Robot controller, robot system, robot, robot control method, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9492925-B2
Application number	US-201414510591-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2014
Priority date	Oct 10, 2013
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

A robot includes a control unit that controls a movable unit of the robot to move an endpoint of the movable unit closer to a target position, and an image acquisition unit that acquires a target image as an image containing the end point when the end point is in the target position, and a current image as an image containing the end point when the end point is in a current position. The control unit controls movement of the movable unit based on the current image and the target image and output from a force detection unit that detects a force acting on the movable unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robot controller comprising:
an image acquisition unit that acquires a target image containing an end point of a movable unit of a robot when the end point is in a target position, and a current image containing the end point when the end point is in a current position;
a first control unit that generates a first command value for moving the end point from the current position to the target position based on the current image and the target image;
a second control unit that generates a second command value for moving the end point based on output from a force detection unit that detects a force acting on the movable unit; and
a third control unit that moves the movable unit using the first command value generated by the first control unit and the second command value generated by the second control unit, wherein
the third control unit moves the movable unit using a third command value obtained by summing the first and second command values with respective predetermined weights, and
the force detection unit detects the force acting on the movable unit by impedance control, and the impedance control is performed by detecting a mass, a viscosity coefficient and an elastic coefficient when an external force is applied to an object held by the movable unit.

2. A robot controller comprising:
a control unit that controls a movable unit of a robot to move an end point of the movable unit closer to a target position; and
an image acquisition unit that acquires a target image containing the end point when the end point is in the target position, and a current image containing the end point when the end point is in a current position,
wherein the control unit controls movement of the movable unit based on the current image and the target image and output from a force detection unit that detects a force acting on the movable unit, and
the force detection unit detects the force acting on the movable unit by impedance control, and the impedance control is performed by detecting a mass, a viscosity coefficient and an elastic coefficient when an external force is applied to an object held by the movable unit.

3. The robot controller according to claim 1 , further comprising an input unit that accepts setting of the predetermined weights from a user.

4. The robot controller according to claim 1 , wherein the third control unit determines the predetermined weights based on a distance between the current position and the target position.

5. The robot controller according to claim 4 , wherein the third control unit determines the distance based on the target and current images acquired by the image acquisition unit.

6. The robot controller according to claim 4 , wherein the third control unit sets one of the predetermined weights corresponding to the second command value generated by the second control unit to be larger as the distance is smaller.

7. The robot controller according to claim 4 , wherein the third control unit sets one of the predetermine weights corresponding to the second command value generated by the second control unit to be zero when the distance is larger than a predetermined value.

8. A robot comprising:
the robot controller of claim 1 ;
the movable unit of claim 1 ; and
the force detection unit of claim 1 .

9. A robot comprising:
the robot controller of claim 2 ;
the movable unit of claim 2 ; and
the force detection unit of claim 2 .

10. A robot system comprising:
the robot controller of claim 1 ; and
a robot having the movable unit of claim 1 .

11. A robot system comprising:
the robot controller of claim 2 ; and
a robot having the movable unit of claim 2 .

12. A robot control method comprising:
an image acquisition step of acquiring a target image containing an end point of a movable unit of a robot when the end point is in a target position, and a current image containing the end point when the end point is in a current position;
a first control step of generating a first command value for moving the end point from the current position to the target position based on the current image and the target image;
a second control step of generating a second command value for moving the end point based on output from a force detection unit that detects a force acting on the movable unit; and
a third control step of moving the movable unit using the first command value generated at the first control step and the second command value generated at the second control step, wherein
in the third control step, the movable unit moves by using a third command value obtained by summing the first and second command values with respective predetermined weights, and
the force detection unit detects the force acting on the movable unit by impedance control, and the impedance control is performed by detecting a mass, a viscosity coefficient and an elastic coefficient when an external force is applied to an object held by the movable unit.

13. A robot control method comprising:
a control step of controlling a movable unit of a robot to move an end point of the movable unit closer to a target position; and
an image acquisition step of acquiring a target image containing the end point when the end point is in the target position, and a current image containing the end point when the end point is in a current position,
wherein in the control step, movement of the movable unit is controlled based on the current image and the target image and output from a force detection unit that detects a force acting on the movable unit, and
the force detection unit detects the force acting on the movable unit by impedance control, and the impedance control is performed by detecting a mass, a viscosity coefficient and an elastic coefficient when an external force is applied to an object held by the movable unit.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Aiso Seiji
• Hasegawa Hiroshi
• Inazumi Mitsuhiro
• Karito Nobuhiro

Classifications

• Y10S901/47

  Optical · CPC title

• G05B2219/40307

  Two, dual arm robot, arm used synchronously, or each separately, asynchronously · CPC title

• B25J9/1633 Primary

  compliant, force, torque control, e.g. combined with position control · CPC title

• Y10S901/09

  Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement · CPC title

• G05B2219/39325

  External force control, additional loop comparing forces corrects position · CPC title