본문 바로가기
Car/BOSCH

Bosch : Stress test for robots

by Rescue911K 2014. 2. 14.



Stuttgart – Complex construction projects show us how important it is to work through the scenarios of all possible future uses and plan accordingly. But this isn't true for construction clients alone; industrial companies, too, can plan more accurately and cost-effectively if they put their products through a “virtual stress test” early on in the development process. The EffektiV research project aims to develop just such a testing method, initially for at the automation industry.


Making entire systems fault-proof

The research team's first task is to develop a testing method for motion control systems, which are used in the automation industry to electronically control the movements of conveyor belts, robot arms, and the like. Motion control systems are made up of a whole series of components that must interact absolutely smoothly. But what happens if one of these components develops a fault during operation? For instance, individual chips within the control unit might malfunction, a motor might overheat due to faulty bearings, or a sensor might provide erroneous data. Faults of this kind must not be allowed to cause the entire system to breakdown, nor to irreparably damage individual components. It is just as important to prevent incidents in which people are injured – when a robot arm wheels around, for example.


Tests on virtual prototypes

Using the method developed in the EffektiV project, motion control systems can be put through their paces early on in their development – by employing virtual prototypes. A virtual model of the system is created in advance of the real prototype. Playing out all relevant fault scenarios in this model makes it possible to avoid faults and make the entire system safer and more robust. Currently, the automation industry relies on traditional hardware prototypes – but this means that it is only relatively late in the development process that the various components are brought together for testing as an overall system. “Virtual models can be tested much earlier and more comprehensively than today's hardware prototypes. That brings down the number of development cycles and avoids costly redesigns,” says Dr. Jan-Hendrik Oetjens, who coordinates the EffektiV project at Robert Bosch GmbH. Since the risk of discovering a malfunction at a late stage is particularly high in new, highly complex products, it is for these that stress testing makes the most sense.


Safety despite increasing complexity 

Even though this testing method is being developed for the automation industry, it is intended to be applicable in a range of other branches as well. For instance, it can help to make a vehicle's ESP® electronic stability program, driver assistance systems, and airbag systems even safer. The EffektiV project is also helping to prepare the German economy for “Industry 4.0”, a vision of future industrial manufacturing that is heavily networked and hence extremely complex. Here, products themselves will be in charge of their own production process, adjusting it to match custom requests. It is a vision that depends on what are known as cyber-physical systems, which combine real objects with the virtual world. In this way, EffektiV is helping to keep up the pace of innovation while maintaining the highest possible level of operational safety – and to improve the competitiveness of Germany's high-tech sector.


Three companies working with four research institutions

EffektiV stands for “efficient fault simulation with virtual prototypes for the qualification of smart motion control systems in industrial automation.” Launched in October 2013 and set to run for three years, the project brings together three major German companies and four German research institutions. The hope is that access to such a depth of expertise will ensure the stress test and the associated method are widely applicable. Robert Bosch GmbH is the lead partner, with Infineon Technologies AG as development partner and Siemens AG as application partner. The research tasks are being carried out by the FZI Research Center for Information Technology in Karlsruhe, the University of Bremen, the University of Paderborn, and Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen.


Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is providing over seven million euros of funding for the EffektiV research project as part of its IKT 2020 research program. 


More information online:

IKT 2020 research program:
www.foerderinfo.bund.de/de/300.php
Industry 4.0:
www.bmbf.de/de/19955.php

The project partners:
Federal Ministry of Education and Research:
www.bmbf.de
Robert Bosch GmbH:
www.bosch.com
Infineon Technologies AG: 
www.infineon.com
Siemens AG: 
www.siemens.de
FZI Forschungszentrum Informatik:
www.fzi.de
University of Bremen:
www.uni-bremen.de
University of Paderborn:
www.uni-paderborn.de
Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen:
www.uni-tuebingen.de


The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. According to preliminary figures, its roughly 281,000 associates generated sales of 46.4 billion euros in 2013 (Note: due to a change in the legal rules governing consolidation, the 2013 figures can only be compared to a limited extent with the 2012 figures). Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Automotive Technology, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its more than 360 subsidiaries and regional companies in some 50 countries. If its sales and service partners are included, then Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. In 2013, Bosch applied for some 5,000 patents worldwide. The Bosch Group’s products and services are designed to fascinate, and to improve the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial. In this way, the company offers technology worldwide that is “Invented for life.”


The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-two percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust. The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH. 


Additional information is available online at www.bosch.com and www.bosch-press.com, http://twitter.com/BoschPresse.


PI8446 - 13. February 2014


/ Photo & Report provided by Bosch Press Release - sujung.jang@kr.bosch.com

/ MediaPaper.KR mediapaper@ymail.com  Sejin Oh

/ The News Article was written by receiving a Press Release.

댓글