Method for collision-free path planning of an industrial robot

An industrial robot, comprising:

• a robot arm including a robot hand having a flange for supporting an object to be moved with the robot arm;
• and
• a control device controlling the robot arm for movement of the object from a first point to a second point within a working space of the robot arm that includes at least one obstacle;
• the control device planning a path for moving the object from the first point to the second point by:
• creating a three-dimensional model of the working space of the industrial robot in cylindrical coordinates,
• modeling the at least one obstacle in the three-dimensional model as at least one hollow cylindrical first segment,
• dividing the region of the three-dimensional model that is not occupied by the first segment into a plurality of cylindrical second segments, and
• determining a path along which the industrial robot is to move the object from a first point to a second point using the three-dimensional model, wherein the path is determined such that the object is moved exclusively within a region of the workspace corresponding to the second segments, wherein the object is moved along at least a first portion of the path with the object in a first orientation, and wherein the object is moved along at least a second portion of the path with the object in a second orientation different than the first orientation.

A method for planning a collision-free path for moving an object using an industrial robot having a robot arm controlled by a control device, wherein a working space of the robot includes at least one obstacle, the method comprising:

• creating a three-dimensional model of the working space of the industrial robot in cylindrical coordinates;
• modeling the at least one obstacle in the three-dimensional model as at least one hollow cylindrical first segment;
• dividing the region of the three-dimensional model that is not occupied by the first segment into a plurality of cylindrical second segments;
• simulating in the three-dimensional model positions of the robot arm that correspond to positions of the object in the second segments;
• determining which second segments in the three-dimensional model are segments where a collision of the robot arm with the obstacle could occur;
• identifying the second segments for which a collision of the robot arm with the obstacle could occur as third segments;
• and
• determining a path along which the industrial robot is to move the object from a first point to a second point using the three-dimensional model, wherein the path is determined such that the object is moved exclusively within a region of the working space corresponding to the second segments.