工业机器人中英文翻译、外文文献翻译、外文翻译

外文原文：

Robot

After more than 40 years of development, since its first appearance till now, the robot has already been widely applied in every industrial fields, and it has become the important standard of industry modernization.

Robotics is the comprehensive technologies that combine with mechanics, electronics, informatics and automatic control theory. The level of the robotic technology has already been regarded as the standard of weighing a national modern electronic-mechanical manufacturing technology.

Over the past two decades, the robot has been introduced into industry to perform many monotonous and often unsafe operations. Because robots can perform certain basic more quickly and accurately than humans, they are being increasingly used in various manufacturing industries.

With the maturation and broad application of net technology, the remote control technology of robot based on net becomes more and more popular in modern society. It employs the net resources in modern society which are already three to implement the operatio of robot over distance. It also creates many of new fields, such as remote experiment, remote surgery, and remote amusement. What's more, in industry, it can have a beneficial impact upon the conversion of manufacturing means.

The key words are reprogrammable and multipurpose because most single-purpose machines do not meet these two requirements. The term “reprogrammable” implies two things: The robot operates according to a written program, and this program can be rewritten to acc ommodate a variety of manufacturing tasks. The term “multipurpose” means that the robot can perform many different functions, depending on the program and tooling currently in use.

Developed from actuating mechanism, industrial robot can imitation some actions and functions of human being, which can be used to moving all kinds of material components tools and so on, executing mission by execuatable program multifunction manipulator. It is extensive used in industry and agriculture production, astronavigation and military engineering.

During the practical application of the industrial robot, the working efficiency and

quality are important index of weighing the performance of the robot. It becomes key problems which need solving badly to raise the working efficiencies and reduce errors of industrial robot in operating actually. Time-optimal trajectory planning of robot is that optimize the path of robot according to performance guideline of minimum time of robot under all kinds of physical constraints, which can make the motion time of robot hand minimum between two points or along the special path. The purpose and practical meaning of this research lie enhance the work efficiency of robot.

Due to its important role in theory and application, the motion planning of industrial robot has been given enough attention by researchers in the world. Many researchers have been investigated on the path planning for various objectives such as minimum time, minimum energy, and obstacle avoidance.

The basic terminology of robotic systems is introduced in the following:

A robot is a reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move parts, materials, tools, or special devices through variable programmed motions for the performance of a variety of different task. This basic definition leads to other definitions, presented in the following paragraphs that give a complete picture of a robotic system.

Preprogrammed locations are paths that the robot must follow to accomplish work. At some of these locations, the robot will stop and perform some operation, such as assembly of parts, spray painting, or welding. These preprogrammed locations are stored in the robot’s memory and are recalled later for continuous operation. Furthermore, these preprogrammed locations, as well as other programming feature, an industrial robot is very much like a computer, where data can be stored and later recalled and edited.

The manipulator is the arm of the robot. It allows the robot to bend, reach, and twist. This movement is provided by t he manipulator’s axes, also called the degrees of freedom of the robot. A robot can have from 3 to 16 axes. The term degrees of freedom will always relate to the number of axes found on a robot.

The tooling and grippers are not part of the robotic system itself: rather, they are attachments that fit on the end of the robot’s arm. These attachments connected to the end of the robot’s arm allow the robot to lift parts, spot-weld, paint, arc-well, drill, deburr, and do a variety of tasks, depending on what is required of the robot.

The robotic system can also control the work cell of the operating robot. The work cell of the robot is the total environment in which the robot must perform its task. Included within this cell may be the controller, the robot manipulator, a work table, safety features, or a conveyor. All the equipment that is required in order for the robot to do its job is included in the work cell. In addition, signals from outside devices can communicate with the robot in order to tell the robot when it should assemble parts, pick up parts, or unload parts to a conveyor.

The robotic system has three basic components: the manipulator, the controller, and the power source.

Manipulator

The manipulator, which dose the physical work of the robotic system, consists of two sections: the mechanical section and the attached appendage. The manipulator also has a base to which the appendages are attached.

The base of the manipulator is usually fixed to the floor of the work area. Sometimes, though, the base may be movable. In this case, the base is attached to either a rail or a track, allowing the manipulator to be moved from one location to anther.

As mentioned previously, the appendage extends from the base of the robot. The appendage is the arm of the robot. It can be either a straight, movable arm or a jointed arm. The jointed arm is also known as an articulated arm.

The appendages of the robot manipulator give the manipulator its various axes of motion. These axes are attached to a fixed base, which, in turn, is secured to a mounting. This mounting ensures that the manipulator will remain in one location.

At the end of the arm, a wrist is connected. The wrist is made up of additional axes and a wrist flange. The wrist flange allows the robot user to connect different tooling to the wrist for different jobs.

The manipulator’s axes allow it to perform work within a certain area. This area is called the work cell of the robot, and its size corresponds to the size of the manipulator. As the robot’s physical siz e increases, the size of the work cell must also increase.

The movement of the manipulator is controlled by actuators, or drive system. The actuator, or drive system, allows the various axes to move within the work cell. The drive system can use electric, hydraulic, or pneumatic power. The energy developed by

the drive system is converted to mechanical power by various mechanical drive systems. The drive systems are coupled through mechanical linkages. These linkages, in turn, drive the different axes of the robot. The mechanical linkages may be composed of chains, gears, and ball screws.

Controller

The controller in the robotic system is the heart of the operation. The controller stores preprogrammed information for later recall, controls peripheral devices, and communicates with computers within the plant for constant updates in production.

The controller is used to control the robot manipulator’s movements as well as to control peripheral components within the work cell. The user can program the movements of the manipulator into the controller through the use of a hand-held teach pendant. This information is stored in the memory of the controller for later recall. The controller stores all program data for the robotic system. It can store several different programs, and any of these programs can be edited.

The controller is also required to communicate with peripheral equipment within the work cell. For example, the controller has an input line that identifies when a machining operation is completed. When the machine cycle is completed, the input line turns on, telling the controller to position the manipulator so that it can pick up the finished part. Then, a new part is picked up by the manipulator and placed into the machine. Next, the controller signals the machine to start operation.

The controller can be made from mechanically operated drums that step through a sequence of events. This type of controller operates with a very simple robotic system. The controllers found on the majority of robotic systems are more complex devices and represent state-of-the-art electronics. This is, they are microprocessor-operated. These microprocessors are either 8-bit, 16-bit, or 32-bit processors. This power allows the controller to the very flexible in its operation.

The controller can send electric signals over communication lines that allow it to talk with the various axes of the manipulator. This two-way communication between the robot manipulator and the controller maintains a constant update of the location and the operation of the system. The controller also controls any tooling placed on the end of the robot’s wrist.

The controller also has the job of communicating with the different plant computers. The communication link establishes the robot as part of a computer-assisted manufacturing (CAM) system.

As the basic definition stated, the robot is a reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator. Therefore, the controller must contain some type of memory storage. The microprocessor-based systems operate in conjunction with solid-state memory devices. These memory devices may be magnetic bubbles, random-access memory, floppy disks, or magnetic tape. Each memory storage device stores program information for later recall or for editing.

Power supply

The power supply is the unit that supplies power to the controller and the manipulator. Two types of power are delivered to the robotic system. One type of power is the AC power for operation of the controller. The other type of power is used for driving the various axes of the manipulator. For example, if the robot manipulator is controlled by hydraulic or pneumatic drives, control signals are sent to these devices, causing motion of the robot.

For each robotic system, power is required to operate the manipulator. This power can be developed from either a hydraulic power source, a pneumatic power source, or an electric power source. These power sources are part of the total components of the robotic work cell.

Classification of Robots

Industrial robots vary widely in size, shape, number of axes, degrees of freedom, and design configuration. Each factor influences the dimensions of the robot’s working envelope or the volume of space within which it can move and perform its designated task. A broader classification of robots can been described as blew.

Fixed and Variable-Sequence Robots. The fixed-sequence robot (also called a pick-and place robot) is programmed for a specific sequence of operations. Its movements are from point to point, and the cycle is repeated continuously. The variable-sequence robot can be programmed for a specific sequence of operations but can be reprogrammed to perform another sequence of operation.

Playback Robot. An operator leads or walks the playback robot and its end effector

through the desired path. The robot memorizes and records the path and sequence of motions and can repeat them continually without any further action or guidance by the operator.

Numerically Controlled Robot. The numerically controlled robot is programmed and operated much like a numerically controlled machine. The robot is servo-controlled by digital data, and its sequence of movements can be changed with relative ease.

Intelligent Robot. The intellingent robot is capable of performing some of the functions and tasks carried out by human beings. It is equipped with a variety of sensors with visual and tactile capabilities.

Robot Applications

The robot is a very special type of production tool; as a result, the applications in which robots are used are quite broad. These applications can be grouped into three categories: material processing, material handling and assembly.

In material processing, robots use to process the raw material. For example, the robot tools could include a drill and the robot would be able to perform drilling operations on raw material.

Material handling consists of the loading, unloading, and transferring of workpieces in manufacturing facilities. These operations can be performed reliably and repeatedly with robots, thereby improving quality and reducing scrap losses.

Assembly is another large application area for using robotics. An automatic assembly system can incorporate automatic testing, robot automation and mechanical handling for reducing labor costs, increasing output and eliminating manual handling concerns.

Hydraulic System

There are only three basic methods of transmitting power: electrical, mechanical, and fluid power. Most applications actually use a combination of the three methods to obtain the most efficient overall system. To properly determine which principle method to use, it is important to know the salient features of each type. For example, fluid systems can transmit power more economically over greater distances than can mechanical type. However, fluid systems are restricted to shorter distances than are electrical systems.

Hydraulic power transmission systems are concerned with the generation, modulation, and control of pressure and flow, and in general such systems include:

1.Pumps which convert available power from the prime mover to hydraulic

power at the actuator.

2.Valves which control the direction of pump-flow, the level of power

produced, and the amount of fluid-flow to the actuators. The power level is

determined by controlling both the flow and pressure level.

3.Actuators which convert hydraulic power to usable mechanical power output

at the point required.

4.The medium, which is a liquid, provides rigid transmission and control as

well as lubrication of components, sealing in valves, and cooling of the

system.

5.Connectors which link the various system components, provide power

conductors for the fluid under pressure, and fluid flow return to

tank(reservoir).

6.Fluid storage and conditioning equipment which ensure sufficient quality and

quantity as well as cooling of the fluid..

Hydraulic systems are used in industrial applications such as stamping presses, steel mills, and general manufacturing, agricultural machines, mining industry, aviation, space technology, deep-sea exploration, transportation, marine technology, and offshore gas and petroleum exploration. In short, very few people get through a day of their lives without somehow benefiting from the technology of hydraulics.

The secret of hydraulic system’s success and widespread use is its versatility and manageability. Fluid power is not hindered by the geometry of the machine as is the case in mechanical systems. Also, power can be transmitted in almost limitless quantities because fluid systems are not so limited by the physical limitations of materials as are the electrical systems. For example, the performance of an electromagnet is limited by the saturation limit of steel. On the other hand, the power limit of fluid systems is limited only by the strength capacity of the material.

Industry is going to depend more and more on automation in order to increase productivity. This includes remote and direct control of production operations,

manufacturing processes, and materials handling. Fluid power is the muscle of automation because of advantages in the following four major categories.

1.Ease and accuracy of control. By the use of simple levers and push buttons,

the operator of a fluid power system can readily start, stop, speed up or slow

down, and position forces which provide any desired horsepower with

tolerances as precise as one ten-thousandth of an inch. Fig. shows a fluid

power system which allows an aircraft pilot to raise and lower his landing

gear. When the pilot moves a small control valve in one direction, oil under

pressure flows to one end of the cylinder to lower the landing gear. To retract

the landing gear, the pilot moves the valve lever in the opposite direction,

allowing oil to flow into the other end of the cylinder.

2.Multiplication of force. A fluid power system (without using cumbersome

gears, pulleys, and levers) can multiply forces simply and efficiently from a

fraction of an ounce to several hundred tons of output.

3.Constant force or torque. Only fluid power systems are capable of providing

constant force or torque regardless of speed changes. This is accomplished

whether the work output moves a few inches per hour, several hundred inches

per minute, a few revolutions per hour, or thousands of revolutions per

minute.

4.Simplicity, safety, economy. In general, fluid power systems use fewer

moving parts than comparable mechanical or electrical systems. Thus, they

are simpler to maintain and operate. This, in turn, maximizes safety,

compactness, and reliability. For example, a new power steering control

designed has made all other kinds of power systems obsolete on many

off-highway vehicles. The steering unit consists of a manually operated

directional control valve and meter in a single body. Because the steering unit

is fully fluid-linked, mechanical linkages, universal joints, bearings, reduction

gears, etc. are eliminated. This provides a simple, compact system. In

applications. This is important where limitations of control space require a

small steering wheel and it becomes necessary to reduce operator fatigue.

Additional benefits of fluid power systems include instantly reversible motion,

automatic protection against overloads, and infinitely variable speed control. Fluid power systems also have the highest horsepower per weight ratio of any known power source. In spite of all these highly desirable features of fluid power, it is not a panacea for all power transmission problems. Hydraulic systems also have some drawbacks. Hydraulic oils are messy, and leakage is impossible to completely eliminate. Also, most hydraulic oils can cause fires if an oil leak occurs in an area of hot equipment.

Pneumatic System

Pneumatic system use pressurized gases to transmit and control power. As the name implies, pneumatic systems typically use air (rather than some other gas ) as the fluid medium because air is a safe, low-cost, and readily available fluid. It is particularly safe in environments where an electrical spark could ignite leaks from system components.

In pneumatic systems, compressors are used to compress and supply the necessary quantities of air. Compressors are typically of the piston, vane or screw type. Basically a compressor increases the pressure of a gas by reducing its volume as described by the perfect gas laws. Pneumatic systems normally use a large centralized air compressor which is considered to be an infinite air source similar to an electrical system where you merely plug into an electrical outlet for electricity. In this way, pressurized air can be piped from one source to various locations throughout an entire industrial plant. The compressed air is piped to each circuit through an air filter to remove contaminants which might harm the closely fitting parts of pneumatic components such as valve and cylinders. The air then flows through a pressure regulator which reduces the pressure to the desired level for the particular circuit application. Because air is not a good lubricant (contains about 20% oxygen), pneumatics systems required a lubricator to inject a very fine mist of oil into the air discharging from the pressure regulator. This prevents wear of the closely fitting moving parts of pneumatic components.

Free air from the atmosphere contains varying amounts of moisture. This moisture can be harmful in that it can wash away lubricants and thus cause excessive wear and corrosion. Hence, in some applications, air driers are needed to remove this undesirable moisture. Since pneumatic systems exhaust directly into the atmosphere , they are capable of generating excessive noise. Therefore, mufflers are mounted on exhaust ports

of air valves and actuators to reduce noise and prevent operating personnel from possible injury resulting not only from exposure to noise but also from high-speed airborne particles.

There are several reasons for considering the use of pneumatic systems instead of hydraulic systems. Liquids exhibit greater inertia than do gases. Therefore, in hydraulic systems the weight of oil is a potential problem when accelerating and decelerating and decelerating actuators and when suddenly opening and closing valves. Due to Newton’s law of motion ( force equals mass multiplied by acceleration ), the force required to accelerate oil is many times greater than that required to accelerate an equal volume of air. Liquids also exhibit greater viscosity than do gases. This results in larger frictional pressure and power losses. Also, since hydraulic systems use a fluid foreign to the atmosphere , they require special reservoirs and no-leak system designs. Pneumatic systems use air which is exhausted directly back into the surrounding environment. Generally speaking, pneumatic systems are less expensive than hydraulic systems.

However, because of the compressibility of air, it is impossible to obtain precise controlled actuator velocities with pneumatic systems. Also, precise positioning control is not obtainable. While pneumatic pressures are quite low due to compressor design limitations ( less than 250 psi ), hydraulic pressures can be as high as 10,000 psi. Thus, hydraulics can be high-power systems, whereas pneumatics are confined to low-power applications. Industrial applications of pneumatic systems are growing at a rapid pace. Typical examples include stamping, drilling, hoist, punching, clamping, assembling, riveting, materials handling, and logic controlling operations.

工业机器人

机器人自问世以来到现在，经过了40多年的发展，已被广泛应用于各个工业领域，已成为工业现代化的重要标志。机器人技术是一门机械、电子、自动控制理论及信息技术有机结合起来的综合性工程技术。机器人技术发展水平己成为衡量一个国家现代机电制造技术的标准。

经过过去20年的发展，机器人已经进入到工厂来完成许多单调的和不安全的操作任务。因为机器人可以比人更快更准确地完成某些基本任务，所以机器人正在大量地应用于各种制造企业。

随着网络技术的成熟和广泛应用，机器人网络远程控制技术在现代社会中有了越来越大的应用空间。它充分利用已在现代社会中广泛存在的网路设施实现机器人操作者和机器人之间的远距离交互。它开辟了远程实验、远程医疗和远程娱乐等诸多崭新的应用领域。机器人网络远程控制技术在工业领域的应用还能在推进企业信息化和实现企业生产方式的转变的进程中发挥重要作用。

机器人的主要优点在于可重复编程和多功能性，因为大多数功能单一的机器不能满足这两种要求。“可重复编程”包含两层含义：机器人根据已设定的程序运转，并且这个程序可以被重写以适应多种制造任务。“多功能”意味着机器人可以拥有多种不同的功能，这依赖于当前正在使用的程序和工具。

工业机器人是在自动操作机基础上发展起来的一种能模仿人的某些动作和功能，可以用于移动各种材料、零件、工具等，通过可编程序动作来执行各种任务的，并具有编程能力的多功能机械手。它综合了精密机械，控制传感和自动控制技术等领域的最新成果，并广泛应到工农业生产、航天航空和军事等领域。

在工业机器人的实际应用中，工作效率和质量是衡量机器人性能的重要指标，提高工业机器人的工作效率，减小实际操作中的误差成为工业机器人应用亚需解决的关键性问题。机器人的时间最优轨迹规划是指以时间最短作为性能指标并在满足各种约束的条件下优化机器人的运动轨迹，使机器人手部在两点之间或沿着规定轨迹运动的时间最短，进行这项研究的目的和实际意义在于提高工业机器人的工作效率。

工业机器人是机器人家族中的一个重要分支，是机器人领域的重要研究发展方向。因此，对工业机器人运动路径规划的研究，一直受到人们的普遍关注。基于最少时间、最少能量和避障等的不同目标，许多研究学者对路径规划问题进行

如下叙述的是机器人系统基本术语：

机器人是一个可编程、多功能的机械手，通过给要完成的不同任务编制各动作，它可以移动零件、材料、工具以及特殊装置。这个基本定义引导出后续段落的其他定义，从而描绘出一个完整的机器人系统。

预编程位置点是机器人为完成工作而必须跟踪的轨迹。在某些位置点上机器人将停下来做某些操作，如装配零件、喷涂油漆或焊接。这些预编程点储存在机器人的储存器中，并为后续的连续操作所调用，而且这些预编程点像其他程序数据一样，可在日后随工作需要而变化。因而，正是这种可编程的特征，一个工业机器人很像一台计算机，数据可在这里储存、后续调用与编辑。

机械手是机器人的手臂，它使机器人能弯曲、延伸和旋转，提供这些运动的是机械手的轴，亦是所谓的机械人的自由度。一个机械人能有3至16轴，自由度一词总是与机器人轴数相关。

这些连在机器人手臂末端的附件可使机器人抬起工件、点焊、刷漆、电弧焊、钻孔、打毛刺以及根据机器人的要求去做各种各样的工作。

机器人系统还可以控制机器人的工作单元，工作单元是机器人执行任务所处的整体环境，该单元包括控制器、机械手、工作平台、安全保护装置或者传输装置。所有这些为保证机器人完成自己任务而必须的装置都包括在这一工作单元中。另外，来自外设的信号与机器人通讯，通知机器人何时装配工件、取工件或放工件到传输装置上。工具和手爪不是机器人自身组成部分，但它们是安装在机器人手臂末端的附件。

机器人系统有三个基本部件：机械手、控制器和动力源。

机械手

机械手做机器人系统中粗重工作，它包括两个部分：机构和构件，机械手也有联接附件基座。

机械手基座通常固定在工作区域的地基上，有时基座也可以移动，在这种情况下基座安装在导轨或轨道上，允许机械手从一个位置移到另外一个位置。

正如前面所提到的那样，附件从机器人基座上延伸出来，附件就是机器人的手臂，它可以是直动型，也可以是轴节型手臂，轴节型手臂也是大家所知的关节型手臂。

机械臂使机械手产生各轴的运动。这些轴连在一个安装基座上，然后再连到

拖架上，拖架确保机械手停留在某一位置。

在手臂的末端上，连接着手腕，手腕由辅助轴和手腕凸缘组成，手腕是机器人用户在手腕凸缘上安装不同工具来做不同种工作。

机械手的轴使机械手在某一区域内执行任务，我们将这个区域成为机器人的工作单元，该区域的大小与机械手的尺寸相对应。随着机器人的机械结构尺寸的增加，工作单元的范围也必须相应增加。

机械手的运动由执行元件或驱动系统来控制。执行元件或驱动系统允许各轴在工作单元内驱动。驱动系统可用电气、液压和气压动力，驱动系统所产生的动力机构转变为机械能，驱动系统与机械传动链相匹配。由链、齿轮和滚珠丝杠组成的机械传动链驱动着机器人的各轴。

控制器

机器人控制器是工作单元的核心。控制器储存着预编程序供后续调用、控制外设，及与厂内计算机进行通讯以满足产品经常更新的需要。

控制器用于控制机械手运动和在工作单元内控制机器人外设。用户可通过手持的示教盒将机械手运动的程序编入控制器。这些信息储存在控制器的存储器中以备后续调用，控制器储存了机器人系统的所有编程数据，它能储存几个不同的程序，并且所有这些程序均能编辑。

控制器要求能够在工作单元内与外设进行通信。例如控制器有一个输入端，它能标识某个机加工操作何时完成。当该加工循环完成后，输入端接通，告诉控制器定位机械手以便能抓取已加工工件，随后，机械手抓取一未加工件，将其放置在机床上。接着，控制器给机床发出开始加工的信号。

控制器可以由根据时间顺序而步进的机械式轮鼓组成，这种类型的控制器可用在非常简单的机械系统中。用于大多数机器人系统中的控制器代表现代电子学的水平，是更复杂的装置，即它们是由微处理器操纵的，这些微处理器可以是8位，16位或36位处理器。它们可以使得控制器在操作过程中显得非常柔性。

控制器能通过通信线发送电信号，使他能与机械手各轴交流信息，在机器人的机械手和控制器之间的双向交流信息可以保持系统操作和位子经常更新，控制器也能年控制安装在机器人手腕上的任何工具。

控制器也有与厂内各计算机进行通信的任务，这种通信联系使机器人成为计算机辅助制造（CAM）系统的一个组成部分。

存储器。基于处理器的系统运行时要与固态的存储装置相连，这些存储装置

可以是磁泡，随机存储器、软盘、磁带等。每种记忆存储装置均能储存、编辑信息以备后续调用和编辑。

动力源

动力源是个机器人和机械手提供动力的单元。传给机器人系统的动力源有两种，一种是用于控制器的交流电，另一种是用于驱动机械手各轴的动力源，例如，如果机器人的机械手是由液压和气压驱动的，控制信号便传送到这些装置中，驱动机器人运动。

对于每一个机器人系统，动力源是用来操纵机械手的。这些动力可来源于液压动力源、气压动力源或电源，这些能源是机器人工作单元整体的一部分。

机器人的分类

工业机器人在尺寸、形状、坐标数量、自由度和设计构造上都多种多样。每个因素都影响着机器人的工作范围或它能够运动和执行指定任务的空间区域。广义的机器人分类如下所述。

固定顺序和可变顺序的机器人。固定顺序机器人（也称为拾取和定位机器人）是为完成一系列特定的操作而进行编程实现的。它的运动是点到点的，并且可以不断循环。可变顺序机器人是为完成特定顺序的操作进行编程实现的，也可为其它系列操作重新编程。

学演机器人。操作者可以按照期望路径引导学演机器人和其终端执行机构运动。机器人可以记忆和记录运动的顺序和路径，并能在没有操作者的进一步引导和示范的情况下连续重复这些动作。

数字控制机器人。数字控制机器人的编程和操纵非常类似于数控机床。这种机器人由数字数据伺服控制，运动顺序可以相对容易地进行改变。

智能机器人。智能机器人能够执行一些人才能完成的功能和任务。它可以配备各种传感器以具备视觉和触觉功能。

机器人的应用

机器人是一种很特别的生产工具，因此，机器人应用的范围十分广泛。这些应用可以被划分为3类：材料处理、材料搬运和装配。

在材料处理中，机器人用工具来加工和处理原材料。例如，机器人工具可包括钻头，从而可以在原始材料上执行钻孔操作。

材料搬运包括装载、卸载和转移制造设备上的加工零件。这些操作可以由机

器人可靠地重复执行，因此提高了质量，减少了废料损失。

装配是机器人技术的另一个广泛应用。自动装配系统能合并自动测试、机器人自动控制和机械处理，以减少劳动成本，提高产量，消除人工操作的危险性。

液压系统

仅有以下三种基本方法传递动力：电气、机械和流体。大多数应用系统实际上是将三种方法组合起来而得到最有效的最全面的系统。为了合理地确定采取哪种方法，重要的是了解各种方法的显著特征。例如液压系统在长距离上比机械系统更能机械经济地传递动力。然而液压系统与电气系相比，传递动力的距离较短。

液压动力传递系统涉及电动机、调节装置和压力和流量控制，总的来说，该系统包括：

●泵：将原动机的能力转换成作用在执行部件上的液压能。

●阀：控制泵产生流体的运动方向、产生的功率的大小，以及到达执行部件的流

量。功率大小取决于对流量和压力大小的控制。

●执行部件：将液压能转换成可用的机械能。

●介质即油液：可进行无压缩传递和控制，同时可以润滑部件，使阀体密封和系

统冷却。

●联接件：联接各个系统部件，为压力流体提供功率传输通路，将液体返回油箱

（贮油器）。

●油液贮存和调节装置:用来确保提供足够质量和数量并冷却的液体。

液压系统在工业中应用广泛使用的秘密在于它的通用性和易操作性。液压动力传递不会像机械系统那样受到机器几何形体的制约，另外，液压系统不会像电气系统那样受到材料物理性能的制约，它对于传递功率几乎没有量的限制。例如，一个电磁体的性能受到钢的磁饱和极限的限制，相反，液压系统的功率仅仅受材料强度的限制。

企业为了提高生产率将越来越依靠自动化，这包括远程和直接控制生产操作、加工过程和材料处理等。液压动力之所以成为自动化的重要组成部分，是因为它有如下主要的四种优点：

1.控制方便精确通过操作一个简单的操纵杆和按钮，液压系统的操作者便能立即起动、停止、加减速和能提供任意功率、位置精度为万分之一英寸的位置控制力。图是一个使飞行驾驶员升起和落下起落架的液压系统，当飞行员向某方向移动控制阀，压力油流入液压缸的某一腔从而降下起落架。飞行员向相反方向移

动控制阀，允许油液进入液压缸的另一腔来收回起落架。

2.增力一个液压系统（没有使用笨重的齿轮、滑轮和杠杆）能简单有效地将不到一盎司的力放大产生几百吨力的输出。

3.恒力或恒扭矩只有液压系统能提供不随速度变化而变化的恒力或恒扭矩，它可以驱动对象从每小时移动几英寸到每分钟几百英寸，从每小时几转到每分钟几千转。

4.简便、安全、经济总的来说，液压系统比机械或电气系统使用更少的运动部件，因此，他们运行与维护简便。这使得系统结构紧凑，安全可靠。例如一种用于车辆上的新型动力转向控制装置已淘汰其它类型的转向动力装置，该转向部件中包含有人力操纵方向控制阀的分配器。因为转向部件是全液压的，没有万向节、轴承、减速齿轮等机械连接，这使得系统简单紧凑。

另外，只需输入很小的扭矩就能产生满足极恶劣工作条件所需的控制力，这对于因操作空间限制而需要小方向盘的场合很重要，这也是减轻司机疲劳度所必需的。

液压系统的其它优点包括双向运动、过载保护和无级变速控制，在已有的任何动力系统中液压系统亦具有最大的单位质量功率比。

尽管液压系统具有如此高性能，但它不是可以解决所有动力传递问题的灵丹妙药。液压系统也有些缺点，液压油有污染，并且泄露不可能完全避免，另外如果油液渗漏发生在灼热设备附近，大多数液压油能引起火灾。

气压系统

气压系统是用压力气体传递和控制动力，正如名称所表明的那样，气压系统通常用空气（不用其它气体）作为流体介质，因为空气是安全、成本低而又随处可得的流体，在系统部件中产生电弧有可能点燃泄漏物的场合下（使用空气作为介质）尤其安全。

在气压系统中，压缩机用来压缩并供应所需的空气。压缩机一般有活塞式、叶片式和螺旋式等类型。压缩机基本上是根据理想气体法则，通过减小气体体积来增加气体压力的。气压系统通常考虑采用大的中央空气压缩机作为一个无限量的气源，这类似于电力系统中只要将插头插入插座便可获得电能。用这种方法，压力气体可以从气源输送到整个工厂的各个角落，压力气体可通过空气滤清器除去污物，这些污物可能会损坏气动组件的精密配合部件如阀和气缸等，随后输送到各个回路中，接着空气流经减压阀以减小气压值适合某一回路使用。因为空气

不是好的润滑剂（包括20%的氧气），气压系统需要一个油雾器将细小的油雾注射到经过减压阀减压的空气中，这有助于减少气动组件精密配合运动件的磨损。

由于来自大气中的空气含不同数量的水分，这些水分是有害的，它可以带走润滑剂引起过分磨损和腐蚀，因此，在一些使用场合中，要用空气干燥器来除去这些有害的水份。由于气压系统直接向大气排气，会产生过大噪声，因此可在气阀和执行组件排气口安装消声器来降低噪声，以防止操作人员因接触噪声及高速空气粒子有可能引发的伤害。

用气动系统代替液压系统有以下几条理由：液体的惯性远比气体大，因此，在液压系统中，当执行组件加速减速和阀突然开启关闭时，油液的质量便是一个潜在的问题，根据牛顿运动定律（力等于质量乘以加速度），产生加速运动油液所需的力要比加速同等体积空气所需的力高出许多倍。液体比气体具有更大的粘性，这会因为内摩擦而引起更大的压力和功率损失；另外，由于液压系统使用的液体要与大气隔绝，故它们需要特殊的油箱和无泄露系统设计。气压系统使用可以直接排到周围环境中的空气，一般来说气压系统没有液体系统昂贵。

然而，由于空气的可压缩性，使得气压系统执行组件不可能得到精确的速度控制和位置控制。气压系统由于压缩机局限，其系统压力相当低（低于250psi），而液压力可达10000psi之高，因此液压系统可以是大功率系统，而气动系统仅用于小功率系统，典型例子有冲压、钻孔、提升、冲孔、加紧、组装、铆接、材料处理和逻辑控制操作等。