ROBOT DEVICE

• US 20140046486A1
• Filed: 07/26/2013
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Mimura, Toshihiko, Arai, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 9,597,803 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/259
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/08 by means of sensing devices, e.g. viewing or touching devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/0433 having gripping members
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/023 including video camera means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0014 Image feed-back for automatic industrial control, e.g. robot with camera robots B25J19/023

Abstract

Provided is a small-sized robot device having high versatility without decreasing the work efficiency. The robot device includes: an arm; a hand or a tweezer tool that includes a stereo camera for measuring a three-dimensional position of a workpiece, the hand or the tweezer tool performing a work with respect to the workpiece whose three-dimensional position has been measured by the stereo camera; and a connection portion or a hand provided at a distal end of the arm, the connection portion or the hand releasably connecting the hand or the tweezer tool to the arm.

Claims

1. A robot device, comprising:

a robot arm;

an end effector including a stereo camera for measuring a three-dimensional position; and

a connector provided to a distal end of the robot arm, the connector releasably connecting the end effector to the robot arm.

2. A robot device according to claim 1,

wherein the end effector comprises an end work tool for performing a work, and

wherein the connector comprises a robot hand including multiple hand claws, the multiple hand claws being configured to grip the end work tool to connect the robot arm and the end work tool to each other.

3. A robot device according to claim 2, wherein the end work tool comprises multiple guide grooves for guiding the multiple hand claws to positions for connection to the robot hand.

4. A robot device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an image processing apparatus for measuring the three-dimensional position of a workpiece based on an image taken by the stereo camera; and

a cable hanger for hanging down an image transmission cable from a position above the robot arm, the image transmission cable transmitting a signal of information on the image taken by the stereo camera from the stereo camera to the image processing apparatus.

5. A robot device according to claim 2, further comprising an image processing apparatus for measuring the three-dimensional position of a workpiece based on an image taken by the stereo camera,

wherein the robot hand includes an image signal receiving terminal connected to the image processing apparatus via an image transmission cable arranged along the robot arm,

wherein the end work tool includes an image signal transmitting terminal that is connectable to the image signal receiving terminal and transmits a signal of information on the image taken by the stereo camera, and

wherein, when the robot arm and the end work tool are connected to each other through intermediation of the robot hand, the image signal transmitting terminal is connected to the image signal receiving terminal to transmit the signal of the information on the image taken by the stereo camera from the stereo camera to the image processing apparatus.

6. A robot device according to claim 5, further comprising a control apparatus configured to control the end work tool,

wherein the robot hand includes a control signal transmitting terminal connected to the control apparatus via a control cable arranged along the robot arm,

wherein the end work tool includes a control signal receiving terminal that is connectable to the control signal transmitting terminal, and

wherein, when the robot arm and the end work tool are connected to each other through intermediation of the robot hand, the control signal transmitting terminal is connected to the control signal receiving terminal to control the end work tool by the control apparatus.

7. A robot device according to claim 5, further comprising a power feeding apparatus configured to feed power for driving the end work tool,

wherein the robot hand includes a power feeding terminal connected to the power feeding apparatus via a power cable arranged along the robot arm,

wherein the end work tool includes a power receiving terminal that is connectable to the power feeding terminal, and

wherein, when the robot arm and the end work tool are connected to each other through intermediation of the robot hand, the power feeding terminal is connected to the power receiving terminal to feed the power to the end work tool.