Robot system, robot, and method for controlling robot system

Abstract

In a robot system (100), a control unit (70) controls an image capturing area of an image capturing unit (40) so as to capture an image of a workpiece (2) to be held next during an operation in which a robot arm (21) is rotated about a first rotation axis (JT1 axis) and a workpiece (2) held by a hand (30) is placed at a predetermined placement position (3).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a robot system, a robot, and a control method of the robot system. Background Art

[0002] In the past, a robot system having a robot arm equipped with a hand for holding a workpiece is known. For example, the specification of U.S. Patent No. 10124489 discloses a robot system that holds a desired workpiece from a plurality of stacked box-shaped workpieces by hand and moves the held workpiece to a specified position. Specifically, in the specification of U.S. Patent No. 10124489, a plurality of stacked box-shaped workpieces are photographed by a photographing unit. The robot system selects a workpiece held by the hand from the plurality of stacked box-shaped workpieces based on the image photographed by the photographing unit. Then, the hand holds the selected workpiece. The workpiece held on the hand is moved to a specified position. In the specification of U.S. Patent No. 10124489, the photographing unit is fixed at a position separated from the robot arm. In addition, in the specification of U.S. Patent No. 10124489, the photographing unit can also be configured on the robot arm. In addition, the photographing of the plurality of stacked box-shaped workpieces by the photographing unit and the movement of the workpiece by the hand are repeated.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: U.S. Patent No. 10124489 Summary of the invention

[0006] As described in the specification of U.S. Patent No. 10124489, when the photographing unit is fixed at a position separated from the robot arm, there is a problem that by changing the configuration position of the box-shaped workpiece to be held, when the workpiece is outside the field of view of the photographing unit, it is necessary to change the fixed position of the photographing unit so that the photographing unit faces the loading position direction of the changed workpiece. In addition, as described in the specification of U.S. Patent No. 10124489, when the photographing unit is configured on the robot arm, in order to move the workpiece held on the hand to a predetermined position, the robot arm moves, and the photographing unit also moves with the robot arm. At this time, the photographing unit configured on the robot arm will face a direction different from the direction in which the stacked multiple box-shaped workpieces are configured. Therefore, when the photographing unit is used to photograph the stacked multiple box-shaped workpieces, it is necessary to move the robot arm so that the photographing unit faces the stacked multiple box-shaped workpieces, and temporarily stop the robot arm, and the photographing unit photographs the multiple box-shaped workpieces. That is, during the period other than the action of configuring the workpiece held on the hand at the predetermined position, in order to photograph the workpiece by the photographing unit, it is necessary to stop the robot arm. Therefore, there is a problem that the cycle time of the repetitive work of photographing the workpiece by the photographing unit and moving the workpiece by hand becomes longer.

[0007] The present disclosure is completed to solve the above-mentioned problems. One purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a robot system, a robot and a control method for the robot system, which does not need to change the fixed position of the photographing part even when the loading position of the workpiece is changed, and can shorten the cycle time of repetitive operations of photographing the workpiece by the photographing part and moving the workpiece by hand.

[0008] A robot system according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises: a robot body, which includes a base and a robot arm, wherein the robot arm is installed so that the base end rotates relative to the base around a first rotation axis and a hand for holding a workpiece is installed at the front end; a photographing unit, which is arranged on the robot body, rotates according to the movement of the robot body, and changes the photographing area separately from the change of the photographing area caused by the rotation of the robot arm around a predetermined rotation axis; and a control unit, which controls the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit so as to photograph the predetermined workpiece to be held next during the movement of rotating the robot arm around the first rotation axis and placing the workpiece held by the hand at a predetermined loading position. In addition, configuring the photographing unit on the robot body means directly configuring the photographing unit on the robot body and configuring the photographing unit on the robot body via a certain component.

[0009] As described above, according to the robot system of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the photographing unit is arranged on the robot body, rotates according to the action of the robot body, and changes the photographing area separately from the change of the photographing area caused by the rotation around the first rotation axis, and the control unit controls the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit so that the next predetermined workpiece to be held is photographed during the action of rotating the robot arm around the first rotation axis and placing the workpiece held by the hand at a prescribed loading position. Thus, since the photographing unit is arranged on the robot body, even if the loading position of the workpiece is changed, the photographing unit can be moved by moving the robot body so that the workpiece is located within the field of view of the photographing unit. Therefore, even if the loading position of the workpiece is changed, it is not necessary to change the fixed position of the photographing unit. In addition, since the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit is changed separately from the change of the photographing area caused by the rotation around the first rotation axis, the next predetermined workpiece to be held can be photographed during the action of rotating the robot arm around the first rotation axis and placing the workpiece held by the hand at a prescribed loading position. Therefore, the action of placing the workpiece at a prescribed loading position and the photography of the next predetermined workpiece to be held can be performed simultaneously. Therefore, it is not necessary to stop the robot arm for the photographing unit to photograph the workpiece during a period different from the period of operation for placing the workpiece at a predetermined placement position. As a result, the cycle time of the repetitive operation of photographing the workpiece by the photographing unit and moving the workpiece by the hand can be shortened. In this way, even if the placement position of the workpiece is changed, it is not necessary to change the fixed position of the photographing unit, and the cycle time of the repetitive operation of photographing the workpiece by the photographing unit and moving the workpiece by the hand can be shortened.

[0010] The robot of the second aspect of the present disclosure comprises: a robot body part, which includes a base part and a robot arm, wherein the robot arm is installed so that the base end rotates relative to the base part around a prescribed rotation axis and a hand for holding a workpiece is installed at the front end; a photographing part, which is arranged on the robot body part, rotates according to the movement of the robot body part, and changes the photographing area separately from the change of the photographing area caused by the rotation of the robot arm around the prescribed rotation axis; and a control part, which controls the photographing area of ​​the photographing part so as to photograph the predetermined workpiece to be held next during the action of rotating the robot arm around the prescribed rotation axis and placing the workpiece held by the hand at a prescribed loading position.

[0011] As described above, according to the robot of the second aspect of the present disclosure, the photographing unit is arranged on the robot body, rotates according to the action of the robot body, and changes the photographing area separately from the change of the photographing area caused by the rotation around the first rotation axis, and the control unit controls the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit so that the next predetermined workpiece to be held is photographed during the action of rotating the robot arm around the first rotation axis and placing the workpiece held by the hand at a prescribed loading position. Thus, since the photographing unit is arranged on the robot body, even if the loading position of the workpiece is changed, the photographing unit can be moved by the movement of the robot body so that the workpiece is located within the field of view of the photographing unit. Therefore, even if the loading position of the workpiece is changed, it is not necessary to change the fixed position of the photographing unit. In addition, since the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit is changed separately from the change of the photographing area caused by the rotation around the first rotation axis, the next predetermined workpiece to be held can be photographed during the action of rotating the robot arm around the first rotation axis and placing the workpiece held by the hand at a prescribed loading position. Therefore, the action of placing the workpiece at a prescribed loading position and the photography of the next predetermined workpiece to be held can be performed simultaneously. Therefore, in a period different from the action period of placing the workpiece at a predetermined loading position, it is not necessary to stop the robot arm for the photography unit to photograph the workpiece. As a result, the cycle time of the repetitive operation of photographing the workpiece by the photography unit and moving the workpiece by the hand can be shortened. In this way, it is possible to provide a robot that does not need to change the fixed position of the photography unit even when the loading position of the workpiece is changed, and can shorten the cycle time of the repetitive operation of photographing the workpiece by the photography unit and moving the workpiece by the hand.

[0012] According to the control method of a robot system according to the third aspect of the present disclosure, the robot system comprises: a robot body part, which includes a base part and a robot arm, wherein the robot arm is installed so that the base end rotates relative to the base part around a prescribed rotation axis, and a hand for holding a workpiece is installed at the front end; a photographing part, which is arranged on the robot body part, rotates according to the movement of the robot body part, and photographs the workpiece. The control method of the robot system comprises: making the hand hold the workpiece; in a state where the workpiece is held by the hand, making the robot arm rotate around a prescribed axis and placing the workpiece at a prescribed loading position; during the action of placing the workpiece held by the hand at the prescribed loading position, controlling the photographing area of ​​the photographing part separately from the change of the photographing area caused by the rotation around the prescribed rotation axis, so that the photographing part photographs the predetermined workpiece to be held next.

[0013] As described above, the control method of the robot system according to the third aspect of the present disclosure includes: in a state where the workpiece is held by the hand, the robot arm is rotated around a prescribed axis and the workpiece is placed at a prescribed loading position; during the action of placing the workpiece held by the hand at the prescribed loading position, the photographic area of ​​the photographic unit is controlled separately from the change of the photographic area caused by the rotation around the prescribed rotation axis, so that the photographic unit photographs the next predetermined held workpiece. Thus, since the photographic unit is arranged on the robot body, even if the loading position of the workpiece is changed, the photographic unit can be moved by moving the robot body so that the workpiece is located within the field of view of the photographic unit. Therefore, even if the loading position of the workpiece is changed, it is not necessary to change the fixed position of the photographic unit. In addition, since the photographic area of ​​the photographic unit is changed separately from the change of the photographic area caused by the rotation around the first rotation axis, the predetermined workpiece to be held next can be photographed during the action of rotating the robot arm around the first rotation axis and placing the workpiece held by the robot hand at the prescribed loading position. Therefore, the action of placing the workpiece at the prescribed loading position and the photographing of the predetermined workpiece to be held next can be performed simultaneously. Therefore, in a period different from the action period of placing the workpiece at a predetermined loading position, it is not necessary to stop the robot arm for the photography unit to photograph the workpiece. As a result, the cycle time of the repetitive operation of photographing the workpiece by the photography unit and moving the workpiece by the hand can be shortened. In this way, a control method for a robot system can be provided, which does not require changing the fixed position of the photography unit even when the loading position of the workpiece is changed, and can shorten the cycle time of the repetitive operation of photographing the workpiece by the photography unit and moving the workpiece by the hand.

[0014] According to the present disclosure, even when the placement position of the workpiece is changed, there is no need to change the fixed position of the imaging unit, and the cycle time of the repetitive work of imaging the workpiece by the imaging unit and moving the workpiece by hand can be shortened. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing the structure of the robot system according to the first embodiment.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the robot system according to the first embodiment.

[0017] Figure 3 It is a perspective view showing the structure of the robot according to the first embodiment.

[0018] Figure 4 It is a perspective view showing the structure of a hand according to the first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 5This is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the robot system according to the first embodiment.

[0020] Figure 6 It is a perspective view showing the structure of a robot system according to a second embodiment.

[0021] Figure 7 It is a perspective view showing the structure of a robot system according to a third embodiment.

[0022] Figure 8 It is a perspective view showing the structure of a robot according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments embodying the present disclosure will be described based on the drawings.

[0024] [First embodiment]

[0025] The structure of the robot system 100 of the first embodiment will be described. In addition, in the present specification, the up-down direction is the Z direction. The direction perpendicular to the Z direction is the X direction. The direction perpendicular to the Z direction and the X direction is the Y direction.

[0026] (Robotic System)

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown, the robot system 100 holds a plurality of workpieces 2 loaded in a cargo hold of a truck 1 and loads them on a conveyor belt 3. In the first embodiment, the workpieces 2 are box-shaped. The workpieces 2 are, for example, cartons. The workpieces 2 are stacked. The conveyor belt 3 is, for example, a telescopic conveyor belt 3. The conveyor belt 3 is an example of a predetermined loading position.

[0028] like Figure 2 As shown, the robot system 100 includes a robot 20 including a vehicle 10 and a robot arm 21, a hand 30, a camera unit 40, Figure 3 The mounting member 50, the imaging unit moving mechanism 60 and the control unit 70 are shown. In addition, the conveyor 3 may also be included in the robot system 100. The carriage 10 is an example of a base unit. The robot 20 is an example of a robot body unit.

[0029] (Trolley)

[0030] In this embodiment, if Figure 1 As shown, a robot arm 21 is mounted on the trolley 10. The trolley 10 moves the robot arm 21. The trolley 10 is, for example, an automatic guided vehicle (AGV). The trolley 10 is provided with a drive unit such as a motor and wheels 11 that are rotated by the drive unit. The trolley 10 moves by controlling the drive unit by the control unit 70. The trolley 10 automatically moves the robot arm 21 to the vicinity of the truck 1.

[0031] (Robot Arm)

[0032] like Figure 3 As shown, the base end of the robot arm 21 is mounted on the carriage 10 so as to rotate around the JT1 axis relative to the carriage 10. A handle for holding the workpiece 2 is mounted at the front end of the robot arm 21. Figure 4 The hand 30 is shown with the JT1 axis being the axis of rotation along the Z direction.

[0033] In the first embodiment, the robot arm 21 is a multi-joint robot arm. Specifically, the robot arm 21 is a vertical multi-joint robot arm. The robot arm 21 has an arm 22a connected to the trolley 10, and arms 22b, 22c, 22d and 22e arranged between the arm 22a and the hand 30. The arms 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d and 22e are connected to each other through joints 23. For example, there are 6 joints 23. That is, the robot arm 21 is composed of a 6-axis vertical multi-joint robot. The 6 joints 23 rotate around the JT1 axis, the JT2 axis, the JT3 axis, the JT4 axis, the JT5 axis, and the JT6 axis, respectively. In addition, a driving unit such as a motor and a position detection unit such as an encoder are arranged on each of the multiple joints 23. The movement of the robot arm 21 is controlled by controlling the driving unit by the control unit 70. The arm 22a is an example of a base end arm. The arm portions 22b, 22c, 22d, and 22e are examples of the front end arm portion. The JT1 axis is an example of the first rotation axis and the predetermined rotation axis.

[0034] (hand)

[0035] like Figure 4 As shown, the hand 30 includes a suction portion 31 for sucking the box-shaped workpiece 2. A plurality of suction portions 31 are provided. The hand 30 is provided with a moving mechanism 32 for linearly moving the suction portion 31 in the A direction and a moving mechanism 33 for linearly moving the suction portion 31 in the B direction. The moving mechanisms 32 and 33 are provided with driving units such as motors. The control unit 70 controls the driving unit, so that the suction portion 31 moves through the moving mechanisms 32 and 33. The suction portion 31 is, for example, a suction pad.

[0036] (Photography Department)

[0037] like Figure 3As shown, the photographing unit 40 is arranged on the robot 20. In the first embodiment, the photographing unit 40 is arranged on the robot arm 21. The photographing unit 40 rotates according to the movement of the robot 20. Specifically, the photographing unit 40 rotates as the robot arm 21 rotates around the JT1 axis, and changes the photographing area separately from the change of the photographing area caused by the rotation around the JT1 axis. In addition, the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit 40 is changed by moving the photographing unit 40 separately from the change of the photographing area caused by the rotation around the JT1 axis to change at least one of the photographing direction and the zoom factor of the photographing unit 40. In the first embodiment, the photographing direction is changed by moving the imaging unit 40 separately from the change of the photographing area caused by the rotation around the JT1 axis, thereby changing the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit 40. In addition, the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit 40 refers to the range photographed by the photographing unit 40. For example, the photographing area is an area including all of the stacked multiple box-shaped workpieces 2, or an area including only a part of the stacked multiple box-shaped workpieces 2, etc. The photographing unit 40 is a three-dimensional camera. The photographing unit 40 may also be a two-dimensional camera. The photographing unit 40 does not have a panning function, a tilting function, and a zooming function. Since the photographing unit 40 rotates with the rotation of the robot arm 21 around the JT1 axis, the rotation amount of the photographing unit 40 itself for photographing the workpiece 2 can be reduced compared to the case where the photographing unit 40 does not rotate with the rotation of the robot arm 21 around the JT1 axis. In addition, since the photographing unit 40 rotates with the rotation of the robot arm 21 around the JT1 axis, the interference between the photographing unit 40 and the robot arm 21 can be reduced.

[0038] In the first embodiment, the photographing unit 40 is attached to the arm 22 a . Specifically, the photographing unit 40 is attached to the arm 22 a via the attachment member 50 .

[0039] In the first embodiment, the mounting member 50 is configured to rotate together with the arm 22a, and the photographing unit 40 is mounted on the arm 22a. The mounting member 50 is mounted on the arm 22a. The mounting member 50 rotates around the JT1 axis together with the arm 22a. The mounting member 50 has a plate shape arranged along the XY plane as a horizontal plane.

[0040] In the first embodiment, the photographing unit moving mechanism 60 is mounted on the mounting member 50. The photographing unit moving mechanism 60 performs at least one of lifting and lowering the photographing unit 40 and rotating the photographing unit 40 around the AX axis different from the JT1 axis. The photographing unit moving mechanism 60 moves the photographing unit 40 to change the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit 40. Specifically, the photographing unit moving mechanism 60 includes a column 61 and a lifting unit 62. The column 61 is mounted on the mounting member 50 along the Z direction. The column 61 is mounted on the mounting member 50 in a manner that is separated from the robot arm 21 in the horizontal direction. The lifting unit 62 is lifted and lowered along the column 61. The photographing unit 40 is mounted on the lifting unit 62. The photographing unit 40 is lifted and lowered together with the lifting unit 62. In addition, the lifting unit 62 rotates around the AX axis. The photographing unit 40 rotates as the lifting unit 62 rotates around the AX axis. The AX axis is the central axis of the column 61. A driving unit such as a motor is arranged on the lifting unit 62. The lifting unit 62 is lifted and lowered and rotated by controlling the driving unit by the control unit 70. Since the column part 61 is mounted on the mounting member 50 so as to be separated from the robot arm 21 in the horizontal direction, the imaging unit 40 is arranged so as to be separated from the robot arm 21 in the horizontal direction. The AX axis is an example of a second rotation axis.

[0041] (Robot system actions)

[0042] In the first embodiment, the control unit 70 controls the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit 40 so as to photograph the next workpiece 2 to be held during the operation of rotating the robot arm 21 around the JT1 axis and placing the workpiece 2 held by the hand 30 on the conveyor 3. The control unit 70 is, for example, arranged in the trolley 10. In addition, the control unit 70 may also be arranged in a place other than the trolley 10. In addition, the control unit 70 controls the operation of the trolley 10, the robot arm 21, the hand 30, the photographing unit 40, and the photographing unit moving mechanism 60. In addition, all the operations of the robot arm 21, the hand 30, the photographing unit 40, and the photographing unit moving mechanism 60 may be controlled by one control unit 70, or the operations of the robot arm 21, the hand 30, the photographing unit 40, and the photographing unit moving mechanism 60 may be controlled by the cooperation of a plurality of control units 70. In addition, the operation period of placing the workpiece 2 on the conveyor 3 refers to the period from when the robot arm 21 stops rotating around the JT1 axis to when the robot arm 21 starts rotating around the JT1 axis again after the workpiece 2 held by the hand 30 is placed on the conveyor 3. The operation of the robot system 100 will be described in detail below. The following operation is controlled by the control unit 70.

[0043] like Figure 5As shown, in step S1, the robot arm 21 moves to the vicinity of the truck 1 by the movement of the trolley 10. In addition, the conveyor belt 3 is also moved to the vicinity of the truck 1 together with the trolley 10. For example, the trolley 10 and the conveyor belt 3 are connected to each other, and the conveyor belt 3 is also moved together with the trolley 10. In addition, the trolley 10 and the conveyor belt 3 may not be connected. In this case, the conveyor belt 3 is pre-configured near the truck 1.

[0044] In step S2, the robot arm 21 rotates around the JT1 axis so that the photographing unit 40 faces the plurality of workpieces 2 stacked on the truck 1. In addition, the plurality of workpieces 2 stacked on the truck 1 are photographed by the photographing unit 40. In addition, the control unit 70 controls the movement of the trolley 10, the lifting and rotation of the lifting unit 62 of the photographing unit moving mechanism 60, so that the photographing unit 40 can photograph all of the plurality of workpieces 2 stacked on the truck 1.

[0045] In the first embodiment, in step S3, the control unit 70 holds one of the plurality of workpieces 2 by the hand 30. Specifically, based on the image captured by the imaging unit 40, the workpiece 2 initially held by the hand 30 is selected from the plurality of workpieces 2 stacked on the truck 1. Then, the selected workpiece 2 is held by the hand 30. For example, the control unit 70 performs image analysis on the image captured by the imaging unit 40 to identify the plurality of workpieces 2. The control unit 70 selects the workpiece 2 that is relatively easy to be held by the hand 30 from the plurality of workpieces 2 as the initially held workpiece 2. For example, the control unit 70 selects the workpiece 2 on the uppermost layer of the stacked workpieces 2 as the initially held workpiece 2.

[0046] In the first embodiment, in step S4, the control unit 70 controls the photographing unit moving mechanism 60 so that the photographing unit 40 faces the next workpiece 2 to be held among the plurality of workpieces 2 during the operation of the robot arm 21 rotating around the JT1 axis and placing the workpiece 2 held by the hand 30 on the conveyor 3. Specifically, in a state where the selected workpiece 2 is held by the hand 30, the robot arm 21 rotates around the JT1 axis to move the photographing unit 40 to the conveyor 3. Figure 1The robot arm 21 rotates in the C1 direction shown. Then, the workpiece 2 is placed on the conveyor 3 by the hand 30. The photographing unit 40 faces the workpiece 2 stacked on the truck 1 by rotating the robot arm 21 around the JT1 axis in the C1 direction. The control unit 70 selects the predetermined workpiece 2 to be held next from the images showing all of the multiple workpieces 2 photographed by the photographing unit 40 in step S2. Then, the lifting and rotation of the lifting unit 62 of the photographing unit moving mechanism 60 is controlled so that the photographing unit 40 faces the predetermined workpiece 2 to be held next. In addition, in the case where the workpiece 2 held by the hand 30 falls, the control unit 70 controls the photographing unit 40 so that the lifting and rotation of the lifting unit 62 of the photographing unit moving mechanism 60 is controlled to photograph the fallen workpiece 2. Moreover, the fallen workpiece 2 is held by the hand 30 and placed on the conveyor 3. In addition, the photographing unit 40 faces the workpiece 2 means that the predetermined workpiece 2 to be held next exists on the extension line of the photographing direction of the photographing unit 40.

[0047] In the first embodiment, in step S4, the control unit 70 controls the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit 40 so that, during the operation of the robot arm 21 rotating around the JT1 axis and placing one workpiece 2 held by the hand 30 on the conveyor 3, the robot arm 21 does not photograph all other workpieces 2 of the plurality of workpieces 2, but photographs the next workpiece 2 scheduled to be held among the other workpieces 2. For example, the next scheduled workpiece 2 to be held is a workpiece 2 near the workpiece 2 initially held by the hand 30 and placed on the conveyor 3. In addition, the photographing unit 40 photographs the next scheduled workpiece 2 to be held and the workpieces 2 arranged around the next scheduled workpiece 2 to be held. Then, the robot arm 21 rotates around the JT1 axis in the C2 direction, thereby executing the operation of step S3.

[0048] The operations of step S3 and step S4 are repeated until it is determined in step S5 that the number of workpieces 2 placed on the conveyor 3 reaches a predetermined number. The predetermined number is, for example, the number of all workpieces 2 placed on the truck 1. In addition, the user can also remotely check the transport status of the workpiece 2 based on the image captured by the camera unit 40.

[0049] [Effects of the First Embodiment]

[0050] The photographing unit 40 is arranged on the robot arm 21, rotates according to the movement of the robot 20, and changes the photographing area separately from the change of the photographing area caused by the rotation around the JT1 axis. The control unit 70 controls the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit 40 so that the next workpiece 2 to be held is photographed during the operation of rotating the robot arm 21 around the JT1 axis and placing the workpiece 2 held by the hand 30 on the conveyor 3. Therefore, since the photographing unit 40 is arranged on the robot arm 21, even if the placement position of the workpiece 2 is changed, the photographing unit 40 can be moved by the movement of the robot arm 21 so that the workpiece 2 is located within the field of view of the photographing unit 40. Therefore, even if the placement position of the workpiece 2 is changed, it is not necessary to change the fixed position of the photographing unit 40. In addition, since the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit 40 is changed separately from the change of the photographing area caused by the rotation around the JT1 axis, the next workpiece 2 to be held can be photographed during the operation of rotating the robot arm 21 around the JT1 axis and placing the workpiece 2 held by the hand 30 on the conveyor 3. Therefore, the action of placing the workpiece 2 on the conveyor 3 and the subsequent photographing of the predetermined workpiece 2 held can be performed simultaneously. Therefore, in a period different from the action period of placing the workpiece 2 on the conveyor 3, it is not necessary to stop the robot arm 21 for photographing the workpiece 2 by the photographing unit 40. As a result, the cycle time of the repetitive operation of photographing the workpiece 2 by the photographing unit 40 and moving the workpiece 2 by the hand 30 can be shortened. In this way, even if the placement position of the workpiece 2 is changed, it is not necessary to change the fixed position of the photographing unit 40, and the cycle time of the repetitive operation of photographing the workpiece 2 by the photographing unit 40 and moving the workpiece 2 by the hand 30 can be shortened.

[0051] The photographing direction is changed by moving the photographing unit 40 separately from the change of the photographing area due to the rotation around the JT1 axis, thereby changing the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit 40. Thus, it is possible to easily change the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit 40. Furthermore, even when the workpiece 2 is not located within the field of view of the photographing unit 40 only by the movement of the robot arm 21, the workpiece 2 can be located within the field of view of the photographing unit 40 by moving the photographing unit 40 separately from the change of the photographing area due to the rotation around the JT1 axis.

[0052] The robot arm 21 includes a multi-joint robot arm having an arm portion 22a connected to a base portion and arm portions 22b, 22c, 22d, and 22e disposed between the arm portion 22a and the hand 30. The photographing unit 40 is mounted on the arm portion 22a and rotates along with the rotation of the robot arm 21 around the JT1 axis. Thus, the photographing unit 40 can be easily rotated along with the rotation of the robot arm 21 around the JT1 axis.

[0053] The robot system 100 further includes a mounting member 50 for mounting the imaging unit 40 on the arm 22a and rotating together with the arm 22a. Thus, unlike the case where the imaging unit 40 is directly mounted on the arm 22a, the imaging unit 40 can be mounted on the arm 22a while suppressing interference between the imaging unit 40 and the arm 22a.

[0054] The robot system 100 further includes a photographing unit moving mechanism 60, which is mounted on the mounting member 50 and performs at least one of raising and lowering the photographing unit 40 and rotating the photographing unit 40 around an AX axis different from the JT1 axis. Then, the photographing unit 40 is moved by the photographing unit moving mechanism 60 to change the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit 40. Thus, during the operation of the robot arm 21 rotating around the JT1 axis and placing the workpiece 2 held by the hand 30 on the conveyor 3, the photographing unit 40 can be easily moved to a position where the workpiece 2 to be photographed can be photographed by at least one of raising and lowering the photographing unit 40 and rotating the photographing unit 40 around the AX axis. In addition, when the workpieces 2 are stacked in the vertical direction, if the position of the photographing unit 40 is fixed, it is necessary to configure a plurality of photographing units 40 in order to photograph the upper workpiece 2 and the lower workpiece 2 of the stacked workpieces 2, respectively. On the other hand, by raising and lowering the photographing unit 40, the upper workpiece 2 and the lower workpiece 2 of the stacked workpieces 2 can be photographed by one photographing unit 40, thereby suppressing the complexity of the structure of the robot system 100. In addition, by moving the photographing unit 40 by the photographing unit moving mechanism 60, a wide range of images can be photographed by one photographing unit 40.

[0055] There are a plurality of workpieces 2, and the control unit 70 holds one of the plurality of workpieces 2 by the hand 30. During the operation of the robot arm 21 rotating around the JT1 axis and placing the one workpiece 2 held by the hand 30 on the conveyor 3, the control unit 70 controls the photographing unit moving mechanism 60 so that the photographing unit 40 faces the next workpiece 2 to be held among the plurality of workpieces 2. Thus, while the one workpiece 2 held by the hand 30 is being placed on the conveyor 3, the photographing unit 40 can easily photograph the next workpiece 2 to be held.

[0056] There are a plurality of workpieces 2, and the control unit 70 holds one of the plurality of workpieces 2 by the hand 30, and controls the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit 40 so that during the operation of the robot arm 21 rotating around the JT1 axis and placing the one workpiece 2 held by the hand 30 on the conveyor 3, the next workpiece 2 to be held among the other workpieces 2 is photographed instead of all other workpieces 2. Thus, unlike the case where all other workpieces 2 of the plurality of workpieces 2 are photographed, the burden of processing the image photographed by the photographing unit 40 can be reduced.

[0057] The robot system 100 includes a carriage 10 for moving a robot arm 21. Thus, the robot arm 21 can be moved to a location where the workpiece 2 is placed by the carriage 10. Furthermore, even when the placement position of the workpiece 2 is changed, the robot arm 21 can be moved to the vicinity of the changed placement position of the workpiece 2 by the carriage 10.

[0058] The workpiece 2 includes a box-shaped workpiece 2, and the hand 30 includes a suction unit 31 for sucking the box-shaped workpiece 2. Thus, in the robot system 100 that sucks the box-shaped workpiece 2 using the suction unit 31 and places the workpiece 2 on the conveyor 3, the cycle time of the repetitive operations of the photographing unit 40 photographing the workpiece 2 and the hand 30 moving the workpiece 2 can be shortened.

[0059] [Second embodiment]

[0060] Reference Figure 6 , the structure of the robot system 200 of the second embodiment is described. In the second embodiment, the photographic unit 140 has at least one of a panning function, a tilting function, and a zooming function. Specifically, the photographic unit 140 has all of the panning function, the tilting function, and the zooming function. In addition, panning refers to moving the direction of the lens of the photographic unit 140 to the left and right. In addition, tilting refers to moving the direction of the lens of the photographic unit 140 up and down. In addition, zooming refers to zooming in and out. A driving unit such as a motor is arranged on the photographic unit 140. By controlling the driving unit by the control unit 70, the photographic unit 140 performs a panning action, a tilting action, and a zooming action. In addition, the other structures of the second embodiment are the same as those of the above-mentioned first embodiment.

[0061] In addition, in the operation of the robot system 200 of the second embodiment, Figure 5 In step S3, the control unit 70 controls the lifting and rotation, panning function, tilting function and zooming function of the lifting unit 62 of the photographing unit moving mechanism 60 so that the photographing unit 140 faces the next predetermined workpiece 2 to be held. In addition, other actions of the robot system 200 of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0062] [Effects of the Second Embodiment]

[0063] The photographing unit 140 has at least one of a panning function, a tilting function, and a zooming function. Thus, the photographing range of the photographing unit 140 can be changed by the panning function and the tilting function. In addition, the angle of view of the photographing unit 140 can be changed by the zooming function. That is, the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit 140 can be easily changed by the panning function, the tilting function, and the zooming function. In addition, in addition to the movement of the photographing unit 140 by the photographing unit moving mechanism 60, the photographing unit 140 also has at least one of a panning function, a tilting function, and a zooming function, so that the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit 140 can be changed to a greater extent.

[0064] [Third Embodiment]

[0065] Reference Figure 7 , the structure of the robot system 300 of the third embodiment is described. In the third embodiment, the photographic unit 240 is arranged on the arm 22d. For example, the photographic unit 240 is arranged on the outer surface of the arm 22d. In addition, the photographic unit 240 may also be arranged on the arm 22b, 22c or 22e. In addition, the photographic unit 240 may be respectively arranged in a plurality of arms among the arms 22b, 22c, 22d and 22e. That is, a plurality of photographic units 240 may also be arranged. And, in the operation of the robot system 300 of the third embodiment, in Figure 5 In step S1, the control unit 70 controls the movement of the truck 10 and at least one of the panning function, tilting function, and zooming function of the photographing unit 240, so that the photographing unit 240 can photograph all of the plurality of workpieces 2 stacked on the truck 1. A driving unit such as a motor is provided in the photographing unit 240. The control unit 70 controls the driving unit, so that the photographing unit 240 performs panning, tilting, and zooming.

[0066] In addition, in the operation of the robot system 300 of the third embodiment, Figure 5 In step S3, the control unit 70 controls the photographing unit 240 so that during the operation of the robot arm 21 rotating around the JT1 axis and placing a workpiece 2 held by the hand 30 on the conveyor 3, at least one of the panning function, the tilting function, and the zooming function is operated to photograph the next workpiece 2 to be held among the plurality of workpieces 2. Furthermore, in the case where the workpiece 2 held by the hand 30 falls, the control unit 70 controls the photographing unit 240 so that at least one of the panning function, the tilting function, and the zooming function is operated to photograph the fallen workpiece 2. Moreover, the fallen workpiece 2 is held by the hand 30 and placed on the conveyor 3. In addition, the other structures and operations of the robot system 300 of the third embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment described above.

[0067] [Effects of the Third Embodiment]

[0068] There are a plurality of workpieces 2, and the photographing unit 240 is disposed on the arm 22e and has at least one function among a panning function, a tilting function, and a zooming function. The control unit 70 holds one of the plurality of workpieces 2 by the hand 30, and controls the photographing unit 240 so that during the operation of the robot arm 21 rotating around the JT1 axis and placing the one workpiece 2 held by the hand 30 on the conveyor 3, at least one function among the panning function, the tilting function, and the zooming function is operated to photograph the next workpiece 2 to be held among the plurality of workpieces 2. Thus, since the photographing unit 240 itself has at least one function among the panning function, the tilting function, and the zooming function, there is no need to separately configure a moving mechanism for moving the photographing unit 240, and thus the structure of the robot system 300 can be suppressed from becoming complicated.

[0069] [Modifications]

[0070] The embodiments disclosed herein are to be considered in all respects as illustrative rather than restrictive. The scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the claims rather than the description of the embodiments described above, and includes all modifications (variations) within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0071] In the first, second and third embodiments described above, the robot arm 21 is shown as an example of a vertical multi-joint robot arm, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the robot arm 21 may also be a horizontal multi-joint robot arm.

[0072] In the first, second and third embodiments described above, the example in which the workpiece 2 is placed on the conveyor 3 is shown, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the workpiece 2 may be placed at a placement position other than the conveyor 3.

[0073] In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, an example in which the mounting member 50 has a plate shape is shown, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the mounting member 50 may also have a rod shape.

[0074] In the second and third embodiments, the imaging unit 140 and the imaging unit 240 are shown as having all the panning function, tilting function and zooming function, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the imaging unit 140 and the imaging unit 240 may only have one or two functions of the panning function, tilting function and zooming function.

[0075] In the first, second, and third embodiments described above, the robot arm 21 is placed on the carriage 10 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the robot arm 21 may be fixed to the floor or the like so as not to move.

[0076] In the first, second and third embodiments, the workpiece 2 is shown as a box-shaped workpiece 2, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In the present disclosure, the workpiece 2 may be other than a box-shaped workpiece 2. For example, the workpiece 2 may be a mechanical component in which the workpiece 2 is randomly stacked.

[0077] In the first, second, and third embodiments described above, an example in which the hand 30 includes the suction portion 31 is shown, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the hand 30 may include a chuck that grips the workpiece 2 .

[0078] In the first, second and third embodiments described above, examples are shown in which the robot arm 21 is separated from the photographing unit 40, the photographing unit 140 or the photographing unit 240, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Figure 8 As in the robot 320 of the modified example shown in FIG. 1 , during the operation of placing the workpiece 2 held by the hand 30 on the conveyor 3, the photography unit 340 built into the robot arm 21 can be used to photograph the next predetermined workpiece 2 to be held. In this case, the photography unit 340 can have at least one of a panning function, a tilting function, and a zooming function. In addition, the control unit 70 is included in the robot 320.

[0079] In the first, second and third embodiments described above, examples are shown in which the photographing unit 40, the photographing unit 140 and the photographing unit 240 are mounted on the robot arm 21, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the photographing unit may also be mounted on the carriage 10. In this case, the photographing unit is rotated by a drive mechanism different from the drive mechanism that rotates the robot arm 21 around the JT1 axis. In addition, the control unit 70 controls the rotation of the photographing unit in synchronization with the rotation of the robot arm 21 around the JT1 axis.

[0080] The functions of the elements disclosed in this specification can be performed using circuits or processing circuits including general-purpose processors, special-purpose processors, integrated circuits, ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), conventional circuits and / or combinations thereof configured or programmed to perform the disclosed functions. A processor is considered a processing circuit or circuit because it includes transistors or other circuits. In the present invention, a circuit, unit or device is hardware that performs the functions listed or is programmed to perform the functions listed. The hardware may be hardware disclosed in this specification, or may be other known hardware that is programmed or configured to perform the functions listed. If the hardware is a processor that is considered to be a type of circuit, the circuit, device or unit is a combination of hardware and software, and the software is used for the structure of the hardware and / or processor.

[0081] [Way]

[0082] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above exemplary embodiments are specific examples of the following manners.

[0083] (Item 1)

[0084] A robot system comprising:

[0085] a robot body portion including a base portion and a robot arm, the robot arm being installed so that a base end thereof rotates relative to the base portion about a first rotation axis and having a hand for holding a workpiece installed at a front end thereof;

[0086] an imaging unit disposed on the robot body, rotating in accordance with the movement of the robot body, and changing an imaging area separately from a change in the imaging area caused by the rotation of the robot arm around the first rotation axis; and

[0087] Control Department,

[0088] The control unit controls the imaging area of ​​the imaging unit so as to image the next workpiece to be held during the operation of rotating the robot arm about the first rotation axis and placing the workpiece held by the hand at a predetermined placement position.

[0089] (Item 2)

[0090] A robot system according to Item 1, wherein the photographic area of ​​the photographic unit is changed by changing at least one of a photographing direction and a zoom factor of the photographic unit by moving the photographic unit separately from the change of the photographic area caused by the rotation around the first rotation axis.

[0091] (Item 3)

[0092] The robot system according to item 1 or item 2, wherein:

[0093] The robot arm includes a multi-joint robot arm having a base end arm portion connected to the base portion and a front arm portion arranged between the base end arm portion and the hand,

[0094] The imaging unit is mounted on the base arm unit or the front arm unit, and rotates along with the rotation of the robot arm around the first rotation axis.

[0095] (Item 4)

[0096] The robot system according to item 3 further comprises a mounting member that rotates together with the base arm portion and mounts the imaging unit on the base arm portion.

[0097] (Item 5)

[0098] The robot system according to item 4, further comprising an imaging unit moving mechanism, which is mounted on the mounting member and performs at least one of raising and lowering the imaging unit and rotating the imaging unit around a second rotation axis different from the first rotation axis.

[0099] The photographing section is moved by the photographing section moving mechanism to change the photographing area of ​​the photographing section.

[0100] (Item 6)

[0101] The robot system according to item 5, wherein the photographing unit has at least one function of a panning function, a tilting function, and a zooming function.

[0102] (Item 7)

[0103] The robot system according to item 5 or item 6, wherein:

[0104] The workpiece is configured with multiple

[0105] The control unit causes the hand to hold one of the plurality of workpieces,

[0106] The photographing unit moving mechanism is controlled so that the photographing unit faces the next workpiece to be held among the plurality of workpieces during the operation of the robot arm rotating about the first rotation axis and placing the one workpiece held by the hand at the prescribed placement position.

[0107] (Item 8)

[0108] The robot system according to any one of items 3 to 7, wherein:

[0109] The workpiece is configured with multiple

[0110] The photographing unit is arranged on the front arm and has at least one function of a panning function, a tilting function and a zooming function.

[0111] The control unit causes the hand to hold one of the plurality of workpieces,

[0112] And the photographing unit is controlled so that during the action of the robot arm rotating around the first rotation axis and placing the one workpiece held by the hand at the specified loading position, at least one of the panning function, the tilting function and the zooming function is operated to photograph the next workpiece to be held among the multiple workpieces.

[0113] (Item 9)

[0114] The robot system according to any one of items 1 to 8, wherein:

[0115] The workpiece is configured with multiple

[0116] The control unit causes the hand to hold one of the plurality of workpieces,

[0117] And the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit is controlled so that during the action of the robot arm rotating around the first rotation axis and placing the one workpiece held by the hand at the prescribed loading position, all other workpieces of the multiple workpieces are not photographed, but the next workpiece scheduled to be held among the other workpieces is photographed.

[0118] (Item 10)

[0119] The robot system according to any one of items 1 to 9, wherein the base unit includes a carriage for moving the robot arm.

[0120] (Item 11)

[0121] The robot system according to any one of items 1 to 10, wherein the workpiece includes a box-shaped workpiece, and the hand includes a suction portion that suctions the box-shaped workpiece.

[0122] (Item 12)

[0123] A robot having:

[0124] a robot body portion including a base portion and a robot arm, the robot arm being installed so that a base end thereof rotates relative to the base portion about a prescribed rotation axis and having a hand for holding a workpiece installed at a front end thereof;

[0125] an imaging unit disposed on the robot body, rotating in accordance with the movement of the robot body, and changing an imaging area separately from a change in the imaging area caused by the rotation of the robot arm around the predetermined rotation axis; and

[0126] Control Department,

[0127] The control unit controls the imaging area of ​​the imaging unit so as to image the next workpiece to be held during the operation of rotating the robot arm about the predetermined rotation axis and placing the workpiece held by the hand at a predetermined placement position.

[0128] (Item 13)

[0129] A control method for a robot system, wherein the robot system comprises:

[0130] a robot body including a base portion and a robot arm, the robot arm being installed so that a base end thereof rotates relative to the base portion about a prescribed rotation axis and having a hand for holding a workpiece installed at a front end thereof; and

[0131] a photographing unit, which is arranged on the robot body, rotates according to the movement of the robot body, and photographs the workpiece;

[0132] The control method of the robot system comprises:

[0133] causing the hand to hold the workpiece;

[0134] In a state where the workpiece is held by the hand, rotating the robot arm around the predetermined axis and placing the workpiece at a predetermined placement position; and

[0135] During the action of placing the workpiece held by the hand at the prescribed placement position, the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit is controlled separately from the change of the photographing area caused by the rotation around the prescribed rotation axis, and the photographing unit photographs the predetermined workpiece to be held next.

Claims

1. A robot system, characterized in that: have: a robot body portion including a base portion and a robot arm, the robot arm being installed so that a base end thereof rotates relative to the base portion about a first rotation axis and having a hand for holding a workpiece installed at a front end thereof; an imaging unit disposed on the robot body, rotating in accordance with the movement of the robot body, and changing an imaging area separately from a change in the imaging area caused by the rotation of the robot arm around the first rotation axis; as well as Control Department, The control unit controls the imaging area of ​​the imaging unit so as to image the next workpiece to be held during the operation of rotating the robot arm about the first rotation axis and placing the workpiece held by the hand at a predetermined placement position.

2. The robot system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The photographing area of ​​the photographing unit is changed by moving the photographing unit to change at least one of a photographing direction and a zoom factor of the photographing unit separately from the change of the photographing area caused by the rotation about the first rotation axis.

3. The robot system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robot arm includes a multi-joint robot arm having a base end arm portion connected to the base portion and a front arm portion arranged between the base end arm portion and the hand, The imaging unit is mounted on the base arm unit or the front arm unit, and rotates along with the rotation of the robot arm around the first rotation axis.

4. The robot system according to claim 3, characterized in that: A mounting member is further provided, which is used to rotate together with the base arm portion and to mount the imaging unit on the base arm portion.

5. The robot system according to claim 4, characterized in that: and further comprising an imaging unit moving mechanism, which is mounted on the mounting member and performs at least one of raising and lowering the imaging unit and rotating the imaging unit around a second rotation axis different from the first rotation axis. The photographing section is moved by the photographing section moving mechanism to change the photographing area of ​​the photographing section.

6. The robot system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The photographing unit has at least one function among a panning function, a tilting function, and a zooming function.

7. The robot system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The workpiece is configured with multiple The control unit causes the hand to hold one of the plurality of workpieces, The photographing unit moving mechanism is controlled so that the photographing unit faces the next workpiece to be held among the plurality of workpieces during the operation of the robot arm rotating about the first rotation axis and placing the one workpiece held by the hand at the prescribed placement position.

8. The robot system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The workpiece is configured with multiple The photographing unit is arranged on the front arm and has at least one function of a panning function, a tilting function and a zooming function. The control unit causes the hand to hold one of the plurality of workpieces, And the photographing unit is controlled so that during the action of the robot arm rotating around the first rotation axis and placing the one workpiece held by the hand at the specified loading position, at least one of the panning function, the tilting function and the zooming function is operated to photograph the next workpiece to be held among the multiple workpieces.

9. The robot system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The workpiece is configured with multiple The control unit causes the hand to hold one of the plurality of workpieces, And the photographic area of ​​the photographic unit is controlled so that during the action of the robot arm rotating around the first rotation axis and placing the one workpiece held by the hand at the specified loading position, all other workpieces of the multiple workpieces are not photographed, but the next workpiece scheduled to be held among the other workpieces is photographed.

10. The robot system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The base portion includes a carriage that moves the robot arm.

11. The robot system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The workpiece includes a box-shaped workpiece, The hand includes a suction portion that suctions the box-shaped workpiece.

12. A robot, characterized in that: have: a robot body portion including a base portion and a robot arm, the robot arm being installed so that a base end thereof rotates relative to the base portion about a prescribed rotation axis and having a hand for holding a workpiece installed at a front end thereof; an imaging unit disposed on the robot body, rotating in accordance with the movement of the robot body, and changing the imaging area separately from the change of the imaging area caused by the rotation of the robot arm around the predetermined rotation axis; as well as Control Department, The control unit controls the imaging area of ​​the imaging unit so as to image the next workpiece to be held during the operation of rotating the robot arm about the predetermined rotation axis and placing the workpiece held by the hand at a predetermined placement position.

13. A method for controlling a robot system, wherein: The robot system comprises: a robot body portion including a base portion and a robot arm, the robot arm being installed so that a base end thereof rotates relative to the base portion about a prescribed rotation axis and having a hand for holding a workpiece installed at a front end thereof; as well as a photographing unit, which is arranged on the robot body, rotates according to the movement of the robot body, and photographs the workpiece; The control method of the robot system is characterized by comprising: causing the hand to hold the workpiece; In a state where the hand holds the workpiece, rotating the robot arm around the predetermined axis and placing the workpiece at a predetermined placement position; and During the operation of placing the workpiece held by the hand at the predetermined placement position, the photographing area of ​​the photographing unit is controlled separately from the change of the photographing area caused by the rotation around the predetermined rotation axis, and the photographing unit photographs the workpiece to be held next.

Images