Robot Programming

C. Sivakumar
Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
BSA Crescent Institute of Science and Technology
• Methods of programming
• Leadthrough programming
• Manual programming
• Robot program in space
• Methods of defining point in space
• Speed control

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Teach Pendant

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 Motion Interpolation
• Joint Interpolation
• Straight line Interpolation
• Circular Interpolation
• Irregular smooth motion

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Joint Interpolation

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Joint Interpolation

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Circular Interpolation

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 WAIT, SIGNAL & DELAY COMMANDS
• All industrial robots are instructed to send
signals or wait for signals
• These signals are called interlocks
• Common form is to actuate end effectors
• In grippers, its on or off or Binary
• Grippers involve 2 interlocks – open & close
• Feedback might be added to verify actuation

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 WAIT, SIGNAL & DELAY COMMANDS
• Communication with other devices is
important.
• Ex of unloading from press
– Stop robot entering before press is open
– Remove gripper before press closes
• To do this we have 2 commands
• SIGNAL M – instructs to O/P signal thru M
• WAIT N – robot should wait until I/P thru N
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 Example of loading and unloading
• 8,8 – press
• 1,8 – tote bin or collecting tray
• 1,1 & 8,8 will be safe locations for waiting
• Controller port 1-10 = Output lines (SIGNAL)
• 4-actuate press, 5&6 – OPEN/CLOSE gripper
• Controller port 11-20 = Input lines (WAIT)
• 11- indicates gripper is open

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Example of loading and unloading

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 DELAY
• DELAY X SEC
• Robot should wait X seconds before going into
next step

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 BRANCHING
• Controllers allow dividing a program into one
or more branches
• Allows program to be subdivided into
convenient segments
• It is also subroutines and can be identified by
a name
• Allows incoming signal to invoke branch
• Usage of interrupt
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Pallet with 24 positions

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General commands

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 Capabilities of Leadthrough Methods
• Defining points & speed is easy through Teach
pendant (TP)
• WAIT, SIGNAL & DELAY is done in TP through
special buttons
• BRANCHING functions

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 Limitations of Leadthrough
programming
• Robot cannot be used in production while
being programmed
• More complex program cannot be done
• Not compatible with CIM and factory
networking

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 Robot Languages
• WAVE – 1973 – Stanford AI Lab, feasibility of
robot hand-eye coordination
– AL – control multiple arm
• VAL – Victors Assembly Language (1979)
– VAL II
• AML – A Manufacturing Language – developed
by IBM
• MCL, RAIL, APT, HELP
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 First Generation Languages
• Uses command statement and teach pendant
• Manipulator motion, straight line
interpolation, branching, elementary sensor
commands
• Low to medium complexity
• Ex VAL

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 Seconds Generation Languages
• Also called structured program language
• Ex - AML, RAIL, VAL II
• Make use of teach pendant to define location

• Motion control
• Advanced sensor capabilities
• Limited intelligence
• Communication and data processing

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Robot language structure

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 Robot language structure - Operating
system
• Some means of permitting the user to
determine the action
• Monitor mode - supervisory control, speed
control, store program, transfer program,
change mode
• Run mode – execute robot program
• Edit mode – write new program and edit
existing program

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 Robot language structure - Operating
system
• Interpreter – a program in OS, executes each
instruction of source program
• Compiler – passes thru the entire program
and pretranslates all instructions into
machine level code, that can be read and
executed by robot controller

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 Robot Language Elements and
Function
Constants and variables
• Character, string
• Numerical constants – integers and real
numbers

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• Aggregates and location variables

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 Motion command
MOVE and related statements
• MOVE A1 (move to point A1)
• MOVES A1 (with straight line interpolation)
• MOVE A1 VIA A2 (moves to A1 thru A2)

• APPRO A1, 20 (approach at axial offset)

• MOVE ARM2 TO A1

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SPEED control

• SPEED 60 IPS {60 inches per sec}(defines

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Definition of points in the workspace
• Through Teach Pendant
– HERE A1

• Through typing

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Paths and frames
• DEFINE PATH1 = PATH(A1,A2,A3,A4)
• MOVE PATH1
• MOVES PATH1 (using straight line
interpolation)
• DEFINE FRAME1 = FRAME(A1,A2,A3)
• DEFINE
ROUTE:FRAME1=PATH(P1,P2,P3,P4,P5,P6,P7)
• MOVES ROUTE:FRAME1

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 END EFFECTOR AND SENSOR
COMMANDS
End Effector command – Gripper
• OPEN or CLOSE (wait for next motion)
• OPENI or CLOSEI (immediate)
• CLOSE 40 MM or CLOSE 1.575 IN (int opening)
• CLOSE 3.0 LB (gripping force)
• CENTER (doesnt move the object)

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End Effector command – Tools
• OPERATE TOOL(SPEED = 125RPM)
• OPERATE TOOL (TORQUE = 5 IN LB)
• OPERATE TOOL (TIME = 10 SEC)

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 SENSOR OPERATION
• SIGNAL 3, ON (binary output)
• SIGNAL 3, OFF (binary output)
• SIGNAL 105, 4.5 (analog voltage output)

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Thank you

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