Robot system, robot controller, and method for producing to-be-worked material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10864628-B2
Application number	US-201816100209-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2018
Priority date	Sep 8, 2017
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

A robot system includes a conveyor, a robot, a speed calculation circuit, and a robot control circuit. The conveyor is configured to convey a workpiece at a conveyance speed. The robot is configured to work on the workpiece while the workpiece is conveyed by the conveyor. The speed calculation circuit is configured to calculate the conveyance speed. The robot control circuit is configured to control a working speed of the robot according to the conveyance speed calculated by the speed calculation circuit.

First claim

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A robot system comprising:
a conveyor configured to convey a workpiece at a conveyance speed;
a robot configured to work on the workpiece while the workpiece is conveyed by the conveyor;
a speed calculation circuit configured to calculate the conveyance speed;
a robot control circuit configured to control a working speed of the robot according to the conveyance speed calculated by the speed calculation circuit; and
a camera configured to pick up an image of the workpiece continuously while the workpiece is conveyed by the conveyor,
wherein the robot comprises an end effector to work on the workpiece,
wherein the end effector includes a spot welding gun,
wherein the working speed is a speed of a movement of the end effector,
wherein an operation performed by the robot comprises a first operation of making a relative speed of the robot relative to the workpiece constant for a period of time,
wherein in the first operation, the robot is configured to make a leading end of the robot contact the workpiece,
wherein the robot is configured to perform the first operation on a plurality of portions of the workpiece,
wherein the robot is configured to work at an initial working speed,
wherein the robot control circuit comprises a correction circuit configured to correct the initial working speed such that the initial working speed is substantially equal to the working speed,
wherein the robot control circuit comprises a detection circuit configured to detect a position displacement of the workpiece and a posture displacement of the workpiece based on the image picked up by the camera, and
wherein the correction circuit is configured to correct, based on the position displacement and the posture displacement detected by the detection circuit, a motion of the robot relative to the workpiece.

2. The robot system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an additional robot configured to work on the workpiece while the workpiece is conveyed by the conveyor,
wherein the robot and the additional robot are arranged in a conveyance direction of the conveyor.

3. The robot system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the robot and the additional robot are arranged with movable ranges of the robot and the additional robot not overlapping each other in the conveyance direction, and
wherein the robot control circuit is configured to control the working speed to make the robot and the additional robot complete an operation within the respective movable ranges.

4. The robot system according to claim 1 , further comprising a memory to store teaching data of a motion that has been taught to the robot with the workpiece kept stationary,
wherein the robot control circuit is configured to change, based on the conveyance speed calculated by the speed calculation circuit, a reproduction speed at which the teaching data is reproduced in order to control the working speed.

Assignees

• Yaskawa Electric Corp
• Kk Yashawa Denki

Inventors

• Ando Shingo
• Kumagai Hiroshi
• Yokoyama Takeshi

Classifications

• G05B2219/37189

  Camera with image processing emulates encoder output · CPC title

• G05B2219/39102

  Manipulator cooperating with conveyor · CPC title

• B25J9/1697

  Vision controlled systems · CPC title

• G05B19/4182

  manipulators and conveyor only · CPC title

• B25J9/1664

  characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning · CPC title