7+ DOF Robot Control for Singularity-Aware Dexterity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional six degrees of freedom (DOF) industrial robots often fail to achieve desired speed, accuracy, and safety in certain tasks due to limitations in kinematics and workspace flexibility.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of robots with seven or more DOF, achieved by adding additional arm segments and mounting the robotic arm on structures that provide additional degrees of freedom, such as a chassis with linear or rotational movement, allowing for improved kinematics and reduced weight through lighter materials and integrated motor controllers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a conventional 6 DOF robot is used, then the structure is simple and easy to control, but the speed, accuracy, and safety requirements cannot be met in certain tasks
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic arm is divided into multiple segments (first arm segment, second arm segment, third arm segment) with additional joints between them. This segmentation allows for more degrees of freedom (7 or more DOF) while maintaining manageable control through modular joint structures, each with its own motor and controller.
Solution Approach 2:
An additional degree of freedom is introduced by mounting the robotic arm on a chassis that provides linear or rotational movement. This adds a new dimension of motion capability beyond the traditional 6 DOF, enabling the robot to achieve desired speed and accuracy in constrained spaces while maintaining a structured approach to control.
2Adaptability or versatility
If additional arm segments and DOFs are added to improve dexterity and reduce singularities, then the robot's weight and structural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the robotic system by introducing additional degrees of freedom through extra arm segments and chassis movement. This allows the robot to access different configurations and workspaces, improving dexterity while the distributed motor control system manages the complexity of controlling these additional parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent integrates motor controllers directly into the joints, replacing traditional centralized mechanical transmission systems. This substitution allows for more precise control of each joint's movement, enabling the heavier multi-segment arm structure to be controlled with the speed and accuracy required for high-performance tasks.
3Reliability
If additional DOFs are provided through chassis movement, then the robot can operate in constrained spaces with improved safety, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The chassis is designed to provide multiple functions: it serves as the mobile base for the robotic arm while also providing an additional degree of freedom through linear or rotational movement. This multi-functionality allows the same structural element to contribute to both mobility and workspace flexibility, managing complexity through functional integration rather than adding separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
Each joint in the robotic arm includes an integrated motor controller that autonomously manages its own movement and positioning. This self-service approach distributes the control complexity across multiple independent units rather than requiring a centralized complex control system, making the overall 7+ DOF system more manageable and reliable.
Data Source
AI summary
A robot having seven or more degrees of freedom is disclosed. In various embodiments, the robot includes a positioning robot having m degrees of freedom and a manipulator robot having n degrees of freedom coupled to the positioning robot. The robot is configured to be operated in a first mode of operation, in which the positioning robot is controlled to position move the manipulator robot into a position to perform a task and the manipulator robot is controlled independently of the positioning robot to perform the task; and in a second mode of operation, in which at least a subset of the m degrees of freedom of the positioning robot and at least a subset of the n degrees of freedom of the manipulator robot are controlled together, by a single controller, to perform the task.