CONTROL APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD FOR ROBOT ARM, ASSEMBLY ROBOT, CONTROL PROGRAM FOR ROBOT ARM, AND CONTROL-PURPOSE INTEGRATED ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT FOR ROBOT ARM

• US 20110190932A1
• Filed: 04/13/2011
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: OKAZAKI, Yasunao, TSUSAKA, Yuko
• Granted Patent: US 9,211,646 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/254
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/08 by means of sensing devices, e.g. viewing or touching devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1687 Assembly, peg and hole, palletising, straight line, weaving pattern movement
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/423 Teaching successive positions by walk-through, i.e. the tool head or end effector being grasped and guided directly, with or without servo-assistance, to follow a path
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36432 By putting some constraints on some DOF, move within limited volumes, areas, planes, limits motion in x, y or z planes, virtual reality constraints
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36433 Position assisted teaching
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39319 Force control, force as reference, active compliance
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39338 Impedance control, also mechanical
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40028 Insert flexible rod, beam into hole
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40033 Assembly, microassembly

Abstract

A control apparatus for a robot arm that performs assembly, includes an operation database recording therein information as to an operation of the robot arm, a correction operation type determining unit that determines a correction type for the operation, a force detecting unit that detects a force of a person, and an operation correction unit that corrects an operation in accordance with the force of the person and the correction type, while the robot arm is performing a task.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for a robot arm, the control apparatus controlling an operation of the robot arm for an assembly task-performing robot to perform an assembly task of assembling an assembly-target object gripped by the robot arm with respect to a targeted object, comprising:

a force detecting unit that detects a person'"'"'s force acting on the robot arm;

an information acquiring unit that acquires information as to the operation that includes a position of the robot arm in the assembly task, and the person'"'"'s force detected by the force detecting unit;

a target object force detecting unit that detects a force applied to the assembly-target object by the robot arm;

a correction operation type determining unit that determines a correction operation type for correcting the operation, based on the information as to the operation including the position of the robot arm in the assembly task and information as to the person'"'"'s force each acquired by the information acquiring unit, and the force applied to the target object detected by the target object force detecting unit; and

an operation correction unit that corrects the operation by controlling the robot arm, in accordance with the person'"'"'s force detected by the force detecting unit and acquired by the information acquiring unit, and the correction operation type determined by the correction operation type determining unit, during the assembly task of the robot arm previously determined.

2. The control apparatus for a robot arm according to claim 1, wherein

the information as to the operation includes, as being corresponding to the assembly task performed by the robot arm, at least one of:

information as to the position and the orientation of the robot arm;

information as to a force applied to an assembly task plane by the robot arm;

information as to a direction of the robot arm;

speed information as to the robot arm; and

task disapproved region information being formation as to a region where no task of the robot arm is performed.

3. The control apparatus for a robot arm according to claim 1, wherein

the information as to the operation includes, as being corresponding to the assembly task performed by the robot arm, at least information as to a force applied to the task plane by the robot arm, and

based on the information as to the operation, the operation correction unit sets a force control mode in which the robot arm performs the operation having a preset force acted on the task plane, for each of axes of x-, y-, and z-axis directions in which the robot arm is shiftable and, while the robot arm is performing the operation, the operation correction unit corrects, in accordance with the person'"'"'s force detected by the force detecting unit and acquired by the information acquiring unit, one of a magnitude and a direction of the set force included in the information as to the operation before a correction operation.

4. The control apparatus for a robot arm according to claim 1, wherein

the information as to the operation includes, as being corresponding to the assembly task performed by the robot arm:

information as to the position and the orientation of the robot arm;

information as to a direction of the robot arm;

speed information as to the robot arm; and

task disapproved region information being information as to a region where no task is performed, and

an based on the information as to the operation, the operation correction unit sets impedance control mode in which the robot arm actuates in accordance with a force applied to the robot arm by the person while operating in a position control mode in which the position of the robot arm is controlled, the impedance control mode being set for each of axes of x-, y-, z-axis directions in which the robot arm is shiftable and, while the robot arm is operating the task, the operation correction unit corrects, in accordance with the person'"'"'s force detected by the force detecting unit and acquired by the information acquiring unit, the operation of the information as to the operation in the impedance control.

5. The control apparatus for a robot arm according to claim 1, further comprising

a display unit that displays information as to the correction operation type based on the correction operation type determined by the correction operation type determining unit.

6. The control apparatus for a robot arm according to claim 1, wherein

the correction operation type determining unit detects a shift amount of the position and the orientation of the hand of the robot arm,

when the force applied to the target object detected by the target object detecting unit and acquired by the information acquiring unit is less than a first threshold value, and the shift amount of the position and the orientation of the hand of the robot arm detected by the correction operation type determining unit is equal to or more than a third threshold value, the correction operation type determining unit determines a task plane position-and-orientation shift type as the correction operation type, and

the operation correction unit corrects the position and the orientation of the hand of the robot arm, in accordance with the person'"'"'s force detected by the force detecting unit and acquired by the information acquiring unit and the correction operation type determined by the correction operation type determining unit.

7. The control apparatus for a robot arm according to claim 1, wherein

the correction operation type determining unit detects a shift amount of the position and the orientation of the hand of the robot arm,

when the force applied to the target object detected by the target object detecting unit and acquired by the information acquiring unit is less than a first threshold value, and the shift amount of the position and the orientation of the hand of the robot arm detected by the correction operation type determining unit is less than a third threshold value, the correction operation type determining unit determines a speed correction type as the correction operation type, and

the operation correction unit corrects a speed of the robot arm, in accordance with the person'"'"'s force detected by the force detecting unit and acquired by the information acquiring unit and the correction operation type determined by the correction operation type determining unit.

8. The control apparatus for a robot arm according to claim 1, wherein

the correction operation type determining unit detects a shift amount of the position and the orientation of the hand of the robot arm,

in a situation:

where a component of the force applied to the target object detected by the target object force detecting unit and acquired by the information acquiring unit exceeds a certain threshold value for a certain time period;

where the force applied to the target object detected by the target object force detecting unit and acquired via the information acquiring unit is equal to or less than another certain threshold value for a certain time period; and

where the shift amount of the robot arm detected by the correction operation type determining unit is equal to or more than a certain threshold value, the correction operation type determining unit determines a position-and-orientation correction type as the correction operation type, and

the operation correction unit corrects the position and the orientation of the robot arm, in accordance with the force applied to the target object detected by the target object force detecting unit and acquired via the information acquiring unit and the correction operation type determined by the correction operation type determining unit.

9. The control apparatus for a robot arm according to claim 1, wherein

in a situation:

where a component of the force applied to the target object detected by the target object force detecting unit and acquired via the information acquiring unit exceeds a certain threshold value for a certain time period; and

where the force applied to the target object detected by the target object force detecting unit and acquired via the information acquiring unit exceeds another certain threshold value for a certain time period, the correction operation type determining unit determines a force correction type as the correction operation type, and

the operation correction unit corrects the position and the orientation of the robot arm, in accordance with the force applied to the target object detected by the target object force detecting unit and acquired via the information acquiring unit and the correction operation type determined by the correction operation type determining unit.

10. The control apparatus for a robot arm according to claim 1, further comprising

a display unit that displays information as to the correction operation type based on the correction operation type determined by the correction operation type determining unit.

12. An assembly robot comprising:

the robot arm; and

the control apparatus for a robot arm according to claim 1 which controls the robot arm.

11. A control method for a robot arm, the control method controlling an operation of the robot arm for an assembly task-performing robot to perform an assembly task of assembling an assembly-target object gripped by the robot arm with respect to a targeted object, comprising:

detecting by a force detecting unit a person'"'"'s force acting on the robot arm;

detecting by a target object force detecting unit a force applied to the assembly-target object by the robot arm;

determining by a correction operation type determining unit a correction operation type for correcting the operation, using information as to the operation that includes the position of the robot arm in the assembly task, information as to the person'"'"'s force acting on the robot arm detected by the force detecting unit and acquired by an information acquiring unit, and the force applied to the target object detected by the target object force detecting unit; and

correcting the operation by an operation correction unit by controlling the robot arm, in accordance with the person'"'"'s force detected by the force detecting unit and acquired by the information acquiring unit, and the correction operation type determined by the correction operation type determining unit, during the assembly task of the robot arm previously determined.

13. A control program for a robot arm for an assembly task-performing robot, the control program being for controlling an operation of the robot arm for the assembly task-performing robot to perform an assembly task of assembling an assembly-target object gripped by the robot arm with respect to a targeted object, the control program causing a computer to execute the steps of:

determining by a correction operation type determining unit a correction operation type for correcting the operation, using information as to the operation that includes a position of the robot arm in the assembly task, information as to the person'"'"'s force acting on the robot arm detected by force detecting unit and acquired by an information acquiring unit, and a force detected by target object force detecting unit and applied to the target object by the robot arm; and

correcting the operation by an operation correction unit by controlling the robot arm, in accordance with the person'"'"'s force detected by the force detecting unit and acquired by the information acquiring unit, and the correction operation type determined by the correction operation type determining unit, during the assembly task of the robot arm previously determined.

14. A control-purpose integrated electronic circuit for a robot arm for an assembly task-performing robot, the control-purpose integrated electronic circuit being for controlling an operation of the robot arm for the assembly task-performing robot to perform an assembly task of assembling an assembly-target object gripped by the robot arm with respect to a targeted object, and comprising:

a correction operation type determining unit that determines a correction operation type for correcting the operation, using information as to the operation that includes a position of the robot arm in the assembly task, information as to the person'"'"'s force acting on the robot arm detected by force detecting unit and acquired by an information acquiring unit, and a force detected by target object force detecting unit and applied to the target object by the robot arm; and

an operation correction unit that corrects the operation by controlling the robot arm, in accordance with the person'"'"'s force detected by the force detecting unit and acquired by the information acquiring unit, and the correction operation type determined by the correction operation type determining unit during the assembly task of the robot arm previously determined.