Abb Schweiz Ag

Abb Patent Gmbh

Abb Ag

Bjoern Matthias

Hao Ding

Fan Dai

Christoph Byner

Tomas Groth

Andreas Decker

Richard Roberts

Nicolas Lehment

Gunar Baier

Yauheni Veryha

Roger Mellander

Arne Wahrburg

Jihuan Tian

Debora Clever

Christoph Winterhalter

Ferdinand Lutz

Klaus Keske

Berthold Schaub

Franz Schmaderer

Rene Kirsten

Klaus-Dieter Gramatke

A robotic system and method includes at least one robot actively or passively mobile between at least first and second locations, and a first safety configuration being defined at least for said first location. A first data carrier associated to the first safety configuration is located in said first location, and the robot comprises a reader adapted to read the first data carrier when the robot is in said first location.

Robotic system comprising a movable robot

A robotic system includes: at least one robot; a robot controller for controlling an operation of the at least one robot; a robot sensor system with at least one robot sensor, the robot sensor system being coupled to the robot controller to detect a presence of an object in a robot safety zone, which robot safety zone at least partially surrounds the at least one robot; and at least one automated vehicle for supplying the at least one robot. The at least one vehicle has at least one vehicle sensor for detecting a presence of an object in a vehicle safety zone, which vehicle safety zone at least partially surrounds the at least one vehicle. The robot controller determines an entry of the at least one vehicle into the robot safety zone. The robot controller adjusts at least a part of the robot safety zone.

Safe operation of a robotic system

A method for controlling a robot includes the steps of: deciding whether there is a non-permanent object in a vicinity of the robot; if there is a non-permanent object, deciding whether the object qualifies for extended protection or not; and defining a safety zone around the object which the robot must not enter or in which a maximum allowed speed of the robot is less than outside the safety zone. The safety zone extends to a greater distance from the object if the object qualifies for extended protection than if it does not.

Robot control method

A method for estimating a wrench acting on a reference point of a robot includes the steps of: a) measuring at least one component, but not all components, of the wrench; and b) estimating non-measured components of the wrench based on a dynamical model of the robot while taking into account the measured components.

Method for estimating a wrench

A method of determining a joint torque in a joint of an articulated industrial robot, the robot having a first arm and a second arm which are coupled to each other by the joint and which are movable relative to each other by an electric drive unit coupled to the first and second arm, includes: controlling the electric drive unit by an electronic control device; assigning a measuring device to the electric drive unit, the measuring device measuring an electric current supplied to the drive unit; determining an actual value of the torque which is applied to the second arm from the measured electric current; and comparing, using the electronic control device, the determined actual torque value with a predetermined desired torque value for the joint.

Method of determining a joint torque in a joint of an articulated industrial robot

A distance measuring system includes: at least one emitter, which emits a frequency-variable scanning signal; at least one receiver; and an analysis unit for computing a distance to an object reflecting the scanning signal on the basis of a difference between the frequencies of the emitted and the received scanning signal. The rate of change of the frequency of the scanning signal in a first operating mode of the distance measuring system has a first finite value. The rate of change of the frequency in a second operating mode has a second finite value. The analysis unit is configured to compute a first distance on the basis of a frequency difference ascertained in the first operating mode, to compute a second distance on the basis of a frequency difference ascertained in the second operating mode, and to evaluate the correspondence between first and second computed distance.

Distance measuring system and method, and robot system using same

A safety control system has a control unit with safety control logic, a safety sensor arrangement, a machine arrangement operable in different operation modes, each operation mode having a different productivity, the control unit receiving and evaluating input from the safety sensor arrangement, and, in reaction to evaluation result(s), activating an operation mode determined by the safety control logic, the safety sensor arrangement having at least two functionally redundant subsystems, control unit input including information indicating availability of the functionally redundant subsystems, the control logic being configured to activate normal operation mode with normal productivity if input indicates availability of all subsystems, activate fail-stop operation mode with zero productivity if input indicates unavailability of all subsystems, activate fail-operate operation mode with productivity less than normal but above zero if input indicates at least temporary unavailability of at least one and availability of at least another one of the subsystems.

Safety control system and method of operation of a safety control system

A robot system, and method for controlling it, for collaborative robot applications has a movable robot arm and a controller, wherein the controller is provided to control the movement of the distal end of the robot arm along a movement path according to at least a sequence of coordinate data and respective commands of a robot program and wherein the controller is provided to determine exact movement speed and course of the movement path between consecutive coordinates according to a set of parameters. At least two alternatively selectable sets of parameters are provided which both are related to a respective individual comfort level of a respective collaborative human worker.

Robot system and method for controlling a robot system

The invention relates to a moving contact which has a sliding contact for the transmission of electrical power from an overhead line to an electrically powered vehicle. The overhead line can cause damage to the sliding contact, since the overhead line can be deflected vertically due to the influence of external forces. In order to prevent such damaging effects on the sliding contact, the moving contact is equipped with at least two height adjusting components. According to the invention, at least one passively sprung component and at least one component whose height can be controlled are installed between the electrically powered vehicle and the sliding contact.

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Bad Schoenborn, Germany

Bjoern Matthias