Training and operating industrial robots

• US 8,996,175 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2012
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rethink Robotics
• Original Assignee: Rethink Robotics
• Inventors: Blumberg, Bruce, Brooks, Rodney, Buehler, Christopher J., Dye, Noelle, Ens, Gerry, Linder, Natan, Siracusa, Michael, Sussman, Michael, Williamson, Matthew M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US13/621,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20130345874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 700245-247, 700/253, 700255-259, 318/567, 318/568.1, 318/568.12, 318/568.16, 318/568.21, 901 1- 3
• US Class Current: 700/259
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0005 Manipulators having means for high-level communication with users, e.g. speech generator, face recognition means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/084 Tactile sensors in general G01L5/16, G01L5/22
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0087 Dual arms double SCARA arms B25J9/043
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/163 learning, adaptive, model based, rule based expert control
• 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: B25J 9/1676 Avoiding collision or forbidden zones
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1682 Dual arm manipulator; Coordination of several manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• 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 19/423 Teaching successive positions by walk-through, i.e. the tool head or end effector being grasped and guided directly, with or without servo-assistance, to follow a path
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39451 Augmented reality for robot programming
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39466 Hand, gripper, end effector of manipulator
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40116 Learn by operator observation, symbiosis, show, watch
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/28 Determining representative reference patterns, e.g. by averaging or distorting; Generating dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/025 Extracting rules from data
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 7/01 Probabilistic graphical models, e.g. probabilistic networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/235 based on user input or interaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1914 Determining representative reference patterns, e.g. averaging or distorting patterns; Generating dictionaries, e.g. user dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/194 : References adjustable by an adaptive method, e.g. learning
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 : Management or planning
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 : Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/03 : Teaching system
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/09 : Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/31 : Gripping jaw
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/46 : Sensing device
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 : Optical

Abstract

Robots may manipulate objects based on sensor input about the objects and/or the environment in conjunction with data structures representing primitive tasks and, in some embodiments, objects and/or locations associated therewith. The data structures may be created by instantiating respective prototypes during training by a human trainer.

Claims

1. A robot for manipulating objects within an environment based on physical perception thereof, comprising:

at least one appendage for manipulating an object;

a controller for operating the at least one appendage;

a perception system for receiving physical information about at least one of the object or the environment from at least one sensor;

an instance database comprising a plurality of stored instances at least some of which specify tasks to be performed by the appendage on the object; and

a task-execution module, responsive to the perception system, for automatically selecting at least one of the instances from the instance database based on information received from the perception system, and automatically executing the at least one selected instance via commands to the controller.

2. The robot of claim 1, wherein at least one of the instances defines the task in generic, spatially unspecified terms.

3. The robot of claim 2, wherein at least one of the instances specifies the task in terms of motions of the appendage relative to at least one of the environment or the object.

4. The robot of claim 2, wherein the motions are defined in generic terms that do not specify spatial trajectories.

5. The robot of claim 1, wherein the instance database further comprises at least one of an instance defining an object class, an instance defining a type of equipment, or an instance defining a location.

6. The robot of claim 5, wherein the at least one task-defining instance references at least one of the instances defining the object class, the type of equipment, or the location.

7. The robot of claim 1, wherein the at least one instance references an object class, and wherein the task execution module is configured to cause the robot appendage, upon detection by the perception system of an object belonging to the object class, to perform the task on the detected object.

8. The robot of claim 1, wherein the perception system includes at least one camera.

9. The robot of claim 8, wherein the perception system includes a computer vision system.

10. The robot of claim 1, wherein the perception system includes at least one of a pressable button, a knob, a touch-sensitive pad, or a touch-sensitive cuff.

11. The robot of claim 1, wherein the task-execution module is configured to specify an attribute of the at least one selected instance based on the physical information.