ROBOT, ROBOT HAND, AND METHOD FOR ADJUSTING HOLDING POSITION OF ROBOT HAND

• US 20130190925A1
• Filed: 12/26/2012
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yaskawa Denki
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yaskawa Denki
• Inventors: MIYOSHI, Tetsuya
• Granted Patent: US 9,199,375 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/00 Gripping heads and other end effectors grippers used in machine tools B23Q7/04; gripping members fitted on cranes B66C1/42, B66C1/44; gripping means used in the manufacture of semiconductors H01L21/68707; gripping means used for mounting electrical components H05K13/04
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/0052 multiple gripper units or multiple end effectors
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/0616 with vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1612 characterised by the hand, wrist, grip control

Abstract

A robot includes a robot hand, an arm unit, and a controller. The robot hand includes a movable portion. To the arm unit, the robot hand is mounted. The controller is configured to control the arm unit to move the movable portion of the robot hand so as to adjust a holding position of the robot hand relative to a to-be-held object.

Claims

1. A robot comprising:

a robot hand comprising a movable portion;

an arm unit to which the robot hand is mounted; and

a controller configured to control the arm unit to move the movable portion of the robot hand so as to adjust a holding position of the robot hand relative to a to-be-held object.

2. The robot according to claim 1,

wherein the robot hand comprises at least one holder mounted to the movable portion and configured to hold the to-be-held object, and

wherein the arm unit is configured to move with the at least one holder in fixed state so as to move the movable portion and adjust a holding position of the at least one holder.

3. The robot according to claim 2,

wherein the at least one holder comprises a plurality of holders, and

wherein the arm unit is configured to move with at least one holder among the plurality of holders in fixed state so as to move the movable portion and adjust a holding position of the at least one holder relative to the to-be-held object.

4. The robot according to claim 3,

wherein the plurality of holders are configured to hold a plurality of resin products coupled to each other by a connecting portion, and

wherein the arm unit is configured to move so as to move the movable portion of the robot hand and adjust holding positions of the plurality of holders relative to the plurality of resin products.

5. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to move the arm unit based on holding position information of the to-be-held object with a part of the robot hand in fixed state so as to move the movable portion and adjust the holding position of the robot hand relative to the to-be-held object.

6. The robot according to claim 5,

wherein the robot hand comprises at least one holder mounted to the movable portion and configured to hold the to-be-held object, and

wherein the controller is configured to control the at least one holder into fixed state and configured to move the arm unit based on the holding position information of the to-be-held object while keeping the at least one holder in fixed state so as to move the movable portion and adjust a holding position of the at least one holder.

7. The robot according to claim 6,

wherein the at least one holder comprises a plurality of holders, and

wherein the controller is configured to control the movable portion to move while keeping one holder among the plurality of holders in fixed state so as to adjust a holding position of the one holder, and configured to sequentially perform this control with respect to remaining holders, one holder at a time, among the plurality of holders.

8. The robot according to claim 1,

wherein the movable portion comprises a link, and

wherein the arm unit is configured to move so as to move the link and adjust the holding position of the robot hand relative to the to-be-held object.

9. The robot according to claim 8,

wherein the robot hand comprises a base to which the link is mounted and which is mounted to the arm unit, and

wherein the link comprises

a first link and a second link each disposed on a first side of the base and each comprising a distal end to which a holder configured to hold the to-be-held object is mounted, and

a third link and a fourth link each disposed on a second side of the base and each comprising a distal end to which a holder configured to hold the to-be-held object is mounted.

10. The robot according to claim 1, further comprising a lock mounted to the movable portion and configured to lock the movable portion,

wherein the lock is configured to release the movable portion out of locked state so as to permit the movable portion to move and adjust the holding position of the robot hand relative to the to-be-held object.

13. The robot according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to move the arm unit based on holding position information of the to-be-held object with a part of the robot hand in fixed state so as to move the movable portion and adjust the holding position of the robot hand relative to the to-be-held object.

14. The robot according to claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to move the arm unit based on holding position information of the to-be-held object with a part of the robot hand in fixed state so as to move the movable portion and adjust the holding position of the robot hand relative to the to-be-held object.

15. The robot according to claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to move the arm unit based on holding position information of the to-be-held object with a part of the robot hand in fixed state so as to move the movable portion and adjust the holding position of the robot hand relative to the to-be-held object.

16. The robot according to claim 2,

wherein the movable portion comprises a link, and

wherein the arm unit is configured to move so as to move the link and adjust the holding position of the robot hand relative to the to-be-held object.

17. The robot according to claim 3,

wherein the movable portion comprises a link, and

wherein the arm unit is configured to move so as to move the link and adjust the holding position of the robot hand relative to the to-be-held object.

18. The robot according to claim 4,

wherein the movable portion comprises a link, and

wherein the arm unit is configured to move so as to move the link and adjust the holding position of the robot hand relative to the to-be-held object.

19. The robot according to claim 5,

wherein the movable portion comprises a link, and

wherein the arm unit is configured to move so as to move the link and adjust the holding position of the robot hand relative to the to-be-held object.

20. The robot according to claim 6,

wherein the movable portion comprises a link, and

wherein the arm unit is configured to move so as to move the link and adjust the holding position of the robot hand relative to the to-be-held object.

11. A robot hand mountable to a robot, the robot hand comprising:

a base mountable to the robot;

a movable portion supported by the base;

a holder disposed on the movable portion and configured to hold an object; and

a lock configured to fix the movable portion and release the movable portion out of fixed state, the lock being configured to, at a command from a control device, release at least a part of the movable portion out of fixed state while the holder is in a holding operation so as to permit the part of the movable portion to move by movement of the robot and to change a form of the part of the movable portion, the lock then being configured to fix the released part of the movable portion.

12. A method for adjusting a holding position of a robot hand, the method comprising:

fixing a part of the robot hand; and

moving an arm unit to which the robot hand is mounted with the part of the robot hand in fixed state so as to move a movable portion of the robot hand and adjust a holding position of the robot hand relative to a to-be-held object.