813 research outputs found
The SATIN component system - a metamodel for engineering adaptable mobile systems
Mobile computing devices, such as personal digital assistants and mobile phones, are becoming increasingly popular, smaller, and more capable. We argue that mobile systems should be able to adapt to changing requirements and execution environments. Adaptation requires the ability-to reconfigure the deployed code base on a mobile device. Such reconfiguration is considerably simplified if mobile applications are component-oriented rather than monolithic blocks of code. We present the SATIN (system adaptation targeting integrated networks) component metamodel, a lightweight local component metamodel that offers the flexible use of logical mobility primitives to reconfigure the software system by dynamically transferring code. The metamodel is implemented in the SATIN middleware system, a component-based mobile computing middleware that uses the mobility primitives defined in the metamodel to reconfigure both itself and applications that it hosts. We demonstrate the suitability of SATIN in terms of lightweightedness, flexibility, and reusability for the creation of adaptable mobile systems by using it to implement, port, and evaluate a number of existing and new applications, including an active network platform developed for satellite communication at the European space agency. These applications exhibit different aspects of adaptation and demonstrate the flexibility of the approach and the advantages gaine
OPEN ARCHITECTURE PLATFORMS FOR THE CONTROL OF ROBOTIC SYSTEMS AND A PROPOSED REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE MODEL
This paper presents advantages of using open architecture for the real-time control of robot manipulators, parallel kinematics machine tools and other multi-axis machining systems. In order to increase their competitiveness, companies need to follow the global economy requirements. The constant incorporation of new technologies into existing controllers and reduction in the development time and costs are the main objectives. An open architecture control (OAC) concept appears as a solution to deal with these requirements. This article explains the rationale for the development of OAC systems, presents the major international activities which propose various approaches to OACs and a series of controllers that have been developed using this design philosophy at the Lola Institute
OPEN ARCHITECTURE PLATFORMS FOR THE CONTROL OF ROBOTIC SYSTEMS AND A PROPOSED REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE MODEL
This paper presents advantages of using open architecture for the real-time control of robot manipulators, parallel kinematics machine tools and other multi-axis machining systems. In order to increase their competitiveness, companies need to follow the global economy requirements. The constant incorporation of new technologies into existing controllers and reduction in the development time and costs are the main objectives. An open architecture control (OAC) concept appears as a solution to deal with these requirements. This article explains the rationale for the development of OAC systems, presents the major international activities which propose various approaches to OACs and a series of controllers that have been developed using this design philosophy at the Lola Institute
Toolpaths Programming in an Intelligent Step-NC Manufacturing Context
The current language for CNC programming is G-code which dates from the
beginning of the eighties with the norm ISO 6983. With the new technologies,
G-code becomes obsolete. It presents drawbacks that create a rupture in the
numerical chain at the manufacturing step. A new standard, STEP-NC, aims to
overtake these lacks. A STEP-NC file includes all the information for
manufacturing, as geometry description of the entities, workplan, machining
strategies, tools, etc. For rough pocket milling, the ISO norms propose
different kind of classical strategies as bidirectional, parallel or spiral
contour, etc. This paper describes a new way of toolpath programming by the
repetition of a pattern all along a guide curve. It presents several advantages
as building fastness and easiness. The integration of pattern strategies in
STEP-NC standard is an other step for the development of these strategies but
also for the enrichment of STEP-NC possibilities. A complete STEP-NC numerical
chain was built, integrating these pattern strategies. The implementation of
this approach of building pattern strategies was made by the development of
tools for the complete manufacturing cycle, from the CAD file to the machined
part. Several application cases were experimented on machine tool to validate
this approach and the efficiency of the developped tools
Robotics software frameworks for multi-agent robotic systems development
Robotics is an area of research in which the paradigm of Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) can prove to be highly
useful. Multi-Agent Systems come in the form of cooperative robots in a team, sensor networks based on
mobile robots, and robots in Intelligent Environments, to name but a few. However, the development
of Multi-Agent Robotic Systems (MARS) still presents major challenges. Over the past decade, a high
number of Robotics Software Frameworks (RSFs) have appeared which propose some solutions to the
most recurrent problems in robotics. Some of these frameworks, such as ROS, YARP, OROCOS, ORCA,
Open-RTM, and Open-RDK, possess certain characteristics and provide the basic infrastructure necessary
for the development of MARS. The contribution of this work is the identification of such characteristics
as well as the analysis of these frameworks in comparison with the general-purpose Multi-Agent System
Frameworks (MASFs), such as JADE and Mobile-C.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TEC2009-10639-C04-02Junta de Andalucía P06-TIC-2298Junta de Andalucía P08-TIC-0386
Web service control of component-based agile manufacturing systems
Current global business competition has resulted in significant challenges for
manufacturing and production sectors focused on shorter product lifecyc1es, more diverse
and customized products as well as cost pressures from competitors and customers. To
remain competitive, manufacturers, particularly in automotive industry, require the next
generation of manufacturing paradigms supporting flexible and reconfigurable production
systems that allow quick system changeovers for various types of products. In addition,
closer integration of shop floor and business systems is required as indicated by the
research efforts in investigating "Agile and Collaborative Manufacturing Systems" in
supporting the production unit throughout the manufacturing lifecycles.
The integration of a business enterprise with its shop-floor and lifecycle supply partners
is currently only achieved through complex proprietary solutions due to differences in
technology, particularly between automation and business systems. The situation is
further complicated by the diverse types of automation control devices employed.
Recently, the emerging technology of Service Oriented Architecture's (SOA's) and Web
Services (WS) has been demonstrated and proved successful in linking business
applications. The adoption of this Web Services approach at the automation level, that
would enable a seamless integration of business enterprise and a shop-floor system, is an
active research topic within the automotive domain. If successful, reconfigurable
automation systems formed by a network of collaborative autonomous and open control
platform in distributed, loosely coupled manufacturing environment can be realized
through a unifying platform of WS interfaces for devices communication.
The adoption of SOA- Web Services on embedded automation devices can be achieved
employing Device Profile for Web Services (DPWS) protocols which encapsulate device
control functionality as provided services (e.g. device I/O operation, device state
notification, device discovery) and business application interfaces into physical control
components of machining automation. This novel approach supports the possibility of
integrating pervasive enterprise applications through unifying Web Services interfaces
and neutral Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) message communication between
control systems and business applications over standard Ethernet-Local Area Networks
(LAN's). In addition, the re-configurability of the automation system is enhanced via the
utilisation of Web Services throughout an automated control, build, installation, test,
maintenance and reuse system lifecycle via device self-discovery provided by the DPWS
protocol...cont'd
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