ROBOTIC PICK AND PLACE AUTOMATION USING

PLC FOR AIRPORT CARGO SECTOR

ABSTRACT

In this highly developing society; time and man power are critical
constrains for completion of task in large scales. the automation is playing
important role to save human efforts in most of the regular and frequently carried
works e.g. most of the industrial jobs like welding, painting, assembly, container
filling etc. one of the major and most commonly performed work is picking and
placing of jobs from source to destination. For this purpose, pick and place robot
maybe used.

The pick and place robot is a PLC based mechatronic system that detects the
object, picks that object from source location and places at desired location
according to the weight. For detection of object, sensors are used which detect the
presence of object when sensor is interrupted by placed object. The objects weight
is measured. As soon as robot senses the presence of object, it moves towards the
object, picks it with end effectors (Solenoid), and moves along way gantry and
finally place it on correct destination place.

If another object causes interrupt, it again does the same job. Whole process
is controlled by PLC.



DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS:
Object detecting
Load cell ---- Weight measurement.
Supply Voltage ---- 230V (AC).
16-bit PLC----Micrologix 1200 series c.
Motor interface 1 motors.

MECHANICAL DESIGN:
This pick and place robot has two main mechanical components:
A] Robotic arm and end-effectors(solenoid).
B] Gantry for moving the arm.

OPERATION OF ROBOT:
1. Initially we will assume the rest position of entire system, i.e. state when no
object is placed.
2. At this stage, object detecting sensor is having its output low, since receiver of
sensor having no object in its path to interrupt.
3. As soon as object is placed at the picking platform, the sensor gets interrupted
and outputs high. Load cell measures its weight and both input signals are sent to
the PLC which is burnt with program which tells what operation is to be performed
at this stage.
4. Now as PLC detects that object is placed, the solenoid clamps to hold the object
by closing jaw. This Solenoid is ON for particular fixed time instant.
5. After that, Motor is moved in anticlockwise direction till the time it reaches the
placing platform according to its weight.
6. As it reaches placing platform, the motor stops and solenoid is switched ON till
it releases object properly on desired place.
7. If after this no object is detected, the robot is in rest position. Otherwise if
another object is detected, steps from 3 are repeated till step 7.

AUTOMATI ON
`The word Automation is derived from Greek words Auto (self) and
Matos (moving). Automation therefore is the mechanism for systems that move
by itself. However, apart from this original sense of the word, automated systems
also achieve significantly superior performance than what is possible with manual
systems, in terms of power, precision and speed of operation.

DEFI NI TI ON
Automation is a set of technologies that results in operation of machines and
systems without significant human intervention and achieves performance superior
to manual operation.
AUTOMATION can also be termed as SELF ACTIVATION .









BLOCK DIAGRAM:



HARDWARE USED:

POWER SUPPLY
RELAY UNIT
OBJECT DETECTING SENSOR
LOAD CELL
PLC
PNEUMATIC CYLINDER

HARDWARE DESCRIPTION:
POWER SUPPLY:
CIRCUIT DIAGRAM OF RPS


OPERATI ON
The main component of the power supply unit is step down transformer. The
rating of the transformer is 220 v/12 v, 720 mA. Here 220 v AC supplies from
the mains is stepped down to 12 v AC. The 12 v ac supply from the secondary
of the transformer is rectified using a BRIDGE RECTIFIER. The rectified
output (i.e. 12 v DC) is passed through the filter section in order to eliminate the
AC components. Further the output is regulated by means of a regulating IC, to
have a constant voltage. Just for the purpose of indication, a led is used across
the output of the power supply unit. Sensor and the relay circuit makes use of
this regulated supply at different voltage levels of 5 and 12 v respectively.

RELAY UNI T:
The relay unit is engaged to take the input signal to the PLC and output
signal from the PLC. The rating of the relay used is 7 A/250 v, 50 Hz (AC), 12
A/125 v (DC).The input to the relay unit is 12 v DC, to activate the relays. For
switching the relays 5 v is given.
CIRCUIT DIAGRAM OF RELAY UNIT


WORKING
Energizing coil of the relay requires 12 volts to get energized. One end of
the energizing coil gets 12 volts from the power supply unit, but the other end of
the energizing coil is connected to the ground through a transistor switch. When
the base of the transistor is energized, the other end of the relay coil gets grounded
and thus the relay coil gets energized.
When the relay unit is used to provide input to the PLC, the base of the
transistor switch is energized by the output of the sensor unit.
OBJ ECT DETECTI NG SENSOR:
Here we are using IR sensor for the detection of object. This unit is
responsible for sensing the analog signal which is to be given as input in digital
form to the PLC unit for control of various accessories. The unit employs an OP
AMP which serves as comparator. The working voltage of this unit is 5v.
WORKING
This unit is responsible for sensing the analog signal which is to be given as
input in digital form to the PLC unit for control. This unit makes use of a
transmitter-receiver pair for sensing the analog input. The transmitter is nothing
but an IR led and it keeps on emitting IR rays. This IR rays is received by a
phototransistor which acts as the receiver. Output of the receiver (v
in
) is given to
the inverting terminal of an OP-AMP. This OP-AMP serves the purpose of a
comparator to compare receiver output with the reference voltage (v
ref
) set on the
non-inverting terminal of the OP-AMP. Output of the OP-AMP is given to the base
of a transistor which is used as a NOT gate in this circuit. Output of the transistor
is the output of the sensor unit and it is fed to the relay unit.
When the reception of IR rays by the receiver doesnt get interrupted, its
output will be higher than the reference voltage set. But when it get interrupted its
is lesser than the reference voltage.

LOAD CELL:
A load cell is a type of transducer that converts physical force into
measurable, quantifiable electric energy. Because of the various types of load cells
needed to operate different pieces of machinery, there are many configurations, but
the most popular and the focus of this article is the strain gauge variety. This is a
device which measures strain, and then transfers that force into electric energy
which manifests as measurement for workers and scientists. Measuring strain
effects helps preserve the integrity of the unit under pressure as well as protects
equipment and people nearby.
PLC:
DEFINTION :
A digitally operating electronic apparatus which uses a programming memory for
the internal storage of instructions for implementing specific functions such as
logic, sequencing, timing, counting and arithmetic to control through digital or
analog modules, various types of machines or process.
PLC unit used for this project is of ALLEN BRADLEY (AB) brand in which
MicroLogix 1200 series controller is used.
MICROLOGIX 1200 CONTROLLERS
The MicroLogix 1200 is filled with features and options designed to handle
extensive range of applications. Available in 24 and 40-point versions, the I/O
count can be expanded using rack less I/O modules. This results in larger control
systems, greater application flexibility and expandability at a lower cost and
reduced parts inventory. A field-upgradeable flash operating system ensures you
will always be up-to-date with the latest features, without having to replace
hardware. The controller can be easily updated with the latest firmware via a web
site download. The MicroLogix 1200R controller has the following additional
functionality and benefits.
PNEUMATI C CYLI NDER:
Pneumatic cylinders (sometimes known as air cylinders) are mechanical devices
which produce force, often in combination with movement, and are powered by
compressed gas (typically air).
To perform their function, pneumatic cylinders impart a force by converting the
potential energy of compressed gas into kinetic energy. This is achieved by the
compressed gas being able to expand, without external energy input, which itself
occurs due to the pressure gradient established by the compressed gas being at a
greater pressure than the atmospheric pressure. This air expansion forces a piston
to move in the desired direction. The piston is a disc or cylinder, and the piston rod
transfers the force it develops to the object to be moved.
Once actuated, compressed air enters into the tube at one end of the piston and,
hence, imparts force on the piston. Consequently, the piston becomes displaced
(moved) by the compressed air expanding in an attempt to reach atmospheric
pressure.


SCADA:
SCADA stands for supervisory control and data acquisition. It generally
refers to industrial control systems: computer systems that monitor and control
industrial, infrastructure, or facility-based processes, as described below:
Industrial processes include those of manufacturing, production, power
generation, fabrication, and refining, and may run in continuous, batch,
repetitive, or discrete modes.
Infrastructure processes may be public or private, and include water
treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, oil and gas
pipelines, electrical power transmission and distribution, Wind farms, civil
defense siren systems, and large communication systems.
Facility processes occur both in public facilities and private ones, including
buildings, airports, ships, and space stations. They monitor and control
HVAC, access, and energy consumption
The term SCADA usually refers to centralized systems which monitor and
control entire sites, or complexes of systems spread out over large areas (anything
between an industrial plant and a country). Most control actions are performed
automatically by Remote Terminal Units ("RTUs") or by programmable logic
controllers ("PLCs"). Host control functions are usually restricted to basic
overriding or supervisory level intervention. For example, a PLC may control the
flow of cooling water through part of an industrial process, but the SCADA system
may allow operators to change the set points for the flow, and enable alarm
conditions, such as loss of flow and high temperature, to be displayed and
recorded. The feedback control loop passes through the RTU or PLC, while the
SCADA system monitors the overall performance of the loop.
A SCADA program normally runs on a PC and communicates with external
instrumentation and control devices. Communications methods can be via direct
serial link, radio, modem, fieldbus or Ethernet links. If a mixture of instruments
with differing communication interfaces and protocols need to be connected, then
converters can be used. SCADA is often used on remote data acquisition systems
where the data is viewed and recorded centrally.
The SCADA program has a user configured database which tells the
software about the connected instrumentation and which parameters within the
instruments are to be accessed. The database may also hold information on how
often the parameters of the instruments are accessed and if a parameter is a read
only value (e.g. a measured value) or read / write, allowing the operator to change
a value (e.g. an alarm setpoint).
The parameters of the instrument being accessed are normally split between
analogue (numeric) or logic (digital). When running, the SCADA software
continuously updates its own database with the latest analogue and digital values
collected from the instrumentation. Some SCADA systems also allow real time
calculations to be made on the received data and the results would be available as a
"virtual" value.
ADVANTAGES:
Reduces the need of the human intervention
Time consuption will be less

APLICATION :
Airports
Ships