Controller of robot apparatus for adjusting position of member supported by robot

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11565422-B2
Application number	US-202016932809-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2020
Priority date	Sep 25, 2019
Publication date	Jan 31, 2023
Grant date	Jan 31, 2023

Abstract

A controller of the robot apparatus performs approaching control for making a second workpiece approach a first workpiece and position adjustment control for adjusting a position of the second workpiece with respect to a position of the first workpiece. The approaching control includes control for calculating a movement direction and a movement amount of a position of the robot based on an image captured by a first camera, and making the second workpiece approach the first workpiece. The position adjustment control includes control for calculating a movement direction and a movement amount of a position of the robot based on an image captured by the first camera and an image captured by the second camera, and precisely adjusting a position of the first workpiece with respect to the second workpiece.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A controller of a robot apparatus configured to adjust a relative position of a second member with respect to a first member by moving the second member by a robot, the controller comprising:
a first vision sensor configured to capture an image of the first member;
a second vision sensor configured to capture an image of the first member and the second member from a direction different from a direction of the first vision sensor;
an arithmetic processing unit configured to generate a movement command for the robot; and
an operation control unit configured to drive the robot based on the movement command; wherein
the controller is formed in such a manner that approaching control for making the second member positioned away from the first member approach the first member, and position adjustment control for adjusting a position of the second member with respect to a position of the first member after the second member approaches the first member are performed,
the approaching control includes control in which the arithmetic processing unit calculates a movement direction and a movement amount of a position of the robot based on an image captured by the first vision sensor and generates a first movement command that allows the second member to approach the first member, and control in which the operation control unit changes a position of the robot based on the first movement command, and
the position adjustment control includes control in which the arithmetic processing unit calculates a movement direction and a movement amount of a position of the robot based on an image captured by the first vision sensor and an image captured by the second vision sensor and generates a second movement command that allows a position of the first member with respect to the second member to be adjusted, and control in which the operation control unit changes a position of the robot based on the second movement command.

2. The controller according to claim 1 , further comprising an auxiliary sensor configured to capture an image of the second member, wherein
the second member is a member that is to be gripped by an operation tool attached to the robot,
the controller is formed in such a manner that gripping control for controlling the robot and the operation tool and gripping the second member, and misalignment detection control for detecting an amount of positional misalignment of gripping of the second member with respect to the operation tool based on an image captured by the auxiliary sensor are performed before the approaching control, and
based on the amount of positional misalignment of the gripping detected in the misalignment detection control, misalignment correction control for correcting a position of the robot in such a manner that the amount of positional misalignment of the gripping is canceled out is performed before the position adjustment control.

3. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller performs orientation detection control for detecting an amount of orientation deviation of the first member is performed based on an image captured by at least one vision sensor of the first vision sensor and the second vision sensor.

4. The controller according to claim 3 , wherein
the controller is formed in such a manner that orientation correction control for correcting an orientation of the robot is performed such that an orientation of the second member with respect to the first member becomes a predetermined orientation, based on the amount of orientation deviation detected by the orientation detection control, and
the orientation correction control is performed during a period from after the approaching control is performed until before the position adjustment control is performed.

5. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the robot apparatus includes a transporting machine configured to convey the first member, and
the controller repeatedly performs the approaching control or the position adjustment control during a period when the transporting machine conveys the first member.

6. The controller according to claim 5 , wherein
the arithmetic processing unit calculates a movement direction and a movement amount of a position of the robot when the position of the robot follows a position of the first member being moved by the transporting machine based on a movement direction and a movement speed of the first member by the transporting machine, and changes the position and an orientation of the robot based on the movement direction and the movement amount of the robot when the position of the robot follows the position of the first member while performing the approaching control or the position adjustment control.

Assignees

• Fanuc Corp

Inventors

• Ooba Masafumi

Classifications

• B25J9/1697 Primary

  Vision controlled systems · CPC title

• B25J9/1607

  Calculation of inertia, jacobian matrixes and inverses · CPC title

• G06T7/70

  Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras (camera calibration G06T7/80) · CPC title

• B25J9/0093

  co-operating with conveyor means · CPC title

• B25J9/1687 Primary

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