Robotic manufacturing and assembly with relative radio positioning using radio based location determination

• US 20030208302A1
• Filed: 05/01/2002
• Published: 11/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dorothy Lemelson, Jerome H. Lemelson, Robert D. Pedersen, Tracy D. Blake
• Original Assignee: Dorothy Lemelson, Jerome H. Lemelson, Robert D. Pedersen, Tracy D. Blake
• Inventors: Lemelson, Jerome H., Blake, Tracy D., Pedersen, Robert D., Lemelson, Dorothy
• Granted Patent: US 6,898,484 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/19 characterised by positioning or contouring control systems, e.g. to control position from one programmed point to another or to control movement along a programmed continuous path
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33192 Radio link, wireless

Abstract

Global positioning system inputs are used in a manufacturing process where location of a work piece relative to a robotic manipulator is input into a control system. The manipulator is located and tracked by using “GPS” signals, as is an associated work piece. Radio signal based position indicators associated with work pieces transmit work piece location and status. In some embodiments manipulator locations are sensed by position indicators associated with manipulators and signals relating to the position of the manipulators are transmitted to the control system. The control system controls the manipulator and may also control material handling equipment for the transport of work pieces.

Claims

1. ) A system for controlling manufacturing operations on a work piece, the system comprising:

a robotic manipulator capable of performing manufacturing operations on a work piece;

a radio signal positioning system in communication with the robotic manipulator and in communication with the work piece;

a controller receiving radio signal positioning information from the robotic manipulator and from the work piece, the controller controlling the robotic manipulator to perform manufacturing operations on the work piece;

wherein the controller processes the radio signal positioning system inputs from the robotic manipulator and from the work piece to locate the robotic manipulator relative to the work piece.

2. ) The system of claim 1 further comprises position indicators, each position indicator comprising:

a radio signal receiver for receiving position information from the relative radio signal positioning system;

processing capability;

a transceiver for communication with the controller.

3. ) The system of claim 2 wherein the radio signal receiver further comprises a decoder for decoding the radio position information from the relative radio signal positioning system.

4. ) The system of claim 2 wherein the transceiver transmits encoded position information to the controller and receives commands from the controller.

5. ) The system of claim 1 wherein the radio positioning system further comprises:

a relative radio positioning system;

multiple sources of encoded radio signals, each source of an encoded radio signal located a distance from the robotic manipulator and the work piece;

a position indicator attached to the robotic manipulator;

a position indicator attached to the work piece;

whereby the encoded radio signals permit precise calculation of distance from each source of radio signal to the position indicator attached to the robotic manipulator and the position indicator attached to the work piece thereby facilitating precise determination of relative coordinate locations of the robotic manipulator and the work piece.

6. ) The system of claim 5 wherein the controller controls work piece movement relative to the robotic manipulator based on position information derived from the relative radio positioning system.

7. ) The system of claim 5 wherein the robotic manipulator is controlled by the controller to move the robotic manipulator relative to the work piece based on position information derived by the controller from the relative radio positioning system.

8. ) The system of claim 5 wherein the encoded radio signal comprises precisely timed signal pulses.

9. ) The system of claim 5 wherein the encoded radio signal comprises a pseudo-random code.

10. ) The system of claim 5 wherein the relative radio signal positioning system comprises earth-orbiting satellites as a source of the radio positioning signals.

11. ) The system of claim 10 wherein the earth orbiting satellites comprise a global positioning system.

12. ) The system of claim 11 where the global positioning system comprises the NAVSTAR global positioning system.

13. ) The system of claim 11 where the global positioning system comprises the GLONASS global positioning system.

14. ) The system of claim 11 where the global positioning system comprises components of the NAVSTAR and of the GLONASS global positioning systems.

15. ) The system of claim 5 wherein the manufacturing operations comprise product assembly operations.

16. ) The system of claim 5 wherein the manufacturing operations comprise cutting operations.

17. ) The system of claim 5 wherein the manufacturing operations comprise welding operations.

18. ) The system of claim 5 wherein the manufacturing operations comprise disassembly operations.

19. ) The system of claim 5 wherein the manufacturing operations comprise fastening operations.

20. ) The system of claim 5 wherein the manufacturing operations comprise surface finishing operations.

21. ) The system of claim 5 wherein the manufacturing operations comprise inspection operations.

22. ) The system of claim 5 wherein the robotic manipulator further comprises:

a video scanner and image analysis computer capable of scanning the work piece to locate a mark on the work piece;

whereby the mark on the work piece facilitates a determination of work piece location relative to the robotic manipulator.

23. ) The system of claim 22 wherein the video scanner is stationary relative to the robotic manipulator.

24. ) The system of claim 22 wherein the video scanner moves with the robotic manipulator.

25. ) The system of claim 22 wherein the video scanner comprises a camera.

26. ) The system of claim 22 wherein the video scanner comprises a laser scanner.

27. ) The system of claim 22 wherein the video scanner comprises an array of photosensitive elements.

28. ) A system for controlling manufacturing operations on a production line comprising:

a robotic manipulator capable of performing manufacturing operations on multiple work pieces;

a work piece holder for holding individual ones of the multiple work pieces;

a controller for controlling the robotic manipulator in performing programmed operations on the multiple work pieces;

a signal positioning system;

wherein the signal positioning system is used to precisely locate the multiple work pieces and the robotic tool relative to each work piece and to provide positional control information to the controller to control robotic manufacturing operations on each work piece.

33. ) The system of claim 28 wherein the multiple robotic manipulators are located on fixed rails of an overhead gantry for movement of the robotic manipulators along the production line.

29. ) The system of 28 wherein the signal positioning system is a radio signal based signal positioning system.

30. ) The production line manufacturing system of claim 29 wherein the radio positioning system comprises:

three or more sources of encoded radio signals located remotely from the robotic manipulator and the work pieces;

position indicators attached to the robotic manipulator for receiving the encoded radio signals at the robotic manipulator location;

position indicators attached to each of the multiple work pieces for receiving the encoded radio signals at the work piece location;

whereby the transmitted radio signals are encoded to permit precise determination of three dimensional spatial distance coordinates from each encoded radio source to the robotic tool and each work piece holder thereby facilitating precise determination of relative coordinate locations of the robotic manipulator and the individual work pieces.

31. ) The system of claim 29 wherein the robotic manipulator includes a video scanner and image analysis computer to scan a work piece and to locate a mark on the work piece, the mark location being used to augment relative location determination using the radio positioning system.

32. ) The system of claim 29 wherein multiple robotic manipulators are located on opposite sides of the production line.

34. ) A system for controlling parts acquisitions for manufacturing processes comprising:

an autonomous mobile robotic system including a mobile robotic manipulator;

a parts storage area;

a controller for controlling the mobile robotic system to perform parts acquisition operations;

a radio signal positioning system;

wherein the radio signal positioning system guides the mobile robotic manipulator to designated locations.

35. ) The system of claim 34 wherein the controller directs the mobile robotic manipulator to the parts storage area.

36. ) The system of claim 34 wherein a plurality of mobile robotic manipulators are included in the system and one of the mobile robotic manipulators is used for parts acquisition for the other robotic manipulators performing manufacturing tasks.

37. ) The system of claim 34 wherein a mobile robotic manipulator can acquire and attach a tool for a manufacturing process to itself.

38. ) A method of locating an object relative to a transitionable element comprising the acts of:

associating a marker with the object;

determining the location of the object by determining the position of the associated marker;

storing the location of the object;

associating a second marker with the transitionable element of variable location;

determining the location of the transitionable element by detennining the position of the marker associated with the transitionable element;

storing the location of the transitionable element;

determining the location of the object relative to the transitionable element by comparing the stored location of the object to the stored location of the transitionable element;

affecting the relative location of the transitionable element and the object.

39. ) The method of claim 38 wherein the act of associating a marker with the object comprises locating the marker on the object.

40. ) The method of claim 39 wherein the marker is a radio signal position indicator.

41. ) The method of claim 40 wherein the radio signal position indicator is capable of receiving a radio signal and capable of transmitting a radio signal corresponding to the location of the marker.

42. ) The method of claim 38 wherein the act of determining the location of the object comprises the act of locating the position of the object relative to a coordinate reference system.

43. ) The method of claim 42 wherein the act of locating the object is accomplished by determining the position of the object in the coordinate reference system and storing the location of the object.

44. ) The method of claim 43 wherein the act of storing the location of the object comprises the act of entering the location of the object in a controller.

45. ) The method of claim 44 wherein the act of determining the location of the transitionable element comprises recording the position of the transitionable element relative to a coordinate reference system.

46. ) The method of claim 45 wherein the act of recording the position of the transitionable element comprises the act of entering the location of the transitionable element in a controller.

47. ) The method of claim 46 wherein the act of determining the location of the object relative to the transitionable element comprises the acts of:

retrieving the location of the object from the controller;

retrieving the location of the transitional element from the controller;

comparing the location of the transitionable element to the stored location of the object in the controller to determine the location of the object relative to the transitionable element.

48. ) The method of claim 38 wherein the act of affecting the location of the transitionable element relative to the object includes movement of the transitionable element.

49. ) The method of claim 48 wherein the controller is a computer having a processor and storage for the locations of the object and location of the transitionable element.