Robot control apparatus and robot system

• US 9,950,425 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2016
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Setsuda, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US15/193,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20160303736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 700245, 700250, 700257, 700259, 3185681, 901 2, 901 4
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1602 characterised by the control system, structure, architecture
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39369 Host and robot controller and vision processing

Abstract

A robot control apparatus, which controls motions of an industrial robot based on processing results of an image processing apparatus which images the robot or objects around the robot, includes: a first communication unit which communicates with a computer for development as an external computer; a second communication unit which is connected to the image processing apparatus via a network; and a command processing unit which opens a communication port of the second communication unit and causes the second communication unit to start communication with the image processing apparatus via a server on the network in response to an open command received by the first communication unit.

Claims

1. A robot control apparatus which controls motions of a robot based on processing results of an image processing apparatus, the robot control apparatus comprising:

a first communication unit that is connected to an external computer, the first communication unit being configured to output an open command;

a second communication unit that is connected to the image processing apparatus with a communication port;

a data buffer that stores image processing data sent from the second communication unit ever time the second communication unit receives the image processing data transmitted from the image processing apparatus and accumulates image processing data groups received over a plurality of times;

a command processing unit that is configured to control the communication port of the second communication unit based on the open command and, the command processing unit being configured to communicate with the image processing apparatus; and

a socket management unit that is configured to receive an instruction corresponding to the open command from the command processing unit so as to open the communication port, the socket management unit being configured to connect the robot control apparatus to the image processing apparatus via a network by using a port number of the communication port, and the socket management unit being configured to obtain a volume of the image processing data groups stored in the data buffer.

2. The robot control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first communication unit includes a slave device serving for the external computer as a host.

3. The robot control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first communication unit includes a USB device, and

wherein the second communication unit includes a LAN device.

4. The robot control apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the first communication unit includes a USB device, and

wherein the second communication unit includes a LAN device.

5. A robot system comprising:

an image processing apparatus that sends image processing data; and

a robot control apparatus that is configured to control motions of a robot based on processing results of the image processing apparatus,

wherein the robot control apparatus includes;

a first communication unit that is connected to an external computer, the first communication unit being configured to output an open command;

a second communication unit that is connected to the image processing apparatus with a communication port;

a data buffer that stores image processing data sent from the second communication unit every time the second communication unit receives the image processing data transmitted from the image processing apparatus and accumulates image processing data groups received over a plurality of times;

a command processing unit that is configured to control the communication port of the second communication unit based on the open command, the command processing unit being configured to communicate with the image processing apparatus; and

a socket management unit that is configured to receive an instruction corresponding to the open command from the command processing unit so as to open the communication port, the socket management unit being configured to connect the robot control apparatus to the image processing apparatus via a network by using a port number of the communication port, and the socket management unit being configured to obtain a volume of the image processing data groups stored in the data buffer.

6. The robot system according to claim 5,

wherein the first communication unit includes a slave device serving for the external computer as a host.

7. The robot system according to claim 5,

wherein the first communication unit includes a USB device, and

wherein the second communication unit includes a LAN device.

8. The robot system according to claim 6,

wherein the first communication unit includes a USB device, and

wherein the second communication unit includes a LAN device.