The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 17, 1998
Filed:
Oct. 31, 1996
Zhongxue Gan, Storrs, CT (US);
Jeffrey Sherman Katz, West Hartford, CT (US);
Qing Tang, Wethersfield, CT (US);
Lance Terrance Fitzgibbons, Southwick, MA (US);
Combustion Engineering, Inc., Windsor, CT (US);
Abstract
A robot and associated control system, as well as a method of control, for servicing a heat exchanger having a substantially planar tube sheet which defines a multiplicity of laterally spaced tube openings of known shape, each of which is centered at a coordinate on a tube sheet coordinate system. A sensory system associated with the robot end effector and the associated digital processing system, includes a vision subsystem for generating an image of a portion of the tube sheet and generating a first signal commensurate with the spatial relationship of the tool to a selected tube opening. An optical subsystem is also provided, for projecting a structured light beam toward the tube sheet and receiving a reflected structured light pattern, indicative of how closely the tool is aligned with the target opening. The end effector also includes transducers responsive to at least one of force and torque acting on the end effector, resulting from partial entry of the tool, or a tool proxy such as a guide, into a tube opening. The sensing of the reflected light pattern, and the sensing of the force and/or torque, result in the generation of second and third signals, respectively which, along with the first signal, are utilized in the computer for controlling the arm to center the tool for actuation fully into the selected tube opening.