System and method for controlling at least one machine, more particularly a collective of machines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12405595-B2
Application number	US-202017636315-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2020
Priority date	Aug 20, 2019
Publication date	Sep 2, 2025
Grant date	Sep 2, 2025

Abstract

A system for controlling at least one machine which is assigned an individual machine language including defined command variables, the machine undergoing a change of state in the course of the control, having a control module which is designed to transform command variables of an interaction language into corresponding command variables of an individual machine language depending of the type of machine and/or the machine language assigned thereto.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for controlling at least one machine (K i ), which is assigned an individual machine language comprising defined command variables (R 1 , . . . , R i ), the at least one machine (K i ) undergoing a state change (Z i ) in a course of the control, comprising:
a human-machine interface (HMI) associated with an interaction language comprising defined command variables (r 1 , . . . , r i ); and
a control module which is configured, depending on a type of the at least one machine (K i ) and/or the machine language assigned thereto, with respect to a command variable (r 1 , . . . , r i ) of the interaction language and/or with respect to a command variable (R 1 , . . . , R i ) of the individual machine language to generate a control function (f 1 , . . . , f i ) which is designed to transform the command variable (r 1 , . . . , r i ) of the interaction language into an associated command variable (R 1 , . . . , R i ) of the individual machine language, wherein the control module is further configured, depending on the type of the at least one machine (K i ) and/or the machine language assigned thereto, with respect to a status variable (s 1 , . . . . s i ) of the interaction language and/or with respect to a status variable (S 1 . . . . S i ) of the individual machine language to generate an inverse control function (f 1 −1 , . . ., f −1 ), which is designed to transform a status variable (S 1 , . . . , S i ) of the individual machine language into an associated status variable (s 1 , . . . . s i ) of the interaction language.

2. The system according to claim 1 , in which the control module is further configured to generate the control function (f 1 , . . . , f i ) depending on the inverse control function (f 1 −1 , . . . , f i −1 ) and/or vice versa.

3. The system according to claim 1 , in which the control module is further configured to change the control function (f 1 , . . . , f i ) and/or the inverse control function (f 1 −1 , . . . , f i −1 ) during the state change of the machine (K i ).

4. The system according to claim 1 , in which a plurality of machines (K 1 , . . . , K i ) is provided, each of which is assigned an individual machine language, and in which the control module is designed to generate a control function (f 1 , . . . , f i ) and an inverse control function (f 1 −1 , . . . , f i −1 ) for each machine (K 1 , . . . , K i ).

5. The system according to claim 4 , in which the control module is further configured to generate the control functions (f 1 , . . . , f i ) and the inverse control functions (f 1 −1 , . . . , f i −1 ) synchronously or asynchronously with respect to the machines (K 1 , . . . , K i ).

6. The system according to claim 1 , in which the at least one machine (K i ) is a robot or a part of a robot.

7. A method for controlling at least one machine (K i ), which is assigned an individual machine language comprising defined command variables (R 1 , . . . , R i ), by means of a control module which interacts with a human-machine interface (HMI), which is assigned an interaction language comprising defined command variables (r 1 , . . . , r i ), the machine (K i ) undergoing a state change (Z i ) in a course of the control, comprising steps:
recognizing a type of the at least one machine (K i ) and/or the machine language assigned to it;
generating, depending on the type of the at least one machine (K i ) and/or the machine language associated therewith, a control function (f 1 , . . . , f i ) with respect to a command variable (r 1 , . . . , r i ) of the interaction language and/or with respect to a command variable (R 1 , . . . , R i ) of the individual machine language; and
transforming the command variable (r 1 , . . . , r i ) of the interaction language into an associated command variable (R 1 , . . . , R i ) of the individual machine language using the control function (f 1 , . . . , f i );
wherein the method further comprises:
depending on the type of machine (K i ) and/or the machine language associated therewith, generating an inverse control function (f 1 −1 , . . . , f i −1 ) with respect to a status variable (s 1 , . . . , s i ) of the interaction language and/or with respect to a status variable (S 1 , . . . , S i ) of the individual machine language; and
transforming the status variable (S 1 , . . . , S i ) of the individual machine language into an associated status variable (s 1 , . . . , s i ) of the interaction language using the inverse control function (f 1 −1 , . . . , f i −1 ).

8. The method according to claim 7 , in which the control function (f 1 , . . . , f i ) is generated depending on the inverse control function (f 1 −1 , . . . , f i −1 ) and/or vice versa.

9. The method according to claim 7 , in which the control function (f 1 , . . . , f i ) and/or the inverse control function (f 1 −1 , . . . , f i −1 ) are changed during the state change (Z i ) of the machine (K i ).

10. The method according to claim 7 , in which a plurality of machines (K 1 , . . . , K i ) is provided, each of which is assigned an individual machine language, comprising:
generating a control function (f 1 , . . . , f i ) and an inverse control function (f 1 −1 , . . . , f i −1 ) for each machine (K 1 , . . . , K i ), wherein the control functions (f 1 , . . . , f i ) and the inverse control functions (f 1 −1 , . . . , f i −1 ) are generated synchronously or asynchronously with respect to the machines (K 1 , . . . , K i ).

11. A computer system comprising a data processing device, the data processing device being configured to perform the method according to claim 7 on the data processing device.

12. A non-transitory digital storage medium having electronically readable control signals, the control signals being capable of interacting with a programmable computer system to perform the method according claim 7 .

13. A non-transitory computer program product comprising program code stored on a machine-readable medium for performing the method according to claim 7 , when the program code is executed on a data processing device.

14. A computer program comprising program codes, stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, wherein the program codes, when run on a data processing device, carries out the method according to claim 7 .

Assignees

• Franka Emika Gmbh

Inventors

• Spenninger Andreas
• Parusel Sven
• Haddadin Simon

Classifications

• G05B2219/31455

  Monitor process status · CPC title

• Y02P90/02

  Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] · CPC title

• G05B19/4155 Primary

  characterised by program execution, i.e. part program or machine function execution, e.g. selection of a program · CPC title

• G05B19/41845 Primary

  characterised by system universality, reconfigurability, modularity · CPC title