Handling system, transport system, control device, storage medium, and handling method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12115665-B2
Application number	US-202217652122-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2022
Priority date	Feb 26, 2021
Publication date	Oct 15, 2024
Grant date	Oct 15, 2024

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a handling system includes a movable arm, a holding unit, a sensor, and a controller. The holding unit is attached to the movable arm and capable of holding an object by selecting one or more of a plurality of holding methods. The sensor is capable of detecting a plurality of the objects. The controller controls the movable arm and the holding unit. The controller calculates a score based on a selected holding method for each object and each holding method on the basis of information acquired from the sensor. The controller selects a next object to be held and a holding method on the basis of the score. The controller calculates a position at which the selected object is held and a posture of the movable arm.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A handling system comprising:
a movable arm;
a robot hand that is attached to the movable arm and capable of holding an object by selecting one or more of a plurality of holding methods;
a sensor configured to be capable of detecting a plurality of objects; and
a controller configured to control the movable arm and the robot hand,
wherein the controller calculates ease of holding as a first score for each object and each holding method on the basis of information acquired from the sensor,
calculates a second score based on a selected holding method, for each object and each holding method, the second score being calculated by a function that depends on the first score of the selected holding method and the first score of the holding method that is the evaluation target of the second score,
selects a next object to be held and a holding method on the basis of the second score, and
calculates a position at which the selected object is held and a posture of the movable arm.

2. The handling system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of holding methods include pinching and adsorption.

3. The handling system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller selects the next object to be held and the holding method such that the number of times holding methods are switched is reduced.

4. The handling system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller determines necessity of switching holding methods on the basis of the second score.

5. The handling system according to claim 4 ,
wherein the controller determines necessity of switching holding methods on the basis of a magnitude relationship between the second score and a predetermined threshold value.

6. The handling system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller decides an order of holding the objects on the basis of the second score.

7. The handling system according to claim 6 ,
wherein the controller further decides an order of switching holding methods of the object objects.

8. The handling system according to claim 6 ,
wherein the controller creates a plurality of holding strategies including at least one of the order of holding the objects and the order of switching the holding methods, and selects one of the plurality of holding strategies.

9. The handling system according to claim 8 ,
wherein the controller selects one of the plurality of holding strategies such that the number of times holding methods are switched is reduced.

10. The handling system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller selects the next object to be held and the holding method on the basis of a frequency of use of each holding method.

11. The handling system according to claim 10 ,
wherein the controller calculates the second score on the basis of the frequency of use of each holding method.

12. The handling system according to claim 10 ,
wherein the controller decides a threshold value on the basis of the frequency of use of each holding method and determines necessity of switching holding methods on the basis of the magnitude relationship between the second score and the threshold value.

13. The handling system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller selects the next object to be held and the holding method on the basis of physical information of the robot hand.

14. The handling system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller calculates the second score for each area of the object at the time of calculating the second score when a holding method is adsorption.

15. The handling system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second score for the object and a holding method is a value obtained by dividing the first score for the object and the selected holding method by the first score for the object and the holding method.

16. The handling system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the handling system moves the object from a first position to a second position on the basis of the position and posture calculated by the controller.

17. A control device which controls a handling system including:
a movable arm,
a robot hand configured to be attached to the movable arm and capable of holding an object by selecting one or more of a plurality of holding methods, and
a sensor configured to be capable of detecting a plurality of objects,
wherein the control device calculates ease of holding as a first score for each object and each holding method on the basis of information acquired from the sensor,
calculates a second score based on a selected holding method, for each object and each holding method, the second score being calculated by a function that depends on the first score of the selected holding method and the first score of the holding method that is the evaluation target of the second score,
selects a next object to be held and a holding method on the basis of the second score, and
calculates a position at which the selected object is held and a posture of the movable arm.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a control program which controls a handling system including:
a movable arm,
a robot hand configured to be attached to the movable arm and capable of holding an object by selecting one or more of a plurality of holding methods,
a sensor configured to be capable of detecting a plurality of objects, and
a controller configured to control the movable arm and the robot hand,
wherein the control program causes the controller to execute
calculating ease of holding as a first score for each object and each holding method on the basis of information acquired from the sensor,
calculating a second score based on a selected holding method, for each object and each holding method, the second score being calculated by a function that depends on the first score of the selected holding method and the first score of the holding method that is the evaluation target of the second score,
selecting a next object to be held and a holding method on the basis of the second score, and
calculating a position at which the selected object is held and a posture of the movable arm.

19. A handling method of handling goods by a handling system including:
a movable arm,
a robot hand configured to be attached to the movable arm and capable of holding an object by selecting one or more of a plurality of holding methods,
a sensor configured to be capable of detecting a plurality of objects, and
a controller configured to control the movable arm and the robot hand,
the handling method comprising the steps of:
calculating, by the controller, ease of holding as a first score b for each object and each holding method on the basis of information acquired from the sensor,
calculating, by the controller, a second score based on a selected holding method, for each object and each holding method, the second score being calculated by a function that depends on the first score of the selected holding method and the first score of the holding method that is the evaluation target of the second score,
selecting, by the controller, a next object to be held and a holding method on the basis of the second score, and
calculating, by the controller, a position at which the selected object is held and a posture of the movable arm.

20. A handling system comprising:
a movable arm;
a robot hand configured to be attached to the movable arm and capable of holding an object to be held by selecting one or more of a plurality of holding mechanisms including one or more of a pinching mechanism, an adsorpt

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

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

Classifications

• B25J15/0616

  with vacuum · CPC title

• B25J15/0052

  multiple gripper units or multiple end effectors · CPC title

• B25J9/1694

  characterised by use of sensors other than normal servo-feedback from position, speed or acceleration sensors, perception control, multi-sensor controlled systems, sensor fusion · CPC title

• B25J9/1653

  parameters identification, estimation, stiffness, accuracy, error analysis · CPC title

• G05B2219/40306

  Two or more independent robots · CPC title