Process for controlling industrial robots, and related robots, systems and computer programs

• US 7,650,205 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2006
• Issued: 01/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comau SPA (Stellantis NV)
• Original Assignee: Comau SPA (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Calcagno, Renzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOYER, DALE S
• Application Number:
  US11/405,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20060232236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,372 Days
• Field of Search: 701/247, 701/264, 901/49, 700/247, 700/264, 700/17, 700/19, 700/20, 700/160, 700/245, 700/248, 700/255, 318/568.1, 318/568.21, 318/587, 345/169, 379/90.01, 382/141
• US Class Current: 700/264
• 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 2219/23414 Pc as detachable program, debug, monitor device for control system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33192 Radio link, wireless
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36159 Detachable or portable programming unit, display, pc, pda
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39001 Robot, manipulator control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39447 Dead man switch
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/50198 Emergency stop

Abstract

An industrial robot includes a manipulator (1) having a control unit (2) and a portable terminal (3), the unit and the terminal being able to communicate in wireless mode for executing a robot programming session. The unit (2) and the terminal (3) are configured so as to implement a step of mutual logic coupling, which is required so as to enable the programming session, only when the terminal (3) is in a substantially predefined physical position (5) close to the unit (2).

Claims

1. A method for controlling by means of a portable terminal, an industrial robot comprising a manipulator and a manipulator control unit, the method comprising:

providing the terminal and the manipulator control unit with a respective electronic control system, the control systems having respective first communication means for establishing a wireless main connection between said manipulator control unit and terminal, the main connection being used during a session of use of the terminal for transmitting to the manipulator control unit information concerning at least one of programming instructions and instructions of motion of the manipulator, and status conditions of a safety device (ES, EN) which the terminal is equipped with;

providing the control systems of the manipulator control unit and the terminal with respective identity information (ID_CU, ID_TP);

enabling said session of use through executing a coupling step of the terminal with the manipulator control unit, wherein the identity information (ID_TP) of the terminal control system is made available to the manipulator control unit control system and the identity information (ID_CU) of the manipulator control unit control s stern is made available to the terminal control system;

wherein, during said coupling step, said main connection is used for making available to one of the control systems of said terminal and manipulator control unit the identity information (ID_TP) of the control system of the other one of said terminal and manipulator control unit;

the method further comprising

providing the control systems of the terminal and the manipulator control unit with respective second communication means, said second communication means being adapted to establish an auxiliary connection between the terminal and the manipulator control unit for executing of said coupling step, wherein said auxiliary connection can be established only when the terminal is placed in a substantially predefined position with respect to one of the manipulator and the manipulator control unit;

using, during execution of said coupling step, said auxiliary connection for making available to the control system of said other one of said terminal and manipulator control unit the identity information (ID_CU) of the control system of said one of said terminal and manipulator control unit;

using, once said coupling step has ended and during said session of use, the terminal for transmitting to the manipulator control unit, via said main connection, said information concerning at least one of programming instructions and instructions of motion of the manipulator, and status conditions of said safety device (ES, EN), after interruption of said auxiliary connection subsequent to a removal of the terminal from said substantially predefined position.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said auxiliary connection is interrupted upon removing the terminal from said substantially predefined position, once said coupling step has ended.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of executing said coupling step further comprises the steps of:

receiving the identity information (ID_TP) of the controls system of the terminal by the control system of the manipulator control unit and, then, transmitting the identity information (ID_CU) of the control system of the manipulator control unit by the control system of the manipulator control unit to the control system of the terminal.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step of executing said coupling step further comprises the steps of the control system of the manipulator control unit checking whether a predetermined storage register is free and

in the positive case, the control system of the manipulator control unit memorizes in said predetermined storage register the identity information of the control system of the terminal and then transmits to the control system of the terminal the identity information of the control system of the manipulator control unit,

in the negative case, the control system of the manipulator control unit compares the identity information of the control system of the terminal (ID_TP) with a content of said predetermined storage register.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein

if the identity information (ID_TP) of the control system of the terminal is compatible with the content of said predetermined storage register, enabling execution of a decoupling step between said terminal and manipulator control unit;

if the identity information (ID_TP) of the control system of the terminal is not compatible with the content of said predetermined storage register, interrupting the coupling step.

6. The method according to claim 3 further comprising the step of,

the control system of the manipulator control unit retaining in a predetermined storage register the identity information (ID_TP) of the control system of the terminal, and

the control system of the terminal retaining in a predetermined storage register the identity information (ID_CU) of the control system of the manipulator control unit.

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

executing a decoupling step of said terminal with respect to said manipulator control unit, so as to disable said session of use.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of using, said auxiliary connection by the control systems of the manipulator control unit and the terminal for executing said decoupling step.

9. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

executing a decoupling step of said terminal with respect to said manipulator control unit, for disabling said session of use, wherein the control systems of the manipulator and the terminal are configured for deleting said respective predetermined storage registers during said decoupling step.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control systems of the manipulator control unit and the terminal are configured for exchanging with each other, during said coupling step and through said main connection, information confirming execution of said coupling step.

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

providing a visual indication, both on the terminal and on the manipulator, of an enabled condition of said session of use.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said identity information (ID_CU, ID_TP) of the control systems are each obtained by transferring at least one of two identifying codes (IP, SN) between the manipulator control unit and the terminal, wherein one of the two codes can be modified and the other one cannot.

13. An industrial robot system comprising at least one industrial robot, including a manipulator, and a manipulator control unit, and a portable terminal, said manipulator control unit and terminal having each an electronic control system comprising respective first communication devices for establishing a wireless main connection, the main connection being used during session of use of the terminal for transmitting from the control system of the terminal to the control system of the manipulator control unit information concerning at least one of programming instructions, and instructions of motion of the manipulator, and status conditions of a safety device (ES, EN) which the terminal is equipped with,

wherein the control systems of the manipulator control unit and the terminal have respective identity information (ID_CU, ID_TP) and are configured for executing a coupling step, required for enabling said session of use, by which coupling step the identity information (ID_TP) of the control system of the terminal is made available to the control system of the manipulator control unit and the identity information (ID_CU) of the control system of the manipulator control unit is made available to the control system of the terminal,

wherein said first communication devices are adapted, during said coupling step, to make available to the control system of one of said terminal and manipulator control unit the identity information (ID_TP) of the control system of the other one of said terminal and manipulator control unit,

and wherein the control systems of the manipulator control unit and of the terminal further comprise:

respective second communication devices configured for establishing an auxiliary connection when the terminal is in a substantially predefined position close to one of said manipulator and manipulator control unit;

respective controllers configured for using said auxiliary connection during said coupling step, for making available to the control system of said other one of said terminal and manipulator control unit the identity information (ID_CU) of the control system of said one of said terminal and manipulator control unit;

said controllers being also adapted to allow, through said main connection and during said session of use, transmission of said information concerning at least one of programming instructions, and instructions of motion of the manipulator, and status conditions of said safety device (ES, EN) after interruption of said auxiliary connection subsequent to a removal of the terminal from said substantially predefined position.

14. The robot system according to claim 13, wherein

the controllers of the control systems of the manipulator control unit and of the terminal comprise respective first storage areas containing the respective identity information (ID_CU, ID_TP),

the controllers of the control system of the manipulator control unit comprise means for making available or communicate the identity information of the first storage area to the control system of the terminal through one of said main and auxiliary connections, and

the controllers of the control system of the terminal comprise means for making available or communicating the identity information of the first storage areas to the control system of the manipulator through the other one of said main and auxiliary connections.

15. The robot system according to claim 14, wherein the controllers of the control system of the manipulator control unit comprise means for reading, through the auxiliary connection, the identity information (ID_TP) of the control system of the terminal and then transmitting to the controllers of the control system of the terminal through the main connection, the identity information (ID_CU) of the control system of the manipulator control unit.

16. The robot system according to claim 14, wherein

the controllers of the control system of the manipulator control unit comprise a second storage area in the manipulator control unit for retaining the identity information (ID_TP) of the control system of the terminal, and

the controllers of the control system of the terminal comprise a respective second storage area in the terminal control system means for retaining the identity information (ID_CU) of the control system of the manipulator control unit.

17. The robot system according to claim 16, wherein the controllers of the control system of the manipulator control unit comprise means for checking whether the respective second storage area is free and

in the positive case, to memorize in said second storage area the identity information (ID_TP) of the control s stem of the terminal,

in the negative case, to compare the identity information (ID_TP) of the control system of the terminal with the identity information of said second storage area.

18. The robot system according to claim 13, wherein the controllers of the control systems of the manipulator control unit and of the terminal are configured for implementing, when the terminal is in said substantially predefined position, a decoupling step of said terminal with respect to said manipulator control unit, in order to disable said session of use.

19. The robot system according to claim 16, wherein the controllers of the control systems of the manipulator and of the terminal are configured for

implementing also a decoupling step of said terminal with respect to said manipulator control unit, in order to disable said session of use;

and

freeing said respective second storage areas during said decoupling step.

20. The robot system according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the terminal and the manipulator further comprise a visual indicator for signaling an enabled condition of said session of use.

21. The robot system according to claim 13, wherein one of the manipulator and the manipulator control unit is provided with means for defining or identifying said substantially predefined position.

22. The robot system according to claim 21, wherein said means for defining or identifying said substantially predefined position comprise a seat in which at least part of the second communication device of the control system of the manipulator control unit is operative.

23. The robot system according to claim 13, wherein the terminal further comprises a rechargeable battery having a connector, the manipulator control unit comprises a recharging arrangement having a connector engageable with said battery connector when the terminal is in said substantially predefined position.

24. The robot system according to claim 13, wherein said auxiliary connection comprises at least one of

a wired serial connection,

a connection without physical contacts, selected from the group consisting of a short-ray RFID connection, an infrared connection and an optical connection;

a connection based on power line communication, with information transmission implemented by exploiting an electrical connection line established between a battery of the terminal and a recharging circuit of said battery, when the terminal is in said substantially predefined position.

25. A robot system according to claim 13, wherein the at least one robot comprises a plurality of industrial robots, each comprising one said manipulator and one said manipulator control, wherein said portable terminal is usable for selectively programming at least one of the plurality of the industrial robots.