devised. The objects are recognized, separated, and collected using a collection bin along with a conveyor belt, strain gauge load cell, TCS34725 RGB color sensor, ultrasonic sensor, extra channel path, etc. according to their colors. The Arduino Uno controls the entire operation of this system. Here, three types of products are sorted based on their weight, color, and height. These three colors are red, blue, and green. Firstly, the weight is measured using strain gauge load cells. Then the color of the product has been detected by the color sensor at the same stage, and according to the color collecting bin rotates to the desired angle. Finally, the height is measured by an ultrasonic sensor. An extra channel is used at the end of the conveyor belt. At the end of the channel, a three-portion collecting bin is kept. The bin can be rotated at the desired angle by a servo motor after detecting the specified color object, and objects are being collected from this bin. Thus, the objects are sorted out based on their weight, color, and height. The experimental results show that the system fits the design requirements, is dependable, and has high sorting accuracy.

Development of a PLC Based Automation Cell for Industry

In recent years there is a considerable growth and development of automation mainly in industrial sectors. This technological revolution is quickly reducing the need of humans to operate machines. To reduce cost and increase the production rate every industry tries to invent new technology. Bringing automation in the industrial sector is one of them. Automation in the industrial sector reduces human effort, makes the system smooth and also increases productivity. For this tendency every industry wants to design an automatic production process with minimal amount of cost (MAC). The main purpose of this paper is to give an idea about automatic shrink packaging of the final product and sorting technique which reduces the overall packaging and sorting time and also increases productivity. In this project a PLC based low-cost automation cell will be developed for industry. This automation cell combines two different types of work in one frame. One is shrinking packaging of final products and another one is sorting which is done by measuring the size of the product. The purpose of combining two different types of work in frame is to reduce the overall production time. Pneumatic system introduced here for sorting purpose. This pneumatic system works faster than an electric pusher which finally reduces the sorting time. This pneumatic system is also safe from fire hazard where there is a high chance of fire hazard in electric pusher. Sorting is done here by using a double acting cylinder acting as a pneumatic pusher and this cylinder is controlled by a 5/2 Solenoid valve. Here Sorting is done after finishing the packaging of the final product. To perform different tasks in one frame it will be helpful for industry because both labor cost and time will be reduced as well as increased the production rate of industry. By using the PLC whose model name is Siemens S7-200 and using the Micro-WIN software for making the ladder diagram, the entire system will be controlled. The experimental findings demonstrate that the system has high sorting accuracy, is reliable, and satisfies the design specifications.

Technology Modules Providing Solutions for Agile Manufacturing

In this paper, we address the most pressing challenges faced by the manufacturing sector, particularly the manufacturing of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), where the transition towards high-mix low-volume production and the availability of cost-effective solutions are crucial. To overcome these challenges, this paper presents 14 innovative solutions that can be utilized to support the introduction of agile manufacturing processes in SMEs. These solutions encompass a wide range of key technologies, including reconfigurable fixtures, low-cost automation for printed circuit board (PCB) assembly, computer-vision-based control, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) simulations, predictive maintenance based on Internet of Things (IoT), virtualization for operator training, intuitive robot programming using virtual reality (VR), autonomous trajectory generation, programming by demonstration for force-based tasks, on-line task allocation in human–robot collaboration (HRC), projector-based graphical user interface (GUI) for HRC, human safety in collaborative work cells, and integration of automated ground vehicles for intralogistics. All of these solutions were designed with the purpose of increasing agility in the manufacturing sector. They are designed to enable flexible and modular manufacturing systems that are easy to integrate and use while remaining cost-effective for SMEs. As such, they have a high potential to be implemented in the manufacturing industry. They can be used as standalone modules or combined to solve a more complicated task, and contribute to enhancing the agility, efficiency, and competitiveness of manufacturing companies. With their application tested in industrially relevant environments, the proposed solutions strive to ensure practical implementation and real-world impact. While this paper presents these solutions and gives an overview of their methodologies and evaluations, it does not go into their details. It provides summaries of comprehensive and multifaceted solutions to tackle the evolving needs and demands of the manufacturing sector, empowering SMEs to thrive in a dynamic and competitive market landscape.

A Comparison of Two Interaction Paradigms for Training Low Cost Automation Assembly in Virtual Environments

Virtual environments have been widely adopted for design and training tasks in the industrial domain. Low-cost automation (LCA) is a technology that automatizes some activities using mostly standard automation mechanisms available off the shelf. However, LCA systems should adapt to existing standard production lines and workstations. Thus, workers must customize standard LCA templates and perform adaptation and customization steps. This activity can be very time consuming with physical LCA systems, and in case of errors, it may be necessary to rebuild many parts from scratch. Thus, LCA systems would greatly benefit from a design and prototyping step experienced in a virtual simulation environment. An immersive virtual reality (IVR) application for rapid and easy prototyping of LCA solutions has been investigated in previous work; the assessment of the system usability proved that the users highly appreciated the proposed solutions. This research explores further improvements to exploit the existing IVR application as a training tool for LCA prototyping trainees. The proposed application now provides users with two different interaction paradigms based on the VIVE controllers and the Manus Prime II data gloves. The application’s interface has been revised to allow a proper comparison of the two interaction models. The two interfaces have been compared, involving 12 participants in an LCA building task. The System Usability Scale (SUS) and the NASA Task Load Index (TLX) questionnaires have been used to assess the usability and workload of the two solutions.

Transforming Conventional Switching Systems to Cost-Effective, Adaptable, Energy-Efficient Smart Switching Systems

Reducing energy consumption in the household and commercial sectors is a major global concern. Our objective is to develop a low-cost automation solution that will help improve adoption and reduce energy consumption. Proposed system has functionality that will help typical Indian households reduce electricity consumption in areas of infrequent usage such as stairs, and parking areas where manual switching of the electricity is difficult. In our proposed model, a manual switching system is replaced with a low-cost and adaptable smart automated switching system. Our design is based on the Passive/Pyroelectric Infrared Rays (PIR) motion-sensing mechanism where motion is used as a trigger to turn on/off electrical appliances. Detailed comparative analysis of daily energy usage of traditional switching with intelligent switching showed reduced electricity consumption by 33 %. Lower cost of equipment will increase the adoption of automated systems, leading to a reduction in electricity consumption. Further, a drop in energy consumption means reduced energy costs and less burden on the grid which leads to a clean environment.

Design and Implement a Semi-Automatic Clutch System for Automobiles Using DCV and the Link Mechanism to Reduce Human Effort While Increasing Process Reliability and Accuracy

Abstract: The pure sense of automation is to reducing the human effort and increasing the reliability and accuracy of the process. The objective of the project is to design and implement a semi-automatic clutch system for automobiles, which provides a simplistic remedy for physically challenged. Applying clutch manually at every instant, while changing gear is comfortless. In synchronizing switch with clutch pedal differently-abled people realize more difficulty inCBA pedal system. During the rush hour of traffic, the driver should be able to shift the legs simultaneously to change the gears, but it is practically a hectic work for the driver to do so. Automationcan be achieved through computer, hydraulics, pneumatics, robotics, etc., of these sources’pneumatics form an attractive medium for low-cost automation. Automation plays an important role in automobile. Technical success of this project relies upon the work expected from the different sectionsof this project. The actuation of the clutch pedal depends upon the signal from the DCV and the link mechanism is used for engaging and disengaging the clutch. Hence this project can be used in either automatic mode or in the manual mode in which the link mechanism can be removed out when not necessary in the hill stations where to remain the vehicles in Half-clutch. The entire process is controlled by using the directional controlvalve in which the retraction speed of the systemis controlled by throttling valve or needlevalve

A Multirobot System in an Assisted Home Environment to Support the Elderly in Their Daily Lives.

The increasing isolation of the elderly both in their own homes and in care homes has made the problem of caring for elderly people who live alone an urgent priority. This article presents a proposed design for a heterogeneous multirobot system consisting of (i) a small mobile robot to monitor the well-being of elderly people who live alone and suggest activities to keep them positive and active and (ii) a domestic mobile manipulating robot that helps to perform household tasks. The entire system is integrated in an automated home environment (AAL), which also includes a set of low-cost automation sensors, a medical monitoring bracelet and an Android application to propose emotional coaching activities to the person who lives alone. The heterogeneous system uses ROS, IoT technologies, such as Node-RED, and the Home Assistant Platform. Both platforms with the home automation system have been tested over a long period of time and integrated in a real test environment, with good results. The semantic segmentation of the navigation and planning environment in the mobile manipulator for navigation and movement in the manipulation area facilitated the tasks of the later planners. Results about the interactions of users with the applications are presented and the use of artificial intelligence to predict mood is discussed. The experiments support the conclusion that the assistance robot correctly proposes activities, such as calling a relative, exercising, etc., during the day, according to the user’s detected emotional state, making this is an innovative proposal aimed at empowering the elderly so that they can be autonomous in their homes and have a good quality of life.

A review of pneumatic cylinder positioning techniques for high positioning accuracy and minimal response time

Pneumatic drives are widely preferred in the industry over electrical and hydraulics as they offer low-cost automation. In industrial automation, accuracy in motion sequences particularly accuracy at the intermittent position of the valve is crucial to achieving the required stroke length. It is difficult to predict and control the position of a pneumatic cylinder with a double-acting single rod, as forces on both sides are unequal. The paper reviews the positioning techniques deployed by researchers and concludes that estimation of response time and stopping accuracy is vital to achieve the correct positioning. This review paper will motivate researchers to work on the highlighted research gap in the field of Pneumatics Automation.

Design & Fabrication of Automatic Color & Weight-Based Sorting System on Conveyor Belt

Object sorting is a basic process that is employed in a variety of disciplines in our daily lives for our convenience. Previously, the sorting operation was done by hand using labor justification. Because product quality does not remain consistent during the typical sorting process, it adds complexity to the segregation of products based on their height, color, size, and weight. This method is also time-consuming and slows down output. To overcome these problems, Low-Cost Automation (LCA) has been implemented in the sorting system, which aims to reduce production time, labor cost, and processing complexity, improve product quality, increase production rate, etc. So, in this project, an effective method has been developed for automatically sorting the object based on color and weight. This method uses a conveyor belt, strain gauge load cell, DC motor, servo motor, TCS 34725 RGB color sensor, LCD, LED, and LDR to identify, separate, and collect the objects according to their color and weight. Arduino is used to controlling all the processes. This work has sorted three types of colors -red, , green, and blue, and the weight of different ranges. Firstly, the weights have been sorted by load cell, and then the desired colors have been sorted by color sensor. A bucket at the end of the conveyor belt can be rotated depending on the signal sent from the Arduino to collect the box. The collecting box has a specific portion in a particular color. Hence, it could be rotated at a specific angle for an exact weight for red, blue, and green colors.

Effect of low-cost automation on labor productivity and labor fatigue for corrugated boxes flaps twisting.

Flaps of the corrugated box folded inversely while manual packing of goods initiative this will cause tearing of the box at creased positions. To avoid tearing, it is required to twist each box along creased positions as soon as it is manufactured and in wet condition due to liquid gum application. To apply and evaluate the effect of Low-Cost Automation on labor productivity and labor fatigue for corrugated boxes flaps twisting. Low-Cost Automation solution is applied to overcome low labors' productivity and excessive labors' fatigue problems in the manual box twisting work. Productivity need analysis is performed to identify the key productivity measures. Three automated mechanisms are developed for box stopping, clamping, and twisting activities. Reduction in labors muscular efforts requirement is confirmed through surface electromyography technique. It is observed that the average actual time required for twisting one box reduced from 34 seconds to 17 seconds, and labor productivity almost doubled. The muscular efforts required for twisting of flaps of the boxes are reduced significantly. The developed low-cost automation solution is unique and found worthy for small scale corrugated box manufacturers.

Joint roughness profiling using photogrammetry

We propose an automated camera setup for photogrammetric roughness analysis in the laboratory environment. The developed fast and low-cost automation setup can be very useful for tedious and laborsome manual field logging practices. The photographs are processed in MATLAB to obtain disparity maps. Coding routines for stereo photogrammetry and digital measurements are written in MATLAB. Secondly, 6 effecting factors (projecting an image onto core face, depth of field, brightness, camera-to-object to baseline distance ratio, projected image size, and occlusion) influencing noise in roughness depth maps computed by employing stereo photogrammetry are investigated. After deciding the best values that allow the lowest amount of noise, depth maps of 6 core faces are computed. Using the 3D point cloud generated, roughness profile measurements are made. Then, 8 profile measurements are made for each core face, both manually and digitally. The accuracy of the disparity maps has been verified by comparing 48 joint roughness coefficient (JRC) measurements made manually using a profile gauge. It was proved that surface roughness can be measured very fast in millimetric accuracy with an average root mean square error (RMSE) of 3.50 and mean absolute error (MAE) of 3.02 by the help of the proposed set-up and calibration.

Optimization and sensitivity analysis of existing deep learning models for pavement surface monitoring using low-quality images

Automated pavement distress detection systems have become increasingly sought after by road agencies to increase the efficiency of field surveys and reduce the likelihood of insufficient road condition data. However, many modern approaches are developed without practical testing using real-world scenarios. This paper addresses this by practically analyzing Deep Learning models to detect pavement distresses using French Secondary road surface images, given the issues of limited available road condition data in those networks. The study specifically explores several experimental and sensitivity-testing strategies using augmentation and hyperparameter case studies to bolster practical model instrumentation and implementation. The tests achieve adequate distress detection performance and provide an understanding of how changing aspects of the workflow influence the actual engineering application, thus taking another step towards low-cost automation of aspects of the pavement management system.

Retrofitting for Lathe Machines

Old machines often breakdown unpredictably increasing your expenses through maintenance costs and lost production. In the present era various modern technologies are been emerging in the field of manufacturing which are proven to be disruptive. For the established industries and their machine tools sometimes it is difficult to cope up with current scenario. Hence retrofitting is an emerging term where improvisation of the old setups of machines can be done. Retrofitting refers to the addition of new technology or features to older systems. Machine Tool Technologies recondition worn machine tools that have taken a beating in the course of production. The main objective is to study low cost automation technique for old machine as well as to study different parameters of retrofitting of old machine. In retrofitting attempt is made to equip the machines with digital intelligent system in order to get the more accurate dimensions and precise shape of high end products. So it is required to convert this conventional lathe into semi- automatic lathe by retrofitting. The paper emphasis on how a lathe can be converted to upgraded version by retrofitting. Also it includes the flow chart of retrofitting. Key Words: Retrofitting, Reconditioning, CNC, Lathe Machines, Low Cost Automation

Modeling, structural and cfd analysis of mobile robot for banana cultivation

The banana plantation is a popular cash crop in southern parts of India. Globally, India ranks first in banana production by producing about 14 million metric tons annually. Cultivation of which involves humongous manual tasks with moderate difficulty, often the tasks are accompanied by considerable spending towards accomplishing those tasks. More often than not it affects the earning prospects of the farmer thus, succumbing to a great loss of investment. A valid solution to this problem from the technological perspective is to provide low-cost automation for the hectic tasks in banana cultivation. Through this work, a baby step towards addressing the issues in banana cultivation is initiated. This paper deals with the design, structural, computational fluid dynamics simulation of an Agricultural field robot for aiding banana cultivation by producing a plantation hole for banana seedlings. The conceptualized idea is modeled in 3dimension using SolidWorks software with suitable dimensions, then by applying desired material properties to the individual components a static structural analysis is executed on the assembly. After the completion of structural analysis, subsequently, CFD analysis is carried out with an Ansys-Fluent workbench on the equivalent solid modal replica of the assembly modal, developed exclusively to analyze the wind effects.

Assessment of Cob Characteristics of Sweet Corn on Sandy Soils under Different Irrigation Methods

Drip irrigation is an incredibly efficient watering method that slowly delivers water directly to a plants root system, through a network of small pipes. This minimizes conventional losses such as deep percolation, runoff and soil erosion. A few low cost automation systems were developed and evaluated their performance with drip irrigation on sweet corn. Compared to flood irrigation and paired row drip irrigation, single row drip irrigation produced better results. The results indicated that the number of kernel rows per cob, number of kernels per cob, length and diameter of the cob and individual fresh cob weight were observed to be more in single row as compared to flood irrigation and paired row drip irrigation systems. The yield response was also observed to be best in soil moisture sensor based irrigation with single row spacing.

Evaluation of Moisture Content of Soil at Different Stages of Plant Growth under Different Irrigation Treatments

Drip irrigation is artificial technique of providing water to the roots of the plant at very low rates (2-20 litres/hour) from a system of small diameter plastic pipes fitted with emitters or drippers. A few low cost automation systems were developed and evaluated their performance with drip irrigation on sweet corn on the sandy soils of College of Agricultural Engineering, Bapatla. It was observed that single row drip irrigation showed better results compared to flood irrigation and paired row drip irrigation. The results indicated that the soil water distribution pattern showed the highest water content near the drip line for all scheduling techniques.As increase in time of operation Wetting diameter and Penetration depth increased in relative to time. With comparison of different irrigation systems, the soil moisture content value of before irrigation and after irrigation is better in single row drip system.

Theoretical Analysis and Optimization of Process Parameters for Part Motion Time in Vibratory Part Feeders for Mass Production Assembly Lines

Low cost automation techniques play a significant role in reducing the lead time andproduction cost. Automation technique is implemented by developing a part feeding system. Itseffectiveness is verified both experimentally and theoretically. Drop test is used to find the natural restingorientation. Real time experiments are conducted using designed trap to determine the part motion time.The Input parameters considered for the research are trap angle and frequency of vibration and they arevaried while conducting the experiments. An ANOVA model is developed to verify its accuracy. Thedeveloped model shows that the value of R-sq is 90.32 % and it reveals that forecasted values seem verynearer to the real response values. Regression equation is evolved to forecast the optimum values of trapangle and frequency and the same is solved using LINGO software. It was found both experimentallyand theoretically that greater values of both the input parameters resulted in least part motion time.

Calculation and Analysis of Hydraulic Automatic Climbing Formwork Equipment for Super-high Building Construction

Hydraulic automatic climbing formwork equipment is widely used in super-high-rise building construction due to its advantages of simple operation, fast construction speed, low cost, and high automation. Quantitative calculation of the mechanical state of climbing formwork equipment is an important technical means of ensuring safety during super-high building construction. This work thus introduces a hydraulic climbing formwork equipment structure and subsequently analyzes the construction process and the main working state of the hydraulic climbing formwork equipment. Then, for the design of the outer climbing frame of the hydraulic climbing formwork, an approximate analytical method for solving the node reaction force is proposed. Finally, combined with the actual engineering, the calculation results of the approximate analytical method and the finite element method are compared, and the calculation and analysis methods of the hydraulic climbing formwork equipment frame and key nodes are introduced. The calculation analysis process and related conclusions can be used as engineering reference for similar projects.

Automation System Based on NLP for Legal Clinic Assistance

Abstract The Legal Clinics (LC) are no-profit programs aimed to provide legal assistance to low-income citizens. Given the large number of consultations requested by the LC, the processes usually are delayed. This delay entails higher costs for the institutions that offer this legal advice. This paper explores the low-cost automation of legal problem identification in LC through the use of Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques. We propose a methodology of text processing for the legal issue identification in the legal complaint assistance in LC. The method is based on preprocessing of the text, word to vector transformation, text identification models, and model evaluation for final classification. This methodology looks to accelerate the first step of the legal consultation process identifying the legal issue described by the LC user. The method is evaluated using real cases from the LC of the Santo Tomas University of Colombia. The results provided by the methodology depict a performance of around 95% for the legal issue identification. It is expected that this system will contribute to the delay decrease in the legal advice from LC, and it will help increase the number of advised users through virtual legal assistance.

Learning to Share - Teaching the Impact of Flexible Task Allocation in Human-cobot Teams

Collaborative robots (cobots) are vital for agile concepts of industrial manufacturing and regarded as flexible and low-cost automation solutions. Therefore, learning factory concepts increasingly include handling with cobot technology, their industrial applications and safety concepts. In addition to these fields of knowledge, it is widely considered that work organization at the manufacturing shop floor must be rethought to use the full potential of cobot flexibility. One of the approaches is the flexible task allocation in human-cobot teams. Based on the idea of self-organization, human and cobot tasks are adaptively assessed and optimized. The implementation of this concept enables productivity gains and at the same time reduces negative aspects of automation such as reduced readiness to take action and monotonous work. As this approach requires technological and organizational preconditions as well as prior knowledge of the industrial engineering domain, the paper presents a hands-on educational concept for flexible task allocation in human-cobot teams. Upon an analysis of required competencies and an identification of deficits in existing teaching approaches - based on evaluation criteria such as innovation content, human-cobot team suitability, industrial relevance and reusability - a teaching concept in addition to three hands-on demonstrators was developed. The demonstrators were implemented at the TU Wien Pilot Factory Industry 4.0 allowing for representative task allocation patterns applied in industrial settings. Besides professional educational purposes, the demonstrators can be used for exhibitions as they allow hands-on experiences for the public and therefore contribute to a more realistic perception of the potential, the challenges, and the impact of robots in the manufacturing domain. Thus, working with and evaluating the demonstrators hands-on, not only students and professionals, but also children, teenagers and the general public are able to explore the potential benefits, consequences and necessary preconditions within potential use cases.