Robot control system and robot control program

Abstract

A robot control system is provided with: a plurality of types of suction pads which are selectively provided to a palm section and each finger section of a first gripping section and which are capable of sucking, holding and gripping an object with different suction areas; and a control unit that selects any one of a first function held by the first holding unit, a second function held by the second holding unit, and a third function in which the first function and the second function are shared, in accordance with properties including at least the shape and the weight of the object, and controls the operation of holding the object.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Humanoid robots are used to automate tasks on factory production lines. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-093506 describes posture control for humanoid robots.

[0003] In addition, international publication WO2011 / 001569 describes a robot arm driven by an elastomeric actuator and having multiple joints, in which a control unit controls the end support component that supports the robot arm due to contact with a support surface provided at the end of the robot arm and the force of contact between the end support component and the support surface, while also controlling the position and posture of the end of the robot arm.

[0004] However, in the sorting operations previously performed by humanoid robots in warehouses, for example, when sorting goods (such as shampoo, conditioner, cosmetics, toothpaste, instant noodles or packaged snacks, etc., which vary in shape, weight, hardness or fragility) from shelves where goods are displayed and packaging them in specified packaging bodies (such as boxes, etc.), the current situation is that they rely on manual labor.

[0005] Furthermore, even if the gripping portion of the robot is configured as a finger-shaped structure to address this problem, productivity is low because the fingers and arms move slowly. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the above facts, an object of the present disclosure is to obtain a robot control system and a robot control program that can quickly and reliably perform a series of operations including position confirmation, gripping, and gripping of cargo using a gripping portion.

[0007] The control system of the robot involved in the present disclosure is a control system of a robot having a first gripping part and a second gripping part and capable of gripping an object through the first gripping part and the second gripping part, wherein: the first gripping part has a palm part that serves as the basis for holding the object and a plurality of fingers extending radially from the palm part; the second gripping part has a holding body that can grip and hold the object, and the control system of the robot has: a plurality of adsorption pads that are selectively arranged on the palm part and each finger part of the first gripping part, which can adsorb and hold the object with different adsorption areas; and a control part that selects any function of a first function of gripping by the first gripping part, a second function of gripping by the second gripping part, and a third function of combining the first function and the second function as the function of holding the object according to the properties of the object including at least shape and weight, and controls the action of gripping the object.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, the control unit selects any function from the first function of holding by the first holding part, the second function of holding by the second holding part, and the third function of combining the first function and the second function to control the action of holding the object based on the properties of the object including at least shape and weight.

[0009] As a result, the gripping unit can quickly and reliably perform a series of operations including position confirmation, grasping, and gripping of an object (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "goods").

[0010] In the present disclosure, it is characterized in that the first holding part is provided with a plurality of the finger parts, and an adsorption pad with a smaller diameter than other adsorption pads is installed at the front end of at least one finger part, and an adsorption pad with a larger diameter than other adsorption pads is installed at the front end of other finger parts other than the one finger part, and the control part selects any one of the first function, the second function, and the third function based on the properties to control the action of holding the object.

[0011] Since a single robot has a gripping function that is tailored to the properties of the target part, there is no need to select a robot, making it possible to improve the efficiency of sorting operations.

[0012] In the present disclosure, it is characterized in that the first gripping part is provided with three fingers, the front end of the first finger is equipped with an adsorption pad with a smaller diameter than that of other adsorption pads, and the front ends of the second finger and the third finger are equipped with adsorption pads with a larger diameter than that of other adsorption pads, and the control part classifies the object into extra large size, large size, medium size, small size and extra small size based on the properties, and when the object is of the extra large size, the holding body provided on the second gripping part is selected for gripping, when the object is of the large size, the adsorption pad provided on the palm is selected for gripping, when the object is of the medium size, the large-diameter adsorption pad provided on the front ends of the second and third fingers is selected for gripping, when the object is of the small size, the large-diameter adsorption pad provided on the front ends of the second or third fingers is selected for gripping, and when the object is of the extra small size, the small-diameter adsorption pad provided on the front end of the first finger is selected for gripping.

[0013] Since a single robot has a gripping function that is tailored to the properties of the target part, there is no need to select a robot, making it possible to improve the efficiency of sorting operations.

[0014] In the present disclosure, it is characterized in that the holding body of the second gripping portion is applied with an adsorption pad having the same shape as either the large-diameter adsorption pad or the small-diameter adsorption pad.

[0015] By also using an absorbent pad on the second grip, control is facilitated.

[0016] In the present disclosure, it is characterized in that it further has a palm sensor unit, which is arranged on the first gripping part and the second gripping part to detect object information including the shape and position of the object. The palm sensor unit has: a camera to take an image of the object to identify the type of the object; and a motion processing unit to determine the position of the object.

[0017] The camera recognizes the captured object based on the captured image information. In other words, it has the function of acquiring information for specifying the type of the object (e.g., shape, size, hardness, etc.).

[0018] The Motion Processing Unit (MoPU) outputs motion information as vector information representing the motion of the object's location along predetermined coordinate axes. Specifically, the motion information output by the MoPU includes only information indicating the motion (e.g., direction and speed) of the object's center point (or center of gravity) along the coordinate axes (i.e., the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis). This allows for highly accurate guidance of the trajectory of the gripper as it approaches the object.

[0019] The robot control program according to the present disclosure is characterized in that it causes a computer to function as the aforementioned control unit.

[0020] The present disclosure is characterized in that the weight information in the properties of the object is used to determine whether the object is within the specified specifications that can be held by a single robot. If the object exceeds the specified specifications, multiple robots are assembled to cooperate with each other to hold the object.

[0021] If an object to be grasped by a single robot exceeds a predetermined specification (for example, is overweight), multiple robots can cooperate to grasp the object, thereby also being able to handle the overweight object.

[0022] In the present disclosure, it is characterized in that the control unit sets the holding point of the object for each of the multiple robots, calculates the load ratio shared by each robot at the set holding point based on the properties of the object, and selects the function of holding the object for each robot based on the calculation result.

[0023] Since each robot has a different gripping point and therefore a different load when gripping an object, the function when gripping can be selected according to the load ratio of each robot.

[0024] The present disclosure is characterized in that, when the plurality of robots grip and transport the object, a transport path of each robot is set so as to minimize the inertial force applied to the object.

[0025] For example, when turning right or left, the inertial force generated by deceleration and acceleration may be applied to the object, causing the grip to change. Therefore, by setting the robot's transport path so that the object moves along a curved trajectory with a specified curvature radius, the robot can travel without changing the grip.

[0026] The control system of the robot involved in the present disclosure is a control system for a robot having a standard gripping part and one or more additional gripping parts, wherein: the standard gripping part can be installed and removed from the arm of the robot to grip an object that meets predetermined specifications; the one or more additional gripping parts can be installed and removed from the arm to grip an object that does not meet the specifications. The control system of the robot comprises: a judgment part that judges whether the object meets predetermined standard specifications; and a control part that controls the action of installing the standard gripping part on the arm when the judgment result of the judgment part is that the object meets the standard specifications, and controls the action of installing the additional gripping part on the arm when the judgment result of the judgment part is that the object meets the standard specifications, and controls the action of gripping the object at the same time.

[0027] According to the present disclosure, the control unit controls the movement of attaching the standard gripping portion to the arm portion when the determination unit determines that the object conforms to predetermined standard specifications. If the determination unit determines that the object does not conform to the standard specifications, the control unit controls the movement of attaching the additional gripping portion to the arm portion. The control unit then controls the movement of gripping the object.

[0028] As a result, even for an object that does not conform to standard specifications, the gripping unit can quickly and reliably perform a series of operations including position confirmation, grabbing, and gripping of the cargo.

[0029] In the present disclosure, it is characterized in that a plurality of the arms are equipped, and the standard gripping portion or the additional gripping portion installed on other arms is used to perform the loading and unloading action of the standard gripping portion or the additional gripping portion on one arm.

[0030] When attaching and detaching the standard grip or the additional grip, no additional tools are required.

[0031] In the present disclosure, it is characterized by further comprising a sensor portion, the sensor portion being provided on the standard grip portion and the additional grip portion, for detecting object information including type, shape or size, and position of the object,

[0032] The determination unit determines whether the object complies with the standard based on the object information detected by the sensor unit.

[0033] Based on the detection result of the sensor unit (for example, object information including the type, shape, size, and position of the object), it can be determined whether it is in compliance with the standard.

[0034] In the present disclosure, the determination unit performs determination based on the object information detected by the sensor unit or a weight known in advance.

[0035] If the weight of the object can be known in advance, then also can judge according to this weight whether to be suitable or not.In addition, weight also can be based on object information (for example commodity type etc.), use commodity-weight matching table etc. to obtain.

[0036] In the present disclosure, it is characterized in that the standard gripping portion has a first gripping portion and a second gripping portion, the first gripping portion has a palm portion serving as a basis for gripping the object and a plurality of fingers extending radially from the palm portion, adsorption pads capable of adsorbing and gripping the object with different adsorption areas are respectively installed for the palm portion and each finger portion, the second gripping portion has a holding body capable of gripping and holding the object, and when the object is gripped by the standard gripping portion, the control portion selects any function of a first function gripped by the first gripping portion, a second function gripped by the second gripping portion, and a third function combining the first and second functions as the function of gripping the object, based on the attributes of the object including at least shape and weight, and controls the action of gripping the object.

[0037] The control unit selects any function from the first function of holding by the first holding unit, the second function of holding by the second holding unit, and the third function combining the first and second functions as the function of holding the object based on the attributes of the object including at least shape and weight, and controls the action of holding the object.

[0038] As a result, the gripping unit can quickly and reliably perform a series of operations including position confirmation, gripping, and gripping of the object.

[0039] In the present disclosure, it is characterized in that when the object is grasped by the standard grasping portion, the first grasping portion is provided with three fingers, a suction pad having a smaller diameter than other suction pads is installed at the front end of the first finger, and suction pads having a larger diameter than other suction pads are installed at the front ends of the second and third fingers, and the control portion classifies the object into extra-large size, large size, medium size, small size and extra-small size according to the attributes, and when the object is of the extra-large size, the holding body provided on the second grasping portion is selected for grasping, when the object is of the large size, the suction pad provided on the palm is selected for grasping, when the object is of the medium size, the suction pad having a large diameter provided at the front ends of the second and third fingers is selected for grasping, when the object is of the small size, the suction pad having a large diameter provided at the front end of the second or third finger is selected for grasping, and when the object is of the extra-small size, the suction pad having a small diameter provided at the front end of the first finger is selected for grasping.

[0040] Since a single robot has a gripping function that matches the properties of the target part, there is no need to select a robot, making it possible to achieve efficient sorting work.

[0041] The robot control system according to the present disclosure is characterized in that a computer is operated as the determination unit and the control unit of the robot control system.

[0042] According to the present disclosure, in the normal operation control unit, at least one of the gripping units is selected to control a gripping operation including gripping of a first object specified from among the objects.

[0043] During the operation performed by the normal operation control unit, the simultaneous operation control unit selects another of the holding units and controls the holding operation including holding a second object specified from among the objects when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

[0044] This makes it possible to improve the efficiency of the gripping operation.

[0045] In the present disclosure, it is characterized in that the specified condition is a condition for grasping the second object found based on working status information including position information of the robot and gripping information of the gripping part that determines the gripping of the object, business scheduling information of the robot in the working environment, and attribute information of the object that becomes the gripping object.

[0046] When holding the first object, it is possible to find out whether the second object can be held based on the operating status information including the robot's position information and the holding information of the holding part that determines the holding object, the robot's business scheduling information in the working environment, and the attribute information of the held object.

[0047] In the present disclosure, it is characterized in that in a warehouse having a storage warehouse and a sorting station, the robot is configured at the sorting station, wherein: the storage warehouse displays a plurality of shelves, and the plurality of shelves store a plurality of the objects; the sorting station performs an outbound operation of taking the objects from the shelves and an inbound operation of storing the objects into the shelves, and the storage warehouse management server functions as the normal operation control unit and the simultaneous operation control unit by instructing the robot to perform the outbound operation and the inbound operation including the gripping operation, so that the robot performs the gripping operation of the object.

[0048] In a warehouse having a storage warehouse and a sorting station, the robot is configured at the sorting station, wherein: the storage warehouse stores multiple shelves, and the multiple shelves store multiple objects; the sorting station performs the outbound business of taking objects out of the shelves and the inbound business of storing objects into the shelves.

[0049] In this warehouse, the movement of shelves between the storage warehouse and the sorting station (for example, using a conveyor) and the outbound and inbound operations at the sorting station are centrally managed by the storage warehouse management server according to a predetermined operation schedule.

[0050] Since the storage management server functions as the normal operation control unit and the simultaneous operation control unit, the normal operation and the simultaneous operation can be performed as the holding operation at the sorting station.

[0051] In the present disclosure, it is characterized in that the multiple gripping parts include: a first gripping part, which has a palm part as a basis and multiple finger parts extending radially from the palm part, and can grip the object by either adsorption or grasping; and a second gripping part, which can adsorb and hold the object with a maximum adsorption force, and the normal operation control part and the simultaneous operation control part select any function of the first function gripped by the first gripping part, the second function gripped by the second gripping part, and the third function combining the first function and the second function as the function of gripping the object according to the attributes of the object including at least shape and weight.

[0052] Normally, the operation instruction control unit and the simultaneous operation control unit select any function from among the first function of being held by the first holding unit, the second function of being held by the second holding unit, and the third function combining the first and second functions as the function of holding the object based on the attributes of the object including at least shape and weight.

[0053] As a result, the gripping unit can quickly and reliably perform a series of operations including position confirmation, gripping, and gripping of the object.

[0054] In the present disclosure, it is characterized in that the first gripping part is provided with three fingers, the front end of the first finger is equipped with a suction pad with a smaller diameter than other suction pads, and the front ends of the second finger and the third finger are equipped with suction pads with a larger diameter than other suction pads, the normal operation control part and the simultaneous operation control part classify the object into extra large size, large size, medium size, small size and extra small size according to the attributes, and when the object is the extra large size, the second gripping part is selected for gripping, when the object is the large size, the suction pad provided on the palm is selected for gripping, when the object is the medium size, the large-diameter suction pad provided at the front ends of the second finger and the third finger is selected for gripping, when the object is the small size, the large-diameter suction pad provided at the front end of the second finger or the third finger is selected for gripping, and when the object is the extra small size, the small-diameter suction pad provided at the front end of the first finger is selected for gripping.

[0055] Since a single robot has a gripping function that matches the properties of the target part, there is no need to select a robot, making it possible to achieve efficient sorting work.

[0056] In the present disclosure, it is characterized in that it further has a sensor unit, which is arranged on the holding unit to detect object information including the shape and position of the object, and the sensor unit has: a camera to take an image of the object to identify the type of the object; and a motion processing unit to determine the position of the object.

[0057] Based on the detection result of the sensor unit (for example, object information including the type, shape, size, and position of the object), it can be determined whether it is in compliance with the standard.

[0058] The robot control system according to the present disclosure is characterized in that a computer is operated as the normal operation control unit and the simultaneous operation control unit.

[0059] The control system of the robot involved in the present disclosure is a control system of the robot that can use a first gripping part and a second gripping part to grip an object, wherein: the first gripping part has a palm part that serves as a basis for gripping the object and a plurality of finger parts installed on the palm part; the second gripping part has a holding body that can grip and hold the object, and the control system of the robot has: a plurality of adsorption pads that are selectively arranged on the palm part and each finger part of the first gripping part, which can adsorb and grip the object with different adsorption areas; a sensor part that is arranged on the first gripping part and the second gripping part, and at least detects the shape information of the object; a selection part that is based on the previously registered the weight information of the object, selecting any function among the first function held by the first holding portion, the second function held by the second holding portion, and the third function combining the first function and the second function as the function of holding the object; a control portion, based on the function selected by the selection portion, controlling the action of holding the object; a determination portion, determining whether the shape information of the object detected by the sensor portion in the action of approaching the object in the holding action controlled by the control portion is within the allowable range of the function of holding the object selected by the selection portion; and a changing portion, when the determination portion determines that the shape information is outside the allowable range, changing the function of holding the object.

[0060] According to the present disclosure, in the selection unit, based on the weight information of the object registered in advance, any function among the first function held by the first gripping unit, the second function held by the second gripping unit, and the third function combining the first and second functions is selected as the function of the gripping object.

[0061] The control unit controls the action of grasping the object based on the function selected by the selection unit.

[0062] Here, in the judgment unit, it is determined whether the shape information of the object detected by the sensor unit in the action of approaching the object in the holding action controlled by the control unit is within the allowable range of the function of the holding object selected by the selection unit. In the change unit, if the judgment unit determines that it is outside the allowable range, the function of the holding object is changed.

[0063] As a result, the gripping unit can quickly and reliably perform a series of operations including position confirmation, gripping, and gripping of the object.

[0064] In the present disclosure, the determination unit makes the determination based on a table that associates the function of holding the object with an allowable range of shape information of the object.

[0065] By using a table that associates in advance the function of grasping an object with the permissible range of the object's shape information, it is possible to easily determine whether grasping is within the permissible range based on the shape information.

[0066] In the present disclosure, it is characterized in that the first gripping part is provided with three fingers, the front end of the first finger is equipped with an adsorption pad with a smaller diameter than that of other adsorption pads, and the front ends of the second finger and the third finger are equipped with adsorption pads with a larger diameter than that of other adsorption pads, and the control part classifies the object into extra-large size, large size, medium size, small size and extra-small size as weight classification sizes according to the weight information, and when the object is the extra-large size, the retaining body provided on the second gripping part is selected for gripping, when the object is the large size, the adsorption pad provided on the palm is selected for gripping, when the object is the medium size, the large-diameter adsorption pad provided on the front ends of the second and third fingers is selected for gripping, when the object is the small size, the large-diameter adsorption pad provided on the front ends of the second or third fingers is selected for gripping, and when the object is the extra-small size, the small-diameter adsorption pad provided at the front end of the first finger is selected for gripping.

[0067] Since a single robot has a gripping function that matches the properties of the target part, there is no need to select a robot, making it possible to achieve efficient sorting work.

[0068] The robot control system according to the present disclosure is characterized in that a computer is made to function as the aforementioned selection unit, control unit, determination unit, and change unit.

[0069] In addition, the above summary of the disclosure does not list all the necessary features of the present disclosure. In addition, sub-combinations of these feature groups may also constitute inventions.

[0070] Effects of the Invention

[0071] As described above, according to the present disclosure, an effect is achieved in which a series of operations including position confirmation, grabbing, and gripping of cargo can be performed quickly and reliably by the gripping unit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0072] Figure 1 This is a front view of the humanoid robot according to the first embodiment.

[0073] Figure 2 It is a side view of the humanoid robot according to the first embodiment.

[0074] Figure 3AThis is a front view of the palm side of the left-hand grip according to the first embodiment.

[0075] Figure 3B This is a front view of the palm side of the right-hand grip according to the first embodiment.

[0076] Figure 3C This is a perspective view of a suction pad attached to the grip portion according to the first embodiment.

[0077] Figure 4A It is a perspective view of the left-hand grip portion according to the first embodiment.

[0078] Figure 4B It is a perspective view of the right-hand grip portion according to the first embodiment.

[0079] Figure 5 This is a diagram schematically showing an example of the functional structure of a humanoid robot.

[0080] Figure 6 This is a diagram schematically showing an example of a processing routine executed by the information processing device.

[0081] Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing the gripping control procedure when the gripping unit grips an object in conjunction with the overall movement of the humanoid robot.

[0082] Figure 8 It shows Figure 7 FIG. 1 is a control flow chart of the selection processing routine of the grip portion and the adsorption pad in step 160.

[0083] Figure 9 1 is a control flow chart showing a selection process routine of a grip portion and an adsorption pad according to the second embodiment.

[0084] Figure 10 It shows Figure 9 The control flow chart of step 194 specifies the details of the out-of-specification processing subroutine.

[0085] Figure 11 This is a plan view showing a state in which two humanoid robots holding one load are approaching a crank-shaped conveyance path according to a modification of the second embodiment.

[0086] Figure 12 This is a control flow chart showing a travel route setting processing routine when the vehicle is outside the prescribed specifications according to a modification of the second embodiment.

[0087] Figure 13 It is a front view of a humanoid robot according to a third embodiment.

[0088] Figure 14It is a side view of a humanoid robot according to a third embodiment.

[0089] Figure 15A It is a front view of an additional gripping portion stored in a holder according to a third embodiment.

[0090] Figure 15B It is a three-dimensional view of the additional gripping parts and a front view of the goods gripped by each additional gripping part.

[0091] Figure 15C It is a three-dimensional view of the additional gripping parts and a front view of the goods gripped by each additional gripping part.

[0092] Figure 15D It is a three-dimensional view of the additional gripping parts and a front view of the goods gripped by each additional gripping part.

[0093] Figure 16 1 is a control flow chart showing a selection process routine of a grip portion and an adsorption pad according to the third embodiment.

[0094] Figure 17 It shows Figure 16 A control flow diagram showing details of the additional grip application processing subroutine in step 1194.

[0095] Figure 18A It is a perspective view of a storage room according to a fourth embodiment.

[0096] Figure 18B It is magnified Figure 18A A three-dimensional view of the storage space portion of the shelf.

[0097] Figure 19 This is a functional block diagram for executing simultaneous job control in which the information processing devices of the vault management server and the humanoid robot cooperate with each other.

[0098] Figure 20 This is a flowchart showing a main routine of normal business instruction control performed by the vault management server based on the business schedule.

[0099] Figure 21 This is a control flow chart showing the flow of instructing a simultaneous task to be executed by appropriately interrupting a main routine executed by a storage management server. This flow ranges from determining whether simultaneous tasks are possible to instructing a specific humanoid robot to perform simultaneous tasks.

[0100] Figure 22 This is a flowchart showing a main routine of the work instruction control based on the work schedule performed by the storage management server according to the fifth embodiment.

[0101] Figure 23This is a functional block diagram for controlling operations related to storage and outbound operations that are performed in collaboration between the storage management server and the information processing devices of the humanoid robot.

[0102] Figure 24 This diagram schematically shows an example of computer hardware that functions as an information processing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0103] The present disclosure will be described below with reference to the embodiments, but the following embodiments do not limit the disclosure of the claims. In addition, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the disclosed solution.

[0104] Figure 1 : is a front view of the humanoid robot involved in this embodiment. Figure 1 As shown, the humanoid robot 1 according to this embodiment includes an upper body 2, legs 3, and a connecting portion 4 that rotatably connects the upper body 2 to the legs 3. For example, the robot is deployed on a factory production line and performs operations on objects (e.g., fallen objects) on a line containing shelves displaying objects (e.g., goods to be sorted) or on the ground. Furthermore, operations include not only sorting goods 100 grasped from shelves but also packaging the grasped goods 100 in a predetermined container (e.g., a cardboard box).

[0105] The upper body 2 has two arms 5 and 6. These are rotatably mounted on the left and right sides of the upper body 2. Furthermore, grips 20 for holding objects are mounted at the tips of the arms 5 and 6. The grips 20 will be described in detail later. Furthermore, the number of arms is not limited to two; it can also be one or three or more.

[0106] The two wheels 7 and 8 of the legs 2 are mounted on the lower portion thereof, so that the legs 2 can move on the ground on which the humanoid robot 1 is placed.

[0107] The connecting portion 4 rotatably connects the upper body 2 and the foot 3. Therefore, the upper body 2 can be tilted forward and backward relative to the foot 3. Figure 2 As shown, the humanoid robot 1 according to this embodiment can tilt its upper body 2 forward relative to its legs 3 to pick up goods placed on shelves, objects placed on the ground, and objects dropped on the ground during work. In the following description, the goods 100 are used as an example, but this is merely an example, and other objects may be used.

[0108] Furthermore, the legs 2 have a balancing function for preventing the humanoid robot 1 from falling when the upper body 2 leans forward or backward relative to the legs 3 or when the humanoid robot 1 moves.

[0109] In addition, if Figure 1 As shown, the connecting portion 4 has a function of changing the distance between the upper body 2 and the legs 3. Therefore, the upper body 2 can be adjusted relative to the legs 3 in the vertical direction as shown by arrow A in a manner suitable for the height of the workbench on the production line.

[0110] Furthermore, the driving of the humanoid robot 1 according to the present embodiment is controlled by the control system 10 actually incorporated in the humanoid robot 1 .

[0111] (Structure of the Grip 20)

[0112] like Figure 3A As shown, for the gripping portion 20 installed at the front end of the arm portion 5, 6, one arm portion side (in this embodiment, the arm portion 6 side of the left arm) is a hand structure similar to that of a human (Intelligent Hand System), and the other arm portion side (in this embodiment, the arm portion 5 side of the right arm) is a rectangular structure. Hereinafter, when distinguishing between the left and right gripping portions 20, the left-hand side will be referred to as the "grip portion 20L" and the right-hand side will be referred to as the "grip portion 20R"). The gripping portions 20 are respectively rotatably installed on the arm portions 5, 6.

[0113] (Left hand grip 20L)

[0114] like Figure 3A and Figure 4A As shown, the grip 20L according to this embodiment has three fingers 22A, 22B, and 22C, each having multiple joints. In this embodiment, the grip 20L has three fingers, but a multi-finger structure such as five fingers may also be used.

[0115] A plurality of (four in this embodiment) suction pads 24 are attached to the palm side 20A of the grip portion 20L.

[0116] In addition, a palm sensor 26 is attached to the center of the palm side 20A of the grip 20L of this embodiment. The palm sensor 26 includes a high-resolution camera for identifying the type of the goods 100 and a MoPU (Motion Processing Unit) for identifying the position of the goods 100.

[0117] Furthermore, suction pads 24X and 24Y are attached to the front ends of the three fingers 22A, 22B, and 22C, respectively. The types of the suction pads 24X and 24Y will be described later.

[0118] (Right-hand grip 20R)

[0119] like Figure 3B and Figure 4BAs shown, the grip portion 20R according to this embodiment includes a rectangular main body portion 20B, and a plurality (four in this embodiment) of suction pads 24 are attached to the front end surface of the main body portion 20B. The suction pads 24 may be either the suction pad 24X or the suction pad 24Y used in the left-hand grip portion 20L, and may have other diameter sizes.

[0120] The palm sensor 26 is mounted at the center of the front end of the main body 20B of the grip 20R of this embodiment. The palm sensor 26 includes a high-resolution camera for identifying the type of the cargo 100 and a MoPU (Motion Processing Unit) for determining the position of the cargo 100.

[0121] like Figure 3C As shown, the suction pad 24 is composed of a rubber pad portion 24A and a suction nozzle 24B. The pad portion 24A faces the cargo 100 when holding the cargo 100, and the suction nozzle 24B forms an air flow path for sucking air from the closed space formed by the close contact between the pad portion 24A and the cargo 100.

[0122] That is, the suction pad 24 of this embodiment has an air suction structure, which has a suction force by sucking air from the enclosed space through the hole 24C provided in the suction nozzle 24B and creating a vacuum (e.g., including a near vacuum). Furthermore, the suction pad 24 is not limited to an air suction structure, and may also have a structure that simply causes the volume of the enclosed space to change due to deformation of the pad portion 24A, thereby causing suction.

[0123] Here, the size of the adsorption pad 24 varies depending on the mounting position (ie, the diameter of the pad portion 24A varies depending on the mounting position).

[0124] Generally speaking, the adsorption pads 24 are classified as either large-diameter or small-diameter, and are composed of adsorption pads 24X with a relatively small diameter (i.e., a diameter smaller than the large diameter) and adsorption pads 24Y with a relatively large diameter (i.e., a diameter larger than the small diameter). Hereinafter, when size identification is unnecessary and the general term is used, the adsorption pads 24 may be simply referred to as "adsorption pads 24."

[0125] A suction pad 24X having a small diameter is attached to the finger portion 22A of the grip portion 20L, and a suction pad 24Y having a large diameter is attached to the other finger portions 22B and 22C and the palm side 20A.

[0126] Furthermore, a suction pad 24Y having a large diameter is attached to the main body of the grip portion 20R.

[0127] In addition, the sizes of the adsorption pads 24X and 24Y are two types, but may be three or more types.

[0128] The high-resolution camera constituting the palm sensor 26 of this embodiment recognizes the captured goods 100 based on the captured image information, whether it is a skin care product such as shampoo, conditioner, cosmetics, or toothpaste, or a food such as instant noodles or packaged snacks.

[0129] In other words, the high-resolution camera has a role of acquiring information for determining the type (eg, shape, size, or hardness) of the cargo 100 .

[0130] On the other hand, the MoPU, which together with the high-resolution camera constitutes the palm sensor 26 of this embodiment, outputs motion information representing the motion of the captured object 100 (in this case, the relative motion with the arms 5 and 6) at a frame rate of, for example, 1000 frames per second or higher, based on an object image captured at a frame rate of 1000 frames per second or higher. Furthermore, the frame rate can be increased when detecting a moving object 100, and can be decreased when detecting a stationary object (e.g., a stationary object 100).

[0131] The MoPU outputs motion information as vector information representing the movement of a point at the object's location along a specified coordinate axis. Specifically, the motion information output by the MoPU does not include information necessary to identify the imaged item 100 (e.g., the aforementioned care product or food). Instead, it includes only information indicating the movement of the center point (or center of gravity) of the item 100 along the coordinate axes (i.e., the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis) (e.g., direction and speed).

[0132] That is, the trajectory of the gripping unit 20 when approaching the cargo 100 can be guided with high precision.

[0133] Information output from the palm sensor 26 including a high-resolution camera and MoPU is supplied to the information processing device 14 .

[0134] The information processing device 14 determines the position of the cargo 100 with high precision based on information from the palm sensor 26 including a high-resolution camera and MoPU, calculates the degree of expansion of the fingers 22A, 22B, and 22C when gripping, the strength during grasping, the suction force generated by the suction pad 24, etc., and controls the tiny movements of the arms 5 and 6 and the gripping part 20 with high precision, thereby being able to cope with sorting operations of various cargoes 100.

[0135] (The adsorption pads 24X and 24Y are selected based on the properties of the cargo 100, including shape and weight.)

[0136] However, in this embodiment, the cargo 100 to be sorted can be classified as shown in Table 1 below.

[0137] Table 1 classifies the goods 100 (Object) to be sorted into three items: shape (Shape), weight (Weight) and other conditions (Other condition).

[0138] (Table 1)

[0139]

[0140] For the shape, set box (Box), non-box (Not box), and other (Other). For the weight, set 5kg or more (Over5kg) and less than 5kg (Below5kg). For the state, set linear shapes (Aligned) mainly polygons such as quadrilaterals and non-linear shapes (Not aligned) mainly spheres or bags.

[0141] In this comparative example, an applicable robot is selected based on the properties of the cargo 100, as determined by the combination of the aforementioned items, to perform the sorting operation. Specifically, the applicable robot is selected from among the various robot types: finger robots, sucking robots (large, medium, and small), and both-arm robots.

[0142] However, when selecting robots of different types, for example, if the robot waiting nearby is of a type that is not applicable, a new robot of an applicable type must be called, which reduces the efficiency of the picking operation.

[0143] Therefore, in this embodiment, by providing a plurality of different gripping parts on a single humanoid robot 1 and installing suction pads of different sizes (for example, suction pads 24X, 24Y), the cargo 100 of various properties shown above can be sorted by one or two arms 5, 6 installed on a humanoid robot 1.

[0144] More specifically, based on the properties of the cargo 100 determined in Table 1, as shown in Table 2, as object sizes (Object size), they are classified into five modes (Extra-Large, Large, Medium, Small, Extra-small), and sorting operations corresponding to the five modes are selected (Suitable for: Right hand, Left hand palm, Left 2 fingers, left 1 finger).

[0145] (Table 2)

[0146]

[0147]

[0148] More specifically, the following selection control is performed.

[0149] (Selection Control 1) In the case of an extra-large package 100, it is determined to be the heaviest package 100 and is sorted using the grip 20R of the right hand.

[0150] (Selection Control 2) In the case of large-sized goods 100, the goods 100 are sorted using the suction pads 24Y attached to the palm side 20A of the left hand grip 20L (for example, four suction pads 24Y of a large diameter are used).

[0151] (Selection Control 3) In the case of medium-sized goods 100, two suction pads 24Y attached to the finger portion 22B and the finger portion 22C of the left-hand grip 20L are used for sorting (for example, three suction pads 24Y of a large diameter are used).

[0152] (Selection Control 4) In the case of small-sized goods 100, sorting is performed using the finger portion 22B of the left-hand grip 20L (for example, using a suction pad 24Y of a large diameter).

[0153] (Selection Control 5) In the case of extra-small sized goods 100, the goods 100 are sorted using the finger portion 22A of the grip 20L of the left hand (for example, using a suction pad 24X of a small diameter).

[0154] (Selection Control 6) Although not listed in Table 2, if the object 100 is suitable for grasping, the fingers 22A, 22B, and 22C of the left-hand grip 24L are used to grasp and lift the object 100. This selection control 6 can be used in conjunction with the aforementioned selection controls 1 to 5, or can be executed independently.

[0155] Figure 5 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of a humanoid robot control system according to this embodiment. The control system 10 includes a sensor 12 mounted on the humanoid robot, a palm sensor 26 including a high-resolution camera and a MoPU, and an information processing device 14.

[0156] The sensor 12 sequentially obtains information indicating at least the distance and angle between the arm parts 5 and 6 and the object on which the humanoid robot 1 is operating in the vicinity of the humanoid robot 1. As the sensor 12, a camera with the highest performance, a solid-state LiDAR, a multi-color laser coaxial displacement meter, or other various sensor groups can be used. In addition, as the sensor 12, a vibrometer, a thermal camera, a hardness tester, a radar, a LiDAR, a high-pixel telescopic ultra-wide-angle 360-degree high-performance camera is cited. In addition, as the information obtained by the sensor 12, visual recognition, micro-sound, ultrasonic wave, vibration, infrared, ultraviolet, electromagnetic wave, temperature, humidity, real-time AI weather forecast, high-precision multi-channel GPS, low-altitude satellite information, or long-tail event AI data is cited.

[0157] In addition to the above information, the sensor 12 also detects images, distance, vibration, heat, smell, color, sound, ultrasound, ultraviolet light, infrared light, etc. Examples of the information detected by the sensor 12 include the movement of the center of gravity of the humanoid robot 1, the material of the floor on which the humanoid robot 1 is installed, the outside air temperature, the outside air humidity, the vertical and horizontal inclination angles of the floor, and the moisture content.

[0158] The sensor 12 performs these detections every nanosecond, for example.

[0159] The palm sensor 26 (eg, a high-resolution camera and MoPU) is a sensor provided in the grip 20 of the arms 5 and 6 , and has, in addition to the sensor 12 , a camera function for photographing the cargo 100 and a position determination function for determining the position of the cargo 100 .

[0160] In addition, when using a single MoPU, vector information indicating the movement of a point along two coordinate axes (i.e., the x-axis and the y-axis) in a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system can be obtained. Utilizing the principle of stereo cameras, two MoPUs can be used to output vector information indicating the movement of a point along three coordinate axes (i.e., the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis) in a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system. The z-axis is the axis along the depth direction (e.g., the direction of vehicle travel).

[0161] The information processing device 14 includes an information acquisition unit 140 , a control unit 142 , and an information storage unit 144 .

[0162] The information acquisition section 140 acquires information of an object detected by the sensor 12 and the palm sensor 26 (eg, a high-resolution camera and a MoPU).

[0163] The control unit 142 controls the rotational motion, vertical movement motion, and motion of the arm units 5 and 6 of the connecting unit 4 using the information acquired from the sensor 12 by the information acquisition unit 140 and AI (Artificial Intelligence).

[0164] Furthermore, the control unit 142 uses information acquired by the information acquisition unit 140 from the palm sensor 26 (e.g., a high-resolution camera and MoPU) to determine in detail the type (e.g., shape, size, or hardness) and position of the object 100. Based on this shape or position, the control unit 142 aligns the palm side 20A, applies suction via the suction pad 24, and controls the object so that it is grasped using the three fingers 22A, 22B, and 22C (hereinafter referred to as "grip control"). Alternatively, the control unit 142 can determine the type of object based on the shape information of the object 100 and select grip control (e.g., "suction" only, "grab" only, or a combination of "suction" and "grab").

[0165] For example, as an overall operation, the control section 142 executes the following respective processes.

[0166] (1) The connecting portion 4 is driven to tilt the upper body 2 forward or backward so as to be able to pick up objects on the shelf or the ground.

[0167] (2) The arms 5 and 6 and the gripping portion are driven to grasp an object.

[0168] (3) The upper body 2 is driven up and down relative to the feet 3 to suit the workbench height of the production line.

[0169] (4) To prevent the humanoid robot 1 from falling, it needs to maintain balance.

[0170] (5) The driving of the wheels 7 and 8 is controlled so that the humanoid robot 1 can push a cart or the like.

[0171] For example, when the information processing device 14 picks up an object on the ground, it repeatedly executes Figure 6 The flowchart shown.

[0172] In step S100 , the information acquisition unit 140 acquires information on an object detected by the sensor 12 .

[0173] In step S102 , the control unit 142 uses the information of the object acquired in step S100 and AI to control the link unit 4 and the arms 5 and 6 to pick up the object on the ground.

[0174] In step S104 , the control unit 142 moves the picked-up object to a predetermined position.

[0175] According to this embodiment, a humanoid robot 1 includes an upper body 2, legs 3, and a connecting portion 4 that rotatably connects the upper body 2 and legs 3. Furthermore, the rotation of the connecting portion 4 is controlled based on information acquired by a sensor 12. Therefore, the distance and angle between the humanoid robot 1 and an object can be determined, thereby enabling the robot to pick up an object located on the ground.

[0176] Furthermore, since the connection portion 4 can change the distance between the upper body portion 2 and the legs 3, the vertical position of the upper body portion 2 relative to the legs 3 can be adjusted to suit the height of the workbench on the production line.

[0177] Furthermore, the legs 2 have a balancing function that prevents the humanoid robot 1 from falling when the upper body 2 leans forward or backward relative to the legs 3. This prevents the humanoid robot 1 from falling while performing tasks such as pushing or pulling objects on a production line. This prevents malfunctions of the humanoid robot 1 and injuries to people around the humanoid robot 1 caused by a fall.

[0178] (Holding control of cargo 100)

[0179] Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing a gripping control procedure when the gripping unit 20 grips an object in conjunction with the overall motion of the humanoid robot 1 .

[0180] In step 150, it is determined whether there is an indication to hold an object. If it is a positive determination, the process proceeds to step 152, where the humanoid robot 1 is moved (for example, the arms 5 and 6 are moved) so that the palm side 20A is aligned with the target cargo 100, and the process proceeds to step 154.

[0181] In step 154 , the palm side 20A is turned toward each other, and information on the cargo 100 is detected.

[0182] In the next step 156 , the detection information based on the palm sensor 26 (such as a high-resolution camera and MoPU) is analyzed to grasp the type (such as shape, size, or hardness, etc.) and location of the cargo 100 in detail, and then transfer to step 158 .

[0183] In step 158, the operation for holding the cargo 100 is selected. For example, it is selected from "suction" only, "grab" only, or "suction" and "grab" combined. Then, the process proceeds to step 160, and the selection process of the gripping unit 20 and the suction pad 24 is performed based on the properties of the cargo 100 (see details). Figure 8 ), transfer to step 162.

[0184] In step 162 , the cargo 100 is held (eg, only “suction”, only “grab”, or “suction” and “grab”).

[0185] In the next step 164, it is determined whether the gripping of the cargo 100 is successful. If the determination is positive, the gripped cargo 100 is transported to a predetermined location, and the process proceeds to step 150 to wait for the next instruction to grip the object.

[0186] If a negative determination is made in step 164 , the process proceeds to step 166 , where an error process (such as retry or cancellation) is performed, and the process returns to step 150 .

[0187] (Grip, suction pad optional processing)

[0188] Figure 8 It is shown in Figure 7 A control flow chart of the grip portion and suction pad selection processing routine executed in step 160.

[0189] In step 170, it is determined whether the cargo 100 is oversized. If the determination in step 170 is affirmative (i.e., it is determined to be oversized), the process proceeds to step 172, where the right-hand grip 20R is selected, and the four suction pads 24Y attached to the grip 20R are selected, and the process proceeds to step 190.

[0190] If a negative determination is made in step 170 , the process proceeds to step 174 , where the left-hand grip 20L is selected, and the process proceeds to step 176 .

[0191] In step 176 , it is determined whether the cargo 100 is large. If the determination in step 176 is affirmative (i.e., it is determined to be large), the process proceeds to step 178 , where the four suction pads 24Y on the palm side 20A of the grip 20L are selected, and the process proceeds to step 190 .

[0192] If a negative determination is made in step 176 , the process proceeds to step 180 .

[0193] In step 180, it is determined whether the cargo 100 is medium-sized. If the determination in step 180 is affirmative (i.e., it is determined to be medium-sized), the process proceeds to step 182, where two large-diameter suction pads 24Y are selected for attachment to the fingers 22B and 22C of the grip 20L, and the process proceeds to step 190.

[0194] If a negative determination is made in step 180 , the process proceeds to step 184 .

[0195] In step 184, it is determined whether the cargo 100 is small. If the determination in step 184 is affirmative (i.e., it is determined to be small), the process proceeds to step 186, where a large-diameter suction pad 24Y is selected for either the finger portion 22B or the finger portion 22C of the grip 20L, and the process proceeds to step 190.

[0196] If a negative determination is made in step 184 (ie, it is determined to be an extra small size), the process proceeds to step 188 , where the suction pad 24X with a small diameter attached to the finger portion 22A of the grip 20L is selected, and the process proceeds to step 190 .

[0197] In step 190, it is determined whether the fingers 22A, 22B, and 22C need to perform a grasping action. If the determination is positive, the process moves to step 192, where the three fingers 22A, 22B, and 22C of the left-hand grip 24L are selected to perform a grasping action, and the routine ends. Alternatively, if the determination is negative in step 190, the routine ends.

[0198] As described above, according to this embodiment, by providing three finger portions 22A, 22B, and 22C on the grip portion 20, and installing a plurality of suction pads 24 on the palm side 20A and the finger portions 22A, 22B, and 22C of the grip portion 20, the suction pads 24 adsorb the cargo 100, for example, using an air adsorption structure, and by bending the finger portions 22A, 22B, and 22C, the cargo 100 can be grasped.

[0199] Furthermore, by classifying the goods 100 based on their properties (e.g., shape or weight), and selecting the gripping unit 20 and suction pads 24 based on the classification results, a single humanoid robot 1 can sort various types of goods 100. In other words, there is no need to select and deploy a different robot for each property of the object, thus making the sorting operation more efficient.

[0200] By installing a palm sensor 26 including a high-resolution camera and MoPU on the palm side 20A, and installing the gripping part 20 of the above structure on the arm parts 5 and 6 of the humanoid robot 1, the object can be reliably held by the adsorption surface, and even if the humanoid robot 1 moves quickly, the cargo 100 can be transported from the gripping part 20 without falling.

[0201] Furthermore, since the palm sensor 26 (eg, a high-resolution camera and MoPU) is mounted on the palm side 20A, the cargo 100 can be captured with high precision and can also cope with operations involving minute movements.

[0202] Furthermore, very soft and fragile articles can be grasped by the movement of the fingers 22A, 22B, and 22C without using the suction pad 24. By adjusting the grasping force, the soft goods 100 can be prevented from being damaged.

[0203] (Second embodiment)

[0204] based on Figures 9 to 12 , a second embodiment of the present disclosure is described.

[0205] In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description of the configuration will be omitted.

[0206] The second embodiment is characterized in that a plurality of humanoid robots 1 jointly grasp and transport a single object 100 .

[0207] In the first embodiment, the gripping portion 20 (eg, left or right hand) and the size of the suction pad 24 are selected according to the state (here, weight) of the cargo 100 so that the cargo 100 can be gripped in an optimal state.

[0208] However, when the weight of the cargo 100 exceeds a predetermined standard (10 kg or more in the second embodiment), the grip of the cargo 100 by one humanoid robot 1 becomes unstable.

[0209] Therefore, when gripping a cargo 100 exceeding a predetermined size, the plurality of humanoid robots 1 are configured to grip and transport the cargo 100 in cooperation with each other.

[0210] At this time, when holding the cargo 100, based on the weight measured in advance (or the weight measured on the spot), if it exceeds the prescribed standard, the required number of humanoid robots 1 is set based on the weight (see Table 3).

[0211] (Table 3)

[0212] Cargo weight W Number of humanoid robots required 10kg<W≤15kg 2 units 15kg<W≤20kg 3 units 20kg<W≤25kg 4 units 25kg<W Special transport robot

[0213] In this way, a plurality of humanoid robots 1 can be assembled to grasp the cargo 100 to be grasped, and each of the plurality of humanoid robots 1 can perform a grasping operation.

[0214] In this case, the loads at the gripping positions of the humanoid robots 1 may be uneven depending on the position of the center of gravity of the cargo 100 . Therefore, it is preferable to calculate the load sharing ratio at each gripping point.

[0215] Furthermore, by recognizing the load at the gripping point, it is possible to select a gripping method based on weight or the like (eg, left hand / right hand, size of the suction pad 24, and whether or not to use a grasping motion) based on Table 2 of the first embodiment.

[0216] Below, according to Figure 9 and Figure 10 The flowcharts of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 illustrate the operation of the second embodiment. The processing according to each flowchart is executed in the information processing device 14 of the humanoid robot 1 that is to initially hold the cargo.

[0217] like Figure 9 As shown, in step 169, based on the prior information, it is determined whether the weight of the cargo 100 being held is within the prescribed specifications.

[0218] If the result of the affirmative determination in step 169 is positive, the process proceeds to step 170. The process of step 170 is the same as that described in the first embodiment. Figure 8The same, so the description here is omitted.

[0219] In addition, if the determination in step 169 is negative, it is determined that the weight of the cargo 100 is out of the prescribed specification (for example, more than 5 kg), and the process is transferred to step 194 to execute the out-of-specification processing (see Figure 1 O, detailed later), the routine ends.

[0220] In addition, Figure 9 In the flowchart, the judgment of step 169 is performed based on the weight information that can be known in advance. However, if there is no weight information as prior information, the right-hand grip 20R corresponding to the extra large size selected in step 172 can also be used to measure the weight. If it is outside the specified specifications (for example, exceeding 5kg), transfer to step 194.

[0221] (Details of handling outside the specified specifications)

[0222] Figure 10 It shows Figure 9 The control flow chart of step 194 specifies the details of the out-of-specification processing subroutine.

[0223] In step 200 , the required number of humanoid robots 1 is set based on the weight of the cargo.

[0224] That is, as shown in Table 3, the required humanoid robot 1 is determined based on the weight of the cargo 100. If the cargo 100 weighs 25 kg, it exceeds the allowable holding motion of the humanoid robot 1, so a special handling robot is requested to handle the cargo.

[0225] The weight range setting of the cargo 100 shown in Table 3 is an example and may be determined based on the specifications of the humanoid robot 1 .

[0226] In the next step 202, a collection of instructions is given to the corresponding humanoid robots 1. While the instructions may primarily target the waiting humanoid robot 1, it is also possible to indicate a humanoid robot 1 returning to its waiting position near the target cargo 100 being held. Furthermore, under suitable conditions, instructions may also be given to other humanoid robots 1 currently holding and transporting cargo 100. Examples of such conditions include the gripping portion required for the current cargo 100 being held being unused, proximity to the destination of the currently held cargo 100, and other situations. This can be implemented when managing multiple humanoid robots 1 in a unified manner.

[0227] In the next step 204, the load sharing ratio of the cargo 100 is calculated based on the gripping points of the assembled plurality of humanoid robots 1 and the center of gravity of the cargo 100. Then, in step 206, a gripping method is selected based on the result of the calculation in step 204 (e.g., the shared load (i.e., weight)). The gripping method can be selected using Table 2 in the first embodiment. In other words, the same as in step 206 is performed. Figure 8 The same processing is performed from step 170 to step 192.

[0228] (Modification of the Second Embodiment)

[0229] In the second embodiment, when multiple (here, two) humanoid robots 1 hold and transport one cargo 100, if the route is a straight line, the cargo 100 can be transported in the same direction at a constant speed, and thus the cargo 100 is unlikely to fall off.

[0230] However, in the transport route, for example Figure 11 In the case of the crank-shaped transport route 208 having right and left turns as shown, the shapes of the travel trajectories of the two humanoid robots 1 are different from each other.

[0231] Furthermore, when turning right or left, inertial force is applied to the cargo 100 due to deceleration or acceleration, causing the gripping state to change, which may result in the cargo 100 falling off.

[0232] Therefore, in the modified example of the second embodiment, stable conveyance is achieved in the conveyance path including right turns and left turns.

[0233] Figure 11 This is a plan view showing a state in which two humanoid robots 1 holding one cargo 100 are approaching a crank-shaped conveyance path.

[0234] In this Figure 11 In such a situation, the information processing devices 14 (see Figure 5 ) Collaborate with each other and execute Figure 12 The driving route setting process shown.

[0235] That is, in Figure 12 In step 210, the driving route is confirmed, and then the process moves to step 212 to set a stable conveyance of the cargo 100 in the confirmed driving route (for example, a curve movement in which the inertial force applied to the cargo 100 can be reduced the most) (refer to Figure 11 dotted arrow A).

[0236] In the next step 214, a travel route (refer to FIG. 2 ) of one of the two humanoid robots 1 (for example, the first humanoid robot 1A and the second humanoid robot 1B) (for example, the first humanoid robot 1A) is set. Figure 11 Solid arrow B).

[0237] Here, the relative positional relationship between the two humanoid robots 1 (for example, the first humanoid robot 1A and the second humanoid robot 1B) and the cargo 100 (ie, the three points indicating the positions of the two humanoid robots 1 and the cargo 100 in a plan view) remains unchanged.

[0238] Therefore, in the next step 216, based on the moving route of the cargo 100 and the driving route of the first humanoid robot 1A, the driving route of the other one of the two humanoid robots 1 (for example, the first humanoid robot 1A and the second humanoid robot 1B) is set (refer to Figure 11 Solid arrow C).

[0239] In step 218 , travel is instructed based on the travel routes set in steps 214 and 216 , and the routine ends.

[0240] In addition, in the above, the structure of the initially selected humanoid robot 1 transporting the cargo 100 from the starting point (e.g., the holding position) to the end point (e.g., the destination) is shown, but the cargo 100 can also be transported from the starting point to the end point in a so-called relay manner while being handed over to other humanoid robots 1 at a specified relay point.

[0241] The conditions for handover can be to predetermine relay points at specified intervals, or to use places with steps as relay points.

[0242] Alternatively, depending on the state of the route (e.g., straight / curved, road width, road surface condition, etc.), the cargo 100 may be handed over to the humanoid robot 1 that is most conducive to conveying the cargo 100 under the state of the route.

[0243] For example, when driving in a straight line, a humanoid robot 1 that emphasizes speed is selected; when driving on a curve, a humanoid robot 1 with a damping mechanism that can tilt left and right is selected based on the curvature radius of the curve and the driving speed; when driving on a road with many bumps and bumps, a humanoid robot 1 equipped with a shock absorber with high impact absorption is selected. In this way, by making the humanoid robots 1 work together to play their respective roles, the cargo 100 can be transported in a stable gripping state.

[0244] In addition, the cooperative motion control of the plurality of humanoid robots 1 in the second embodiment (including the modified example) is performed by the information processing device 14 (see Figure 5), but it can also be executed by the information processing devices 14 of each humanoid robot 1 cooperating with each other and exchanging position information. In this case, it is possible to configure a master information processing device 14 (so-called setting a humanoid robot 1 with a leading role) to instruct the slave information processing devices 14, or to operate according to instructions from a management control center (not shown) that centrally manages multiple humanoid robots 1 that are in collaboration with each other.

[0245] (Third embodiment)

[0246] according to Figure 13 to Figure 1 5. The third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0247] In the third embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description of the configuration may be omitted.

[0248] (Selection of adsorption pads 24X and 24Y)

[0249] In this embodiment, similar to the first embodiment described above, suction pads 24X and 24Y are selected based on the attributes (sometimes also referred to as properties) of the cargo 100, including its shape and weight. Specifically, by selecting controls 1 through 6, the gripping portion 20 (e.g., left or right hand) and the size of the suction pads 24 are selected based on the attributes of the cargo 100 (here, weight), allowing the cargo 100 to be optimally gripped. For convenience, the gripping portion 20 will be referred to as the "standard gripping portion 20" in the following description.

[0250] Here, when the properties of the cargo 100 are of specified specifications (for example, cargo with a size or weight above the specified specifications, cargo that is soft and easily deformed, and cargo with only the bottom surface of the recessed part being a flat surface, etc.), the standard gripping part 20 (20L, 20R) pre-installed on the arm parts 5 and 6 will make the grip unstable.

[0251] Therefore, when holding goods 100 that exceed the specified specifications, Figure 13 and Figure 14 As shown, the standard gripping portion 20 is provided with additional gripping portions 21EX (20EXA, 20EXB, and 20EXC), and is configured to be replaced with the additional gripping portion 21EX as needed to grip and convey the cargo 100.

[0252] like Figure 13 and Figure 14As shown, the standard grip 20 installed at the front end of the arm 5, 6 has one side (the side of the arm 6 of the left arm in this embodiment) that is the same as the human hand structure (Intelligent Hand System), and the other side (the side of the arm 5 of the right arm in this embodiment) that is a rectangular structure. Hereinafter, when distinguishing between the left and right standard grips 20, the left-hand side will be referred to as the "standard grip 20L" and the right-hand side will be referred to as the "standard grip 20R"). The standard grips 20 are rotatably installed on the arms 5, 6, respectively.

[0253] The humanoid robot 1 has a waist belt 28 mounted on the lower portion of the upper body 2 (so-called waist position). The waist belt 28 has a holder (not shown) mounted thereon for detachably holding the three additional grips 21EXA, 20EXB, and 20EXC.

[0254] exist Figure 13 In the embodiment, three additional gripping parts 21EX are provided, but the number of additional gripping parts 21EX may be one, two, or more than four, as long as the number of installations is determined to suit the properties of the goods 100 described later.

[0255] exist Figures 15A to 15D , in addition to the standard grip 20 , the detailed structures of three additional grips 21 ( 21EXA, 21EXB, and 21EX) equipped on the humanoid robot 1 of this embodiment and the relationship between their uses are also shown.

[0256] Figure 15A Is installed on Figure 13 A front view of the waist belt 28 of the humanoid robot 1.

[0257] Relative to Figure 15A , the additional gripping portion 21EXA, the additional gripping portion 21EXB and the additional gripping portion 21EX are installed detachably in sequence from the left side.

[0258] like Figure 15B As shown, the additional gripping portion 21EXA has a single pad 24S attached to the rectangular main body 30. The diameter of the suction surface of pad 24S is larger than that of the suction pad 24 attached to the standard gripping portion 20 (i.e., extra-large size). This pad 24S is used to grip cargo 100 exceeding a specified size (i.e., length × width × height) or a specified weight. In other words, it can grip cargo 100 that cannot be classified according to Table 1 (i.e., out-of-specification) and that has traditionally been handled only by individuals.

[0259] In addition, the pad 24S is not limited to the specification of adsorption. For example, although not shown in the figure, it can also have a structure in which adsorption auxiliary components such as hooks or adhesive materials are formed on the surface facing the cargo 100, and the cargo 100 is grasped by the adsorption auxiliary components (for example, hanging on the hook, adhering to the adhesive material, etc.).

[0260] Furthermore, a monitoring sensor 26A having the same function as the palm sensor 26 is mounted on the main body 30 .

[0261] like Figure 15C As shown, the additional grip portion 21EXB is provided with a hemispherical adapter 30A mounted on a rectangular main body 30 .

[0262] A plurality of suction pads 24T are attached to the adapter 30A and are radially distributed in the axial direction.

[0263] The suction pad 24T has the same diameter as the suction pads 24, 24X, and 24Y mounted on the standard grip 20 and is suitable for gripping soft and deformable goods 100. In other words, it is suitable for gripping goods 100 that, even if gripped, would be made of soft material but would not be gripped by the suction pad 24 if the arms 5 and 6 were pressed (i.e., out of specification), and thus could only be handled by someone else.

[0264] Furthermore, a monitoring sensor 26A having the same function as the palm sensor 26 is mounted on the main body 30 .

[0265] like Figure 15D As shown, the additional grip portion 21EXC is provided with a retractable adapter 30B mounted on the rectangular main body portion 30 .

[0266] The adapter 30B is formed of multiple cylindrical components, with the diameter gradually decreasing from the base to the tip. The cylindrical component at the base can accommodate the cylindrical component at the tip. Therefore, the adapter 30B can be extended and retracted with the cylindrical components accommodated.

[0267] An adsorption pad 24U is attached to the front end of the frontmost cylindrical member.

[0268] The suction pads 24U have the same diameter as the suction pads 24, 24X, and 24Y mounted on the standard grip 20, and are suitable for gripping goods 100 with uneven surfaces or goods 100 with a flat bottom surface at the bottom of a recessed portion. In other words, this grip is designed to handle goods 100 that cannot be gripped by the suction pads 24, 24X, and 24Y mounted on the standard grip 20 (i.e., outside the standard) and therefore must be entrusted to a human.

[0269] Furthermore, a monitoring sensor 26A having the same function as the palm sensor 26 is attached to the main body 30 .

[0270] Here, in a case where gripping is difficult using the suction pads 24, 24X, and 24Y mounted on the standard gripping portion 20, when gripping the cargo 100, the optimal additional gripping portion 21 is selected based on the properties of the cargo (see Table 4), and the standard gripping portion 20 is replaced with the selected additional gripping portion 21 to perform the gripping action. That is, the standard gripping portion 20 mounted on the other arm is used to perform the action of removing the standard gripping portion 20 from one arm and the action of installing the additional gripping portion 21. In addition, the additional gripping portion 21 can also be replaced with the standard gripping portion 20. In addition, the replacement can also be performed using the additional gripping portion 21 mounted on the other arm. That is, the standard gripping portion 20 or the additional gripping portion 21 mounted on the other arm is used to perform the action of loading and unloading the standard gripping portion 20 or the additional gripping portion 21 from one arm.

[0271] (Table 41

[0272]

[0273] (Grip, suction pad optional processing)

[0274] Figure 16 It is shown in Figure 7 A control flow chart of the grip portion and suction pad selection processing routine executed in step 160.

[0275] like Figure 16 As shown, in step 169, based on the prior information, it is determined whether the method can be realized by the standard grip portion 20. In the case of a positive determination in step 169, the process proceeds to step 170. The processing of step 170 is the same as that described in the first embodiment. Figure 8 The same, so the description here is omitted.

[0276] If the result of the negative judgment in step 169 is that the additional gripping unit 21 needs to be applied, the process is transferred to step 1194 to execute the additional gripping unit application process (see Figure 17 , described in detail later), the routine ends.

[0277] In addition, Figure 16 In the flowchart, the judgment of step 169 is performed based on the weight information that can be known in advance. However, if there is no information as to whether the standard gripping part 20 can be applied as prior information, the palm sensor 26 of the standard gripping part 20R of the right hand corresponding to extra-large (Extra-Large) selected in step 172 can be used to obtain the attribute information of the cargo 100. If the standard gripping part cannot be applied, transfer to step 1194.

[0278] (Details of additional grip application processing)

[0279] Figure 17 It shows Figure 16 A control flow diagram showing details of the additional grip application processing subroutine in step 1194.

[0280] In step 1200 , the additional gripping portion 21 is selected based on the attributes of the cargo 100 (see Table 4).

[0281] That is, as shown in Table 4, based on the attributes of the cargo 100, the type of the additional gripping portion 21 required is determined.

[0282] The selection of the type of additional gripping parts based on the attributes of the cargo 100 shown in Table 4 is an example, and may be determined based on the type or number of additional gripping parts held.

[0283] In this embodiment, three types of additional grips 21 are attached to the waist belt 28, so the selection is made from these three types of additional grips 21. However, the number of additional grips 21 attached to the waist belt 28 can be increased, or a variety of additional grips 21 can be selected and pre-attached to the waist belt 28 according to the work site. In addition, different types of additional grips 21 can be attached to each humanoid robot 1.

[0284] In the next step 1202, the gripping portion (for example, usually a standard gripping portion 20, but there may also be cases where other additional gripping portions 21 have been installed) installed on the arm portion 6 (or 5) on the replacement side is removed through the arm portion 5 (or 6) on the non-replacement side.

[0285] In the next step 1204, the arm portion 6 (or 5) on the replacement side is moved to the position of the waist belt 28 and the additional grip portion 21 is attached. In addition, the same operation is performed when returning to the standard grip portion 20.

[0286] In the next step 1206, the gripping portion of the arm 6 (or 5) on the replacement side, which was originally gripped by the arm 5 (or 6) on the non-replacement side, is stored in the holder of the waist belt 28, and the routine ends.

[0287] As described above, in this embodiment, in addition to the gripping action control performed by the standard gripping unit 20, an additional gripping unit 21 is specially prepared in advance for special cargo 100, such as cargo 100 with a weight above the specification, cargo 100 with a soft surface that will dent when pressed, and cargo 100 with an uneven surface and only a part (the bottom surface of the dent) having an adsorbable flat surface. As a result, out-of-specification cargo 100 that was previously entrusted to human hands can be gripped and transported by the humanoid robot 1.

[0288] (Fourth embodiment)

[0289] Based on Figure 18 to Figure 20 , a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure is described.

[0290] In the fourth embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description of the configuration may be omitted.

[0291] (Logistics Center Structure)

[0292] Figure 18A The warehouse of the logistics center involved in this embodiment is used to store the goods 100 (see Figure 18B ) is a three-dimensional view of the storage vault 50.

[0293] A plurality of shelves 52 are arranged in the storage room 50 (for example, some of them are marked with indicators). For example, six shelves 52 are arranged in a row, and two rows are used as units to form a so-called "island". The formation of the island and the number of shelves 52 are not limited to Figure 18A arrangement.

[0294] like Figure 18B As shown, a plurality of storage spaces 52A are provided on the shelf 52 , and the goods 100 can be stored in each storage space 52A.

[0295] A plurality of transport devices 54 are arranged in the storage room 50 so as to be movable within the storage room 50 .

[0296] The transport device 54 is controlled by instructions from a storage management server 56 that centrally manages the control target devices in the storage 50 , and moves between, for example, a predetermined waiting position, an arrangement position of the shelf 52 , and a sorting station 58 .

[0297] When the transport device 54 faces the shelf 52, it can enter the gap below the shelf 52 and pick up the items, thereby making the items float from the floor of the storage room 50. Therefore, by moving the transport device 54, the shelf 52 can be moved to a desired position.

[0298] A plurality of sorting stations 58 are arranged at predetermined positions in the storage warehouse 50. Figure 18A In the figure, two sorting stations 58 are shown, but one, three, or more sorting stations 58 may be provided. A humanoid robot 1 is positioned at each sorting station 58. Furthermore, a humanoid robot 1 may be used in place of the transport device 54. For example, the humanoid robot 1 can transport a shelf 52, directly remove goods 100 from the shelf 52 (e.g., the storage space 52A), or directly store goods in the shelf 52 (e.g., the storage space 52A).

[0299] The structure and gripping control of the humanoid robot 1 are the same as those of the first embodiment, so the description thereof is omitted here. In addition, the gripping control is basically performed by the information processing device 14 mounted on each humanoid robot 1, but it can also be centrally controlled by the storage management server 56. Figure 18A The gripping control of the humanoid robot 1 in the storage vault 50 is shown.

[0300] The humanoid robot 1 is managed by the storage management server 56 and communicates with the information processing device 14 (see Figure 5 ) to execute the job that receives the instruction.

[0301] That is, at each sorting station 58 , when the transport device 54 places the rack 52 at the operation port 58A of the sorting station 58 , the humanoid robot 1 receives instructions from the storage management server 56 and performs storage and delivery operations for the goods 100 .

[0302] In addition, the control of the storage and delivery operations themselves is performed by the information processing device 14 (see Figure 5 )conduct.

[0303] At the sorting station 58, a work space 58B for sorting and packaging is provided along with the front surface 58A where the shelves 52 are arranged.

[0304] The outbound operation is an operation of taking out the goods 100 stored in the racks 52 based on the destination, sorting them for each sorting destination, and loading them into the boxes 60 (for example, transport parts) for each sorting destination.

[0305] The warehousing operation is an operation of sorting the goods 100 arriving at the warehouse into each shelf 52 of the storage destination and placing the sorted goods 100 at a predetermined position on the shelf 52 .

[0306] In addition, in this embodiment, each task of the outgoing warehouse operation and each task of the incoming warehouse operation are defined as follows.

[0307] (Outbound Business 1) Sorting Operation

[0308] The humanoid robot 1 takes out the designated goods 100 from the shelf 52 that has reached the front 58A, and moves the goods 100 to the work space 19 .

[0309] (Outbound Business 2) Classification Operation

[0310] The cargo 100 taken out to the work space 58B is stored in a box 60 corresponding to the destination, and the box is then packed.

[0311] (Outbound Business 3) Outbound Operation

[0312] The sorting operation for the rack 52 arranged at the front 58A is completed, and the operation for the next rack 52 is requested.

[0313] (Warehousing business 1) Sorting operation

[0314] The ordered cargo 100 is taken out from the truck or pallet that has arrived at the front 58A and is moved to the work space 58B.

[0315] (Warehouse Business 2) Classification Operation

[0316] The operation of storing the articles 100 taken out to the work space 58B in the racks 52 corresponding to the storage destinations.

[0317] (Warehousing Business 3)Warehousing Operation

[0318] The sorting operation for the shelf 52 arranged at the front 58A is completed, and the operation for the next shelf 52 is requested.

[0319] Here, information related to the work of each humanoid robot 1 is sequentially sent from the information processing device 14 of the humanoid robot 1 to the storage management server 56. Thus, the storage management server 56 manages information indicating the operating status of the plurality of humanoid robots 1 (i.e., work progress information).

[0320] (Working at the same time)

[0321] Here, in the comparative example, the humanoid robot 1 arranged at the sorting station 58 does not perform another shipping operation or receiving operation while performing one shipping operation or receiving operation.

[0322] On the other hand, sometimes a delivery or inbound operation of goods 100 different from the currently-performed goods 100 is scheduled for the rack 52 arriving at the front 58A of the sorting station 58. In addition, although the rack 52 is used as an example for description, a truck or a pallet may also be used.

[0323] When the humanoid robot 1 uses the gripping part 20R (or 20L) installed on one arm part 5 (or 6) to perform warehousing or outbound operations for the goods 100, the gripping part 20L (or 20R) installed on the other arm part 6 (or 5) is idle (i.e., in a non-operating state).

[0324] Therefore, in this embodiment, if predetermined conditions are met, the grips 20R, 20L mounted on the left and right arms 5, 6 of a single humanoid robot 1 are used together to perform two operations simultaneously (hereinafter also referred to as "simultaneous operations").

[0325] Such simultaneous operations may cause errors when performed by an operator (eg, a human), but can be realized by having the humanoid robot 1 perform the outgoing and incoming warehouse operations on behalf of the operator.

[0326] Figure 19 This is a functional block diagram for executing simultaneous task control executed in cooperation between the storage management server 56 and each information processing device 14 of the humanoid robot 1 .

[0327] The storage management server 56 includes a work status management unit 62 . The work status management unit 62 is connected to a task scheduling database 64 and a communication I / F 66 .

[0328] The communication I / F 66 communicates between the information processing device 14 of the humanoid robot 1 and the control device 54A of the conveying device 54 , thereby exchanging information.

[0329] The operation status management unit 62 sequentially obtains information related to business scheduling from the business scheduling database 64, and obtains business progress information of the control object (for example, the information processing device 14 of the humanoid robot 1 or the control device 54A of the conveying device 54) that performs business in the storage vault 50 via the communication I / F 66, thereby managing the business scheduling including the allocation instructions for the next business.

[0330] The communication I / F66 is connected to the humanoid robot operation status information acquisition unit 68 to obtain information related to the operation status of the humanoid robot 1 when performing business (for example, the position of the sorting station 58, the identification of the shelf 52 configured on the front 58A, or the use of either the left or right gripping part 20, etc.).

[0331] In other words, the humanoid robot operation status information acquisition unit 68 is not important for allocating normal work schedules, but acquires detailed information on specific work in the outbound work or the inbound work as a work.

[0332] The humanoid robot operation status information acquisition unit 68 is connected to the simultaneous operation determination unit 70. The business scheduling database 64 and the cargo attribute information database 72 are connected to the simultaneous operation determination unit 70.

[0333] The simultaneous operation determination unit 70 comprehensively analyzes the operation status information from the humanoid robot operation status information acquisition unit 68, the operation scheduling information from the operation scheduling database 64, and the cargo attribute information from the cargo attribute information database 72 to determine whether the humanoid robot 1 currently performing a specified operation can be assigned to another operation (for example, whether a simultaneous operation can be performed). If simultaneous operations are possible, the operation status management unit 62 is notified of this fact. As an example of simultaneous operations being possible, the following conditions are met (i.e., the specified conditions are met): there is an arm 5 or 6 on the side that is not being operated, the next operation is for the same shelf 52 (for example, determined based on the operation status information and scheduling information), and the cargo 100 to be operated is of a weight and size that can be grasped by the arm 5 or 6 on the side that is not being operated (for example, determined based on the attribute information).

[0334] In the work status management unit 62 , the next task is usually assigned after receiving a task completion notification from the humanoid robot 1 in the task, but before that, the task is assigned to the humanoid robot 1 in the task.

[0335] More specifically, a situation is assumed in which a specific shelf 52 is arranged at the front 58A of a specific sorting station 58, and a user grasps items with the left hand grip 20L from the storage space 52A of the shelf 52 to perform sorting work.

[0336] At this time, when the goods 100 that can be grasped by the right-hand grip 20R can be sorted from the storage space 52A of the same specific shelf 52, before the sorting business performed by the left-hand grip 20L is completed (for example, before a series of operations up to temporarily transporting them to the working space 58B and loading them into the box 60), an instruction is given to take out two goods simultaneously.

[0337] (General business allocation instruction process)

[0338] Figure 20 It is shown in the storage room 50 (refer to Figure 18A ) is a flowchart of a main routine of normal business instruction control performed by the vault management server 56 based on business scheduling.

[0339] In step 2200, the work schedule is read, and the process then proceeds to step 2202, where allocation processing is performed. The allocation processing in step 2202 can be performed using a work table that records which transport device 54 is to transport which shelf 52 to which sorting station 58, and which humanoid robot 1 is to perform the outbound or inbound work.

[0340] In the next step 2204 , the conveying device 54 is instructed to convey the rack 52 . Then, in step 2206 , the humanoid robot 1 is instructed to perform a storage operation or a delivery operation, and the process proceeds to step 2208 .

[0341] In step 2208, determine whether there is a business end notification. If the judgment is positive, transfer to step 2210, confirm the operation instruction object, then transfer to step 2212, update the business progress log of each operation instruction object, and transfer to step 2214.

[0342] In addition, if there is no business end notification in step 2208, in order to continue executing other businesses, transfer to step 2214.

[0343] That is, by monitoring the progress of each task while performing the assigned tasks at any time according to the order set in the task schedule, the efficiency of tasks performed by a limited number of conveying devices 54 and a limited number of humanoid robots 1 can be improved.

[0344] (Process of simultaneous operations)

[0345] Figure 21 It shows the Figure 20 The main routine shown is a control flow chart of a process for instructing simultaneous tasks to be executed by interrupting the main routine as appropriate. The process ranges from determining whether or not simultaneous tasks can be performed to instructing a specific humanoid robot to perform simultaneous tasks.

[0346] In step 2220, the operating status information of the humanoid robot 1 is obtained from the outbound or inbound operation. Specifically, the position information of the humanoid robot 1 (e.g., the position of the sorting station 58, the facing shelf 52, etc.) and the gripping information (e.g., the remaining capacity of the gripping unit that is currently gripping or the gripping unit that is not currently gripping) are obtained.

[0347] In the next step 2222 , based on the operation status information acquired in step 2220 , it is determined whether simultaneous operations are possible.

[0348] If the determination is negative in step 2222, it is determined that simultaneous operation is not possible and the routine ends. If the determination is positive in step 2222, the humanoid robot 1 determines that the environment is such that simultaneous operation is possible and the routine moves to step 2224.

[0349] In step 2224, in addition to the aforementioned operation status information, tasks that can be performed simultaneously are selected from the task schedule based on the task schedule and the attributes of the goods 100. Specifically, if there is a piece of goods 100 that can be grasped by the non-operating gripping unit 20 of the humanoid robot 1 (e.g., an idle gripping unit 20) in the storage space 52A of the currently facing shelf 52, it is determined that simultaneous operations are possible.

[0350] In the next step 2226, the corresponding humanoid robot 1 is instructed to perform an outbound or inbound operation, and the routine ends.

[0351] The humanoid robot 1 can realize efficient operation by executing the outgoing or incoming warehouse operation instructed initially by one gripping portion 20 and executing the subsequent incoming or outgoing warehouse operation instructed subsequently by the other gripping portion 20 while executing the outgoing or incoming warehouse operation instructed initially by one gripping portion 20 .

[0352] As described above, in this embodiment, through the humanoid robot 1, while one gripping part 20 is performing a prescribed outbound or inbound operation, by meeting conditions, another gripping part 20 performs other outbound or inbound operations (i.e., by performing simultaneous operations), thereby making full use of the remaining capacity of the humanoid robot 1 and improving operating efficiency.

[0353] (Fifth embodiment)

[0354] based on Figures 22 to 23 , a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure is described.

[0355] In the fifth embodiment, the same components as those in the above-described embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description of the configuration may be omitted.

[0356] As described in the first embodiment, in the robot 1, based on the weight information of the cargo 100 that can be known in advance, the gripping function is selected from one or two arms 5, 6 (finger parts 22A, 22B or 22C) installed on a humanoid robot 1, and the cargo 100 is sorted by adsorption and / or grasping actions.

[0357] Furthermore, since one humanoid robot 1 has a plurality of gripping functions, in addition to selecting a gripping action based on weight information, when actually approaching the cargo 100, the shape information (e.g., size) of the cargo 100 is determined based on the image information detected by the palm sensor 26. In the event that the gripping by the selected arm portions 5, 6 and the finger portions 22A, 22B, and 22C arranged thereon may be unstable (e.g., the predetermined shape information (e.g., size) is out of the allowable range), the gripping state can be changed on the spot (e.g., in a confrontation state with the cargo 100).

[0358] In this embodiment, after the sorting task is selected based on the weight information, the sorting task is changed based on the shape information (eg, size) as needed (eg, using detection information from the palm sensor 26).

[0359] (Change sorting operations based on shape information (size))

[0360] Here, the selection controls 1 to 6 based on Table 1 and Table 2 described in the first embodiment select the size of the adsorption pad 24 based on the weight information of the cargo 100 .

[0361] On the other hand, for example, in the weight determination, when the extra-small size cargo 100 selected based on the selection control 5 is larger than the specified size, the gripping state may sometimes become unstable due to the balance of the cargo 100 after gripping.

[0362] Therefore, in the present embodiment, in addition to the selection controls 1 to 6 based on Table 1 and Table 2 described above, a change control of the sorting operation is also executed.

[0363] Change control means that before the humanoid robot 1 confronts and grasps the cargo 100, it uses the palm sensor 26 to capture the actual appearance of the cargo 100 to obtain shape information (such as size), and judges whether the shape information (such as size) of the selected adsorption pad 24 is within the allowable range based on the pre-stored adsorption pad size-shape allowable range table. In the case of shape information (such as size) exceeding the prescribed allowable range, the selected adsorption pad 24 is controlled to be changed.

[0364] When implementing this change control, a suction pad size-shape allowable range table (see Table 5) is stored in advance in the information processing device 14 of the humanoid robot 1 .

[0365] Here, the humanoid robot 1 faces the gripping scene and, when confronting the cargo 100 , uses the palm sensor 26 to capture an image of the cargo 100 , and acquires shape information (eg, size) based on the captured image information.

[0366] The information processing device 14 determines whether the acquired shape information is within the permissible range of the selected suction pad size. If it is outside the permissible range, the suction pad size is changed.

[0367] (Table 5)

[0368]

[0369] (Holding control of cargo 100)

[0370] Figure 22This is a flowchart showing a gripping control procedure when the gripping unit 20 grips the cargo 100 as an operation required for outbound and inbound operations, in conjunction with the overall operation of the humanoid robot 1 .

[0371] In step 3150, determine whether there is an instruction to hold the cargo 100. If it is a positive judgment, transfer to step 3152, move the humanoid robot 1 (for example, move the arms 5 and 6), make the palm side 20A confront the target cargo 100, and transfer to step 3154.

[0372] In the next step 3154, the operation for holding the cargo 100 is selected. For example, it is selected from "suction" only, "grab" only, or "suction" and "grab" together. Then, the process is transferred to step 3156, and the selection process of the gripping unit 20 and the suction pad 24 is performed based on the properties of the cargo 100 (see details). Figure 8 ), transfer to step 3158.

[0373] In step 3158 , the palm side 20A is turned toward each other, and information about the cargo 100 is detected based on information detected by the palm sensor 26 (eg, images captured by a high-resolution camera and position information detected by the MoPU).

[0374] In the next step 3160 , the detection information obtained by the palm sensor 26 is analyzed to grasp the type (eg, shape, size, hardness, etc.) and position of the cargo 100 in detail, and then the process moves to step 3162 .

[0375] In step 3162, the adsorption pad size-shape allowable range table (see Table 5) pre-stored in the information processing device 14 is read, and then transfer to step 3164 to determine whether the size of the selected adsorption pad 24 is within the allowable range of the held cargo 100.

[0376] If a negative determination is made in step 3164 , the process proceeds to step 3166 , where the size of the adsorption pad 24 is changed based on Table 5, and the process proceeds to step 3168 .

[0377] In addition, in the case of an affirmative determination in step 3164 , since no change is required, the process moves to step 3168 .

[0378] In step 3168 , gripping of the cargo 100 is performed (eg, “suction” only, “grab” only, or “suction” and “grab”).

[0379] In the next step 3170, it is determined whether the gripping of the cargo 100 is successful. In the case of an affirmative determination, the gripped cargo 100 is transported to a specified location and the process is transferred to step 3150 to wait for the next instruction to grip the cargo 100.

[0380] In addition, if a negative determination is made in step 3170 , the process moves to step 3172 , where error processing (such as retry or cancellation) is performed, and the process returns to step 3150 .

[0381] (Control system for storage and outbound operations)

[0382] In this embodiment, the humanoid robot 1 can also be used for work in the storage warehouse 50 in the same manner as in the fourth embodiment. Figure 23 This is a functional block diagram of a control system for executing storage and outgoing operations, executed in cooperation between the storage management server 56 and the information processing devices 14 of the humanoid robot 1 .

[0383] The storage management server 56 includes a work status management unit 62 . The work status management unit 62 is connected to a business scheduling database 64 , a cargo attribute information database 72 , and a communication I / F 66 .

[0384] The communication I / F 66 communicates between the information processing device 14 of the humanoid robot 1 and the control device 54A of the conveying device 54 , thereby exchanging information.

[0385] The operation status management unit 62 sequentially obtains information related to business scheduling from the business scheduling database 64, and obtains business progress information of the control object (for example, the information processing device 14 of the humanoid robot 1 or the control device 54A of the conveying device 54) that is performing business in the storage vault 50 via the communication I / F 66, thereby managing the business scheduling including the allocation instructions for the next business.

[0386] The communication I / F 66 is connected to the humanoid robot operation status information acquisition unit 68 to obtain information related to the operation status of the humanoid robot 1 when it is performing business (for example, the position of the sorting station 58, the identification of the shelf 52 configured on the front 58A, or which of the left and right gripping parts 20 to use, etc.).

[0387] In other words, the humanoid robot operation status information acquisition unit 68 is not important for allocating normal work schedules, but acquires detailed information on specific work in the outbound work or the inbound work as a work.

[0388] The humanoid robot work status information acquisition unit 68 is connected to the work status management unit 62 .

[0389] In the operation status management unit 62, the operation status information from the humanoid robot operation status information acquisition unit 68, the business scheduling information from the business scheduling database 64 and the cargo attribute information from the cargo attribute information database 72 are comprehensively analyzed to achieve the matching of the current progress and the scheduling and manage the whole.

[0390] The work status management unit 62 usually assigns the next task after receiving a task completion notification from the humanoid robot 1 currently performing the task. However, depending on the situation, the task may be assigned to the currently performing humanoid robot 1.

[0391] More specifically, assume that a specific shelf 52 is configured at the front 58A of a specific sorting station 58, and the sorting business is performed by holding the goods 100 from the storage space 52A of the shelf 52. When the goods 100 can be sorted from the storage space of the same specific shelf 52, it is possible to instruct to continue the business while maintaining the original position (for example, not returning to the starting position when the business is completed).

[0392] In addition, in this embodiment, the normal business allocation instruction operation is also executed in the storage 50. The flow of the normal business allocation instruction operation in this embodiment is the same as that in the fourth embodiment described above. Figure 20 The flowcharts shown are the same, so the description here is omitted.

[0393] Figure 24 An example of the hardware structure of a computer 1200 that functions as the information processing device 14 in the above-described embodiments is schematically shown. Programs installed in the computer 1200 can cause the computer 1200 to function as one or more "units" of the apparatus described in the above-described embodiments, or to perform operations or one or more "units" associated with the apparatus described in the above-described embodiments, and / or to perform the processes or stages of the processes described in the above-described embodiments. Such programs can be executed by the CPU 1212 to cause the computer 1200 to perform specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0394] The computer 1200 in each of the above embodiments includes a CPU 1212, a RAM 1214, and a graphics controller 1216, which are interconnected via a main controller 1210. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 1222, a storage device 1224, a DVD drive, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the main controller 1210 via an input / output controller 1220. The DVD drive may be a DVD-ROM drive, a DVD-RAM drive, or the like. The storage device 1224 may be a hard disk drive, a solid-state drive, or the like. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a ROM 1230 and a keyboard, which are connected to the input / output controller 1220 via an input / output chip 1240.

[0395] The CPU 1212 operates according to the programs stored in the ROM 1230 and the RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit. The graphics controller 1216 acquires image data generated by the CPU 1212 from a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 1214 or itself, and displays the image data on the display device 1218.

[0396] Communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. Storage device 1224 stores programs and data used by CPU 1212 within computer 1200. A DVD drive reads programs and data from a DVD-ROM or the like and provides them to storage device 1224. An IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card and / or writes programs and data to an IC card.

[0397] The ROM 1230 stores a boot program or the like executed by the computer 1200 upon activation and / or programs that depend on the hardware of the computer 1200. The input / output chip 1240 can also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 1220 through a USB port, a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, and the like.

[0398] The program is provided on a computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM or IC card. The program is read from the computer-readable storage medium, installed in the storage device 1224, RAM 1214, or ROM 1230 (examples of computer-readable storage media), and executed by the CPU 1212. The information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 1200, resulting in cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. A device or method can be constructed by implementing information manipulation or processing based on the use of the computer 1200.

[0399] For example, when communication is performed between the computer 1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 can execute a communication program loaded into the RAM 1214 and instruct the communication interface 1222 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of the CPU 1212, the communication interface 1222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in a recording medium such as the RAM 1214, the storage device 1224, a DVD-ROM, or an IC card, and transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes reception data received from the network to a reception buffer area provided on the recording medium.

[0400] Furthermore, the CPU 1212 can read all or a necessary portion of a file or database stored in an external recording medium such as the storage device 1224, a DVD drive (DVD-ROM), or an IC card from the RAM 1214, and perform various types of processing on the data in the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 can then write the processed data back to the external recording medium.

[0401] Various types of information (such as programs, data, tables, and databases) can be stored in the recording medium and receive information processing. CPU 1212 can perform various types of processing on the data read from RAM 1214, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgments, conditional branches, unconditional branches, information retrieval / replacement, etc., specified by the instruction sequence of the program described anywhere in this disclosure, and write the results back to RAM 1214. In addition, CPU 1212 can retrieve information from files, databases, etc. in the recording medium. For example, if a plurality of entries are stored in the recording medium, each entry having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute, CPU 1212 can retrieve an entry from the plurality of entries that meets the condition specifying the attribute value of the first attribute, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that meets the predetermined condition.

[0402] The programs or software modules described above may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium in or near the computer 1200. In addition, a recording medium such as a hard disk or a RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet may be used as the computer-readable storage medium, thereby providing the program to the computer 1200 via the network.

[0403] The boxes in the flowcharts and block diagrams in the above-mentioned embodiments may represent stages of a process for performing an operation or a "part" of a device having the function of performing an operation. Specific stages and "parts" may be implemented by dedicated circuits, programmable circuits provided together with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, and / or processors provided together with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium. Dedicated circuits may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. Programmable circuits may include reconfigurable hardware circuits, which include logical product, logical sum, exclusive or, negated logical product, negated logical sum, and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, and storage elements, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and programmable logic arrays (PLAs).

[0404] A computer-readable storage medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions for execution by an appropriate device. As a result, a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein provides a product including instructions that can be executed to create elements for performing the operations specified in the flowchart or block diagram. Examples of computer-readable storage media include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, and the like. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include floppy disks (registered trademark), magnetic disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), static random access memory (SRAM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray discs (registered trademark), memory sticks, integrated circuit cards, and the like.

[0405] The computer-readable instructions may include any of source code or object code described in any combination of one or more programming languages, including assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or object-oriented programming languages such as Smalltalk (registered trademark), JAVA (registered trademark), C++, and conventional procedural programming languages such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages.

[0406] Computer-readable instructions can be provided to a processor or programmable circuit of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device via a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, etc., so that the processor or programmable circuit of the general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device executes the computer-readable instructions to generate elements for performing the operations specified in the flowchart or block diagram. Examples of the processor include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc.

[0407] While the present disclosure has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. Based on the description of the claims, it is obvious that additional modifications or improvements are also included within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0408] It should be noted that the order of execution of operations, sequences, steps, and stages, etc., in the apparatus, system, program, and method described in the claims, specifications, and drawings may be implemented in any order, unless otherwise specified, such as "before," "prerequisite," or the output of a previous process is used in a subsequent process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using the phrases "first," "next," etc. for convenience, it does not necessarily mean that it must be implemented in that order.

[0409] The disclosures of Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-195945 filed on December 7, 2022, Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-026590 filed on February 22, 2023, Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-029478 filed on February 28, 2023, Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-036898 filed on March 9, 2023, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-040062 filed on March 14, 2023 are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0410] For all documents, patent applications and technical standards described in this specification, each document, patent application and technical standard is incorporated by reference into this specification to the same extent as if it were specifically and individually described.

Claims

1. A robot control system, comprising a first gripping portion and a second gripping portion, and capable of gripping an object using the first gripping portion and the second gripping portion, wherein: The first gripping portion includes a palm portion serving as a base for gripping the object and a plurality of fingers extending radially from the palm portion; the second gripping portion includes a holding body capable of gripping and holding the object, and the control system of the robot includes: a plurality of adsorption pads, selectively provided on the palm portion and each finger portion of the first gripping portion, capable of adsorbing and holding the object with different adsorption areas; and The control unit selects any one of a first function of holding by the first holding unit, a second function of holding by the second holding unit, and a third function combining the first and second functions as the function of holding the object based on the properties of the object including at least shape and weight, and controls the action of holding the object.

2. The robot control system according to claim 1, wherein: The first gripping portion is provided with a plurality of finger portions, a suction pad having a smaller diameter than other suction pads is installed at the front end portion of at least one finger portion, and suction pads having a larger diameter than other suction pads are installed at the front ends of other finger portions other than the one finger portion. The control unit selects any one of the first function, the second function, and the third function based on the property, and controls an action of holding the object.

3. The robot control system according to claim 1, wherein: The first gripping portion is provided with three fingers, a suction pad having a smaller diameter than other suction pads is installed at the front end of the first finger, and a suction pad having a larger diameter than other suction pads is installed at the front ends of the second and third fingers. The control unit classifies the objects into extra-large size, large size, medium size, small size, and extra-small size based on the properties. When the object is of the extra-large size, the holder provided on the second gripping portion is selected to grip the object. When the object is of the large size, the adsorption pad provided on the palm is selected to hold the object. When the object is of the medium size, the large-diameter suction pad provided at the front end of the second finger and the third finger is selected for gripping. When the object is of the small size, the large-diameter suction pad provided at the front end of the second finger or the third finger is selected for gripping. When the object is of the extremely small size, the small-diameter suction pad provided at the tip of the first finger is selected for gripping.

4. The robot control system according to claim 1, wherein: An adsorption pad is used as the holding body of the second gripping portion.

5. The robot control system according to claim 1, wherein: The control system of the robot further includes a palm sensor unit, the palm sensor unit being provided on the first gripping unit and the second gripping unit, and detecting object information including a shape and a position of the object, the palm sensor unit including: a camera for capturing an image of the object to identify the type of the object; and a motion processing unit to determine the position of the object.

6. The robot control system according to claim 1, wherein: Using the weight information among the properties of the object, it is determined whether the object is within a specified specification that can be grasped by a single robot. If the object exceeds the specified specification, a plurality of robots are assembled to cooperate with each other to grasp the object.

7. The robot control system according to claim 6, wherein: The control unit sets the gripping points of the object for each of the multiple robots, calculates the load ratio shared by each robot at the set gripping points based on the properties of the object, and selects the function of gripping the object for each robot based on the calculation result.

8. The robot control system according to claim 6, wherein: When the plurality of robots grip and transport the object, a transport path of each robot is set so as to minimize an inertial force applied to the object. 9 . A robot control program, causing a computer to operate as the control unit according to claim 1 .

10. A robot control system, comprising a standard gripping portion and one or more additional gripping portions, wherein: The standard gripping portion is detachably mounted on the arm of the robot to grip an object that meets predetermined specifications; the one or more additional gripping portions are detachably mounted on the arm to grip an object that does not meet the specifications. The control system of the robot has: a determination unit for determining whether the object meets predetermined standard specifications; and The control unit controls the action of installing the standard gripping portion on the arm portion when the determination result of the determination unit is that the object is suitable for the standard specifications, and controls the action of installing the additional gripping portion on the arm portion when the determination result of the determination unit is that the object is not suitable for the standard specifications, and at the same time controls the action of holding the object.

11. The robot control system according to claim 10, wherein: The robot is equipped with a plurality of arms. The standard grip or the additional grip installed on the other arm is used to perform the attachment and detachment operation of the standard grip or the additional grip on one arm.

12. The robot control system according to claim 10, wherein: The control system of the robot further comprises a sensor unit, which is provided on the standard gripping unit and the additional gripping unit and detects object information including type, shape or size, and position of the object. The determination unit determines whether the object complies with the standard based on the object information detected by the sensor unit.

13. The robot control system according to claim 12, wherein: The determination unit makes a determination based on the object information detected by the sensor unit or a weight known in advance.

14. The robot control system according to claim 12, wherein: The sensor unit includes a camera that captures an image of the object and identifies the type of the object, and a motion processing unit that specifies the position of the object.

15. The robot control system according to claim 10, wherein: The standard gripping portion includes a first gripping portion and a second gripping portion, wherein the first gripping portion includes a palm portion serving as a basis for gripping the object and a plurality of fingers radially extending from the palm portion, and an adsorption pad capable of adsorbing and gripping the object with a different adsorption area is respectively installed on the palm portion and each finger portion, and the second gripping portion includes a holding body capable of gripping and holding the object. When the object is held by the standard holding portion, the control portion selects any function from among the first function held by the first holding portion, the second function held by the second holding portion, and the third function combining the first and second functions as the function of holding the object, based on the attributes of the object including at least shape and weight, and controls the action of holding the object.

16. The robot control system according to claim 15, wherein: When the object is held by the standard gripping portion, the first gripping portion is provided with three fingers, a suction pad having a smaller diameter than other suction pads is installed at the front end of the first finger, and a suction pad having a larger diameter than other suction pads is installed at the front end of the second finger and the third finger. The control unit classifies the objects into extra-large size, large size, medium size, small size, and extra-small size based on the attributes. When the object is of the extra-large size, the holder provided on the second gripping portion is selected to grip the object. When the object is of the large size, the adsorption pad provided on the palm is selected to hold the object. When the object is of the medium size, the large-diameter suction pad provided at the front end of the second finger and the third finger is selected for gripping. When the object is of the small size, the large-diameter suction pad provided at the front end of the second finger or the third finger is selected for gripping. When the object is of the extremely small size, the small-diameter suction pad provided at the tip of the first finger is selected for gripping.

17. A robot control program, the robot control program causing a computer to operate as the determination unit and the control unit according to any one of claims 10 to 16.

18. A robot control system comprising: a robot having a plurality of gripping sections and capable of gripping an object by means of a selected gripping section; the plurality of gripping sections having different gripping functions for gripping the object; and A normal operation control unit selects at least one of the holding units and controls a holding operation including holding a first object specified from among the objects; and The simultaneous operation control unit selects another of the holding units and controls a holding operation including holding a second object specified from among the objects when a predetermined condition is satisfied during the operation being executed by the normal operation control unit.

19. The robot control system according to claim 18, wherein: The specified condition is a condition for grasping the second object found based on the working status information including the position information of the robot and the grasping information of the grasping part that determines the grasping of the object, the business scheduling information of the robot in the working environment and the attribute information of the object to be grasped.

20. The robot control system according to claim 18, wherein: In a warehouse having a storage warehouse and a sorting station, the robot is configured at the sorting station, wherein: the storage warehouse displays a plurality of shelves, and the plurality of objects are stored on the plurality of shelves; the sorting station performs a warehouse-out operation of taking the objects out of the shelves and a warehouse-in operation of storing the objects on the shelves. The storage management server that instructs the robot to perform the outgoing operation and the incoming operation including the grasping operation functions as the normal operation control unit and the simultaneous operation control unit, thereby causing the robot to perform the grasping operation of the object.

21. The robot control system according to claim 18, wherein: The plurality of gripping portions include: a first gripping portion having a palm portion serving as a base and a plurality of finger portions extending radially from the palm portion, capable of gripping the object by either suction or grasping; The second gripping part can absorb and hold the object with the greatest adsorption force. The normal operation control unit and the simultaneous operation control unit select any function from among the first function of being held by the first holding unit, the second function of being held by the second holding unit, and the third function of combining the first function and the second function as the function of holding the object based on the attributes of the object including at least shape and weight.

22. The robot control system according to claim 21, wherein: The first gripping portion is provided with three fingers, the front end of the first finger portion is provided with an adsorption pad having a smaller diameter than the other adsorption pads, and the front ends of the second and third fingers are provided with adsorption pads having a larger diameter than the other adsorption pads. The normal operation control unit and the simultaneous operation control unit classify the objects into extra-large size, large size, medium size, small size, and extra-small size based on the attributes. When the object is of the extra-large size, the second gripping portion is selected for gripping. When the object is of the large size, the adsorption pad provided on the palm is selected to hold the object. When the object is of the medium size, the large-diameter suction pad provided at the front end of the second finger and the third finger is selected for gripping. When the object is of the small size, the large-diameter suction pad provided at the front end of the second finger or the third finger is selected for gripping. When the object is of the extremely small size, the small-diameter suction pad provided at the tip of the first finger is selected for gripping.

23. The robot control system according to claim 18, wherein: The control system of the robot further includes a sensor unit, the sensor unit being provided on the gripping unit and detecting object information including a shape and a position of the object, the sensor unit including: a camera for capturing an image of the object to identify the type of the object; and a motion processing unit to determine the position of the object.

24. A control program for a robot, wherein the control program for the robot causes a computer to operate as a normal operation control unit and a simultaneous operation control unit according to any one of claims 18 to 23.

25. A robot control system capable of gripping an object using a first gripping portion and a second gripping portion, wherein: The first gripping portion includes a palm portion serving as a base for gripping the object and a plurality of fingers attached to the palm portion; the second gripping portion includes a holding body capable of gripping and holding the object, and the control system of the robot includes: a plurality of adsorption pads, selectively provided on the palm portion and each finger portion of the first gripping portion, capable of adsorbing and holding the object with different adsorption areas; a sensor portion, provided on the first grip portion and the second grip portion, for detecting at least shape information of the object; a selection unit that selects, based on the weight information of the object registered in advance, any one of a first function of holding by the first holding unit, a second function of holding by the second holding unit, and a third function combining the first and second functions as a function of holding the object; a control unit that controls an action of holding the object based on the function selected by the selection unit; a determination unit that determines whether shape information of the object detected by the sensor unit during the action of approaching the object in the gripping action controlled by the control unit is within an allowable range of the function of gripping the object selected by the selection unit; and The changing unit changes the function of holding the object when the determining unit determines that the object is outside the allowable range.

26. The robot control system according to claim 25, wherein: The determination unit makes a determination based on a table that associates the function of holding the object with an allowable range of shape information of the object.

27. The robot control system according to claim 25, wherein: The sensor unit includes a camera that captures an image of the object and identifies the type of the object, and a motion processing unit that specifies the position of the object.

28. The robot control system according to claim 25, wherein: The first gripping portion is provided with three fingers, the front end of the first finger portion is provided with an adsorption pad having a smaller diameter than the other adsorption pads, and the front ends of the second and third fingers are provided with adsorption pads having a larger diameter than the other adsorption pads. The control unit classifies the objects into extra-large size, large size, medium size, small size, and extra-small size as weight classification sizes based on the weight information, When the object is of the extra-large size, the holder provided on the second gripping portion is selected to grip the object. When the object is of the large size, the adsorption pad provided on the palm is selected to hold the object. When the object is of the medium size, the large-diameter suction pad provided at the front end of the second finger and the third finger is selected for gripping. When the object is of the small size, the large-diameter suction pad provided at the front end of the second finger or the third finger is selected for gripping. When the object is of the extremely small size, the small-diameter suction pad provided at the tip of the first finger is selected for gripping.

29. A robot control program, the robot control program causing a computer to operate as the selection unit, control unit, determination unit, and change unit according to any one of claims 25 to 28.

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