ROBOT PROGRAMMING IN THE AUTOMATED MANUFACTURING PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE ENVIRONMENT (AMPLE)

This paper presents a research effort of developing a computer system which accepts the description of robotic tasks, selects an appropriate robot, and translates the tasks into a computer program to control the selected robot. In the effort, typical robotic tasks are identified and used to define the capability of a robot and to develop a template set for translating tasks into robot control statements. The computer system contains two components: a pre-processor and a processor. The pre-processor interacts with the user for tasks description, template matching, and data storage. The processor evaluates the tasks to be performed, selects a robot, and sequences the tasks. It also translates the task sequence into a robot program according to the format defined by the selected compiler. A programming language called Automated Manufacturing Programming Language Environment (AMPLE) is selected to implement the system. The IBM AML/E compiler is used for a demonstration of this application. The AMPLE mechanism, the system implementation, and a plan for applying AMPLE to other NC systems are also described in this paper.