Robot system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8989900-B2
Application number	US-201313749698-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2013
Priority date	Mar 16, 2012
Publication date	Mar 24, 2015
Grant date	Mar 24, 2015

Abstract

A robot system, including one or more robots which are provided to a first area where an entry by a person is restricted, and configured to perform a first work which includes one or more steps in the first area, a controller configured to control an operation of the one or more robots, and a visitor detector configured to detect a visitor to the first area. The controller includes a first work control portion configured to control the one or more robots so that the one or more robots perform the first work in the first area, and a first suspension control portion configured to control a predetermined at least a first robot of the one or more of the robots when one or more of the robots are performing one of the steps in the first area based on control by the first work control portion and the visitor is detected by the visitor detector, so that the first robot performs a predetermined act of suspension after performing the first work up to any predetermined stage, including an intermediate stage of the one step, a successful completion stage of the one step, and a successful completion stage of another step after the one step.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robot system, comprising
one or more robots which are provided to a first area where an entry by a person is restricted, and configured to perform a first work which includes one or more steps in the first area;
a controller configured to control an operation of the one or more robots; and
a visitor detector configured to detect a visitor to the first area;
wherein the controller is configured to execute:
a first work control of controlling the one or more robots so that the one or more robots perform the first work in the first area;
a first determination process of determining whether or not the visitor is detected by the visitor detector when one or more of the robots are performing one of the steps in the first area based on the first work control process; and
a first suspension control process of controlling at least a first robot of the one or more of the robots in a case that in the first determination process it is determined that the visitor is detected and it is a stop at one stage of predetermined inconvenience stages if the operation performed is suspended at that point in time, so that the first robot performs a predetermined act of suspension after performing the first work up to another step after the one step.

2. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to execute a lock control process of controlling a lock mechanism capable of locking an opening/closing door provided to an entrance of the first area; and
in the lock control process, portion controls the lock mechanism is controlled so that the lock mechanism unlocks the opening/closing door after the first robot performs the act of suspension and suspends the first work based on control in the first suspension control process when a predetermined act of unlocking is performed.

3. The robot system according to claim 2 , wherein
in the first suspension control process, the first robot is controlled so that the first robot, as the act of suspension, stops or decelerates an operation executed up to that time.

4. The robot system according to claim 2 , wherein
the one or more robots comprise a moving device for performing movement; and
in the first suspension control process, the moving device of the first robot is controlled so that moving device, as the act of suspension, moves to a second area separate from the first area.

5. The robot system according to claim 4 , wherein the controller is further configured to execute a second work control process so that the first robot which moved to the second area based on control in the first suspension control process performs a predetermined second work in the second area.

6. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein
the visitor detector is an operation device for the visitor to instruct entry into the first area, or a first sensor configured to detect the visitor who is in close proximity to an entrance of the first area, or an information reading device configured to read authentication information for entry into the first area from an authentication tag provided with the authentication information, in accordance with a proximity or contact operation of the authentication tag by the visitor.

7. The robot system according to claim 3 , wherein
the controller is further configured to execute:
a departure detecting process of detecting a departure of the visitor from the first Area; and
a first resumption control process of controlling either the first robot so that the first robot cancels a state of stopped or decelerated operation, or the moving device of the first robot so that moving device returns to the first area, causing the first robot to resume the first work, in a case where departure of all of the visitors is detected in the departure detecting process when operation of the first robot is stopped or decelerated based on control in the first suspension control process or the first robot has moved to a second area separate from the first area based on control in the first suspension control process, and the first work by the first robot has been suspended.

8. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein
the robots are provided in a plurality to the first area;
in the first suspension control process, as the act of suspension, a part of the first robots of the plurality of robots which is near the entrance of the first area are controlled so that the first robot stops or decelerates an operation executed up to that time, and wherein
the robot system further comprises a proximity detector configured to detect the visitor who is in close proximity to a predetermined range around each of the robots, and wherein
the controller is further configured to execute:
a second determination process of determining whether or not the visitor in the close proximity of a robot other than the robot which has stopped or decelerated an operation is detected by the proximity detector when the robot other than the robot which has stopped or decelerated the operation is performing one of the steps in the first area based on control in the first work control process; and
a second suspension control process of controlling a second robot which detected a close proximity of the visitor so that the second robot stops or decelerates an operation executed up to that time, in a case where in the second determination process it is determined that the visitor in the close proximity is detected.

9. The robot system according to claim 8 , wherein
the controller is further configured to execute a second resumption control process of controlling at least one of the first and second robots so that at least one of the first and second robots cancels the state of stopped or decelerated operation, causing at least one of the first and second robots to resume the first work in a case where it is determined that the visitor in the close proximity of at least one of the first and second robots is no longer detected in the second determination process when an operation of at least one of the first and second robots has been stopped or decelerated and the first work by at least one of the first and second robots has been suspended based on control in at least one of the first and second suspension control processes.

10. The robot system according to claim 8 , wherein
the proximity detector is made of one or more second sensors which are provided to each of the plurality of robots and are capable of detection in a substantially 360 degree area around the robot.

11. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller is further configured to execute a time calculating process of calculating the longest time until each of the robots suspends work by the first suspension control process, wherein
the robot system further comprises a display portion configured to the longest time calculated in the time calculating process.

12. A robot system comprising:
a robot provided within an area where an entry by a person is restricted, the robot being configured to perform a work operation including one or more steps that are performed in the area;
a controller configured to control the robot to perform the work operation; and
a visitor detector configured to detect a visitor to the first area,
wherein the controller is configured to execute:
a determination process for determining whether the visitor is detected by the visitor detector during the work operation; and
a suspension control process for controlling the robot when the visitor is detected during the work operation, wherein, if the suspension control process determines that the work operation is at a predetermined inconvenience stage w

Assignees

• Yaskawa Denki Seisakusho Kk

Inventors

• Nakamura Tamio
• Matsukuma Kenji

Classifications

• G05B2219/40202

  Human robot coexistence · CPC title

• F16P3/142

  using image capturing devices · CPC title

• B25J9/1674

  characterised by safety, monitoring, diagnostic · CPC title

• G06F19/00 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• F16P3/08

  in connection with the locking of doors, covers, guards, or like members giving access to moving machine parts · CPC title