Robot control device, robot control method, and robot control program

Abstract

The present invention provides a robot control device that can take out workpieces accurately and efficiently. The robot control device controls a robot to take out any workpiece from among a plurality of workpieces, processes data from a vision sensor that detects the plurality of workpieces, and comprises: a list in which information on workpieces to be accessed by the robot is stored; and a workpiece information processing unit that, when the robot passes through a designated position, acquires a determination result as to whether the robot succeeded or failed in taking out any workpiece, and updates the information on workpieces stored in the list.

Description

Robot control device, robot control method, and robot control program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a robot control device, a robot control method, and a robot control program.

[0002] In recent years, robots have been used in various industries to pick up and transport objects (workpieces). One known application of such robots is "bulk picking," which involves picking out individual workpieces from among multiple workpieces randomly placed in a container.

[0003] In bulk picking applications, for example, a vision sensor detects the position and orientation of multiple workpieces in a container, and the workpieces are picked up using the robot's end effector (hand). Note that various robots, such as vertical articulated robots and parallel link robots, can be used as the robot for bulk picking, and various end effectors, such as gripping hands (pneumatic grippers), suction hands, and magnetic hands, can be used as the end effector for picking up the workpieces.

[0004] Conventionally, various proposals have been made as robot control techniques that enable accurate and highly efficient workpiece removal.

[0005] JP 2008-087074 A

[0006] Conventionally, to control a robot for bulk picking, for example, data from a vision sensor that detects multiple workpieces is processed and information on the workpieces accessed by the robot is internally managed as a list. This list is updated based on the picking result, for example, whether or not the workpiece was successfully picked.

[0007] Incidentally, the list is updated, for example, by an operator (user) of a robot system that performs bulk picking by incorporating a command to update workpiece information into the robot's operation (main) program. However, there is a risk that the user may forget to incorporate a command to update workpiece information into the operation program when creating / changing the operation program, or that the workpiece information stored in the list may not be the latest information updated to match the latest status, which could prevent accurate and efficient picking of workpieces.

[0008] Therefore, there is a demand for a robot control device, a robot control method, and a robot control program that can accurately and efficiently pick up a workpiece.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a robot control device that controls a robot to pick up an arbitrary workpiece from a plurality of workpieces, the robot control device including: a list that processes data from a vision sensor that detects the plurality of workpieces and stores information about the workpieces accessed by the robot; and a workpiece information processing unit that, when the robot passes a predetermined position, obtains a determination result as to whether the robot has succeeded or failed in picking up the arbitrary workpiece, and updates the information about the workpieces stored in the list.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a robot system to which a robot control device according to this embodiment is applied. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a robot control device according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a list (blacklist) in the robot control device shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating another example of a robot system to which a robot control device according to this embodiment is applied. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing in an example of a robot control program according to this embodiment.

[0011] Hereinafter, examples of a robot control device, a robot control method, and a robot control program according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, identical or similar components are assigned identical or similar reference numerals. Furthermore, the embodiments described below do not limit the technical scope and meaning of the terms of the invention described in the claims.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a robot system to which a robot control device according to the present embodiment is applied. In FIG. 1, reference numerals 1, 2, 3, 4, 100, and 110 indicate an industrial robot, a robot control device, a vision sensor (3D sensor, three-dimensional measuring device), a container, a container, a workpiece (object), and a workpiece (target). The robot control device 2 according to the present embodiment can be applied to, for example, an industrial robot system 100 in which an industrial robot 1 picks an arbitrary workpiece W from a plurality of randomly placed (loosely piled) workpieces, but is not limited to industrial robot systems. In other words, the robot control device 2 according to the present embodiment can be widely applied to industrial robots, collaborative robots, and various robots capable of picking various workpieces.

[0013] 1, an industrial robot system 100 as an example of a robot system includes an industrial robot 1, a robot control device 2, and a vision sensor 3. The industrial robot 1 is controlled by the robot control device 2, and is configured to, for example, pick up a plurality of workpieces W placed randomly in a container 4 one by one using a hand (end effector: gripper) 12 provided at the tip of an arm 11.

[0014] The vision sensor 3 is configured, for example, by a stereo camera, and is attached near the hand 12. Images of the external shapes of the multiple workpieces W in the container 4 taken by the vision sensor 3 are output to the robot control device 2. That is, the output (image data) of the vision sensor 3 is input to the robot control device 2, where the positions and orientations of the workpieces W are detected (calculated), and, for example, a pick-up position for each workpiece W is set, etc.

[0015] The hand 12 is, for example, a pneumatic gripper that grips the workpiece W by air pressure, and whether the hand 12 has successfully gripped (removed) the workpiece W can be determined based on the measurement results of an air pressure sensor 12a provided on the hand 12. Note that the determination of whether the workpiece W has been successfully removed is not limited to being based on the measurement results of the air pressure sensor 12a, and can also be based on, for example, the output of various conventionally known contact sensors or the state of the workpiece W in an image captured by a camera.

[0016] Here, the vision sensor 3 is attached near the moving hand 12 of the industrial robot 1, but for example, as shown in Fig. 4 described later, it may be fixed to a camera mount 40 provided above the industrial robot 1 or to the ceiling, etc., and the fixed vision sensor 3 may photograph the external shapes of the multiple workpieces W in the container 4. Furthermore, the vision sensor 3 is not limited to a stereo camera, and various types, including a ToF (Time of Flight) camera, can be applied as long as they are capable of measuring the three-dimensional shapes of the multiple workpieces W.

[0017] 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a robot control device according to this embodiment, in which the robot control device 2 controls the industrial robot 1 based on an operation program so as to, for example, pick up an individual workpiece W from among a plurality of workpieces. As shown in FIG. 2, the robot control device 2 includes a data acquisition unit 21, a data processing unit 22, a list (blacklist, pick-up position list) 23, a workpiece information processing unit 24, and a robot control unit 25.

[0018] The data acquisition unit 21 acquires, for example, image data of the external shapes of multiple workpieces W randomly stacked in the container 4, photographed by the vision sensor 3. The data processing unit 22 receives the data from the data acquisition unit 21 and stores data when the industrial robot 1 accesses the workpieces W in a list 23 in association with each workpiece W. Here, the list 23 is a memory (storage unit) and includes, for example, a pick-up position list indicating the workpieces W (positions of the workpieces W) that the industrial robot 1 is to pick up (access), and a blacklist indicating the workpieces W that the industrial robot 1 is not to access.

[0019] The workpiece information processing unit 24 updates the workpiece information stored in the list 23 in accordance with the robot control program according to this embodiment, and controls the robot 1 via the robot control unit 25 based on the operation (main) program so that the robot 1 refers to the workpiece information stored in the list 23 and picks up any workpiece W. Here, the robot control program according to this embodiment is a program (independent program) that runs in parallel with the operation program that controls the robot 1 to pick up the workpiece W, and is designed to run in the background of the operation program, for example.

[0020] The robot control program according to this embodiment, for example, acquires a determination result of whether the robot 1 has succeeded or failed in picking up an arbitrary workpiece W at a predetermined position of the robot 1, and when the robot 1 passes the predetermined position, updates the information about the workpiece stored in the list 23 based on the determination result of whether the robot 1 has succeeded or failed in picking up an arbitrary workpiece W. As described above, whether the picking up of the workpiece W has succeeded or failed can be determined based on the measurement result of the air pressure sensor 12a, the outputs of various contact sensors, images captured by a camera, etc.

[0021] The operation program, for example, references the workpiece information stored in the list 23 to set the workpiece W to be picked up by the robot 1 (the pick-up position of the workpiece W), and controls the robot 1 via the robot control unit 25 so that the robot 1 picks up the workpiece W based on the setting. Here, the workpiece information stored in the list 23 has been updated to reflect the latest status by the robot control program according to this embodiment. Therefore, the user of the industrial robot system 100 can, for example, perform the workpiece pick-up process by reference to the workpiece information updated to the latest by the robot control program according to this embodiment, without incorporating a command to update the workpiece information into the operation program.

[0022] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a list (blacklist) in the robot control device shown in FIG. 2. Here, the blacklist 23 is updated (created) by executing the robot control program according to this embodiment, and is used by the operation program for controlling the industrial robot 1 to pick up the workpiece W. Note that the robot control program according to this embodiment is a program that is executed in parallel with the operation program, for example, in the background of the operation program. Furthermore, the robot control program according to this embodiment may be configured to be executed constantly while the robot system 100 (robot control device 2) is in operation.

[0023] 3, the blacklist (list 23) is categorized by items such as "work ID," "position and orientation (X, Y, Z, W, P, R)," "stay count," and "life count." This blacklist is also used to perform processing such as deleting stored (written) work from the blacklist when the work W is moved due to a work removal operation or when the work removal operation has been performed a predetermined number of times. This enables the work removal process to be performed efficiently.

[0024] "Workpiece ID" is an identification number (IDentification) for each of the multiple workpieces W in the storage 4, and "position and orientation (X, Y, Z, W, P, R)" is the three-dimensional position data (X, Y, Z) and orientation data (W, P, R) set for each workpiece W. Here, the three-dimensional position data (X, Y, Z) indicates the distance (e.g., mm) from a reference point (origin: e.g., a corner of the container), and the orientation data (W, P, R) indicates the rotation angle (e.g., degrees) about each axis (X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis).

[0025] The "stay count" is a count value that is increased according to the stay after being stored in the blacklist 23. Specifically, the "stay count" is increased (incremented) by "1" each time any work W is stored in the blacklist 23, and a work W that has reached a predetermined value (for example, "5") is deleted from the blacklist. Note that a work W deleted from the blacklist may be returned to, for example, a list (retrieval position list) in which work W that is not stored in the blacklist is stored.

[0026] The "life count" is a count value that is decremented depending on the number of accesses since the workpiece W was stored in the blacklist 23. Specifically, for any workpiece W stored in the blacklist 23, the "life count" is decremented by "1" from a predetermined value (e.g., "10") each time the workpiece W is accessed (e.g., when an attempt is made to remove the workpiece W), and a workpiece W that falls below zero is deleted from the blacklist 23. Note that a workpiece W deleted from the blacklist may be returned to a list that stores workpieces W that are not stored in the blacklist, for example. In this way, the contents of the blacklist 23 change depending on the removal operation (shifting operation, collapse operation) of the workpiece W by the industrial robot (robot) 1, etc. Furthermore, the list 23 can also be applied, for example, as a removal position list that further includes a priority (removal order) item for each workpiece W. Note that the list 23 is not limited to the blacklist described above and may be, for example, a removal position list indicating the locations of workpieces that can be removed. Needless to say, various modifications and variations are possible.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating another example of a robot system to which the robot control device according to the present embodiment is applied. In FIG. 4 , reference numeral 6 denotes a conveyor, 40 denotes a camera mount for holding the sensor 3 above the robot 1, 60 denotes a transport section of the conveyor 6, and P denotes a predetermined position (grasp determination position) of the robot 1. In the robot system 100 shown in FIG. 4 , the robot control device 2 controls the industrial robot 1 so that the hand 12 picks up individual workpieces W one by one from among a plurality of workpieces randomly placed in the container 4 and sequentially places the picked workpieces W on the transport section 60 of the conveyor 6. Note that the robot control device 2 according to the present embodiment is not limited to controlling the industrial robot 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 , for example, and can be widely applied to various robots having the function of picking up various workpieces, as described above.

[0028] In the robot system 100 shown in Figure 4, the robot control device 2 that executes the robot control program according to this embodiment obtains, for example, a determination result as to whether the robot 1 has succeeded or failed in picking up an arbitrary workpiece W, and when the robot 1 (for example, the hand 12 of the robot 1) passes through the grasping determination position P, updates the information about the workpiece stored in the list 23 based on the determination result as to whether the robot 1 has succeeded or failed in picking up an arbitrary workpiece W.

[0029] Specifically, when the hand 12 of the robot 1 picks up and grips the workpiece W[1], if it is determined that the picking of the workpiece W[1] has been successful, the hand 12 gripping the workpiece W[1] outputs a grip determination signal RI[1]=ON to the workpiece information processing unit 24 of the robot control device 2 when the hand 12 passing the grip determination position P passes through the grip determination position P. Based on this grip determination signal RI[1]=ON, the workpiece information processing unit 24 recognizes that the picking of the workpiece W[1] has been successful and that the workpiece W[1] is not present in the container 4, and updates (rewrites) the workpiece information stored in the list 23. As a result, the workpiece information stored in the list 23 is updated to reflect the latest status. Therefore, the robot control device 2, which controls the robot based on the operation program, controls the industrial robot 1 to pick up an individual workpiece W from among multiple workpieces by referring to the workpiece information reflecting the latest status stored in the list 23. Note that the robot control program and operation program according to this embodiment are executed by a processing unit (such as the data processing unit 22 and the workpiece information processing unit 24) in the robot control device 2.

[0030] An example of a robot control program and an example of an operation program according to this embodiment executed by a computing device will be described below with reference to FIG. 5 . FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing in an example of the robot control program according to this embodiment. Here, FIG. 5(a) shows an example of processing in an operation (main) program that controls the robot to pick up a workpiece, and FIG. 5(b) shows an example of processing in an example of the robot control program according to this embodiment. Note that this example of the robot control program according to this embodiment is executed in parallel with the operation program, for example, in the background of the operation program.

[0031] First, as shown in FIG. 5(a), when an example of processing in an operation program that controls the robot 1 to control the removal of the workpieces W starts (START), in step ST11, the vision sensor 3 detects the external shapes of the multiple workpieces W in the container 4, i.e., the position and orientation (x, y, z, w, p, r) of each workpiece W, and the process proceeds to step ST12.

[0032] In step ST12, the pick-up position for each workpiece W is calculated, and the process proceeds to step ST13 to grip the workpiece W. The process then proceeds to step ST14 to perform the pick-up operation for the workpiece W. Here, in calculating the pick-up position for the workpiece W in step ST12, the workpiece information stored in list 23 is referenced to determine the desired workpiece W to be picked up (accessed). The workpiece information stored in list 23 is updated to reflect the latest status by executing the robot control program according to this embodiment, which will be described with reference to FIG. 5(b). Furthermore, when the robot 1 passes through the grip determination position (predetermined position) P during the gripping and pick-up operation of the desired workpiece W in steps ST13 and ST14, the workpiece information stored in the list is updated by the robot control program according to this embodiment.

[0033] Then, the process proceeds to step ST15 to determine whether removal of the workpiece has been completed. If it is determined that removal of the workpiece has not been completed (NO), the process returns to step ST11 and repeats the same process. On the other hand, if it is determined in step ST15 that removal of the workpiece has been completed (YES), the process of the example operation program ends (END). Note that although the process of the robot control device 2 based on the operation program can be modified and changed in various ways, the workpiece information stored in the list 23 that the robot 1 refers to when determining an arbitrary workpiece W to access is updated to reflect the latest status by executing the robot control program according to this embodiment.

[0034] 5(b), when an example of processing in one embodiment of the robot control program according to this embodiment starts (START), in step ST21 it is determined whether the robot 1 (hand 12) has passed through the grip determination position P. If it is determined in step ST21 that the robot 1 has not passed through the grip determination position P (NO), the process is repeated until it is determined that the robot 1 has passed through the grip determination position P. If it is determined that the robot 1 has passed through the grip determination position P (YES), the process proceeds to step ST22, where it is determined whether the workpiece grip signal is ON (grip determination signal RI[1] = ON).

[0035] In step ST22, if it is determined that the workpiece gripping signal is ON (any workpiece W[1] is being gripped), the process proceeds to step ST23, where workpiece gripping success processing is executed, and the workpiece to be taken out is deleted from the take-out position list 23. That is, in step ST23, based on a signal indicating that the arbitrary workpiece W[1] has been successfully gripped (gripping determination signal RI[1] = ON), the arbitrary workpiece W[1] is taken out and no longer exists in the container 4, so it is deleted from the take-out position list 23, and an example of processing in the robot control program of this embodiment is ended (END).

[0036] On the other hand, if it is determined in step ST22 that the workpiece grip signal is OFF (any workpiece W[1] is not being gripped), the process proceeds to step ST24, where workpiece grip failure processing is executed, the workpiece being attempted to be picked up is added to the blacklist 23, and surrounding workpieces are also added to the blacklist 23, and an example of processing in the robot control program of this embodiment is terminated (END). It goes without saying that the information on the workpieces stored in the list 23, such as the pick-up position list and blacklist (for example, adding surrounding workpieces of the workpiece that failed to be picked up to the blacklist) can be changed as appropriate depending on the type of workpiece W to be picked up, the robot system 100 to be applied, etc. The robot control program according to this embodiment is a program that is executed in parallel with the operation program, for example, in the background of the operation program. Furthermore, the robot control program according to this embodiment may be configured to be constantly executed while the robot control device 2 is operating.

[0037] Thus, according to one example of the robot control program of this embodiment, the work information stored in the list referenced by the operation program is always updated to reflect the latest status, making it possible to remove the work accurately and efficiently.

[0038] The robot control program according to the present embodiment described above may be provided by recording it on a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium or non-volatile semiconductor memory, or it may be provided via a wired or wireless connection. Examples of computer-readable non-transitory recording media include optical disks such as CD-ROMs (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) and DVD-ROMs, or hard disk drives. Examples of non-volatile semiconductor memory include PROMs (Programmable Read Only Memory) and flash memory. The program may be distributed from a server via a wired or wireless local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet.

[0039] As described above in detail, the robot control device, robot control method, and robot control program according to this embodiment make it possible to pick up a workpiece accurately and efficiently.

[0040] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, the present disclosure is not limited to the individual embodiments described above. Various additions, substitutions, modifications, partial deletions, etc. are possible in these embodiments without departing from the gist of the present disclosure or the spirit of the present disclosure derived from the content of the claims and their equivalents. These embodiments can also be implemented in combination. For example, in the above-described embodiments, the order of each operation and the order of each process are shown as examples and are not limited to these. The same applies when numerical values ​​or mathematical expressions are used in the description of the above-described embodiments.

[0041] The following supplementary notes are further disclosed regarding the above-described embodiment and modified examples. [Supplementary Note 1] A robot control device (2) that controls a robot (1) to pick up an arbitrary workpiece (W) from a plurality of workpieces, comprising: a list (23) that processes data from a vision sensor (3) that detects the plurality of workpieces and stores information about the workpieces accessed by the robot (1), and a workpiece information processing unit (24) that, when the robot (1) passes a predetermined position (P), obtains a determination result of whether the robot (1) has succeeded or failed in picking up the arbitrary workpiece (W), and updates the information about the workpiece stored in the list (23). [Supplementary Note 2] The robot control device according to Supplementary Note 1 further comprises a robot control unit (25) that controls the robot (1) to pick up the arbitrary workpiece (W) based on the information about the workpiece stored in the list (23). [Supplementary Note 3] The robot control device according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein the workpiece information processing unit (24) updates the information of the workpiece stored in the list (23) based on a determination result of the arbitrary workpiece (W) when the robot (1) passes through the predetermined position (P) during an operation in which the robot control unit (25) controls the robot (1) to pick up the arbitrary workpiece (W). [Supplementary Note 4] The robot control device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of workpieces (W) are workpieces stacked in a container (4), and the vision sensor (3) is a three-dimensional measuring device that measures the three-dimensional shapes of the plurality of workpieces (W) stacked in the container (4). [Supplementary Note 5] The robot control device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 4, wherein the workpiece information processing unit (24) updates the information of the workpiece stored in the list (23) based on a robot control program executed in parallel with an operation program that controls the robot (1) to pick up an individual workpiece (W) from among the plurality of workpieces.[Supplementary Note 6] A robot control method for controlling a robot (1) to pick up an arbitrary workpiece (W) from a plurality of workpieces, comprising: a workpiece information storage step for processing data from a vision sensor (3) that detects the plurality of workpieces and storing information of the workpieces accessed by the robot (1) in a list (23), and a workpiece information update step for, when the robot (1) passes a predetermined position (P), obtaining a determination result of whether the robot (1) has succeeded or failed in picking up the arbitrary workpiece (W), and updating the workpiece information stored in the list (23). [Supplementary Note 7] The robot control method according to Supplementary Note 6, further comprising a robot control step for controlling the robot (1) to pick up the arbitrary workpiece (W) based on the information of the workpiece stored in the list (23). [Supplementary Note 8] A robot control program for controlling a robot (1) to pick up an arbitrary workpiece (W) from a plurality of workpieces, the robot control program causing a calculation processing device to execute: a workpiece information storage step for processing data from a vision sensor (3) that detects the plurality of workpieces and storing information of the workpieces accessed by the robot (1) in a list (23), and a workpiece information update step for obtaining a determination result of whether the robot (1) succeeded in picking up the arbitrary workpiece and updating the workpiece information stored in the list (23) when the robot (1) passes a predetermined position (P). [Supplementary Note 9] The robot control program according to Supplementary Note 8, further causing the calculation processing device to execute a robot control step for controlling the robot (1) to pick up the arbitrary workpiece (W) based on the information of the workpiece stored in the list (23). [Supplementary Note 10] The robot control program according to Supplementary Note 9, wherein the work information update step updates the information of the work stored in the list (23) based on a determination result of the arbitrary work (W) when the robot (1) passes through the predetermined position (P) during an operation of controlling the robot (1) to pick up the arbitrary work (W) based on an operation program.[Supplementary Note 11] The robot control program according to any one of Supplementary Notes 8 to 10, wherein the plurality of workpieces (W) are workpieces stacked in a container (4), and the vision sensor (3) is a three-dimensional measuring device that measures the three-dimensional shapes of the plurality of workpieces (W) stacked in the container (4). [Supplementary Note 12] The robot control program according to any one of Supplementary Notes 8 to 11, wherein the robot control program that executes the workpiece information update step is executed in parallel with an operation program that controls the robot (1) to pick up individual workpieces (W) from the plurality of workpieces, and updates the workpiece information stored in the list (23). [Supplementary Note 13] The robot control program according to Supplementary Note 12, wherein the robot control program is executed in the background of the operation program.

[0042] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Industrial robot (robot) 2 Robot control device 3 Vision sensor (3D sensor, three-dimensional measuring device) 4 Container 6 Conveyor 11 Arm 12 Hand (end effector: gripping unit) 12a Air pressure sensor 21 Data acquisition unit 22 Data processing unit 23 List (blacklist, pick-up position list) 24 Work information processing unit 25 Robot control unit 40 Camera mount 60 Transport unit 100 Industrial robot system (robot system) W Work (object)

Claims

1. A robot control device that controls a robot to pick up an arbitrary workpiece from a plurality of workpieces, comprising: a list that processes data from a vision sensor that detects the plurality of workpieces and stores information of the workpieces accessed by the robot; and a work information processing unit that, when the robot passes a predetermined position, obtains a determination result as to whether the robot has succeeded in picking up the arbitrary workpiece or not, and updates the information of the workpiece stored in the list.

2. A robot control device according to claim 1, further comprising a robot control unit that controls the robot to pick up the arbitrary workpiece based on the information of the workpiece stored in the list.

3. A robot control device as described in claim 2, wherein the work information processing unit updates the information of the work stored in the list based on the judgment result of the arbitrary work when the robot passes through the specified position during an operation of controlling the robot to pick up the arbitrary work by the robot control unit.

4. A robot control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of workpieces are workpieces randomly stacked in a container, and the vision sensor is a three-dimensional measuring device that measures the three-dimensional shapes of the plurality of workpieces randomly stacked in the container.

5. A robot control device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the work information processing unit updates the work information stored in the list based on a robot control program executed in parallel with an operation program that controls the robot to pick out individual workpieces from among the multiple workpieces.

6. A robot control method for controlling a robot to pick up an arbitrary workpiece from a plurality of workpieces, comprising: a work information storage step for processing data from a vision sensor that detects the plurality of workpieces, and storing information of the workpiece accessed by the robot in a list; and a work information update step for obtaining a determination result of whether the robot has succeeded or failed in picking up the arbitrary workpiece when the robot passes a predetermined position, and updating the workpiece information stored in the list.

7. A robot control method according to claim 6, further comprising a robot control step of controlling said robot so as to pick up said arbitrary workpiece based on the information of said workpiece stored in said list.

8. A robot control program for controlling a robot to pick up an arbitrary workpiece from a plurality of workpieces, the program causing a calculation processing device to execute: a workpiece information storage step for processing data from a vision sensor that detects the plurality of workpieces, and storing in a list information of the workpiece accessed by the robot; and a workpiece information update step for obtaining a determination result of whether the robot has succeeded or failed in picking up the arbitrary workpiece when the robot passes a predetermined position, and updating the workpiece information stored in the list.

9. The robot control program according to claim 8, further comprising causing said processing device to execute a robot control step of controlling said robot so as to pick up said arbitrary workpiece based on the information of said workpiece stored in said list.

10. A robot control program as described in claim 9, wherein the work information update step updates the information of the work stored in the list based on the judgment result of the arbitrary work when the robot passes through the specified position during an operation of controlling the robot to pick up the arbitrary work based on an operation program.

11. A robot control program according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the plurality of workpieces are workpieces randomly stacked in a container, and the vision sensor is a three-dimensional measuring device that measures the three-dimensional shapes of the plurality of workpieces randomly stacked in the container.

12. A robot control program as described in any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the robot control program executing the work information update step is executed in parallel with an operation program that controls the robot to pick out an individual work from among the plurality of works, and updates the work information stored in the list.

13. The robot control program according to claim 12, wherein the robot control program is executed in the background of the operation program.

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