Calibration system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10906183-B2
Application number	US-201815954092-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2018
Priority date	Apr 19, 2017
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

A calibration system that calibrates robots installed in a process includes: a reference measuring element; a flange measuring element attached to a flange provided at an arm tip of each robot; a fixed measuring device configured to measure the flange measuring element of each robot and the reference measuring element; and a controller configured to control the robots, calculate a position and attitude relation between the flange measuring element of each robot and the reference measuring element based on a measured result measured by the fixed measuring device, and calculate an error between a design installation position and attitude of each robot and an actual installation position and attitude of the robot by using the measured position and attitude relation and position and attitude data of the flange measuring element in a robot coordinate system at the time when the robot has been measured by the fixed measuring device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A calibration system that calibrates a plurality of robots installed in a process, the calibration system comprising:
a reference measuring element installed in the process, the reference measuring element having three or more first measuring points that are not aligned in a straight line, a distance between any two of the three or more first measuring points being predetermined;
a flange measuring element attached to a flange provided at an arm tip of each of the robots, the flange measuring element having three or more second measuring points that are not aligned in a straight line, a distance between any two of the three or more second measuring points being predetermined;
a fixed measuring device installed in the process, the fixed measuring device being configured to measure the flange measuring element of each of the robots and the reference measuring element; and
a controller configured to
control the robots,
calculate a position and attitude relation between the flange measuring element of each robot and the reference measuring element based on a measured result measured by the fixed measuring device, and
calculate an error between a design installation position and attitude of each robot and an actual installation position and attitude of each robot by using a calculation result of the position and attitude relation between the flange measuring element of each robot and the reference measuring element and position and attitude data of the flange measuring element of each robot in a robot coordinate system at a time when the robot has been measured by the fixed measuring device.

2. The calibration system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to calculate the actual installation position and attitude of each robot by using the error between the design installation position and attitude of the robot and the actual installation position and attitude of the robot as a correction amount.

3. The calibration system according to claim 1 , further comprising a robot hand measuring device attached to the flange of a specified one of the robots, the robot hand measuring device of the specified one of the robots being configured to measure the reference measuring element, wherein:
the controller is configured to calculate a position and attitude relation between a measuring tool point of the robot hand measuring device and the reference measuring element based on a measured result measured by the robot hand measuring device of the specified one of the robots; and
the controller is configured to calculate an error between a design installation position and attitude of the measuring tool point of the robot hand measuring device of the specified one of the robots and an actual installation position and attitude of the measuring tool point by using a calculation result of the position and attitude relation between the measuring tool point of the robot hand measuring device and the reference measuring element, position and attitude data of the measuring tool point of the robot hand measuring device in the robot coordinate system at a time when measurement has been performed by the robot hand measuring device, and the error between the design installation position and attitude of the specified one of the robots and the actual installation position and attitude of the specified one of the robots.

4. The calibration system according to claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to calculate the actual installation position and attitude of the measuring tool point of the robot hand measuring device by using the error between the design installation position and attitude of the measuring tool point of the robot hand measuring device of the specified one of the robots and the actual installation position and attitude of the measuring tool point as a correction amount.

5. The calibration system according to claim 1 , further comprising a working tool attached to the flange of a specified one of the robots, wherein:
the fixed measuring device is configured to measure the working tool of the specified one of the robots and the reference measuring element;
the controller is configured to calculate a position and attitude relation between a working tool point of the working tool of the specified one of the robots and the reference measuring element based on a measured result measured by the fixed measuring device; and
the controller is configured to calculate an error between a design installation position and attitude of the working tool point of the working tool of the specified one of the robots and an actual installation position and attitude of the working tool point by using a calculation result of the position and attitude relation between the working tool point of the working tool of the specified one of the robots and the reference measuring element, position and attitude data of the design working tool point of the working tool in the robot coordinate system at a time when measurement has been performed by the fixed measuring device, and the error between the design installation position and attitude of the specified one of the robots and the actual installation position and attitude of the specified one of the robots.

6. The calibration system according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to calculate the actual installation position and attitude of the working tool point of the working tool of the specified one of the robots by using the error between the design installation position and attitude of the working tool point of the working tool of the specified one of the robots and the actual installation position and attitude of the working tool point as a correction amount.

7. The calibration system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a robot hand measuring device attached to the flange of a specified one of the robots; and
a working tool attached to the flange of another one of the robots, other than the specified one of the robots, wherein:
the robot hand measuring device of the specified one of the robots is configured to measure the working tool of the another one of the robots;
the controller is configured to calculate a position and attitude relation between a measuring tool point of the robot hand measuring device and a working tool point of the working tool of the another one of the robots based on a measured result measured by the robot hand measuring device of the specified one of the robots; and
the controller is configured to calculate an error between a design installation position and attitude of the working tool point of the working tool of the another one of the robots and an actual installation position and attitude of the working tool point by using a calculation result of the position and attitude relation between the measuring tool point of the robot hand measuring device and the working tool point of the working tool of the another one of the robots, position and attitude data of the measuring tool point of the robot hand measuring device in the robot coordinate system at a time when measurement has been performed by the robot hand measuring device, the error between the design installation position and attitude of the specified one of the robots and the actual installation position and attitude of the specified one of the robots, and the error between the design installation position and attitude of the another one of the robots and the actual installation position and attitude of the another one of the robots.

8. The calibration system according to claim 7 , further comprising a working tool measuring element attached to the working tool of the another one of the robots, the working tool measuring element having three or more third measuring points that are not aligned

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd
• Tamadic Co Ltd
• Hirano Shinya

Inventors

• Machino Motoyasu
• Yokouchi Kazuki
• Inagaki Masato
• Hirano Shinya

Classifications

• G05B2219/39051

  Calibration cooperating manipulators, closed kinematic chain by alignment · CPC title

• G05B2219/39045

  Camera on end effector detects reference pattern · CPC title

• Y10S901/09

  Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement · CPC title

• B25J9/1682

  Dual arm manipulator; Coordination of several manipulators · CPC title

• B25J9/1697

  Vision controlled systems · CPC title