Manipulator system

• US 8,826,766 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2013
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yaskawa Denki
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yaskawa Denki
• Inventors: Yasuda, Ken'ichi, Maeda, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kan, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US13/845,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20130213172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 700/248, 700/251, 700/263, 700/252, 318/568.2, 318/568.11, 228/102, 414/692, 414/222.03
• US Class Current: 74/490.05
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 17/00 Joints
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 18/00 Arms
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1674 characterised by safety, monitoring, diagnostic
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/00 Systems controlled by a computer G05B13/00, G05B19/00 take precedence; automatic controllers with particular characteristics G05B11/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/02 Arm motion controller
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/27 Arm part
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20329 Joint between elements

Abstract

From a desired wrist joint position and a desired elbow rotation angle, a temporary elbow joint position is calculated on the assumption that a distance between a shoulder joint and an elbow joint is fixed. The shoulder joint has a first axis, a second axis, and a third axis, and the elbow joint has a fourth axis. From the calculated temporary elbow joint position, temporary angles of the first and second axes or temporary angles of the first to fourth axes are determined. The temporary angles are corrected in accordance with at least one evaluation function calculated from the temporary angles.

Claims

1. A manipulator system comprising:

a first positioner and a second positioner configured to support a work object at respective opposite ends of the work object, the first positioner and the second positioner being configured to rotate the work object about an axis of rotation; and

a first robot mounted on top of the first positioner and a second robot mounted on top of the second positioner, the first robot and the second robot being configured to perform work operations on the work object in harmony with the rotation of the work object performed by the first positioner and the second positioner, the first robot and the second robot that are configured to perform work operations on the work object are directly center mounted on and rotatable around a vertical axis of an upper area the first positioner and the second positioner, respectively, that simultaneously are configured to support the work object during the work operations performed by the first robot and second robot, the first robot and the second robot each including;

a shoulder joint having a first axis, a second axis, and a third axis;

a wrist joint having a fifth axis, a sixth axis, and a seventh axis;

an elbow joint having a fourth axis;

an upper-arm link connected to the shoulder joint and the elbow joint;

a lower-arm link connected to the elbow joint and the wrist joint;

a shoulder reference point defining an intersection of the first axis of the shoulder joint and a straight line orthogonal to the first and second axes of the shoulder joint;

a wrist reference point a point at which the three axes of the wrist joint intersect;

an elbow reference point defining a coordinate origin of the fourth axis of the elbow joint;

a temporary elbow position calculator configured to calculate a temporary elbow position from a desired wrist reference point position and a desired elbow rotation angle based on the assumption that a distance between the shoulder reference point and the elbow reference point is fixed;

a temporary angle calculator configured to calculate temporary angles of at least the first and second axes from the temporary elbow position; and

wherein the temporary angles are corrected in accordance with at least one evaluation function calculated from the temporary angles.

2. The manipulator system according to claim 1, wherein as the evaluation function for correcting the temporary angles, a difference between the desired wrist reference point position and a wrist reference point position calculated from the temporary angles, and a difference between the desired elbow rotation angle and an elbow rotation angle calculated from the temporary angles are used.

3. The manipulator system according to claim 1, wherein a plane passing through three points, the shoulder reference point, the wrist reference point, and the elbow reference point, is defined as an elbow plane;

and

a difference between a direction cosine of an elbow plane calculated from the temporary angles and a direction cosine of a desired elbow plane is used as the evaluation function for correcting the temporary angles.

4. The manipulator system according to claim 1, wherein a process of correcting the temporary angles is repeated until the evaluation function becomes a predetermined value or less.

5. The manipulator system according to claim 1, wherein in a process of correcting the temporary angles, correction angles for the first to fourth axes are calculated using a Jacobian matrix representing a micro-displacement relation between each of the temporary angles of the first to fourth axes and the wrist reference point position, and between each of the temporary angles of the first to fourth axes and the elbow rotation angle.

9. The manipulator system according to claim 1, wherein the first robot and the second robot are welding robots each having a welding torch attached to a respective end thereof.

10. The manipulator system according to claim 1, wherein the first positioner and the second positioner are configured to rotate the work object about a longitudinal axis of the work object.

6. A manipulator system comprising:

a first positioner and a second positioner configured to support a work object at respective opposite ends of the work object, the first positioner and the second positioner being configured to rotate the work object about an axis of rotation; and

a first robot mounted on top of the first positioner and a second robot mounted on top of the second positioner, the first robot and the second robot being configured to perform work operations on the work object in harmony with the rotation of the work object performed by the first positioner and the second positioner, the first robot and the second robot that are configured to perform work operations on the work object are directly center mounted on and rotatable around a vertical axis of an upper area of the first positioner and the second positioner, respectively, that simultaneously are configured to support the work object during the work operations performed by the first robot and second robot, the first robot and the second robot each including;

a shoulder joint having a first axis, a second axis, and a third axis;

a wrist joint having a fifth axis, a sixth axis, and a seventh axis;

an elbow joint having a fourth axis;

an upper-arm link connected to the shoulder joint and the elbow joint; and

a lower-arm link connected to the elbow joint and the wrist joint,

wherein temporary angles of at least the first and second axes are corrected in accordance with at least one evaluation function; and

wherein the shoulder joint, the elbow joint, and the wrist joint for which the temporary angles have been corrected are controlled to perform work on the work object.

7. The manipulator system according to claim 6, wherein the first robot and the second robot are welding robots each having a welding torch attached to a respective end thereof.

8. The manipulator system according to claim 6, wherein the first positioner and the second positioner are configured to rotate the work object about a longitudinal axis of the work object.