A system comprises a first robotic arm adapted to support and move a tool and a second robotic arm adapted to support and move a camera. The system also comprises an input device, a display, and a processor. The processor is configured to, in a first mode, command the first robotic arm to move the camera in response to a first input received from the input device to capture an image of the tool and present the image as a displayed image on the display. The processor is configured to, in a second mode, display a synthetic image of the first robotic arm in a boundary area around the captured image on the display, and in response to a second input, change a size of the boundary area relative a size of the displayed image.

A synthetic representation of a robot tool for display on a user interface of a robotic system. The synthetic representation may be used to show the position of a view volume of an image capture device with respect to the robot. The synthetic representation may also be used to find a tool that is outside of the field of view, to display range of motion limits for a tool, to remotely communicate information about the robot, and to detect collisions.

A control device includes a processor configured to determine whether or not an accessory fitted onto an apparatus interferes with operation of a movable part of the apparatus; set a movable range of the movable part to a range within which operation of the movable part is not interfered by the attachment, when a determination is made that the accessory interferes with operation of the movable part; and control a driver that drives the movable part such that the movable part is driven within the set movable range.

Embodiments for performing manufacture processes are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system includes a tool to be used in a manufacture process on a workpiece. The system includes a robot having an arm. The arm has an attachment point and is configured to move the tool, when attached to the attachment point, in multiple degrees of freedom during the manufacture process. A robot controller of the robot controls the movement of the arm based on motion parameters to perform the manufacture process via the tool. The system includes a power source having power electronics to generate electrical output power, based on electrical input parameters, provided to the tool during the manufacture process. A power source controller of the power source is configured to communicate with the robot controller, allowing a path planner component to generate the motion parameters used to perform the manufacture process while avoiding robot collision conflicts.

Embodiments of robotic systems are disclosed. In one embodiment, a robotic system includes a tool used in a manufacture process on a workpiece, and an arm having an attachment point. The arm moves the tool, in multiple degrees of freedom during the manufacture process. A robot controller controls movement of the arm based on motion parameters to perform the manufacture process via the tool. A path planner component generates the motion parameters used to perform the manufacture process while avoiding robot collision conflicts. The path planner component includes a reach configuration component including data related to physical attributes, motion attributes, kinematics, and limitations of the robotic system. The path planner component also includes a collision avoidance evaluator to, using the reach configuration component, determine if an anticipated robot path results in any robot collision conflicts.

Embodiments for performing manufacture processes are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system includes a tool to be used in a manufacture process on a workpiece. The system includes a robot having an arm. The arm has an attachment point and is configured to move the tool, when attached to the attachment point, in multiple degrees of freedom during the manufacture process. A robot controller of the robot controls the movement of the arm based on motion parameters to perform the manufacture process via the tool. The system includes a power source having power electronics to generate electrical output power, based on electrical input parameters, provided to the tool during the manufacture process. A power source controller of the power source is configured to communicate with the robot controller, allowing a path planner component to generate the motion parameters used to perform the manufacture process while avoiding robot collision conflicts.

A robotic system may comprise a first robotic arm operatively coupleable to a first tool. The first tool has a first working end. The system may also comprise an image capture device, a display, and a processor. The processor may be configured to cause an image of a work site, which was captured by the image capture device from a perspective of an image reference frame, to be displayed on the display. The image of the work site includes an image of the first working end of the first tool. The processor may also determine a position of the first working end of the first tool in the image of the work site and render a tool information overlay at the position of the first working end of the first tool in the image of the work site. The tool information overlay visually indicates state information for the first tool. The processor may also change the tool information overlay while the first tool is in a first operational state by changing a brightness of the tool information overlay.

An interference determination apparatus includes: an acquisition unit that acquires region information indicating regions set in a configuration space in which the angles of rotation of two or three specific joints of an articulated robot are indicated by coordinate axes, the regions including an interference region in which the robot is determined to interfere with itself or an obstacle based on the magnitudes of the angles of rotation of the specific joints, and a non-interference region in which the robot is determined to not interfere with itself or an obstacle based on the magnitudes of the angles of rotation of specific joints; and a determination unit that determines whether the robot interferes with itself or an obstacle, by determining whether coordinates indicating a posture determined by the angles of rotation of the specific joints belong to the interference region or the non-interference region indicated by the acquired region information.

A device and method for judging the presence or absence of an abnormal clearance between paring elements of a passive joint of a robot. The device has sections configured to: calculate a score for each motion path, wherein the score is increased when the paring elements of an objective pair collide with each other and is decreased when the paring elements of the other pair collide with each other; generate a robot motion for moving the robot along the motion path having the score not lower than a predetermined threshold; measure a drive torque or a current value of a motor when the robot is moved according to the generated robot motion; calculate an index value based on a magnitude of variation of the measured drive torque or current value; and judge as to whether the abnormal clearance exists in the objective pair, based on the index value.

An operator telerobotically controls tools to perform a procedure on an object at a work site while viewing real-time images of the work site on a display. Tool information is provided in the operator's current gaze area on the display by rendering the tool information over the tool so as not to obscure objects being worked on at the time by the tool nor to require eyes of the user to refocus when looking at the tool information and the image of the tool on a stereo viewer.