Object work system and reference position calculation method

Abstract

The object work system (100) is provided with: a work device (6); a transport unit 4; a position detection unit (7) that acquires position detection information (Im) for detecting the position of an object (Ch0 (Ch1, Er)) on the transport unit (4) and is fixedly disposed; and a control device (8) that performs control for calculating, on the basis of the position detection information (Im) acquired by the position detection unit (7), a reference position (ARC) for the work device (6) to work on the object (Ch0 (Ch1, Er)).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an object operation system and a reference position calculation method, and particularly to an object operation system and a reference position calculation method equipped with an operation device for operating on an object. Background Technology

[0002] Previously, object handling systems equipped with working devices for performing operations on objects were known. Such object handling systems are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-47511.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-47511 discloses a robot system (object handling system) equipped with a robot (working device) for transferring (operating) articles (objects). This robot system includes a transporter (transportation unit) and a coordinate system setting device (control device). The transporter is configured to transport articles. The robot is configured to hold the articles transported to the transporter and move the held articles to other locations. The coordinate system setting device is configured to associate a transporter coordinate system for representing the position information of the articles on the transporter with a robot coordinate system for representing the position information of the articles held by the robot. Therefore, the robot can hold the articles based on the position information of the articles on the transporter.

[0004] In the aforementioned Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-47511, to associate the coordinate system of the transporter with the coordinate system of the robot, a gripper initially positioned on the transporter is moved to a predetermined position using the transporter. Then, the user moves the robot and takes a picture of the gripper on the transporter using a camera mounted on the front end of the moved robot. At this time, the association between the transporter coordinate system and the robot coordinate system is established by associating the coordinates of the gripper's center point in the robot coordinate system with the coordinates of the transporter coordinate system at the predetermined position based on the initial position. Here, the coordinates of the gripper's center point in the robot coordinate system are obtained based on the pre-registered length of the robot arm and the reference position of the robot coordinate system.

[0005] Existing technical documents

[0006] Patent documents

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-47511 Summary of the Invention

[0008] The problem the invention aims to solve

[0009] However, in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-47511, as described above, the coordinates of the center point of the gripper in the robot coordinate system are obtained based on the reference position of the robot coordinate system according to the pre-registered length of the robot arm. In this case, errors arise between the actual length of the robot arm and the pre-registered length due to individual differences in robot size, individual differences during robot assembly, robot arm wobbling, and errors in the amount of robot movement caused by the user. Therefore, in the robot system of the aforementioned Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-47511, it is considered impossible to accurately obtain the holding position of the held item by the robot. Therefore, it is desirable to accurately obtain the holding position (operation position) for holding (operating) the item (object) by the robot (operating device) by accurately setting the relative position between the robot and the item on the conveyor.

[0010] The present invention was made to solve the problems mentioned above. One object of the present invention is to provide an object operation system and a reference position calculation method that can accurately obtain the operation position of the object by the operation device.

[0011] Means for solving technical problems

[0012] The object handling system of the first aspect of the present invention includes: a working device for working on an object; a transport unit for transporting the object to a working area where the working device works on the object; a position detection unit for acquiring position detection information for detecting the position of the object on the transport unit at a position upstream of the working area in the transport direction of transporting the object, and fixedly configured; and a control device for controlling the working device to calculate a reference position for working on the object based on the position detection information acquired by the position detection unit.

[0013] In the object handling system of the first aspect of the present invention, as described above, a control device is provided that performs control as follows: based on position detection information obtained by the position detection unit, a reference position for the working device to perform operations on the object is calculated. Therefore, compared to obtaining the reference position based on the position of the object obtained by the working device, the effects of shaking of the working device can be reduced, and thus the reference position can be obtained accurately. As a result, the position of the object transported to the work area by the transport unit can be calculated based on the accurately obtained reference position, and thus the working position for the working device to perform operations on the object can be obtained accurately.

[0014] In the object operation system described in the first aspect above, it is preferable that the control device is configured to perform control by calculating the operation position of the object within the operation area based on a calculated reference position. If configured in this way, the operation position of the object can be accurately calculated using the reference position, thus enabling reliable operation of the object by the operation device.

[0015] In the object handling system of the first technical solution described above, it is preferable that the conveying unit includes a circumferential conveying unit that conveys the object in an arc or circle along the circumference of the rotation center axis; the control device is configured to perform control based on position detection information to calculate the rotation center position of the circumferential conveying unit as a reference position. With this configuration, compared to obtaining the rotation center position of the circumferential conveying unit based on the position of the object obtained by the working device, the effects of working device swaying and other factors can be reduced, thus enabling accurate acquisition of the rotation center position of the working device coordinate conveying unit. As a result, the position of the object conveyed by the circumferential conveying unit to the work area can be calculated using the accurately obtained rotation center position of the working device coordinate conveying unit as the center, thus enabling accurate acquisition of the work position where the working device performs operations on the object when conveying the object circumferentially.

[0016] In this case, it is preferable that the position detection unit includes a camera that acquires images of the object on the circumferential transport unit as position detection information, and the control device is configured to perform the following control: calculate the camera image coordinate position of the object in the captured image based on the captured image, and calculate the rotation center position of the transport unit based on the calculated camera image coordinate position of the object. If configured in this way, by using the camera image coordinate position of the object in the captured image from a fixedly positioned camera to calculate the rotation center position of the transport unit, it is possible to calculate the rotation center position of the transport unit that suppresses the effects of shaking of the transport unit, thus enabling accurate calculation of the rotation center position of the transport unit when transporting the object circumferentially.

[0017] In an object handling system equipped with a position detection unit including the aforementioned camera, the camera mechanism is preferably configured to capture images of an area on the circumferential transport unit upstream of the handling area in the transport direction. The control device is configured to obtain the object camera coordinate position obtained by converting the object camera image coordinate position based on an image of the same object transported and captured by the circumferential transport unit in the capturing area, and a camera scale ratio that converts the pixel values ​​of the captured images into length values. The control device is configured to perform control by correcting the camera offset obtained from the object handling device coordinate position obtained using the handling device by adjusting the camera coordinate transport unit rotation center position obtained from the object camera coordinate position. With this configuration, the camera coordinate transport unit rotation center position can be calculated using coordinate positions expressed in length, and the offset of the coordinate positions expressed in length can be corrected based on the camera offset. Therefore, the camera coordinate transport unit rotation center position can be accurately obtained using coordinate positions expressed in length.

[0018] In the object handling system described above, where the control device calculates the rotation center position of the work device's coordinate transport unit by correcting the camera offset based on the rotation center position of the camera coordinate transport unit, it is preferable that the control device performs the following control: The camera offset is calculated based on the difference between the object handling device's coordinate position within the work area (obtained after moving the object from the shooting area to the work area) and the object's camera coordinate position within the shooting area (after rotating the object's camera coordinate position around the rotation center position of the camera coordinate transport unit to the object handling device's coordinate position). If configured in this way, calculating the camera offset based on the object's camera coordinate position reduces the effects of work device swaying, thus enabling accurate acquisition of the camera offset, which is based on an image captured by a fixedly positioned camera.

[0019] In the object handling system described above, where the control device is configured to calculate the camera offset based on the difference between the coordinate position of the object handling device and the coordinate position of the object camera after movement, it is preferable to further include a rotation angle sensor for obtaining the rotation angle position of the circumferential transport unit. The control device is configured to calculate the offset angle between the coordinate system of the handling device and the camera coordinate system, i.e., the first rotation angle, based on the scale ratio of the circumferential transport unit, which converts the output value of the rotation angle sensor into an angle. With this configuration, the first rotation angle, expressed as an angle obtained using the scale ratio of the circumferential transport unit, can be calculated using the rotation center position of the camera coordinate transport unit, thus enabling accurate acquisition of the first rotation angle.

[0020] In the object handling system configured to perform control based on the scale ratio of the circumferential transport section to calculate the first rotation angle in the above-described control device configuration, it is preferable that the control device is configured to perform control to calculate the scale ratio of the circumferential transport section after moving the object within the shooting area. This scale ratio is the ratio of a second rotation angle obtained from the object's camera coordinate position before and after movement around the rotation center position of the camera coordinate transport section to the difference between the output value of the rotation angle sensor obtained from the rotation angle sensor before and after movement. With this configuration, the second rotation angle is calculated based on the object's camera coordinate position and the rotation center position of the camera coordinate transport section obtained from images captured by a fixedly positioned camera, thereby reducing the influence of shaking of the handling device when calculating the second rotation angle. As a result, the decrease in the accuracy of the scale ratio of the circumferential transport section can be suppressed.

[0021] In the object handling system described above, where the control device is configured to calculate the camera offset based on the difference between the coordinate position of the object handling device and the camera coordinate position of the moved object, it is preferable that the control device is configured to calculate the camera scale ratio, which is the ratio of the distance between two objects on the circumferential transport unit after two objects have been moved from the shooting area to the working area to the pixel distance representing the distance between the pixel values ​​of two objects on the circumferential transport unit in the shooting area. With this configuration, the distance between two objects on the circumferential transport unit is the distance between two objects positioned relatively close together, thus allowing the distance to be obtained with reduced effects such as loosening of the handling device. As a result, the camera scale ratio can be obtained with high accuracy.

[0022] In the object handling system described above, where the control device is configured to calculate the camera offset based on the difference between the coordinate position of the object handling device and the coordinate position of the object camera after movement, it is preferable that the object camera image coordinate position includes a first object camera image coordinate position, a second object camera image coordinate position, and a third object camera image coordinate position based on images of the same object captured by the circumferential transport unit in the shooting area. The control device is configured to calculate the rotation center position of the camera coordinate transport unit based on the first object camera image coordinate position, the second object camera image coordinate position, and the third object camera image coordinate position obtained by converting these three coordinate positions using a camera scale ratio. With this configuration, the rotation center position of the camera coordinate transport unit can be easily calculated using these three coordinate positions.

[0023] The reference position calculation method of the second aspect of the present invention includes: a step of obtaining position detection information for detecting the position of the object on the transport unit by means of a fixedly arranged position detection unit at a position upstream of the transport direction in the operating area of ​​the operating device that performs operations on the object being transported by the transport unit; and a step of calculating a reference position for the operating device to perform operations on the object based on the obtained position detection information.

[0024] In the reference position calculation method of the second aspect of the present invention, a step is provided to calculate a reference position for the working device to perform operations on an object based on the obtained position detection information. Therefore, compared to obtaining the reference position based on the position of the object obtained by the working device, the effects of shaking of the working device can be reduced, and thus the reference position can be obtained accurately. As a result, the position of the object transported to the work area by the transport unit can be calculated based on the accurately obtained reference position, thus providing a reference position calculation method that can accurately obtain the working position for the working device to perform operations on the object.

[0025] In the reference position calculation method of the second aspect described above, it is preferable that the transport unit includes a circumferential transport unit that transports an object in an arc or circle along the circumferential direction around the rotation center axis, and the step of calculating the reference position includes a step of calculating the rotation center position of the transport unit in the coordinate system of the working device of the circumferential transport unit as the reference position based on position detection information. If configured in this way, compared to obtaining the rotation center position of the circumferential transport unit based on the position of the object obtained by the working device, the influence of the working device's swaying and other factors can be reduced, thus enabling accurate acquisition of the rotation center position of the transport unit in the coordinate system of the working device. As a result, the position of the object transported by the circumferential transport unit to the work area can be calculated using the accurately obtained rotation center position of the transport unit in the coordinate system of the working device as the center, thus enabling accurate acquisition of the work position where the working device performs operations on the object when transporting the object circumferentially.

[0026] Invention Effects

[0027] According to the present invention, as described above, it is possible to accurately obtain the working position of the object being worked on by the working device. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the transfer system of this embodiment.

[0029] Figure 2 This is a top view showing the state of the holding member of the transfer device in the transfer system of this embodiment.

[0030] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram showing the coordinate setting state in the control device of the comparative example transfer system.

[0031] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the coordinate setting state in the control device of the transfer system of this embodiment.

[0032] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the distance between the setting pieces in the captured image of location (B) of the transfer system in this embodiment.

[0033] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the distance between the setting pieces of the (D) location of the transfer system in this embodiment.

[0034] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing the camera coordinates and center position of the circumferential transporter in the captured image of the transfer system of this embodiment.

[0035] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the camera coordinates of the circumferential transporter, the center position of the transporter, and the radius of the set piece in the image captured by the transfer system of this embodiment.

[0036] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram showing the difference in rotation angle between the setting sheet at location (A) and the setting sheet at location (C) in the image captured by the transfer system of this embodiment.

[0037] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram showing the angle from the setting piece at location (B) to the setting piece at location (D) in the transfer system of this embodiment.

[0038] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram showing the angle of a setting piece at location (B) of the transfer system in this embodiment.

[0039] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram showing the angle of the setting piece on the other side of the location (B) of the transfer system in this embodiment.

[0040] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram showing the tilt of the setting sheet at one of the locations (B) of the transfer system in this embodiment.

[0041] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram showing the tilt of the setting sheet for one and the other locations of the transfer system (D) in this embodiment.

[0042] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram showing the state in which a setting piece of the transfer system of this embodiment is rotated and moved from location (B) to location (D).

[0043] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the setting piece of the transfer system of this embodiment is rotated and moved from location (B) to location (D).

[0044] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram showing the angle of a setting piece representing the location (D) of the transfer system in this embodiment.

[0045] Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram showing the angle of the setting piece on the other side of the (D) location of the transfer system in this embodiment.

[0046] Figure 19 This is a schematic diagram showing the state in which a setting piece of the transfer system of this embodiment rotates and moves from location (D) to location (B).

[0047] Figure 20 This is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the setting piece of the transfer system of this embodiment is rotated and moved from location (D) to location (B).

[0048] Figure 21 This is a schematic diagram showing the state of the transfer device of the transfer system in this embodiment, which holds the component based on the center position of the robot coordinate transporter.

[0049] Figure 22 This is a flowchart illustrating the method for calculating the reference position of the transfer system in this embodiment.

[0050] Figure 23 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for calculating the camera coordinates and center position of the circumferential transporter in a transfer system of a modified embodiment of this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0051] Hereinafter, embodiments embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0052] Reference Figures 1-22 The structure of the transfer system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Furthermore, the transfer system 100 is an example of the "object handling system" claimed in the claims.

[0053] like Figure 1 As shown, the transfer system 100 is a system for transferring the supplied component Er to a designated location. Furthermore, component Er is an example of the "object" in the claims.

[0054] Specifically, the transfer system 100 includes a device cover 1, a base 2, a holding device 3, a circumferential conveyor 4, a component supply device 5, a transfer device 6, a camera 7, and a control device 8. The circumferential conveyor 4 is an example of the "transfer unit" and "circumferential transport unit" in the claims. The transfer device 6 is an example of the "operating device" in the claims. The camera 7 is an example of the "position detection unit" in the claims.

[0055] Here, the vertical direction is designated as the Z direction, the upward direction as the Z1 direction, and the downward direction as the Z2 direction. The direction in which the circumferential transporter 4 and the transfer device 6 are arranged in the horizontal direction is designated as the X direction, the transfer device 6 side in the X direction is designated as the X1 direction, and the circumferential transporter 4 side in the X direction is designated as the X2 direction. The direction in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the X direction is designated as the Y direction, one side of the Y direction is designated as the Y1 direction, and the other side of the Y direction is designated as the Y2 direction.

[0056] The device cover 1 is a cover having a space that houses the base 2, holding device 3, circumferential conveyor 4, component supply device 5, transfer device 6, camera 7, and control device 8. The device cover 1 is fixed to the ground Fr. The base 2 is fixed to the bottom surface of the device cover 1. The holding device 3, circumferential conveyor 4, component supply device 5, and transfer device 6 are fixed on the base 2. The holding device 3 is configured to hold the tray Pa on which the component Er is placed. Alternatively, the holding device 3 can also be configured to hold the base plate or the like on which the component Er is mounted.

[0057] The circumferential conveyor 4 is configured to hold the component Er in a holding area Arh (see reference 61) via the transfer device 6, which is described later as a holding part. Figure 2 The conveying component Er. That is, the circumferential conveyor 4 is configured to convey the component Er along the circumferential Cv direction by rotating about a rotation center axis Cr extending in the Z direction. Furthermore, the circumferential conveyor 4 is circular when viewed from the Z1 direction side, but it can also be an arc-shaped conveyor. Additionally, the holding area Arh is an example of the "working area" in the claims.

[0058] The circumferential conveyor 4 includes a conveyor unit 41, a motor 42, and a rotation angle sensor 43. The conveyor unit 41 has a mounting surface for a component Er. The conveyor unit 41 is configured to rotate in one and another circumferential direction about the rotation center axis Cr by means of a driving force transmitted from the motor 42. The rotation angle sensor 43 is configured to output a signal for obtaining the rotational angular position of the circumferential conveyor 4. The rotation angle sensor 43 may be, for example, an encoder that outputs a pulse signal, but may also have other structures.

[0059] Here, the circumferential direction around the rotation center axis Cr of the circumferential conveyor 4 is defined as the Cv direction, one side of the Cv direction is defined as the Cv1 direction, and the other side of the Cv direction is defined as the Cv2 direction. In addition, the Cv direction, Cv1 direction, and Cv2 direction are examples of the "transport direction" in the claims.

[0060] The component supply device 5 is configured to supply component Er to the mounting surface of the conveyor section 41 of the circumferential conveyor 4. The component supply device 5 is disposed inside the circumferential conveyor 4. That is, the component supply device 5 is configured to supply component Er, which is stuck on the Z2 direction side, to the mounting surface of the conveyor section 41 by moving component Er on the Z1 direction side. Furthermore, the above-described structure of the component supply device 5 is an example; the component supply device 5 may also be disposed outside the circumferential conveyor 4, for example.

[0061] (Transfer device)

[0062] like Figure 1 As shown, the transfer device 6 is composed of a horizontal multi-joint (SCARA) robot. The transfer device 6 is a robot whose arm moves in the XY direction (horizontal direction). The transfer device 6 is a device for performing operations such as transferring parts Er to trays Pa or substrates.

[0063] The transfer device 6 includes a holding part 61, a base 62, a first arm 63, a second arm 64, a motor 65, and a motor 66.

[0064] The retaining part 61 is configured to be in the retaining region Arh (refer to) Figure 2 The holding part 61 holds the component Er. For example, it can hold the component Er by suction and holding it with negative pressure, or it can be a handle that clamps the component Er. The holding part 61 is configured to transfer the held component Er to the tray Pa or substrate, etc. Thus, the operation performed by the holding part 61 is not limited to holding, but in the following description, holding will be described as an example of the operation of the holding part 61. The base 62 is a component for fixing the transfer device 6 to the mounting surface of the base 2.

[0065] The first arm 63 is mounted on the base 62 in a manner that allows it to rotate relative to a rotational center axis Ca1 extending in a direction parallel to the Z direction. The first arm 63 includes a first motor 63a, a first reducer 63b, and an arm cover 63c. The second arm 64 is mounted on the first arm 63 in a manner that allows it to rotate relative to a rotational center axis Ca2 extending in a direction parallel to the Z direction. The second arm 64 includes a second motor 64a, a second reducer 64b, and an arm cover 64c.

[0066] Motor 65 is a drive source for a lifting device (not shown) that drives the holding part 61 to rise and fall. Motor 66 is a drive source for a rotary drive device (not shown) that drives the holding part 61 to rotate.

[0067] Thus, the transfer device 6 is configured to transfer component Er by means of a holding part 61 that moves by the rotation of the first arm 63 and the rotation of the second arm 64.

[0068] (camera)

[0069] Camera 7 is configured to be in the shooting area Ari (refer to) Figure 2 The camera 7 is configured to capture an image Im (refer to) of the object on the circumferential transport machine 4, including the component Er, the setting piece Ch0, and the setting piece Ch1. Figure 5 Camera 7 is fixedly positioned to capture the shooting area Ari. Camera 7 is fixed to a fixed position in the Z1 direction of the shooting area Ari on the inner surface (top surface) of the device housing 1 on the Z1 direction side. The shooting area Ari is set at a position greater than the holding area Arh of the holding member Er held by the holding part 61 of the transfer device 6 (see reference). Figure 2 The position of the component Er is upstream in the Cv1 direction (or Cv2 direction) of the transport component Er. The camera 7 is configured to acquire an image Im upstream of the holding area Arh in the transport direction Cv, for detecting the position of the component Er, etc., on the circumferential transport machine 4. Furthermore, the image Im is an example of the "position detection information" in the claims. Each of the setting sheet Ch0 and setting sheet Ch1 is an example of the "object" in the claims.

[0070] (Control device)

[0071] like Figure 2 As shown, the control device 8 performs the following control: based on the object camera image coordinate position of component Er within the captured image Im by camera 7 and the rotation angle θ0 of component Er carried by circumferential conveyor 4, it calculates the holding position Ph of component Er held by holding part 61 in holding area Arh. Furthermore, the holding position Ph is an example of the "operating position" in the claims.

[0072] The control device 8 includes a main control unit 8a, a counting unit 8b, and an image processing unit 8c. The main control unit 8a, the counting unit 8b, and the image processing unit 8c each include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory including RAM (Random Access Memory), and a storage unit including an SSD (Solid State Drive) and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). Furthermore, the above-described structure of the control device 8 is an example, and other structures are also possible.

[0073] The main control unit 8a stores the component transfer program for the transfer component Er in its storage section. Additionally, the main control unit 8a stores the camera scale ratio CSR, the camera offset CO for maintaining position, the robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC, and the transporter scale ratio CBD, all acquired for the transfer component Er and described later. The main control unit 8a's storage section also stores the setting chip Ch0 (described later) for recognizing the image Im captured by the camera 7. Figure 5 ) and setting piece Ch1 (refer to) Figure 5 ), and stores the respective shapes of setting chip Ch0 and setting chip Ch1 ( Figure 5 (The solid line portion). Furthermore, the ARC position of the robot coordinate transporter's rotation center is an example of the "reference position" and "rotation center position of the work device coordinate transport unit" in the claims.

[0074] The counting unit 8b stores a program for counting the pulse signals output from the rotation angle sensor 43. The counting unit 8b also stores the count values ​​of the counted pulse signals. The image processing unit 8c stores a program for image processing the captured image Im of the shooting area Ari captured by the camera 7. The image processing unit 8c stores the processed captured image Im. The main control unit 8a controls the transfer unit Er based on the count values ​​sent from the counting unit 8b and the captured image Im sent from the image processing unit 8c.

[0075] The control device 8 is electrically connected to the holding device 3, the circumferential conveyor 4, the component supply device 5, the transfer device 6, and the camera 7, respectively.

[0076] The aforementioned camera scale ratio CSR, camera offset CO for maintaining position, robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC, and transporter scale ratio CBD are calculated and set (calibrated) at a specified time before the transfer of the starting component Er.

[0077] Here, in Figure 3 In the calibration of the comparative example shown, at locations (D), (E), and (F), the user moves the holding part 261 of the transfer device 206 to the respective positions of the setting piece Ch0 and the setting piece Ch1, and the control device calculates the coordinate positions of the setting pieces Ch0 and Ch1 in the transfer device coordinate system Ro. The coordinate positions of the setting pieces Ch0 and Ch1 in the transfer device coordinate system Ro are calculated by the control device based on the pre-registered lengths of the first arm, the second arm, and the holding part 261 of the transfer device 206.

[0078] However, the actual lengths of the first arm, second arm, and holding part 261 of the transfer device 206 differ from the pre-registered lengths due to individual differences in the size of the transfer device 206, individual differences during assembly, wobbling of the first and second arms, and errors in the amount of movement of the holding part 261 of the transfer device 206 by the user. Therefore, an error arises between the center coordinate position Cca of the rotation center of the circumferential conveyor 204 calculated based on the coordinate positions of the setting pieces Ch0 at locations (D), (E), and (F) in the transfer device coordinate system Ro, and the actual center coordinate position Cc of the rotation center of the circumferential conveyor 204. Consequently, the trajectory of the transport member Er around the center coordinate position Cca of the circumferential conveyor 204 differs from the trajectory of the transport member Er around the center coordinate position Cc of the circumferential conveyor 204, and therefore, the holding part 261 cannot hold the member Er within the holding area Arh.

[0079] Therefore, the control device 8 in this embodiment is configured to accurately calculate the rotation center position of the circumferential conveyor 4 by performing accurate calibration. Specifically, as Figures 4-20 As shown, the control device 8 calculates the camera image coordinates of the object in the captured image Im based on the image Im captured by the camera 7. Based on the calculated camera image coordinates of the object, the control device 8 calculates the rotation center position ARC of the robot coordinate transporter. Thus, the control device 8 calculates the rotation center position ARC of the robot coordinate transporter based on the captured image Im, which is used to calculate the holding position Ph of the transfer device 6 when operating on the component Er, etc. At this time, the control device 8 not only pre-calculates and sets the rotation center position ARC of the robot coordinate transporter, but also pre-calculates and sets the camera scale ratio CSR, the camera offset CO for holding position, and the transporter scale ratio CBD. This pre-setting (calibration) is included in the component transfer procedure processing. Hereinafter, refer to... Figures 4-20 The structure of control device 8 will be described.

[0080] (Camera scale ratio)

[0081] First, calculate the camera scale ratio (CSR).

[0082] Specifically, such as Figure 4 As shown, the setting sheet Ch0 and setting sheet Ch1 are moved sequentially along the Cv1 direction while being stopped at locations (A), (B), (C), (D), (E), and (F) respectively by the circumferential conveyor 4. At locations (A), (B), and (C), the setting sheet Ch0 and setting sheet Ch1 are photographed by the camera 7.

[0083] Control device 8 identifies setting piece Ch0 and setting piece Ch1 in the respective captured images Im at locations (A), (B), and (C) based on their respective shapes stored in the storage unit. Control device 8 determines the intersection point Pin (the point where the X-shaped lines representing the shapes of setting pieces Ch0 and Ch1 identified within the captured image Im intersect). Figure 4 The control only describes the control of the setting chip Ch1 at location (A). Then, the control device 8 calculates the positions of the intersection points Pin at (A), (B), and (C) as the setting points Ch0 and Ch1 respectively. Figure 5 The control of the camera image coordinate position of the object on the camera image coordinate system Pi is shown. Here, as an example, such as Figure 5 As shown, the origin of the camera image coordinate system Pi is set to the lower right corner of the captured image Im. The camera image coordinate system Pi is based on the pixel values ​​(pixels) of camera 7.

[0084] Furthermore, at locations (D), (E), and (F), the user moves the holding part 61 of the transfer device 6 to the respective positions of the setting piece Ch0 and the setting piece Ch1, and the control device 8 calculates the coordinate positions of the setting pieces Ch0 and Ch1 in the transfer device coordinate system Ro. The coordinate positions in the transfer device coordinate system Ro at locations (D), (E), and (F) are the object robot coordinate positions RoD, RoE, and RoF, respectively. Additionally, the control device 8 calculates the pulse signals of the rotation angle sensors 43 at locations (A), (B), (C), (D), (E), and (F). Furthermore, the object robot coordinate positions RoD, RoE, and RoF are examples of the "object working device coordinate positions" in the claims. The transfer device coordinate system Ro is an example of the "working device coordinate system" in the claims.

[0085] like Figure 5 As shown, the control device 8 performs the following control: at location (B), based on the captured images Im of the setting piece Ch0 and setting piece Ch1 taken by the camera 7, the distance CM between the two setting pieces Ch0 and Ch1 on the circumferential conveyor 4 in the camera image coordinate system Pi is calculated. Specifically, the control device 8 performs the control to calculate the distance CM based on the processing result of mathematical formula 1.

[0086] Mathematical Formula 1

[0087] Here, PiB0x and PiB0y are the X and Y coordinate positions of the setting piece Ch0 for location (B) in the camera image coordinate system Pi, respectively. Additionally, PiB1x and PiB1y are the X and Y coordinate positions of the setting piece Ch1 for location (B) in the camera image coordinate system Pi, respectively.

[0088] like Figure 6 As shown, the control device 8 calculates and controls the distance TM1 between the two setting pieces Ch0 and Ch1 on the circumferential conveyor 4 in the transfer device coordinate system Ro at location (D). Specifically, the control device 8 calculates and controls the distance TM1 based on the processing result of mathematical formula 2.

[0089] Mathematical formula 2

[0090] Here, RoD0x and RoD0y are the X and Y coordinates of the object robot coordinate position RoD0, which is the location set by the piece Ch0 at point (D) in the transfer device coordinate system Ro. Similarly, RoD1x and RoD1y are the X and Y coordinates of the object robot coordinate position RoD1, which is the location set by the piece Ch1 at point (D) in the transfer device coordinate system Ro. As an example, the origin of the transfer device coordinate system Ro is the intersection of the plane of the boundary portion of the first arm 63 and the base 62 and the rotation center axis Ca1. The transfer device coordinate system Ro is represented based on the distance (mm) in the X direction and the distance (mm) in the Y direction from the origin.

[0091] Then, the control device 8 performs control to calculate the ratio of distance CM to distance TM1, i.e., the camera scale ratio CSR. Specifically, the control device 8 performs the following control: after rotating the two setting pieces Ch0 and Ch1 from the shooting area Ari to the holding area Arh, it divides the distance CM (pixel distance), which represents the distance between the pixel values ​​of the two setting pieces Ch0 and Ch1 on the circumferential transport machine 4, by the distance TM1 between the two setting pieces Ch0 and Ch1 on the circumferential transport machine 4, thereby calculating the camera scale ratio CSR. The calculated camera scale ratio CSR is the ratio of converting the units (pixels) of the camera image coordinate system Pi to the units (mm) of the camera coordinate system Ca.

[0092] Specifically, the control device 8 calculates the camera scale ratio (CSR) based on the processing results of mathematical formula 3.

[0093] Mathematical Formula 3

[0094] (Center coordinates of the circumferential conveyor)

[0095] Next, as Figure 7 As shown, the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter 4 is calculated. Furthermore, the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter is an example of the "rotation center position of the camera coordinate transport unit" in the claims.

[0096] The control device 8 performs the following control: at locations (A), (B), and (C), based on the captured images Im of the setting film Ch0 and setting film Ch1 taken by the camera 7, it calculates the coordinate positions of the two setting films Ch0 and Ch1 on the circumferential transporter 4 in the camera coordinate system Ca. The camera coordinate system Ca is represented based on the distance (mm) in the X direction and the distance (mm) in the Y direction from the origin of the camera coordinate system Ca.

[0097] Here, the control device 8 calculates the coordinate positions of the first object camera AC0, the second object camera BC0, the third object camera CC0, and the fourth object camera BC1 as the coordinate positions of the camera coordinate system Ca based on the captured images Im at locations (A), (B), and (C).

[0098] The first object camera coordinate position AC0 has the X and Y coordinate positions of the setting piece Ch0 for point (A) in camera coordinate system Ca. The X and Y coordinate positions of the setting piece Ch0 for point (A) are AC0x and AC0y, respectively. The second object camera coordinate position BC0 has the X and Y coordinate positions of the setting piece Ch0 for point (B) in camera coordinate system Ca. The X and Y coordinate positions of the setting piece Ch0 for point (B) are BC0x and BC0y, respectively. The third object camera coordinate position CC0 has the X and Y coordinate positions of the setting piece Ch0 for point (C) in camera coordinate system Ca. The X and Y coordinate positions of the setting piece Ch0 for point (C) are CC0x and CC0y, respectively.

[0099] In addition, the fourth object camera coordinate position BC1 has the X-coordinate position and Y-coordinate position of the setting piece Ch1 of location (B) in the camera coordinate system Ca. The X-coordinate position and Y-coordinate position of the setting piece Ch1 of location (B) are BC1x and BC1y, respectively.

[0100] Here, the control device 8 calculates the first object camera image coordinate position PiA0, the second object camera image coordinate position PiB0, and the third object camera image coordinate position PiC0 based on the X and Y coordinate positions of the setting piece Ch0 at location (A), location (B), and location (C). The control device 8 also calculates the camera coordinate conveyor rotation center position CCC based on the first object camera coordinate position AC0, the second object camera coordinate position BC0, and the third object camera coordinate position CC0 obtained by converting the first object camera image coordinate position PiA0, the second object camera image coordinate position PiB0, and the third object camera image coordinate position PiC0 using the camera scale ratio CSR.

[0101] Specifically, the control device 8, based on the processing result of mathematical formula 4, calculates and controls the X coordinate AC0x of the first object camera coordinate position AC0 of the location setting piece Ch0. Here, CPH in formula 4 is the maximum value of the X coordinate of the camera image coordinate system Pi.

[0102] Mathematical expression 4

[0103] Furthermore, based on the processing result of mathematical formula 5, the control device 8 calculates and controls the Y coordinate AC0y of the first object camera coordinate position AC0 of the location setting piece Ch0. Here, CPV in mathematical formula 5 is the maximum value of the Y coordinate of the camera image coordinate system Pi.

[0104] Mathematical formula 5

[0105] In addition, based on the processing results of mathematical formula 6, the control device 8 calculates and controls the X coordinate BC0x of the second object camera coordinate position BC0 of the setting piece Ch0 of location (B).

[0106] Mathematical formula 6

[0107] In addition, based on the processing results of mathematical formula 7, the control device 8 calculates the Y coordinate BC0y of the second object camera coordinate position BC0 of the setting piece Ch0 of location (B).

[0108] Mathematical Formula 7

[0109] In addition, based on the processing results of mathematical formula 8, the control device 8 calculates and controls the X coordinate BC1x of the fourth object camera coordinate position BC1 of the (B) location setting chip Ch1.

[0110] Mathematical formula 8

[0111] In addition, based on the processing results of mathematical formula 9, the control device 8 calculates the Y coordinate BC1y of the fourth object camera coordinate position BC1 of the (B) location setting chip Ch1.

[0112] Mathematical formula 9

[0113] In addition, based on the processing results of Equation 10, the control device 8 calculates the X coordinate CC0x of the third object camera coordinate position CC0 of the location setting chip Ch0.

[0114] Mathematical formula 10

[0115] In addition, the control device 8 controls the Y coordinate CC0y of the third object camera coordinate position CC0 of the location setting chip Ch0 based on the processing result of mathematical formula 11.

[0116] Mathematical formula 11

[0117] Based on the processing results of mathematical formula 12, control device 8 controls the X-coordinate position of the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter.

[0118] Mathematical expression 12

[0119] In addition, the control device 8 controls the Y-coordinate position of the camera coordinate transporter rotation center CCC based on the processing result of mathematical formula 13.

[0120] Mathematical formula 13

[0121] (Transportation machine scale ratio)

[0122] Next, refer to Figure 8 as well as Figure 9 The calculation of the scale ratio CBD of the conveyor is explained.

[0123] like Figure 8As shown, the control device 8 performs control based on the camera coordinate transporter rotation center position CCC and the second object camera coordinate position BC0 to calculate the radius R0. Specifically, the control device 8 calculates the radius R0 based on the processing result of Equation 14.

[0124] Mathematical formula 14

[0125] In addition, the control device 8 performs control based on the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter and the coordinate position BC1 of the fourth object camera to calculate the radius R1. Specifically, the control device 8 performs control based on the processing result of mathematical formula 15 to calculate the radius R1.

[0126] Mathematical formula 15

[0127] like Figure 9 As shown, the control device 8 performs control based on the camera coordinate transporter rotation center position CCC, the first object camera coordinate position AC0, and the third object camera coordinate position CC0 to calculate the transporter center angle CK (rad). Furthermore, the transporter center angle CK is an example of the "second rotation angle" in the claims.

[0128] Specifically, the control device 8 calculates the chord length L (mm) based on the processing result of mathematical formula 16.

[0129] Mathematical formula 16

[0130] In addition, the control device 8 calculates and controls the center angle CK of the conveyor based on the processing results of mathematical formulas 17 to 19.

[0131] Mathematical formula 17

[0132] Mathematical formula 18

[0133] Mathematical formula 19

[0134] The control device 8 calculates the pulse difference PD of the conveyor based on the difference between the pulse signal A2 of the rotation angle sensor 43 at location (A) and the pulse signal C2 of the rotation angle sensor 43 at location (C). Specifically, the control device 8 calculates the conveying pulse difference PD based on the processing result of PD = C2 - A2.

[0135] Then, after moving the setting piece Ch0 within the shooting area Ari, the control device 8 calculates the transporter center angle CK based on the object camera coordinate position ACO of the setting piece Ch0 before and after the movement around the camera coordinate transporter rotation center position CCC. The control device 8 also calculates the difference in output values ​​of the rotation angle sensor 43 before and after the movement, i.e., the transport pulse difference PD. The control device 8 calculates the transporter scale ratio CBR by dividing the transporter center angle CK by the transporter pulse difference PD. Specifically, the control device 8 calculates the transporter scale ratio CBR (rad / pulse) based on the processing result CBR = CK / PD. Furthermore, the transporter scale ratio CBR is an example of the "circumferential transport section scale ratio" in the claims.

[0136] In addition, the control device 8 calculates and controls the conveyor scale ratio CBD (deg / pulse) based on the processing results of Equation 20.

[0137] Mathematical formula 20

[0138] The calculated conveyor scale ratio CBD is the ratio of the signal (pulse) output by the rotation angle sensor 43 to the rotation angle (deg).

[0139] (Center position is determined by camera offset)

[0140] Next, refer to Figures 10-16 The calculation of the camera offset D for the center position is explained. Furthermore, the camera offset D for the center position is an example of the "camera offset" in the claims.

[0141] like Figure 10 As shown, the control device 8 calculates the rotation angle DK (rad) from point (B) to point (D) with the camera coordinate transporter rotation center position CCC as the center. That is, the control device 8 calculates the rotation angle DK between the second object camera coordinate position BC0 and the object robot coordinate position RoD with the camera coordinate transporter rotation center position CCC as the center, based on the transporter scale ratio CBR.

[0142] Here, the control device 8 performs the following control: It multiplies the difference between the pulse signal B2 of the rotation angle sensor 43 at location (B) and the pulse signal D2 of the rotation angle sensor 43 at location (D), i.e., the conveyor pulse difference, by the conveyor scale ratio CBR, thereby calculating the rotation angle DK (rad). Specifically, the control device 8 performs control based on the processing result of DK = (|D2-B2|×CBR)×DIR to calculate the rotation angle DK. Here, DIR represents the rotation direction of the circumferential conveyor 4. For example, DIR is -1 if it is the Cv1 direction, or +1 if it is the Cv2 direction.

[0143] like Figure 11 As shown, the control device 8 uses the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter as the origin to control the calculation of the angle BD0 (rad) of the setting piece Ch0 at location (B). That is, the control device 8 calculates the angle BD0 based on the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter and the coordinate position BC0 of the second object camera. Specifically, the control device 8 calculates the angle BD0 based on the processing result of mathematical formula 21.

[0144] Mathematical expression 21

[0145] like Figure 12 As shown, control device 8 uses the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter as the origin to control the calculation of the angle BD1 (rad) of the setting piece Ch1 at location (B). That is, control device 8 calculates the angle BD1 based on the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter and the coordinate position BC1 of the fourth object camera. Specifically, control device 8 calculates the angle BD1 based on the processing result of mathematical formula 22.

[0146] Mathematical expression 22

[0147] like Figure 13 As shown, control device 8 performs (B) control by calculating the tilt angle BCI (rad) of the vector from the setting piece Ch0 to the setting piece Ch1. That is, control device 8 performs control by calculating the tilt angle BCI based on the coordinate positions BC0 of the second object camera and BC1 of the fourth object camera. Specifically, control device 8 performs control by calculating the tilt angle BCI based on the processing result of mathematical formula 23.

[0148] Mathematical expression 23

[0149] like Figure 14As shown, the control device 8 performs control by calculating the tilt angle DCI (rad) of the vector from the setting piece Ch0 at location (D) toward the setting piece Ch1. That is, the control device 8 calculates the tilt angle DCI based on the object robot coordinate position RoD in the transfer device coordinate system Ro at location (D). Specifically, the control device 8 calculates the tilt angle DCI based on the processing result of mathematical formula 24.

[0150] Mathematical expression 24

[0151] Therefore, as Figure 15 As shown, the control device 8 calculates the offset angle, i.e., the rotation angle BDD (rad), between the transfer device coordinate system Ro and the camera coordinate system Ca based on the rotation angle DK, the tilt angle BCI at location (B), and the tilt angle DCI at location (D). Specifically, the control device 8 calculates the rotation angle BDD based on the processing result of BDD = DCI - (BCI + DK). Furthermore, the rotation angle BDD is an example of the "first rotation angle" in the claims.

[0152] The control device 8 performs the following control: Based on the difference between the object robot coordinate position RoD0 (RoD1) within the holding area Arh calculated after the setting piece Ch0 (and setting piece Ch1) rotates and moves from the shooting area Ari to the holding area Arh, and the moved object camera coordinate position DC0 (and moved object camera coordinate position DC1) after rotating and moving the second object camera coordinate position BC0 (and fourth object camera coordinate position BC1) in the shooting area Ari around the camera coordinate transporter rotation center position CCC to the object robot coordinate position RoD, the camera offset D for the center position is calculated. Additionally, Figure 15 In the image, a double-dotted line is used to represent the setting of the camera coordinate position DC0 of the object after movement, using the image Ch0.

[0153] That is, the control device 8 calculates and controls the X-coordinate position DC0x of the moved object's camera coordinate position DC0 after the location setting piece Ch0 rotates and moves around the camera coordinate transporter rotation center position CCC of the circumferential transporter 4. Specifically, the control device 8 calculates and controls the X-coordinate position DC0x of the moved object's camera coordinate position DC0x based on the processing result of DC0x = R0 × cos((BD0 + DK) + BDD). Additionally, the control device 8 calculates and controls the Y-coordinate position DC0y of the moved object's camera coordinate position DC0 after the location setting piece Ch0 rotates and moves around the camera coordinate transporter rotation center position CCC of the circumferential transporter 4. Specifically, the control device 8 calculates and controls the Y-coordinate position DC0y of the moved object's camera coordinate position DC0 based on the processing result of DC0y = R0 × sin((BD0 + DK) + BDD).

[0154] In addition, such as Figure 16 As shown, the control device 8 performs the following control: It calculates the X-coordinate position DC1x of the moved object's camera coordinate position DC1 after the setting piece Ch1 at location (B) rotates and moves around the camera coordinate transporter rotation center position CCC of the circumferential transporter 4. Specifically, the control device 8 calculates the X-coordinate position DC1x of the moved object's camera coordinate position DC1 based on the processing result of DC1x = R1 × cos((BD1 + DK) + BDD). Additionally, the control device 8 calculates the Y-coordinate position DC1y of the moved object's camera coordinate position DC1 after the setting piece Ch1 at location (B) rotates and moves around the camera coordinate transporter rotation center position CCC of the circumferential transporter 4. Specifically, the control device 8 calculates the Y-coordinate position DC1y of the moved object's camera coordinate position DC1 based on the processing result of DC1y = R1 × sin((BD1 + DK) + BDD).

[0155] Control device 8 performs the following control: Based on the difference between the X-coordinate position RoD0x of the object robot's coordinate position RoD and the X-coordinate position DC0x of the object's camera coordinate position DC0 after movement, it calculates the X component DO0x of the camera offset D used to correct the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter. Specifically, control device 8 calculates the X component DO0x of the camera offset D used to correct the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter based on the processing result of DO0x = RoD0x - DC0x. Additionally, control device 8 performs the following control: Based on the difference between the Y-coordinate position RoD0y of the object robot's coordinate position RoD and the Y-coordinate position DC0y of the object's camera coordinate position DC0 after movement, it calculates the Y component DO0y of the camera offset D used to correct the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter. Specifically, control device 8 calculates the Y component DO0y of the camera offset D used to correct the rotation center position CCC based on the processing result of DO0y = RoD0y - DC0y.

[0156] In addition, the control device 8 performs the following control: Based on the difference between the X-coordinate position RoD1x of the object robot's coordinate position RoD and the X-coordinate position DC1x of the object camera's coordinate position DC1 after movement, it calculates the X component DO1x of the camera offset D used to correct the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter. Specifically, the control device 8 controls the calculation of the X component DO1x of the camera offset D for the center position based on the processing result of DO1x = RoD1x - DC1x. Furthermore, the control device 8 performs the following control: Based on the difference between the Y-coordinate position RoD1y of the object robot's coordinate position RoD and the Y-coordinate position DC1y of the object camera's coordinate position DC1 after movement, it calculates the Y component DO1y of the camera offset D used to correct the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter. Specifically, the control device 8 controls the calculation of the Y component DO1y of the camera offset D for the center position based on the processing result of DO1y = RoD1y - DC1y.

[0157] (Position of the rotation center of the robot coordinate transporter)

[0158] Therefore, the control device 8 performs the following control: It corrects the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter using either the X component DO0x or the Y component DO0y of the camera offset D for the center position, or the X component DO1x or the Y component DO1y of the camera offset D for the center position, thereby calculating the rotation center position ARC of the robot coordinate transporter. Specifically, the control device 8 performs the following control: it calculates the rotation center position ARC of the robot coordinate transporter by comparing the difference between the corrected object camera coordinate position DC0 (or the corrected object camera coordinate position DC1) and the object robot coordinate position RoD calculated by the transfer device 6, which is the amount of the camera offset D for the center position.

[0159] (Maintain position using camera offset)

[0160] Next, refer to Figures 17-20 The calculation of the camera offset CO for maintaining position is explained.

[0161] like Figure 17 As shown, the control device 8 uses the rotation center position ARC of the robot coordinate transporter as the origin to control the angle ADD0 (rad) of the setting piece Ch0 of the (D) location. That is, the control device 8 controls the angle ADD0 based on the rotation center position ARC of the robot coordinate transporter and the object robot coordinate position RoD0. Specifically, the control device 8 controls the angle ADD0 based on the processing result of Equation 25. Here, ARCx is the X coordinate position of the rotation center position ARC of the robot coordinate transporter. In addition, ARCy is the Y coordinate position of the rotation center position ARC of the robot coordinate transporter.

[0162] Mathematical expression 25

[0163] like Figure 18 As shown, the control device 8 uses the rotation center position ARC of the robot coordinate transporter as the origin to control the angle ADD1 (rad) of the (D) location setting piece Ch1. That is, the control device 8 controls the angle ADD1 based on the rotation center position ARC of the robot coordinate transporter and the object robot coordinate position RoD1. Specifically, the control device 8 controls the angle ADD1 based on the processing result of mathematical formula 26.

[0164] Mathematical expression 26

[0165] like Figure 19As shown, the control device 8 performs the following control: It calculates the X-coordinate position BF0x of the set piece Ch0 at location (D) to rotate and move to the new coordinate position BF0 at location (B) around the robot coordinate transport rotation center position ARC of the circumferential transporter 4. Specifically, the control device 8 calculates the X-coordinate position BF0x of the new coordinate position BF0 based on the processing result of BF0x = R0 × cos(ADD0 + DK) + ARCx. Furthermore, the control device 8 calculates the Y-coordinate position BF0y of the set piece Ch0 at location (D) to rotate and move to the new coordinate position BF0 at location (B) around the robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC of the circumferential transporter 4. Specifically, the control device 8 calculates the Y-coordinate position BF0y of the new coordinate position BF0 based on the processing result of BF0y = R0 × sin(ADD0 + DK) + ARCy.

[0166] like Figure 20 As shown, the control device 8 calculates the X-coordinate BF1x of the moving coordinate position BF1 of the set piece Ch1 at location (D) around the rotation center position ARC of the robot coordinate transporter 4, and moves it to location (B). Specifically, the control device 8 calculates the X-coordinate BF1x of the moving coordinate position BF1 based on the processing result of BF1x = R1 × cos(ADD1 + DK) + ARCx. Additionally, the control device 8 calculates the Y-coordinate BF1y of the moving coordinate position BF1 of the set piece Ch1 at location (D) around the rotation center position ARC of the robot coordinate transporter 4, and moves it to location (B). Specifically, the control device 8 calculates the Y-coordinate BF1y of the moving coordinate position BF1 based on the processing result of BF1y = R1 × sin(ADD1 + DK) + ARCy.

[0167] Therefore, the control device 8 controls the calculation of the midpoint BFC between the moved coordinate positions BF0 and BF1. Specifically, the control device 8 calculates the X-coordinate BFCx of the midpoint BFC based on the processing result of BFCx = (BF0x + BF1x) / 2. Additionally, the control device 8 calculates the Y-coordinate BFCy of the midpoint BFC based on the processing result of BFCy = (BF0y + BF1y) / 2.

[0168] Furthermore, the control device 8 controls the calculation of the midpoint BM between the second object camera coordinate position BC0 of the setting piece Ch0 at location (B) and the fourth object camera coordinate position BC1 of the setting piece Ch1 at location (B). Specifically, the control device 8 calculates the X-coordinate BMx of the midpoint BM based on the processing result of BMx = (B0x + B1x) / 2. Additionally, the control device 8 calculates the Y-coordinate BY of the midpoint BM based on the processing result of BY = (B0y + B1y) / 2.

[0169] In addition, the control device 8 calculates and controls the offset angle between the transfer device coordinate system Ro and the camera coordinate system Ca, i.e., the rotation angle DBD, based on the tilt angle DCI, tilt angle BCI, and rotation angle DK. Specifically, the control device 8 calculates and controls the rotation angle DBD based on the processing result of DBD = (DCI + DK) - BCI.

[0170] Then, control device 8 performs control to calculate the midpoint BHC based on the rotation angle DBD and the midpoint BM. Specifically, control device 8 calculates the X component BHCx of the midpoint BHC based on the processing result of BHCx = cos(DBD) × BMx - sin(DBD) × BMy. Additionally, control device 8 calculates the Y component BHCy of the midpoint BHC based on the processing result of BHCy = sin(DBD) × BMx + cos(DBD) × BMy.

[0171] Therefore, control device 8 performs control based on the difference between midpoint BFC and midpoint BHC to calculate the camera offset CO for maintaining the position. Specifically, control device 8 performs control based on the processing result of COx = BFCx - BHCx to calculate the X component COx of the camera offset CO for maintaining the position. In addition, control device 8 performs control based on the processing result of COy = BFCy - BHCy to calculate the Y component COy of the camera offset CO for maintaining the position.

[0172] The control device 8 calculates the rotation component of the camera offset CO, i.e., the camera rotation angle offset COr, based on the rotation angle DBD. Specifically, the control device 8 calculates the camera rotation angle offset COr based on the processing results of mathematical formulas 27 and 28.

[0173] Mathematical expression 27

[0174] Mathematical expression 28

[0175] Through the above processing, the camera scale ratio CSR, the transporter scale ratio CBD, the robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC corrected by the camera offset D based on the center position, and the camera offset CO for holding position are calculated. Table 1 shows the structure used in holding component Er in the above calculation. That is, the camera scale ratio CSR, transporter scale ratio CBD, robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC, and camera offset CO for holding position are stored in the storage unit of the control device 8 for use in holding component Er.

[0176] Table 1

[0177] Therefore, as Figure 21 As shown, the control device 8 controls the holding position Ph of component Er in the holding area Arh based on the calculated rotation center position ARC of the robot coordinate transporter. Specifically, the control device 8 controls the holding position Ph based on the coordinate position and the rotation angle θh. The coordinate position is obtained by correcting the camera coordinate position using the camera offset CO. The camera coordinate position is obtained by converting the camera image coordinate position in the image Im of component Er in the shooting area Arh captured by camera 7 using the camera scale ratio CSR. The rotation angle θh is obtained by converting the rotation center position ARC of the robot coordinate transporter using the transporter scale ratio CBD of component Er transported by the circumferential transporter 4.

[0178] (Reference position calculation method)

[0179] Here, refer to Figure 22 This paper explains the method for calculating the reference position of the rotation center position (ARC) of a computational coordinate transporter robot.

[0180] like Figure 22 As shown, in step S1, the object camera image coordinate position is calculated based on the captured image Im taken by camera 7. That is, in step S1, camera 7 captures the setting piece Ch0 and setting piece Ch1 of the imaging area Ari upstream of the holding area Arh in the transport direction Cv. Thus, step S1 is a step of calculating the captured image Im, which serves as position detection information for detecting the position of the setting piece Ch0 (and setting piece Ch1) on the circumferential conveyor 4, by using the fixedly configured camera 7. Then, in step S1, the object camera image coordinate positions (first object camera image coordinate position PiA0, second object camera image coordinate position PiB0, and third object camera image coordinate position PiC0) in the captured images Im of each of the setting pieces Ch0 and Ch1 are calculated.

[0181] Specifically, within the imaging region Ari, the coordinates of the intersection points Pin at point (A), (B), and (C) are calculated as the coordinates of the setting patch Ch0 and the setting patch Ch1 (see [reference]). Figure 4 ).

[0182] In step S2, the object robot coordinate position RoD (object robot coordinate position RoE and object robot coordinate position RoF) is calculated by the transfer device 6 (refer to...). Figure 4 Additionally, pulse signals from the rotation angle sensors 43 at locations (A), (B), (C), (D), (E), and (F) are obtained (see reference). Figure 4 ).

[0183] In step S3, the camera scale ratio CSR is calculated by dividing the distance CM by the distance TM1. Here, the distance CM is the distance between the two setting plates Ch0 and Ch1 on the circumferential conveyor 4, expressed as the pixel values ​​of each other (see reference). Figure 5 Additionally, distance TM1 is the distance between the two setting plates Ch0 and Ch1 on the circumferential conveyor 4 (see reference). Figure 6 ).

[0184] In step S4, the camera coordinate conveyor rotation center position CCC of the circumferential conveyor 4 is calculated (refer to...). Figure 7 Step S4 is the step of calculating the camera coordinate conveyor rotation center position CCC based on the first object camera coordinate position AC0, the second object camera coordinate position BC0, and the third object camera coordinate position CC0 obtained by transforming the first object camera image coordinate position PiA0, the second object camera image coordinate position PiB0, and the third object camera image coordinate position PiC0 through the camera scale ratio CSR. In step S5, the conveyor scale ratio CBD is calculated (refer to...). Figure 9 That is, the scale ratio CBD of the conveyor is calculated by dividing the center angle CK of the conveyor by the pulse difference PD of the conveyor.

[0185] In step S6, the center position is calculated using the camera offset D (refer to...). Figure 15 and Figure 16In step S7, the rotation center position ARC of the robot coordinate transporter is calculated by correcting the center position using the camera offset D. Thus, through steps S1 to S7, based on the first object camera image coordinate position PiA0, the second object camera image coordinate position PiB0, and the third object camera image coordinate position PiC0 in the acquired captured image Im, the rotation center position ARC of the robot coordinate transporter used to calculate the position of the transfer device 6 when operating on the component Er, etc., is calculated. Then, in step S8, after calculating the camera offset CO for maintaining the position, the reference position calculation method ends.

[0186] (Effects of this implementation method)

[0187] In this embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.

[0188] In this embodiment, as described above, the transfer system 100 includes a control device 8 that controls the robot coordinate transporter to calculate the rotation center position ARC (reference position) for the transfer device 6 to operate on the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) based on the captured image Im obtained by the camera 7. Therefore, compared to calculating the robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC (reference position) based on the position of the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) calculated by the transfer device 6, the effects of shaking of the transfer device 6 can be reduced, and thus the robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC (reference position) can be calculated accurately. As a result, the position of the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) transported by the circumferential transporter 4 to the holding area Arh (working area) can be calculated based on the accurately calculated robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC (reference position), and therefore the holding position Ph (working position) for the transfer device 6 to operate on the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) can be calculated accurately.

[0189] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the control device 8 calculates the holding position Ph in the holding area Arh of the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) based on the calculated rotation center position ARC of the robot coordinate transporter. Therefore, by using the rotation center position ARC of the robot coordinate transporter, the holding position Ph of the holding area Arh of the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) can be accurately calculated, thus enabling reliable transfer of the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) by the transfer device 6.

[0190] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the circumferential transporter 4 transports the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) in a circular shape along the circumferential direction around the rotation center axis Cr. The control device 8 calculates the robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC of the circumferential transporter 4 based on the captured image Im, using this as the robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC (reference position). Therefore, compared to calculating the rotation center position of the circumferential transporter 4 based on the position of the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) calculated by the transfer device 6, the influence of the transfer device 6's swaying and other factors can be reduced, thus enabling accurate calculation of the robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC. As a result, the position of the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) transported by the circumferential transporter 4 to the holding area Arh (work area) can be calculated using the accurately calculated robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC as the center. Therefore, the holding position Ph (work position) where the transfer device 6 operates on the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) when transporting objects such as parts Er along the Cv direction can be accurately calculated.

[0191] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the camera 7 is configured to capture an image Im of the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) on the circumferential transporter 4. The control device 8 performs the following control: based on the captured image Im, it calculates the object camera image coordinate position PiA0 (PiB0, PiC0) in the captured image Im, and based on the calculated object camera image coordinate position PiA0 (PiB0, PiC0), it calculates the robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC. Thus, by using the object camera image coordinate position PiA0 (PiB0, PiC0) in the captured image Im of the fixedly configured camera 7 and the transfer device 6, the robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC can be calculated, suppressing the effects of shaking of the transfer device 6, etc. Therefore, when transporting objects such as parts Er along the Cv direction, the robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC can be accurately calculated.

[0192] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the camera 7 is configured to capture an image area Ari on the circumferential transporter 4 that is upstream of the holding area Arh in the transport direction Cv. The control device 8 performs the following control: based on the image Im of the same object captured by the circumferential transporter 4 in the image area Ari, and the camera scale ratio CSR (which converts the pixel values ​​of the image Im into length values), it calculates the object camera coordinate position AC0 (BC0, CC0) after converting the object camera image coordinate position PiA0 (PiB0, PiC0). The control device 8 performs the following control: corrects the center position calculated based on the object robot coordinate position RoD (RoE, RoF) calculated using the transfer device 6 by the camera offset DO0 (DO1) to the camera coordinate transporter rotation center position CCC obtained based on the object camera coordinate position AC0 (BC0, CC0), thereby calculating the robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC. Therefore, the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter can be calculated using coordinate positions expressed in length, and the offset of the coordinate positions expressed in length can be corrected by the camera offset DO0 (DO1) using the center position. Thus, the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter can be accurately calculated using coordinate positions expressed in length.

[0193] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the control device 8 performs the following control: It calculates the camera offset DO0(DO1) for the center position based on the difference between the object robot coordinate position RoD within the holding area Arh calculated after the setting piece Ch0(Ch1) is moved from the shooting area Arh to the holding area Arh, and the object camera coordinate position DC0(DC1) after the object camera coordinate position BC0(BC1) in the shooting area Arh is rotated around the camera coordinate transport machine rotation center position CCC to the object robot coordinate position RoD. Thus, the camera offset DO0(DO1) for the center position is calculated based on the object camera coordinate position BC0(BC1), which is based on the captured image Im taken by the fixedly positioned camera 7. This reduces the influence of shaking of the transfer device 6, and therefore allows for accurate calculation of the camera offset DO0(DO1) for the center position.

[0194] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the transfer system 100 includes a rotation angle sensor 43 for calculating the rotation angle position of the circumferential transporter 4. The control device 8 calculates the offset angle, i.e., the rotation angle BDD, between the transfer device coordinate system Ro and the camera coordinate system Ca based on the transporter scale ratio CBD, which converts the output value of the rotation angle sensor 43 into an angle. Therefore, the rotation angle BDD, expressed as an angle calculated using the transporter scale ratio CBD, can be calculated using the camera coordinate transporter rotation center position CCC, thus enabling accurate calculation of the rotation angle BDD. Additionally, based on the aforementioned rotation angle BDD, the rotation component of the camera offset CO for maintaining the position, i.e., the camera rotation angle offset COr, can be calculated.

[0195] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, after the control device 8 moves the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) within the shooting area Ari, it performs control to calculate the transporter scale ratio CBD. This transporter scale ratio CBD is the ratio of the transporter center angle CK, calculated based on the object camera coordinate position AC0 (CC0) before and after the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) moves around the camera coordinate transporter rotation center position CCC, to the transporter pulse number difference PD, calculated based on the output value of the rotation angle sensor 43 before and after the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) moves. Therefore, by calculating the transporter center angle CK based on the object camera coordinate position AC0 (CC0) calculated using the image Im captured by the fixedly configured camera 7 and the camera coordinate transporter rotation center position CCC, the influence of the swaying of the transfer device 6 can be reduced when calculating the transporter center angle CK. As a result, the decrease in the accuracy of the transporter scale ratio CBD can be suppressed.

[0196] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the control device 8 controls the calculation of the camera scale ratio (CSR), which is the ratio of the distance TM1 between the two setting pieces Ch0 (Ch1) on the circumferential transporter 4 after they have been moved from the shooting area Ari to the holding area Arh, to the pixel distance CM, which represents the distance between the pixel values ​​of the two setting pieces Ch0 (Ch1) on the circumferential transporter 4 in the shooting area Ari. Therefore, the distance between the two setting pieces Ch0 (Ch1) on the circumferential transporter 4 is the distance between two setting pieces Ch0 (Ch1) positioned relatively close together, thus enabling distance calculation with reduced influence from the shaking of the transfer device 6. As a result, the camera scale ratio (CSR) can be calculated with high accuracy.

[0197] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the object camera image coordinate positions include a first object camera image coordinate position PiA0, a second object camera image coordinate position PiB0, and a third object camera image coordinate position PiC0, based on the captured image Im of the same setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) transported and captured by the circumferential transporter 4 in the shooting area Ari. The control device 8 calculates the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter based on the first object camera coordinate position AC0, the second object camera coordinate position BC0, and the third object camera coordinate position CC0 obtained by converting the first object camera image coordinate position PiA0, the second object camera image coordinate position PiB0, and the third object camera image coordinate position PiC0 through the camera scale ratio CSR. Thus, by using the three coordinate positions of the first object camera coordinate position AC0, the second object camera coordinate position BC0, and the third object camera coordinate position CC0, the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter can be easily calculated.

[0198] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the reference position calculation method includes a step S7 that calculates the robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC (reference position) for the transfer device 6 to perform operations on the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) based on the calculated captured image Im. Therefore, compared to calculating the robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC (reference position) based on the position of the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) calculated by the transfer device 6, the influence of the transfer device 6's swaying and other factors can be reduced, thus enabling accurate calculation of the robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC (reference position). As a result, the position of the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) transported by the circumferential transporter 4 to the holding area Arh (working area) can be calculated based on the accurately calculated robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC (reference position), thus providing a reference position calculation method that can accurately calculate the holding position Ph (working position) for the transfer device 6 to perform operations on the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1).

[0199] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, in the reference position calculation method, step S7, which calculates the rotation center position ARC (reference position) of the robot coordinate transporter, includes a step of calculating the rotation center position ARC of the circumferential transporter 4 based on the captured image Im as the robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC (reference position). Therefore, compared to calculating the rotation center position of the circumferential transporter 4 based on the position of the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) calculated by the transfer device 6, the influence of the swaying of the transfer device 6 can be reduced, thus enabling accurate calculation of the robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC. As a result, the position of the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) transported by the circumferential transporter 4 to the holding area Arh (work area) can be calculated using the accurately calculated robot coordinate transporter rotation center position ARC as the center. Therefore, the holding position Ph (work position) where the setting piece Ch0 (Ch1) is operated by the transfer device 6 when transporting objects such as the component Er along the Cv direction can be accurately calculated.

[0200] [Variation Example]

[0201] Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed herein should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive in all respects. The scope of the invention is defined not by the description of the embodiments above, but by the claims, and includes all modifications (variations) within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0202] For example, in the above embodiment, an example is shown where the transfer system 100 (object handling system) includes a circumferential conveyor 4, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the present invention, the object handling system may also include an arc-shaped conveyor (bending conveyor), a straight conveyor, and an adsorption conveyor, etc. Furthermore, the conveying direction is not only circumferential around the rotation center axis along the vertical direction, but the present invention can also be applied in the case of a straight conveying direction in the horizontal direction or a straight conveying direction in the vertical direction.

[0203] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was shown where the transfer system 100 (object handling system) includes a camera 7 (position detection unit), but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the present invention, the object handling system may also include a position detection unit using a sensor (e.g., LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)) that includes a laser and a light-receiving component, a vision sensor, or other sensors.

[0204] Furthermore, while the above embodiment illustrates an example where the transfer device 6 (working device) is composed of a SCARA robot, the present invention is not limited thereto. In the present invention, the working device may also be a vertical multi-joint robot, a parallel linkage robot, an orthogonal robot, a robot performing operations such as placing objects onto a transport unit, or a robot performing operations such as stamping or printing on objects on a transport unit. Additionally, the working device may also be a robot performing prescribed operations other than holding, transferring, placing, stamping, and printing. Furthermore, the working device can be any device that performs the prescribed operations, and may be any device other than a robot.

[0205] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the camera scale ratio CSR is calculated by the ratio of the pixel distance CM at location (B) and the distance TM1 at location (D), but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the present invention, the camera scale ratio can also be calculated by averaging multiple camera scale ratios calculated separately according to two or more sets of distance ratios.

[0206] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the center position is calculated using the camera offset D (camera offset) by combining the coordinate positions of the setting piece Ch0 (setting piece Ch1) at location (B) and the coordinate positions of the setting piece Ch0 (setting piece Ch1) at location (D), but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the present invention, the camera offset can also be calculated by averaging multiple camera offset values ​​calculated from each of two or more sets of coordinate positions. In this case, the center coordinate position of the transfer-side transport unit can also be calculated by averaging multiple center coordinate positions of the transfer-side transport unit calculated using the offset values ​​from each of two or more sets of coordinate positions.

[0207] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the conveyor scale ratio CBD (circumferential conveying section scale ratio) is calculated by combining the coordinate positions of the setting piece Ch0 at location (A) and the coordinate positions of the setting piece Ch0 at location (C), but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the present invention, the circumferential conveying section scale ratio can also be calculated by averaging multiple circumferential conveying section scale ratios calculated in each of two or more sets of coordinate positions.

[0208] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example is shown where the control device 8 calculates the camera coordinate transporter rotation center position CCC of the circumferential transporter 4 based on the first object camera coordinate position AC0, the second object camera coordinate position BC0, and the third object camera coordinate position CC0 after conversion by the camera scale ratio CSR. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. In the present invention, as... Figure 23As shown in the variant example, the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter can also be calculated as the intersection of line L1 and line L2. Line L1 is orthogonal to the line connecting the coordinates of the first object transfer device and the second object transfer device, and passes through the midpoint of the coordinates of the first object transfer device and the second object transfer device. Line L2 is orthogonal to the line connecting the coordinates of the second object transfer device and the third object transfer device, and passes through the midpoint of the coordinates of the second object transfer device and the third object transfer device.

[0209] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example is shown where the camera 7 is fixed in a fixed position in the Z1 direction of the shooting area Ari on the inner surface (top surface) of the device cover 1 in the Z1 direction, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the present invention, the camera can be fixedly positioned in any location that allows it to capture images of the shooting area.

[0210] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was shown where the control device 8 calculates the distance CM between the object camera coordinates of the two setting pieces Ch0 and Ch1 on the circumferential conveyor 4 at location (B) based on the captured images Im of the setting pieces Ch0 and Ch1 taken by the camera 7. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the distance between the two setting pieces can also be a measured value determined in advance by the user.

[0211] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example is shown where the camera 7 is fixed in a fixed position in the Z1 direction of the shooting area Ari on the inner surface (top surface) of the device cover 1 in the Z1 direction, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the present invention, the camera may also be fixed in a fixed position in the upper direction of the shooting area on the ceiling surface of the factory.

[0212] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was shown where, in order to calculate the camera offset D for the center position, the control device 8 used the object camera coordinate position DC0 (DC1) after a rotation angle BDD, centered on the camera coordinate transporter rotation center position CCC, and rotated in unison with the object robot coordinate position RoD0 (or object robot coordinate position RoD1) for the center position by the rotation angle BDD. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, in order to calculate the camera offset for the center position, the object camera coordinate position for the center position may be used instead of the object camera coordinate position for the center position (A) or (C), and the object robot coordinate position for the center position may be used instead of the object robot coordinate position for the center position (E) or (F).

[0213] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was shown where the control device 8 performs control to calculate the rotational component of the camera offset CO for holding position, i.e., the camera rotation angle offset COr, based on the offset angle (DBD) between the transfer device coordinate system Ro and the camera coordinate system Ca. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, in order to calculate the camera rotation angle offset COr, which is the rotational component of the camera offset CO for holding position, the object camera coordinate position at location (A) or (C) instead of location (B), and the object robot coordinate position at location (E) or (F) instead of location (D) can also be used. Similarly, the calculation of the X component COx and the Y component COy of the camera offset CO for holding position can also be performed using the object camera coordinate position at location (A) or (C) instead of location (B), and the object robot coordinate position at location (E) or (F) instead of location (D).

[0214] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was shown where the control device 8 calculates the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter based on the first object camera coordinate position AC0, the second object camera coordinate position BC0, and the third object camera coordinate position CC0. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the control device 8 may also perform the following control: calculate the rotation center position CCC of the camera coordinate transporter based on the object camera coordinate positions AC1, BC1 (fourth object camera coordinate position BC1), and CC1 obtained by converting the object camera image coordinate positions PiA1 (for location A), PiB1 (for location B), and PiC1 (for location C) of the setting piece Ch1 (for location C) using the camera scale ratio CSR.

[0215] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was shown where the control device 8 calculated the positions of the intersection points Pin of location (A), (B), and (C) as the object camera image coordinate positions on the camera image coordinate systems Pi of the setting pieces Ch0 and Ch1, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the control device may also perform control as follows: calculating the object camera image coordinate positions on the camera image systems Pi of the setting pieces Ch0 and Ch1, other than the intersection points Pin of location (A), (B), and (C), as the object camera image coordinate positions of the locations (A), (B), and (C), respectively.

[0216] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, an example is shown where the control device 8 is electrically connected to the holding device 3, the circumferential transporter 4 (circumferential transport section), the component supply device 5, the transfer device 6, and the camera 7, respectively; however, the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the control device and the circumferential transport section may not be electrically connected. In this case, the circumferential transport section is configured to be driven independently of the control device, and an external rotation angle sensor for obtaining the rotation angle of the circumferential transport section is electrically connected to the control device. Additionally, the control device and the component supply device may not be electrically connected. In this case, the component supply device is configured to supply components independently of the control device. Furthermore, the control device and the holding device are not directly connected, but indirectly connected via another higher-level control device (e.g., a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller)). In this case, power is not supplied from the control device to the holding device, and the holding device is controlled based on signals from the other higher-level control device.

[0217] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, for ease of explanation, an example of control processing of the control device 8 is shown using a process-driven flowchart that processes sequentially according to a processing flow; however, the present invention is not limited thereto. In the present invention, control processing of the control device 8 can also be performed using an event-driven (event-based) processing method that executes processing on an event-by-event basis. In this case, it can be performed entirely as an event-driven method, or it can be performed as a combination of event-driven and process-driven methods.

[0218] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0219] 4. Circumferential conveying machine (transfer section, circumferential transport section)

[0220] 6. Transfer device (operating device)

[0221] 7. Camera (Position Detection Unit)

[0222] 8. Control device

[0223] 43 Rotation Angle Sensor

[0224] 100 Transfer System (Object Handling System)

[0225] AC0 First object camera coordinate position (object camera coordinate position)

[0226] ARC robot coordinate transporter rotation center position (reference position, coordinate transport unit rotation center position)

[0227] Arh (Work Area)

[0228] Ari's filming area

[0229] BC0 Second object camera coordinate position (object camera coordinate position)

[0230] BC1 Fourth object camera coordinate position (object camera coordinate position)

[0231] BDD rotation angle (first rotation angle)

[0232] Ca camera coordinate system

[0233] CBR conveyor scale ratio (circumferential conveying section scale ratio)

[0234] CC0 Third object camera coordinate position (object camera coordinate position)

[0235] CCC camera coordinate transporter center position (camera coordinate transport unit rotation center position)

[0236] CK conveyor center angle (second rotation angle)

[0237] CM distance (pixel distance)

[0238] CSR camera scale ratio

[0239] Ch0 and Ch1 are settings for the target objects.

[0240] Cr rotation center axis

[0241] Cv Direction of transport

[0242] D. Center position using camera coordinate offset (camera offset)

[0243] After DC0 and DC1 move, the object's camera coordinates are as follows

[0244] Er (component / object)

[0245] Ph - Maintain position (working position)

[0246] PiA0 First Object Camera Image Coordinates Position (Object Camera Image Coordinates Position)

[0247] PiB0 Second Object Camera Image Coordinates Position (Object Camera Image Coordinates Position)

[0248] PiC0 Third Object Camera Image Coordinates Position (Object Camera Image Coordinates Position)

[0249] Ro (Transfer Device Coordinate System)

[0250] RoD, RoD0, RoD1, RoE, RoF: Coordinate positions of the object robot (coordinate positions of the object's working device).

[0251] TM1 distance.

Claims

1. An object operation system, comprising: A working device that performs operations on an object; The transport unit transports the object to the work area where the object is operated on by the working device. The position detection unit is fixedly configured to acquire position detection information for detecting the position of the object on the transport unit, located upstream of the work area in the transport direction of the object being transported; as well as The control device performs control based on the position detection information obtained by the position detection unit to calculate a reference position for the working device to perform operations on the object.

2. The object operation system according to claim 1, wherein, The control device is configured to perform the following control: calculate the working position of the object in the working area based on the calculated reference position.

3. The object operation system according to claim 1, wherein, The transport unit includes a circumferential transport unit that transports the object in an arc or circle along the circumferential direction around the rotation center axis. The control device is configured to perform the following control: calculate the coordinates of the circumferential transport unit's work device and the rotation center position of the transport unit based on the position detection information, using this as the reference position.

4. The object operation system according to claim 3, wherein, The position detection unit includes a camera that acquires images of the object on the circumferential transport unit as position detection information. The control device is configured to perform the following control: calculate the camera image coordinate position of the object in the captured image based on the captured image, and calculate the rotation center position of the coordinate transport unit of the working device based on the calculated camera image coordinate position of the object.

5. The object operation system according to claim 4, wherein, The camera mechanism is configured to capture images of the circumferential transport section on the upstream side of the transport direction, which is closer to the working area than the transport area. The control device obtains the object camera coordinate position by transforming the object camera image coordinate position based on the captured images of the same object captured by the circumferential transport unit in the shooting area and the camera scale ratio of the pixel values ​​of the captured images converted into length values. The control device is configured to perform the following control: calculate the rotation center position of the work device coordinate transport unit by correcting the camera offset obtained based on the coordinate position of the work device obtained using the work device by the amount of correction of the camera coordinate transport unit rotation center position obtained based on the camera coordinate position of the work device.

6. The object operation system according to claim 5, wherein, The control device is configured to perform the following control: calculate the camera offset based on the difference between the coordinate position of the object operation device in the work area obtained after moving the object from the shooting area to the work area and the coordinate position of the object camera after rotating it around the rotation center position of the camera coordinate transport unit to the coordinate position of the object operation device.

7. The object operation system according to claim 6, wherein, The object handling system also includes a rotation angle sensor for obtaining the rotation angle position of the circumferential transport unit. The control device is configured to perform the following control: based on the circumferential transport section scale ratio of converting the output value of the rotation angle sensor into an angle, the offset angle between the coordinate system of the working device and the coordinate system, i.e., the first rotation angle, is calculated.

8. The object operation system according to claim 7, wherein, The control device is configured to perform the following control: after moving the object within the shooting area, it calculates the ratio of a second rotation angle obtained based on the camera coordinate position of the object before and after the movement, based on the rotation center position of the object around the camera coordinate transport unit, to the difference between the output value of the rotation angle sensor obtained based on the rotation angle sensor before and after the movement, i.e., the scale ratio of the circumferential transport unit.

9. The object operation system according to claim 6, wherein, The control device is configured to perform the following control: calculate the ratio of the distance between the two objects on the circumferential transport unit after the two objects have been moved from the shooting area to the working area to the pixel distance, which represents the distance between the pixel values ​​of the two objects on the circumferential transport unit in the shooting area, i.e., the camera scale ratio.

10. The object operation system according to claim 6, wherein, The object camera image coordinate position includes a first object camera image coordinate position, a second object camera image coordinate position, and a third object camera image coordinate position based on the captured images of the same object captured by the circumferential transport unit in the shooting area. The control device is configured to perform the following control: calculate the rotation center position of the camera coordinate transport unit based on the first object camera coordinate position, the second object camera coordinate position, and the third object camera coordinate position obtained by converting the first object camera image coordinate position, the second object camera image coordinate position, and the third object camera image coordinate position through the camera scale ratio.

11. A method for calculating a reference position, comprising the following steps: In the upstream side of the working area of ​​the working device that performs the operation of comparing the object being transported by the transport unit, position detection information for detecting the position of the object on the transport unit is obtained by a fixedly configured position detection unit at the working area of ​​the working device. as well as Based on the obtained position detection information, a reference position for the working device to perform operations on the object is calculated.

12. The reference position calculation method according to claim 11, wherein, The transport unit includes a circumferential transport unit that transports the object in an arc or circle along the circumferential direction around the rotation center axis. The step of calculating the reference position includes the following steps: based on the position detection information, calculating the coordinate rotation center position of the circumferential transport unit as the reference position.

Images