Method of conveying product, product conveyance apparatus, method of producing optical element, optical element production apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10370279-B2
Application number	US-201816050656-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2018
Priority date	Aug 23, 2017
Publication date	Aug 6, 2019
Grant date	Aug 6, 2019

Abstract

A product conveyance apparatus includes an actuator, a movement portion, a first position detection portion, a second position detection portion, and a controller. The controller performs a process of causing the actuator not holding a product to move to a predetermined position, detecting the position of the actuator and storing the position as a first position, a process of causing the actuator to move on a basis of a movement instruction value and hold the product, causing the actuator holding the product to move to the predetermined position, detecting the position of the product held by the actuator, and storing the position as a second position, and a process of correcting and updating the movement instruction value on a basis of difference between the first position and the second position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of conveying a product by using a robot comprising an actuator configured to hold the product, a movement portion configured to move the actuator, a first position detection portion configured to detect a position of the actuator, a second position detection portion configured to detect a position of the product held by the actuator, and a controller configured to control the actuator, the movement portion, the first position detection portion, and the second position detection portion,
the method comprising:
a first position storing step in which the controller causes the actuator not holding the product to move to a predetermined position, detects the position of the actuator by the first position detection portion, and stores the position detected by the first position detection portion as a first position;
a holding step in which the controller causes the actuator to move on a basis of a movement instruction value that is stored in advance and hold the product;
a second position storing step in which the controller causes the actuator that has held the product in the holding step to move to the predetermined position, detects the position of the product held by the actuator by the second position detection portion, and stores the position detected by the second position detection portion as a second position; and
a movement instruction value update step in which the controller corrects and updates the movement instruction value on a basis of difference between the first position and the second position.

2. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the movement instruction value update step is executed after the holding step and the second position storing step are performed a plurality of times, and wherein the controller configured to update, in the movement instruction value update step, the movement instruction value on a basis of difference between the first position and an average of a plurality of second positions that are stored.

3. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the movement instruction value update step is executed after the holding step and the second position storing step are performed a plurality of times, and
wherein the controller configured to update, in the movement instruction value update step, the movement instruction value on a basis of difference between the first position and a moving average of a plurality of second positions that are stored.

4. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first position detection portion and the second position detection portion are configured by a same camera, and
wherein the predetermined position is in an image capturing range of the camera.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable medium which stores a program causing the controller to execute the method according to claim 1 .

6. A method of producing an optical element in which the actuator holds and conveys an optical blank as the product to a shaping portion of the optical element by the method according to claim 1 .

7. A product conveyance apparatus comprising:
an actuator configured to hold a product;
a movement portion configured to move the actuator;
a first position detection portion configured to detect a position of the actuator;
a second position detection portion configured to detect a position of the product held by the actuator; and
a controller configured to control the actuator, the movement portion, the first position detection portion, and the second position detection portion,
wherein the controller is configured to perform
a process of causing the actuator not holding the product to move to a predetermined position, detecting the position of the actuator by the first position detection portion, and storing the position detected by the first position detection portion as a first position,

a process of causing the actuator to move on a basis of a movement instruction value that is stored in advance and hold the product, causing the actuator holding the product to move to the predetermined position, detecting the position of the product held by the actuator by the second position detection portion, and storing the position detected by the second position detection portion as a second position, and
a process of correcting and updating the movement instruction value on a basis of difference between the first position and the second position.

8. The product conveyance apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the controller is configured to perform a process of performing the process of causing the actuator to move to the predetermined position, detecting the position of the product held by the actuator by the second position detection portion, and storing the position detected by the second position detection portion as the second position a plurality of times, and updating the movement instruction value on a basis of difference between the first position and an average of a plurality of second positions that are stored.

9. The product conveyance apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the controller is configured to perform a process of performing the process of causing the actuator to move to the predetermined position, detecting the position of the product held by the actuator by the second position detection portion, and storing the position detected by the second position detection portion as the second position a plurality of times, and updating the movement instruction value on a basis of difference between the first position and a moving average of a plurality of second positions that are stored.

10. The product conveyance apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the first position detection portion and the second position detection portion are configured by a same camera, and
wherein the predetermined position is in an image capturing range of the camera.

11. An optical element production apparatus comprising:
an actuator configured to hold an optical blank;
a movement portion configured to move the actuator;
a camera;
a shaping portion configured to subject the optical blank to a shaping process; and
a controller configured to control the actuator, the movement portion, the camera, and the shaping portion,
wherein the controller performs
a process of causing the actuator not holding the optical blank to move to a predetermined image capturing position, causing the camera to capture an image of the actuator, and storing a position of the actuator as a first position on a basis of the captured image of the actuator,

a process of causing the actuator to move on a basis of a movement instruction value that is stored in advance and hold the optical blank, causing the actuator holding the optical blank to move to the predetermined image capturing position, causing the camera to capture an image of the optical blank held by the actuator, and storing a position of the optical blank as a second position on a basis of the captured image of the optical blank, and
a process of correcting and updating the movement instruction value on a basis of difference between the first position and the second position, and causing the actuator to move on a basis of the updated movement instruction value, hold the optical blank, and convey the held optical blank to the shaping portion.

12. The optical element production apparatus according to claim 11 , further comprising a centering unit configured to center a position of the optical blank, wherein the movement instruction value that is stored in advance is an instruction value for moving the actuator to a position of the centering unit.

13. The optical element production apparatus according to claim 11 ,
wher

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Ezawa Mitsuharu

Classifications

• C03B11/16 Primary

  Gearing or controlling mechanisms specially adapted for glass presses · CPC title

• C03B11/122

  Heating · CPC title

• C03B2215/66

  Means for providing special atmospheres, e.g. reduced pressure, inert gas, reducing gas, clean room · CPC title

• C03B2215/61

  Positioning the glass to be pressed with respect to the press dies or press axis · CPC title

• C03B35/005

  Transporting hot solid glass products other than sheets or rods, e.g. lenses, prisms, by suction or floatation · CPC title