A method for point-to-point path planning of a manipulator robot with up to 6 degrees-of-freedom via a dual vision system aims at generating a rest-rest path and corrects it with a high precision through closed-loop pick and place path planning. The path is corrected and aligned with the desired path as soon as different visual feedbacks such as the position and orientation of the pick nests, the placement nests, and the workpiece (part) are observed via the dual vision system. The introduced path planning method is a comprehensive online approach that benefits from: (i) An advantageous path definition based on multiple coordinate systems, (ii) An online path planner with three correction procedures that corrects the pose of the workpiece with respect to the robot, to the desired path and to the placement nest.

A robot is configured to perform a task on an object using a method for generating a 3D model sufficient to determine a collision free path and identify the object in an industrial scene. The method includes determining a predefined collision free path and scanning an industrial scene around the robot. Stored images of the industrial scene are retrieved from a memory and analyzed to construct a new 3D model. After an object is detected in the new 3D model, the robot can further scan the image in the industrial scene while moving along a collision free path until the object is identified at a predefined certainty level. The robot can then perform a robot task on the object.

The system, devices and methods disclosed herein enable autonomous operation of robots around known and unknown obstacles on a property. A robot includes an optical marker disposed to be visible in a top-view image of the robot, a receiver configured to receive a top-down image of an area of interest surrounding the robot within a property, and a processor configured to distinguish the robot from structural features on the property based on an image of the optical marker. A position and an orientation of the robot and the structural features relative to the property is determined based on the top-down image. Among the structural features, a subset of features classified as obstacles inhibiting an operation of the robot as the robot moves within the area of interest is determined. An operating path for the robot within the area of interest so as to avoid the obstacles is then determined.

A system includes a robotic vehicle having a propulsion and a manipulator configured to perform designated tasks. The system also including a local controller disposed onboard the robotic vehicle and configured to receive input signals from an off-board controller. Responsive to receiving an input signal for moving in an autonomous mode, the local controller is configured to move the robotic vehicle toward one of the different final destinations by autonomously and iteratively determining a series of waypoints until the robotic vehicle has reached the one final destination. For each iteration, the local controller is configured to determine a next waypoint between a current location of the robotic vehicle and the final destination, determine movement limitations of the robotic vehicle, and generate control signals in accordance with the movement limitations.

A system and method for controlling operating modes of a system, each operating mode being implemented by an execution of one or more software components. This control system includes software components called elementary components, each elementary component having at least one input able to receive input data and/or at least one output able to transmit output data; and at least one software meta-component including one or more internal wiring diagrams, each internal wiring diagram defining interconnections between inputs and outputs of elementary components and/or meta-components, a transition logic between states defining a current state of said system and a sequence between states at least some of the states corresponding to an implementation of an internal wiring diagram, a mechanism for controlling the internal configurations, and a programming interface providing services/functions implementing at least one internal wiring scheme.

Software for controlling processes in a heterogeneous semiconductor manufacturing environment may include a wafer-centric database, a real-time scheduler using a neural network, and a graphical user interface displaying simulated operation of the system. These features may be employed alone or in combination to offer improved usability and computational efficiency for real time control and monitoring of a semiconductor manufacturing process. More generally, these techniques may be usefully employed in a variety of real time control systems, particularly systems requiring complex scheduling decisions or heterogeneous systems constructed of hardware from numerous independent vendors.

A system includes a robotic vehicle having a propulsion system and an actuator configured to perform designated operations. The system also includes one or more sensors disposed onboard the robotic vehicle configured to obtain environmental data representative of an external environment. The system also includes a local controller disposed onboard the robotic vehicle and configured to receive input signals from an off-board controller. Responsive to receiving an input signal from the off-board controller for moving in an autonomous mode, the local controller is configured to autonomously move the robotic vehicle within the external environment. Responsive to receiving an input signal for operating in a tele-operation mode, the local controller is configured to exit the autonomous mode, wherein the input signal for operating in the tele-operation mode includes a remote command that dictates at least one of a movement of the robotic vehicle or a movement of the actuator.

The invention relates to a method for controlling a plurality of mobile driverless manipulator systems (10, 20), in particular driverless transport vehicles in a logistics environment for manipulating objects (30). In the method, ambient information is provided by a central control device (40), and in one step, an object to be moved (30) in the surroundings is detected. The position and the pose of the detected object are used for updating the ambient information and are taken into account in the path planning of the mobile driverless manipulator systems (10, 20) in that, prior to a movement of the detected object (30), a first mobile driverless manipulator system (10) is used to check whether the detected object (30) is needed for the orientation of a second mobile driverless manipulator system (20).

A manipulation platform includes a navigation system, manipulation arm, and one or more area sensors. The navigation unit locates a position of the manipulation platform, and a manipulation arm has a device or a collection sensor. The area sensors acquire data representative of at least a portion of an area in which the manipulation platform is located. Processors determine or predict a presence of an external object within a manipulation range of the manipulation arm using the data acquired by the one or more area sensors. The processors respond to a determination of the external body being, or being predicted to be, within the manipulation range by controlling one or more of the manipulation arm or the manipulation platform.

A semi-autonomous robot system (10) that includes scanning and scanned data manipulation that is utilized for controlling remote operation of a robot system within an operating environment.