Transportation vehicle and method for controlling a robot

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11020856-B2
Application number	US-201816037911-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2018
Priority date	Jul 31, 2017
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

A transportation vehicle having a data interface for transmitting data to a robot, wherein the transportation vehicle includes a controller that produces control signals for controlling the robot for a specified working task and transmits the control signals to the robot via the data interface. Also disclosed is a method for controlling a robot by a transportation vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A transportation vehicle comprising:
a data interface for transmitting data to a robot;
a controller that produces control signals for controlling the robot for a specified working task and for transmitting the control signals to the robot via the data interface; and
a sensor arrangement configured to detect a posture of the robot and/or axle positions of the robot, to calculate all information for achieving a target posture or a target position based on the sensed posture and/or axle position, and to transmit corresponding axle positions to the controller that produces the control signals depending on the calculation.

2. The transportation vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the controller carries out safety monitoring of the robot and produces the control signals depending on the safety monitoring.

3. The transportation vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the data interface transmits the control signals to the robot by a wireless and/or cable-based transmission method.

4. The transportation vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the controller controls at least one transportation vehicle function for autonomous driving of the transportation vehicle.

5. The transportation vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the controller loads robot-specific parameters for controlling the robot via the data interface.

6. The transportation vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the controller carries out path planning for the robot for the working task and produces the control signals depending on the path planning.

7. The transportation vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the transportation vehicle comprises a user interface for controlling the robot.

8. A system comprising:
a transportation vehicle including a data interface for transmitting data to a robot and a controller that produces control signals for controlling the robot for a specified working task and for transmitting the control signals to the robot via the data interface;
a sensor arrangement configured to detect a posture of the robot and/or axle positions of the robot, to calculate all information for achieving a target posture or a target position based on the sensed posture and/or axle position, and to transmit corresponding axle positions to the controller that produces the control signals depending on the calculation; and
at least one robot comprising a data interface that is compatible with the data interface of the transportation vehicle.

9. A method for controlling a robot by a transportation vehicle including a data interface for transmitting data to a robot and a controller that produces control signals for controlling the robot for a specified working task and for transmitting the control signals to the robot via the data interface, wherein the method comprises the controller producing control signals for controlling the robot for a specified working task and transmitting the control signals to the robot via the data interface a detecting a posture of the robot and/or axle positions of the robot via a sensor system, calculating all information for achieving a target posture or a target position based on the sensed posture and/or axle position, and transmitting corresponding axle positions to the controller that produces the control signals depending on the calculation.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the robot carries out at least one production operation during the manufacture of the transportation vehicle.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the robot or another robot is used for refueling the transportation vehicle.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the robot or another robot is used for a maintenance task on the transportation vehicle.

Assignees

• Volkswagen Ag

Inventors

• Herold Stephan
• Schütz Daniel

Classifications

• B25J11/00 Primary

  Manipulators not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• G05B2219/2629

  Assembly line · CPC title

• B67D2007/0403

  Fuelling robots · CPC title

• G05B2219/40111

  For assembly · CPC title

• B25J9/1687

  Assembly, peg and hole, palletising, straight line, weaving pattern movement · CPC title