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.

Abstract: The invention relates to a robot arm comprising a plurality of robot joints mechanically connecting a robot base to a robot tool flange wherein a robot controller is configured for controlling movement of said plurality of robot joints and thereby movement of said robot tool flange. The robot controller is connected to an interface device comprising an input device via which a user is able to communicate with said robot controller and thereby change mode of operation of the robot arm. The input device is a mechanical multifunctional input device and in response to a first predetermined sequence of activation applied to the input device, the robot controller is arranged to change mode of operation to a stop mode, and in response to a second predetermined sequence of activation applied to the input device, the robot controller is arranged to change mode of operation to a second mode of operation.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for monitoring a robot system comprising a robot arm and a peripheral device, the method comprising the steps of: providing a communicative peripheral connection between the peripheral device and a robot controller; establishing an operation signal history in a digital storage wherein the operation signal history is based on operation representations; executing a robot operation process on the robot controller; establishing a peripheral signal associated with the peripheral connection; recording the peripheral signal to obtain a peripheral signal representation; updating the operation signal history by providing the peripheral signal representation as an operation representation of the operation representations; and tracking operation of the robot system based on the operation signal history. The invention further relates to a robot system.

Abstract: The invention relates to a robot system comprising: a robot arm, a robot controller configured to execute a robot control In process based on a robot control software program and an auxiliary control process based on an auxiliary control software program; and a peripheral device communicatively connected to the 5 robot controller. Execution of the robot control process is performed by the robot controller resulting in operation of the robot arm. Execution of the auxiliary control process is performed by the robot controller resulting in establishing of a logic signal based on an application input signal received from the robot control process or the peripheral device. The auxiliary control process is configured to 10 establish a logic output signal based on the logic signal and, based on the logic output signal, configured to control operation of any of the robot control process and the peripheral device.

Abstract: Method and robot arm, where the motor torques of the joint motors of a robot arm are controlled based on a static motor torque indicating the motor torque needed to maintain the robot arm in a static posture, where the static motor torque is adjusted in response to a change in posture of the robot arm caused by an external force different from gravity applied to the robot arm. Further the motor torque of the joint motors is controlled based on an additional motor torque obtained based on a force-torque provided to the robot tool flange, where the force-torque is obtained by a force-torque sensor integrated in the tool flange of the robot arm.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a user friendly method for programming a robot, where the method comprises placing the robot at a given position P0 in the surroundings and using a portion or point P of the robot (for instance the point to which a tool is attached during use of the robot) to define one or more geometrical features relative to the surroundings of the robot and establishing a relationship between the geometrical features and first coordinates of a robot-related coordinate system, whereby the robot can subsequently be instructed to carry out movements of specified portions of the robot relative to said surroundings by reference to said one or more geometrical features. By these means it becomes easy for users that are not experts in robot programming to program and use the robot. The geometrical features can according to the invention be stored in storage means and used subsequently also in other settings than the specific setting in which the programming took place.

Abstract: A strain wave gear includes gear elements including a circular element having an internally-toothed gear and a flex element having a flexible externally-toothed gear arranged in the circular element. A wave generator is rotatably arranged in the flex element and configured to flex the externally-toothed gear in a radial direction to partly mesh the internally-toothed gear and the externally-toothed gear. Support elements include a bearing input support element and a bearing output support element rotatably coupled to the bearing input support element. Elements of the support elements are fixed respectively to elements of the gear elements. An encoder arrangement includes an encoder track and an encoder reader. A part of the encoder arrangement is between an element of the support elements and an element of the gear elements.

Abstract: A robot controller for controlling a robot arm comprising: —a first space shaping module configured to provide a shaped first space target motion by convolving a first space target motion with an impulse train, where the first space target motion defines a target motion in a first reference space; —a second space shaping module configured to provide a shaped second space target motion by convolving a second target motion with the impulse train; where the second target motion defines the target motion in a second reference space; and —a motor controller module configured to generate motor control signals to the joint motors based on the shaped first space target motion and the shaped second space target motion. This makes it possible to dynamically adjust in which reference space the input shaping shall be performed whereby vibrations and deviation in one reference space caused by input shaping in another reference space can be reduced.

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.

Abstract: A method and robot controller configured to obtain an inertia-vibration model of the robot arm. The inertia-vibration model defines a relationship between the inertia of the robot arm and the vibrational properties of said robot arm and have been by setting the robot arm in a plurality of different physical configurations and for each of said physical configurations of said robot arm obtaining the vibrational properties and the inertia the robot arm. The inertia-vibration model makes it possible to in a simple and efficient way to obtain the vibrational properties of different physical configurations of the robot arm whereby the robot arm can be controlled according to the vibrational properties of the robot arm. This makes it possible to reduce the vibrations of the robot arm during movement of the robot arm.

Abstract: A method and a robot controller for controlling a robot arm, where the robot arm comprises a plurality of robot joints connecting a robot base and a robot tool flange, where each of the robot joints comprises an output flange movable in relation to a robot joint body and a joint motor configured to move the output flange in relation to the robot joint body. The robot arm is controlled based on vibrational properties of at least one external object connected to the robot arm, where the vibrational properties are received via an external object installation interface by generating control signals for said robot arm based on a target motion and the received vibrational properties of the at least one external object, the control signal comprises control parameters for said joint motor.

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.

Abstract: The invention relates to a robot controller controlling a robot arm, the robot controller is configured to maintain the robot arm in a static posture when only gravity is acting on the robot arm and allow change in posture of the robot arm when an external force different from gravity is applied to the robot arm. The free-drive mode of operation is activatable by a user establishing a free-drive activation signal to the robot controller, which then is configured to: —monitor a value of at least one joint sensor parameter; —compare the value of the joint sensor parameter to a maintain free-drive joint sensor parameter threshold value; —maintain the robot arm in said free-drive mode of operation for a predetermined maintain free-drive period of time, and —leave the free-drive mode of operation if the value of the joint sensor parameter docs not exceed the maintain free-drive joint sensor parameter threshold value within the maintain free-drive period of time.

Abstract: The invention relates to a robot controller controlling a robot arm, the robot controller is configured to maintain the robot arm in a static posture when only gravity is acting on the robot arm and allow change in posture of the robot arm when an external force different from gravity is applied to the robot arm. The free-drive mode of operation is activatable by a user establishing a free-drive activation signal to the robot controller, which then is configured to initiate a free-drive mode activation sequence including the steps of: in a predetermined activation sequence period of time monitor a value of at least one joint sensor parameter, and compare this value to a free-drive activation joint sensor parameter threshold value. The robot controller is configured to switch to the free-drive mode of operation if the at least one value does not exceed the free-drive activation joint sensor parameter threshold value within the predetermined activation sequence period of time.

Abstract: The invention relates to a robot controller controlling a robot arm, the robot controller is configured to maintain the robot arm in a static posture when only gravity is acting on the robot arm and allow change in posture of the robot arm 5 when an external force different from gravity is applied to the robot arm. The free-drive mode of operation is activatable by a user establishing a free-drive activation signal to the robot controller, which in free-drive mode of operation is configured within at a free-drive safety period to allow a part of said robot arm to be moved within a virtual three-dimensional geometric shape 10 surrounding the part of the robot arm.

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.

Abstract: A method of controlling a robot arm with robot joints, where the joint motors of the joints are controlled based on a signal generated based on the friction torque (formula I) of at least one of the input/outside of the robot joint transmission and the robot joint transmission torque (formula II) between the input side and the output side of the transmission. The friction torque is determined based on: at least two of the angular position of the motor axle; the angular position of the output axle and/or the motor torque provided to the motor axle by the joint motor. The robot joint transmission torque is determined based on: at least one of the angular position of the output axle; the angular position of the output axle and/or the angular position of the motor axle; the angular position of the motor axle and the motor torque provided to the motor axle by the joint motor.

Abstract: A robot system comprising a robot arm controlled by a process controller according to a combination of basic software and process software and a safety controller configured to monitor and evaluate operation of a robot arm. The basic software is associated with safety limits having normal values limiting operation of the robot arm. The process software is associated with at least one safety limit having a process value which is different from the normal value. The value of a safety limit is configured to be updated with the process value while the robot system is in run-time mode and the robot safety controller is configured to bring the robot arm into a violation stop mode based on the result of an evaluation of an operation parameter, the normal value and the process value of the at least one safety limit.

Abstract: A robot system comprising a robot arm, a robot controller for controlling the robot arm and a safety system monitoring the robot arm, where the safety system is configured to bring the robot arm into a safe mode based on at least one safety function evaluated by the safety system. The robot controller is configured to. specify at least one user-defined safety parameter range; provide the user-defined safety parameter range to the safety system; generate at least one user-defined safety parameter based on at least one user-defined safety function; provide the user-defined safety parameter to the safety system; where the safety system comprises a safety range safety monitoring function configured to: evaluating if the at least one user-defined safety parameter is within the user-defined safety range, and 15. bringing the robot arm into a safe mode in case the user-defined safety parameter is outside the user-defined safety range.

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.