Multi-axis robot provided with a control system

{
  "publication_number": "US7693604B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Multi-axis robot provided with a control system",
  "abstract": "The robot comprises: - a controller (C), including power modules (22) for supplying the motors (10) of the arm (A) of the robot (R), a CPU unit (26), for calculation and processing and connection means (52, B), between the arm (A), the power modules (22) and the CPU unit (26). The connection means (52, B) comprise a single functional bus (B) which connects a control unit (30), associated with the CPU unit (26), firstly to the power modules (22) and, also, to the digital interfaces (14) with the sensors (12) of the arms (A). Said interfaces (14) are either integrated with the arm (A) or located in the immediate vicinity thereof.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A multi-axis robot comprising an arm for moving a tool in space and actuated by electric motors, and a control system including: At least one digital interface card connected to at least one position sensor associated with the arm and being used for serializing an output signal therefrom, the interface card being integrated into the arm; A controller controlling the arm and including at least one power module for supplying power to the motors and at least one calculation and processing unit used to compute a path of the arm and generate control signals for the at least one power module, and the at least one calculation and processing unit; Link means between the arm, the at least one power module and the calculation and processing unit, the link means permitting at least the supply of electricity to the motors from the at least one power module; and Wherein the link means includes a single functional bus (B) formed by at least one structural bus, the single functional bus linking a control unit of the calculation and processing unit to the at least one power module and to the at least one digital interface card and the single functional bus enabling the at least one power module to be controlled by the at least one calculation and processing unit and feedback signals to be transmitted from the arm to the control unit and/or the at least one power module, at a frequency of the single functional bus.",
    "2. The robot as claimed in claim 1 wherein the single functional bus (B) includes at least two structural buses (B 1, B 2): A first structural bus linking the control unit to the at least one power module; and A second structural bus linking the control unit to the at least one digital interface card.",
    "3. The robot as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first structural bus is a metallic bus (B 1) made of copper.",
    "4. The robot as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second structural bus is an optical fiber bus (B 2).",
    "5. The robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is linked to the at least one calculation and processing unit by a PCI type bus.",
    "6. The robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is incorporated in the at least one calculation and processing unit.",
    "7. The robot as claimed in claim 1, including an identification and calibration card incorporated in the functional bus (B).",
    "8. The robot as claimed in claim 1 wherein each structural bus is designed to be extended by additional connection means) to interact with at least one external unit processing information.",
    "9. The robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the link means also includes a power conductor linking the at least one module to the arm (A), independently of the functional bus (B).",
    "10. The robot as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first structural bus (B 1) is connected to a plurality of power modules, each dedicated to a separate motor of the robot.",
    "11. The robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one digital interface card computes the speed and/or the acceleration of the movement measured by an associated sensor, serializes its output signal and, where appropriate, digitizes the output signals of the associated sensor when it is analog.",
    "12. The robot as claimed in claim 1, the at least one digital interface card is incorporated in an associated sensor and is for computing a speed and an acceleration of the movement measured by the associated sensor, serializing its output signal and, where appropriate, digitizing the output signal of the associated sensor when it is analog.",
    "13. The robot as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one power supply module, the calculation and processing unit, the control unit and a first structural bus are installed within a housing of the controller."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to a multi-axis robot provided with a control system. 2. Brief Description of the Related Art It is known that multi-axis robots can be controlled by supplying their electric motors with control signals generated from a calculation and processing unit in which the path of the robot is determined. For the path computation to be effective, to have the abovementioned unit work in closed loop mode, by using feedback signals originating from position sensors carried by the arm of the robot, is known, for example from U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,847. In the known robots, a large number of cables must be installed between the arm and its control unit, which leads to long connection and wiring times and not inconsiderable risks of error resulting in complex and costly debugging operations. The use of an optical fiber bus to connect a digital controller to amplifiers each linked to an encoder by a conventional line is known from EP-A-0 777 167. These links between the amplifiers and the coders make the job of installing these devices lengthy and complicated.\n\nMoreover, JP-A-10 178 437 provides for encoders to be linked by a bus to an external computer, independently of the power part of the installation. It is these drawbacks that the invention seeks in particular to remedy by proposing a novel architecture for a robot provided with a control system which simplifies the production of the controller, on the one hand, and of the arm, on the other hand, and the installation of this robot in its place of use.",
  "cpc": [
    "G05B 19/414",
    "B25J 9/1602",
    "G05B 2219/33162",
    "G05B 2219/33218",
    "G05B 2219/40237",
    "Y02P 90/02",
    "Y10T 74/20305",
    "Y10T 74/20311",
    "Y10T 74/20317",
    "Y10T 74/20341"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B25J 9/16",
    "G05B 19/414",
    "G06F 19/00"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "STAUBLI SA ETS"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "GERAT VINCENT",
    "PERILLAT PIERRE",
    "BONNET DES TUVES JEAN-MICHEL"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2004-02-03",
  "publication_date": "2010-04-06",
  "grant_date": "2010-04-06",
  "priority_date": "2003-02-04",
  "application_number": "US-54226105-A",
  "family_id": "32696338",
  "citations": [
    "EP0777167A1",
    "EP0881551A2",
    "JPH10178437A",
    "US4396987A",
    "US4611296A",
    "US4786847A",
    "US4794513A",
    "US4878002A",
    "US4965500A",
    "US5047700A",
    "US5940292A",
    "US5978593A",
    "US6091219A",
    "US6208104B1",
    "US6356806B1",
    "US6442451B1",
    "US6675070B2"
  ]
}