Article holding system, robot, and method of controlling robot

• US 20070239315A1
• Filed: 01/12/2007
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nobori, Kunio, Sato, Satoshi, Kondo, Kenji, Nakagawa, Masamichi, Nakata, Mikiya
• Granted Patent: US 7,706,918 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1612 characterised by the hand, wrist, grip control

Abstract

An article holding system includes a recognizing device for recognizing the state of the holding object, a holding method specifying means for specifying the holding method according to the state recognized by the recognizing device, and a holding device for holding the holding object according to the holding method specified by the holding method specifying means.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a robot for holding an article in a living space using a holding device of the robot;

the method comprising of;

recognizing a condition of a holding object out of articles in the living space;

specifying one article holding method out of different article holding methods, according to the recognized condition; and

holding the holding object with the holding device according to the specified article holding method.

2. A robot comprising:

a recognizing device for recognizing a condition of a holding object out of articles in living space;

a holding method database for storing different article holding methods according to conditions of the holding object;

an article holding method specifying means for specifying one article holding method out of different article holding methods, according to the condition recognized by the recognizing device; and

a holding device for holding the holding object with reference to the article holding method specified by the article holding method specifying means.

3. The robot according to claim 2, wherein

the holding object is an article whose form including shape, temperature, and content changes;

the recognizing device recognizes the form of the holding object as the condition of the holding object; and

the article holding method specifying means specifies the one article holding method out of the different article holding methods in the holding method database according to the form serving as the condition recognized by the recognizing device.

4. The robot according to claim 2, wherein article holding methods for a plurality of different holding objects are stored as the holding object in the holding method database, the different holding objects being articles having same article ID information and having different form such as shape, temperature, and content, and the article holding method being stored so that the holding method differs as the form of the article changes.

5. The robot according to claim 2, wherein the recognizing device recognizes the condition of the holding object that changes with respect to time.

6. The robot according to claim 5, wherein

the holding object is an article capable of accommodating an object inside;

the recognizing device recognizes whether or not the object is accommodated inside the holding object; and

the article holding method specifying means specifies the one article holding method out of the different article holding methods, according to a condition of whether or not the object is accommodated inside the holding object recognized by the recognizing device.

7. The robot according to claim 6, wherein

the holding object has light transmissive property;

the recognizing device recognizes whether or not the object is accommodated inside the holding object using refraction of light at the holding object; and

the article holding method specifying means specifies the one article holding method out of the different article holding methods, according to the condition of whether or not the object is accommodated inside the holding object recognized by the recognizing device.

8. The robot according to claim 4, wherein

the recognizing device recognizes a temperature distribution of the holding object;

and

the article holding method specifying means specifies the one article holding method out of the different article holding methods, according to a condition of the temperature distribution of the holding object recognized by the recognizing device.

9. The robot according to claim 8, wherein

the holding object is cooking equipment or dish;

and

the holding method specifying means specifies a holding position of the cooking equipment or the dish based on a temperature distribution of the cooking equipment or the dish recognized by the recognizing device.

10. The robot according to claim 5, wherein the holding object is paper or clothes.

11. The robot according to claim 5, wherein

the recognizing device recognizes whether or not an object is placed on the holding object;

and

the article holding method specifying means specifies the one article holding method out of the different article holding methods, according to a condition of whether or not the object is placed on the holding object recognized by the recognizing device.

12. The robot according to claim 11, wherein the holding object is a dish.

13. The robot according to claim 2, further comprising a learning means for learning the holding method;

wherein

the learning means references a holding operation of the article performed by human, learns the holding method of the article, and stores the learnt holding method in the holding method database in association with the article.

14. The robot according to claim 2, wherein

a holding method set in advance for each of articles is stored in the holding method database;

the holding method specifying means selects the holding method of the holding object from the holding methods set in advance in the holding method database with reference to recognized result of the recognizing device; and

the holding method specifying means further selects the holding method set for an article having material or shape close to the holding object from the holding method database and sets the selected holding method as the holding method of the holding object when the holding method corresponding to the recognized result is not set in advance in the holding method database.

15. The robot according to claim 2, wherein

the recognizing device recognizes a material of the holding object;

and

the article holding method specifying means specifies the one article holding method from different article holding methods, according to the material of the holding object recognized by the recognizing device.

16. The robot according to claim 15, wherein the recognizing device includes.

an image-taking device for imaging the holding object;

and

a material recognizing means for recognizing the material using an optical property of the holding object based on the image imaged by the image-taking device.

17. The robot according to claim 16, further comprising a light source for irradiating light to the holding object;

wherein

the material recognizing means recognizes the material using a reflectance property of the holding object.

18. The robot according to claim 17, wherein

the light source is arranged so that a position with respect to the holding object is changeable;

the image-taking device images a plurality of images by changing the position of the light source; and

the material recognizing means recognizes the material of the holding object by processing the plurality of images.

19. An article holding system for holding an article in a living space, the holding system comprising:

a recognizing device for recognizing a condition of a holding object out of articles in the living space; and

a robot for holding the holding object based on recognized result of the recognizing device;

wherein

the robot includes,

a holding method specifying means for specifying the holding method corresponding to the condition recognized by the recognizing device; and

a holding device for holding the holding object according to the holding method specified by the holding method specifying means.

20. The article holding system according to claim 19, wherein the holding device is a holding system mounted on the robot.