industrial robots

Here's what I proposed some time ago as a course for the local college:
Current Technology Lab - Strawman and proposal.
Current technology including sensors of all kinds through computer data acquisition and control, is permeating every aspect of our life. Yet no educational institution in this area is providing the fundamental knowledge of how to dominate this new technology.
From San Diego to the Tijuana line there are thousands of people working with current technology who must rely on selection, installation and maintenance personnel from afar. Think of all the scanners and computer technology at the supermarkets, the thousands of sensors, relays and computers controlling burglar alarm systems at all levels, process industries, traffic control, libraries and their anti-theft sensors and controls.... How many automated fryer controls must there be for all the McDonalds, Burger Kings and others? What will the next step in their automation be like? Who is there now within this area that can help them? When will automated guided vehicles replace waiters as they have replaced linen and lunch-cart distribution at the Naval hospital.
For example:
building sensing devices and decision making software.. burglar alarms door openers, closers, venting, temp control sans a/c motion sensor, fire, smoke, chemical data acquisition systems for auto mechanics - model and software. process control monitors and controls flow temperature, etc. parts made per hour and order number quality parameters - SPC logging process control limits in virtually every industry concealed scanners to detect fire-arms on pedestrians metal detectors and automatic video capture at school entrances
Mechanisms - simple arbor press converted to automated drill press automated rotary tinning machine light guided assembly coil winders and assemblers vacuum tape applicators one-shot controls and hardware timing cams with microswitches cycle timers, mechanical followed by PLC Stuff: black boxes for cabs, delivery trucks, service vehicles neighborhood security systems - camera, video, OCR license plates into database. split image video comparators scanning data into database barcode technology simple data acquisition systems simple two stepper motor controllers electronic bench software CAPS (Computer Aided Process Planning) video Image grabber flickfree and the potential PLC logic and examples such as auto pilot use flight simulator to teach instrumentation use flight simulator to teach process control and checklist IR and RF sensor/transmitters for stolen cars, house arrest, etc. included in sack of stolen bills from bank part of new car purchase automated lawn sprinklers when humidity reaches x limit Motion sensors and lights come on - step-on Strain gages in use on entry carpets Nitinol - Muscle wire experiments flexing levers computer controlled robotics @FACTORY function in Lotus mechatronics
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Concept:
The lab will consist of self-paced manuals along with required hardware and software to conduct hundreds of experiments.
Each experiment will be labeled in accordance with the direction it will take the student. A= All, elementary building block for virtually everything.
Example: An RC circuit using a voltage divider, variable resistor and L.E.D. The student will learn by seeing and touching: Ohms law, power vs. current vs. resistance, proportional logic, power sources, how resistors work, how capacitors work, how controls work by changing key variables, etc. A1= 1 is first level and no student may pass to a 2 level anything if they h ave not taken all 1 levels first.
A1-001 would be the very first experiment. Something like a battery, a knife switch and a light bulb. Althout the simplest of all circuits, it easily demonstrates Boolean logic by putting swithces in line and in parallel. This logic is at the heart of PLC programming.
The experiment would start with direct wiring on an experimental board and then using ground common to add another light. This would introduce the student to reading schematics and following instructions. Using both terminals of the knife switch to illustrate breaking both lines from battery to light and then simply breaking one line.
A1-002 could be the experiment listed above wit the RC circuit. Each experiment to be contained in Tuppeware type containers, plainly labeled and containing only the unique components for the experiment. Non-unique things such as power supplies, motors, gearmotors, sensors, computers and PLCs would be in well marked bench areas with enough room on both sides for the student to be able to read the manual and perform the experiments.
These experiments to be designed for minimum teacher interface but with a system for grading.The experiment would be demonstrated to a fellow student who would attest to the experiment being completed. A pass, no pass is recommended. On passing, the instructor will log it in the student's pocketbook.
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Course material development can start immediately with equipment on hand. This consists of:
- A 7 axes programmable robot (Rhino) with computer interface, interrupts, aux ports etc. - A Minarik PLC with sequential programming and ladder logic as well. - Three stepper motor controllers and several stepper motors. - Dozens of gearmotors with cams, microswitches, timers. - Dozens of DC gearmotors, AC motors and gearmotors and controllers. - Pneumatic valves, cylinders, connectors, breadboards. - Castmaster, RTV, plaster and polymer experimentation kits. - Mill-drill machine, lathe, saw, drill presses, foundry. - Solenoids, relays, switches, microswitches, transformers. - Electronics prototyping kit. - Electronics Lab on computer where virtually any digital or analog circuit could be invented, debugged and then built. - Electromechanical building blocks. - 300+ technical books from TAB to McGraw Hill, do it yourself experiments to full blown textbooks and references.- Complete course in Contemporary Electronics along with building block elements - Hand-tools, measurement instruments, granite block, height gage, etc.
A graduating student should be able to perform at least two of the following, and in some cases, all of the following: -- Design and install a unique burglar alarm system for home, office or factory including auto dialing police or other assigned phone. -- Design and build an automated drilling machine whereby an operator could be loading a part into a jig while the machine drills thus doubling operator output for a cost of less than $200. -- Design and install data acquisition system to monitor and measure a process from something as simple as a washing machine and drier, to a full blown factory making a million taquitos a week. -- Design and program a data acquisition system using bar code scanners to determine efficiency rates on any given human process from factory floor to office workers. -- Design, purchase components and install a car-theft detection system using IR and RF transmitters. -- Design and build an RF signal amplifier. -- Design an automated volume control system for a factory PA where ambient noise changes according to shifts. -- Design, specify, purchase and install a robotics system. -- Design and prototype cost effective mechatronics for manufacturing, testing or processing. -- Interface mechanical components on the shop floor with computers for data acquisition for use in automated decision-making. -- Develop auto-pilot technology for any human or mechanical process. -- Design, purchase equipment, install and train personnel in document scanning, document filing for instant retrieval. -- Design and install monitors and decision-making logic for gardens, farming, ranching. -- Project leadership in the definition, purchase, installation and training of any current technology.
On hand I have design parameters, teaching material, sketches, illustrations and experience in developing mechatronic devices such as:
PLC controlled coil winding machine PLC controlled rotating tinning machine $50 lead forming tools using one-shot concept $50 forming, crimping, molding tools using appliance solenoids 36,000 hour meatball making machine multiple spindle drilling machine three-axis positioning machine, programmable material testing mechanism -hand-held measurement inventions for SPC data acquisition by the hundreds mechanical and computer controlled assembly stations prototyping computer modeling power surge monitoring and control plastics in tooling