A robot system includes a robot, a force detector, and an end effector. When the robot is caused to execute a following operation, force control is performed based on a measurement value by the force detector. The following operation is an operation in which a first target object held by the end effector is inserted into a void included in a second target object or pulled out from the void while coming into contact with the second target. The adjustment method includes a measuring step for causing the robot to perform the following operation using candidate values of the force control parameters including a target force in a direction orthogonal to a direction of the insertion or the pull-out and obtaining a force measurement value, a parameter updating step for performing optimization processing using the force measurement value and obtaining new candidate values of the force control parameters, and a step of repeating the measuring step and the parameter updating step to determine force control parameters and outputting the force control parameters.

A method for controlling a robot to perform a complex assembly task such as insertion of a component with multiple pins or pegs into a structure with multiple holes. The method uses an impedance controller including multiple reference centers with one set of gain factors. Only translational gain factors are used—one for a spring force and one for a damping force—and no rotational gains. The method computes spring-damping forces from reference center positions and velocities using the gain values, and measures contact force and torque with a sensor coupled between the robot arm and the component being manipulated. The computed spring-damping forces are then summed with the measured contact force and torque, to provide a resultant force and torque at the center of gravity of the component. A new component pose is then computed based on the resultant force and torque using impedance controller calculations.

A robotic system for use with a payload includes a robot, a passive compliance mechanism, position sensors, and an electronic control unit (ECU). Actuated joints of the robot provide the robotic system with actuated degrees of freedom (DOF). The compliance mechanism is connected to the robot and payload, and has unactuated joints providing the robotic system with unactuated DOF. The sensors measure joint positions of the joints. The ECU has a trajectory generator block which generates a payload trajectory signal in response to dynamic control inputs, and an impedance control unit (ICU) applying damping and stiffness parameters to the payload trajectory signal to generate an initial velocity command. A stiction compensation block allows the robotic system to generate a velocity offset, and applies the velocity offset to the initial velocity command to produce a final velocity command for the robot.

The present disclosure relates to a method for generating a novel impedance configuration for a three-degree-of-freedom (3DOF) leg of a hydraulically-driven legged robot. The method includes: separately determining variations of input signals of an inner position-based control loop and an inner force-based control loop of a hydraulic drive unit of each joint based on an obtained mathematical model; generating a novel impedance configuration in which position-based control is performed on a hydraulic drive unit of a hip joint, and force-based control is performed on hydraulic drive units of a knee joint and an ankle joint in a hydraulic drive system of the leg of a to-be-controlled robot; and performing forward calculation by using the leg mathematical model, to obtain an actual position and a force variation of the foot of the leg of the to-be-controlled robot to control motion of the foot of the to-be-controlled robot within motion space.

The present process of controlling an industrial robot includes steps consisting of calculating, in the modules implemented by the central unit, a time-dependent composite setpoint defining articular forces and velocities, according to a target trajectory and to an operating mode; calculating, in modules implemented by the central unit, a behavior matrix which describes a desired behavior of the robot arm, defining directions along which the calculated composite setpoint is to be applied; calculating, in a module implemented by the in auxiliary unit, an articular force setpoint for controlling the axis controller module; and calculating, in the axis controller module implemented by the auxiliary unit, the control setpoints for the power units according to the articular force setpoint.

A process of controlling an industrial robot includes the steps of calculating, in a calculation module, a control articular force setpoint of the axis controller module; calculating, in an articular converter, the articular conversion matrix from articular positions; providing the axis controller module with the multi-dimensional external forces exerted on the effector; calculating, in the axis controller module, the vector of the articular forces; calculating, in the axis controller module, the current loop control setpoints, taking into account the articular force vector and the articular force setpoint; and calculating, in the axis controller module, the control setpoints for the power units according to the control setpoints for the current loops.

A method for controlling a mechanical system having a plurality of components interlinked by a plurality of driven joints, the method comprising: measuring torques or forces about or at the driven joints and forming a load signal representing the measured torques or forces; receiving a motion demand signal representing a desired state of the system; implementing an impedance control algorithm in dependence on the motion demand signal and the load signal to form a target signal indicating a target configuration for each of the driven joints; measuring the configuration of each of the driven joints and forming a state signal representing the measured configurations; and forming a set of drive signals for the joints by, for each joint, comparing the target configuration of that joint as indicated by the target signal to the measured configuration of that joint as indicated by the state signal.

A method for controlling a mechanical system having a plurality of components interlinked by a plurality of driven joints, the method comprising: measuring torques or forces about or at the driven joints and forming a load signal representing the measured torques or forces; receiving a motion demand signal representing a desired state of the system; implementing an impedance control algorithm in dependence on the motion demand signal and the load signal to form a target signal indicating a target configuration for each of the driven joints; measuring the configuration of each of the driven joints and forming a state signal representing the measured configurations; and forming a set of drive signals for the joints by, for each joint, comparing the target configuration of that joint as indicated by the target signal to the measured configuration of that joint as indicated by the state signal.

A method for controlling a robot to perform a complex assembly task such as insertion of a component with multiple pins or pegs into a structure with multiple holes. The method uses an impedance controller including multiple reference centers with one set of gain factors. Only translational gain factors are used—one for a spring force and one for a damping force—and no rotational gains. The method computes spring-damping forces from reference center positions and velocities using the gain values, and measures contact force and torque with a sensor coupled between the robot arm and the component being manipulated. The computed spring-damping forces are then summed with the measured contact force and torque, to provide a resultant force and torque at the center of gravity of the component. A new component pose is then computed based on the resultant force and torque using impedance controller calculations.

Provided are an apparatus and method for controlling a robot. The apparatus includes an active force detector configured to detect an active force, to which a natural force caused by a physical interaction between a user and a robot and not reflecting an operation intention of the user is applied, applied by the user to the robot operating through the physical interaction with the user, a compensator configured to determine a compensation force for actively compensating for the natural force applied to the active force by using a method of optimizing an internal parameter of a predefined dynamics model, and a controller configured to determine an operation instruction for controlling an operation of the robot from a result obtained by applying the compensation force determined by the compensator to the active force detected by the active force detector and operate the robot.