Ferdinando Cannella - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Ferdinando Cannella

Modelling and Control Design of a Novel Robotic Membrane

The aim of this work is the modelling and control design of an electromechanical system (named ro... more The aim of this work is the modelling and control design of an electromechanical system (named robotic membrane) able to schange its stiffness reproducing the deformation of different kinds of membranes. Both analytical and numerical models of the proposed system have been developed, also using a multibody software (Matlab/Simulink SimMechanics), while the control design and tuning has been performed using Matlab/Simulink. The final aim of this work is to simulate the robotic membrane deformation in different load conditions, in order to compare the results with the behaviour of hyperelastic membranes characterised in literature. The study demonstrates the feasibility and the potentialities of the proposed robotic membrane system, which has been capable of reproducing the static and dynamic behaviours of two types of membranes

Closed-loop Force Control of a Pneumatic Gripper Actuated by Two Pressure Regulators

Robotic arms can perform grasping actions thanks to their “dexteorus” part, i.e. the gripper. Amo... more Robotic arms can perform grasping actions thanks to their “dexteorus” part, i.e. the gripper. Among the various categories, nowadays pneumatic grippers became the most employed in industry, as they have low cost and little bulkiness. Despite their simplicity, controlling the force applied by these grippers is not straightforward due to the dependence of such a force on the air pressure in the gripper chambers. As a result, it is still tricky to implement closed-loop force control for pneumatic grippers. This paper intends to deliver a control scheme relying on the force measurement to control pneumatic grippers. The force might be measured through a commercial sensor (e.g. a load cell) and fed back to close the control loop. This includes a calibration which maps the force-pressure relation taking into account both desired force and length of the gripper fingers. The control scheme exploits two different pressure regulators to precisely adjust the air pressure inside the gripper chambers (i.e. opening and closing chambers). To this aim, a quadratic programming algorithm is employed. The control scheme performance revealed to be good: results will be shown in terms of gripper response to sinusoidal and step inputs, along with the pressure-force characterization.

Dexclarの操作と作業空間の解析:新しく形成されたDEXterousグリッパ【Powered by NICT】

IEEE Conference Proceedings, 2016

Origami-carton tuck-in with a reconfigurable linkage

ABSTRACT This paper presents a wide study on carton packaging and on the carton. The reasons that... more ABSTRACT This paper presents a wide study on carton packaging and on the carton. The reasons that pushed this study are highlighted. Moreover the object of study is to investigate in order to justify the chose. First of all, the carton characteristics are investigate. Origami carton was chosen as a case study. That permitted to consider the reconfigurability into mechanism development. Moreover the carton are modelled and the trajectories are output. All these information are shown in the introducing part.

Composite Structures, Feb 1, 2018

Additive manufacturing (AM) has been widely used in recent years to build components and composit... more Additive manufacturing (AM) has been widely used in recent years to build components and composite structural elements, since it allows complex shapes to be produced in one process step, quickly and with reduced weight. AM technology meets needs in many fields of production, including mechanics, industrial production, civil production, aeronautics, and medical implants. Nevertheless, during AM processes the material properties are affected by several setup parameters and the final mechanical characteristics are not completely defined yet. In this work, a measurement system is presented for defining the material mechanical characteristics of the printed components and composite structural elements. The parameters obtained are used for constructing a reliable finite element model to envisage the performance of the new structural elements before printing. The Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) for measuring the material mechanical properties and Thermoelasticity Strain Analysis (TSA) for validating the numerical model were used.

Stiffness Characteristics of Carton Folds for Packaging

Journal of Mechanical Design, Dec 27, 2007

Recent studies for packaging using cartons have modeled carton folds as equivalent mechanisms by ... more Recent studies for packaging using cartons have modeled carton folds as equivalent mechanisms by considering creases as revolute joints and panels as links. This raises the interest in the study of stiffness characteristics of creases, which have a variable stiffness in contrast to a constant stiffness of a revolute joint and subsequently that of a whole carton fold. This paper investigates the stiffness characteristics of creases and reveals for the first time the folding motion and moment diagram in carton manipulation. Three characteristic stages were provided to characterize the crease stiffness, which has a variable value during carton manipulation. The paper further investigates the integrated stiffness of a combination joint and develops the integrated stiffness of a complete carton fold. The study is then extended to the integrated stiffness of a type of carton folds.

Case Studies in Structural Engineering, 2015

In the present paper, a simplified model for hand verification of the flexural and shear strength... more In the present paper, a simplified model for hand verification of the flexural and shear strength of existing corroded T beams cast in place of lightened R.C. orthotropic slabs forming floors is presented and discussed. Diffused and pitting corrosion on steel bars, compressive concrete strength degradation and concrete bond strength degradation are included in the model. The original contribution of the paper is evaluation of the flexural and shear strength considering both the cases of strain compatibility and absence of compatibility and considering the main parameters governing the corrosion process. An arch-resistant model for the calculus of the flexural and shear strength of the beam was adopted in the absence of strain compatibility, while the plane section theory was adopted for the case of strain compatibility. No punching shear is considered. This approach is simple and can be applied on the basis of the experimental information available (carbonation test, chloride content, measurement of the pitting in the bar, gravimetric method for general corrosion) or by utilizing analytical expressions calibrated on the knowledge of the corrosion current intensity determined by linear polarization resistance measurement (LPR). The model was also verified against experimental results recently obtained by the authors.

Finite element analysis of stress distribution of obturator prostheses for acquired unilateral maxillary defects

Journal of Central South University of Technology, 2005

Objective To assess stresses produced by different obturator prostheses. Methods Three-dimensiona... more Objective To assess stresses produced by different obturator prostheses. Methods Three-dimensional finite element models of unilateral maxillary defects rehabilitated with different obturators were constructed. The different stresses were analyzed by three-dimensional finite element method under different load angle. Results The Von Mises stress values obtained for the remaining tissues adjacent to defect cavity were higher when rehabilitated by inferior hollow

A novel strategy for balancing the workload of industrial lines based on a genetic algorithm

One major problem in industrial automation is the workload balancing problem. It consists of maki... more One major problem in industrial automation is the workload balancing problem. It consists of making the robots or, more generally, the machines, involved in the assembly process to work exactly the same, either by picking and placing the same number of pieces or by having the same number of operational cycles. This paper presents a novel strategy for solving such a problem by means of an evolutionary algorithm. The specific application of this strategy is to balance the workload of a pick-and-place process developed in the facilities of the industrial company Fameccanica Spa Data within the framework of an industrial project between the company and our research group. The novelties concerning the state-of-the-art contributions are: (1) instead of using an explicit fitness function, the candidate solutions at each iteration are evaluated by using a simulation of the entire process; (2) the parameters optimized are the velocity and acceleration of the robots involved in the line and (3) the strategy includes an algorithm for distributing the workload between the robots during the process.

Design of a novel dexterous robotic gripper for in-hand twisting and positioning within assembly automation

Assembly Automation, Aug 3, 2015

Purpose – This paper aims to design a novel jaw gripper with human-sized anthropomorphic features... more Purpose – This paper aims to design a novel jaw gripper with human-sized anthropomorphic features to be suitable for precise in-hand posture transitions, such as twisting and re-positioning. The growing demand from traditional high-mix low-volume and new massive customized manufacturing industry requires the robot with configurability and flexibility. In the electronic manufacturing industry particularly, the design of the robotic hand with sufficient dexterity and configuration is important for the robot to accomplish the assembly task reliably and robustly. It is important for the robot to be able to grasp and manipulate a large number of assembly parts or tools. Design/methodology/approach – In this research, a novel jaw-like gripper with human-sized anthropomorphic features is designed for online in-hand precise positioning and twisting. It retains the simplicity feature of traditional industrial grippers and dexterity features of dexterous robotic hands. Findings – The gripper is able to apply suitable gripping force on assembly parts and performs reliable twisting movement within limited time to meet the industrial requirements. Manipulating several cylindrical assembly parts by robot, as an experimental case in this paper, is studied to evaluate its performance. The effectiveness of proposed gripper design and mechanical analysis is proved by the simulation and experimental results. Originality/value – The main originality of this research is that a novel jaw gripper with human-sized anthropomorphic features is designed to be suitable for precise in-hand posture transitions, such as twisting and re-positioning. With this gripper, the robotic system will be sufficiently flexible to deal with various assembly tasks.

Procedia Manufacturing, 2019

Since the last decade, thanks to the spreading of the concept of Industry 4.0 and Smart Factory, ... more Since the last decade, thanks to the spreading of the concept of Industry 4.0 and Smart Factory, more and more companies have started to investigate the robotic field looking for reliable solutions aiming at improving the efficiency of assembly lines. Promising technologies are connected to the speeding up of production stages like fast algorithms for object localization, as well as dexterous grippers for manipulation and assembly. Nowadays, most of the solutions for pick and place tasks involve the use of robotic grippers for grasping objects, while robotic manipulators are responsible for their accurate placements. Focusing on the grippers, although their simple structure can be appreciated, it greatly reduces their in-hand manipulation abilities, making unfeasible the twists of grasped objects and their release in a desired pose. As consequence, the efficiency of the pick and place operation is reduced since several adjustments of the robotic arm are required to accomplish the task. In this paper, a novel dexterous gripper coupled with a vision system algorithm for object localization and pose estimation are presented, and their performances in manipulating different objects are discussed. The designed gripper has a symmetrical structure with two finger modules, each one consisting in a couple of linear actuators arranged mutually orthogonal, so the translations in two axis, namely y and z directions, are allowed. As terminal part of each finger there is a revolute joint to whom is attached a fingertip modelled according to the shape of the target objects and easily replaceable. The embedded vision system algorithm adopted estimates position and orientation of the objects on a flat surface, and it coordinates the gripper placement to grasp them. The case study of the handling of a Spanish fan is presented and discussed in details.

Autonomous Reconfigurable Dynamic Investigation Test-rig on hAptics (ARDITA)

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2018

Autonomous Reconfigurable Dynamic Investigation Test-rig on hAptics (ARDITA). It is detailed in i... more Autonomous Reconfigurable Dynamic Investigation Test-rig on hAptics (ARDITA). It is detailed in its kinematics and methodology. We tested 40 people in order to demonstrate the accuracy of this new device. The ARDITA measurement system was tested on the index fingertip. The results were analyzed from several points of view: fingertip size, area, age of the subjects, and sex. Age (20–40 years old) did not affect the performances, while the length and the sex shown some difference. It was possible to determine the threshold of the tactile sensitivity of subject in healthy: 27 correct answers out 40. The accuracy was better than current screening methods used during the physical inspection for peripheral neuropathy.

Fingertip Recovery Time Depending on Viscoelasticity

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2016

The aim of this paper is to investigate the recovery time of human-fingertip's mechanical pro... more The aim of this paper is to investigate the recovery time of human-fingertip's mechanical properties after indentations cycles. To determine the influencing parameters, three indentation velocities, five recovery times and three subjects were tested. During each experiment, the fingertip of participant was driven against a flat surface, while indentation displacement and velocity were controlled. The results show not only the indentation forces values increase depending on the indentation velocity increment, but also they decrease depending on the number of cycles. While the fingertip recovery depends on the time, but not on the indentation velocity. Finally the recovery time was determined: in 5i¾źmin the fingertip restored 99.6i¾ź% of the initial mechanical properties.

Dexclar: A gripper platform for payload-centric manipulation and dexterous applications

Developing grasping devices with the capabilities to carry out dexterous tasks similar to human h... more Developing grasping devices with the capabilities to carry out dexterous tasks similar to human hand are being studied for many decades. To this aim, mathematical analysis such as control of multi-fingered gripper, grasp synthesis algorithms, contact types and their interactions have been explicitly addressed by many researchers. Since human hands are dexterous due to the complex integration of control and numerous sensors, hence they are naturally adaptable to grasp, in-hand manipulation of plurality of object by their construction. On the other hand, artificial grippers require priori knowledge of the payload geometry and configuration to maneuver grasping and manipulation tasks at the very first place. Moreover, theoretical analysis, such as contact kinematics, grasp stability cannot predict the nonholonomic behaviors, and therefore, uncertainties are always present to restrict a maneuver, even though the gripper is kinematically feasible of doing the task. Hence, in general, industrial grippers do exploit simpler mechanisms with least number of fingers and tend to avoid soft materials in the construction primarily to achieve dexterity, reliability, repeatability and speed in the process. However, in-hand manipulation of objects urges certain degrees of flexibility in the gripper design; which is difficult to obtain from a rigid structure and also the use of non-rigid materials reduce speed, accuracy and performance. In this research, a gripper platform named Dexclar (DEXterous reConfigurable moduLAR) is proposed, which addresses the dilemma by combining mechanism and modularity, evaluating payload centric requirements.

In-hand precise twisting and positioning by a novel dexterous robotic gripper for industrial high-speed assembly

ABSTRACT In electronic manufacturing system, the design of the robotic hand with sufficient dexte... more ABSTRACT In electronic manufacturing system, the design of the robotic hand with sufficient dexterity and configuration is important for the successful accomplishment of the assembly task. Due to the growing demand from high-mix manufacturing industry, it is difficult for the traditional robot to grasp a large number of assembly parts or tools having cylinder shapes with correct postures. In this research, a novel jaw like gripper with human-sized anthropomorphic features is designed for in-hand precise positioning and twisting online. It retains the simplicity feature of traditional industrial grippers and dexterity features of dexterous grippers. It can apply a constant gripping force on assembly parts and performs reliable twisting movement within limited time to meet the industrial requirements. Manipulating several cylindrical assembly parts by robot, as an experimental case in this paper, is studied to evaluate its performance. The effectiveness of proposed gripper design and mechanical analysis is proved by the simulation and experimental results.

Dispositivo Per La Rotazione Di Oggetti

Flexible Links for Flexible Interaction

Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2017

we presented Flexible Links for Flexible Interactio

Multibody Modelling Applied to Origami Carton Folding

Springer eBooks, 2012

ABSTRACT This paper presents an application of the virtual prototyping on the reconfigurable mech... more ABSTRACT This paper presents an application of the virtual prototyping on the reconfigurable mechanisms and in particular, in this study, is shown a multibody origami carton folding model. The aim of this work is to reproduce via numerical model the D-RAPS reconfigurable multifinger robot that is in use for this kind of application. Thanks to the trajectory matching, the authors reach model validation only by comparing analytical and numerical results. In addition, this model permits to investigate the carton folding deeper than via experimental tests. In fact, as example, the contact forces between the mechanism finger and carton panel are computed. © Springer-Verlag 2012.

Robotics and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, Jun 1, 2011

This paper proposes new theories and methodology for the study of folding carton and reconfigurab... more This paper proposes new theories and methodology for the study of folding carton and reconfigurable packaging systems and presents both virtual and experimental systems to support the theories. Equivalent mechanisms of cartons were established by describing carton creases as joints and carton panels as links. With the analysis of the equivalent mechanism, the gusset vertexes of cartons were analyzed based on their equivalent spherical linkages and were identified as guiding linkages that determine folding. A reconfigurable robotic system was developed to demonstrate the ability to erect diverted cartons in the reconfigurable packaging system which could previously only be achieved manually.

A novel parallely actuated bio-inspired modular limb

An increasing interest towards functionally independent and self-reconfigurable robots featured t... more An increasing interest towards functionally independent and self-reconfigurable robots featured the research direction in the recent past. Such attention is well explained by the characteristics of flexibility and cost-effectiveness which distinguish these modular machines. This scenario framed the birth of many different devices characterized by simplicity of use and versatility. The present manuscript follows these trends by presenting a newly conceived device suitable for being used as a limb, as well as a planar two degrees of freedom manipulator. The features of both parallel and serial kinematic mechanisms have been exploited to the aim of obtaining a device as much as possible independent from the frame to whom it is connected. Formal aspects about position and velocity kinematics are addressed and a specifically built prototype is then used for experimental tests on the new limb.