Self-teaching robot arm position method to compensate for support structure component alignment offset

DETAILED DESCRIPTION An object of the invention is, therefore, to provide a multiple link robot arm system that has straight line motion, extended reach, corner reach around, and continuous bidirectional rotation capabilities for transporting specimens to virtually any location in an available work space that is free of lockout spaces.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a system that increases specimen processing throughput in the absence of robot arm rewind time and radial positioning of processing station requirements.
A further object of this invention is to provide such a system that is capable of continuous rotation in either direction with no susceptibility to kinking, twisting, or breaking of conduits delivering vacuum pressure to the hand.
Still another object of the invention is to provide such a system that uses two motors capable of synchronous operation and a linkage coupling mechanism that permit a hand of an end effector structure to change its extension as the multiple link robot arm mechanism to which the hand is associated changes its angular position.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a system component misalignment correction technique for either mechanical alignment of system components or robot arm mechanism trajectory control to compensate for support structure alignment offset.
Each of two preferred embodiments of the present invention includes two end effectors or hands.
A first embodiment comprises two multiple link robot arm mechanisms mounted on a torso link that is capable of 360 degree rotation about a central or "torso" axis.
Each robot arm mechanism includes an end effector having a single hand.
A second embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment in that the former has one of the robot arm mechanisms removed from the torso link and substitutes on the remaining robot arm mechanism an end effector with oppositely extending hands for the end effector having a single hand.
Each of the multiple link robot arm mechanisms of the first and second embodiments uses two motors capable of synchronized operation to permit movement of the robot arm hand along a curvilinear path as the extension of the hand changes