Patent Document ID: 5581666
Application ID: 08432376
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A modular robotics system comprising at least one manipulator, a plurality of interchangeable and discrete operational modules, and means for passing wave variables between each of said modules and by causing retention of passivity thereby preventing instability in said system caused by computational delays within and between the modules, wherein each of said modules is decomposed into subnetworks containing either linear time invariant uncoupled dynamic or nonlinear coupled memoryless lumped parameter simulation means selected from the group consisting of an inertia simulation means (M), a stiffness simulation means (K), a linear damping simulation means (B), an independent flow source simulation means (v.sub.d), an independent effort source simulation means (f.sub.d), a Jacobian simulation means (J), and a nonlinear damping simulation means (B), said subnetworks being independently discretized; wherein each of said modules comprises: an initialization means; and a synchronous update means mapping module inputs to module outputs via a discrete control equation to implement an action selected from the group consisting of receiving motion commands from a robot input device, receiving and processing readings from a sensor means, controlling motion of a robot by sending commands to a robot control means, implementing a motion constraint; filtering command signals, mapping force and velocity signals from one reference frame to another reference frame, and simulating a dynamic action of a robot component; and wherein each of said modules: requires connections to other modules to complete a functional modular robotics system, is replaceable by one or more modules to implement a different action, is initializable and controllable separately from each other module in the modular robotics system, and receives inputs from neighboring modules and transfers outputs to neighboring modules in an arbitrary sequence, independent of type of said neighboring modules.