Self-traveling articulated robot

• US 10,338,597 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2014
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Yasuhiko, Inada, Takahiro, Bando, Kenji, Tanaka, Yoshiaki, Murakami, Junichi, Hibino, Satoru, Iwasaki, Yukio
• Primary Examiner(s): Oh, Harry Y
• Application Number:
  US15/539,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20170371342A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,649 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/089 Determining the position of the robot with reference to its environment
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/005 using batteries, e.g. as a back-up power source
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0087 Dual arms double SCARA arms B25J9/043
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0096 co-operating with a working support, e.g. work-table
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/043 double selective compliance articulated robot arms [SCARA]
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/044 with forearm providing vertical linear movement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70

Abstract

A self-traveling articulated robot for working in a production factory is provided, which includes a carriage having at least two operation shafts driven by servomotors, respectively, and self-travelable in a two-dimensional plane, a robotic arm supported by the carriage and having at least one operation shaft driven by a servomotor and constituting a joint, an end effector provided to a tip portion of the robotic arm, and a control unit provided in the carriage and for controlling the operation shaft of the robotic arm and the operation shafts of the carriage to operate in cooperation with each other so that a control point defined in one of the robotic arm and the end effector reaches a target position.

Claims

1. A self-traveling articulated robot for working in a production factory, comprising:

a carriage having at least two operation shafts and a plurality of servomotors, each operation shaft being driven by a different servomotor of the plurality of servomotors, and the carriage being configured to self-travel in a two-dimensional plane;

a robotic arm supported by the carriage and having at least one operation shaft driven by a servomotor and constituting a joint;

an end effector provided to a tip portion of the robotic arm;

a positioning unit configured to detect an absolute position of the carriage; and

a control unit provided in the carriage and for controlling the operation shaft of the robotic arm and the operation shafts of the carriage, wherein

the control unit has a plurality of control modes including;

a working mode in which the control unit controls a position of the operation shaft of the robotic arm and positions of the operation shafts of the carriage by calculating a current position of a control point in a three-dimensional space from rotational positions of the servomotor of the robotic arm and the servomotors of the carriage, the control point being defined in one of the robotic arm and the end effector, generating, based on the current position of the control point in the three-dimensional space, a control signal by which the control point reaches a target position in the three-dimensional space by cooperation of the operation shaft of the robotic arm and the operation shafts of the carriage, and supplying drive currents corresponding to the control signal to the servomotor of the robotic arm and the servomotors of the carriage; and

a traveling mode in which the control unit controls the positions of the operation shafts of the carriage by calculating a carriage reference point from a current position of the carriage in a two-dimensional plane, the carriage reference point being defined in one of the carriage, the robotic arm, and the end effector, the current position of the carriage in the two-dimensional plane being detected by the positioning unit, generating a control signal by which the carriage reference point reaches a target position in the two-dimensional plane; and

supplying drive currents corresponding to the control signal to the servomotors of the carriage.

2. The self-traveling articulated robot of claim 1, further comprising a marker detecting unit for detecting a positional relationship between a marker and the carriage, the marker provided at or near the target position of the carriage reference point,

wherein, based on the positional relationship between the marker and the carriage, the control unit controls the operation shafts of the carriage in the traveling mode so that the carriage reference point reaches the target position.

3. The self-traveling articulated robot of claim 2, wherein, based on the positional relationship between the marker and the carriage, the control unit controls at least the operation shaft of the robotic arm or the operation shafts of the carriage in the working mode so as to correct a position error of the carriage with respect to a given reference work position where the work is performed.

4. The self-traveling articulated robot of claim 1, wherein the target position of the carriage reference point is a given reference work position where the work is performed.

5. The self-traveling articulated robot of claim 1, wherein,

the carriage is equipped with a battery for supplying electric power to the control unit, and

the target position of the carriage reference point is a charging position defined in a charging station provided in the production factory and for charging the battery.