Operation line tracking device using sensor

• US 6,445,979 B1
• Filed: 11/06/2000
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fanuc Ltd (Fanuc Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fanuc Ltd (Fanuc Corporation)
• Inventors: Inoue, Toshihiko, Okuda, Mitsuhiro, Terada, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel, Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US09/705,885
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 700/79, 700/240, 700/245, 700/249, 700/252, 700/255, 700/258, 700/259, 700/251, 700/9, 318/574, 318/565, 318/568.24, 901/42, 901/46, 901/47, 901/3, 219/124.34, 219/125.11, 219/130.21, 701/28, 701/301, 702/179, 702/183
• US Class Current: 700/258
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1684 Tracking a line or surface by means of sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37009 Calibration of vision system, camera, adapt light level
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/4719 Line detector with laser beam, adjustable optical axis

Abstract

An operation line tracking device for a robot for performing an operation with a tool mounted on the robot while tracking an operation line using a sensor wherein a detection failure of the sensor is restored by automatically changing or resetting a detecting condition of the sensor when the sensor fails in detecting the operation line. If a detection failure occurs for a cause of excessive or too small quantity of light impinged on light receiving elements of a laser sensor, a laser output intensity is automatically changed. If a detection failure occurs for a cause of basing of the quantity of the impinged light, an orientation of the laser sensor is automatically adjusted. If a detection failure occurs for a cause of biasing of position of the operation line in the visual field of the laser sensor, the position of the laser sensor is automatically adjusted. If a detection failure occurs for a cause of detection of an unexpected line, an algorithm for detecting the operation line is replaced with another one. Thus, the detecting condition is automatically changed or reset in accordance with the cause of the detection failure, and the tracking operation of the robot is automatically restarted.

Claims

1. An operation line tracking device for a robot to perform an operation with a tool mounted on the robot while moving the tool along an operation line formed on an object of operation, said device comprising:

a detector to detect a position of the operation line, said detector detecting the position of the line by using a sensor mounted on the robot;

detecting condition information according to which the detector detects the operation line;

observing means to observe a detection state of said device detecting the operation line with said detector; and

detecting condition changing means to automatically adapt said detecting condition information in accordance with the detection state observed by said observing means, said detector further detecting the line according to the adapted detecting condition information.

2. A tracking device for a robot according to claim 1, further comprising a display device for displaying an alarm message when said detector fails in detecting the operation line for a predetermined time or times under the changed or reset detecting condition.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the detecting condition information comprises at least one of detector position information, detector orientation information, and detector algorithm information.

4. An operation line tracking device for a robot to perform an operation with a tool mounted on the robot while moving the tool along an operation line formed on an object of operation, said device comprising:

a detector to detect a position of the operation line using a sensor mounted on said robot under a preset detecting condition;

operation stopping means to stop the operation of the robot and the detection of the operation line by said detector when said detector fails to detect the operation line;

detecting condition changing means to change or reset the preset detecting condition of said detector after the detection of the operation line is stopped; and

operation restarting means to restart the detection of the operation line under the changed or reset detecting condition, and restart the operation of the robot when said detector succeeds in detecting the operation line under the changed or reset detecting condition.

5. An operation line tracking device for a robot according to claim 4, wherein the sensor of said detector comprises a laser sensor operating under a preset laser output intensity, said detecting condition changing means changes or resets the preset laser output intensity of said laser sensor.

6. An operation line tracking device for a robot according to claim 4, wherein said detecting condition changing means changes or resets a detecting orientation and/or a detecting position of said sensor with respect to the object of operation.

7. An operation line tracking device for a robot according to claim 4, wherein said detector detects a position of the operation line using a preset operation line detection program, and said detecting condition changing means changes or resets the preset operation line detection program for another operation line detection program.

8. An operation line tracking device for a robot according to claim 7, wherein said detecting condition changing means has a memory storing operation line detection program s with different detection algorithms, and selects one of the operation line detection programs as the preset operation line detecting condition and selects an operation line detection program other than the preset operation line detection program after the detection of the operation line is stopped.

9. An operation line tracking device for a robot according to claim 4, wherein said sensor of said detector comprises a visual sensor for sensing an image of the object of operation within a preset visual field and said detecting condition changing means changes or resets the preset visual field of said visual sensor.

10. An operation line tracking device for a robot according to claim 9, wherein said sensor has a laser beam scanner for scanning a preset scanning region on the object of operation, said detecting condition changing means changes or resets the visual field by changing the preset scanning region.

11. A tracking device for a robot according to claim 4, wherein said operation restarting means sets a restarting position of the operation of the robot to a position different form the stopped position of the operation of the robot.

12. A tracking device for a robot according to claim 4, further comprising a display device for displaying an alarm message when said detector fails in detecting the operation line for a predetermined time or times under the changed or reset detecting condition.

13. A tracking device for a robot according to claim 12, further comprising storage means for storing at least one of information on the occurrence of the detection failure, the stop position of the operation of the robot, the detecting conditions before and after the changing or resetting of the detecting condition when the detection of the operation line is restarted, wherein the information stored in said memory is displayed on said display device.

14. An operation line tracking device for a robot to perform an operation with a tool mounted on the robot while moving the tool along an operation line formed on an object of operation, said device comprising:

a detector to detect a position of the operation line, said detector detecting the position of the line by using a sensor and detecting according to detecting condition information;

analyzing means to analyze a cause of a detection failure when said detector fails in detecting the operation line by using the sensor; and

detecting condition changing means to automatically adapt the detecting condition information in accordance with the cause of the detection failure analyzed by said analyzing means, said detector further detecting the line according to the adapted detecting condition information.

15. A tracking device for a robot according to claim 14, further comprising a display device for displaying an alarm message when said detector fails in detecting the operation line for a predetermined time or times under the changed or reset detecting condition.

16. The device according to claim 14, wherein the detecting condition information comprises at least one of detector position information, detector orientation information, and detector algorithm information.

17. An operation line tracking device for a robot to perform an operation with a tool mounted on the robot while moving the tool along an operation line formed on an object of operation, said device comprising:

a detector to detect a position of the operation line with a sensor under a preset detecting condition;

operation stopping means to stop the robot operation and the detection of the operation line when said detector fails in detecting the operation line;

analyzing means to analyze a cause of the detection failure;

detecting condition changing means to change or reset the preset detecting condition in accordance with the cause of the detection failure analyzed by said analyzing means; and

operation restarting means to restart the detection of the operation line with the changed or reset detecting condition and restart the operation of the robot when said detector succeeds in detecting the operation line under the changed or reset detecting condition.

18. A tracking device for a robot according to claim 17, wherein said operation restarting means sets a restarting position of the operation of the robot to a position different from the stopped position of the operation of the robot.

19. A tracking device for a robot according to claim 17, further comprising a display device wherein said detecting condition changing means make display an alarm message when said detector fails in detecting the operation line for a predetermined time or times under the changed or reset detecting condition on said display device.

20. A tracking device for a robot according to claim 19, further comprising storage means for storing at least one of information on the occurrence of the detection failure, the stop position of the operation of the robot, the detecting conditions before and after the changing or resetting of the detecting condition when the detection of the operation line is restarted, wherein the information stored in said memory is displayed on said display device.

21. An operation line tracking device for a robot to perform an operation with a tool mounted on the robot while moving the tool along an operation line formed on an object of operation, said device comprising:

a detector detecting a position of the operation line using a sensor mounted on said robot under a preset detecting condition;

an operation stopping unit stopping the operation of the robot and the detection of the operation line by said detector when said detector fails to detect the operation line;

a detecting condition changing unit changing or resetting the preset detecting condition of said detector after the detection of the operation line is stopped; and

an operation restarting unit restarting the detection of the operation line under the changed or reset detecting condition, and restarting the operation of the robot when said detector succeeds in detecting the operation line under the changed or reset detecting condition.

22. An operation line tracking device for a robot to perform an operation with a tool mounted on the robot while moving the tool along an operation line formed on an object of operation, said device comprising:

a detector detecting a position of the operation line with a sensor under a preset detecting condition;

an operation stopping unit stopping the robot operation and the detection of the operation line when said detector fails in detecting the operation line;

an analyzing unit analyzing a cause of the detection failure;

a detecting condition changing unit changing or resetting the preset detecting condition in accordance with the cause of the detection failure analyzed by said analyzing unit; and

an operation restarting unit restarting the detection of the operation line with the changed or reset detecting condition and restarting the operation of the robot when said detector succeeds in detecting the operation line under the changed or reset detecting condition.

23. An operation line tracking method for a robot to perform an operation with a tool mounted on the robot while moving the tool along an operation line formed on an object of operation, said method comprising:

detecting a position of the operation line using a sensor mounted on said robot under a preset detecting condition;

stopping the operation of the robot and the detection of the operation line when said detecting fails to detect the operation line;

automatically changing or resetting the preset detecting condition after the detection of the operation line is stopped; and

restarting the detection of the operation line under the changed or reset detecting condition, and restarting the operation of the robot when said detecting succeeds in detecting the operation line under the changed or reset detecting condition.

24. An operation line tracking method for a robot to perform an operation with a tool mounted on the robot while moving the tool along an operation line formed on an object of operation, said method comprising:

detecting a position of the operation line with a sensor under a preset detecting condition;

stopping the robot operation and the detection of the operation line when said detecting fails in detecting the operation line;

analyzing a cause of the detection failure;

automatically changing or resetting the preset detecting condition in accordance with the cause of the detection failure analyzed by said analyzing; and

restarting the detection of the operation line with the changed or reset detecting condition and restarting the operation of the robot when said detector succeeds in detecting the operation line under the changed or reset detecting condition.

25. An operation line tracking device for a robot to perform an operation with a tool mounted on the robot while moving the tool along an operation line formed on an object of operation, said device comprising:

a detector detecting a position of the operation line, said detector detecting the position of the line by using a sensor mounted on the robot;

detecting condition information according to which the detector detects the operation line;

an observing unit observing a detection state of said device detecting the operation line with said detector; and

a detecting condition changing unit automatically adapting said detecting condition information in accordance with the detection state observed by said observing unit, said detector further detecting the line according to the adapted detecting condition information.

26. An operation line tracking device for a robot to perform an operation with a tool mounted on the robot while moving the tool along an operation line formed on an object of operation, said device comprising:

a detector detecting a position of the operation line, said detector detecting the position of the line by using a sensor and detecting according to detecting condition information;

an analyzing unit analyzing a cause of a detection failure when said detector fails in detecting the operation line by using the sensor; and

a detecting condition changing unit automatically adapting the detecting condition information in accordance with the cause of the detection failure analyzed by said analyzing means, said detector further detecting the line according to the adapted detecting condition information.

27. An operation line tracking method for a robot to perform an operation with a tool mounted on the robot while moving the tool along an operation line formed on an object of operation, said method comprising:

detecting a position of the operation line by using a sensor mounted on the robot and according to detecting condition information;

observing a state of said detecting the operation line; and

automatically adapting said detecting condition information in accordance with the observed detecting state, and further detecting the line according to the adapted detecting condition information.

28. An operation line tracking method for a robot to perform an operation with a tool mounted on the robot while moving the tool along an operation line formed on an object of operation, said method comprising:

detecting a position of the operation line by using a sensor and detecting according to detecting condition information;

analyzing a cause of a detection failure when said detecting fails to detect the operation line; and

automatically adapting the detecting condition information in accordance with the cause of the analyzed detection failure, and further detecting the line according to the adapted detecting condition information.

29. A method, comprising:

failing to automatically detect a robotic tracking line on a surface as a result of a change to a physical stimulus being electronically sensed; and

automatically adapting the automatic detecting of the robotic tracking line responsive to the changed physical stimulus.

30. A method, comprising:

failing to automatically detect a robotic tracking line on a surface as a result of a change in a physical condition that changes a physical stimulus being electronically sensed, the changed physical condition comprising at least a changed arrangement of the surface, a changed reflectivity of the surface, or any other changed physical condition that alters the physical stimulus; and

successfully automatically detecting the operation line by automatically adapting the automatic detecting responsive to electronically sensing the changed physical stimulus.