Task Allocation and Sequence Planning for Human-Robot Collaborative Disassembly of End-of-Life Products Using the...

Area of Science:

• Engineering and Technology
• Robotics and Automation
• Sustainable Manufacturing

Background:

• Remanufacturing is gaining importance for environmental and resource conservation.
• Disassembly is a critical step in remanufacturing end-of-life (EoL) products.
• Human-robot collaborative disassembly offers a flexible, semi-automated solution to enhance productivity and worker safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a refined method for task allocation and sequence planning in human-robot collaborative disassembly of EoL products.
• To address limitations in existing task allocation schemes and the component placement issue.
• To optimize disassembly processes based on time, cost, and utility value.

Main Methods:

• Developed criteria for human-robot disassembly task allocation, including dismantling and component placement.
• Employed a discrete Bees Algorithm with genetic operators for optimizing disassembly solutions.
• Validated the proposed method through case studies on electric motors and power batteries from EoL vehicles.

Main Results:

• The proposed method effectively plans and optimizes task allocation and sequence for human-robot collaborative disassembly.
• Case studies demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of the approach in real-world scenarios.
• The optimization considered key performance indicators such as time, cost, and utility value.

Conclusions:

• The presented method provides a robust framework for improving human-robot collaborative disassembly in remanufacturing.
• It offers a significant advancement over previous task allocation schemes by incorporating component placement.
• The approach contributes to more efficient and sustainable end-of-life product management.