Robot having a controller protected for a network failure

Abstract

A robot having actuator-driven elements, actuators to drive the elements, and brakes to decelerate the elements, the robot requiring voltage U.sub.B and/or current I.sub.B, the robot including: a source having an input to which voltage U.sub.P and current I.sub.P are applied, wherein, during normal operation, U.sub.P is equal to voltage U.sub.P,desired and I.sub.P is equal to current I.sub.P,desired, and having an output to which voltage U.sub.actual and current I.sub.actual are supplied, wherein during normal operation: U.sub.actual=U.sub.B and I.sub.actual=I.sub.B, an energy store integrated into the source for maintaining U.sub.B and I.sub.B for time Δt following failure or drop in U.sub.P and/or I.sub.P, a unit for monitoring U.sub.P, wherein as soon as U.sub.P deviates by amount ΔU from U.sub.P,desired, a signal is generated, and a control unit connected to the unit for controlling the robot and its elements into a predefined safe state upon receipt of the signal.

Claims

1. A robot comprising actuator-driven elements, actuators to drive the actuator-driven elements, and mechanical brakes to decelerate the actuator-driven elements, the robot requiring a desired operating voltage U.sub.B and/or a desired operating current I.sub.B in order to operate, wherein the robot comprises: a voltage and current source comprising: an input interface to which a primary voltage U.sub.P and a primary current I.sub.P are applied, wherein, during normal operation, the primary voltage U.sub.P is equal to a desired primary voltage U.sub.P,desired and the primary current I.sub.P is equal to a desired primary current I.sub.P,desired, and an output interface to which an actual voltage U.sub.actual and an actual current I.sub.actual arm supplied, wherein during normal operation: U.sub.actual=U.sub.B and I.sub.actual=I.sub.B; an energy store integrated into the voltage and current source and configured to maintain the operating voltage U.sub.B and the operating current I.sub.B for a predefined period of time Δt following a failure or a drop in the primary voltage U.sub.P and/or primary current I.sub.P; a monitoring unit configured to monitor the primary voltage U.sub.P applied to the input interface and configured to generate a stop signal as soon as the applied primary voltage U.sub.P deviates by a predefined amount ΔU from the desired primary voltage U.sub.P,desired; and a control unit connected to the monitoring unit and configured to control the robot and its actuator-driven elements, wherein the control unit is further configured to control the robot with its actuator-driven elements into a predefined safe state upon receipt of the stop signal, wherein control of the robot into the predefined safe state comprises driving the actuators of the actuator-driven elements such that the robot decelerates into a dynamic state characterized by a sum of kinetic energy of at least a plurality of the actuator-driven elements, wherein the sum is less than a predefined boundary kinetic energy, and triggering one or more of the mechanical brakes to further decelerate the actuator-driven elements into the predefined safe state only when the robot has been decelerated by the actuators into the dynamic state.

2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the actuators of the actuator-driven elements are connectable to the integrated energy store to recuperate electrical energy.

3. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the energy store comprises one or more capacitors, and/or one or more inductors, and/or one or more accumulators.

4. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the stop signal is transmitted as a symmetrical and encrypted data signal from the monitoring unit to the control unit via a data link configured to transmit symmetrical and encrypted data signals.

5. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the stop signal is transmitted as an optical signal from the monitoring unit to the control unit via an optical data link configured to transmit optical signals.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the proposed robot.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(3) FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the proposed robot having actuator-driven elements 105, actuators 105a to drive the actuator-driven elements 105, and mechanical brakes 105b to decelerate the actuator-driven elements 105, wherein the robot requires a desired operating voltage U.sub.B and/or a desired operating current I.sub.B for operation. The robot includes a voltage and current source 101 having an input interface 107 to which a primary voltage U.sub.P and a primary current I.sub.P are applied, wherein during normal operation, the primary voltage U.sub.P is equal to a desired primary voltage U.sub.P,desired and the primary current I.sub.P is equal to a desired primary current I.sub.P,desired, and also having an output interface 108 to which an actual voltage U.sub.actual and an actual current I.sub.actual are applied, wherein during normal operation: U.sub.actual=U.sub.B and I.sub.actual=I.sub.B.

(4) Voltage and current source 101 includes an energy store 102 integrated therein, in the present case including a plurality of capacitors which, following a failure or a drop in the primary voltage U.sub.P and/or primary current I.sub.P, maintain the operating voltage U.sub.B and the operating current I.sub.B at the output interface 108 for a predefined period of time Δt.

(5) Voltage and current source 101 further includes a transformer 106, which transforms the primary voltage U.sub.P supplied to the input interface 107 into a low-voltage range and supplies it to output interface 108 as the actual voltage U.sub.actual.

(6) The robot further includes a monitoring unit 103 for monitoring the primary voltage U.sub.P applied to input interface 107, with the monitoring unit 103 being designed in such a way that as soon as the applied primary voltage U.sub.P deviates from the desired primary voltage U.sub.P,desired by a predetermined amount ΔU, a stop signal is generated.

(7) Finally, the robot includes a control unit 104, which is connected to monitoring unit 103 and is designed for controlling the robot and its actuator-driven elements 105, with the control unit 104 being configured to control the robot with its actuator-driven elements 105 into a predefined safe state upon receipt of the stop signal. Control of the robot into the predefined safe state includes driving the actuators 105a of the actuator-driven elements 105 such that the robot decelerates into a dynamic state characterized by a sum of kinetic energy of at least a plurality of the actuator-driven elements 105, wherein the sum is less than a predefined boundary kinetic energy, and triggering one or more of the mechanical brakes 105b to further decelerate the actuator-driven elements 105 only when the robot has been decelerated by the actuators 105a into the dynamic state.

(8) In FIG. 1, the load current paths are indicated by bold arrows. The thinner arrows proceeding from monitoring unit 103 to control unit 104 and from there to the actuator-driven elements 105 of the robot are data lines. Advantageously, the stop signal is an optical signal and the data lines are configured as optical fibers.

(9) Although the invention has been further illustrated and described in detail by way of preferred example embodiments, the invention is not restricted by the disclosed examples, and other variations may be derived from the examples by those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention. It is therefore clear that a multitude of possible variations exists. It is also clear that cited, exemplified embodiments are actually merely examples, and are not to be construed in any way as limiting the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention. Rather, the foregoing description and the description of the figures enable a person skilled in the art to implement the example embodiments, and those skilled in the art with knowledge of the disclosed inventive concept may make various modifications, for example as to the function or the arrangement of individual elements cited in an example embodiment, without departing from the scope as defined by the claims and their legal equivalents, such as the detailed explanations in the description.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(10) 101 voltage and current source/power supply unit 102 energy store integrated into the voltage and current source 103 monitoring unit 104 control unit 105 actuator-driven elements of the robot 106 transformer 107 input interface 108 output interface