Robot control device, transport robot, and simulated transport target

Abstract

There were instances where the teaching data and the location of the transported object did not match. [Solution] The robot control device 10 includes a control unit 12 that controls a transport robot 1 having a hand portion with a through hole using teaching data to hold a simulated transport object having a protrusion on its lower surface with the hand portion; a receiving unit 13 that receives sensor information acquired by a sensor 3 that senses the movement of the simulated transport object when it is guided to the target holding position by the engagement of the protrusion and the through hole; an acquisition unit 14 that acquires the displacement of the simulated transport object when it is held by the hand portion 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 position of the transport object do not match.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a robot control device or the like that corrects teaching data of a transport robot.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, using a jig that simulates a plate-shaped object to be processed, it has been performed to detect slippage or the like of a substrate during conveyance (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above-described conventional example, when holding a conveyance target by the hand portion of a transport robot that operates based on teaching data, when the teaching data and the position of the conveyance target do not match, the teaching data could not be corrected.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a robot control device or the like that can correct the teaching data when the teaching data and the position of the conveyance target do not match when holding the conveyance target by the hand portion of the transport robot.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, a robot control device according to one aspect of the present invention is a robot control device for controlling a transport robot that transports a plate-shaped transport object, wherein the handle portion for holding the transport object is provided with a recess or through hole, and comprises: a storage unit for storing teaching data of the transport robot; a control unit that controls the transport robot using the teaching data to cause the handle portion to hold a simulated transport object corresponding to the transport object, which has a protrusion on its lower surface that engages with the recess or through hole of the handle portion to guide the simulated transport object to a target holding position; a receiving unit for receiving sensor information acquired by a sensor that senses the movement of the simulated transport object; an acquisition unit for acquiring the displacement of the simulated transport object corresponding to the engagement of the protrusion with the recess or through hole when the simulated transport object is held by the handle portion, using the sensor information received by the receiving unit; and a modification unit for modifying the teaching data stored in the storage unit according to the displacement of the simulated transport object acquired by the acquisition unit.

[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 protrusion provided on the lower surface of the plate-shaped member, wherein the protrusion engages with a recess or through-hole provided on the hand portion of a transport robot that transports the transport object, guiding the simulated transport object to the desired holding position.

[0008] Furthermore, a transport robot according to one aspect of the present invention is a transport robot for transporting a plate-shaped object, comprising a plurality of arms connected by joints driven by motors, and a hand portion connected to the tip of the plurality of arms for holding the object to be transported, wherein the hand portion is provided with a recess or through hole, and the hand portion holds a simulated object that corresponds to the object to be transported, which has a projection on its lower surface that engages with the recess or through hole of the hand portion to guide the simulated object to the desired holding position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, when the hand portion of a transport robot holds a transport object, if the teaching data and the position of the transport object do not match, the teaching data can be corrected. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [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 the simulated transport object and hand unit 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] Plan view showing another example of a simulated transport target according to the same embodiment. [Figure 9B]Front view showing another example of a simulated conveyance object according to the embodiment [Figure 10A] Cross-sectional view showing another example of a simulated conveyance object and a hand part according to the embodiment [Figure 10B] Cross-sectional view showing another example of a simulated conveyance object and a hand part according to the embodiment

Mode for Carrying out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, a robot control device, a conveyance robot, and a simulated conveyance object 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 having a hand part provided with a recess or a through-hole based on teaching data, so that when holding a simulated conveyance object by the hand part, a protruding part of the simulated conveyance object engages with the recess or the through-hole of the hand part, and the displacement of the simulated conveyance object when the simulated conveyance object is guided to a target holding position is obtained using sensor information acquired by a sensor, and the teaching data is corrected using the displacement. In the present embodiment, the case where the hand part is provided with a through-hole will be mainly described.

[0012] 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 sensor 3, a chamber 6, and a robot control device 10. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an example of the operating environment of the conveyance robot 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0013] The transfer robot 1 is a robot that transfers the plate-shaped transfer target 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer robot 1 may have, for example, a plurality of arms 101 connected by joints driven by a motor. In the present embodiment, the case where the plurality of arms 101 are two arms 101a and 101b will be mainly described, but the number of arms included in the plurality of arms 101 is not limited. A hand portion 102 for transferring the transfer target 4 is connected to the tips of the plurality of arms 101. The transfer 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 transfer target 4 held by the hand portion 102 in the vertical direction, or may not be able to do so.

[0014] The hand portion 102 of the transfer robot 1 may have a plate-shaped member 102a whose surface direction is the horizontal direction. Further, a vertical through hole 102b may be provided in the plate-shaped member 102a. The through hole 102b may be circular in plan view.

[0015] The hand portion 102 of the transfer robot 1 holds the plate-shaped transfer target 4. The plate-shaped transfer target 4 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 transfer target 4 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a disk shape or a rectangular shape. The hand portion 102 may have a chuck mechanism that can fix the transfer target 4 so that the transfer target 4 held during transfer does not shift or fall, or may not have such a mechanism. In the latter case, for example, the holding of the transfer target may be that the transfer target 4 is placed thereon. The chuck mechanism included in the hand portion may be, for example, a gripping mechanism or a suction mechanism.

[0016] The transport robot 1 may be positioned in a transfer chamber 7 connected to a process chamber 2, which is a process chamber where a predetermined process takes place, and a load lock chamber 6, as shown in Figure 2. The transport robot 1 may then transport the object to be transported 4 between chamber 2 and chamber 6.

[0017] This embodiment primarily describes the case where the teaching data is modified when the simulated transport object 5 is held by the hand portion 102 of the transport robot 1 in the load lock chamber 6. However, it goes without saying that the teaching data may also be modified when the simulated transport object 5 is held by the hand portion 102 of the transport robot 1 in a chamber other than chamber 6, for example, chamber 2.

[0018] In this embodiment, the object to be transported 4 is placed on a plurality of vertically extending pins 61 in the chamber 6. These pins 61 may, for example, move up and down vertically, or they may be fixed without moving vertically. This embodiment mainly describes the former case. It is preferable that the vertical height of the upper ends of the plurality of pins 61 is the same. This embodiment mainly describes the case where there are three pins 61, but there may be four or more pins 61. The transport robot 1 may be a robot that transports in a vacuum environment, as shown in Figure 2, or a robot that transports in an atmospheric environment. This embodiment mainly describes the former case.

[0019] Sensor 3 is for sensing 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 6 that is the source of transport for 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.

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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 position of the hand unit 102 indicated by the teaching data before correction when the hand unit 102 holds the transport object 4 does not have to match the position of the transport object 4 that is placed there. Not matching means that when the hand unit 102 holds the transport object 4, the two are not in an ideal positional relationship. 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, errors may occur in the teaching data due to misalignment that occurs when the chamber 6 is installed. The robot control device 10 according to this embodiment corrects the errors that occur when the transport object 4 is held by the hand unit 102.

[0022] 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.

[0023] The control unit 12 controls the transport robot 1 using the teaching data stored in the memory unit 11 to hold the simulated transport object 5 with the hand unit 102. In this case, the simulated transport object 5 may first be placed in the load lock chamber 6. Then, the control unit 12 controls the transport robot 1 according to the teaching data to hold the simulated transport object 5 placed in the chamber 6 with the hand unit 102. In addition, since the teaching data is corrected according to the displacement of the simulated transport object 5 when it is placed on the hand unit 102, the control unit 12 may, for example, return the simulated transport object 5 to the multiple pins 61 after it has been held by the hand unit 102.

[0024] When the control unit 12 holds the simulated transport object 5, which is located in the load lock chamber 6, with the hand unit 102 of the transport robot 1, it may control the transport robot 1 so that the hand unit 102 moves from below to above the simulated transport object 5, or it may control the chamber 6 so that the multiple pins 61 on which the simulated transport object 5 is placed descend, or it may do both. In this embodiment, the case in which the multiple pins 61 descend will be mainly described. The placement of the simulated transport object 5 in the chamber 6 may be done, for example, by an operator, or by a transport robot in an atmospheric environment. In addition, except when modifying the teaching data, the control unit 12 may transport the transport object 4 between the chamber 6 and the chamber 2 by controlling the transport robot 1 using the teaching data.

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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 passing through the center of the protruding portion 52 relating to the simulated transport object 5 and the hand unit 102. The simulated transport object 5 according to this embodiment comprises a plate-shaped member 51, a protruding portion 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] The protruding portion 52 engages with the through-hole 102b of the hand portion 102 to guide the simulated transport object 5 to the desired holding position. The desired holding position is the position of the simulated transport object 5 where the relative positional relationship between the hand portion 102 and the simulated transport object 5 is ideal. When the hand portion 102 holds the simulated transport object 5 in the ideal position, it is preferable that there is no error in the position of the hand portion 102.

[0029] The protruding portion 52 shown in Figure 3A, etc., has a shape that protrudes downward from the lower surface 51b of the plate-like member 51. The protruding portion 52 may have, for example, a tapered portion 52a that decreases in diameter from the base end to the tip end, and a straight portion 52b with a constant outer diameter that continues from the tip end of the tapered portion 52a. That is, the protruding portion 52 may have a frustoconical tapered portion 52a and a cylindrical straight portion 52b provided on the tip end side of the tapered portion 52a. As shown in Figure 4, the simulated transport object 5 is positioned at the desired holding position by the protruding portion 52 being guided by the through hole 102b of the hand portion 102. Therefore, it is preferable that the mounting position of the protruding portion 52 on the lower surface 51b of the plate-like member 51 and the position of the through hole 102b in the plate-like member 102a of the hand portion 102 be determined in such a way that such positioning can be achieved.

[0030] As shown in Figure 4, the tapered portion 52a of the projection 52 and the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 102b may or may not be in surface contact. In the latter case, for example, the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 102b may be formed such that its inner diameter decreases from top to bottom so that it is in surface contact with the outer circumferential surface of the projection 52.

[0031] 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 of the plate-shaped member 51 in the planar direction, or a three-dimensional acceleration sensor capable of sensing the acceleration of the plate-shaped member 51 in the vertical direction. The mounting position of the acceleration sensor 3a is not specified. 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, the sensor 3a may be covered with a housing or the like to prevent particle generation. The sensor 3a may also have an amplifier for amplifying the sensed information.

[0032] 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.

[0033] Figures 3A and 3B show the case where the sensor 3a and the transmitter 53 are located on the upper surface 51a of the plate-shaped member 51. However, the sensor 3a and the transmitter 53 may also be located on the lower surface 51b of the plate-shaped member 51, or at any other position on the plate-shaped member 51. 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 picked up by the hand unit 102 at the transport source. In addition, although not shown in Figure 3A, etc., the simulated transport object 5 may have a battery to operate the sensor 3a and the transmitter 53.

[0034] Here, the engagement of the protrusion 52 with the through hole 102b guides the simulated transport object 5 to the desired holding position, as will be 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 are no errors in the teaching data, when the simulated transport object 5 is held by the hand portion 102 from the multiple pins 61 of the load lock chamber 6, the central axis of the protrusion 52 and the central axis of the through hole 102b coincide, and the simulated transport object 5 does not move. Here, the central axis of the protrusion 52 may be, for example, the central axis of the tapered portion 52 or the straight portion 52b. Furthermore, the central axis of the through-hole 102b may be, for example, an axis that passes through the center of the circular through-hole 102b and extends in the direction normal to the surface direction of the plate-shaped member 102a. 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 held by the hand part 102, the central axis of the protrusion 52 will deviate from the central axis of the through-hole 102b, and the tapered portion 52a of the protrusion 52 will come into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the through-hole 102b. In this case, the tapered portion 52a of the protrusion 52 is guided along the inner circumferential surface of the through-hole 102b, causing the simulated transport object 5 to move to the ideal holding position as shown by the arrows in Figures 5B and 5C. Suppose that, for example, the center 5c of the simulated transport object 5 moves as shown by the arrow in Figure 5C as the protrusion 52 is guided by the through-hole 102b. Then, by sensing the movement of the simulated transported object 5 during that movement using sensor 3a, sensor information, which is the result of that sensing, can be obtained. Furthermore, by using this sensor information, the displacement of the simulated transported object 5 can be obtained. Since this displacement corresponds to the error in the teaching data, by correcting the teaching data using this displacement, the hand unit 102 can be made to hold the transported object 4 in the ideal positional relationship.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] The acquisition unit 14 acquires the displacement of the simulated transport object 5, corresponding to the engagement between the protruding portion 52 and the through hole 102b when the simulated transport object 5 is held by the hand portion 102 from above the multiple pins 61, using 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] For example, if the simulated transport object 5 is placed in the load lock chamber 6 at a predetermined position and orientation, 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 multiple pins 61 to the hand unit 102 of the transport robot 1 in the load lock chamber 6 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.

[0040] 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. Alternatively, this modification of the teaching data may be a modification of the position of the hand unit 102 when picking up the transport object 4 located at the transport source. For example, the modification unit 15 may use the acquired displacement to modify the teaching data so that the position of the hand unit 102 when picking up the transport object 4 at the transport source is moved by the inverse vector of the vector corresponding to that displacement. As an example, the modification unit 15 may move the position of the hand unit 102 when picking up the transport object 4 at the transport source by the inverse vector of the vector on the XY plane in the local coordinate system of the transport robot 1 acquired by the acquisition unit 14. 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 statement that the magnitude of the displacement is less than the threshold means, for example, that the distance traveled by the simulated transported object 5 corresponding to that displacement, i.e., the magnitude of the vector described above, is less than the threshold.

[0041] Next, the operation of the robot control device 10 will be explained using the flowchart in Figure 6. In this flowchart, the simulated transport object 5 is transferred from the multiple pins 61, on which the simulated transport object 6 is placed at the upper end, to the hand unit 102 of the transport robot 1 by moving the multiple pins 61 downwards.

[0042] (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 hand unit 102 of the transport robot 1 is moved to the position of the simulated transport target 5 located in the chamber 6. At this point, the hand unit 102 is positioned below the simulated transport target 5.

[0043] (Step S102) The control unit 12 controls the chamber 6 to lower the multiple pins 61.

[0044] (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.

[0045] (Step S104) The control unit 12 decides whether to stop the descent of the multiple pins 61. If it decides to stop the descent of the multiple pins 61, it proceeds to step S105; otherwise, it returns to step S102 and continues the descent of the multiple pins 61. The control unit 12 may decide to stop the descent of the multiple pins 61 when, for example, the multiple pins 61 have descended to a predetermined position. Here, when the multiple pins 61 have descended to a predetermined position, it is assumed that the simulated transport object 5 has been passed from the multiple pins 61 onto the hand unit 102 of the transport robot 1.

[0046] (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 61 descend.

[0047] (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.

[0048] (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.

[0049] 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 holding position by the engagement of the protrusion 52 and the through hole 102b, it is conceivable that the simulated transport object 5 rotates by a small angle 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 the local coordinate system to the displacement of the transport robot 1 in the local coordinate system, the displacement of the transport robot 1 in the 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 protrusion 52 is guided on the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 102b, so the degree of rotation is considered to be 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.

[0050] 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 into the load lock chamber 6, either manually or using a transport robot designed for atmospheric environments. Then, the operator operates the robot control device 10 to start the process of picking up the simulated transport object 5 from the chamber 6. 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.

[0051] 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 moves the hand unit 102 to the lower side of the simulated transport target 5 located in the load lock chamber 6.

[0052] When the hand unit 102 is moved to the lower side of the simulated transport target 5 placed in the load lock chamber 6, the control unit 12 controls the chamber 6 to lower the three pins 61 (step S102). The receiving unit 13 receives the sensor information at that time from the simulated transport target 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 61 have lowered to a predetermined position (steps S102 to S104).

[0053] After the three pins 61 descend to predetermined positions, that is, after the protruding portion 52 of the simulated transport object 5 engages with the through-hole 102b of the hand portion 102, the simulated transport object 5 is guided to the desired holding position, and after the simulated transport object 5 is held by the hand portion 102, 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).

[0054] Upon receiving the displacement, the correction unit 15 determines whether the magnitude of the displacement is less than a threshold (step S106). In this case, it is determined that the acquired displacement was not less than the threshold. Then, the correction unit 15 corrects the position of the hand unit 102 when picking up the transported object 4 in the teaching data according to the displacement (step S107). Alternatively, the control unit 12 may, after the three pins 61 have descended to a predetermined position, for example, raise the three pins 61 again so that the simulated transported object 5 is placed on the three pins 61 and control the chamber 6.

[0055] As described above, the robot control device 10 may repeat this series of processes until the acquired displacement falls below a threshold. In this repetition, if the position or orientation of the simulated transport object 5 placed in the load lock chamber 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 transport object 5 in the chamber 6 by the operator or the transport robot in the atmospheric environment, are repeated. However, this series of processes may not be repeated and may be performed only once.

[0056] As described above, with the simulated transport object 5 according to this embodiment, even if the teaching data and the position of the transport object 4 are not aligned, by using the simulated transport object 5 which has a protrusion 52 that engages with the through hole 102b of the hand part 102, the simulated transport object 5 can be moved to the target holding 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 held by the hand part 102 with higher precision, and as a result, the accuracy of positioning the transport object 4 at the transport destination is also improved. 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 6 or the like. Also, 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.

[0057] 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.

[0058] The simulated transport object 5 may have, for example, a sensor 3b, which is a distance sensor. 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 in Figures 7A and 7B, the projection 52 and the transmitting unit 53 are omitted for the sake of explanation. 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.

[0059] 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.

[0060] 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.

[0061] 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 6. 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.

[0062] 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.

[0063] 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 6, 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.

[0064] 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.

[0065] 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.

[0066] 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 projection 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.

[0067] 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 protrusion 52 attached to its lower surface 51b.

[0068] 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.

[0069] Furthermore, although this embodiment mainly describes the case where the protrusion 52 of the simulated transport object 5 has a tapered portion 52a and a straight portion 52b, this is not required. For example, the protrusion 52 may have only a tapered portion 52a. Also, if the protrusion 52 does not have a straight portion 52b, the tapered portion 52a of the protrusion 52 may be frustoconical in shape, as shown in Figure 9A, or conical in shape, as shown in Figure 9B. Note that Figures 9A and 9B are front views of the simulated transport object 5, and for the sake of explanation, the sensor 3 and the transmitting unit 53 are not shown. In addition, the shape of the protrusion 52 and the through hole 102b is not limited as long as the protrusion 52 and the through hole 102b engage with each other and guide the simulated transport object 5 to the desired holding position.

[0070] Furthermore, although this embodiment mainly describes the case in which the displacement of the simulated transport object 5, which is arranged on multiple pins 61, is acquired when it is held by the hand unit 102, if the transport robot 1 can move the hand unit 102 in the vertical direction, the displacement of the simulated transport object 5, which is arranged on a shelf or the like, when it is held by the hand unit 102 may also be acquired. In this case as well, the teaching data can be modified using that displacement.

[0071] Furthermore, although this embodiment mainly describes the case in which the hand portion 102 is provided with a through hole 102b, the hand portion 102 may also be provided with a recess instead of a through hole 102b. Even in this case, the protruding portion 52 of the simulated transport object 5 can be engaged with the recess of the hand portion 102 to guide the simulated transport object 5 to the desired holding position. The recess may be provided on the upper side of the plate-shaped member 102a of the hand portion 102. Alternatively, the recess may be considered, for example, as a through hole 102b with a bottom. As an example, as shown in the vertical cross-sectional view of Figure 10A, the recess 102c may have a cylindrical internal space whose central axis is aligned with the normal direction of the plate-shaped member 102a. As another example, as shown in the vertical cross-sectional view of Figure 10B, the recess 102c may have a frustoconical internal space whose central axis is aligned with the normal direction of the plate-shaped member 102a. As another example, the recess 102c may have a conical internal space whose central axis is aligned with the normal direction of the plate-like member 102a. When the simulated transport object 5 is held by the hand part 102, the protrusion 52 and the inner circumferential surface of the recess 102c may not be in surface contact, as shown in Figure 10A, or they may be in surface contact at least partially, as shown in Figure 10B.

[0072] 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.

[0073] 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.

[0074] 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.

[0075] 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]

[0076] 1 Transport robot, 3, 3a, 3b Sensors, 5 Simulated transport object, 10 Robot control device, 11 Memory unit, 12 Control unit, 13 Receiving unit, 14 Acquisition unit, 15 Modification unit, 51 Plate-shaped member, 52 Protruding part, 53 Transmitting unit, 102 Hand unit, 102b Through hole, 102c Recess

Claims

1. A robot control device for controlling a transport robot that transports a plate-shaped object, wherein the handle portion for holding the object is provided with a recess or through hole. 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, thereby causing the hand portion to hold a simulated transport object corresponding to the transport object, which has a projection on its lower surface that engages with the recess or through hole of the hand portion to guide the simulated transport object to a target holding position. A receiving unit that receives sensor information acquired by a sensor that senses the movement of the simulated transport target, An acquisition unit acquires the displacement of the simulated transport object corresponding to the engagement between the protruding portion and the recess or through hole when the simulated transport object is held by the hand portion, using sensor information received by the receiving 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 1, wherein the sensor is located on the environment side.

5. A simulated transport object corresponding to a plate-shaped transport object, A plate-shaped member and The plate-like member comprises a protrusion provided on its lower surface, The aforementioned protrusion engages with a recess or through-hole provided in the hand portion of a transport robot that transports the transport object, thereby guiding the simulated transport object to a target holding position.

6. A sensor that senses the movement of the simulated transported object, The simulated transport target according to claim 5, further comprising a transmitting unit that transmits sensor information acquired by the aforementioned sensor.

7. A transport robot for transporting plate-shaped objects, Multiple arms connected by motor-driven joints, The system comprises a hand portion connected to the tip of the plurality of arms for holding the object to be transported, The aforementioned hand portion is provided with a recess or a through hole. A transport robot that holds a simulated transport object corresponding to the transport object, the simulated transport object having a projection on its lower surface that engages with the recess or through hole of the hand portion to guide the simulated transport object to a target holding position, with the hand portion.

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