A robotic arm assembly includes a robotic arm including a link, a control rope operable with the link, and an attachment section, the control rope extending at least partially through the attachment section. The robotic arm assembly also includes an actuator pack attached to, or positioned adjacent to, the attachment section of the robotic arm, the actuator pack including an actuator, the actuator operable with the control rope and including a motor defining a pivot axis, the motor configured to move about the pivot axis to displace the control rope.

A robot control device able to accurately estimate an external force applied from a workpiece to a robot in a time-dependently changing manner. The robot control device includes a support force data acquisition section which acquires measurement data of a workpiece support force by the environment, the workpiece support force varying while the robot lifts the workpiece; a disturbance estimation section which estimates a disturbance value applied to the robot using state information of the robot; and a correction section which corrects, using the measurement data acquired by the support force data acquisition section, the disturbance value estimated by the disturbance estimation section or the state information inputted to the disturbance estimation section.

A device for controlling a handling device comprising a carrier housing which can be arranged on the handling device with a tactile sensor body arranged on the outside of the carrier housing and a tool carrier movably mounted on the carrier housing, wherein the sensor body can be actuated by the tool carrier when load is acting on the tool carrier, wherein the sensor body is formed by a gas-filled chamber which is surrounded by a flexible shell, which can be deformed by collision with an obstacle, and further comprises a pressure sensor for measuring the gas pressure prevailing inside the chamber.

The invention relates to a device and a method of controlling a robot manipulator, which includes a sensor for detecting an external force during an interaction of the robot manipulator with an environment. The proposed method is characterized in that a force-time curve is determined for the external force acting on the robot manipulator detected by the sensor, and, if the value of the detected external force is higher than a defined threshold value, a safety mode of the robot manipulator is activated, which controls a movement speed and/or a movement direction depending on the detected external force, wherein the movement speed and/or the movement direction of the robot manipulator is/are controlled depending on predetermined medical injury parameters before the safety mode is activated.

A conduction path structure of a robot in which a conduction path has a simplified structure is provided. A conduction path structure of a robot includes: a structural mechanism which functions as a support and has a conductor portion; an actuator that operates the structural mechanism; and a conduction path through which driving power and/or a control signal is supplied to the actuator, wherein the conduction path also serves as the conductor portion of the structural mechanism.

A production system includes a robot, a robot controller, and a person detection part. The controller includes first speed comparison unit that has the function of activating a power cutoff unit so as to stop an operation of the robot when a current speed exceeds a predetermined reference speed; and an external-force comparison unit that has the function of activating the power cutoff unit so as to stop the operation of the robot when a current force applied to the robot exceeds a predetermined reference force. The controller disables the functions of the first speed comparison unit and the external-force comparison unit while the person detection part detects the absence of the operator in the cooperative operation space.

A rotary-type series elastic actuator (SEA) for use in robotic applications. The SEA including a motor, gear transmission assembly, spring assembly, and sensors. In one example, a robotic joint may include the SEA as well as two links coupled with each other at the joint assembly. The two links may be designated as input and output links. Each link may have a joint housing body which may be concentrically connected via a joint bearing so that they freely rotate against each other. The housing frame of the SEA may be fixed at the joint housing body of the input link while the output mount of the spring assembly of the SEA may be concentrically coupled with the joint housing body of the output link. The rotation of the motor rotor causes the rotation of the output link with respect to the input link plus spring deflection of the spring assembly. When an external force or torque are applied between the two links, a control action of a control loop may cause a rotation and motive force of the motor that lead to the deflection of the spring assembly to balance with the external force/torque and inertial force from body masses moving together with the links.

A torque restriction mechanism is provided by which torque cutoff and torque transmission can be reliably performed without being affected by a rotation state of the drive unit, and damage to a collision object can be reduced even with a simple configuration. The torque restriction mechanism according to the present invention includes a first clutch and a second clutch. The first clutch cuts off torque to a driven unit when reaction torque at a stationary portion of a motor equals or exceeds a first value. The second clutch that transmits torque in accordance with a rotation state of a rotor of the motor, cuts off torque to the driven unit when the reaction torque equals or exceeds a second value larger than the first value.

A robot includes a robot controller that is designed and configured to execute a robot program, and a robot arm having at least three joints connected by links and a number of drives corresponding to the at least three joints. Each drive is designed to adjust one of the at least three joints allocated to the drive. The joints can be actuated in an automated manner in accordance with the robot program or in a manual drive mode by the robot controller to automatically adjust the associated joint, wherein at least one of the links includes a force measuring device designed to measure a force on the link in a predetermined direction.

A robot arm mechanism has a plurality of link sections. The plurality of link sections are connected by a plurality of joints. The plurality of link sections are respectively covered with covers. The respective covers are supported by push-button switches or pressure sensors. When a worker or the like touches any of the covers, the push button switch or the pressure sensor that supports the cover is turned on. Thereby, contact to any of the covers by the worker or the like is detected. Contact of the worker or the like can be detected in a wide range.