As an emerging downstream field of the operation control industry, humanoid robots have attracted much attention for their broad development prospects.
The control system and motion steady-state of a humanoid robot are directly dependent on the performance of the controller and drive.
It is predicted that when Tesla's robot shipments reach 1 million units, it is expected to bring a total of 13.2 billion yuan of new market opportunities for controllers and low-voltage servo drives.
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An overview of the controller industry
The motion control system plays the role of the core basic components in intelligent manufacturing equipment, involving the precise control of mechanical components, including the adjustment of position, speed and other parameters, which has a decisive impact on the accuracy, efficiency and differentiation level of equipment.
Controller + driver + motor constitute the motion control system of the robot.
Among them, the controller is located at the top level, and the industrial technology content and added value are high. When the controller issues a command, the driver converts the instruction to a specific current to drive the motor.
As the core module of the motion control system, the performance of the controller is directly related to the performance of the entire motion control system.
High-performance controllers not only have high technical barriers, but also have a relatively low cost proportion in intelligent equipment, which can maintain a high gross profit margin.
The control system of the robot is equivalent to the brain of the robot, which has a decisive impact on the performance of the robot, and mainly controls the movement position and attitude of the robot.
Humanoid robots have extremely high requirements for the real-time performance of the control system, so a large number of controllers are used in the control feedback system.
At the same time, the ratio of drive to actuator motor usage remains 1:1. Compared with the 1:6 ratio of controller to driver in traditional 6-axis industrial robots, Tesla robots may adopt a 1:3 or 1:6 solution.
For Tesla robots, which have 28 all-in-one joints, 12 highly sensitive hand joints, and a large number of sensors, the use of controllers will increase further.
The extensive use of the controller can ensure that all algorithms meet the real-time requirements, realize the synchronous movement of all servo joints and the synchronous acquisition of sensor data, so as to ensure the excellent motion performance of the robot.
A single 6-DOF robot manipulator may use 1 or 2 controllers:
Source: China Robot Network
The construction of a humanoid robot consists of three main parts: input, information processing, and output.
Input components such as eye cameras, tactile sensors, etc., help the robot interpret the environment and user needs.
The information processing part, covering the control circuit and controller, is responsible for task decomposition, path planning, etc. This part is the core of humanoid robots.
The output part is mainly composed of a drive motor, etc., which is responsible for performing tasks.
Controller market pattern and faucet carding
Generally, mature robot manufacturers develop their own controllers to ensure the stability of quality and maintenance systems, so it is also the core technology of each robot manufacturer.
At present, the uncertainty of the downstream scenarios of humanoid robots is strong, and the robots developed by different manufacturers have different requirements for the computing power and storage of the controller, so the composition of the controller is different.
It is more likely that the humanoid robot controller adopts a distributed control system.
Several control schemes for humanoid robots:
Source: Boston, Tesla, Guotai Junan
As an important player in the field of intelligent manufacturing, Tesla Robotics has shown strong strength in software and algorithms. The construction of its hardware production capacity and the progress of large-scale production cost reduction are crucial to the overall implementation.
The key design of the joint module is done by Tesla, but the production capacity support requires close cooperation from the supplier. Domestic suppliers have broad opportunities.
The progress of Tesla's robot landing depends not only on its own software and algorithm advantages, but also on the construction of hardware production capacity and large-scale production cost reduction. In this process, suppliers with the following characteristics will have a greater advantage:
- Leader in the field of controllers: a leading supplier in the field of controllers, with obvious advantages in card positions, able to quickly respond to market demand and provide high-quality products.
- Financial strength and cooperation: Suppliers with strong financial strength can bear the high costs of R&D, production and marketing. At the same time, close cooperation with customers such as Tesla is also a key factor to ensure the smooth progress of the project.
- Large-scale manufacturing process and production organization capabilities: Suppliers with large-scale manufacturing processes and production organization capabilities can ensure the stability and consistency of products and meet the needs of customers such as Tesla for high quality and high efficiency.
- Advantages of algorithm development: The algorithm in the robot controller mainly involves the motion control of the limbs/hands. Therefore, controller manufacturers that have provided stable supply to customers in the fields of robots, smart homes, and power tools have more advantages in algorithm development.
Like the robot itself, mature foreign robot manufacturers usually design and develop controllers independently and use their own control systems. As a result, the controller market share is roughly on par with the robot market share.
The main domestic manufacturers in the field of robot controllers include Inovance Technology, SIASUN Robot, Xinshida, Gootech Technology, Topband, Leisai Intelligence, INVT and Haide Control. In addition, some domestic CNC equipment manufacturers have also increased their R&D investment and application promotion of robot-specific motion control systems, gradually moving towards maturity and industrialization, including Guangzhou CNC and Huazhong CNC. #Robot##Humanoid Robot##Technology##Article Launch Challenge##Financial New Force##控制器#
China's industrial robot controller enterprises:
Source: Company's official website
epilogue
With the accelerated iteration of AI technology, the penetration and implementation of humanoid robots in multiple scenarios will be accelerated. The manufacturers of core components of humanoid robots are expected to usher in broad development opportunities, and the controller plays a particularly critical role as an important part of the industrial chain. In the future, with the continuous promotion of AI technology, humanoid robots will play an important role in many fields.
Pay attention to Leqing's industry observation and gain insight into the industrial pattern!