Virtual Robot Base Control for Accurate Mobile End Effector Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for interacting within a physical environment, such as robot arms on moving bases, face challenges in accurately positioning the end effector due to unintentional movements caused by factors like gravity, wind, and boom deflection, leading to errors as the distance from the base increases.
Innovation Solution
A system that includes a robot base actuator, a robot arm with an end effector, a tracking system, and a control system that calculates a virtual robot base position offset from the actual base, allowing for precise movement of the robot base along a calculated path to maintain accurate end effector positioning by compensating for unintentional movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the distance from the robot base to the end effector is increased to expand working range, then the working range is improved, but positioning accuracy deteriorates due to errors accumulating with distance
Solution Approach 1:
A virtual robot base is introduced as an intermediary computational construct that mediates between the physical robot base and the end effector positioning. The virtual base, defined by coordinates (Xv, Yv, Zv) that are offset from the physical base by the robot arm's length and orientation, serves as a reference point for path calculation that automatically compensates for positioning errors regardless of distance
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously tracks the actual position of the robot base using a tracking system and feeds this information back to the control system. The control system then calculates the virtual base position based on this feedback and uses it to dynamically adjust the robot base path, compensating for deviations caused by gravity, wind, or other external forces
2Adaptability or versatility
If the robot base is made movable to increase flexibility and access different areas, then adaptability is improved, but stability deteriorates due to unintentional movements from gravity, wind, and boom deflection
Solution Approach 1:
The tracking system continuously monitors the actual position of the robot base and feeds this information back to the control system. The control system compares the actual position with the desired position and dynamically adjusts the virtual base coordinates to compensate for unintentional movements, maintaining stability despite the movable base
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual robot base acts as an intermediary that decouples the stability requirements from the physical movable base. By performing calculations relative to the virtual base rather than the physical base, the system maintains positioning stability even as the physical base moves or deflects
3Measurement precision
If a tracking system is added to measure base position for compensation, then positioning accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical compensation mechanisms with a computational approach. Instead of using additional mechanical actuators or complex mechanical linkages to compensate for base movement, the system uses software calculations based on virtual base coordinates and tracking data to achieve the same effect
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual robot base serves as a computational intermediary that simplifies the control architecture. Rather than directly compensating for all sources of error through complex mechanical means, the system uses the virtual base as an intermediate reference that automatically accounts for base position and orientation, reducing overall system complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A system for performing interactions within a physical environment including a robot base, a robot base actuator that moves the robot base relative to the environment, a robot arm mounted to the robot base, the robot arm including an end effector mounted thereon and a tracking system that measures a tracking target position indicative of a position of a target mounted on the robot base. A control system acquires an indication of an end effector destination, determines a tracking target position at least in part using signals from the tracking system, determines a virtual robot base position offset from the robot base and calculates a robot base path extending from the virtual robot base position to the end effector destination, using this to control the robot base actuator to cause the robot base to be moved along the robot base path.