Motion Bar and Wireless UI for Safer Robot Teaching

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional teaching pendants in industrial robot systems are bulky and heavy due to safety requirements, making them difficult to use with existing UI devices like phones and tablets, and limiting design flexibility.

Innovation Solution

A motion bar with functional buttons and a wireless user interface (WLUI) that separates motion-related control functions from other control functions, allowing for flexible design while maintaining safety compliance, with the motion bar connected via cable and WLUI connected wirelessly, enabling operation mode switching and direct joint manipulation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If teaching pendants include emergency-stop button, enabling button, and wired cable connection to comply with safety requirements, then safety is improved, but the device becomes bulky and heavy

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesafetyVSAvoidteaching pendant weight

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSWeight of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the teaching pendant into two separate controllers: a first controller that provides motion-related control functions (including emergency stop and enabling buttons) and a second controller that provides non-motion control functions (such as programming). This segmentation allows the motion control functions to be isolated in a dedicated device that can be made compact and safe, while the second controller can be a separate programming device that does not need to meet the same safety requirements for direct motion control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If teaching pendants include extra layers of protection to fulfill safety requirements, then safety is improved, but the design becomes bulky and heavy

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesafetyVSAvoidteaching pendant design

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the teaching pendant into two separate controllers: a first controller that provides motion-related control functions (including emergency stop and enabling buttons) and a second controller that provides non-motion control functions (such as programming). This segmentation allows the motion control functions to be isolated in a dedicated device that can be made compact and safe, while the second controller can be a separate programming device that does not need to meet the same safety requirements for direct motion control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Ease of operation

If teaching pendants are designed to be compact and flexible, then ease of operation is improved, but compliance with safety requirements becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveteaching pendant usabilityVSAvoidsafety compliance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the teaching pendant into two separate controllers: a first controller that provides motion-related control functions (including emergency stop and enabling buttons) and a second controller that provides non-motion control functions (such as programming). This segmentation allows the motion control functions to be isolated in a dedicated device that can be made compact and safe, while the second controller can be a separate programming device that does not need to meet the same safety requirements for direct motion control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a control box as an intermediary device that receives input from both the first controller (motion control) and the second controller (programming). The control box processes these inputs and generates appropriate control commands for the robot. This intermediary architecture allows the system to maintain safety compliance through the first controller while enabling flexible programming through the second controller.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS11260538B2Robot training system including a motion bar

Publication Date: 2022.03.01 FLEXIV LTD

AI summary

A teaching system for a robot is provided, including a motion bar for controlling the robot and a robot system utilizing the teaching system. In one embodiment, the teaching system is provided including a first controller configured to provide motion-related control functions for controlling motion of the robot. The teaching system may also include a second controller configured to provide control functions other than the motion-related control functions for programming one or more actions of the robot.