Method of correcting position of robot and robot

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10974388-B2
Application number	US-201816234339-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2018
Priority date	Dec 27, 2018
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

A method of correcting a position of a robot includes: a correction step of rotating an arm around a first axis to detect a rotation angle around the first axis when a target blocks detection light, and locating the first axis, a third axis, and the target on an identical straight line by rotating the arm and/or a hand around the first axis, a second axis, and/or the third axis based on a detection result; and a correction amount arithmetic step of obtaining rotation angle correction amounts of the second axis and the third axis based on the rotation angle of each rotation axis acquired after the correction step in a first posture.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of correcting a position of a robot,
the robot including:
a base;
an arm that is formed by connecting at least two links and connected to the base;
a hand that is connected to the arm and includes a first front end and a second front end that are bifurcated;
a sensor that is configured to propagate detection light between the first front end and the second front end and to detect whether a target blocks the detection light; and
a processor programed to control operation of the arm and the hand,
a plurality of rotation axes being set so as to be parallel to each other at each of a plurality of connection portions, the plurality of connection portions including a connection portion of the base and the arm, a connection portion of two adjacent links among the links constituting the arm, and a connecting portion of the arm and the hand,
assuming that three of the rotation axes are a first axis, a second axis, and a third axis in order from the rotation axis closest to the base, the method comprising:
a step of opposing the hand to the target by driving the arm so as to become a first posture in which the second axis protrudes to a first side and by moving the hand such that the hand becomes in a predetermined initial posture;

a first correction step of rotating the hand around the third axis to detect a rotation angle around the third axis when the target blocks the detection light, and correcting a position of the third axis based on a detection result;
a second correction step of rotating the arm around the first axis to detect a rotation angle around the first axis when the target blocks the detection light, and locating the first axis, the third axis, and the target on an identical straight line by rotating the arm and/or the hand around the first axis, the second axis, and/or the third axis based on a detection result; and
a correction amount arithmetic step of obtaining rotation angle correction amounts of the second axis and the third axis based on the rotation angle of each rotation axis acquired after the second correction step in the first posture.

2. The method of correcting a position according to claim 1 , further comprising before the correction amount arithmetic step, a step of repeatedly driving the arm so as to become a second posture in which the second axis protrudes to a side opposite to the first side, and executing the first and second correction steps,
wherein in the correction amount arithmetic step, the rotation angle correction amounts of the second axis and the third axis are obtained based on the rotation angle of each rotation axis acquired after the second correction step in the first posture and the rotation angle of each rotation axis acquired after the second correction step in the second posture.

3. The method of correcting a position according to claim 2 , wherein
the target includes a first target and a second target,
the first and second correction steps in the first posture are performed using the first target, the first and second correction steps in the second posture are performed using the second target, and
the rotation angle correction amount of the first axis is obtained in the correction amount arithmetic step.

4. The method of correcting a position according to claim 1 , wherein in the correction amount arithmetic step, the rotation angle correction amounts of the second axis and the third axis are obtained based on the rotation angles of each rotation axis acquired after the second correction step in the first posture and design parameters of the arm and the sensor.

5. A robot comprising:
a base;
an arm that is formed by connecting at least two links and connected to the base;
a hand that is connected to the arm and includes a first front end and a second front end that are bifurcated;
a sensor that is configured to propagate detection light between the first front end and the second front end and to detect whether a target blocks the detection light; and
a processor programed to control operation of the arm and the hand,
wherein
a plurality of rotation axes are set so as to be parallel to each other at each of a plurality of connection portions, the plurality of connection portions include a connection portion of the base and the arm, a connection portion of two adjacent links among the links constituting the arm, and a connecting portion of the arm and the hand, and
assuming that three of the rotation axes are a first axis, a second axis, and a third axis in order from the rotation axis closest to the base,
the processor is programed to:
oppose the hand to the target by driving the arm so as to become a first posture in which the second axis protrudes to a first side and by moving the hand such that the hand becomes in a predetermined initial posture;
rotate the hand around the third axis to detect a rotation angle around the third axis when the target blocks the detection light, and correct a position of the third axis based on a detection result;
rotate the arm around the first axis to detect a rotation angle around the first axis when the target blocks the detection light, and locate the first axis, the third axis, and the target on an identical straight line by rotating the arm and/or the hand around the first axis, the second axis, and/or the third axis based on a detection result; and
obtain rotation angle correction amounts of the second axis and the third axis based on the rotation angle of each rotation axis acquired after locating the first axis, the third axis, and the target on the identical straight line in the first posture.

Assignees

• Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd
• Kawasaki Robotics Usa Inc

Inventors

• Yoshida Masaya
• Yamaguchi Takao
• Nakahara Hajime
• Chung Daniel

Classifications

• B25J9/1692 Primary

  Calibration of manipulator · CPC title

• B25J9/1664

  characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning · CPC title

• B25J9/1653

  parameters identification, estimation, stiffness, accuracy, error analysis · CPC title

• B25J9/1612

  characterised by the hand, wrist, grip control · CPC title