Robotic end-of-arm tool health-gripper timing

Abstract

The invention relates to a robotic end-of-arm tool health-gripper timing. A method and system for actively monitoring the health of a robotic end-of-arm tool based on timing of response to a grab command. When the robotic tool successfully grabs or releases the workpiece, a part presence signal or other sensor provides a signal. And the robot controller records the time between each grabbing or releasing command and the completion command. Timing data of all robots in the facility is collected by a data collection device and forwarded to an analysis data center, wherein the timing data is analyzed for each arm end tool. When it is detected that the grasp time exceeds a threshold or the grasp time performance tends to deteriorate, an alarm is issued to inform the problem identified on the grabber and to provide all analysis data to a web portal for the customer to view and take action. Response timings of other types of end-of-arm tools other than grippers may also be similarly analyzed for active tool repair / replacement.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of industrial robot gripper performance, and more specifically, to a method and system for proactively monitoring the health of a robot arm end tool based on response timing to a pick command, wherein timing data for each arm end tool is collected and analyzed, and a warning is issued to alert for preventive maintenance of the gripper when a pick time exceeds a threshold or a degradation trend in pick time performance is detected. BACKGROUND

[0002] It is well known to use industrial robots for a wide range of manufacturing, assembly, and material handling operations. Many of the operations performed by industrial robots involve the use of a gripper to grasp a part and move it from one location or orientation to another. These grippers are part of a larger class of devices collectively known as arm end tools, which can take the form of a suction cup gripper, a mechanical finger gripper, or a servo-controlled gripper, among others.

[0003] Like any other type of mechanical part, arm end tools are susceptible to wear and tear, leading to eventual degradation in performance and / or complete failure. Heretofore, the usual practice has been to simply replace the gripper when it fails, i.e., when the gripper is unable to grasp a part due to mechanical part damage or jamming, or when a part falls due to a leak in a vacuum line or suction cup. Unfortunately, arm end tool failures require production operations to be shut down for repair or replacement of the failed device. This system downtime is costly to the robot operator, as production time is wasted, and repair or replacement can require parts or repair personnel that can not be on standby, further extending downtime, and can even require expedited shipping of parts, overtime scheduling, etc.

[0004] In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a robot arm end tool health monitoring technique that can proactively identify degradation in gripper performance, so that preventive maintenance can be performed before an arm end tool failure causes a production line to shut down. SUMMARY

[0005] In accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, a method and system are disclosed for proactively monitoring the health of a robot arm end tool based on response timing to a pick command. When a robot picker tool successfully picks or releases a workpiece, a part presence sensor, such as a photoelectric sensor, vacuum switch, or other type of sensor, signals. The robot controller records the time between each pick or release command and its completion. The timing data for all robots in a facility is collected by a data collection device and forwarded to an analytics data center where the timing data is analyzed for each arm end tool. When a pick time is detected to exceed a threshold or a pick time performance degradation trend, a warning is issued to notify of an issue identified on the picker and all the analytics data is provided to a web portal for customer review and action. Similar analysis can also be performed for response timing for other types of arm end tools other than pickers for proactive repair or replacement of the tools. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 is an illustration of an industrial robot equipped with a mechanical gripper type arm end tool;

[0007] Figure 2 is an illustration of an industrial robot equipped with a suction cup type arm end tool;

[0008] Figure 3 is an illustration of a vacuum gripper tool including a grid of suction cups that can be used as a robot arm end tool;

[0009] Figure 4 is an illustration of a system for proactively monitoring the health of a robot arm end tool based on response timing to a pick command in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0010] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a method for proactively monitoring the health of a robot arm end tool based on response timing to a pick command in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0011] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a method for identifying any issues related to the health of a robot arm end tool based on analysis of response timing data to a pick command in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] The following discussion of disclosed embodiments of monitoring robot arm end tool health through picker timing is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosed devices, techniques, or their application and uses.

[0013] Industrial robots are widely known to be used in a variety of manufacturing, assembly, and material handling operations. Many of the operations performed by industrial robots involve the use of a gripper to grasp a part and move it from one location and orientation to another. These grippers can take the form of a suction cup gripper, a mechanical finger gripper, or a servo-controlled gripper, among others. Grippers are a type of end-of-arm tool, typically equipped at the end of the outer arm of a robot, often at the end of the wrist joint.

[0014] Figure 1 is an illustration of an industrial robot equipped with a mechanical gripper end-of-arm tool. The robot 100 is controlled by a controller 110 to perform operations in a manner known in the art. The controller 110 communicates with the robot 100 through a cable 112. In Figure 1 , the robot 100 is equipped with a mechanical finger gripper 120, which is used to grasp a part or workpiece 130 from an initial position and orientation, and place the workpiece 130 at a target position and orientation. For example, the initial position can be on a conveyor belt, and the final position can be in a shipping container.

[0015] The mechanical finger gripper 120 can have two or more grasping fingers, depending on the application and nature of the workpiece 130 being grasped. The mechanical finger gripper 120 typically contains a simple actuator (e.g., a pneumatic actuator) to move the fingers of the gripper 120 to an open or closed position. A part presence sensor 122 is used to detect the presence or absence of a part in the gripper. Another type of gripper, referred to as a servo-controlled gripper, also has mechanical fingers, but uses a servo motor to open and close the fingers, where the servo motor can be precisely controlled to adjust the opening width of the fingers and the grasping pressure. In the case of a servo-controlled gripper, a torque sensor or encoder can serve as the part presence sensor.

[0016] Figure 2 is an illustration of an industrial robot equipped with a suction cup end-of-arm tool. The robot 200 includes a base 202 and an outer arm 204. Other arms of the robot 200 are outside the view and not shown in Figure 2 . The end-of-arm tool on the robot 200 is a single suction cup gripper 210 as shown. For simplicity, the robot controller and workpiece are omitted in Figure 2 . For some applications, the single suction cup gripper 210 is superior to Figure 1finger gripper 120, for example, in cases where the workpiece has one or more flat surfaces suitable for suction cup gripping, and in cases where the workpiece is initially stacked in a bin such that the finger gripper can collide with other parts in the stack when attempting to grasp one part. The single suction cup gripper 210 is coupled to a vacuum source through a vacuum line (not shown), and is activated by applying a vacuum "pressure" (i.e., a partial vacuum that causes a negative gauge pressure) when the suction cup gripper 210 is applied to a workpiece. Typically, a vacuum switch is used as a part presence sensor for the suction cup gripper.

[0017] Figure 3 is an illustration of a vacuum gripper tool that includes a grid of suction cups that can be used as an end-of-arm tool for a robot. The vacuum gripper tool 300 includes a plurality of suction cups 302 arranged in a layout. The layout of the vacuum gripper tool 300 is a 6x8 rectangular grid, but other sizes and shapes, such as circular, can also be used. The vacuum gripper tool 300 is typically used for picking up large items that are flat on the surface, particularly cartons, but can also be used for other types of workpieces. The layout of the suction cups 302 can be divided into a plurality of zones, such as zones 310, 312, and 314 shown. Each of the zones 310, 312, and 314 can be coupled to a vacuum source through its own vacuum line. Thus, in the vacuum gripper tool 300, diagnosing gripper performance problems on a zone-by-zone basis is desirable and feasible. This topic is discussed further below.

[0018] There are many other designs of suction cup gripper tools available, including rigid arms with multiple suction cups on each arm, and suction cup grids of different shapes and sizes. Most of these designs are physically or logically divided into a plurality of zones, with each zone being supplied with air through a respective independent vacuum line.

[0019] Like any other type of mechanical part, grippers, such as the mechanical finger gripper 120, the single suction cup gripper 210, and the vacuum gripper tool 300, are prone to wear and tear, resulting in eventual degradation of performance and / or complete failure. So far, the usual practice is to simply replace the gripper when it fails, i.e., for example, when the gripper is unable to grasp a part due to mechanical part damage or jamming, or when a part is dropped due to a leak in the vacuum line or suction cup. Unfortunately, gripper failures require production operations to be shut down for repair or replacement of the failed device. This system downtime is costly to the robot operator due to the loss of production time. The technology involved in the present disclosure has been developed to enable proactive monitoring of the health of the gripper, and preventive maintenance when needed, to prevent gripper failure. In one embodiment, the health of the gripper is assessed by analyzing the time taken by the gripper to respond to a grasp or release command.

[0020] The time taken by the gripper to respond to a grasp or release command is referred to as the grasp or release response time, and is collectively referred to as gripper timing data. The grasp response time can be described as the time elapsed between the robot controller issuing a "grasp" command signal until the grasp task is confirmed as complete. In other words, a grasp timer is started when the grasp instruction is issued, and stopped when the completion of the grasp is confirmed. Similarly, the release response time can be described as the time elapsed between the robot controller issuing a "release" command signal until the completion of the release task is confirmed.

[0021] The grasp task and release task can be confirmed as complete in a number of ways. In one embodiment, a part presence sensor is used to detect the presence of a part / workpiece in the vicinity of the gripper. The part presence sensor can be a non-contact design (such as inductive or capacitive), or any other type. In another embodiment, camera images or data from other sensors (infrared, lidar, etc.) can be used to detect the presence of a part. The camera images or data from other sensors can also be used to directly detect the action of the gripper (such as the opening or closing of the fingers), and determine the grasp / release response time from that data.

[0022] Other methods can also be used to confirm whether the grasp and release tasks have been completed. In the case of a servo-controlled gripper, the motor output power can be limited to prevent damage to the part. Servo position encoder readings can be used to detect contact between the gripper and the part. When the encoder stops making progress due to contact resistance and limited motor torque, the grasp timer is stopped and the time response value is measured. In the case of a vacuum gripper, the pressure in the vacuum line can be measured, where a sharp drop in gauge pressure indicates that the part has attached to the suction cup, and the timing of the pressure change is used to stop the grasp timer. A combination of the grasp / release confirmation techniques discussed above can also be used - both as a redundant confirmation, and in a combined mode.

[0023] Regardless of the technique used to confirm whether the grasp command or release command has been completed, the grasp response time and release response time can be used to monitor the health of the gripper. The number of dropped parts can also be recorded along with the grasp / release response times as an indication of the performance and health of the gripper.

[0024] Figure 4is an illustration of a system for proactively monitoring the health of an end-of-arm tool based on response timing to a grasp command according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The robotic system 400 includes a robot 402 and a controller 404 as previously discussed. The robot 402 is equipped with a gripper 406 for performing operations such as grasping a part and moving it to a different location and orientation. The gripper 406 is shown as a fingered gripper, but can be any type of gripper used as an end-of-arm tool, including servo-driven mechanical grippers, single-suction cup grippers, and vacuum gripper tools. The gripper 406 is equipped with a part presence sensor (not shown), such as the part presence sensor 122 shown in FIG. 1, and sensors as discussed in the present disclosure. Figure 1

[0025] The robotic system 400 operates in a facility 430, such as a manufacturing plant or assembly plant. A robotic system 410 also operates in the facility 430. A plurality of other robotic systems 412 also typically operate in the facility 430. The robotic systems 400, 410, and 412 are shown as identical, but they can include a combination of different types of robots using different types of grippers for different operations. Any combination of types of robots and grippers can be employed.

[0026] Each of the robotic systems 400, 410, and 412 can be configured as needed to record and send gripper timing data. The configuration of each robot by the robot controller includes enabling or disabling the overall gripper timing function, and defining details such as the identification of the gripper ID, gripper name, I / O port, and optionally defining details such as the timing threshold that can be used to trigger an alert notification. When the gripper timing function is enabled, appropriate routines are executed in the robot controller operating system (such as KAREL) to start and stop timers according to signal changes (e.g., from the part presence sensor) as described above.

[0027] Each of the robotic systems 400, 410, and 412 are in communication with a data collection device 420. The data collection device 420 is typically a computer or server with sufficient data storage. The robot controller of each robotic system 400, 410, and 412 transmits its gripper timing data to the data collection device 420 in real time or on a periodic basis. For example, the robot controller can transmit its gripper timing data to the data collection device 420 after each grasp and release event, or once per minute, or on some other suitably short periodic basis. In a preferred embodiment, the robot controller records the response time for each grasp command and each release command and transmits it to the data collection device 420.

[0028] ​The data collection device 420 collects gripper timing data for all of the robotic systems in the facility 430, where the data collection device 420 and the robotic systems 400, 410, and 412 are all typically connected to a local area network running at the facility 430. The connection can be hard-wired, wireless, or a combination of both.

[0029] The data collection device 420 periodically transmits all of the gripper timing data for the robotic systems 400, 410, and 412 to the data analysis center 440. The data analysis center 440 is a "cloud" computing center (accessible over the internet) that has one or more server computers and data storage capabilities. The data collection device 420 can transmit its all of its gripper timing data to the data analysis center 440 as it receives it, or every few minutes, or every half hour, every hour, or any other suitable time period. For each individual gripper, the gripper timing data is stored separately in the data collection device 420 and the data analysis center 440. Collecting the gripper timing data from the robotic systems 400, 410, and 412 and processing it at the cloud-based data analysis center 440 represents an "Internet of Things" (IoT) type of system.

[0030] The data analysis center 440 analyzes the gripper timing data for all of the grippers for which it has received data. The calculations performed by the data analysis center 440 for each gripper include determining the maximum response time, and calculating the average and trends over different time periods. In addition, multiple checks are performed periodically (e.g., every hour) to identify any issues with respect to gripper performance. The details of these checks for identifying issues will be discussed below in connection with Figure 6 If any issues are identified, one or more alert notifications 450 are sent by the data analysis center 440. The alert notifications 450 can include: text messages and / or emails sent to key individuals at the facility 430, communications transmitted to the individual robotic controllers associated with the grippers for which issues have arisen, or other types of alerts and notifications. The intent of the alert notifications 450 is to immediately notify the appropriate personnel that one or more grippers have performance issues that need attention.

[0031] The data analysis center 440 also provides a summary of the scraper timing data analysis and statistics to a web portal 460. The web portal 460 is a dedicated secure private website where personnel from the facility 430, through proper authentication, can view the scraper timing data for all of the robotic systems 400, 410, and 412. The web portal 460 provides the scraper timing data in the form of graphs 470, such as, for example, average scrape response times by hour or by day. The web portal 460 also provides the scraper timing data in other suitable and convenient forms, including tables, lists of averages and trends, etc. Any outstanding issues are also highlighted on the web portal 460.

[0032] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a method for proactively monitoring the health of an end-of-arm tool based on response timing to a scraping command according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method in flowchart 500 directly corresponds to the system shown in Figure 4 .

[0033] At block 502, scraper timing data is recorded on a robot controller (e.g., controller 404) for an end-of-arm tool (e.g., scraper 406) on a robot (e.g., robot 402). Typically, the robot controller will record the scrape response time and release response time for each scraping or releasing task, using the various detection means discussed above. At block 504, the scraper timing data is collected on a data collection device 420. As discussed previously, the timing data can be collected in real-time for all of the robot scrapers in the facility. At block 506, the scraper timing data is sent from the data collection device 420 in the facility 430 to the data analysis center 440.

[0034] At block 508, the scraper timing data is computed at the data analysis center 440. The computation can be done on an hourly basis or at any other suitable interval. The computation is done for each individual scraper, including determining the maximum scrape / release time, computing the average, and trends over time, etc. Summary computations can also be done for the entire facility.

[0035] At decision diamond 510, it is determined whether any issues are identified in the scraper timing data. Details regarding the checks and determinations made at decision diamond 510 will be discussed below in connection with Figure 6 If there are any issues, such as a scrape time exceeding a threshold, then at block 512, an alert notification 450 is sent to notify key personnel (plant manager, manufacturing engineer, robot operator, etc.) of the issue and that preventative maintenance can be needed.

[0036] At block 514, the grabber timing data statistics will be provided to the web portal 460 for customer viewing and action. The grabber timing data on the web portal 460 can include graphs and tables containing individual data points, averages, trends, maximums, etc. Grabber timing issues are also highlighted.

[0037] With the combination of the alert notifications 450 and the web portal 460, the key personnel at the facility 430 have all the information needed to proactively monitor the health of the end-of-arm tools. Subsequently, the grabbers experiencing longer than expected grab response times and / or release response times can be serviced for preventive maintenance efficiently and cost-effectively.

[0038] Figure 6 is a flowchart 600 of a method for identifying any issues related to the health of the end-of-arm tools based on analysis of the grab command response timing data according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The flowchart 600 includes the problem checking steps described above at decision diamond 510 of the method 500. Figure 5

[0039] The analysis and problem checking for a single grabber starts at a start point 602. The frequency of starting the analysis at the start point 602 can be once an hour, or according to any other suitable schedule. In the row labeled 610, the existence of the current timing data for the grabber is verified. At decision diamond 612, it is determined whether the grabber timing data is missing, and if so, a corresponding result code value (1) is set at block 614. At decision diamond 616, it is determined whether the grabber timing data is outdated (such as no new data in the past week), and if so, a corresponding result code value (2) is set at block 618.

[0040] In the row labeled 620, a check is performed for slow actual grab or release times. At decision diamond 622, it is determined whether the grab time exceeds a threshold for the current analysis period (e.g., the past hour), and if so, a corresponding result code value (3) is set at block 624. At decision diamond 626, it is determined whether the release time exceeds a threshold for the current analysis period, and if so, a corresponding result code value (4) is set at block 628. At decision diamonds 622 and 626, both individual grab / release times and average grab / release times in the past hour can be checked. The threshold (e.g., 200 milliseconds) can be set by the robot operator during the configuration process described earlier, or automatically calculated from historical data (e.g., a certain percentage above the average or a certain number of standard deviations).

[0041] ​In line 630, a check is performed for slow predicted pick or release times. At decision diamond 632, it is determined if the pick time is trending upward so as to predict if the pick time will exceed a threshold in the near future. If at decision diamond 632 the upward trend results in a predicted pick time that is too high, then the corresponding result code value (5) is set at block 634. At decision diamond 636, it is determined if the release time is trending upward so as to predict if the release time will exceed a threshold in the near future. If at decision diamond 636 the upward trend results in a predicted release time that is too high, then the corresponding result code value (6) is set at block 638. The upward trend in pick or release time can be detected in the current analysis period (e.g., data for the current hour) or when comparing the average of the current data to historical averages.

[0042] At block 640, if there are multiple issues, i.e., if more than one of result codes 3-6 are set, then the result code value is set to 7. In general, lines 610, 620, and 630 are executed for each analysis period. If data is missing or out of date is found in line 610, then lines 620 and 630 will not be executed. If none of result codes 1-6 are set, then the process flow goes to decision diamond 650 where the result code is set to 0 if no issues are detected.

[0043] Any non-zero result code in flowchart 600 triggers an alert notification to indicate the issue. In addition, the calculated data (such as the average pick and release times per hour) is written to a table and made available to a web portal. The raw data and summary data are also available to the web portal for review by facility personnel at appropriate times.

[0044] Other types of analysis can also be performed in the steps of flowcharts 500 and 600. For example, in a multi-zone vacuum pick tool, the pick and release times can be recorded, stored, and analyzed by zone. In this case, if a slow pick time or insufficient pick pressure is detected in one zone, the alert notification and portal record will indicate the pick tool and the specific zone where the problem occurred. Problems can also be detected and reported based on the number of dropped parts rather than pick / release times.

[0045] The data analysis center 440 is configured to receive data from many different facilities in addition to the facility 430. In a typical arrangement, each robotic customer (a company that uses robots for production manufacturing) has several facilities, each of which provides data to the data analysis center 440. The data is managed by the facility and the customer so that it can be stored, displayed, and protected in an appropriate manner. That is, the web portal 460 is only accessible by the robotic customers that own the facility 430. Other robotic customers whose data is processed in the data analysis center 440 have their own separate web portal to view the gripper timing data. In addition, the data analysis center 440 and web portal 460 can be part of a larger integrated system for predictive robotic health and preventative maintenance.

[0046] Throughout the foregoing discussion, various computers and controllers associated with the disclosed methods and systems are described and implied. It should be understood that the software applications and modules of these computers and controllers are executed on one or more computing devices having processors and memory modules. Specifically, this includes the processors in the robot controllers 110 and 404, the computers in the data collection device 420 and the data analysis center 440. Specifically, the processors in the controllers 110 and 404 are configured to record gripper timing data and other performance data associated with the grippers on the robots, the processors in the data collection device 420 are configured to receive the gripper data from the controllers and send the data to the data analysis center 440, and the processors in the computers in the data analysis center 440 are configured to analyze the gripper health based on the timing data, send notifications of issues, and provide data to the web portal.

[0047] As discussed above, mechanical, servo, or vacuum grippers can not be able to grasp or release quickly enough due to aging, overuse, lack of lubrication of actuators, or too low vacuum pressure due to leaks or damage to the suction cups. The disclosed technology for robotic arm end tool health monitoring via gripper timing is able to alert and provide data to identify issues with the grippers as they begin to occur. Similar timing techniques can be employed to identify issues with other types of arm end tools. Early identification of such issues enables preventative maintenance before the arm end tool fails, allowing the robotic customer to avoid expensive production downtime and reduce the number of dropped and damaged parts.

[0048] While several example aspects and implementations of the robot arm end tool health monitoring technique by gripper timing have been discussed above, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize modifications, permutations, additions and subcombinations thereof. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims and claims hereafter introduced be construed to include all such modifications, permutations, additions and subcombinations as fall within the true spirit and scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring the health of a gripper of an industrial robot, the method comprising: recording, by a robot controller, a gripper response time for each grasp or release event performed by a gripper on the robot; analyzing the gripper response time by a computer having a processor and a memory to provide analyzed gripper timing data; identifying any anomalies in the gripper response time and the analyzed gripper timing data; Send alert notifications of any identified issues; as well as The gripper response time, the analyzed gripper timing data, and any identified issues are provided on a web portal for review by a robot operator.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein Recording the gripper response time includes recording the response time by the robot controller and providing the response time to a data collection device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The gripper response times for grippers on other robots are also provided to the data collection device by the controller of each of the other robots, and the gripper response times for all robots are transmitted from the data collection device to the computer.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The data collection device, the computer, and the web portal also process other health status data for all of the robots.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The response time for each grasping or releasing event is determined by starting a timer when a grasping or releasing command is issued by the robot controller, and stopping the timer when it is confirmed that the corresponding grasping or releasing action has occurred.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: Confirmation that the corresponding grasping or releasing action has occurred is obtained by detecting the proximity of the part to the gripper via a part presence sensor, or by analyzing signals from a camera or sensor depicting the position of the part or the gripper, or both.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein: Confirmation that the corresponding gripping or releasing action has occurred is confirmed by evaluating a pressure signal from a vacuum line for a vacuum or suction gripper, or a signal from a motor torque or position sensor for a servo-controlled gripper.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein Analyzing the grabber response time includes: identifying a maximum grab time and a maximum release time in a current analysis data period; calculating an average grab time and an average release time in the current analysis data period; and calculating a grab time trend line slope and a release time trend line slope in the current analysis period.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The duration of the current analysis data period is in the range of half an hour to four hours.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein Identifying any anomalies includes identifying the following: a missing or outdated gripper response time; a maximum grip time, maximum release time, average grip time, or average release time exceeding a threshold; and a grip time trend line slope or release time trend line slope exceeding a trend line slope threshold.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein The gripper on the robot is a mechanical finger gripper, a servo motor driven gripper, a single suction cup gripper or a vacuum gripper tool with multiple suction cups.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein An alert notification for the vacuum gripper tool identifies one or more suction cup areas having an identified problem.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein Sending the alarm notification includes one or more of sending a text message, an instant message, an email, and a notification to the robot controller.

14. A method for monitoring the health of an end-of-arm tool on an industrial robot, the method comprising: recording, by the robot controller, the response time of starting and stopping each task performed by the end-of-arm tool; analyzing the response times by a computer having a processor and a memory to provide analyzed tool timing data; identifying any anomalies in the response times and the analyzed tool timing data; Send alert notifications of any identified issues; as well as The response time, the analyzed tool timing data, and any identified issues are provided on a web portal for review by a robot operator.

15. A gripper health monitoring system for an industrial robot, the system comprising: one or more robots, each having a gripper as an end-of-arm tool; a robot controller in communication with each robot, each controller having a processor and a memory, the controller being configured to record a gripper response time for each grasp or release event by the gripper on the robot; a data collection device in communication with said robot controller and receiving a gripper response time for each of said robots; as well as A computer having a processor and a memory, the computer periodically receiving the gripper response time from the data collection device, wherein the computer is configured to: analyzing a gripper response time for each individual gripper to provide analyzed gripper timing data; identifying any anomalies in the gripper response time and the analyzed gripper timing data for each individual gripper; Send alert notifications of any identified issues; as well as The gripper response time, the analyzed gripper response time data, and any identified issues are provided on a web portal for review by a robot operator.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein: The data collection device, the computer, and the web portal also process other health status data for all of the robots.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein: The response time for each grasping or releasing event is determined by starting a timer when a grasping or releasing command is issued by the robot controller, and stopping the timer when it is confirmed that the corresponding grasping or releasing action has occurred.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein: Confirmation that the corresponding grasping or releasing action has occurred is obtained by detecting the proximity of the part to the gripper via a part presence sensor, or by analyzing signals from a camera or sensor depicting the position of the part or the gripper, or both.

19. The system according to claim 17, wherein: Confirmation that the corresponding gripping or releasing action has occurred is confirmed by evaluating a pressure signal from a vacuum line for a vacuum or suction gripper, or a signal from a motor torque or position sensor for a servo-controlled gripper.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein: Analyzing the grabber response time includes: identifying a maximum grab time and a maximum release time in a current analysis data period; calculating an average grab time and an average release time in the current analysis data period; and calculating a grab time trend line slope and a release time trend line slope in the current analysis period.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein: Identifying any anomalies includes identifying the following: a missing or outdated gripper response time; a maximum grip time, maximum release time, average grip time, or average release time exceeding a threshold; and a grip time trend line slope or release time trend line slope exceeding a trend line slope threshold.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein: The gripper on the robot is a robotic finger gripper, a servo motor driven gripper, a single suction cup gripper, or a vacuum gripper tool having multiple suction cups, and wherein the alarm notification for the vacuum gripper tool identifies one or more suction cup areas having the identified problem.

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