Robot and over-current protection device for a robot
AssigneeSony Corporation
InventorsMasatsugu Iribe, Tomohisa Moridaira, Hiroshi Yamaguchi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
It is so arranged in a robot as to monitor the over-current state of each motor and that of two more than two motors when put together by seeing the total current value of the motors being monitored in parallel with absorption of both the static load torque and the dynamic load torque of each actuator/motor. Additionally, it is so arranged as to check if each of the predetermined unit members including the arm sections and the leg sections of the robot is in an over-current state or not and also if the entire robot is in an over-current state or not, while each of the motors are not in an over-current state.
Claims12
A robot having a plurality of movable joint sections, the robot comprising:
- a drive power source for driving the robot;
- a plurality of actuators adapted to operate by the supply current from the drive power source for respectively driving the plurality of movable joint sections;
- monitoring means for monitoring the output of the drive power source or the electric current supplied to different sections in the robot;
- power source abnormality detecting means for detecting any of a plurality of power source abnormal conditions according to the output of the power source as monitored by the monitoring means;
- and
- operation control means for conducting a protective operation corresponding to the power source abnormal condition detected by the power source abnormality detecting means,
- wherein the power source abnormality detecting means detects a light over-current state when a condition where the electric current being supplied to the different sections in the robot is higher than a first threshold value but lower than a second threshold value continues for more than a predetermined period of time;
- and
- wherein the operation control means carries out a predetermined shutdown operation and then suspends the operation of the drive power source in response to the light over-current state.
An over-current protection device for a robot, the robot comprising:
- a drive power source for driving the robot;
- a plurality of actuators adapted to operate by the supply current from the drive power source for respectively driving the plurality of movable joint sections;
- monitoring means for monitoring the output of the drive power source or the electric current supplied to different sections in the robot;
- power source abnormality detecting means for detecting any of a plurality of power source abnormal conditions according to the output of the power source as monitored by the monitoring means;
- and
- operation control means for conducting a protective operation corresponding to the power source abnormal condition detected by the power source abnormality detecting means,
- wherein the power source abnormality detecting means detects a light over-current state when a condition where the electric current being supplied to the different sections in the robot is higher than a first threshold value but lower than a second threshold value continues for more than a predetermined period of time;
- and
- wherein the operation control means carries out a predetermined shutdown operation and then suspends the operation of the drive power source in response to the light over-current state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.