Abstract

A control system for a work robot having a number of articulated links including a controller for driving the links under closed loop servo control in response to a sequence of recorded link position commands read from a robot program memory. The sequence of link position commands is produced in a training session by an operator manually manipulating a robot simulator, or training arm, through a series of work-performing motions which are to be duplicated by the work robot. The sequence of link position commands produced by manual manipulation of the training arm during the training session is stored in the robot program memory. When the work robot is subsequently driven under closed loop servo control in response to the program stored in the robot memory, the controller also executes auxiliary functions, such as movement of a work piece operated upon by the work robot, in response to auxiliary function commands which are also stored in the robot program memory. In order to properly store the auxiliary function commands in the robot program memory, the auxiliary function commands are loaded in an auxiliary function memory prior to a training session so that they can be read out in a desired sequence.