US 12,330,290 B1
Operator-friendly interface for collaborative robots
Mathieu Bélanger-Barrette, St-Ferréol-les-neiges (CA); Sylvain Gagné, Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier (CA); Samuel Fradette, Beaumont (CA); Renaud Sanfaçon, Québec (CA); Mathieu Ouellet, Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures (CA); Michaël Vallée, Lévis (CA); and Étienne Samson, Québec (CA)
Filed by ROBOTIQ INC., St-Nicolas (CA)
Filed on May 26, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/324,243.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/347,372, filed on May 31, 2022.
Int. Cl. B25J 13/04 (2006.01); B25J 13/06 (2006.01); B25J 19/02 (2006.01)
CPC B25J 13/06 (2013.01) [B25J 13/04 (2013.01); B25J 19/023 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of manufacturing a product comprising:
providing a machinery used in a process of manufacturing said product;
providing at least one robotic interface compatible with said machinery used in said process of manufacturing said product, wherein said at least one robotic interface comprises one or more of:
(a) an actuator for physically engaging an input of said machinery;
a control input for controlling said actuator; and
an operator-input operable by an operator of said machinery for operating said input of said machinery; and
(b) an optical detector for detecting visual output of a visual-output-indicator of said machinery and for converting said visual output into an electronic optical data; and
an output of said at least one robotic interface for transmitting said electronic optical data to a robot, wherein said at least one robotic interface is positioned around said visual-output-indicator so as to allow said operator to observe said visual output of said visual-output-indicator;
providing said robot able to use said at least one robotic interface;
installing said at least one robotic interface on said machinery used in said process of manufacturing said product;
selecting whether said robot or said operator is using said at least one robotic interface or a combination thereof; and
using said at least one robotic interface installed on said machinery used in said process of manufacturing said product according to said selecting to complete at least one step of said process of making said product.