Robot system, robot controller, and method for controlling robot

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10889003-B2
Application number	US-201815899604-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 20, 2018
Priority date	Feb 20, 2017
Publication date	Jan 12, 2021
Grant date	Jan 12, 2021

Abstract

A robot system includes a robot, a robot work environment in which the robot works, and a robot controller including circuitry that stores position information indicating a position of each of measured robot postures in the robot work environment, obtains a measured position of each of the measured robot postures based on a detection result obtained by a sensor, and corrects a movement position of the robot based on the measured position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robot system, comprising:
a robot;
a robot work environment in which the robot is configured to work; and
a robot controller comprising circuitry configured to
store position information indicating a position of each of measured robot postures in the robot work environment,
obtain a measured position of each of the measured robot postures based on a detection result obtained by a sensor, and
correct a movement position of the robot based on the measured position,

wherein
the circuitry of the robot controller is configured to set a plurality of corrected coordinate systems that is based on respective work origins, each of the corrected coordinate systems being set based on a transformation combination of a shear transformation and a translation.

2. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry of the robot controller comprises a user frame storage configured to store each of the measured robot postures as the work origins, and the circuitry of the robot controller is configured to correct, based on the measured position, position information of each of the work origins stored in the user frame storage.

3. The robot system according to claim 2 , wherein the circuitry of the robot controller comprises a movement program storage configured to store a movement command program of the robot, and the movement command program includes relative position information indicating a relative position relative to each of the work origins.

4. The robot system according to claim 3 , wherein the relative position information is set within a predetermined range around each of the work origins.

5. The robot system according to claim 3 , wherein the circuitry of the robot controller is configured to apply the relative position information to each of the corrected coordinate systems.

6. The robot system according to claim 5 , wherein the robot comprises a multi-articular robot.

7. The robot system according to claim 6 , wherein each of the corrected coordinate systems is set based on a transformation that is based on measured positions, obtained by the circuitry of the robot controller, of one work origin and two reference points around the one work origin.

8. The robot system according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a sensor comprising a camera movable together with the robot, and the circuitry of the robot controller is configured to recognize an image picked up by the camera to obtain the measured position.

9. The robot system according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a plurality of work target instruments positioned in the robot work environment such that the robot works on the plurality of work target instruments,
wherein one work origin among the work origins is disposed in each of the work target instruments, or a plurality of work origins among the work origins is disposed at predetermined intervals in each of the work target instruments.

10. The robot system according to claim 9 , wherein each of the work target instruments comprises a pipette positioned such that the robot uses the pipette to perform a dispensation operation.

11. The robot system according to claim 9 , wherein each of the work target instruments comprises a tube rack comprising an insertion hole into which a tube is inserted, and each of the work origins is set substantially at a center of the insertion hole.

12. A robot controller, comprising:
a user frame storage configured to store a plurality of work origins in a robot work environment in which a robot is configured to work; and
circuitry configured to obtain a measured position of each of the work origins based on a detection result obtained by a sensor, and correct, based on the measured position, position information of each of the work origins stored in the user frame storage, wherein
the circuitry is configured to set a plurality of corrected coordinate systems that is based on the respective work origins, each of the corrected coordinate systems being set based on a transformation combination of a shear transformation and a translation.

13. A method for controlling a robot, comprising:
storing position information indicating, for a robot controller, a position of each of measured robot postures in a robot work environment in which a robot is configured to work;
obtaining a measured position of each of the measured robot postures based on a detection result obtained by a sensor;
correcting the position information of each of the measured robot postures based on the measured position; and
setting a plurality of corrected coordinate systems that is based on respective work origins, each of the corrected coordinate systems being set based on a transformation combination of a shear transformation and a translation.

14. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry of the robot controller is configured to apply relative position information to each of the corrected coordinate systems.

15. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein the robot comprises a multi-articular robot.

16. The robot system according to claim 15 , wherein each of the corrected coordinate systems is set based on a transformation that is based on measured positions, obtained by the circuitry of the robot controller, of one work origin and two reference points around the one work origin.

17. The robot system according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a sensor comprising a camera movable together with the robot, and the circuitry of the robot controller is configured to recognize an image picked up by the camera to obtain the measured position.

18. The robot system according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a sensor comprising a camera movable together with the robot, and the circuitry of the robot controller is configured to recognize an image picked up by the camera to obtain the measured position.

19. The robot system according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a sensor comprising a camera movable together with the robot, and the circuitry of the robot controller is configured to recognize an image picked up by the camera to obtain the measured position.

20. The robot system according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a sensor comprising a camera movable together with the robot, and the circuitry of the robot controller is configured to recognize an image picked up by the camera to obtain the measured position.

Assignees

• Yaskawa Electric Corp

Inventors

• Fukuda Takuya
• Hashiguchi Yukio
• Abe Noriko

Classifications

• G06T1/0014 Primary

  Image feed-back for automatic industrial control, e.g. robot with camera (robots B25J19/023) · CPC title

• G05B2219/40584

  Camera, non-contact sensor mounted on wrist, indep from gripper · CPC title

• G05B2219/39024

  Calibration of manipulator · CPC title

• G05B19/402

  characterised by control arrangements for positioning, e.g. centring a tool relative to a hole in the workpiece, additional detection means to correct position (G05B19/19 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06T7/74

  involving reference images or patches · CPC title