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 robot arm processing system includes a robot arm, a processing module, and a control module. The robot arm is for providing a mechanical holding force. The processing module is disposed on the robot arm to process a workpiece. The control module is connected to the robot arm or the processing module. The control module outputs an anti-vibration signal according to the reaction force of the workpiece or the displacement of the robot arm to counteract the reaction force of the workpiece or the displacement of the robot arm.

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 kinematically redundant robot (100) in order to fulfill multiple tasks. At least one passivity-based first controller module (102) is used, at least one task target description and at least one associated task mapping are computed for the at least one first controller module (102), at least one weighting is computed for the tasks, and the at least one first controller module (102) is integrated into an overall controller (104), using the at least one weighting. Moreover, the invention relates to a computer program product that includes commands which, when the program is executed with the aid of at least one processor, prompt the processor to carry out such a method.

A robotic system includes a jointed mechanism, position sensors, and a controller. The mechanism has an end-effector, and further includes actively-controlled joints and passive joints that are redundant with the actively-controlled joints. The position sensors are operable for measuring joint positions of the passive joints. The controller is in communication with the position sensors, and is programmed to execute a method to selectively control the actively-controlled joints in response to the measured joint positions using force control and/or a modeled impedance of the robotic mechanism. Possible control modes in impedance control include an Autonomous Mode in which an operator does not physically interact with the end-effector and a Cooperative Control Mode in which the operator physically interacts with the end-effector.

A robot system comprises a manipulator and a controller therefore, wherein the controller supports impedance-based control of a lead-through operation mode, characterized in that the controller is switchable between impedance-based and admittance-based control of the lead-through mode.

A robotic device may: receive movement information associated with a plurality of subtasks performed by a manipulator of a robotic device, where the movement information indicates respective paths followed by the manipulator while performing the respective subtasks and respective forces experienced by the manipulator along the respective paths; determine task information for a task to be performed by the robotic device, where the task comprises a combination of subtasks of the plurality of subtasks, where the task information includes a trajectory to be followed by the manipulator, and forces to be exerted by the manipulator at points along the trajectory; and determine, based on the task information, torques to be applied over time to the manipulator via a joint coupled to the robotic device to perform the task.

A method includes a measurement step of producing measured force information of external force by causing a robot to perform an action using second servo gains adjusting force control parameters corresponding to first servo gains when the robot performs a regular task. The measured force information includes an action period of time during which the action is performed, a maximum detected force value of the external force, and a maximum detected torque value of the external force. The method further includes a parameter update step of producing a new candidate value of the force control parameters by carrying out an optimization process on the force control parameters by using the measured force information. The method further includes a parameter determination step of determining the force control parameters used in the force control performed by the robot by repeating the measurement step and the parameter update step.

The invention concerns a method of programming an industrial robot, exhibiting the steps of selecting a program command, the assigned rigidity parameter of which is to be verified, changed and/or saved in the program mode; moving the manipulator arm into a test pose, in which the industrial robot is configured and/or arranged to manually touch and/or move the manipulator arm; and the automatic actuation of the manipulator arm by the control device such that the manipulator arm in the test pose exhibits the rigidity corresponding to the assigned rigidity parameter of the selected program command. The invention further concerns an industrial robot, exhibiting a control device designed and/or configured to execute such a method.

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.