Grasping control device, grasping system, and computer program product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11273551-B2
Application number	US-201816122043-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2018
Priority date	Mar 19, 2018
Publication date	Mar 15, 2022
Grant date	Mar 15, 2022

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a grasping control device controls a grasping device including grasping members to grasp an object. The grasping control device includes a selector, a first determination unit and a controller. The selector selects at least one grasping form for the object based on first information relating to the object, from among a plurality of grasping forms determined by a number and an arrangement of the grasping members. The first determination unit determines a usage form realizing the selected grasping form, from among a plurality of usage forms determined by at least one of second information relating to the grasping device and third information relating to an obstacle. The controller controls the grasping device such that at least one of grasping members grasps the object according to the determined usage form.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A grasping control device for controlling a grasping device including grasping members to grasp an object, comprising:
a memory that stores a plurality of grasping forms each indicating a number of used grasping members of the grasping members arranged in a predetermined pattern and an arrangement pattern of the used grasping members, the used grasping members each being to be used to grasp the object without pinching the object in cooperation with another member and the arrangement pattern being realized without changing relative positions between the grasping members; and
circuitry configured to implement:
a selector that selects at least one grasping form for the object based on first information relating to the object from among the plurality of grasping forms;
a first determination unit that determines a usage form realizing the selected grasping form from among a plurality of usage forms determined by at least one of second information relating to the grasping device and third information relating to an obstacle; and
a controller that controls the grasping device such that at least one of grasping members grasps the object according to the determined usage form.

2. The grasping control device according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to implement a second determination unit that determines a grasping position and a grasping posture of the object by the at least one of the grasping members in the selected grasping form.

3. The grasping control device according to claim 2 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to implement a determination unit capable of determining whether the grasping device is reachable to the grasping position and the grasping posture without an interference with the obstacle from a current position and a current posture for each of candidates for the usage form capable of realizing the grasping form, and
the first determination unit determines the usage form from among the candidates reachable to the grasping position and the grasping posture without an interference with the obstacle from the current position and the current posture.

4. The grasping control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to implement a score calculation unit that calculates a score based on at least one physical quantity, the score serving as an index for determination in the first determination unit, for each candidate for the usage form capable of realizing the grasping form based on at least one of the first information, the second information, and the third information, and
the first determination unit determines a candidate having a highest score as the usage form.

5. The grasping control device according to claim 4 , wherein the physical quantity includes the number of the used grasping members.

6. The grasping control device according to claim 4 , wherein the physical quantity includes a distance between a centroid of the used grasping members and a centroid of the object.

7. The grasping control device according to claim 4 , wherein the physical quantity includes an operating quantity from a current position and a current posture of the grasping members to a position and a posture of the grasping members in the grasping form.

8. The grasping control device according to claim 4 , wherein the physical quantity includes a required time from a current position and a current posture of the grasping members to a position and a posture of the grasping members in the grasping form.

9. The grasping control device according to claim 1 , wherein
fourth information indicating a region allowed to be grasped by the grasping member is included in the first information, and
the selector selects at least one grasping form for the object from among the plurality of grasping forms based on the fourth information and arrangement of the grasping members in each grasping form.

10. The grasping control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the grasping members include three or more grasping members aligned on a straight line, and
a grasping form in which used grasping members are disposed on both sides of an unused grasping member on the straight line is excluded from the plurality of grasping forms selectable by the selector.

11. The grasping control device according to claim 1 , wherein when a distance between the obstacle and a first grasping member included in the grasping members determined to be used by the first determination unit is within a predetermined distance, and the object is allowed to be grasped by other grasping member than the first grasping member, the controller controls the grasping device such that the first grasping member is not actuated in a state in which the distance between the obstacle and the first grasping member is within the predetermined distance.

12. The grasping control device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of usage forms each defines whether each of the grasping members is to be used to grasp the object to realize a grasping form of the plurality of grasping forms without changing relative positions between the grasping members.

13. The grasping control device according to claim 1 , wherein
a grasping-enabled weight is determined for each of the plurality of grasping forms, and
the selector selects a grasping form having a grasping-enabled weight larger than a weight of the object.

14. A grasping system comprising:
the grasping control device according to claim 1 ; and
a manipulator having a grasping member and an actuator controlled by the device to actuate the at least one of the grasping members.

15. The grasping system according to claim 14 , wherein the grasping members are relatively fixed.

16. The grasping system according to claim 9 , wherein
the predetermined pattern of the grasping members has symmetry, and
a first pattern and a second pattern are symmetric when viewing the first pattern and the second pattern without changing positions of the grasping members where grasping members to be used and not to be used to grasp the object in a first usage form are arranged in the first pattern and grasping members to be used and not to be used to grasp the object in a second usage form are arranged in the second pattern, and a grasping member to be used in the first usage form is different form a grasping member to be used in a second usage form, the first usage form and the second usage form realize the same grasping form.

17. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium including a computer program that causes the circuitry to implement the selector, the first determination unit, and the controller of the device according to claim 1 .

18. A grasping control device for controlling a grasping device that grasps an object, the grasping control device comprising:
a memory that stores a plurality of grasping forms each indicating a number of used grasping members of grasping members arranged in a predetermined pattern and an arrangement pattern of the used grasping members, the used grasping members each being to be used to grasp the object without pinching the object in cooperation with another member and the arrangement pattern being realized without changing relative positions between the grasping members; and
circuitry configured to implement:
a selector that selects at least one grasping form for the object from among the plurality of grasping forms;
a first determination unit that determines a usage form realizing the selected grasping form; and
a controller that controls the

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk
• Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Komoda Kazuma
• Ogawa Akihito
• Eto Haruna
• Tokura Seiji

Classifications

• B25J9/1612 Primary

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

• B25J9/1669

  characterised by special application, e.g. multi-arm co-operation, assembly, grasping · CPC title

• G05B2219/39558

  Vacuum hand has selective gripper area · CPC title

• B25J9/1666

  Avoiding collision or forbidden zones · CPC title

• B25J9/163

  learning, adaptive, model based, rule based expert control · CPC title