Robot system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11529730-B2
Application number	US-202016859087-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2020
Priority date	Apr 26, 2019
Publication date	Dec 20, 2022
Grant date	Dec 20, 2022

Abstract

A robot system includes a robot controller and an object robot including a first storage part storing a hardware identifier, individual discrimination data, and device specific data including an individual difference parameter. The same hardware identifier is assigned to the object robot having the same mechanism. The robot controller includes a second storage part storing common configuration information corresponding to the hardware identifier and the individual discrimination data and the individual difference parameter of the object robot, and a control part configured, in a case that the hardware identifier corresponding to the common configuration information stored in the second storage part and the hardware identifier assigned to the object robot are collated and matched with each other, to create hardware definition information of the object robot based on the common configuration information stored in the second storage part and the individual difference parameter read from the first storage part.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robot system comprising:
a robot controller;
an object robot which is an object to be controlled by the robot controller; and
an upper-level device with which the robot controller is connected;
wherein the object robot comprises a first storage part which stores a hardware identifier for identifying a mechanism of the object robot, individual discrimination data which discriminate the object robot as an individual, and device specific data including an individual difference parameter which is specific to the object robot;
wherein a same hardware identifier is assigned to a different model of an object robot having a same mechanism as the object robot to be controlled by the robot controller;
wherein the upper-level device comprises a template storage part which stores common configuration information of each of a plurality of the different hardware identifiers; and
wherein the robot controller comprises:
a second storage part which stores common configuration information corresponding to the hardware identifier and the individual discrimination data and the individual difference parameter of an object robot connected with the robot controller; and
a control part configured to control the object robot connected with the robot controller based on hardware definition information comprising the common configuration information and the individual difference parameter;

wherein the control part collates the hardware identifier corresponding to the common configuration information stored in the second storage part and the hardware identifier assigned to the object robot and, in a case that the hardware identifier corresponding to the common configuration information stored in the second storage part and the hardware identifier assigned to the object robot are matched with each other, the control part collates the individual discrimination data stored in the first storage part and the individual discrimination data stored in the second storage part and, when the individual discrimination data stored in the first storage part and the individual discrimination data stored in the second storage part are not matched with each other, the control part creates hardware definition information of the object robot based on the common configuration information stored in the second storage part and the individual difference parameter read from the first storage part, and the control part controls the object robot by using the hardware definition information, and
wherein in a case that the hardware identifier corresponding to the common configuration information stored in the second storage part and the hardware identifier assigned to the object robot are collated and not matched with each other, the control part reads the common configuration information corresponding to the hardware identifier assigned to the object robot from the template storage part and updates the common configuration information in the second storage part and creates the hardware definition information of the object robot by using the common configuration information after being updated, and the control part controls the object robot by using the created hardware definition information.

2. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein
the control part collates the individual discrimination data read from the first storage part with the individual discrimination data having been already stored in the second storage part, and
when a result of collation is matched, the control part controls the object robot by the hardware definition information having been already prepared without newly creating the hardware definition information.

3. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein
the object robot comprises a robot main body comprising at least a manipulator and an attachment separately provided from the robot main body,
hardware identifiers different from each other are assigned to the robot main body and the attachment, and
the control part collates the hardware identifier for each of the robot main body and the attachment.

4. The robot system according to claim 3 , wherein
each of the robot main body and the attachment comprises the first storage part,
the first storage part of the robot main body stores the individual discrimination data and the individual difference parameter of the robot main body, and
the first storage part of the attachment stores the individual discrimination data and the individual difference parameter of the attachment.

5. The robot system according to claim 4 , wherein
individual discrimination data of the robot main body comprises data relating to a model of the robot main body,
individual discrimination data of the attachment comprises data relating to a model of the attachment,
the robot controller comprises a model configuration table in which allowable combinations between the model of the robot main body and the model of the attachment are described, and
the control part issues a warning when a combination between the robot main body and the attachment which are connected with the robot controller is not described in the model configuration table.

6. The robot system according to claim 3 , wherein
the robot main body comprises the manipulator and a hand,
the manipulator and the hand are assigned with hardware identifiers different from each other, and
the control part collates the hardware identifier for each of the manipulator and the hand.

7. The robot system according to claim 6 , wherein
each of the manipulator and the hand comprises the first storage part,
the first storage part of the manipulator stores the individual discrimination data and the individual difference parameter of the manipulator, and
the first storage part of the hand stores the individual discrimination data and the individual difference parameter of the hand.

8. The robot system according to claim 7 , wherein
individual discrimination data of the manipulator comprises data relating to a model of the manipulator,
individual discrimination data of the hand comprises data relating to a model of the hand,
individual discrimination data of the attachment comprises data relating to a model of the attachment,
the robot controller comprises a model configuration table in which allowable combinations between the model of the manipulator, the model of the hand and the model of the attachment are described, and
the control part issues a warning when a combination between the manipulator, the hand and the attachment which are connected with the robot controller is not described in the model configuration table.

Assignees

• Nidec Sankyo Corp

Inventors

• Okumura Hirokatsu
• Otsuji Jun
• Inomata Tetsuya

Classifications

• G05B19/4083

  Adapting program, configuration · CPC title

• B25J9/08 Primary

  characterised by modular constructions · CPC title

• B25J9/1602 Primary

  characterised by the control system, structure, architecture · CPC title

• B25J9/1679

  characterised by the tasks executed · CPC title

• G05B2219/35155

  From parts catalog, database, define part relationships, product definitions, specifications · CPC title