Robot system and control method for robot system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9782896-B2
Application number	US-201415039960-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2014
Priority date	Nov 28, 2013
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

A robot system includes a robot including a main body, an arm and a hand as a movable unit, a control unit, and a storage unit. A teaching position is registered in the storage unit. In advance preparation of the robot installed in a working position, the control unit moves the movable unit based on the control amount registered in the storage unit, and registers in the storage unit reference position data representing a positional relation between a workpiece picked up by the movable unit and the main body or a positional relation between the main body and the movable unit. When the robot is reinstalled and when the robot is relocated, the control unit moves the movable unit based on the control amount, registers a difference between position data and the reference position data in the storage unit, and corrects the teaching position based on the difference.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A robot system comprising
a robot including
a main body,
a movable unit that is coupled to the main body and that picks up and transports a workpiece,
a control unit that controls a movement of the movable unit, and
a storage unit that stores therein data for control of the movable unit in the control unit; and

a sensor that has a fixed position relative to the main body and that measures a position of the workpiece, wherein
a teaching position for teaching the robot a transport route of a workpiece is registered in the storage unit,
in advance preparation of the robot installed in a working position, the sensor measures a position of a workpiece picked up by the movable unit by making a movement based on an amount of control registered in the storage unit and the control unit registers in the storage unit reference position data representing a positional relation between a workpiece picked up by the movable unit and the main body,
when the robot moved from the working position is reinstalled in the working position or when the robot is relocated from the working position to another working position,
the sensor measures a position of a workpiece picked up by the movable unit by making a movement based on the amount of control and the control unit registers a difference between position data representing a positional relation between a workpiece picked up by the movable unit and the main body and the reference position data in the storage unit, and
the control unit corrects the teaching position on a basis of the difference read from the storage unit.

2. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein
the main body is placed on a platform, and
the sensor is fixed to the platform.

3. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor is fixed to the main body.

4. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein
the sensor measures a position of a workpiece in two dimensions, and
the control unit corrects the teaching position in the two dimensions.

5. The robot system according to claim 4 , wherein
the sensor further measures a position of a workpiece in a height direction vertical to the two dimensions, and
the control unit corrects the teaching position with respect to three dimensions that include the height direction and the two dimensions.

6. A robot system comprising
a robot including
a main body,
a movable unit that is coupled to the main body and that picks up and transports a workpiece,
a control unit that controls a movement of the movable unit, and
a storage unit that stores therein data for control of the movable unit in the control unit, wherein

the robot is installed in a working position facing a conveyor belt that transports a workpiece,
the movable unit includes a hand that holds a workpiece and an arm coupled to the main body and the hand, and performs a following movement to move the hand by following the conveyor belt,
a teaching position for teaching the robot a transport route of a workpiece is registered in the storage unit,
in advance preparation of the robot installed in a working position, the movable unit places the hand on the conveyor belt by making a movement based on an amount of control registered in the storage unit and moves the hand by following a drive force of the conveyor belt, and the control unit registers reference position data representing a relation between an orientation of the main body and a transport direction of the conveyor belt in the storage unit,
when the robot moved from the working position to another working position is reinstalled in the working position or when the robot is relocated from the working position to another working position, the movable unit places the hand on the conveyor belt by making a movement based on the amount of control and moves the hand by following a drive force of the conveyor belt, and the control unit registers a difference between position data representing a relation between an orientation of the main body and a transport direction of the conveyor belt and the reference position data in the storage unit, and
the control unit corrects a direction in which the hand is caused to perform a following movement by correcting the teaching position on a basis of the difference read from the storage unit.

7. The robot system according to claim 6 , wherein the control unit obtains data on the transport direction on a basis of data on a position where the control unit starts to move the hand by following the drive force and data on a position where the control unit ends moving the hand by following the drive force.

8. A control method for a robot system including a robot that includes a main body and a movable unit that is coupled to the main body and that picks up and transports a workpiece, the control method comprising:
a first process that is performed in advance preparation of the robot installed in a working position; and
a second process that is performed when the robot moved from the working position is reinstalled in the working position and when the robot is relocated from the working position to another working position, wherein
a teaching position for teaching a transport route of a workpiece is registered beforehand in the robot,
the first process includes
a step of measuring, by using a sensor that has a fixed position relative to the main body, a position of a workpiece picked up by the movable unit by making a movement based on an amount of control that is registered, and
a step of registering reference position data representing a positional relation between a workpiece picked up by the movable unit and the main body

the second process includes
a step of measuring, by using the sensor, a position of a workpiece picked up by the movable unit by making a movement based on the amount of control, and
a step of registering a difference between position data representing a positional relation between a workpiece picked up by the movable unit and the main body and the reference position data, and
the teaching position is corrected on a basis of the difference that is registered.

9. A control method for a robot system including a robot that includes a main body, a hand that holds a workpiece, and an arm that is coupled to the main body and the hand, and installed in a working position facing a conveyor belt that transports a workpiece, the control method comprising:
a first process that is performed in advance preparation of the robot installed in a working position; and
a second process that is performed when the robot moved from the working position is reinstalled in the working position or when the robot is relocated from the working position to another working position, wherein
a teaching position for teaching a transport route of a workpiece is registered beforehand in the robot,
the first process includes
a step of placing the hand on the conveyor belt by making a movement based on an amount of control that is registered and moving the hand by following a drive force of the conveyor belt, and
a step of acquiring reference position data representing a relation between an orientation of the main body and a transport direction of the conveyor belt,

the second process includes
a step of placing the hand on the conveyor belt by making a movement based on the amount of control and moving the hand by following a drive force of the conveyor belt, and
a step of registering a difference between position data representing a relation between an orientation of the main body and a transport direction of the conveyor belt and the reference position data, and

in a following movement to move the hand by following the conveyor belt, a direction in which the hand

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Terada Daisuke

Classifications

• B25J9/162 Primary

  Mobile manipulator, movable base with manipulator arm mounted on it · CPC title

• B25J9/1656

  characterised by programming, planning systems for manipulators · CPC title