Robot control

1. A method for controlling a robot arm ( 1 ) utilizing a manually operable user activated robot arm motion director ( 13 ) coupled to a robot arm motion controller ( 19 ), said robot arm motion controller ( 19 ) responsive to said manually operable user activated robot arm motion director ( 13 ), for monitoring a position of said user activated robot arm motion director ( 13 ) and responsive to said monitored position of said manually operable user activated robot arm motion director ( 13 ), for controlling the movement of said robot arm ( 1 ), said method comprising the steps of:

a) defining, in said robot arm motion controller ( 19 ), a working space ( 14 ) comprising a predetermined physical range of said robot arm ( 1 );

b) defining, in said robot arm motion controller ( 19 ), at least one snap point ( 17 ) within said working space ( 14 ) of said robot arm ( 1 ), said at least one snap point ( 17 ) comprising at least one predefined point within said working space ( 14 ) which can be reached by a reference point ( 31 ) on the robot arm ( 1 );

c) detecting the magnitude (|d|) of a manual actuation of said manually operable user activated robot arm motion director ( 13 ) (S 1 ) by said robot arm motion controller ( 19 ), and wherein a vectorial value (d) is measured and the measured vectorial value of the vector is taken as the detected magnitude (|d|) of the actuation, wherein the vectorial value (d) is one of a deflection of the user activated robot arm motion director ( 13 , 13 ′) from an idle position or of a force exerted on the user activated robot arm motion director ( 13 , 13 ′); and

d) if the detected magnitude (|d|) of the manual actuation (d) of said manually operable user activated robot arm motion director ( 13 ) lies below a switchover threshold (Th 2 ) (S 3 ), said robot arm motion controller ( 19 ) is configured for determining a snap point ( 17 ) which is adjacent a current location point of the reference point ( 31 ) on the robot arm and for then moving the reference point on the robot arm ( 31 ) to a snap point ( 17 ) adjacent said current location point (S 5 ), and wherein the movement of the reference point on the robot arm ( 31 ) is halted at least temporarily on reaching the adjacent snap point ( 17 ) by said robot arm motion controller ( 19 ), or alternatively

e) if the detected magnitude (|d|) of the actuation lies above the switchover threshold (Th 2 ), said robot arm motion controller ( 19 ) is configured for continuously moving the reference point ( 31 ) (S 6 -S 8 ).

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein steps d) and e) are only carried out if the detected magnitude (|d|) of the actuation lies above a reaction threshold (Th 1 ).

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in steps d) and e), the reference point on the robot arm ( 31 ) is moved in a spatial direction assigned to a direction of the vectorial value (d).

4. The method according to claim 1 , in which in step e), the reference point on the robot arm ( 31 ) is moved more quickly the greater the detected magnitude (|d|) of the actuation.

5. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that if an actuation ends and the reference point on the robot arm ( 31 ) is not located at a snap point ( 17 ), the reference point on the robot arm ( 31 ) is moved to an adjacent snap point ( 17 ).

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the end of an actuation is detected if the magnitude (|d|) of the actuation falls below the switchover threshold (Th 2 ).

7. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the end of an actuation is detected by said robot arm motion controller ( 19 ) if the magnitude (|d|) of the actuation falls below the reaction threshold (Th 1 ).

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in step b), said robot arm motion controller ( 19 ) defines points of a periodic lattice ( 26 ) as said snap points ( 17 ).

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in at least one part of the working space ( 14 ), a periodic lattice of cells (K (x,y,z) ) is defined by said robot arm controller ( 19 ), and wherein each of said periodic lattice of cells (K (x,y,z) ) contains an identical arrangement of one or more snap points ( 17 ), advantageously at the corners of each said periodic lattice of cells (K (x,y,z) ).

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the robot ( 1 ) is configured to carry out at least one activity at a location point, and a location point at which the activity has been carried out is defined as a snap point ( 17 ).

11. The method according to claim 1 , in which the movements of the reference point on the robot arm ( 31 ) are recorded by said robot arm motion controller ( 19 ).

12. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that said robot arm motion controller ( 19 ) seeks an adjacent snap point ( 17 ) in a spatial region ( 28 , 28 ′) centered around a current reference point ( 31 ) location point ( 24 , 24 ′).

13. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that said robot arm motion controller ( 19 ) seeks an adjacent snap point in a spatial region ( 23 , 27 ) on a margin of which the current reference point ( 31 ) location point ( 24 , (0,0,0)) is located.

14. The method according to claim 13 , characterized in that the spatial region ( 27 ) extends beyond the current location point ( 24 , (0,0,0)) in the direction of an immediately preceding movement of said reference point ( 31 ).

15. The method according to claim 12 , characterized in that the movement of the reference point on the robot arm ( 31 ) to the adjacent snap point does not take place if the spatial region ( 28 ′) does not contain a snap point.

16. The method of claim 1 further including providing a computer program product which includes instructions which, when run on a computer provided as part of said robot control arm motion controller ( 19 ), enables said computer to carry out the method.