Robot control device, robot system, and robot control program

Abstract

The invention provides a robot control device capable of accurately recognizing the position of a container and loading an article into the container with high precision. The robot control device is provided with a storage unit and a queue management unit, and controls any robot in a system in which a plurality of robots load a plurality of articles into a conveyed container. At least one upstream-side robot, at least one first position information acquisition sensor, and a second position information acquisition sensor provided closer to the first position information acquisition sensor are provided upstream of an arbitrary robot. The storage unit stores loading information of an article loaded into the container by the upstream-side robot and first position information of the first position information acquisition sensor, the loading information being output from the closest upstream-side robot control device. The queue management unit receives the loading information of the article and the first position information from the storage unit, acquires the second position information of the sensor based on the second position information, and rewrites the first position information to the second position information to control any robot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a robot control device, a robot system, and a robot control program. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, robot systems have been used in various fields to load (package) a plurality of (predetermined number) items into containers (boxes) that are conveyed from upstream to downstream by a conveying device such as a conveyor by multiple robots. Here, for example, the arrival of a container relative to an arbitrary robot is calculated (identified) based on detection by a camera or a photoelectric sensor (photoelectric tube sensor) provided upstream of the most upstream robot and the moving speed of the conveyor calculated from the value of an encoder provided in the conveying device.

[0003] Conventionally, various solutions have been proposed as robot systems for loading a plurality of items into containers conveyed from upstream to downstream by a conveying device by multiple robots.

[0004] Prior Art Documents

[0005] Patent Documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-280010

[0007] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-126885

[0008] Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-016915

[0009] Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 06-210556 Summary of the Invention

[0010] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0011] It is known that in a robot system for loading a plurality of items into a container conveyed from upstream to downstream by the above-described conveying device by multiple robots, there is a problem that the lower the robot is located on the downstream side, the lower the loading accuracy of the items relative to the container.

[0012] This is because, in a robot located on the downstream side of the conveyor, for example, the belt length of the conveyor becomes longer, so the error in the value of the encoder accumulates, and the position of the container calculated from the value of the encoder deviates from the actual position. Also, because in a robot located on the downstream side of the conveyor, for example, if the container moves when an item is loaded by a robot located on the upstream side of the conveyor, it is difficult to identify the actual position of the container.

[0013] Therefore, in a robot system in which a plurality of robots load a plurality of articles into a container conveyed by a conveying device, it is desirable to accurately identify the position of the container and perform the loading of the articles relative to the container with high precision.

[0014] Means for Solving the Problem

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a robot control device that controls any one of the robots in a robot system in which a plurality of robots load a plurality of articles into a container conveyed from upstream to downstream by a conveying device. The robot control device includes a storage unit and a queue management unit.

[0016] At least one upstream robot, at least one first position information acquisition sensor, and a second position information acquisition sensor that is disposed closer to the arbitrary robot than the first position information acquisition sensor are provided upstream of the arbitrary robot. The storage unit stores the loading information of the articles loaded into the container by the upstream robot output from the upstream robot control device that controls the upstream robot closest to the control, and the first position information based on the output of the first position information acquisition sensor. The queue management unit receives the loading information and the first position information of the articles from the storage unit, and the second position information obtained based on the output of the second position information acquisition sensor, and controls the arbitrary robot by rewriting the first position information as the second position information. Description of the Drawings

[0017] Figure 1 FIG. schematically shows a main part of an embodiment of the robot system of the present embodiment.

[0018] Figure 2 FIG. is a diagram for explaining the processing of each robot in an embodiment of the robot system of the present embodiment.

[0019] Figure 3 is schematically showing Figure 2 a diagram showing the structure of each robot in the robot system shown.

[0020] Figure 4 FIG. is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the robot system of the present embodiment.

[0021] Figure 5 is for explaining Figure 4 a functional block diagram of the operation of the robot system shown.

[0022] Figure 6 FIG. is a flowchart showing an example of the processing in an embodiment of the robot control program of the present embodiment. Detailed Embodiment

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments of the robot control device, robot system, and robot control program according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the respective drawings, the same or similar components are given the same or similar reference numerals. In addition, the embodiments described below do not limit the technical scope of the invention described in the claims and the meanings of the terms.

[0024] Figure 1 is a diagram schematically showing the main part of an embodiment of the robot system according to the present embodiment. In Figure 1 it, reference numeral 3 denotes a container, 5 denotes a conveyor (transfer device), 11 to 14 denote robots, 50 denotes an encoder, 71 denotes a first photoelectric sensor (first position information acquisition sensor), 72 denotes a second photoelectric sensor (second position information acquisition sensor), and 100 denotes a robot system. Here, reference numerals A1, A2, A3, and A4 respectively denote areas (operation areas) where the robots 11, 12, 13, and 14 can perform operations. In addition, in Figure 1 the shown robot system 100, the conveyor (the moving belt of the conveyor) 5 conveys the container 3 from the left (upstream) to the right (downstream) in the figure.

[0025] Figure 1 the shown robot system 100 loads a plurality (predetermined number) of articles (4: not shown) into the container 3 conveyed from upstream to downstream by the conveyor (container transfer conveyor: container transfer device) 5 by four robots 11 to 14. In addition, Figure 1 four robots 11 to 14 and two photoelectric sensors 71 and 72 are shown, but the number of robots and photoelectric sensors will of course vary depending on the operation object, specifications, etc. to be applied.

[0026] That is, as Figure 1 shown, the robot system 100 includes, for example, a conveyor 5, four (multiple) robots 11 to 14 arranged in sequence from the upstream to the downstream of the conveyor 5, and two (multiple) photoelectric sensors 71 and 72. The conveyor 5 moves (conveys) a plurality of containers 3 arranged at a predetermined interval at a constant speed. Here, the first photoelectric sensor 71 is provided further upstream than the most upstream robot 11, and the second photoelectric sensor 72 is provided between the robot 12 and the robot 13. That is, the second photoelectric sensor 72 is provided closer to the robot 13 than the first photoelectric sensor 71.

[0027] The first photoelectric sensor 71 and the second photoelectric sensor 72 have the same structure, and each has a light-receiving part 71a and 72a and a light-projecting part 71b and 72b. When the container 3 comes between the light-receiving parts 71a, 72a and the light-projecting parts 71b, 72b, the light-receiving parts 71a, 72a cannot receive the light from the light-projecting parts 71b, 72b, and the position information of the container 3 is obtained according to the timing when the container 3 blocks the light. In addition, the first photoelectric sensor 71 and the second photoelectric sensor 72 are not limited to the transmissive photoelectric sensors shown in the figure, and may also be retroreflective or diffuse reflective photoelectric sensors. Moreover, the photoelectric sensors 71, 72 are not limited to photoelectric sensors, and as long as they can detect the container 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5 to obtain the position information, various other sensors such as vision sensors can also be applied, for example.

[0028] An encoder (moving information acquisition sensor) 50 for obtaining moving information such as the moving speed and moving distance of the container 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5 is provided on the conveyor (the moving belt of the conveyor) 5, for example. In addition, as long as the encoder 50 can obtain the moving information of the container 3 based on the conveyor 5, it does not necessarily need to be provided on the moving belt of the conveyor 5. For example, it can also be provided on the drive motor etc. in the conveyor 5. Moreover, as long as the encoder 50 can obtain the moving information of the container 3 based on the conveyor 5, various other means can also be applied.

[0029] Figure 2 It is a diagram for explaining the processing of each robot in an embodiment of the robot system of the present embodiment. Figure 3 It schematically shows Figure 2 the structure of each robot in the shown robot system. In Figure 2 and Figure 3 the reference numeral 4 represents the article loaded in the container 3, and the reference numeral 6 represents the conveyor (article conveying conveyor: article conveying device) for conveying the article from the upstream to the downstream.

[0030] Here, the article conveying conveyor 6 conveys a plurality of articles 4 in the same direction as the container conveying conveyor 5 (from left (upstream) to right (downstream) in the figure), but is not limited to this structure. That is, in Figure 2 the plurality of robots 11,..., 1m,... load the plurality of articles 4 in the container 3 and are supplied to each robot 11,..., 1m,... by the article conveying conveyor 6, but of course, various means can be applied to supply the article 4.

[0031] In addition, in Figure 2In order to simplify the description, only two robots (the uppermost robot 11 and an arbitrary robot 1m) are depicted, but in the actual robot system 100, a plurality of robots 1 are also provided. Specifically, with respect to an arbitrary robot 1m, the robot that has the photoelectric sensor (the second photoelectric sensor 72) set closest upstream corresponds to Figure 4 the third robot 13 in Figure 4 , and the robot that does not have the photoelectric sensor set closest upstream corresponds to the second robot 12 and the third robot 13 in

[0032] . And, Figure 2 each of the robots 11, …, 1m, … in Figure 3 corresponds to the robot 1 shown in Figure 2 , and each of the robot control devices 21, …, 2m, … in Figure 3 corresponds to the robot control device 2 shown in . Here, the container 3 is various containers such as a box, a pallet made of corrugated paper, synthetic resin, or metal, and the article 4 is various articles such as various parts, products (finished products), or processed products. Specifically, as the article 4, for example, it can be parts of various industrial products, or products such as foods, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics, or various articles such as fresh foods. Therefore, depending on the work object and specifications of the applied robot system 100, for example, with respect to one container 3, not only the same-shaped articles 4 may be flatly loaded, but there may also be a case where articles 4 of different shapes are three-dimensionally stacked and loaded.

[0033] As shown in Figure 2 , the work area A1 of the robot 11 includes the areas of both the container conveying conveyor 5 and the article conveying conveyor 6. The robot 11, for example, holds the article 4 conveyed by the article conveying conveyor 6 by a holding mechanism provided at the front end (hand) 1b of the arm 1a, and loads it into the container 3 conveyed by the container conveying conveyor 5. Similarly, the work area Am of the robot 1m includes the areas of both the container conveying conveyor 5 and the article conveying conveyor 6. The robot 1m, for example, holds the article 4 conveyed by the article conveying conveyor 6 by a holding mechanism provided at the front end 1b of the arm 1a, and loads it into the container 3 conveyed by the container conveying conveyor 5.

[0034] In the embodiments shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 , an encoder 60 is also provided on the article conveying conveyor 6 to obtain movement information such as the movement speed and movement distance of the article 4 conveyed by the conveyor (the moving belt of the conveyor). In addition, a camera (vision sensor) 61 is provided on the article conveying conveyor 6 to confirm the state of the article 4 conveyed by the conveyor 6.

[0035] As shown in Figure 2 andFigure 3 As shown in Figure 3 , an embodiment of the robot system 100 of the present embodiment includes: an encoder 50 provided on the conveyor 5; a first photoelectric sensor 71 provided upstream of the robot 11; and a second photoelectric sensor 72 provided between the robot 1m and the nearest robot upstream (the nearest upstream of the robot 1m). The encoder 50 obtains the movement information of the container 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5, and the first photoelectric sensor 71 obtains the first position information of the container 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5 (the timing when the container 3 passes through the position of the first photoelectric sensor 71). The second photoelectric sensor 72 obtains the second position information of the container 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5 (the timing when the container 3 passes through the position of the second photoelectric sensor 72).

[0036] The robot 11 is controlled by a robot control device 21 that controls the loading of the article 4 into the container 3 based on the output of the encoder 50 and the output of the first photoelectric sensor 71. The robot 1m is controlled by a robot control device 2m that controls the loading of the article 4 into the container 3 based on the output of the encoder 50, the output of the robot control device 21, and the output of the second photoelectric sensor 72. Thus, even if the robot 1m is arranged at a position quite far from the position where the first photoelectric sensor 71 is provided, by using the output of the second photoelectric sensor 72 provided nearest upstream (extremely close), the actual position of the container 3 can be accurately grasped and the loading of the article 4 can be performed with high precision.

[0037] In addition, the robot control device 21 that controls the robot 11 outputs the loading information of the article 4, such as the loading state of the article 4 loaded into the container 3 by the robot 11 (or, when the robot 11 is not the uppermost robot, multiple robots up to the robot 11), to the nearest downstream robot control device (any robot control device 2m). Thus, the robot control device 2m can grasp the loading state of the article 4 loaded into the container 3 by the upstream-side robots (robots more upstream than the robot control device 2m) and the loading information of which article 4 in the container 3 is loaded by which robot, and the loading accuracy of the robot 1m for the article 4 can be improved.

[0038] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the robot system of the present embodiment, Figure 5 is a functional block diagram for explaining Figure 4 the operation of the robot system shown in Figure 4 . Here, in Figure 4 , the article conveying conveyor 6 and the article 5 are omitted, but it becomes the same as referring to Figure 2 Figure 4 and Figure 2 and Figure 3Structures that are the same as the described structure. That is, the working areas A1 to A4 of the robots 11 to 14 include the areas of both the container transfer conveyor 5 and the article transfer conveyor 6. The robots 11 to 14 load the multiple articles 4 conveyed by the conveyor 6 into the container 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5.

[0039] As Figure 4 shown, the first to fourth robots 11 to 14 are arranged in order from the upstream to the downstream of the conveyor (container transfer device) 5 that conveys the container 3, and are respectively controlled by the corresponding first to fourth robot control devices 21 to 24.

[0040] Upstream of the first robot (the most upstream robot) 11, a first photoelectric sensor 71 is provided, which can detect the timing of the position (first position) where the container 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5 passes through the first photoelectric sensor 71, and obtain the first position information. In addition, between the second robot 12 and the third robot (any robot) 13, a second photoelectric sensor 72 is provided, which can detect the timing of the position (second position) where the container 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5 passes through the second photoelectric sensor 72, and obtain the second position information.

[0041] Here, the first photoelectric sensor 71 and the second photoelectric sensor 72 are respectively configured as transmissive photoelectric sensors having a light projecting portion 71b, 72b and a light receiving portion 71a, 72a, but may also be a retroreflective type or a diffuse reflection type photoelectric sensor as described above. Moreover, the photoelectric sensors 71, 72 are not limited to photoelectric sensors, and as long as they can detect the passage of the container 3 moving through the conveyor 5, other various sensors such as a vision sensor can also be applied, for example.

[0042] As Figure 5 shown, the first to fourth robot control devices 21 to 24 respectively include first to fourth queue management units (arithmetic processing devices) 211 to 241 and first to fourth storage units 212 to 242. The output of the first photoelectric sensor 71 is input to the first queue management unit 211, and the output of the second photoelectric sensor 72 is input to the third queue management unit 231. In addition, the output of the encoder 50 is input to all of the first to fourth queue management units 211 to 241.

[0043] The first queue management unit 211 receives the output of the first photoelectric sensor 71, obtains the first position information of the container 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5 (position information based on the timing of the position of the container 3 passing through the first photoelectric sensor 71), and stores it in the first storage unit 212. Then, the first queue management unit 211 calculates the current position of the container 3 in the first work area A1 based on the first position information of the container 3 stored in the first storage unit 212 and the output of the encoder 50 (the movement information of the container 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5). That is, the first queue management unit 211 identifies the position where the container 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5 moves in the first work area A1, and controls the first robot 11 to load a predetermined item 4 into the container 3.

[0044] Moreover, after the container 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5 exceeds the first work area A1, the first queue management unit 211 outputs the loading state (loading information) of the item 4 loaded into the container 3 by the first robot 11 and the position information of the container 3 to the nearest downstream second robot control device 22. That is, the first queue management unit 211 outputs to the second queue management unit 221 the loading state of the item 4 loaded into the container 3, and the loading information of the item 4 such as which item 4 is loaded (placed) at which position of the container 3 by the first robot 11. In addition, the first queue management unit 211 outputs the position information of the container 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5 (the first position information based on the output of the first photoelectric sensor 71) to the second queue management unit 221.

[0045] Here, for example, when the first robot 11 three-dimensionally stacks and loads items 4 of different shapes into the container 3, information such as the type (shape) of the item 4 and the three-dimensional loading position (for example, the stacking position such as the second layer from the bottom) is also output as the loading information. In addition, the determination of whether the container 3 exceeds the first work area A1 can be performed, for example, by the timing when the downstream end of the container 3 leaves the first work area A1, or the timing when the upstream end of the container 3 leaves the first work area A1. Of course, the determination of whether the container 3 exceeds the first work area A1 can also be set by setting a predetermined margin based on the object and specifications of the application robot system 100 (for example, the moving speed of the conveyor 5 for the container, etc.). In addition, the determination of whether the container 3 exceeds the first work area A1 is the same in the determination of whether the container 3 exceeds the second to fourth work areas A2 to A4.

[0046] Since no photoelectric sensor is provided between the second robot 12 and the first robot 11 (the nearest one upstream), the second queue management unit 221 receives the output of the first queue management unit 211 and stores it in the second storage unit 222. Then, the second queue management unit 221 calculates the current position of the container 3 in the second work area A2 based on the output of the first queue management unit 211 stored in the second storage unit 222 (the information on the loading of the article 4 by the first robot 11 and the position information of the container 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5) and the output of the encoder 50. That is, the second queue management unit 221 identifies the position where the container 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5 moves in the second work area A2, and controls the second robot 12 to load a predetermined article 4 into the container 3.

[0047] Here, the second queue management unit 221 identifies the loading information of the position where the first robot 11 loads the article 4 into the container 3 in the first work area A1 through the output of the first queue management unit 211, so that it can load the remaining gaps in the container 3 with the article 4. In addition, when the first robot 11 three-dimensionally stacks and loads articles 4 of different shapes into the container 3, the second queue management unit 221 can obtain the information on the three-dimensional stacking of the articles 4 of different shapes, so that the second robot 12 can load the articles 4 into the container 3 with high precision. And, for example, even when a vision sensor (camera) is provided above the second work area A2 to achieve further higher precision, the three-dimensional information of the articles 4 in the container 3 can be obtained from the output of the first queue management unit 211, so that the effect of not setting a high-cost three-dimensional vision sensor but only setting a low-cost two-dimensional vision sensor can also be obtained.

[0048] Moreover, after the container 3 goes out of the second work area A2, the second queue management unit 221 outputs the loading information of the articles 4 loaded into the container 3 by the first robot 11 and the second robot 12 and the position information of the container 3 to the third robot control device 23, the nearest one downstream. That is, the second queue management unit 221 outputs to the third queue management unit 231 the information obtained by adding the loading information of the articles 4 by the first robot 11 in the first work area A1 and the loading information of the articles 4 by the second robot 12 in the second work area A2, and the position information of the container 3.

[0049] Since a second photoelectric sensor 72 is provided between the third robot 13 and the second robot 12 (the nearest one upstream), the third queue management unit 231 rewrites the position information of the container 3 in the output of the second queue management unit 221 into position information (second position information) based on the output of the second photoelectric sensor 72. That is, the third queue management unit 231 rewrites the position information of the container 3 in the output of the second queue management unit 221 into the second position information of the container 3 based on the output of the second photoelectric sensor 72 (position information at the timing when the container 3 passes through the second photoelectric sensor 72), and stores it in the third storage unit 232 together with the loading information of the article 4 by the first robot 11 and the second robot 12.

[0050] Then, the third queue management unit 231 calculates the current position of the container 3 in the third work area A3 based on the loading information of the article 4 by the first robot 11 and the second robot 12 stored in the third storage unit 232, the second position information of the container 3, and the output of the encoder 50. That is, the third queue management unit 231 identifies at which position in the third work area A3 the container 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5 moves, and controls the third robot 13 to load a predetermined article 4 into the container 3.

[0051] Moreover, after the container 3 exits the third work area A3, the third queue management unit 231 outputs the loading information of the article 4 loaded into the container 3 by the first to third robots 11 to 13 and the position information of the container 3 to the fourth robot control device 24 (the nearest one downstream). That is, the third queue management unit 231 outputs to the fourth queue management unit 241 the information obtained by adding the loading information of the article 4 by the first robot 11 and the second robot 12 based on the output of the second queue management unit 221 and the loading information of the article 4 by the third robot 13 in the third work area A3, and the position information (second position information) of the container 3 based on the output of the second photoelectric sensor 72.

[0052] Since no photoelectric sensor is provided between the fourth robot 14 and the third robot 13 (the nearest one upstream), the fourth queue management unit 241 substantially performs the same processing as the above-mentioned second queue management unit 221, so its description is omitted. However, in the case where the robot system 100 is composed of four robots 11 to 14, that is, when the fourth robot 14 is the most downstream robot, it is also possible not to output the position information of the container 3 and the loading information of the article 4 loaded into the container 3 by the first to fourth robots 11 to 14.

[0053] As described above, for example, since there is no robot provided upstream of the uppermost first robot control device 21 (first queue management unit 211), it is not necessary to receive the output from the nearest upstream robot control device (nearest upstream queue management unit). Additionally, since there is no robot provided downstream of the lowermost fourth robot control device 24 (fourth queue management unit 241), it is not necessary to output the loading information of the articles by the previous robots (first to fourth robots 11 to 14) to the nearest downstream robot control device (nearest downstream queue management unit). However, as these uppermost or lowermost robot control devices (queue management units), other robot control devices (queue management units) can be directly applied.

[0054] That is, when the robot control device 23 of the present embodiment described above is applied to the first robot control device 21 that controls the uppermost first robot 11, instead of inputting the output from the nearest upstream robot control device to the first queue management unit 211, the position information (first information) of the container 3 is obtained based on the output of the first photoelectric sensor 71 to control the uppermost first robot 11. Additionally, when the robot control device 23 is applied to the fourth robot control device 24 that controls the lowermost fourth robot 14, since there is no robot further downstream than the fourth robot 14, the fourth queue management unit 241 may not output the position information of the container 3 and the loading information of the article 4 loaded into the container 3.

[0055] Moreover, when the robot control device 23 is applied to the second robot control device 22 that controls the second robot 12 where the second photoelectric sensor 72 is not provided nearest upstream, the second queue management unit 221 does not rewrite the first position information as the second position information, but outputs the first position information to the third robot control device 23 that controls the nearest downstream third robot 13. In addition, when the robot control device 23 is used as the first robot control device 21, since it is not necessary to receive the output from the nearest upstream queue management unit, for example, it is set to release the input signal terminal. Also, when the robot control device 23 is used as the fourth robot control device 24, since it is not necessary to output to the nearest downstream queue management unit, for example, it is only necessary to set the output signal terminal to be grounded.

[0056] Next, an explanation will be given Figure 5The position adjustment unit 8 therein. As described above, the third queue management unit 231 rewrites the position information of the container 3 in the position information of the container 3 and the loading information (loading state) of the article 4 received from the second queue management unit 221 closest to the upstream into the second position information based on the output of the second photoelectric sensor 72 and stores it in the third storage unit 232. That is, the third queue management unit 231 receives the position information of the container 3 received from the second queue management unit 221 and the second position information of the container 3 based on the output of the second photoelectric sensor 72. Therefore, the third queue management unit 231 calculates the position offset of the container 3 received from the second queue management unit 221 with respect to the position of the container 3 based on the output of the second photoelectric sensor 72, and outputs it to the position adjustment unit 8 together with the loading information of the article 4 received from the second queue management unit 221.

[0057] The position adjustment unit 8 receives the information of the position offset calculated by the third queue management unit 231 and the loading information of the article 4 received from the second queue management unit 221, and performs machine learning (supervised learning). That is, the position adjustment unit 8 performs supervised learning based on the loading information of the article 4 by the first robot 11 and the second robot 12 output by the second queue management unit 221, that is, the information of which robot (which one of the first robot 11 or the second robot 12 in this case) loaded each article 4 loaded into the container 3, and the information of the position offset of the container 3 (correct label). Then, based on the learning model obtained by the supervised learning performed by the position adjustment unit 8, the first queue management unit 211 and the second queue management unit 221 are respectively instructed to adjust the loading position of each article 4 with respect to the container 3. Therefore, the first queue management unit 211 and the second queue management unit 221 adjust the loading operation of the article 4 with respect to the new container 3 conveyed by the conveyor based on the adjustment amount of the loading position of each article 4 with respect to the container 3 obtained by the supervised learning performed by the position adjustment unit 8.

[0058] Thus, in the position embodiment of the robot system according to the present embodiment, based on the machine learning performed by the position adjustment unit 8, the accuracy of the loading operation of the article 4 into the container 3 by the robot provided on the upstream side can be improved. Here, for example, with respect to any robot provided on the downstream side of the fourth robot 14, as long as an optical sensor is provided closest upstream of the any robot, the queue management unit of the any robot also performs the same processing as the third queue management unit 231. Then, the position adjustment unit 8 performs machine learning based on the information from the queue management unit of the any robot, and outputs the adjustment amount of the loading position of each article 4 with respect to the container 3 to the queue management unit of the robot on the upstream side of the any robot. Thereby, the loading accuracy of the article 4 into the container 3 by the robot on the upstream side of the any robot can be further improved. Further, for example, a vision sensor can also be provided in the information of the operation area of the any robot to detect the position deviation of the article 4 in the container 3, etc., and machine learning is performed not only on the position of the container 3 but also on the loading position of the article 4 in the container 3.

[0059] In addition, the position adjustment unit 8 can also be set as a single operation device, but for example, depending on the required calculation amount, it can also be built in any one of the robot control devices 21 to 24 or divided and built in. However, for example, when the calculation amount (data) of machine learning based on the loading information (loading state) of the article 4 output from each robot control device (queue management unit) and the position deviation of the container 3 (or the position deviation of the article 4 in the container 3) is large, the position adjustment unit 8 can also use an upper computer, a general computer, etc. provided at a place far from the robot system 100. In addition, when a large amount of data is input into the machine learning model for learning, a general computer or processor can be used, but if a GPGPU (General-Purpose computing on Graphics Processing Units), a large-scale PC cluster, etc. are applied, the processing can be performed at a higher speed.

[0060] As described above, according to an embodiment of the robot system and the robot control device of the present embodiment, even a robot at an arbitrary position relative to the conveying device can accurately identify the position of the container and perform the loading of the article into the container with high precision.

[0061] Figure 6 It is a flowchart showing an example of the processing in an embodiment of the robot control program for explaining the present embodiment, and the explanation refers to Figure 4 and Figure 5 the processing in the robot system including four robots and two optical sensors described in the explanation.

[0062] AsFigure 6 As shown, when an example of the processing of the robot control program starts (START), in step ST1, the third queue management unit 231 acquires the position information of the container 3, the loading state of the article 4, and the loading information from the second queue management unit 221. That is, the third queue management unit 231 receives from the second queue management unit 221, which is the closest upstream, the position information of the container 3, the information on which article 4 is loaded at which position of the container 3 by the first robot 11, and the information on which article 4 is loaded at which position of the container 3 by the second robot 12.

[0063] Next, it proceeds to step ST2, and the third queue management unit 231 acquires the position information (second position information) of the container 3 detected by the second photoelectric sensor 72. That is, the third queue management unit 231 acquires the second position information of the container 3 based on the output of the second photoelectric sensor 72, which is set closest upstream (between the second robot 12 and the third robot 13), and proceeds to step ST3.

[0064] Moreover, in step ST3, the third queue management unit 231 stores the position information of the container 3 detected by the second photoelectric sensor 72 and the loading state (loading information) of the article 4 received from the second queue management unit 221 in the third storage unit 232.

[0065] Then, it proceeds to step ST4, and the third queue management unit 231 calculates the position offset of the container 3 based on the position information of the container 3 received from the second queue management unit 221 and the position information of the container 3 detected by the second photoelectric sensor 72, and proceeds to step ST5. In step ST5, the third queue management unit 231 outputs the information on which robot loaded at the loading position of each article 4 and the position offset of the container 3 to the position adjustment unit 8, and proceeds to step ST6.

[0066] In step ST6, the position adjustment unit 8 calculates the adjustment amounts for the loading (placement positions) of the articles 4 in the container 3 by the first robot 11 and the second robot 12 through machine learning (e.g., supervised learning).

[0067] Then, it proceeds to step ST7, and the placement position adjustment unit 8 outputs the placement position adjustment amounts of the first robot 11 and the second robot 12 to the first queue management unit 211 and the second queue management unit 221, respectively. In addition, the first queue management unit 211 and the second queue management unit 221 adjust the positions of the articles 4 loaded in the container 3 in the first work area A1 and the second work area A2, respectively, based on the placement position adjustment amounts from the placement position adjustment unit 8.

[0068] Here, an embodiment of the robot control program of the above-described embodiment can be executed, for example, by the first to fourth robot control devices 21 to 24 (the first to fourth queue management units 211 to 241) and the position adjustment unit 8. In addition, for example, when the data processed by the position adjustment unit 8 is large, as described above, a general-purpose computer or the like provided at a location separate from the robot system 100 can also be used. Thus, according to an embodiment of the robot control program of the present embodiment, even a robot at an arbitrary position relative to the transfer device can accurately identify the position of the container and can load an article into the container with high precision.

[0069] The above-described robot control program of the present embodiment can be provided by being recorded on a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium or a non-volatile semiconductor memory, and can also be provided via wire or wireless. Here, as the computer-readable non-transitory recording medium, for example, optical discs such as CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) and DVD-ROM, or hard disk devices are considered. In addition, as the non-volatile semiconductor memory, PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory), flash memory, etc. are considered. And, as the distribution from the server device, providing via wire or wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or WAN (Wide Area Network) such as the Internet is considered.

[0070] As described in detail above, according to the robot control device, the robot system, and the robot control program of the present embodiment, the position of the container can be accurately identified, and an article can be loaded into the container with high precision.

[0071] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described respective embodiments. These embodiments can be variously added, replaced, changed, partially deleted, etc. within the scope not departing from the gist of the present disclosure, or within the scope not departing from the gist of the present disclosure derived from the content described in the claimed scope and its equivalents. In addition, these embodiments can also be implemented in combination. For example, in the above-described embodiments, the order of each action and the order of each process are shown as an example and are not limited thereto. In addition, the same applies to the case where numerical values or mathematical formulas are used in the description of the above-described embodiments.

[0072] Regarding the above-described embodiments and modification examples, the following remarks are also disclosed.

[0073] [Supplementary Note 1]

[0074] A robot control device 23; 2m, which controls any robot 13; 1m in the robot system 100. The robot system 100 loads a plurality of articles 4 into a container 3 conveyed from upstream to downstream by a conveying device 5 through a plurality of robots 1, 11 to 14, 1m...

[0075] At least one upstream robot 11, 12, at least one first position information acquisition sensor 71, and a second position information acquisition sensor 72 disposed closer to the any robot 13; 1m than the first position information acquisition sensor 71 are provided upstream of the any robot 13; 1m.

[0076] The robot control device includes:

[0077] A storage unit 232 that stores loading information of the articles 4 loaded into the container 3 by the upstream robots 11, 12 output from the upstream robot control devices 21, 22 closest to the upstream in terms of control and first position information based on the output of the first position information acquisition sensor 71; and

[0078] A queue management unit 231 that receives the loading information of the articles 4, the first position information, and second position information obtained based on the output of the second position information acquisition sensor 72 from the storage unit 232, and controls the any robot 13, 1m by rewriting the first position information as the second position information.

[0079] [Supplementary Note 2]

[0080] According to the robot control device described in Supplementary Note 1, wherein

[0081] The queue management unit 231 outputs information obtained by adding the loading information of the articles 4 loaded into the container 3 by the upstream robots 11, 12 output from the upstream robot control devices 21, 22 closest to the upstream in terms of control and the loading information of the articles 4 loaded into the container 3 by the any robot 13; 1m.

[0082] [Supplementary Note 3]

[0083] According to the robot control device described in Supplementary Note 2, wherein

[0084] The queue management unit 231 also outputs position information obtained by rewriting the first position information as the second position information.

[0085] [Supplementary Note 4]

[0086] According to the robot control device described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, wherein

[0087] The queue management unit 231 calculates the position offset of the container 3 relative to any of the robots 13; 1m based on the first position information output from the upstream-side robot control devices 21 and 22 closest to the upstream and the second position information obtained from the output of the sensor 72 based on the second position information.

[0088] [Supplementary Note 5]

[0089] The robot control device according to Supplementary Note 4, wherein

[0090] The loading information of the article 4 loaded into the container 3 by the upstream-side robots 11 and 12 output from the upstream-side robot control devices 21 and 22 closest to the upstream includes: the loading state of the article 4 in the container 3 and information indicating which of the upstream-side robots 11 and 12 loaded the article 4 into the container 3.

[0091] [Supplementary Note 6]

[0092] The robot control device according to Supplementary Note 5, wherein

[0093] The position offset of the container 3 relative to any of the robots 13; 1m calculated by the queue management unit 231 and the loading information of the article 4 loaded into the container 3 by the upstream-side robots 11 and 12 output from the upstream-side robot control devices 21 and 22 closest to the upstream are output to the external position adjustment unit 8.

[0094] [Supplementary Note 7]

[0095] The robot control device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 6, wherein

[0096] When the robot control devices 23 and 2m are applied to the robot control device 21 that controls the most upstream robot 11, the output from the upstream-side robot control device closest to the upstream is not input to the queue management unit 211, and the first position information is obtained based on the output of the sensor 71 based on the first position information.

[0097] When the robot control devices 23 and 2m are applied to the robot control device 22 that controls the robot 12 where the second position information acquisition sensor 72 is not provided closest to the upstream, the queue management unit 221 does not rewrite the first position information as the second position information, but outputs the first position information to the robot control device 23 that controls the robot 13 closest to the downstream.

[0098] [Supplementary Note 8]

[0099] A robot system 100 loads a plurality of articles 4 into a container 3 conveyed from upstream to downstream by a conveying device 5 by a plurality of robots 1, 11 to 14, 1m,.... Among them,

[0100] The robot system includes:

[0101] A movement information acquisition sensor 50 that acquires movement information of the container 3 conveyed by the conveying device 5;

[0102] At least one upstream robot 11, 12;

[0103] At least one first position information acquisition sensor 71;

[0104] At least one arbitrary robot 13; 1m, which is provided on the downstream side of the upstream robots 11, 12; and

[0105] A second position information acquisition sensor 72, which is arranged closer to the arbitrary robot 13; 1m than the first position information acquisition sensor 71,

[0106] A robot control device 23; 2m that controls the arbitrary robot 13; 1m is the robot control device described in any one of Appendices 1 to 7.

[0107] [Appendix 9]

[0108] According to the robot system described in Appendix 8, wherein,

[0109] The robot system further includes:

[0110] A position adjustment unit 8, which performs machine learning based on the loading information of the articles 4 loaded into the container 3 by the upstream robots 11, 12 output from the upstream-most upstream robot control devices 21, 22, the position offset of the container 3 relative to the arbitrary robot 13; 1m calculated by the queue management unit 231, and the loading information of the articles 4 loaded into the container 3 by the upstream robots 11, 12 output from the upstream-most upstream robot control devices 21, 22.

[0111] [Appendix 10]

[0112] According to the robot system described in Appendix 9, wherein,

[0113] The loading information of the article 4 loaded into the container 3 by the upstream robots 11 and 12 output from the upstream robot control devices 21 and 22 closest to the upstream includes: the loading state of the article 4 in the container 3 and information indicating which robot among the upstream robots 11 and 12 loaded the article 4 into the container 3.

[0114] The position offset of the container 3 with respect to any of the robots 13; 1m calculated by the queue management unit 231 is output to the position adjustment unit 8 together with the loading information of the article 4 loaded into the container 3 by the upstream robots 11 and 12 output from the upstream robot control devices 21 and 22 closest to the upstream.

[0115] Based on the position offset of the container 3 and the loading information of the article 4 loaded into the container 3 by the upstream robots 11 and 12, the position adjustment unit 8 performs supervised learning to output the adjustment amount of the loading position of the article 4 loaded into the container 3 by the upstream robots 11 and 12.

[0116] [Supplementary Note 11]

[0117] According to the robot system according to any one of Supplementary Notes 8 to 10, wherein

[0118] The conveying device 5 is a conveyor.

[0119] The movement information acquisition sensor 50 is an encoder provided on the conveyor.

[0120] The first position information acquisition sensor 71 and the second position information acquisition sensor 72 are visual sensors or photoelectric sensors that detect the position of the container 3 conveyed by the conveying device 5.

[0121] [Supplementary Note 12]

[0122] A robot control program that controls any of the robots 13; 1m in the robot system 100, the robot system 100 loading a plurality of articles 4 into a container 3 conveyed from upstream to downstream by a conveying device 5, wherein

[0123] At least one upstream robot 11, 12, at least one first position information acquisition sensor 71, and a second position information acquisition sensor 72 provided closer to any of the robots 13; 1m than the first position information acquisition sensor 71 are provided upstream of any of the robots 13; 1m.

[0124] The robot control program causes the arithmetic processing device to execute the following processing:

[0125] Store the loading information of the article 4 loaded into the container 3 by the upstream robots 11 and 12 output from the upstream robot control devices 21 and 22 of the nearest control upstream, and the first position information obtained based on the output of the first position information acquisition sensor 71; and

[0126] Based on the loading information of the article 4 and the first position information, and the second position information obtained based on the output of the second position information acquisition sensor 72, rewrite the first position information as the second position information to control the arbitrary robots 13 and 1m.

[0127] [Supplementary Note 13]

[0128] According to the robot control program described in Supplementary Note 12, wherein,

[0129] The robot control program further causes the arithmetic processing device to execute the following processing:

[0130] Output information obtained by adding the loading information of the article 4 loaded into the container 3 by the upstream robot control devices 21 and 22 of the nearest upstream and the loading information of the article 4 loaded into the container 3 by the arbitrary robots 13 and 1m.

[0131] [Supplementary Note 14]

[0132] According to the robot control program described in Supplementary Note 13, wherein,

[0133] The robot control program further causes the arithmetic processing device to execute the following processing:

[0134] Output the process of the position information obtained by rewriting the first position information as the second position information.

[0135] Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0136] 1, 11 to 14, 1m... Robots;

[0137] 1a Arm;

[0138] 1b End effector (holding part);

[0139] 2, 21 to 24, 2m... Robot control devices;

[0140] 3 Container;

[0141] 4 Article;

[0142] 5 Conveyor (conveyor for container transportation: container transportation device);

[0143] 6 Conveyor (Conveyor for article conveyance: Article conveying device);

[0144] 8 Position adjustment unit;

[0145] 50 Encoder (Encoder of conveyor for container conveyance: Movement information acquisition sensor);

[0146] 60 Encoder (Encoder of conveyor for article conveyance);

[0147] 61 Camera;

[0148] 71 First photoelectric sensor (First position information acquisition sensor);

[0149] 72 Second photoelectric sensor (Second position information acquisition sensor);

[0150] 71a, 72a Light receiving part;

[0151] 71b, 72b Light projecting part;

[0152] 100 Robot system;

[0153] 211 - 241 Queue management unit;

[0154] 212 - 242 Storage unit;

[0155] A1 - A4, Am,... Working areas of robots.

Claims

1. A robot control device that controls any robot in a robot system, where the robot system loads multiple items into containers conveyed from upstream to downstream by a conveying device, characterized in that, Upstream of any of the robots, at least one upstream-side robot, at least one first position information acquisition sensor, and a second position information acquisition sensor disposed closer to the any robot than the first position information acquisition sensor are provided. The robot control device includes: a storage unit that stores the loading information of the articles loaded into the container by the upstream-side robot output from the upstream-side robot control device and the first position information based on the output of the first position information acquisition sensor, where the upstream-side robot control device controls the closest upstream upstream-side robot; and a queue management unit that receives the loading information of the articles and the first position information from the storage unit, and the second position information obtained based on the output of the second position information acquisition sensor, and controls the any robot by rewriting the first position information as the second position information.

2. The robot control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The queue management unit also outputs information obtained by adding the loading information of the articles loaded into the container by the upstream-side robot output from the closest upstream upstream-side robot control device and the loading information of the articles loaded into the container by the any robot.

3. The robot control device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The queue management unit also outputs the position information obtained by rewriting the first position information as the second position information.

4. The robot control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The queue management unit calculates the position offset of the container relative to the any robot based on the first position information output from the closest upstream upstream-side robot control device and the second position information based on the output of the second position information acquisition sensor.

5. The robot control device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The loading information of the articles loaded into the container by the upstream-side robot output from the closest upstream upstream-side robot control device includes: the loading state of the articles in the container, and information indicating which robot of the upstream-side robots loaded the articles into the container.

6. The robot control device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The position offset of the container relative to the any robot calculated by the queue management unit and the loading information of the articles loaded into the container by the upstream-side robot output from the closest upstream upstream-side robot control device are output to an external position adjustment unit.

7. The robot control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, When the robot control device is applied to a robot control device that controls the uppermost upstream robot, the output from the closest upstream upstream-side robot control device is not input to the queue management unit, and the first position information is obtained based on the output of the first position information acquisition sensor. When the robot control device is applied to a robot control device that controls a robot where the second position information acquisition sensor is not provided closest upstream, the queue management unit does not rewrite the first position information as the second position information, but outputs the first position information to the robot control device that controls the closest downstream robot.

8. A robot system that loads multiple items into containers conveyed from upstream to downstream by a conveying device through multiple robots, characterized in that, The robot system includes: a movement information acquisition sensor that acquires the movement information of the container conveyed by the conveying device; at least one upstream-side robot; At least one first position information acquisition sensor; At least one arbitrary robot, which is arranged on the downstream side of the upstream robot; and A second position information acquisition sensor, which is arranged closer to the arbitrary robot than the first position information acquisition sensor; The robot control device for controlling the arbitrary robot is the robot control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The robot system according to claim 8, characterized in that, The robot system further includes: A position adjustment unit, which performs machine learning based on the loading information of the articles loaded into the container by the upstream robot output from the upstream robot control device closest to the upstream, the position offset of the container relative to the arbitrary robot calculated by the queue management unit, and the loading information of the articles loaded into the container by the upstream robot output from the upstream robot control device closest to the upstream.

10. The robot system according to claim 9, characterized in that, The loading information of the articles loaded into the container by the upstream robot output from the upstream robot control device closest to the upstream includes: the loading state of the articles in the container and information indicating which robot of the upstream robots loaded the articles into the container. The position offset of the container relative to the arbitrary robot calculated by the queue management unit and the loading information of the articles loaded into the container by the upstream robot output from the upstream robot control device closest to the upstream are output to the position adjustment unit together. The position adjustment unit performs supervised learning based on the position offset of the container and the loading information of the articles loaded into the container by the upstream robot in order to output the adjustment amount of the loading position of the articles loaded into the container by the upstream robot.

11. The robot system according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that, The conveying device is a conveyor. The movement information acquisition sensor is an encoder arranged on the conveyor. The first position information acquisition sensor and the second position information acquisition sensor are visual sensors or photoelectric sensors for detecting the position of the container conveyed by the conveying device.

12. A robot control program for controlling any robot in a robot system, wherein the robot system loads a plurality of articles into containers conveyed from upstream to downstream by a conveying device by means of a plurality of robots, characterized in that, At least one upstream robot, at least one first position information acquisition sensor, and a second position information acquisition sensor arranged closer to the arbitrary robot than the first position information acquisition sensor are arranged upstream of the arbitrary robot. The robot control program causes the arithmetic processing device to execute the following processing: Store the loading information of the articles loaded into the container by the upstream robot output from the upstream robot control device and the first position information based on the output of the first position information acquisition sensor, wherein the upstream robot control device controls the upstream robot closest to the upstream; and Based on the loading information of the articles, the first position information, and the second position information obtained according to the output of the second position information acquisition sensor, rewrite the first position information as the second position information to control the arbitrary robot.

13. The robot control program according to claim 12, characterized in that, The robot control program further causes the arithmetic processing device to execute the following processing: Output the information obtained by adding the loading information of the articles loaded into the container by the upstream-side robot output from the nearest upstream-side robot control device and the loading information of the articles loaded into the container by any of the robots.

14. The robot control program according to claim 13, characterized in that, The robot control program also causes the arithmetic processing device to perform the following processing: Output the position information obtained by rewriting the first position information as the second position information.

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