Universal Fine Interpolation Algorithms for Accuracy Improvements of Industrial Robots - Buschhaus, Arnd; Franke, Jörg; Krusemark, Stefan; Karlidag, Engin (IEEE 8th International Congress on Ultra Modern Telecommunications & Control Systems, 2016)
Keywords: B|Mech

Unlocking the potential of digitalization and automation: a qualitative and quantitative study of the control cabinet manufacturing industry - Bründl, Patrick; Stoidner, Micha; Bredthauer, Jens; Nguyen, Huong Giang; Baechler, Andreas; Franke, Jörg (Production & Manufacturing Research, 2024)
This paper investigates the German control cabinet manufacturing industry, revealing its opportunities, challenges, and varying levels of digitalization and automation. The researchers employ cluster analysis, grouping companies into five clusters based on digitalization and automation, resulting in a new classification framework. This framework significantly improves the similarity level within each cluster by approximately 52.89 % compared to pre-existing models. While the levels of digitalization and automation vary greatly between the different clusters, skill shortages and supply chain problems are identified as potential development barriers to companies from all groups. To overcome these obstacles, the paper outlines key improvement areas based on data findings. This proposed classification can guide companies in assessing their digital maturity and pinpointing enhancement areas, emphasizing the necessity of adopting digitalization and automation for improved efficiency and market competitiveness.<br
CRIS-Team Scopus Importer:2024-02-02
Keywords: Control cabinet; digitalization; production automation; production strategies; engineer-to-order production

Usage of Industrial Robots as Flexible Handling Devices Supporting the Process of Three Dimensional Conductive Pattern Generation - Buschhaus, Arnd; Franke, Jörg (11th International Congress Molded Interconnect Devices, 2014)
Due to their vast number of benefits, plenty of complex and miniaturized three dimensional molded interconnect devices are developed. One especially demanding process step during their manufacturing is the geometrical exact creation of the conductive pattern layout on the different substrates' faces. Therefore, sophisticated and flexible technologies like laser direct structuring or printing processes can be used, which are subject to multiple research activities, concentrating for example on coating materials or process parameters. An additional aspect is the necessity of providing a flexible and sufficiently accurate handling device, which three dimensionally moves the substrate relative to the process nozzle applying the coating material. For this task industrial robots could be used, which inherit multiple beneficial features. One main drawback of using this type of kinematic is their relative low absolute accuracy of a few hundred microns, which is not sufficient for moving the substrate during the process with the needed accuracy. To exploit the multiple advantages which accompany the usage of standard robots, in current research activities at FAPS institute a new approach is investigated, improving their accuracy in course of complex 3D-movements. In this work, modern optical sensor systems for online process monitoring and subsequent real-time robot control are used. By continuously supervising the conducting pattern generation progress, the actual process spot position on the substrate is determined. Subsequently, this information is used to continuously derive the robots actual position. Compared with target state values, geometrical offsets between actual state and target state are calculated. Considering this information during the process, a closed-loop control of the robot control is established and the robot's movement is corrected in real-time. Thereby, position deviations are compensated and an accurate application of the conductive pattern layout on the substrate is obtained. Improving the accuracy of conventional industrial robots and as a result qualifying them for supporting the conductive pattern generation of miniaturized 3D-MID products can greatly contribute to the MID technology. With their high flexibility of movement, the advantage of design flexibility of the 3D-MID technology can be even better exploited and hence more sophisticated 3D-MID products and applications will be possible in the future.
Keywords: B|Mech; Industrial Robot; 3D-MID; Structuring; Metallization; Sensor System

Use of automated in-line capable magnetic stray field measurement method for monitoring the value chain quality of magnetic circuits - Brela, Matthäus; Heyder, Andreas; Dietlein, Fabian; Markert, Johannes; Franke, Jörg; Hauenstein, R.; Wagner, R. (2014 International Symposium on Power Electronics, Electrical Drives, Automation and Motion, SPEEDAM 2014, 2014)
Common defects in electromagnetic actuators due to the manufacturing process are heterogeneous magnetic properties of the materials, cracks and defects in the magnetic materials and parasitic air gaps in and directly around the magnetic circuit. In most cases the error cause can be found in the value chain and is caused by material handling, assembling tolerances, environmental influences, etc. Considering the high global cost pressure, test systems must be adapted to the increasing complexity of the components in order to be able to detect defects completely in-situ and have smallest possible amortization period. For these requirements the novel and nondestructive measurement system is suitable to monitor and assure quality of magnetic actuators within the manufacturing process. The measuring principle is the characterization of electromagnetic actuators according to the detection of magnetic stray fields outside the magnetic circuit and the magnetic useful field inside the actuator that can be quantified by magnetic sensors. The intensity of the magnetic stray fields depends on the magnetic flux density and flux distribution in the magnetic circuit. Permeability variations for example caused by air gaps or internal stresses influence the flux distribution. In most cases they are caused by process parameter variations of the manufacturing and assembling. With the developed method this influences can be detected in an early stage of the manufacturing process automatically and in-line. This can lead to more competitiveness and long-term viability of the location. © 2014 IEEE.
CRIS-Team Scopus Importer:2023-03-07

Use of Printed Sensors to Measure Strain in Rolling Bearings under Isolated Boundary Conditions - Bartz, Marcel; Häußler, Felix; Halmos, Fabian; Ankenbrand, Markus; Jüttner, Michael; Roudenko, Jewgeni; Wirsching, Sven; Reichenberger, Marcus; Franke, Jörg; Wartzack, Sandro (Lubricants, 2023)
The knowledge of the operating conditions in rolling bearings in technical applications offers many advantages, for example, to ensure a safe operation and to save resources and costs with the help of condition monitoring and predictive maintenance procedures. In many cases, it is difficult to implement sensors to measure the operating conditions of the rolling bearing, for reasons such as inaccessibility of the mounting position or non-compliance with installation space neutrality, which influences the sensor on the measuring point. Printed sensors using a digital deposition process, which can be used in very narrow design spaces, offer advantages in this respect. So far, these sensors have not been established in rolling bearings, so there is potential for technical application. This paper discusses the fundamental advantages and disadvantages as well as the challenges of the application, and it demonstrates the feasibility under isolated boundary conditions by applying a printed strain gauge sensor to the outer ring of a cylindrical roller bearing NU210 in an experimental setup to measure the strain under load. In this setup, the outer ring is deformed by 2 mm under an increasing radial load using a hydraulic press, and the strain is measured. Both a commercial reference sensor and a FE-simulation are used to validate the measurement. The results show that an implementation using printed sensors as a strain gauge works successfully. The resulting challenges, such as measuring strain gradients and printing on curved surfaces, are finally evaluated, and an outlook for further work is given.<br
Keywords: rolling bearings; sensor-integrated machine elements; strain measurement; printed strain gauges; printed sensors

Valid Methodology for Using Discrete Event Simulation to Improve the Resource Consumption for the Manufacturing of Masonry Units - Donhauser, Toni; Rackow, Tobias; Hirschbrunn, Johannes; Schuderer, Peter; Franke, Jörg (48th CIRP International Conference on Manufacturing Systems, CIRP CMS 2015, 2016)
Owing to a high inflexibility of the factory layout, manufacturers of masonry units are bound to organizational adjustments seizing optimization measures. Regarding such plants, having a given complexity based on a rigid concatenation of heterogeneous sub-processes with heavy goods to be transported, conventional measures such as Lean Management principles involve great efforts in execution. Therefore, an IT solution for planning and controlling the operational processes is to be developed. This solution will be implemented through simulation-supported optimization to support dealing with a higher complexity and setting up a more resource-efficient manufacturing process. As a basis, a corresponding factory is mapped sufficiently accurate in every detail in a discrete event analysis (DEA) model. In this paper, a methodology, how to configure an arbitrary calcium silicate masonry unit (CS) plant in a simulation model, is presented for the first time. Relevant data is cataloged and modelling approaches for the controlling methods are pointed out. Special regard is paid to optimization measures at the crucial point of the transition from bulk material to piece goods, which has not been regarded yet in discrete event simulation modelling. The major aspect is a comparison of a unit-based approach and a variable-controlled approach, regarding the runtime. A case study follows conclusively, which aided in validating the methodology by simulating various scenarios. As a result, several strategic and operational optimization potentials were identified.
Keywords: Bulk material; calcium silicate masonry unit; Complexity management; Discrete event simulation; Piece goods; Production planning and control

Valuating and Pricing of Vehicle Generated Data as a Marketable Product in the Automotive Industry - Bodendorf, Frank; Meissner, Tobias; Franke, Jörg (Vehicular 2019: The Eighth International Conference on Advances in Vehicular Systems, Technologies and Applications, 2019)
Data-driven business models play a significant role in the digital transformation of traditional value-added industries. More and more existing and potential partners of automobile manufacturers show interest in the vehicle data generated by their products. However, there is still no monetary value assessment to support decisions regarding the release of data. Traditional pricing approaches for material goods are based on cost, margin, and volume. However, these bottom-up calculation approaches are not applicable to digital goods. The background to this is, among other things, the uncertainty about the potential sales volume, the difficulty of cost splitting,and the high cost degression per unit of digital goods. This paper provides decision support for selling data to third parties as an intangible product. It introduces a concept that allows to value data generated by a motor vehicle in order to determine potential prospects and prices for sale. The evaluation model developed supports the car manufacturer's negotiating position towards potential data buyers. <br
Keywords: Automotive Industry; Car Data; Business Model; Value Estimation

Valuation and pricing of software licenses to support supplier–buyer negotiations: A case study in the automotive industry - Bodendorf, Frank; Lutz, Manuel; Franke, Jörg (Managerial and Decision Economics, 2021)
Licensed standard software can be replicated millions of times at near zero cost for the supplier and poses immense challenges for purchasing and cost managers. A model is introduced to evaluate the appropriateness of software prices and thus to support the negotiation and decision process regarding suppliers. The model determines the “value to customer” of a software product using conjoint analysis and converts that value into a theoretical license price. In a case study coming from a large Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) it is shown that the developed conjoint model can successfully be used in practice and suggests realistic purchase prices.<br
Keywords: software valuation; pricing; conjoint analysis; purchasing; automotive industry

Vector Based Closed-Loop Control Methodology for Industrial Robots - Buschhaus, Arnd; Blank, Andreas; Franke, Jörg (ICAR 2015 - 17th International Conference on Advanced Robotics, 2015)
Improving the absolute accuracy of industrial robots is addressed by multiple activities of research institutes and robot manufacturers. Challenging in this context is an accuracy improvement of the robot during the movement. This is due to the necessity of providing time efficient and accurate target and actual state determination modules, an adequate data synchronization and a proper correction value calculation. This information can then be used to establish an online closed-loop control of the robot. One difficulty in such a system is to guarantee a smooth and steady movement despite the continuous inaccuracy compensation. To overcome this problem, recent research activities address a vector based control method. Thereby, the path planning is transferred to an external control unit, which performs all calculation steps. Based on this calculation, movement vectors synchronized with the interpolation cycle time of the robot are computed, continuously sent to the robot controller and brought to execution. These vectors include components, which describe the deviation between actual and target state and hence allow a compensation of the inaccuracies. Thereby, the robot is "pushed" along its optimal trajectory by small increments. Experiments already show good results, allowing a reactive control together with a smooth movement execution.
Keywords: Robot; Closed-Loop Control; Absolute Accuracy Improvement; Path Planning

Verfolgung von Bauteil- und Anlagentemperaturen in Produktionssystemen zur Energiesimulation bei thermischen Einflussfaktoren - Donhauser, Toni; Mayr, Andreas; Baier, Lukas; Franke, Jörg (ASIM 2019 - Simulation in Produktion und Logistik, 2019)

Vergleich alternativer Technologien zur Reichweitenverlängerung von Elektrofahrzeugen - Weigelt, Michael; Mayr, Andreas; Franke, Jörg (7th Conference on Future Automotive Technology (CoFAT), 2018)

Virtual Commissioning and the use of Extended Reality and Automated Testing: a survey of industry - Kunz, David; Barth, Martin; Franke, Jörg; Weber, Jacob (20. ASIM Fachtagung Simulation in Produktion und Logistik 2023, 2023)
Virtual Commissioning (VC) is seen as an important technology for managing the complexity of production systems. While it is demonstrated that VC can reduce commissioning time, defect rates and costs, the rate of industrial adoption is below expectations. In this paper, we present the results of a survey conducted to investigate the use, expectations, and barriers to the use of VC with an additional focus on Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Test Automation (TA) in this context. The survey results reveal that just over half of the respondents use VC, albeit rarely to occasionally. Barriers to the use of VC are not technological. VR and AR technologies are used in many companies, but not frequently. The results indicate that the potential benefits of using these technologies are not clear enough to justify further investment in what is seen as a somewhat immature technology. TA can only be found in large companies. The main barriers are the amount of effort required to create and maintain automated tests and a general lack of know-how and resources. Respondents agree that all three technologies will become more important in the futur

Virtual Commissioning of 6 DoF Pose Estimation and Robotic Bin Picking Systems for Industrial Parts - Metzner, Maximilian; Weissert, Soeren; Karlidag, Engin; Albrecht, Felix; Blank, Andreas; Mayr, Andreas; Franke, Jörg (IFAC-PapersOnLine, 2019)

Virtual Commissioning – Scientific review and exploratory use cases in advanced production systems - Lechler, Tobias; Fischer, Eva; Metzner, Maximilian; Mayr, Andreas; Franke, Jörg (Procedia CIRP, 2019)
Virtual Commissioning increases quality and efficiency in production engineering whilst also decreasing required time. Even though it is a foundation for state-of-the-art production systems, it is not in widespread use yet. In this contribution, an overview of current scientific approaches and use cases for Virtual Commissioning is given. Furthermore, additional fields of interest are derived and detailed on exploratory use cases. The findings show that Virtual Commissioning is a crucial factor to engineering of advanced, sustainable production systems as well as a cornerstone of the Digital Twin.<br
Keywords: Virtual CommissioningDigital TwinSimulationHuman-in-the-Loop

Virtual training and commissioning of industrial bin picking systems using synthetic sensor data and simulation (IMS 2019) - Metzner, Maximilian; Albrecht, Felix; Fiegert, Michael; Bauer, Bastian; Martin, Susanne; Karlidag, Engin; Blank, Andreas; Franke, Jörg (International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing, 2021)
Defined handling of unsorted parts, known as bin picking, is a challenge in robotic automation. Available solution concepts for this problem are usually either costly or require considerable setup and tuning efforts. In this contribution, a setup for virtual commissioning of such automation systems is introduced. Using a physics-based simulation environment, a virtual stereo-camera simulation and robot controller integration, a full simulation of the bin picking cycle is possible. The setup is also used to generate realistic synthetic training data for learning-based computer vision routines. The functionality of the system is demonstrated for generating training data capable of enabling a real-life deployment of the pipeline. A simulation of both model-based and learning-based bin picking systems is also conducted. This simulation also involves the path planning and execution as well as the grasp itself, allowing for a full simulation of the bin picking cycle.
CRIS-Team WoS Importer:2021-12-17

Virtual validation of the manual assembly of a power electronic unit via motion capturing connected with a simulation tool using a human model - Bönig, Jochen; Fischer, Christian; Brossog, Matthias; Bittner, Martin; Fuchs, Markus; Weckend, Holger; Franke, Jörg (Smart product engineering, Proceedings of the 23rd CIRP Design Conference, 2013)
A key challenge for gaining important time and cost potentials in production engineering projects is an early virtual validation during the pre-series. Under the premise to replace physical by digital mock-ups, we will present requirements and solutions of a virtual validation focused on manual assembly of power electronics in automotive industry. Using a digital human model for dynamic analysis is not very prevalent, because of the high modeling complexity in the digital environment. The resulting motions of the human model are furthermore unrealistic. Hence the need for research is a time saving and, regardless, a realistic movement design for virtual validation by a human model. To achieve this goal, we use an experimental setup including a variable eight camera motion capture system, a data glove and an interface for the connection to the digital validation softwar
Keywords: human model; Motion Capture System; Simulation; virtual validation

Vision-based adjusting of a digital model to real-world conditions for wire insertion tasks - Hefner, Florian; Schmidbauer, Simon; Franke, Jörg (Procedia CIRP, 2020)
In small and medium-sized enterprises, the wiring of control cabinets is a very time-consuming process as it is mostly performed manually. Thus, a novel automated approach for wiring control cabinets with batch size 1 is provided. The task is executed by a lightweight robot and based on an ECAD model of a wired cabinet. Therefore, a method is described to export digital data from ECAD and adjust the digital information to real-world conditions. To detect the approximate real-world poses of the components, a 2D image from a stationary visual sensor is used for CAD-based template matching by normalized cross-correlation. A high accurate visual 3D sensor that is mounted on the robot end-effector is moved to the approximate poses of the component ports to measure the exact poses. The results prove the functionality of the developed method, which allows to position the robotic end-effector based on ECAD data, which is the prerequisite to measure the component port with high accuracy using the 3D sensor.
CRIS-Team Scopus Importer:2021-04-19
Keywords: Automated control cabinet wiring; ECAD; Flexible manufacturing; OpenCV; Robot-based automation; Template matching

Vision oder Wirklichkeit: Digitale Zwillinge in der Kunststoffindustrie - Sitz, Sarah; Lechler, Tobias; Reinhard, Maximilian; Franke, Jörg (Plastverarbeiter : neue Technologien, Kosteneffizienz, erhöhte Marktchancen, 2020)
Die digitale Transformation ist schon länger ein wichtiges Entwicklungsfeld. Die Corona-Krise zu Beginn des Jahres 2020 zeigt dies mit neuer Dramatik. Viele Unternehmen sind derzeit auf der Suche nach Lösungen, die eine Fortsetzung des Tagesgeschäfts zulassen. Wenn die Umstände keine Inbetriebnahmen oder Anlagenbegehungen vor Ort erlauben, so sind remotefähige Technologien oder digitale Maschinenzwillinge eine echte Chance. Dieser Artikel stellt die Möglichkeiten durch die Nutzung von digitalen Zwillingen vor und zeigt ausgehend von einem Best- Practice-Beispiel Potenziale für die kunststoff- und kautschukverarbeitende Industrie auf.<br

Vision oder Wirklichkeit: Digitale Zwillinge in der Kunststoff- und Kautschukindustrie - Sitz, Sarah; Lechler, Tobias; Reinhard, Maximilian; Franke, Jörg (Kgk-Kautschuk Gummi Kunststoffe, 2020)

Visualization of electrolyte filling process and influence of vacuum during filling for hard case prismatic lithium ion cells by neutron imaging to optimize the production process - Weydanz, Wolfgang J.; Reisenweber, Hagen; Gottschalk, A.; Schulz, Michael; Knoche, Thomas; Reinhart, Gunther; Masuch, Michael; Franke, Jörg; Gilles, Ralph (Journal of Power Sources, 2018)
Abstract The process of filling electrolyte into lithium ion cells is time consuming and critical to the overall battery quality. However, this process is not well understood. This is partially due to the fact, that it is hard to observe it in situ. A powerful tool for visualization of the process is neutron imaging. The filling and wetting process of the electrode stack can be clearly visualized in situ without destruction of the actual cell. The wetting of certain areas inside the electrode stack can clearly be seen when using this technique. Results showed that wetting of the electrode stack takes place in a mostly isotropic manner from the outside towards a center point of the cell at very similar speed. When the electrolyte reaches the center point, the wetting process can be considered complete. The electrode wetting is a slow but rather steady process for hard case prismatic cells. It starts with a certain speed, which is reduced over the progress of the wetting. Vacuum can assist the process and accelerate it by about a factor of two as was experimentally shown. This gives a considerable time and cost advantage for designing the production process for large-scale battery cell production.
Keywords: Lithium battery; Electrolyte; Filling process; Manufacturing; Neutron imaging

Von der Industrie 4.0 zur Wohnung 4.0 – Einsatzpotenziale verteilter Systemansätze im industriellen und privaten Umfeld - Michl, Markus; Schäfer, Franziska; Bauer, Jochen; Franke, Jörg (Zeitschrift für wirtschaftlichen Fabrikbetrieb, 2015)
The paper at hand compares the challenges in pushing the 4th industrial revolution onwards to those of the progressing home automation. Based on this comparison known solutions in the industry respectively home environment are put into relation in order to determine synergies for an efficient joint advancement of both application fields.
Keywords: E|Home

Wärmeverteilung in elektronischen Baugruppen optimieren - Hörber, Johannes; Ranft, Florian; Müller, Martin; Franke, Jörg; Drummer, Dietmar (Elektronikpraxis - Profiline, 2011)
UnivIS-Import:2015-03-09:Pub.2011.tech.FT.FT-KT.wrmeve

Warpage of transfer-molded automotive power modules - experimental characterization, numerical simulation and optimization - Sprenger, Mario; Kramer, M.; Tolyschew, E.; Steinau, M.; Renner, D.; Ottinger, Bettina; Franke, Jörg (2023 24th International Conference on Thermal, Mechanical and Multi-Physics Simulation and Experiments in Microelectronics and Microsystems, EuroSimE 2023, 2023)
Warpage behaviour of a transfer-molded power module package has been studied experimentally and numerically throughout the assembly flow. Warpage in different assembly states ((1) bare metal-ceramic substrates, (2) substrates attached to copper leadframe, (3) transfer-molded package) has been assessed and influences of variations of substrate backside structure and epoxy mold compound type onto the warpage evaluated. The numerical modeling framework build-up has been validated within this study and does allow for rapid warpage prediction based on package geometry and manufacturing process temperatures.
CRIS-Team Scopus Importer:2023-05-19

Web-based Engineering Platform for Planning and Simulation of Industrial Plants and Workcells - Brossog, Matthias; Michl, Markus; Franke, Jörg (Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Through-life Engineering Services, 2012)
The virtualisation of the industrial planning process fostered by the application of state-of-the-art simulation systems improves its efficiency and lowers its risk significantly. Digital factory solutions are getting more and more powerful, but are not adapted to the requirements of small- and medium-sized companies. They need hardware and software independent solutions with integrated functions for essential engineering tasks. A unique data format has to be developed for connecting several standalone software tools and establishing a global communication platform. In the light of this situation FAPS developed a web-based facility planning system focussed on assembly in order to provide the advantages of virtualized planning processes to an expanded community. This framework implies a basic concept for building up an internet-based comprehensive engineering platform.
Keywords: Simulation; Web technologies; Engineering

Web-Based Platform for Planning and Configuration of Robot-Based Automation Solutions: A Retrospective View on the Research Project ROBOTOP - Schäffer, Eike; Gönnheimer, Philipp; Kupzik, Daniel; Brossog, Matthias; Coutandin, Sven; Franke, Jörg; Fleischer, Jürgen (Annals of Scientific Society for Assembly, Handling and Industrial Robotics 2021, 2022)
Automation solutions in production represent a sensible and long-term cost-effective alternative to manual work, especially for physically strenuous or dangerous activities. However, especially for small companies, automation solutions are associated with a considerable initial complexity and a high effort in planning and implementation. The ROBOTOP project, a consortium of industrial companies and research institutes has therefore developed a flexible web platform for the simplified, modular planning and configuration of robot-based automation solutions for frequent tasks. In this paper, an overview of the project's scientific findings and the resulting platform is given. Therefore, challenges due to the scope of knowledge-based engineering configurators like the acquisition of necessary data, its description, and the graphical representation are outlined. Insights are given into the platform's functions and its technical separation into different Microservices such as Best Practice selection, configuration, simulation, AML-data-exchange and spec-sheet generator with the focus on the configuration. Finally, the user experience and potentials are highlighted.

Webbasierte Werkerinformationssysteme: Datenaufbereitung und -darstellung für die Werkerführung im Global Cross Enterprise Engineering - Fischer, Carina; Lušić, M.; Bönig, Jochen; Hornfeck, R.; Franke, Jörg (wt Werkstattstechnik - Online, 2014)
Globalization does not only affect enterprises in areas such as processing and transportation of material goods, but also with a view to the associated data flows. Distributed data generation and processing places higher demands on data fusion and local use. Especially product development data have to be made available for production planning and execution in a timely, efficient and targeted way. This paper presents an approach for use in manual assembly in the field of electromobility.
CRIS-Team Scopus Importer:2023-03-07

Weiterentwicklung dielektrischer Elastomeraktoren zu Antriebselementen nachgiebiger Robotersysteme - Reitelshöfer, Sebastian; Landgraf, Maximilian; Franke, Jörg (Internationales Forum Mechatronik 2013, 2013)

Worker information systems including dynamic visualisation: A perspective for minimising the conflict of objectives between a resource-efficient use of inspection equipment and the cognitive load of the worker - Lušić, Mario; Braz, Konrad Schmutzer; Wittmann, Stephan; Fischer, Christian; Hornfeck, Rüdiger; Franke, Jörg (Advanced Materials Research, 2014)
In the context of casting mould inspection, the conventional paper-based provision of information for workers can be characterised by a conflict of objectives. On the one hand, a minimisation of the cognitive load of the worker is desirable. To this end the inspection procedure is oriented on the complete processing of each view of the single-part drawing. This leads to a necessary change between inspection devices within individual views. On the other hand, a resource-efficient use of inspection equipment is desirable. To this end, the inspection tasks are grouped so that for each group one single inspection device is assigned. This requires a change between the views of the single-part drawing within each inspection device, which increases worker’s cognitive load. By means of a realistic representation of the inspection operations to be carried out, by using a Worker Information System which is based on animated graphical representations (dynamic visualisation), the increase of the cognitive load that is caused by the resource-efficient use of inspection equipment could be compensated.
CRIS-Team Scopus Importer:2023-03-07
Keywords: Inspection; Quality assurance; Worker information system

Worker Information Systems: State of the Art and Guideline for Selection under Consideration of Company Specific Boundary Conditions - Lusic, Mario; Fischer, Christian; Bönig, Jochen; Hornfeck, Ruediger; Franke, Jörg (Procedia CIRP, 2016)
Due to customer specific products, the number of product variants and the complexity of assembly processes increase. To meet these challenges, worker information systems are used to manage information diversity in manual assembly and to provide the right information at the right time in a lean way. Such systems are available in various types and their classification depends on a particular point of view. In order to enable a holistic overview of the existing diversity, this paper summarizes such systems and their benefits. For this purpose, available categories are shown. Accordingly, this paper serves as a summarizing report for the state of the art. Furthermore, the implementation and configuration of worker information systems depend on company specific boundary conditions. Considering them, a guideline is presented for the selection of worker information systems.
CRIS-Team Scopus Importer:2023-03-07
Keywords: Assembly; Information; Worker information system

Worker information system to support during complex and exhausting assembly of high-voltage harness - Fischer, Christian; Bönig, Jochen; Franke, Jörg; Lusic, M.; Hornfeck, R. (2015 5th International Conference on Electric Drives Production, EDPC 2015 - Proceedings, 2015)
There are a lot of different kinds of electric drives and each category has a different installation position within a vehicle. A huge number of variants pose a challenge for manual assembly as the varying constellations of high-voltage (HV) cables require individual assembly steps. A worker needs information both about a vehicle and about HV components with their properties. We obtained good results for this on base of a worker information system (WIS). We can visualize parts assembly using three-dimensional (3-D) objects. The results of hazard analysis are shown in text format. But a WIS lacks in representing the physical behavior of parts within assembly. Especially HV cables move in an undetermined way when they are handled. We have an approach to simulate HV cables within assembly simulation. The material properties of HV cables during distortion are calculated in a finite element analysis (FEA). These parameters flow into an assembly simulation containing flexible parts like HV cables and a digital human model. The results of simulation runs can not only be used for assembly planning but also for worker guidance. We present an approach how to qualify simulation results for import to a WIS. In addition, possible application scenarios for such a WIS are explained.
CRIS-Team Scopus Importer:2023-03-07
Keywords: Assembly Technologies; Worker Information System

Workplace Analysis and Ergonomics in Engineer-to-Order Production Sites: A Study on the Workplace Design of Control Cabinet Manufacturing Enterprises - Stoidner, Micha; Bründl, Patrick; Nguyen, Huong Giang; Baechler, Andreas; Franke, Jörg (2023 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (IEEM), 2023)
Ergonomic measures aimed at redesigning the workplace and processes are necessary to improve safety, health, and productivity. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are a major cause of lost productivity and sick leave among workers in the European Union, with the manufacturing sector in Germany having the second highest levels in 2020. The most affected occupational group is machine operators and assemblers. This paper aims to visualize the current state of ergonomics at manual workplaces in engineer-to-order (ETO) companies. The contribution is twofold offering an adapted guideline with criteria for workplace assessment in ETO companies as well as minimum ergonomic requirements for manual workplaces. The requirements were developed based on empirical data collected in three ETO companies, specifically in the use case of control cabinet manufacturing. The findings show that the developed guideline aids managers in purposefully identifying optimization potentials at workspaces and reducing economic losses caused by working conditions.<br
Keywords: Employee welfare; Productivity; Ergonomics; Employment; Sociology; Companies; Manuals; Control Cabinet; Engineer-to-Order; Ergonomic; Workplace Design

Work space surveillance of a robot assistance system using a ToF camera - Ramer, Christina; Franke, Jörg (Advanced Materials Research, 2014)
Aufgrund der demographischen Entwicklung in Industrienationen liegt eine wachsende Herausforderung darin, Produktionsmitarbeiter durch eine Reduzierung von Belastungen vor möglichen Gesundheitsschäden zu bewahren und eine längere Erwerbstätigkeit zu ermöglichen. Ebenso ist es erstrebenswert, die Potentiale leistungsgewandelter Personen zu nutzen, wodurch angepasste Hilfsmittel zur Erleichterung des Arbeitsalltags benötigt werden. Um bereits gesundheitlich vorgeschädigte Personen schneller wieder in ihren Beruf einzugliedern, erscheint es zudem denkbar Rehabilitationsmaßnahmen durch geeignete Roboterassistenten zu unterstützen. Diese Ziele werden bei der Entwicklung des vorgestellten Roboterassistenzsystems verfolgt. Um Menschen sicher im Arbeitsraum eines assistierenden Roboters erkennen und verfolgen zu können, werden visuelle Sensortechnologien zur 3D-Raumüberwachung benötigt. Herkömmliche Kamerasysteme, die ein 2D-Intensitätsbild ihrer Umgebung liefern, sind stark anfällig gegenüber Helligkeitsänderungen, was ein sicheres Personentracking kaum möglich macht. Ein neuerer Vertreter der indirekten Licht-Laufzeitmessung (Time-of-Flight, ToF) stellt die PMD (Photonic Mixing Device)-Technologie dar, bei der die Entfernungsinformation in jedem Pixel einer Sensormatrix in Echtzeit bestimmt werden kann. Auf Grund der Vorteile wurde für das Assistenzsystem eine ToF-Kamera ausgewählt. Im Versuchsaufbau wurde die Kamera zunächst zentral über dem überwachungsraum angebracht, um weitestgehend alle Kollisionsobjekte ohne Abschattungen detektieren zu können. Zu Beginn der Arbeitsraumüberwachung werden die vorverarbeiteten 3D-Koordinaten zusammen mit den bereitgestellten Intensitäts- und Amplitudenwerten der ersten Kameraframes zur Generierung eines Referenzbildes herangezogen. Die Detektion von Kollisionsobjekten erfolgt über die Differenzbildung zwischen initialem Hintergrund- und dem aktuellem Kamerabild. Aus den Differenzwerten wird für jedes Pixel die Wahrscheinlichkeit, ein Objekt abzubilden, berechnet und in diskrete Klassifikationsstufen eingeordnet. Sie ergibt sich im Wesentlichen aus der Höhen- und Intensitätsdifferenz des betrachteten Pixels sowie dessen acht Nachbarpixeln. Mittels eines Region-Growing-Algorithmus werden alle Nachbarn von Pixeln einer hohen Klassifikationsstufe, den sogenannten Start- oder Seedpixeln, in einem der Objektwahrscheinlichkeit angepassten Umkreis untersucht und im Falle einer hohen Objektwahrscheinlichkeit zu diesen hinzugezogen. Die Erstellung einzelner Objekte erfolgt aus zusammenhängenden Bereichen mit mindestens vier Bildpunkten. Um erkannte Objekte wiedererkennen zu können, werden diese mit einer Reihe ermittelter Attribute gespeichert. über eine Hochrechnung der aktuellen Position wird zunächst nach bekannten und in einem weiteren Schritt nach neuen Objekten gesucht. Die Wiedererkennung bereits detektierter Kollisionsobjekte erfolgt bei der überschreitung eines in Versuchen ermittelten übereinstimmungswerts, der sich aus mehreren Vergleichs-kriterien zusammensetzt. Eine automatisierte Bahnplanung ermöglicht den Einsatz auch bei veränderten Umgebungsbedingungen des Assistenzsystems, ohne auf geschultes Personal zum Teachen des Roboters zurückgreifen zu müssen. Um die für die zeitkritische Kollisionsvermeidung und die Pfadfindung notwendigen Abstandsberechnungen zu be-schleunigen, werden die detektieren Kollisionsobjekte mittels einfacher Hüllkörper, sogenannter Bounding Volumes, approximiert. Eingesetzt werden orientierte Hüllquader (Oriented Bounding Boxes), Hüllzylinder und kugeln sowie sogenannte -kapseln (Zylinder mit Halbkugelenden). Basierend auf einer sensorischen überwachung des Roboterarbeitsraums in Echtzeit und der dynamischen Anpassung des Umgebungsmodells kann somit die Basis geschaffen werden, um einen kollaborierenden Betrieb zwischen zu unterstützenden Werkern und dem Roboterassistenten zu ermöglichen.
Keywords: Arbeitsraumüberwachung; Roboterassistenzsystem; ToF-Kamera; PMD-Kamera; 3D-Kamera; Objekterkennung; B|Mech