Robot System, Robot, Robot Control Device, Robot Control Method, And Encoder

• US 20200132513A1
• Filed: 10/30/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: FUJISAWA, Akihiro
• Granted Patent: US 11,460,327 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/088 with position, velocity or acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/044 with forearm providing vertical linear movement
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1674 characterised by safety, monitoring, diagnostic
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2205/26 Details of encoders or position sensors specially adapted to detect rotation beyond a full turn of 360°, e.g. multi-rotation
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/04 using levers; using cams; using gearing
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/24485 using other sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2452 incorporating two or more tracks having an (n, n+1, ...) relationship
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/3473 Circular or rotary encoders

Abstract

A robot system includes: a robot having a main shaft gear attached to a rotary shaft of a drive unit, a first countershaft gear meshing with the main shaft gear, a second countershaft gear meshing with the main shaft gear, and a third countershaft gear meshing with the main shaft gear; and a main shaft phase output unit outputting a phase of the main shaft gear as a first main shaft phase. A phase of the main shaft gear is derived as a second main shaft phase, based on a phase of the first countershaft gear, a phase of the second countershaft gear, and a phase of the third countershaft gear. Processing to stop the drive unit is performed when the first main shaft phase and the second main shaft phase do not coincide with each other.

Claims

1. A robot system comprising:

a robot having a main shaft gear attached to a rotary shaft of a drive unit, a first countershaft gear meshing with the main shaft gear, a second countershaft gear meshing with the main shaft gear, and a third countershaft gear meshing with the main shaft gear; and

a main shaft phase output unit outputting a phase of the main shaft gear as a first main shaft phase, wherein

a phase of the main shaft gear is derived as a second main shaft phase, based on a phase of the first countershaft gear, a phase of the second countershaft gear, and a phase of the third countershaft gear, and

processing to stop the drive unit is performed when the first main shaft phase and the second main shaft phase do not coincide with each other.

2. The robot system according to claim 1, wherein

the processing is performed during a period until the robot starts moving after a power supply of the robot is turned on.

3. The robot system according to claim 1, further comprising

a first phase output unit outputting the phase of the first countershaft gear, wherein

as second processing,

an amount of change in the phase of the first countershaft gear is derived as an eleventh amount of change, based on the first main shaft phase outputted from the main shaft phase output unit,

an amount of change in the phase of the first countershaft gear outputted from the first phase output unit is derived as a twelfth amount of change, and

the drive unit is stopped when the eleventh amount of change and the twelfth amount of change do not coincide with each other, and

the second processing is performed after a first round of the processing is performed.

4. The robot system according to claim 3, further comprising:

a second phase output unit outputting the phase of the second countershaft gear; and

a third phase output unit outputting the phase of the third countershaft gear, wherein

the second processing further includes

deriving an amount of change in the phase of the second countershaft gear as a twenty-first amount of change, based on the first main shaft phase outputted from the main shaft phase output unit,

deriving an amount of change in the phase of the third countershaft gear as a thirty-first amount of change, based on the first main shaft phase outputted from the main shaft phase output unit,

deriving an amount of change in the phase of the second countershaft gear outputted from the second phase output unit, as a twenty-second amount of change,

deriving an amount of change in the phase of the third countershaft gear outputted from the third phase output unit, as a thirty-second amount of change,

stopping the drive unit when the twenty-first amount of change and the twenty-second amount of change do not coincide with each other, and

stopping the drive unit when the thirty-first amount of change and the thirty-second amount of change do not coincide with each other.

5. The robot system according to claim 3, wherein

the main shaft phase output unit outputs the first main shaft phase, based on a mathematical model.

6. The robot system according to claim 1, wherein

whether a predetermined condition is satisfied is determined after a first round of the first processing is performed, and

the first processing is performed when the predetermined condition is satisfied.

7. The robot system according to claim 6, wherein

the predetermined condition is that a predetermined passes.

8. The robot system according to claim 1, wherein

the robot further includes a fourth countershaft gear.

9. The robot system according to claim 1, wherein

the robot has a power shutoff unit shutting off electricity supply to the robot, and

the power shutoff unit shuts off the electricity supply to the robot when stopping the drive unit.

10. The robot system according to claim 1, wherein

the processing further includes

reporting information representing that the first main shaft phase and the second main shaft phase do not coincide with each other when the first main shaft phase and the second main shaft phase do not coincide with each other.

11. A robot control method for controlling a robot having a main shaft gear attached to a rotary shaft of a drive unit, a first countershaft gear meshing with the main shaft gear, a second countershaft gear meshing with the main shaft gear, and a third countershaft gear meshing with the main shaft gear, the method comprising:

outputting a phase of the main shaft gear as a first main shaft phase;

deriving a phase of the main shaft gear as a second main shaft phase, based on a phase of the first countershaft gear, a phase of the second countershaft gear, and a phase of the third countershaft gear; and

performing processing to stop the drive unit when the first main shaft phase and the second main shaft phase do not coincide with each other.

12. A robot system comprising:

an encoder having a main shaft gear, a first countershaft gear, a second countershaft gear, and a third countershaft gear;

a robot having the encoder;

a control unit; and

a main shaft phase output unit outputting a phase of the main shaft gear as a first main shaft phase, wherein

the control unit is configured to execute a command to perform third processing, and

the third processing includes

processing to derive a phase of the main shaft gear as a second main shaft phase, based on a phase of the first countershaft gear, a phase of the second countershaft gear, and a phase of the third countershaft gear, and

processing to stop the robot when the first main shaft phase and the second main shaft phase do not coincide with each other.