Exor International (formerly Sitek s.p.a. Italy) deals in standard product, customized hardware and software, as well as fully embedded solutions. LARICS had many projects with this company and collaborated in various fields, more of which you can read about below.
Website: https://exorint.com/about/
The goal of this project is to build a virtual and remote control laboratory that would contain a number of laboratory servo systems which would be based on the following state-of-the-art industrial motion control components: Servo controllers Ultimodule TMAC01, brushless dc motors Parker SMB60, motor drives Parker SLVD. All laboratory setups must be accessible via the Internet and users should be able to use and test their own control algorithms as well as those that are existing in the controller library. TMAC01 servo controllers are FPGA-based and allow integration of new types of control algorithms.
Year: 2005-2008
Principal investigator: Zdenko Kovačić
Project results: Two laboratory setups accessible and controllable via Internet, 4 DOF SCARA robot and brushless dc motor drive.
Development of autonomous mobile sensor platform for closed space surveillance. Platform has its own power supply, wireless communication module, sensor module with the following sensors; cameras, sonars, GPS, compass, temperature, pressure, moisture, IC, NOx, CO, CO2. Development of software for platform localization and platform movement. Development of software for sensors data acquisition and data fusion. Coordinated movement of several platforms would provide surveillance and checking of environmental parameters of closed spaces; warehouses, shopping malls, offices, etc. Developed algorithms and electronics can be used for automated vehicles for floor cleaning. Building the platform and sensor mounting. Programming and coding of control algorithms, data acquisition algorithms and data fusion algorithms. Final goal is experimentally tested prototype of autonomous mobile sensor platform.
Funding: Ministry of Science, Education and Sports, Croatia, and Sitek s.p.a., Italy
Year: 2005 – 2007
Principal investigator: Stjepan Bogdan
Potential users of project results: Warehouses, shopping malls, banks, government institutions, factories with shop floors
The goal of this project is to make a feasible concept, develop control algorithms of practical value and implement software modules for Multi-AGV Control System for Euroimpianti (EI) Automated Guided Vehicles. Regarding high-level control tasks, we needed to handle a mission management in the multi-AGV industrial environment. This involved development of software that calculated a mission model for all AGVs, then the development of an algorithm for determination of all feasible paths including the shortest ones, development of SW for dynamic path reconfiguration and on top of all, implementation of the user-interface for mission determination and fixed path definition. Compatibility with the AGV’s onboard PLC program has been achieved.
Year: 2004-2007
Principal investigators: Zdenko Kovačić, Stjepan Bogdan
Project results: Five successful installations in the EU industry (Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Spain).
The goal of this project is to make a feasible concept, develop control algorithms of practical value and implement software modules for AGV Control System for Euroimpianti (EI) Automated Guided Vehicles. Among others, main project tasks encompass development and implementation of a path-planning and path-tracking algorithms intended for AGV motion along straight-line and arc path segments. Compatibility with the EI layout and path planner must be achieved. The project tasks also include on-line calculation of position and speed references, implementation of PI and fuzzy logic path tracking controllers and building a simulation model of the AGV Control System for testing of developed algorithms. Compatibility with the AGV’s onboard PLC program must be achieved.
Year: 2003
Principal investigators: Zdenko Kovačicć, Stjepan Bogdan
Project references:
Bogdan S.; Punčec M.; Kovačić Z., The Shortest Path Determination in a Multi AGV System by Using String Algebra, The CD-ROM Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Industrial Technology ICIT’03, pp. 984-989, Maribor , 2003.
Petrinec K.; Kovačić Z.; Marozin A., Simulator of Multi AGV Robotic Industrial Environments, The CD-ROM Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Industrial Technology ICIT’03, pp. 979-983, Maribor, 2003.
Bogdan S.; Kovačić Z.; Petrinec K.; Smolić-Ročak N.; “Path Following and Scheduling in Multi-AGV System”, Proceedings of the Southeastern Europe, USA, Japan, and European Community Workshop on Research and Education in Control and Signal Processing REDISCOVER 2004, Cavtat, pp. 1.117-1.120, 2004.
The robot control part of this project is concerned with a problem of creating a tool for off-line programming of industrial robots in terms of precise trajectory planning, advanced dynamic simulation and powerful graphical display of obtained planning and simulation results. By taking advantage of object-oriented programming techniques, combined with new technologies such as virtual modeling and Internet-related client-server communication support, the program should provide elegant way of robot selection and parameter definition (either from the robot library or user’s specific definition), easy definition of trajectories related to a robot task, effective testing of planned trajectories by dynamic simulation of open-loop and closed-loop robot joint servo loops (e.g. path accuracy inspection, collision detection) and last, but not least, the program must be able to establish a straightforward connection with the target system (upload and download routines for the exchange of data between the program and the robot controller). The process control part mainly has a goal to develop a library of advanced control blocks implemented as function blocks usable in industrial PLCs and PCs. Full functionality of these blocks assumes multimode operation (e.g. manual and auto modes), easy commissioning and clearly described a way of usage in the industrial environment. Among many, self-tuning PID, auto-tuning PID with Smith predictor, PDFF and adaptive fuzzy controllers have been made.
Year: 1998-2007
Principal investigators: Zdenko Kovačić, Stjepan Bogdan
Project references:
KOVAČIĆ Z., BOGDAN S., PETRINEC K., REICHENBACH T., PUNČEC M., LEONARDO – The Off-line Programming Tool for Robotized Plants”, The CD-ROM Proceedings of the 9th Mediterranean Conference on Control and Automation Control, Dubrovnik, 2001.
SMOLIĆ-ROČAK N., BOGDAN S., PETRINEC K., KOVAČIĆ Z., “Object-oriented programming approach to dynamic simulation of flexible manufacturing systems”, The CD-ROM Proceedings of the Mediterranean Conference on Control and Automation Control, Dubrovnik, 2001.
BOGDAN S., SMOLIĆ-ROČAK N., KOVAČIĆ Z., “Dynamic Simulation of Flexible Manufacturing Systems by Using SIMULINK™”, The 3rd World Manufacturing Congress WMC 2001, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, 2002
KOVAČIĆ Z., BOGDAN S., REICHENBACH T., SMOLIĆ- ROČAK N., BIRGMAJER B., “FlexMan – A Computer-integrated Tool for Design and Simulation of Flexible Manufacturing Systems”, The CD-ROM Proceedings of the 9th Mediterranean Conference on Control and Automation Control, Dubrovnik, 2001.