@article{EngemannCoenenDawaretal.2021, author = {Engemann, Heiko and C{\"o}nen, Patrick and Dawar, Harshal and Du, Shengzhi and Kallweit, Stephan}, title = {A robot-assisted large-scale inspection of wind turbine blades in manufacturing using an autonomous mobile manipulator}, series = {Applied Sciences}, volume = {11}, journal = {Applied Sciences}, number = {19}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2076-3417}, doi = {10.3390/app11199271}, pages = {1 -- 22}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Wind energy represents the dominant share of renewable energies. The rotor blades of a wind turbine are typically made from composite material, which withstands high forces during rotation. The huge dimensions of the rotor blades complicate the inspection processes in manufacturing. The automation of inspection processes has a great potential to increase the overall productivity and to create a consistent reliable database for each individual rotor blade. The focus of this paper is set on the process of rotor blade inspection automation by utilizing an autonomous mobile manipulator. The main innovations include a novel path planning strategy for zone-based navigation, which enables an intuitive right-hand or left-hand driving behavior in a shared human-robot workspace. In addition, we introduce a new method for surface orthogonal motion planning in connection with large-scale structures. An overall execution strategy controls the navigation and manipulation processes of the long-running inspection task. The implemented concepts are evaluated in simulation and applied in a real-use case including the tip of a rotor blade form.}, language = {en} } @article{EngemannDuKallweitetal.2020, author = {Engemann, Heiko and Du, Shengzhi and Kallweit, Stephan and C{\"o}nen, Patrick and Dawar, Harshal}, title = {OMNIVIL - an autonomous mobile manipulator for flexible production}, series = {Sensors}, volume = {20}, journal = {Sensors}, number = {24, art. no. 7249}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, isbn = {1424-8220}, doi = {10.3390/s20247249}, pages = {1 -- 30}, year = {2020}, language = {en} } @incollection{EngemannDuKallweitetal.2020, author = {Engemann, Heiko and Du, Shengzhi and Kallweit, Stephan and Ning, Chuanfang and Anwar, Saqib}, title = {AutoSynPose: Automatic Generation of Synthetic Datasets for 6D Object Pose Estimation}, series = {Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. Proceedings of MLIS 2020}, booktitle = {Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. Proceedings of MLIS 2020}, publisher = {IOS Press}, address = {Amsterdam}, isbn = {978-1-64368-137-5}, doi = {10.3233/FAIA200770}, pages = {89 -- 97}, year = {2020}, abstract = {We present an automated pipeline for the generation of synthetic datasets for six-dimension (6D) object pose estimation. Therefore, a completely automated generation process based on predefined settings is developed, which enables the user to create large datasets with a minimum of interaction and which is feasible for applications with a high object variance. The pipeline is based on the Unreal 4 (UE4) game engine and provides a high variation for domain randomization, such as object appearance, ambient lighting, camera-object transformation and distractor density. In addition to the object pose and bounding box, the metadata includes all randomization parameters, which enables further studies on randomization parameter tuning. The developed workflow is adaptable to other 3D objects and UE4 environments. An exemplary dataset is provided including five objects of the Yale-CMU-Berkeley (YCB) object set. The datasets consist of 6 million subsegments using 97 rendering locations in 12 different UE4 environments. Each dataset subsegment includes one RGB image, one depth image and one class segmentation image at pixel-level.}, language = {en} } @article{KunkelGebhardtMpofuetal.2019, author = {Kunkel, Maximilian Hugo and Gebhardt, Andreas and Mpofu, Khumbulani and Kallweit, Stephan}, title = {Quality assurance in metal powder bed fusion via deep-learning-based image classification}, series = {Rapid Prototyping Journal}, volume = {26}, journal = {Rapid Prototyping Journal}, number = {2}, issn = {1355-2546}, doi = {10.1108/RPJ-03-2019-0066}, pages = {259 -- 266}, year = {2019}, language = {en} } @article{FrankoDuKallweitetal.2020, author = {Franko, Josef and Du, Shengzhi and Kallweit, Stephan and Duelberg, Enno Sebastian and Engemann, Heiko}, title = {Design of a Multi-Robot System for Wind Turbine Maintenance}, series = {Energies}, volume = {13}, journal = {Energies}, number = {10}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {1996-1073}, doi = {10.3390/en13102552}, pages = {Article 2552}, year = {2020}, abstract = {The maintenance of wind turbines is of growing importance considering the transition to renewable energy. This paper presents a multi-robot-approach for automated wind turbine maintenance including a novel climbing robot. Currently, wind turbine maintenance remains a manual task, which is monotonous, dangerous, and also physically demanding due to the large scale of wind turbines. Technical climbers are required to work at significant heights, even in bad weather conditions. Furthermore, a skilled labor force with sufficient knowledge in repairing fiber composite material is rare. Autonomous mobile systems enable the digitization of the maintenance process. They can be designed for weather-independent operations. This work contributes to the development and experimental validation of a maintenance system consisting of multiple robotic platforms for a variety of tasks, such as wind turbine tower and rotor blade service. In this work, multicopters with vision and LiDAR sensors for global inspection are used to guide slower climbing robots. Light-weight magnetic climbers with surface contact were used to analyze structure parts with non-destructive inspection methods and to locally repair smaller defects. Localization was enabled by adapting odometry for conical-shaped surfaces considering additional navigation sensors. Magnets were suitable for steel towers to clamp onto the surface. A friction-based climbing ring robot (SMART— Scanning, Monitoring, Analyzing, Repair and Transportation) completed the set-up for higher payload. The maintenance period could be extended by using weather-proofed maintenance robots. The multi-robot-system was running the Robot Operating System (ROS). Additionally, first steps towards machine learning would enable maintenance staff to use pattern classification for fault diagnosis in order to operate safely from the ground in the future.}, language = {en} } @article{LimpertWiesenFerreinetal.2019, author = {Limpert, Nicolas and Wiesen, Patrick and Ferrein, Alexander and Kallweit, Stephan and Schiffer, Stefan}, title = {The ROSIN Project and its Outreach to South Africa}, series = {R\&D Journal}, volume = {35}, journal = {R\&D Journal}, pages = {1 -- 6}, year = {2019}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{EngemannBadriWenningetal.2019, author = {Engemann, Heiko and Badri, Sriram and Wenning, Marius and Kallweit, Stephan}, title = {Implementation of an Autonomous Tool Trolley in a Production Line}, series = {Advances in Service and Industrial Robotics. RAAD 2019. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 980}, booktitle = {Advances in Service and Industrial Robotics. RAAD 2019. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 980}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Cham}, isbn = {978-3-030-19648-6}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-030-19648-6_14}, pages = {117 -- 125}, year = {2019}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{WiesenEngemannLimpertetal.2018, author = {Wiesen, Patrick and Engemann, Heiko and Limpert, Nicolas and Kallweit, Stephan}, title = {Learning by Doing - Mobile Robotics in the FH Aachen ROS Summer School}, series = {European Robotics Forum 2018, TRROS18 Workshop}, booktitle = {European Robotics Forum 2018, TRROS18 Workshop}, pages = {47 -- 58}, year = {2018}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{FerreinSchifferKallweit2018, author = {Ferrein, Alexander and Schiffer, Stefan and Kallweit, Stephan}, title = {The ROSIN Education Concept - Fostering ROS Industrial-Related Robotics Education in Europe}, series = {ROBOT 2017: Third Iberian Robotics Conference}, booktitle = {ROBOT 2017: Third Iberian Robotics Conference}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Cham}, isbn = {978-3-319-70836-2}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-70836-2_31}, pages = {370 -- 381}, year = {2018}, language = {en} } @article{MichauxMatternKallweit2018, author = {Michaux, F. and Mattern, P. and Kallweit, Stephan}, title = {RoboPIV: how robotics enable PIV on a large industrial scale}, series = {Measurement Science and Technology}, volume = {29}, journal = {Measurement Science and Technology}, number = {7}, publisher = {IOP}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {1361-6501}, doi = {10.1088/1361-6501/aab5c1}, pages = {074009}, year = {2018}, abstract = {This work demonstrates how the interaction between particle image velocimetry (PIV) and robotics can massively increase measurement efficiency. The interdisciplinary approach is shown using the complex example of an automated, large scale, industrial environment: a typical automotive wind tunnel application. Both the high degree of flexibility in choosing the measurement region and the complete automation of stereo PIV measurements are presented. The setup consists of a combination of three robots, individually used as a 6D traversing unit for the laser illumination system as well as for each of the two cameras. Synchronised movements in the same reference frame are realised through a master-slave setup with a single interface to the user. By integrating the interface into the standard wind tunnel management system, a single measurement plane or a predefined sequence of several planes can be requested through a single trigger event, providing the resulting vector fields within minutes. In this paper, a brief overview on the demands of large scale industrial PIV and the existing solutions is given. Afterwards, the concept of RoboPIV is introduced as a new approach. In a first step, the usability of a selection of commercially available robot arms is analysed. The challenges of pose uncertainty and importance of absolute accuracy are demonstrated through comparative measurements, explaining the individual pros and cons of the analysed systems. Subsequently, the advantage of integrating RoboPIV directly into the existing wind tunnel management system is shown on basis of a typical measurement sequence. In a final step, a practical measurement procedure, including post-processing, is given by using real data and results. Ultimately, the benefits of high automation are demonstrated, leading to a drastic reduction in necessary measurement time compared to non-automated systems, thus massively increasing the efficiency of PIV measurements.}, language = {en} } @article{KunkelGebhardtMpofuetal.2018, author = {Kunkel, Maximilian Hugo and Gebhardt, Andreas and Mpofu, Khumbaulani and Kallweit, Stephan}, title = {Statistical assessment of mechanical properties of selective laser melted specimens of stainless steel}, series = {The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology}, volume = {98}, journal = {The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology}, number = {5-8}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {London}, issn = {0268-3768}, doi = {10.1007/s00170-018-2040-8}, pages = {1409 -- 1431}, year = {2018}, abstract = {The rail business is challenged by long product life cycles and a broad spectrum of assembly groups and single parts. When spare part obsolescence occurs, quick solutions are needed. A reproduction of obsolete parts is often connected to long waiting times and minimum lot quantities that need to be purchased and stored. Spare part storage is therefore challenged by growing stocks, bound capital and issues of part ageing. A possible solution could be a virtual storage of spare parts which will be 3D printed through additive manufacturing technologies in case of sudden demand. As mechanical properties of additive manufactured parts are neither guaranteed by machine manufacturers nor by service providers, the utilization of this relatively young technology is impeded and research is required to address these issues. This paper presents an examination of mechanical properties of specimens manufactured from stainless steel through the selective laser melting (SLM) process. The specimens were produced in multiple batches. This paper interrogates the question if the test results follow a normal distribution pattern and if mechanical property predictions can be made. The results will be put opposite existing threshold values provided as the industrial standard. Furthermore, probability predictions will be made in order to examine the potential of the SLM process to maintain state-of-the-art mechanical property requirements.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{SchleupenEngemannBagherietal.2016, author = {Schleupen, Josef and Engemann, Heiko and Bagheri, Mohsen and Kallweit, Stephan}, title = {The potential of SMART climbing robot combined with a weatherproof cabin for rotor blade maintenance}, series = {17th European Conference on Composite Materials - ECCM, Munich, Germany}, booktitle = {17th European Conference on Composite Materials - ECCM, Munich, Germany}, pages = {1 -- 8}, year = {2016}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{KleineKallweitMichauxetal.2016, author = {Kleine, Harald and Kallweit, Stephan and Michaux, Frank and Havermann, Marc and Olivier, Herbert}, title = {PIV Measurement of Shock Wave Diffraction}, series = {18th International Symposium on Applications of Laser Techniques to Fluid Mechanics, 2016, Lissabon}, booktitle = {18th International Symposium on Applications of Laser Techniques to Fluid Mechanics, 2016, Lissabon}, pages = {1 -- 14}, year = {2016}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{EngemannWiesenKallweitetal.2018, author = {Engemann, Heiko and Wiesen, Patrick and Kallweit, Stephan and Deshpande, Harshavardhan and Schleupen, Josef}, title = {Autonomous mobile manipulation using ROS}, series = {Advances in Service and Industrial Robotics}, booktitle = {Advances in Service and Industrial Robotics}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Cham}, isbn = {978-3-319-61276-8}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-61276-8_43}, pages = {389 -- 401}, year = {2018}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{SchleupenEngemannBagherietal.2017, author = {Schleupen, Josef and Engemann, Heiko and Bagheri, Mohsen and Kallweit, Stephan and Dahmann, Peter}, title = {Developing a climbing maintenance robot for tower and rotor blade service of wind turbines}, series = {Advances in Robot Design and Intelligent Control : Proceedings of the 25th Conference on Robotics in Alpe-Adria-Danube Region (RAAD16)}, booktitle = {Advances in Robot Design and Intelligent Control : Proceedings of the 25th Conference on Robotics in Alpe-Adria-Danube Region (RAAD16)}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Cham}, isbn = {978-3-319-49058-8}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-49058-8_34}, pages = {310 -- 319}, year = {2017}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{BagheriSchleupenDahmannetal.2016, author = {Bagheri, Mohsen and Schleupen, Josef and Dahmann, Peter and Kallweit, Stephan}, title = {Kletternde Wartungsplattform f{\"u}r die wetterunabh{\"a}ngige Instandhaltung von Rotorbl{\"a}ttern an Windenergieanlagen - SMART}, series = {AKIDA 2016 Aachener Kolloquium f{\"u}r Instandhaltung, Diagnose und Anlagen{\"u}berwachung (AKIDA) am 15. und 16.11.2016, Technologiezentrum Aachen}, booktitle = {AKIDA 2016 Aachener Kolloquium f{\"u}r Instandhaltung, Diagnose und Anlagen{\"u}berwachung (AKIDA) am 15. und 16.11.2016, Technologiezentrum Aachen}, pages = {21 Folien}, year = {2016}, abstract = {In Deutschland liegt der Anteil der Windkraft an der Gesamtstromerzeugung bei 13,3\% mit mehr als 25.000 installierten Windenergieanlagen (WEA). Weltweit erf{\"a}hrt die Windbranche ein rasantes Wachstum. Indien und China berichten eine j{\"a}hrliche Wachstumsrate an Neuinstallationen von 45\%. Die Technologie zur Erzeugung elektrischer Energie aus Windkraft ist noch vergleichsweise jung. Durch die weltweit steigende Anzahl an Windenergieanlagen w{\"a}chst zunehmend der Bedarf an innovativen Wartungsl{\"o}sungen. Komponenten wie Generator oder Getriebe sind inzwischen weitestgehend ausgereift. Der Fokus richtet sich zunehmend auf die wesentliche Kernkomponente - die Rotorbl{\"a}tter. Industriekletterer inspizieren die Rotorbl{\"a}tter oder T{\"u}rme i.d.R. in einem zwei Jahres Rhythmus. Sie werden zunehmend durch Seilarbeitsb{\"u}hnen unterst{\"u}tzt. F{\"u}r gr{\"o}ßere Reparaturen kommen Kr{\"a}ne zum Einsatz, mit denen das Rotorblatt f{\"u}r die Instandhaltung demontiert wird. Die Standardinspektion besteht aus Sicht- und Klopfpr{\"u}fung der Rotorblattoberfl{\"a}che und ist nur bei sehr ruhiger Wetterlage durchf{\"u}hrbar. Seit September 2014 wird das Forschungsprojekt SMART (Scanning, Monitoring, Analysis, Repair and Transportation), Entwicklung einer Wartungsplattform f{\"u}r WEA, vom BMWi gef{\"o}rdert. Das Konsortium besteht aus zwei Firmen und der Fachhochschule Aachen. Die SMART-Anlage klettert reibschl{\"u}ssig am Turm der WEA mittels speziellen Kettenfahrwerken (Abbildung) auf- und abw{\"a}rts. Ein ringf{\"o}rmiges Spannsystems, basierend auf dem Konzept der „N{\"u}rnberger"-Schere, erzeugt die erforderliche Anpresskraft f{\"u}r den Kletterprozess. Wettergesch{\"u}tzte Arbeitskabinen erm{\"o}glichen die ganzj{\"a}hrige Instandhaltung von Rotorbl{\"a}ttern und ebenso T{\"u}rmen. Dadurch k{\"o}nnen Wartungsarbeiten auf 24 Stunden am Tag ausgeweitet werden. Der kombinierte Einsatz (Sensorfusion) bildgebender Messtechnik wie Thermografie, Ultraschall, und Terahertz in der Arbeitskabine kann die Dokumentation, Effizienz und Qualit{\"a}t der Instandhaltungsarbeiten erheblich verbessern. Langfristiges Ziel von SMART ist ein Condition Monitoring f{\"u}r Rotorbl{\"a}tter und T{\"u}rme auf Basis digitalisierter dreidimensionaler Volumenscans. Der kooperative Einsatz mit UAVs erweitert die Instandhaltungsstrategie. UAVs erm{\"o}glichen die schnelle, kosteng{\"u}nstige globale optische Inspektion von Rotorblattoberfl{\"a}chen zur Detektion potentieller Fehlstellen. Der „Proof-of-Concept" Meilenstein wurde mit der Demonstration eines funktionsf{\"a}higen Modells im Dezember 2015 erfolgreich abgeschlossen.}, language = {de} } @inproceedings{NakagawaKallweitMichauxetal.2016, author = {Nakagawa, Masaki and Kallweit, Stephan and Michaux, Frank and Hojo, Teppei}, title = {Typical Velocity Fields and Vortical Structures around a Formula One Car, based on Experimental Investigations using Particle Image Velocimetry}, series = {SAE International Journal of Passenger Cars - Mechanical Systems}, booktitle = {SAE International Journal of Passenger Cars - Mechanical Systems}, issn = {1946-4002}, doi = {10.4271/2016-01-1611}, pages = {18 S.}, year = {2016}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{KallweitSchleupenDahmannetal.2016, author = {Kallweit, Stephan and Schleupen, Josef and Dahmann, Peter and Bagheri, Mohsen and Engemann, Heiko}, title = {Entwicklung eines Kletterroboters zur Diagnose und Instandsetzung von Windenergieanlagen (SMART)}, series = {Automatisierung im Fokus von Industrie 4.0 : Tagungsband AALE 2016 ; 13. Fachkonferenz, L{\"u}beck}, booktitle = {Automatisierung im Fokus von Industrie 4.0 : Tagungsband AALE 2016 ; 13. Fachkonferenz, L{\"u}beck}, publisher = {DIV Deutscher Industrieverlag GmbH}, address = {M{\"u}nchen}, isbn = {978-3-8356-7312-0}, pages = {207 -- 212}, year = {2016}, language = {de} } @inproceedings{NakagawaMichauxKallweitetal.2015, author = {Nakagawa, Masaki and Michaux, Frank and Kallweit, Stephan and Maeda, Kazuhiro}, title = {Unsteady flow measurements in the wake behind a wind-tunnel car model by using high-speed planar PIV}, series = {11TH International Symposium on Particle Image Velocimetry - PIV15 Santa Barbara, California, September 14-16, 2015}, booktitle = {11TH International Symposium on Particle Image Velocimetry - PIV15 Santa Barbara, California, September 14-16, 2015}, pages = {21 S.}, year = {2015}, abstract = {This study investigates unsteady characteristics of the wake behind a 28\%-scale car model in a wind tunnel using highspeed planar particle image velocimetry (PIV). The car model is based on a hatchback passenger car that is known to have relatively high fluctuations in its aerodynamic loads. This study primarily focuses on the lateral motion of the flow on the horizontal plane to determine the effect of the flow motion on the straight-line stability and the initial steering response of the actual car on a track. This paper first compares the flow fields in the wake behind the above mentioned model obtained using conventional and high-speed planar PIV, with sampling frequencies of 8 Hz and 1 kHz, respectively. Large asymmetrically coherent flow structures, which fluctuate at frequencies below 2 Hz, are observed in the results of highspeed PIV measurements, whereas conventional PIV is unable to capture these features of the flow owing to aliasing. This flow pattern with a laterally swaying motion is represented by opposite signs of cross-correlation coefficients of streamwise velocity fluctuations for the two sides of the car model. Effects of two aerodynamic devices that are known to reduce the fluctuation levels of the aerodynamic loads are then extensively investigated. The correlation analyses reveal that these devices indeed reduce the fluctuation levels of the flow and the correlation values around the rear combination-lamp, but it is found that the effects of these devices are different around the c-pillar.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{GregorioFatigatiKallweit2015, author = {Gregorio, Fabrizio de and Fatigati, Giovanni and Kallweit, Stephan}, title = {Tiltrotor airframe flow field characterization by SPIV}, series = {11th International Symposium on Partivle Image Velocimetry - PIV15 , Santa Barbara, California, Sept 14-16, 2015}, booktitle = {11th International Symposium on Partivle Image Velocimetry - PIV15 , Santa Barbara, California, Sept 14-16, 2015}, pages = {15 S.}, year = {2015}, language = {en} }