Mouser - White Papers

Mouser Electronics White Paper Robots are becoming an increasingly familiar feature of everyday life. From small pizza-delivery units to large, fixed devices that sort mail, robots are employed in various tasks that free human workers from repetitive, dull, or even dangerous jobs. Robots have a long history of use in the industrial world. Mass production lends itself to machines that can perform repetitive tasks, and the factory floor has been the home to industrial robots for decades. Manufacturers continue to enjoy the value of robots in production line applications. However, the modern robot bears little resemblance to the first generation of machines employed on the factory floor. Modern manufacturing trends emphasize rapid time-to-market and the ability to respond quickly to changes in customer demand. Early robots, while excellent at performing their assigned individual tasks quickly, lacked the flexibility that the modern smart factory needs. Smart factories are facilities that combine production with supply chain, maintenance, and scheduling, using data collected from sensors at every step of the process. This information is shared with the network so that decisions can be made and machines can act autonomously. To act as a key element of the smart factory, modern robots must be equipped with advanced processing power and high-speed communications. Connectors are critical for meeting modern robots' power and communications needs. Engineers need connector solutions that combine high power and signal density with ease of use, robust design, and reliability. Design Considerations and Challenges in Industrial Robotics As robots' roles continue to evolve, the level of sophistication required by modern robots presents designers with several challenges. Environment A key challenge for any industrial equipment is its environment. The factory floor is a harsh environment, with many conditions that present considerable risk to the high-performance electronics at the heart of modern robots. Many industrial processes are dirty, creating debris and waste products that create an unpleasant or even dangerous atmosphere. High temperatures often combine with potentially harmful chemicals and threaten sensitive equipment. Devices must be protected against the possible presence of moisture or contaminants, and machinery creates shock and vibration that can severely damage equipment. Modern robots, especially autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), must be equipped with the intelligence to navigate through these tough conditions while performing their tasks. Industrial AMRs are also found beyond the confines of the factory. For example, AMRs may be deployed outdoors in supply chain applications or smart agriculture, exposing them to wind and precipitation during their working lives. Therefore, designers must ensure that they are familiar with the conditions in which AMRs will operate. Sensors and Data To navigate these complex environments, robots use a method called simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). This technique builds a map of the surroundings and allows the robot to localize its position within them (Figure 1). SLAM technology uses data from a range of sensors to carry out operations such as path planning and obstacle avoidance. It also ensures that systems can operate efficiently without risking injury to human operators. Figure 1: Agriculture drone scanning and mapping a field. (Source: Monopoly919/stock.adobe.com) Sensors mounted to AMRs include cameras, radar, and ultrasound for collision avoidance, along with inertial measurement units (IMUs) and Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation for accurate positioning. Making this technology work in real time demands rapid communication between sensors and processors, carried by cable and connector systems within the robots. AMRs also need to share this information with the rest of the factory network. While modern wireless communication systems like Wi-Fi, 5G, and BLUETHOOTH® link robots and the outside world, they rely on fast, low-latency connections within the robots themselves.

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