Robotics programming interface

• US 20070135932A1
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brooks Automation Ltd. (United Kingdom) (Azenta, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brooks Automation Incorporated (Azenta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pannese, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 7,890,194 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/17
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1671 characterised by simulation, either to verify existing program or to create and verify new program, CAD/CAM oriented, graphic oriented programming systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33299 Real time, online diagnostic, integrated in normal control system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34256 Api application programming interface
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40311 Real time simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45031 Manufacturing semiconductor wafers

Abstract

A programming interface for a hardware system includes an embedded layer for programmatic access to a physical realization of hardware, a simulation system for simulation of the hardware, and a diagnostics engine that analyzes and compares feedback data from the simulation system and the physical realization. The programming interface may be usefully employed, for example, in the design, purchase, and deployment of robotics for semiconductor manufacturing.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a programming interface for a controller for hardware;

a simulation of the hardware selectively coupled in a communicating relationship with the programming interface; and

a physical realization of the hardware selectively coupled in a communicating relationship with the programming interface, and further selectively coupled in a communicating relationship with the simulation, wherein the programming interface, the simulation, and the physical realization are selectively interconnected under user control.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the hardware includes a manufacturing robotic system.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the hardware includes a semiconductor manufacturing robotic system.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the hardware includes a robotic component.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the robotic component includes one or more of a valve, an arm, a multi-link arm, a door, a seal, an elevator, and a conveyer.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the physical realization includes a control interface adapted to receive input signals to control the hardware.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the physical realization includes a control interface to provide output signals from one or more sensors associated with the hardware.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the physical realization includes one or more sensors.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the one or more sensors includes a sensor that detects one or more of an atmospheric pressure, an ambient temperature, a work piece temperature, a vibration, an ambient light, a presence of a gas, a concentration of a gas, a presence of a compound, a motion, a voltage, a weight, and a sound.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the one or more sensors detect a state of a component of the hardware.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the state includes one or more of a position, a direction, a distance to a work piece, a distance to an obstruction, a valve status, a seal status, a door position, and a diagnostic state.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising a data repository that stores one or more of control information, sensor information, and diagnostic information.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the data repository stores real time data from the hardware.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the data repository stores simulated real time data from the simulation.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the programming interface includes an application programming interface that provides programmatic access to the simulation and the hardware.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the programmatic interface includes a .NET interface.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the programmatic interface includes a web interface.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the simulation is connected in a communicating relationship with the physical realization through a diagnostics module.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the diagnostics module compares data from the physical realization and the simulation.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the diagnostics module identifies deviations between actual data from the physical realization and expected data from the simulation.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the diagnostics module generates messages to the programming interface related to a status of the physical realization, based upon data from the simulation.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein the diagnostics module provides real time status information for the physical realization.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein the hardware includes a robotic system, and further wherein the robotic system is trained using the simulation to provide training results.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the training results are transferred from the simulation to the physical realization.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein the robotic system is trained with respect to one or more of collision avoidance, position, velocity, and temperature.

26. A method comprising:

providing a simulation of hardware;

providing a physical realization of the hardware;

providing a programming interface to control the hardware; and

interconnecting one or more of the simulation, the physical realization, and the programming interface in a communicating relationship.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the hardware includes a manufacturing robotic system.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the hardware includes a semiconductor manufacturing robotic system.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein the hardware includes a robotic component.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the robotic component includes one or more of a valve, an arm, a multi-link arm, a door, a seal, an elevator, and a conveyer.

31. The method of claim 26 wherein the physical realization includes a control interface adapted to receive input signals to control the hardware.

32. The method of claim 26 wherein the physical realization includes a control interface to provide output signals from one or more sensors associated with the hardware.

33. The method of claim 26 wherein the physical realization includes one or more sensors.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the one or more sensors includes a sensor that detects one or more of an atmospheric pressure, an ambient temperature, a work piece temperature, a vibration, an ambient light, a presence of a gas, a concentration of a gas, a presence of a compound, a motion, a voltage, a weight, and a sound.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein the one or more sensors detect a state of a component of the hardware.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the state includes one or more of a position, a direction, a distance to a work piece, a distance to an obstruction, a valve status, a seal status, a door position, and a diagnostic state.

37. The method of claim 26 further comprising storing one or more of control information, sensor information, and diagnostic information in a data repository.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein the data repository stores real time data from the hardware.

39. The method of claim 37 wherein the data repository stores simulated real time data from the simulation.

40. The method of claim 26 wherein the programming interface includes an application programming interface that provides programmatic access to the simulation and the hardware.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein the programmatic interface includes a .NET interface.

42. The method of claim 40 wherein the programmatic interface includes a web interface.

43. The method of claim 26 further comprising connecting the simulation in a communicating relationship with the physical realization through a diagnostics module.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein the diagnostics module compares data from the physical realization and the simulation.

45. The method of claim 44 wherein the diagnostics module identifies deviations between actual data from the physical realization and expected data from the simulation.

46. The method of claim 44 wherein the diagnostics module generates messages to the programming interface related to a status of the physical realization, based upon data from the simulation.

47. The method of claim 43 wherein the diagnostics module provides real time status information for the physical realization.

48. The method of claim 26 wherein the hardware includes a robotic system, the method further comprising training the robotic system using the simulation to provide training results.

49. The method of claim 48 further comprising transferring the training results from the simulation to the physical realization.

50. The method of claim 48 wherein the robotic system is trained with respect to one or more of collision avoidance, position, velocity, and temperature.

51. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium comprising:

computer executable code to simulate an instance of hardware;

computer executable code to control a physical realization of the instance of the hardware;

computer executable code providing a programming interface to control the hardware; and

computer executable code to selectively interconnect one or more of the computer executable code to simulate the instance of hardware, the computer executable code to control the physical realization of the instance of hardware, and the computer executable code providing a programmatic interface to control the hardware.

52. The computer program product of claim 51 further comprising a diagnostics module to interconnect the computer executable code to simulate the instance of hardware with the computer executable code to control the physical realization of the instance of hardware.

53. The computer program product of claim 52 wherein the diagnostics module generates comparative analysis.

54. The computer program product of claim 51 wherein the computer program product executes in real time.

55. The computer program product of claim 51 wherein the computer executable code to simulate the instance of hardware updates in twenty milliseconds or less.

56. The computer program product of claim 51 wherein the computer executable code to control the physical realization of the instance of hardware updates in twenty milliseconds or less.

57. The computer program product of claim 51 wherein the computer program product operates in real time.

58. A system comprising:

a simulation means for providing a simulation of hardware;

a physical realization of the hardware;

an interface means for providing a programming interface to control the hardware; and

an interconnecting means for interconnecting one or more of the simulation, the physical realization, and the programming interface in a communicating relationship.

59. A method for operating a robotic system comprising:

controlling the robotic system;

receiving sensor data from the robotic system;

concurrently executing a simulation of the robotic system in real time;

receiving simulated sensor data from the simulation; and

comparing the sensor data to the simulated sensor data.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein the method is performed within an application programming interface for the robotic system.

61. The method of claim 60 wherein the application programming interface does not externally differentiate between the robotic system and the simulation.

62. The method of claim 59 further comprising generating one or more diagnostic messages in response to a deviation between the sensor data and the simulated sensor data.

63-92. -92. (canceled)