A mixed capability-based and optimization methodology for human-robot task allocation and scheduling

Abstract

In this work, we address two crucial issues that arise in the design of a human-robot collaborative station for the assembly of products: the optimal task allocation and the scheduling problem. We propose an offline method to solve in series the two mentioned issues, considering a static allocation and taking into account several features such as the minimization of postural discomfort, operation processing times, idle times and hence the total cycle time. Our methodology consists of a mixed approach that combines a capability-based method, where the agents' capabilities are tested against a list of predefined criteria, with optimization. In particular, we formulate a modified version of the Hungarian Algorithm to solve also unbalanced assignment problems, where the number of tasks is different from the number of agents. The scheduling policy is obtained by means of a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) formulation, with a multi-objective optimization. Moreover, the concepts of operation, assembly tree and precedence graph are formalized, since they represent the inputs to our method, together with the information on the workstation layout and on the selected kind of robot. Finally, the proposed solution is applied to a case study to define the optimal task allocation and scheduling for two different workstation layouts: the results are compared and the best layout is accordingly selected.