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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11203121-B2
Application number	US-201716337488-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2017
Priority date	Sep 28, 2016
Publication date	Dec 21, 2021
Grant date	Dec 21, 2021

Abstract

A control device of robot includes: image data acquirer configured to acquire image data taken by camera, image data including a teaching substrate and a substrate placing portion of a hand, the teaching substrate arranged as a teaching target at 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 image data of the camera; distance information calculator configured to calculate distance information from substrate placing portion to the teaching substrate based on image data of the camera; operation control unit configured to control operation of robot arm based on distance information from the substrate placing portion to the teaching substrate such that the virtual substrate coincides with the teaching substrate; and storage unit configured to store, as teaching data, position of the hand when the virtual substrate coincides with the teaching substrate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. 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 take an image of a space including the teaching substrate and the substrate placing portion of the hand;
acquiring image data taken by the camera, the image data including the teaching substrate and the substrate placing portion of the hand, the teaching substrate being arranged as the teaching target at the substrate target position;
generating information of a virtual substrate virtually arranged at the substrate placing portion of the hand in the image data of the camera;
calculating distance information from the substrate placing portion to the teaching substrate based on the image data of the camera;
controlling an operation of the robot based on the distance information from the substrate placing portion to the teaching substrate such that the virtual substrate coincides with the teaching substrate; and
storing in a storage unit as teaching data, a position of the hand when the virtual substrate has coincided with the teaching substrate.

2. 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 of the camera;
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;
a robot operation control unit configured to control an operation of the robot arm based on the distance information from the substrate placing portion to the teaching substrate such that the virtual substrate coincides with the teaching substrate; and
a storage unit configured to store, as teaching data, a position of the hand when the virtual substrate has coincided with the teaching substrate.

3. 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 of the camera;
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;
an operation control unit configured to control an operation of the robot arm based on the distance information from the substrate placing portion to the teaching substrate such that the virtual substrate coincides with the teaching substrate; and
a storage unit configured to store, as teaching data, a position of the hand when the virtual substrate has coincided with the teaching substrate.

4. The robot according to claim 3 , wherein the camera is fixed and attached to a base end portion of the hand.

5. 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 an image of the virtual substrate and an image of the teaching substrate.

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

Assignees

• Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

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

Classifications

• 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

• G05B19/42 Primary

  Recording and playback systems, i.e. in which the program is recorded from a cycle of operations, e.g. the cycle of operations being manually controlled, after which this record is played back on the same machine · CPC title

• B25J9/1697 Primary

  Vision controlled systems · CPC title