ROBOT CONTROL APPARATUS AND ROBOT SYSTEM

• US 20160303736A1
• Filed: 06/27/2016
• Published: 10/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: SETSUDA, Nobuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 9,950,425 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1602 characterised by the control system, structure, architecture
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39369 Host and robot controller and vision processing

Abstract

A robot control apparatus, which controls motions of an industrial robot based on processing results of an image processing apparatus which images the robot or objects around the robot, includes: a first communication unit which communicates with a computer for development as an external computer; a second communication unit which is connected to the image processing apparatus via a network; and a command processing unit which opens a communication port of the second communication unit and causes the second communication unit to start communication with the image processing apparatus via a server on the network in response to an open command received by the first communication unit.

Claims

1. A robot control apparatus which controls motions of a robot based on processing results of an image processing apparatus, the image processing apparatus imaging the robot or objects around the robot, the robot control apparatus comprising:

a first communication unit that is connected to an external computer;

a second communication unit that is connected to the image processing apparatus via a network; and

a command processing unit that is configured to process a command received by the first communication unit,

wherein when the first communication unit receives the command;

the command processing unit is configured to process the command; and

after the second communication unit receives the command, the second communication unit opens a communication port so as to generate a socket of the robot control apparatus, wherein the second communication unit communicates with the image processing apparatus by connecting to a server located in the network by using the socket.

2. The robot control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a data buffer that stores image processing data sent from the second communication unit every time the second communication unit receives the image processing data transmitted from the image processing apparatus and accumulates image processing data groups received over a plurality of times,

wherein when the first communication unit receives a reception request command, the command processing unit is configured to process the reception request command, and

when a first data volume of the image processing data groups stored in the data buffer is less than a second data volume designated by the external computer, the robot control apparatus requests the server to transmit additional image processing data so as to make the first data volume and the second data volume the same.

3. The robot control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first communication unit includes a slave device serving for the external computer as a host.

4. The robot control apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the first communication unit includes a slave device serving for the external computer as a host.

5. The robot control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first communication unit includes a USB device, and

wherein the second communication unit includes a LAN device.

6. The robot control apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the first communication unit includes a USB device, and

wherein the second communication unit includes a LAN device.

7. The robot control apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the first communication unit includes a USB device, and

wherein the second communication unit includes a LAN device.

8. The robot control apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the first communication unit includes a USB device, and

wherein the second communication unit includes a LAN device.

9. A robot system comprising:

an image processing apparatus that images a robot or objects around the robot; and

a robot control apparatus that is configured to control motions of the robot based on processing results of the image processing apparatus,

wherein the robot control apparatus includes;

a first communication unit that is connected to an external computer;

a second communication unit that is connected to the image processing apparatus via a network; and

a command processing unit that is configured to process a command received by the first communication unit, and

wherein when the first communication unit receives the command;

the command processing unit is configured to process the command; and

after the second communication unit receives the command, the second communication unit opens a communication port so as to generate a socket of the robot control apparatus, wherein the second communication unit communicates with the image processing apparatus by connecting to a server located in the network by using the socket.

10. The robot system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a data buffer that stores image processing data sent from the second communication unit every time the second communication unit receives the image processing data transmitted from the image processing apparatus and accumulates image processing data groups received over a plurality of times,

wherein when the first communication unit receives a reception request command, the command processing unit is configured to process the reception request command, and

when a first data volume of the image processing data groups stored in the data buffer is less than a second data volume designated by the external computer, the server transmits additional image processing data so as to make the first data volume and the second data volume the same.

11. The robot system according to claim 9,

wherein the first communication unit includes a slave device serving for the external computer as a host.

12. The robot system according to claim 10,

wherein the first communication unit includes a slave device serving for the external computer as a host.

13. The robot system according to claim 9,

wherein the first communication unit includes a USB device, and

wherein the second communication unit includes a LAN device.

14. The robot system according to claim 10,

wherein the first communication unit includes a USB device, and

wherein the second communication unit includes a LAN device.

15. The robot system according to claim 11,

wherein the first communication unit includes a USB device, and

wherein the second communication unit includes a LAN device.

16. The robot system according to claim 12,

wherein the first communication unit includes a USB device, and

wherein the second communication unit includes a LAN device.