TWM565327U - Robot arm control device - Google Patents

Abstract

A mechanical arm control device for controlling a robot arm, wherein the robot arm includes a base and a working head. The robot control device includes a camera, an image processor and a controller, wherein the image processor is connected to the camera and the controller. The camera captures the workspace of the robot arm to produce a first image and a second image. The image processor sets the first image as a background image, and performs an image processing process on the second image according to the background image to obtain position information of the obstacle located in the workspace. The controller calculates a predetermined moving path according to the position information of the obstacle, the position information of the base, and the working starting point and the working end point of the working head, and the controller is further used for connecting to the robot arm to control the working head movement according to the predetermined moving path. .

Description

Robot arm control device

This creation relates to a control device, and more particularly to a control device for a robotic arm.

Nowadays, the robot arm is still constantly updated and improved, but there are still some logistics tasks that cannot be broken by the automation machine. For example, the operation of the interior leather of the sports car depends on the manual treatment. It is like the thickness judgment of the leather and the arrangement of the lines need to rely on the accumulation of human experience. Achieve refined and custom decoration. As mentioned above, the difficult task of not being able to replace it with standard mechanical processes requires the operator to work with the automation machine, and most of these projects are customized.

The concept of man-machine coordination, when the operator works with the robot arm, in order to worry about the safety of the personnel, a safety control mechanism is added to the robot arm. Commonly, the laser range finder sensor and the acceleration gauge are added. The detector, current sensor, etc. can stop or decelerate the robot arm. Most of the current human-machine collaborative safety control devices use sensors in the form of contacts, that is, the operator has already hit the machine to start the safety mechanism, in which case the person has been injured. Or when the operator enters the safety protection zone, he will touch the protective measures and start the safety-related mechanism. However, for the working machine, it does not completely affect the operation process, but due to the start of the safety mechanism, The robotic arm will slow down its operation and suspend operation or force stop, which will affect the efficiency of the logistics plant process.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a mechanical arm control device that applies visual technology to personnel safety protection, so that the operation of the robot arm can achieve the highest efficiency while protecting the safety of the operator.

The robot arm control device disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention is for controlling a robot arm, wherein the robot arm includes a base and a working head. The robot control device includes a camera, an image processor and a controller, wherein the image processor is connected to the camera and the controller. The camera captures the workspace of the robot arm to produce a first image and a second image. The image processor sets the first image as a background image, and performs an image processing process on the second image according to the background image to obtain position information of the obstacle located in the workspace. The controller calculates a predetermined moving path according to the position information of the obstacle, the position information of the base, and the working starting point and the working end point of the working head, and the controller is further used for connecting to the robot arm to control the working head movement according to the predetermined moving path. .

The robot arm control device disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the controller generates a circular range according to the position information of the obstacle, the circular range surrounds the obstacle and the minimum distance between the circumference of the circular range and the obstacle is greater than the pre- Set the distance.

The robot arm control device disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the controller obtains a tangent line of the work head and a tangent line of the circular range and a working end point of the working head and another tangent line of the circular range, and obtains an intersection of the two tangent lines, The working starting point, the intersection point and the working end point are sequentially connected as a predetermined moving path, wherein the two tangent lines are located between the circular range and the base.

The robot arm control device disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the controller performs inverse kinematic calculation according to coordinate information of the predetermined movement path to generate a predetermined opening angle of a connecting arm between the base and the working head, This control work head moves.

The robot arm control device disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the controller controls the working head to make the distance greater than a preset threshold when determining that the distance between the position information of the obstacle and the position information of the work head is less than a preset threshold.

The robot arm control device disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the controller performs the calculation of the predetermined movement path every predetermined time interval.

The robot arm control device disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the image processing flow includes performing background subtraction on the second image with the background image, and performing binarization processing, erosion processing, and expansion processing to obtain an outline of the obstacle. And generate position information according to the contour.

The robot arm control device disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the controller comprises a main controller and a programmable logic controller, and is connected to each other through an internet protocol kit. The main controller calculates a predetermined movement path to generate a control command, and the programmable logic controller controls the movement of the work head according to the control instruction.

The robot arm control device disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention further includes another camera connected to the image processor. The other camera captures the workspace to generate the third image and the fourth image, wherein the image processor obtains another location information of the obstacle according to the third image and the fourth image, and the controller adjusts the predetermined movement according to the other location information. path.

The robot arm control device disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the camera belongs to a depth camera.

According to the robot arm control device of the above embodiment, the position of the operator is detected by receiving the image, so that the robot arm changes its original path within the allowable safety range, and a new optimal path plan is calculated by visual judgment. The robotic arm continues to perform the same task, and the overall operation takes the shortest time to ensure the safety of the operator.

The above description of the present invention and the following description of the embodiments are intended to demonstrate and explain the principles of the present invention, and to provide a further explanation of the scope of the patent application of the present invention.

The detailed features and advantages of the present invention are described in detail below in the embodiments, which are sufficient to enable any skilled artisan to understand the technical contents of the present invention and implement it according to the contents, the scope of the patent application and the drawings. Anyone familiar with the relevant art can easily understand the purpose and advantages of this creation. The following examples are intended to further illustrate the scope of this creation, but do not limit the scope of the creation in any way.

Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a robot arm control device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the robot arm control device 1 is used to control the robot arm 2, wherein the robot arm 2 includes a base 21 and the working head 22 is, for example, a drill bit, a jig, etc., and the creation does not limit the type and mechanism design of the robot arm 2. . The robot control device 1 includes a camera 11, an image processor 12, and a controller 13, wherein the image processor 12 is connected to the camera 11 and the controller 13 by wire or wirelessly.

The camera 11 is, for example, a depth camera that photographs the workspace of the robot arm 2 to generate a first image and a second image. In detail, the base 21 of the robot arm 2 is disposed on the working machine, the working space includes the movable range of the working machine and the working head 22, and the camera 11 is disposed above the robot arm 2 to make a pan shot toward the working space. In one embodiment, the camera 11 continues to capture the workspace.

The image processor 12 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller (Microcontroller unit (MCU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and a special application integrated circuit (Application specific). Integrated circuit, ASIC) or other processor. The image processor 12 obtains the captured image from the camera 11 by wire or wirelessly. For example, the image processor 12 can be coupled to the camera 11 via a USB connector. The image processor 12 sets the first image captured by the camera 11 as a background image, and performs a video processing process on the second image captured by the camera 11 according to the background image to obtain the position of the obstacle located in the workspace of the robot arm 2. Information, in which the details of the image processing flow will be described later.

The controller 13 obtains the position information of the obstacle from the image processor 12, and calculates a predetermined movement of the work head 22 based on the position information, the position information of the base 21 of the robot arm 2, and the working starting point and the working end point of the working head 22. path. The controller 13 is further used to be coupled to the robot arm 2 to control the movement of the working head 22 in accordance with a predetermined movement path, wherein a detailed control method will be described later.

Please refer to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a robot arm control device 1' according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the robot control device 1' includes a camera 11, an image processor 12, and a controller 13. The types and operations of the camera 11 and the image processor 12 are as described in the previous embodiment. Narration.

In an embodiment, the controller 13 can include a main controller 131 and a programmable logic controller (PLC) 132, wherein the main controller 131 and the programmable logic controller 132 can pass through an internet protocol suite. (TCP/IP) are connected to each other. The main controller 131 is, for example, a computer built-in controller that performs calculation of a predetermined movement path to generate a control command, and the programmable logic controller 132 is, for example, a controller configured for the robot arm 2, and the autonomous controller 131 receives the control command. To control the work head 22 to move. In another embodiment, the main controller 131 and the programmable logic controller 132 are integrated into a host to perform planning of the preset movement path and movement control of the work head 22.

As shown in Fig. 2, the robot control device 1' may include a display device 14 in addition to the camera 11, the image processor 12, and the controller 13. The display device 14 is connected to the controller 13 in a wired or wireless manner and presents a predetermined movement path of the work head 22 generated by the main controller 131. For example, the display device 14 can be a projector that projects a predetermined movement path of the work head 22 onto a work machine for reference by a worker.

Further, the robot control device 1' may also include another camera 11b. Similar to the camera 11, the camera 11b is, for example, a depth camera that photographs the workspace of the robot arm 2 to produce a third image and a fourth image. As described above, the image processor 12 obtains the position information of the obstacle located in the workspace according to the first image and the second image captured by the camera 11. Further, the image processor 12 can take the same method according to the camera 11b. The third image and the fourth image acquire another location information of the obstacle, and the controller 13 adjusts the predetermined moving path of the working head 22 according to the position information. In this embodiment, the controller 13 can plan the predetermined movement path more accurately according to the position information of the obstacle generated by the images captured by the two cameras 11 and 11b.

Specifically, the first image generated by the camera 11 corresponds to the third image generated by the camera 11b, and the second image of the camera 11 corresponds to the fourth image of the camera 11b, and the first and third images are only distinctive. The naming is not used to limit the order in which images are generated. The second and fourth images are similar.

Next, please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 to explain the detailed steps of the image processing flow. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of performing image processing by the robot arm control device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In step S1, the camera 11 captures an image of the workspace of the robot arm 2. In detail, the camera 11 continuously performs image capturing at a preset frequency. In steps S2 to S3, the image processor 12 captures an image from the camera 11 and determines whether the image is the first captured image. In step S4, when the image processor 12 determines that the captured image is the first captured image, the captured image (ie, the first image described above) is set as the background image as a reference for subsequent image processing. Figure, and step S2 is performed again to capture another image from the camera 11.

In step S5, when the image processor 12 determines that the captured image is not the first captured image, the background subtraction (Background Subtraction) is performed on the captured image (ie, the second image described above) with the background image. . Next, in step S6, a binarization process is performed on the image subtracted image to generate a binary image (Morphological). Then, in steps S7 to S8, Eroding and Dilating are performed on the binary image to complete the image processing flow. After performing the image processing flow on the captured image, the image processor 12 performs step S2 again to capture another image from the camera 11. The image processed by the image processing process contains coordinates of a plurality of points, and by identifying the contour of the obstacle, the position information of the obstacle can be generated. That is to say, the position information of the obstacle can contain a plurality of coordinates on its outline.

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C together to explain the planning manner of the predetermined moving path of the working head 22 of the robot arm 2, wherein FIGS. 4A to 4C are the robot arm control device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. A schematic diagram of performing a preset movement route plan.

As shown in FIG. 4A, when there is no obstacle in the work space, the controller 13 sets the predetermined movement path P0 of the work head 22 to be a straight line from its work start point O1 to the work end point O2. As shown in FIG. 4B, when the obstacle 3 enters the work space, the controller 13 generates a circular range R1 based on the position information of the obstacle 3. In detail, the circular range R1 surrounds the obstacle 3 and the minimum distance between the circumference and the obstacle 3 is greater than the preset distance, wherein the preset distance can be designed according to actual needs, and the creation is not limited. The controller 13 obtains the tangent of the working starting point O1 of the working head 22 and the circular range R1 and the tangent of the working end point O2 of the working head 22 and the circular range R1, obtains the intersection N1 of the two tangent lines, and sequentially connects the working starting point O1. The intersection point N1 and the work end point O2 serve as a predetermined movement path P1, wherein the two tangent lines are located between the circular range R1 and the base 21 of the robot arm 2. That is, the predetermined moving path P1 is located between the circular range R1 and the susceptor 21.

Further, the controller 13 performs the calculation of the predetermined movement path every time a predetermined time interval, wherein the preset time can be designed according to actual needs, and the creation is not limited. As shown in FIG. 4C, when the obstacle 3 moves, the controller 13 generates a new circular range R2, and obtains a tangent to the working starting point O1 and the circular range R2 and a tangent to the working end point O2 and the circular range R2. The intersection point N2 is between to generate a predetermined movement path P2. The work head 22, which was originally moved to the position M1 along the predetermined movement path P1, moves to the position M2 immediately along the path P3 in accordance with the new predetermined movement path P2, and continues to move along the new predetermined movement path P2.

In an embodiment, when the distance between the position information of the obstacle 3 and the position information of the work head 22 is less than a preset threshold, the controller 13 controls the working head 22 to have a greater distance from the obstacle 3 than The preset threshold, wherein the preset threshold can be designed according to actual needs, and the creation is not limited. Further, the predetermined movement paths P0-P2 generated in the above embodiments have a plurality of coordinate information, and the controller 13 may perform an inverse kinematic calculation based on the coordinate information to generate a relationship between the pedestal 21 and the work head 22. The predetermined opening angle of the connecting arm, thereby controlling the movement of the working head 22.

According to the robot arm control device of the above embodiment, the position of the operator is detected by receiving the image, so that the robot arm changes its original path within the allowable safety range, and a new optimal path plan is calculated by visual judgment. The robotic arm continues to perform the same task, and the overall operation takes the shortest time to ensure the safety of the operator.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and anyone skilled in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of patent protection of the creation shall be subject to the definition of the scope of the patent application attached to this specification.

1, 1'‧‧‧ mechanical arm control device
11, 11b‧‧‧ camera
12‧‧‧Image Processor
13‧‧‧ Controller
2‧‧‧ Robotic arm
21‧‧‧Base
22‧‧‧Work head
131‧‧‧Master Controller
132‧‧‧Programmable Logic Controller
14‧‧‧Display device
S1 ~ S8‧‧‧ steps
O1‧‧‧ starting point of work
O2‧‧‧ work end point
P0～P2‧‧‧ scheduled moving path
P3‧‧‧ Path
N1, N2‧‧‧ intersection
R1, R2‧‧‧ round range
M1, M2‧‧‧ position

1 is a functional block diagram of a robot arm control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a functional block diagram of a robot arm control device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flow chart of performing image processing by a robot arm control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4A-4C are schematic diagrams showing the execution of a preset movement route plan by the robot arm control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (10)

A robot arm control device for controlling a robot arm, the robot arm comprising a base and a working head, the robot arm control device comprising: a camera, capturing a working space of the robot arm to generate a first image and a second image; an image processor connected to the camera, setting the first image as a background image, and performing an image processing process on the second image according to the background image to obtain an obstacle located in the workspace a location information; and a controller coupled to the image processor to calculate a predetermined movement based on the location information of the obstacle, a location information of the pedestal, and a working starting point and a working end of the working head a path, and the controller is further configured to be coupled to the robot arm to control the movement of the working head according to the predetermined movement path. The robot arm control device of claim 1, wherein the controller generates a circular range according to the position information of the obstacle, the circular range surrounding the obstacle and a circumference of the circular range and the obstacle The minimum distance between them is greater than a preset distance. The robot arm control device of claim 2, wherein the controller obtains the working starting point of the working head and the line of the circular range and the working end point of the working head and another tangent of the circular range, Obtaining an intersection of the two tangent lines, and sequentially connecting the working starting point, the intersection point, and the working end point as the predetermined moving path, wherein the two tangent lines are located between the circular range and the base. The robot arm control device of claim 1, wherein the controller performs inverse kinematic calculation according to coordinate information of the predetermined movement path to generate a predetermined opening of a connecting arm between the base and the working head. Angle, thereby controlling the movement of the work head. The robot arm control device of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the working head to make the distance when determining that the distance between the position information of the obstacle and the position information of the working head is less than a predetermined threshold. Greater than the preset threshold. The robot arm control device of claim 1, wherein the controller performs the calculation of the predetermined movement path every time a predetermined time interval. The robot arm control device of claim 1, wherein the image processing flow includes performing background subtraction on the second image with the background image, and performing binarization processing, erosion processing, and expansion processing to obtain the obstacle. The contour, and the location information is generated according to the contour. The robot arm control device of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises: a main controller that calculates the predetermined movement path to generate a control command; and a programmable logic controller that passes through an internet protocol suite The group is connected to the main controller and is configured to control the work head according to the control instruction. The robot arm control device of claim 1, further comprising another camera coupled to the image processor to capture the workspace to generate a third image and a fourth image, wherein the image processor is configured according to the third The image and the fourth image acquire another location information of the obstacle, and the controller adjusts the predetermined movement path according to the another location information. The robot arm control device of claim 1, wherein the camera belongs to a depth camera.