Control method for machines, including a system, computer program, data signal and gui

• US 20070108109A1
• Filed: 06/22/2004
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB AB (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Knobel, Henrik, Erlandsson-Warvelin, Mats
• Granted Patent: US 8,417,363 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 209/629
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1694 characterised by use of sensors other than normal servo-feedback from position, speed or acceleration sensors, perception control, multi-sensor controlled systems, sensor fusion
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4182 manipulators and conveyor only
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40014 Gripping workpiece to place it in another place
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A method for controlling a group of machines such as robots or pick and place machines to pick up an item from a first position and place the item in a second position. Information from a sensor about the location of the first position is provided to a control member, which sends a message from a master process to all machines. The message includes a list of all first positions. The machines dynamically and adaptively handle each of the first positions and inform the master process when each first position is handled. The master process in turn informs all machines that a given first position has been handled. A system, a computer program and a graphical user interface are also described.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a machine to pick up an item from a first position and place the item in a second position, wherein a sensor member provides data on said first position to a control member, the method comprising:

sending a message from a master process of the control member comprising one or more said first positions to all said machines controlled by said control member, and

sending a message from said control member to all said machines with an indicator member specifying which of the one or more said first positions shall be used.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a message from a said machine with a status that a said first position has been used, and

sending a message comprising said first position, or more said first positions, to all machines controlled by the control member in which message each said first position is marked with a status of used or not.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at a said machine the message comprising one or more said first positions,

handling one of the one or more of said first positions, and

sending a message to the control member comprising the information that a such said first position has been used.

4. A The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

updating in said control member the marker of the one said first position to read used, and

sending from the control member to all machines a message that the status of the said first position consumed is equal to used.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

selecting with a control member one or more specific said first positions to be handled by a specific machine.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the control member uses a algorithm to select a said first position to be handled by one specific machine of all machines.

7. A The method according to claim 5, wherein the control member carries out a repeated triggering of a first position.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

registering said first position of the item together with a unique identity member, and marking each said first position with a status of used or not.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the unique identity member takes the form of a number.

10. A The method according to claim 9, wherein the unique identity member takes the form of an alphanumeric string.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

allocating a said first position to a specific machine dependent on load balancing for a plurality of machines controlled by the control member.

12. A The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

allocating a said first position to a specific machine dependent on load balancing for all of the machines controlled by the control member.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

allocating a said first position to a specific machine dependent on a stoppage that has occurred in a work group controlled by the control member.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

allocating a said first position to a specific machine dependent on the removal from service of another specific machine in the work group controlled by the control member.

27. A computer program comprising computer code means and/or software code portions which when loaded into a computer or processor will make the computer or processor perform the steps of a method according to claim 1.

28. The computer program product according to claim 27 comprised in one or more computer readable media.

35. A graphical user interface of a computing device for controlling a machine to pick up an item from a first position and place the item in a second position the graphical user interface comprising:

at least one representation member for carrying out a method according to claim 1.

36. The graphical user interface according to claim 35, wherein the GUI comprises software object representation members to configure any of a plurality of machines as any from the list of:

a work group for adaptive moving of objects by the machines;

a Distribution of machines arranged according to identity of object handled;

an Order in which the objects shall reach the machines expressed as WorkAreas;

a load balancing group in which loads are balanced among any of the machines.

37. The graphical user interface according to claim 36, wherein configurations are arranged so as to be displayed and/or edited upon activation a part of the graphical representation of one or more production areas comprising one or more machines by means of a computer mouse, a keyboard, a keypad, touch screen, stylus or any other similar computer display selection means.

38. The graphical user interface according to claim 35, wherein one or more machines may be configured to pick up an object from a first position and place the object in a second position by means of carrying out a drag and drop operation on a software object representation member.

15. A system for controlling a machine to pick up an item from a first position and place the item in a second position, the system comprising:

a sensor member,

a plurality of machine members to pick up an item from a first position and place it in a second position,

a control member to control said plurality of machines, and comprising a list of all said first positions, and

at least one machine control member for one of said plurality of machines to which the control member is connected.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the control member further comprises computer program elements to change the status of a said first position on the list of all said first positions.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein each of the at least one machine controller members connected to the control member comprises computer program elements to change the status of a said first position on its list of all said first positions.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the at least one machine controller member comprises computer program elements to update the status of a said first position on its list of all said first positions on receipt of a message from the control member.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the at least one machine controller member comprises computer program elements to send a message to the control member when a said first position has been handled.

20. The system according to claim 15, wherein each first position of all said first positions on the list are recorded together with a unique identifier member.

21. The system according to claim 20, further comprising:

a synchronization member that provides a signal suitable for a any of the machines to base a trigger action on.

22. The system according to claim 15, wherein at least one said sensor member comprises a non-optical detector.

23. The system according to claim 15, wherein at least one said sensor member comprises a vision or optical detection member.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein the at least one said sensor member comprises a photocell.

25. The system according to claim 23, wherein the at least one said sensor member comprises a camera and an image processing member.

26. The system according to claim 25, wherein the image processing member comprises computer program elements arranged for image recognition.

29. A computer data signal for control and/or monitoring of a plurality of machines arranged to move items from a first place to a second place, embodied in a carrier wave, comprising:

a list of first positions for a plurality of items.

30. The computer data signal according to claim 29, characterised in that said computer data signal comprises markers to show if a given first position (3) has been consumed, handled, or not.

31. The computer data signal according to claim 30, wherein said computer data signal comprises at least one indicator to which machine or pick and place machine shall handle a given first position.

32. The computer data signal according to claim 29, wherein said computer data signal is communicated in part by means of any of the list of:

half or full duplex TCP/IP, Ethernet, a fieldbus, Profibus, Modbus, CAN, FF or similar.

33. A The computer data signal according to claim 29, wherein said computer data signal is communicated by a short range wireless member according to a standard such as any of:

Bluetooth, WLAN, 11032.

34. The computer data signal according to claim 29, wherein said computer data signal is communicated by means of a short call-back procedure over an ordinary Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a wireless telephone system, a privately switched network, cellular network or satellite based telephone network.