Title :
A robotic system for inspecting HEPA filters in a large cleanroom facility at the NASA Kennedy Space Center
Author :
Spencer, James E. ; Goel, Pradeep K.
Author_Institution :
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Abstract :
In this paper, the prime objective is to describe a custom 4-DOF (degree-of-freedom) robotic arm capable of autonomously or telerobotically performing systematic high efficient particle accumulator (HEPA) filter inspection and certification in the Shuttle Launch Pad Payload Changeout Rooms (PCR´s) on pads A and B at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. This HEPA filter inspection robot (HFIR) has been designed to be easily deployable/transportable and is equipped with the necessary sensory devices, control hardware, software and man/machine interfaces needed to implement HEPA filter inspection reliably and efficiently without damaging the filters or colliding with existing PCR structures. In summary, the purpose of the HFIR is to implement an automated positioning system to move special inspection sensors in pre-defined or manual patterns for the purpose of identifying filter integrity and efficiency
Keywords :
aerospace control; clean rooms; inspection; manipulators; position control; 4-DOF robotic arm; HEPA filter inspection; NASA Kennedy Space Center; Shuttle Launch Pad Payload Changeout Rooms; automated positioning system; cleanroom facility; high efficient particle accumulator filter; robotic system; telerobotics; Automatic control; Certification; Filters; Hardware; Inspection; Orbital robotics; Payloads; Robot sensing systems; Sensor systems; Space shuttles;
Conference_Titel :
Robotics and Automation, 1994. Proceedings., 1994 IEEE International Conference on
Conference_Location :
San Diego, CA
Print_ISBN :
0-8186-5330-2
DOI :
10.1109/ROBOT.1994.351141
