Precision assembly device for heavy objects and control method
The precision assembly device with a gripper, collaborative robot, balancer, loader arm, and servo gantry addresses the challenges of costly modifications and safety risks in assembling heavy objects by ensuring precise positioning and adapting to changes, thus reducing costs and enhancing safety.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2024562369
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-07-07
- Filing Date
- 2022-12-20
- Publication Date
- 2025-07-23
AI Technical Summary
Existing methods for assembling heavy objects like vehicle doors to a vehicle body require labor-saving equipment that is costly to modify and poses safety risks, especially when changing the object being worked on.
A precision assembly device comprising a gripper, collaborative robot, balancer, loader arm, and servo gantry that allows for precise positioning and alignment of heavy objects, minimizing gripper modifications and ensuring operator safety.
Enables quick and easy assembly of heavy objects with reduced costs and enhanced safety by adapting to changes in the object being worked on, while securing operator safety.
Smart Images

Figure 2025523335000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a technology that enables precise assembly of heavy objects such as vehicle doors to a vehicle body or the like.
Background Art
[0002] During the manufacture of vehicles or the like, it is necessary to assemble heavy objects such as doors to a vehicle body or the like. The assembly of such a door to the vehicle body is performed by accurately aligning a door fastening hole provided in the door and a hinge fastening hole of a door hinge provided in the vehicle body and then fastening a bolt. However, since the door is a heavy object, it is impossible for an operator to directly handle the door to align the door fastening hole and the door hinge fastening hole and fasten the bolt, and assistance from labor-saving equipment is required.
[0003] The labor-saving equipment includes a gripper for gripping heavy objects such as doors. However, in order to produce a new vehicle model, it is necessary to change the structure of the gripper according to the new door, and it is also necessary to newly perform the setting of the equipment, which requires a relatively long time and high cost. In addition, the above-mentioned labor-saving equipment automatically transports heavy objects such as doors, but at this time, there is a risk of collision with an operator or pinching of the operator. As a related prior art, there is Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1743393.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0004]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a heavy object precision assembly device and its control method that can quickly and easily assist an operator's assembly work when moving a heavy object such as a vehicle door to an accurate position for assembly, and can avoid or minimize the modification of the gripper even when the heavy object to be worked on is changed, save costs and time, and ensure the safety of the operator during operation.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0006] The heavy object precision assembly device of the present invention for achieving the above object includes a gripper configured to grip a heavy object to be assembled, a collaborative robot that adjusts the position and angle of the gripper, a balancer that supplements the payload of the collaborative robot and supports the gripper, a loader arm that supports the balancer and the collaborative robot, and a servo gantry that supports the loader arm above an assembly object on which the heavy object is to be assembled and is configured to horizontally translate the loader arm.
[0007] The loader arm may have the collaborative robot attached to a lower end that extends long below the servo gantry, and may be connected to the upper side of the balancer via a plurality of rotatable links so that the balancer can move horizontally in a plane.
[0008] The loader arm may be integrally provided with a controller shelf on which a robot controller of the collaborative robot is mounted. The balancer may include a cylinder that supports the load of the gripper and the load of the heavy object gripped by the gripper, and an encoder that detects the operating position of the cylinder.
[0009] The balancer is configured to be able to realize a Position Hold mode in which it is controlled to follow the operating position of the cylinder according to an input signal, regardless of changes in the external force applied to the cylinder in real time, and a Load Guided mode in which the operating position of the cylinder is controlled to change according to the direction of the external force added based on the already recognized external force.
[0010] The gripper may include a gripper base coupled to the lower side of the balancer, and a gripper movable part coupled to the gripper base by a spherical bearing and including a plurality of gripping mechanisms for gripping the heavy object and being coupled to the collaborative robot.
[0011] The heavy object is a vehicle door, and the gripping mechanism may include at least one of a vacuum suction cup adsorbed to the glass of the door, a lower attachment supporting the lower side of the door, and a trim attachment supporting the trim of the door.
[0012] The gripper movable part may be provided with a tool holder for holding a tool of an operator who assembles the heavy object.
[0013] The collaborative robot may be configured to be able to realize an automatic operation mode in which it automatically operates based on an instruction taught from a robot controller, a direct teaching mode in which the power and brake of the robot drive shaft are released so that each drive shaft can be rotated by an external force, and a force adaptation control mode in which the posture of the robot changes due to an external force applied to the robot.
[0014] The collaborative robot may be configured to stop operating in order to protect the operator when the torque applied to the drive shaft exceeds a predetermined reference value.
[0015] Also, a control method for a heavy object precision assembly apparatus of the present invention for achieving the above object includes: moving a loader arm toward a heavy object on a pallet by a servo gantry; gripping the heavy object by a gripper supported by the loader arm; taking out the heavy object from the pallet by a collaborative robot; moving the heavy object by the servo gantry to an assembly object to which the heavy object is to be assembled; adjusting the position and posture of the heavy object gripped by the gripper by the collaborative robot according to an operator's operation to align the heavy object with an assembly position of the assembly object; and releasing the grip of the gripper on the heavy object when the assembly of the heavy object is completed.
[0016] Further, the present invention may further include a step of moving the loader arm to a predetermined home position by the servo gantry after the step of releasing the grip of the gripper on the heavy object.
[0017] In the step of gripping the heavy object by the gripper, when the gripper grips the heavy object, the collaborative robot directly switches from an automatic operation mode to a teaching mode so that all the load by the heavy object acts on a balancer, and the balancer switches from a load guiding mode to a position holding mode and can further support the weight of the heavy object in addition to the weight of the previous gripper.
[0018] After the balancer switches from the load guiding mode to the position holding mode, before the step of taking out the heavy object from the pallet, the balancer may raise the heavy object from the pallet by a predetermined amount and perform position adjustment so that the load of the heavy object can be completely supported by the balancer.
[0019] In the step of taking out the heavy object from the pallet, the balancer switches to the load guiding mode, and after the collaborative robot switches to the automatic driving mode, it may completely take out the heavy object from the pallet.
[0020] In the step of aligning the heavy object with the assembly position of the object to be assembled, the collaborative robot switches to the force adaptation control mode, and may adjust the position and posture of the heavy object gripped by the gripper according to the external force applied by the operator.
[0021] In the step of the gripper releasing the grip on the heavy object, the collaborative robot may directly switch to the teaching mode, and the balancer switches to the position holding mode, so that only the weight of the gripper is supported by the balancer.
[0022] After the step of the gripper releasing the grip on the heavy object, a step of moving the loader arm to a predetermined home position by the servo gantry is performed. In the step of moving the loader arm to the home position, the balancer switches to the load guiding mode, and the collaborative robot switches to the automatic driving mode, and may adjust the gripper to a predetermined home position posture.
[0023] The heavy object is a vehicle door. In the step of gripping the heavy object by the gripper, a vacuum suction cup, which is a gripping mechanism of the gripper, is adsorbed on the glass of the door. In the step of the gripper releasing the grip on the heavy object, the vacuum suction cup may release the glass of the door.
[0024] During the execution of all steps from the step of moving the loader arm towards the heavy object to the step of moving the loader arm to the home position, if the torque applied to the drive shaft of the collaborative robot exceeds a predetermined reference value, the operation may be stopped to protect the operator.
Advantages of the Invention
[0025] When attempting to move a heavy object such as a vehicle door and assemble it in an accurate position, the present invention can quickly and easily assist the operator's assembly work. Moreover, even when the heavy object to be worked on is changed, modification of the gripper can be avoided or minimized, costs and time can be saved, and the safety of the operator can be ensured during operation.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0026]
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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention
[0027] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 11, a heavy object precision assembly device of the present invention includes a gripper 1 configured to grip a heavy object D to be assembled, a collaborative robot 3 for adjusting the position and angle of the gripper 1, a balancer 5 for supplementing the payload of the collaborative robot 3 and supporting the gripper 1, a loader arm 7 for supporting the balancer 5 and the collaborative robot 3, and a servo gantry 9 for supporting the loader arm 7 above an assembly object on which the heavy object D is to be assembled and configured to horizontally translate the loader arm 7.
[0028] That is, when the gripper 1 of the assembly device of the present invention grips the heavy object D to be assembled, the balancer 5 supports the weights of the gripper 1 and the heavy object D, and the collaborative robot 3 adjusts the accurate position and posture of the heavy object D and accurately aligns it with the assembly object B. Therefore, an operator can easily assemble the heavy object D to the assembly object B.
[0029] Here, since there is a limit to the distance that the collaborative robot 3 alone can move the heavy object D, the loader arm 7 to which the gripper 1 and the collaborative robot 3 are attached can be moved to the servo gantry 9. Finally, the heavy object D gripped by the gripper 1 can be moved to a sufficient distance, and smooth assembly work can be performed. Thereby, sufficient space for an operator to work is secured between the pallet P on which the heavy object D is prepared and the assembly object B.
[0030] For reference, FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of the heavy object D precision assembly apparatus of the present invention as described above, and the equipment frame 11 that supports the servo gantry 9 is shown together. FIG. 2 shows only the remaining configuration excluding the equipment frame 11.
[0031] For reference, FIGS. 3 and 4 show the servo gantry 9 as viewed from above. Since the first moving part 13 is movable in the first direction X and the second moving part 15 is movable in the second direction Y with respect to the first moving part 13, the loader arm 7 connected to the lower side of the second moving part 15 can horizontally move in a plane above the heavy object D and the object B to be assembled.
[0032] The loader arm 7 has a cooperative robot 3 attached to the lower end that extends long below the servo gantry 9, and is connected to the upper side of the balancer 5 via a plurality of rotatable links 17 so that the balancer 5 can move horizontally in a plane.
[0033] For reference, FIG. 5 shows the loader arm 7 coupled to the lower side of the second moving part 15 of the servo gantry 9, the balancer 5 and the cooperative robot 3 attached to the loader arm 7, and the gripper 1 attached to the lower side of the balancer 5.
[0034] FIG. 6 shows only the loader arm 7 of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 shows the loader arm 7 as viewed from above. The link 17 connected to the upper side of the balancer 5 is sequentially rotatably connected to each other between the loader arm 7 and the balancer 5, and the link 17 connected to the loader arm 7 is rotatably connected to the loader arm 7.
[0035] Therefore, when the balancer 5 and the gripper 1 perform horizontal planar movement by the cooperative robot 3, the link 17 can accommodate the movement on the plane of the balancer 5 while rotating.
[0036] On one hand, the loader arm 7 is integrally provided with a controller shelf 21 on which the robot controller 19 of the collaborative robot 3 is mounted. As shown in FIG. 5, the robot controller 19 is mounted on the upper side of the controller shelf 21.
[0037] As shown in FIG. 8, the balancer 5 includes a cylinder 23 that supports the load of the gripper 1 and the heavy object D gripped by the gripper 1, and an encoder 25 that detects the operating position of the cylinder 23. Therefore, the gripper 1 attached to the lower side of the balancer 5 can be freely repositioned in three-dimensional space by the horizontal planar movement by the link 17 and the vertical movement by the cylinder 23.
[0038] The balancer 5 is configured to be able to realize a position holding mode in which it is controlled to follow the operating position of the cylinder 23 by an input signal input to the balancer 5 regardless of changes in the external force applied to the cylinder 23 in real time, and a load guiding mode in which the operating position of the cylinder 23 is controlled to change according to the direction of the external force added based on the already recognized external force.
[0039] That is, in the position holding mode, when the input signal is for keeping the position of the gripper 1 constant, even if the weight of the heavy object D gripped by the gripper 1 increases and the weight that the balancer 5 should support increases, or if the gripped heavy object D is released and the weight to be supported decreases, the cylinder 23 is controlled so that the position of the gripper 1 is kept constant.
[0040] Also, when the input signal is for raising or lowering the gripper 1, even if the load that the balancer 5 should support changes in real time due to the addition or removal of the heavy object D to / from the gripper 1, the gripper 1 is moved according to the input signal while compensating for such a situation in real time.
[0041] In the load guiding mode, when an additional external force other than the load already supported by the balancer 5 is applied, the operating position of the cylinder 23 changes according to the direction. For example, when the gripper 1 is supported by the balancer 5 and the collaborative robot 3 moves the gripper 1 upward, the operating position of the cylinder 23 rises accordingly, causing the gripper 1 to rise. Also, when the collaborative robot 3 moves the gripper 1 downward, the operating position of the cylinder 23 drops accordingly, causing the gripper 1 to lower. Of course, such operations are also performed in the same way when the gripper 1 is holding the heavy object D.
[0042] That is, the load guiding mode is a mode in which the collaborative robot 3 can move the gripper 1 as desired without bearing the load of the gripper 1 or the heavy object D held by the gripper 1.
[0043] In this way, the balancer 5 functions to enable the collaborative robot 3 with a relatively small payload to smoothly adjust the position and posture of the heavy object D while supplementing the payload of the collaborative robot 3.
[0044] As shown in FIG. 9, the gripper 1 includes a gripper base 27 coupled to the lower side of the balancer 5, and a gripper movable part 31 coupled to the gripper base 27 by a spherical bearing 29 and including a plurality of gripping mechanisms for gripping the heavy object D, and is connected to the collaborative robot 3.
[0045] The gripper base 27 substantially serves to firmly connect the gripper 1 to the lower side of the balancer 5 and to support the gripper movable part 31 with the spherical bearing 29.
[0046] Therefore, the gripper movable part 31 can form a free posture while rotating around the spherical bearing 29 by the operation of the collaborative robot 3, and can freely adjust the posture of the heavy object D gripped by the gripping mechanism.
[0047] The heavy object D can be various parts. In this embodiment, the heavy object D is a vehicle door, and the object to be assembled B is a vehicle body. In this case, the gripping mechanism may be configured to include at least one of a vacuum suction cup 30 adsorbed on the glass of the door, a lower attachment 33 supporting the lower side of the door, and a trim attachment 35 supporting the trim of the door. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the vacuum suction cup 30, the lower attachment 33, and the trim attachment 35 are all provided.
[0048] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, the door as the heavy object is supported by the lower attachment 33 on the lower side, the glass is adsorbed by the vacuum suction cup 30 on the upper side, and the door trim on the middle side is supported by the trim attachment 35 and integrated with the gripper 1. As a result, the door is gripped by the gripper 1 such that both the position and the posture of the door change according to the change in the position and the posture of the gripper 1.
[0049] On the other hand, a tool holder 37 for holding the tools of the operator for assembling the heavy object D is provided on the gripper movable part 31. Thereby, the tools used by the operator can be temporarily held in the tool holder 37, and the work convenience of the operator can be further improved.
[0050] The collaborative robot 3 is an articulated robot having six-axis degrees of freedom, and includes an automatic operation mode that automatically operates based on instructions taught from a robot controller 19, a direct teaching mode that releases the power and brakes of the robot drive shafts so that each drive shaft can be rotated by an external force, and a force adaptation control mode in which the posture of the robot changes due to an external force applied to the robot.
[0051] In addition, when the torque applied to the drive shaft of the collaborative robot 3 exceeds a predetermined reference value, the collaborative robot 3 is configured to stop operating in order to protect the operator, thereby preventing the occurrence of safety accidents such as collisions or pinching with the operator.
[0052] In addition, as shown in FIG. 12, the control method of the heavy object precision assembly device as described above includes a step (S10) of moving the loader arm 7 toward the heavy object D on the pallet P by the servo gantry 9, a step (S20) of gripping the heavy object D by the gripper 1 supported by the loader arm 7, a step (S30) of removing the heavy object D from the pallet P by the collaborative robot 3, a step (S40) of moving the heavy object D to the assembly object B to which the heavy object D is to be assembled by the servo gantry 9, and a step (S50) in which the collaborative robot 3 adjusts the position and orientation of the heavy object D gripped by the gripper 1 according to the operation of the operator and aligns the heavy object D with the assembly position of the assembly object B. When the assembly of the heavy object D is completed, a step (S70) of releasing the gripper 1 from gripping the heavy object D, and a step (S70) of moving the loader arm 7 to a predetermined home position by the servo gantry 9.
[0053] Here, the home position is an arbitrary position between the pallet P on which the heavy object D is loaded and the assembly object B, and may be set to a position that avoids interference with the operator and enables a process such as replacing the assembled assembly object B with a new assembly object B to be performed smoothly.
[0054] For reference, the step (S70) of moving the loader arm 7 to the home position by the servo gantry 9 may be omitted in cases where the replacement of the assembly object B or the like is performed quickly and the gripper 1 releases the grip on the assembled heavy object D and immediately moves toward the heavy object D on the pallet P.
[0055] In step (S10) of moving the loader arm 7 toward the heavy object D on the pallet P by the servo gantry 9, the loader arm 7 is moved from the home position to a position where the heavy object D loaded on the pallet P can be gripped.
[0056] In the step (S20) of gripping the heavy object D by the gripper 1, when the gripper 1 grips the heavy object D, the collaborative robot 3 switches directly from the automatic operation mode to the teaching mode so that all the load by the heavy object D acts on the balancer 5.
[0057] Also, the balancer 5 switches from the load guiding mode to the position holding mode so that in addition to the weight of the previous gripper 1, it can further support the weight of the heavy object D.
[0058] When the heavy object D is a vehicle door, the door can be gripped by the gripper 1 by a vacuum suction cup 30 adsorbed to the glass of the door, a lower attachment 33 supporting the lower side of the door, a trim attachment 35 supporting the trim of the door, etc.
[0059] After the balancer 5 switches from the load guiding mode to the position holding mode, before the step (S30) of taking out the heavy object D from the pallet P, the heavy object D is lifted by a predetermined amount from the pallet P, and position adjustment can be performed so that the load of the heavy object D can be completely supported by the balancer 5.
[0060] FIG. 13 shows a state in which position adjustment is performed so that the load of the door can be completely supported by the balancer 5 when the heavy object D is a vehicle door, and it can be confirmed that the lower side of the door is separated from the pallet P.
[0061] Preferably, the predetermined amount of lifting the heavy object D from the pallet P during the position adjustment is set so that the heavy object D is sufficiently lifted from the pallet P without deviating greatly from the state where the heavy object D is supported by the pallet P, and the weight of the heavy object D can be completely supported by the balancer 5.
[0062] In the step (S30) of taking out the heavy object D from the pallet P, the balancer 5 switches to the load guide mode, and after the collaborative robot 3 switches to the automatic operation mode, the gripper 1 and the heavy object D are completely taken out from the pallet P.
[0063] Thereafter, in the step (S40) of moving the heavy object D to the assembly object B to which the heavy object D is to be assembled by the servo gantry 9, the heavy object D held by the gripper 1 is conveyed to an adjacent position of the assembly position of the assembly object B.
[0064] In the step (S50) of aligning the heavy object D with the assembly position of the assembly object B, the collaborative robot 3 switches to the force adaptation control mode, and adjusts the position and posture of the heavy object D held by the gripper 1 according to the external force applied by the operator.
[0065] Therefore, the operator manually moves the gripper 1 to align the heavy object D conveyed to the adjacent position of the assembly object B with the state in which it can be assembled to the assembly object B. At this time, the collaborative robot 3 adapts to the force applied by the operator to the gripper 1 in the above-described force adaptation control mode and adjusts the position and posture of the gripper 1, so that the operator can easily align the heavy object D with the assembly position.
[0066] After the operator aligns the heavy object D with the assembly object B, the heavy object D is assembled to the assembly object B with bolts or the like (S60). Here, when the heavy object D is a door and the assembly object B is a vehicle body, the operator can complete the assembly of the door to the vehicle body by aligning the door fastening hole of the door with the door hinge hole of the vehicle body and fastening a bolt there.
[0067] In the step (S70) where the gripper 1 releases the grip of the heavy object D, the collaborative robot 3 directly switches to the teaching mode, and the balancer 5 switches to the position holding mode so that only the weight of the gripper 1 is supported by the balancer 5.
[0068] Here, if the weight D is a door, the vacuum suction cup 30 can be controlled to release the glass of the door and slightly lower the operating position of the cylinder 23 of the balancer 5 so that the weight of the assembled door no longer acts on the balancer 5.
[0069] After the step (S70) in which the gripper 1 releases the grip of the heavy object D, a step (S80) in which the servo gantry 9 moves the loader arm 7 to the home position may be performed.
[0070] In the step (S80) of moving the loader arm 7 to the home position, the balancer 5 may be switched to a load guide mode, and the collaborative robot 3 may be switched to an automatic operation mode to adjust the gripper 1 to a predetermined home position and posture.
[0071] The home position posture may be a posture that is advantageous for switching to a posture for executing the step (S20) of gripping a heavy object D by the gripper 1 again while minimizing interference with adjacent workers or other objects when the loader arm 7 is in the home position.
[0072] On the other hand, if the torque applied to the drive shaft of the collaborative robot 3 exceeds a predetermined reference value during execution of all steps from step (S10) of moving the loader arm 7 toward the heavy load D to step (S80) of moving the loader arm 7 to the home position, operation is stopped to protect the worker and an emergency alarm is generated, thereby effectively preventing the worker from being injured by colliding with the collaborative robot 3 or the heavy load D, or being pinched between the collaborative robot 3 and other objects. [Explanation of symbols]
[0073] 1 Gripper 3. Collaborative robots 5. Balancer 7 Loader Arm 9 Servo Gantry 11 Equipment frame 13 First moving part 15 Second moving part 17 Link 19 Robot controller 21 Controller shelf 23 Cylinder 25 Encoder 27 Gripper base 29 Spherical bearing 30 Vacuum suction cup 31 Gripper moving part 33 Lower attachment 35 Trim attachment 37 Tool holder B Object to be assembled D Heavy object P Pallet
Claims
1. A gripper configured to grip a heavy object to be assembled, A collaborative robot for adjusting the position and angle of the gripper, A balancer that compensates for the payload of the collaborative robot and supports the gripper, A loader arm that supports the balancer and the collaborative robot, A servo gantry that supports the loader arm above the assembly object on which the heavy object is to be assembled and is configured to horizontally translate the loader arm. A heavy object precision assembly device, characterized by comprising:
2. The loader arm, The collaborative robot is attached to a lower end that extends long below the servo gantry, The heavy object precision assembly device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is connected to the upper side of the balancer via a plurality of rotatable links so that the balancer can be horizontally translated.
3. The heavy object precision assembly device according to claim 2, characterized in that a controller shelf for mounting a robot controller of the collaborative robot is integrally provided on the loader arm.
4. The balancer, A cylinder that supports the load of the gripper and the load of the heavy object gripped by the gripper, An encoder for detecting the operating position of the cylinder. The heavy object precision assembly device according to claim 2, characterized by comprising:
5. The balancer, A position holding mode (Position Hold mode) that is controlled to follow the operating position of the cylinder according to an input signal regardless of changes in the external force applied to the cylinder in real time, The heavy object precision assembly device according to claim 4, characterized in that it is configured to be able to realize a load guided mode (Load Guided mode) in which the operating position of the cylinder changes according to the direction of an external force added based on an already recognized external force.
6. The gripper, A gripper base coupled to the lower side of the balancer, A gripper movable part that is connected to the gripper base by a spherical bearing, includes a plurality of gripping mechanisms for gripping the heavy object, and is connected to the collaborative robot. The heavy object precision assembly device according to claim 1, characterized by comprising:
7. The heavy object is a vehicle door, The gripping mechanism is configured to include at least one of a vacuum suction cup adsorbed to the glass of the door, a lower attachment that supports the lower side of the door, and a trim attachment that supports the trim of the door. The heavy object precision assembly device according to claim 6 is characterized in that.
8. The gripper movable part is provided with a tool holder for holding the tool of the operator who assembles the heavy object. The heavy object precision assembly device according to claim 6 is characterized in that.
9. The collaborative robot, An automatic driving mode that automatically operates based on instructions taught from a robot controller, A direct teaching mode in which the power and brake of the robot drive shaft are released so that each drive shaft can rotate by an external force, A force adaptation control mode in which the posture of the robot changes according to an external force applied to the robot. The heavy object precision assembly device according to claim 1 is characterized in that it is configured to be able to realize.
10. The collaborative robot is configured to stop operating in order to protect the operator when the torque applied to the drive shaft exceeds a predetermined reference value. The heavy object precision assembly device according to claim 9 is characterized in that.
11. Moving the loader arm toward the heavy object on the pallet by a servo gantry, Gripping the heavy object by a gripper supported by the loader arm, Removing the heavy object from the pallet by a collaborative robot, Moving the heavy object to an assembly object to which the heavy object is to be assembled by the servo gantry, The collaborative robot adjusts the position and posture of the heavy object gripped by the gripper according to the operation of the operator, and aligns the heavy object with the assembly position of the assembly object. When the assembly of the heavy object is completed, the gripper releases the grip on the heavy object. A control method for a heavy object precision assembly device is characterized by including.
12. After the step of the gripper releasing the grip on the heavy object, the method further includes moving the loader arm to a predetermined home position by a servo gantry. The control method for a heavy object precision assembly device according to claim 11 is characterized in that.
13. In the step of gripping the heavy object by the gripper, When the gripper grips the heavy object, the collaborative robot directly switches from the automatic driving mode to the teaching mode, causing all the loads from the heavy object to act on the balancer. The balancer switches from the load guiding mode to the position holding mode, and is characterized in that it can further support the weight of the heavy object in addition to the weight of the previous gripper. The control method of the heavy object precision assembly device according to claim 11.
14. After the balancer switches from the load guiding mode to the position holding mode, before the step of taking out the heavy object from the pallet, The heavy object is lifted by a predetermined amount from the pallet, and position adjustment is performed so that the load of the heavy object can be completely supported by the balancer. The control method of the heavy object precision assembly device according to claim 13.
15. In the step of taking out the heavy object from the pallet, The balancer switches to the load guiding mode, After the collaborative robot switches to the automatic driving mode, it is characterized in that the heavy object is completely taken out from the pallet. The control method of the heavy object precision assembly device according to claim 14.
16. In the step of aligning the heavy object with the assembly position of the object to be assembled, The collaborative robot switches to the force adaptation control mode, and adjusts the position and posture of the heavy object gripped by the gripper according to the external force applied by the operator. The control method of the heavy object precision assembly device according to claim 11.
17. In the step of the gripper releasing the grip on the heavy object, The collaborative robot directly switches to the teaching mode, and the balancer switches to the position holding mode, so that only the weight of the gripper is supported by the balancer. The control method of the heavy object precision assembly device according to claim 16.
18. After the step of the gripper releasing the grip on the heavy object, a step of moving the loader arm to a predetermined home position by the servo gantry is performed. In the step of moving the loader arm to the home position, The balancer switches to the load guiding mode, and the collaborative robot switches to the automatic driving mode, and adjusts the gripper to a predetermined home position posture. The control method of the heavy object precision assembly device according to claim 17.
19. The heavy object is a vehicle door, In the step of gripping the heavy object by the gripper, a vacuum suction cup, which is a gripping mechanism of the gripper, is adsorbed to the glass of the door, In the step of the gripper releasing the grip on the heavy object, the vacuum suction cup releases the glass of the door. A control method for a heavy object precision assembly apparatus according to claim 11, characterized by this.
20. During the execution of all steps from the step of moving the loader arm toward the heavy object to the step of moving the loader arm to the home position, if the torque applied to the drive shaft of the collaborative robot exceeds a predetermined reference value, the operation is stopped to protect the operator. A control method for a heavy object precision assembly apparatus according to claim 12, characterized by this.
Citation Information
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