METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ANALYZING THE FEASIBILITY OF PERFORMING A PROGRAMMED SEQUENCE OF MOTIONS WITH A ROBOT

摘要

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ANALYZING THEFEASIBILITY OF PERFORMING A PROGRAMMEDSEQUENCE OF MOTIONS WITH A ROBOTAbstract of the Disclosure:An apparatus and method is disclosed for deter-mining the feasibility of performing a programmed sequencemotions with a robot. Included is a work robot at afirst location having a plurality of power-driven,signal-controlled, relatively massive links interconnectedto permit relative motion in plural degrees of freedom,the work robot having a given mechanical responsecharacteristic. Associated with each link of the workrobot is a position transducer which generates a signalrepresentative of the actual position of its associatedwork robot link. Also included is a portable, relativelylightweight, manually manipulable simulator robot locatedremote from the work robot. The simulator robot has aplurality of different interconnected links adapted formanual movement in different degrees of freedom for settinga program of desired mechanical responses, with the linksand degrees of freedom of the simulator robot simulatingthose of the work robot. Associated with each link of thesimulator robot is a position transducer for generating asignal representative of the position of its associatedsimulator robot link. A signal recorder is provided atthe location of the simulator robot for storing the posi-tion signals representative of the program of desiredmechanical responses imparted to it by the operator. Awork robot controller is also provided at the site of thework robot which is responsive to the stored positionsignals for manipulating the work robot links to performthe movements corresponding to the program of desiredmechanical responses limited only by the given mechanicalresponse characteristic of the work robot. An analyzerresponsive to the actual and desired position signals ofthe work robot links is provided for generating errorsignals correlated to the extent to which the work robotis capable of performing the program of desired mechanicalresponses manually imparted to the simulator robot. Anindicator responsive to the analyzer provides a humanlyperceptible indication of the feasibility of the workrobot for performing the program of desired mechanicalresponses imparted to the simulator.