Robot teaching machine

• US 6,019,606 A
• Filed: 11/10/1997
• Issued: 02/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Koki Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Koki Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Katsumi, Koyama, Tadashi, Sugita, Shinichi, Itaya, Toshiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin-Wallace, Valencia
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARADISO, JOHN ROGER
• Application Number:
  US08/967,111
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 434/247, 434/45, 434/365, 434/219, 901/3, 901/10, 901/15, 901/16, 901/17, 901/18
• US Class Current: 434/45
• 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

Abstract

A robot teaching machine according to the present invention includes a guiding tool having a first angle sensor, a coordinate detector having a plurality of rotating portions and a second angle sensor for detecting a rotational angle of each of the rotating portions, a first motion transfer member for detecting a distance between the guiding tool and the coordinate detector that are connected with each other, a second motion transfer member for connecting the guiding tool and the coordinate detector and detecting an attitude of the guiding tool, and a coordinate converter for deriving a three-dimensional position and an attitude of the guiding tool from values detected by the first and the second angle sensors, respectively. The first motion transfer member and the second motion transfer member independently work for providing precise guiding data.

Claims

1. A robot teaching machine comprising:

a guiding tool provided with a first angle sensor;

a coordinate detector provided with a plurality of rotating portions and a second angle sensor for detecting a rotational angle of each of said rotating portions;

a first motion transfer member for detecting a distance between said guiding tool and said coordinate detector that are connected with each other;

a second motion transfer member for connecting said guiding tool and said coordinate detector and detecting an attitude of said guiding tool; and

a coordinate converter for deriving a three-dimensional coordinate position and the attitude of said guiding tool from values detected by said first and said second angle sensors respectively.

2. The robot teaching machine according to claim 1, wherein a joint portion between said second motion transfer member and said guiding tool and a joint portion between said second motion transfer member and said coordinate detector are maintained with at least three end points, respectively.

3. The robot teaching machine according to claim 2, wherein said second motion transfer member is provided an expandable portion.

4. The robot teaching machine according to claim 1, wherein said first angle sensor of said guiding tool is formed of one inclination sensor and two potentiometers.

5. The robot teaching machine according to claim 1, wherein said second angle sensor of said coordinate detector is formed of three potentiometers.

6. The robot teaching machine according to claim 1, wherein said first and second motion transfer members are formed of wires.