JP2015085494A - Robot, control device, robot system and robot control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a robot for executing work without using a work bench by placing a second holding object on a first hand or on a first holding object, and further to provide a control device, a robot system, a robot control method or the like.SOLUTION: A robot 10 includes a first arm 310 having a first hand 319 and a second arm 320 having a second hand 329. The robot 10 performs at least one of first operation for placing a second holding object OB held by the second hand 329 on a first holding object WB held by the first hand 319 and second operation for placing the second holding object OB held by the second hand 329 on the first hand 319.

Description

  The present invention relates to a robot, a control device, a robot system, a robot control method, and the like.

  A technique for causing a robot to perform various tasks when performing various tasks is widely used. As a production apparatus that can handle a wide variety of small-quantity production, an assembly robot that performs assembly work has attracted attention.

  In the conventional work robot, the work is performed using a work table for placing an object to be worked and a work jig for positioning the object. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a work robot (end effector replacement device) that facilitates replacement of an end effector. However, Patent Document 1 also assumes that a work table or a work jig is used. is there.

JP 2012-35391 A

  In the work by the conventional robot, a work table is necessary, and it is difficult to reduce the work space by the robot. Also, a work jig is required depending on the content of the work. Furthermore, since a work table or a work jig is used, the operation range of the robot is limited.

  Although there is a description in Patent Document 1 that a dedicated jig is not required, this is considered to be an intention that a jig is not necessary when replacing the end effector, and work is performed using the end effector after the end effector is replaced. It is not a statement that a jig is unnecessary even when performing the above.

  One embodiment of the present invention includes a first arm having a first hand and a second arm having a second hand, and the first object to be held held by the first hand includes the first arm A first operation of placing the second object to be held held by the second hand, and a second operation of placing the second object to be held held by the second hand on the first hand. It relates to a robot that performs at least one of them.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the second object to be held is placed on the first hand or the first object to be held using the second hand. Therefore, since the first hand or the first object to be held can be used as if it were a work table, there is no need to arrange the work table in the work space of the robot, and the space can be reduced, It becomes possible not to restrict the operation of the robot by the work table.

  In the aspect of the invention, after the second operation, the fourth operation of holding the second object to be held placed on the first hand by the second hand may be further performed. Good.

  Thereby, the second object to be held placed on the first hand can be held again by the second hand.

  In the aspect of the invention, the posture of the second hand in the fourth operation may be different from the posture of the second hand in the second operation.

  This makes it possible to hold the second object to be held in a different posture by the second hand using the first hand.

  In the aspect of the present invention, the holding position of the second object to be held by the second hand in the fourth operation is the second object to be held by the second hand in the second operation. The position may be different from the holding position of the holding object.

  This makes it possible to hold the second object to be held at a different position by the second hand using the first hand.

  In the aspect of the present invention, after the second operation, the second object to be held is held by the first hand, and the position and orientation of the second object to be held are fixed. The above operation may be further performed.

  Thus, by performing the fifth operation in addition to the second operation, the first hand can be used as if it were a positioning jig.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, after the fifth operation, the second arm further includes a sixth operation for performing work on the second object to be held whose position and orientation are fixed. You may go.

  As a result, it is possible to work on the second object to be positioned that has been positioned.

  In the aspect of the invention, the sixth operation may be performed on the second object to be held by the imaging device held by the second hand or the imaging device provided on the second arm. It may be an inspection operation performed.

  As a result, it is possible to perform an inspection operation using the imaging apparatus on the second object to be positioned that has been positioned.

  In the aspect of the invention, the sixth operation is an assembling operation for assembling the third object to be held held by the second hand to the second object to be held. Also good.

  As a result, it is possible to perform an assembling operation for assembling the third object to be held on the second object to be positioned.

  In the aspect of the invention, after the first operation, the third operation of holding the second object to be held on the first object to be held by the second hand is further performed. May be.

  As a result, the second object to be held placed on the first object to be held can be held again by the second hand.

  In the aspect of the invention, the posture of the second hand in the third operation may be different from the posture of the second hand in the first operation.

  Thereby, it becomes possible to hold | maintain a 2nd to-be-held object in a different attitude | position with a 2nd hand using a 1st to-be-held object.

  In the aspect of the present invention, the holding position of the second object to be held by the second hand in the third operation is the second object to be held by the second hand in the first operation. The position may be different from the holding position of the holding object.

  Thereby, it becomes possible to hold | maintain a 2nd to-be-held object in a different position with a 2nd hand using a 1st to-be-held object.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, after the first operation or the second operation, the image pickup device held by the second hand or the image pickup device provided in the second arm performs the second operation. Inspection work may be performed on the object to be held.

  Accordingly, it is possible to perform an inspection operation using the imaging apparatus on the first object to be held or the second object to be held after being placed on the first hand.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, in an assembly operation including the first operation or the second operation, an object other than the first arm, the second arm, and the first object to be held is used. The assembling operation may be performed without bringing the second object to be held into contact.

  As a result, it is possible to perform assembly work without performing temporary placement or the like using an object other than the arm, hand, or first object to be held in the work.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the first hand is a four-finger hand having four fingers, and the first and second fingers of the four fingers can move in a given direction. Of the four fingers, the third and fourth fingers different from the first and second fingers may be movable in a direction opposite to the given direction.

  Thereby, it is possible to use a four-fingered hand as the first hand.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the first hand includes a support portion having a first surface in a direction along a given direction, and the support portion holds the support portion by the second hand. The second operation of placing the second object to be held may be performed.

  This makes it possible to use the support portion of the first hand as a work table.

  In the aspect of the invention, the support portion may be movable in a direction intersecting the first surface.

  This makes it possible to use the movable support portion of the first hand as a work table.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control device that operates a robot including a first arm having a first hand and a second arm having a second hand. A first operation of placing the second object to be held held by the second hand on the first object to be held held by the first hand, and the first hand held by the second hand The present invention relates to a control device that performs at least one of the second operation of placing the second object to be held.

  In another aspect of the present invention, the control device causes the robot to perform an operation of placing the second object to be held on the first hand or the first object to be held using the second hand. Therefore, since the first hand or the first object to be held can be used as if it were a work table, there is no need to arrange the work table in the work space of the robot, and the space can be reduced, It becomes possible not to restrict the operation of the robot by the work table.

  Another aspect of the present invention includes a robot including a first arm having a first hand and a second arm having a second hand, and a control device for operating the robot. The robot places a first movement on the first object to be held held by the first hand and places the second object to be held held by the second hand on the first hand, and the second action on the first hand. This is related to a robot system that performs at least one of the second operation of placing the second object to be held held by the hand.

  In another aspect of the present invention, under the control of the control device, the robot performs an operation of placing the second object to be held on the first hand or the first object to be held using the second hand. Therefore, since the first hand or the first object to be held can be used as if it were a work table, there is no need to arrange the work table in the work space of the robot, and the space can be reduced, It becomes possible not to restrict the operation of the robot by the work table.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a robot control method for controlling a robot including a first arm having a first hand and a second arm having a second hand. A first operation of placing the second object to be held held by the second hand on the first object to be held held by the hand, and a second action held by the second hand on the first hand. The present invention relates to a robot control method including performing at least one of a second operation for placing an object to be held.

  In another aspect of the present invention, the second object to be held is placed on the first hand or the first object to be held using the second hand of the robot. Therefore, since the first hand or the first object to be held can be used as if it were a work table, there is no need to arrange the work table in the work space of the robot, and the space can be reduced, It becomes possible not to restrict the operation of the robot by the work table.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for operating a robot including a first arm having a first hand and a second arm having a second hand. The computer functions as a processing unit that performs a first operation of placing the second object to be held held by the second hand on the first object to be held held by one hand or the first hand. Related to the program to be executed.

  In another aspect of the present invention, a computer is used as a processing unit that causes the robot to perform an operation of placing the second object to be held on the first hand or the first object to be held using the second hand. Make it work. Therefore, since the first hand or the first object to be held can be used as if it were a work table, there is no need to arrange the work table in the work space of the robot, and the space can be reduced, It becomes possible not to restrict the operation of the robot by the work table.

  Thus, according to some aspects of the present invention, a robot that performs work without using a work table by placing the second object to be held on the first hand or the first object to be held, A control device, a robot system, a robot control method, and the like can be provided.

1A and 1B are configuration examples of a robot according to the present embodiment. 2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining the first and second operations of the present embodiment. 3A and 3B are modified examples of the shape of the first object WB to be held. 4A and 4B are examples in which the first hand or the first object to be held is used as a positioning jig. 5A and 5B are flowcharts for explaining the flow of processing for realizing the operation of the robot according to this embodiment. 2 shows a configuration example of a robot, a control device, and a robot system. The other structural example of the robot which concerns on this embodiment. The structural example in case a control apparatus etc. are implement | achieved by a server system. 9A and 9B show an example of a four-finger hand. The example which hold | maintains a target object using a support part with a four finger hand. FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B are diagrams for explaining that the support portion is movable. FIGS. 12A to 12E are diagrams illustrating temporary placement and rearrangement of the second object to be held on the work table. FIG. 13A to FIG. 13C are explanatory diagrams of holding by the second hand. FIG. 14A to FIG. 14C are explanatory diagrams of the relationship between the relative holding position and posture of the second object OB and the arrangement position and posture on the workbench. The figure explaining that the arrangement | positioning to a worktable cannot be performed in a given holding position posture. The example of the 6th operation in this embodiment. The example which performs the inspection process using an imaging device as 6th operation | movement. FIG. 18A and FIG. 18B are examples in which two objects are assembled as a sixth operation.

  Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described. In addition, this embodiment demonstrated below does not unduly limit the content of this invention described in the claim. In addition, all the configurations described in the present embodiment are not necessarily essential configuration requirements of the present invention.

1. First, the method of this embodiment will be described. Conventionally, when a certain work is performed by a robot, a work table is generally used. The robot work may be as simple as moving the supplied object to a predetermined position, but usually includes a plurality of operations.

  For example, even when screwing a given object, bring the object from the feeding area, position it, hold a screw tightening tool (for example, a driver) in an appropriate posture, It is necessary to move the tool to the position of the screw hole, perform screw tightening by turning the tool, and move the object to which the screw is tightened to the material removal area. In this case, it is preferable to keep the object in a stable posture when performing work, and it is natural to prepare a work table and place the object on the work table.

  In particular, in the case of a single-arm robot having one arm and one hand, it is necessary to perform material supply and positioning of an object, gripping of a tool, and the like with one hand. In this case, if the object is no longer grasped to grasp the tool (the object is released), the object will naturally fall. In other words, even if the robot does not hold the object with a hand or the like, it is essential to maintain a stable posture so that the object does not move or drop. A stand will be used.

  Although omitted in the above-described screw tightening, it is necessary to appropriately match not only the positional relationship between the screw hole and the driver but also the positional relationship between the screw hole and the screw and between the screw and the driver. This is not limited to screw tightening, and in robot work, the positional relationship between a plurality of objects such as a robot and an object, a robot and a tool, or a tool and an object is often important. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately position at least one object. In order to perform positioning with high accuracy, a technique using a dedicated positioning jig is widely known. In many cases, the positioning jig is generally arranged on a work table.

  As described above, in a conventional robot, a work table or a dedicated work jig (positioning jig) is generally used. As described above, it is assumed that a work object and a positioning jig are arranged on the work table, and further, a tool such as a driver is arranged. For this reason, the work table becomes large to a certain extent (so as not to interfere with each other when an object or the like is arranged). Therefore, when placing the robot in the work environment, a work table of a certain size is attached, and it is difficult to reduce the work space of the robot. Here, the work space represents a space where the robot itself is arranged, a space where a movable part of the robot such as an arm can operate, and the like.

  Further, when the robot performs an operation that requires positioning with high accuracy, it is necessary to arrange a dedicated positioning jig in the working environment (in the narrow sense, but not limited thereto). In addition, there is a case where a part of the work space of the robot is set as an area for performing positioning work (hereinafter referred to as positioning area), and the positioning work is performed in the positioning area. In this case, it is necessary to incorporate a procedure for positioning the positioning jig by the user and a procedure for driving the robot arm or moving the object in order to perform work in the positioning area. Therefore, there is a problem that it takes a long time to complete the work by the robot.

  Furthermore, a work table, a dedicated positioning jig, etc. will be placed within the movable range of the robot arm, etc., but in the robot control, the robot arm and hand, or the object held by the hand, It is not preferable to interfere (collision) with the work table or positioning jig. Interference here does not include positioning an object on a workbench or positioning a positioning jig and the object in contact with each other. For example, as in the case of an arm that is moving the object, This represents the interference of an object that should not interfere with the work table or the like on the work table or the like. Moreover, even if the object is supposed to be in contact with a workbench, such as an object to be arranged or an object to be positioned, an object that makes contact (collision) with excessive force is still preferable. is not. This is because such interference may damage a robot mechanism such as an arm or a hand, or an object. For this reason, the robot control has to suppress the interference as described above, and as a result, the robot cannot move over the entire movable range, and its operation is limited.

  Therefore, the present applicant proposes a work table and a robot that performs work without using a positioning jig that is used fixedly in a work environment such as a work table. Specifically, the robot 10 according to the present embodiment includes a first arm 310 having a first hand 319 and a second arm 320 having a second hand 329 as shown in FIG. Then, the robot 10 according to the present embodiment has the second object to be held held by the second hand 329 on the first object WB held by the first hand 319 shown in FIG. At least one of the first operation of placing the OB and the second operation of placing the second object OB held by the second hand 329 on the first hand 319 shown in FIG. Do one. For example, the processing unit 100 in FIG. 1B and FIG. 6 performs a control process that causes the robot mechanism 300 to perform at least one of the first operation and the second operation.

  Although FIG. 2A illustrates a plate-like object as the first object WB to be held, it is not limited to this. Specifically, since it is sufficient that the condition that the first object WB can be used as a work table is satisfied, when the second object OB is placed on the first object WB. The second object OB is not required to move. Here, “does not move” means that the relative positional relationship of the second object OB to the first object WB does not change, and represents a world coordinate system (for example, a robot coordinate system). It is not something that does not allow for changes in position.

  The first object to be held WB is not limited to one that supports the second object to be held OB on one surface. For example, as shown in L1 and L2 of FIG. The two objects to be held OB may be supported. Or as shown to P1-P4 of FIG.3 (B), you may support the 2nd to-be-held object OB in a some point. Whether or not the first object WB and the second object OB are relatively fixed depends on the shape and physical characteristics (friction coefficient, etc.) of the second object OB. Therefore, various modifications can be made to the shape of the first object to be held WB.

  The same applies to the case where the second object to be held OB is placed on the first hand 319. The first hand 319 and the second object to be held OB need only be relatively fixed. The shape of the hand 319 is arbitrary, and what kind of surface, line, or point supports the second object to be held OB is also arbitrary. In the example of FIG. 2B, the first hand 319 has a plate-like portion, and the second object OB is placed on the plate-like portion.

  In this way, in a robot including at least two arms each having a hand (in a narrow sense, a double robot including two arms), it is as if a work table is held by one hand or one hand. It becomes possible to use like. Accordingly, since it is possible to perform robot work without providing a work table, it is possible to reduce the work space, suppress restrictions by the work table, and perform robot operations flexibly.

  When the method of the present embodiment is grasped from another viewpoint, the robot 10 according to the present embodiment performs the first arm 310, the second arm 320, and the first held object in the assembly work including the first operation. It can be considered that the assembly work is performed without bringing the second object to be held OB into contact with an object other than the object WB. For example, the processing unit 100 in FIG. 1B and FIG. 6 applies the second object OB to the object other than the first arm 310, the second arm 320, and the first object WB. This is realized by performing a control process that causes the robot mechanism 300 to perform an assembly operation that does not contact the robot mechanism 300.

  As described above, if the work is simply to receive the object and deliver it to the next process, the object is not brought into contact with the hand or the object to be held (first object to be held WB) held by the hand. It is considered common practice to work on However, when assembling work including screw tightening is assumed, a number of operations are performed as described above. Therefore, with a conventional robot, an operation of temporarily placing a work object on a work table is essential. Met. In this regard, the robot 10 according to the present embodiment is included in the assembly work with an empty hand while appropriately transferring the object (second object to be held OB) between two or more hands. Some action can be taken. For this reason, temporary placement or the like is not required, and therefore the second object OB is held by the robot 10 or the robot 10 when the work is performed (in a narrow sense, from the start of the work to the completion of the work). There is no need to touch anything other than the object. That is, since an environmental object such as a work table used for temporary placement or the like is not necessary, the work environment of the robot can be simplified. The work of the present embodiment is not limited to the assembly work, but includes other work, and the explanation here is a case where the work of the present embodiment is limited to the assembly work. It shows the way of thinking from a different perspective.

  In the present embodiment, the first object WB held by the first hand 319 or the first hand 319 may be used not only as a work table but also as a positioning jig. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, if an object that partially includes an L-shaped structure is used as the first object WB, the second object OB having two surfaces that are orthogonal to each other. By aligning the two surfaces with the L-shaped portion of the first object WB, the relative position of the second object OB with respect to the first object WB can be accurately determined. In addition to the example shown in FIG. 4A, if a first object WB having a structure that can serve as a positioning guide is used as the first object WB, the first object WB is used as a positioning jig. Can do.

  Similarly, the first hand 319 can be used as a positioning jig. Specifically, after the second operation shown in FIG. 2B, the second object OB is held by the first hand 319 to fix the position and orientation of the second object OB. The fifth operation may be further performed. That is, the processing unit 100 in FIG. 1B and FIG. 6 performs control processing for causing the robot mechanism 300 to perform the fifth operation.

  Here, the fifth operation is an operation of sandwiching (holding) the second object to be held OB by a finger structure included in the first hand 319 as shown in FIG. 4B, for example. Also good. Alternatively, if the first hand 319 is a suction hand or the like, the fifth operation may be a suction operation. That is, the operation of fixing the second object OB relative to the first hand 319 using the mechanism included in the first hand 319 is the fifth operation. Note that, even when the first hand 319 is used as a workbench, it has been described above that the second object OB does not move with respect to the first hand 319. It is assumed that the hand 319 does not move. On the other hand, when the fifth hand, that is, when the first hand 319 is used as a positioning jig, the relative position is preferably fixed even when the first hand 319 is moved, rotated, etc. It can be said that the degree of fixation is higher than that when used as a work table.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a dedicated positioning jig is arranged in the robot work space by using the first hand 319 or the first object WB as a positioning jig. No need to do. Therefore, no man-hours are required for arranging the positioning jig, and it is not necessary to set a positioning area. Therefore, there is no need to move to the positioning area, and the time required for robot operation can be shortened. Further, since it is not necessary to consider the interference with the positioning jig, the operation of the robot is not limited, and various postures can be selected flexibly.

  Hereinafter, after describing a system configuration example of the robot 10 and the like according to the present embodiment, a specific example of work will be described. In the working example, the description will be divided into an example in which the first hand 319 or the first object to be held WB is used as a work table and an example in which it is used as a positioning jig.

2. System Configuration Example FIG. 1B shows a system configuration example of the robot 10 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1B, the robot 10 includes a processing unit 100, a storage unit 110, and a robot mechanism 300. The robot mechanism 300 includes a first arm 310, a first hand 319, a second arm 320, and a second hand 329. However, the robot 10 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the configuration in FIG. 1B, and various modifications such as omitting some of these components or adding other components are possible. It is. Further, the points that can be variously modified are the same in the configuration example of FIG.

  The processing unit 100 performs various processes for operating the robot mechanism 300. The function of the processing unit 100 can be realized by hardware such as various processors (CPU and the like), ASIC (gate array and the like), a program, and the like. The storage unit 110 serves as a work area for the processing unit 100 and the like, and its function can be realized by a memory such as a RAM, an HDD (hard disk drive), or the like.

  The processing unit 100 such as the CPU and the storage unit 110 such as the RAM and the HDD are not provided in a specific device, but are built in the robot 10 (for example, realized by a substrate stored in the robot 10 or the like). May be).

  In order to operate the robot 10 by the processing unit 100, information used for the operation is required. For example, if there is one piece of joint angle information that determines the angles of a plurality of joints included in the first arm 310 and the second arm 320, one position and orientation are set for the first arm 310 and the second arm 320. It becomes possible to take. That is, if the number of joint angle information corresponding to the control timing is stored in the storage unit 110, the processing unit 100 may control the robot mechanism according to the joint angle information. Specifically, the motor that drives each joint. (In a broad sense, an actuator) may be instructed.

  However, it is difficult for the user to intuitively understand the expression of the robot motion based on the joint angle information. Therefore, a work scenario may be generated by combining abstract information that is easy to understand for the user, and the robot 10 may be operated according to the work scenario. The work scenario is a scenario (program) for causing the robot to perform work, and is configured by combining a plurality of subprograms, for example. In this case, the processing in the processing unit 100 is as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5A. First, a work scenario acquisition process is performed (S101), and a process for controlling the robot mechanism 300 according to the acquired work scenario is performed (S101). S102). In S102, an abstract work scenario is converted into specific control information (for example, motor control information).

  Here, the work scenario acquisition process may be a work scenario generation process in the processing unit 100. For example, only a desired target state is input from the user, and the processing unit 100 generates a work scenario that realizes the target state. In the example of FIG. 2A, “the second object OB is placed on the first object WB held by the first hand 319 using the second hand 329”. Such abstract information may be accepted as target information. From here, the processing unit 100 determines how the holding position / posture of the first object WB held by the first hand 319 is determined, and how the position / posture of the held first object WB relative to the robot 10 is determined. Or a work scenario including information such as where the second object OB is to be placed on the first object WB.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5B, in the process of accepting input information (S201), and the holding position / posture by the first hand 319 in the object coordinate system based on the first held object WB. Processing (S202), processing for converting the holding position and orientation in the object coordinate system to the world coordinate system (robot coordinate system) (S203), and position and orientation of the first object WB in the world coordinate system And the process of determining the position and orientation on which the second object to be held OB is placed (S204).

  In each process, a plurality of solutions can be obtained, but a combination of appropriate ones (high priority) may be selected. For example, the posture of the first object WB in the world coordinate system is such that the posture in which the wide surface is in the horizontal direction, the posture in which the narrow surface is in the horizontal direction, or the posture in which there is no surface in the horizontal direction. Compared to the second object to be held OB, the priority can be increased. Further, as the arrangement position of the second object to be held OB, the priority of the position that does not interfere with the first hand 319 may be increased. If the work scenario can be generated, the work by the robot 10 can be executed later by a process of interpolating the path between the points.

  However, the robot control information such as the above-described work scenario is not limited to information generated by the processing unit 100 included in the robot, and the robot acquires information generated by another processing apparatus, and the storage unit 110 May be stored. In this case, the work scenario acquisition process of S101 is a process of acquiring a created work scenario from an external processing device or the storage unit 110.

  Note that the first operation or the second operation of the present embodiment is realized by executing a work scenario created by the processing shown in FIG. 5B, but is described above with reference to FIG. The fifth operation and the third, fourth, and sixth operations described later can be similarly realized by generating and executing a work scenario. Here, the third operation is an operation of holding the second object OB using the second hand 329 after the first operation, and the fourth operation is the second hand 329 after the second operation. Is used to hold the second object to be held OB, and the sixth action is an operation to perform work on the second object to be held OB using the second hand 329 after the fifth action. It is.

  For example, the third and fourth operations for holding the second object OB placed on the first hand 319 or the first object WB by the second hand 329 are the second object. This can be realized by the determination process of the holding position / posture of the second hand 329 relative to the OB and the process of converting the relative holding position / posture into the world coordinate system. Furthermore, in the work scenario generation for the third and fourth operations, a process of interpolating a path from the second hand 329 to the holding position and posture may be performed.

  Further, after the second operation, the fifth operation for fixing the second object OB by the first hand 319 is the operation of the mechanism (finger structure or the like) of the first hand 319 after the second operation. This can be realized by the process of determining the quantity. The contents of the sixth operation may be various. For example, the position and orientation of the second object OB positioned by the first hand 319 or the first object WB in the world coordinate system. And a process including a path generation process for moving the second hand 329 to a predetermined position of the second object OB.

  However, the robot motion realizing method according to the present embodiment is not limited to a method using a work scenario (offline teaching in a broad sense), and other methods may be used. For example, it is possible to realize the operation of the robot using other teaching methods such as direct teaching realized by the user moving the actual robot.

  Further, the method of the present embodiment is not limited to that applied to the robot, and as illustrated in FIG. 6, the first arm 310 having the first hand 319 and the second arm having the second hand 329. And a second holding object held by a second hand 329 on a first holding object WB held by a first hand 319. Applied to the control device 20 that performs at least one of the first operation of placing the OB and the second operation of placing the second object OB held by the second hand 329 on the first hand 319. it can. This can be realized, for example, by processing in the processing unit 100 included in the control device 20.

  In this case, the processing unit 100 of the control device 20 performs the processing described with reference to FIG. 5A, for example, so that the robot 10 is shown in FIG. 2A or 2B. The first operation is executed. Further, the processing unit 100 may perform the work scenario generation process described above with reference to FIG.

  The control device 20 here may be provided separately from the robot 10 as shown in FIG. Alternatively, the control device 20 may be provided integrally with the robot 10. For example, the robot 10 and the control device 20 may be configured as a single unit by storing the control device 20 in the base unit 350 provided in the lower portion of the robot 10 illustrated in FIG. 7.

  Alternatively, according to the method of the present embodiment, the robot 10 including the first arm 310 having the first hand 319 and the second arm 320 having the second hand 329, and the control device 20 that operates the robot 10. The robot 10 includes a first operation of placing the second object OB held by the second hand 329 on the first object WB held by the first hand 319, and a first operation The present invention can be applied to a robot system that performs at least one of the second operation of placing the second object OB held by the second hand 329 on the hand 319.

  That is, the method of the present embodiment can be applied to the robot 10 including the processing unit 100 as shown in FIG. 1B, or can be applied to the control device 20 in FIG. The present invention can also be applied to a robot system including both the robot 10 and the control device 20 in FIG.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the function of the control device 20 may be realized by a server 500 that is connected in communication with the robot via a network 400 including at least one of wired and wireless.

  Or in this embodiment, the server 500 which is a control apparatus may perform a part of process of the control apparatus of this invention. In this case, the processing is realized by distributed processing with a control device provided on the robot side.

  In this case, the server 500 serving as the control device performs a process assigned to the server 500 among the processes in the control device of the present invention. On the other hand, the control device provided in the robot performs a process assigned to the control device of the robot among the processes of the control device of the present invention.

  For example, the control device of the present invention performs first to Mth (M is an integer) processes, the first process is realized by the sub-process 1a and the sub-process 1b, and the second process is the sub-process 2a. Consider a case where each of the first to Mth processes can be divided into a plurality of sub-processes, as realized by the sub-process 2b. In this case, the server 500 as the control device performs sub-processing 1a, sub-processing 2a,..., Sub-processing Ma, and the control device provided on the robot side performs sub-processing 1b, sub-processing 2b,. Distributed processing such as performing At this time, the control device according to the present embodiment, that is, the control device that executes the first to M-th processes may be a control device that executes the sub-process 1a to the sub-process Ma, or the sub-process 1b. A control device that executes sub-processing Mb may be used, or a control device that executes all of sub-processing 1a to sub-processing Ma and sub-processing 1b to sub-processing Mb. Furthermore, the control device according to the present embodiment is a control device that executes at least one sub-process for each of the first to M-th processes.

  Thereby, for example, the server 500 having a higher processing capability than the terminal device on the robot side (for example, the control device 20 in FIG. 6) can perform processing with a high processing load. Further, the server 500 can collectively control the operations of the robots, and for example, it is easy to cause a plurality of robots to perform a cooperative operation.

  In recent years, the production of a small number of various types of parts has been increasing. And when changing the kind of components to manufacture, it is necessary to change the operation | movement which a robot performs. With the configuration as shown in FIG. 8, it is possible for the server 500 to collectively change the operation performed by the robot without re-instructing each robot of the plurality of robots. Furthermore, compared with the case where one control device 20 is provided for each robot, it is possible to significantly reduce the trouble of performing software update of the control device 20.

  In the above description, the specific structure of the first hand 319 is not mentioned, and hands having various structures can be used as the first hand 319. A two-finger hand having two finger structures shown in FIG. 1A or the like may be used, or a suction hand or the like may be used. In other words, the holding in the present embodiment is not limited to the grip shown in FIG. 1A and the like, and various modifications such as vacuum and adsorption by a magnet are possible.

  Alternatively, the first hand 319 is a four-finger hand having four fingers F1 to F4 as shown in FIG. 9A, and among the four fingers as shown in FIG. 9B. The first finger F1 and the second finger F2 can move in a given direction D1, and among the four fingers, a third finger F3 and a fourth finger different from the first and second fingers It may be a hand that can move the finger F4 in a direction D2 opposite to a given direction.

  A four-fingered hand basically supports an object to be held at four points using four fingers. Therefore, it is possible to stably hold (hold) an object as compared with a hand that supports two points, such as a two-finger hand. Further, when the first hand 319 is used as a workbench, even if there is no wide surface (PA in FIG. 9A, FIG. 9B, etc.), the second hand is used at four points using four fingers. It is possible to support the object to be held OB. For example, as in the example using the first object to be held WB shown in FIG. 3B, the second object to be held OB can be supported by being placed on the finger instead of being pinched with the finger. .

  Further, when the first hand 319 is a four-finger hand, the first hand 319 moves in a direction along a given direction D1, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B. The support part PA having the first surface may be included. And the 2nd operation | movement which mounts the 2nd to-be-held object OB hold | maintained with the 2nd hand 329 on the support part PA is performed.

  In the case of a normal four-fingered hand, a D1 direction force is applied by F1 and F2, and a D2 direction force is applied by F3 and F4 to hold the object to be held. As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, it is also possible to apply force in the directions D3 and D4 by moving F1 and F3 in the direction D3 and moving F2 and F4 in the direction D4. However, this is still limited to forces in the same plane. In that respect, by having the support part PA, it becomes possible to apply the force of D5 which is the direction intersecting D1 and D2 (direction orthogonal in a narrow sense) as shown in FIG. Is possible.

  In the method of the present embodiment, this support portion PA may be used as a work table. Since the support portion PA is a mechanism that stably holds the object to be held as described above, when the contact with the object to be held is realized by a surface (the first surface) or a plurality of points or lines. is assumed. That is, regardless of whether the first hand 319 actually performs a holding operation (whether F1 to F4 are closed), the support object PA alone can stably hold the second object OB. Since it can be held, it is useful to use the support portion PA as a work table.

  Although FIG. 10 shows an example in which the support part PA is included in the four-finger hand, the first hand 319 that is a hand other than four fingers (for example, a two-finger hand) includes the support part PA. May be. Even in such a case, it is possible to hold the object to be held stably by using the support part PA and to perform the second operation using the support part PA as a work table.

  Further, the support portion PA may be movable in a direction intersecting the first surface (direction D5 in FIG. 10). For example, as shown in FIG. 11A, the support portion PA can be moved in the direction D5 as compared to FIG. In this way, as can be seen from the comparison between FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 (A), even when the same object is held, the points where F1 to F4 are in contact (the points to be held) are changed. be able to. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 11B, even when holding an object to be held that is smaller than that shown in FIG. 10 or the like, it is possible to prevent an inappropriate state in which F1 to F4 cannot contact the object to be held. . That is, by making the support portion PA movable, various objects to be held can be flexibly held using various contact points.

  In the method of the present embodiment, since the support part PA is used as a work table as described above, the reference point of the first hand 319 (or the end of the first arm 310) can be obtained because the support part PA is movable. It becomes possible to variably set the position of the work table with respect to (point). For example, when the second object OB is placed on the support PA with the second hand 329, the support PA is set to D5 in order to suppress interference between F1 to F4 and the fingers of the second hand 329, etc. Move it greatly in the direction. In the subsequent work, F1 to F4 do not become a problem (or work is performed on the second object to be held OB using F1 to F4). The position of the work table can be flexibly set, for example, by moving it.

3. Specific Work Example Next, a specific work example of the robot using the method of the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B will be described. Here, the description will be divided into an example in which the first hand 319 or the first object WB to be held is used as a work table and an example in which it is used as a positioning jig. As described above, both the work table and the positioning jig are used for stably holding an object (second object to be held OB in the present embodiment) without dropping it. However, the positioning jig is different in that the positional relationship of the object is determined with high accuracy.

3.1 Example of using the first hand or the first object to be held as a work table When the first object WB is used as a work table as shown in FIG. 2A, or FIG. In the case where the first hand 319 is used as a work table as shown in FIG. 5, the work table can be widely used for the purpose of placing an object as in the case of using a normal work table.

  However, when the first hand 319 or the first object to be held WB is used as a work table, it is difficult to use the first hand 319 for other work. If it is a normal work table, it is generally provided as a separate body from the hand itself, and generally has a certain size. In other words, placing (arranging) an object on a normal workbench corresponds to releasing (emptiing) the hand, so from the viewpoint of performing various operations flexibly, the object is placed on the workbench. It is hard to think that this will cause problems.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the first hand 319 or the first object WB to be held is used as a workbench, so that the plurality of arms included in the robot 10 can be used for other work. Usage is restricted. In other words, it should be avoided as much as possible to place an object that is not necessary to be placed on the first hand 319 or the like. For example, if the work on the second object to be held OB is not started because the work on another object has not been completed, the second object to be held OB is arranged in the first hand 319 or the like. Instead of staying in the supply area. Further, if the work on the second object to be held OB is completed, it is not necessary to hold the second object to be held OB by using the robot 10, so that it is moved (retracted) to the material removal area. It is good to end.

  Here, the material supply area represents an area to which an object (second object to be held OB in a narrow sense) that can be an object of work by the robot 10 is supplied. For example, an object to be worked is arranged by another robot or user It becomes an area to be done. The material removal area represents an area where an object for which work by the robot 10 has been completed is arranged. For example, an object placed in the material removal area is collected by another robot or a user, and is subjected to inspection or next process work. It is transferred to. The material supply area and the material removal area here do not need to consider the ease of work by the robot as in a normal work table, and the object can be placed and is within the movable range of the robot ( It is sufficient if at least one hand can reach in the narrow sense). For example, it is good also considering the peripheral part of a robot among the floor surfaces in which the robot 10 is installed as a feed area or a material removal area. Further, it is not necessary to distinguish between the material supply area and the material removal area, and the material supply area and the material removal area may be provided together as a work object placement area (part placement area).

  That is, when the first hand 319 or the first object to be held WB is used as a work table by the method of the present embodiment, the second object to be held OB arranged on the work table is the second object to be held OB. A typical case is that the robot work on the holding object OB has started and the work has not ended.

  In this case, it can be considered that the second object to be held OB was temporarily placed during the work. That is, the robot 10 of the present embodiment transfers the second object OB placed on the first object WB or the first hand 319 to the second object after the first operation or the second operation. The operation of holding by the hand 329 is further performed. Specifically, after the first operation, a third operation of holding the second object OB placed on the first object WB by the second hand 329 may be further performed. After the second operation, a fourth operation of holding the second object OB placed on the first hand 319 by the second hand 329 may be further performed. For example, the processing unit 100 in FIG. 1B and FIG. 6 performs control processing for causing the robot mechanism 300 to perform the third and fourth operations.

  It is conceivable that the third and fourth operations here are performed for various purposes. For example, after the first operation or the second operation, work (for example, inspection, assembly, processing, etc.) is performed using the second hand 329 or another robot mechanism, and the work on the second object OB is completed. As a result, the second operation may be performed in order to move the second object OB to the material removal area.

  Alternatively, the second operation may be performed in order to change the position and orientation of the second object OB with respect to the work table when performing the work. For example, when performing visual inspection (appearance inspection), it is necessary to observe the second object to be held OB from various directions, but the surface of the second object to be held OB that is in contact with the work table should be observed. I can't. Therefore, it is useful to place the second object to be held OB on the work table in a given posture and inspect it, and then change the posture of the second object to be held OB and perform the inspection again. In that case, the second object to be held OB is held by the third and fourth operations and rearranged on the work table in a different posture.

  As an example of changing the arrangement posture of the second object to be held OB on the work table, cases as shown in FIGS. 12A to 12E are also conceivable. Hereinafter, the first operation and the third operation will be described as an example, but the case of the second operation and the fourth operation can be considered similarly. For example, as shown in FIG. 12A, when the second object OB is held by the second hand 329, the work table according to the first operation (here, the first object WB). The arrangement is as shown in FIG. However, in FIG. 12A, the second object to be held OB is unstable because the relatively small surface of the second object to be held OB is the bottom surface (the surface in contact with the work table). It is in a state. Therefore, from the direction shown in FIG. 12B, a third operation for holding the second object OB to be held by the second hand 329 is performed, and the second arm 320 is rotated, so that FIG. 2), the second object OB is placed on the work table again with the more stable surface as the bottom surface. In this way, it is possible to arrange the second object OB on the work table in a stable posture. Here, in consideration of subsequent work and the like, the third operation is performed again from the direction shown in FIG. 12D, and the second arm 320 is rotated, and then shown in FIG. The second object OB is rearranged in the above direction.

  Alternatively, not the method of arranging the second object to be held OB with respect to the work table, but the method of holding the second object to be held OB by the second hand 329 becomes a problem, and the second object to be held OB is removed. It is also conceivable to hold again (perform a third operation) after being temporarily placed on the workbench (performing the first operation).

  For example, when the second object to be held OB having the same shape as in FIGS. 12A to 12E is considered, the second hand 329 causes the second object OB as shown in FIG. The state of holding the object to be held OB cannot be said to be stable holding. This is because the area of the contact surface between the finger structure of the second hand 329 and the second object to be held OB is small, and the second object to be held OB may rotate or drop off. In that case, the holding position / posture may be changed. For this purpose, first, as shown in FIG. 13B, the first operation of placing the second object OB on the workbench is performed, and then the stable holding is performed. The third operation may be performed from the direction in which it is possible, for example, from the direction shown in FIG.

  When the third operation as shown in FIGS. 12A to 12E and FIGS. 13A to 13C is considered, the first operation is the position and posture of the second hand 329. At least one of them has changed. Specifically, the posture of the second hand 329 in the third operation is different from the posture of the second hand 329 in the first operation. Alternatively, the holding position of the second object OB held by the second hand 329 in the third operation is different from the holding position of the second object OB held by the second hand 329 in the first operation. It is. Alternatively, both the position and orientation of the second hand 329 in the third operation are different from the position and orientation of the first operation. For example, the processing unit 100 in FIG. 1B and FIG. 6 performs control processing for causing the second hand 329 to perform the third operation, assuming that at least one of the position and the posture is different from the first operation. Do.

  Here, the attitude of the second hand 329 may be a relative attitude with respect to the second object OB, which is an object coordinate system set for the second object OB, for example. It can be expressed as a posture in Alternatively, it may be a relative posture with respect to the robot 10, and this can be expressed as a posture in a robot coordinate system (world coordinate system) set for the robot 10, for example. If the first arm 310 and the first hand 319 are fixed in the world coordinate system by the third operation after the first operation, the world coordinate system of the second object OB to be held is used. Since the position and orientation at are fixed, the change in the relative posture with respect to the second object OB is synonymous with the change in the relative posture with respect to the robot 10.

  Specifically, in FIG. 13B, which is the first operation, and in FIG. 13C, which is the third operation, both the holding position and the posture are changed. 13A to 13C, since the holding position and orientation shown in FIG. 13A are determined to be inappropriate in the first place, the first operation shown in FIG. B). That is, considering the purpose of the work, it is naturally necessary to make the position and orientation in FIG. 13B different from the position and orientation in FIG.

  On the other hand, the position and orientation of the second hand 329 are also different in the comparison between FIG. 12A and FIG. 12 (A) to 12 (E) are operations assuming that the second object OB is placed in a desired posture with respect to the work table. At that time, even if the relative position and orientation with respect to the second object OB is fixed, it is possible to change the attitude of the second object OB with respect to the work table. For example, even in the case of holding in one relative position and orientation shown in FIG. 14 (A), it can be placed on a work table as shown in FIG. 14 (B) as shown in FIG. 14 (C). It is also possible to place it on a workbench. Therefore, there may be a case where the holding position / posture of the second hand 329 need not be changed in changing the posture of the second object OB with respect to the work table.

  However, if the second object to be held OB can be arranged in a desired posture from the beginning, it is not necessary to arrange the second object to be held OB in an unstable posture by the first operation. That is, in the case where the second object OB is arranged by the first operation and then rearranged using the third operation, it is natural to think that the proper arrangement could not be made at the time of the first operation. is there. Specifically, in the case of the holding position and posture as shown in FIG. 12A, the second object OB is operated from the beginning in the posture shown in FIG. 12C and FIG. 12D. If it tries to arrange | position on a stand, as shown in FIG. 15, the 2nd hand 329 and the 1st to-be-held object WB will interfere. That is, in this case, there is a problem with the initial holding position / posture itself, and as described above, it is necessary to change at least one of the holding position and posture in the first operation and the third operation.

  As described above, the second hand of the second object to be held OB is changed by changing at least one of the holding position and posture of the second hand 329 between the first action and the third action. It is possible to flexibly set (change) the relative position and orientation with respect to 329 and the relative position and orientation of the second object OB with respect to the work table or the robot 10. The same applies to the second operation and the fourth operation, and the posture of the second hand 329 in the fourth operation is different from the posture of the second hand 329 in the second operation. Alternatively, the holding position of the second object OB held by the second hand 329 in the fourth operation is different from the holding position of the second object OB held by the second hand 329 in the second operation. It is. Alternatively, both the position and orientation of the second hand 329 in the fourth operation are different from the position and orientation of the second operation.

  The above-described operation of the robot 10 can be realized by various methods. For example, the operation may be performed by generating a work scenario as in the above-described example. As an example, in consideration of the arrangement position and orientation of the second object OB in the material supply area, the first second object OB held by the second hand 329 is shown in FIG. There may be a case where it is known in advance that the posture shown in FIG. In such a case, it is only necessary to generate a work scenario for switching, and in the example of this embodiment, the work scenario for “carrying” corresponds to the first operation shown in FIG. This can be realized by combining a scenario and a scenario corresponding to the third operation shown in FIG. That is, subprograms may be created with the first operation and the third operation as a unit, and the subprograms may be combined as appropriate. The specific holding position / posture in the first operation and the third operation can be determined by various methods such as allowing the user to input using an offline simulator.

3.2 Example of using first hand or first object to be held as positioning jig Next, an example of work using the first hand 319 or the first object to be held WB as a positioning jig will be described. In addition, since the example of using the 1st hand 319 or the 1st to-be-held object WB as a positioning jig itself was mentioned above using FIG. 4 (A) and FIG. 4 (B), detailed description is abbreviate | omitted. In the following description, after the second operation of placing the second object OB on the first hand 319, the fifth operation of fixing the second object OB by the first hand 319 is performed. The case of (B) will be described as an example, but the case can also be extended to FIG.

  After fixing the second object to be held OB by the fifth operation, it is assumed that work on the fixed second object to be held OB (work requiring high-precision positioning in the narrow sense) is performed. Is done. In particular, in a robot with a small number of hands other than the first hand 319 used as a positioning jig, such as a twin robot, the second object OB is placed on the first hand 319, It is natural to work with the second hand 329, which is empty.

  Specifically, after the fifth operation, the robot 10 according to the present embodiment uses the second arm 320 to execute the operation on the second object OB whose position and orientation are fixed. Do further. Here, the sixth operation may be, for example, work such as processing or assembly using some tool as shown in FIG. For example, the processing unit 100 in FIG. 1B and FIG. 6 performs a control process for causing the robot mechanism 300 to perform the sixth operation.

  The relative position of the second object to be held OB with respect to the first hand 319 is fixed, and the robot 10 (the processing unit 100 in a narrow sense) has the robot coordinates of the first arm 310 and the first hand 319. It is possible to grasp the position and orientation in the system. In other words, if the first hand 319 or the like is used as a positioning jig, the robot 10 can grasp the position and orientation of the second object OB in the robot coordinate system with high accuracy, so that the work accuracy can be increased. It is.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 17, an inspection using the imaging device CA (appearance inspection in a narrow sense) may be performed. Specifically, the sixth operation is an inspection operation performed on the second object OB by the imaging device held by the second hand 329 or the imaging device provided on the second arm 329. Yes, the robot 10 according to the present embodiment is fixed in position and orientation by the imaging device CA held by the second hand 329 or the imaging device CA provided in the second arm 320 after the fifth operation. A sixth operation for performing an inspection operation is performed on the second object to be held OB. For example, the processing unit 100 in FIG. 1B and FIG. 6 performs a control process that causes the robot mechanism 300 to perform a sixth operation that is an inspection operation.

  As described above, in the inspection process, the relative positional relationship between the inspection object (here, the second object to be held OB) and the imaging device is important. Specifically, it is necessary to appropriately set the viewpoint position, which is the arrangement position of the imaging device in the object coordinate system, and the line-of-sight direction representing the photographing direction (optical axis direction). In that respect, if the first hand 319 or the like is used as a positioning jig, the position and orientation of the second object OB can be determined with high accuracy. Furthermore, if the imaging device CA is held by the second hand 329 or provided on the second arm 320 as shown in FIG. 17, the viewpoint position and the line-of-sight direction of the imaging device CA can be easily controlled. . Therefore, it is possible to appropriately execute the inspection process.

  In the method of the present embodiment, when the first hand 319 is used as a positioning jig, the second object OB is fixed by, for example, a finger closing operation as shown in FIG. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the first hand 319 can be stably fixed even if the posture of the first hand 319 is greatly changed. Therefore, the inspection process of this embodiment is not limited to fixing the second object to be held OB side (first hand 319 side), and the second object to be held OB as shown in FIG. The side may be moved. Since the movable range of the imaging device CA is limited by the movable range of the second arm 320, not only the imaging device CA but also the second object to be held OB side is operated to be flexible (for example, many Inspection processing (observing the inspection object from the direction) can be realized. Since the second object to be held OB side can be moved, the inspection process may be executed with the imaging device CA side fixed.

  In addition, although it was stated that it is necessary to appropriately determine the viewpoint position and line-of-sight direction in the inspection process, extremely high accuracy is required for the viewpoint position and line-of-sight direction depending on the specific contents of the inspection process such as image processing. It is possible to think of not being done. That is, the second object to be held OB in the inspection process may be arranged on the work table instead of being fixed by the positioning jig. Specifically, the robot 10 according to the present embodiment uses the imaging device CA held in the second hand 329 or the imaging device CA provided in the second arm 320 after the first operation or the second operation. The inspection work may be performed on the second object OB.

  In the above description, the work object of the robot is the second object OB (the first object WB is excluded from the work object as long as it is used as a work table or a positioning jig). Although described as a thing, it is not limited to this. For example, the sixth operation is an assembling operation in which the third object OB ′ held by the second hand 329 is assembled to the second object OB, and the robot according to the present embodiment. 10 holds the third object to be held OB ′ by the second hand 329 after the first operation, and the second object to be held OB whose position and orientation are fixed after the fifth operation. A sixth operation of assembling the third object to be held OB ′ may be performed. For example, the processing unit 100 in FIG. 1B and FIG. 6 performs a control process that causes the robot mechanism 300 to perform the sixth operation that is an assembling operation.

  In this way, it is possible to realize a work of assembling a plurality of work objects as shown in FIG. In the case of pressing two objects, as shown in FIG. 18 (A), the first object 310 and the second arm 320 are stretched as linearly as possible so that the second object OB is held. In addition, it is easy to apply a force to the third object OB ′. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 18 (B), if the arm is not extended during the assembly operation, the joint is driven and the arm is in a linear state as shown in FIG. 18 (A). It is good to perform the 6th operation | movement which is an assembly | attachment operation | movement after controlling in this way.

  Note that the control device 20 or the like of the present embodiment may realize part or most of the processing by a program. In this case, the control device 20 according to the present embodiment is realized by a processor such as a CPU executing a program. Specifically, a program stored in a non-temporary information storage medium is read, and a processor such as a CPU executes the read program. Here, the information storage medium (computer-readable medium) stores programs, data, and the like, and functions as an optical disk (DVD, CD, etc.), HDD (hard disk drive), or memory (card type). It can be realized by memory, ROM, etc. A processor such as a CPU performs various processes according to the present embodiment based on a program (data) stored in the information storage medium. That is, in the information storage medium, a program for causing a computer (an apparatus including an operation unit, a processing unit, a storage unit, and an output unit) to function as each unit of the present embodiment (a program for causing the computer to execute processing of each unit) Is memorized.

  Further, the method of the present embodiment described above is useful also from the viewpoint of robot calibration. As described above, the robot has an error factor such as a shift in the link length or a deflection due to gravity. Due to these error factors, when the control that causes the robot to take a given posture (for example, control for determining the angle of each joint) is performed, the hand position in the robot base coordinate system (ideal space) and the robot The hand position in the hand coordinate system (measured space) becomes a different value.

  On the other hand, robot calibration that corrects the deviation due to the error factors is widely used. Since robot calibration is a widely used technique, details thereof are omitted. For example, a process for obtaining a correspondence relationship between a robot base coordinate system and a robot hand coordinate system may be performed. If you know how the transformation between the two coordinate systems (spaces) is performed, you can understand the correspondence between the control parameters such as the joint angle and the robot hand coordinate system. Thus, it is possible to accurately determine to which position the robot hand actually moves (in the actual measurement space).

  However, the correspondence between the robot hand coordinate system and the robot base coordinate system (for example, conversion parameters such as a matrix for performing coordinate conversion) generally differs depending on the position. For example, if the error is caused by the deflection due to gravity, the error becomes larger when the arm is extended longer than when the arm is folded short. That is, if the arm state and the hand position determined by the state change, the error changes, and the correspondence between the two coordinate systems representing the error also changes.

  Therefore, N different positions (N areas in a broad sense) can be considered as the robot's hand position. If calibration is to be performed with high accuracy in all of these positions, basically N conversion parameters are used. Must be generated and stored. Since the hand of the robot can take a very large number of positions, it is not realistic to perform calibration with high accuracy that can cope with any hand position.

  As a result, in the conventional robot, it is necessary to redo the robot calibration every time the work position changes. If the work position changes, the point that robot calibration is required is the same in the method of this embodiment, but in this embodiment, the work table is the first hand 319 or the first object WB to be held. The position of the work table can be changed by controlling the first arm 310. Therefore, if a fixed work table is used by performing another work with different work contents, even if the work position changes with respect to the previous work, this embodiment By adjusting the work table side, the separate work can be executed without largely changing the work position.

  That is, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to perform calibration with high accuracy at many positions (many areas), and calibration may be performed at a small number (one in a narrow sense) of areas and areas. It is possible to reduce the burden. In actual robot work, the work position (for example, the position of the second hand 329 in the case of the above-described sixth movement) is a position and area where the result of the high-precision calibration can be used. The position of one hand 319 may be controlled. This control, for example, specifies the relative position and orientation relationship among the first hand 319, the second object OB, and the second hand 329 during the work scenario creation stage. Therefore, it can be realized by the process of determining the position of the first hand 319 so that the second hand 329 is in the above position and region.

  Although the present embodiment has been described in detail as described above, it will be easily understood by those skilled in the art that many modifications can be made without departing from the novel matters and effects of the present invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included in the scope of the present invention. For example, a term described at least once together with a different term having a broader meaning or the same meaning in the specification or the drawings can be replaced with the different term in any part of the specification or the drawings. The configurations and operations of the robot 10, the control device 20, and the robot system are not limited to those described in the present embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

OB second object to be held, PA support, WB first object to be held, 10 robot,
20 control device, 100 processing unit, 110 storage unit, 300 robot mechanism,
310 first arm, 319 first hand, 320 second arm,
329 second hand, 350 base unit section, 400 network,
500 servers

Claims (19)

A first arm having a first hand;
A second arm having a second hand;
Including
A first operation of placing the second object to be held held by the second hand on the first object to be held held by the first hand, and the second hand holding the second object to be held by the second hand A robot that performs at least one of the second operation of placing the second object to be held. In claim 1,
After the second operation, the robot further performs a fourth operation of holding the second object to be held placed on the first hand by the second hand. In claim 2,
The robot according to claim 4, wherein the posture of the second hand in the fourth operation is different from the posture of the second hand in the second operation. In claim 2 or 3,
The holding position of the second object to be held by the second hand in the fourth operation is different from the holding position of the second object to be held by the second hand in the second operation. Robot characterized by being. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4,
After the second operation, the second holding object is held by the first hand, and a fifth operation for fixing the position and orientation of the second holding object is further performed. Robot to do. In claim 5,
After the fifth operation, the robot further performs a sixth operation for performing work on the second object to be held whose position and orientation are fixed by the second arm. In claim 6,
The sixth operation is an inspection operation performed on the second object to be held by an imaging device held by the second hand or an imaging device provided on the second arm. Robot. In claim 6,
The robot according to claim 6, wherein the sixth operation is an assembling operation in which the third object to be held held by the second hand is assembled to the second object to be held. In claim 1,
After the first operation, the robot further performs a third operation of holding the second object to be held placed on the first object to be held by the second hand. In claim 9,
The robot according to claim 3, wherein the posture of the second hand in the third motion is different from the posture of the second hand in the first motion. In claim 9 or 10,
The holding position of the second object to be held by the second hand in the third operation is different from the holding position of the second object to be held by the second hand in the first operation. Robot characterized by being. In claim 1,
After the first operation or the second operation, the second holding object is inspected by the imaging device held by the second hand or the imaging device provided in the second arm. Robot characterized by performing. In any one of Claims 1 to 12,
In an assembly operation including the first operation or the second operation,
A robot that performs the assembling work without bringing the second object to be held in contact with an object other than the first arm, the second arm, and the first object to be held. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 13.
The first hand is a four-fingered hand having four fingers;
Of the four fingers, the first and second fingers are movable in a given direction. Of the four fingers, the third and fourth fingers are different from the first and second fingers. A robot characterized in that a finger can move in a direction opposite to the given direction. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 14.
The first hand includes a support having a first surface in a direction along a given direction;
A robot that performs the second operation of placing the second object to be held held by the second hand on the support portion. In claim 15,
The robot according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is movable in a direction intersecting the first surface. A control device for operating a robot including a first arm having a first hand and a second arm having a second hand,
A first operation of placing a second object to be held held by the second hand on the first object to be held held by the first hand on the robot, and the second action on the first hand. A control device that performs at least one of the second operation of placing the second object to be held held by the hand. A robot including a first arm having a first hand and a second arm having a second hand;
A control device for operating the robot;
Including
The robot is
A first operation of placing the second object to be held held by the second hand on the first object to be held held by the first hand, and the second hand holding the second object to be held by the second hand A robot system that performs at least one of the second operation of placing the second object to be held. A robot control method for controlling a robot including a first arm having a first hand and a second arm having a second hand,
A first operation of placing the second object to be held held by the second hand on the first object to be held held by the first hand, and the second hand holding the second object to be held by the second hand A robot control method comprising performing at least one of the second operation of placing the second object to be held.