Challenges of an Aspect Driven Way in Product Model Supported Robotics

This paper proposes an approach and method to efficient application of product modeling in robotics. Product model is considered as a very integrated data structure where all information can be handled for the lifetime of a product. Similarly to other integration efforts in modeling of products and their production, associativity definitions are applied to connect application oriented robot process features. Full feature driven modeling ensures a unified definition of shape model entities throughout a robot system. Beyond integrated modeling as an alternative modeling technology to the conventional geometry based programming of robots, enhanced collaboration of product design, robot manufacturing, and other engineers is also an objective of the reported work. Boundary represented form feature definition of part shape in models is proposed to integrate with robot placing process model features. Integration of part models using constraints for placing is extended by handling of robot process based configuration of shapes. In this paper, selected issues to give an outline of the proposed integration of robot model system are covered. Shape model based integration of complex mechanical systems such as robot systems are introduced including a comparison of modeled objects in existing and the proposed modeling and some examples for shape related aspects. Following this, the proposal by the authors for aspect-based integration of robot process is explained through associative shape aspects for integration. Then roles and types of robot specific form features as shape aspects in an integrated robot system and decision assistance by situation based behaviors as a possibility for involving intelligence are detailed. Finally, implementation in portal based engineering environments and emphases on future work are concluded.