Robot control method and device, control apparatus, and storage medium

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a robot control method and device, a control apparatus and a storage medium, and relate to a robot controller, which is in communication connection with a robot and a calibration device. The calibration device is connected with the robot via a calibration instrument pull line. The method comprises: acquiring a pull line direction of the calibration instrument pull line in the calibration device; controlling the robot to move according to the pull line direction and determining a take-up length of the calibration instrument pull line in the calibration device; and calibrating a tool coordinate system of the robot according to the take-up length and a preset pull line length. The robot controller controls the robot to move according to the pull line direction, and the calibration process of the tool coordinate system of the robot in the industrial field is realized quickly and efficiently through comparison of the take-up length in the robot movement process and the preset pull line length. The robot controller controls the robot and the calibration device without human participation in calibration, and further improves the calibration accuracy of the tool coordinate system while calibrating.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a robot control method, a robot control device, a corresponding control equipment, and a corresponding computer-readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of industrial robot technology, robots are becoming increasingly prevalent in factories, and the products that robots can produce are becoming more complex and diverse, such as being widely used in welding, assembly, and gluing processes.

[0003] However, in applications where robots perform related processes, such as arc welding, spot welding, and gluing, the fixture located at the robot's end effector needs to be in close contact with the product. Factors such as wear and tear, collisions, and misalignment of the fixture can cause changes in the position of the robot's end effector, leading to a shift in the robot's tool coordinate system. This results in the trajectory failing to meet process requirements and seriously affecting production quality. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above problems, embodiments of the present invention are proposed to provide a robot control method, a robot control device, a corresponding control equipment, and a corresponding computer-readable storage medium that overcome or at least partially solve the above problems.

[0005] This invention discloses a robot control method, relating to a robot controller. The robot controller is communicatively connected to the robot and a calibration device. The calibration device is connected to the robot via a calibration cable. The method includes:

[0006] Obtain the direction of the calibrator cable in the calibration device;

[0007] Control the robot to move in the direction of the pull line, and determine the take-up length of the calibrator pull line in the calibration device;

[0008] The tool coordinate system of the robot is calibrated based on the retrieved line length and the preset pull line length.

[0009] Optionally, the calibrator cable is controlled by a cable calibration instrument of the calibration device, the cable calibration instrument including a universal ball joint, wherein the cable pulling direction of the calibrator cable is the ball joint direction of the universal ball joint.

[0010] Optionally, the wire calibration instrument includes a reel and a motor, wherein the calibration instrument wire is wound onto the reel under the control of the motor;

[0011] Determining the take-up length of the calibrator cable in the calibration device includes:

[0012] During the movement of the robot in the direction of the pull line, the coding information of the motor is acquired, and the take-up length of the calibrator pull line is obtained based on the coding information.

[0013] Optionally, calibrating the robot's tool coordinate system based on the take-up length and the preset draw length includes:

[0014] If the take-up length is equal to the preset pull-up length, the tool coordinate system of the robot is calibrated; wherein, the preset pull-up length is the pull-up length of the calibrator when it is connected to the tool installed on the robot before the robot starts calibration.

[0015] Optionally, calibrating the robot's tool coordinate system based on the take-up length and the preset draw length includes:

[0016] If the take-up length is not equal to the preset pull length, the robot continues to move in the pull direction until the take-up length of the calibrator in the calibration device is equal to the preset pull length during the robot's movement, and the robot's tool coordinate system is calibrated.

[0017] Optionally, calibrating the robot's tool coordinate system includes:

[0018] The system receives an arrival signal sent by the calibration device; the arrival signal is generated by the calibration device when it detects that the tool end installed on the robot has reached the calibration point.

[0019] The arrival signal is sent to the robot, which instructs the robot to record the calibration point.

[0020] Optionally, the calibration point is the location of the tool end installed on the robot when the take-up length is equal to the preset pull-out length.

[0021] Optionally, during the process of the robot moving in the direction of the pull line, the calibration device performs a reeling-in operation on the calibrator pull line, wherein the robot's motion posture changes with the length of the calibrator pull line.

[0022] Optionally, calibrating the robot's tool coordinate system further includes:

[0023] Based on the direction and length of the calibration instrument's cable, the robot is controlled to change its posture.

[0024] When the robot's posture changes, the robot is controlled to move in the direction of the pull line, and the arrival position of the tool end installed on the robot is obtained when the pull line length is equal to the preset pull line length.

[0025] If the arrival position and the position of the calibration point are within a preset range, then the calibration point will be used as the final calibration point of the robot tool coordinate system.

[0026] This invention also discloses a robot control device, relating to a robot controller. The robot controller is communicatively connected to the robot and a calibration device. The calibration device is connected to the robot via a calibration cable. The device includes:

[0027] A wire direction acquisition module is used to acquire the wire direction of the calibrator wire in the calibration device;

[0028] The take-up length determination module is used to control the robot to move in the direction of the pull line and to determine the take-up length of the pull line of the calibrator in the calibration device;

[0029] The coordinate system calibration module is used to calibrate the robot's tool coordinate system based on the take-up length and the preset pull-up length.

[0030] Optionally, the calibrator cable is controlled by a cable calibration instrument of the calibration device, the cable calibration instrument including a universal ball joint, wherein the cable pulling direction of the calibrator cable is the ball joint direction of the universal ball joint.

[0031] Optionally, the wire calibration instrument includes a reel and a motor, and the wire is wound onto the reel by the calibration instrument under the control of the motor; the winding length determination module includes:

[0032] The cable length acquisition submodule is used to acquire the motor's encoding information during the robot's movement in the direction of the cable pull, and to obtain the cable take-up length of the calibrator's cable based on the encoding information.

[0033] Optionally, the coordinate system calibration module includes:

[0034] The coordinate system calibration submodule is used to calibrate the robot's tool coordinate system when the take-up length is equal to the preset pull length, and / or, when the take-up length is not equal to the preset pull length, to continue controlling the robot to move in the pull direction until the take-up length of the calibration instrument pull in the calibration device is equal to the preset pull length during the robot's movement, thereby calibrating the robot's tool coordinate system; wherein, the preset pull length is the pull length of the calibration instrument pull when it is connected to the tool installed on the robot before the robot starts calibration.

[0035] Optionally, the coordinate system calibration submodule includes:

[0036] A coordinate system calibration unit is used to receive the arrival signal sent by the calibration device; the arrival signal is generated by the calibration device when it detects that the tool end installed on the robot has reached the calibration point; the arrival signal is sent to the robot, and the arrival signal is used to instruct the robot to record the calibration point. The calibration point is the position of the tool end installed on the robot when the take-up length is equal to the preset draw length.

[0037] Optionally, during the process of the robot moving in the direction of the pull line, the calibration device performs a reeling-in operation on the calibrator pull line, wherein the robot's motion posture changes with the length of the calibrator pull line.

[0038] The coordinate system calibration unit is also used to control the robot to change its posture based on the direction and length of the cable pulled by the calibrator; when the robot's posture changes, it controls the robot to move according to the direction of the cable pulled, and obtains the arrival position of the tool end installed on the robot when the cable length is equal to the preset cable length; when the arrival position is the same as the position of the calibration point, the calibration point is taken as the final calibration point of the robot tool coordinate system.

[0039] This invention also discloses a control device, including: a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and capable of running on the processor, wherein the computer program, when executed by the processor, implements any of the robot control methods described above.

[0040] This invention also discloses a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements any of the robot control methods described above.

[0041] The embodiments of the present invention have the following advantages:

[0042] In this embodiment of the invention, a robot controller communicates with the robot and the calibration device. The calibration device can be connected to the robot via a calibration cable. The robot controller can control the robot to move along the cable direction based on the obtained cable direction. Then, based on the obtained cable length during the robot's movement, the robot's tool coordinate system is calibrated according to the obtained length and a preset cable length. When the robot starts calibration, the robot controller can control the robot to move along the cable direction. By comparing the cable length during the robot's movement with the preset cable length, a fast and efficient calibration process for the robot's tool coordinate system in the industrial field can be achieved. Furthermore, the robot controller, through its control of the robot and the calibration device, eliminates the need for manual calibration, further improving the accuracy of the tool coordinate system calibration. Attached Figure Description

[0043] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the robot tool coordinate system calibration system provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps of an embodiment of the robot control method of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps of another embodiment of the robot control method of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the calibration device provided in this embodiment of the invention with the cable in place;

[0047] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of robot posture change provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the operation process for calibrating the coordinate system of a robot tool provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 7 This is a structural block diagram of an embodiment of a robot control device according to the present invention.

[0050] 1 - Robot flange TCP end; 2 - Tool end; 3 - Robot body; 4 - Calibration instrument cable; 5 - Cable calibration instrument; 6 - Tool coordinate system calibration device box; 7 - Universal tie rod; 8 - Universal ball joint; 9 - Universal sensor; 10 - Motor; 11 - Reel; 12 - Robot controller cabinet; 13 - Tool coordinate system calibration device communication cable; 14 - Robot cable. Detailed Implementation

[0051] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0052] During the manufacturing process, changes in the position of the robot fixture end will cause a shift in the robot tool coordinate system, thus affecting the robot's process trajectory and preventing it from meeting process requirements.

[0053] To quickly restore normal production, it is necessary to recalibrate the accurate pose of the tool end point relative to the robot flange end, i.e., to calibrate the robot's tool coordinate system. In tool coordinate system calibration techniques, the traditional methods of manual operation, teaching, and visual inspection are primarily used. However, this method is not only affected by the operator's skill level and the resolution of human visual inspection, but also suffers from low efficiency and long calibration times due to excessive manual intervention. Since factory production cycles are high, the recovery time must be kept very short to avoid disrupting normal production line operations. Therefore, the aforementioned robot tool coordinate system calibration methods are insufficient to meet production requirements.

[0054] This invention provides a fast and accurate tool coordinate system calibration technology to meet production application needs. Specifically, when the robot starts calibration, the robot controller can control the robot to move along the wire pulling direction. By comparing the wire length during the robot's movement with the preset wire pulling length, a fast and efficient calibration process for the robot's tool coordinate system in the industrial field can be achieved. Furthermore, the robot controller, through its control of the robot and calibration device, eliminates the need for manual calibration, further improving the accuracy of the tool coordinate system calibration. Moreover, the robot tool coordinate system calibration scheme provided by this invention can be triggered by a robot start calibration command, achieving one-click automatic calibration of the robot's tool coordinate system. This enables automatic, high-precision, and rapid calibration of the robot's tool coordinate system for production applications, meeting production application requirements.

[0055] Reference Figure 1 The diagram illustrates the structure of a robot tool coordinate system calibration system 110 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The robot tool coordinate system calibration system 110 may include a robot 111, a calibration device 112, and a robot controller 113. The robot controller 113 can communicate with both the robot 111 and the calibration device 112; that is, when the robot 111 communicates with the calibration device 112, signal transmission is primarily accomplished through the robot controller 113.

[0056] Specifically, robot 111 can include a robot flange TCP (Tool Center Point, i.e., the origin of the tool coordinate system established on it) end effector 1, a tool end effector 2, and a robot body 3. The robot flange TCP end effector 1 refers to the tooling installed on the robot end flange when the industrial robot completes various tasks. It is desired that the tooling moves along a certain trajectory, thus requiring the transfer of the robot's TCP, i.e., transferring the TCP from the robot flange to the tooling. The tool end effector 2 refers to the tool installed on the robot. The tool installed is a fixture installed by the user on the robot flange end effector during production line operations, used for related technological operations such as workpiece picking, arc welding, spot welding, and adhesive application. The robot body 3 mainly refers to the various key moving parts of the robot, used for the robot's motion execution.

[0057] The robot 111 can be connected to the calibration device 112 via the calibration instrument cable 4. Specifically, the tool end installed on the robot 111 is connected to the calibration device 112 via the calibration instrument cable 4.

[0058] In the robot tool coordinate system calibration system 110, the calibration device 112 can specifically be represented as a tool coordinate system calibration device. The structure of the tool coordinate system calibration device can include a wire calibration instrument 5 and a tool coordinate system calibration device box 6. The wire calibration instrument 5 can include a calibration instrument wire 4, a universal tie rod 7, a universal ball joint 8, a universal sensor 9, a motor 10, and a reel 11. Among them, the calibration cable 4 mainly refers to the cable used to connect the tool coordinate system device and the user tool in the calibration robot tool coordinate system; the universal rod 7 serves as the cable outlet and cable reel in of the calibration cable 4, and the universal rod 7 will swing with the direction of the cable during the cable pulling process; the universal ball joint 8 refers to the ball connected to the universal rod 7 and can swing with the universal rod 7; the universal sensor 9 is used to sense the swing direction of the universal ball joint 8; the motor 10 is mainly used to provide power for the cable reel in during the robot calibration process, and to detect the cable length and cable reel length via the encoder of the motor; the reel 11 is mainly mounted on the motor 10 and is used to wind the calibration cable 4 of the cable calibration instrument 5.

[0059] The robot controller 113 may include a robot controller cabinet 12. The robot controller cabinet 12 mainly refers to the control terminal that integrates control, drive and other components, is used to control the robot's movement, and communicates with the tool coordinate system calibration device. In the process of communicating between the robot and the calibration device through the robot controller, the robot controller cabinet 12 is connected to the calibration device 112 via the tool coordinate system calibration device communication cable 13, and is connected to the robot 111 via the robot cable 14.

[0060] In practical applications, the robot tool coordinate system calibration scheme provided in this embodiment of the invention can be triggered and executed via a robot start calibration command, thus achieving the effect of one-click automatic calibration of the robot's tool coordinate system. Figure 1 The robot tool coordinate system calibration system 110 shown can be used as an automatic calibration tool coordinate system robot, and the embodiments of the present invention do not limit this.

[0061] Reference Figure 2 The diagram illustrates a flowchart of an embodiment of a robot control method according to the present invention, which relates to a robot controller and may specifically include the following steps:

[0062] Step 201: Obtain the direction of the calibrator cable in the calibration device;

[0063] In embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 1 As shown, the robot controller communicates with the robot and the calibration device. That is, the robot controller can be used to control the robot's movement and can also be used to communicate with the tool coordinate system calibration device. The calibration device is connected to the end of the tool installed on the robot via a calibration cable.

[0064] For example, a user tool can be installed on the robot, and the user can fix the calibration device within the robot's range of motion to facilitate subsequent control of the robot's movement along the calibration cable. It should be noted that the robot's range of motion refers to the range of motion of the components that the robot can manipulate, such as the set of points reachable by the end of the robot tool or the center of the robot's wrist component; this embodiment of the invention does not impose such limitations.

[0065] When the robot starts calibration, in order to control the robot's movement, the direction of the movement to be controlled can be determined. Specifically, the robot controller can obtain the direction of the cable pulling the calibrator in the calibration device and use the obtained cable direction as the direction of the robot's movement.

[0066] The obtained wire direction mainly refers to the direction of the connection between the two ends of the calibrator wire and the calibration device end and the tool end, respectively, at the moment when the robot starts calibration.

[0067] Step 202: Control the robot to move in the direction of the pull line and determine the take-up length of the pull line of the calibrator in the calibration device;

[0068] After determining the direction of motion to be controlled by the robot, the robot controller can control the robot to move in the direction of the pull line. As the robot moves in the direction of the pull line, the calibration device will continuously perform the line winding operation. At this time, the length of the line winding of the calibration device can be determined so as to judge whether the line winding of the calibration device is in place.

[0069] Step 203: Based on the take-up length and the preset pull-out length, calibrate the robot's tool coordinate system.

[0070] The calibration operation performed on the robot's tool coordinate system can be represented by determining and recording the calibration points of the robot's tool coordinate system. In practical applications, when the calibration instrument determines that the cable is in place, the calibration point can be determined and recorded.

[0071] Specifically, the determination of whether the cable is properly pulled can be reflected by comparing the cable length and the preset cable length. The preset cable length refers to the cable length when the calibrator cable is connected to the tool installed on the robot before the robot starts calibration; that is, the initial cable length when the robot starts calibration.

[0072] In one scenario, if the retrieved wire length equals the preset wire length, it indicates that the calibrator has successfully pulled the wire into position. At this point, the robot's tool coordinate system can be calibrated, meaning the calibration point can be determined and recorded. In another scenario, if the retrieved wire length does not equal the preset wire length, it indicates that the calibrator has not yet successfully pulled the wire into position. In this case, the robot can continue to move in the wire pulling direction until the retrieved wire length of the calibrator in the calibration device equals the preset wire length during the robot's movement. Then, the robot's tool coordinate system can be calibrated.

[0073] The calibration point determined and recorded is a calibration point for the coordinate system of the tool installed on the robot. This calibration point can refer to the position of the end of the tool installed on the robot when the take-up length is equal to the preset pull length. After the calibration point is recorded, it means that the end of the robot tool has moved to the corresponding position of the calibration point. At this position, the robot tool coordinate system has not shifted, and the calibration of the tool coordinate system is completed.

[0074] In this embodiment of the invention, a robot controller communicates with the robot and the calibration device. The calibration device can be connected to the robot via a calibration cable. The robot controller can control the robot to move along the cable direction based on the obtained cable direction. Then, based on the obtained cable length during the robot's movement, the robot's tool coordinate system is calibrated according to the obtained length and a preset cable length. When the robot starts calibration, the robot controller can control the robot to move along the cable direction. By comparing the cable length during the robot's movement with the preset cable length, a fast and efficient calibration process for the robot's tool coordinate system in the industrial field can be achieved. Furthermore, the robot controller, through its control of the robot and the calibration device, eliminates the need for manual calibration, further improving the accuracy of the tool coordinate system calibration.

[0075] Reference Figure 3 The flowchart illustrates the steps of another embodiment of the robot control method of the present invention, which involves, for example... Figure 1 The robot tool coordinate system calibration system shown may specifically include the following steps:

[0076] Step 301: When the robot starts calibration, control the robot to move in the direction of the calibrator's cable pull, and obtain the cable length of the calibrator during the robot's movement in real time.

[0077] The robot tool coordinate system calibration system can respond to the robot's calibration start command and trigger the calibration operation of the tool coordinate system installed on the robot. Specifically, after the robot completes a process flow, such as welding, assembly, or gluing, to prevent wear, collisions, or misalignment of the tooling fixture (located at the robot's end effector) due to close contact with the product, which could cause changes in the position of the robot's end effector and thus a shift in the robot's tool coordinate system, the robot can initiate calibration. This calibration can be initiated by the user interacting with a pre-set calibration button or key on the robot body. This generates a corresponding calibration start command and transmits it to the robot controller. The robot controller receives the calibration start signal transmitted by the robot via the robot cable and then executes the tool coordinate system calibration operation.

[0078] During the calibration process, the robot controller can control the robot's movement. In order to control the robot's movement, the direction of the movement to be controlled can first be determined. The direction of the cable pulling in the calibration device can be obtained, and the obtained cable pulling direction can be used as the robot's movement direction. After determining the robot's movement direction, the robot controller can control the robot to move according to the cable pulling direction in order to judge whether the cable pulling of the calibration device is in place.

[0079] In practical applications, the robot controller can acquire the cable direction by real-time detection and transmission via a tool coordinate system calibration device. This is mainly based on the signals transmitted by the calibration device. In specific implementation, the cable pulling of the calibration instrument is controlled by the cable calibration instrument of the calibration device. This cable calibration instrument includes a universal ball joint and a universal sensor. The real-time detection performed by the calibration device can be achieved using the universal sensor. Specifically, the universal sensor can detect the ball joint direction in real time to obtain the cable pulling direction of the calibration instrument. In essence, the cable pulling direction of the calibration instrument can refer to the ball joint direction.

[0080] For example, the user can fix the calibration device within the robot's range of motion to facilitate subsequent control of the robot's movement along the calibration cable. Specifically, the installation orientation of the cable calibration instrument can be aligned with the direction of the robot's tool coordinate system, such as... Figure 4 As shown, at this time, the motion direction of the cable calibration instrument is consistent with that of the robot's base coordinate system. Therefore, it can be determined that the orientation of the universal ball joint of the cable calibration instrument is the cable direction. The cable direction can be collected by the universal sensor, and the collected information is sent to the robot through the robot controller via cable to control the robot to move in the direction guided by the cable calibration instrument.

[0081] In one embodiment of the present invention, since the calibration device continuously performs the winding operation during the robot's movement, the obtained winding length is dynamically changing in real time. At this time, the winding length of the calibrator pulling the wire during the robot's movement can be obtained in real time by the calibration device. Specifically, the corresponding signal obtained in real time can be transmitted to the robot controller through the calibration device, so that the robot controller can obtain the winding length during the continuous winding process in real time.

[0082] In its implementation, the cable calibration instrument includes a reel and a motor. The motor provides power for the cable winding operation, and the wound cable is wound onto the reel. During winding, the calibration instrument's cable is wound onto the reel under motor control. When determining the winding length of the calibration instrument's cable, the encoded information of the motor during the robot's movement in the cable-pulling direction is obtained. This encoded information is used to calculate the winding length, which can be obtained from the value fed back by the encoder on the motor within the reel. For example, assuming the encoder resolution is 100 and the winding length in one revolution of the reel is 2mm, the winding length can be calculated using the number of encoder pulses. This embodiment of the invention does not limit the specific calculation method.

[0083] In a preferred embodiment, in addition to obtaining the direction of the pull wire, a preset pull wire length can also be obtained. The preset pull wire length refers to the length of the pull wire when the calibrator's pull wire is connected to the tool installed on the robot before the robot starts calibration; that is, the initial pull wire length at the start of robot calibration. This length can be detected by the calibration device and used as a comparison basis for subsequent calibration steps. The pull wire length can also be calculated using the value fed back from the encoder of the motor on the internal reel. For example, assuming the encoder resolution is 100, and the length pulled out in one rotation of the reel is 2mm, the pull wire length can be calculated using the number of encoder pulses. The specific calculation method is not limited in this embodiment.

[0084] Step 302: With the take-up length equal to the preset pull-out length, calibrate the robot's tool coordinate system;

[0085] The calibration operation performed on the robot's tool coordinate system can be represented as the determination and recording of calibration points in the robot's tool coordinate system. Furthermore, the calibration point can refer to the position of the tool end installed on the robot when the take-up length equals the preset pull length. Specifically, this can be represented as the calibration device obtaining the current position of the tool end installed on the robot when it detects that the take-up length equals the preset pull length, and using this current position as the calibration point.

[0086] When the calibrator determines that the cable is in place, the calibration point can be determined and recorded. In one embodiment of the present invention, the cable can be determined to be in place when the take-up length is equal to the preset cable length. For example, as shown... Figure 4As shown, since the installation orientation of the cable calibration instrument can be consistent with the direction of the robot's tool coordinate system, and the movement direction of the cable calibration instrument is consistent with the robot's base coordinate system, when the cable is in position (i.e., the take-up length equals the preset cable length), the two ends of the cable, respectively connected to the end of the tool installed on the robot and the calibration instrument, can be parallel to the universal joint of the cable calibration instrument, or the end of the tool installed on the robot can move to touch the cable outlet of the universal joint. It should be noted that other cable positioning scenarios can be set according to actual conditions, and this embodiment of the invention does not provide examples.

[0087] In practical applications, when the take-up length of the calibration device is equal to the pull-out length, for example... Figure 4 As shown, this indicates that the tool end installed on the robot has reached the calibration point. At this time, the calibration device can send an arrival signal to the robot. Specifically, the calibration device generates an arrival signal when it detects that the tool end installed on the robot has reached the calibration point, and then sends it to the robot controller through the tool coordinate system calibration device communication cable. When the robot controller receives the arrival signal sent by the calibration device, it can send an arrival signal to the robot and instruct the robot to record the calibration point based on the arrival signal.

[0088] Step 303: Control the robot to change its robot posture. If the robot posture changes, recalibrate the robot's tool coordinate system.

[0089] As described above, the motor judges the winding status in real time during the winding process. As the length of the pulled line changes, the universal joint, universal ball joint, and universal sensor will also continuously adjust their posture. The wire calibrator can transmit the current robot posture to the robot controller in real time through the cable during the posture adjustment of the universal joint, universal ball joint, and universal sensor to adjust the robot's motion posture. When the winding length of the calibration device is equal to the preset pulling length, it means that the tool end installed on the robot has reached the calibration point. At this time, the calibration device can send an arrival signal to the robot. The robot responds to the calibration point arrival signal and records the corresponding point.

[0090] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, since the calibration device performs a winding operation on the calibration instrument's wire during the robot's movement along the wire direction, the robot's motion posture can change with the length of the wire pulled by the calibration instrument. In order to ensure the accuracy of the calibration of the robot's tool coordinate system and improve the accuracy of the tool coordinate system calibration, the robot's posture can be changed and the calibration can be repeated a preset number of times. The preset number of times can be set according to actual needs, such as twice. The embodiments of the present invention do not limit this.

[0091] Specifically, the robot can be controlled to change its posture based on the direction and length of the cable pulled by the calibrator. When the robot's posture changes, the robot is controlled to move in the direction of the cable and the position reached by the tool end installed on the robot is obtained when the cable length is equal to the preset cable length. If the position reached is the same as or within the preset range of the calibration point, the calibration point can be used as the final calibration point of the robot tool coordinate system.

[0092] For example, assuming that after completing one calibration point recording, the tool coordinate system calibration operation is repeated twice more, the aforementioned preset range can be expressed as follows: when the error between the retrieved length and the preset pull-out length is within the robot's repeatability accuracy of 0.02mm, it indicates that the wire has been retrieved to the correct position. Figure 5 As shown, the robot can reach the same point from three different positions, that is, all of them are aligned with a fixed point P. Then, the fixed aligned point can be used as the final calibration point of the robot tool coordinate system.

[0093] To facilitate understanding of the robot tool coordinate system calibration scheme provided in the embodiments of the present invention by those skilled in the art, the embodiments of the present invention provide, as follows: Figure 6 The illustrated operation process diagram can be exemplarily represented as follows:

[0094] First, install the user tool corresponding to the process operation onto the robot. At this point, the user can fix the tool coordinate system calibration device within the robot's range of motion and connect the calibration device's calibrator to the robot tool using a drawstring. Before calibration begins, the tool coordinate system calibration device can detect the drawstring direction and length. Once calibration starts, the tool coordinate system calibration device can send the drawstring direction to the robot in real time. Upon receiving the signal, the robot can move in the direction of the drawstring, and the calibration device continuously retracts the drawstring. When the retracted drawstring length equals the preset extension length, it indicates that the tool end on the robot has reached the calibration point. The calibration device can then send an arrival signal to the robot. The robot receives this signal and records the point, using it as the calibration point. To ensure the accuracy of the robot's tool coordinate system calibration, the above steps can be repeated twice, changing the robot's posture, to complete the calibration.

[0095] It should be noted that the signal transmission between the robot and the calibration device is mainly accomplished through the robot controller.

[0096] In this embodiment of the invention, when the robot starts calibration, the robot controller can control the robot to move along the direction of the pull line. By comparing the length of the pull line during the robot's movement with the preset pull line length, a fast and efficient calibration process for the robot's tool coordinate system in the industrial field can be achieved. Furthermore, by controlling the robot and the calibration device, the robot controller eliminates the need for manual calibration, further improving the accuracy of the tool coordinate system calibration. Moreover, the robot tool coordinate system calibration scheme provided in this embodiment can be triggered by the robot's calibration start command, achieving the effect of one-click automatic calibration of the robot's tool coordinate system.

[0097] It should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity, the method embodiments are all described as a series of actions. However, those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the described order of actions, because according to the embodiments of the present invention, some steps can be performed in other orders or simultaneously. Furthermore, those skilled in the art should also understand that the embodiments described in the specification are preferred embodiments, and the actions involved are not necessarily essential to the embodiments of the present invention.

[0098] Reference Figure 7 The diagram illustrates a structural block diagram of an embodiment of a robot control device according to the present invention. The robot controller is communicatively connected to the robot and a calibration device. The calibration device is connected to the robot via a calibration cable and may specifically include the following modules:

[0099] The wire direction acquisition module 701 is used to acquire the wire direction of the calibrator wire in the calibration device.

[0100] The take-up length determination module 702 is used to control the robot to move in the direction of the pull line and to determine the take-up length of the pull line of the calibrator in the calibration device;

[0101] The coordinate system calibration module 703 is used to calibrate the tool coordinate system of the robot based on the take-up length and the preset pull-up length.

[0102] In one embodiment of the present invention, the calibrator cable is controlled by a cable calibration instrument of the calibration device, the cable calibration instrument including a universal ball joint, wherein the cable pulling direction of the calibrator cable is the ball joint direction of the universal ball joint.

[0103] In one embodiment of the present invention, the wire calibration instrument includes a reel and a motor, wherein the calibration instrument draws the wire onto the reel under the control of the motor; the wire length determination module 702 may include the following sub-modules:

[0104] The cable length acquisition submodule is used to acquire the motor's encoding information during the robot's movement in the direction of the cable pull, and to obtain the cable take-up length of the calibrator's cable based on the encoding information.

[0105] In one embodiment of the present invention, the coordinate system calibration module 703 may include the following sub-modules:

[0106] The coordinate system calibration submodule is used to calibrate the robot's tool coordinate system when the take-up length is equal to the preset pull length, and / or, when the take-up length is not equal to the preset pull length, to continue controlling the robot to move in the pull direction until the take-up length of the calibration instrument pull in the calibration device is equal to the preset pull length during the robot's movement, thereby calibrating the robot's tool coordinate system; wherein, the preset pull length is the pull length of the calibration instrument pull when it is connected to the tool installed on the robot before the robot starts calibration.

[0107] In one embodiment of the present invention, the coordinate system calibration submodule may include the following units:

[0108] A coordinate system calibration unit is used to receive the arrival signal sent by the calibration device; the arrival signal is generated by the calibration device when it detects that the tool end installed on the robot has reached the calibration point; the arrival signal is sent to the robot, and the arrival signal is used to instruct the robot to record the calibration point. The calibration point is the position of the tool end installed on the robot when the take-up length is equal to the preset draw length.

[0109] In one embodiment of the present invention, during the process of the robot moving in the direction of the pull line, the calibration device performs a reeling-in operation on the calibrator pull line, wherein the robot's motion posture changes with the length of the calibrator pull line.

[0110] The coordinate system calibration unit is also used to control the robot to change its posture based on the direction and length of the cable pulled by the calibrator; when the robot's posture changes, it controls the robot to move according to the direction of the cable pulled, and obtains the arrival position of the tool end installed on the robot when the cable length is equal to the preset cable length; when the arrival position is the same as the position of the calibration point, the calibration point is taken as the final calibration point of the robot tool coordinate system.

[0111] In this embodiment of the invention, the robot control device provides a communication connection between the robot controller, the robot, and the calibration device. The calibration device can be connected to the robot via a calibration cable. The robot controller can control the robot to move along the cable direction based on the obtained cable direction. Then, based on the obtained cable length during the robot's movement, the robot's tool coordinate system is calibrated according to the obtained cable length and a preset cable length. When the robot starts calibration, the robot controller can control the robot to move along the cable direction, and by comparing the cable length during the robot's movement with the preset cable length, a fast and efficient calibration process for the robot's tool coordinate system in the industrial field can be achieved. Furthermore, the robot controller, through the control of the robot and the calibration device, eliminates the need for manual calibration, further improving the accuracy of the tool coordinate system calibration.

[0112] As the device embodiment is basically similar to the method embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and relevant parts can be found in the description of the method embodiment.

[0113] This invention also provides a control device, comprising:

[0114] It includes a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and capable of running on the processor. When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the various processes of the above-described robot control method embodiments and achieves the same technical effects. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0115] This invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the various processes of the above-described robot control method embodiments and achieves the same technical effects. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0116] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other.

[0117] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of the present invention can be provided as methods, apparatus, or computer program products. Therefore, embodiments of the present invention can take the form of entirely hardware embodiments, entirely software embodiments, or embodiments combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention can take the form of computer program products implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0118] This invention is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, terminal devices (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing terminal device to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing terminal device, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0119] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing terminal device to operate in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0120] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing terminal equipment, causing a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable terminal equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable terminal equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0121] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make other changes and modifications to these embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments as well as all changes and modifications falling within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0122] Finally, it should be noted that the user information (including but not limited to user device information, user personal information, etc.) and data (including but not limited to data used for analysis, data stored, data displayed, etc.) involved in this application are all information and data authorized by the user or fully authorized by all parties. Furthermore, the collection, use and processing of the relevant data must comply with the relevant laws, regulations and standards of the relevant countries and regions, and corresponding operation portals are provided for users to choose to authorize or refuse.

[0123] It should also be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or terminal device that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or terminal device. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or terminal device that includes said element.

[0124] The present invention has provided a detailed description of a robot control method, a robot control device, a corresponding control equipment, and a corresponding computer-readable storage medium. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The descriptions of the above embodiments are only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of the present invention. At the same time, those skilled in the art will recognize that, based on the ideas of the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

Claims

1. A robot control method, characterized in that, The method involves a robot controller that is communicatively connected to the robot and a calibration device, the calibration device being connected to the robot via a calibrator cable. Obtain the direction of the calibrator cable in the calibration device; Control the robot to move in the direction of the pull line, and determine the take-up length of the calibrator pull line in the calibration device; The tool coordinate system of the robot is calibrated based on the retrieved line length and the preset pull line length.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The calibration instrument pull cable is controlled by the pull cable calibration instrument of the calibration device. The pull cable calibration instrument includes a universal ball joint, wherein the pull direction of the calibration instrument pull cable is the ball joint direction of the universal ball joint.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The wire calibration instrument includes a reel and a motor, and the calibration instrument draws the wire onto the reel under the control of the motor. Determining the take-up length of the calibrator cable in the calibration device includes: During the movement of the robot in the direction of the pull line, the coding information of the motor is acquired, and the take-up length of the calibrator pull line is obtained based on the coding information.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of calibrating the robot's tool coordinate system based on the take-up length and the preset pull-out length includes: If the take-up length is equal to the preset pull-up length, the tool coordinate system of the robot is calibrated; wherein, the preset pull-up length is the pull-up length of the calibrator when it is connected to the tool installed on the robot before the robot starts calibration.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of calibrating the robot's tool coordinate system based on the take-up length and the preset pull-out length includes: If the take-up length is not equal to the preset pull length, the robot continues to move in the pull direction until the take-up length of the calibrator in the calibration device is equal to the preset pull length during the robot's movement, and the robot's tool coordinate system is calibrated.

6. The method according to claim 1, 4, or 5, characterized in that, The calibration of the robot's tool coordinate system includes: The system receives an arrival signal sent by the calibration device; the arrival signal is generated by the calibration device when it detects that the tool end installed on the robot has reached the calibration point. The arrival signal is sent to the robot, which instructs the robot to record the calibration point.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The calibration point is the location of the tool end installed on the robot when the take-up length is equal to the preset pull-out length.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, During the movement of the robot in the direction of the pull line, the calibration device performs a reeling-in operation on the calibrator pull line, wherein the robot's motion posture changes with the length of the calibrator pull line.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The calibration of the robot's tool coordinate system also includes: Based on the direction and length of the calibration instrument's cable, the robot is controlled to change its posture. When the robot's posture changes, the robot is controlled to move in the direction of the pull line, and the arrival position of the tool end installed on the robot is obtained when the pull line length is equal to the preset pull line length. If the arrival position and the position of the calibration point are within a preset range, then the calibration point will be used as the final calibration point of the robot tool coordinate system.

10. A robot control device, characterized in that, The invention relates to a robot controller, which is communicatively connected to the robot and a calibration device. The calibration device is connected to the robot via a calibration cable. The device includes: A wire direction acquisition module is used to acquire the wire direction of the calibrator wire in the calibration device; The take-up length determination module is used to control the robot to move in the direction of the pull line and to determine the take-up length of the pull line of the calibrator in the calibration device; The coordinate system calibration module is used to calibrate the robot's tool coordinate system based on the take-up length and the preset pull-up length.

11. A control device, characterized in that, include: A processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and capable of running on the processor, wherein the computer program, when executed by the processor, implements the robot control method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer program is stored on the computer-readable storage medium, which, when executed by a processor, implements the robot control method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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