Grasping System

Abstract

To provide a gripping system that can accurately determine at least either of the number of pieces and types of objects gripped by a robot, by a few number of times of photographing.SOLUTION: The gripping system comprises: a picking robot that has a robot arm 20 and a hand 20E provided in the robot arm; a camera 14 for components, provided in the hand, which photographs components gripped by the hand; a reflecting mirror 15 provided at a predetermined position other than positions of the robot arm and of the hand; and a control part. The control part executes: photographing processing in which the robot arm is moved so that components gripped by the hand and the components reflected in the reflecting mirror are positioned in a photographing range of the camera for components at the same time, and components and the components reflected in the reflecting mirror are photographed with the camera for components to generate image data; and determining processing in which the number of pieces of components gripped by the hand is counted based on the image data generated in the photographing processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a gripping system for gripping an object. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a gripping system that grips an object and captures an image of the object using an imaging unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Specifically, the robot control system described in Patent Document 1 includes a robot having an arm and a hand, a reflecting mirror, and an imaging unit. In this robot control system, the reflecting mirror and the imaging unit are fixed to a location other than the robot, and visual servoing is performed based on a captured image in which the reflecting mirror reflecting the object and the object are within the imaging range of the imaging unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-188617 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As shown in Fig. 6 of Patent Document 1, in the robot control system of the document, when an image of an object is captured by an imaging unit, the object is placed at a position within the imaging range of the imaging unit, and an image of the object is captured in a state where the object is not being grasped by the robot. In other words, the robot control system does not capture an image of an object being grasped by the robot.

[0005] This specification discloses a technique for determining at least one of the number and type of objects being held by a robot with high accuracy by capturing images a small number of times, while making effective use of an imaging unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A gripping system for gripping an object comprises: a robot having a robot arm and a gripping unit provided on the robot arm; an imaging unit provided on the robot arm or the gripping unit for imaging the object gripped by the gripping unit; a reflecting mirror provided at a predetermined position other than the robot arm and other than the gripping unit; and a control unit, wherein the control unit performs an imaging process that moves the robot arm so that the object gripped by the gripping unit and the object reflected in the reflecting mirror are simultaneously positioned within an imaging range of the imaging unit, and images the object and the object reflected in the reflecting mirror using the imaging unit to generate image data, and a determination process that determines at least one of the number and type of the objects gripped by the gripping unit based on the image data generated by the imaging process. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the above configuration, it is possible to accurately determine at least one of the number and type of objects being grasped by the robot with a small number of image captures, while making effective use of the imaging unit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a top view of a gripping system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] Side view of the robot, part camera, reflector and upper camera [Diagram 3] A perspective view of the robot, the part camera, the container, and the reflector from diagonally above. [Figure 4] Side view of the hand, part camera, container and reflector [Diagram 5] Block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the control device [Figure 6] Top view of the robot, the part camera, the container and the reflector [Figure 7] A schematic diagram of an image represented by image data generated by capturing an image of a part held by a robot and the part reflected in a reflecting mirror. [Figure 8A] 8 is a schematic diagram of an image obtained by cutting out an area indicated by a rectangular frame 41 in FIG. 7; [Figure 8B] 8 is a schematic diagram of an image obtained by cutting out the area indicated by the rectangular frame 42 in FIG. [Figure 9] 1 is a flowchart of a process executed by the control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] (Outline of this embodiment) (1) A gripping system according to the present disclosure is a gripping system for gripping an object, comprising: a robot having a robot arm and a gripping unit provided on the robot arm; an imaging unit provided on the robot arm or the gripping unit for imaging the object gripped by the gripping unit; a reflecting mirror provided at a predetermined position other than the robot arm and other than the gripping unit; and a control unit, wherein the control unit performs an imaging process of moving the robot arm so that the object gripped by the gripping unit and the object reflected in the reflecting mirror are simultaneously positioned within an imaging range of the imaging unit, and capturing an image of the object and the object reflected in the reflecting mirror by the imaging unit to generate image data; and a determination process of determining at least one of the number and type of the objects gripped by the gripping unit based on the image data generated by the imaging process. Execute.

[0010] When capturing an image of an object being held by a robot to determine the number and type of objects, capturing an image of the object being held from only one direction can result in blind spots, making it difficult to make an accurate judgment. According to the above-mentioned gripping system, the robot arm is moved so that the object held by the gripper and the object reflected in the reflector are simultaneously positioned within the imaging range of the imaging unit, so that the grasped object can be imaged from multiple directions in one imaging session. Therefore, according to the gripping system, at least one of the number and type of objects grasped by the robot can be accurately determined with a small number of imaging sessions.

[0011] Here, instead of providing the imaging unit on the robot as in the robot control system described in Patent Document 1, it is also possible to fix the imaging unit at a predetermined position within the imaging range of the reflecting mirror, and have the robot place an object within the imaging range of the imaging unit to capture an image of the object and the object reflected in the reflecting mirror. However, in this case, since the imaging unit is fixed to a position other than the robot, there is a problem in that the imaging unit cannot be moved and cannot be effectively used for other purposes.

[0012] In contrast, in the above-mentioned gripping system, the imaging unit is provided on the robot arm or the gripping unit, so the imaging unit can be moved, and therefore the gripping system can utilize the imaging unit for purposes other than determining the number and type of objects being gripped. Therefore, according to the above-described gripping system, it is possible to accurately determine at least one of the number and type of objects being gripped by the robot with a small number of image captures, while making effective use of the imaging unit. The above "grasp" can also be rephrased as "pick up," "hold," or "squeeze."

[0013] (2) The robot grasps the object contained in a container, and the reflector may be positioned such that when the object held by the gripper and the object reflected in the reflector are simultaneously located within the imaging range of the imaging unit, the object contained in the container is not within the imaging range of the imaging unit.

[0014] For example, when counting the number of objects held by a robot based on image data (one example of judgment), if objects contained in a container are reflected in the background of an image (an image represented by image data), the objects reflected in the background may also be counted. In that case, it is not possible to count the number of objects held by the robot with high accuracy. The same applies to judging the type of object. According to the above-mentioned gripping system, the reflector is disposed at a position where the objects contained in the container are not within the imaging range of the imaging unit, so that the objects contained in the container can be prevented from being photographed in the background. Therefore, according to the above-mentioned gripping system, the accuracy of determining the number and type of objects is improved compared to a case where the objects contained in the container are photographed in the background.

[0015] (3) The container may have a rectangular shape when viewed from above, and the reflecting mirror may be arranged outside the container so as to extend along a long side of the container.

[0016] When arranging the reflector, it is possible to arrange it so that it extends along the short side of the container on the outside of the container. However, when the action of grasping the object and moving it to the reflector is performed multiple times, the average moving distance becomes longer when the reflector extends along the short side compared to when the reflector extends along the long side. In the above gripping system, the reflectors are arranged to extend along the long sides of the container, so the average movement distance can be made shorter than when the reflectors are arranged to extend along the short sides, and therefore the average time required to determine the number and type of objects can be shortened.

[0017] (4) Two such reflectors may be provided, one of the reflectors being arranged to extend along one of the two long sides of the container, and the other of the reflectors being arranged to extend along the other long side of the container. With the above gripping system, the average moving distance when gripping an object and moving it to the reflector multiple times can be shortened compared to when only one reflector is arranged along one of the long sides of a container, which makes it possible to further shorten the average time required to determine the number and type of objects.

[0018] [Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure] The present disclosure will be described below with reference to the embodiments. The present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be realized in various forms, such as an apparatus, a method, a computer program for implementing the functions of the apparatus or method, and a recording medium on which the computer program is recorded.

[0019] <Embodiment 1> The first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 9. In the following description, the reference numerals of the drawings may be omitted for the same components, with some exceptions.

[0020] (1) Overall configuration of the gripping system The overall configuration of a gripping system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The gripping system 1 is a system that grips parts 11 (an example of a target object) such as bolts and nuts contained in a container 10 and transfers them to a tray 12. The gripping system 1 includes a picking robot 13 (an example of a robot), a part camera 14 (an example of an imaging unit), two reflecting mirrors 15, and a control device 16. As shown in Fig. 2, the gripping system 1 also includes an upper camera 17 that captures an image of the container 10 from above.

[0021] (1-1) Containers and trays 3, the container 10 is a box that is open at the top and has a rectangular shape when viewed from above, and the inside is partitioned into a plurality of part storage chambers 18. A plurality of the same type of parts 11 are stored in each part storage chamber 18. The types of parts 11 stored in the part storage chambers 18 may be different for each part storage chamber 18, or may be the same. In the gripping system 1, a placement location where the container 10 is placed when the parts 11 stored in the container 10 are gripped by the picking robot 13 is set, and the parts 11 are transferred with the container 10 placed in the set placement location.

[0022] 1, the tray 12 is also a box that is open at the top and has a rectangular shape when viewed from above, and the inside is divided into multiple component storage chambers 19. A placement location is also set for the tray 12, and components 11 are transferred to the tray 12 when the tray 12 is placed in the set placement location. The shapes of the container 10 and the tray 12 are not limited to those described above and may be selected as appropriate. For example, the inside of the container 10 and the tray 12 do not have to be divided into a plurality of part-receiving chambers.

[0023] (1-2) Picking robot As shown in FIG. 1, the picking robot 13 is a horizontally articulated SCARA robot, and includes a robot arm 20, a hand 20E (an example of a gripping unit), and a controller .

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the robot arm 20 includes a base 20A, a first arm 20B, a second arm 20C, a working head 20D, and a hand 20E. The base 20A is fixed to a floor surface 22 by bolts or the like. One end of the first arm 20B in the longitudinal direction is connected to the upper surface of the base 20A and rotates about a vertical line. A first servo motor (not shown) that rotates the first arm 20B about the vertical line is housed inside the base 20A. The first servo motor may be housed in the first arm 20B.

[0025] One end of the second arm 20C in the longitudinal direction is connected to the upper surface of the other end of the first arm 20B, and the second arm 20C rotates about a vertical line. A second servo motor (not shown) that rotates the second arm 20C about a vertical line is housed inside the second arm 20C. The second servo motor may be housed in the first arm 20B. The working head 20D is fixed to the other end of the second arm 20C. The working head 20D has a shaft 20F that extends in the vertical direction. The shaft 20F is movable in the vertical direction and can rotate about its own axis. A third servo motor (not shown) that moves the shaft 20F in the vertical direction and a fourth servo motor (not shown) that rotates the shaft 20F are housed inside the working head 20D.

[0026] The hand 20E is provided at the lower end of the shaft 20F. The hand 20E grips the component 11 and has a pair of claws 20G extending downward. The pair of claws 20G are displaceable in a direction toward and away from each other. The component 11 is gripped by the pair of claws 20G being displaced in a direction toward each other, and the component 11 is released by the pair of claws 20G being displaced in a direction away from each other. The hand 20E is provided with a fifth servo motor (not shown) for displacing the pair of claws 20G, a conversion mechanism (not shown) for converting the rotation of the fifth servo motor into the displacement of the pair of claws 20G, and the like.

[0027] 1, the controller 21 is communicatively connected to the robot arm 20, and is also communicatively connected to the control device 16. The controller 21 controls the rotation of each servo motor of the robot arm 20 based on a control signal output from the control device 16, thereby operating the robot arm 20.

[0028] (1-3) Parts camera 1 and 2, the part camera 14 is provided on the hand 20E. Specifically, a rod-shaped camera support part 23 extending in the extension direction of the second arm 20C is fixed to the hand 20E. The camera support part 23 extends in a direction away from the second arm 20C. The part camera 14 is fixed to the tip of the camera support part 23.

[0029] 4, component camera 14 is a camera that captures an image of component 11 held by hand 20E, and its optical axis is inclined toward claw portion 20G. Component camera 14 is equipped with a photoelectric conversion element such as a CCD or CMOS, a light source for illuminating component 11, etc. Component camera 14 outputs image data obtained by photoelectrically converting an image by the photoelectric conversion element to control device 16.

[0030] (1-4) Upward camera 2, upper camera 17 is fixed above the placement location of container 10, and captures an image of container 10 placed on the placement location from above. The configuration of upper camera 17 is substantially the same as the configuration of component camera 14. Image data captured of container 10 by upper camera 17 is used to estimate the position of component 11 (hereinafter referred to as the gripping position) when component 11 contained in container 10 is gripped by hand 20E.

[0031] (1-5)Reflector 1, the gripping system 1 includes two reflectors 15. These reflectors 15 are provided at predetermined positions other than the robot arm 20 and other than the hand 20E. Specifically, these reflectors 15 are arranged so as to extend along the long sides of the container 10 on the outside of the container 10. More specifically, one reflector 15 is arranged so as to extend along one of the two long sides of the container 10, and the other reflector 15 is arranged so as to extend along the other long side of the container 10.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 4, reflecting mirror 15 is fixed to the slope of base 15A, which has a cross section shaped like a right-angled triangle. The slope of base 15A on the left side slopes downward toward the left, and the slope of base 15A on the right side slopes downward toward the right. Although details will be described later, the control device 16 captures an image of the part 11 held by the hand 20E and the part 11 reflected in the reflecting mirror 15 by the part camera 14. The reflecting mirror 15 is disposed in a position such that the part 11 contained in the container 10 is not within the imaging range of the part camera 14 when the part 11 held by the hand 20E and the part 11 reflected in the reflecting mirror 15 are captured by the part camera 14.

[0033] (1-6) Control device The control device 16 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The control device 16 is a device that controls the picking robot 13, the part camera 14, and the upper camera 17. The control device 16 is a so-called personal computer, and includes a control unit 30, a storage unit 31, a display unit 32, an operation unit 33, an interface unit 34, and the like.

[0034] The control unit 30 includes a CPU 30A, a RAM 30B, etc. The memory unit 31 is a storage device having a non-volatile storage medium such as a hard disk. Various programs and data executed by the CPU 30A are stored in the memory unit 31. The display unit 32 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display. The operation unit 33 is an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel. The interface unit 34 is an interface circuit that allows the control unit 30 to communicate with the controller 21, the part camera 14, etc.

[0035] The control unit 30 controls the picking robot 13, the part camera 14, etc. by executing a program stored in the memory unit 31. The control unit 30 also performs processing such as estimating the gripping position of the part 11 by image processing the image data output from the upper camera 17, and counting the number of parts 11 gripped by the hand 20E by image processing the image data output from the part camera 14.

[0036] (2) Counting the number of parts held by the hand The control unit 30 controls the picking robot 13 to transfer the number of parts 11 specified by the operator from the container 10 to the tray 12. Specifically, when the control unit 30 grips the parts 11 with the hand 20E, it captures an image of the gripped parts 11 with the part camera 14, counts the number of parts (an example of determination), and then transfers the parts 11 to the tray 12. The control unit 30 repeats the transfer until the total number of counted parts reaches the number specified by the operator.

[0037] More specifically, as shown in Fig. 3, the control unit 30 moves the hand 20E above the container 10, and the hand 20E grasps the component 11 contained in the container 10. Next, as shown in Fig. 6, the control unit 30 moves the robot arm 20 so that the component 11 grasped by the hand 20E and the component 11 reflected in the reflecting mirror 15 are simultaneously positioned within the imaging range of the component camera 14, and the component 11 grasped by the hand 20E and the component 11 reflected in the reflecting mirror 15 are imaged by the component camera 14 to generate image data.

[0038] As described above, the gripping system 1 is equipped with two reflectors 15. Although the component 11 can be imaged using either reflector 15, the control unit 30 images the component 11 using the reflector 15 that is the shorter moving distance from the position where the component 11 is gripped. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the position where the hand 20E grips the component 11 is closer to the left reflector 15 than the right reflector 15. For this reason, the control unit 30 images the component using the left reflector 15, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0039] 7 is an example of an image 40 represented by the generated image data. As described above, reflector 15 is disposed at a position where components 11 contained in container 10 are not within the imaging range of component camera 14, and therefore components 11 contained in container 10 are not captured in the background of image 40.

[0040] 7, the area indicated by rectangular frame 41 represents the part 11 held by hand 20E, and the area indicated by rectangular frame 42 represents the part 11 reflected in reflecting mirror 15. Control unit 30 cuts out an image of the area indicated by rectangular frame 41 and an image of the area indicated by rectangular frame 42 from image 40, and counts the number of parts 11 by subjecting the two cut-out images to image processing.

[0041] Fig. 8A shows an image 43 obtained by cutting out a region indicated by a rectangular frame 41, and Fig. 8B shows an image 44 obtained by cutting out a region indicated by a rectangular frame 42. As shown in Fig. 8A and Fig. 8B, the cut-out images 43 and 44 are images of the components 11 captured obliquely. For this reason, when counting the number of components from the cut-out images 43 and 44, the control unit 30 may perform a planar projective transformation on the cut-out images 43 and 44 to convert them into images viewed from the front, and then count the number of components.

[0042] There are various methods available for counting the number of parts 11 from the cut-out images 43 and 44. For example, the control unit 30 may count the number by learning the number from the two cut-out images using AI (Artificial Intelligence), or may count using other methods. However, neither method is always able to count the number, and counting may be impossible depending on the overlapping state of the gripped parts 11. For example, when counting the number using AI, counting may be impossible if the parts 11 are gripped in an overlapping state that has not been learned. In that case, the control unit 30 returns the gripped parts 11 to the container 10 once, and then grips the parts 11 again.

[0043] (3) Processing performed by the control device 9, a process executed by the control device 16 to transfer the parts 11 contained in the container 10 to the tray 12 by the picking robot 13 will be described. This process is started when the operator operates the control device 16 to instruct the transfer of the parts 11. When instructing the transfer of the parts 11, the operator specifies the type of parts 11 to be transferred and the number of parts to be transferred.

[0044] In S101, the control unit 30 determines whether or not the designated number of components 11 have been transferred to the tray 12. If the designated number of components 11 have been transferred, the control unit 30 ends the process, and if not, the control unit 30 proceeds to S102. Immediately after starting this process, the components 11 have not yet been transferred to the tray 12, so the control unit 30 proceeds to S102. In S102, the control unit 30 estimates the gripping position of the part 11 to be gripped. Specifically, for example, the type of part 11 accommodated in each part accommodation chamber 18 of the container 10 is stored in advance in the storage unit 31. The control unit 30 captures an image of the container 10 placed at the placement position with the upper camera 17 to generate image data, and performs image processing on the image represented by the generated image data to estimate the position at which the specified type of part 11 is present in the part accommodation chamber 18 that accommodates the part 11.

[0045] In S103, the control unit 30 controls the operation of the robot arm 20 so as to grip the part 11 at the estimated gripping position, thereby gripping the part 11 contained in the container 10 with the hand 20E. In S104, the control unit 30 moves the hand 20E so that the part 11 held by the hand 20E and the part 11 reflected in the reflecting mirror 15 are simultaneously positioned within the imaging range of the part camera 14.

[0046] In S105, the control unit 30 captures an image of the component 11 and the component 11 reflected in the reflecting mirror 15 using the component camera 14 to generate image data (an example of an imaging process). In S106, the control unit 30 cuts out an image of the area indicated by the rectangular frame 41 and an image of the area indicated by the rectangular frame 42 from the image represented by the image data generated in S105, and counts the number of parts 11 held by the hand 20E from the cut-out images (an example of a counting process). However, there are cases where it is not possible to count the number.

[0047] In S107, the control unit 30 determines whether or not the number was counted in S106, and if the number was counted, the process proceeds to S108, and if the number was not counted (that is, counting is not possible), the process proceeds to S109. In S108, the control unit 30 transfers the component 11 held by the hand 20E to the tray 12. After transferring the component 11 to the tray 12, the control unit 30 returns to S101 and repeats the process. In S109, the control unit 30 returns the part 11 held by the hand 20E to the container 10. After returning the part 11 to the container 10, the control unit 30 returns to S101 and repeats the process.

[0048] (4) Effects of the embodiment According to the gripping system 1 of the first embodiment, the robot arm 20 is moved so that the part 11 gripped by the hand 20E and the part 11 reflected in the reflector 15 are simultaneously positioned within the imaging range of the part camera 14, so that the gripped part 11 can be imaged from multiple directions in one imaging. Therefore, according to the gripping system 1, the number of parts 11 gripped by the picking robot 13 can be counted with high accuracy with a small number of imaging attempts. In the gripping system 1, the part camera 14 is provided on the hand 20E, so the part camera 14 can be moved. Therefore, the gripping system 1 can use the part camera 14 for purposes other than counting the number of parts 11. For example, the part camera 14 can also be used for the following purposes. An image of an identification code such as a barcode or a QR code (registered trademark) attached to the container 10 is captured. The process in which the picking robot 13 grasps the part 11 is recorded as a video and displayed on the display unit 32. After the picking robot 13 grasps the part 11 and transfers it to the tray 12, the part camera 14 captures an image of the tray 12 to determine whether the part 11 has been transferred to the tray 12 normally. Therefore, the gripping system 1 can count the number of parts 11 gripped by the picking robot 13 with high accuracy by capturing images a small number of times, while making effective use of the part camera 14.

[0049] Here, as a hypothetical technique, a case where both the part camera 14 and the reflecting mirror are attached to the picking robot 13 is considered. In this case, it is necessary to secure a certain amount of space between the part 11 held by the hand 20E and the reflecting mirror. However, if a certain amount of space is secured between the part 11 held by the hand 20E and the reflecting mirror, the picking robot 13 becomes large. Therefore, the movement of the picking robot 13 is restricted to prevent the picking robot 13 from colliding with structures arranged around the picking robot 13. In contrast, if the reflecting mirror 15 is provided at a predetermined position other than the picking robot 13 as in the gripping system 1 according to the first embodiment, the picking robot 13 can be prevented from becoming large. Therefore, the movement of the picking robot 13 is less likely to be restricted, and the range of movement of the picking robot 13 can be widened.

[0050] According to the gripping system 1, the reflector 15 is disposed at a position where the components 11 contained in the container 10 are not within the imaging range of the component camera 14, and therefore it is possible to prevent the components 11 contained in the container 10 from being photographed in the background. Therefore, according to the gripping system 1, the counting accuracy is improved compared to a case where the components 11 contained in the container 10 are photographed in the background.

[0051] According to the gripping system 1, the reflecting mirror 15 is arranged to extend along the long side of the container 10, so that the average moving distance when the action of gripping the parts 11 and moving them to the reflecting mirror 15 is performed multiple times can be made shorter than when the reflecting mirror 15 is arranged to extend along the short side. Therefore, the average time required to count the number of parts 11 can be shortened.

[0052] The gripping system 1 includes two reflecting mirrors 15, one of which is disposed so as to extend along one of the two long sides of the container 10, and the other reflecting mirror 15 is disposed so as to extend along the other long side of the container 10. Therefore, compared to a case in which one reflecting mirror 15 is disposed only along one of the long sides of the container 10, the average moving distance when the action of gripping the parts 11 and moving them to the reflecting mirror 15 is performed multiple times can be shortened. Therefore, the average time required to count the number of parts 11 can be further shortened.

[0053] <Other embodiments> The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the embodiments described above and in the drawings, and for example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope disclosed in this specification.

[0054] (1) The configuration of the picking robot 13 described in the first embodiment is merely an example, and the configuration of the picking robot 13 is not limited to the configuration described in the first embodiment.

[0055] (2) In the above embodiment 1, a horizontally articulated picking robot 13 is used as an example of the picking robot 13. However, the picking robot 13 is not limited to a horizontally articulated type, and may be a vertically articulated type or another type of robot.

[0056] (3) In the above embodiment 1, the reflecting mirror 15 is disposed so as to extend along the long side of the container 10, but the arrangement of the reflecting mirror 15 is not limited to this. For example, the reflecting mirror 15 may be disposed so as to extend along the short side of the container 10, or may be disposed at an angle with respect to the long side or short side of the container 10.

[0057] (4) In the above embodiment 1, an example was described in which two reflecting mirrors 15 were provided. However, the number of reflecting mirrors is not limited to this, and may be one, or three or more.

[0058] (5) In the above embodiment 1, the number of parts 11 held by the hand 20E is counted (one example of determination), but the type of the held parts 11 may also be determined. For similar parts 11 (e.g., a bolt with a washer and a bolt without a washer), the washer may not be visible depending on the viewpoint, which may lead to an erroneous determination of the type. According to the holding system 1 of embodiment 1, the held part 11 can be imaged from multiple directions in one image capture, so that the type of the part 11 held by the picking robot 13 can be accurately determined with a small number of image captures.

[0059] (6) In the above embodiment 1, the part camera 14 is provided on the hand 20E. However, the part camera 14 may be provided on the robot arm 20 (for example, the second arm 20C).

[0060] (7) In the above embodiment 1, the component 11 is gripped by being pinched by a pair of claws 20G, but the method of gripping the component 11 is not limited to this. For example, the component 11 may be gripped by being attracted by an electromagnet. In this case, the component is released by turning off the electromagnet. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1: Grasping system 10: Container 11: Parts (example of target object) 13: Picking robot (example of a robot) 14: Parts camera (an example of an imaging unit) 15: Reflector 20: Robot Arm 20E: Hand 20E (an example of a gripping portion) 30: Control section

Claims

1. A gripping system for gripping an object, comprising: A robot having a robot arm and a gripping unit provided on the robot arm; an imaging unit provided on the robot arm or the gripping unit, which images the object being gripped by the gripping unit; a reflecting mirror provided at a predetermined position other than the robot arm and other than the gripping unit; A control unit; Equipped with The gripping unit can grip a plurality of the objects at once, The control unit is an imaging process of moving the robot arm so that the object held by the gripping unit and the object reflected in the reflecting mirror are simultaneously positioned within an imaging range of the imaging unit, and capturing images of the object and the object reflected in the reflecting mirror by the imaging unit to generate image data; A determination process for determining the number of the objects held by the holding unit based on the image data generated by the imaging process; A grasping system that performs the above steps.

2. 2. The gripping system of claim 1, the robot grasps the object contained in a container, A gripping system in which the reflector is positioned in a position such that when the object held by the gripping unit and the object reflected in the reflector are simultaneously located within the imaging range of the imaging unit, the object contained in the container is not within the imaging range of the imaging unit.

3. 3. The gripping system of claim 2, The container has a rectangular shape when viewed from above, A gripping system, wherein the reflector is positioned on the outside of the container and extends along a long side of the container.

4. 4. The gripping system of claim 3, The reflector includes two reflectors, A gripping system, wherein one of the reflectors is arranged to extend along one of the two long sides of the container, and the other of the reflectors is arranged to extend along the other long side of the container.

Images