Collaborative robots have garnered significant attention in recent years, yet the concept of these robots was initially proposed back in the 1990s. As a novel and highly valued type of robot, collaborative robots possess numerous advantages, which can be summarized into four key aspects: safety, affordability, adaptability, and user-friendly operation.
It's predicted that the market for collaborative robots will grow tenfold from 2015 to 2020, with the market value rising from $95 million in 2014 to $1 billion. Lightweight robots are expected to become increasingly popular within the next two years, with prices potentially dropping to between $15,000 and $20,000. According to TechNavio, the annual compound growth rate of the global collaborative robot market is expected to reach 50.88% by 2019.
**1. Three Major Representatives - Japan, Europe, and Domestic**
**Yaskawa: The MOTOMAN-HC10 Human-Machine Cooperative Robot**
There are two common issues in the current market for human-machine collaboration: first, safety grates must be installed to protect personnel, increasing both equipment and cost investment; secondly, the operation is complex, making it difficult for unskilled operators to control the robot effectively.
In response to these challenges, Yaskawa Electric introduced the MOTOMAN-HC10, characterized by its "immediate usability" and "safety and convenience." Each axis is equipped with a force sensor that automatically halts operation upon contact with the human body. The exterior of the machine is wrapped in a soft blue material to absorb impacts, allowing it to work safely alongside the HC10 without requiring safety barriers, thereby saving costs.
**Universal Robots: The World's First UR5 Robot**
Drawing inspiration from European innovations, Universal Robots has made significant strides. The UR5 is widely considered the world’s first collaborative robot, released in 2009. It can understand human commands through sound, gesture, and graphical interfaces. Human-machine collaboration is seamless, with excellent human perception capabilities. Its modular plug-and-play components allow for deployment within just three days.
**Shinsong: The "Tai Chi" 7-Joint Robot**
Industrial robots' flexibility hinges largely on the number of axes. The more axes a robot has, the greater its degree of freedom, bringing it closer to human-like functionality and enhancing versatility. However, more degrees of freedom also complicate the robot's structure and increase overall requirements.
This 7-axis flexible multi-joint robot is China's first 7-degree-of-freedom collaborative robot, featuring rapid configuration, traction teaching, visual guidance, and collision detection. Ideal for small spaces requiring repetitive arm movements, this seven-axis robot offers superior flexibility.
**2. The Ultimate Ambiguity - Product Definition of Collaborative Robots**
**Flexibility**
Compared to traditional industrial robots on large-scale production lines, collaborative robots must work alongside humans. Their structural design should prioritize lightness, flexibility, and maneuverability.
**Ease of Use**
Collaborative robots emphasize ease of use, such as intuitive gestures and user-friendly devices, lowering the learning curve. Frontline workers might only need a few hours of training, eliminating the complex programming required by traditional industrial robots.
**Safety**
As collaborative robots work alongside humans, safety is paramount. They must avoid harming people accidentally, necessitating high sensitivity and precise control.
**Affordability**
Targeted at small and medium-sized enterprises, cost-efficiency is crucial. Balancing affordability with performance remains a challenge.
**3. Indispensable - Servo Drives and Sensors**
To achieve the aforementioned four characteristics, a collaborative robot must have the capability to sense, control, and limit torque. By detecting small external torque changes and reacting to avoid collisions, the collaborative process becomes safer and more efficient.
**(1) Ultra-Small, High-Power Servo Drive**
A drive small enough to fit directly onto the robot joint ensures compactness. Mounting the drive close to the encoder feedback reduces cable length, minimizing interference and improving system stability.
**(2) Dual Closed-Loop Control Algorithm**
This algorithm optimizes the servo motor's performance to its best possible state. Each axis employs dual closed-loop control, improving the positioning accuracy of the end effector.
**(3) Motion Redundancy**
Kinematic redundancy simplifies manipulation in confined spaces. More than six axes are referred to as redundant degree-of-freedom robots, offering advantages in obstacle avoidance, overcoming singularities, flexibility, and fault tolerance.
**(4) Torque Sensor**
In human-machine collaborative environments, these robots perform high-speed, high-precision tasks. Cameras and force sensors help the robot sense human presence and respond accordingly to prevent injury.
**(5) Safety Sensor**
Ensuring worker safety is essential for industrial robots collaborating with humans. Various sensors, from cameras to lasers, monitor the robot's surroundings to prevent collisions.
**(6) Part Detection Sensor**
In part-picking applications, feedback from the gripper ensures correct part capture. If a gripper misses a part, the system detects the error and repeats the operation to guarantee proper capture.
The future of collaborative robots looks promising, with advancements in technology driving innovation and broadening their applications across various industries.
Multi-channel amplifiers build on the advanced foundation of digital amplifier modules, taking audio amplification to new heights by enabling the simultaneous processing and amplification of multiple audio signals. These amplifiers are designed to meet the complex audio demands of modern applications, offering enhanced flexibility and superior sound quality.​
Multi-channel amplifiers are specialized audio devices designed to drive multiple speakers or speaker systems simultaneously, delivering precise control over sound distribution in complex setups. They are widely used in home theaters, professional audio installations, automotive systems, and commercial venues, offering flexibility and scalability for diverse audio needs.
Working Principle:​
Â
At the core, multi-channel amplifiers utilize multiple digital signal processing (DSP) paths, each corresponding to a separate audio channel. Similar to digital amplifier modules, the incoming analog audio signals for each channel are first converted to digital format by individual Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs). Subsequently, the DSPs for each channel perform dedicated operations such as independent filtering, precise equalization tailored to specific audio sources, and customized reverb settings. After the digital processing, Digital-to-Analog Converters (DACs) transform the signals back to analog, and the output stage amplifiers power the corresponding speakers for each channel. This independent processing for every channel ensures that each audio stream maintains its integrity and clarity, even in complex multi-source setups. For example, in a 5.1 surround sound system, the multi-channel amplifier can handle the distinct audio information for the left, right, center, left surround, right surround, and subwoofer channels with precision, creating a rich and immersive soundscape.
Advantages:
Multi-channel amplifiers are essential for creating immersive, balanced audio environments, combining technical versatility with user-friendly design for both professional and consumer applications. ​
Enhanced Audio Separation and Immersion：By providing individual amplification for each channel, multi-channel amplifiers achieve unparalleled audio separation. This allows for a more accurate placement of sound elements in the audio field, creating a highly immersive listening experience.  ​
Flexible Configuration and Scalability：These amplifiers offer great flexibility in configuration. Users can easily adjust the settings for each channel, such as volume, tone, and balance, according to their specific needs. Moreover, many multi-channel amplifiers support modular designs, enabling seamless expansion. Â
Efficient Power Management：Leveraging the energy-efficient technologies of digital amplifier modules, multi-channel amplifiers optimize power usage across all channels. Even when handling multiple audio streams simultaneously, they maintain high efficiency, reducing energy consumption and heat generation.
Multi-channel amplifiers,2 channel power amplifier,2 channel amp,4 channel power amplifier,4 channel amp,5.1 surround amplifier
Guangzhou Aiwo Audio Technology Co., LTD , http://www.aiwoaudio.com