Patents by Inventor Gunter Schreiber

Gunter Schreiber has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11839985
    Abstract: A method for the control of a robot assembly having at least one robot. The method includes acquiring pose data from an object arrangement having at least one object, which data has a first time interval; determining modified pose data from the object arrangement, which data has a second time interval that is larger or smaller than the first time interval, or is equal to the first time interval, on the basis of the acquired pose data; and controlling the robot assembly on the basis of said modified pose data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: KUKA Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Felix Allmendinger, Jan Bandouch, Günter Schreiber
  • Patent number: 10635074
    Abstract: A method for controlling a manipulator includes releasing the manipulator in reaction to a release request by an operator, wherein the recognition of the release request involves monitoring the variation over time of a measured value that is characteristic of a state of the manipulator. Increased robustness of the recognition of the release request results.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: KUKA Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Günter Schreiber, Bettina Pfaff
  • Publication number: 20200114518
    Abstract: A method for the control of a robot assembly having at least one robot. The method includes acquiring pose data from an object arrangement having at least one object, which data has a first time interval; determining modified pose data from the object arrangement, which data has a second time interval that is larger or smaller than the first time interval, or is equal to the first time interval, on the basis of the acquired pose data; and controlling the robot assembly on the basis of said modified pose data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2018
    Publication date: April 16, 2020
    Inventors: Felix Allmendinger, Jan Bandouch, Günter Schreiber
  • Patent number: 10576629
    Abstract: In one aspect, a method for controlling a compliant-controlled robot includes performing a boundary monitoring of the robot and controlling movement of the robot with a return force that is predetermined by control technology. If the robot is already in a blocked area upon activation of the boundary monitoring, then a first return force operates to return the robot from a current position in the blocked area toward a boundary of the blocked area. If the robot arrived at the current position in the blocked area after activation of the boundary monitoring, then a second return force operates to return the robot from the current position toward the boundary. The first return force is at least temporarily less than the second return force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: KUKA Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Matthias Rohmer, Tobias Reichl, Gunter Schreiber, Holger Monnich, Martin Mueller-Sommer, Uwe Bonin
  • Patent number: 10350765
    Abstract: A method for switching a control of a robot into a manual operating mode, wherein the robot is movable by a user manually applying at least one of a force or a torque upon the robot, includes detecting at least one of joint forces or joint torques of the robot, and triggering an error reaction in response to the switching and based on at least one of the detected joint forces and/or joint torques, target joint forces and/or target joint torques, or a pose of the robot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: KUKA Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Marc-Walter Ueberle, Matthias Rohmer, Tobias Reichl, Gunter Schreiber, Martin Mueller-Sommer, Uwe Bonin
  • Patent number: 10239207
    Abstract: A method for controlling a robot having a drive arrangement with at least one drive includes determining an actual velocity of the robot, determining a target velocity for the robot, and determining a damping drive parameter based on a difference between the target velocity and the actual velocity. The target velocity is determined based on at least one of a predetermined maximum velocity, a predetermined minimum velocity, or a first distance of the robot from at least one predetermined boundary. The drive arrangement of the robot is then controlled based on the damping drive parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: KUKA Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Matthias Rohmer, Martin Mueller-Sommer, Marc-Walter Ueberle, Gunter Schreiber, Uwe Bonin
  • Patent number: 10076841
    Abstract: A method for controlling a manipulator includes determining by a control device one or more contact force values between the manipulator and a first workpiece. Each of the contact force values is based on an actual driving force of the manipulator and a drive force according to a dynamic model of the manipulator. The method also includes at least one of a) measuring in multiple stages an orientation and location of the first workpiece based on at least one of the one or more determined contact force values or b) joining a second workpiece and the first workpiece under a compliant regulation, where a joining state of the first and second workpieces is monitored based on at least one of an end pose of the manipulator obtained under the compliant regulation, a speed of a temporal change of the manipulator, or at least one of the one or more determined contact force values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: KUKA Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Simon Klumpp, Gunter Schreiber
  • Publication number: 20180074475
    Abstract: A method for controlling a manipulator includes releasing the manipulator in reaction to a release request by an operator, wherein the recognition of the release request involves monitoring the variation over time of a measured value that is characteristic of a state of the manipulator. Increased robustness of the recognition of the release request results.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2016
    Publication date: March 15, 2018
    Inventors: Günter Schreiber, Bettina Pfaff
  • Publication number: 20180021944
    Abstract: A manipulator system for the coordinated control of at least two manipulators. The system includes a main computer that is configured for carrying out a sequence control, and at least two multiaxial manipulators. A manipulator controller and at least one axis controller are associated with each manipulator. The manipulator controllers are spatially separate from the main computer and set up in their own housings. Each manipulator preferably includes converters for controlling the actuators of the axes of the manipulator, wherein the converter associated with an actuator is situated in the vicinity of the actuator in such a way that the converter can be moved along with a movement of the associated manipulator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Publication date: January 25, 2018
    Inventor: Günter SCHREIBER
  • Patent number: 9815196
    Abstract: An apparatus for recording positions in a control program of a manipulator, which includes a manipulator, a controller having a control program, and a manual control device, wherein the controller can actuate the manipulator 10 in a compliance control, in which the manipulator is allowed to occupy an actual position different to the nominal position, wherein the controller, when recording the current position of the manipulator in the control program, carries over into the control program in a situation-based manner the nominal position, the actual position or a hybrid position comprising nominal and actual components of the current position. In addition, a corresponding method is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: KUKA Roboter GmbH
    Inventors: Uwe Zimmermann, Günter Schreiber
  • Publication number: 20170144302
    Abstract: A method for controlling a robot having a drive arrangement with at least one drive includes determining an actual velocity of the robot, determining a target velocity for the robot, and determining a damping drive parameter based on a difference between the target velocity and the actual velocity. The target velocity is determined based on at least one of a predetermined maximum velocity, a predetermined minimum velocity, or a first distance of the robot from at least one predetermined boundary. The drive arrangement of the robot is then controlled based on the damping drive parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2016
    Publication date: May 25, 2017
    Inventors: Matthias Rohmer, Martin Mueller-Sommer, Marc-Walter Ueberle, Gunter Schreiber, Uwe Bonin
  • Publication number: 20170014997
    Abstract: In one aspect, a method for controlling a compliant-controlled robot includes performing a boundary monitoring of the robot and controlling movement of the robot with a return force that is predetermined by control technology. If the robot is already in a blocked area upon activation of the boundary monitoring, then a first return force operates to return the robot from a current position in the blocked area toward a boundary of the blocked area. If the robot arrived at the current position in the blocked area after activation of the boundary monitoring, then a second return force operates to return the robot from the current position toward the boundary. The first return force is at least temporarily less than the second return force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2016
    Publication date: January 19, 2017
    Inventors: Matthias Rohmer, Tobias Reichl, Gunter Schreiber, Holger Monnich, Martin Mueller-Sommer, Uwe Bonin
  • Publication number: 20160375588
    Abstract: A method for switching a control of a robot into a manual operating mode, wherein the robot is movable by a user manually applying at least one of a force or a torque upon the robot, includes detecting at least one of joint forces or joint torques of the robot, and triggering an error reaction in response to the switching and based on at least one of the detected joint forces and/or joint torques, target joint forces and/or target joint torques, or a pose of the robot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2016
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Inventors: Marc-Walter Ueberle, Matthias Rohmer, Tobias Reichl, Gunter Schreiber, Martin Mueller-Sommer, Uwe Bonin
  • Publication number: 20160176046
    Abstract: An apparatus for recording positions in a control program of a manipulator, which includes a manipulator, a controller having a control program, and a manual control device, wherein the controller can actuate the manipulator 10 in a compliance control, in which the manipulator is allowed to occupy an actual position different to the nominal position, wherein the controller, when recording the current position of the manipulator in the control program, carries over into the control program in a situation-based manner the nominal position, the actual position or a hybrid position comprising nominal and actual components of the current position. In addition, a corresponding method is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2015
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventors: Uwe Zimmermann, Günter Schreiber
  • Publication number: 20160107315
    Abstract: A method for controlling a manipulator includes determining by a control device one or more contact force values between the manipulator and a first workpiece. Each of the contact force values is based on an actual driving force of the manipulator and a drive force according to a dynamic model of the manipulator. The method also includes at least one of a) measuring in multiple stages an orientation and location of the first workpiece based on at least one of the one or more determined contact force values or b) joining a second workpiece and the first workpiece under a compliant regulation, where a joining state of the first and second workpieces is monitored based on at least one of an end pose of the manipulator obtained under the compliant regulation, a speed of a temporal change of the manipulator, or at least one of the one or more determined contact force values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Publication date: April 21, 2016
    Inventors: Simon Klumpp, Gunter Schreiber
  • Patent number: 9227321
    Abstract: A method for controlling a manipulator includes determining by a control device one or more contact force values between the manipulator and a first workpiece. Each of the contact force values is based on an actual driving force of the manipulator and a drive force according to a dynamic model of the manipulator. The method also includes at least one of a) measuring in multiple stages an orientation and location of the first workpiece based on at least one of the one or more determined contact force values or b) joining a second workpiece and the first workpiece under a compliant regulation, where a joining state of the first and second workpieces is monitored based on at least one of an end pose of the manipulator obtained under the compliant regulation, a speed of a temporal change of the manipulator, or at least one of the one or more determined contact force values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: KUKA Roboter GmbH
    Inventors: Simon Klumpp, Günter Schreiber
  • Patent number: 9063539
    Abstract: In a method and a device for entering control commands into a controller of a manipulator, such as a robot, a first force or movement or sequence of forces or movements is detected, and the detected force, movement or sequence is electronically compared with stored forces, movements or sequences, respectively. Each of the stored forces or movements or sequences has a control command associated therewith. Upon the comparison indicating a coincidence between the detected force or movement or sequence with one of the stored forces or movements or sequences, the control command associated with that one of the stored forces, stored movements or stored sequences is automatically supplied as an input to the controller for operating the manipulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: Kuka Laboratories GmbH
    Inventors: Günter Schreiber, Uwe Zimmermann
  • Patent number: 8972062
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for mounting a component, which comprises an insertion part and a holding part, in an opening in a workpiece by means of an industrial robot, which has an end effector, which guides the component on the holding part thereof. The method according to the invention is implemented by causing the insertion part of the component to approach the opening by moving the industrial robot; increasing the process forces by means of the industrial robot, once the insertion part of the component has made contact with the workpiece, until a process force threshold is reached, wherein the process forces are stored particularly in the form of material stresses; increasing the flexibility of the industrial robot when the process force threshold is reached; and executing a passive centering movement of the industrial robot based upon the process forces that are released by a relaxation of the material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: KUKA Laboratories GmbH
    Inventors: Gunter Schreiber, Michael Gerung
  • Patent number: 8812158
    Abstract: A handling system and method for automatically moving a gravity-based load body using a robot. The load body is supported by a load body holding means connected to an end effector flange of the robot. A gravity compensation device includes a connector element acting on an element or the end effector flange of the robot to compensate for the gravity of the load body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: KUKA Roboter GmbH
    Inventors: Sven Brudniok, Günter Schreiber, Johann Maischberger
  • Patent number: 8774969
    Abstract: In a method for allowing an end effector of a robotic manipulator to travel along a predetermined path or trajectory, wherein the manipulator has a null space with respect to the predetermined trajectory with at least two manipulator positions associated with the same end effector position, a placement of the manipulator in null space is detected and, in a processor, a process variable of the end effector is automatically modified according to the detected placement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Kuka Laboratories GmbH
    Inventor: Günter Schreiber