Cobots
US5952796A · kind A · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 28, 1997 |
| Grant date | Sep 14, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 28, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG05B2219/40517
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An apparatus and method for direct physical interaction between a person and a general purpose manipulator controlled by a computer. The apparatus, known as a collaborative robot or "cobot," may take a number of configurations common to conventional robots. In place of the actuators that move conventional robots, however, cobots use variable transmission elements whose transmission ratio is adjustable under computer control via small servomotors. Cobots thus need few if any powerful, and potentially dangerous, actuators. Instead, cobots guide, redirect, or steer motions that originate with the person. A method is also disclosed for using the cobot's ability to redirect and steer motion in order to provide physical guidance for the person, and for any payload being moved by the person and the cobot. Virtual surfaces, virtual potential fields, and other guidance schemes may be defined in software and brought into physical effect by the cobot.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.