SMD

OVERVIEW

The purpose of the Heavy Duty Nuclear Manipulator (HDNM) is to perform remote intervention tasks, where it is impossible or undesirable to deploy a human operator due to the hazardous nature of the working environment.

SLAVE MANIPULATOR

The slave manipulator is a six degrees-of-freedom, plus gripper, tele-operated articulated arm. The arm can be supplied in either rate or closed-loop position feedback (Master/Slave) mode. It has a maximum lift capacity of 350 kgs. To ensure reliability, maintainability and availability the manipulator incorporates a number of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components, including those that form the rotary joints. The manipulator is primarily constructed from high strength aluminium alloy and stainless steel fasteners. All joint movements are performed by rotary actuator with the exception of the gripper. The manipulator has a smooth exterior profile designed to minimise entrapment points and to aid de-contamination.

The slave manipulator is supplied with an integrated colour zoom camera that is installed in a fixed position on the topside of the forearm to ensure good visibility of the working area for the operator. The camera is supplied with an integrated LED light array to illuminate the working area. The light intensity may be remotely variable to ensure the correct lighting balance for the camera picture.

A further set of LED light arrays are provided at the base of the slave manipulator to provide general illumination of the working area. Again the light intensity may be varied to suit the ambient conditions.

RATE CONTROL ASSEMBLY

The Rate Control Unit assembly contains all the necessary hardware to control the slave manipulator. Power for the system is obtained from a single phase 240Vac supply and is connected to the manipulator via an interconnection cable.

RESOLVED MOTION CONTROL ASSEMBLY

The Resolved Motion Control assembly is the main man machine interface for the operator when the manipulator system is purchased with closed-loop position feedback.

Resolved motion control is the most intuitive method of operating a multi-axis device such as an articulated arm, the benefit of which is the lower level of cognitive thinking required by the operator to perform dexterous tasks over long periods of time.

Resolved motion control relies upon the control program to select and drive the correct set of joint controllers in order to move the slave manipulator to the correct position, dependent upon its selected mode of operation.

The Resolved Motion Control assembly provides the following modes of operation:

a.            Joint control

b.            World co-ordinate control

c.             Tool co-ordinate control

d.            Path recording and editing

e.            Multiple co-ordinate frames

f.             Automatic Stow/Unstow

g.            Collision detection

The Resolved Motion Control assembly is fitted with a pair of three axis joy-sticks used to control the movement of the slave manipulator in Cartesian coordinates. The assembly also incorporates control for the gripper, camera and lights circuits.