Robot control device and simulated transport target

Abstract

There were instances where the teaching data and the intended transport location were inconsistent. [Solution] The robot control device 10 includes a control unit 12 that controls the transport robot 1 using teaching data to transport a simulated transport object, which has multiple guide members on its lower surface that engage with multiple vertically extending pins arranged at the transport destination of the transport object to guide the simulated transport object to the target transport position, onto multiple pins; a reception unit 13 that receives sensor information acquired by a sensor 3 that senses the movement of the simulated transport object; an acquisition unit 14 that acquires the displacement of the simulated transport object when the simulated transport object is transported onto the multiple pins using the sensor information; and a modification unit 15 that modifies the teaching data according to the displacement of the simulated transport object. With this configuration, the teaching data can be modified if the teaching data and the target transport position do not match.

Description

Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a robot control device and the like for correcting teaching data of a transport robot.

Background Art

[0003] Conventionally, it has been carried out to detect, for example, slippage of a substrate during conveyance using a jig that simulates a plate-shaped object to be processed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

Patent Document 1

[0004] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-012107

Summary of the Invention

[0005]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, in the above-described conventional example, when transporting a transport target to a target transport position by a transport robot that operates based on teaching data, if the teaching data and the target transport position do not match, the teaching data cannot be corrected. The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a robot control device and the like that can correct teaching data when the teaching data and the target transport position do not match.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] Furthermore, a simulated transport object according to one aspect of the present invention is a simulated transport object corresponding to a plate-shaped transport object, comprising a plate-shaped member and a plurality of guide members provided on the lower surface of the plate-shaped member, wherein the plurality of guide members engage with a plurality of vertically extending pins arranged at the transport destination of the transport object to guide the simulated transport object to the desired transport position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, a robot control device can be used to correct teaching data if it does not match the target transport position. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Block diagram showing the configuration of a robot control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A schematic diagram showing an example of the operating environment of the transport robot in the same embodiment. [Figure 3A] Plan view of the simulated transport target according to the same embodiment. [Figure 3B] Front view of the simulated transported object according to the same embodiment. [Figure 3C] Bottom view of the simulated transported object according to the same embodiment. [Figure 4] Cross-sectional view of a simulated transported object according to the same embodiment. [Figure 5A] A diagram illustrating the movement of the simulated transported object in the same embodiment. [Figure 5B] A diagram illustrating the movement of the simulated transported object in the same embodiment. [Figure 5C] A diagram illustrating the movement of the simulated transported object in the same embodiment. [Figure 6] Flowchart showing the operation of the robot control device according to this embodiment. [Figure 7A] Plan view showing another example of a simulated transport target according to the same embodiment. [Figure 7B] Front view showing another example of a simulated transport target according to the same embodiment. [Figure 8A] Plan view showing another example of a simulated transport target and sensor according to the same embodiment. [Figure 8B] Front view showing another example of a simulated transport target according to the same embodiment. [Figure 9A] A bottom view showing another example of a simulated transport target according to the same embodiment. [Figure 9B] A cross-sectional view showing another example of a simulated transport target according to the same embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, a robot control device and a simulated conveyance target according to the present invention will be described using embodiments. In the following embodiments, components and steps denoted by the same reference numerals are the same or corresponding, and repeated descriptions may be omitted. The robot control device according to the present embodiment controls a conveyance robot based on teaching data to convey a simulated conveyance target having a guide member, and when the guide member of the simulated conveyance target engages with a pin disposed at the conveyance destination and the simulated conveyance target is guided to the target conveyance position, the displacement of the simulated conveyance target is acquired using sensor information acquired by a sensor, and the teaching data is corrected using the displacement.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a robot control system 100 according to the present embodiment. The robot control system 100 according to the present embodiment includes a conveyance robot 1, a conveyance robot 1, a chamber 2, a sensor 3, and a robot control device 10.

[0012] The conveyance robot 1 is a robot that conveys a plate-shaped conveyance target. The conveyance robot 1 may have, for example, a plurality of arms connected by joints driven by a motor. A hand part for conveying the conveyance target may be connected to the tips of the plurality of arms. The conveyance robot 1 may be, for example, a horizontal articulated robot or a vertical articulated robot. In the present embodiment, the former case will be mainly described. The horizontal articulated robot may be able to move the conveyance target held by the hand part in the vertical direction, or may not be able to do so.

[0013] The hand part of the transfer robot 1 holds a plate-shaped object to be transferred. The plate-shaped object to be transferred may be, for example, a substrate such as a semiconductor substrate or a glass substrate, various wafers, or other thin plate-shaped objects. The shape of the object to be transferred is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a disk shape or a rectangular shape. The hand part may have a chuck mechanism that can fix the object to be transferred so that the object to be transferred does not shift or fall during transfer, or it may not. In the latter case, for example, the holding of the object to be transferred may be by placing the object to be transferred. The chuck mechanism of the hand part may be, for example, a gripping mechanism or a suction mechanism.

[0014] The chamber 2 may be the chamber at the transfer destination of the object 4 to be transferred. The chamber 2 is not particularly limited as long as it is the transfer destination of the object 4 to be transferred, and may be, for example, a process chamber where a predetermined process is performed on the object 4 to be transferred.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operating environment of the transfer robot 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer robot 1 may be arranged in a transfer chamber 7 connected to a chamber 2 that is a process chamber and a load lock 6. And the transfer robot 1 may transfer the object 4 to be transferred between the load lock 6 and the chamber 2.

[0016] In the present embodiment, in the chamber 2, it is assumed that the object 4 to be transferred is placed on a plurality of pins 21 extending in the vertical direction. The plurality of pins 21 may, for example, move up and down in the vertical direction, or may be fixed without moving in the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, the former case will be mainly described. It is preferable that the heights of the upper ends of the plurality of pins 21 in the vertical direction are the same. In the present embodiment, the case where the number of pins 21 is 3 will be mainly described, but the number of pins 21 may be 4 or more. The transfer robot 1 may be, for example, a robot that performs transfer in a vacuum environment as shown in FIG. 2, or a robot that performs transfer in an atmospheric environment. In the present embodiment, the former case will be mainly described.

[0017] Sensor 3 is used to sense the movement of the simulated transported object 5, which will be described later. Sensor 3 may be attached to the simulated transported object 5, for example, or it may be placed on the environment side. When sensor 3 is placed on the environment side, it means that sensor 3 does not move in response to the movement of the transport robot 1. For example, sensor 3 may be attached to the chamber 2, which is the destination of the simulated transported object 5. Furthermore, as will be described later, sensor 3 can be of any type that can sense the movement of the simulated transported object 5, such as an acceleration sensor, distance sensor, strain gauge, or image sensor. In this embodiment, the case in which sensor 3 is an acceleration sensor of the simulated transported object 5 will be mainly described, and other cases will be described later.

[0018] As shown in Figure 1, the robot control device 10 according to this embodiment controls the transport robot 1 and comprises a storage unit 11, a control unit 12, a reception unit 13, an acquisition unit 14, and a modification unit 15.

[0019] The memory unit 11 stores the teaching data for the transport robot 1. The teaching data before correction by the correction unit 15 may contain errors, for example. That is, the destination position indicated by the teaching data before correction may not match the target transport position. For example, if the transport robot 1 is used in a vacuum environment, it may not be possible to teach the transport robot 1 precisely, and as a result, errors may occur in the teaching data. Also, for example, misalignment that occurs when the chamber 2 is installed may cause errors in the teaching data. The robot control device 10 according to this embodiment corrects the errors that occur when the transport object 4 is placed on the multiple pins 21 at the transport destination.

[0020] The storage unit 11 may store data other than teaching data, such as threshold values ​​used by the modification unit 15 (described later) or sensor information received by the reception unit 13. The process by which information is stored in the storage unit 11 is not limited. For example, information may be stored in the storage unit 11 via a recording medium, information transmitted via a communication line or the like may be stored in the storage unit 11, information input via an input device such as a teaching pendant may be stored in the storage unit 11, or information may be accumulated in the storage unit 11 by other components such as the acquisition unit 14. The storage unit 11 is preferably implemented using a non-volatile recording medium, but it may also be implemented using a volatile recording medium. The recording medium may be, for example, a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk.

[0021] The control unit 12 controls the transport robot 1 using teaching data stored in the memory unit 11 to transport the simulated transport object 5 onto the multiple pins 21. In this case, the simulated transport object 5 may first be placed on the load lock 6. Then, the control unit 12 controls the transport robot 1 according to the teaching data to remove the simulated transport object 5 from the load lock 6, move the removed simulated transport object 5 to the chamber 2, and transport the simulated transport object 5 so that it is placed on the multiple pins 21 of the chamber 2. When the simulated transport object 5 held by the hand of the transport robot 1 is placed on the multiple pins 21, the control unit 12 may control the transport robot 1 so that the hand is lowered, or it may control the chamber 2 so that the multiple pins 21 are raised, or it may do both. In this embodiment, the case in which the multiple pins 21 are raised will be mainly described. The placement of the simulated transport object 5 on the load lock 6 may be done, for example, by an operator, or by a transport robot in an atmospheric environment. Furthermore, except when modifying the teaching data, the control unit 12 may use the teaching data to control the transport robot 1, thereby transporting the object to be transported 4 onto the multiple pins 21 of the chamber 2.

[0022] Here, we will describe the simulated transported object 5. The simulated transported object 5 corresponds to the transported object 4 and is a simulation of the transported object 4. Therefore, it is preferable that the simulated transported object 5 has the same shape and size as the transported object 4, for example. The simulated transported object 5 may also have a weight similar to that of the transported object, for example.

[0023] Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C are a plan view, front view, and bottom view of the simulated transport object 5, respectively, and Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the simulated transport object 5 passing through the center of the guide member 52. The simulated transport object 5 according to this embodiment comprises a plate-shaped member 51, a plurality of guide members 52 provided on the lower surface 51b of the plate-shaped member 51, and a sensor 3a and a transmitting unit 53 attached to the plate-shaped member 51.

[0024] The plate-shaped member 51 is preferably the same shape and size as the object to be transported 4. In this embodiment, the case in which both the object to be transported 4 and the plate-shaped member 51 are disc-shaped and of the same size will be mainly described. The material of the plate-shaped member 51 is not particularly limited, but may be a metal such as aluminum, or a resin.

[0025] Multiple guide members 52 engage with multiple vertically extending pins 21 located at the destination of the transport object 4, respectively, to guide the simulated transport object 5 to the desired transport position. The desired transport position may be the ideal transport position of the simulated transport object 5 at the destination. When the simulated transport object 5 is at the desired transport position, it is preferable that there is no error in the position of the simulated transport object 5. The simulated transport object 5 may have, for example, the same number of guide members 52 as the number of pins 21 at the destination.

[0026] The guide member 52 shown in Figure 3A, etc., has a conical internal space that is open at the bottom, and its inner circumferential surface 52a may be formed such that, for example, the inner diameter increases towards the bottom. As shown in Figure 4, the upper ends of multiple pins 21 are guided to the upper ends of the internal spaces of multiple guide members 52, thereby positioning the simulated transport object 5 to the desired transport position. Therefore, it is preferable that the mounting positions of the multiple guide members 52 on the lower surface 51b of the plate-shaped member 51 be determined so as to enable such positioning. As shown in Figure 4, the inner circumferential surface 52a of the guide member 52 and the pins 21 may not be in surface contact. This is preferable when the simulated transport object 5 is used in a clean environment such as a vacuum environment, because the generation of particles can be suppressed by preventing surface contact between the inner circumferential surface 52a and the pins 21.

[0027] This embodiment primarily describes the case where sensor 3a is an acceleration sensor. The acceleration sensor 3a may be, for example, a two-dimensional acceleration sensor capable of sensing the acceleration in the planar direction of the plate-shaped member 51, or a three-dimensional acceleration sensor capable of sensing the vertical acceleration of the plate-shaped member 51. Figure 3A shows the case where the acceleration sensor 3a is mounted near the center of the plate-shaped member 51, but the mounting position of sensor 3a is not limited. For example, the acceleration sensor 3a may be mounted at any position on the plate-shaped member 51. Furthermore, if the simulated transport object 5 is used in a clean environment such as a vacuum environment, sensor 3a may be covered with a housing or the like to prevent particle generation. Sensor 3a may also have an amplifier for amplifying the sensed information.

[0028] The transmitting unit 53 may transmit sensor information acquired by the sensor 3a to the robot control device 10. The transmitting unit 53 preferably transmits sensor information by wireless communication, for example. The wireless communication is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, Wi-Fi or short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth®. The transmitting unit 53 may or may not include a transmitting device for transmission. Furthermore, the transmitting unit 53 may be implemented by hardware, or by software such as a driver for driving the transmitting device.

[0029] Figures 3A and 3B show the case where the sensor 3a and the transmitter 53 are arranged on the upper surface 51a of the plate-shaped member 51. However, the sensor 3a and the transmitter 53 may also be arranged on the lower surface 51b of the plate-shaped member 51, or at any other position on the plate-shaped member 51. Note that the upper surface 51a and lower surface 51b of the plate-shaped member 51 may be the upper surface 51a and lower surface 51b when the simulated transport object 5 is placed at the transport destination. Although not shown in Figures 3A and others, the simulated transport object 5 may also have a battery to operate the sensor 3a and the transmitter 53.

[0030] Here, the engagement of multiple pins 21 with the guide member 52 guides the simulated transport object 5 to its intended destination, as explained using Figures 5A to 5C. Figure 5A is a front view showing the simulated transport object 5 before movement, Figure 5B is a front view showing the simulated transport object 5 after movement, and Figure 5C is a plan view showing the simulated transport object 5 before movement with a solid line and the simulated transport object 5 after movement with a dashed line. If there is no error in the teaching data, when the simulated transport object 5 is placed on the multiple pins 21, the upper ends of the pins 21 will contact the center of the guide member 52. On the other hand, if there is an error in the teaching data, as shown in Figure 5A, when the simulated transport object 5 is placed on the multiple pins 21, the upper ends of the pins 21 may contact the inner circumferential surface 52a of the guide member 52 that is off-center. In this case, the multiple pins 21 are guided along the inner circumferential surfaces 52a of the multiple guide members 52, causing the simulated transport object 5 to move to the ideal transport position as indicated by the arrows in Figures 5B and 5C. As the pins 21 are guided by the guide members 52, for example, the center 5c of the simulated transport object 5 moves as indicated by the arrow in Figure 5C. Then, by sensing the movement of the simulated transport object 5 during that movement with the sensor 3a, sensor information, which is the sensing result, can be obtained. Furthermore, by using this sensor information, the displacement of the simulated transport object 5 can be obtained. Since this displacement corresponds to the error in the teaching data, the teaching data can be corrected by correcting the position of the transport destination of the transport object 4 in the teaching data using this displacement.

[0031] The reception unit 13 receives sensor information acquired by the sensor 3a, which senses the movement of the simulated transport target 5. In this embodiment, the case in which the reception of sensor information is the reception of sensor information transmitted wirelessly from the simulated transport target 5 will be mainly described.

[0032] Thus, the receiving unit 13 may receive information transmitted, for example, by wireless communication. The receiving unit 13 may or may not include a device for receiving information (for example, a communication device). Furthermore, the receiving unit 13 may be implemented by hardware or by software such as a driver that drives a predetermined device.

[0033] The acquisition unit 14 acquires the displacement of the simulated transport object 5 in accordance with the guidance of the multiple pins 21 by the multiple guide members 52 when the simulated transport object 5 is transported on the multiple pins 21, using the sensor information received by the reception unit 13. For example, if the sensor information is acceleration acquired by sensor 3a, the acquisition unit 14 can acquire the displacement by integrating that acceleration twice. Here, the displacement to be acquired is usually the displacement in the horizontal direction. Therefore, even if sensor 3a is a three-dimensional acceleration sensor, the acquisition unit 14 may acquire, for example, the displacement in the horizontal direction.

[0034] The displacement acquired by the acquisition unit 14 using the sensor information obtained by the sensor 3a is usually the displacement in the local coordinate system of the simulated transport object 5. Therefore, it is preferable for the acquisition unit 14 to convert the displacement in the local coordinate system of the simulated transport object 5 into the displacement in the local coordinate system of the transport robot 1. For example, if the local coordinate system of the transport robot 1 is a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system and the Z axis is set in the vertical direction, the displacement may be a vector having direction and magnitude on the XY plane in that local coordinate system.

[0035] For example, if the simulated transport object 5 is placed on the load lock 6 at a predetermined position and orientation, and then the transport robot 1 transports the simulated transport object 5 from the load lock 6 to the chamber 2, the relationship between the local coordinate system of the simulated transport object 5 and the local coordinate system of the transport robot 1 when it is passed from the hand of the transport robot 1 onto multiple pins 21 in the chamber 2 is known. Therefore, the acquisition unit 14 can convert the displacement acquired in the local coordinate system of the simulated transport object 5 into the displacement in the local coordinate system of the transport robot 1.

[0036] The modification unit 15 modifies the teaching data stored in the storage unit 11 according to the displacement of the simulated transport object 5 acquired by the acquisition unit 14. The displacement used by the modification unit 15 to modify the teaching data may be, for example, the displacement in the local coordinate system of the transport robot 1. Furthermore, this modification of the teaching data may also be a modification of the destination position of the transport object 4. For example, the modification unit 15 may use the acquired displacement to modify the teaching data so that the position of the displacement becomes the destination position of the transport object 4. As an example, the modification unit 15 may move the destination position by the amount of the vector on the XY plane in the local coordinate system of the transport robot 1 acquired by the acquisition unit 14. Note that, for example, if the magnitude of the acquired displacement is smaller than a threshold, the modification unit 15 does not need to modify the teaching data. The magnitude of the displacement being smaller than a threshold may mean, for example, that the distance the simulated transport object 5 moves according to that displacement, i.e., the magnitude of the vector described above, is smaller than a threshold.

[0037] Next, the operation of the robot control device 10 will be explained using the flowchart in Figure 6. In this flowchart, it is assumed that at the destination of the simulated transported object, the simulated transported object 5 will be placed on the multiple pins 21 by moving the multiple pins 21 upwards.

[0038] (Step S101) The control unit 12 controls the transport robot 1 using the teaching data stored in the memory unit 11. In response to this control, the simulated transport object 5 is transported to the destination position in the chamber 2.

[0039] (Step S102) The control unit 12 controls the chamber 2 to raise the multiple pins 21.

[0040] (Step S103) The receiving unit 13 receives sensor information acquired by the sensor 3a of the simulated transport target 5 and transmitted from the transmitting unit 53. This receiving of sensor information may also be interpreted as receiving sensor information.

[0041] (Step S104) The control unit 12 determines whether to stop raising the multiple pins 21. If it decides to stop raising the multiple pins 21, it proceeds to step S105; otherwise, it returns to step S102 and continues raising the multiple pins 21. The control unit 12 may, for example, determine that it can stop raising the multiple pins 21 when they have risen to a predetermined position. Here, when the multiple pins 21 have risen to a predetermined position, it is assumed that the simulated transport object 5 has been passed from the hand of the transport robot 1 onto the multiple pins 21.

[0042] (Step S105) The acquisition unit 14 acquires the displacement of the simulated transport target 5 using the sensor information received by the reception unit 13 when the multiple pins 21 rise.

[0043] (Step S106) The correction unit 15 determines whether the magnitude of the acquired displacement is less than a threshold. If the magnitude of the acquired displacement is less than a threshold, the series of processes ends without correcting the teaching data; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S107.

[0044] (Step S107) The modification unit 15 modifies the teaching data stored in the storage unit 11 using the acquired displacement. Then the series of processes is completed.

[0045] Note that the order of processing in the flowchart of Figure 6 is just one example, and the order of each step may be changed if similar results can be obtained. Also, when the simulated transport object 5 is guided to the target position by the engagement of multiple pins 21 and multiple guide members 52, it is conceivable that the simulated transport object 5 rotates slightly in a plan view. In such a case, if this rotation is not taken into account when converting the displacement of the simulated transport object 5 in its local coordinate system to the displacement of the transport robot 1 in its local coordinate system, the displacement in the transport robot 1's local coordinate system will be an inaccurate value. On the other hand, even if the simulated transport object 5 rotates in a plan view, the rotation occurs when the pins 21 are guided along the inner circumferential surface 52a in the internal space of the guide member 52, so the degree of rotation is considered to be sufficiently small. For this reason, the robot control device 10 may repeat the series of processes in the flowchart shown in Figure 6 until it is determined in step S106 that the magnitude of the acquired displacement is smaller than a threshold. By doing so, the corrected teaching data can be made more accurate.

[0046] Next, the operation of the robot control system 100 according to this embodiment will be explained using a specific example. First, the operator places the simulated transport object 5 on the load lock 6 manually or using a transport robot for the atmospheric environment. Then, the operator operates the robot control device 10 to start the process of transporting the simulated transport object 5. It is assumed that the simulated transport object 5 repeatedly performs sensing by the sensor 3a and transmits the sensed sensor information by the transmission unit 53.

[0047] In response to this operation, the control unit 12 reads the teaching data stored in the memory unit 11 and controls the transport robot 1 according to the teaching data (step S101). In response to this control, the transport robot 1 holds the simulated transport object 5, which is placed on the load lock 6, with its hand and transports it to the destination chamber 2. If the transport robot 1 is unable to move its hand vertically, the control unit 12 may, for example, lower the multiple pins on which the simulated transport object 5 is placed in the load lock 6 so that the simulated transport object 5 is held by the hand of the transport robot 1.

[0048] When the simulated transport object 5 is transported to the chamber 2 by the transport robot 1, the control unit 12 controls the chamber 2 to raise the three pins 21 (step S102). The receiving unit 13 receives the sensor information at that time from the simulated transport object 5 and passes it to the acquisition unit 14 (step S103). The acquisition unit 14 may store the received sensor information in, for example, the storage unit 11. This reception of sensor information is repeated until the three pins 21 rise to a predetermined position (steps S102 to S104). After the three pins 21 have risen to a predetermined position, the control unit 12 may control the transport robot 1 so that its hand returns to the transfer chamber 7.

[0049] After the three pins 21 rise to a predetermined position, that is, after the three pins 21 engage with the three guide members 52 of the simulated transport object 5 and the simulated transport object 5 is guided to the target position, the acquisition unit 14 uses the sensor information received from the reception unit 13 to acquire the displacement of the simulated transport object 5 in its local coordinate system. The acquisition unit 14 also converts the displacement of the simulated transport object 5 in its local coordinate system into the displacement in the local coordinate system of the transport robot 1, and passes the converted displacement to the correction unit 15 (step S105).

[0050] Upon receiving the displacement, the correction unit 15 determines whether the magnitude of the displacement is smaller than a threshold (step S106). In this case, it is assumed that the magnitude of the acquired displacement was not smaller than the threshold. Then, the correction unit 15 corrects the destination position of the transported object 4 in the teaching data according to the displacement (step S107). As described above, the robot control device 10 may repeat this series of processes until the acquired displacement becomes smaller than the threshold. In this repetition, if the position or orientation of the simulated transported object 5 placed on the load lock 6 is inaccurate, the acquired displacement will also be inaccurate. Therefore, it is preferable that the series of processes, including the placement of the simulated transported object 5 on the load lock 6 by the operator or the transport robot in the atmospheric environment, are repeated. Here, we have described the case in which the destination position in the chamber 2 is corrected in response to the transport of the simulated transported object 5 to the chamber 2, but it goes without saying that this is not the only case. For example, the destination position in the load lock 6 may be corrected in response to the transport of the simulated transported object 5 to the load lock 6.

[0051] As described above, with the simulated transport object 5 according to this embodiment, even if the teaching data and the target transport position do not match, the guide member 52 that engages with a plurality of pins 21 arranged at the transport destination can be used to move the simulated transport object 5 to the target transport destination position. Furthermore, with the robot control device 10 according to this embodiment, the teaching data can be automatically corrected by acquiring the displacement corresponding to the movement of the simulated transport object 5. By controlling the transport robot 1 using the teaching data corrected in this way, the transport object 4 can be positioned to the target transport position with greater precision. In addition, if the simulated transport object 5 has a sensor 3a, the teaching data can be corrected without installing the sensor 3 in the chamber 2, etc. Furthermore, if the sensor 3a attached to the simulated transport object 5 is an acceleration sensor, the sensor 3a can be attached to any position on the simulated transport object 5, increasing the degree of freedom when attaching the sensor 3a.

[0052] In this embodiment, the control unit 12 may, for example, stop the transport of the simulated transport object 5 if it detects, based on sensor information received by the reception unit 13, that at least one of the multiple pins 21 is not engaged with the guide member 52. This prevents, for example, the simulated transport object 5 from falling off the multiple pins 21. This detection may be performed, for example, when the simulated transport object 5, held by the hand of the transport robot 1, is passed over the multiple pins 21 during transport. When the control unit 12 detects, for example, that at least one of the multiple pins 21 is not engaged with the guide member 52, it may control the system so that the relative positional relationship between the simulated transport object 5 and the multiple pins 21 does not change. The control to prevent the relative positional relationship between the simulated transport object 5 and the multiple pins 21 from changing may, for example, be a control that stops the operation of the transport robot 1 or the operation of the multiple pins 21. For example, if the control unit 12 detects that at least one of the multiple pins 21 is not engaged with the guide member 52 while the hand portion of the transport robot 1 is moving downward, the control unit 12 may stop the transport robot 1. As another example, if the control unit 12 detects that at least one of the multiple pins 21 is not engaged with the guide member 52 while the multiple pins 21 are being raised, the control unit 12 may stop the raising of the multiple pins 21. The operator may then, for example, check the situation and modify the teaching data by manual operation or the like so that the multiple guide member 52 and the multiple pins 21 are properly engaged. On the other hand, if the control unit 12 does not detect that at least one of the multiple pins 21 is not engaged with the guide member 52, it may control the system so that the multiple guide member 52 and the multiple pins 21 are engaged and the simulated transport object 5 is guided to the target transport position. In this way, when sensor information is used by the control unit 12, the acquisition unit 14 may, for example, pass the sensor information received from the reception unit 13 to the control unit 12.

[0053] The statement that at least one of the multiple pins 21 is not engaged with the guide member 52 means, for example, that some of the pins 21 are not engaged with the guide member 52 and the remaining pins 21 are engaged with the guide member 52, or that all of the pins 21 are not engaged with the guide member 52.

[0054] Here, the method for detecting whether at least one of the multiple pins 21 is not engaged with the guide member 52 using sensor information is not specified. If some of the multiple pins 21 are engaged with the guide member 52, but the other pins 21 are not engaged with the guide member 52, the surface direction of the plate-shaped member 51 of the simulated transport object 5 will no longer be horizontal, and will be tilted. Therefore, the control unit 12 may detect this tilt. For example, if the sensor 3a is a three-dimensional acceleration sensor, the control unit 12 may detect that at least one of the multiple pins 21 is not engaged with the guide member 52 when it detects that the direction of gravity indicated by the sensor information acquired by the sensor 3a is different from the normal direction of the plate-shaped member 51 of the simulated transport object 5. The difference between the direction of gravity and the normal direction of the plate-shaped member 51 may, for example, mean that the angle between them exceeds a threshold. In addition, the tilt of the surface direction of the plate-shaped member 51 may be acquired by a sensor such as a tilt sensor that can sense inclination and is attached to the plate-shaped member 51.

[0055] Furthermore, if the upper end of the pin 21 is lower at the second position, which is the position of the pin 21 when it contacts the upper end of the inner circumferential surface 52a in the internal space of the guide member 52 as shown in Figure 4, than at the first position, which is the position of the pin 21 when it contacts the lower surface 51b of the plate-shaped member 51 in a position where the guide member 52 is not present, then even though the upper end of the pin 21 has risen to a position between the first and second positions, if the sensor 3a, which is an acceleration sensor, does not detect vibration when the upper end of the pin 21 contacts the inner circumferential surface 52a, the control unit 12 may determine that not all of the pins 21 are engaged with the guide member 52.

[0056] Next, a modified example of the sensor 3 on the simulated transport object 5 will be described. The simulated transport object 5 may have an angular velocity sensor in addition to the acceleration sensor 3a. The angular velocity sensor may be, for example, a gyro sensor. If the simulated transport object 5 also has an angular velocity sensor, the sensor information including the angular velocity around the central axis of the plate-shaped member 51 can be obtained from the simulated transport object 5 by using that angular velocity sensor, and the acquisition unit 14 can use this to obtain the angle of rotation of the simulated transport object 5 around the central axis of the plate-shaped member 51. In this case, the sensor information received by the receiving unit 13 includes the angular velocity, and the displacement of the simulated transport object 5 obtained by the acquisition unit 14 may also be obtained using the angular change corresponding to that angular velocity. Here, the central axis of the plate-shaped member 51 may be, for example, an axis that passes through the center of the disc-shaped plate-shaped member 51 and extends in the direction normal to the surface direction of the plate-shaped member 51. Thus, if angular velocity can also be obtained, it is not necessary to repeat the flowchart shown in Figure 6 as described above. This is because by obtaining displacement using the change in angle, it is possible to obtain accurate displacement in the local coordinate system of the transport robot 1. The acquisition unit 14 can obtain the change in angle of the simulated transport object 5 by using the angular velocity included in the sensor information, for example. Then, the acquisition unit 14 can use that change in angle to convert the acceleration measured at the simulated transport object 5 after rotation into the acceleration in the local coordinate system of the simulated transport object 5 before rotation. In this way, the acquisition unit 14 can obtain a more accurate displacement using the acceleration in the local coordinate system of the simulated transport object 5 before rotation. Thus, displacement may be obtained using sensor information obtained by multiple sensors.

[0057] The simulated transport object 5 may have, for example, a distance sensor 3b. In this case, as shown in, for example, the plan view of Figure 7A and the front view of Figure 7B, the simulated transport object 5 may have multiple distance sensors 3b, multiple weights 54, and multiple elastic members 55. The number of sensors 3b, weights 54, and elastic members 55 may be the same. Note that, for the sake of explanation, the guide member 52 and the transmitting unit 53 are not shown in Figures 7A and 7B. The weights 54 may be attached to the upper surface 51a of the plate-shaped member 51 via the elastic members 55. The sensor 3b may measure the distance to the weights 54. When the simulated transport object 5 moves in the planar direction of the plate-shaped member 51, the position of the weights 54 changes in accordance with the movement, and the distance between the weights 54 and the sensor 3b changes. When the simulated transport object 5 moves in the planar direction, for example, at least a portion of the distance shown by the double arrow in Figure 7A changes. In this case, the sensor information may be, for example, a collection of distances acquired by multiple sensors 3b. The acquisition unit 14 may then acquire the displacement of the simulated transported object 5 in accordance with the change in distance acquired by the sensors 3b. For example, the acquisition unit 14 may acquire the displacement by substituting the acquired change in distance into a predetermined function. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7A, if a disc-shaped plate member 51 has weights 54 placed at different positions a certain distance from its central axis, and the distance to the weights 54 along the radial direction of the plate member 51 is measured by the sensor 3b, the acquisition unit 14 can also acquire the angle of rotation around the central axis of the plate member 51 by using the measurement result. In this case, the acquisition unit 14 may also use the change in angle to acquire the displacement of the simulated transported object 5.

[0058] Furthermore, the change in the position of the weight 54 corresponding to the movement of the simulated transport object 5 in the planar direction, as shown in Figures 7A and 7B, may be acquired by a sensor other than the distance sensor. The sensor that acquires the change in the position of the weight 54 may be, for example, a strain gauge attached to the elastic member 55. Therefore, the sensor 3 may be, for example, the strain gauge. In this case as well, the acquisition unit 14 can acquire the change in the position of the weight 54 according to the degree of deflection of the elastic member 55, which is sensor information acquired by the strain gauge, and acquire the displacement of the simulated transport object 5 accordingly. Also, as described above, the displacement may include the change in angle of the simulated transport object 5.

[0059] Furthermore, the number of weight 54 and elastic member 55 pairs that the simulated transport object 5 possesses may be four, as shown in Figure 7A, etc., or it may be a number other than four. In the latter case, the simulated transport object 5 may have, for example, only one weight 54 and elastic member 55 pair. In this case, for example, two distance sensors may be used to acquire the change in distance to the weight 54 in two independent directions in the horizontal plane. The two directions may be, for example, two orthogonal directions. Also in this case, for example, two strain gauges may be used to acquire the degree of deflection of the elastic member 55 corresponding to the change in the position of the weight 54 in two independent directions. In these cases as well, the acquisition unit 14 can acquire the displacement of the simulated transport object 5 by using the sensor information acquired by the distance sensors and strain gauges.

[0060] Furthermore, the sensor 3 on the simulated transport object 5 may be, for example, a distance sensor that measures the distance to an object fixed to the environment, such as the inner wall of the chamber 2. In this case, the distance sensor may measure, for example, the distances in two independent directions within the horizontal plane. The acquisition unit 14 may then use the sensor information acquired by the distance sensor to acquire the horizontal displacement of the simulated transport object 5 in accordance with the change in distance.

[0061] Furthermore, the sensor on the simulated transport object 5 may be an image sensor. In this case, the optical axis of the camera with the image sensor may be in the direction normal to the surface direction of the plate-shaped member 51 of the simulated transport object 5. The image sensor may then capture an image of the upper side of the simulated transport object 5. The acquisition unit 14 may use the sensor information, which is the captured image, to acquire the horizontal displacement of the simulated transport object 5. In this case, in order to acquire the displacement more accurately, patterns or the like may be provided on the upper side of the simulated transport object 5 to facilitate the acquisition of the displacement.

[0062] Furthermore, the sensor 3 for sensing the movement of the simulated transported object 5 may be placed on the environment side, for example. The sensor 3 may be fixed to the chamber 2, for example. The sensor placed on the environment side may be, for example, an image sensor, a distance sensor, or a distance measuring sensor that measures the distance to surrounding objects in multiple directions. The distance measuring sensor that measures the distance to surrounding objects in multiple directions may be, for example, a 3D scanner such as LiDAR. The acquisition unit 14 may then acquire the displacement of the simulated transported object 5 using the sensor information acquired by these sensors. When the sensor 3 is placed on the environment side, the transmission of sensor information from the sensor 3 to the reception unit 13 may be performed, for example, via a wired or wireless communication line, or via a predetermined cable, etc.

[0063] If the sensor 3 positioned on the environmental side is an image sensor, a camera with the image sensor may be positioned so that its optical axis is aligned with the vertical direction, and an image of the upper surface of the simulated transported object 5 may be acquired by that camera. The acquisition unit 14 may then identify the center position of the plate-shaped member 51 in the acquired image and acquire the displacement of the simulated transported object 5 in accordance with the change in the center position in the acquired image.

[0064] Furthermore, if the sensor 3 located on the environment side is a distance sensor, for example, two distance sensors may be used to measure the distance from the distance sensor to a predetermined position of the simulated transported object 5 in two independent directions within the horizontal plane. The acquisition unit 14 may then acquire the displacement of the simulated transported object 5 in accordance with the change in that distance. Similarly, if the sensor 3 is a distance measuring sensor that measures the distance to surrounding objects in multiple directions, the displacement of the simulated transported object 5 may be acquired in accordance with the change in the distance from the distance measuring sensor to the simulated transported object 5.

[0065] Furthermore, the sensor 3 positioned on the environmental side may be, for example, a length measuring sensor. In this case, at the destination of the simulated transported object 5, two sets of a light emitter 31 that emits a strip of light and a light receiver 32 that receives the strip of light may be positioned, as shown in Figure 8A. In this case, the sensor 3 may have two sets of light emitters 31 and light receivers 32. The simulated transported object 5 may further have a central member 56 fixed to the plate-shaped member 51 so that its longitudinal direction is aligned with the central axis of the plate-shaped member 51, as shown in Figures 8A and 8B. Note that in Figures 8A and 8B, the guide member 52 is omitted from the illustration for the sake of explanation. The central member 56 may be, for example, a cylindrical member or a prismatic member. It is preferable that the central member 56 is positioned such that the centroid of the cross-section perpendicular to its longitudinal direction lies on the central axis of the plate-shaped member 51. Furthermore, when the central member 56 is a prism-shaped member, it is preferable that the cross section perpendicular to its longitudinal direction be a regular polygon with opposite sides parallel. A regular polygon with opposite sides parallel may be, for example, a square, a regular hexagon, or a regular octagon. It is also preferable that the light receiver 32 can identify the position of the light that is blocked by the central member 56 from the band of light emitted from the light emitter 31. With this configuration, the acquisition unit 14 can identify the position of the central axis of the plate-shaped member 51 by using the sensor information, which is the light reception result acquired by the two light receivers 32, and can acquire the displacement of the simulated transport object 5 according to the change in the position of the central axis.

[0066] If the sensor 3 is located on the environment side, the simulated transport object 5 does not need to have the sensor 3. In this case, the simulated transport object 5 does not have the sensor 3 or the transmitting unit 53, and may, for example, have a plate-shaped member 51 and a plurality of guide members 52 attached to its lower surface 51b.

[0067] Furthermore, the sensors 3 on the simulated transport target 5 described in this embodiment, and the sensors 3 placed on the environment side, are merely examples. It goes without saying that the acquisition unit 14 may acquire the displacement of the simulated transport target 5 using sensor information corresponding to the movement of the simulated transport target 5 sensed using sensors other than those described above.

[0068] Furthermore, although this embodiment mainly describes the case where the simulated transport object 5 has a guide member 52 having a conical internal space that is open at the bottom, this is not required. The shape of the guide member 52 is not limited as long as it can engage with the pin 21 and guide the simulated transport object 5 to the intended transport destination.

[0069] Figures 9A and 9B are a bottom view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of an example of a simulated transport object 5 having a guide member 152 with a different shape from the guide member 52. Figure 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IXB-IXB in Figure 9A. Note that only the portion of the guide member 152 is shown in Figure 9B. As shown in Figures 9A and 9B, the guide member 152 may be attached to the lower surface 51b of the plate-shaped member 51 such that the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is approximately V-shaped. The groove of the guide member 152 may also be formed so that its width increases towards the bottom. Furthermore, it is preferable that when the simulated transport object 5 is positioned at the target transport position, the pin 21 is positioned at the longitudinal center of the groove formed by the guide member 152. Furthermore, it is preferable that at least two guide members 152 are arranged so that the longitudinal orientation of the grooves is different. In this way, the simulated transport object 5 is uniquely positioned by multiple pins 21. As an example, as shown in Figure 9A, each guide member 152 may be arranged such that the longitudinal direction of the groove is perpendicular to the radial direction of the disc-shaped plate member 51. Even if the simulated transport object 5 has such guide members 152, the multiple guide members 152 engage with the multiple pins 21, respectively, to guide the simulated transport object 5 to the desired position.

[0070] Furthermore, although this embodiment mainly describes the case in which the pin 21 rises when the transported object 4 or simulated transported object 5 is placed at the transport destination, this is not required. For example, the pin 21 may be fixed, and the transport robot 1 may lower the transported object 4 or simulated transported object 5, which are held by the hand unit, so that the transported object 4 or simulated transported object 5 are placed on the pin 21. In this case, the control unit 12 does not need to control the raising and lowering of the pin 21 in the chamber 2. Alternatively, the transport robot 1 may lower the transported object 4 or simulated transported object 5 while the pin 21 is raised, so that the transported object 4 or simulated transported object 5 are placed on the pin 21.

[0071] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, each process or function may be implemented by centralized processing by a single device or a single system, or by distributed processing by multiple devices or multiple systems.

[0072] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, if two or more components included in the robot control device 10 have a communication device, an input device, etc., the two or more components may have a single physical device, or they may have separate devices.

[0073] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, each component may be configured with dedicated hardware, or, if it is a component that can be implemented by software, it may be implemented by executing a program. For example, each component can be implemented by a program execution unit such as a CPU reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory. During execution, the program execution unit may execute the program while accessing the storage unit or recording medium. The program may also be executed by being downloaded from a server or the like, or by being executed by reading a program recorded on a predetermined recording medium (e.g., an optical disk, magnetic disk, semiconductor memory, etc.). Furthermore, this program may be used as a program that constitutes a program product. Furthermore, the computer executing the program may be one or multiple computers. That is, centralized processing may be performed, or distributed processing may be performed.

[0074] Furthermore, the embodiments described above are illustrative examples for specifically carrying out the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The technical scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than by the description of the embodiments, and modifications within the literal scope and equivalent meaning of the claims are intended. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0075] 1 Transport robot, 3, 3a, 3b Sensors, 5 Simulated transport target, 10 Robot control device, 11 Memory unit, 12 Control unit, 13 Reception unit, 14 Acquisition unit, 15 Modification unit, 21 Pin, 51 Plate-shaped member, 52, 152 Guide member, 53 Transmitter unit

Claims

1. A robot control device for controlling a transport robot that transports plate-shaped objects, A storage unit in which the teaching data for the transport robot is stored, A control unit controls the transport robot using the teaching data to transport a simulated transport target corresponding to the transport target, which has a plurality of guide members on its lower surface that engage with a plurality of vertically extending pins arranged at the transport destination of the transport target to guide the simulated transport target to the target transport position, onto the plurality of pins. A receiving unit that receives sensor information acquired by a sensor that senses the movement of the simulated transport target, When the simulated transport object is transported onto the plurality of pins, the acquisition unit acquires the displacement of the simulated transport object corresponding to the guidance of the plurality of pins by the plurality of guide members, using sensor information received by the reception unit. A robot control device comprising: a modification unit that modifies teaching data stored in a storage unit according to the displacement of the simulated transport object acquired by the acquisition unit.

2. The robot control device according to claim 1, wherein the simulated transport target has the sensor.

3. The robot control device according to claim 2, wherein the sensor is an acceleration sensor.

4. The robot control device according to claim 3, wherein the control unit stops the transport of the simulated transport object when it detects from the sensor information received by the reception unit that at least one of the plurality of pins is not engaged with the guide member.

5. The robot control device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is located on the environment side.

6. A simulated transport object corresponding to a plate-shaped transport object, A plate-shaped member and The plate-shaped member comprises a plurality of guide members provided on the lower surface of the plate-shaped member, The aforementioned plurality of guide members engage with a plurality of vertically extending pins arranged at the destination of the transported object to guide the simulated transported object to the intended transport position, and are used as a simulated transported object.

7. A sensor that senses the movement of the simulated transported object, The simulated transport target according to claim 6, further comprising a transmitting unit that transmits sensor information acquired by the aforementioned sensor.

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