All Flashcards
What is Automation?
Automation is the technology by which a process or procedure is accomplished without human assistance.
Automation is a technology concerned with mechanical, electrical and computer system to operate and control the various process/systems.
- What are the 10 strategies for automation?
1.Specialization of operations
-use of special-purpose equipment designed to perform one operation
2. Combined operations
-reducing the number of distinct production machines or workstations
3. Simultaneous operations
A logical extension of the combined operations strategy is to simultaneously perform the operations that are combined at one workstation.
4. Integration of operations
-Another strategy is to link several workstations together into a single integrated mechanism,
5.Increased flexibility
-This strategy attempts to achieve maximum utilization of equipment for job shop and medium-volume situations by using the same equipment for a variety of parts or products
6. Improved material handling and storage.
use of automated material handling and storage systems.
7. On-line inspection
- Inspection for quality of work is traditionally performed after the process is complete
8. Process control and optimization
-This includes a wide range of control schemes intended to operate the individual processes and associated equipment more efficiently.
9. Plant operations control
-to manage and coordinate the aggregate operations in the plant more efficiently.
10. Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM).
-ClM involves extensive use of computer applications, computer data bases, and computer networking throughout the enterprise exclusive
- What are the reasons/ advantages for automation?
To increase machine productivity
To increase industry productivity
To increase labor productivity
To reduce or eliminate routine manual and clerical tasks
To improve worker safety
To improve product quality
To reduce manufacturing lead time
To accomplish processes that cannot be done manually
To avoid the high cost of not automating
- What are the disadvantages of automation?
More pollution
Large initial investment
Increase in unemployment
Unpredictable costs
- What are the types of automation?
Fixed automation
Fixed automation is a system in which the sequence of processing (or assembly) operations is fixed by the equipment configuration.
Typical features of fixed automation are:
* High initial investment for custom-engineered equipment
* High production rates
* Relatively inflexible in accommodating product variety
Programmable Automation
In programmable automation the production equipment is designed with the capability to change the sequence of operations to accommodate different product configurations.
Some of the features that characterize programmable automation include:
* High investment in general purpose equipment
* Lower production rates than fixed automation
* Flexibility to deal with variations and changes in product configuration
* Most suitable for batch production.
Flexible Automation: Flexible automation is an extension of programmable automation. A flexible automated system is capable of producing a variety of parts (or products) with virtually no time lost for changeovers from one part style to the next.
The features of flexible automation can be summarized as follows:
* High investment for a custom-engineered system
* Continuous production of variable mixtures of products
* Medium production rate
* Flexibility to deal with product design variations
- What is a production system, and what are its types?
A collection of integrated equipment and human resources, whose function is to perform one or more processing and/or assembly operations on a starting raw material part.
Its Components:
Production machines
Material handling system
Computer system
Human workers to operate and manage the system
Production machines:
Manually operated Machines
Semi Automatic machine
Fully Automatic Machines
- What is the difference between process manufacturing and discrete manufacturing?
Discrete manufacturing:
Products are comprised of components that can be touched, and counted. Parts can be broken down & disposed off or recycled after production. Uses Bills-of-Material (BOMs)
Assembles in a linear or routing way
Involves joining, attaching, fixing, assembling etc.
Doesn’t involve change of volume or density
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Process manufacturing:
Products are manufactured using formulas or recipes
Products cannot be broken down back into raw materials
Uses formulas or recipes
Blends in a batch
Involves grinding, boiling, mixing, churning, etc.
Volume, density, mass, physical properties all get changed here
- Explain industrial automation with a diagram.
Industrial automation is the use of control devices such as PC/PLCs/PACs etc. to control industrial processes and machinery by removing as much labor intervention as possible, and replacing dangerous assembly operations with automated ones. Industrial automation is closely linked to control engineering.
What is the degree of freedom (DOF) in robotics?
Degrees of freedom (DOF) is a term used to
describe a robot’s freedom of motion in three dimensional space—specifically, the ability to move forward and backward, up and down, and to the left and to the right. For each degree of freedom, a
joint is required. A robot requires six degrees of freedom to be completely versatile. Its movements
are clumsier than those of a human hand, which has 22 degrees of freedom.
Explain Asimov’s Laws of Robotics
- A robot may not injure ahuman being or, through inaction, allow a
human being to come to harm. - A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where
such orders would conflict with the First Law. - A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does
not conflict with the First or Second Laws.
What are direct and inverse kinematics in robotics?
Direct kinematics involves determining the position and orientation of the robot’s end-effector (the tool or gripper) based on the given joint parameters, such as angles (for revolute joints) or displacements (for prismatic joints).
Input: Known joint parameters (e.g., angles, lengths, etc.).
Output: Position and orientation of the end-effector in the workspace (usually represented as a transformation matrix, position vector, or pose).
Inverse Kinematics:
Inverse kinematics is the process of determining the joint parameters (angles, lengths, etc.) required to achieve a specific position and orientation of the end-effector in the workspace.
Input: Desired position and orientation of the end-effector.
Output: Joint parameters (e.g., joint angles or displacements).
What are open and closed kinematic chains?
An open kinematic chain consists of a sequence of rigid links connected by joints, where one end is fixed (the base) and the other end (the end-effector) is free to move. The chain does not form a closed loop.
Structure: Resembles a tree or a serial configuration.
Degrees of Freedom (DoF): Determined by summing the DoF of all joints.
A closed kinematic chain consists of multiple links connected by joints, forming one or more closed loops. The links are interconnected in such a way that there is no open end.
Structure: Resembles a loop or a parallel configuration.
Degrees of Freedom: Calculated using more complex formulas (e.g., Gruebler’s equation) due to constraints imposed by the closed loops.
What are the components of a machine vision system
Camera
Light Source
Frame Grabber
Circuitry and Programming
Computer
Output Interface
What is the difference between CCD and CMOS sensors? (ChatGPT)
Technology and Design:
CCD: In a CCD sensor, the charge generated by light exposure is transferred across the sensor to a readout area, where it is converted to a voltage. CCD sensors use a complex circuit to move the charge, making them more power-hungry and slower.
CMOS: In CMOS sensors, each pixel has its own photodiode and amplifier. This allows CMOS sensors to process data at each pixel individually, which enables faster readouts and lower power consumption.
Power Consumption:
CCD: Requires more power, especially for the signal transfer process, which can lead to heat generation.
CMOS: Consumes significantly less power, as each pixel has its own circuitry.
Image Quality:
CCD: Historically, CCDs were known for better image quality because they offer lower noise, better light sensitivity, and more uniformity in the output. This makes CCD sensors ideal for applications where high image fidelity is crucial (e.g., scientific imaging, astronomy).
CMOS: While CMOS sensors have improved significantly over the years, they tend to exhibit more noise and less light sensitivity compared to CCDs. However, they have become quite competitive in terms of image quality, especially with recent advancements.
Speed:
CCD: Slower because the charge has to be transferred across the sensor before being read out.
CMOS: Faster, as each pixel is read independently, making CMOS sensors better for high-speed imaging applications (e.g., video recording, burst photography).
Cost:
CCD: Typically more expensive to manufacture due to their more complex technology.
CMOS: Cheaper to produce because they use standard semiconductor manufacturing processes.
Size:
CCD: Generally larger and more prone to manufacturing challenges.
CMOS: Can be made smaller and more easily integrated into compact devices.
Applications:
CCD: Often used in high-end cameras, scientific equipment, and professional video cameras where image quality is paramount.
CMOS: More commonly found in consumer electronics like smartphones, digital cameras, and webcams due to their lower cost and lower power consumption.
Compare between the Sampling and Quantization of Frame Grabber (ChatGPT)
- Sampling
Sampling is the process of converting a continuous analog signal into a discrete signal by measuring its amplitude at regular intervals.
Purpose: To represent the temporal or spatial variation of the analog signal digitally.
Operation in Frame Grabber:
For video, sampling occurs both spatially (across the image pixels) and temporally (over time for frames).
The analog video signal is sampled at a rate defined by the Nyquist criterion to avoid aliasing.
Higher sampling rates capture more detail and preserve finer spatial/temporal details of the video.
- Quantization
Quantization is the process of mapping the sampled signal’s amplitude to discrete levels (usually integers) within a specified range.
Purpose: To represent the sampled signal’s amplitude digitally.
Operation in Frame Grabber:
After sampling, the analog signal’s amplitude is mapped to a set of finite levels, typically defined by the bit depth of the quantizer.
