PROGRAM SELECTION ARRANGEMENT FOR MANIPULATOR APPARATUS

• US 3,654,616 A
• Filed: 06/29/1970
• Issued: 04/04/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Joseph Albert Jr. Picard, Maurice J. Dunne, Robert E. Correll
• Original Assignee: Joseph Albert Jr. Picard, Maurice J. Dunne, Robert E. Correll
• Inventors: Dunne, Maurice J., Correll, Robert E., Picard, Joseph Albert Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zache, Raulfe B.
• Application Number:
  US05/050,441
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 340/172.5 235/151.11 214/1B,1CM,11 209/72 219/79,124
• US Class Current: 700/88
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1602 characterised by the control system, structure, architecture
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1664 characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/16 using magnetic record carriers G05B19/128 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4182 manipulators and conveyor only
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/42 Recording and playback systems, i.e. in which the programme is recorded from a cycle of operations, e.g. the cycle of operations being manually controlled, after which this record is played back on the same machine
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36045 Skip of program blocks, jump over certain blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36498 Main and secondary program for repeating same operations
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36511 Select by a detector
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36569 Enter, punch only different, changed data, same not repeated in next block
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45083 Manipulators, robot
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45135 Welding
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Manipulator apparatus is provided wherein a number of multi-step programs for controlling movement of the manipulator arm in desired patterns of movement are available. Facilities are provided for automatically selecting any one of the programs in a random manner in respect to externally developed signals representing such programs. In a particular embodiment, the programs available control movement of the arm to perform different patterns of spot welding operations in accordance with automobile bodies randomly distributed on a production line conveyor. The control system also functions automatically to perform a spot welding operation at certain program steps in accordance with recorded spot weld control signals and without requiring a separate program step for a spot welding instruction, thereby substantially decreasing the number of program steps required to carry out a given pattern. Facilities are also provided for preventing double or multiple welds in response to a single position instruction or program step of the manipulator arm. In accordance with a further embodiment, the manipulator apparatus is arranged to select different programs in a predetermined sequence but also responds to control signals indicating the presence or absence of certain external conditions associated with the programmed operations to skip one or more programs until the external conditions are changed.

Claims

1. In a programmable manipulator apparatus, the combination of, a manipulator arm, means for moving said arm in a plurality of axes, a magnetic storage medium, means for recording a series of different programs on said medium, each of said programs comprising a series of program steps for moving said arm over a predetermined path, means for recording an end-of-program signal on said medium in association with the last step of each of said programs, means for sequentially sensing said recorded program steps and controlling said moving means to move said arm to positions corresponding to said recorded program steps, means responsive to sensing of an end-of-program signal at the last step of any one of said programs for producing a first control signal, means for developing a second control signal representing any other one of said programs, and means jointly responsive to said first and second control signals for controlling said sensing means to sense the first step of said other one program.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said apparatus is arranged to operate with any one of a plurality of different devices corresponding to said different programs, means associated with each of said devices for developing a use signal indicating the availability of that device, and means responsive to said use signal for controlling said second control signal developing means.

3. The combination of claim 2, wherein there is provided means for selecting said use signals from said devices in a predetermined sequence and controlling said second control signal developing means from said selected use signal.

4. The combination of claim 1, wherein there is provided means external to said manipulator apparatus for selecting which one of said programs is to be used to control said apparatus, and means responsive to said last named means for developing said second control signal.

5. The combination of claim 1, wherein said apparatus is arranged to cooperate with a conveyor on which different types of objects are carried, said series of recorded programs corresponding to said different types of objects, means for indicating the type of object carried by said conveyor at a particular point therealong, and means controlled by said indicating means for developing said second control signal, whereby said manipulator arm performs an operation with respect to each of said objects in accordance with the type thereof.

6. The combination of claim 5, wherein different types of said objects are randomly positioned on said conveyor.

7. In a programmed manipulator apparatus, the combination of, a manipulator arm, means for moving said arm in a plurality of axes, a recorder having a series of program steps and associated control signals stored therein, said control signals being recorded in association with each program step at which an operation of a given type is to be performed, means for sequentially sensing said recorded program steps, means controlled by said sensing means for controlling said moving means to move said arm to the position indicated by the sensed program step, means for developing a total coincidence signal when movement of said arm in all of said axeS has been completed for the sensed program step, means for sensing a control signal which is recorded in association with one of said program steps, means responsive to said sensed control signal for initiating an operation of said given type, and means controlled in part by said last named means for delaying the development of said total coincidence signal until after said operation has been completed.

8. The combination as set forth in claim 7, which includes an output circuit for said total coincidence signal developing means, means controlled by said control signal sensing means for disabling said output circuit, means jointly responsive to said sensed control signal and completion of movement of said arm in all of said axes for initiating said operation, means for developing a completion signal in response to completion of said initiated operation, means operative in response to said completion signal for enabling said output circuit, and means responsive to a total coincidence signal output at said output circuit for controlling said sensing means to sense the next recorded program step.

9. The combination of claim 8, wherein there is provided means for preventing the initiation of two of said operations at a position corresponding to the same program step.

10. The combination as set forth in claim 7, which includes an output circuit for said total coincidence signal developing means, means responsive to the sensing of one of said control signals for disabling said output circuit, and AND-gate arranged to develop an output signal in response to a sensed control signal and completion of movement of said arm in all of said axes, means controlled by said output signal for initiating said operation and substantially concurrently inhibiting said AND-gate, thereby to prevent a further initiation of said operation at the same program step, means for developing a completion signal in response to completion of said initiated operation, means operative in response to said completion signal for enabling said output circuit, means responsive to a total coincidence signal output at said output circuit for controlling said sensing means to sense the next recorded program step, and means responsive to said last named means for enabling said AND-gate.

11. The combination of claim 10, which includes a flip-flop circuit, means for setting said flip-flop circuit in response to said output signal, means responsive to setting of said flip-flop circuit for inhibiting said AND-gate, and means responsive to said total coincidence signal output for resetting said flip-flop circuit, thereby to enable said AND-gate for the next program step.

12. The combination of claim 7, wherein said manipulator arm carries a pair of spot welding jaws arranged to engage a workpiece adjacent said manipulator apparatus, said operation is a spot welding operation during which said jaws are engaged with a portion of the workpiece, and development of said total coincidence signal is delayed until said jaws have been opened after the spot weld has been completed.

13. The combination of claim 12, wherein there is provided means for preventing a double spot weld in response to a single sensed one of said control signals.

14. In a programmable manipulator apparatus, the combination of, a manipulator arm, means for moving said arm in a plurality of axes, a recorder having stored therein a series of different programs, each of said programs comprising a series of multi-digit program steps and an end-of-program signal in association with the last step of each of said programs, sensing means for individually sensing said recorded program steps, program selecting means for controlling said sensing means to sense the steps of any randomly selected one of said programs, reset means normally operative in response to said end-of-program signal for causing the program associated therewith to be repeated, means for controlling said moving means to terminate movement of said arm after a given program has bEen completed, means external to said manipulator apparatus for controlling said program selecting means to select at random one of said programs, means controlled by said last-named means for actuating said reset means to said one selected program, and means for thereafter releasing said arm to follow the program steps of said one selected program.

15. The combination of claim 14, wherein there is provided temporary storage means in which the digits of each recorded step are temporarily stored while said arm is completing the movement indicated by that step, the first step of a program to be repeated normally being stored in said temporary storage means in response to said end-of-program signal, and means responsive to said external means for removing the first step of the previously completed program from said temporary storage means and storing the first step of the newly selected program therein.

16. The combination of claim 15, wherein said temporary storage means comprises first and second storage registers and the first and second steps of the newly selected program are supplied to said first and second registers respectively prior to the release of said arm by said releasing means.

17. The combination of claim 14, which also includes a conveyor for moving a series of objects in relation to said manipulator apparatus in step-by-step fashion, said objects being of different types corresponding to different ones of said programs, and said external means comprises a sensing station in association with said conveyor for sensing the type of object on said conveyor and controlling said program selecting means in accordance with the sensed object type.

18. The combination of claim 17, wherein said objects comprise metal frames of different types which require different patterns of spot welds and said plurality of programs include recorded program steps corresponding to said different spot weld patterns.