Patent ID: 8078320

Claim:
A method of adjusting operating parameters for at least one actuator of a robot for moving an effector tool along a given path with an optimum cycle time, the operating parameters determining at least a travel speed of the tool along the given path, the method making use of measurements taken during one of a real movement of the effector tool and on the basis of measurements delivered by a robot movement emulator, and comprising: a) supplying operating parameters to an actuator controller to control operation of the at least one actuator to move the effector tool along the given path and determining a value of a cycle time for the effector tool to travel the given path as a function of the values of the operating parameters; b) sensing at least one of the value of an operating temperature and a value of a degree of wear of the at least one actuator for moving the effector tool of the robot resulting from the effector tool moving along the given path and supplying the at least one value to a computer device; and c) using the computer device to modify the values of the operating parameters to move the cycle time closer to its optimum value; wherein, during step c), the values of the operating parameters are automatically modified so as to approach an extremum of a compromise function, the compromise function comprising at least first and second terms, the first term being a function of the cycle time determined during step a), and the second term being a function of the at least one of temperature and the degree of wear determined during step b) and wherein the first term varies in a direction opposite to a direction of the second term.