CONTROL APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD FOR MASTER SLAVE ROBOT, ROBOT, CONTROL PROGRAM FOR MASTER SLAVE ROBOT, AND INTEGRATED ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT FOR CONTROL OF MASTER SLAVE ROBOT

• US 20150073595A1
• Filed: 09/02/2014
• Published: 03/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: FUDABA, Yudai, TSUSAKA, Yuko
• Granted Patent: US 9,335,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/259
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 3/04 involving servo mechanisms servo-actuated heads B25J15/02
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/08 Robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 Optical

Abstract

A control apparatus for a master slave robot causes a force information correcting unit to correct force information in accordance with a feature of a target object on a screen from target object information calculated by a target object information calculation unit. An operator can thus apply appropriate force while watching a picture projected on a display to perform a task.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for a master slave robot that includes a slave arm that performs an assembly task to a target object and a master arm manipulated by a person who remotely operates the slave arm, the person performing the assembly task using the master slave robot while watching a state of the assembly task imaged by an imaging device and displayed on a display unit,

the control apparatus comprising:

a force information acquiring unit that acquires force information on force externally applied to the slave arm;

a target object information calculation unit that calculates target object information on a color depth of the target object of the assembly task at the display unit displaying the assembly task;

a force information correcting unit that corrects the force information acquired from the force information acquiring unit in accordance with the target object information acquired from the target object information acquiring unit, to generate corrected force information; and

a force information presentation unit that presents, to the master slave robot, the corrected force information generated by the force information correcting unit.

2. The control apparatus for the master slave robot according to claim 1, wherein

the target object information calculation unit acquires imaged picture information at the display unit and calculates a color depth from the imaged picture information thus acquired, to obtain the target object information.

3. The control apparatus for the master slave robot according to claim 2, wherein

the target object information calculation unit detects brightness from the imaged picture information at the display unit and calculates a color depth assuming that a color with smaller brightness is deeper and a color with larger brightness is lighter, to obtain the target object information.

4. The control apparatus for the master slave robot according to claim 2, wherein

the target object information calculation unit converts the imaged picture information at the display unit into gray scale and calculates a color depth to obtain the target object information.

5. The control apparatus for the master slave robot according to claim 1, wherein

the force information correcting unit generates the corrected force information by correcting the force information acquired from the force information acquiring unit such that the force information is increased as the target object information on the color depth of the target object acquired from the target object information calculation unit indicates a deeper color.

6. The control apparatus for the master slave robot according to claim 1, further comprising:

a displayed information acquiring unit that acquires magnification percentage information on a picture at the display unit displaying the assembly task;

wherein

the force information correcting unit increases a corrected amount for correction of the force information acquired from the force information acquiring unit as the magnification percentage information acquired from the displayed information acquiring unit is larger.

7. The control apparatus for the master slave robot according to claim 6, wherein

the displayed information acquiring unit calculates, as the magnification percentage information, a magnification percentage for enlarged display of a state of the task by the slave arm on a screen of the display unit, and the force information correcting unit generates the corrected force information by correcting the force information in accordance with the calculated magnification percentage information.

8. The control apparatus for the master slave robot according to claim 1, wherein

the force information correcting unit corrects, when updating the force information in a predetermined period for correction of the force information, a period for updating the force information by extending or shortening the predetermined period.

9. The control apparatus for the master slave robot according to claim 1, wherein

the target object information calculation unit refers to correlation information between the task and a material of the target object or an assembling workload to the target object in accordance with identification information on the task, and calculates a material of the target object or an assembling workload to the target object.

10. The control apparatus for the master slave robot according to claim 2, wherein

the target object information calculation unit refers to correlation information between the task and a material of the target object or an assembling workload to the target object in accordance with identification information on the task, and calculates a material of the target object or an assembling workload to the target object.

11. The control apparatus for the master slave robot according to claim 3, wherein

the target object information calculation unit refers to correlation information between the task and a material of the target object or an assembling workload to the target object in accordance with identification information on the task, and calculates a material of the target object or an assembling workload to the target object.

12. The control apparatus for the master slave robot according to claim 4, wherein

the target object information calculation unit refers to correlation information between the task and a material of the target object or an assembling workload to the target object in accordance with identification information on the task, and calculates a material of the target object or an assembling workload to the target object.

13. A robot comprising:

the control apparatus for a master slave robot according to claim 1; and

the master slave arm.

14. A method of controlling a master slave robot that includes a slave arm that performs an assembly task to a target object and a master arm manipulated by a person who remotely operates the slave arm, the person performing the assembly task using the master slave robot while watching a state of the assembly task imaged by an imaging device and displayed on a display unit,

the method comprising:

acquiring, by a force information acquiring unit, force information on force externally applied to the slave arm;

calculating, by a target object information calculation unit, target object information on a color depth of the target object of the assembly task at the display unit displaying the assembly task;

correcting, by a force information correcting unit, the force information acquired from the force information acquiring unit in accordance with the target object information acquired from the target object information acquiring unit, to generate corrected force information; and

presenting to the master slave robot, by a force information presentation unit, the corrected force information generated by the force information correcting unit.

15. A computer-readable recording medium including a control program for a master slave robot that includes a slave arm that performs an assembly task to a target object and a master arm manipulated by a person who remotely operates the slave arm, the person performing the assembly task using the master slave robot while watching a state of the assembly task imaged by an imaging device and displayed on a display unit,

the program causing a computer to execute the steps of:

acquiring, by a force information acquiring unit, force information on force externally applied to the slave arm;

calculating, by a target object information calculation unit, target object information on a color depth of the target object of the assembly task at the display unit displaying the assembly task;

correcting, by a force information correcting unit, the force information acquired from the force information acquiring unit in accordance with the target object information acquired from the target object information acquiring unit, to generate corrected force information; and

presenting to the master slave robot, by a force information presentation unit, the corrected force information generated by the force information correcting unit.