Work robot

• US 8,930,025 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2007
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Takehiro Ishizaki
• Original Assignee: Takehiro Ishizaki
• Inventors: Ishizaki, Takehiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOYER, DALE S
• Application Number:
  US12/227,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20090234501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,784 Days
• Field of Search: 700/259, 382/153, 701/28, 901/47
• US Class Current: 700/259
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0014 Image feed-back for automatic industrial control, e.g. robot with camera robots B25J19/023
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30164 Workpiece; Machine component
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/74 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 Optical

Abstract

A work robot for executing a work for operating an object includes a robot body for capturing an image including the object. During a teach mode, the captured image is correlated with an operation content taught by an operator and held. During a work mode, the captured image is acquired, an image similar to the acquired image is searched, and the object is operated according to the operation content correlated with the image captured in the past which has been found as a result of the search.

Claims

1. A work robot which executes a work to operate a target object, the work robot comprising:

an image-capturing unit which captures an image including the target object;

a storage unit which stores, during teaching, an image captured by the image-capturing unit and an operation content taught by an operator in correlation to each other; and

a controlling unit which acquires, during work, an image captured by the image-capturing unit, searches the storage unit for an image which is similar to the acquired image, and operates the target object based on an operation content correlated to an image found from the storage unit as a result of the search;

wherein

the controlling unit creates information of a color included in an image captured by the image-capturing unit, and searches the storage unit for an image which is similar to the captured image by comparing information of a color difference between a pixel included in each image stored in the storage unit and a nearby pixel included in each image stored in the storage unit and the created information of a color difference between a pixel included in the captured image and a nearby pixel included in the captured image.

2. The work robot according to claim 1, further comprising

a movement unit which moves the work robot in at least one of a front and back direction and a left and right direction, wherein

the controlling unit compares the image found from the storage unit and the image captured by the image-capturing unit, and moves the work robot according to a result of the comparison.

3. The work robot according to claim 2, wherein the

controlling unit creates information of an angle of a line segment of an outline included in an image captured by the image-capturing unit, and searches the storage unit for the image which is similar to the captured image by comparing information of angles of line segments of outlines included in each image stored in the storage unit and the created information of the angles of the line segments of the outlines included in the captured image.

4. The work robot according to claim 3, wherein the image-capturing unit controls an image-capturing range according to movement or operation.

5. The work robot according to claim 3, wherein the controlling unit creates information of a color included in an image captured by the image-capturing unit, and searches the storage unit for an image which is similar to the captured image by comparing information of a color difference between a pixel included in each image stored in the storage unit and a nearby pixel and the created information of a color difference between a pixel included in the captured image and a nearby pixel.

6. The work robot according to claim 3, wherein

the controlling unit creates information of a color included in an image captured by the image-capturing unit, and searches the storage unit for an image which is similar to the captured image by comparing information of a color included in each image stored in the storage unit and the created information of the color included in the captured image.

7. The work robot according to claim 6, wherein the image-capturing unit controls an image-capturing range according to movement or operation.

8. The work robot according to claim 6, wherein the controlling unit creates information of a color included in an image captured by the image-capturing unit, and searches the storage unit for an image which is similar to the captured image by comparing information of a color difference between a pixel included in each image stored in the storage unit and a nearby pixel and the created information of a color difference between a pixel included in the captured image and a nearby pixel.

9. The work robot according to claim 1,

wherein the controlling unit creates information of an angle of a line segment of an outline included in an image captured by the image-capturing unit, and searches the storage unit for the image which is similar to the captured image by comparing information of angles of line segments of outlines included in each image stored in the storage unit and the created information of the angles of the line segments of the outlines included in the captured image.

10. The work robot according to claim 9,

wherein the controlling unit creates information of a color included in an image captured by the image-capturing unit, and searches the storage unit for an image which is similar to the captured image by comparing information of a color difference between a pixel included in each image stored in the storage unit and a nearby pixel and the created information of a color difference between a pixel included in the captured image and a nearby pixel.

11. The work robot according to claim 9, wherein the image-capturing unit controls an image-capturing range according to movement or operation.

12. The work robot according to claim 1, wherein the image-capturing unit controls an image-capturing range according to movement or operation.

13. The work robot according to claim 2, wherein the image-capturing unit controls an image-capturing range according to movement or operation.

14. A work robot system comprising:

a work robot which executes a work to operate a target object according to an instruction which is input from outside; and

an operation device which outputs an instruction to the work robot, wherein the operation device comprises;

an image-capturing unit which captures an image including the target object;

a storage unit which stores, during teaching, an image captured by the image-capturing unit and an operation content taught by an operator in correlation to each other; and

a controlling unit which acquires, during work, an image captured by the image-capturing unit, searches the storage unit for an image which is similar to the acquired image, and operates the target object based on an operation content correlated to an image found from the storage unit as a result of the search;

wherein

the controlling unit creates information of a color included in an image captured by the image-capturing unit, and searches the storage unit for an image which is similar to the captured image by comparing information of a color difference between a pixel included in each image stored in the storage unit and a nearby pixel included in each image stored in the storage unit and the created information of a color difference between a pixel included in the captured image and a nearby pixel included in the captured image.

15. The work robot system according to claim 14, wherein

the work robot comprises a unit which moves through autonomous movement and a sensor provided at an outer periphery of the work robot, and

when a detection result of the sensor satisfies a predetermined condition, a predetermined operation is executed regardless of an instruction from the operation device.