Robotic manipulator manual movement assistance

Abstract

A robotic system includes control circuitry communicatively coupled to a robotic manipulator and configured to cause actuation of one or more actuators of the robotic manipulator. The control circuitry is configured to determine a manual force on the robotic manipulator, and control actuation of the one or more actuators of the robotic manipulator based at least in part on the manual force.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A robotic system comprising:
 control circuitry communicatively coupled to a robotic manipulator and configured to cause actuation of one or more actuators of the robotic manipulator, the control circuitry being configured to:
 determine a manual force on the robotic manipulator; and 
 control actuation of the one or more actuators of the robotic manipulator based at least in part on the manual force. 
   
     
     
         2 . The robotic system of  claim 1 , wherein said controlling actuation of the one or more actuators involves causing the one or more actuators to move the robotic manipulator at a speed that is proportional to the manual force. 
     
     
         3 . The robotic system of  claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to stop motion of the one or more actuators when the manual force ceases. 
     
     
         4 . The robotic system of  claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to limit the actuation of the one or more actuators to prevent movement of the robotic manipulator to a space within a virtual boundary. 
     
     
         5 . The robotic system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the robotic manipulator comprises:
 an end effector; 
 first and second robotic arm links; 
 an articulatable joint connecting the first and second robotic arm links; and 
 one or more force sensors associated with the joint; and 
   the control circuitry is configured to determine the manual force based on output from the one or more force sensors associated with the joint.   
     
     
         6 . The robotic system of  claim 5 , wherein the manual force is determined at least in part by modifying the output from the one or more force sensors to implement at least one of:
 removing a gravity component; and   applying a torque deadband.   
     
     
         7 . The robotic system of  claim 5 , wherein:
 the control circuitry is further configured to convert output from the one or more force sensors associated with the joint of the robotic manipulator to Cartesian direction and orientation values representing an apparent reference point force associated with the end effector of the robotic manipulator; and   said controlling actuation of the one or more actuators is based on the apparent reference point force.   
     
     
         8 . The robotic system of  claim 7 , wherein said converting the output from the one or more force sensors associated with the joint to Cartesian direction and orientation values is based in part on known joint position data. 
     
     
         9 . The robotic system of  claim 7 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine an adjusted reference point force by applying a deadband to the apparent reference point force. 
     
     
         10 . The robotic system of  claim 9 , wherein the adjusted reference point force is smoothed at an edge of the deadband. 
     
     
         11 . The robotic system of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the control circuitry is further configured to determine one or more joint positioning commands based on the apparent reference point force; and   said controlling actuation of the one or more actuators of the robotic manipulator is performed using the one or more joint positioning commands.   
     
     
         12 . The robotic system of  claim 7 , wherein said controlling actuation of the one or more actuators involves causing the robotic manipulator to move in accordance with a product of the apparent reference point force and an output multiplier of an output multiplier function that is a function of the apparent reference point force. 
     
     
         13 . The robotic system of  claim 12 , wherein the output multiplier function includes a deadband range. 
     
     
         14 . A system, comprising:
 a robotic manipulator comprising at least one sensor configured to provide output indicative of force on the robotic manipulator; and   control circuitry configured to:
 detect a manual force on the robotic manipulator based on output from the at least one sensor; and 
 in response to the manual force, accelerate movement of the robotic manipulator in a direction of movement of the manual force in response. 
   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein said accelerating movement of the robotic manipulator is in response to engagement with a user input mechanism associated with the robotic manipulator. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the user input mechanism is a button on the robotic manipulator. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to determine a user intent based on the manual force. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
 modify one or more parameters in real time based on the user intent; and   generate an apparent reference point force based on the manual force and the one or more parameters.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein:
 the control circuitry is further configured to determine an apparent reference point force based on the manual force; and   said acceleration of the movement is based on a force multiplier of the apparent reference point force.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein:
 the control circuitry is further configured to:
 determine actuator torque at a joint of the robotic manipulator based on output from the at least one sensor; 
 translate the actuator torque to a Cartesian-system force vector; 
 calibrate the Cartesian-system force vector to include at least one of gravity force component compensation or deadband filtering; and 
 determine one or more joint actuator position commands based on the calibrated Cartesian-system force vector; and 
   said acceleration of the movement is implemented using the one or more joint actuator position commands.