Robotic tool changer alignment modules

A robotic tool changer, comprising:

• a master unit operative to be affixed to one of a robot arm and a robotic tool;
• a tool unit operative to be affixed to the other of the robot arm and the robotic tool;
• a first alignment module affixed to a ledge of one of the master and tool units, the first alignment module including an optical source;
• a second alignment module affixed to a corresponding ledge of the other of the master and tool units, the second alignment module including one or more optical targets on a surface facing the first alignment module;
• and
• a spatial orientation sensor operative to be attached to corresponding surfaces of the first or second alignment modules, the spatial orientation sensor operative to sense a spatial orientation, along three orthogonal axes, of the alignment module to which it is attached.

A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions for assisting a user to align a robot arm with a robotic tool, said instructions operative to cause a processing circuit of a computing device to perform the steps of:

• capturing a spatial orientation of a tool unit of a tool changer along three orthogonal axes by commanding a spatial orientation sensor initially mounted on the tool unit to sense its spatial orientation;
• and
• directing the user to adjust an orientation of the robot arm to align a master unit to the sensed spatial orientation of the tool unit with respect to the three orthogonal axes by receiving, from the same spatial orientation sensor now mounted on the master unit of the tool changer, error signals indicative of a deviation from the spatial orientation sensed along each axis when the spatial orientation sensor was mounted on the tool unit;
• outputting the indications to the user;
• and
• in response to the user adjusting the orientation of the robot arm, monitoring outputs of the spatial orientation sensor and indicating to the user when the spatial orientation of the master unit deviates from the sensed spatial orientation of the tool unit by less than a predetermined amount.