Processing device, robot system, end effector, program, and control device

Abstract

This processing device comprises a first acquisition unit which acquires external force information indicating an external force acting on an end effector on the basis of first force information that indicates a force acting on the end effector and second force information that indicates a force corresponding to the acceleration acting on the end effector.

Description

Processing device, robot system, end effector, program and control device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an end effector.

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a technique for measuring an external force acting on an end effector.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-205075

[0004] A processing device, a robot system, an end effector, a program, and a control device are disclosed. In one embodiment, the processing device includes a first acquisition unit that acquires external force information representing an external force acting on the end effector based on first force information representing a force acting on the end effector and second force information representing a force corresponding to an acceleration acting on the end effector.

[0005] In one embodiment, a robot system includes the processing device described above and a robot having an end effector controlled based on the external force information acquired by the first acquisition unit of the processing device.

[0006] In one embodiment, the end effector is controlled based on the external force information acquired by the first acquisition unit of the processing device.

[0007] In one embodiment, the program is a program for causing a computer device to function as the first acquisition unit of the processing device.

[0008] In one embodiment, the control device includes a control unit that controls the end effector that grips the object placed on the placement surface, and the control unit controls the end effector to grip the object after determining that the end effector has come into contact with the placement surface.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a processing device. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a robot system. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a force sensor coordinate system and an acceleration sensor coordinate system. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a processing device. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a main slave and a roller. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control unit provided in the processing device. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a first acquisition unit and a second acquisition unit. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of an end effector. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of an end effector. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of an end effector. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of an end effector. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of an end effector. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of an end effector. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of an end effector. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of an end effector. FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of an end effector. FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control unit provided in the processing device. FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a robot. FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the first acquisition unit and the fourth acquisition unit.

[0010] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a processing device 1. For example, a force sensor 20 and an acceleration sensor 25 are electrically connected to the processing device 1. The force sensor 20 can detect a force acting on the end effector 12. The force sensor 20 outputs first force information 21 representing the detected force. The first force information 21 represents the force acting on the end effector 12. The first force information 21 can also be said to be the detection result of the force sensor 20.

[0011] The acceleration sensor 25 can detect the acceleration acting on the end effector 12. The acceleration sensor 25 outputs acceleration information 26 representing the detected acceleration. The acceleration information 26 represents the acceleration acting on the end effector 12. The acceleration information 26 can also be said to be the detection result of the acceleration sensor 25.

[0012] The end effector 12 is a component provided at the tip of a device or apparatus. The end effector 12 may be, for example, a holding mechanism (in other words, a holding component) capable of holding an object. The object held by the end effector 12 may be, for example, an industrial product such as an electronic device or a screw, a food product such as a vegetable or bread, or a household item such as a diaper, a toothbrush, or a cup.

[0013] The end effector 12 may be something other than a holding mechanism. For example, the end effector 12 may be a component provided at the tip of a machine tool for processing an object. The end effector 12 may also be a component for tightening screws or a component for painting. The end effector 12 may also be a component for welding or a component for cutting, for example.

[0014] The force detected by the force sensor 20 , in other words, the force represented by the first force information 21 , includes a force corresponding to the acceleration acting on the end effector 12 and an external force acting on the end effector 12 .

[0015] In the present disclosure, the external force acting on the end effector 12 refers to a portion of the force acting on the end effector 12 excluding a force corresponding to the acceleration acting on the end effector 12. The force corresponding to the acceleration acting on the end effector 12 can also be referred to as a force acting on the end effector 12 corresponding to the acceleration of the end effector 12. The external force acting on the end effector 12 can also be referred to as a force that the end effector 12 receives from another object. The external force acting on the end effector 12 can be a force that acts on the end effector 12 when the end effector 12 comes into contact with an object, or a force that acts on the end effector 12 when an object held by the end effector 12 comes into contact with another object.

[0016] Hereinafter, the acceleration acting on the end effector 12 may be referred to as the effector acceleration. The force corresponding to the effector acceleration may also be referred to as a force acting on the end effector 12 corresponding to the effector acceleration. The force corresponding to the effector acceleration may also be referred to as a force acting on the end effector 12 based on the effector acceleration and the weight of the end effector 12. The force acting on the end effector 12 detected by the force sensor 20 may also be referred to as the effector acting force. The first force information 21 represents the effector acting force. The external force acting on the end effector 12 may also be referred to as the effector acting external force. The effector acting force includes a force corresponding to the effector acceleration and an effector acting external force. The effector acting force may also be referred to as a combined force of the force corresponding to the effector acceleration and the effector acting external force.

[0017] The effector acceleration includes the gravitational acceleration acting on the end effector 12. Therefore, the force corresponding to the effector acceleration included in the force detected by the force sensor 20 includes a force corresponding to the gravitational acceleration acting on the end effector 12, that is, gravity acting on the end effector 12. It can be said that the gravity acting on the end effector 12 is a force acting on the end effector 12 based on the gravitational acceleration acting on the end effector 12 and the weight of the end effector 12.

[0018] Furthermore, when the end effector 12 is moving, the effector acceleration includes, in addition to gravitational acceleration, acceleration acting on the end effector 12 due to the movement (or motion) of the end effector 12 (also referred to as acceleration due to the movement of the end effector 12). The acceleration due to the movement of the end effector 12 is different from the gravitational acceleration acting on the end effector 12. For example, when the end effector 12 performs translational motion, the acceleration due to the movement of the end effector 12 includes translational acceleration. In this case, the force detected by the force sensor 20, i.e., the force corresponding to the effector acceleration included in the effector action force, includes a force corresponding to the translational acceleration acting on the end effector 12.

[0019] When the end effector 12 performs a rotational motion, the acceleration due to the movement of the end effector 12 includes the acceleration acting on the end effector 12 due to the rotational motion of the end effector 12 (also referred to as the acceleration due to the rotational motion of the end effector 12). In this case, the force corresponding to the effector acceleration included in the effector acting force includes the force acting on the end effector 12 corresponding to the acceleration due to the rotational motion of the end effector 12. The acceleration due to the rotational motion of the end effector 12 includes centrifugal acceleration and tangential acceleration.

[0020] The effector acceleration may also include acceleration acting on the end effector 12 due to noise-like movement that is not the original movement of the end effector 12 (also referred to as acceleration due to noise-like movement). Acceleration due to noise-like movement may include, for example, acceleration acting on the end effector 12 due to rattle of the end effector 12. The acceleration due to noise-like movement may also include acceleration due to vibrations that occur during control, such as servo control, of a member to which the end effector 12 is attached (for example, the arm 11 described below), and acceleration acting on the end effector 12 due to natural vibrations caused by such vibrations as excitation sources. When the end effector 12 is servo-controlled, the acceleration due to noise-like movement may also include acceleration due to instability of the servo control.

[0021] The processing device 1 can acquire external force information representing an external force acting on the end effector 12, for example, based on first force information 21 output by the force sensor 20 and acceleration information 26 output by the acceleration sensor 25. It can also be said that the processing device 1 estimates the external force acting on the end effector 12 based on the first force information 21 and the acceleration information 26, or that it detects the external force acting on the end effector 12 based on the first force information 21 and the acceleration information 26.

[0022] An example of the processing device 1 will be described below, taking as an example a case where the end effector 12 is used in a robot 10. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a robot system 100 including the processing device 1 and the robot 10.

[0023] 2, the robot system 100 includes, for example, a robot 10 and a control system 50 that controls the robot 10. The control system 50 may also be referred to as, for example, a control device, a controller, or a processing device.

[0024] <Example of Robot Configuration> The robot 10 is, for example, an arm-type robot. The robot 10 includes, for example, an arm 11, an end effector 12 that functions as a holding mechanism, a force sensor 20, and an acceleration sensor 25. The end effector 12 is capable of holding an object 80. The end effector 12 is connected to the arm 11. The end effector 12 may be, for example, a hand that has multiple fingers 12a and can grasp the object 80 with the multiple fingers 12a. The end effector 12 includes, for example, a motor that drives the multiple fingers 12a. The multiple fingers 12a are driven by the motor to grasp the object 80. Note that the end effector 12 may be an adsorption mechanism that has an adsorption portion and can suck and hold the object 80.

[0025] The arm 11 includes, for example, at least one joint. The arm 11 includes, for example, a motor that rotates the at least one joint. The arm 11 can change its posture. The posture of the end effector 12 changes in response to the change in posture of the arm 11.

[0026] The robot 10 performs a task of, for example, holding and moving an object 80. The robot 10 can move the object 80 by, for example, changing the posture of the arm 11 while holding the object 80 with the end effector 12. The robot 10 holds the object 80 placed on a work table 90 with the end effector 12. Next, the robot 10 moves the arm 11 to move the held object 80 from the work table 90 to a work table 91. The robot 10 then causes the end effector 12 to release the hold of the object 80 and place the object 80 on the work table 91. This type of task is sometimes called pick-and-place.

[0027] The work performed by the robot 10 is not limited to the above example. For example, the robot 10 may hold and move each object 80 one by one from a plurality of objects 80 that are piled up randomly. The robot 10 may hold and turn over an object 80 on a work table 90, and then place the object 80 back on the work table 90. The robot 10 may place each type of object 80 that is placed in a tray on the work table 90 into another tray on the work table 90. The robot 10 may stack multiple trays on the work table 90. The robot system 100 may include multiple robots 10, and may perform, for example, a first robot 10a hold an object 80 and then transfer the object 80 to a second robot 10b.

[0028] The force sensor 20 is capable of detecting a force acting on the end effector 12. The force sensor 20 repeatedly detects the force acting on the end effector 12 and repeatedly outputs first force information 21 as the force detection result. The force sensor 20 is, for example, a three-axis force sensor. The force sensor 20 may be, for example, an electrical resistance type, an electrostatic capacitance type, a piezoelectric type, or an optical type.

[0029] The acceleration sensor 25 is capable of detecting acceleration acting on the end effector 12. The acceleration sensor 25 repeatedly detects acceleration acting on the end effector 12 and repeatedly outputs acceleration information 26 as the detection result of the acceleration. The acceleration sensor 25 is, for example, a three-axis acceleration sensor. The acceleration sensor 25 may be, for example, a piezo-resistive type, a capacitive type, or a piezoelectric type.

[0030] When the posture of the arm 11 changes and the robot 10 moves, the arm 11, end effector 12, force sensor 20, and acceleration sensor 25 move together as a unit. Therefore, in the robot 10, the relative positional relationship between the arm 11, end effector 12, force sensor 20, and acceleration sensor 25 does not change.

[0031] The end effector 12 performs, for example, translational motion. Therefore, a force corresponding to the effector acceleration included in the effector acting force detected by the force sensor 20 may include a force corresponding to the translational acceleration acting on the end effector 12. In other words, the force represented by the first force information 21 may include a force corresponding to the translational acceleration acting on the end effector 12. The end effector 12 performs translational motion due to a change in the posture of the arm 11.

[0032] Furthermore, the end effector 12 performs, for example, rotational motion. Therefore, the force corresponding to the effector acceleration included in the effector acting force detected by the force sensor 20 may include a force corresponding to the centrifugal acceleration acting on the end effector 12 and a force corresponding to the tangential acceleration acting on the end effector 12. In other words, the force represented by the first force information 21 may include a force corresponding to the centrifugal acceleration acting on the end effector 12 and a force corresponding to the tangential acceleration acting on the end effector 12. The end effector 12 performs rotational motion due to a change in the posture of the arm 11.

[0033] The force sensor 20 and the acceleration sensor 25 are, for example, arranged close to each other. The force sensor 20 and the acceleration sensor 25 may be arranged between the arm 11 and the end effector 12. In this case, the acceleration sensor 25 may be attached to the end effector 12, and the force sensor 20 may be attached to the acceleration sensor 25. For example, the end effector 12, the acceleration sensor 25, and the force sensor 20 are arranged in this order.

[0034] The relative positional relationship and relative posture relationship between the force sensor 20, the acceleration sensor 25, and the end effector 12 are constant. The postures of the force sensor 20 and the acceleration sensor 25 change in accordance with a change in the posture of the end effector 12. Since the posture of the end effector 12 changes in accordance with a change in the posture of the arm 11, the postures of the force sensor 20 and the acceleration sensor 25 change in accordance with a change in the posture of the arm 11.

[0035] For example, an xyz Cartesian coordinate system is set for the force sensor 20. Similarly, an xyz Cartesian coordinate system is set for the acceleration sensor 25. Hereinafter, the xyz Cartesian coordinate system set for the force sensor 20 will be referred to as the force sensor coordinate system, and the xyz Cartesian coordinate system set for the acceleration sensor 25 will be referred to as the acceleration sensor coordinate system. The attitude of the force sensor coordinate system changes in accordance with changes in the attitude of the force sensor 20, and the attitude of the acceleration sensor coordinate system changes in accordance with changes in the attitude of the acceleration sensor 25. It can be said that the attitudes of the force sensor coordinate system and the acceleration sensor coordinate system change in accordance with changes in the attitude of the end effector 12, or that they change in accordance with changes in the attitude of the arm 11.

[0036] Furthermore, when describing the force sensor 20, the x-axis direction, the y-axis direction, and the z-axis direction respectively refer to the x-axis direction, the y-axis direction, and the z-axis direction of the force sensor coordinate system. Similarly, when describing the acceleration sensor 25, the x-axis direction, the y-axis direction, and the z-axis direction respectively refer to the x-axis direction, the y-axis direction, and the z-axis direction of the acceleration sensor coordinate system.

[0037] The force sensor 20 can detect, for example, an x-axis component of the effector acting force (also referred to as a first force x-component), a y-axis component of the effector acting force (also referred to as a first force y-component), and a z-axis component of the effector acting force (also referred to as a first force z-component). The first force x-component, the first force y-component, and the first force z-component can be considered to be multiple decomposed components of the effector acting force. The first force information 21 output by the force sensor 20 includes first force x-component information representing the detected first force x-component, first force y-component information representing the detected first force y-component, and first force z-component information representing the detected first force z-component.

[0038] The acceleration sensor 25 can detect, for example, the x-axis component of the effector acceleration (also referred to as the acceleration x-component), the y-axis component of the effector acceleration (also referred to as the acceleration y-component), and the z-axis component of the effector acceleration (also referred to as the acceleration z-component). The acceleration information 26 output by the acceleration sensor 25 includes acceleration x-component information representing the detected acceleration x-component, acceleration y-component information representing the detected acceleration y-component, and acceleration z-component information representing the detected acceleration z-component.

[0039] 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis of the force sensor coordinate system 23 and an example of the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis of the acceleration sensor coordinate system 27. For ease of explanation, the force sensor 20, acceleration sensor 25, end effector 12, and arm 11 are shown separated from each other in FIG.

[0040] For example, the +z-axis direction of the force sensor coordinate system 23 and the +z-axis direction of the acceleration sensor coordinate system 27 may be oriented in the same direction. The +z-axis direction of the force sensor coordinate system 23 and the +z-axis direction of the acceleration sensor coordinate system 27 are set, for example, in the same direction as the direction from the arm 11 side (in other words, the acceleration sensor 25 side) of the end effector 12 toward the tip side. It can also be said that the +z-axis direction of the force sensor coordinate system 23 and the +z-axis direction of the acceleration sensor coordinate system 27 are set in the same direction as the direction from the base side toward the tip side of the finger 12a of the end effector 12. The z-axis direction of the force sensor coordinate system 23 and the z-axis direction of the acceleration sensor coordinate system 27 are set, for example, to be located on the same straight line.

[0041] The x-axis direction of the force sensor coordinate system 23 and the x-axis direction of the acceleration sensor coordinate system 27 may be oriented in the same direction. Furthermore, the x-axis direction of the force sensor coordinate system 23 and the x-axis direction of the acceleration sensor coordinate system 27 may be set to be parallel to each other. The direction of the +x-axis direction of the force sensor coordinate system 23 and the direction of the +x-axis direction of the acceleration sensor coordinate system 27 are set to be the same.

[0042] The y-axis direction of the force sensor coordinate system 23 and the y-axis direction of the acceleration sensor coordinate system 27 may be oriented in the same direction. Furthermore, the y-axis direction of the force sensor coordinate system 23 and the y-axis direction of the acceleration sensor coordinate system 27 may be set to be parallel to each other. The direction of the +y-axis direction of the force sensor coordinate system 23 and the direction of the +y-axis direction of the acceleration sensor coordinate system 27 are set to be the same.

[0043] The first force x component detected by the force sensor 20 and the acceleration x component detected by the acceleration sensor 25 are components along the same direction. The first force y component detected by the force sensor 20 and the acceleration y component detected by the acceleration sensor 25 are components along the same direction. The first force z component detected by the force sensor 20 and the acceleration z component detected by the acceleration sensor 25 are components along the same direction.

[0044] The first force x component information included in the first force information 21 is expressed, for example, as a numerical value with a plus or minus sign that indicates the magnitude and direction of the first force x component. Hereinafter, the numerical value that indicates the first force x component information will be referred to as the first force x component value. The absolute value of the first force x component value indicates the magnitude of the first force x component, and the plus or minus sign of the first force x component value indicates the direction of the first force x component. For example, a plus sign of the first force x component value means that the direction of the first force x component is the +x-axis direction, and a minus sign of the first force x component value means that the direction of the first force x component is the −x-axis direction.

[0045] The first force y component information included in the first force information 21 is expressed, for example, by a numerical value with a positive or negative sign that indicates the magnitude and direction of the first force y component. Hereinafter, the numerical value that indicates the first force y component information will be referred to as the first force y component value. The absolute value of the first force y component value indicates the magnitude of the first force y component. A positive sign for the first force y component value means that the direction of the first force y component is in the +y-axis direction, and a negative sign for the first force y component value means that the direction of the first force y component is in the -y-axis direction.

[0046] The first force z component information included in the first force information 21 is expressed, for example, by a numerical value with a positive or negative sign that indicates the magnitude and direction of the first force z component. Hereinafter, the numerical value that indicates the first force z component information will be referred to as the first force z component value. The absolute value of the first force z component value indicates the magnitude of the first force z component. A positive sign for the first force z component value means that the direction of the first force z component is in the +z-axis direction, and a negative sign for the first force z component value means that the direction of the first force z component is in the -z-axis direction.

[0047] The acceleration x component information included in the acceleration information 26 is expressed, for example, as a numerical value with a plus or minus sign that indicates the magnitude and direction of the acceleration x component. Hereinafter, the numerical value that indicates the acceleration x component information will be referred to as the acceleration x component value. The absolute value of the acceleration x component value indicates the magnitude of the acceleration x component. A plus sign for the acceleration x component value means that the direction of the acceleration x component is in the +x-axis direction, and a minus sign for the acceleration x component value means that the direction of the acceleration x component is in the -x-axis direction.

[0048] The acceleration y component information included in the acceleration information 26 is expressed, for example, as a numerical value with a plus or minus sign that indicates the magnitude and direction of the acceleration y component. Hereinafter, a numerical value that indicates the acceleration y component information will be referred to as the acceleration y component value. The absolute value of the acceleration y component value indicates the magnitude of the acceleration y component. A plus sign on the acceleration y component value means that the direction of the acceleration y component is in the +y-axis direction, and a minus sign on the acceleration y component value means that the direction of the acceleration y component is in the -y-axis direction.

[0049] The acceleration z component information included in the acceleration information 26 is expressed, for example, as a numerical value with a plus or minus sign that indicates the magnitude and direction of the acceleration z component. Hereinafter, a numerical value that indicates the acceleration z component information will be referred to as an acceleration z component value. The absolute value of the acceleration z component value indicates the magnitude of the acceleration z component. A plus sign for an acceleration z component value means that the direction of the acceleration z component is in the +z-axis direction, and a minus sign for an acceleration z component value means that the direction of the acceleration z component is in the -z-axis direction.

[0050] As described above, in this example, the first force information 21 includes a first force x-component value representing the first force x-component, a first force y-component value representing the first force y-component, and a first force z-component value representing the first force z-component. The first force x-component value, the first force y-component value, and the first force z-component value change according to changes in the effector acting force. The first force x-component value, the first force y-component value, and the first force z-component value can be said to be values ​​representing the end effector acting force.

[0051] The acceleration information 26 also includes an acceleration x-component value representing the acceleration x-component, an acceleration y-component value representing the acceleration y-component, and an acceleration z-component value representing the acceleration z-component. The acceleration x-component value, acceleration y-component value, and acceleration z-component value change according to changes in the effector acceleration. The acceleration x-component value, acceleration y-component value, and acceleration z-component value can be said to be values ​​representing the end effector acceleration.

[0052] Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the x-axis direction of the force sensor coordinate system and the x-axis direction of the acceleration sensor coordinate system, they will each be simply referred to as the x-axis direction. Furthermore, when there is no need to distinguish between the +x-axis direction of the force sensor coordinate system and the +x-axis direction of the acceleration sensor coordinate system, they will each be simply referred to as the +x-axis direction. Furthermore, when there is no need to distinguish between the -x-axis direction of the force sensor coordinate system and the -x-axis direction of the acceleration sensor coordinate system, they will each be simply referred to as the -x-axis direction. The same applies to the y-axis direction, +y-axis direction, and -y-axis direction of the force sensor coordinate system and the acceleration sensor coordinate system, and the same applies to the z-axis direction, +z-axis direction, and -z-axis direction of the force sensor coordinate system and the acceleration sensor coordinate system.

[0053] <Configuration Example of Control System> The control system 50 that controls the robot 10 includes, for example, a main controller 60 and a processing device 1. The processing device 1 functions as, for example, a controller that controls the end effector 12. The processing device 1 can also be called a processing system.

[0054] The main controller 60 is, for example, a control device that manages the overall operation of the robot 10. The main controller 60 is also called, for example, a robot controller. The main controller 60 is capable of controlling the arm 11. The main controller 60 is also capable of controlling the movement of the end effector 12 by controlling the attitude of the arm 11. The main controller 60 is also capable of controlling the holding of the object 80 by the end effector 12 through the processing device 1. The main controller 60 itself can be called a processing device or a processing system. The main controller 60 and the processing device 1 together can be called a control device, a processing device, or a processing system.

[0055] The processing device 1 can control the holding of the object 80 by the end effector 12. The processing device 1 can cause the end effector 12 to hold the object 80 or release the hold of the object 80. The processing device 1 can cause the end effector 12 to hold the object 80 or release the hold of the object 80 by adjusting the spacing between the multiple fingers 12a that the end effector 12 has and that hold the object 80.

[0056] <Configuration example of processing device> Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the processing device 1. The processing device 1 is, for example, a computer device. As shown in Fig. 4, the processing device 1 includes, for example, a control unit 2, a storage unit 3, an interface 4, an interface 5, an interface 6, and an interface 7. The processing device 1 can also be said to be, for example, a processing circuit.

[0057] Interface 4 can receive first force information 21 output by force sensor 20. Interface 4 may, for example, communicate with force sensor 20 via wired or wireless communication. Interface 4 can also be referred to as, for example, an interface circuit, a communication unit, or a communication circuit. Interface 4 outputs first force information 21 received from force sensor 20 to control unit 2.

[0058] The interface 5 can receive acceleration information 26 output by the acceleration sensor 25. The interface 5 may communicate with the acceleration sensor 25 via wired or wireless communication, for example. The interface 5 may also be referred to as an interface circuit, a communication unit, or a communication circuit, for example. The interface 5 outputs the acceleration information 26 received from the acceleration sensor 25 to the control unit 2.

[0059] The interface 6 can exchange information with the main controller 60. The interface 6 may, for example, communicate with the main controller 60 via wired or wireless communication. The interface 6 can also be referred to as, for example, an interface circuit, a communication unit, or a communication circuit. Instructions and notifications given by the main controller 60 to the processing device 1 are input to the control unit 2 through the interface 6. The control unit 2 can also send notifications to the main controller 60 through the interface 6. The interface 6 can also be referred to as a notification unit that sends notifications to the outside of the processing device 1.

[0060] The interface 7 can drive the end effector 12 in response to an instruction from the control unit 2. The interface 7 can also be referred to as, for example, an interface circuit or a drive circuit. The interface 7 can drive, for example, a motor provided in the end effector 12.

[0061] The control unit 2 can generally manage the operation of the processing device 1 by controlling the other components of the processing device 1. The control unit 2 can also be referred to as a control circuit, for example. The control unit 2 includes at least one processor to provide control and processing power for performing various functions, as described in more detail below.

[0062] According to various embodiments, the at least one processor may be implemented as a single integrated circuit (IC) or as multiple communicatively connected integrated circuits ICs and / or discrete circuits. The at least one processor may be implemented according to various known techniques.

[0063] In one embodiment, a processor includes one or more circuits or units configured to perform one or more data computational procedures or processes, for example, by executing instructions stored in associated memory. In other embodiments, a processor may be firmware (e.g., discrete logic components) configured to perform one or more data computational procedures or processes.

[0064] According to various embodiments, the processor may include one or more processors, controllers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors, programmable logic devices, field programmable gate arrays, or any combination of these devices or configurations, or other known devices and configurations, to perform the functions described below.

[0065] The control unit 2 may include, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) as a processor. The storage unit 3 may include a non-transitory recording medium readable by the CPU of the control unit 2, such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The storage unit 3 may also be referred to as, for example, a memory circuit. The storage unit 3 stores, for example, a program 3a for controlling the processing device 1. The various functions of the control unit 2 are realized, for example, by the CPU of the control unit 2 executing the program 3a in the storage unit 3.

[0066] The configuration of the control unit 2 is not limited to the above example. For example, the control unit 2 may include multiple CPUs. The control unit 2 may also include at least one DSP (Digital Signal Processor). All or some of the functions of the control unit 2 may be realized by a hardware circuit that does not require software to realize the function. The storage unit 3 may also include a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium other than ROM and RAM. The storage unit 3 may also include, for example, a small hard disk drive or SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0067] <Configuration Example of Main Controller> Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the main controller 60. The main controller 60 is, for example, a computer device. As shown in Fig. 5, the main controller 60 includes, for example, a control unit 62, a storage unit 63, an interface 66, and an interface 67. The main controller 60 can also be considered, for example, a control circuit or a processing circuit.

[0068] The interface 66 can exchange information with the interface 6 of the processing device 1. The interface 66 may communicate with the interface 6 via wired or wireless communication. The interface 66 can also be referred to as, for example, an interface circuit, a communication unit, or a communication circuit. Notifications and the like sent from the processing device 1 to the main controller 60 are input to the control unit 62 via the interface 66. The control unit 62 can also send notifications and the like to the processing device 1 via the interface 66. The control unit 62 can control the processing device 1 via the interface 66. The control unit 62 can also control the end effector 12 via the interface 66 and the processing device 1. The interface 66 can also be referred to as a notification unit that sends notifications to the outside of the main controller 60.

[0069] The interface 67 can drive the arm 11 in response to an instruction from the control unit 62. The interface 67 can also be referred to as, for example, an interface circuit or a drive circuit. The interface 67 can drive, for example, a motor provided in the arm 11.

[0070] The control unit 62 is capable of overall management of the operation of the main controller 60 by controlling the other components of the main controller 60. The control unit 62 may also be referred to as, for example, a control circuit. The control unit 62 includes at least one processor to provide control and processing capabilities for executing various functions, as will be described in more detail below. The above description of the processor included in the control unit 2 of the processing device 1 also applies to the processor included in the control unit 62.

[0071] The control unit 62 may include, for example, a CPU as a processor. The storage unit 63 may include a non-transitory recording medium such as a ROM or RAM that can be read by the CPU of the control unit 62. The storage unit 63 stores, for example, a program 63a for controlling the main controller 60. The various functions of the control unit 62 are realized, for example, by the CPU of the control unit 62 executing the program 63a in the storage unit 63.

[0072] The configuration of the control unit 62 is not limited to the above example. For example, the control unit 62 may include multiple CPUs. The control unit 62 may also include at least one DSP. All or some of the functions of the control unit 62 may be realized by a hardware circuit that does not require software to realize the function. Similarly to the storage unit 3, the storage unit 63 may include a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium other than ROM and RAM.

[0073] 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a plurality of functional blocks formed in the control unit 2 when the CPU of the control unit 2 executes the program 3a in the storage unit 3. As shown in Fig. 6, the control unit 2 includes, for example, an end effector control unit 200, a first acquisition unit 210, a second acquisition unit 220, and a determination unit 250 as functional blocks.

[0074] Note that all or some of the functions of the end effector control unit 200 may be realized by a hardware circuit that does not require software to realize the function. The same applies to the first acquisition unit 210, the second acquisition unit 220, and the determination unit 250. The same also applies to the functional blocks of the control unit 2, which will be described later.

[0075] The second acquisition unit 220 acquires second force information 22 representing a force corresponding to the effector acceleration (i.e., the acceleration acting on the end effector 12) based on acceleration information 26 output by the acceleration sensor 25. It can be said that the second acquisition unit 220 estimates the force corresponding to the effector acceleration based on the acceleration information 26, or that it detects the force corresponding to the effector acceleration based on the acceleration information 26.

[0076] The first acquisition unit 210 acquires external force information 28 representing the effector acting external force (i.e., the external force acting on the end effector 12) based on the first force information 21 output by the force sensor 20 and the second force information 22 acquired by the second acquisition unit 220. The first acquisition unit 210 can be said to detect the effector acting external force based on the first force information 21 and the second force information 22, or to estimate the effector acting external force based on the first force information 21 and the second force information 22.

[0077] The end effector control unit 200 (also referred to as the effector control unit 200) can control the end effector 12 through the interface 7. For example, the effector control unit 200 can control the holding of the object 80 by the end effector 12 through the interface 7.

[0078] The determination unit 250 determines whether an external force has acted on the end effector 12 based on the external force information 28 acquired by the first acquisition unit 210 .

[0079] <Configuration Example of First Acquisition Unit and Second Acquisition Unit> Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of the first acquisition unit 210 and the second acquisition unit 220. As shown in Fig. 7, the first acquisition unit 210 includes, for example, a conversion unit 211, a filter 212, and a subtraction unit 213. The second acquisition unit 220 includes, for example, a conversion unit 221, a filter 222, and a multiplication unit 223.

[0080] Conversion unit 211 of first acquisition unit 210 performs unit conversion processing on the first force x component value, the first force y component value, and the first force z component value included in first force information 21 so that the units of the first force x component value, the first force y component value, and the first force z component value become force units in the International System of Units. Specifically, conversion unit 211 multiplies each of the first force x component value, the first force y component value, and the first force z component value by a predetermined coefficient so that the units of the first force x component value, the first force y component value, and the first force z component value become Newtons.

[0081] The filter 212 performs a filter process on the first force x component value, the first force y component value, and the first force z component value after the unit conversion process. For example, the filter 212 performs a low-pass filter process on the first force x component value, the first force y component value, and the first force z component value after the unit conversion process. This removes noise contained in the first force x component value, the first force y component value, and the first force z component value.

[0082] The conversion unit 221 of the second acquisition unit 220 performs unit conversion processing on the acceleration x component value, the acceleration y component value, and the acceleration z component value included in the acceleration information 26 so that the units of the acceleration x component value, the acceleration y component value, and the acceleration z component value are the units of acceleration in the International System of Units. Specifically, the conversion unit 221 converts the units of the acceleration x component value, the acceleration y component value, and the acceleration z component value into "m / s ２ The acceleration x component value, the acceleration y component value, and the acceleration z component value are each multiplied by a predetermined coefficient so that:

[0083] The filter 222 performs filtering on the acceleration x component value, acceleration y component value, and acceleration z component value after the unit conversion process. For example, the filter 222 performs low-pass filtering on the acceleration x component value, acceleration y component value, and acceleration z component value after the unit conversion process. This removes noise contained in the acceleration x component value, acceleration y component value, and acceleration z component value. The characteristics of the filter 222 (e.g., low-pass filter characteristics) are the same as the characteristics of the filter 212 (e.g., low-pass filter characteristics). Note that the characteristics of the filter 222 may be different from the characteristics of the filter 212.

[0084] The multiplication unit 223 multiplies each of the filtered acceleration x-component value, acceleration y-component value, and acceleration z-component value by the weight (unit: kg) of the end effector 12. The weight of the end effector 12 is stored in advance in the storage unit 3, for example.

[0085] Here, the component of the force corresponding to the effector acceleration along the x-axis direction is referred to as the force corresponding to the acceleration x-component or the second force x-component, the component of the force corresponding to the effector acceleration along the y-axis direction is referred to as the force corresponding to the acceleration y-component or the second force y-component, and the component of the force corresponding to the effector acceleration along the z-axis direction is referred to as the force corresponding to the acceleration z-component or the second force z-component.

[0086] The multiplication unit 223 multiplies the acceleration x component value by the weight of the end effector 12 (referred to as the effector weight) to obtain a value representing a force corresponding to the acceleration x component, in other words, a value representing the second force x component. Hereinafter, the value representing the second force x component will be referred to as the second force x component value. The multiplication unit 223 multiplies the filtered acceleration x component value by the effector weight to obtain the second force x component value representing the second force x component.

[0087] The multiplication unit 223 multiplies the acceleration y component value by the effector weight to obtain a value representing a force corresponding to the acceleration y component, in other words, a value representing the second force y component. Hereinafter, the value representing the second force y component will be referred to as the second force y component value. The multiplication unit 223 multiplies the acceleration y component value after filtering by the effector weight to obtain the second force y component value representing the second force y component.

[0088] The multiplication unit 223 multiplies the acceleration z component value by the effector weight to obtain a value representing a force corresponding to the acceleration z component, in other words, a value representing the second force z component. Hereinafter, the value representing the second force z component will be referred to as the second force z component value. The multiplication unit 223 multiplies the filtered acceleration z component value by the effector weight to obtain the second force z component value representing the second force z component.

[0089] The units of the second force x component value, the second force y component value, and the second force z component value are, for example, Newtons. The absolute value of the second force x component value represents the magnitude of the second force x component. A positive sign of the second force x component value means that the direction of the second force x component is the same as the +x-axis direction. A negative sign of the second force x component value means that the direction of the second force x component is the same as the -x-axis direction. The absolute value of the second force y component value represents the magnitude of the second force y component. A positive sign of the second force y component value means that the direction of the second force y component is the same as the +y-axis direction. A negative sign of the second force y component value means that the direction of the second force y component is the same as the -y-axis direction. The absolute value of the second force z component value represents the magnitude of the second force z component. A positive sign of the second force z component value means that the direction of the second force z component is the same as the +z-axis direction. A negative sign of the second force z component value means that the direction of the second force z component is the same as the -z-axis direction.

[0090] The second force x-component value, the second force y-component value, and the second force z-component value acquired by the multiplication unit 223 constitute second force information 22 representing a force corresponding to the effector acceleration. The second force x-component value, the second force y-component value, and the second force z-component value can be said to be values ​​representing a force corresponding to the effector acceleration. The multiplication unit 223 can be said to acquire a value representing a force corresponding to the effector acceleration by multiplying the value representing the effector acceleration by the effector weight.

[0091] The subtraction unit 213 of the first acquisition unit 210 subtracts the second force x component value, the second force y component value, and the second force z component value included in the second force information 22 acquired by the second acquisition unit 220 from the first force x component value, the first force y component value, and the first force z component value after filtering, respectively.

[0092] Here, the component of the external force acting on the end effector 12, i.e., the external force acting on the effector, along the x-axis direction is called the external force x-component, the component of the external force acting on the effector along the y-axis direction is called the external force y-component, and the component of the external force acting on the effector along the z-axis direction is called the external force z-component.

[0093] The subtraction unit 213 subtracts the second force x component value from the filtered first force x component value to obtain a value representing the external force x component. Hereinafter, the value representing the external force x component will be referred to as the external force x component value. The subtraction unit 213 subtracts the second force x component value from the filtered first force x component value to obtain the external force x component value.

[0094] The subtraction unit 213 subtracts the second force y component value from the filtered first force y component value to obtain a value representing the external force y component. Hereinafter, the value representing the external force y component will be referred to as the external force y component value. The subtraction unit 213 subtracts the second force y component value from the filtered first force y component value to obtain the external force y component value.

[0095] Subtraction unit 213 obtains a value representing the external force z-component by subtracting the second force z-component value from the filtered first force z-component value. Hereinafter, the value representing the external force z-component will be referred to as the external force z-component value. Subtraction unit 213 obtains the external force y-component value by subtracting the second force z-component value from the filtered first force z-component value.

[0096] The units of the external force x component value, external force y component value, and external force z component value are, for example, Newtons. The external force x component value, external force y component value, and external force z component value acquired by the subtraction unit 213 constitute external force information 28 representing the effector acting external force. It can be said that the external force x component value, external force y component value, and external force z component value are values ​​representing the effector acting external force. It can be said that the subtraction unit 213 acquires a value representing the effector acting external force by subtracting a value representing a force corresponding to the effector acceleration from a value representing the effector acting force.

[0097] In this way, the second acquisition unit 220 acquires second force information 22 representing a force corresponding to the acceleration acting on the end effector 12, based on the acceleration information 26 output from the acceleration sensor 25. Then, the first acquisition unit 210 acquires external force information 28 representing the external force acting on the end effector 12, based on the first force information 21 output from the force sensor 20 and the second force information 22 acquired by the second acquisition unit 220. In this way, it is possible to acquire external force information 28 that appropriately represents the external force acting on the end effector 12. In other words, it is possible to appropriately acquire external force information 28.

[0098] <Example of Operation of Determination Unit> The determination unit 250 determines whether an external force has acted on the end effector 12 based on the external force information 28 acquired by the first acquisition unit 210. For example, when the object 80, the work table 90, or the work table 91 comes into contact with the end effector 12, an external force acts on the end effector 12. Also, when another object comes into contact with the object 80 held by the end effector 12, an external force acts on the end effector 12.

[0099] The determination unit 250 may monitor the external force x-component value included in the external force information 28, and when the external force x-component value exceeds a threshold, determine that an external force has acted on the end effector 12. The determination unit 250 may also monitor the external force y-component value included in the external force information 28, and when the external force y-component value exceeds a threshold, determine that an external force has acted on the end effector 12. The determination unit 250 may also monitor the external force z-component value included in the external force information 28, and when the external force z-component value exceeds a threshold, determine that an external force has acted on the end effector 12. The threshold may be a threshold range (in other words, a predetermined range).

[0100] When the determination unit 250 determines that an external force has acted on the end effector 12, it outputs external force occurrence notification information notifying that an external force has acted on the end effector 12 to the interface 6. The interface 6 outputs the input external force occurrence notification information to the interface 66 of the main controller 60.

[0101] In the main controller 60, the interface 66 outputs the external force occurrence notification information received from the processing device 1 to the control unit 62. When the control unit 62 receives the external force occurrence notification information, that is, when the control unit 62 is notified by the processing device 1 that an external force has acted on the end effector 12, the control unit 62 controls the arm 11 and / or the end effector 12 via the interface 66 and the processing device 1. It can also be said that the control unit 62 controls the arm 11 and / or the end effector 12 via the interface 66 and the processing device 1 based on the determination result of the determination unit 250 of the processing device 1. When the control unit 62 receives the external force occurrence notification information, the control unit 62 changes or suspends the operation content or direction of the arm 11, or controls the holding of the object 80 by the end effector 12. The arm 11 and / or the end effector 12 are controlled based on the result of the determination made by the determination unit 250 based on the external force information 28 as to whether an external force has acted on the end effector 12, and therefore can be said to be controlled based on the external force information 28.

[0102] <Example of End Effector Control> Next, an example of control of the end effector 12 based on the determination result by the determination unit 250 will be described. For example, consider a case where the end effector 12 holds an object 80 that is very thin (in other words, a thin object 80) placed on a workbench 90. The thin object 80 can also be said to be an object whose thickness is smaller than its width. In this case, the control unit 62 of the main controller 60 controls the posture of the arm 11 so that, for example, the end effector 12 is positioned above the object 80 and the z-axis direction is parallel to the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. 8 .

[0103] Next, the control unit 62 controls the posture of the arm 11 to move the end effector 12 in the +z-axis direction. As the end effector 12 moves in the +z-axis direction, the tips of the fingers 12a come into contact with the upper surface of the work table 90 (in other words, the surface on which the target object 80 is placed), as shown in FIG. 9 . When the tips of the fingers 12a come into contact with the upper surface of the work table 90 and an external force acts on the end effector 12, the external force z-component value acquired by the first acquisition unit 210 increases. When the external force z-component value exceeds a threshold, the determination unit 250 of the processing device 1 determines that an external force has acted on the end effector 12. In this example, when the external force z-component value exceeds the threshold, the determination unit 250 can also be said to determine that an object (the upper surface of the work table 90 or the placement surface on which the thin target object 80 is placed) has come into contact with the end effector 12. When the determination unit 250 determines that an external force has acted on the end effector 12, it notifies the interface 66 of the main controller 60 of external force occurrence notification information.

[0104] The interface 6 may notify the main controller 60 of the external force occurrence notification information by transmitting the external force occurrence notification information to the main controller 60 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol. Alternatively, the interface 6 may notify the main controller 60 of the external force occurrence notification information by outputting a high-level or low-level signal to the main controller 60. In other words, the interface 6 may notify the main controller 60 of the external force occurrence notification information at a signal level.

[0105] In the main controller 60, the interface 66 outputs the external force occurrence notification information notified from the processing device 1 to the control unit 62. Upon receiving the external force occurrence notification information, the control unit 62 determines that the tips of the fingers 12a of the end effector 12 have come into contact with the upper surface of the work table 90, and controls the arm 11 to stop the movement of the end effector 12. The control unit 62 then notifies the interface 6 of the processing device 1 via the interface 66 of close instruction information instructing the multiple fingers 12a of the end effector 12 to close.

[0106] In the processing device 1 that has received the close instruction information, the effector control unit 200 controls the end effector 12 via the interface 7 to close the fingers 12a of the end effector 12. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10 , the fingers 12a hold the very thin object 80 placed on the work table 90. In this manner, the end effector 12 performs a gripping operation on the object 80 after contacting the upper surface of the work table 90 (i.e., the surface on which the object 80 is placed). This reduces the influence of the accuracy of the acquired thickness information compared to gripping the object 80 based on thickness information of the object 80 acquired from, for example, an image obtained by a camera. As a result, the accuracy of gripping the object 80 can be improved even when the object 80 is thin. Furthermore, the processing device 1 of the present disclosure can reduce the influence of the acceleration of the end effector 12 itself, thereby accurately detecting contact of the end effector 12 with the object and reducing the occurrence of malfunctions due to excessive contact of the end effector 12 with the object.

[0107] As another example, consider a case where the end effector 12 holds a tray 900 on a work table 90. The tray 900 can be considered to be a type of object 80. Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the end effector 12 and the tray 900 in this case. In Fig. 11, the work table 90 on which the tray 900 is placed is not shown.

[0108] The shape of the tray 900 is, for example, a generally rectangular parallelepiped with an open top. A flange 910 that protrudes outward is provided on the outer periphery of the top opening of the tray 900. Note that a flange may also be provided on the outer periphery of the bottom of the tray 900.

[0109] 11 , the end effector 12 has a pair of two fingers 12a. Each finger 12a includes a first portion 12aa extending along the positive z-axis direction, a second portion 12ab extending outward from the tip of the first portion 12aa, and a third portion 12ac extending along the positive z-axis direction from the tip of the second portion 12ab. A hooking recess 12ad that hooks onto a flange portion 910 of the tray 900 is provided on the inner side of the third portion 12ac. The pair of fingers 12a hold the tray 900 by hooking the hooking recesses 12ad of the pair of fingers 12a onto the flange portion 910 of the tray 900 from the outside.

[0110] When the end effector 12 holds the tray 900, the control unit 62 of the main controller 60 controls the posture of the arm 11 so that, for example, the end effector 12 is positioned above the tray 900 and the z-axis direction is parallel to the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. 11 .

[0111] Next, the control unit 62 controls the attitude of the arm 11 to move the end effector 12 in the +z-axis direction. When the end effector 12 moves in the +z-axis direction and the second portions 12ab of the finger portions 12a come into contact with the flange portions 910 of the tray 900 as shown in FIG. 12 , an external force acts on the end effector 12, and the external force z-component value acquired by the first acquisition unit 210 increases. When the external force z-component value exceeds a threshold value, the determination unit 250 of the processing device 1 determines that an external force has acted on the end effector 12. When the determination unit 250 determines that an external force has acted on the end effector 12, it notifies the interface 66 of the main controller 60 of external force occurrence notification information.

[0112] In the main controller 60 that has received the external force occurrence notification information, the control unit 62 determines that the second portion 12ab of the end effector 12 has come into contact with the flange portion 910 of the tray 900, and controls the arm 11 to stop the movement of the end effector 12. Then, the control unit 62 notifies the interface 6 of the processing device 1 via the interface 66 of close instruction information that instructs the pair of fingers 12a of the end effector 12 to close.

[0113] In the processing device 1 that has received the close instruction information, the effector control unit 200 controls the end effector 12 via the interface 7 to cause the end effector 12 to close the pair of fingers 12a. As a result, as shown in Fig. 13 , the hook recesses 12ad of the pair of fingers 12a hook from the outside onto the flange portion 910 of the tray 900, and the pair of fingers 12a hold the tray 900.

[0114] As another example, consider a case where the robot 10 stacks a tray 900 held by the end effector 12 on top of another tray 900 on the work table 90. Hereinafter, the tray 900 held by the end effector 12 will be referred to as the first tray 900, and the tray 900 placed on the work table 90 and on which the first tray 900 is stacked will be referred to as the second tray 900.

[0115] In this example, a flange portion 920 is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the bottom of the tray 900. This flange portion 920 is referred to as a lower flange portion 920. Furthermore, the flange portion 910 is referred to as an upper flange portion 910. The bottom of the tray 900 protrudes slightly outward beyond the lower flange portion 920 in the depth direction of the tray 900. When the first tray 900 is stacked on top of the second tray 900, the bottom of the first tray 900 is positioned within the second tray 900, and the upper flange portion 910 of the second tray 900 and the lower flange portion 920 of the first tray 900 overlap.

[0116] When the robot 10 stacks the first tray 900 held by the end effector 12 on the second tray 900, the control unit 62 of the main controller 60 controls the posture of the arm 11, for example, so that the first tray 900 held by the end effector 12 is positioned above the second tray 900 on the workbench 90.

[0117] Next, as shown in Figure 14, the control unit 62 controls the posture of the arm 11 to move the end effector 12 vertically downward so that one corner of the lower flange portion 920 of the first tray 900 approaches one corner of the upper flange portion 910 of the second tray 900, with the first tray 900 slightly tilted so that the one corner of the lower flange portion 920 of the first tray 900 is positioned lower than the other three corners.

[0118] As the end effector 12 moves vertically downward, as shown in FIG. 15 , one corner of the lower flange portion 920 of the first tray 900 comes into contact with one corner of the upper flange portion 910 of the second tray 900. As a result, an external force acts on the end effector 12, and the external force z-component value acquired by the first acquisition unit 210 increases. The determination unit 250 of the processing device 1 determines that an external force has acted on the end effector 12 when the external force z-component value exceeds a threshold value. In this example, when the external force z-component value exceeds the threshold value, the determination unit 250 can also be said to determine that the object 80 held by the end effector 12 has come into contact with another object. When the determination unit 250 determines that an external force has acted on the end effector 12, it notifies the interface 66 of the main controller 60 of external force occurrence notification information.

[0119] In the main controller 60, upon receiving the external force occurrence notification information, the control unit 62 controls the arm 11 to, for example, move the end effector 12 in the +y-axis direction (e.g., toward the front of the paper in FIG. 15 ). This causes the first tray 900 held by the end effector 12 to move in the +y-axis direction. When the first tray 900 moves in the +y-axis direction, a corner of the bottom of the first tray 900 (specifically, a corner located lower than the other corners) comes into contact with the inner side of the second tray 900 on the +y-axis side, causing an external force along the y-axis to act on the end effector 12. As a result, the external force y-component value acquired by the first acquisition unit 210 increases. When the external force y-component value exceeds a threshold value, the determination unit 250 of the processing device 1 determines that an external force has acted on the end effector 12. When the determination unit 250 determines that an external force has acted on the end effector 12, it notifies the interface 66 of the main controller 60 of the external force occurrence notification information.

[0120] In the main controller 60, upon receiving the external force occurrence notification information, the control unit 62 controls the arm 11 to, for example, move the end effector 12 in the +x-axis direction (e.g., the right side in FIG. 15 ). This causes the first tray 900 held by the end effector 12 to move in the +x-axis direction. When the first tray 900 moves in the +x-axis direction, a corner of the bottom of the first tray 900 (specifically, a corner located lower than the other corners) comes into contact with the inner side surface of the second tray 900 on the +x-axis direction, causing an external force along the x-axis to act on the end effector 12. As a result, the external force x-component value acquired by the first acquisition unit 210 increases. When the external force x-component value exceeds a threshold value, the determination unit 250 of the processing device 1 determines that an external force has acted on the end effector 12. When the determination unit 250 determines that an external force has acted on the end effector 12, it notifies the interface 66 of the main controller 60 of the external force occurrence notification information.

[0121] In this way, by moving the first tray 900 in the +y-axis direction and then in the +x-axis direction, the corners of the bottom of the first tray 900 come into contact with the inner side surfaces on the +y-axis direction and the +x-axis direction of the second tray 900, thereby aligning the outer corners of the first tray 900 with the inner corners of the second tray 900. Note that the first tray 900 may move in the +y-axis direction after moving in the +x-axis direction.

[0122] In the main controller 60 that has received the external force occurrence notification information, the control unit 62 determines that the alignment of the first tray 900 and the second tray 900 has been completed, and ends the movement of the end effector 12. Then, the control unit 62 notifies the interface 6 of the processing device 1 via the interface 66 of open instruction information that instructs the interface 6 to open the pair of fingers 12a of the end effector 12.

[0123] In the processing device 1 that has received the open instruction information, the effector control unit 200 controls the end effector 12 via the interface 7 to open the pair of fingers 12a of the end effector 12. This releases the end effector 12 from holding the first tray 900, and the first tray 900 is stacked on the second tray 900 as shown in FIG.

[0124] As described above, whether an external force has acted on the end effector 12 is determined based on the external force information 28 that appropriately represents the external force acting on the end effector 12, and therefore it is possible to accurately determine that an external force has acted on the end effector 12. Then, the end effector 12 is controlled based on the determination result, and thereby the end effector 12 can be appropriately controlled.

[0125] The configuration of the control unit 2 of the processing device 1 is not limited to the above example. Fig. 17 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the configuration of the control unit 2. In the example of Fig. 17, the control unit 2 has a third acquisition unit 230 as a functional block. The third acquisition unit 230 acquires change amount information 29 representing the amount of change in the external force acting on the effector, based on the external force information 28 acquired by the first acquisition unit 210. The determination unit 250 determines whether an external force has acted on the end effector 12, based on the change amount information 29 acquired by the third acquisition unit 230.

[0126] Here, first force information 21 output by force sensor 20 may include an offset error due to temperature drift, other-axis interference, and the like. That is, the effector acting force represented by first force information 21 may include an offset error. Therefore, external force information 28 acquired based on first force information 21 may also include an offset error. That is, the effector acting external force represented by external force information 28 may include an offset error. Furthermore, external force information 28 may include an offset error due to sensitivity variations of force sensor 20 and acceleration sensor 25.

[0127] In this example, the third acquisition unit 230 acquires change amount information 29 representing the amount of change in the external force acting on the effector, based on the external force information 28. Because the change amount information 29 represents the amount of change in the external force acting on the effector, the offset error included in the change amount information 29 is small. Then, the determination unit 250 determines whether an external force has acted on the end effector 12 based on the change amount information 29 with a small offset error, thereby making it possible to accurately determine whether an external force has acted on the end effector 12.

[0128] The third acquisition unit 230 calculates the difference between the latest external force information 28 acquired by the first acquisition unit 210 and the external force information 28 acquired one hour earlier than the latest external force information 28. Here, the latest external force information 28 is referred to as first external force information 28, and the external force information 28 acquired one hour earlier than the latest external force information 28 is referred to as second external force information 28. Furthermore, the external force x component value, external force y component value, and external force z component value included in the first external force information 28 are referred to as the first external force x component value, the first external force y component value, and the first external force z component, respectively. Furthermore, the external force x component value, external force y component value, and external force z component value included in the second external force information 28 are referred to as the second external force x component value, the second external force y component value, and the second external force z component, respectively.

[0129] The third acquisition unit 230 subtracts the second external force x-component value, the second external force y-component value, and the second external force z-component value included in the second external force information 28 from the first external force x-component value, the first external force y-component value, and the first external force z-component value included in the first external force information 28. If the first time period is a short period in which the temperature of the force sensor 20 and the posture of the end effector 12 hardly change, the offset error included in the first external force x-component value and the offset error included in the second external force x-component value are canceled out by subtracting the second external force y-component value from the first external force y-component value. Similarly, the offset error included in the first external force y-component value and the offset error included in the second external force y-component value are canceled out by subtracting the second external force y-component value from the first external force y-component value. Similarly, by subtracting the second external force z component value from the first external force z component value, the offset error included in the first external force z component value and the offset error included in the second external force z component value cancel each other out.

[0130] Hereinafter, the value obtained by subtracting the second external force x-component value from the first external force x-component value will be referred to as the first external force x-component difference value. Also, the value obtained by subtracting the second external force y-component value from the first external force y-component value will be referred to as the first external force y-component difference value. And the value obtained by subtracting the second external force z-component value from the first external force z-component value will be referred to as the first external force z-component difference value.

[0131] Change amount information 29 representing the amount of change in the external force acting on the effector includes a first external force x-component difference value, a first external force y-component difference value, and a first external force z-component difference value. The first external force x-component difference value represents the amount of change in the external force x-component over a first period from the time when second external force information 28 is acquired to the time when first external force information 28 is acquired. The length of the first period is a first hour. The first external force y-component difference value represents the amount of change in the external force y-component over the first period. The first external force z-component difference value represents the amount of change in the external force z-component over the first period. The first external force x-component difference value, the first external force y-component difference value, and the first external force z-component difference value constitute first change amount information representing the amount of change in the external force acting on the effector over the first period.

[0132] The first external force x-component difference value, the first external force y-component difference value, and the first external force z-component difference value can also be said to be values ​​representing the amount of change in the external force acting on the effector during the first period. It can also be said that the third acquisition unit 230 acquires a value representing the amount of change in the external force acting on the effector during the first period from the second timing to the first timing by subtracting the value representing the external force acting on the end effector at the second timing that precedes the first timing from the value representing the external force acting on the end effector at the first timing.

[0133] Each time external force information 28 is acquired by the first acquisition unit 210, the third acquisition unit 230 acquires change amount information 29 (in other words, first change amount information) in the same manner as described above, using the latest acquired external force information 28 as the first external force information 28.

[0134] The determination unit 250 determines whether an external force has acted on the end effector 12 based on the first external force x-component difference value, the first external force y-component difference value, and the first external force z-component difference value included in the change amount information 29. For example, the determination unit 250 may monitor the first external force x-component difference value, and determine that an external force has acted on the end effector 12 when the first external force x-component difference value exceeds a threshold value. Alternatively, the determination unit 250 may monitor the first external force y-component difference value, and determine that an external force has acted on the end effector 12 when the first external force y-component difference value exceeds a threshold value. Alternatively, the determination unit 250 may monitor the first external force z-component difference value, and determine that an external force has acted on the end effector 12 when the first external force z-component difference value exceeds a threshold value.

[0135] The third acquisition section 230 may acquire not only first change amount information representing the amount of change in the external force acting on the effector over a first period of time, but also second change amount information representing the amount of change in the external force acting on the effector over a second period of time that is longer than the first period of time. In this case, the third acquisition section 230 may calculate a difference between the latest external force information 28 (i.e., the first external force information 28) acquired by the first acquisition section 210 and the external force information 28 acquired two hours before the latest external force information 28, and use the calculated difference as the second change amount information. The second period of time is longer than the first period of time.

[0136] Here, the external force information 28 acquired two hours before the latest external force information 28 is referred to as third external force information 28. Furthermore, the external force x component value, external force y component value, and external force z component value included in the third external force information 28 are referred to as the third external force x component value, the third external force y component value, and the third external force z component, respectively.

[0137] The third acquisition unit 230 subtracts the third external force x component value, the third external force y component value, and the third external force z component value included in the third external force information 28 from the first external force x component value, the first external force y component value, and the first external force z component value included in the first external force information 28, respectively. The value obtained by subtracting the third external force x component value from the first external force x component value is referred to as the second external force x component difference value. Furthermore, the value obtained by subtracting the third external force y component value from the first external force y component value is referred to as the second external force y component difference value. Furthermore, the value obtained by subtracting the third external force z component value from the first external force z component value is referred to as the second external force z component difference value.

[0138] The second external force x-component difference value represents the amount of change in the external force x-component during a second period from the time when the third external force information 28 is acquired to the time when the first external force information 28 is acquired. The length of the second period is a second time, and the second period is longer than the first period. The second external force y-component difference value represents the amount of change in the external force y-component during the second period. The second external force z-component difference value represents the amount of change in the external force z-component during the second period. The second external force x-component difference value, the second external force y-component difference value, and the second external force z-component difference value constitute second change amount information representing the amount of change in the external force acting on the end effector during the second period. The change amount information 29 includes first change amount information and second change amount information.

[0139] The second external force x-component difference value, the second external force y-component difference value, and the second external force z-component difference value can also be said to be values ​​representing the amount of change in the external force acting on the effector during the second period. It can also be said that the third acquisition unit 230 acquires a value representing the amount of change in the external force acting on the effector during the second period from the third timing to the first timing by subtracting the value representing the external force acting on the end effector at the third timing, which is before the second timing, from the value representing the external force acting on the end effector at the first timing.

[0140] Each time external force information 28 is acquired by the first acquisition unit 210, the third acquisition unit 230 acquires change amount information 29 including first change amount information and second change amount information, using the latest acquired external force information 28 as the first external force information 28.

[0141] The determination unit 250 determines whether an external force has acted on the end effector 12 based on the first change amount information and the second change amount information included in the change amount information 29. In the same manner as described above, the determination unit 250 determines whether an external force has acted on the end effector 12 based on the first external force x-component difference value, the first external force y-component difference value, and the first external force z-component difference value included in the first change amount information. The determination unit 250 may also determine that an external force has acted on the end effector 12 when the second external force x-component difference value included in the second change amount information exceeds a threshold value. The determination unit 250 may also determine that an external force has acted on the end effector 12 when the second external force y-component difference value included in the second change amount information exceeds a threshold value. The determination unit 250 may also determine that an external force has acted on the end effector 12 when the second external force z-component difference value included in the second change amount information exceeds a threshold value.

[0142] For example, when the speed at which the end effector 12 comes into contact with an object is low, the external force acting on the end effector 12 may change slowly. In this case, if the length of the first period, i.e., the first time, is short, the first external force x-component difference value or the like may not exceed the threshold value even though an external force is acting on the end effector 12. Therefore, the determination unit 250 may not be able to appropriately determine whether an external force has acted on the end effector 12 simply by using the first change amount information.

[0143] In contrast, in this example, the determination unit 250 determines whether an external force has acted on the end effector 12 based not only on the first change amount information but also on the second change amount information representing the amount of change in the external force acting on the end effector over a second period longer than the first period. This makes it possible to appropriately determine whether an external force has acted on the end effector 12, whether the external force acting on the end effector 12 changes quickly or slowly.

[0144] The third acquisition unit 230 may acquire first change amount information, second change amount information, and third change amount information representing the change amount of the external force acting on the effector over a third period longer than the second period. If the first period, second period, and third period are collectively referred to as the determination period, the third acquisition unit 230 acquiring the first change amount information and the second change amount information may be said to acquire two types of change amount information having different determination period lengths. Furthermore, the third acquisition unit 230 acquiring the first change amount information, second change amount information, and third change amount information may be said to acquire three types of change amount information having different determination period lengths. The third acquisition unit 230 may acquire three or more types of change amount information having different determination periods. The determination unit 250 may then determine whether an external force has acted on the end effector 12 based on three or more types of change amount information having different determination periods.

[0145] In the above example, acceleration sensor 25 is used to acquire second force information 22, but a force sensor 30 separate from force sensor 20 may be used instead of acceleration sensor 25. FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of robot 10 including force sensor 30 instead of acceleration sensor 25.

[0146] The robot 10 includes, for example, a case 35 that houses the force sensor 30. The case 35 is provided, for example, between the force sensor 20 and the arm 11. The force sensor 30 is attached, for example, to the inner surface of the case 35 on the arm 11 side.

[0147] The force sensor 30 is, for example, a capacitance type, and has a first member 30a and a second member 30b that correspond to two conductors that make up a capacitor. The first member 30a is fixed to the inner surface of the case 35, and the second member 30b is a free end. Note that the force sensor 30 may be a force sensor other than a capacitance type.

[0148] The force sensor 30 can detect a force corresponding to the acceleration acting on the second member 30b. Because the end effector 12 and the force sensor 30 move integrally, the acceleration acting on the second member 30b is the same as the acceleration acting on the end effector 12.

[0149] Unlike the force sensor 20, the force sensor 30 does not detect an external force acting on the end effector 12 because the second member 30b is a free end. The force sensor 30 detects a force corresponding to the acceleration acting on the second member 30b, and outputs third force information 33 (see FIG. 19 described below) representing the detected force.

[0150] For example, an xyz Cartesian coordinate system is set in the force sensor 30. Hereinafter, the xyz Cartesian coordinate system set in the force sensor 30 will be referred to as the second force sensor coordinate system. Furthermore, the xyz coordinate system set in the force sensor 20 will be referred to as the first force sensor coordinate system. Furthermore, the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis of the first force sensor coordinate system will be referred to as the first x-axis, first y-axis, and first z-axis, respectively. Furthermore, the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis of the second force sensor coordinate system will be referred to as the second x-axis, second y-axis, and second z-axis, respectively.

[0151] The +first z-axis direction and the +second z-axis direction are, for example, oriented in the same direction. The +first z-axis direction and the +second z-axis direction are set, for example, to be the same direction as the direction from the arm 11 side (in other words, the acceleration sensor 25 side) of the end effector 12 toward the tip side. The first z-axis direction and the second z-axis direction are set, for example, to be positioned on the same straight line.

[0152] The first x-axis direction and the second x-axis direction are set to be parallel to each other. The orientation of the +first x-axis direction and the orientation of the +second x-axis direction are set to be the same. The first y-axis direction and the second y-axis direction are set to be parallel to each other. The orientation of the +first y-axis direction and the +second y-axis direction are set to be the same.

[0153] The force sensor 30 can detect a second x-axis direction component of a force responsive to acceleration acting on the second member 30b (also referred to as a third force x-component), a second y-axis direction component of a force responsive to acceleration acting on the second member 30b (also referred to as a third force y-component), and a second z-axis direction component of a force responsive to acceleration acting on the second member 30b (also referred to as a third force z-component). The third force information 33 output by the force sensor 30 includes third force x-component information representing the detected third force x-component, third force y-component information representing the detected third force y-component, and third force z-component information representing the detected third force z-component.

[0154] Like the first force x component information, the third force x component information is expressed, for example, by a numerical value with a plus or minus sign that represents the magnitude and direction of the third force x component. Hereinafter, a numerical value representing the third force x component information will be referred to as a third force x component value. Similarly, the third force y component information is expressed, for example, by a numerical value with a plus or minus sign that represents the magnitude and direction of the third force y component. Hereinafter, a numerical value representing the third force y component information will be referred to as a third force y component value. Similarly, the third force z component information is expressed, for example, by a numerical value with a plus or minus sign that represents the magnitude and direction of the third force z component. Hereinafter, a numerical value representing the third force z component information will be referred to as a third force z component value. The third force information 33 includes a third force x component value, a third force y component value, and a third force z component value.

[0155] In this example, control unit 2 includes, as a functional block, fourth acquisition unit 240 that acquires second force information 22 representing a force corresponding to the end effector acceleration, based on third force information 33. First acquisition unit 210 acquires external force information 28 based on first force information 21 output by force sensor 20 and second force information 22 acquired by fourth acquisition unit 240.

[0156] Fig. 19 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the fourth acquisition unit 240. As shown in Fig. 19, the fourth acquisition unit 240 includes, for example, a conversion unit 241, a division unit 242, the filter 222, and the multiplication unit 223 described above.

[0157] Conversion unit 241 performs unit conversion processing on the third force x component value, the third force y component value, and the third force z component value so that the units of the third force x component value, the third force y component value, and the third force z component value included in third force information 33 become force units in the International System of Units. Specifically, conversion unit 241 multiplies each of the third force x component value, the third force y component value, and the third force z component value by a predetermined coefficient so that the units of the third force x component value, the third force y component value, and the third force z component value become Newtons.

[0158] The division unit 242 divides each of the third x component value, the third y component value, and the third z component value after the unit conversion process by the weight (unit: kg) of the second member 30b of the force sensor 30. The weight of the second member 30b (also referred to as the second member weight) is stored in advance in the storage unit 3, for example.

[0159] The value obtained by dividing the third force x component value by the weight of the second member corresponds to the acceleration x component value described above. Hereinafter, the acceleration x component value refers to the value obtained by dividing the third force x component value by the weight of the second member. Similarly, the value obtained by dividing the third force y component value by the weight of the second member corresponds to the acceleration y component value described above. Hereinafter, the acceleration y component value refers to the value obtained by dividing the third force y component value by the weight of the second member. Similarly, the value obtained by dividing the third force z component value by the weight of the second member corresponds to the acceleration z component value described above. Hereinafter, the acceleration z component value refers to the value obtained by dividing the third force z component value by the weight of the second member.

[0160] Filter 222 performs the same filtering process as described above on the acceleration x component value, acceleration y component value, and acceleration z component value acquired by divider 242. As described above, multiplier 223 multiplies each of the acceleration x component value, acceleration y component value, and acceleration z component value after filtering by the end effector weight to acquire second force information 22. As described above, first acquirer 210 acquires external force information 28 based on first force information 21 and second force information 22 acquired by multiplier 223.

[0161] In this way, even when the force sensor 30 is used instead of the acceleration sensor 25, external force information 28 that appropriately represents the external force acting on the end effector 12 can be obtained.

[0162] In the above example, the determination unit 250 uses each of the external force x component value, external force y component value, and external force z component value included in the external force information 28. However, some of the external force x component value, external force y component value, and external force z component value may not be used. For example, the determination unit 250 does not need to determine whether an external force has acted on the end effector 12 based on the external force x component value included in the external force information 28. Furthermore, the determination unit 250 does not need to determine whether an external force has acted on the end effector 12 based on the external force y component value included in the external force information 28. Furthermore, the determination unit 250 does not need to determine whether an external force has acted on the end effector 12 based on the external force z component value included in the external force information 28.

[0163] The external force information 28 may not include some of the external force x-component value, external force y-component value, and external force z-component value. In other words, the external force information 28 may represent at least one of the external force x-component, external force y-component, and external force z-component, which are multiple decomposed components of the external force acting on the end effector. For example, the external force information 28 may not include the external force x-component value, the external force y-component value, or the external force z-component.

[0164] The external force information 28 may be a value representing the magnitude of a resultant vector of the external force x component, the external force y component, and the external force z component. In other words, the external force information 28 may be a value representing the magnitude of the external force acting on the end effector. Hereinafter, the value representing the magnitude of the external force acting on the end effector will be referred to as the external force magnitude value.

[0165] The first acquisition unit 210 acquires an external force magnitude value as the external force information 28. For example, the first acquisition unit 210 sets an x-y-z Cartesian coordinate system (also referred to as an external force coordinate system) including an x-axis indicating the external force x-component, a y-axis indicating the external force y-component, and a z-axis indicating the external force z-component. Next, the first acquisition unit 210 plots the external force x-component value, the external force y-component value, and the external force z-component value obtained by the subtraction unit 213 on the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis, respectively, of the external force coordinate system. Then, in the external force coordinate system, the first acquisition unit 210 calculates the magnitude of a resultant vector of a first vector extending from the origin to the external force x-component value, a second vector extending from the origin to the external force y-component value, and a third vector extending from the origin to the external force z-component value. The calculated magnitude represents the magnitude of the resultant vector of the external force x-component, the external force y-component, and the external force z-component, i.e., the external force magnitude value.

[0166] In the examples of FIGS. 6 and 19, the determination unit 250 determines that an external force has acted on the end effector 12 when, for example, the external force magnitude value acquired by the first acquisition unit 210 is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

[0167] 17 , the third acquisition unit 230 determines a value (also referred to as a first external force magnitude difference value) obtained by subtracting the external force magnitude value acquired a first time before the latest external force magnitude value acquired by the first acquisition unit 210 as first change amount information representing the change amount of the external force acting on the effector over the first time period. Similarly, the third acquisition unit 230 can obtain second change amount information and the like using the external force magnitude value. The determination unit 250 determines that an external force has acted on the end effector 12, for example, when the first external force magnitude difference value serving as the first change amount information is equal to or greater than a threshold value. The same applies to the case where it is determined whether an external force has acted on the end effector 12 based on the second change amount information and the like.

[0168] At least some of the functions of the control unit 2 of the processing device 1 may be realized by the control unit 62 of the main controller 60. In other words, at least one of the multiple function blocks included in the control unit 2 may be formed in the control unit 62.

[0169] 6 and 19 , consider a case where the determination unit 250 is formed in the control unit 62. In this case, the interface 6 of the processing device 1 notifies the main controller 60 of the external force information 28 acquired by the first acquisition unit 210. The determination unit 250 included in the control unit 62 determines whether an external force has acted on the end effector 12 based on the external force information 28 notified to the main controller 60 from the processing device 1. The interface 6 of the processing device 1 may transmit the external force information 28 to the main controller 60 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol. Alternatively, the interface 6 may convert the external force x component value, etc. included in the external force information 28, from a digital value to an analog value and output the converted analog value (in other words, a signal level) to the main controller 60, thereby notifying the main controller 60 of the external force information 28. In this case, the interface 66 of the main controller 60 converts the analog value received from the interface 6 into a digital value and outputs the converted digital value to the control unit 62.

[0170] In addition, the interface 6 may transmit information other than the external force information 28 to the main controller 60 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol, or may output the information to the main controller 60 as an analog value (in other words, a signal level).

[0171] 17 , consider a case where the determination unit 250 is formed in the control unit 62. In this case, the interface 6 of the processing device 1 notifies the main controller 60 of the change amount information 29 acquired by the third acquisition unit 230. The determination unit 250 included in the control unit 62 determines whether an external force has acted on the end effector 12, based on the change amount information 29 notified to the main controller 60 from the processing device 1.

[0172] When the determination unit 250 is formed in the control unit 62, the control unit 62 controls the end effector 12 in the above-described manner based on the determination result of the determination unit 250 included in the control unit 62. In this case, it can also be said that the control unit 62 controls the end effector 12 based on the external force information 28 notified from the processing device 1.

[0173] At least one of the processing device 1 and the main controller 60 may be a cloud server. The object held by the end effector 12 may be a living organism such as a human or an animal. The robot 10 may be a nursing robot, a remote-controlled robot, a humanoid robot, or another robot.

[0174] In the above example, the control system 50 that controls the robot 10 is composed of the main controller 60 and the processing device 1, but it may also be composed of only the main controller 60. In this case, the output of the force sensor 20 and the like is directly notified to the main controller 60, the first acquisition unit 210 and the like are provided in the main controller 60, and the main controller 60 directly controls the end effector 12. The control system 50 may also be composed of three or more controllers.

[0175] As described above, the processing device and the system including the same have been described in detail, but the above description is merely illustrative in all respects and does not limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, the various examples described above can be combined and applied as long as they are not mutually inconsistent. It is understood that countless examples not illustrated can be envisioned without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0176] This disclosure includes the following:

[0177] In one embodiment, (1) the processing device includes a first acquisition unit that acquires external force information representing an external force acting on the end effector based on first force information representing a force acting on the end effector and second force information representing a force corresponding to an acceleration acting on the end effector.

[0178] (2) In the processing device of (1) above, the force represented by the second force information includes a force corresponding to acceleration due to movement of the end effector.

[0179] (3) In the processing device of (1) or (2) above, the force represented by the second force information includes gravity acting on the end effector.

[0180] (4) A processing device according to any one of (1) to (3) above, comprising a second acquisition unit that acquires the second force information based on acceleration information output by an acceleration sensor and representing the acceleration acting on the end effector.

[0181] (5) In the processing device according to any one of (1) to (4) above, the external force information represents at least one of a plurality of decomposition components of the external force.

[0182] (6) The processing device according to any one of (1) to (5) above, further comprising a third acquisition unit that acquires change amount information that indicates a change amount of the external force based on the external force information.

[0183] (7) A processing device according to (6) above, wherein the change amount information includes first change amount information representing the change amount of the external force in a first period, and second change amount information representing the change amount of the external force in a second period longer than the first period.

[0184] (8) The processing device according to (6) or (7) above, further comprising a determination unit that determines whether an external force has acted on the end effector based on the change amount information.

[0185] (9) The processing device according to any one of (1) to (5) above, further comprising a determination unit that determines whether an external force has acted on the end effector based on the external force information.

[0186] (10) The processing device according to (8) or (9) above, further comprising a control unit that controls the end effector based on the determination result of the determination unit.

[0187] (11) The processing device according to any one of (1) to (5) above, further comprising a control unit that controls the end effector based on the external force information.

[0188] (12) A robot system includes a processing device according to any one of (1) to (11) above, and a robot having an end effector that is controlled based on the external force information acquired by the first acquisition unit provided in the processing device.

[0189] (13) The end effector is an end effector that is controlled based on the external force information acquired by the first acquisition unit included in the processing device of any one of (1) to (11) above.

[0190] (14) The program causes a computer device to function as a first acquisition unit included in any one of the processing devices (1) to (11) above.

[0191] (15) The control device includes a control unit that controls an end effector that grasps an object placed on a placement surface, and the control unit controls the end effector to grasp the object after determining that the end effector has come into contact with the placement surface.

[0192] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Processing device (control device) 2, 62 Control unit 3a, 63a Program 10 Robot 12 End effector 21 First force information 22 Second force information 25 Acceleration sensor 26 Acceleration information 28 External force information 50 Control system (processing device) 60 Main controller (processing device) 100 Robot system 200 End effector control unit 2 210 First acquisition unit 220 Second acquisition unit 230 Third acquisition unit 250 Determination unit

Claims

1. A processing device having a first acquisition unit that acquires external force information representing an external force acting on the end effector based on first force information representing a force acting on the end effector and second force information representing a force corresponding to the acceleration acting on the end effector.

2. A processing device according to claim 1, wherein the force represented by the second force information includes a force corresponding to acceleration due to movement of the end effector.

3. A processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the force represented by the second force information includes gravity acting on the end effector.

4. A processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising a second acquisition unit that acquires the second force information based on acceleration information representing the acceleration acting on the end effector, output by an acceleration sensor.

5. A processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the external force information represents at least one of a plurality of decomposition components of the external force.

6. A processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a third acquisition unit that acquires change amount information representing a change amount of the external force based on the external force information.

7. A processing device according to claim 6, wherein the change amount information includes first change amount information representing the change amount of the external force in a first period, and second change amount information representing the change amount of the external force in a second period longer than the first period.

8. A processing device according to claim 6 or 7, comprising a determination unit that determines whether an external force has acted on the end effector based on the change amount information.

9. A processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a determination unit that determines whether an external force has acted on the end effector based on the external force information.

10. A processing device according to claim 8 or 9, comprising a control unit that controls the end effector based on the determination result of the determination unit.

11. A processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a control unit that controls the end effector based on the external force information.

12. A robot system comprising: a processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11; and a robot having an end effector that is controlled based on the external force information acquired by the first acquisition unit provided in the processing device.

13. An end effector controlled based on the external force information acquired by the first acquisition unit provided in a processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

14. A program for causing a computer device to function as the first acquisition unit provided in a processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

15. A control device comprising a control unit that controls an end effector that grasps an object placed on a placement surface, wherein the control unit controls the end effector to grasp the object after determining that the end effector has come into contact with the placement surface.

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