Collaborative operation mechanical arm and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of robots, and provides a collaborative operation mechanical arm and a control method thereof. Comprising a first mechanical arm, a second mechanical arm, a third mechanical arm and a fourth mechanical arm, the first mechanical arm, the second mechanical arm and the third mechanical arm are located on a first track, the fourth mechanical arm is located on a second track, and the first track and the second track are arranged in parallel; the first track and the second track are linear tracks; a first safety distance is kept between the second mechanical arm and the first mechanical arm, a second safety distance is kept between the third mechanical arm and the first mechanical arm, and the second safety distance is larger than or equal to the first safety distance. The mechanical arm has the beneficial effects that different safety distances exist between the multiple mechanical arms and the first mechanical arm, it is guaranteed that all the mechanical arms do not interfere with one another during operation, the mechanical arms can cooperatively complete operation work, and the maximum cooperative operation work space is obtained.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of robotics technology, and in particular to a collaborative operation robot arm and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of industrial intelligence, advanced robots are gradually introduced in the traditional manufacturing industry to replace manual labor. Due to the development of technology and work needs, multiple mobile robots exist in the same working area to work together. At this time, how to ensure the safety of these mobile robots in collaborative work needs to be solved.

[0003] In view of this, the present invention is proposed. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a collaborative working robot arm and a control method thereof to solve the technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a collaborative operation robot arm, comprising: a first robot arm, a second robot arm, a third robot arm and a fourth robot arm, wherein the first robot arm, the second robot arm and the third robot arm are located on a first track, the fourth robot arm is located on a second track, the first track and the second track are arranged in parallel, and the first track and the second track are both straight tracks;

[0006] Wherein, the first robotic arm is a main motion arm, the second robotic arm and the third robotic arm are follower arms, and the fourth robotic arm is a collaborative arm;

[0007] The second mechanical arm and the third mechanical arm approach the first mechanical arm with the first mechanical arm as a reference; a first safety distance is maintained between the second mechanical arm and the first mechanical arm, and a second safety distance is maintained between the third mechanical arm and the first mechanical arm, and the second safety distance is greater than or equal to the first safety distance;

[0008] When the first safety distance is equal to the second safety distance, the second mechanical arm and the third mechanical arm approach the first mechanical arm at the same speed; when the first safety distance is less than the second safety distance, the speed at which the second mechanical arm approaches the first mechanical arm is greater than the speed at which the third mechanical arm approaches the first mechanical arm;

[0009] Before starting the operation, the first robotic arm moves to a specified position on the first track, the second robotic arm moves to maintain the first safety distance from the first robotic arm, and the third robotic arm moves to maintain the second safety distance from the first robotic arm; the fourth robotic arm determines its position on the second guide rail based on the positions of the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, and the third robotic arm.

[0010] In an optional embodiment, the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, the third robotic arm and the fourth robotic arm are all multi-degree-of-freedom serial robotic arms and have exactly the same structure, and the ends of the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, the third robotic arm and the fourth robotic arm are all provided with rope-driven end effectors; the execution end of the end effector is a suction cup.

[0011] In an optional embodiment, the first mechanical arm, the second mechanical arm, the third mechanical arm and the fourth mechanical arm each include at least two mutually articulated motion arms;

[0012] When the second robotic arm maintains a first safety distance from the first robotic arm and the third robotic arm maintains a second safety distance from the first robotic arm, the first moving arms among the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm and the third robotic arm are parallel to each other, and the second moving arms among the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm and the third robotic arm are parallel to each other.

[0013] In an optional embodiment, before starting the operation, before the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, and the third robotic arm move along the first guide rail, the first moving arm and the second moving arm among the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, and the third robotic arm are first adjusted to a state parallel to each other.

[0014] In an optional embodiment, at least two groups of reference points are provided on the first moving arm and the second moving arm of the first mechanical arm, and each group of two reference points is respectively provided at two ends of the first moving arm and the second moving arm;

[0015] At least two groups of reference points are arranged on the first moving arm and the second moving arm of the second and third mechanical arms, and each group of two reference points is arranged at two ends of the first moving arm and the second moving arm respectively;

[0016] At least two groups of reference points on the first moving arm and the second moving arm on the second and third mechanical arms are respectively arranged corresponding to at least two groups of reference points on the first moving arm and the second moving arm on the first mechanical arm.

[0017] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a control method using the collaborative operation robot arm as described above, comprising:

[0018] S1: Before operation, the position of the first robotic arm is determined on the first track, and the positions of the second robotic arm and the third robotic arm are determined according to the first safety distance and the second safety distance;

[0019] S2: Start the operation. The first robot arm starts to move and controls its end effector to the designated adsorption point a1. Then the second robot arm moves and controls its end effector to the designated adsorption point a2. The third robot arm moves and controls its end effector to the designated adsorption point a3.

[0020] S3: the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, and the third robotic arm work together to keep the relative positions of the adsorption points a1, a2, and a3 unchanged;

[0021] In an optional embodiment, the adsorption point a1, adsorption point a2, and adsorption point a3 are respectively the contact center points between the adsorbed object and the suction cup on the rope-driven end effector at the end of each of the robotic arms, and the center of gravity of the adsorbed object can be adjusted by adjusting the bending angle of each of the rope-driven end effectors.

[0022] In an optional embodiment, after adjusting the bending angle of each rope-driven end effector to adjust the center of gravity of the adsorbed object, if the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, and the third robotic arm cannot meet the load requirements, the fourth robotic arm is started to adjust the center of gravity of the adsorbed object again to complete the operation.

[0023] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0024] (1) The present invention arranges four robotic arms on two guide rails, and a rope-driven flexible end effector is arranged at the end of each robotic arm, so that the adsorption of the grasped object can be flexibly achieved. In particular, the degree of bending of each end effector can be adjusted separately to change the center of gravity of the grasped object, thereby making the grasping and adsorption more stable.

[0025] (2) The present invention sets different safety distances between the multiple robotic arms and the first robotic arm, thereby ensuring that the robotic arms do not interfere with each other during operation, and can collaborate to complete the work and obtain the largest collaborative work space. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0027] Figure 1A schematic diagram of the overall structure of a collaborative working robot arm provided in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the enlarged local structure at point A in the middle.

[0029] Among them, the accompanying drawings are marked as follows:

[0030] 1-first robotic arm, 2-first robotic arm, 3-third robotic arm, 4-fourth robotic arm; 11-first motion arm, 12-second motion arm, 13-end effector, 131-rope-driven multi-degree-of-freedom arm section, 132-suction cup. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0032] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed on" or "disposed on" another component, it may be directly or indirectly located on the other component. When a component is referred to as being "connected to" another component, it may be directly or indirectly connected to the other component. The directions or positions indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc. are based on the directions or positions shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of description and cannot be understood as limitations on the present technical solution. The terms "first" and "second" are only used for the convenience of description and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features. "Multiple" means two or more, and "several" means any number including one, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0033] Please see attached Figure 1-2 The purpose of this embodiment is to provide a collaborative working robot arm, comprising: a first robot arm 1, a second robot arm 2, a third robot arm 3 and a fourth robot arm 4, wherein the first robot arm 1, the second robot arm 2 and the third robot arm 3 are located on a first track, and the fourth robot arm 4 is located on a second track, the first track and the second track are arranged in parallel, and the first track and the second track are both straight tracks;

[0034] Wherein, the first robot arm 1 is a main moving arm, the second robot arm 2 and the third robot arm 3 are follower arms, and the fourth robot arm 4 is a collaborative arm;

[0035] The second robotic arm 2 and the third robotic arm 3 approach the first robotic arm 1 with the first robotic arm 1 as a reference; a first safety distance is maintained between the second robotic arm 2 and the first robotic arm 1, and a second safety distance is maintained between the third robotic arm 3 and the first robotic arm 1, and the second safety distance is greater than or equal to the first safety distance;

[0036] When the first safety distance is equal to the second safety distance (the second and third robotic arms are located on both sides of the first robotic arm 1), the second robotic arm 2 and the third robotic arm 3 approach the first robotic arm 1 at the same speed; when the first safety distance is less than the second safety distance, the speed at which the second robotic arm 2 approaches the first robotic arm 1 is greater than the speed at which the third robotic arm 3 approaches the first robotic arm 1. At this time, the second and third robotic arms are located on the same side of the first robotic arm 1. When the third robotic arm 3 moves, the second robotic arm 2 has already moved to the first safety distance or is in the process of moving. For safety reasons, the moving speed of the third robotic arm 3 must be less than the moving speed of the second robotic arm 2. If The second robotic arm 2 has moved to maintain the first safety distance from the first robotic arm, and the moving speed of the third robotic arm 3 is lower than the moving speed of the second robotic arm 2, so as to reduce the loss caused by the accident, especially reduce the possibility of impact on the first robotic arm 1 (when the speed of the third robotic arm is lower, it may only cause impact on the second robotic arm 2); if the second robotic arm 2 is moving to maintain the first safety distance from the first robotic arm, the moving speed of the third robotic arm 3 is lower than the moving speed of the second robotic arm 2, so as to avoid the collision and interference between the third robotic arm 3 and the second robotic arm 2 as much as possible (the second robotic arm moves faster), especially when the relative parallel adjustment of each moving arm of each robotic arm fails.

[0037] Before starting the operation, the first robotic arm 1 moves to the designated position on the first track, the second robotic arm 2 moves to keep the first safety distance from the first robotic arm 1, and the third robotic arm 3 moves to keep the second safety distance from the first robotic arm 1; the fourth robotic arm 4 determines its position on the second guide rail according to the positions of the first robotic arm 1, the second robotic arm 2, and the third robotic arm 3. The above first safety distance refers to the distance at which the first robotic arm 1 and the second robotic arm do not interfere with each other during operation, and the second safety distance refers to the distance at which the third robotic arm does not interfere with the first robotic arm and the second robotic arm during operation. Before the operation, the above adjustments can ensure that the robotic arms do not interfere with each other during operation, and can work together to complete the operation, and obtain the maximum collaborative workspace.

[0038] Specifically, the first robot arm 1, the second robot arm 2, the third robot arm 3 and the fourth robot arm 4 are all multi-degree-of-freedom serial robot arms and have the same structure. The ends of the first robot arm 1, the second robot arm 2, the third robot arm 3 and the fourth robot arm 4 are all provided with a rope-driven end effector 13; the execution end of the end effector 13 is a suction cup 14. The first robot arm 1, the second robot arm 2, the third robot arm 3 and the fourth robot arm 4 each include at least two mutually hinged motion arms; when the second robot arm 2 maintains a first safety distance with the first robot arm 1, and the third robot arm 3 maintains a second safety distance with the first robot arm 1, the first motion arms 11 of the first robot arm 1, the second robot arm 2 and the third robot arm 3 are parallel to each other, and the second motion arms 12 of the first robot arm 1, the second robot arm 2 and the third robot arm 3 are parallel to each other. Before starting the operation, before the first robot arm 1, the second robot arm 2 and the third robot arm 3 move along the first guide rail, the first motion arms and the second motion arms of the first robot arm 1, the second robot arm 2 and the third robot arm 3 are adjusted to be substantially parallel to each other. Through the above settings, for example, the first moving arm 11 of the first robotic arm is roughly parallel to the first moving arms of the second robotic arm 2 and the third robotic arm 3, and the second moving arm 12 of the first robotic arm is roughly parallel to the second moving arms of the second robotic arm and the third robotic arm, respectively, further ensuring the safety of the second and third robotic arms in the process of moving to the above two safety distances.

[0039] In an optional embodiment, at least two groups of reference points are set on the first moving arm 11 and the second moving arm 12 on the first mechanical arm 1, and each group of two reference points is set at the two ends of the first moving arm and the second moving arm respectively; at least two groups of reference points are set on the first moving arm and the second moving arm on the second and third mechanical arms, and each group of two reference points is set at the two ends of the first moving arm and the second moving arm respectively; at least two groups of reference points on the first moving arm and the second moving arm on the second and third mechanical arms are respectively set corresponding to at least two groups of reference points on the first moving arm and the second moving arm 2 on the first mechanical arm 1. Through the setting of each group of reference points above, when the distance between the second mechanical arm 2 and the first mechanical arm 1 is the first safety distance, and the distance between the third mechanical arm 3 and the first mechanical arm 1 is the second safety distance, the parallel state between the mechanical arms can be finally confirmed, and the corresponding first and second moving arms in each mechanical arm can be adjusted from the approximately parallel state to the completely parallel state, and it can also be confirmed whether the first safety distance and the second safety distance are the preset distances.

[0040] Embodiment 2

[0041] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a control method using the collaborative working robot arm in the above embodiment, comprising:

[0042] S1: Before operation, the position of the first robotic arm 1 is determined on the first track, and the positions of the second robotic arm 2 and the third robotic arm 3 are determined according to the first safety distance and the second safety distance;

[0043] S2: Start the operation, the first robot arm 1 starts to move, controls its end effector 13 to the specified adsorption point a1, then the second robot arm 2 moves, controls its end effector to the specified adsorption point a2, and then the third robot arm 3 moves, controls its end effector to the specified adsorption point a3;

[0044] S3: the first robotic arm 1, the second robotic arm 2, and the third robotic arm 3 work together to keep the relative positions of the adsorption points a1, a2, and a3 unchanged;

[0045] In an optional embodiment, the adsorption point a1, adsorption point a2, and adsorption point a3 are the contact center points between the adsorbed object and the suction cup on the rope-driven end effector at the end of each of the mechanical arms, and the center of gravity of the adsorbed object can be adjusted by adjusting the bending angle of each of the rope-driven end effectors. In particular, after the positions of the first, second, and third mechanical arms are determined, the center of gravity of the adsorbed object can be fine-tuned by changing the bending angle of the rope-driven end effector, so that the adsorbed object can be grasped effectively and prevented from falling during movement.

[0046] In an optional embodiment, after adjusting the bending angle of each rope-driven end effector to adjust the center of gravity of the adsorbed object, when the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, and the third robotic arm cannot meet the load requirements, the fourth robotic arm is started to adjust the center of gravity of the adsorbed object again to complete the operation. When four robotic arms are used, after the positions of the four robotic arms are determined, the bending degree of each rope-driven end effector is adjusted in a coordinated manner, so that the weight of the adsorbed object is reasonably distributed to each robotic arm, thereby ensuring safety during the transportation of the adsorbed object.

[0047] In an optional embodiment, when using three or four robotic arms to adjust the center of gravity of the adsorbed object, it is necessary to adjust the bending angles of the robotic arm bodies of the rope-driven end effectors of the first, second, third and fourth robotic arms in sequence. This can ensure the position of the center of gravity adjustment and prevent the adsorbed object from falling. For example, after the bending angles of the rope-driven end effectors at the ends of the first and second robotic arms are determined, it can be determined whether the adsorbed object can be reliably adsorbed after the bending angle of the rope-driven end effector of the third robotic arm is adjusted.

[0048] In another embodiment, after the adsorbed object is adsorbed by the suction cup of the rope-driven end effector of the first robot arm 1, it is determined whether the single first robot arm 1 can meet the load requirement. If so, there is no need to start the second robot arm 2. If the load requirement is not met, the second robot arm 2 is started, and the suction cup of the rope-driven end effector of the second robot arm 2 is used to adsorb the adsorbed object at the same time. If the requirement is met, there is no need to start the third robot arm 3. If the requirement is not met, the third robot arm 3 is started, and the suction cup of the rope-driven end effector of the third robot arm 3 is used to adsorb the adsorbed object at the same time. If the requirement is met, there is no need to start the fourth robot arm 4. If the requirement is not met, the fourth robot arm 4 is started, and the suction cup of the rope-driven end effector of the third robot arm 4 is used to adsorb the adsorbed object at the same time. Each time a robot arm is started, the bending angle of the rope-driven end effector in the corresponding robot arm needs to be adjusted.

[0049] In the above embodiments, the bending angle of the rope-driven end effector is the bending angle of the main body of the rope-driven end effector robot arm. The rope-driven end effector may be a rope-driven robot arm in the prior art with a suction cup at the end thereof. The rope-driven robot arm may be the robot arm disclosed in CN118700210A or other rope-driven robot arms as long as the bending degree can be adjusted in multiple directions.

[0050] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A collaborative working robot arm, characterized in that: include: A first robotic arm, a second robotic arm, a third robotic arm and a fourth robotic arm, wherein the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm and the third robotic arm are located on a first track, the fourth robotic arm is located on a second track, the first track and the second track are arranged in parallel, and the first track and the second track are both straight tracks; Wherein, the first robotic arm is a main motion arm, the second robotic arm and the third robotic arm are follower arms, and the fourth robotic arm is a collaborative arm; The second mechanical arm and the third mechanical arm approach the first mechanical arm with the first mechanical arm as a reference; a first safety distance is maintained between the second mechanical arm and the first mechanical arm, and a second safety distance is maintained between the third mechanical arm and the first mechanical arm, and the second safety distance is greater than or equal to the first safety distance; When the first safety distance is equal to the second safety distance, the second mechanical arm and the third mechanical arm approach the first mechanical arm at the same speed; when the first safety distance is less than the second safety distance, the speed at which the second mechanical arm approaches the first mechanical arm is greater than the speed at which the third mechanical arm approaches the first mechanical arm; Before starting the operation, the first robotic arm moves to a specified position on the first track, the second robotic arm moves to maintain the first safety distance from the first robotic arm, and the third robotic arm moves to maintain the second safety distance from the first robotic arm; the fourth robotic arm determines its position on the second guide rail based on the positions of the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, and the third robotic arm.

2. The collaborative robot arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, the third robotic arm and the fourth robotic arm are all multi-degree-of-freedom serial robotic arms with exactly the same structure. The ends of the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, the third robotic arm and the fourth robotic arm are all provided with rope-driven end effectors; the execution end of the end effector is a suction cup.

3. The collaborative robot arm according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first mechanical arm, the second mechanical arm, the third mechanical arm and the fourth mechanical arm each include at least two mutually hinged motion arms; When the second robotic arm maintains a first safety distance from the first robotic arm and the third robotic arm maintains a second safety distance from the first robotic arm, the first moving arms among the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm and the third robotic arm are parallel to each other, and the second moving arms among the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm and the third robotic arm are parallel to each other.

4. The collaborative robot arm according to claim 3, characterized in that: Before starting the operation, before the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, and the third robotic arm move along the first guide rail, the first moving arm and the second moving arm among the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, and the third robotic arm are adjusted to be parallel to each other.

5. The collaborative robot arm according to claim 4, characterized in that: At least two groups of reference points are arranged on the first moving arm and the second moving arm of the first mechanical arm, and each group of two reference points is arranged at two ends of the first moving arm and the second moving arm respectively; At least two groups of reference points are arranged on the first moving arm and the second moving arm of the second and third mechanical arms, and each group of two reference points is arranged at two ends of the first moving arm and the second moving arm respectively; At least two groups of reference points on the first moving arm and the second moving arm on the second and third mechanical arms are respectively arranged corresponding to at least two groups of reference points on the first moving arm and the second moving arm on the first mechanical arm.

6. A control method using the collaborative working robot arm according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: include: S1: Before operation, the position of the first robotic arm is determined on the first track, and the positions of the second robotic arm and the third robotic arm are determined according to the first safety distance and the second safety distance; S2: Start the operation. The first robot arm starts to move and controls its end effector to the designated adsorption point a1. Then the second robot arm moves and controls its end effector to the designated adsorption point a2. The third robot arm moves and controls its end effector to the designated adsorption point a3. S3: The first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, and the third robotic arm work together to keep the relative positions of the adsorption points a1, a2, and a3 unchanged.

7. The control method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The adsorption points a1, a2 and a3 are respectively the contact center points between the adsorbed object and the suction cup on the rope-driven end effector at the end of each robot arm. The center of gravity of the adsorbed object can be adjusted by adjusting the bending angle of each rope-driven end effector.

8. The control method according to claim 7, characterized in that: After adjusting the bending angle of each rope-driven end effector to adjust the center of gravity of the adsorbed object, if the first, second and third robotic arms cannot meet the load requirements, the fourth robotic arm is started to adjust the center of gravity of the adsorbed object again to complete the operation.

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