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Wave power has the potential to contribute significantly to sustainability by reducing our global dependence on fossil fuels. Due to harsh conditions and high costs associated with offshore testing, lab experiments are favourable for resource-efficient validation and optimization in developing Wave Energy Converter (WEC) technologies. The limited scale and availability of existing wave tanks, and the limited flexibility of existing dry test rigs does however put significant restraints on such experiments. In this paper we introduce an alternative novel robotized dry test rig concept for wave power, evaluate its performance and discuss its potential. A full-scale robotized dry test rig demonstrator is constructed and used for experiments with a WEC prototype device. High motion flexibility and accuracy is thereby validated, also for repeating recorded wave and buoy motions. Compared to other dry test rigs, no special components were used and the motion trajectories were defined in full 6-Degrees-Of-Freedom. Two real-time hydrodynamic motion response methods are also demonstrated in the test rig, enabling emulation of actual offshore operation as well as development of advanced WEC control strategies. With a larger industrial robot manipulator, the introduced test rig concept could achieve realistic scaled force and power experiments with most point absorber WECs.

A 6-Degrees-Of-Freedom robotized dry test rig has been developed at Uppsala University to test point absorbing WECs (Wave Energy Converters). Using a six joint industrial robot as a buoy movement emulator, the robot's outermost point (joint 6) is connected to the wire from the generator concept WEC PTO (Power Take-Off). The robot's movement in joint 6 thus corresponds to the buoy movement on the sea surface. The test rig can be used for various point absorbing WEC PTO units. In this project, the test rig has been used with a WEC-PTO prototype. The point absorbing WEC-LRTC concept is being developed at Uppsala University. The generator concept is made up of two identical rotating generators. A wire is used as a connection between the generator concept at the seabed and a buoy on the sea surface.  The goal of this article is to demonstrate and evaluate how the test rig interacts with the LRTC-WEC PTO in regular waves. In the presented experiments, a hydrodynamic model with force control method has been used.  The results show a clear difference in the use of the hydrodynamic model with different sizes of the buoy. The test rig with the force control model can be used easily to test different theoretical buoys and different load settings for WEC PTOs. Effective experiments can be performed with real PTO forces instead of simplified simulations.  Future work is to experiment with the position control method and also experiments with irregular waves.

The low-RPM Torque Converter (LRTC) is a rotating generator concept for use on the seabed with the driving force from sea waves motion on the sea surface. This concept is built up of two identical generators connected opposite each other via a spring drum with a built-in ball bearing clutch. The drum is connected to a buoy on the sea surface via a wire, the wire is rolled around the spring drum. With sea waves, the buoy moves either upwards or downwards and pulls the wire upwards or downwards. This movement causes the generators to spin.

This article presents an upgrade of the LRTC generator concept and upgraded measurement system, both hardware and software.

A flywheel system of the thin-disc type has been designed for direct connection to the generator's rotor shaft and an electronic measuring system has also been developed for more accurate measurements and minor disturbances.

More detailed tests have been performed both for the purpose of comparing the systems and to explore the performance of the generator concept in more detail.

Three different experiments have been done in this article. The first two experiments were performed to investigate the performance of the flywheel and to see the performance of the LRTC system with and without flywheel.

The third experiment investigated the optimization of the flywheel mass by increasing the mass of the flywheel with the addition of more thin discs.

All movements are simulated with a six-joint industrial robot. Several sinusoidal types of wave motions have been simulated with different time periods and also several real wave climate motions (data taken from fields) have been simulated with the robot. The experiments show that the addition of the flywheel in the LRTC system provides advantages in increasing both peak power, average output power and also softens the output power oscillation.

Following environmental concerns and the rapid digitalization of our society, we are currently experiencing an extensive electrification and industrial revolution. High numbers of electric machines thus need to be assembled for varying applications, including vehicle propulsion and renewable energy conversion. Cable winding is an alternative stator winding technology for electric machines that has been utilized for such applications, so far in smaller series or in prototype machines. The presented work introduces the first concept for automated stator cable winding of rotating electric machines. This concept could enable higher production volumes of cable wound machines and a unique flexibility in handling different machines, in line with Industry 4.0. Robotized stator cable winding is evaluated here for five very different rotating machine designs, through simulations and analytical extrapolation of previous experimental winding results. Potential cycle time and assembly cost savings are indicated compared to manual and lower volume conventional automation, while it is not possible to compete in the present form with existing very high-volume conventional winding automation for smaller machines. Future experimental work is pointed out on handling larger winding cables and special machine designs, and on increased robustness and optimization.

This Innovative Practice Full Paper presents the results and learnings from a rapid and forced transition to online teaching of a campus-based and practical lab exercise intense course in robot engineering. Founded in previous pedagogical development work, we continued with activating and varied teaching methods connected through integrated project tasks. The online transition is evaluated from student course evaluations, examination results and the teachers’ experiences from ten campus course occasions and four online course occasions during ten years. The paper focuses specifically on the combination of an innovative online lecturing format and fully virtual robot lab exercises. Our aim is to present learnings of interest for the engineering education community. The results highlight a successful and appreciated online course transition, with possibly improved student learning. In particular the prerecorded video lectures were praised, the virtual labs was similarly appreciated as campus labs and it was demonstrated that online robot programming can be performed virtually, while practical lab exercises and study visits were still missed.

The concept concerned in this paper is based on energy conversion of the ocean waves via rotational generators. The objective of this research is to develop a new type of slow-motion converter. The LRTC device consists of a drum that is connected via wire to a floating buoy. The drum is connected to rotary generators. The generators are heavily braked when the direction of movement changes (up/down); this is because the generators have been charged the maximum load in order to obtain maximum output power. For upcoming improvement, the generators should have some power storage as flywheel. In the future experiments, the torque converter can even be tuned to rotate in resonance with the incoming waves, strongly increasing power absorption. Constant force springs are applied for this purpose. The focus of this project is, therefore, a new generation of wave power device for utility-scale energy conversion offering a cost of energy that can compete with established energy resources.

The modern engineering profession requires classical technical skills combined with creativity and a high proficiency in cooperation and sustainable development. Research indicates that the engineering education should adapt better to this. This paper introduces a teaching approach where open-ended project tasks are fully integrated into a complete course, in a context relating to the students’ future working life. The teaching approach was implemented in a course on automation and robot engineering. Extensive written student course evaluations, the students’ examination results and the teachers’ experience were used for evaluation and compared with the previous classical course. Both the students and the teachers greatly appreciated the course. It was strongly indicated that the students’ theoretical knowledge and understanding of the subject had benefited, both with regards to the technical depth and to the non-technical engineering skills. It is likely that the presented teaching approach can be used also in other engineering courses.

We have previously suggested a method for robotized stator winding of cable wound electric machines and demonstrated the method successfully in full-scale experiments. The cable feeder tool used to handle the cable during the complete winding process is an essential component of this robot cell. To take the robot winding method to the next level, into an industrial product, require further developments regarding durability, independency, flexibility and implementability. In this paper, we present an updated cable feeder tool design. This tool is designed to be used in a robot cell for cable winding of the third-generation design of the Uppsala University Wave Energy Converter generator stator. In this work, three cable feeder tool prototypes have been constructed, experimentally evaluated and validated for the intended application. Key performance parameters are presented and discussed, including suggestions for further developments. We completed a durable, compact, high performance tool design, with fully integrated control into industrial robot controllers. The experimental results presented in this article are very promising and hence, the updated cable feeder tool design represents another important step towards an industrial solution for robotized stator cable winding.

A research project on renewable energy conversion from ocean waves to electricity was started at the Division of Electricity at Uppsala University (UU) in 2001. The Wave Energy Converter (WEC) unit developed in this project is intended to be used in large offshore WEC farms and has therefore been designed with large-scale production in mind. The concept has now also been commercialized by the spin-off company Seabased Industry AB.

An essential part of the UU WEC is the linear direct-drive generator. This thesis presents the pilot work on developing robotized production methods for this special electric machine. The generator design is here investigated and four different backbreaking, monotone, potentially hazardous and time consuming manual production tasks are selected for automation. A robot cell with special automation equipment is then developed and constructed for each task. Simplicity, reliability and flexibility are prioritized and older model pre-owned industrial robots are used throughout the work. The robot cells are evaluated both analytically and experimentally, with focus on full scale experiments. It is likely that the developed production methods can be applied also for other similar electric machines.

The main focus in the thesis is on robotized stator cable winding. The here presented robot cell is, to the knowledge of the author, the first fully automated stator cable winding setup. Fully automated winding with high and consistent quality and high flexibility is demonstrated. Significant potential cost savings compared to manual winding are also indicated. The robot cell is well prepared for production, but further work is required to improve its reliability.

The other three developed robot cells are used for stator stacking, surface mounting of permanent magnets on translators and machining of rubber discs. All robot cell concepts are experimentally validated and considerable potential cost savings compared to manual production are indicated. Further work is however required with regards to autonomy and reliability.

Finally, the thesis presents a pedagogical development work connected to the research on robotized production methods. A first cycle course on automation and robot engineering is here completely reworked, as it is structured around three real-world group project tasks. The new course is evaluated from the examination results, the students’ course evaluations and the feedback from the teachers during six years. The students greatly appreciated the new course. It is indicated that the developed teaching approach is effective in teaching both classical and modern engineering skills.

Automated stator winding assembly has been available for small and medium sized conventional electric machines for a long time. Cable winding is an alternative technology developed for medium and large sized machines in particular. In this paper we present, evaluate and validate the first fully automated stator cable winding assembly equipment in detail. A full-scale prototype stator cable winding robot cell has been constructed, based on extensive previous work and experience, and used in the experiments. While the prototype robot cell is adapted for the third design generation of the Uppsala University Wave Energy Converter generator stator, the winding method can be adapted for other stator designs. The presented robot cell is highly flexible and well prepared for future integration in a smart production line. Potential cost savings are indicated compared to manual winding, which is a backbreaking task. However, further work is needed to improve the reliability of the robot cell, especially when it comes to preventing the kinking of the winding cable during the assembly.