Continuum arm robot system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12397433-B2
Application number	US-202218075877-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 6, 2022
Priority date	Dec 22, 2021
Publication date	Aug 26, 2025
Grant date	Aug 26, 2025

Abstract

A control system for a compliant robotic system including at least two compliant robots having actuator packs, the control system including: an individual local control system associated with each actuator pack, the local control system providing control signals to the actuator causing movement within the robots, an overall control system controlling the overall motion of robots when proximate within a workspace, the overall control signal providing signals to the actuators associated with the robots, so as to cause linked movement of the continuum arm robots, and wherein each individual control system is provided with a clock synchronized with the other, and wherein the overall control system is provided with a redundancy control system that limits the motion of the compliant robots within certain degrees of freedom, so that the motion of the at least two complaint robots does not conflict when operating under the overall control system.

First claim

We claim:

1. A control system for a compliant robotic system comprising at least two compliant robots each compliant robot having their own actuator pack, the control system comprising:
an individual local control system associated with each of the actuator packs, the local control system providing control signals to the actuator packs to cause movement within the at least two compliant robots,
an overall control system which controls the overall motion of the robots when the robots are proximate within a workspace, the overall control system providing signals collectively defining an overall control to the actuator packs associated with the at least two compliant robots, so as to cause linked movement of the compliant robots, wherein the overall control system includes receipt of synchronized clock signals from the compliant robots;
wherein each individual local control system is provided with a clock, and the clock of a respective individual local control system is synchronized with the other clocks, and wherein the overall control system is provided with a redundancy control system that limits the motion of the compliant robots within certain degrees of freedom, so that the motion of the at least two compliant robots does not conflict when operating under the overall control system, and

wherein the at least two compliant robots include a first compliant robot and a second compliant robot, and the second compliant robot includes a connection mechanism that is configured to grip the first compliant robot at a plurality of positions along the first compliant robot.

2. The control system according to claim 1 , wherein the connection mechanism is controlled by either the local control system associated with a robot arm provided with the connection mechanism or the overall control system.

3. The control system according to claim 2 , wherein the connection mechanism is provided with an interlock, which if broken restricts the movement of the robotic system, and when connected initiates the redundancy control system.

4. The control system according to claim 1 , wherein the compliant robots are provided with sensors that provide signals to both the local control systems and to the overall control system.

5. The control system according to claim 1 , wherein the local control systems are programmed with a kinematic model of the respective robot in motion, which is used to compensate the signal to each actuator pack when a movement command is inputted.

6. The control system according to claim 1 , wherein the overall control system is provided with a kinematic model for all of the robots within the system, as well as models for connected systems, which are used to compensate the signals provided to the actuator packs when a movement command is inputted.

7. The control system according to claim 1 , wherein each local control system and the overall control system are provided on separate computer systems, with the local control systems being linked to the overall control system.

8. The control system according to claim 1 , wherein the local control systems and the overall control system are provided on the same computer system.

9. The control system according to claim 1 , wherein the redundancy control system disengages a required number of motion control actuators from one of the actuator packs.

10. The control system according to claim 1 , wherein the redundancy control system disengages a required number of motion control actuators from each of the actuator packs.

11. The control system according to claim 1 , wherein once the robots are in position the overall control system places one or more of the compliant robots into an idle state, whilst at least one of the compliant robots remains active, such that an operator controls the motion.

12. The control system according to claim 1 , wherein once the robots are in position the overall control system places one or more of the compliant robots into a passive control state, whilst at least one of the compliant robots remains active, such that an operator controls the motion.

13. A method of controlling the compliant robots in the control system according to claim 1 , the method comprising:
inserting the compliant robots into a workspace,
manipulating the movement of the compliant robots using the individual local control systems to move the compliant robots to a first desired position,
with the compliant robots in the decided position each local control system is shut down and the overall control system takes over the motion control of the compliant robots,
performing a decided task using the compliant robotic system,
positioning the robots to a second desired position,
disengaging the overall control system and reengaging the local control systems, and
removing the compliant robots from the workspace.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein once the compliant robots are in the first desired position the compliant robots are clamped together using the connection mechanism, and the connection mechanism is disengaged once the compliant robots are in the second desired position.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein once the compliant robots are in the first desired position a preprogramed connection sequence is activated which provides an automatic control for clamping the compliant robots together.

16. The method according to claim 14 , wherein once the compliant robots are in the second desired position a separation sequence is activated, which provides a means of automatically separating the robots and deactivating the overall control system.

17. The method according to claim 14 , wherein once the compliant robots are clamped together, the overall control system places at least one of the compliant robots in an idle state and at least one of the compliant robots in an active state.

18. The method according to claim 14 , wherein once the compliant robots are clamped together, the overall control system places at least one of the compliant robots in a passive state and at least one of the compliant robots in an active state.

19. The control system according to claim 1 , wherein once the robots are in position the overall control maintains all robot arms in an active state.

20. The control system according to claim 1 , wherein the redundancy control system is configured to limit and shut down the motion of the compliant robots within the certain degrees of freedom once the compliant robots are connected.

21. The control system according to claim 1 , wherein the connection mechanism includes a camera.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Plc

Inventors

• Norton Andrew D
• Russo Matteo
• Mohammad Abdelkhalick

Classifications

• B25J19/066

  Redundant equipment · CPC title

• B25J9/1633

  compliant, force, torque control, e.g. combined with position control · CPC title

• B25J9/163

  learning, adaptive, model based, rule based expert control · CPC title

• B25J9/06

  characterised by multi-articulated arms · CPC title

• B25J15/0095

  with an external support, i.e. a support which does not belong to the manipulator or the object to be gripped, e.g. for maintaining the gripping head in an accurate position, guiding it or preventing vibrations · CPC title