Controlling Robot Through Internet Using Java by Mr
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Journal of Industrial Technology • Volume 20, Number 3 • June 2004 through August 2004 • www.nait.org Volume 20, Number 3 - June 2004 through August 2004 Controlling Robot Through Internet Using Java By Mr. Ravindra Thamma, Dr. Luke H. Huang, Dr. Shi-Jer Lou and Dr. C. Ray Diez Peer-Refereed Article KEYWORD SEARCH CIM Distance Learning Internet Manufacturing Robotics Teaching Methods The Official Electronic Publication of the National Association of Industrial Technology • www.nait.org © 2004 1 Journal of Industrial Technology • Volume 20, Number 3 • June 2004 through August 2004 • www.nait.org Controlling Robot Through Internet Using Java By Mr. Ravindra Thamma, Dr. Luke H. Huang, Dr. Shi-Jer Lou and Dr. C. Ray Diez Mr. Ravindra Thamma. MSIT, is an Assistant pro- Background and Need on arbitrary remote computer platforms fessor in the Department of Technology at Univer- An issue with people who want to interacting with a robotic control. sity of North Dakota. He conducts research on ro- botic, intelligent controls system, computer inter- pursue an education is how to enroll in face and ultrasonic. He teaches electro mechani- courses while working full-time. While In a study conducted to access a remote cal fundamentals, digital integrated circuits, PLCs, micro controllers, and robotics. working everyday diminishes opportu- manufacturing system through internet, nities for on campus study, distance Calkin and Parkin (1998) developed education becomes a major option and simulation tools for remotely-con- has been accepted widely. Though trolled robots. The simulation tools for distance education works for many the robotic hardware were developed fields of study, it is difficult for those using Java and VRML 97 to create a fields that require laboratory activities, desktop virtual-reality environment. A such as manufacturing. To be involved VRML browser was developed by the in laboratory activities, one usually has researchers to enable a client computer to travel to the lab. Investment of both to request transmission of web pages time and expense on travel is a big from the host computer. However, a Dr. Luke H. Huang, CIT, is an assistant professor concern for potential students in the drawback was that the client computer and the coordinator of manufacturing in the De- field of manufacturing. had to have the VRML browser and V- partment of Technology at the University of North Dakota. Dr. Huang received his Ph.D. in Industrial collide’s libraries installed in order to Education and Technology from Iowa State Uni- The advancement of Internet technol- communicate with the host computer. versity. He loves to work for on improvements in automation and manufacturing systems. ogy tools developed in 1990s made it Many users were inconvenienced possible to access a lab at distance. The because of the installations. In addi- Internet technology tools allowed tion, the VRML browser and V- development of the idea of an Online collide’s library required a computer Laboratory (OL). Obviously, an OL is with more complicated configurations beneficial to distance education and a larger amount of memory. because it provides students with instant access to a remote lab without Rodrigues de Queiroz and Bergerman investment in both travel time and (1998) attempted remote control expense. The benefit of an OL is that operation at the Automation Institute in enrollment of distance education in Brazil. Based on their research, the Dr. Shi-Jer Lou is an associate professor in the in- manufacturing courses and degree Automation Institute proposed the first stitute of vocational and technological education at National Pingtung University of Science and programs will be expected to increase. Brazilian Robotics and Computer Technology in Taiwan. His teaching and research Vision Virtual Laboratory (RCVVL). interests are multimedia, computer-aided instruc- tion, knowledge management, and intelligent An online laboratory would be maxi- In the RCVVL, communication manufacturing system. He currently serves as the mized by remote control technology between the user and the remote main researcher of the NSC project in Taiwan. through Internet. A major step in the laboratory was accomplished through a online control came with the experi- graphical interface which was devel- ments using the Internet done by oped with Java and Hypertext Markup Kuchlin (1997) with Highrobot Language (HTML). The use of such Telerobotics. The experiments resulted programs made the RCVVL accessible in the development of a software model worldwide via Internet. Users could based on an object-oriented concept access the remote laboratory without that could interact remotely with robot having to download executable source programs. Kuchlin also explored the codes. The RCVVL utilized two extensive capabilities of Java with cameras, one on top of the robot and Transmission Control Protocol and the other on the ceiling of the labora- Dr. C. Ray Diez, DIT, is an Assistant Professor and Chair, coordinator of the Occupational Safety and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). In the tory. Current images were updated at a Environmental Health program and Director of graduate programs in the Department of Technol- experiments, a Java program could run rate of three frames per second. This ogy, University of North Dakota. 2 Journal of Industrial Technology • Volume 20, Number 3 • June 2004 through August 2004 • www.nait.org research demonstrated the ability to The relay board was connected to the images from the digital camera to visibly control a robot through Internet computer via a parallel port. There were monitor the system, a text box to show from a remote place. Nevertheless, the 12 relays on the board, which were the status of the system, and a window researchers did not design the RCVVL controlled by the computer through a to browse and send a program to run to run a program from the client site. In control program, to manipulate motions the system. addition, the researchers did not make of a robot and a PLC program. In turn, source codes available and the updating the PLC program activated or stopped Development of rate of the image was too slow. Thus, the conveyor. The robot worked at the Controlling Programs there was a clear need to develop a conveyor, loading and unloading. The Several computer programs were workable web-based control system to process was monitored with a digital developed to accommodate the WCS. promote distance education. camera, which sent image pixels to the Interactions of these programs are computer to make the control process illustrated in Figure 3. The objective of this study was to visible at the remote site. develop a prototype Web-based 1. Programs for the Relay Board Controlling System (WCS) that could This setup enabled a client computer to The manufacturer of the relay board, serve as a remote control tool for an receive, via internet, a web page DIY Electronics, provided a program unmanned manufacturing cell in an (Figure 2) that includes all control tools called Relay.exe in Borland Turbo C educational laboratory. This system is such as buttons to control the motions 3.0 language. Relay.exe had a sub designed to serve as an OL for distance of the robot and the conveyor, instant routine to identify parallel port one education. The WCS was comprised of hardware components interfaced with Internet tools to control and program Figure 1. Setup of the Web-based Controlling System (WCS) the unmanned cell through Internet from a remote site. Students were able to interact via Internet with the un- Camera manned cell to carry out technological VQ Client activities. The WCS, which was Computer Sever Robot programmable through the client’s CCRC Conveyor Belt computer, was compatible with any PLC operating system (OS) and provides simultaneous text and visual feedback at a visual frame rate of 1 frame/sec. Hardware Setup Figure 2. A screen view of the webpage The proposed WCS consisted of a computer, a relay board, PLC devices, robots, actuators such as a conveyor belt, and cameras. The working configu- ration is illustrated in Figure 1. The computer, which connected all other components together, was the control center as well as the web server that enables access from client computers through internet for remote controlling. The computer was equipped with server software called VQ Server. The VQ Server applied in this study was version 1.9.55. It was specialized to enable creation of host web pages in HTML format for access from client’s computers. The computer was also equipped with Web Cam 123 to receive images from a digital camera and an author-written program for overall control, including the relay board. 3 Journal of Industrial Technology • Volume 20, Number 3 • June 2004 through August 2004 • www.nait.org (LPT1) and execute a 5-volt signal to naming the next action to take place at circuit was completed and the robotic the requested relay. In this research, the server side. The network socket arm moved as commended. The appro- the program was modified to be able to was used to transmit data from the priate relays would make contacts on execute the requested relay on a client to the server. When a button was execution of the appropriate batch files. specified parallel port. The manufac- depressed, a data string was sent turer of the relay board also provided through the socket to the server. 4. Conveyor Belt Interface another executable file, called A pre-designed conveyor belt was Delay.exe, which enabled a specified The server program, upon receiving the employed to interface with the server interval of time to pass before the data strings from the client, converted through the relay board. The conveyor execution of the next command. Batch the string into integer values and belt was controlled through a PLC files were written to run these execut- passed the integer values to next step.