Multiple-object Grasping Using a Multiple-suction-cup Vacuum Gripper in Cluttered Scenes

Multiple-suction-cup grasping can improve the efficiency of bin picking in cluttered scenes. In this paper, we propose a grasp planner for a vacuum gripper to use multiple suction cups to simultaneously grasp multiple objects or an object with a large surface. To take on the challenge of determining where to grasp and which cups to activate when grasping, we used 3D convolution to convolve the affordable areas inferred by neural network with the gripper kernel in order to find graspable positions of sampled gripper orientations. The kernel used for 3D convolution in this work was encoded including cup ID information, which helps to directly determine which cups to activate by decoding the convolution results. Furthermore, a sorting algorithm is proposed to find the optimal grasp among the candidates. Our planner exhibited good generality and successfully found multiple-cup grasps in previous affordance map datasets. Our planner also exhibited improved picking efficiency using multiple suction cups in physical robot picking experiments. Compared with single-object (single-cup) grasping, multiple-cup grasping contributed to 1.45x, 1.65x, and 1.16x increases in efficiency for picking boxes, fruits, and daily necessities, respectively

Computation Reuse in Statics and Dynamics Problems for Assemblies of Rigid Bodies

The problem of determining the forces among contacting rigid bodies is fundamental to many areas of robotics, including manipulation planning, control, and dynamic simulation. For example, consider the question of how to unstack an assembly, or how to find stable regions of a rubble pile. In considering problems of this type over discrete or continuous time, we often encounter a sequence of problems with similar substructure. The primary contribution of our work is the observation that in many cases, common physical structure can be exploited to solve a sequence of related problems more efficiently than if each problem were considered in isolation. We examine three general problems concerning rigid-body assemblies: dynamic simulation, assembly planning, and assembly stability given limited knowledge of the structure\u27s geometry. To approach the dynamic simulation and assembly planning applications, we have optimized a known method for solving the system dynamics. The accelerations of and forces among contacting rigid bodies may be computed by formulating the dynamics equations and contact constraints as a complementarity problem. Dantzig\u27s algorithm, when applicable, takes n or fewer major cycles to find a solution to the linear complementarity problem corresponding to an assembly with n contacts. We show that Dantzig\u27s algorithm will find a solution in n - k or fewer major cycles if the algorithm is initialized with a solution to the dynamics problem for a subassembly with k internal contacts. Finally, we show that if we have limited knowledge of a structure\u27s geometry, we can still learn about stable regions of its surface by physically pressing on it. We present an approach for finding stable regions of planar assemblies: sample presses on the surface to identify a stable cone in wrench space, partition the space of applicable wrenches into stable and unstable regions, and map these back to the surface of the structure

Dynamic modeling and simulation of a multi-fingered robot hand.

by Joseph Chun-kong Chan.Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-124).Abstract also in Chinese.Abstract --- p.iAcknowledgments --- p.ivList of Figures --- p.xiList of Tables --- p.xiiList of Algorithms --- p.xiiiChapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1Chapter 1.1 --- Motivation --- p.1Chapter 1.2 --- Related Work --- p.5Chapter 1.3 --- Contributions --- p.7Chapter 1.4 --- Organization of the Thesis --- p.9Chapter 2 --- Contact Modeling: Kinematics --- p.11Chapter 2.1 --- Introduction --- p.11Chapter 2.2 --- Contact Kinematics between Two Rigid Bodies --- p.14Chapter 2.2.1 --- Contact Modes --- p.14Chapter 2.2.2 --- Montana's Contact Equations --- p.15Chapter 2.3 --- Finger Kinematics --- p.18Chapter 2.3.1 --- Finger Forward Kinematics --- p.19Chapter 2.3.2 --- Finger Jacobian --- p.21Chapter 2.4 --- Grasp Kinematics between a Finger and an Object --- p.21Chapter 2.4.1 --- Velocity Transformation between Different Coordinate Frames --- p.22Chapter 2.4.2 --- Grasp Kinematics for the zth Contact --- p.23Chapter 2.4.3 --- Different Fingertip Models and Different Contact Modes --- p.25Chapter 2.5 --- Velocity Constraints of the Entire System --- p.28Chapter 2.6 --- Summary --- p.29Chapter 3 --- Contact Modeling: Dynamics --- p.31Chapter 3.1 --- Introduction --- p.31Chapter 3.2 --- Multi-fingered Robot Hand Dynamics --- p.33Chapter 3.3 --- Object Dynamics --- p.35Chapter 3.4 --- Constrained System Dynamics --- p.37Chapter 3.5 --- Summary --- p.39Chapter 4 --- Collision Modeling --- p.40Chapter 4.1 --- Introduction --- p.40Chapter 4.2 --- Assumptions of Collision --- p.42Chapter 4.3 --- Collision Point Velocities --- p.43Chapter 4.3.1 --- Collision Point Velocity of the ith. Finger --- p.43Chapter 4.3.2 --- Collision Point Velocity of the Object --- p.46Chapter 4.3.3 --- Relative Collision Point Velocity --- p.47Chapter 4.4 --- Equations of Collision --- p.47Chapter 4.4.1 --- Sliding Mode Collision --- p.48Chapter 4.4.2 --- Sticking Mode Collision --- p.49Chapter 4.5 --- Summary --- p.51Chapter 5 --- Dynamic Simulation --- p.53Chapter 5.1 --- Introduction --- p.53Chapter 5.2 --- Architecture of the Dynamic Simulation System --- p.54Chapter 5.2.1 --- Input Devices --- p.54Chapter 5.2.2 --- Dynamic Simulator --- p.58Chapter 5.2.3 --- Virtual Environment --- p.60Chapter 5.3 --- Methodologies and Program Flow of the Dynamic Simulator --- p.60Chapter 5.3.1 --- Interference Detection --- p.61Chapter 5.3.2 --- Constraint-based Simulation --- p.63Chapter 5.3.3 --- Impulse-based Simulation --- p.66Chapter 5.4 --- Summary --- p.69Chapter 6 --- Simulation Results --- p.71Chapter 6.1 --- Introduction --- p.71Chapter 6.2 --- Change of Grasping Configurations --- p.71Chapter 6.3 --- Rolling Contact --- p.76Chapter 6.4 --- Sliding Contact --- p.76Chapter 6.5 --- Collisions --- p.85Chapter 6.6 --- Dextrous Manipulation Motions --- p.93Chapter 6.7 --- Summary --- p.94Chapter 7 --- Conclusions --- p.99Chapter 7.1 --- Summary of Contributions --- p.99Chapter 7.2 --- Future Work --- p.100Chapter 7.2.1 --- Improvement of Current System --- p.100Chapter 7.2.2 --- Applications --- p.101Chapter A --- Montana's Contact Equations for Finger-object Contact --- p.103Chapter A.1 --- Local Coordinates Charts --- p.103Chapter A.2 --- "Curvature, Torsion and Metric Tensors" --- p.104Chapter A.3 --- Montana's Contact Equations --- p.106Chapter B --- Finger Dynamics --- p.108Chapter B.1 --- Forward Kinematics of a Robot Finger --- p.108Chapter B.1.1 --- Link-coordinate Transformation --- p.109Chapter B.1.2 --- Forward Kinematics --- p.109Chapter B.2 --- Dynamic Equation of a Robot Finger --- p.110Chapter B.2.1 --- Kinetic and Potential Energy --- p.110Chapter B.2.2 --- Lagrange's Equation --- p.111Chapter C --- Simulation Configurations --- p.113Chapter C.1 --- Geometric models --- p.113Chapter C.2 --- Physical Parameters --- p.113Chapter C.3 --- Simulation Parameters --- p.116Bibliography --- p.12

Parallel Manipulators

In recent years, parallel kinematics mechanisms have attracted a lot of attention from the academic and industrial communities due to potential applications not only as robot manipulators but also as machine tools. Generally, the criteria used to compare the performance of traditional serial robots and parallel robots are the workspace, the ratio between the payload and the robot mass, accuracy, and dynamic behaviour. In addition to the reduced coupling effect between joints, parallel robots bring the benefits of much higher payload-robot mass ratios, superior accuracy and greater stiffness; qualities which lead to better dynamic performance. The main drawback with parallel robots is the relatively small workspace. A great deal of research on parallel robots has been carried out worldwide, and a large number of parallel mechanism systems have been built for various applications, such as remote handling, machine tools, medical robots, simulators, micro-robots, and humanoid robots. This book opens a window to exceptional research and development work on parallel mechanisms contributed by authors from around the world. Through this window the reader can get a good view of current parallel robot research and applications