Robot system

• US 8,742,290 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2012
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yaskawa Denki
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yaskawa Denki
• Inventors: Oe, Yuki, Makino, Keiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Yuen, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chou, Jimmy
• Application Number:
  US13/369,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20120255938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 219/121.83, 219/121.67, 219/121.63, 219/121.68
• US Class Current: 219/124.22
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/08 Devices involving relative movement between laser beam and workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/082 Scanning systems, i.e. devices involving movement of the laser beam relative to the laser head
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0884 in at least in three axial directions, e.g. manipulators, robots
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1664 characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/41 Tool

Abstract

This robot system includes a robot, a laser emitting portion moved by the robot, emitting a laser beam to a target workpiece, and a control portion controlling the laser emitting portion to emit the laser beam on the basis of information regarding an arbitrarily-shaped work locus and movement information of the laser emitting portion.

Claims

1. A robot system comprising:

a robot;

a laser emitting portion moved by said robot, emitting a laser beam to a target workpiece;

a control portion controlling said laser emitting portion to emit said laser beam on the basis of information regarding an arbitrarily-shaped work path and movement information of said laser emitting portion; and

a teaching apparatus to teach an operation of said robot,

wherein said control portion is configured to control said laser emitting portion to emit said laser beam on the basis of said information regarding said arbitrarily-shaped work path prepared with a work path preparation device and said movement information of said laser emitting portion,

wherein said control portion is configured to control said laser emitting portion to emit said laser beam on the basis of said information regarding said arbitrarily-shaped work path prepared with an external device serving as said work path preparation device, different from said teaching apparatus and said movement information of said laser emitting portion,

wherein said teaching apparatus teaches a reference position and a reference direction of said arbitrarily-shaped work path prepared with said external device,

wherein said control portion is configured to acquire information regarding a position to be worked corresponding to said arbitrarily-shaped work path on the basis of said information regarding said arbitrarily-shaped work path and said reference position and said reference direction taught by said teaching apparatus, and control said laser emitting portion to emit said laser beam to acquired said position to be worked,

wherein said control portion is configured to determine whether or not a position to be worked corresponding to said arbitrarily-shaped work path is located in a working range to which said laser beam can be emitted from said laser emitting portion regardless of whether or not said laser emitting portion is moving, and control said laser emitting portion to emit said laser beam if said position to be worked is located in said working range,

wherein said laser emitting portion is configured to be moved by said robot on the basis of a first coordinate system based on said robot, and

wherein said control portion is configured to determine whether or not said position to be worked is located in said working range on the basis of a second coordinate system based on said laser emitting portion different from said first coordinate system regardless of whether or not said laser emitting portion is moving, and control said laser emitting portion to emit said laser beam if said position to be worked is located in said working range.

2. The robot system according to claim 1, wherein

said control portion is configured to control said laser emitting portion to emit said laser beam on the basis of said information regarding said arbitrarily-shaped work path prepared with said teaching apparatus serving as said work path preparation device and said movement information of said laser emitting portion.

3. The robot system according to claim 1, further comprising an acceptance portion accepting said information regarding said arbitrarily-shaped work path prepared with said external device, wherein

said control portion is configured to control said laser emitting portion to emit said laser beam on the basis of said information regarding said arbitrarily-shaped work path accepted by said acceptance portion and said movement information of said laser emitting portion.

4. The robot system according to claim 3, wherein

said acceptance portion includes a recording medium read portion capable of accepting said information regarding said arbitrarily-shaped work path prepared with said external device through a portable recording medium.

5. The robot system according to claim 3, wherein

said acceptance portion is provided on said teaching apparatus, and

said information regarding said arbitrarily-shaped work path can be acquired through said acceptance portion on the basis of an operation of said teaching apparatus.

6. The robot system according to claim 1, wherein

said external device includes an external information terminal.

7. The robot system according to claim 1, wherein

a shape of said arbitrarily-shaped work path includes a shape obtained by combining different types of lines.

8. The robot system according to claim 1, wherein,

said laser emitting portion includes a mirror member actuatable for emitting said laser beam to said target workpiece while changing a direction of said laser beam, and

said control portion is configured to control said laser emitting portion to emit said laser beam to said position to be worked along said arbitrarily-shaped work path while changing said direction of said laser beam by actuating said mirror member regardless of whether or not said laser emitting portion is moving.

9. The robot system according to claim 1, wherein said control portion is configured to determine whether or not a reference position of said arbitrarily-shaped work path is located in a prescribed range of said laser emitting portion when said laser emitting portion is moving, and start determining whether or not said position to be worked is located in said working range if said reference position is in said prescribed range.

10. The robot system according to claim 9, wherein

said prescribed range of said laser emitting portion is set to be smaller than said working range to which said laser beam can be emitted.

11. The robot system according to claim 1, wherein

said movement information of said laser emitting portion includes information regarding a current position of said laser emitting portion, and

said control portion is configured to transform said information regarding said arbitrarily-shaped work path and said information regarding said current position of said laser emitting portion both defined on the basis of said first coordinate system into said information regarding said arbitrarily-shaped work path and said information regarding said current position of said laser emitting portion both defined on the basis of said second coordinate system based on said current position of said laser emitting portion, and thereafter determine whether or not said position to be worked is located in said working range using said information regarding said arbitrarily-shaped work path and said information regarding said current position of said laser emitting portion both defined on the basis of said second coordinate system, and control said laser emitting portion to emit said laser beam if said position to be worked is located in said working range.

12. The robot system according to claim 1, wherein

said control portion is configured to move said working range to which said laser beam can be emitted by moving said laser emitting portion by said robot, and determine whether or not said position to be worked is located in said working range.

13. The robot system according to claim 9, wherein

said reference position of said arbitrarily-shaped work path includes a first reference point related to a working start position and a second reference point related to a working end position,

a reference direction of said arbitrarily-shaped work path is defined by a direction from said first reference point toward said second reference point, and

said control portion is configured to move said prescribed range of said laser emitting portion by moving said laser emitting portion along said reference direction by said robot, and determine whether or not said reference position is located in said prescribed range.

14. The robot system according to claim 1, wherein

said movement information of said laser emitting portion includes information regarding a current position of said laser emitting portion,

said laser emitting portion includes a mirror member actuatable for emitting said laser beam to said target workpiece while changing a direction of said laser beam, and

said control portion is configured to control said laser emitting portion to emit said laser beam to a position to be worked along said arbitrarily-shaped work path while changing said direction of said laser beam by actuating said mirror member on the basis of said information regarding said arbitrarily-shaped work path and said information regarding said current position of said laser emitting portion in motion.

15. The robot system according to claim 3, wherein

said acceptance portion is provided on said teaching apparatus,

said external device and said teaching apparatus are formed to be capable of communicating with each other, and

said information regarding said arbitrarily-shaped work path can be transmitted from said external device to said teaching apparatus provided with said acceptance portion to be acquired by said teaching apparatus.