812 results about "Robot position" patented technology

A robot includes a hazard sensor, a locomotor, and a system controller. The robot senses a hazard intensity at a location of the robot, moves to a new location in response to the hazard intensity, and autonomously repeats the sensing and moving to determine multiple hazard levels at multiple locations. The robot may also include a communicator to communicate the multiple hazard levels to a remote controller. The remote controller includes a communicator for sending user commands to the robot and receiving the hazard levels from the robot. A graphical user interface displays an environment map of the environment proximate the robot and a scale for indicating a hazard intensity. A hazard indicator corresponds to a robot position in the environment map and graphically indicates the hazard intensity at the robot position relative to the scale.

Methods and apparatus for enhancing surgical planning provide enhanced planning of entry port placement and / or robot position for laparoscopic, robotic, and other minimally invasive surgery. Various embodiments may be used in robotic surgery systems to identify advantageous entry ports for multiple robotic surgical tools into a patient to access a surgical site. Generally, data such as imaging data is processed and used to create a model of a surgical site, which can then be used to select advantageous entry port sites for two or more surgical tools based on multiple criteria. Advantageous robot positioning may also be determined, based on the entry port locations and other factors. Validation and simulation may then be provided to ensure feasibility of the selected port placements and / or robot positions. Such methods, apparatus, and systems may also be used in non-surgical contexts, such as for robotic port placement in munitions diffusion or hazardous waste handling.

A robot includes a hazard sensor, a locomotor, and a system controller. The robot senses a hazard intensity at a location of the robot, moves to a new location in response to the hazard intensity, and autonomously repeats the sensing and moving to determine multiple hazard levels at multiple locations. The robot may also include a communicator to communicate the multiple hazard levels to a remote controller. The remote controller includes a communicator for sending user commands to the robot and receiving the hazard levels from the robot. A graphical user interface displays an environment map of the environment proximate the robot and a scale for indicating a hazard intensity. A hazard indicator corresponds to a robot position in the environment map and graphically indicates the hazard intensity at the robot position relative to the scale.

A method and system for controlling drive of a robot having two or more drive axes and driven in accordance with an action program transmitted from a system controller to a robot controller by a wireless transmission way, checks whether a detected current position of the robot coincides with a predetermined start position of the robot in terms of the drive axes, and allows the robot to be driven in accordance with the designated action program when the detected current position coincides with the predetermined start position. Failure in the position control of the robot due to transmission error is prevented by the position checking.

Methods and apparatus for enhancing surgical planning provide enhanced planning of entry port placement and / or robot position for laparoscopic, robotic, and other minimally invasive surgery. Various embodiments may be used in robotic surgery systems to identify advantageous entry ports for multiple robotic surgical tools into a patient to access a surgical site. Generally, data such as imaging data is processed and used to create a model of a surgical site, which can then be used to select advantageous entry port sites for two or more surgical tools based on multiple criteria. Advantageous robot positioning may also be determined, based on the entry port locations and other factors. Validation and simulation may then be provided to ensure feasibility of the selected port placements and / or robot positions. Such methods, apparatus and systems may also be used in non-surgical contexts, such as for robotic port placement in munitions diffusion or hazardous waste handling.

A dynamic workcell includes a three dimensional positioning robot positioned adjacent a plurality of operation stations. A plurality of movable part fixtures located adjacent to the robot is also provided. A fixture location controller directing positioning of the part fixtures relative to the plurality of operation stations to minimize travel between an operation station and a part fixture is provided. A method for operating a workcell may include the steps of: mapping ones of a plurality of testers to the plurality of movable part fixtures; maintaining the position of each movable part fixture; determining a current location of an active part fixture relative to a mapped tester; and minimizing the distance between the mapped tester and the active part fixture.

The invention relates to an intelligent robot. The intelligent robot comprises a man-machine interface module, a main controller, an environment monitoring module, a robot positioning module, a motor driving module, a vision module, a voice module, a data storage module, a wireless data transmission module and a power supply management module, wherein the man-machine interface module performs man-machine information exchange with a user and transmits the received data to the main controller; the environment monitoring module inputs the detected information to the main controller; the robot positioning module transmits external information to the main controller; the motor driving module is controlled by the main controller to perform servo control on a driving motor in the motor driving module; the vision module and the voice module transmits the acquired signals to the main controller; the main controller inputs various acquired signals into the data storage module and compares the signals with pre-called service data packets in the data storage module; the main controller controls the wireless data transmission module to perform information exchange with a server according to the preset fixed time; and the power supply management module supplies power to each module in the robot.

Generally, a method of determining a position of a robot is provided. In one embodiment, a method of determining a position of a robot comprises acquiring a first set of positional metrics, acquiring a second set of positional metrics and resolving the position of the robot due to thermal expansion using the first set and the second set of positional metrics. Acquiring the first and second set of positional metrics may occur at the same location within a processing system, or may occur at different locations. For example, in another embodiment, the method may comprise acquiring a first set of positional metrics at a first location proximate a processing chamber and acquiring a second set of positional metrics in another location. In another embodiment, substrate center information is corrected using the determined position of the robot.

An incubator for storing micro-plates or micro-tubes comprises a handling robot positioned between shelves or drawers containing micro-titer plates or other containers useful for biological based reactions. The advantages of this configuration are the ultimate compactness of the system and increased speed or reliability achieved with more than one robot being able to access the same plate or tube. Alternative embodiments standardize the spacing and configuration of a robot track and a shelf track such that a shelf and a robot are interchangeable in a track.

Methods for automated calibration and diagnostics of a workpiece transfer system are provided. In one embodiment, a method for locating an end effector includes retrieving a workpiece located at a target location, passing the workpiece through a plurality of sensors, wherein at least one of the sensors changes state in response to a position of at least one of the end effector or workpiece, recording a metric of robot position associated with the sensor change of state, determining an error for an expected metric of the end effector position from the recorded robot position metric and correcting a taught location of the robot for the target position. In another embodiment, a process for monitoring a robotic transfer system is provided that includes detecting a first positional error in a robotic transfer system, and comparing the first positional error to a second positional error in the robotic transfer system.

A novel image-guided system for precise automatic targeting in minimally invasive keyhole neurosurgery. The system consists of a miniature robot fitted with a mechanical guide for needle, probe, or catheter insertion. Intraoperative, the robot is directly affixed to a head clamp or to the patient skull. It automatically positions itself with respect to predefined entry points and targets in a preoperative CT / MRI image following an anatomical registration with an intraoperative 3D surface scan of the patient facial features and a registration jig. The registration procedure is a novel three-way scheme, in which the intraoperative surface scan including the registration jig is matched to a model generated from the preoperative CT / MRI image, the robot position is known in relation to the registration jig, and the entry and target points are known from the preoperative CT / MRI image, such that the robot position can be related to the entry and target points.

An electroless deposition system is provided. The system includes a processing mainframe, at least one substrate cleaning station positioned on the mainframe, and an electroless deposition station positioned on the mainframe. The electroless deposition station includes an environmentally controlled processing enclosure, a first processing station configured to clean and activate a surface of a substrate, a second processing station configured to electrolessly deposit a layer onto the surface of the substrate, and a substrate transfer shuttle positioned to transfer substrates between the first and second processing stations. The system also includes a substrate transfer robot positioned on the mainframe and configured to access an interior of the processing enclosure. The system also includes a substrate a fluid delivery system that is configured to deliver a processing fluid by use of a spraying process to a substrate mounted in the processing enclosure.

A mobile, remotely controlled robot includes a turret subsystem, a robot controller subsystem configured to control the robot, control the turret, and fire the weapon, a robot navigation subsystem configured to determine the position of the robot, a turret orientation determination subsystem, and a robot communications subsystem for receiving commands and for transmitting robot position data and turret orientation data. An operator control unit includes a user interface for commanding the robot, the turret, and the weapon. An operator control unit communications subsystem transmits commands to the robot and receives robot position data and turret orientation data from the robot. An operator control unit navigation subsystem is configured to determine the position of the operator control unit. An operator control unit controller subsystem is responsive to the robot position data, the turret orientation data, and the operator control unit position and is configured to determine if the weapon is aimed at the operator control unit within a predetermined fan angle.

The invention discloses a navigation information acquisition method and an intelligent space system with multiple mobile robots. The intelligent space system comprises a distributed vision system and a Zigbee technology based wireless sensor network system. The method includes: carrying out image stitching based on a maximum gradient similar curve and an affine transformation model, and then carrying out image segmentation based on Otsu threshold segmentation and the mathematical morphology so that an environmental map is obtained. The mobile robots in navigation are positioned mainly by means of visual positioning, and Zigbee and DR (dead reckoning) combined positioning are used for making up visual blind zones in visual positioning supplementarily. The visual positioning refers to that positioning is realized by processing images including robot positions and direction signs mainly based on an HIS color model and the mathematical morphology. Combined positioning refers to that information fusion positioning of Zigbee and DR is achieved by the aid of a federal Kalman filter.

The invention discloses a travelling robot positioning system based on a single camera. In the system, a point model is adopted for representing an environmental model, an off-line map is calibrated, an action model and an observation model are established for carrying out position updating and road sign calibration, Monte Carto particle filter technology is adopted, particle swarm distribution with weights is adopted for representing robot pose estimation, the weights and the distribution of particles are updated through road sign matching processing, field particle distribution is rasterized, and a sub-region with maximal particle density is selected for positioning the robot. As an independent platform, the system greatly improves the map calibration technology on the environmental model, has great flexibility on the identification of ground line sections, and just needs re-calibration but not needs model re-establishment after environment change. The model reduces the matching complexity in visual processing and improves calculation efficiency. The Monte Carlo localization algorithm is expanded on the information integration processing technology, thus ensuring the real-time property and robustness of the system.

The image of a tool center point (31) caught by a camera (light-receiving device) 4 from two initial positions is moved to a predetermined point, by a predetermined point moving process, at the center of a light-receiving surface thereby to acquire robot positions (Qf1, Qf2), based on which the direction of the view line (40) is determined. Next, the robot is moved to the position where the position (Qf1) is rotated by 180 degrees around the Z axis of a coordinate system (Σv1) thereby to execute the predetermined point moving process. After rotational movement, a robot position (Qf3) is acquired. The midpoint between the position (Qf1) and the position (Qf3) is determined as the origin of a coordinate system (Σv2). Using the position and the posture of the view line (40), the position of the tool center point (31) is determined. Thus, the position of the tool center point with respect to the tool mounting surface can be determined using a fixed light-receiving device. By additionally measuring two points at known relative positions from the tool center point, the tool posture as well as the position of the tool center point can be determined.

A robot having joints includes a position information acquiring section that acquires time series information about a robot position, speed information, or acceleration information, a dynamics parameter switching section that switches a gravity term component and an inertia force term component of a motion equation separately between dynamics parameters including dynamics parameter of the robot gripping no object and dynamics parameter including the object gripped by the robot which robot arm gripping the object, and a desired torque calculation section that outputs a desired robot joint torque value as a desired joint torque based on the motion equation after the dynamics parameter switching section switches the dynamics parameters and the time series information about the robot position, the speed information, or the acceleration information acquired by the position information acquiring section. The robot controls an operation of the robot based on an output from the desired torque calculation section.

Minimally invasive neurosurgical intracranial robot system is introduced to the operative site by a neurosurgeon through a narrow surgical corridor. The robot is passed through a cannula and is attached to the cannula by a latching mechanism. The robot has several links interconnected via revolute joints which are tendon-driven by tendons routed through channels formed in the walls of the links. The robot is teleoperatively guided by the neurosurgeon based on real-time images of the intracranial operative site and tracking information of the robot position. The robot body is equipped with a tracking system, tissue liquefacting end-effector, at as well as irrigation and suction tubes. Actuators for the tendon-driven mechanism are positioned at a distance from the imaging system to minimize distortion to the images. The tendon-actuated navigation of the robot permits an independent control of the revolute joints in the robot body.

A method to determine the location of a robot using an omni-directional image, the method including acquiring an omni-directional image from a robot, extracting a predetermined current line from the acquired omni-directional image, calculating a correlation coefficient between the extracted current line of the robot and each landmark line of pre-stored nodes using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), and performing a stochastic approach method of a particle filtering process on a basis of the calculated correlation coefficient to recognize a location of the robot.

The invention discloses a visual locating system of spherical robot and a visual locating method thereof. The visual locating system is composed of a binocular visual system, a one-dimensional gyroscope, a spherical robot body, a core control system and a wireless communication module. The locating system carries out locating through cooperation of a camera and the gyroscope, and a locating algorithm is realized on line in the core control system. Data for locating are subjected to remote transmission through the wireless communication module. And a use can realize remote real time monitoring of a robot position. The locating method comprises: conducting real-time acquisition of left and right image sequences by a binocular camera, calculating the posture and location changes of the spherical robot by a binocular visual mileage calculation method, compensating a feature locating error caused by an unstable spherical robot platform through the gyroscope, and finally performing state updating by a Kalman filtering method. The whole process iterates continuously so as to realize real time calculation of the posture and location of a robot.

Disclosed herein is a mobile robot which is capable of accurately calculating a position of the wireless signal source using a wireless signal, and allowing the mobile robot to accurately and rapidly return to a charging-stand using the calculated position. The position calculation system for a mobile robot includes: a wireless signal source for outputting a wireless signal continuously or periodically; and a mobile robot which includes a plurality of directional antennas for detecting the wireless signal outputted through the wireless signal source, wherein, the mobile robot calculates a direction of the wireless signal source via a rotation angle detected by the directional antennas, and calculates a distance separated from the wireless signal source using a wireless signal detection time difference between the directional antennas.

The invention discloses a laser navigation system applicable to an intelligent inspection robot of a transformer substation, overcoming the problem in the prior art that navigation control positioning precision of the robot still needs to be improved. The laser navigation system comprises the following steps: step 1, configuring the robot; step 2, establishing an environment map; step 3, carrying out a laser navigation positioning test; and step 4, executing tasks at stopping points. In the step 3, a move_base packet in the laser navigation positioning test is used for doing a path plan on the map by utilizing robot position information and real-time obstacle information sensed by a laser sensor, and issuing planning speed information to a movement controller on the bottom layer, so that the robot safely arrives at an appointed target position. The invention provides the laser navigation type intelligent inspection robot of the transformer substation, which is not interfered by a strong electromagnetic field in a transformer substation environment, and is reliable to operate, accurate in navigation positioning, easy to realize and low in development cost.

The invention relates to a household intelligent robot system which comprises a user side, a server side and a user, wherein the user side comprises a robot body and a charging and network management system, the robot body comprises a man-machine interface module, a main controller, an environment monitoring module, a robot positioning module, a motor driving module, a vision module, a voice module, a data storage module, a wireless data transmission module and a power supply management module; the server side comprises a user service platform and a server side customized product server; the user can provide information support for customized service by using a computer to register information on the user service platform; and registration information of the user is collected to the server side customized product server via the user service platform, then a corresponding customized service data packet is generated after analysis and treatment, and the data packet is further sent to the user side via the server side customized product server. The household intelligent robot system can be applicable to the functions of various people groups, and has high degree of intelligence. The household intelligent robot system can be widely applied in the robot systems in various environments.

The presence range for workpieces (the internal edge of a container's opening) is defined with a visual sensor attached to a robot and the range is divided into a specified number of sectional regions. A robot position suitable for sensing each of the sectional regions is determined, and sensing is performed at the position so that workpieces in the container are picked up.

Generally a method and apparatus for viewing images within a processing system is provided. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a plate having a camera, transmitter and battery coupled thereto. The plate is adapted to be transported about a semiconductor processing system by a substrate transfer robot thereby allowing images within the system to be viewed remotely from the system. The viewed images may be used for system inspection and calibration of robot position, among other uses.

A self-locating device that captures omni-directional camera images and determines its position and posture from the sensed images is disclosed. Omni-directional predicted images of a robot in a supposed moved position from an initial position are generated from omni-directional camera images that can be acquired when the robot is arranged in the initial position, and these predicted images and omni-directional images newly acquired when the robot has actually moved are matched with each other to detect the robot position and posture (direction).

The invention discloses a painting robot position planning method for a large-scale free-form surface and relates to the technical field of robot painting. According to the method, firstly, a spray gun track planning method is adopted to complete blocking of the large-scale free-form surface and planning of a spray gun track; then on a specified position search cone generatrix, a point in a working space of a painting robot and a three-dimensional moving platform is selected and a joint angle and a joint angular velocity in the painting motion are solved out by utilizing the robotics principle so as to carry out feasibility checking on the point; next, collision interference check is carried out by utilizing a motion simulation function of three-dimensional shaping software; finally, all feasible positions corresponding to free-form surface blocks are found. The painting robot position planning method for the large-scale free-form surface can implement batch position planning on a plurality of free-form surface blocks in the large-scale free-form surface and has a high calculating speed and a high automation degree.

An autonomous global relocation method for robots is provided. The method comprises steps that existing maps are rasterized; the grids with obstacles and without obstacles are assigned to different values; multiple distance data and angle data corresponding to the distance data obtained by a lidar sensor with the same position of a robot scanning external obstacles are marked on the map with the simulation robot position as the origin in the form of laser point location; and the assignment of the grid of the laser point location corresponding to each simulation robot position is integrated, robot positions are screened out, and the correct position of the robot is calculated from the initially selected simulation robot positions by a particle filtering algorithm. Through the differential assignment of grids with obstacles and without obstacles, the position of the laser point location in the map is described, and the matching degree between the lidar sensor information and the electronic map is quickly calculated, the most divergent transfer point is found as the transfer target point, and the self position can be rapidly and accurately found in a known map.