Multiple robot arm tracking and mirror jog

• US 20040257021A1
• Filed: 06/18/2004
• Published: 12/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fanuc Robotics America Incorporated (Fanuc Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fanuc Robotics America Incorporated (Fanuc Corporation)
• Inventors: Wong, Eric, Chang, Tien L., McGee, H. Dean, Cheng, Sai-Kai, Tsai, Jason
• Granted Patent: US 7,211,978 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 318/568.21
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1669 characterised by special application, e.g. multi-arm co-operation, assembly, grasping
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/427 Teaching successive positions by tracking the position of a joystick or handle to control the positioning servo of the tool head, master-slave control G05B19/423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36454 Master slave, director agent, operator replication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37572 Camera, tv, vision
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39083 Robot interference, between two robot arms
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39122 Follower, slave mirrors leader, master
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39135 For multiple manipulators operating at same time, avoid collision
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39136 Teach each manipulator independently or dependently from each other
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39445 Select between jog modes, user, robot coordinates, tool, system feed, joint feed

Abstract

A system for performing the method of this invention includes a leader having a robot arm able to articulate about first axes and supporting an end effector. A follower includes a robot arm able to articulate about respective second axes. Servo motors articulate the leader arm about the first axes and the follower arm about the second axes. A user interface allows a user to jog the arm of the leader and to program movement of the arms for automatic execution such that the end effector reaches predetermined positions. A controller, operatively connected to the servo motors and the user interface, controls operation of the servo motors, moves the arm of the leader in accordance with the programmed movement, and moves the arm of the follower such that it tracks or mirrors movement of the leader.

Claims

1. A system for jogging a plurality of robots arms comprising:

a leader including a robot arm able to articulate about first axes and supporting an end effector located at an outer end of the leader arm;

a follower including a robot arm able to articulate about second axes;

first servo motors, each first servo motor articulating the arm of the leader about a respective first axis;

second servo motor, each second servo motor articulating the arm of the follower about a respective second axis;

a user interface for allowing a user to jog the arm of the leader, and to program movement of the arms for automatic execution such that the end effector reaches predetermined positions; and

a controller operatively connected to the servo motors and the user interface for controlling operation of the servo motors, moving the arm of the leader in accordance with the programmed movement, and moving the arm of the follower such that it tracks or mirrors movement of the leader.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller controls operation of the servo motors such that movement of the follower arm is simultaneous with movement of the leader arm.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller controls operation of the servo motors such that movement of the follower arm about the second axes is substantially equal in magnitude and direction to movement of the leader arm about the first axes, respectively.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller controls operation of the servo motors such that movement of the follower arm mirrors movement of the leader about a mirror plane.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the user interface permits the user to select a mirror plane; and

the controller controls operation of the servo motors such that movement of the follower arm mirrors movement of the leader about the mirror plane.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises:

multiple controllers, each controller being operatively connect to a robot arm for controlling operation of the servo motor of the respective robot arm; and

a system controller operatively connected to and communicating in network with the multiple controllers.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the system further comprises:

first servo amplifiers operatively connected to the first servo motors;

second servo amplifiers operatively connected to the second servo motors; and

the controller is operatively connected to the servo motors through the first and second servo amplifiers.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the user interface comprises one of a teach pendant, a keyboard of a PC including a CRT display communicating with the PC, a joystick, a jog wheel, a force sensing device, a lead through teach device, and a graphical display depicting simulated robot operation.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a second follower having a robot arm able to articulate about multiple third axes;

third servo motors for articulating the arm of the second follower about respective third axes; and

wherein the controller controls operation of the servo motors such that the follower arm tracks movement of the leader and the arm of second follower mirrors movement of the leader.

10. A method for jogging multiple robots including a leader having an arm able to articulate about multiple first axes, and supporting an end effector located at an outer end of the leader arm, and a follower having an arm able to articulate about multiple second axes, comprising the steps of:

moving the end effector to predetermined positions by jogging the arm of the leader and producing articulation about the first axes;

recording the magnitude and direction of articulation about the first axes corresponding to movement of the end effector to said predetermined positions; and

moving the arm of the follower by producing articulation about the second axes in the same respective magnitudes as the recorded articulation produced about the first axes.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of moving the arm of the follower further comprises the step of:

automatically articulating the follower arm about the second axes simultaneously with automatically articulating the leader arm about the first axes.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of moving the arm of the follower further comprises the step of:

articulating the follower arm about each of the second axes is substantially equal in magnitude and direction to articulation of the leader arm about the first axes, respectively.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein movement of the follower arm mirrors movement of the leader about a mirror plane.

14. The method system of claim 10 further comprising:

selecting a mirror plane; and

wherein movement of the follower arm mirrors movement of the leader arm about the mirror plane.