Did You Know...
...that the Eveready Battery began as an invention called the "electric flowerpot," which was a tube with a battery and light bulb inside? The idea was to fasten this gizmo to the side of a flowerpot so it would illuminate the flowers from the bottom. The idea died on the vine and the businessman who licensed the flower pot, Conrad Huber, was left with a pile of useless tubes -- until he found a way to market them as batteries to light the world!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7302312 | Hardware abstraction layer (HAL) for a robot Methods and apparatus that provide a hardware abstraction layer (HAL) for a robot are disclosed. A HAL can reside as a software layer or as a firmware layer residing between robot control software and underlying robot hardware and/or an operating system for the hard... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7076336 | Hardware abstraction layer (HAL) for a robot Methods and apparatus that provide a hardware abstraction layer (HAL) for a robot are disclosed. A HAL can reside as a software layer or as a firmware layer residing between robot control software and underlying robot hardware and/or an operating system for the hard... | 07/11/2006 |
| 6999851 | Robot apparatus and motion controlling method therefor A robot apparatus and a motion controlling method for the robot apparatus wherein a reflex motion or the like can be performed at a high speed while decreasing the calculation amount of and the concentrated calculation load to a control apparatus. The robot has a co... | 02/14/2006 |
| 6889118 | Hardware abstraction layer for a robot Methods and apparatus that provide a hardware abstraction layer (HAL) for a robot are disclosed. A HAL can reside as a software layer or as a firmware layer residing between robot control software and underlying robot hardware and/or an operating system for the hard... | 05/03/2005 |
| 6882890 | Industrial controller based on distributable technology objects A method and system for controlling an industrial controller based on technology objects are disclosed. Technology object types may be loaded and instantiated into the run time system of a controller, thereby increasing the functionality and providing technological ... | 04/19/2005 |
| 6826432 | Process for programming an automation application A process for programming an automation application program on an automation equipment programming station, including defining several structured type objects each representing an input-output channel of automation equipment, declaring symbolic input-output variable... | 11/30/2004 |
| 6801830 | Operation confirming method and device for industrial machinery An operation confirming method capable of making, in order to enhance an operation program correction efficiency, an operation path at an operation confirming time (teaching mode) identical with that at an actual job time (play mode) as much as possible; and a contr... | 10/05/2004 |
| 6618635 | Programming apparatus A programming apparatus having an arrangement for formulating an automating task to be performed in the form of a programming language for automating apparatuses is described, which simplifies a process error analysis for an analysis unit. For this purpos... | 09/09/2003 |
| 6597971 | Device for avoiding interference An interference avoiding device for determining occurrence of an interference in a robot operation in advance and automatically avoiding the interference, to be suitably applied to an automatic picking-up operation of randomly stored workpieces. A positio... | 07/22/2003 |
| 6574536 | Moving apparatus for efficiently moving on floor with obstacle A moving robot first moves straight in a first forward path. When encountering an obstacle such as shelf, the robot makes a U-turn to move straight in a backward path located with a prescribed distance away from the first forward path. When encountering a... | 06/03/2003 |
| 6510365 | Carrier system positioning method The invention is a method for positioning a conveying mechanism having a holding portion for semiconductor wafers. Respective provisional position coordinates of an orienting teaching standard position and a container teaching standard positions are input... | 01/21/2003 |
| 6430474 | Tooling adapter for allowing selected manipulation of a workpiece A system for manipulating a workpiece in an industrial robot system having a manipulator device for manipulating the workpiece, a tooling adapter coupled to the manipulator device for manipulating the workpiece, and an image referencing system for acquiri... | 08/06/2002 |
| 6363300 | Process and system for the automatic determination of an optimal movement program of a robot Process for the automatic determination of an optimal movement program of a robot comprising at least one moving member, a motor associated with the moving member and a control unit capable of activating the motor according to a movement program to move t... | 03/26/2002 |
| 6253120 | Position and/or force controlling apparatus using sliding mode decoupling control An interacting term existing in a control system is decoupled on the basis of a regular condition of a decoupling matrix. Then, an hyperplane ς which has been obtained to satisfy the Lyapunov stability condition is designed. A control quantity is converg... | 06/26/2001 |
| 5532924 | Attitude control method of a visual sensor utilized for an industrial robot An attitude control method of a visual sensor (3) utilized for a robot (1), with the object of simplifying the teaching operation for adjusting the attitude of the visual sensor, enabling continual control of sensor attitude, and obtaining highly reliable... | 07/02/1996 |
| 5339103 | Part machining programming using a camera interchangeable with maching nozzle A system and method for using a camera and an associated display means for facilitating the loading of the distinguishing characteristics of a workpiece into the control system for a machining system to allow machining of workpieces in accordance with a s... | 08/16/1994 |
| 5046021 | Robotic assembly and disassembly station for removably clamping a succession of workpieces to a succession of support pallets The station comprises a revolving table for receiving, positioning and clamping in an operating position a pallet of the type provided with adjustable anchoring elements for components of clamping fixtures, a magazine for modular components of clamping fi... | 09/03/1991 |
| 5030907 | CAD driven microprobe integrated circuit tester A system for testing integrated circuits is disclosed which uses a mechanical microprobe and the integrated circuit's CAD database. The system is integrated with the CAD database in such a manner that after an initial alignment operation between the CAD d... | 07/09/1991 |
| 4831548 | Teaching apparatus for robot Disclosed is a teaching apparatus for a robot comprising a graphic display capable of displaying characters, symbols, and figures, a pointing device capable of indicating any point on the display screen, a storage for storing character, symbol, and graphi... | 05/16/1989 |
| 4817017 | Industrial robot In an industrial robot according to this invention, at least three points among a large number of off-line teaching points set for tasks are directly taught in the actual site of the tasks, the "deviations" between the actual teaching points and the off-l... | 03/28/1989 |
| 4725178 | Programmable manipulator A multi-axle programmable manipulator is described which includes a corresponding multi-axle training arm for programming the manipulator. A support for the training arm is disclosed which allows the training arm to so be anchored to the manipulator that ... | 02/16/1988 |
| 4685862 | Industrial robot An industrial robot having a controllably movable arm is taught position data for controlling the movable of the arm. A support member is provided on the arm and has a through-hole therein. First, an optical magnifying devices inserted into the through-ho... | 08/11/1987 |
| 4664873 | System for performing remotely-controlled manual-like operations in large-area cell of a nuclear facility The invention is directed to remotely-controlled manipulator carrier systems for use in maintaining and servicing process equipment housed in large-area cells affected by radioactivity wherein industrial processes are conducted. The cells are part of a nu... | 05/12/1987 |
| 4603511 | Grinding robot A grinding robot of playback system to grind 3-D curved surface is disclosed which is comprised of No. 1 arm being horizontally oscillatable around a vertical axis, No. 2 arm pivoted horizontally oscillatable to the head of said No. 1 arm, fluid cylinder ... | 08/05/1986 |
| 4589810 | Device for programming movements of a robot There is provided a device for programming motions and operational forces or torques of a robot, and a device for carrying out the method. The device includes a handle grip-sensor unit which includes a known sensor of forces and/or torques of the type whi... | 05/20/1986 |
| 4568816 | Method and apparatus for manipulator welding apparatus with improved weld path definition Control apparatus for manipulator welding apparatus is provided that includes a vision correction system for workpiece sensing. During an initial teach mode, the manipulator is taught the desired welding path on a workpiece and data is recorded representi... | 02/04/1986 |
| 4445184 | Articulated robot An articulated robot comprises one or more articulation angles that can assume two states on the occasion of the same position or attitude of an object being controlled. A change from one to the other of the above described two states is taught by operati... | 04/24/1984 |
| 4445022 | Arc welding robot control system An arc welding robot control system in which a control console stores the welding conditions upon the completion of a welding cycle. When a suspension of the welding cycle is commanded during its execution, the welding cycle is effected under the stored w... | 04/24/1984 |
| 4442387 | Safe programming system for industrial robots A programmable manipulator is provided in which the manipulator arm is counter-balanced in all of its major axes and these axes are provided with low friction joints so that a relatively small force is needed to move the arm in each of its principal axes.... | 04/10/1984 |
| 4420812 | Teaching- playback robot A teaching-playback type robot is disclosed having a manipulator with a plurality of movable members connected to each other, a detector detecting the relative positions of the members, a switch for designating position signals from the detector upon a te... | 12/13/1983 |
| 4409650 | Automatic position controlling apparatus An automatic positioning apparatus comprises a smoothing means. The smoothing means is adapted to connect smoothly a 3-dimensional path based on the preceding and succeeding four taught points irrespective of a straight line or a curved line, while correc... | 10/11/1983 |
| 4396987 | Machine tool and robot control apparatus A machine tool and robot control apparatus, for use in a system having a machine tool, a numerical control device for controlling the machine tool, an industrial robot and a robot control device for controlling the industrial robot, has the numerical cont... | 08/02/1983 |
| 4378959 | Apparatus for performing work functions An apparatus for performing a work function on a workpiece comprising a stationary base, a rotatable base mounted on the stationary base, a hydraulically actuated mechanism for rotatably displacing the rotatable base relative to the stationary base, a low... | 04/05/1983 |
| 4379335 | Electronic controller and portable programmer system for a pneumatically-powered point-to-point robot An electronic controller and portable programmer system for a pneumatically-powered point-to-point robot is disclosed. The microprocessor-based controller includes a read-only memory for storing the main control program, a non-volatile memory (EAROM) for ... | 04/05/1983 |
| 4348731 | Automatic working apparatus and method of controlling the same An automatic working apparatus having a route-controlled object to be controlled in respect of the route along which the object is moved is controlled by a point-to-point control system in which coordinates of three successively given bend points are used... | 09/07/1982 |
| 4348142 | Six-axes manipulator A six-axes manipulator consists of a central tubular support 30 equipped with four bearings A, B, C, D at 90° to each other, disposed in a plane XOY perpendicular to the axis ZZ' of the tubular support, a ring 110 with a diameter larger than that of a se... | 09/07/1982 |
| 4348623 | Numerical control system for controlling both a machine tool and a robot A numerical control system comprising a numerical control device, a machine tool for machining a workpiece under the control of the numerical control device, and a robot for executing various tasks such as mounting the workpiece on the machine tool or dem... | 09/07/1982 |
| 4347578 | Industrial robot control system Teach data for directing the operation of an industrial robot is entered from a teach operating panel and set in a teaching memory. Machine work identify, insufficient machine work detect and other similar external data and data, such as the current and t... | 08/31/1982 |
| 4338672 | Off-line teach assist apparatus and on-line control apparatus Teach assist apparatus is provided for a programmable manipulator arm to precompute a projected fixed path solution during an initial teaching operation. The projected fixed path solution represents a desired series of manipulator arm work operations to b... | 07/06/1982 |
| 4278920 | Method and apparatus for generating position or path control programs using force feedback A program controlled workpiece manipulator has a load cell supported between the manipulator clamp and the positioning elements which generate signals proportional to the various components of the forces exerted on the workholder by external instrumentali... | 07/14/1981 |
