A method, a delimiting device and an arrangement that includes an automatic movement machine that has at least one movable element, wherein the arrangement includes a delimiting device for delimiting a working region of the automatic movement machine, where the delimiting device includes at least one delimiting element via which it is possible to prevent the at least one element from overshooting at least one boundary of the working region, and the delimiting device also includes a movement apparatus that is configured to move the at least one delimiting element depending on at least one movement of the at least one movable element such that the at least one delimiting element prevents the at least one movable element from overshooting the at least one boundary.

A control device for a production module that has a settings management module for detecting restrictions for operating settings of the production module and for producing corresponding restriction data records is provided. A data memory is provided for the purpose of storing a local restriction table containing a multiplicity of restriction data records. A balancing module is used to iteratively read in first restriction data records in a corresponding restriction table of a first adjacent production module, to iteratively build the local restriction table on the basis of the first restriction data records which have been read in and to iteratively forward second restriction data records in the local restriction table to a second adjacent production module. A control module is also provided for the purpose of setting an operating setting according to a restriction data record which identifies this operating setting.

The invention pertains to a method of manufacturing parts, where each part must satisfy a global dimensional requirement on a specific dimension of said part akin to a tolerance stack up comprising at least two tolerances, each tolerance corresponding to a characteristic dimension of the part, where: the global dimensional requirement is fixed so that the specific dimension of the parts has a mean .sub.0 and a standard deviation oG lying in a global acceptance range constructed on the basis of one or more statistical criteria; a reference dimension is chosen from among the characteristic dimensions, and a mean and a standard deviation oref of said reference dimension are calculated on the basis of a sample of collected parts; a range of acceptance for the other characteristic dimensions of the tolerance stack up constructed with the same statistical criterion or criteria as the global acceptance range is calculated on the basis of the global acceptance range and on the basis of the mean ITO and the standard deviation oref calculated for the reference dimension; the manufacture of parts is steered without verification of the reference dimension by using the acceptance range calculated for the other characteristic dimensions of the tolerance stack up by fitting the adjustment parameters of a manufacturing device so that each of the other characteristic dimensions of the tolerance stack up lie in the corresponding calculated acceptance range.

In one aspect, a method for controlling a compliant-controlled robot includes performing a boundary monitoring of the robot and controlling movement of the robot with a return force that is predetermined by control technology. If the robot is already in a blocked area upon activation of the boundary monitoring, then a first return force operates to return the robot from a current position in the blocked area toward a boundary of the blocked area. If the robot arrived at the current position in the blocked area after activation of the boundary monitoring, then a second return force operates to return the robot from the current position toward the boundary. The first return force is at least temporarily less than the second return force.

A method, a delimiting device and an arrangement that includes an automatic movement machine that has at least one movable element, wherein the arrangement includes a delimiting device for delimiting a working region of the automatic movement machine, where the delimiting device includes at least one delimiting element via which it is possible to prevent the at least one element from overshooting at least one boundary of the working region, and the delimiting device also includes a movement apparatus that is configured to move the at least one delimiting element depending on at least one movement of the at least one movable element such that the at least one delimiting element prevents the at least one movable element from overshooting the at least one boundary.

The invention pertains to a method of manufacturing parts, where each part must satisfy a global dimensional requirement on a specific dimension of said part akin to a tolerance stack up comprising at least two tolerances, each tolerance corresponding to a characteristic dimension of the part, where: the global dimensional requirement is fixed so that the specific dimension of the parts has a mean 0 and a standard deviation oG lying in a global acceptance range constructed on the basis of one or more statistical criteria; a reference dimension is chosen from among the characteristic dimensions, and a mean and a standard deviation oref of said reference dimension are calculated on the basis of a sample of collected parts; a range of acceptance for the other characteristic dimensions of the tolerance stack up constructed with the same statistical criterion or criteria as the global acceptance range is calculated on the basis of the global acceptance range and on the basis of the mean and the standard deviation oref calculated for the reference dimension; the manufacture of parts is steered without verification of the reference dimension by using the acceptance range calculated for the other characteristic dimensions of the tolerance stack up by fitting the adjustment parameters of a manufacturing device so that each of the other characteristic dimensions of the tolerance stack up lie in the corresponding calculated acceptance range.

Devices, systems, and methods for providing a desired movement of one or more joints of a manipulator arm having a plurality of joints with redundant degrees of freedom while effecting commanded movement of a distal end effector of the manipulator. Methods include defining a constraint, such as a network of paths, within a joint space defined by the one or more joints and determining a movement of the plurality of joints within a null-space to track the constraints with the one or more joints. Methods may further include calculating a reconfiguration movement of the joints and modifying the constraints to coincide with a reconfigured position of the one or more joints. Various configurations for devices and systems utilizing such methods are provided herein.

A control device for a production module that has a settings management module for detecting restrictions for operating settings of the production module and for producing corresponding restriction data records is provided. A data memory is provided for the purpose of storing a local restriction table containing a multiplicity of restriction data records. A balancing module is used to iteratively read in first restriction data records in a corresponding restriction table of a first adjacent production module, to iteratively build the local restriction table on the basis of the first restriction data records which have been read in and to iteratively forward second restriction data records in the local restriction table to a second adjacent production module. A control module is also provided for the purpose of setting an operating setting according to a restriction data record which identifies this operating setting.

Devices, systems, and methods for providing a desired movement of one or more joints of a manipulator arm having a plurality of joints with redundant degrees of freedom while effecting commanded movement of a distal end effector of the manipulator. Methods include defining a constraint, such as a network of paths, within a joint space defined by the one or more joints and determining a movement of the plurality of joints within a null-space to track the constraints with the one or more joints. Methods may further include calculating a reconfiguration movement of the joints and modifying the constraints to coincide with a reconfigured position of the one or more joints. Various configurations for devices and systems utilizing such methods are provided herein.

Devices, systems, and methods for providing a desired movement of one or more joints of a manipulator arm having a plurality of joints with redundant degrees of freedom while effecting commanded movement of a distal end effector of the manipulator. Methods include defining a constraint, such as a network of paths, within a joint space defined by the one or more joints and determining a movement of the plurality of joints within a null-space to track the constraints with the one or more joints. Methods may further include calculating a reconfiguration movement of the joints and modifying the constraints to coincide with a reconfigured position of the one or more joints. Various configurations for devices and systems utilizing such methods are provided herein.