CN108656115B - Control method of joint speed reducer of joint type robot - Google Patents

Control method of joint speed reducer of joint type robot Download PDF

Info

Publication number
CN108656115B
CN108656115B CN201810475495.1A CN201810475495A CN108656115B CN 108656115 B CN108656115 B CN 108656115B CN 201810475495 A CN201810475495 A CN 201810475495A CN 108656115 B CN108656115 B CN 108656115B
Authority
CN
China
Prior art keywords
speed reducer
data
output end
input end
current transmission
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Active
Application number
CN201810475495.1A
Other languages
Chinese (zh)
Other versions
CN108656115A (en
Inventor
黄云汉
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to CN201810475495.1A priority Critical patent/CN108656115B/en
Publication of CN108656115A publication Critical patent/CN108656115A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CN108656115B publication Critical patent/CN108656115B/en
Active legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

Links

Images

Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25JMANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J9/00Programme-controlled manipulators
    • B25J9/16Programme controls
    • B25J9/1656Programme controls characterised by programming, planning systems for manipulators
    • B25J9/1669Programme controls characterised by programming, planning systems for manipulators characterised by special application, e.g. multi-arm co-operation, assembly, grasping
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25JMANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J13/00Controls for manipulators
    • B25J13/08Controls for manipulators by means of sensing devices, e.g. viewing or touching devices

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Robotics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
  • Prostheses (AREA)
  • Manipulator (AREA)

Abstract

The invention relates to a control method of a joint speed reducer of a joint type robot, which comprises the following steps: acquiring displacement data of an input end and an output end of a speed reducer in real time; analyzing displacement data of an input end and an output end of the speed reducer in real time to obtain current transmission ratio data, current transmission gap data and abrasion loss data of the speed reducer; and adjusting the driving power of the speed reducer according to the current transmission ratio of the speed reducer, the current transmission clearance data and the abrasion loss data of the speed reducer so as to adapt the driving power of the speed reducer to the current working state of the speed reducer. The invention not only can avoid using a high-cost speed reducer, but also can realize real-time accurate control on the speed reducer, thereby ensuring that the speed reducer keeps high stability and high precision positioning.

Description

Control method of joint speed reducer of joint type robot
Technical Field
The invention relates to the technical field of electromechanics, in particular to a control method of a joint speed reducer of a joint type robot.
Background
In the prior art, a power execution device such as a servo motor or a stepping motor drives a high-precision speed reducer such as a harmonic speed reducer or an RV speed reducer to achieve the purpose of high-precision positioning of a joint of an articulated robot, wherein the speed reduction ratio of the speed reducer needs to be preset as a constant in a driving program of the articulated robot. Although this method can achieve the technical object of high-precision positioning to some extent, it has the following disadvantages:
the cost of the high-precision speed reducer is very high, the price of the articulated robot is directly high, and the high-precision robot is indirectly difficult to popularize and apply in small and micro manufacturing enterprises.
Secondly, the speed reducer is required to have enough precision and a tiny transmission gap, but the precision is lost after the speed reducer is worn, so that the purpose of high-precision positioning cannot be realized.
The mode can not control and adjust according to the actual situation in the application process, so that the method can not meet the requirements of intellectualization and informatization of the automation equipment in the future, and is easy to generate positioning deviation and even errors when a mechanical part is replaced, updated and upgraded and a tool is changed.
Disclosure of Invention
In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling a joint speed reducer of an articulated robot, which can not only avoid using a high-cost speed reducer, but also realize real-time accurate control of the speed reducer, so as to maintain high stability and high precision positioning of the speed reducer.
In order to achieve the purpose, the invention adopts the following technical scheme: a method for controlling a joint reducer of a joint robot, comprising: acquiring displacement data of an input end and an output end of a speed reducer in real time; analyzing the displacement data of the input end and the output end of the speed reducer in real time to obtain the current transmission ratio data, the current transmission gap data and the abrasion loss data of the speed reducer; and adjusting the driving power of the speed reducer according to the current transmission ratio of the speed reducer, the current transmission clearance data and the abrasion loss data of the speed reducer so as to adapt the driving power of the speed reducer to the current working state of the speed reducer.
The real-time analysis of the displacement data of the input end and the output end of the speed reducer is used for obtaining the current transmission ratio data and the current transmission gap data of the speed reducer and the abrasion loss data of the speed reducer, and the real-time analysis of the displacement data of the input end and the output end of the speed reducer specifically comprises the following contents: acquiring the running state of the speed reducer according to the displacement data of the input end and the output end of the speed reducer, and calculating and acquiring the current transmission ratio of the speed reducer according to the ratio of the displacement data of the input end and the displacement data of the output end of the speed reducer when the speed reducer runs directionally and continuously; when the running direction of the speed reducer is changed, the input end displacement data corresponding to the time when the output end of the speed reducer has no displacement is obtained, and the current transmission gap data of the speed reducer is obtained; and comparing the current transmission gap data of the speed reducer with preset initial transmission gap data to obtain abrasion loss data.
The control method of the joint speed reducer further comprises the following steps: the method comprises the steps of collecting temperature data of an input end and an output end of the speed reducer in real time, analyzing the temperature data respectively, and when the temperature data exceed a preset temperature, alarming and/or cooling the speed reducer.
The invention also adopts the following technical scheme: a control device for a joint reducer of an articulated robot includes: the microcomputer control system, the input end rotation angle sensor and the output end rotation angle sensor; the input end rotation angle sensor detects input end displacement data of the speed reducer in real time and sends the input end displacement data to the microcomputer control system in real time; the output end rotation angle sensor detects the output end displacement data of the speed reducer in real time and sends the output end displacement data to the microcomputer control system in real time; and the microcomputer control system adjusts the driving power of the speed reducer according to the input end displacement data and the output end displacement data.
The microcomputer control system drives the speed reducer through a driver.
The speed reducer comprises a power execution device and a speed reducer, the power execution device is electrically connected with the driver, one end of the power execution device is connected with the input end rotation angle sensor, the other end of the power execution device is connected with one end of the speed reducer, and the other end of the speed reducer is connected with the output end rotation angle sensor.
The control device of the joint speed reducer further comprises an input end temperature sensor and an output end temperature sensor, wherein the input end temperature sensor collects input end temperature data of the speed reducer in real time and sends the input end temperature data to the microcomputer control system in real time, and the output end temperature sensor collects output end temperature data of the speed reducer in real time and sends the output end temperature data to the microcomputer control system in real time.
The control device of the joint speed reducer also comprises a network big data server which performs information interaction with the microcomputer control system.
Due to the adoption of the technical scheme, the invention has the following advantages: 1. according to the invention, the driving power of the speed reducer is adjusted by collecting and analyzing the displacement data of the input end and the output end of the speed reducer in real time, so that the driving power of the speed reducer is adapted to the current working state of the speed reducer, and further, the speed reducer with high cost can be avoided, and the real-time accurate control on the speed reducer can be realized, so that the speed reducer is kept in high stability and high precision positioning. 2. The invention can directly and greatly reduce the price of the articulated robot by using a common low-cost speed reducer, thereby enabling a plurality of small and miniature enterprises to popularize the articulated robot to carry out flexible and unmanned production. 3. The invention does not need to preset the reduction ratio as a constant in the driving program of the articulated robot, not only reduces the complexity of the driving program, but also ensures that the driving program can be automatically suitable for the speed reducers with different specification parameters. 4. According to the invention, the current data such as the transmission clearance of the speed reducer can be obtained by analyzing the displacement data of the input end and the output end of the speed reducer, and adjustment or data compensation is carried out according to the data such as the transmission clearance, so that the specification requirement on the speed reducer is reduced, and the cost of the speed reducer is further reduced. 5. By setting data sharing or interaction, the invention can realize remote information monitoring, remote debugging, diagnosis, maintenance reservation and service life prejudgment of the speed reducer, and assist users or manufacturers to improve the product performance. The invention has simple design mechanism, novel design method and low cost, can meet the requirements of intellectualization and informatization of automation equipment in the future and can be widely applied to the technical field of electromechanics.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a control device for a joint reducer of an articulated robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Detailed Description
The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.
The embodiment of the invention provides a control method of a joint speed reducer of a joint type robot, which comprises the following steps:
step 1, acquiring displacement data of an input end and an output end of a speed reducer in real time;
step 2, analyzing displacement data of an input end and an output end of the speed reducer in real time to obtain current transmission ratio data and current transmission gap data of the speed reducer and abrasion loss data of the speed reducer;
and 3, adjusting the driving power of the speed reducer according to the current transmission ratio, the current transmission gap data and the abrasion loss data of the speed reducer so as to enable the driving power of the speed reducer to adapt to the current working state of the speed reducer.
Through the control method of the joint speed reducer of the joint robot provided by the embodiment, the current working parameter data of the speed reducer can be acquired in real time, and the driving force power of the speed reducer is adjusted in real time according to the current working parameter data, so that the driving force adapts to the working state of the current speed reducer, thus closed-loop control is formed, the output of the speed reducer is kept in a high-stability controllable state, and even a good high-precision stable output is kept under the condition of mechanical wear.
In order to make those skilled in the art better understand the present invention, a more detailed embodiment is described below, and an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for controlling a joint reducer of an articulated robot, including:
step 2, comparing and analyzing the displacement data of the input end and the output end of the speed reducer in real time to obtain the current transmission ratio data and the current transmission gap data of the speed reducer and the abrasion loss data of the speed reducer, and specifically comprising the following contents:
acquiring the running state of the speed reducer according to the displacement data of the input end and the output end of the speed reducer, and calculating and acquiring the current transmission ratio of the speed reducer according to the ratio of the displacement data of the input end and the displacement data of the output end of the speed reducer when the speed reducer runs directionally and continuously; for clarity, for example, when the clockwise direction is a positive direction, the displacement data is a positive value, the counterclockwise direction is a negative direction, the displacement data is a negative value, when the speed reducer continuously operates in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction, the displacement data corresponds to continuous positive value accumulation or negative value accumulation, that is, the operating state of the speed reducer can be obtained according to the displacement data, and whether the speed reducer continuously operates in the directional direction or has a change of the operating direction, that is, the clockwise direction is changed into the counterclockwise direction, or the counterclockwise direction is changed into the clockwise direction;
when the running direction of the speed reducer is changed, the displacement of the output end of the speed reducer cannot be immediately changed along with the displacement of the input end, but the displacement of the output end of the speed reducer has time lag, the invention utilizes the time lag to calculate the transmission clearance, and specifically comprises the following steps: when the running direction of the speed reducer is changed, the input end displacement data corresponding to the period of time when the output end of the speed reducer does not displace is the current transmission gap data of the speed reducer;
meanwhile, with the prolonging of the service life, the transmission clearance is increased due to abrasion, and abrasion amount data is acquired by comparing the current transmission clearance data of the speed reducer acquired in real time with the preset initial transmission clearance data.
In order to obtain a temperature change of a reducer during operation in real time, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for controlling a joint reducer of a joint robot, further including: the temperature data of the input end and the output end of the speed reducer are collected in real time, the temperature data are analyzed, and when the temperature data exceed the preset temperature, alarming and/or cooling treatment on the speed reducer can be adopted.
In order to realize remote information monitoring, diagnosis, maintenance reservation, service life prediction of a speed reducer and assist a user or a manufacturer in improving product performance, the control method of the joint speed reducer of the joint robot provided by the embodiment of the invention further comprises the following steps:
the displacement data of the input end and the output end of the speed reducer, the current transmission ratio, the current transmission gap data and the abrasion loss data of the speed reducer in the process are shared to a network big data server, the network big data server displays the data, an operator analyzes the displacement data, the current transmission ratio, the current transmission gap data and the abrasion loss data of the speed reducer at the input end and the output end of the speed reducer, the driving power data of the speed reducer before and after adjustment, and when the driving power data of the speed reducer after adjustment is not consistent with the driving power data of the speed reducer analyzed manually, the driving power data or the driving power compensation code data of the speed reducer can be manually input to the network big data server and transmitted to the speed reducer through the network big data server, thereby controlling the running state of the speed reducer.
In order to further know the running state or the working state of the speed reducer, the temperature data of the input end and the output end of the speed reducer are collected in real time and are shared to the network big data server at the same time, and the temperature data are displayed through the network big data server;
meanwhile, the network big data server analyzes the data of the operation angle rule, the intensive movement angle region and the working time rule according to the displacement data of the input end and the output end of the speed reducer collected in real time, and displays the data so that an operator can know the data in real time.
As shown in fig. 1, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a control device for a joint reducer of a joint robot, including: the system comprises a microcomputer control system 1, an input end rotation angle sensor 2 and an output end rotation angle sensor 3;
the microcomputer control system 1 drives the speed reducer 4 according to an externally input rotation angle instruction, the input end rotation angle sensor 2 detects input end displacement data of the speed reducer 4 in real time, and the input end displacement data of the speed reducer 4 is sent to the microcomputer control system 1 in real time; the output end rotation angle sensor 3 detects the output end displacement data of the speed reducer 4 in real time and sends the output end displacement data of the speed reducer 4 to the microcomputer control system 1 in real time;
the microcomputer control system 1 receives the input end displacement data and the output end displacement data of the speed reducer 4 in real time, and adjusts the driving power of the speed reducer 4 according to the input end displacement data and the output end displacement data of the speed reducer 4, so that the driving power of the speed reducer 4 is adapted to the current working state of the speed reducer 4.
In a preferred embodiment, in order to know the working temperature data of the speed reducer 4 in real time, the control device of the joint speed reducer of the articulated robot according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes an input end temperature sensor and an output end temperature sensor, the input end temperature sensor collects the input end temperature data of the speed reducer 4 in real time and sends the input end temperature data to the microcomputer control system 1 in real time, and the output end temperature sensor collects the output end temperature data of the speed reducer 4 in real time and sends the output end temperature data to the microcomputer control system 1 in real time.
In a preferred embodiment, in order to realize remote information monitoring, remote debugging, diagnosis, maintenance reservation, and assistance for users or manufacturers to improve product performance, the control device of the joint reducer of the articulated robot of the present invention further includes a network big data server 5 for information interaction with the microcomputer control system 1.
In a preferred embodiment, to further achieve precise control of the reducer 4, the microcomputer control system 1 drives the reducer 4 through a driver 6.
In a preferred embodiment, the speed reducer 4 comprises a power actuator 41 and a speed reducer 42, the power actuator 41 is electrically connected to the driver 6, one end of the power actuator 41 is connected to the input end rotation angle sensor 2, the other end of the power actuator 41 is connected to one end of the speed reducer 42, and the other end of the speed reducer 42 is connected to the output end rotation angle sensor 3.
As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of the present invention may be provided as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, and the like) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.
The present invention is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.
The principle and the implementation mode of the invention are explained by applying specific embodiments in the invention, and the description of the embodiments is only used for helping to understand the method and the core idea of the invention; meanwhile, for a person skilled in the art, according to the idea of the present invention, there may be variations in the specific embodiments and the application scope, and in summary, the content of the present specification should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

Claims (2)

1. A method for controlling a joint reducer of a joint robot, comprising:
acquiring displacement data of an input end and an output end of a speed reducer in real time;
analyzing the displacement data of the input end and the output end of the speed reducer in real time to obtain the current transmission ratio data, the current transmission gap data and the abrasion loss data of the speed reducer;
adjusting the driving power of the speed reducer according to the current transmission ratio of the speed reducer, the current transmission gap data and the abrasion loss data of the speed reducer so as to enable the driving power of the speed reducer to adapt to the current working state of the speed reducer;
the real-time analysis of the displacement data of the input end and the output end of the speed reducer is used for obtaining the current transmission ratio data and the current transmission gap data of the speed reducer and the abrasion loss data of the speed reducer, and the real-time analysis of the displacement data of the input end and the output end of the speed reducer specifically comprises the following contents:
acquiring the running state of the speed reducer according to the displacement data of the input end and the output end of the speed reducer, and calculating and acquiring the current transmission ratio of the speed reducer according to the ratio of the displacement data of the input end and the displacement data of the output end of the speed reducer when the speed reducer runs directionally and continuously;
when the running direction of the speed reducer is changed, obtaining the current transmission gap data of the speed reducer according to the input end displacement data corresponding to the time when the output end of the speed reducer has no displacement;
and comparing the current transmission gap data of the speed reducer with preset initial transmission gap data to obtain abrasion loss data.
2. The method of controlling a joint reducer of an articulated robot according to claim 1, further comprising:
the temperature data of the input end and the output end of the speed reducer are collected in real time and are analyzed respectively, and when the temperature data of the input end and/or the temperature data of the output end exceed a preset temperature, an alarm is given and/or the speed reducer is cooled.
CN201810475495.1A 2018-05-17 2018-05-17 Control method of joint speed reducer of joint type robot Active CN108656115B (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN201810475495.1A CN108656115B (en) 2018-05-17 2018-05-17 Control method of joint speed reducer of joint type robot

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN201810475495.1A CN108656115B (en) 2018-05-17 2018-05-17 Control method of joint speed reducer of joint type robot

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
CN108656115A CN108656115A (en) 2018-10-16
CN108656115B true CN108656115B (en) 2021-04-27

Family

ID=63776618

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CN201810475495.1A Active CN108656115B (en) 2018-05-17 2018-05-17 Control method of joint speed reducer of joint type robot

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CN (1) CN108656115B (en)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN117798884A (en) * 2022-09-23 2024-04-02 Oppo广东移动通信有限公司 Driving device and robot having the same

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN1605440A (en) * 2004-07-08 2005-04-13 北京理工大学 Double closed-loop control system for robot joint
CN105773604A (en) * 2015-01-08 2016-07-20 发那科株式会社 Robot control device
CN106063090A (en) * 2014-03-06 2016-10-26 索尼公司 Actuator and robot arm apparatus
JP2017177255A (en) * 2016-03-29 2017-10-05 ソニー株式会社 Control device and control method
CN107538494A (en) * 2016-06-29 2018-01-05 沈阳新松机器人自动化股份有限公司 A kind of robot control method and system based on torque sensor and encoder
CN107738268A (en) * 2017-11-20 2018-02-27 河北工业大学 A kind of stiffness variable flexible joint based on leverage

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN1605440A (en) * 2004-07-08 2005-04-13 北京理工大学 Double closed-loop control system for robot joint
CN106063090A (en) * 2014-03-06 2016-10-26 索尼公司 Actuator and robot arm apparatus
CN105773604A (en) * 2015-01-08 2016-07-20 发那科株式会社 Robot control device
JP2017177255A (en) * 2016-03-29 2017-10-05 ソニー株式会社 Control device and control method
CN107538494A (en) * 2016-06-29 2018-01-05 沈阳新松机器人自动化股份有限公司 A kind of robot control method and system based on torque sensor and encoder
CN107738268A (en) * 2017-11-20 2018-02-27 河北工业大学 A kind of stiffness variable flexible joint based on leverage

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CN108656115A (en) 2018-10-16

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
Ridwan et al. Advanced CNC system with in-process feed-rate optimisation
US9041337B2 (en) Motion profile generator
KR101378824B1 (en) Method for automatically estimating inertia in a mechanical system and for generating a motion profile
US8731886B2 (en) Simulator for estimating life of robot speed reducer
CN108880399B (en) machine learning device, servo control system, and machine learning method
US20140139170A1 (en) Method for automatically estimating inertia in a mechanical system
JP2019139755A (en) Polishing tool wear loss prediction device, machine learning device and system
JP2018180764A (en) Adjusting device and adjustment method
CN108656115B (en) Control method of joint speed reducer of joint type robot
TWI733738B (en) Proportional integral derivative control method and system incorporating multiple actuators
CN111103792B (en) Robot control method, device, electronic equipment and readable storage medium
US20160077505A1 (en) Device and Method for Moving an Object
WO2019244638A1 (en) Positioning system, monitor device, monitor method, and program
CN110941242B (en) Motor control device
CN105446335B (en) One kind driving position control method
CN110077028A (en) Servo-pressing machine closed-loop non-linear predication control method and system
EP3731994B1 (en) Method and apparatus for robotic machining
US10474127B2 (en) Numerical controller
Liu et al. Adaptive positioning control of servomotor based on model identification
US20200081411A1 (en) Control device, cnc device, and control method
US20210115626A1 (en) Method for operating a papermaking machine, drive system and papermaking machine
JP2019077011A (en) Slave device, master device and industrial network system
CN109622773B (en) Die height indicator, die height adjusting system and method of stamping machine tool
WO2023026433A1 (en) Diagnostic device, and recording medium on which program is recorded
CN113778075A (en) Control method and device for automatic guided vehicle

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PB01 Publication
PB01 Publication
SE01 Entry into force of request for substantive examination
SE01 Entry into force of request for substantive examination
GR01 Patent grant
GR01 Patent grant