A robot controller and a robot control method, by which a human can be prevented from being sandwiched between a collaborative robot and a workpiece conveyed by a conveyor. The robot controller controls the robot configured to perform a predetermined operation for the workpiece conveyed by a convey section moving in a convey direction. The robot controller has: a receive section configured to receive a signal representing that an abnormality of the robot is detected or contact against the robot is detected; and a motion control section configured to control a motion of robot so that, after the receive section receives the signal, a minimum distance between a movable section of the robot and the workpiece is not less than a predetermined safe distance.

A manufacturing system for processing workpieces includes a manufacturing cell, a plurality of pallets supporting workpieces, and at least one robotic device configured to operate on the workpieces. The manufacturing system also includes first and second processing stations configured to support any one of the pallets in fixed position relative to the robotic device. The manufacturing system additionally includes at least one transport device configured to transport any one of the pallets to and from each of the first and the second processing stations. In addition, the manufacturing system includes a controller configured to coordinate the operation of the manufacturing cell in a manner allowing the robotic device to continuously operate on a workpiece supported by a pallet at the first processing station, while another pallet is transported to or from the second processing station.

Workpiece 2 is imaged by imaging device 5 while imaging device 5 following transporter 1 is synchronized and moved with movement mechanism 8 so that a relative speed between transporter 1 and imaging device 5 is reduced, and movement object blur is reduced.

An automated parts handling system includes a conveyor, a robotic arm configured to pick parts from a parts receptacle and place the picked parts on the conveyor, a vision device disposed over or adjacent the conveyor and configured to determine the number of parts picked by the robotic arm from the parts receptacle and placed on the conveyor, a memory, and a processor communicatively coupled to the conveyor, the robotic arm, and the vision device. The memory includes program instructions executable by the processor to implement a pick process configured to receive information from the vision device on the number of parts picked by the robotic arm and placed on the conveyor, based on the received information regarding the number of picked parts, selectively control the robotic arm to retrieve from the conveyor a number of the picked parts, and selectively control the robotic arm to place one or more of the retrieved parts back in the parts receptacle when the number of parts picked by the robotic arm differs from a predetermined number of parts specified in the program instructions.

A method for depositing composite material onto a tool using an automated machine. The method includes coupling a first mobile platform with a second mobile platform to form a coupled system, the first mobile platform supporting the automated machine and the second mobile platform supporting the tool. The method further includes indexing the automated machine relative to the tool. The method further includes depositing composite material from the automated machine onto the tool while the coupled system moves along a production line.

A counter unit, a counter unit control method, a control device, and a control system are provided. A counter unit (10) executes an output to an actuator (40) at a time point when a waiting time indicated by a timing adjustment value (Ta) received from PLC (20) has elapsed since it was determined that an actual measurement value obtained by using a pulse signal has matched with a target value.

A box handling system is disclosed for use in an object processing system. The box handling system includes a box tray including a recessed area for receiving a box, and the recessed area includes a plurality of floor and edge portions for receiving the box that contains objects to be processed.

A sensing system with a detecting device that is used to detect a position of a target and a controller, where, for display on a display device or projection by a projection apparatus, the controller creates an augmented-reality image that shows: at least one of a setting related to detection of the target using the detecting device, a setting of a moving apparatus, and a setting of a robot that performs work on the target, a position of the target being recognized by the controller, a result of the detection of the target, a work plan of the moving apparatus, a work plan of the robot, a determination result of the controller and a parameter related to the target.

A multi-track conveyor system may include an input track. A multi-track conveyor system may include an output track. A multi-track conveyor system may include a plurality of tracks coupling the input track and the output track, wherein one of the tracks includes a workstation configured to repair the defect on the article of manufacture. Vehicles with high numbers of defects that exceed the system throughput design can be held and prioritized over vehicles which meet the system design criteria to maintain throughput. During times when the system is starved and/or during non-production hours, vehicles with higher numbers of defects can then be processed. In this way, such vehicles do not impede the repair progress of other vehicles along the conveyor system.

An object induction system is disclosed for assigning handling parameters to an object. The system includes an analysis system, an association system, and an assignment system. The analysis system includes at least one characteristic perception system for providing perception data regarding an object to be processed. The association system includes an object information database and assigns association data to the object responsive to commonality with of any of the characteristic perception data with any of the characteristic recorded data. The assignment system is for assigning programmable motion device handling parameters to the indicia perception data based on the association data, and includes a workflow management system as well as a separate operational controller.