Trajectory planning and motion control strategies for a planar three-degree-of-freedom robotic arm

An apparatus for movement of at least one substrate to a predetermined location with a specified orientation, comprising:

• a robotic manipulator having a plurality of joint actuators and at least one end-effector for holding at least one substrate, wherein the at least one end-effector is independently rotatable with respect to the remaining robotic manipulator;
• a controller connected to the robotic manipulator for generating motion profiles for movement of a substrate holding area of the end-effector along a desired motion path, wherein the controller is programmed for forming the motion profiles from a combination of a translation of a reference point along the motion path and rotation of the end-effector with respect to the reference point, the reference point on the end-effector being offset from a wrist of the robotic manipulator;
• and wherein
• the controller determines determine a joint motion profile for each of the joint actuators of the robotic manipulator for implementing the motion profiles for movement of the end-effector to the predetermined location with the specified orientation.

A method for moving a substrate with a robotic manipulator to a predetermined location with a specified orientation, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing the robotic manipulator with a plurality of joint actuators and an end-effector for holding the substrate at an end of the robotic manipulator;
• providing a first controller in communication with the robotic manipulator for determining the desired joint motion profiles and desired commanded torques for the joint actuators associated with the first controller;
• providing a second controller in communication with the robotic manipulator for determining the desired joint motion profiles and desired commanded torques for the joint actuators associated with the second controller;
• generating with the first controller nodal points of motion profiles in the first controller for translation and rotation of the end-effector along the motion path;
• transmitting the nodal points from the first controller to the second controller;
• and
• initiating a synchronized run-time calculation of the motion profiles in the first controller and in the second controller based on the generated nodal points in the first controller and in the second controller, wherein the run-time calculation in the first controller and in the second controller are performed separately of each other.

An apparatus for moving a substrate with a robotic manipulator to a predetermined location with a specified orientation, the apparatus comprising:

• an end-effector for holding the substrate at an end of the robotic manipulator, wherein the robotic manipulator has a plurality of joint actuators;
• a first controller in communication with the robotic manipulator for determining the desired position of the joint actuators associated with the first controller;
• a second controller in communication with the robotic manipulator for determining the desired position of the joint actuators associated with the second controller;
• wherein the first controller generates generate nodal points of the motion profiles in the first controller for translation and rotation of the end-effector along the motion path, and to transmit the nodal points from the first controller to the second controller;
• and
• a communication line connecting the first controller and the second controller for transmitting nodal points from the first controller to the second controller, wherein the first controller and the second controller separately perform run-time calculation of the motion profiles based on the generated nodal points in the first controller and in the second controller, and the run-time calculation is initiated synchronously.

A method for moving substrate between two points with a robotic arm having a distributed control system, a plurality of joint actuators for moving the robotic arm, and an end-effector for removeably retaining the substrate, the method comprising the steps of:

• generating motion profiles with a main controller coupled to the robotic arm for controlling at least one from the plurality of the joint actuators associated with the main controller;
• generating the motion profiles with a remote controller coupled to the robotic arm for controlling at least one other from the plurality of joint actuators associated with the end-effector;
• and
• executing the motion profiles in the main controller and the motion profile in the remote controller separately from each other, wherein the executing is synchronously initiated.

A robotic arm with a distributed control system and an end-effector for moving substrate between two points, comprising:

• joint actuators coupled to the robotic arm for controlling the position and orientation of the robotic arm;
• a main controller for generating motion profiles for controlling at least one joint actuator associated with the main controller from the joint actuators coupled to the robotic arm;
• a remote controller for generating the motion profiles for controlling at least one other joint actuator associated with the end-effector from the joint actuators coupled to the robotic arm, wherein the substrate is removeably attached to the end-effector;
• and
• wherein the main controller and remote controller each execute their motion profiles separately from each other, wherein the execution is synchronously initiated.