Build a complete control system for industrial robots, learning all the theory and practical tips from the perspective of an automation engineer. Explore the details of kinematics, trajectories, and motion control, and then create your own circuit board to drive the electric motors and move the robot.
 

After covering the theory, readers can put what they’ve learned in practice by programming a control firmware for the robot. Each software component is described in detail, from the HMI and the interpreter of motion commands, to the servo loop controller at the core of each servo drive. In particular, the author presents the commutation algorithm and the servo loop controller for brushless synchronous motors, which are typically employed in robotics applications. Readers will also learn how to calibrate the robot, commission it to the end-user, and design a digital twin to test and monitor the entire workcell in a safe simulated environment.
 

Finally, the book delves into hardware, covering how to select and use electric motors and encoders, how to build servo drives and motion controllers, and how to design your own PCBs. Different electronic components and their application circuits are analyzed, showing the advantages and drawbacks of each.

By the end of the book you should be able to design and build electronic boards and write their core firmware to control any kind of industrial robot for all sorts of different practical applications.

What you’ll learn

• •  Solve kinematics models of robots
• •  Generate safe paths and optimal motion trajectories
• •  Create a digital twin of your robot to test and monitor its movements
• •  Master the electronic commutation and closed-loop control of brushless motors
• •  Design electronics circuit boards for motion applications

Who This Book Is For                                            

Robotics engineers (and students) who want to understand the theory behind the control of robotics arms, from the kinematic models of their axes to the electronic commutation of their motors. Some basic calculus and linear algebra is required for the understanding of the geometrical framework, while some electronics foundations are helpful to grasp the details of the circuits design.

About the Author

Fabrizio Frigeni is a multi-cultural engineer, hobbyist, teacher and entrepreneur. Hailing from Italy, he holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Milan; then worked on laser physics for his Master’s degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago, USA; and later completed a doctoral degree in microelectronics at the Technical University of Dresden, Germany.

He has gained extensive experience in the fields of automation, robotics, computer vision, and machine learning, while working for several years on assignments in Austria, Brazil, India and China. He has been based in Shanghai since 2009, where he has first managed local engineering teams, and then started his own company to teach, consult, and design control systems for automated machines and robots.