US 12,296,489 B2
Control of a robot manipulator upon contact with a person
Andreas Spenninger, Karlsfeld (DE)
Assigned to Franka Emika GmbH, Munich (DE)
Appl. No. 17/794,433
Filed by Franka Emika GmbH, Munich (DE)
PCT Filed Feb. 10, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/053124
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 21, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/165105, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 26, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2020 104 364.3 (DE), filed on Feb. 19, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0067761 A1, Mar. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. B25J 13/08 (2006.01); B25J 9/16 (2006.01)
CPC B25J 9/1676 (2013.01) [B25J 9/1633 (2013.01); B25J 9/1653 (2013.01); B25J 13/089 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of controlling a robot manipulator, the method comprising:
providing a database containing body zones of a person, wherein each of the body zones is assigned a respective maximum permissible value of contact pressure;
determining a current or a future contact event of the robot manipulator involving the person, and determining a body zone of the person that is contacted;
determining a reference position fixed relative to a body of the person, wherein the reference position indicates beginning of a spatial progression of depression of a tissue of the person during the contact event with the person; and
controlling the robot manipulator in an impedance-regulated manner, such that the reference position serves as a zero position of an artificial spring component of impedance regulation of the robot manipulator and a maximum permissible contact pressure is not exceeded as a limit value.