Robot system and coupling method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11267123-B2
Application number	US-201916684728-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2019
Priority date	Nov 16, 2018
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

A robot system that performs work of coupling a 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, and a robot control apparatus that controls the robot, wherein the robot control apparatus controls the robot to perform a conveyance action for the gripping unit to grip the cable with a first gripping force and convey the cable onto the board, a correction action for the gripping unit to grip the cable with a second gripping force and correct a posture of the cable based on the force acting by pressing the cable against the connector, and an insertion action for the gripping unit to grip the cable with a third gripping force and insert the cable into the connector.

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; and
a robot control apparatus that controls the robot, wherein
the robot control apparatus controls the robot to perform
a conveyance action for the gripping unit to grip the cable with a first gripping force and convey the cable onto the board,
a correction action for the gripping unit to grip the cable with a second gripping force smaller than the first gripping force and correct a posture of the cable based on the force acting by pressing the cable against the connector, and
an insertion action for the gripping unit to grip the cable with a third gripping force larger than the second gripping force and insert the cable into the connector.

2. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein
the robot control apparatus stops the conveyance action, the correction action, or the insertion action based on a detection result in the force detection unit.

3. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein
the robot has an imaging unit that captures the cable gripped by the gripping unit and the connector, and
the robot control apparatus 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.

4. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein
the connector has an openable lid body, and
the robot control apparatus controls the robot to perform
a lid opening action to open the lid body between the correction action and the insertion action when the lid body is closed, and
a lid closing action to close the lid body after the lid opening action.

5. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein
the robot control apparatus moves the cable in a direction parallel to a surface of the board when controlling the robot to perform the correction action or the insertion action.

6. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein
the gripping unit has a nipping part that nips the cable,
a surface of the board is held to be horizontal, and
the robot control apparatus controls the robot to perform the conveyance action, the correction action, or the insertion action with the cable nipped so that the cable and the nipping part overlap in plan view in a vertical direction.

7. 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 gripping the cable with a first gripping force and conveying the cable onto the board by the gripping unit;
a correction step of gripping the cable with a second gripping force smaller than the first gripping force and correcting a posture of the cable based on the force acting by pressing the cable against the connector by the gripping unit; and
an insertion step of gripping the cable with a third gripping force larger than the second gripping force and inserting the cable into the connector by the gripping unit.

8. The coupling method according to claim 7 , wherein
the conveyance step, the correction step, or the insertion step is stopped based on a detection result in the force detection unit.

9. The coupling method according to claim 7 , wherein
the robot has an imaging unit that captures the cable gripped by the gripping unit and the connector,
further comprising an alignment step of aligning the cable gripped by the gripping unit and 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.

10. The coupling method according to claim 7 , wherein
the connector has an openable lid body,
further comprising:
a lid opening step of opening the lid body between the correction step and the insertion step when the lid body is closed; and
a lid closing step of closing the lid body after the lid opening step.

11. The coupling method according to claim 7 , wherein
the cable is moved in a direction parallel to a surface of the board when performing the correction step or the insertion step.

12. The coupling method according to claim 7 , wherein
the gripping unit has a nipping part that nips the cable,
a surface of the board is held to be horizontal, and
the conveyance step, the correction step, or the insertion step is performed with the cable nipped so that the cable and the nipping part overlap in a vertical direction.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Ueda Junya
• Hata Hideki
• Miyasaka Masaki

Classifications

• B25J9/1687 Primary

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

• H01R43/205

  with a panel or printed circuit board · CPC title

• B25J9/1015

  using additional, e.g. microadjustment of the end effector · CPC title

• B25J15/0004

  with provision for adjusting the gripped object in the hand · CPC title

• H01R43/01

  for connecting unstripped conductors to contact members having insulation cutting edges · CPC title