Robot system and coupling method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11230010-B2
Application number	US-201916705315-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 6, 2019
Priority date	Dec 7, 2018
Publication date	Jan 25, 2022
Grant date	Jan 25, 2022

Abstract

A robot system that performs work of coupling a flexible cable to a connector provided on a board, includes a robot in which a gripping unit that grips the cable and a force detection unit that detects a force acting on the gripping unit are provided, a control unit that controls the robot to perform a conveyance action to grip the cable using the gripping unit and convey the cable onto the board, and an insertion action to insert the cable into the connector by force control based on a detection result in the force detection unit, an insertion speed entry part in which an insertion speed of the cable into the connector at the insertion action is entered, and a determination unit that can determine force control information necessary for the force control in the insertion action according to the insertion speed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robot system that performs work of coupling a flexible cable to a connector provided on a board, comprising:
a robot in which a gripping unit that grips the cable and a force detection unit that detects a force acting on the gripping unit are provided;
a control unit that controls the robot to perform a conveyance action to grip the cable using the gripping unit and convey the cable onto the board, and an insertion action to insert the cable into the connector by force control based on a detection result in the force detection unit;
an insertion speed entry part in which an insertion speed of the cable into the connector at the insertion action is entered;
a memory unit that stores a calibration curve showing a relationship between the insertion speed and force control information necessary for the force control in the insertion action; and
a determination unit that determines the force control information according to the insertion speed based on the calibration curve.

2. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein
the force control information is a virtual coefficient of inertia, a virtual coefficient of viscosity, or a virtual modulus of elasticity.

3. The robot system according to claim 1 , further comprising an insertion direction entry part in which an insertion direction of the cable into the connector at the insertion action is entered.

4. The robot system according to claim 3 , further comprising a display unit that displays the insertion speed entry part and the insertion direction entry part together.

5. The robot system according to claim 1 , further comprising a cable position entry part in which a position of the cable on the board when the conveyance action ends is entered.

6. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit controls the robot to perform a correction action to correct a posture of the cable in the insertion action by pressing the cable against the connector between the conveyance action and the insertion action,
the robot system further comprising a pressing speed entry part in which a pressing speed of the cable against the connector at the correction action is entered, and wherein
the determination unit determines the force control information in the correction action according to the pressing speed.

7. The robot system according to claim 6 , further comprising a pressing direction entry part in which a pressing direction of the cable against the connector at the correction action is entered.

8. The robot system according to claim 6 , wherein
the robot has an imaging unit that images the cable gripped by the gripping unit and the connector, and
the control unit controls the robot to perform an alignment action to align the cable gripped by the gripping unit with the connector based on an imaging result in the imaging unit with the cable separated from the connector between the correction action and the insertion action,
the robot system further comprising a separation speed entry part in which a separation speed when the cable is separated from the connector before the alignment action is entered.

9. The robot system according to claim 8 , further comprising a separation position entry part in which a separation position of the cable from the connector is entered.

10. A coupling method of coupling a flexible cable to a connector provided on a board, comprising:
a preparation step of preparing a robot in which a gripping unit that grips the cable and a force detection unit that detects a force acting on the gripping unit are provided;
a conveyance step of performing a conveyance action to grip the cable using the gripping unit and convey the cable onto the board;
an insertion step of performing an insertion action to insert the cable into the connector using the gripping unit by force control based on a detection result in the force detection unit;
an insertion speed entry step of entering an insertion speed of the cable into the connector at the insertion action in an insertion speed entry part; and
a force control information at insertion action determination step of determining force control information by a determination unit according to the insertion speed based on a calibration curve showing a relationship between the insertion speed and the force control information necessary for the force control in the insertion action and stored in a memory unit.

11. The coupling method according to claim 10 , further comprising:
a correction step of performing a correction action to correct a posture of the cable by pressing the cable against the connector using the gripping unit between the conveyance step and the insertion step;
a pressing speed entry step of entering a pressing speed of the cable against the connector at the correction action in a pressing speed entry part; and
a force control information at correction action determination step of determining the force control information at the correction action by the determination unit according to the pressing speed.

12. The coupling method according to claim 11 , further comprising a pressing direction entry step of entering a pressing direction of the cable against the connector at the correction action in a pressing direction entry part.

13. The coupling method according to claim 11 , wherein
the robot has an imaging unit that images the cable gripped by the gripping unit and the connector,
the coupling method further comprising:
an alignment step of performing an alignment action to align the cable gripped by the gripping unit with the connector based on an imaging result in the imaging unit with the cable separated from the connector between the correction step and the insertion step; and
a separation speed entry part of entering a separation speed of the cable when the cable is separated from the connector before the alignment action in a separation speed entry part.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Ueda Junya

Classifications

• B25J9/1687 Primary

  Assembly, peg and hole, palletising, straight line, weaving pattern movement · CPC title

• G05B2219/45097

  Cable harnessing robot · CPC title

• B25J9/1697

  Vision controlled systems · CPC title

• H01R12/592

  connections to contact elements · CPC title

• G05B2219/40584

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