Variable payload robot

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12569991-B2
Application number	US-202318501303-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2023
Priority date	Nov 3, 2022
Publication date	Mar 10, 2026
Grant date	Mar 10, 2026

Abstract

A variable payload robot is disclosed. In various embodiments, a robot includes two or more joints, each actuated by an associated joint motor and each joint motor having a different capacity, the robot comprising an end effector configured to grasp an object. A processor coupled to the robot is configured to determine based at least in part on the respective capacities of at least a subset of the joint motors and a payload related attribute of the object a plan and trajectory to move the object from a source location to a destination location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system, comprising:
a robot comprising two or more joints, each actuated by an associated joint motor and each joint motor having a different capacity, the robot comprising an end effector configured to grasp an object; and a processor coupled to the robot and configured to determine based at least in part on the respective capacities of at least a subset of the joint motors and a payload related attribute of the object a plan and trajectory to move the object from a source location to a destination location; wherein a wrist joint included in the two or more joints has a capacity that is less than one or more other of the two or more joints and the processor is configured to determine the plan and trajectory based at least in part on a determination of which of a plurality of operating zones the object is located in relative to the robot, the plurality of operating zones including a first zone with respect to which the robot can manipulate a maximum payload but with limited wrist joint orientation and a second zone with respect to which the robot can manipulate only payloads that are less than the maximum payload but with maximum flexibility in wrist joint orientation.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the payload related attribute comprises a weight of the object.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine the weight of the object.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the weight is determined based on a sensor comprised in the robot.

5 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the processor is configured to determine the weight of the object based at least in part on image data.

6 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to determine one or more operating zones, within a maximum operational reach of the robot, within which the robot is capable of moving the object.

7 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to determine a feasible set of trajectories to move the object, based at least in part on the respective capacities of said at least a subset of the joint motors and the payload related attribute of the object.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the feasible set of trajectories includes only trajectories within a subset of the operating space that is physically reachable by the robot, the subset being determined based at least in part on the payload related attribute of the object.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to monitor the robot as the object is moved through the trajectory.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the processor is configured to detect a condition and to determine a revised trajectory in response to detecting the condition.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to determine the plan and trajectory at least in part by using a stored model reflecting the respective capacities of the joint motors.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the model is trained at least in part by supervised machine learning.

13 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to use simulation to determine a set of feasible set of trajectories to move the object from the source location to the destination location given the respective capacities of the joint motors.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to use simulation in real time to adapt the plan and trajectory in response to a condition detected while moving the object from the source location to the destination location.

15 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to determine one or both of an alternate location at which and an alternate orientation in which to place the object.

16 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the determined plan and trajectory includes operating a mobile chassis on which the robot is mounted to impart momentum to the object.

17 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the object is being moved to the destination location that is nearer to the ground than the source location, and the determined plan and trajectory relies at least in part on gravity to move the object through the trajectory.

18 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the robot comprises a first robot and the processor is further configured to obtain assistance from a second robot to move the object through at least a portion of the trajectory.

19 . A method to programmatically control a robot comprising two or more joints, each actuated by an associated joint motor and each joint motor having a different capacity, the robot comprising an end effector configured to grasp an object, the method comprising:
receiving an indication to move an object from a source location to a destination location; and using a processor to determine based at least in part on the respective capacities of at least a subset of the joint motors and a payload related attribute of the object a plan and trajectory to move the object from the source location to the destination location; wherein a wrist joint included in the two or more joints has a capacity that is less than one or more other of the two or more joints and the processor is configured to determine the plan and trajectory based at least in part on a determination of which of a plurality of operating zones the object is located in relative to the robot, the plurality of operating zones including a first zone with respect to which the robot can manipulate a maximum payload but with limited wrist joint orientation and a second zone with respect to which the robot can manipulate only payloads that are less than the maximum payload but with maximum flexibility in wrist joint orientation.

20 . A computer program product to programmatically control a robot comprising two or more joints, each actuated by an associated joint motor and each joint motor having a different capacity, the robot comprising an end effector configured to grasp an object, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:
receiving an indication to move an object from a source location to a destination location; and using a processor to determine based at least in part on the respective capacities of at least a subset of the joint motors and a payload related attribute of the object a plan and trajectory to move the object from the source location to the destination location; wherein a wrist joint included in the two or more joints has a capacity that is less than one or more other of the two or more joints and the processor is configured to determine the plan and trajectory based at least in part on a determination of which of a plurality of operating zones the object is located in relative to the robot, the plurality of operating zones including a first zone with respect to which the robot can manipulate a maximum payload but with limited wrist joint orientation and a second zone with respect to which the robot can manipulate only payloads that are less than the maximum payload but with maximum flexibility in wrist joint orientation.

Assignees

• Dexterity Inc

Inventors

• Holmberg Robert
• Matzliach Gil
• Menon Samir
• Sun Zhouwen
• Sinha Prabhat Kumar

Classifications

• B25J9/162

  Mobile manipulator, movable base with manipulator arm mounted on it · CPC title

• B25J9/1664 Primary

  characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning · CPC title

• B25J9/1697

  Vision controlled systems · CPC title

• B25J9/1638 Primary

  compensation for arm bending/inertia, pay load weight/inertia · CPC title