Automation equipment control system

• US 8,050,797 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2005
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures II LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Chi Development Mgmt Ltd XIX LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Lapham, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARC, MCDIEUNEL
• Application Number:
  US11/190,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20050267637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,289 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/247, 700/248, 700/249, 700/258, 700/260, 318/568.11, 318/568.13, 318/568.16, 318/573, 318/574, 901/1, 901/2, 901/8, 901/16, 901/47, 701/23, 707/10, 709/203, 709/213, 709/217, 709/225, 709/229, 712/205, 712/237, 378/11, 378/197, 382/280, 359/626, 708/523
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00158 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0055 Constructional details of insertion parts, e.g. vertebral elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/31 for the rectum, e.g. proctoscopes, sigmoidoscopes , colonoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/161 Hardware, e.g. neural networks, fuzzy logic, interfaces, processor
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1656 characterised by programming, planning systems for manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33242 Watchdog for datacommunication, on error switch off supply to bus modules
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34047 Dsp digital signal processor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34261 Windows, microsoft windows
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39001 Robot, manipulator control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/41 Tool
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/42 Welding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/46 Sensing device
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 Optical
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/48 Counterbalance

Abstract

A automation equipment control system comprises a general purpose computer with a general purpose operating system in electronic communication with a real-time computer subsystem. The general purpose computer includes a program execution module to selectively start and stop processing of a program of equipment instructions and to generate a plurality of move commands. The real-time computer subsystem includes a move command data buffer for storing the plurality of move commands, a move module linked to the data buffer for sequentially processing the moves and calculating a required position for a mechanical joint. The real-time computer subsystem also includes a dynamic control algorithm in software communication with the move module to repeatedly calculate a required actuator activation signal from a joint position feedback signal.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a robot comprising:

storing, in a move command buffer of a robot-specific computing device, move commands to operate the robot, the move commands being;

generated using a robot-independent computing device by translating robot instructions received at the robot-independent computing device into a form understandable by the robot-specific computing device; and

communicated via a communication interface from the robot-independent computing device to the robot-specific computing device to enable the storing; and

processing, by the robot-specific computing device, the move commands from the move command buffer in sequential order to operate the robot in a continuous manner, the processing performed using the move command buffer to enable continued operation of the robot while the robot-independent computing device is not operating.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing comprises:

determining current positions of one more joints of the robot based upon feedback signals received from the robot;

calculating specified positions of the one or more joints of the robot using the move commands; and

generating activation signals to move the one or more joints from the current positions to the specified positions.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an interruption of the robot-independent computing device;

determining if the interruption exceeds a predetermined time limit; and

if the interruption exceeds the predetermined time limit, shutting down operation of the robot.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the move commands are expressed as changes in positions of one or more joints of the robot.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the move commands are received as a single function call from the robot-independent computing device specifying positions of a plurality of mechanical joints of the robot; and

the processing includes generating activation signals based on the move commands to cause actuators corresponding to the plurality of mechanical joints to move the plurality of mechanical joints to the specified positions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the robot instructions are received at the robot-independent computing device via an operator interface module configured as a common interface to enable input of instructions for a plurality of robots having different electromechanical configurations.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing by the robot-specific computing device comprises executing one or more modules configured to sequentially process the move commands stored in the move command buffer by a digital signal processor (DSP) of the robot-specific computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising drawing the move commands to operate the robot from the move command buffer of the robot-specific computing device in sequential order to enable the processing.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing of the move commands comprises generating activation signals based on the move commands to cause actuators of the robot to move to positions specified by the move commands.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising communicating, by the robot-specific computing device, the activation signals to the robot to cause corresponding movements.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising implementing, by the robot-specific computing device, a watchdog intercommunication module configured to enable intercommunication between said robot-specific computing device and said robot-independent computing device to detect faults in operation of said robot-independent computing device.

12. One or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, responsive to being executed by a robot-specific computing device, cause the robot-specific computing device to perform operations comprising:

storing, in a move command buffer of the robot-specific computing device, move commands to operate a robot, the move commands being;

generated using a robot-independent computing device by translating robot instructions received at the robot-independent computing device into a form understandable by the robot-specific computing device; and

communicated via a communication interface from the robot-independent computing device to the robot-specific computing device to enable the storing; and

processing, by the robot-specific computing device, the move commands from the move command buffer in sequential order to operate the robot in a continuous manner, the processing performed using the move command buffer to enable continued operation of the robot while the robot-independent computing device is not operating.

13. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 12, wherein the processing comprises:

determining current positions of one more joints of the robot based upon feedback signals received from the robot;

calculating specified positions of the one or more joints of the robot using the move commands; and

generating activation signals to move the one or more joints from the current positions to the specified positions.

14. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 12, wherein the instructions, responsive to being executed by the robot-specific computing device, further cause the robot-specific computing device to perform operations comprising:

detecting an interruption of the robot-independent computing device;

determining if the interruption exceeds a predetermined time limit; and

if the interruption exceeds the predetermined time limit, shutting down operation of the robot.

15. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 12, wherein the move commands are expressed as changes in positions of one or more joints of the robot.

16. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 12, wherein:

storing the move commands includes receiving the move commands as a single function call from the robot-independent computing device specifying positions of a plurality of mechanical joints of the robot; and

processing the move commands includes generating activation signals based on the move commands to cause actuators corresponding to the plurality of mechanical joints to move the plurality of mechanical joints to the specified positions.

17. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 12, wherein the robot instructions are received at the robot-independent computing device via an operator interface module configured as a common interface to enable input of instructions for a plurality of robots having different electromechanical configurations.

18. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 12, wherein the processing by the robot-specific computing device comprises executing one or more modules configured to sequentially process the move commands stored in the move command buffer by a digital signal processor (DSP) of the robot-specific computing device.

19. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 12, wherein the instructions, responsive to being executed by the robot-specific computing device, further cause the robot-specific computing device to perform operations comprising:

drawing the move commands to operate the robot from the move command buffer of the robot-specific computing device in sequential order to enable the processing.

20. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 12, wherein the processing of the move commands comprises generating activation signals based on the move commands to cause actuators of the robot to move to positions specified by the move commands.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the instructions, responsive to being executed by the robot-specific computing device, further cause the robot-specific computing device to perform operations comprising:

communicating the activation signals to the robot to cause corresponding movements.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the instructions, responsive to being executed by the robot-specific computing device, further cause the robot-specific computing device to perform operations comprising:

implementing a watchdog intercommunication module configured to enable intercommunication between said robot-specific computing device and said robot-independent computing device to detect faults in operation of said robot-independent computing device.

23. A robot-specific computing device comprising:

a digital signal processor (DSP), a move command buffer accessible to the. DSP and to a robot-independent computing device, and one or more modules that, responsive to being executed by the DSP, cause the DSP to perform operations including;

storing, in the move command buffer, move commands to operate a robot, the move commands being;

generated using the robot-independent computing device by translating robot instructions received at the robot-independent computing device into a form understandable by the robot-specific computing device; and

communicated via a communication interface from the robot-independent computing device to the robot-specific computing device to enable the storing; and

processing the move commands from the move command buffer in sequential order to operate the robot in a continuous manner, the processing performed using the move command buffer to enable continued operation of the robot while the robot-independent computing device is not operating.

24. A robot-specific computing device as recited in claim 23, wherein the processing comprises:

determining current positions of one more joints of the robot based upon feedback signals received from the robot;

calculating specified positions of the one or more joints of the robot using the move commands; and

generating activation signals to move the one or more joints from the current positions to the specified positions.

25. A robot-specific computing device as recited in claim 23, wherein the one or more modules, responsive to being executed by the DSP, further cause the DSP to perform operations comprising:

detecting an interruption of the robot-independent computing device;

determining if the interruption exceeds a predetermined time limit; and

if the interruption exceeds the predetermined time limit, shutting down operation of the robot.