Patents Assigned to UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S
  • Patent number: 12011824
    Abstract: A robot joint is connectable to at least another robot joint via an output flange. The robot joint includes a joint motor having a motor axle configured to rotate the output flange. The robot joint includes a brake assembly having an annular brake member that is rotatable and a resilient member arranged on the motor axle. The annular brake member and the resilient member are arranged between a first locking member and a positionable locking member, where the positionable locking member can be fixed at a plurality of positions along and at the motor axle. An engagement member is movable between an engaging position and a non-engaging position, where in the engaging position the engagement member engages with the annular brake member and prevents rotation of the annular brake member around the motor axis. The annular may include brake protrusion that includes two slats forming a triangular-like shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2024
    Assignee: UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S
    Inventors: Mikkel Johansen Vraa, Rasmus Borgbjerg Nielsen
  • Patent number: 11986962
    Abstract: There is provided a method for programming an industrial robot, where distributors and integrators can present accessories that run successfully at end users. Also the developer can define customized installation screens and program nodes for the end user. There is provided a software platform, where the developer can define customized installation screens and program nodes for the end user thereby extending an existing robot system with customized functionalities by still using the software platform available in the robot system. Hereby a robot developer can define customized installation screens and program nodes for the end user. These can, for example, encapsulate complex new robot programming concepts, or provide friendly hardware configuration interfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2024
    Assignee: UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S
    Inventors: Esben H. Oestergaard, Martin Slota, Robert Wilterdink
  • Patent number: 11964389
    Abstract: A strain wave gear comprising an outer ring and an inner ring rotatably arranged in the outer ring. The inner ring comprises an internally toothed gear and a flex spline is arranged in the inner ring and comprise a flexible part comprising an external toothed gear. A wave generator is rotatable in relation to the flex spline and is configured to flex the flexible part in a radial direction to partly mesh the external toothed gear with the internally toothed gear causing rotation of the inner ring in relation to the outer ring. A part of said inner ring extends out of said outer ring and comprises an outwardly protruding output flange. An encoder reader can be disposed on the outer ring and an encoder track can disposed on the inner ring. A robot joint comprising the strain wave gear is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S
    Inventor: Steffen Henrik Johansen
  • Patent number: 11648666
    Abstract: A method is provided for vibration suppression, which is useful in systems with configuration dependent dynamic parameters. The method is a general and practical solution for obtaining a set of inputs to a dynamic system, which will result in reduced vibrational behavior. A novel discrete time buffer implementation is employed, which yields reduced vibration due to a constant unity sum of applied impulses. The method includes shaping a position input with a continuously updated filter and using numerical differentiation to obtain consistent feedforward derivatives without phase shift.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S
    Inventor: Dan Kielsholm Thomsen
  • Patent number: 11548153
    Abstract: A robot system and method for conditionally stopping a robot, wherein a maximum stopping time and/or distance are defined by a user or integrator through a user interface as safety limits based on the risk assessment. The method provides the continuous calculation of the time and/or distance, which the robot would need to stop under maximum motor torque and/or brake appliance. The robot is stopped or the speed of the robot is reduced, if the calculated time and/or distance exceeds the maximum limit values set by the user or integrator. The method may also be used to program or generate the trajectories of the robot as not to exceed the speed of the movement under the condition of keeping the set maximum stopping time and/or distance as defined by a use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S
    Inventors: David Brandt, Esben Hallundbæk Østergaard
  • Patent number: 11474510
    Abstract: There is provided a method and computer program product for programming a robot by manually operating it in gravity-compensation kinesthetic-guidance mode. More specifically there is provided method and computer program product that uses kinesthetic teaching as a demonstration input modality and does not require the installation or use of any external sensing or data-capturing modules. It requires a single user demonstration to extract a representation of the program, and presents the user with a series of easily-controllable parameters that allow them to modify or constrain the parameters of the extracted program representation of the task.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S
    Inventors: Esben H. Oestergaard, Iñigo Iturrate, Thiusius Rajeeth Savarimuthu
  • Patent number: 11260543
    Abstract: A releasable joint between two component flanges is for use in a robot arm. The flanges have a number of teeth on each part that is pressed into contact by clamps, screws or other means. The releasable joint assembly is suitable for establishing a robot joint between a first and second component each having interlocking annular flange with respective contact surfaces, and where these flanges are held in place by a clamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S
    Inventor: Steffen Johansen
  • Patent number: 10850393
    Abstract: There is provided a method for programming an industrial robot, where distributors and integrators can present accessories that run successfully at end users. Also the developer can define customized installation screens and program nodes for the end user. There is provided a software platform, where the developer can define customized installation screens and program nodes for the end user thereby extending an existing robot system with customized functionalities by still using the software platform available in the robot system. Hereby a robot developer can define customized installation screens and program nodes for the end user. These can, for example, encapsulate complex new robot programming concepts, or provide friendly hardware configuration interfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S
    Inventors: Esben H. Oestergaard, Martin Slota, Robert Wilterdink
  • Patent number: 10399232
    Abstract: A safety system for an industrial robot, specifically an industrial robot and a method for implementing a safety system via predefined safety functions. To perform such safety functions the robot comprises in a joint connecting two robot arm sections a first position sensor (132) for sensing the angular orientation on an input side of a gear in the joint, and a second position sensor (133) for sensing an angular orientation on an output side of the gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S
    Inventors: Esben H Oestergaard, Grzegorz Zieba, David Brandt
  • Patent number: 9248573
    Abstract: The invention pertains to a method of calibrating robots without the use of external measurement equipment. The invention furthermore pertains to a method of copying working programs between un-calibrated robots. Both methods utilize the properties of a closed chain and the relative position of the links in the chain in order to update the kinematic models of the robots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S
    Inventors: Rune Søe-Knudsen, Esben Hallundbæk Østergaard, Henrik Gordon Petersen
  • Publication number: 20130079928
    Abstract: The invention pertains to a method of calibrating robots without the use of external measurement equipment. The invention furthermore pertains to a method of copying working programs between un-calibrated robots. Both methods utilize the properties of a closed chain and the relative position of the links in the chain in order to update the kinematic models of the robots.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Applicant: UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S
    Inventor: UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S
  • Patent number: D895704
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S
    Inventor: Steffen Henrik Johansen
  • Patent number: D895705
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S
    Inventor: Steffen Henrik Johansen
  • Patent number: D895706
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S
    Inventor: Steffen Henrik Johansen
  • Patent number: D898090
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S
    Inventor: Steffen Henrik Johansen
  • Patent number: D915487
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S
    Inventor: Lasse Eg Sell
  • Patent number: D924228
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S
    Inventor: Jos Mirth