A collaborative assembly for low-voltage electrical apparatuses

Low-voltage electrical apparatuses (LVEAs) have many workpieces and intricate geometric structures, and the assembly process is rigid and labor-intensive, and has little balance. The assembly process cannot readily adapt to changes in assembly situations. To address these issues, a collaborative assembly is proposed. Based on the requirements of collaborative assembly, a colored Petri net (CPN) model is proposed to analyze the performance of the interaction and self-government of robots in collaborative assembly. Also, an artificial potential field based planning algorithm (AFPA) is presented to realize the assembly planning and dynamic interaction of robots in the collaborative assembly of LVEAs. Then an adaptive quantum genetic algorithm (AQGA) is developed to optimize the assembly process. Lastly, taking a two-pole circuit-breaker controller with leakage protection (TPCLP) as an assembly instance, comparative results show that the collaborative assembly is cost-effective and flexible in LVEA assembly. The distribution of resources can also be optimized in the assembly. The assembly robots can interact dynamically with each other to accommodate changes that may occur in the LVEA assembly.