Patents by Inventor Tien L. Chang
Tien L. Chang 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).
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Patent number: 10639791Abstract: Methods and systems for touch-sensing to provide an updated user frame are provided. These include the provision of a user frame and the touch-sensing of a workpiece, where the touch-sensing includes performing a touch-sensing schedule. The touch-sensing schedule includes one of a laser touch-sensing event and a wire touch-sensing event, where one of the laser touch-sensing event and the wire touch-sensing event is switched to the other of the laser touch-sensing event and the wire touch-sensing event while performing the touch-sensing schedule. An offset of the workpiece relative to the user frame is determined based on the touch-sensing of the workpiece and the offset is applied to the user frame to provide the updated user frame. The unique dynamic user frame feature enables same touch sensing program to be cloned and applied on multiple robot controllers.Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 2017Date of Patent: May 5, 2020Assignee: FANUC CORPORATIONInventors: Tien L. Chang, Terry Tupper, Ho Cheung Wong, Sai-Kai Cheng, Jason Tsai
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Publication number: 20170348853Abstract: Methods and systems for touch-sensing to provide an updated user frame are provided. These include the provision of a user frame and the touch-sensing of a workpiece, where the touch-sensing includes performing a touch-sensing schedule. The touch-sensing schedule includes one of a laser touch-sensing event and a wire touch-sensing event, where one of the laser touch-sensing event and the wire touch-sensing event is switched to the other of the laser touch-sensing event and the wire touch-sensing event while performing the touch-sensing schedule. An offset of the workpiece relative to the user frame is determined based on the touch-sensing of the workpiece and the offset is applied to the user frame to provide the updated user frame. The unique dynamic user frame feature enables same touch sensing program to be cloned and applied on multiple robot controllers.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 5, 2017Publication date: December 7, 2017Inventors: Tien L. Chang, Terry Tupper, Ho Cheung Wong, Sai-Kai Cheng, Jason Tsai
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Patent number: 9144904Abstract: A system and method for controlling avoiding collisions and deadlocks in a workcell containing multiple robots automatically determines the potential deadlock conditions and identifies a way to avoid these conditions. Deadlock conditions are eliminated by determining the deadlock-free motion statements prior to execution of the motions that have potential deadlock conditions. This determination of deadlock-free motion statements can be done offline, outside normal execution, or it can be done during normal production execution. If there is sufficient CPU processing time available, the determination during normal production execution provides the most flexibility to respond to dynamic conditions such as changes in I/O timing or the timing of external events or sequences. For minimal CPU impact the determination is done offline where many permutations of programming sequences can be analyzed and an optimized sequence of execution may be found.Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 2012Date of Patent: September 29, 2015Assignee: Fanuc Robotics America CorporationInventors: H. Dean McGee, Tien L. Chang, Peter Swanson, Jianming Tao, Di Xiao, Ho Cheung Wong, Sai-Kai Cheng, Jason Tsai
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Patent number: 8315738Abstract: A system and method for controlling avoiding collisions in a workcell containing multiple robots is provided. The system includes a sequence of instructions residing on a controller for execution thereon to perform an interference check automatic zone method. The interference check automatic zone method includes the steps of: determining a first portion of a common space that is occupied during a movement of a first robot along a first programmed path; determining a second portion of the common space that is occupied during a movement of a second robot along a second programmed path; comparing the first portion and the second portion to determine if an overlap exists therebetween; and moving the first robot and the second robot in response to whether or not the overlap exists.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2008Date of Patent: November 20, 2012Assignee: Fanuc Robotics America, Inc.Inventors: Tien L. Chang, H. Dean McGee, Ho Cheung Wong, Jianming Tao, Jason Tsai
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Publication number: 20120215351Abstract: A system and method for controlling avoiding collisions and deadlocks in a workcell containing multiple robots automatically determines the potential deadlock conditions and identifies a way to avoid these conditions. Deadlock conditions are eliminated by determining the deadlock-free motion statements prior to execution of the motions that have potential deadlock conditions. This determination of deadlock-free motion statements can be done offline, outside normal execution, or it can be done during normal production execution. If there is sufficient CPU processing time available, the determination during normal production execution provides the most flexibility to respond to dynamic conditions such as changes in I/O timing or the timing of external events or sequences. For minimal CPU impact the determination is done offline where many permutations of programming sequences can be analyzed and an optimized sequence of execution may be found.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 2, 2012Publication date: August 23, 2012Inventors: H. Dean McGee, Tien L. Chang, Peter Swanson, Jianming Tao, Di Xiao, Ho Cheung Wong, Sai-Kai Cheng, Jason Tsai
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Patent number: 7860609Abstract: A robot multi-arm control system includes robot controllers that communicate via a network to transmit synchronization information from a master controller to one or more slave controllers in order to coordinate manufacturing processes. The system accounts for the network communication delay when synchronizing the event timing for process and motion synchronization.Type: GrantFiled: May 4, 2006Date of Patent: December 28, 2010Assignee: Fanuc Robotics America, Inc.Inventors: Akihiro Yanagita, Jianming Tao, Tien L. Chang, Ho Cheung Wong, H. Dean McGee, Chi-Keng Tsai, Sai-Kai Cheng, Steven E. Nickel, Hadi Akeel
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Publication number: 20090326711Abstract: A system and method for controlling avoiding collisions in a workcell containing multiple robots is provided. The system includes a sequence of instructions residing on a controller for execution thereon to perform an interference check automatic zone method. The interference check automatic zone method includes the steps of: determining a first portion of a common space that is occupied during a movement of a first robot along a first programmed path; determining a second portion of the common space that is occupied during a movement of a second robot along a second programmed path; comparing the first portion and the second portion to determine if an overlap exists therebetween; and moving the first robot and the second robot in response to whether or not the overlap exists.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 21, 2008Publication date: December 31, 2009Inventors: Tien L. Chang, H. Dean McGee, Ho Cheung Wong, Jianming Tao, Jason Tsai
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Patent number: 7211978Abstract: A system for performing the method of this invention includes a leader having a robot arm able to articulate about first axes and supporting an end effector. A follower includes a robot arm able to articulate about respective second axes. Servo motors articulate the leader arm about the first axes and the follower arm about the second axes. A user interface allows a user to jog the arm of the leader and to program movement of the arms for automatic execution such that the end effector reaches predetermined positions. A controller, operatively connected to the servo motors and the user interface, controls operation of the servo motors, moves the arm of the leader in accordance with the programmed movement, and moves the arm of the follower such that it tracks or mirrors movement of the leader.Type: GrantFiled: June 18, 2004Date of Patent: May 1, 2007Assignee: Fanuc Robotics America, Inc.Inventors: Tien L. Chang, H. Dean McGee, Eric Wong, Sai-Kai Cheng, Jason Tsai
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Publication number: 20040257021Abstract: A system for performing the method of this invention includes a leader having a robot arm able to articulate about first axes and supporting an end effector. A follower includes a robot arm able to articulate about respective second axes. Servo motors articulate the leader arm about the first axes and the follower arm about the second axes. A user interface allows a user to jog the arm of the leader and to program movement of the arms for automatic execution such that the end effector reaches predetermined positions. A controller, operatively connected to the servo motors and the user interface, controls operation of the servo motors, moves the arm of the leader in accordance with the programmed movement, and moves the arm of the follower such that it tracks or mirrors movement of the leader.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 18, 2004Publication date: December 23, 2004Inventors: Tien L. Chang, H. Dean McGee, Eric Wong, Sai-Kai Cheng, Jason Tsai