Overview

Robots are increasingly being used in industry to perform various types of tasks. Some of the tasks performed by robots in industry are spot welding, materials handling, arc welding, and routing. The population of robots is growing at a significant rate in various parts of the world; for example, in 1984, a report published by the British Robot Association indicated a robot popula tion distribution between Japan (64,600), Western Europe (20,500), and the United States (13,000). This shows a significant number of robots in use. Data available for West Germany and the United Kingdom indicate that in 1977 there were 541 and 80 robots in use, respectively, and in 1984 these numbers went up to 6600 and 2623, respectively. Just as for other engineering products, the reliability and safety of robots are important. A robot has to be safe and reliable. An unreliable robot may become the cause of unsafe conditions, high maintenance costs, inconvenience, etc. Robots make use of electrical, mechanical, pneumatic, electronic, and hydraulic parts. This makes their reliability problem a challenging task because of the many different sources of failures. According to some published literature, the best mean time between failures (MTBF) achieved by robots is only 2500 hours. This means there is definite room for further improvement in robot reliability. With respect to safety, there have been five fatal accidents involving robots since 1978.

Full Product Details

Author:   B.S. Dhillon
Publisher:   Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
Imprint:   Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
Edition:   1991 ed.
Weight:   0.560kg
ISBN:  

9780387975351

ISBN 10:   0387975357
Pages:   254
Publication Date:   22 October 1991
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Temporarily unavailable  
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Table of Contents

1 Introduction.- 1.1. History of Robots.- 1.2. Brief History of Robot Reliability and Safety.- 1.3. Terms and Definitions.- 1.4. Scope of the Book.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 2 Introduction to Reliability and Safety.- 2.1. Introduction.- 2.2. Reliability and Safety-Related Terms and Definitions.- 2.3. Organizations Concerned with Reliability or Safety, or Both.- 2.4. Reliability and Safety Periodicals and Conferences.- 2.5. Reliability and Safety-Related Data Sources.- 2.6. Selective Texts on Reliability and Safety.- 2.7. Reliability.- 2.8. Safety.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 3 Introduction to Robotics.- 3.1. Introduction.- 3.2. Some Attributes of Robots Available Commercially, Major Users of Industrial Robots in Japan, and the United States' Robot Estimates by Application.- 3.3. Robotics Research and Robot Application Areas.- 3.4. Advantages of and Motivations for Using Robots, and Arguments Against Robots.- 3.5. Comparisons of Humans with Machines, Generations of Robots, and Robot Qualities Being Sought by Roboticists.- 3.6. Areas of Commonly Asked Questions by Potential Robot Users, Factors for Using Robots Instead of Humans, and Rules and Procedures for Introducing Robots.- 3.7. Robot Classifications, Production Robots, and Robot Structure Categories.- 3.8. Robot Mechanical Design Decisions and Useful Guidelines, and Important Physical and Operational Characteristics Vital for Robot Selection and Design.- 3.9. Robot Public Relation Guidelines.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 4 Robot Accidents.- 4.1. Introduction.- 4.2. Real-Life Examples of Robot Accidents.- 4.3. Robot Accidents in Japan, Western Europe, and the United States.- 4.4. Causes and Characteristics of Robot Accidents.- 4.5. Effects of Robot Accidents and Periods Off Work Due to Robot Accidents.- 4.6. Robot Accidents at Manufacturer and User Sites.- 4.7. Robot Accident Analysis and Prevention.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 5 Fundamentals of Robot Safety.- 5.1. Introduction.- 5.2. Robotic Safety Problems and Hazards, and the Use of Robots to Promote Safety.- 5.3. Weak Points in Planning and Design, and Operations Causing Safety Problems.- 5.4. The Manufacturer's and User's Role in Robot Safety.- 5.5. Safety Considerations in Robot Design, Installation, Programming, and Operation and Maintenance.- 5.6. Robot Safeguard Methods.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 6 Topics in Robot Safety.- 6.1. Introduction.- 6.2. Robot Safety Education.- 6.3. Safety Considerations in Robot Testing and Start-Up, Commissioning, and Acceptance.- 6.4. Safety Considerations in Robot Welding Operations.- 6.5. Robot Safety in the Automobile Industry.- 6.6. Stopping Grippers of Industrial Robots Not Dropping/Throwing Work Items When Experiencing Energy Loss or Not Gripping on the Return of Energy.- 6.7. Robot Standardization and Safety Standards.- 6.8. Robot Safety Research.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 7 Human Factors in Robotics.- 7.1. Introduction.- 7.2. Robots Versus Humans.- 7.3. Human Factors' Issues During the Factory Integration of Robotic Systems.- 7.4. Built-in Human Biases and Some Design Improvement Guidelines for Improving Robot Operator Comfort and Productivity.- 7.5. Benefits and Drawbacks of Robotization from the Standpoint of Human Factors and Rules of Robotics with Respect to Humans.- 7.6. Humans at Risk from Robots and Guidelines for Safeguarding the Operator and the Teacher.- 7.7. Human Factors' Considerations to Robotic Safety.- 7.8. Training for Reducing Human Error in Robotics and Human Error Data in Robotics.- 7.9. Reliability Analysis of a Robot System with Human Error.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 8 Robot Reliability.- 8.1. Introduction.- 8.2. Robot-Related Failure Terms, Robot Failures, and Literature on Robot Reliability.- 8.3. General Categories of Robot Failure and Their Protection.- 8.4. Types of Robot Halts and Warm Restarts.- 8.5. Robot Effectiveness and Hazard Detectors Fail-Safe Design.- 8.6. Robot Reliability Surveys and Guidelines for Developing a Robot Reliability Standard.- 8.7. Robot Reliability Measures.- 8.8. Reliability Analyses of Electric and Hydraulic Robots.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 9 Robot Maintenance.- 9.1. Introduction.- 9.2. General Maintenance Functions and Types of Maintenance.- 9.3. Robot Maintenance Needs and Types.- 9.4. Robot Parts and Special Tools for Maintenance and Repair.- 9.5. Robot Warranty Coverage and Preventive Maintenance Kits.- 9.6. Robot Inspection.- 9.7. Some Guidelines for Safeguarding Robot Maintenance Personnel.- 9.8. Some Models Useful in Performing Robot Maintenance.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 10 Failure Data and Analysis.- 10.1. Introduction.- 10.2. Uses of Failure Data with Respect to Robots.- 10.3. Failure Reporting and Documentation System for Robots.- 10.4. Reliability Data Sources.- 10.5. An Approach for Establishing an Event Data Bank, the Failure Report Form, and Major Difficulties Associated with Failure Recording.- 10.6. Robot Inspection and Repair Records.- 10.7. Documents, Banks, and Organizations for Obtaining Failure Data for Robot Reliability Studies.- 10.8. Failure Data for Selected Items and Tasks.- 10.9. Hazard Plotting Method.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 11 Robot Economics.- 11.1. Introduction.- 11.2. Factors for Installing Robots and Advantages of Robotization.- 11.3. Cost of Installing Robots and Their Economic Benefits.- 11.4. Basic Robot Economic Techniques.- 11.5. Methods for Making Robot Financial Decisions.- 11.6. Robot Life Cycle Costing.- 11.7. Robot Associated Cost Estimation Models.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 12 Robot Testing and Information Related to Robots.- 12.1. Introduction.- 12.2. Robot Performance Testing.- 12.3. Robot Reliability Testing.- 12.4. Selective Mathematical Models.- 12.5. Robot Specifications.- 12.6. General Information on Robots.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- APPENDIX Bibliography of Literature on Robot Reliability and Safety and on Related Areas.- A.1. Introduction.- A.2. Robot Reliability and Safety.- A.3. Robot Maintenance.- A.4. Robot Economics.- A.5. Miscellaneous.

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