Robot and robot system

• US 10,532,461 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2017
• Issued: 01/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Masakazu, Takeuchi, Yudai
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US15/494,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20170312921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 700245-264
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1633 compliant, force, torque control, e.g. combined with position control
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1687 Assembly, peg and hole, palletising, straight line, weaving pattern movement
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40032 Peg and hole insertion, mating and joining, remote center compliance
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/26 for engaging or disengaging the two parts of a coupling device structural association with two-part coupling device H01R13/629
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/45 Compliance

Abstract

A robot includes an arm, and a force detector that is disposed on the arm and detects a force, in which a first object is held from both of a gravity direction and a direction opposite to the gravity direction, and the first object is inserted into an insertion portion provided in a second object.

Claims

1. A robot comprising:

an arm;

an end effector disposed on a distal end of the arm;

a force detector disposed between the arm and the end effector and being configured to detect a force; and

a controller configured to control the arm and the end effector based on an output from the force detector,

wherein the end effector includes a first finger and a second finger, and the controller independently controls the first finger to move in a gravity direction and the second finger to move in a direction opposite the gravity direction,

wherein a first object is held from both of the gravity direction and the direction opposite to the gravity direction by the first finger and the second finger, and the first object is inserted into an insertion portion provided in a second object,

based on an output of the force detector, the controller determines when a positional relationship between the first object and the end effector does not shift in the gravity direction and controls the first finger to remain still and the second finger to move in the direction opposite the gravity direction.

2. The robot according to claim 1,

wherein the first object is gripped in a state where the first object is regulated in a direction orthogonal to the gravity direction.

3. The robot according to claim 1,

wherein at least one of the first object and the second object is moved by the arm in a direction where the first object and the second object approach each other, and thus in a case where it is determined that the first object comes into contact with a position different from the insertion portion based on an output of the force detector, the first object and the second object are separated from each other.

4. The robot according to claim 3,

wherein in a case where it is determined that the first object comes into contact with the position, at least one of the first object and the second object is moved in a direction that is other than the direction opposite to the approaching direction, and is a direction orthogonal to the gravity direction among the directions where the first object and the second object separate from each other, and thus the first object and the second object are separated from each other.

5. The robot according to claim 4,

wherein an operation that separates the first object and the second object from each other is performed by position control.

6. The robot according to claim 1,

wherein the first object is an electronic component.

7. The robot according to claim 1,

wherein the first object is held from both of the gravity direction and a direction opposite and orthogonal to the gravity direction.