PNEUMATIC MANIPULATOR FOR AVOIDING OBSTACLES ON THE CONVEYOR

Author: ANTE IVANKOVIĆ

Mentor: prof.dr.sc. ŽELJKO ŠITUM

Faculty: University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture

Country: Croatia

e-mail: ante.ivankovic1510@gmail.com

The pneumatic manipulator for avoiding obstacles on the conveyor belt combines the pneumatic and transport system into one unit and has the task of avoiding objects that the user places on the belt. Through interaction with the user, the mechatronic system and its basic features are demonstrated in a simple way. The main part of the system is a toy car connected to a multi-position pneumatic cylinder that moves depending on the position of the obstacle read by the infrared sensor. The obstacle can be placed in one of three parallel sections divided into a rubber conveyor belt, which is driven by an electric motor. The Controllino control device reads the signals from the sensors and activates the electropneumatic valves that control the movement of the multi-position cylinder. At the same time, it regulates the rotation speed of the electric motor to maintain the movement of the conveyor belt. This harmonizes the operation of the pneumatic and transport systems. Such systems are most often applied through the reverse setting, that is, manipulators are used to collect objects from the conveyor belt and for their further sorting and categorization.