Device for dynamic switching of robot control points

• US 9,962,835 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2014
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dorthe Solvason, Franziska Kirstein, Ilka Marhenke, Kamil Kuklinski, Kerstin Fischer, Maria Vanessa Aus Der Wieschen, Norbert Krueger, Thiusius Rajeeth Savarimuthu
• Original Assignee: Syddansk Universitet
• Inventors: Savarimuthu, Thiusius Rajeeth, Soelvason, Dorthe, Kuklinski, Kamil, Krger, Norbert, Fischer, Kerstin, Vanessa Aus Der Wieschen, Maria, Kirstein, Franziska, Marhenke, Ilka
• Primary Examiner(s): Jen, Ian
• Application Number:
  US15/105,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20160318185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/084 Tactile sensors in general G01L5/16, G01L5/22
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/085 Force or torque sensors B25J13/082, B25J13/084 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/023 including video camera means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1687 Assembly, peg and hole, palletising, straight line, weaving pattern movement
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40144 Force sensation feedback from slave
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40154 Moving of objects
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40155 Purpose is grasping objects
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40193 Micromanipulation

Abstract

The invention comprises a system for switching between control points of a robotic system involving an industrial robot including a robot arm with a number of joints and provided with a tool interest point movable in a plurality of degrees of freedom.

Claims

1. A robotic system comprising:

a robot arm with one or more joints and provided with a tool interface movable in a plurality of degrees of freedom, and a tool centre point in space, said tool interface being able to hold an object;

optionally a detection unit that detects a position and orientation of the object in space, said detection unit being programmable to detect a specific point in or on the object, said point being defined as an object interest point;

a user operated control device that can dynamically switch between tool centre point and object interest point based teach modes, said control device adapted to let a user instruct movements of the robot arm thereby manually controlling the movement of the object relative to the tool centre point and/or object interest point;

wherein switching from the tool centre point to object interest point based teach mode results in an operator being able to control robot movements relative to the object interest point.

2. The robotic system according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit uses a set of cameras to detect the position and orientation of the object.

3. The robotic system according to claim 1, wherein a feedback mode is adopted for informing the user of forces experienced by the object.

4. The robotic system according to claim 3, wherein the feedback mode is based on tactile sensing by the user.

5. The robotic system according to claim 4, wherein the feedback is based on vibration of the control device.

6. The robotic system according to claim 1, wherein the control device allows for rotation of the object in the teach mode.

7. The robotic system according to claim 1, wherein a feedback mode is adopted for informing the user of a torque experienced by the object.

8. The robotic system according to claim 3, wherein the feedback mode is based on visual sensing by the user.

9. The robotic system according to claim 3, wherein the feedback mode is based on temperature sensing by the user.