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AMATEC Robotics
GmbH(www.amatec.de)
FTCtrl For ATI Force/Torque
Sensors
Typically, robots move purely position-controlled on programmed trajectories
without consideration of forces or torques that are acting on the tool or workpiece. In many cases, however, the adjustment or execution of exactly defined
forces by the robot has a crucial influence on the quality and robustness
of a robot application:
· Tension-free positioning of parts e. g. insertion processes
· Forces and torques can be adjusted independently
from part position and tolerance e. g.
for gluing and polishing
· Complex force profiles can be applied onto
workpieces during program execution e.
g. robot-based drilling or roll-hamming
· Compensation of part tolerances by programming
an active compliance e. g. assembly
tasks
· Sensitive collision detection e. g. for handling functions
When used with an ATI six-axis force/torque sensor, the FTCtrl extends the
traditional operation mode of KUKA robots with the possibility of programming
nominal forces and torques instead of positions and trajectories. The overlay
of position-controlled and force-controlled motions is also possible.
FTCtrl contains the following components:
· KRL instruction set extension for the intuitive
programming of force/torque-controlled robot applications
· Configurable force/torque-controller embedded
in the kernel of the robot controller.
Each of the six cartesian degrees of freedom can be alternatively controlled
by a position control loop or a force/torque control loop
· Drivers for ATI ISA-bus and DAQ sensor systems.
FTCtrl offers the following advantages:
· Possibility of combination position and force-controlled
programming in each movement instruction. The only condition: Each degree
of freedom of the robot is subject either to the force/torque control or
the position control.
· Output of sensor-based error messages on the hand
controller device of the robot control.
· Simple adaptation of force/torque controller to
the demands of the respective application.
I.e. both the type of robot and also the mounted sensor as well as the dynamics
of the process force profile (soft contact, hard contact) can be considered
appropriately.
· Numerical output of process forces and torques
on the hand controller device of the robot control. Optionally also a graphical
output can be integrated.
· All force/torque controlled robot movements refer
either to the current tool coordinate system (TCP) or robot-base coordinate
system (Base) or trajectory-following coordinate system. Thus applications
can be programmed fast and intuitively with respect to the best suited coordinate
system.
· Versatile security mechanism for protection of
sensor and work piece:
Force/torque supervision: Adjustable threshold values release an error when
exceeding.
Time control: process forces can be limited by programmable timers temporarily.
Trajectory supervision: The movements added by FTCTRL can be limited
(Johannes Stelter)
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