Robot controlling method, robot apparatus, program, recording medium, and method for manufacturing assembly component

• US 10,486,309 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2017
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Takahiro, Osaka, Tsutomu, Kawamura, Shunsuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US15/665,035
• Publication Number:
  US 20170326731A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 700245-264
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1674 characterised by safety, monitoring, diagnostic
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34388 Detect correct moment, position, advanced, delayed, then next command
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37297 Two measurements, on driving motor and on slide or on both sides of motor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39098 Estimate stop, brake distance in predef time, then verify if in safe distance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/09 Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/23 Electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/25 Gearing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49828 Progressively advancing of work assembly station or assembled portion of work
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20317 including electric motor

Abstract

Feedback control is carried out on respective servomotors so that detection angles detected by respective input-side encoders become target angles to be obtained when a leading end of a robot has moved to a positioning completion position of a first motion. Subsequently, the position of the leading end of the robot is obtained on the basis of the detection angles detected by the respective output-side encoders. The time from a time point at which the detection angles detected by the input-side encoders are brought to the target angles through the feedback control to a time point at which a vibration width of the calculated position of the leading end of the robot relative to the positioning completion position converges within a convergence range is obtained. The obtained time is set in the stopping duration of the robot.

Claims

1. A robot apparatus comprising:

an articulated robot including a plurality of joints;

a vibration measuring apparatus configured to measure vibrations of a predetermined portion of the articulated robot, wherein the vibration measuring apparatus and a detector are disposed at each of the plurality of joints; and

a controller configured to control an operation of the articulated robot, wherein, to control an operation of the articulated robot, the controller executes;

moving the articulated robot and subsequently stopping the articulated robot at a target position,

causing the vibration measuring apparatus to calculate vibrations by using positional information about a joint to be obtained by the detector disposed at each of the plurality of joints after stopping the articulated robot,

obtaining, after stopping the articulated robot at the target position, a time until the vibrations converge, and

transmitting the obtained time to a storage unit.

2. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where the obtained time is transmitted to the storage unit, the controller reads the time from the storage unit, and the controller moves the articulated robot after the time elapses.

3. The robot apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the detector is an encoder, and

wherein the controller is configured to calculate a position of the predetermined portion of the articulated robot based on an angle detected by the encoder.

4. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined portion of the articulated robot is a leading end of the robot.

5. The robot apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein an end effector is attached to the leading end of the articulated robot, and

wherein the predetermined portion of the articulated robot is the end effector.

6. The robot apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the articulated robot includes a reduction gear disposed at each of the plurality of joints, and

wherein the encoder is arranged on an output side of the reduction gear.

7. The robot apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein each of the plurality of joints includes a reduction gear and an encoder, and

wherein the encoder is arranged on an output side of the reduction gear.

8. The robot apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein an article includes a first part and a second part,

wherein the controller stops the articulated robot holding the first part at the target position, and

wherein the controller controls the articulated robot to assemble the first part to the second part, after the time until the vibrations converge elapses.

17. The robot apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the time until the vibrations converge is a time until the vibrations converge in a predetermined range, and

wherein the vibrations do not exceed the predetermined range until the controller moves the articulated robot after the time elapses.

9. A method to control a robot apparatus to manufacture an article, wherein the robot apparatus includes an articulated robot, including a plurality of joints, and a vibration measuring apparatus configured to measure vibrations of a predetermined portion of the articulated robot, wherein the vibration measuring apparatus and a detector are disposed at each of the plurality of joints, the method comprising:

moving, by a controller, the articulated robot and subsequently stopping the articulated robot at a target position;

causing, by the controller, the vibration measuring apparatus to calculate vibrations by using positional information about a joint to be obtained by the detector disposed at each of the plurality of joints after stopping the articulated robot;

obtaining, by the controller and after stopping the articulated robot at the target position, a time until the vibrations converge;

transmitting the obtained time to a storage unit; and

controlling, by the controller, the robot to manufacture an article after the time until the vibrations converge elapses.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, in a case where the obtained time is transmitted to the storage unit, the method further comprising:

reading, by the controller, the time from the storage unit; and

moving, by the controller, the articulated robot after the time elapses.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the detector is an encoder, the method further comprising calculating, by the controller, a position of the predetermined portion of the articulated robot based on an angle detected by the encoder.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined portion of the articulated robot is a leading end of the robot.

13. The method according to claim 9,

wherein an end effector is attached to the leading end of the articulated robot, and

wherein the predetermined portion of the articulated robot is the end effector.

14. The method according to claim 11,

wherein the articulated robot includes a reduction gear disposed at each of the plurality of joints, and

wherein the encoder is arranged on an output side of the reduction gear.

15. The method according to claim 9,

wherein each of the plurality of joints includes a reduction gear and an encoder, and

wherein the encoder is arranged on an output side of the reduction gear.

16. The method according to claim 9,

wherein the article includes a first part and a second part,

wherein the controller stops the articulated robot holding the first part at the target position, and

wherein the controller controls the articulated robot to assemble the first part to the second part, after the time until the vibrations converge elapses.

18. The method according to claim 9,

wherein the time until the vibrations converge is a time until the vibrations converge in a predetermined range, and

wherein the vibrations do not exceed the predetermined range until the controller moves the articulated robot after the time elapses.