Robot, control device of robot, and method of teaching position of robot

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11110599-B2
Application number	US-201716337584-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2017
Priority date	Sep 28, 2016
Publication date	Sep 7, 2021
Grant date	Sep 7, 2021

Abstract

A control device of a robot includes: an image data acquirer acquiring image data taken by a camera, the image data including a hand teaching substrate and substrate placing portion, the teaching substrate arranged as a teaching target at a substrate target position; a virtual substrate information generator generating information of a virtual substrate virtually arranged at the hand substrate placing portion in the image data; an operating unit receiving an input and generate operation information corresponding to the input; a screen display unit displaying an image of the teaching substrate and an image of the virtual substrate on a screen; a robot operation control unit controlling an operation of the robot arm in accordance with the operation information; and a teaching data record unit storing, as teaching data, a position of the hand when the virtual substrate has coincided with the teaching substrate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A robot configured to carry a substrate to a substrate target position at which the substrate is to be placed,
the robot comprising:
a robot arm;
a hand attached to a tip end of the robot arm;
a camera fixed and attached to a portion of the hand other than a substrate placing portion of the hand so as to take an image of the substrate placing portion, the substrate being placed at the substrate placing portion;
an image data acquirer configured to acquire image data taken by the camera, the image data including a teaching substrate and the substrate placing portion of the hand, the teaching substrate being arranged as a teaching target at the substrate target position;
a virtual substrate information generator configured to generate information of a virtual substrate virtually arranged at the substrate placing portion of the hand in the image data;
an operating unit configured to receive an input and generate operation information corresponding to the input;
a screen display unit configured to display an image of the teaching substrate and an image of the virtual substrate on a screen;
a robot operation control unit configured to control an operation of the robot arm in accordance with the operation information generated by the operating unit; and
a teaching data record unit configured to store, as teaching data, a position of the hand when the virtual substrate has coincided with the teaching substrate.

2. The robot according to claim 1 , wherein the camera is fixed and attached to a base end portion of the hand.

3. The robot according to claim 1 , further comprising a distance information calculator configured to calculate distance information from the substrate placing portion to the teaching substrate based on the image data of the camera, wherein
the screen display unit displays on the screen an operation guide configured to guide a position of the hand based on the distance information from the substrate placing portion to the teaching substrate such that the virtual substrate coincides with the teaching substrate.

4. The robot according to claim 3 , wherein the distance information calculator calculates the distance information from the substrate placing portion to the teaching substrate by pattern matching between the image of the virtual substrate and the image of the teaching substrate.

5. The robot according to claim 3 , wherein the operation guide includes:
an upward-downward guide portion configured to guide the position of the hand in an upper-lower direction;
a leftward-rightward guide portion configured to guide the position of the hand in a left-right direction; and
a forward-backward guide portion configured to guide the position of the hand in a front-rear direction.

6. The robot according to claim 5 , wherein the screen display unit includes a touch panel configured such that an operator touches the upper-downward guide portion, the left-right direction guide portion, or the front-rear direction guide portion on the screen to input the position of the hand in the upper-lower direction, the left-right direction, or the front-rear direction.

7. The robot according to claim 3 , wherein:
when the hand is directed in such a direction that the virtual substrate coincides with the teaching substrate, the operation guide is displayed in a first color; and
when the hand is not directed in the direction, the operation guide is displayed in the other color.

8. The robot according to claim 1 , wherein the operating unit and the display unit are mounted on a portable operation terminal.

9. A control device of a robot,
the robot comprising:
a robot arm;
a hand attached to a tip end of the robot arm; and
a camera fixed and attached to a portion of the hand other than a substrate placing portion of the hand so as to take an image of the substrate placing portion, a substrate being placed at the substrate placing portion, wherein
the robot carries the substrate to a substrate target position at which the substrate is to be placed,
the control device comprising:
an image data acquirer configured to acquire image data taken by the camera, the image data including a teaching substrate and the substrate placing portion of the hand, the teaching substrate being arranged as a teaching target at the substrate target position;
a virtual substrate information generator configured to generate information of a virtual substrate virtually arranged at the substrate placing portion of the hand in the image data;
an operating unit configured to receive an input and generate operation information corresponding to the input;
a screen display unit configured to display an image of the teaching substrate and an image of the virtual substrate on a screen;
a robot operation control unit configured to control an operation of the robot arm in accordance with the operation information; and
a teaching data record unit configured to store, as teaching data, a position of the hand when the virtual substrate has coincided with the teaching substrate.

10. A method of teaching a position of a hand of a robot configured to carry a substrate to a substrate target position at which the substrate is to be placed,
the method comprising:
arranging a teaching substrate as a teaching target at the substrate target position;
fixing and attaching a camera to a portion of the hand other than a substrate placing portion of the hand such that the camera takes an image of the substrate placing portion, the substrate being placed at the substrate placing portion;
moving the robot to a predetermined position at which the camera is able to taken an image of the teaching substrate and the substrate placing portion of the hand;
taking the image of the teaching substrate and the substrate placing portion of the hand by the camera;
generating information of a virtual substrate virtually arranged at the substrate placing portion of the hand in image data taken by the camera;
receiving an input and generating operation information corresponding to the input by an operating unit;
displaying an image of the teaching substrate and an image of the virtual substrate on a screen by a screen display unit;
controlling an operation of the robot arm in accordance with the operation information; and
storing in a storage unit as teaching data, a position of the hand when the virtual substrate has coincided with the teaching substrate.

11. The robot according to claim 4 , wherein the operation guide includes:
an upward-downward guide portion configured to guide the position of the hand in an upper-lower direction;
a leftward-rightward guide portion configured to guide the position of the hand in a left-right direction; and
a forward-backward guide portion configured to guide the position of the hand in a front-rear direction.

12. The robot according to claim 4 , wherein:
when the hand is directed in such a direction that the virtual substrate coincides with the teaching substrate, the operation guide is displayed in a first color; and
when the hand is not directed in the direction, the operation guide is displayed in the other color.

13. The robot according to claim 5 , wherein:
when the hand is directed in such a direction that the virtual substrate coincides with the teaching substrate, the operation guide is displayed in a first color; and
when the hand is not directed in the direction, the operation guide is displayed in the other color.

14. The robot according to claim 6 , wherein:
when the hand is directed in such a direction that the virtual substrate coincides with the teaching substrate, the ope

Assignees

• Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Goto Hirohiko
• Yoshida Tetsuya
• Tan Haruhiko
• Fujimori Kazuo
• Yamashita Katsuhiro
• Sumitomo Masahiko

Classifications

• H10P72/7602

  the wafers being placed on a robot blade or gripped by a gripper for conveyance · CPC title

• H10P72/53

  using optical controlling means · CPC title

• H10P72/3402

  Mechanical parts of transfer devices · CPC title

• H10P72/3411

  involving loading and unloading of wafers · CPC title

• H10P72/0606

  Position monitoring, e.g. misposition detection or presence detection · CPC title