End effector, robot device, end effector control method, robot device control method, article manufacturing method, program, and recording medium

Abstract

To shorten an adjustment time when work is changed, as well as, to enable cost reduction.SOLUTION: An end effector (100) attached to a robot, comprises: a tool unit (102) capable of supporting a first type of a workpiece (W1) and a second type of a workpiece different from the first type of the workpiece; a main body unit (101) to which the tool unit (102) is attached; and a camera (120) attached to the main body unit (101). The end effector is configured to make equal a first distance (D1) from the camera (120) to the first type of the workpiece (D1) in an imaging direction of the camera (120) of when the first type of the workpiece (W1) is supported by the tool unit (102), and a second distance from the camera (120) to the second type of the workpiece in the imaging direction of the camera (120) of when the second type of the workpiece is supported by the tool unit (102) are the same distance, to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an end effector, a robot device, a control method for an end effector, a control method for a robot device, a manufacturing method for an article, a program, and a recording medium. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in a robot device performing tasks such as assembly, a device has been proposed that performs so-called visual servoing, in which an object such as a workpiece or an assembly position is imaged with a camera and aligned (see Patent Document 1). Generally, when a bright lens is used in a camera to increase the shutter speed, the depth of field becomes shallow and the range of distances in focus becomes narrow. For this reason, the device in Patent Document 1 is configured so that the optical system (focal length) of the camera is adjustable in order to improve the detection accuracy of the feature amount extracted from the image of the object.

[0003] Also, in order to enable a single robot device to perform a plurality of different tasks, a configuration has been proposed in which the end working means (robot hand or tweezers tool), which is a so-called end effector, is configured to be replaceable (see Patent Document 2). In the configuration of Patent Document 2, each end working means is provided with a camera, and when the end working means is replaced depending on the task, the camera is replaced as well. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-211382 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2014-34075 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, for example, every time the work performed by the robot device is changed and a workpiece with a different shape or size is to be imaged, the optical system (focal length) of the camera needs to be adjusted. Therefore, there is a problem that it takes time to adjust every time the robot device is made to perform a different work. Furthermore, there is a problem that the camera needs to be provided with an adjustment function for the optical system (focal length), which increases costs. In addition, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, a camera is provided for each end working means, so the number of cameras is required according to the number of end working means, which increases the problem of costs.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an end effector, a robot device, a control method for an end effector, a control method for a robot device, a manufacturing method for an article, a program, and a recording medium that can shorten the adjustment time when changing tasks and reduce costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is an end effector attached to a robot, comprising a tool unit capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece, a main body unit to which the tool unit is attached, and a camera attached to the main body unit, wherein the end effector is configured such that when the tool unit supports the first type of workpiece, a first distance from the camera to the first type of workpiece in the imaging direction of the camera is the same as a second distance from the camera to the second type of workpiece in the imaging direction of the camera when the tool unit supports the second type of workpiece.

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is an end effector attached to a robot, comprising a main body to which a first tool capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second tool capable of supporting a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece can be selectively attached, and a camera attached to the main body, wherein when the first tool is attached to the main body and a workpiece of the first type is supported by the first tool, a first distance from the camera to the first type of workpiece in the imaging direction of the camera is the same as when the second tool is attached to the main body and a workpiece of the second type is supported by the second tool.

[0009] One aspect of the present invention is a robot device comprising: an end effector, a robot having an attachment portion to which the end effector is attached; and a camera positioned relative to the attachment portion, wherein the end effector comprises a tool portion capable of supporting a first type of work and a second type of work different from the first type of work, a main body portion to which the tool portion is attached, and a camera attached to the main body portion, wherein the robot device is configured such that when the first type of work is supported by the tool portion, a first distance from the camera to the first type of work in the imaging direction of the camera is the same as a second distance from the camera to the second type of work in the imaging direction of the camera when the second type of work is supported by the tool portion.

[0010] One aspect of the present invention is a robot device comprising: an end effector, a robot having an attachment portion to which the end effector is attached; and a camera positioned relative to the attachment portion, wherein the end effector comprises a main body portion to which a first tool capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second tool capable of supporting a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece are selectively attached; and a camera attached to the main body portion, wherein when the first tool is attached to the main body portion and the first type of workpiece is supported by the first tool, a first distance from the camera to the first type of workpiece in the imaging direction of the camera is the same as when the second tool is attached to the main body portion and the second tool supports the second type of workpiece.

[0011] One aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling an end effector comprising a tool unit capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece, a main body unit to which the tool unit is attached, and a camera attached to the main body unit, the method being attached to a robot and controlled by a control unit, characterized in that the control unit includes an imaging step in which, when imaging the first type of workpiece supported by the tool unit with the camera, a first distance in the imaging direction of the camera from the camera to the first type of workpiece is the same as a second distance in the imaging direction of the camera from the camera to the second type of workpiece when imaging a second type of workpiece supported by the tool unit.

[0012] One aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling an end effector which is attached to a robot and controlled by a control unit, and which includes a main body to which a first tool capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second tool capable of supporting a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece, and a camera attached to the main body, the method comprising the steps of: capturing an image when the first tool is attached to the main body and the camera captures an image of the first type of workpiece supported by the first tool, such that a first distance in the imaging direction of the camera from the camera to the first type of workpiece is the same as a second distance in the imaging direction of the camera from the camera to the second type of workpiece when the second tool is attached to the main body and the image of the second type of workpiece supported by the second tool is captured.

[0013] One aspect of the present invention is a control method for a robot device having an end effector including a tool unit capable of supporting a first type of work and a second type of work different from the first type of work, a main body unit to which the tool unit is attached and a camera attached to the main body unit, a robot having a mounting unit to which the end effector is attached, a camera positioned relative to the mounting unit, and a control unit, characterized in that the control unit includes an imaging step in which, when imaging the first type of work supported by the tool unit with the camera, a first distance from the camera to the first type of work in the imaging direction of the camera is the same as a second distance from the camera to the second type of work in the imaging direction of the camera when a second type of work is supported by the tool unit.

[0014] One aspect of the present invention is a control method for a robot device having an end effector including a main body portion to which a first tool capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second tool capable of supporting a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece, and a camera attached to the main body portion, a robot having a mounting portion to which the end effector is attached, a camera positioned relative to the mounting portion, and a control portion, characterized in that the control portion includes an imaging step in which, when the first tool is attached to the main body portion and the first type of workpiece supported by the first tool is imaged with the camera, a first distance in the imaging direction of the camera from the camera to the first type of workpiece is the same as a second distance in the imaging direction of the camera from the camera to the second type of workpiece when the second tool is attached to the main body portion and a second type of workpiece is supported by the second tool. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to shorten the adjustment time when changing the work, and to reduce costs. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a robot system, a first fixed base, and a second fixed base according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a robot system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the robot system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a robot hand gripping a pin according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 1 is a perspective view showing a robot hand gripping a connector according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart showing a workpiece assembly control according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7]FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a robot hand according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a workpiece assembly control according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] 10A is a perspective view showing a base of a robot hand according to a third embodiment as seen from the side, and FIG. 10B is a perspective view showing the robot hand according to the third embodiment as seen from below. [Figure 10] 10A is a perspective view showing a robot hand with fingers attached to a base according to a third embodiment, and FIG. 10B is a perspective view showing a robot hand with a suction unit attached to a base according to a third embodiment. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart showing a workpiece assembly control according to the third embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a robot hand according to a fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] First Embodiment A first embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG.

[0018] [Outline of the robot system] First, a schematic configuration of a robot system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a robot system, a first fixed base, and a second fixed base according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a view showing the robot system according to the first embodiment.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, a robot system 1 installed in a factory or the like includes a robot device 10, and the robot device 10 is arranged close to a first fixed stand 400 and a second fixed stand 500 as two process devices within an operating range. On the first fixed stand 400, a working tool 102-1 (see FIG. 4 and FIG. 10(a)) as a tool unit is placed on a tool placement table 403. The working tool 102-1 is a hand tool (a so-called tweezers tool) that has finger parts 140 described in detail later and grasps and supports a pin W1 (see FIG. 4). In addition, on the first fixed stand 400, a pin placement table 401 (see FIG. 1) on which a pin W1 as a component is placed, and an assembly work 402 for assembling the pin W1 into a hole part 402H (see FIG. 4) are fixed by a jig or the like. That is, the first fixed stand 400 is configured so that the pin assembling work of acquiring the pin W1 from the pin placement stand 401 and assembling it on the workpiece 402 can be completed as one work (step).

[0020] In the first embodiment, a connector stand on which the connector W2 is placed as a component not shown in FIG. 1, and an assembly work 405 for assembling the connector W2 into a hole 405H (see FIG. 5) are fixed on the first fixed stand 400 by a jig or the like. That is, the first fixed stand 400 is configured so that the connector assembling work of retrieving the connector W2 from the connector stand and assembling it into the assembly work 405 can be completed as one work (step). Therefore, the first fixed stand can perform the pin assembling work and the connector assembling work. Note that, in the first embodiment, the first fixed stand 400 is described as performing two tasks, but these tasks may be performed separately on two stands.

[0021] Also, on the second fixed stand 500, a working tool 102-2 (see FIG. 10(b)) as a tool section is placed on a tool stand 503. This working tool 102-2 is a suction tool (so-called flex tool) that has an adsorption section 170 and adsorbs and supports a flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter referred to as "flex") W3. Also, on the second fixed stand 500, a flex stand 501 on which the flex W3 as a component is placed, and an inspection device 502 that assembles (fits) the flex W3 for inspection are fixed by a jig or the like. That is, the second fixed stand 500 is configured so that the assembly work of taking the flex W3 from the flex stand 501 and assembling it to the inspection device 502 can be completed as one work (step). The details of this working tool 102-2 will be described in the third embodiment described later. Furthermore, the inspection device 502 to which the flexible cable W3 is attached may perform an inspection process while remaining on the second fixed frame 500, or may be moved to another location and then perform the inspection process.

[0022] In the robot system 1 configured as above, each task is performed in units of several hours or days, and when the quantity to be manufactured or inspected in that task is completed, the task is switched to the next task. When switching from one task to another, a different task may be performed with the same work tool as in the first embodiment described in detail below. Also, different tasks may be performed by switching work tools on the same robot hand as in the second embodiment, or different tasks may be performed by replacing the work tool as in the third embodiment.

[0023] In addition, in this embodiment, the robot hand 100 as an end effector can be changed into a gripping hand in which the base 101 as a main body and the work tool 102-1 are combined, and a suction hand in which the base 101 and the work tool 102-2 are combined. In the following first embodiment, a case where the robot hand 100 is configured as a gripping hand is described. In the second embodiment, a case where the robot hand 100 is configured as both a gripping hand and a suction hand is described as a modified example of the first embodiment. Furthermore, in the third embodiment, a case where the robot hand 100 is configured to switch between the gripping hand and the suction hand is described. In the first and second embodiments, since there is no need to distinguish between the forms of the work tool 102 of the robot hand 100, the suffixes "-1" and "-2" of the symbols are omitted in the description.

[0024] [Detailed configuration of the robot system] Next, a detailed configuration of the robot system 1 will be described. As shown in Fig. 2, the robot system 1 includes a robot device 10 that grips and moves a pin W1, which is a workpiece, from a pin placement table 401 on which a metallic pin W1, for example, is placed, to a workpiece 402 to be assembled. The robot device 10 includes a base 2, a robot arm 10A as a robot body of a six-axis articulated robot supported by the base 2, and a robot hand 100 as an end effector attached to the tip of the robot arm 10A. That is, the robot arm 10A is a so-called manipulator, and a flange-shaped flange portion 11 is provided at the tip of the robot arm 10A as an attachment portion to which the robot hand 100 is attached.

[0025] The pin rest 401 is formed with a plurality of holes 401H into which the pins W1 are inserted, and the pins W1 supplied as pre-operation parts are placed in these holes 401H. The work 402 to be assembled is formed with holes 402H into which the pins W1 as the work are inserted and fitted for assembly. That is, the robot device 10, which will be described later in detail, executes assembly control to perform the operation of assembling the pins W1 to the work 402 to be assembled, and the completed work 402 to be assembled is manufactured as an article by assembling the plurality of pins W1 to the work 402 to be assembled.

[0026] The robot device 10 also has a robot controller 200 that controls the robot arm 10A, a vision controller 220 that controls a camera 120 (see FIG. 4), which will be described in detail later, and a hand controller 230 that controls the robot hand 100. That is, each of these controllers is electrically connected so as to be able to output commands to the respective devices.

[0027] The robot controller 200 is configured to be connectable to a teaching pendant 300 serving as a teaching device for allowing a user to perform teaching (i.e., instruction) of the robot device 10. The teaching pendant 300 has a display unit 300A serving as a display device for displaying various information. Note that, although the present embodiment describes a configuration in which the teaching pendant 300 serving as a teaching device and the display unit 300A serving as a display device are integrated, they may be configured as separate devices.

[0028] The teaching pendant 300 is configured to be able to drive the robot arm 10A by issuing a command to the robot controller 200, and to control the position and angle of each joint of the robot arm 10A, thereby manipulating the position and posture of the robot arm A. The teaching pendant 300 is also configured to be able to manipulate the position and posture of the robot hand 100, since it can manipulate the position and posture of the robot arm 10A. The position and posture of the robot arm 10A or the position and posture of the robot hand 100 manipulated by the teaching pendant 300 can be stored in a hard disk (HDD) 204 as a storage unit described later. This allows the robot device 10 to store the position and posture of the robot arm 10A or the position and posture of the robot hand 100 in various operations (assembly work and position correction operation), that is, teaching is performed. The robot device 10 performs various operations (various tasks) based on the stored position and posture of the robot arm 10A or the position and posture of the robot hand 100.

[0029] [Control system configuration of robot system] Next, the control system of the robot system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the control system of the robot system according to the first embodiment.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 3, the robot controller 200 is configured with a computer. The robot controller 200 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201 as a processor and a control unit. The robot controller 200 also has a ROM (Read Only Memory) 202, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 203, and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 204 as examples of a storage unit. The robot controller 200 also has a recording disk drive 205 and a plurality of interfaces (I / F) 206-210.

[0031] A ROM 202, a RAM 203, a HDD 204, a recording disk drive 205, and interfaces 206 to 210 are connected to the CPU 201 via a bus 211. Basic programs such as BIOS are stored in the ROM 202. The RAM 203 is a storage device that temporarily stores various data such as the results of calculations performed by the CPU 201.

[0032] The HDD 204 is a storage device that stores the results of arithmetic processing by the CPU 201 and various data acquired from the outside. A program PR for causing the CPU 201 to execute arithmetic processing is recorded in this HDD 204. The CPU 201 executes various controls (control methods) described below and various processes of a manufacturing method for an article based on the program PR recorded (stored) in the HDD 204. The recording disk drive 205 as a recording medium can read out various data, programs, etc. recorded on the recording disk 299. That is, the program PR recorded in the recording disk drive 205 can be read into the HDD 204 and installed.

[0033] A teaching pendant 300 is connected to the interface 206. The CPU 201 acquires input data (input information) from the teaching pendant 300 via the interface 206 and the bus 211. The CPU 201 also transmits image data to a display unit 300A (see FIG. 1) provided on the teaching pendant 300 via the bus 211 and the interface 206, and executes various displays. The interface 207 is configured to be connectable to an external storage device 350, which is a storage unit such as a rewritable nonvolatile memory or an external HDD.

[0034] The interface 208 is connected to the servo control unit 15. The servo control unit 15 is connected to the motor 16, the angle sensor 17, and the torque sensor 18 provided in each joint of the robot arm 10A (see FIG. 1). Note that FIG. 10 shows the configuration of one joint among the multiple joints as a representative. The motor 16 is, for example, a brushless DC motor or an AC motor, and rotates and drives the corresponding joint via a reduction gear (not shown). The angle sensor 17 is, for example, a rotary encoder, and is provided in the motor 16 and configured to be able to detect the rotation angle of the motor 16. The torque sensor 18 is provided in the corresponding joint and configured to be able to detect the torque acting on the corresponding joint.

[0035] That is, the CPU 201 can obtain angle information from the angle sensor 17 and torque information from the torque sensor 18 via the servo control unit 15, the interface 208, and the bus 211. The servo control unit 15 may divide the angle of the motor 16 detected by the angle sensor 17 by a reduction ratio of a reducer (not shown), convert it into angle information of the corresponding joint, and transmit it to the CPU 201. Then, the CPU 201 outputs data of a command value corresponding to each joint to the servo control unit 15 via the bus 211 and the interface 208 at a predetermined time interval (for example, 1 ms). This drives the motor 16 to drive the joint. That is, the CPU 201 (robot controller 200) controls the robot arm 10A to be in a position and posture according to the command value.

[0036] A vision controller 220 is connected to the interface 209. A camera 120 is connected to the vision controller 220, and the vision controller 220 captures images of the connected camera 120 at a predetermined time interval (for example, 30 ms) under the control of the CPU 201. This allows the CPU 201 to obtain visual information, i.e., captured image data, from the vision controller 220 at a predetermined time interval (for example, 30 ms). In addition, a light 125 is connected to the vision controller 220, and the illumination light is turned on / off and its intensity is changed under the control of the vision controller 220 based on a command from the CPU 201.

[0037] A hand controller 230 is connected to the interface 210. The robot hand 100 is connected to the hand controller 230. Under the control of the CPU 201, the hand controller 230 drives a first motor 161 and a second motor 151, which will be described in detail later, to open and close the finger portion 140 (a so-called hand).

[0038] [Structure of the robot hand] Next, the detailed configuration of the robot hand 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the robot hand gripping a pin according to the first embodiment. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the robot hand gripping a connector according to the first embodiment.

[0039] 4 and 5, the robot hand 100 detachably attached to the tip of the robot arm 10A (see FIG. 2) roughly comprises a base 101, which is a so-called base tool serving as a main body, a camera 120, and a work tool 102. The base 101 has an attachment part 103 attached to a flange part 11 (see FIG. 1) of the robot arm 10A, and a camera 120 capable of capturing images is fixed and supported by the base 101. The camera 120 is moved so that the position of the robot hand 100 is in the sky at a predetermined distance away from the workpiece 402 to be assembled, by controlling the robot arm 10A.

[0040] 4 and 5, a work tool 102 is attached to the base 101 as a common tool having finger portions 140 capable of selectively gripping and supporting a pin W1, which is a first type of workpiece, and a connector W2, which is a second type of workpiece. In detail, the work tool 102 has a moving portion 130 that drives a first finger portion 141 and a second finger portion 142 constituting the finger portion 140 while sliding and moving them independently. That is, the first finger portion 141 and the second finger portion 142 are driven to move by a motor (not shown) of the moving portion 130, so that the pin W1 or the connector W2 can be pinched and gripped by each other to support the pin W1 or the connector W2.

[0041] Moreover, the camera 120 is set so that when it grips a pin W1 as shown in Fig. 4, the distance of the focal point F coincides with the top surface (head) of the pin W1. That is, the distance from the objective lens of the camera 120 to the pin W1 is a first distance D1, which is the focal length. Moreover, the camera 120 is set so that when it grips a connector W2, which is a workpiece, as shown in Fig. 5, the distance of the focal point F coincides with the top surface of the connector W2. That is, the distance from the objective lens of the camera 120 to the connector W2 is a second distance D2, which is the focal length.

[0042] The camera 120 is also configured to be capable of imaging a hole 402H of a workpiece 402 to be assembled, which is an object of the work to assemble the pin W1, and a hole 405H of a workpiece 405 to be assembled, which is an object of the work to assemble the connector W2. The camera 120 is also configured to be capable of imaging the pin W1 placed on the pin placement table 401 and the connector W2 placed on the connector placement table. When imaging these, the robot arm 10A is moved and driven to perform position control so that the pin W1 on the pin placement table 401, the connector W2 on the connector placement table, etc., are placed within the field of view of the camera 120. The robot arm 10A is also moved and driven to perform position control so that the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled, the hole 405H of the workpiece 405 to be assembled, etc., are placed within the field of view of the camera 120.

[0043] [Workpiece Assembly Control in the First Embodiment] Next, the workpiece assembly control according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the workpiece assembly control according to the first embodiment.

[0044] In the workpiece assembly control according to the first embodiment, a robot device 10 equipped with a robot hand 100 to which a work tool 102 is attached performs an assembly operation for two types of workpieces having different shapes and sizes, that is, different types of workpieces. That is, in the first operation, the robot device 10 grasps (obtains) a pin W1 installed in a hole 401H of a pin placement table 401, moves the pin W, and inserts it into a hole 402H of a workpiece to be assembled 402 to assemble it. By repeating this operation, a plurality of pins W1 are inserted into each of the holes 402H of the workpiece to be assembled 402 and assembled, and the completed workpiece to be assembled 402 is manufactured as an article.

[0045] The second task is for the robot device 10 to grasp (obtain) the connector W2 placed on the connector stand, move the connector W2, and insert and assemble it into the hole 405H of the workpiece 405 to be assembled. By repeating this task, a plurality of connectors W2 are inserted into and assembled into the respective hole portions 405H of the workpiece 405 to be assembled, and the completed workpiece 405 to be assembled is manufactured as an article.

[0046] 6, when the CPU 201 is instructed to start the work, it first checks the type of the work (S11). That is, it checks whether the work is a pin W1 or a connector W2, that is, it checks whether the work is to assemble the pin W1 to the work 402 to be assembled, or to assemble the connector W2 to the work 405 to be assembled. Next, the CPU 201 drives the robot arm 10A to move the robot hand 100 so that the robot hand 100 is positioned above a stand (pin stand or connector stand) corresponding to the type of the work that has been confirmed (S12). That is, the CPU 201 drives the robot arm 10A so that the finger portion 140 is roughly positioned above a position where the pin W1 or the connector W2 (hereinafter collectively referred to as the "work") is gripped. At this time, the robot arm 10A is driven to move the robot hand 100 so that the finger portions 140 are opened wider than the width of the workpiece and the height of the portion (tip portion) of the finger portions 140 that grips the workpiece is the height of the workpiece placed on the table. The height of the workpiece is placed on the table so as to be a known height, and is stored in the HDD 204 or the like. This allows the focal point F of the camera 120 to be aligned with the top surface of the workpiece.

[0047] Next, visual servo control is performed while capturing an image of the workpiece on the placement table, and the robot arm 10A is positioned so that the finger portion 140 is at the gripping position of the workpiece (S13). That is, the acquired image of the workpiece is treated as a current image, and a feature amount difference between the current image and a target image of the workpiece is calculated, and the robot arm 10A is controlled so that the feature amount difference converges. In other words, the image captured by the camera 120 is compared with the target image, and the amount of deviation from the optimal position for gripping the workpiece is calculated. Then, the calculated amount of deviation is converted into posture data of the robot arm 10A to which the robot hand 100 is attached, and the posture data is used to position the robot arm 10A with respect to the workpiece. As a result of the above, the robot arm 10A is positioned, and the finger portion 140 is positioned at the gripping position of the workpiece.

[0048] Next, in order to obtain the workpiece in the robot hand 100, the first finger portion 141 and the second finger portion 142 of the robot hand 100 are driven by the moving portion 130 as described above, and the workpiece is gripped by the finger portion 140 (S14). Next, the gripped workpiece is moved by the robot arm 10A to the vicinity (above) of the hole portion of the workpiece to be assembled corresponding to the type of the workpiece (the hole portion 402H of the workpiece to be assembled 402 or the hole portion 405H of the workpiece to be assembled 405) (S15). In this state, as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, the finger portion 140 and the workpiece gripped by it are within the field of view of the camera 120, and at least a part of the finger portion 140 or the workpiece is imaged overlapping with the hole portion of the workpiece to be assembled. Therefore, the camera 120 is blocked by the finger portion 140 or the gripped workpiece, and is unable to image the hole portion of the workpiece to be assembled. In this state, since the visual servo control of the robot arm 10A based on the image captured by the camera 120 has not been completed, there is a high possibility that the workpiece gripped by the finger portions 140 and the hole are out of alignment.

[0049] Therefore, before the camera 120 captures an image of the hole (insertion position) of the work to be assembled, the finger portion 140 is moved so that the finger portion 140 and the work do not overlap with the hole of the work to be assembled (S16). In this embodiment, the finger portion 140 and the work are retreated so as to be outside the field of view of the camera 120. At this time, the position and posture of the robot arm 10A are not changed, that is, the position and posture of the robot hand 100 are left unchanged, and only the finger portion 140 and the work are moved. In this state, the finger portion 140 and the work are retreated from the field of view of the camera 120, and the hole of the work to be assembled can be directly captured.

[0050] In this embodiment, the finger portion 140 and the workpiece are described as moving outside the field of view of the camera 120, but it is sufficient if they do not block the imaging of the hole of the workpiece to be assembled by the camera 120. Therefore, the finger portion 140 and the workpiece may be within the field of view of the camera 120 as long as they move outside the range where they do not overlap in the field of view.

[0051] In this way, when the finger portion 140 and the workpiece are moved so as to be outside the field of view of the camera 120, the camera 120 captures an image of the hole of the workpiece to be assembled, which is the insertion position for inserting the workpiece, while executing visual servo control again (S17). That is, the robot arm 10A is aligned so that the camera 120 is in the correct position with respect to the hole of the workpiece to be assembled, which is the insertion position. Specifically, the image of the acquired hole is taken as a current image, and a feature amount difference between the current image and a target image of the hole is calculated, and the robot arm 10A is controlled so that the feature amount difference converges. In other words, the image captured by the camera 120 is compared with the target image, and the amount of deviation from the optimal position for inserting the workpiece into the hole is calculated. Then, the calculated amount of deviation is converted into posture data of the robot arm 10A to which the robot hand 100 is attached, and the posture data is used to position the robot arm 10A relative to the hole. As described above, the robot arm 10A is positioned, and the robot hand 100 is positioned relative to the hole.

[0052] Next, before performing the operation of inserting the workpiece into the hole of the workpiece to be assembled, the finger portion 140 is returned to its original position in the robot hand 100 (S18). For this purpose, the finger portion 140 is moved so that at least a part of the finger portion 140 and the workpiece overlaps with the hole of the workpiece to be assembled within the field of view of the camera 120. Specifically, the moving portion 130 is driven to slide the finger portion 140 while gripping the workpiece, and the workpiece moves to a position where it overlaps with the hole of the workpiece to be assembled (see Figs. 4 and 5). At this time, the position and posture of the robot arm 10A are not changed, that is, the position and posture of the robot hand 100 are kept unchanged, and only the finger portion 140 and the workpiece are moved. In this case, the position and posture of the robot hand 100 are positioned at the correct position with respect to the hole by visual servo control, so that the workpiece is moved with high precision to a position where it overlaps approximately directly above the hole of the workpiece to be assembled.

[0053] Finally, the robot arm 10A is operated under torque control, and the workpiece held by the finger portion 140 of the robot hand 100 is inserted into the hole of the workpiece to be assembled (S19). That is, the robot arm 10A is driven to move the robot hand 100, and the workpiece held by the finger portion 140 of the robot hand 100 is brought into contact with the hole of the workpiece to be assembled. Then, the torque sensor 18 of each joint of the robot arm 10A detects the reaction force caused by the workpiece contacting the hole, and the motor 16 is torque-controlled in a direction in which the reaction force is reduced and a pushing force that moves the workpiece downward is generated. In this way, the copy assembly in which the workpiece follows the hole and the pushing force can be managed by torque control, and the workpiece is inserted into the hole without receiving a large resistance. In addition, the finger portion 140 is released to release the grip of the workpiece, and the workpiece is assembled into the hole of the workpiece to be assembled.

[0054] Then, the CPU 201 judges whether or not the assembly of all the workpieces to the workpiece to be assembled has been completed (S20). For example, the number of workpieces to be assembled to the workpiece to be assembled is stored in advance in the HDD 204 of the robot controller 200, and the judgment is made based on how many times the assembly operation has been completed. If the assembly of all the workpieces has not been completed (No in S20), the process returns to step S11 and repeats steps up to S20, that is, the assembly operation of the next workpiece is performed.

[0055] The pin assembly control is performed as described above, and when assembly of all the workpieces to the workpieces is completed (Yes in S20), the workpiece assembly control of this embodiment ends.

[0056] [Summary of the first embodiment] In the first embodiment described above, the workpiece supported by the work tool 102 is changed in the pin assembly work and the connector assembly work, and the pin W1 and the connector W2 as the workpiece are different in shape and size. However, as shown in FIG. 4, when the pin W1 is supported by the finger portion 140 of the work tool 102, the distance from the camera 120 to the pin W1 in the imaging direction of the camera 120 is a first distance D1. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, when the connector W2 is supported by the finger portion 140 of the work tool 102, the distance from the camera 120 to the connector W2 in the imaging direction of the camera 120 is a second distance D2. The first distance D1 and the second distance D2 are configured to be the same distance. In other words, when the CPU 201 images the pin W1 supported by the work tool 102 with the camera 120, the distance from the camera 120 to the pin W1 is the first distance D1. Then, imaging is performed in a state where the first distance D1 is the same as the second distance D2 from the camera 120 to the connector W2 when imaging the connector W2 (imaging step). Here, the "same distance" includes cases where the distances are approximately the same. Even if there is a slight difference between the first distance D1 and the second distance D2 due to support of the pin W1 or the connector W2 by the work tool 102, when the pin W1 and the connector W2 are focused on by the camera 120, the first distance D1 and the second distance D2 are considered to be substantially the same distance. The same applies to the embodiments described below.

[0057] As a result, when the work of the robot device 10 is changed between a pin assembly work and a connector assembly work, the work of adjusting the focal length of the camera 120 is not required, and the adjustment time when the work is changed can be shortened. Also, since it is not necessary to provide an optical system for adjusting the focal length in the camera 120, costs can be reduced.

[0058] <Second embodiment> Next, a second embodiment, which is a partial modification of the first embodiment, will be described with reference to Fig. 7 and Fig. 8. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a robot hand according to the second embodiment. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the workpiece assembly control according to the second embodiment.

[0059] In the second embodiment, compared to the first embodiment, one work tool 102 is modified to include two work tools. That is, the work tool 102 of the robot hand 100 in the second embodiment is provided with a finger portion 140 which is a work tool that grips a pin W1 as a first type of work, and a suction portion 170 which is a work tool that sucks a flex W3 as a second type of work.

[0060] 7, the robot hand 100 in the second embodiment has a base 101 to which a camera 120 is fixedly supported, and a work tool 102 attached thereto. The work tool 102 is provided with a finger portion 140 as a first tool, a suction portion 170 as a second tool, and a switching unit 150 that selectively moves and switches one of them so that it is positioned in the imaging direction (on the optical axis) of the camera 120. The switching unit 150 switches the positions, for example, by rotating the finger portion 140 and the suction portion 170 while sliding them in the circumferential direction around the central axis of the work tool 102.

[0061] The work tool 102 is also provided with a moving unit 130 that drives and moves the first finger unit 141 and the second finger unit 142 of the finger unit 140 independently. The work tool 102 is also provided with a pressure adjusting unit 160 that adjusts the air pressure in the suction device 171 of the suction unit 170. The pressure adjusting unit 160 is, for example, a pressure adjustment valve, and the air pressure is connected to a regulator, pump, or the like (not shown) via piping. As a result, the suction unit 170 is configured to be able to grip the flexible cable W3 by suction with the suction device 171.

[0062] Then, when the suction portion 170 is switched to be located in the imaging direction of the camera 120 and is suctioning the flex W3 (similar to the state in FIG. 10(b)), the distance from the camera 120 to the top surface of the flex W3 (second distance D2) is configured to be the same as the first distance D1. In other words, when the finger portion 140 is switched to be located in the imaging direction of the camera 120 and is gripping the pin W1 (similar to the state in FIG. 10(a)), the distance from the camera 120 to the top surface of the pin W1 (first distance D1) is configured to be the same as the second distance D2.

[0063] [Pin assembly control in the second embodiment] Next, the workpiece assembly control according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. In the workpiece assembly control according to the second embodiment shown in Fig. 8, step S11 is changed from the workpiece assembly control according to the first embodiment shown in Fig. 6 described above, and the tool (work tool) can be switched.

[0064] In the workpiece assembly control according to the second embodiment, two types of workpiece assembly work are performed using a robot device 10 equipped with a robot hand 100 to which a work tool 102 is attached. That is, in the first work, the robot device 10 grasps (obtains) a pin W1 installed in a hole 401H of a pin placement table 401, moves the pin W, and inserts it into a hole 402H of a workpiece to be assembled 402 for assembly. By repeating this work, a plurality of pins W1 are inserted into each of the holes 402H of the workpiece to be assembled 402 and assembled, and the completed workpiece to be assembled 402 is manufactured as an article.

[0065] The second operation is an operation in which the robot device 10 sucks and grasps (obtains) the flexible cable W3 placed on the flexible cable placement table, moves the flexible cable W3, and inserts and assembles it into an insertion position (not shown) of the inspection device 502. By repeating this operation, each of the multiple flexible cables W3 is inserted into the inspection device 502 and assembled, and the completed inspection device 502 becomes capable of inspecting the flexible cable W3. In a broad sense, the inspection device 502 capable of inspecting the flexible cable W3 can be said to be in a manufactured state as an article.

[0066] 8, when the CPU 201 is instructed to start work, it first judges whether or not the combination of the type of work and the work tool currently in the imaging direction of the camera 120 is appropriate (S31). That is, if the work is to assemble the pin W1, it judges whether or not the finger portion 140 is located in the imaging direction of the camera 120, and if the work is to assemble the flex W3, it judges whether or not the suction portion 170 is located in the imaging direction of the camera 120. If these combinations are appropriate (Yes in S31), the process proceeds directly to step S12. If these combinations are not appropriate (No in S31), the switching portion 150 is driven to switch the positions of the finger portion 140 and the suction portion 170 (S32), that is, the work tool to be used in the work is moved to a position in the imaging direction of the camera 120.

[0067] In this way, the appropriate work tool is positioned in the imaging direction of the camera 120. Then, the CPU 201 drives the robot arm 10A to move the robot hand 100 so that the robot hand 100 is positioned above a stand (pin stand or flex stand) corresponding to the type of workpiece to be worked on (S12). In other words, the CPU 201 drives the robot arm 10A so that the finger portion 140 or the suction portion 170 is roughly positioned above a position where the pin W1 or the flex W3 is gripped. At this time, in the case of an assembly work of the pin W1, the robot arm 10A is driven to move the robot hand 100 so that the finger portion 140 is opened wider than the width of the pin W1 and the height of the tip portion of the finger portion 140 is the height of the pin W1 placed on the stand. Furthermore, in the case of an assembly operation for the flexible cable W3, the robot arm 10A is driven to move the robot hand 100 so that the height of the tip of the suction part 170 is the same as the height of the flexible cable W3 placed on the table, without the suction part 170 performing air suction. The heights of the pins W1 and the flexible cable W3 (hereinafter collectively referred to as the "work") are placed on the table so as to be known heights, and are stored in the HDD 204 or the like. This allows the focal point F of the camera 120 to be aligned with the top surface of the work.

[0068] Next, visual servo control is performed while capturing an image of the workpiece on the placement table, and the robot arm 10A is positioned so that the finger unit 140 or the suction unit 170 is at the gripping position of the workpiece (S13). That is, the acquired image of the workpiece is treated as a current image, and a feature amount difference between the current image and a target image of the workpiece is calculated, and the robot arm 10A is controlled so that the feature amount difference converges. In other words, the image captured by the camera 120 is compared with the target image, and the amount of deviation from the optimal position for gripping the workpiece is calculated. Then, the calculated amount of deviation is converted into posture data of the robot arm 10A to which the robot hand 100 is attached, and the posture data is used to position the robot arm 10A with respect to the workpiece. As a result of the above, the robot arm 10A is positioned, and the finger unit 140 or the suction unit 170 is positioned at the gripping position of the workpiece.

[0069] Next, in order to acquire the workpiece by the robot hand 100, the workpiece is gripped by the finger portion 140 or the suction portion 170 (S14). Next, the gripped workpiece is moved by the robot arm 10A to the vicinity (above) of the hole 402H of the workpiece to be assembled 402 or the insertion position of the inspection device 502 corresponding to the type of the workpiece by moving the robot hand 100 (S15). In this state, the finger portion 140 or the suction portion 170 and the workpiece gripped by it are within the field of view of the camera 120. Therefore, the finger portion 140 or the suction portion 170 and at least a part of the workpiece gripped by it are imaged overlapping with the hole 402H of the workpiece to be assembled 402 or the insertion position of the inspection device 502. That is, the camera 120 is blocked by the finger portion 140 or the suction portion 170, or the workpiece gripped by it, and is therefore unable to image the hole 402H of the workpiece to be assembled 402 or the insertion position of the inspection device 502. In this state, the visual servo control of the robot arm 10A based on the image captured by the camera 120 is not completed. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the workpiece grasped by the finger portion 140 or the suction portion 170 is out of alignment with the hole portion 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled or the insertion position of the inspection device 502.

[0070] Therefore, before the camera 120 captures the image of the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled or the insertion position of the inspection device 502, a retreat operation is performed. That is, the finger portion 140 or the suction portion 170 is moved so that the finger portion 140 or the suction portion 170 and the workpiece gripped by it are not overlapped with the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled or the insertion position of the inspection device 502 (S16). In this embodiment, the finger portion 140 or the suction portion 170 is retreated so as to be outside the field of view of the camera 120. At this time, the position and posture of the robot arm 10A are not changed, that is, only the finger portion 140 or the suction portion 170 is moved while the position and posture of the robot hand 100 are kept unchanged. At this time, the movement of the finger portion 140 may be performed by the moving portion 130, but both the finger portion 140 and the suction portion 170 can be moved to a position outside the field of view of the camera 120 by the switching portion 150. In short, in this state, the finger portion 140 or the suction portion 170 retreats from the field of view of the camera 120, and the hole portion 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled or the insertion position of the inspection device 502 can be directly imaged.

[0071] In this embodiment, the finger portion 140 and the suction portion 170 are described as moving outside the field of view of the camera 120, but it is sufficient if they do not block the imaging of the hole portion 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled or the insertion position of the inspection device 502 by the camera 120. Therefore, the finger portion 140 or the suction portion 170 (and the workpiece gripped by them) may be within the field of view of the camera 120 as long as they move outside the range where they do not overlap in the field of view.

[0072] In this way, the finger portion 140 or the suction portion 170 is moved so as to be outside the field of view of the camera 120. Then, while the camera 120 captures an image of the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled or the insertion position of the inspection device 502, which is the insertion position for inserting the workpiece, the visual servo control is executed again (S17). That is, the robot arm 10A is positioned so that the camera 120 is in a correct position with respect to the insertion position. Specifically, the acquired image of the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled or the insertion position of the inspection device 502 is set as a current image, and the feature amount difference between the current image and the target image is calculated, and the robot arm 10A is controlled so that the feature amount difference converges. In other words, the image captured by the camera 120 is compared with the target image, and the amount of deviation from the optimal position for inserting the workpiece into the hole is calculated. The calculated amount of deviation is converted into posture data of the robot arm 10A to which the robot hand 100 is attached, and the posture data is used to position the robot arm 10A relative to the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled or the insertion position of the inspection device 502. As described above, the robot arm 10A is positioned, and the robot hand 100 is positioned relative to the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled or the insertion position of the inspection device 502.

[0073] Next, before performing the operation of inserting the workpiece into the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled or into the insertion position of the inspection device 502, the finger portion 140 or the suction portion 170 is returned to the original position in the robot hand 100 (S18). For this reason, the finger portion 140 or the suction portion 170 is moved so that at least a part of the finger portion 140 or the suction portion 170 (and the workpiece) is positioned so as to overlap the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled or the insertion position of the inspection device 502 within the field of view of the camera 120. Note that, although the movement of the finger portion 140 at this time may be performed by the moving unit 130, both the finger portion 140 and the suction portion 170 can be moved to a position outside the field of view of the camera 120 by the switching unit 150. That is, at this time, the position and posture of the robot arm 10A are not changed, that is, the position and posture of the robot hand 100 are left unchanged, and only the finger portion 140 or the suction portion 170 (and the workpiece supported by it) is moved. In this case, the position and posture of the robot hand 100 is correctly positioned by visual servo control with respect to the hole 402H of the work to be assembled 402 or the insertion position of the inspection device 502. As a result, the work is moved with high precision to a position overlapping almost directly above the hole 402H of the work to be assembled 402 or the insertion position of the inspection device 502.

[0074] Finally, the robot arm 10A is operated while controlling the torque. That is, the workpiece (pin W1) held by the finger portion 140 of the robot hand 100 or the workpiece (flex W3) held by the suction portion 170 is inserted into the hole portion 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled or the insertion position of the inspection device 502 and assembled (S19). That is, the robot hand 100 is moved by driving the robot arm 10A, and the workpiece held by the finger portion 140 or the suction portion 170 of the robot hand 100 is brought into contact with the hole portion 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled or the insertion position of the inspection device 502. Then, the torque sensor 18 of each joint of the robot arm 10A detects the reaction force caused by the workpiece coming into contact with the hole portion 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled or the insertion position of the inspection device 502. The motor 16 is torque controlled in a direction in which the reaction force is reduced and a pushing force that moves the workpiece downward is generated. In this way, the workpiece can be fitted into the hole 402H of the workpiece to be assembled 402 or the insertion position of the inspection device 502, and the pushing force can be managed by torque control. Therefore, the workpiece is inserted into the hole 402H of the workpiece to be assembled 402 or the insertion position of the inspection device 502 without receiving a large resistance. Also, by releasing the finger portion 140, the grip of the workpiece by the finger portion 140 is released, or the suction of the workpiece by the suction portion 170 is released, whereby the workpiece is fitted into the hole 402H of the workpiece to be assembled 402 or the insertion position of the inspection device 502.

[0075] Then, the CPU 201 judges whether or not the assembly of all the workpieces to the workpiece to be assembled has been completed (S20). For example, the number of workpieces to be assembled to the workpiece to be assembled is stored in advance in the HDD 204 of the robot controller 200, and the judgment is made based on how many times the assembly operation has been completed. If the assembly of all the workpieces has not been completed (No in S20), the process returns to step S11 and repeats steps up to S20, that is, the assembly operation of the next workpiece is performed.

[0076] As described above, the pin assembly control or the flex assembly control is performed, and when the assembly of all the workpieces to the workpiece is completed (Yes in S20), the workpiece assembly control of this embodiment ends.

[0077] [Summary of the second embodiment] In the second embodiment described above, the workpiece supported by the work tool 102 is changed in the pin assembly work and the flex assembly work, and the pin W1 and the flex W3 as the workpiece are different in shape and size. However, when the pin W1 is supported by the finger portion 140 of the work tool 102, the distance from the camera 120 to the pin W1 in the imaging direction of the camera 120 is the first distance D1. When the flex W3 is supported by the suction portion 170 of the work tool 102, the distance from the camera 120 to the flex W3 in the imaging direction of the camera 120 is the second distance D2. The first distance D1 and the second distance D2 are configured to be the same distance. In other words, when the CPU 201 images the pin W1 supported by the work tool 102 with the camera 120, the distance from the camera 120 to the pin W1 is the first distance D1. Then, imaging is performed in a state in which the first distance D1 is equal to the second distance D2 from the camera 120 to the flex W3 when imaging the flex W3 (imaging step).

[0078] As a result, when the work of the robot device 10 is changed between a pin assembly work and a flex assembly work, the work of adjusting the focal length of the camera 120 is not required, and the adjustment time when the work is changed can be shortened. Also, since it is not necessary to provide an optical system for adjusting the focal length in the camera 120, costs can be reduced.

[0079] Other configurations, operations, and effects of the second embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0080] <Third embodiment> Next, a third embodiment, which is a partial modification of the second embodiment, will be described with reference to Figs. 9, 10, and 11. Fig. 9(a) is a perspective view showing a base of a robot hand according to the third embodiment as seen from the side. Fig. 9(b) is a perspective view showing a robot hand according to the third embodiment as seen from below. Fig. 10(a) is a perspective view showing a robot hand with fingers attached to a base according to the third embodiment. Fig. 10(b) is a perspective view showing a robot hand with a suction unit attached to a base according to the third embodiment. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing workpiece assembly control according to the third embodiment.

[0081] In the third embodiment, compared to the second embodiment, the robot hand 100 is modified so that two work tools can be selectively attached to the base 101 of the robot hand 100. That is, the base 101 of the robot hand 100 in the third embodiment is configured so that a work tool 102-1 as a gripping tool that grips the pin W1 and a work tool 120-2 as a suction tool that adsorbs the flex W3 can be selectively attached. Generally, the robot hand 100 is configured with any one of the work tools 102 attached to the base 101, that is, an end effector is configured.

[0082] 9(a), the robot hand 100 in the third embodiment includes a base 101 to which a camera 120 is fixedly supported. The base 101 has a mounting surface S1 to which the robot arm 10A is attached as described above, a mounting surface S2 to which the work tool 102 is attached on the opposite side to the mounting surface S1, and a cylindrical side surface S3 disposed between the mounting surface S1 and the mounting surface S2. Note that, although the mounting surface S1 and the mounting surface S2 are referred to as surfaces for convenience, they refer to the portions that are the boundaries with the robot arm 10A and the work tool 102, and do not necessarily physically form flat or curved surfaces.

[0083] As shown in FIG. 9(b), the camera 120 is disposed on the mounting surface S2 of the base 101. The imaging direction of the camera 120 is a direction intersecting (orthogonal) with the mounting surface S2, that is, a direction intersecting (orthogonal) with the flange portion 11 of the robot arm 10A, for example, a direction parallel to the sixth axis of the robot arm 10A. The camera 120 has an image sensor unit 121 as an imaging element, a prism 122 as a deflection unit that deflects the optical axis from the image sensor unit 121 in the imaging direction, and an objective lens 123 facing the imaging target. The image sensor unit 121 and the prism 122 are disposed so that the optical axis between the image sensor unit 121 and the prism 122 is in a direction along the mounting surface S2, that is, parallel to the mounting surface S2. This prevents the base 101 of the robot hand 100 equipped with the camera 120 from becoming long in the distance in the central axis direction, that is, the thickness between the mounting surface S1 and the mounting surface S2, and thus makes the base 101 compact. In other words, the distance P from the robot arm 10A to the tip of the work tool 102 can be shortened, and the operating range of the robot device 10 is expanded.

[0084] The base 101 is provided with a first locator 181 and a second locator 182 to which the work tool 102 can be attached and detached, and which perform positioning of the attached work tool 102. The first locator 181 is disposed on one side of the camera 120, that is, on one side of the optical axis between the image sensor unit 121 and the prism 122. The second locator 182 is disposed on the other side of the camera 120, that is, on the other side of the optical axis between the image sensor unit 121 and the prism 122. This allows, for example, heat dissipation from the heated camera 120 to be given to the first locator 181 and the second locator 182 in a well-balanced manner, allowing for uniform thermal expansion. For this reason, the positional accuracy of the work tool 102 can be improved compared to when, for example, the first locator 181 and the second locator 182 expand unevenly. This allows for a structure that increases reproducibility in the position control of the workpiece, and makes it difficult for the focal point F of the camera 120 to deviate from the workpiece.

[0085] A work tool 102-1, which is a hand tool shown in FIG. 10(a), and a work tool 102-2, which is a suction tool shown in FIG. 10(b), are selectively attached to the base 101 of the robot hand 100 configured as described above. As shown in FIG. 10(a), the work tool 102-1 is provided with a finger portion 140 as a first tool, similar to the first embodiment, and a moving unit 130 that independently moves and drives the first finger portion 141 and the second finger portion 142 of the finger portion 140. Also, as shown in FIG. 10(b), the work tool 102-2 is provided with a suction portion 170 as a second tool, similar to the second embodiment, and a pressure adjusting unit 160 that adjusts the air pressure in the suction device 171 of the suction portion 170. Furthermore, the work tool 102-2 in the third embodiment is provided with a moving part 180 that can slide the suction part 170 relative to the base part 101 to move between within and outside the field of view of the camera 120.

[0086] 10(a), when the work tool 102-1 is attached to the base 101, the distance from the camera 120 (objective lens 123) to the upper surface of the pin W1 held by the finger portion 140 is the first distance D1. When the work tool 102-2 is attached to the base 101, the distance from the camera 120 (objective lens 123) to the upper surface of the flex W3 held by the suction portion 170 is the second distance D2. The first distance D1 and the second distance D2 are configured to be the same distance.

[0087] [Pin assembly control in the third embodiment] Next, the workpiece assembly control according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. In the workpiece assembly control according to the third embodiment, the robot device 10 equipped with the robot hand 100 to which the work tool 102-1 or the work tool 102-2 is attached is used to perform the assembly work of two types of workpieces, as in the second embodiment.

[0088] That is, the first operation is an operation in which the robot device 10 grasps (obtains) the pin W1 installed in the hole 401H of the pin placement table 401, moves the pin W, and inserts it into the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled. By repeating this operation, a plurality of pins W1 are inserted into each of the holes 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled, and the completed workpiece 402 to be assembled is manufactured as an article.

[0089] The second operation is an operation in which the robot device 10 sucks and grasps (obtains) the flexible cable W3 placed on the flexible cable placement table, moves the flexible cable W3, and inserts and assembles it into an insertion position (not shown) of the inspection device 502. By repeating this operation, each of the multiple flexible cables W3 is inserted into the inspection device 502 and assembled, and the completed inspection device 502 becomes capable of inspecting the flexible cable W3. In a broad sense, the inspection device 502 capable of inspecting the flexible cable W3 can be said to be in a manufactured state as an article.

[0090] 11, when the CPU 201 is instructed to start the work, it first judges whether the workpiece is the flexible cable W3, that is, whether the work is to assemble the flexible cable W3 to the inspection device 502 (S41). That is, if the work is to assemble the flexible cable W3 (Yes in S41), it judges whether the work tool 102-2 (suction tool) is attached to the base 101 (S42). If the work tool 102-2 is attached to the base 101 (Yes in S42), the process proceeds directly to step S44. If the work tool 102-2 is not attached to the base 101 (No in S42), first, the robot arm 10A moves the robot hand 100 to the tool stand 403 (see FIG. 1), and the work tool 102-1 is detached and placed on the tool stand 403. Next, the robot hand 100 is moved to the tool stand 503 (see FIG. 1) by the robot arm 10A, and the working tool 102-2 is attached to the base 101 (S43).

[0091] When the attachment of the work tool 102-2 is completed, the CPU 201 drives the robot arm 10A to move the robot hand 100 so that the robot hand 100 is positioned above the flexible cable placement stand 501 (see FIG. 1) (S44). That is, the CPU 201 drives the robot arm 10A so that the suction part 170 is roughly positioned above the position where the flexible cable W3 is gripped. At this time, the robot arm 10A is driven to move the robot hand 100 in a state where the suction part 170 is not performing air suction and so that the height of the tip part of the suction part 170 is the height of the flexible cable W3 placed on the placement stand. The height of the flexible cable W3 is placed on the flexible cable placement stand 501 so as to be a known height, and is stored in the HDD 204 or the like. This causes the focal point F of the camera 120 to be aligned with the top surface of the workpiece.

[0092] Next, visual servo control is performed while capturing an image of the flexible cable W3 on the flexible cable placement table 501, and the robot arm 10A is positioned so that the suction part 170 is at a gripping position for the flexible cable W3 (S45). That is, the captured image of the flexible cable W3 is treated as a current image, and a feature amount difference between the current image and a target image of the flexible cable W3 is calculated, and the robot arm 10A is controlled so that the feature amount difference converges. In other words, the image captured by the camera 120 is compared with the target image, and a deviation amount from an optimal position for gripping the flexible cable W3 is calculated. Then, the calculated deviation amount is converted into posture data of the robot arm 10A to which the robot hand 100 is attached, and the posture data is used to position the robot arm 10A relative to the workpiece. As described above, the robot arm 10A is positioned, and the suction part 170 is positioned at a gripping position for the flexible cable W3.

[0093] Next, in order to acquire the flexible cable W3 in the robot hand 100, the flexible cable W3 is gripped by the suction unit 170 through suction (S46). Next, the gripped flexible cable W3 is moved to the vicinity (above) of the insertion position of the inspection device 502 by moving the robot hand 100 by the robot arm 10A (S47). In this state, the suction unit 170 and the flexible cable W3 gripped by it are within the field of view of the camera 120, and at least a part of the suction unit 170 and the flexible cable W3 gripped by it are imaged overlapping with the insertion position of the inspection device 502. Therefore, the camera 120 is blocked by the suction unit 170 or the flexible cable W3 gripped by it, and is therefore unable to image the insertion position of the inspection device 502. In this state, since the visual servo control of the robot arm 10A based on the image captured by the camera 120 has not been completed, there is a high possibility that the flex W3 held by the suction portion 170 and the insertion position of the inspection device 502 are misaligned.

[0094] Therefore, before the camera 120 captures an image of the insertion position of the inspection device 502, the suction part 170 is moved by the moving part 180 so that the suction part 170 and the flex W3 held by it are not overlapped with the insertion position of the inspection device 502 (S48). In this embodiment, the suction part 170 is retreated so as to be outside the field of view of the camera 120. At this time, the position and posture of the robot arm 10A are not changed, that is, the position and posture of the robot hand 100 are left unchanged, and only the suction part 170 is moved. In short, in this state, the suction part 170 is retreated from the field of view of the camera 120, and the insertion position of the inspection device 502 can be directly captured.

[0095] In this embodiment, the suction parts 170 are described as moving outside the field of view of the camera 120, but it is sufficient if they do not block the imaging of the insertion position of the inspection device 502 by the camera 120. Therefore, the suction parts 170 (and the workpieces held by them) may be within the field of view of the camera 120 as long as they move outside the range where they do not overlap in the field of view.

[0096] In this way, when the suction part 170 is moved so as to be out of the field of view of the camera 120, the camera 120 captures an image of the insertion position of the inspection device 502, which is the insertion position where the workpiece is inserted, while executing visual servo control again (S49). That is, the robot arm 10A is aligned so that the camera 120 is in a correct position with respect to the insertion position. Specifically, the image of the insertion position of the inspection device 502 that has been acquired is taken as a current image, and the feature amount difference between the current image and the target image is calculated, and the robot arm 10A is controlled so that the feature amount difference converges. In other words, the image captured by the camera 120 is compared with the target image, and the amount of deviation from the optimal position for inserting the workpiece into the hole is calculated. Then, the calculated amount of deviation is converted into posture data of the robot arm 10A to which the robot hand 100 is attached, and the posture data is used to position the robot arm 10A with respect to the insertion position of the inspection device 502. As described above, the robot arm 10A is positioned, and the robot hand 100 is positioned with respect to the insertion position of the inspection device 502.

[0097] Next, before performing the operation of inserting the flex W3 into the insertion position of the inspection device 502, the suction part 170 is returned to its original position on the robot hand 100 (S50). For this reason, the suction part 170 is moved so that at least a part of the suction part 170 (and the work supported by it) is positioned so as to overlap with the insertion position of the inspection device 502 within the field of view of the camera 120. At this time, the position and posture of the robot arm 10A are not changed, that is, the position and posture of the robot hand 100 are left unchanged, and only the suction part 170 (and the flex W3 supported by it) is moved. In this case, since the position and posture of the robot hand 100 are positioned correctly with respect to the insertion position of the inspection device 502 by visual servo control, the flex W3 is moved with high precision to a position overlapping approximately directly above the insertion position of the inspection device 502.

[0098] Finally, the robot arm 10A is operated under torque control, and the flexible cable W3 held by the suction unit 170 of the robot hand 100 is inserted and assembled at the insertion position of the inspection device 502 (S51). That is, the robot arm 10A is driven to move the robot hand 100, and the flexible cable W3 held by the suction unit 170 of the robot hand 100 is brought into contact with the insertion position of the inspection device 502. Then, the torque sensor 18 of each joint of the robot arm 10A detects a reaction force caused by the flexible cable W3 coming into contact with the insertion position of the inspection device 502, and the motor 16 is torque-controlled in a direction to reduce the reaction force and to generate a pushing force that moves the flexible cable W3 downward. In this way, the following assembly in which the flexible cable W3 follows the insertion position of the inspection device 502 and the pushing force can be managed by torque control, and the flexible cable W3 is inserted into the insertion position of the inspection device 502 without encountering large resistance. In addition, the suction of the workpiece by the suction unit 170 is released, whereby the flexible cable W3 is assembled at the insertion position of the inspection device 502.

[0099] Then, the CPU 201 judges whether or not the assembly of all the workpieces to the workpiece to be assembled has been completed (S52). For example, the number of workpieces to be assembled to the workpiece to be assembled is stored in advance in the HDD 204 of the robot controller 200, and the judgement is made based on how many times the assembly operation has been completed. If the assembly of all the workpieces has not been completed (No in S52), the process returns to step S41 and repeats steps up to S52, that is, the assembly operation of the next workpiece is performed.

[0100] On the other hand, in the above step S41, if it is determined that the work is not to assemble the flexible cable W3, that is, if the work is to assemble the pin W1 (No in S41), it is determined whether or not the work tool 102-1 (hand tool) is attached to the base 101 (S53). If the work tool 102-1 is attached to the base 101 (Yes in S53), the process proceeds directly to step S55. If the work tool 102-1 is not attached to the base 101 (No in S53), first, the robot arm 10A moves the robot hand 100 to the tool stand 503 (see FIG. 1), and the work tool 102-2 is detached and placed on the tool stand 503. Next, the robot arm 10A moves the robot hand 100 to the tool stand 403 (see FIG. 1), and the work tool 102-1 is attached to the base 101 (S54).

[0101] When the attachment of the work tool 102-1 is completed, the CPU 201 drives the robot arm 10A to move the robot hand 100 so that the robot hand 100 is positioned above the pin placement table 401 (see FIG. 1) (S55). That is, the CPU 201 drives the robot arm 10A so that the finger portion 140 is roughly positioned above the position where the pin W1 is gripped. At this time, the robot arm 10A is driven to move the robot hand 100 so that the height of the tip portion of the finger portion 140 is the height of the pin W1 placed on the placement table without air suction of the finger portion 140. The height of the pin W1 is placed on the pin placement table 401 so as to be a known height, and is stored in the HDD 204 or the like. This causes the focal point F of the camera 120 to be aligned with the top surface of the workpiece.

[0102] Next, visual servo control is performed while capturing an image of the pin W1 on the pin placement table 401, and the robot arm 10A is positioned so that the finger portion 140 is at the gripping position of the pin W1 (S56). That is, the acquired image of the pin W1 is set as a current image, and a feature amount difference between the current image and the target image of the pin W1 is calculated, and the robot arm 10A is controlled so that the feature amount difference converges. In other words, the image captured by the camera 120 is compared with the target image, and the amount of deviation from the optimal position for gripping the pin W1 is calculated. Then, the calculated amount of deviation is converted into posture data of the robot arm 10A to which the robot hand 100 is attached, and the posture data is used to position the robot arm 10A relative to the workpiece. As described above, the robot arm 10A is positioned, and the finger portion 140 is positioned at the gripping position of the pin W1.

[0103] Next, in order to acquire the pin W1 in the robot hand 100, the pin W1 is gripped by suction with the finger portion 140 (S57). Next, the gripped pin W1 is moved to the vicinity (above) of the hole portion 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled by moving the robot hand 100 by the robot arm 10A (S58). In this state, the finger portion 140 and the pin W1 gripped by it are within the field of view of the camera 120, and at least a part of the finger portion 140 and the pin W1 gripped by it are imaged overlapping with the hole portion 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled. Therefore, the camera 120 is blocked by the finger portion 140 or the pin W1 gripped by it, and is unable to image the hole portion 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled. In this state, since the visual servo control of the robot arm 10A based on the image captured by the camera 120 has not been completed, there is a high possibility that the pin W1 grasped by the finger portion 140 and the hole portion 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled are misaligned.

[0104] Therefore, before the camera 120 captures the image of the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled, the finger portion 140 is moved by the moving portion 130 so that the finger portion 140 and the pin W1 held by the finger portion 140 are positioned so as not to overlap the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled (S59). In this embodiment, the finger portion 140 is retreated so as to be outside the field of view of the camera 120. At this time, the position and posture of the robot arm 10A are not changed, that is, the position and posture of the robot hand 100 are kept unchanged, and only the finger portion 140 is moved. In short, when this state is reached, the finger portion 140 is retreated from the field of view of the camera 120, and the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled can be directly captured.

[0105] In this embodiment, the finger parts 140 are described as moving outside the field of view of the camera 120, but it is sufficient if they do not block the imaging of the hole part 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled by the camera 120. Therefore, the finger parts 140 (and the workpiece held by them) may be within the field of view of the camera 120 as long as they move outside the range where they do not overlap in the field of view.

[0106] In this way, when the finger portion 140 is moved so as to be out of the field of view of the camera 120, the camera 120 captures an image of the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled, which is the insertion position for inserting the workpiece, while executing visual servo control again (S60). That is, the robot arm 10A is aligned so that the camera 120 is in a correct position with respect to the insertion position. Specifically, the acquired image of the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled is taken as a current image, and the feature amount difference between the current image and the target image is calculated, and the robot arm 10A is controlled so that the feature amount difference converges. In other words, the image captured by the camera 120 is compared with the target image, and the amount of deviation from the optimal position for inserting the workpiece into the hole is calculated. Then, the calculated amount of deviation is converted into posture data of the robot arm 10A to which the robot hand 100 is attached, and the posture data is used to position the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled. As a result of the above, the robot arm 10A is positioned, and the robot hand 100 is positioned relative to the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled.

[0107] Next, before performing the operation of inserting the pin W1 into the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled, the finger portion 140 is returned to its original position in the robot hand 100 (S61). For this reason, the finger portion 140 (and the workpiece supported by it) is moved so that at least a part of the finger portion 140 is positioned so as to overlap the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled within the field of view of the camera 120. At this time, the position and posture of the robot arm 10A are not changed, that is, the position and posture of the robot hand 100 are left unchanged, and only the finger portion 140 (and the pin W1 supported by it) is moved. In this case, since the position and posture of the robot hand 100 are positioned correctly with respect to the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled by visual servo control, the pin W1 is moved with high precision to a position overlapping approximately directly above the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled.

[0108] Finally, the robot arm 10A is operated under torque control, and the pin W1 held by the fingers 140 of the robot hand 100 is inserted into the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled (S62). That is, the robot hand 100 is moved by driving the robot arm 10A, and the pin W1 held by the fingers 140 of the robot hand 100 is brought into contact with the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled. Then, the torque sensor 18 of each joint of the robot arm 10A detects the reaction force caused by the pin W1 coming into contact with the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 to be assembled, and the motor 16 is torque controlled in a direction to reduce the reaction force and to generate a pushing force that moves the pin W1 downward. In this way, the pin W1 can be fitted into the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 by torque control, and the pushing force can be controlled, so that the pin W1 is inserted into the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 by fitting the hole 402H without receiving large resistance. Also, the suction of the workpiece by the finger portion 140 is released, and the pin W1 is fitted into the hole 402H of the workpiece 402 by torque control.

[0109] Then, the CPU 201 returns to step S52 and determines whether or not the assembly of all the workpieces to the workpiece to be assembled has been completed (S52). If the assembly of all the workpieces has not been completed (No in S52), the CPU 201 returns to step S41 and repeats steps up to S52, that is, performs the assembly work of the next workpiece.

[0110] As described above, the pin assembly control or the flex assembly control is performed, and when the assembly of all the workpieces to the workpiece is completed (Yes in S52), the workpiece assembly control of this embodiment ends.

[0111] [Summary of the third embodiment] In the third embodiment described above, the work supported by the work tool 102-1 or the work tool 102-2 is changed in the pin assembly work and the flex assembly work, and the pin W1 and the flex W3 as the work are different in shape and size. Furthermore, the tool itself that grips the work is changed between the work tool 102-1 and the work tool 102-2. However, when the pin W1 is supported by the finger part 140 of the work tool 102-1, the distance from the camera 120 to the pin W1 in the imaging direction of the camera 120 is the first distance D1. Also, when the flex W3 is supported by the suction part 170 of the work tool 102-2, the distance from the camera 120 to the flex W3 in the imaging direction of the camera 120 is the second distance D2. And, the first distance D1 and the second distance D2 are configured to be the same distance. In other words, when the CPU 201 images the pin W1 supported by the work tool 102 with the camera 120, the camera 120 images the pin W1 at a first distance D1. Then, when the CPU 201 images the flex W3, the camera 120 images the pin W1 at the first distance D1, which is the same as the second distance D2 from the camera 120 to the flex W3 (imaging step).

[0112] As a result, when the work of the robot device 10 is changed between a pin assembly work and a flex assembly work, the work of adjusting the focal length of the camera 120 is not required, and the adjustment time when the work is changed can be shortened. Also, since it is not necessary to provide an optical system for adjusting the focal length of the camera 120, costs can be reduced. Furthermore, even if the work tool 102-1 and the work tool 102-2 are replaced by reattaching them, the camera 120 is fixed and supported by the base 101, so one camera 120 can be used as it is. In other words, since it is not necessary to have the same number of cameras according to the number of work tools, costs can be reduced.

[0113] Other configurations, operations, and effects of the third embodiment are similar to those of the second embodiment, and therefore will not be described.

[0114] <Fourth embodiment> Next, a fourth embodiment, which is a partial modification of the first embodiment, will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing a robot hand according to the fourth embodiment.

[0115] Compared to the robot hand 100 according to the first embodiment, the robot hand 100 according to the fourth embodiment has a camera 1120 attached to the side S3 of the base 101, that is, the camera 1120 is fixedly supported outside the base 101.

[0116] For example, as in the first embodiment, the camera 120 is fixed to and supported by the base 101 so that the optical axis (imaging direction) of the camera 120 faces a direction perpendicular to the flange portion 11 of the robot arm 10A (for example, a direction parallel to the sixth axis) (see FIG. 4). Then, since a certain optical path length is required for the camera 120, the thickness of the base 101 becomes thick in the optical axis direction, that is, the distance between the attachment surface S1 and the mounting surface S2 becomes long, which hinders compactification.

[0117] In the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the camera 1120 is attached to the side surface S3 of the base 101, so that it is not necessary to incorporate the camera 1120 into the base 101, and therefore the base 101 can be made compact. Since the base 101 can be made compact, the distance from the robot arm 10A to the tip of the work tool 102, which is the point P, can be shortened, and the robot device 10 can perform a highly maneuverable operation. Furthermore, even if the camera 1120 generates heat, the heat can be easily dissipated, and the structure is such that the heat is not easily transmitted to the base 101. This reduces thermal expansion of the work tool 102, improves the positional accuracy of the work tool 102, improves reproducibility in the position control of the work, and makes it possible to provide a structure in which the focal point F of the camera 120 is less likely to deviate from the work.

[0118] In the fourth embodiment, the workpiece supported by the work tool 102 is changed between the pin assembly work and the connector assembly work, and the pin W1 and the connector W2 as the workpiece are different in shape and size. However, as shown in FIG. 12, when the pin W1 is supported by the finger portion 140 of the work tool 102, the distance from the camera 120 to the pin W1 in the imaging direction of the camera 120 is a first distance D1. Although not shown, when the connector W2 is supported by the finger portion 140 of the work tool 102, the distance from the camera 120 to the connector W2 in the imaging direction of the camera 120 is a second distance D2. The first distance D1 and the second distance D2 are configured to be the same distance. In other words, when the CPU 201 images the pin W1 supported by the work tool 102 with the camera 120, the distance from the camera 120 to the pin W1 is the first distance D1. Then, imaging is performed in a state in which the first distance D1 is the same as the second distance D2 from the camera 120 to the connector W2 when imaging the connector W2 (imaging step).

[0119] As a result, when the work of the robot device 10 is changed between a pin assembly work and a connector assembly work, the work of adjusting the focal length of the camera 120 is not required, and the adjustment time when the work is changed can be shortened. Also, since it is not necessary to provide an optical system for adjusting the focal length in the camera 120, costs can be reduced.

[0120] Other configurations, operations, and effects of the fourth embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0121] <Possibilities for other embodiments> In the above-described first to fourth embodiments, the robot hand 100 as an end effector is configured with the base 101 and the work tool 102. However, this is not limiting, and the base 101 may be configured to be the same as the flange portion 11 (mounting portion) of the robot arm 10A, that is, the work tool 102 may be directly attached to the robot arm 10A.

[0122] In the above first to fourth embodiments, the pins W1, the connectors W2, the flex W3, etc. are handled as the workpieces, but the present invention is not limited to these and may be applied to any shape or size of workpieces. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to these and may be applied to any tool. For example, a driver tool for screwing in screws or bolts, an application tool for applying stickers, etc. are conceivable.

[0123] In the first embodiment described above, the camera 120 is fixedly supported on the base 101. However, in the case of a robot hand in which the work tool is not replaced as in the first embodiment, the camera may be fixedly supported on the work tool.

[0124] In the above first to fourth embodiments, the finger portion 140 or the suction portion 170 is described as being moved between the outside and inside of the field of view of the camera in the robot hand 100. However, as long as the workpiece can be imaged by the camera, the finger portion 140 or the suction portion 170 may not move.

[0125] In addition, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the embodiments can be modified in many ways within the technical concept of the present disclosure. For example, at least two of the above-described embodiments and modifications may be combined. In addition, the effects described in the present embodiment are merely a list of the most preferable effects resulting from the embodiments of the present disclosure, and the effects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to those described in the present embodiment.

[0126] In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the robot body is a vertically articulated robot, but the present invention is not limited to this. The robot body may be, for example, a horizontally articulated robot, a parallel link robot, or an orthogonal robot. The above-mentioned embodiments are applicable to a machine that can automatically perform the actions of expanding and contracting, bending and stretching, moving up and down, moving left and right, or turning, or a combination of these actions, based on information in a storage device provided in a control device.

[0127] The present disclosure can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0128] <Disclosure of the Present Embodiment> [Configuration 1] In an end effector attached to a robot, A tool unit capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece; A main body portion to which the tool portion is attached; a camera attached to the main body, A first distance in the imaging direction of the camera from the camera to the first type of workpiece when the tool unit supports a first type of workpiece, and a second distance in the imaging direction of the camera from the camera to the second type of workpiece when the tool unit supports a second type of workpiece, are configured to be the same distance. An end effector characterized by: [Configuration 2] The tool unit has a common tool capable of selectively supporting a first type of workpiece and a second type of workpiece. 2. The end effector of configuration 1. [Configuration 3] The tool unit has a first tool capable of supporting a first type of workpiece, a second tool capable of supporting a second type of workpiece, and a switching unit that switches one of the first tool and the second tool so as to be located in an imaging direction of the camera. 2. The end effector of configuration 1. [Configuration 4] The first tool is a gripping tool that grips a first type of workpiece, The second tool is a suction tool that suctions a second type of workpiece. 4. The end effector of configuration 3. [Configuration 5] the main body portion has an attachment surface to be attached to the robot, and an attachment surface to which the tool portion is attached, the attachment surface being opposite to the attachment surface; The imaging direction of the camera is a direction intersecting the mounting surface, The camera has an image sensor and a deflection unit that deflects an optical axis from the image sensor in the imaging direction, and the image sensor and the deflection unit are arranged so that the optical axis between the image sensor and the deflection unit is in a direction along the mounting surface. 5. An end effector according to any one of configurations 1 to 4. [Configuration 6] the main body portion has an attachment surface to be attached to the robot, an attachment surface to which the tool portion is attached opposite to the attachment surface, and a side surface disposed between the attachment surface and the attachment surface, The camera is attached to the side. 5. An end effector according to any one of configurations 1 to 4. [Configuration 7] In an end effector attached to a robot, A main body to which a first tool capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second tool capable of supporting a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece can be selectively attached; a camera attached to the main body, When the first tool is attached to the main body and a workpiece of a first type is supported by the first tool, a first distance from the camera to the workpiece of the first type in an imaging direction of the camera is equal to a second distance from the camera to the workpiece of the second type in an imaging direction of the camera when the second tool is attached to the main body and a workpiece of a second type is supported by the second tool. An end effector characterized by: [Configuration 8] The first tool is a gripping tool that grips a first type of workpiece, The second tool is a suction tool that suctions a second type of workpiece. 8. The end effector of configuration 7. [Configuration 9] the main body has an attachment surface to be attached to the robot, and an attachment surface to which the first tool or the second tool is attached, the attachment surface being located opposite to the attachment surface; The imaging direction of the camera is a direction intersecting the mounting surface, The camera has an image sensor and a deflection unit that deflects an optical axis from the image sensor in the imaging direction, and the image sensor and the deflection unit are arranged so that the optical axis between them is in a direction along the mounting surface. 9. The end effector according to configuration 7 or 8. [Configuration 10] the main body portion has a first locator and a second locator to which the first tool or the second tool is attached, the first locator is disposed on one side of the camera on the mounting surface; The second locator is disposed on the other side of the camera on the mounting surface. 10. The end effector of configuration 9. [Configuration 11] the main body has an attachment surface to be attached to the robot, an attachment surface to which the first tool or the second tool is attached opposite to the attachment surface, and a side surface disposed between the attachment surface and the attachment surface; The camera is attached to the side. 9. The end effector according to configuration 7 or 8. [Configuration 12] An end effector; a robot having a mounting portion to which the end effector is attached; a camera positioned relative to the mounting portion, The end effector includes: A tool unit capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece; A main body portion to which the tool portion is attached; a camera attached to the main body, A first distance in the imaging direction of the camera from the camera to the first type of workpiece when the tool unit supports a first type of workpiece, and a second distance in the imaging direction of the camera from the camera to the second type of workpiece when the tool unit supports a second type of workpiece, are configured to be the same distance. A robot device comprising: [Configuration 13] An end effector; a robot having a mounting portion to which the end effector is attached; a camera positioned relative to the mounting portion, The end effector includes: A main body to which a first tool capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second tool capable of supporting a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece can be selectively attached; a camera attached to the main body, When the first tool is attached to the main body and a workpiece of a first type is supported by the first tool, a first distance from the camera to the workpiece of the first type in an imaging direction of the camera is equal to a second distance from the camera to the workpiece of the second type in an imaging direction of the camera when the second tool is attached to the main body and a workpiece of a second type is supported by the second tool. A robot device comprising: [Method 14] A method for controlling an end effector including a tool unit capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece, a main body unit to which the tool unit is attached, and a camera attached to the main body unit, the end effector being attached to a robot and controlled by a control unit, The control unit includes an imaging step of imaging a workpiece of a first type supported by the tool unit with the camera, in a state in which a first distance from the camera to the workpiece of the first type in an imaging direction of the camera is the same as a second distance from the camera to the workpiece of a second type in an imaging direction of the camera when an image of a workpiece of a second type supported by the tool unit is captured. A method for controlling an end effector comprising the steps of: [Method 15] A method for controlling an end effector, the end effector comprising: a main body to which a first tool capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second tool capable of supporting a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece can be selectively attached; and a camera attached to the main body, the end effector being attached to a robot and controlled by a control unit, the method comprising: the control unit includes an imaging step of imaging in a state where, when the first tool is attached to the main body and an image of a first type of workpiece supported by the first tool is taken by the camera, a first distance from the camera to the first type of workpiece in the imaging direction of the camera is the same as a second distance from the camera to the second type of workpiece in the imaging direction of the camera when the second tool is attached to the main body and an image of a second type of workpiece supported by the second tool is taken. A method for controlling an end effector comprising the steps of: [Method 16] An end effector including a tool unit capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece, a main body unit to which the tool unit is attached, and a camera attached to the main body unit; a robot having a mounting portion to which the end effector is attached; a camera positioned relative to the mounting portion; A method for controlling a robot device having a control unit, comprising: The control unit includes an imaging step of imaging a first type of workpiece supported by the tool unit with the camera, in a state in which a first distance from the camera to the first type of workpiece in the imaging direction of the camera is equal to a second distance from the camera to the second type of workpiece in the imaging direction of the camera when a second type of workpiece is supported by the tool unit. 23. A method for controlling a robot device comprising: [Method 17] an end effector including a main body to which a first tool capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second tool capable of supporting a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece can be selectively attached, and a camera attached to the main body; a robot having a mounting portion to which the end effector is attached; a camera positioned relative to the mounting portion; A method for controlling a robot device having a control unit, comprising: the control unit includes an imaging step of imaging in a state where, when the first tool is attached to the main body and a first type of workpiece supported by the first tool is imaged by the camera, a first distance from the camera to the first type of workpiece in the imaging direction of the camera is the same as a second distance from the camera to the second type of workpiece in the imaging direction of the camera when the second tool is attached to the main body and a second type of workpiece is supported by the second tool; A method for controlling a robot device comprising: [Method 18] 14. A method for manufacturing an article, comprising the steps of: manufacturing an article using the robot device according to claim 12 or 13. [Configuration 19] A program for causing a computer to execute the method for controlling a robot device according to Method 16 or 17. [Configuration 20] A computer-readable recording medium storing the program according to configuration 19. [Explanation of symbols]

[0129] 10...Robot device / 11...Flange portion (mounting portion) / 10A...Robot arm (robot) / 100...Robot hand (end effector) / 101...Base (main body) / 102...Work tool (tool portion, common tool) / 102-1...Work tool (first tool, gripping tool) / 102-2...Work tool (second tool, suction tool) / 120...Camera / 121...Image sensor portion (imaging element) / 122...Prism (deflection portion) / 150...Switching portion / D1...First distance / D2...Second distance / S1...Mounting surface / S2...Mounting surface / S3...Side / W1...Pin (first type of work) / W2...Connector (second type of work) / W3...Flex (second type of work)

Claims

1. In an end effector attached to a robot, A tool unit capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece; A main body portion to which the tool portion is attached; a camera attached to the main body, A first distance in the imaging direction of the camera from the camera to the first type of workpiece when the tool unit supports a first type of workpiece, and a second distance in the imaging direction of the camera from the camera to the second type of workpiece when the tool unit supports a second type of workpiece, are configured to be the same distance. An end effector characterized by:

2. The tool unit has a common tool capable of selectively supporting a first type of workpiece and a second type of workpiece. The end effector of claim 1 .

3. The tool unit includes a first tool capable of supporting a first type of workpiece, a second tool capable of supporting a second type of workpiece, and a switching unit that switches one of the first tool and the second tool so as to be located in an imaging direction of the camera. The end effector of claim 1 .

4. The first tool is a gripping tool that grips a first type of workpiece, The second tool is a suction tool that suctions a second type of workpiece. The end effector of claim 3 .

5. the main body portion has an attachment surface to be attached to the robot, and an attachment surface to which the tool portion is attached, the attachment surface being opposite to the attachment surface; The imaging direction of the camera is a direction intersecting the mounting surface, The camera has an image sensor and a deflection unit that deflects an optical axis from the image sensor in the imaging direction, and the image sensor and the deflection unit are arranged so that the optical axis between the image sensor and the deflection unit is in a direction along the mounting surface. The end effector of claim 1 .

6. the main body portion has an attachment surface to be attached to the robot, an attachment surface to which the tool portion is attached opposite to the attachment surface, and a side surface disposed between the attachment surface and the attachment surface, The camera is attached to the side. The end effector of claim 1 .

7. In an end effector attached to a robot, a main body to which a first tool capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second tool capable of supporting a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece can be selectively attached; a camera attached to the main body, When the first tool is attached to the main body and a workpiece of a first type is supported by the first tool, a first distance from the camera to the workpiece of a first type in an imaging direction of the camera is equal to a second distance from the camera to the workpiece of a second type in an imaging direction of the camera when the second tool is attached to the main body and a workpiece of a second type is supported by the second tool. An end effector characterized by:

8. The first tool is a gripping tool that grips a first type of workpiece, The second tool is a suction tool that suctions a second type of workpiece. The end effector of claim 7 .

9. the main body has an attachment surface to be attached to the robot, and an attachment surface to which the first tool or the second tool is attached, the attachment surface being located opposite to the attachment surface; The imaging direction of the camera is a direction intersecting the mounting surface, The camera has an image sensor and a deflection unit that deflects an optical axis from the image sensor in the imaging direction, and the image sensor and the deflection unit are arranged so that the optical axis between them is in a direction along the mounting surface. The end effector of claim 7 .

10. the main body portion has a first locator and a second locator to which the first tool or the second tool is attached, the first locator is disposed on one side of the camera on the mounting surface; The second locator is disposed on the other side of the camera on the mounting surface. The end effector of claim 9 .

11. the main body has an attachment surface to be attached to the robot, an attachment surface to which the first tool or the second tool is attached on an opposite side to the attachment surface, and a side surface disposed between the attachment surface and the attachment surface; The camera is attached to the side. The end effector of claim 7 .

12. An end effector; a robot having a mounting portion to which the end effector is attached; a camera positioned relative to the mounting portion, The end effector includes: A tool unit capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece; A main body portion to which the tool portion is attached; a camera attached to the main body, A first distance in the imaging direction of the camera from the camera to the first type of workpiece when the tool unit supports a first type of workpiece, and a second distance in the imaging direction of the camera from the camera to the second type of workpiece when the tool unit supports a second type of workpiece, are configured to be the same distance. A robot device comprising:

13. An end effector; a robot having a mounting portion to which the end effector is attached; a camera positioned relative to the mounting portion, The end effector includes: a main body to which a first tool capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second tool capable of supporting a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece can be selectively attached; a camera attached to the main body, When the first tool is attached to the main body and a workpiece of a first type is supported by the first tool, a first distance from the camera to the workpiece of a first type in an imaging direction of the camera is equal to a second distance from the camera to the workpiece of a second type in an imaging direction of the camera when the second tool is attached to the main body and a workpiece of a second type is supported by the second tool. A robot device comprising:

14. A method for controlling an end effector including a tool unit capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece, a main body unit to which the tool unit is attached, and a camera attached to the main body unit, the end effector being attached to a robot and controlled by a control unit, comprising: The control unit includes an imaging step of imaging a workpiece of a first type supported by the tool unit with the camera, in a state in which a first distance from the camera to the workpiece of the first type in an imaging direction of the camera is the same as a second distance from the camera to the workpiece of a second type supported by the tool unit in an imaging direction of the camera. A method for controlling an end effector comprising the steps of:

15. A method for controlling an end effector, the method comprising: a main body to which a first tool capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second tool capable of supporting a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece can be selectively attached; and a camera attached to the main body, the end effector being attached to a robot and controlled by a control unit, the method comprising: the control unit includes an imaging step of imaging in a state where, when the first tool is attached to the main body and an image of a first type of workpiece supported by the first tool is taken by the camera, a first distance from the camera to the first type of workpiece in the imaging direction of the camera is the same as a second distance from the camera to the second type of workpiece in the imaging direction of the camera when the second tool is attached to the main body and an image of a second type of workpiece supported by the second tool is taken. A method for controlling an end effector comprising the steps of:

16. An end effector including a tool unit capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece, a main body unit to which the tool unit is attached, and a camera attached to the main body unit; a robot having a mounting portion to which the end effector is attached; a camera positioned relative to the mounting portion; A method for controlling a robot device having a control unit, comprising: The control unit includes an imaging step of imaging a workpiece of a first type supported by the tool unit with the camera, in a state in which a first distance from the camera to the workpiece of the first type in an imaging direction of the camera is equal to a second distance from the camera to the workpiece of the second type in an imaging direction of the camera when a workpiece of a second type is supported by the tool unit. A method for controlling a robot device comprising:

17. an end effector including a main body to which a first tool capable of supporting a first type of workpiece and a second tool capable of supporting a second type of workpiece different from the first type of workpiece can be selectively attached, and a camera attached to the main body; a robot having a mounting portion to which the end effector is attached; a camera positioned relative to the mounting portion; A method for controlling a robot device having a control unit, comprising: the control unit includes an imaging step of imaging in a state where, when the first tool is attached to the main body and a first type of workpiece supported by the first tool is imaged by the camera, a first distance from the camera to the first type of workpiece in the imaging direction of the camera is the same as a second distance from the camera to the second type of workpiece in the imaging direction of the camera when the second tool is attached to the main body and a second type of workpiece is supported by the second tool; A method for controlling a robot device comprising:

18. A method for manufacturing an article, comprising the steps of: manufacturing an article by using the robot device according to claim 12;

19. A program for causing a computer to execute the control method for a robot device according to claim 16.

20. A computer-readable recording medium storing the program according to claim 19.

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