System for controlling motion of a robot

In a system for controlling the motion of a robot having a multiplicity of parts connected to each other for rotation relative to each other about respective axes of rotation, said system including drive means operatively connected to said parts for rotating same about respective ones of said axes, said system further including converter means for transforming a velocity reference value defined in terms of fixed spatial coordinates into command signals transmitted to said drive means for modifying angular velocities of said parts about said axes so that an actual velocity of a point on said robot approaches said velocity reference value, said system further including velocity monitoring means operatively connected to said drive means for terminating operation of said drive means upon detecting an impermissibly high motion parameter,

• the improvement wherein said velocity monitoring means includes means operatively connected to at least one of said converter means and said drive means for calculating from a plurality of velocity values a resultant vectorial velocity defined with respect to said fixed spatial coordinates and for comparing said resultant vectorial velocity with a predetermined maximum value.

The method defined in claim 14 wherein said step of monitoring includes the step of detecting actual angular velocities of said parts about said axes, said step of monitoring further including the step of comparing said actual angular velocities with respective ones of said target angular velocities and of generating an alarm signal upon detecting a difference greater than a pre-established magnitude.