Method and programming means for modification of a robot path

Abstract

A method in accordance with the invention for modification of a robot path which has a plurality of path points comprises the following steps of specifying a modification region which has at least two path points of the robot path, specifying a modification of a reference point of the modification region, and automated modification of the modification region, in particular of path points of the modification region, on the basis of the specified modification.

Claims

1. A method for the modification of a robot path having a plurality of path points, the method comprising: specifying a modification region which has at least two path points; specifying a modification of a reference point of the modification region; and automatically modifying the modification region on the basis of the specified modification; wherein at least one of: a) specifying a modification of a reference point of the modification region comprises at least one of: selecting a modification operation for at least one of the reference point or for the modification region, or at least one of selecting or parameterizing a modification operation for the modification region, wherein selecting or parameterizing a modification operation comprises selecting or parameterizing at least one of a set of selectable or parameterizable modification operations, and wherein at least one of the set of modification operations comprises changing at least one path point of the modification region on the basis of a change of the reference point; or b) at least one path point of the modification region is a duplicate of another path point, and the at least one duplicate is automatically modified on the basis of the specified modification.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the modification region comprises modifying the path points of the modification region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein specifying a modification of a reference point of the modification region comprises at least one of: selecting a path point of the modification region to be modified, or specifying a modified path point.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein changing at least one path point of the modification region comprises at least one of a parallel change or scaled change of the at least one path point.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the scaled change of a path point of the modification region comprises a change of the path point on the basis of a distance between the path point and the reference point.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the set of modification operations comprises a smoothing of the modification region.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein specifying a modification region comprises specifying a path point of the robot path and at least one of a further path point or a segment of the robot path.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a region of the robot path that abuts the modification region remains at least substantially unchanged at the modification of the modification region.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the robot path is specified at least sectionally by a spline function.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of specifying a modification region, specifying a modification, or automatically modifying the modification region is carried out interactively.

11. A computer for modifying a robot path having a plurality of path points, the computer comprising a non-transitory storage medium including program code that, when executed by the computer, causes the computer to: specify a modification region which has at least two path points; specify a modification of a reference point of the modification region; and automatically modify the modification region on the basis of the specified modification; wherein at least one of: a) specifying a modification of a reference point of the modification region comprises at least one of: selecting a modification operation for at least one of the reference point or for the modification region, or at least one of selecting or parameterizing a modification operation for the modification region, wherein selecting or parameterizing a modification operation comprises selecting or parameterizing at least one of a set of selectable or parameterizable modification operations, and wherein at least one of the set of modification operations comprises changing at least one path point of the modification region on the basis of a change of the reference point; or b) at least one path point of the modification region is a duplicate of another path point, and the at least one duplicate is automatically modified on the basis of the specified modification.

12. A computer program product for modifying a robot path having a plurality of path points, the computer program product having programming code stored on a non-transitory machine readable data medium, the programming code configured to, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to: specify a modification region which has at least two path points; specify a modification of a reference point of the modification region; and automatically modify the modification region on the basis of the specified modification; wherein at least one of: a) specifying a modification of a reference point of the modification region comprises at least one of: selecting a modification operation for at least one of the reference point or for the modification region, or at least one of selecting or parameterizing a modification operation for the modification region, wherein selecting or parameterizing a modification operation comprises selecting or parameterizing at least one of a set of selectable or parameterizable modification operations, and wherein at least one of the set of modification operations comprises changing at least one path point of the modification region on the basis of a change of the reference point; or b) at least one path point of the modification region is a duplicate of another path point, and the at least one duplicate is automatically modified on the basis of the specified modification.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) Further advantages and features arise from the subclaims and the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a robot path modified by means of a method according to FIG. 2; and

(3) FIG. 2 shows a method for the modification of a robot path according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) FIG. 1 shows a robot path B, which has been specified by the 10 specified, for example, taught points P1, . . . P10 (compare FIG. 2: Step S10). The points may, for example, represent Cartesian points in the working space and describe the location of the TCP of a robot. In this case, the three represented coordinate axes a, b, c, may be considered as three spatial directions of the working space. Similarly, the points may also represent the orientation or location and orientation of the TCP in the working space, or the joint positions of the robot in the coordinate space. These may, in particular, be six-dimensional, whereby for clarity and more compact representation, only three dimensions, a, b, c, are shown.

(5) A robot path is specified by the points by means of a path regulation, for example, by a spine function, approximately in the form:

(6) TABLE-US-00001 ... SPLINE SPL P1 SPL P2 ... SPL P10 SPL P1 ENDSPLINE ...

(7) According to a method according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is represented in FIG. 2, or by means of a programming means which is directed to implementing this method, a user may initially specify a modification region M in a Step S20, shown in the embodiment exemplarily by selection of point P2 as start point BA and point P10 as end point BE.

(8) Previously, during, or afterwards, the user may select, in a Step S30, a path point to be modified of the modification region as reference point R, shown in the embodiment exemplarily by path point P6 (R=P6).

(9) Previously, during, or afterwards, the user may, in a Step S40, select and parameterize a modification operation v.sub.R for the reference point, in the embodiment a displacement by a specified amount in a specified direction. Similarly, the user might also specify, for example teach, the modified path point R and thus specify modification operation v.sub.R for the reference point.

(10) Previously, during, or afterwards, the user may, in a Step S50, select and parameterize a modification operation v.sub.i for the modification region, in the embodiment a displacement by a specified amount in a specified direction. The amount of the displacement and the angle may thereby depend, for example, on a distance between the path point and the reference point, and may optionally be scaled to the entire length of the modification region. In the embodiment, segment s.sub.R7 between (not modified) reference point R and path point P7 of the modification region is delineated for this purpose in FIG. 1 exemplarily for point P7. From the exemplarily represented displacements of path points P3 and P9, it is clear that the angle of the displacement, which is carried out perpendicular to a unit tangent vector t on the robot path in a direction that is rotated by an angle +180 counter to a unit normal vector n at the robot path, thus varies, like the amount of the displacement, with the distance to reference point R, standardized to the total length of the modification region, that angle and the amount [of displacement] vanish at the start and end of the modification region, and reach their maximum (according to amount) at reference point R. In this way, the robot path [R10, R2], remains unchanged outside of modification region M.

(11) This modification operation v.sub.i=v.sub.i(s.sub.Ri, v.sub.R), is purely exemplary. Similarly, a multitude of selectable and/or parameterizable modification operations for the modification region may include a displacement of all path points of the modification region parallel to the specified displacement of the reference point, optionally scaled to the distance between path point and reference point, optionally standardized to the total length or total segment of the modification region. Additionally or alternatively to a specification of a displacement in one direction, which is rotated by a specified angle counter to the normal path of the robot path, a modification operation for the modification region may comprise a displacement of all path points by a specified amount along a specified curve, in particular, a straight section, in the working or coordinate space and/or in a direction perpendicular to this, which is rotated counter to the direction of the displacement of the reference point by a specified angle. This corresponds substantially to the modification operation represented in FIG. 1, wherein, however, the displacement direction is not specified relative to the robot path, but instead relative to the curve, in particular, the straight section in the working and coordinate space a, b, c; the angle is not specifiable, in particular parameterizable, with respect to the normal path, rather the displacement direction of the reference point, and additionally a displacement in the direction of these curves, in particular, straight sections.

(12) The parameterization may, for example, be carried out in that the user specifies a parameter , which describes the displacement amount |v| or the rotational angle as a function of the section s.sub.Ri between the respective path point P.sub.i (i=2, . . . 10) and the reference point R, standardized to the length or segment s.sub.2R or s.sub.R10 of the partial modification region, on which the path point P2, . . . , P10 is located:
|v|,=(s.sub.Ri,s.sub.2R,s.sub.R10).
is preferably configured hereby in such a way that vanishes at P2 and P10, and assumes the maximum amount at P6=R, wherein preferably behaves conversely like in segment s.sub.Ri.

(13) After the modification region M has been specified with the path points P2=BA, P3, . . . , P9, P10=BE and the modification v.sub.R of reference point R=P6, then in Step S50, the modification region M is automatically modified by the programming means, in particular path points P2, . . . , P10 thereof, corresponding to the specified, in particular selected and parameterized, modification operation v.sub.i=v.sub.i(s.sub.Ri, v.sub.R), and thus based on the specified modification.

(14) It is clear that even users with little training may, in this way, easily, in a fail-safe way, and quickly modify entire path regions M of robot path B, in that they only modify one path point R=P6. Advantageously, no undesired reactions arise within or outside of the modification region.

LIST OF REFERENCES

(15) B Robot path M Modification region P1, . . . , P10 Path point R Reference point v Displacement (change, modification (operation)) s.sub.ij Segment between path points i, j t Unit tangent vector n Unit normal vector