Robot control system

Abstract

To provide a robot control system that can ensure enhanced versatility and proper robot control when a robot handles an article.SOLUTION: A robot control system with an imaging device 15 being attached to a robot arm 14a of a robot 14 mounted on a moving frame 13, is configured to: acquire information on work of the robot 14 by imaging, by the imaging device 15, a QR code QC 1 provided on a top surface 12a of a work station 12; control the robot 14 according to the acquired information; and correct trajectories of the robot arm 14a according to presence / absence of any obstacles on the trajectories of the robot arm 14a and a deviation amount of a relative position of the robot 14 to the work station 12. Thereby, the robot control system can ensure enhanced versatility and proper robot control when the robot 14 handles a workpiece W.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a robot control system. In particular, the present invention relates to measures for enhancing the versatility of a robot when handling an article (for example, when transferring an article or performing processing on an article) by the robot.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a robot control system for transferring an article or the like using a robot, for example, one disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. The robot control system disclosed in this Patent Document 1 installs a CCD camera on the head of a robot mounted on a moving gantry (referred to as an automated guided vehicle in Patent Document 1). After the moving gantry stops, the position of a reference marker installed in a work cell (referred to as a work station in Patent Document 1) is read by the CCD camera, and the relative positional relationship between the robot and the reference marker of the work cell is calculated to correct the operating position of the robot when transferring an article from the moving gantry to the work cell. Thereby, highly accurate transfer work can be performed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, Patent Document 1 only discloses a technique for correcting the robot's operating position according to the relative positional relationship between the robot and the work cell. Therefore, this technique is only applicable when the robot is to perform a single operation (transferring an item placed at a specific position on a mobile platform to a specific position on the work cell), and is not applicable when the robot is to perform various operations as required, or when multiple robots are to perform different operations. There was room for improvement in terms of the robot's versatility.

[0005] This invention has been made in view of the above, and its objective is to provide a robot control system that can improve the versatility of robots when handling goods and optimize robot control. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention provides a solution for achieving the above objectives, which is based on a robot control system for controlling a robot when it handles an article. The robot control system comprises an installation area on which the article is placed, a robot unit including the robot and a mobile stand on which the robot is mounted, an information providing means provided on the mobile stand of the robot unit within the installation area for providing information relating to the robot handling the article, an information acquiring means provided on the installation area within the robot unit for acquiring the information from the information providing means, and a control device that controls the robot when it handles the article based on the information acquired by the information acquiring means. The aforementioned information provision method is a QR code (registered trademark). The control device is characterized in that, based on the information provided by the information acquisition means, it recognizes the relative position between the robot unit and the installation area where the item is placed, and controls the operation of the robot when it handles the item according to the relative position.

[0007] This specific information allows the robot to acquire information about its actions when handling goods (such as transferring goods or processing goods) from the information providing means via the information acquisition means. The control device then controls the robot when it handles goods based on this acquired information. For example, when making the robot perform actions according to a request, the actions of handling goods can be made different each time by acquiring information corresponding to the requested action (the action requested) from the information providing means via the information acquisition means at the start of that action. Furthermore, when making multiple robots perform different actions, each robot can perform different actions by acquiring different information from the information providing means via the information acquisition means corresponding to each robot. This increases the versatility of robots handling goods and optimizes robot control.

[0008] Furthermore, the robot is equipped with a robotic arm for transporting the item, and the information includes information about obstacles in the installation area and its surroundings. The control device controls the movement trajectory of the robotic arm to avoid the obstacles when they are present.

[0009] If the information acquired by the information provision means includes information that obstacles exist in and around the installation area, the robot arm's movement trajectory will be controlled to avoid contact with the obstacles. Thus, in this solution, since the information acquisition means includes information about obstacles in the information acquired from the information provision means, it is possible to realize the operation of a robot arm that avoids obstacles without requiring a special detection device to detect the presence or absence of obstacles.

[0010] Furthermore, the robot is equipped with a robotic arm for transporting the item. ,before The information acquisition means provided in the installation area is the robot unit The mobile frame inThe imaging device acquires the information by imaging the information providing means provided therein, and the control device recognizes the relative position between the robot unit and the installation area based on the image of the information providing means captured by the imaging device, and controls the operation of the robot arm according to the relative position.

[0011] When the robot unit reaches the vicinity of the installation area due to the movement of the mobile platform, if the robot unit stops at the designated position, the goods will be properly transported by operating the robot unit according to the acquired information. However, if the robot unit stops at a position deviating from the designated position, even if the robot unit is operated according to the acquired information, a deviation in the transport position of the goods will occur by the amount of that deviation. In view of this, the present solution recognizes the relative position between the robot unit and the installation area based on the image of the information providing means captured by the imaging device, and controls the operation of the robot arm according to that relative position. This makes it possible to suppress deviations in the transport position of the goods. Thus, in the present solution, the operation of imaging the information providing means with the imaging device, which is the information acquisition means, is used not only to acquire information related to the handling of goods by the robot, but also to recognize the relative position between the robot unit and the installation area, thereby enabling effective use of the information acquisition means and the information providing means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] In this invention, among the robot unit and the installation area Robot unit The information provided by the information provision means (information relating to the handling of goods by robots) Robot unit and installation area, specifically the installation area The system acquires information through an information acquisition means, and based on this acquired information, it controls the robot when it handles objects. This increases the versatility of the robot when it handles objects and allows for the optimization of robot control. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a plan view showing the schematic configuration of a cell production line to which the robot control system according to the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] This is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of the first system according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a control block diagram of the first system. [Figure 4] This figure shows a schematic configuration of the second system according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a control block diagram of the second system. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the first system. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the second system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This embodiment describes the case in which the robot control system according to the present invention is applied to a cell production line equipped with two robots and two work cells (hereinafter sometimes referred to as workbenches). However, the application of the robot control system according to the present invention is not limited to this.

[0015] -Overall configuration of the cell production line- Figure 1 is a plan view showing the schematic configuration of a cell production line ML to which the robot control system according to this embodiment is applied. As shown in Figure 1, the cell production line ML according to this embodiment is configured to include two robot units (robot units consisting of robots mounted on mobile frames) 11, 21 and two workbenches 12, 22. In this embodiment, of the two robot units 11, 21, the robot unit located on the left side in the figure will be called the first robot unit 11, and the robot unit located on the right side in the figure will be called the second robot unit 21. Also, of the two workbenches 12, 22, the workbench located on the left side in the figure will be called the first workbench 12, and the workbench located on the right side in the figure will be called the second workbench 22.

[0016] As a production process in the cell production line ML in this embodiment, for example, a work (article) W is transferred by the first robot unit 11 to a predetermined position (place position) on the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12, and an operator A performs an assembly operation of the work W (assembly operation up to an intermediate assembly) on the first workbench 12. Then, the work W placed at a predetermined position (pick position) on the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12 is transferred by the second robot unit 21 from the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12 to a predetermined position (place position) on the upper surface 22a of the second workbench 22, and an operator B further performs an assembly operation of the work W on the second workbench 22. Therefore, the upper surfaces 12a and 22a of the respective workbenches 12 and 22 are the installation areas (installation areas where articles are placed) referred to in the present invention.

[0017] In this embodiment, as a robot control system according to the present invention, a first system 10 is constructed by the first robot unit 11 and the first workbench 12, and a second system 20 is constructed by the second robot unit 21 and the second workbench 22. Hereinafter, each of the systems 10 and 20 will be described.

[0018] -Configuration of the First System- First, the configuration of the first system 10 will be described. In this embodiment, the first robot unit 11 that constructs the first system 10 has a configuration in which a robot 14 is mounted on a moving base (a manually pushed moving base that does not self-run) 13 that does not have a traveling power source, and the work W is transferred to the first workbench 12 by the operation of this robot 14 (for example, the work W taken out from a parts box not shown is transferred to the first workbench 12). Note that the moving base 13 may be an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) or an AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot) equipped with a traveling power source.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the first system 10. FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the first system 10.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, the robot 14 comprises a multi-axis robot arm 14a and a hand 14b as an end effector attached to the tip of the robot arm 14a. The robot arm 14a is provided to move the hand 14b to a predetermined position, and the hand 14b is provided to hold the workpiece W. An imaging device 15, which serves as an information acquisition means, is attached to the tip of the robot arm 14a (near the attachment position of the hand 14b). This imaging device 15 consists of, for example, an RGB-D camera and is used to image the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12 and the area around the first workbench 12, and outputs the information of the captured image to the control device 16 (see Figure 3). The information of the image captured by this imaging device 15 is used as information for recognizing the place position of the workpiece W on the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12. Furthermore, as will be described later, this image information is used as reading information for the QR code QC1, which serves as an information providing means provided (attached) to the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12. Furthermore, the means of providing information is not limited to QR code QC1, but may also be AR markers. When a QR code QC1 or AR marker is read by the imaging device 15, the information acquired is the information written on the QR code QC1 or AR marker (read information), or information that can be identified from this read information and has been stored in advance on a PC or the like (for example, the memory unit 16b described later).

[0021] The first workbench 12 is a table for worker A to assemble workpiece W, and the QR code QC1 is provided at the corner of the top surface 12a (the front left corner in the case shown in Figure 2). This QR code QC1 contains information related to the work process of the robot 14 of the first robot unit 11 (the process related to the transfer of workpiece W), and by reading the QR code QC1 with the imaging device 15, it is possible to obtain information related to this work process. This information corresponds to the information related to handling an article by a robot as referred to in this invention. Specifically, examples of information obtained when the QR code QC1 is read by the imaging device 15 include the following. • Information on the placement position of the workpiece W on the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12. • Information on the size and orientation of the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12. • Information on obstacles on the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12 and its surroundings. • When the robot 14 of the first robot unit 11 works together with worker A on the first workbench 12, the task information As shown in Figure 3, the control system of the first system 10 includes a control device 16 for controlling the robot 14. This control device 16 is a computer that includes an arithmetic unit (processor such as a CPU) 16a, a storage unit (ROM, etc.) 16b, and an input / output unit 16c.

[0022] The calculation unit 16a calculates control command information for controlling the robot 14 by performing calculation processing based on the program (operation program) etc. stored in the storage unit 16b.

[0023] The memory unit 16b stores an operation program for controlling the robot 14. In this embodiment, the operation program includes a reference program for controlling the robot 14 according to information read from the QR code QC1 (such as information on the placement position of the workpiece W on the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12), and a correction program used to perform corrections, described later, to the control amount of the robot 14 determined according to the reference program. In this embodiment, the operation program is constructed using the reference program and the correction program, but it is not limited to this.

[0024] The aforementioned reference program is used to determine the movement trajectory of the robot arm 14a and hand 14b so that, for example, the distance the workpiece W is transported to the predetermined position on the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12 is approximately the shortest possible distance when controlling the robot 14 according to the information read from the QR code QC1 (when transporting the workpiece W to a predetermined position on the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12).

[0025] The aforementioned correction program (a program for correcting the control amount of the robot 14 determined according to the reference program) is for correcting the movement trajectories of the robot arm 14a and hand 14b according to obstacle avoidance data and relative position correction data.

[0026] The obstacle avoidance correction program determines the amount of correction to the control amount of the robot 14 (the control amount determined by the reference program) so that the movement trajectory of the robot arm 14a and hand 14b becomes a movement trajectory that avoids the obstacle, when the information obtained when the QR code QC1 is read includes information that the aforementioned obstacle exists. For example, the information read from the QR code QC1 includes 3D position information of the obstacle (information of 3D position coordinates), and the amount of correction to the control amount of the robot 14 is determined so that the movement trajectory of the robot arm 14a and hand 14b (the 3D positions of the robot arm 14a and hand 14b on the movement trajectory) does not interfere with the 3D position of the obstacle. Note that the 3D position information of the obstacle is information that has been written to the QR code QC1 in advance according to the layout of the cell production line ML, etc.

[0027] Furthermore, the correction program for relative position correction corrects the position information for transferring the workpiece W to a predetermined position (predetermined place position) on the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12, according to the relative position between the first robot unit 11 (more specifically, the robot 14) and the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12. The relative position between the robot 14 and the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12 is determined using the image obtained when the QR code QC1 is read by the imaging device 15. In other words, if there is a discrepancy between the image of the QR code QC1 captured by the imaging device 15 assuming that the posture of the robot arm 14a is the same and the image of the QR code QC1 actually captured by the imaging device 15, it can be determined that there is a discrepancy in the stopping position of the first robot unit 11. Then, the relative position between the robot 14 and the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12 can be determined by using these image discrepancies. Therefore, for example, if the image of the QR code QC1 actually captured by the imaging device 15 determines that the position of the mobile stand 13 relative to the first workbench 12 (the position of the mobile stand 13 stopped by the worker pushing it by hand) is shifted towards the front (downward in Figure 1), the robot arm 14a is controlled to correct the position of the hand 14b towards the back (upward in Figure 1) (by correcting the place position towards the back), so that even if the position of the mobile stand 13 is shifted, the workpiece W can be transferred to a predetermined position on the upper surface of the first workbench 12.

[0028] The input / output unit 16c is connected to the first robot unit 11. The input / output unit 16c is capable of receiving information related to the work process acquired when the imaging device 15 reads the QR code QC1 from the first robot unit 11, and transmitting the control command information to the first robot unit 11.

[0029] -Configuration of the second system- Next, the configuration of the second system 20 will be described. In this embodiment, the second robot unit 21 that makes up the second system 20 is configured such that a robot 24 is mounted on a self-propelled mobile platform 23 equipped with a driving power source, and the workpiece W is transferred from the first workbench 12 to the second workbench 22 by the operation of this robot 24. An AGV or AMR can be used as the mobile platform 23.

[0030] Figure 4 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of the second system 20. Figure 5 is a control block diagram of the second system 20.

[0031] As shown in Figure 4, the robot 24 is equipped with a robotic arm 24a and a hand 24b, similar to that of the first system 10.

[0032] The second workbench 22 is a platform for worker B to assemble workpiece W. An imaging device 22b is installed in the corner of the upper surface 22a of the second workbench 22 (the left rear corner in the case shown in Figure 4). This imaging device 22b consists of, for example, an RGB-D camera and is used to image the upper surface of the mobile stand 23 of the second robot unit 21 and the area around the mobile stand 23, and outputs the information of the captured image to the control device 26 (see Figure 5). The information of the image captured by this imaging device 22b is used as reading information for the QR code QC2, which is provided on the upper surface of the mobile stand 23 as an information providing means, as will be described later. In the second system 20 as well, the information providing means is not limited to the QR code QC2 but may also be an AR marker. In this case as well, the information acquired when the QR code QC2 or AR marker is read by the imaging device 22b is the information written on the QR code QC2 or AR marker (the read information), or information that can be identified from this read information and has been stored in advance on a PC or the like (for example, the memory unit 26b described later).

[0033] The QR code QC2 is provided on the upper surface of the mobile stand 23. This QR code QC2 contains information related to the work processes of the mobile stand 23 and the robot 24 of the second robot unit 21, and by reading the QR code QC2 with the imaging device 22b, it is possible to obtain this work process information. This information corresponds to the information related to handling an item by the robot as referred to in this invention. Specifically, examples of information obtained when the QR code QC2 is read by the imaging device 22b include the following. • Information on the pick position of the workpiece W on the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12 • Information on the placement position of the workpiece W on the upper surface 22a of the second workbench 22. • Information on the size and orientation of the upper surface 22a of the second workbench 22. • Information on obstacles on the upper surface 22a of the second workbench 22 and its surroundings. • When the robot 24 of the second robot unit 21 works together with worker B on the second workbench 22, the task information As shown in Figure 5, the control system of the second system 20 is provided with a control device 26 for controlling the robot 24. This control device 26, like the control device 16 of the first system 10 described above, is equipped with a calculation unit 26a, a storage unit 26b, and an input / output unit 26c. The difference from the control device 16 of the first system 10 described above is that the storage unit 26b stores an operation program for controlling the robot 24. The operation program in this embodiment includes a reference program for controlling the robot 24 according to information read from the QR code QC2 (such as information on the pick position of the workpiece W on the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12 and information on the place position of the workpiece W on the upper surface 22a of the second workbench 22), and a correction program used to correct the control amount of the robot 24 obtained according to the reference program, based on information on obstacles and information on the relative position between the robot 14 and the upper surfaces 12a and 22a of the workbenches 12 and 22, as described above.

[0034] The aforementioned reference program is used to determine the movement trajectory of the robot arm 24a and hand 24b so that, for example, the distance the workpiece W is transported to the predetermined position on the upper surface 22a of the second workbench 22 is the shortest possible distance when controlling the robot 24 according to the information read from the QR code QC2 (when transporting the workpiece W from a predetermined position on the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12 to a predetermined position on the upper surface 22a of the second workbench 22).

[0035] The aforementioned correction program includes, as described above, a correction program for obstacle avoidance and a correction program for relative position correction.

[0036] The correction program for obstacle avoidance determines a correction amount for the control amount of the robot 24 (the control amount determined by the reference program) so that the movement trajectories of the robot arm 24a and hand 24b become movement trajectories that avoid the obstacle, when the information obtained when the QR code QC2 is read includes information that the aforementioned obstacle is present.

[0037] Furthermore, the correction program for relative position correction corrects the position information for transferring the workpiece W from a predetermined position (predetermined pick position) on the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12 to a predetermined position (predetermined place position) on the upper surface 22a of the second workbench 22, according to the relative position between the second robot unit 21 (more specifically, robot 24) and the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12, and the relative position between the robot 24 and the upper surface 22a of the second workbench 22. The relative positions of the robot 24 and the upper surfaces 12a and 22a of each workbench 12 and 22 are determined using the image obtained when the QR code QC2 is read by the imaging device 22b. The principle for determining this relative position is the same as in the case of the first system 10 described above. As a result, even if the position of the mobile stand 23 is misaligned with respect to each workbench 12 and 22, the workpiece W can be transferred from a predetermined position on the upper surface 12a of the first workbench 12 to a predetermined position on the upper surface 22a of the second workbench 22.

[0038] The input / output unit 26c is connected to the second robot unit 21 and the imaging device 22b. The input / output unit 26c is capable of receiving information related to the work process acquired when the imaging device 22b reads the QR code QC2, and transmitting the control command information to the second robot unit 21.

[0039] -Operation of the robot control system- Next, the operation of the robot control system (first system 10 and second system 20) configured as described above will be explained.

[0040] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the first system 10. This flowchart is executed repeatedly each time a request to place a workpiece W on the first workbench 12 occurs.

[0041] As shown in Figure 6, when the operation of the first system 10 is started, first, in step ST1, the imaging device 15 performs a reading operation of the QR code QC1. This reading operation is performed by the imaging device 15 recognizing the position of the QR code QC1 by imaging the upper surface of the first workbench 12 and the area around the first workbench 12, and by the robot arm 14a moving the imaging device 15 closer to the position of the QR code QC1.

[0042] Subsequently, in step ST2, upon reading the QR code QC1, the aforementioned information (information related to the work process) is acquired.

[0043] In step ST3, information about obstacles included in the read information (information about the presence or absence of obstacles and location information if obstacles exist) is acquired, and relative position information between the robot 14 and the first workbench 12 (information about the amount of the discrepancy if there is a discrepancy in the relative position between the robot 14 and the first workbench 12) is acquired based on the image of the QR code QC1 (how the QR code QC1 looks).

[0044] In step ST4, the control amount for the robot 14 is calculated based on the acquired information. As mentioned above, this control amount is determined as the control amount that ensures the movement trajectories of the robot arm 24a and hand 24b are trajectories that avoid obstacles, and as a control amount that takes into account the difference in relative position between the robot 14 and the first workbench 12.

[0045] Then, in step ST5, the robot 14 is controlled using the calculated control amount, and the transfer of the workpiece W to the first workbench 12 is started.

[0046] In step ST6, it is determined whether the transfer of the workpiece W to the first workbench 12 has been completed. If the transfer of the workpiece W to the first workbench 12 is completed and the determination in step ST6 is YES, the process moves to step ST7, where the robot 14 is set to a standby position and then returned. This process is repeated each time a request to place the workpiece W on the first workbench 12 is made.

[0047] Next, the operation of the second system 20 will be described. Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the second system 20. This flowchart is executed repeatedly each time a request is made to transfer workpiece W from the first workbench 12 to the second workbench 22. In this flowchart, the same step numbers are used for steps that are the same as those performed in the operation of the first system 10 described above.

[0048] When the operation of the second system 20 begins, first, in step ST0, it is determined whether this operation of the second system 20 is the initial operation (when production starts on the newly constructed cell production line ML), or whether there is information that the mobile stand 23 has moved. In other words, if this operation of the second system 20 is the initial operation, or if the mobile stand 23 has moved, it is possible that the operation to be performed by the second system 20 has changed, or that the position of the second robot unit 21 relative to each workbench 12,22 has changed, so it is necessary to read the QR code QC2. In short, the operation of this step ST0 is a step to determine whether or not it is necessary to read the QR code QC2.

[0049] If a YES determination is made in step ST0, the process proceeds to step ST1, where the imaging device 22b reads the QR code QC2. In step ST2, information related to the work process is acquired, and then in step ST3', information about obstacles included in the read information is acquired, and relative position information between the robot 24 and each workbench 12, 22 is acquired based on the image of the QR code QC2 (how the QR code QC2 appears). After that, the process proceeds to step ST4.

[0050] On the other hand, if the result in step ST0 is NO, it is determined that the acquisition of information by reading the QR code QC2 has already been completed in the previous routine, and the process proceeds to step ST4.

[0051] In step ST4, the control amount for the robot 24 is calculated based on the acquired information, and in step ST5', the control of the robot 24 is started using this calculated control amount, and the transfer of the workpiece W from the first workbench 12 to the second workbench 22 is started.

[0052] In step ST6, it is determined whether the transfer of the workpiece W to the second workbench 22 has been completed. If the transfer of the workpiece W to the second workbench 22 is completed and the determination in step ST6 is YES, the process moves to step ST7, where the robot 24 is set to a standby position and then returned. This process is repeated each time a request is made to transfer the workpiece W from the first workbench 12 to the second workbench 22.

[0053] -Effects of the embodiment- As described above, according to this embodiment, information related to the transfer of the workpiece W by each of the robots 14 and 24 (information related to the transfer process) is acquired from the QR codes QC1 and QC2 by the imaging devices 15 and 22b, and based on this acquired information, individual transfer control is performed for each of the robots 14 and 24. Therefore, the versatility when transferring the workpiece W by each of the robots 14 and 24 can be increased, and the robot control can be optimized.

[0054] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the information obtained when QR codes QC1 and QC2 are read includes information indicating the presence of an obstacle, the movement trajectories of the robot arms 14a and 24a and the hands 14b and 24b are corrected (controlled) to avoid contact with the obstacle. In this way, by including information about obstacles in the information acquired by the imaging devices 15 and 22b from QR codes QC1 and QC2, it is possible to realize the operation of the robot arms 14a and hands 14b to avoid obstacles without requiring a special detection device to detect the presence or absence of obstacles.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the amount of displacement of the robot units 11 and 21 relative to the workbenches 12 and 22 is determined based on the images of QR codes QC1 and QC2 captured by the imaging devices 15 and 22b, and the operation of the robot arms 14a and 24a is controlled according to this amount of displacement. This suppresses the occurrence of displacement in the transfer position of the workpiece W. In addition, the operation of capturing QR codes QC1 and QC2 with the imaging devices 15 and 22b is used not only to acquire information related to the transfer of the workpiece W, but also to recognize the relative position between the robot units 11 and 21 and the workbenches 12 and 22, thereby enabling effective use of the imaging devices 15 and 22b and the QR codes QC1 and QC2.

[0056] -Other Embodiments- Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and do not constitute a limiting interpretation. Accordingly, the technical scope of the present invention is not construed solely by the embodiments described herein, but is defined based on the claims. The technical scope of the present invention also includes all modifications within the meaning and scope of equivalents to the claims.

[0057] For example, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which robots 14 and 24 transport workpieces W in a cell production line ML. However, the robots 14 and 24 may also perform processing or other operations on the workpieces W. That is, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which robots 14 and 24 have robot arms 14a and 24a and hands 14b and 24b. However, the structure of robots 14 and 24 may be anything. Furthermore, robots 14 and 24 are not limited to so-called industrial robots applied to a cell production line ML. For example, they may be so-called service robots used for serving food in restaurants, etc.

[0059] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, QR codes QC1 and QC2 were used as the information provision means, and imaging devices 15 and 22b were used as the information acquisition means. The present invention is not limited to this, and IC tags such as RF tags may be used as the information provision means, and tag readers may be used as the information acquisition means.

[0060] Furthermore, distance measuring sensors or the like can be used as means to recognize the relative positions of the robot units 11 and 21 and the workbenches 12 and 22.

[0061] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the imaging device 15 of the first system 10 was attached to the robot arm 14a, but it may also be attached to the mobile stand 13. 。

[0062] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, information from QR codes QC1 and QC2 and surrounding images were acquired by imaging with imaging devices 15 and 22b, but these acquisitions may also be performed by individual imaging devices. [Industrial applicability]

[0063] The present invention is applicable to robot control systems for transporting goods and performing other actions using robots. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 10. First System (Robot Control System) 11. First Robot Unit 12a Top surface of the first workbench (installation area) 20. Second System (Robot Control System) 21. Second Robot Unit 22a Top surface of the second workbench (installation area) 13,23 Mobile mount 14,24 Robots 14a, 24a Robot Arm 15,22b Imaging device (information acquisition means) 16,26 Control device W Work (Goods) QC1, QC2 QR code (means of providing information)

Claims

1. A robot control system for controlling a robot when it handles an item, The installation area on which the aforementioned article is placed, A robot unit including the robot and a mobile stand on which the robot is mounted, and an information providing means provided on the mobile stand of the robot unit within the installation area, which provides information relating to the handling of the article by the robot, The robot unit and the installation area, the installation area being provided with an information acquisition means that acquires the information from the information providing means, The system includes a control device that controls the robot when it handles the item based on the information acquired by the information acquisition means, The aforementioned information provision means is a QR code (registered trademark), The robot control system is characterized in that the control device recognizes the relative position between the robot unit and the installation area on which the item is placed, based on the information provided by the information acquisition means, and controls the operation of the robot when it handles the item according to the relative position.

2. In the robot control system according to claim 1, The robot is equipped with a robotic arm for transporting the article, The aforementioned information includes information about obstacles in the installation area and its surroundings. The robot control system is characterized in that the control device controls the movement trajectory of the robot arm to avoid the obstacle when the obstacle is present.

3. In the robot control system according to claim 1, The robot is equipped with a robotic arm for transporting the article, The information acquisition means provided in the installation area is an imaging device that acquires the information by imaging the information providing means provided on the mobile frame of the robot unit. The robot control system is characterized in that the control device recognizes the relative position between the robot unit and the installation area based on the image of the information providing means captured by the imaging device, and controls the operation of the robot arm according to the relative position.

Images