Graphical Robot Process Authoring for Precise Manufacturing Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automated manufacturing systems require users to specify detailed robot commands for motion and tool operations, which can be complex and require specific knowledge of robotic devices, limiting user flexibility and abstraction in configuring manufacturing processes.
Innovation Solution
A graphical interface allows users to configure robotic devices by selecting digital nodes representing robot actors, tools, and motion paths, enabling abstraction from specific robot commands and enabling users to input motion paths and tool operations without specifying particular robot commands, using nodes for robot actors, tools, and motion paths to create sequences of commands for robotic devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If users specify detailed robot commands for motion and tool operations, then the robotic devices can execute precise manufacturing processes, but the complexity of the interface and required user knowledge increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer between the user and the robotic device. This layer translates high-level process descriptions into detailed robot commands automatically. The system acts as a mediator that handles the complexity of motion planning and tool operation sequencing, while users only need to specify the desired manufacturing process at a higher level of abstraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical approach of directly programming robot commands with an automated software system that generates commands based on process requirements. Instead of manually configuring each motion and tool operation, the system automatically synthesizes the control sequences, substituting manual mechanical programming with intelligent software generation.
2Manufacturing precision
If users specify detailed robot commands, then precise control over robotic operations is achieved, but the ease of operation decreases due to required specific knowledge
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary translation layer that converts user-friendly process specifications into precise robot commands. Users interact with the system through a simplified interface that requires no specialized robotic knowledge, while the intermediary automatically generates the detailed control sequences needed for precise operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates an abstract model or copy of the manufacturing process that users can define without knowing the underlying robotic commands. This process model serves as a template that the system then translates into actual robot operations, allowing users to work with simplified representations rather than complex command structures.
3Ease of operation
If a graphical interface with digital nodes is used to abstract robot commands, then user flexibility and ease of configuration improve, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the manufacturing process into discrete digital nodes representing different operations, tools, and robot actions. Each node is an independent, configurable element that can be arranged in sequences. This segmentation allows the complex software system to be managed through modular components, making the interface easier to use while the underlying complexity is handled by the system's node-based architecture.
Data Source
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AI summary
Example systems and methods allow for use of a graphical interface to cause one or more robotic devices to construct an output product. One example method includes causing a graphical interface to be displayed on a display device, receiving input data corresponding to one or more interactions with the graphical interface indicating at least one motion path and at least one sequence of tool actions to execute at one or more points within the at least one motion path for use in construction of an output product, generating a plurality of digital nodes including at least one robot node, at least one motion command node, and at least one tool command node, and providing instructions for the at least one robot actor to move according to the sequence of robot motion commands determined by the at least one motion command node and execute the sequence of tool commands determined by the at least one tool command node to construct the output product.