US 5,956,465 A · Production facility with automatic movable body for man-machine cooperation

Abstract

For a combination of a first movable body adaptive for an automatic motion to provide an equivalent service to a required service, and a second movable body capable of exercising a voluntary motion and to cooperate with the first movable body to provide the voluntary motion as one of assistance and teaching to the first movable body to sophisticate the automatic motion, there are provided a first controller operative in a first mode for controlling the first moving body to exercise the automatic motion and in a second mode for adapting the first movable body to cooperate with the second movable body so that the automatic motion is sophisticated to be capable of achieving an equivalent service to the required service in a sophisticated manner, and a second controller for selecting one of the first and second modes.

Claims64

Dependent claims

A production facility comprising:

a man-machine section requiring one of:
a movement service,
a handling service and
a production service to be provided in one of
a first manner and
a second manner more sophisticated than the first manner,
the man-machine section including:
a first movable body adaptive for an automatic motion to provide an equivalent service to the required service in the first manner;
and
a second movable body competent to exercise a voluntary motion combinable with the automatic motion to provide an equivalent service to the required service in the second manner;
first control means operative
in a first mode thereof for controlling the first moving body to exercise the automatic motion and
in a second mode thereof for adapting the first movable body to cooperate with the second movable body so that the automatic motion is combined with the voluntary motion;
and
second control means for controlling the first control means to select one of the first and second modes, wherein
the required service includes handling a work for one of a transfer assistance and a positioning assistance;
and
the first moving body comprises one of
a first assist arm device adapted for the transfer assistance with a restricted motion range,
a second assist arm device power-aided for the transfer assistance,
a third assist arm device adapted for the positioning assistance,
a fourth assist arm device adapted for the positioning assistance on a follower, and
a fifth assist arm device adapted for the positioning assistance with a flexible clearance.

20 more elements

A production facility comprising:

a man-machine section requiring one of:
a movement service,
a handling service and
a production service to be provided in one of
a first manner and
a second manner more sophisticated than the first manner,
the man-machine section including:
a first movable body adaptive for an automatic motion to provide an equivalent service to the required service in the first manner;
and
a second movable body competent
to exercise a voluntary motion and
to cooperate with the first movable body for providing the voluntary motion as one of an assistance and a teaching to the first movable body to sophisticate the automatic motion;
first control means operative
in a first mode thereof for controlling the first moving body to exercise the automatic motion and
in a second mode thereof for adapting the first movable body to cooperate with the second movable body so that the automatic motion is sophisticated to be capable of achieving an equivalent service to the required service in the second manner;
and
second control means for controlling the first control means to select one of the first and second modes, wherein
the first movable body has:
a first motion range defined for the automatic motion, including
a first allowance therefor;
the second movable body has:
a second motion range defined for the voluntary motion, including
a second allowance therefor;
and
the first control means includes:
safety control means for
recognizing an interference region in which the first and second motion ranges interfere with each other,
detecting an intersection between the interference region and the second motion range, and
responding to the detected intersection to provide a detection signal.

26 more elements

A production facility comprising:

a man-machine section requiring one of:
a movement service,
a handling service and
a production service to be provided in one of
a first manner and
a second manner more sophisticated than the first manner,
the man-machine section including:
a first movable body adaptive for an automatic motion to provide an equivalent service to the required service in the first manner;
and
a second movable body competent
to exercise a voluntary motion and
to cooperate with the first movable body for providing the voluntary motion as one of an assistance and a teaching to the first movable body to sophisticate the automatic motion,
first control means operative:
in a first mode thereof for controlling the first moving body to exercise the automatic motion and
in a second mode thereof for adapting the first movable body to cooperate with the second movable body so that the automatic motion is sophisticated to be capable of achieving an equivalent service to the required service in the second manner;
and
second control means for controlling the first control means to select one of the first and second modes, wherein:
the required service includes handling a work for one of a transfer assistance and a positioning assistance;
and
the first moving body comprises one of
a first assist arm device adapted for the transfer assistance with a restricted motion range,
a second assist arm device power-aided for the transfer assistance,
a third assist arm device adapted for the positioning assistance,
a fourth assist arm device adapted for the positioning assistance on a follower, and
a fifth assist arm device adapted for the positioning assistance with a flexible clearance.

22 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Production facility with automatic movable body for man-machine cooperation

Life of this patent

Production facility with automatic movable body for man-machine cooperation

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims64