System and a method for controlling movements of an industrial robot
First Claim
1. A system for controlling the movements of an industrial robot during a work cycle, wherein the robot visits and performs work on a plurality of workstations in a work cell during the work cycle, the system comprising:
- hardware configured to store a library of predefined workstations, wherein each of said predefined workstations comprises;
a model of a real workstation including a specific type of machine or equipment at each workstation,preprogrammed code designed to control the robot so that the robot carries out a defined task at the workstation, wherein the code is related to the specific type of machine or equipment at the workstation,an entry point defining an entrance position to the real workstation, andat least one predefined path to be followed by the robot when carrying out the task at the real workstation, anda user interface configured to provide information about the predefined workstations and to permit an operator to select a set of workstations from the predefined workstations and to specify, before execution of the work cycle, a desired part flow between the selected workstations, anda scheduling unit that carries out during execution of the work cycle;
scheduling an execution order for the selected workstations based on the desired part flow and information about external events, wherein the system is configured to receive information about external events during execution of the work cycle and adapt the scheduling of the execution order based on the information about external events during the work cycle, andcontrolling the movements of the robot based on the scheduled execution order and said predefined paths for the selected workstations.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and a method for controlling movements of an industrial robot during a work cycle including visiting and performing work on a plurality of workstations in a work cell. The system includes a set of predefined workstations. Each workstation includes preprogrammed robot code adapted to the workstation, an entry point defining the entrance position to the workstation, and one or more predefined paths to be followed by the robot at the workstation. A user interface is adapted to provide information about the predefined workstations and allows an operator to select one or more of the predefined workstations and to specify a desired part flow between the workstations. A scheduling unit is adapted during execution of the work cycle to schedule the execution order for the workstations based on the workstations selected from the predefined workstations and the desired part flow, and to control the movements of the robot based on the scheduled execution order and the predefined paths.
11 Citations
41 Claims
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1. A system for controlling the movements of an industrial robot during a work cycle, wherein the robot visits and performs work on a plurality of workstations in a work cell during the work cycle, the system comprising:
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hardware configured to store a library of predefined workstations, wherein each of said predefined workstations comprises; a model of a real workstation including a specific type of machine or equipment at each workstation, preprogrammed code designed to control the robot so that the robot carries out a defined task at the workstation, wherein the code is related to the specific type of machine or equipment at the workstation, an entry point defining an entrance position to the real workstation, and at least one predefined path to be followed by the robot when carrying out the task at the real workstation, and a user interface configured to provide information about the predefined workstations and to permit an operator to select a set of workstations from the predefined workstations and to specify, before execution of the work cycle, a desired part flow between the selected workstations, and a scheduling unit that carries out during execution of the work cycle; scheduling an execution order for the selected workstations based on the desired part flow and information about external events, wherein the system is configured to receive information about external events during execution of the work cycle and adapt the scheduling of the execution order based on the information about external events during the work cycle, and controlling the movements of the robot based on the scheduled execution order and said predefined paths for the selected workstations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for controlling the movements of an industrial robot during a work cycle, wherein the robot visits and performs work on a plurality of workstations in a work cell during the work cycle, the method comprising:
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storing a library of predefined workstations, each comprising; a model of a real workstation including a specific type of machine or equipment, preprogrammed code designed to control the robot so that the robot carries out a defined task at the workstation, wherein the code is related to the specific type of machine or equipment at the workstation, an entry point defining the entrance position to the real workstation, and at least one predefined path to be followed by the robot when carrying out the task at the real workstation, wherein the method includes during programming of the robot displaying information about the predefined workstations on a user interface, allowing an operator to select a set of workstations from the predefined workstations and to specify a desired part flow between selected workstations, receiving information on selected workstations and a desired part flow between the selected workstations prior to execution of the work cycle, and scheduling an execution order for the selected workstations based on the desired part flow; and wherein the method includes during execution of the work cycle receiving information about external events, determining the execution order for the selected workstations based on the desired part flow, and said information about external events, adapting the scheduling of the execution order based on the information about external events during the work cycle, and moving the robot based on the scheduled execution order and said predefined paths for the selected workstations. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41)
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40. A computer program product, comprising:
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a non-transitory computer readable medium; and computer program instructions recorded on the computer readable medium and executable by a processor for carrying out a method for controlling the movements of an industrial robot during a work cycle including visiting and performing work on a plurality of workstations in a work cell, the method comprising; storing a library of predefined workstations, each comprising; a model of a real workstation including a specific type of machine or equipment, preprogrammed code designed to control the robot so that the robot carries out a defined task at the workstation, wherein the code is related to the specific type of machine or equipment at the workstation, an entry point defining the entrance position to the real workstation, and at least one predefined path to be followed by the robot when carrying out the task at the real workstation, wherein the method includes during programming of the robot displaying information about the predefined workstations on a user interface, allowing an operator to select a set of workstations from the predefined workstations and to specify a desired part flow between selected workstations, and receiving information on selected workstations and a desired part flow between the selected workstations prior to execution of the work cycle; and wherein the method includes during execution of the work cycle receiving information about external events, determining the execution order for the selected workstations based on the desired part flow, and said information about external events, adapting the scheduling of the execution order based on the information about external events during the work cycle, and moving the robot based on the scheduled execution order, the preprogrammed robot code, and said predefined paths for the selected workstations.
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Specification