WO2024089815A1

WO2024089815A1 - Robot

Info

Publication number: WO2024089815A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/039972
Authority: WO
Inventors: 佳宏白川; 直史吉田; 泰弘山下; 宗石川; 友汰松本; 匡隆由村; 啓祐名桐; 伸哉近藤
Original assignee: 株式会社Fuji
Priority date: 2022-10-26
Filing date: 2022-10-26
Publication date: 2024-05-02

Abstract

Provided is a robot comprising an arm part, a hand leading-end part which is provided to a distal end portion of the arm part, a monitoring unit which is capable of executing an external force monitoring function of monitoring an external force applied to the hand leading-end part, a switch which is operated by an operator, and a control unit which permits execution of direct teaching and disables the external force monitoring function while the switch is ON.

Description

robot

This specification discloses a robot.

　Conventionally, there have been proposals for robots equipped with articulated arms that are capable of performing direct teaching, in which an operator manually moves the arm directly and records the movement (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. 2022/180795

To ensure safety, robots are usually equipped with various monitoring functions, such as monitoring for interference with obstacles. However, for example, when an operator holds the robot's hand and performs direct teaching, it is extremely difficult to distinguish and monitor whether the operator is applying force to the arm's hand or whether the robot's hand has interfered with an obstacle, and there is a risk that the monitoring function will malfunction even if the operator is operating the hand properly.

The primary objective of this disclosure is to prevent the robot's monitoring function from malfunctioning while ensuring safety during direct teaching.

This disclosure takes the following steps to achieve the above-mentioned primary objective:

The robot of the present disclosure is
An arm portion;
A hand portion provided at a tip portion of the arm portion;
a monitoring unit capable of executing an external force monitoring function for monitoring an external force acting on the hand;
A switch operated by an operator;
a control unit that permits execution of direct teaching and disables the external force monitoring function while the switch is on;
The gist of the invention is to provide the following:

In the robot disclosed herein, the external force monitoring function is disabled while the switch is on, so that it is possible to prevent the monitoring function from malfunctioning during direct teaching, even when the operator is manually operating the hand properly. Of course, direct teaching can be performed only while the switch is on, so safety during direct teaching can be guaranteed.

1 is an external perspective view of a robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a robot. FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged view of the robot including the hand portion. FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged view of the robot including the hand portion. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing electrical connections of the robot system. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of direct teaching switches. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the transition of the on/off state for each position of the direct teaching switch; FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a robot control process.

Next, the form for implementing this disclosure will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the robot system 10 of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the robot 20. FIGS. 3 and 4 are partial enlarged views of the robot 20 including the hand unit 60. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the housing 54. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the electrical connections of the robot system 10. In FIG. 1, the front-to-back direction is the X-axis, the left-to-right direction is the Y-axis, and the up-down direction is the Z-axis.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the robot system 10 of this embodiment includes a robot 20 having a multi-joint robot arm 21, a foot switch 91, and a tablet terminal 93.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the robot system 10 holds the ultrasonic probe 101 of the ultrasonic diagnostic device 100 at the tip of the robot arm 21, and controls the robot 20 to move while placing the ultrasonic probe 101 on the surface of the human body, thereby making the ultrasonic diagnostic device 100 acquire ultrasonic echo images of the human body. The robot system 10 is used as an ultrasonic echo guide during surgery, such as catheter surgery. The operator (surgeon) who operates the catheter guide wire instructs the robot 20 to place the ultrasonic probe 101 on the surface of the human body (patient), and while recognizing the positional relationship between the tip of the guide wire and the blood vessel from the obtained ultrasonic echo image, advances the guide wire, thereby allowing the guide wire to accurately pass through the center of the occlusion or stenosis of the blood vessel. As a preliminary step, the operator manually operates the robot arm 21, places the ultrasonic probe 101 held by the robot arm 21 on the patient, and while checking the acquired ultrasonic echo image, determines the points (images) to be reproduced during surgery and performs direct teaching to register them in the robot 20 (robot control device 80).

As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 comprises an ultrasound probe 101 and an ultrasound diagnostic device main body 110 connected to the ultrasound probe 101 via a cable 102. As shown in FIG. 6, the ultrasound diagnostic device main body 110 comprises an ultrasound diagnosis control unit 111 that controls the entire device, an image processing unit 112 that processes the received signal from the ultrasound probe 101 to generate an ultrasound echo image, an image display unit 113 that displays the ultrasound echo image, and various operation switches (not shown).

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the robot 20 includes a base 25, a robot arm 21 mounted on the base 25, a hand 60 attached to the tip of the robot arm 21, a height adjustment mechanism 45 that manually adjusts the height of the robot arm 21, a robot control device 80 that controls the robot arm 21, and an operation panel 90.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, casters 26 with stoppers are attached to the four corners of the back surface of the base 25. The robot 20 can be moved freely by the casters 26. In addition, locking parts 28 are provided at multiple points (e.g., three points) on the back surface of the base 25, which protrude vertically downward when a lever 27 is pressed down to lock (fix) the robot 20 so that it cannot move.

In this embodiment, the robot arm 21 is a seven-axis articulated arm, and as shown in Figures 1 and 2, has a first arm 22, a second arm 23, a base 24, a first arm driver 35, a second arm driver 36, a position holding device 37, and a three-axis rotating mechanism 50.

The base end of the first arm 22 is connected to the base 24 via a first joint shaft 31 that extends in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The first arm driving device 35 includes a motor 35a, an encoder 35b, and an amplifier 35c. The rotation shaft of the motor 35a is connected to the first joint shaft 31 via a reduction gear (not shown). The first arm driving device 35 rotates (pivots) the first arm 22 along a horizontal plane (XY plane) around the first joint shaft 31 as a fulcrum by driving the first joint shaft 31 to rotate with the motor 35a. The encoder 35b is attached to the rotation shaft of the motor 35a and is configured as a rotary encoder that detects the amount of rotational displacement of the motor 35a. The amplifier 35c is a driving unit for driving the motor 35a by switching the switching element.

The base end of the second arm 23 is connected to the tip end of the first arm 22 via a second joint shaft 32 extending in the vertical direction. The second arm driving device 36 includes a motor 36a, an encoder 36b, and an amplifier 36c. The rotating shaft of the motor 36a is connected to the second joint shaft 32 via a reduction gear (not shown). The second arm driving device 36 rotates (pivots) the second arm 23 along a horizontal plane around the second joint shaft 32 as a fulcrum by driving the second joint shaft 32 to rotate with the motor 36a. The encoder 36b is attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 36a and is configured as a rotary encoder that detects the amount of rotational displacement of the motor 36a. The amplifier 35c is a driving unit for driving the motor 35a by switching the switching element.

2, the base 24 is provided so as to be movable up and down with respect to the base 25 by a lifting device 40 installed on the base 25. The lifting device 40 includes a first slider 41 fixed to the base 24, a first guide member 42 extending in the vertical direction to guide the movement of the first slider 41, a first ball screw shaft 43 (lifting shaft) extending in the vertical direction and screwed into a ball screw nut (not shown) fixed to the first slider 41, a motor 44a that rotates the first ball screw shaft 43, an encoder 44b (see FIG. 3), and an amplifier 44c that drives the motor 44a. The lifting device 40 moves the base 24 fixed to the first slider 41 up and down along the first guide member 42 by rotating the first ball screw shaft 43 with the motor 44a. The encoder 44b is configured as a linear encoder that detects the vertical position (lifted position) of the first slider 41 (base 24).

2, the height adjustment mechanism 45 includes a second slider 46 fixed to the first guide member 42 of the lifting device 40, a second guide member 47 fixed to the base 25 and extending in the vertical direction to guide the movement of the second slider 46, a second ball screw shaft 48 (lifting shaft) extending in the vertical direction and screwed into a ball screw nut (not shown) fixed to the second slider 46, and a rotating handle 49 connected to the second ball screw shaft 48 via a power transmission mechanism (bevel gear). The height adjustment mechanism 45 moves the first guide member 42 of the lifting device 40 fixed to the second slider 46 up and down along the second guide member 47 by manually operating the rotating handle 49 to rotate the second ball screw shaft 48. The base end of the robot arm 21 is fixed to the base 24, and the base 24 is supported by the first guide member 42, so the height of the robot arm 21 can be adjusted by moving the first guide member 42 up and down using the height adjustment mechanism 45. This allows the height of the robot arm 21 to be adjusted according to the height of a bed on which a patient for ultrasound diagnosis lies, for example.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the three-axis rotating mechanism 50 is connected to the tip of the second arm 23 via the attitude-maintaining shaft 33 extending in the vertical direction. The three-axis rotating mechanism 50 includes a first rotation shaft 51, a second rotation shaft 52, and a third rotation shaft 53 that are perpendicular to one another, a first rotation device 55 that rotates the first rotation shaft 51, a second rotation device 56 that rotates the second rotation shaft 52, and a third rotation device 57 as a hand drive device that rotates the third rotation shaft 53 to which the hand portion 60 is connected. The first rotation shaft 51 is supported in an orthogonal position relative to the attitude-maintaining shaft 33. The second rotation shaft 52 is supported in an orthogonal position relative to the first rotation shaft 51. The third rotation shaft 53 is supported in an orthogonal position relative to the second rotation shaft 52. The first rotating device 55 has a motor 55a that rotates the first rotating shaft 51, an encoder 55b that is attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 55a and detects the amount of rotational displacement of the motor 55a, and an amplifier 55c that drives the motor 55a. The second rotating device 56 has a motor 56a that rotates the second rotating shaft 52, an encoder 56b that is attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 56a and detects the amount of rotational displacement of the motor 56a, and an amplifier 56c that drives the motor 56a. The third rotating device 57 has a motor 57a that rotates the third rotating shaft 53, an encoder 57b that is attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 57a and detects the amount of rotational displacement of the motor 57a, and an amplifier 57c that drives the motor 56a.

As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the third rotation device 57 (hand drive device) includes a housing 54 to which the second rotation shaft 52 is connected and which rotatably supports the third rotation shaft 53 so that the third rotation shaft 53 extends in a direction perpendicular to the second rotation shaft 52, a motor 57a that rotates the third rotation shaft 53, a force sensor 65, an operating handle 66, a stop button 67, etc.

As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 54 is a box-shaped member having a first surface 54b, a second surface 54t, a third surface 54r, and a fourth surface 54f that are connected in the circumferential direction. The second rotating shaft 52 is connected to the third surface 54r of the housing 54. The first surface 54b and the second surface 54t, which are perpendicular to the third surface 54r and face each other, have

openings

541 and 542 that penetrate coaxially, as shown in FIG. 5. The third rotating shaft 53 is rotatably supported in the housing 54 so as to extend outward through the opening 541. Here, when the robot arm 21 is in the reference posture (the posture shown in FIG. 2), the first surface 54b is the lower surface, the second surface 54t is the upper surface, the third surface 54r is the back surface, and the fourth surface 54f is the front surface. An operating handle 66 and a stop button 67 are arranged on the second surface 54t (upper surface) of the housing 54. In this embodiment, the operation handle 66 is a part that is held by an operator when the operator manually operates the ultrasound probe 101 held by the robot arm 21 during direct teaching. The stop button 67 is for temporarily stopping the operation of the robot arm 21 by the operator's operation when an unexpected operation occurs in the robot arm 21.

The motor 57a drives the third rotating shaft 53 to rotate, and as shown in FIG. 5, the rotating shaft 572 of the motor 57a is fixed to the housing 54 so that it is parallel to the third rotating shaft 53. The rotating shaft 572 of the motor 57a is connected via a belt 573 to a hollow transmission shaft 574 arranged parallel to the rotating shaft 572. The transmission shaft 574 is coaxially connected to the third rotating shaft 53 via the force sensor 65. As a result, the power output from the motor 57a to the rotating shaft 572 is transmitted to the third rotating shaft 53 via the belt 573, the transmission shaft 574, and the force sensor 65 in that order.

The force sensor 65 transmits the power from the motor 57a to the third rotating shaft 53 (hand part 60) and detects the force components acting in the axial directions of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis as an external force and the torque components acting around each axis. As shown in FIG. 5, the force sensor 65 has an action part 651 on which a force acts, an annular support part 652 that supports the action part 651 on the inner periphery, and a detection part (not shown) that is arranged at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction between the action part 651 and the support part 652 and detects the force acting on the action part 651. A hollow support shaft 576 through which the third rotating shaft 53 is coaxially inserted is connected to one end face (lower face in the figure) of the annular support part 652, and a hollow transmission shaft 574 is connected to the other end face (upper face in the figure) of the support part 652. The transmission shaft 574 and the support shaft 576 are rotatably supported relative to the housing 54 by

bearings

577 and 578, respectively.

Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the base end of the third rotating shaft 53 is connected to one end surface (the bottom surface in the figure) of the acting part 651. The base end of an acting shaft 575 that extends coaxially with the third rotating shaft 53 and is inserted into a hollow transmission shaft 574 is connected to the other end surface (the top surface in the figure) of the acting part 651. The acting shaft 575 is supported by a bearing so as to be freely rotatable relative to the housing 54. Furthermore, the acting shaft 575 extends to an opening 542 formed in the second surface 54t of the housing 54, and the base end of the operating handle 66 is fixed to the tip of the acting shaft 575.

The hand 60 is attached to the tip of the third rotating shaft 53. The hand 60 has a base 601, a holding part 602 that holds the ultrasonic probe 101 so as to be coaxial with the third rotating shaft 53, and a gripping part 603 that is a part that is held by the operator. The base 601 is a plate-shaped member and is detachably attached to the third rotating shaft 53 by a snap lock 64. The hand 60 (base 601) may be attached to the third rotating shaft 53 by other fixing devices (e.g., a ratchet-type fixing device, a screw, etc.). The holding part 602 has a holder provided on one surface of the base 601, and holds the ultrasonic probe 101 by the holder. The gripping part 603 is held by the operator when the operator moves the ultrasonic probe 101 held by the robot arm 21 by hand, for example, in direct teaching. The gripping portion 603 is provided on the surface of the base 601 opposite to the surface on which the holding portion 602 is provided, and is formed so as to protrude outward in a convex shape from the other surface. In this embodiment, the gripping portion 603 is formed with a convex curved surface as shown in Figures 3 and 4, but it may be formed in any shape, such as a rod shape, a hemisphere shape, a rectangular parallelepiped shape, or a cube shape, as long as it is a shape that can be held by an operator. In addition, a direct teaching switch 61 is provided at the top of the convex portion (convex curved surface portion) of the gripping portion 603 to allow the operator to manually operate the robot arm 21 in direct teaching.

The direct teaching switch 61 has a pressing member 611 that is pressed by the operator, as shown in FIG. 7. The direct teaching switch 61 is a push button switch built into the gripping portion 603 so that the pressing member 611 can be pressed in the direction opposite to the direction in which the gripping portion 603 protrudes. The direct teaching switch 61 has two independent detection circuits D1, D2 including a terminal contact and a movable contact that is linked to the pressing member 611. When the movable contact is disconnected from the terminal contact in both detection circuits D1, D2, the switch is in the OFF state, and when the movable contact is connected to the terminal contact in both detection circuits D1, D2, the switch is in the ON state. As a result, even if a failure occurs in one of the two detection circuits D1, D2, in which the movable contact and the terminal contact are welded together, the direct teaching switch 61 will not be in the ON state unless the operator presses the pressing member 611. In addition, the two detection circuits D1, D2 are configured to output different pulse signals to the robot control device 80 when the movable contacts and terminal contacts are connected. The robot control device 80 determines that the direct teaching switch 61 has been turned on by detecting the input of different pulse signals from the two detection circuits D1, D2. Therefore, even if the same pulse signal is input to the robot control device 80 from the two detection circuits D1, D2 due to a failure such as welding of the contacts between the two detection circuits D1, D2, the robot control device 80 does not determine that the direct teaching switch 61 has been turned on. In other words, direct teaching is not permitted.

8, the direct teaching switch 61 is configured as a three-position enable switch, and has a structure in which the switch body is embedded inside the gripping portion 603 to prevent unexpected mode changes. That is, when the operator is not pressing the pressing member 611, the direct teaching switch 61 is in a first position where the pressing surface of the pressing member 611 protrudes slightly beyond the surface of the gripping portion 603, and the movable contact is disconnected from the terminal contact and is in an OFF state. When the operator presses the pressing member 611, the direct teaching switch 61 is in a second position where the pressing surface of the pressing member 611 is pressed inward beyond the surface of the gripping portion 603, and the movable contact is connected to the terminal contact and switched to an ON state. When the operator presses the pressing member 611 further, the direct teaching switch 61 changes to a third position where the pressing surface of the pressing member 611 is pressed further into the gripping portion 603 than in the second position, and the movable contact is again separated from the terminal contact, switching from the on state to the off state. Note that when the operator releases the pressing member 611 in the second or third position, the direct teaching switch 61 returns to the first position. This allows the operator to reflexively cancel permission for direct teaching in the event of an unexpected situation.

As shown in FIG. 4, one end of a cable 62 is connected to the terminal of the direct teaching switch 61. A cable guide 63 that guides one end of the cable 62 to the direct teaching switch 61 is fixed to the other surface of the base 601 of the hand 60, closer to the housing 54 than the grip 603. The other end of the cable 62 is connected to wiring that runs from the housing 54 along the robot arm 21 to the robot control device 80. In this embodiment, a connector 621 is provided at the other end of the cable 62, and is removably connected to a connector provided on the housing 54. Therefore, by unlocking the snap lock 64 and pulling out the connector 621, the hand 60 can be easily detached from the housing 54, improving maintainability.

The robot 20 of this embodiment operates the robot arm 21 by a combination of translational motion in three directions, the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction, by the first arm driving device 35, the second arm driving device 36, and the lifting device 40, and rotational motion in three directions, around the X-axis (pitching), around the Y-axis (rolling), and around the Z-axis (yawing), by the three-axis rotation mechanism 50. This allows the robot 20 to move the ultrasound probe 101 in each of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions (both forward and reverse directions) and rotate it around each axis (both forward and reverse rotation directions).

The attitude holding device 37 holds the attitude of the three-axis rotating mechanism 50 (the orientation of the first rotating shaft 51) in a constant orientation regardless of the orientation of the first arm 22 and the second arm 23. The attitude holding device 37 includes a motor 37a, an encoder 37b, and an amplifier 37c. The rotating shaft of the motor 37a is connected to the attitude holding shaft 33 via a reduction gear (not shown). The attitude holding device 37 sets a target rotation angle of the attitude holding shaft 33 based on the rotation angle of the first joint shaft 31 and the rotation angle of the second joint shaft 32 so that the axial direction of the first rotating shaft 51 is always in the left-right direction (X-axis direction), and drives and controls the motor 37a so that the attitude holding shaft 33 is at the target rotation angle. This makes it possible to control the translational motion in three directions and the rotational motion in three directions independently, making control easier.

The operation panel 90 is a touch panel display that displays various information related to the robot system 10 and allows various instructions to be input to the robot system 10. In this embodiment, the operation panel 90 is installed on the top surface of the housing 29 that houses the lifting device 40 of the robot 20 and the robot control device 80.

As shown in FIG. 1, the foot switch 91 is a pedal switch that is turned on when the operator steps on it, and is connected to the robot control device 80 of the robot 20 via a cable. In this embodiment, the foot switch 91 has four switches (a first switch 911, a second switch 912, a third switch 913, and a fourth switch 914) arranged horizontally.

The tablet terminal 93 is equipped with a control device including a CPU, ROM, RAM, and storage (SSD), a touch panel display that displays various information and allows the operator to input operations, and a communication unit. The tablet terminal 93 is communicatively connected to the robot control device 80 of the robot 20 via wireless communication. In this embodiment, the tablet terminal 93 has a remote desktop function that allows the operation panel 90 to be remotely operated from the tablet terminal 93 via wireless communication.

As shown in FIG. 6, the robot control device 80 comprises a robot control unit 81, a monitoring unit 82, an IO unit 83, a communication unit 84, and a memory unit 85. The robot control unit 81 is configured as a processor including a CPU, ROM, RAM, peripheral circuits, etc. The monitoring unit 82 is configured as a one-chip microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, peripheral circuits, etc. The monitoring unit 82 may also be duplicated. The robot control unit 81 performs various processes related to the control of the robot arm 21 (motors 35a-37a, 44a, 55a-57a). The monitoring unit 82 monitors the status of each unit, such as the IO unit 83, communication unit 84, amplifiers 35c-37c, 44c, 55c-57c, encoders 35b-37b, 44b, 55b-57b, and a sensor unit including a direct teaching switch 61, etc. The IO unit 83 is an I/O port that inputs detection signals from the direct teaching switch 61, the stop switch 67, the force sensor 65, operation signals from the operation panel 90, etc., and outputs display signals to the operation panel 90. The communication unit 84 communicates with the robot control device 80 and external devices (such as the foot switch 91 and tablet terminal 93) via wired or wireless means, and exchanges various signals and data.

Each of the amplifiers 35c-37c, 44c, 55c-57c includes a motor control unit 71, a drive power supply unit 72, and an IO unit 73. The motor control unit 71 has switching elements, and controls the motors 35a-37a, 44a, 55a-57a by controlling the switching of the switching elements based on feedback signals from the encoders 35b-37b, 44b, 55b-57b, etc. The drive power supply unit 72 supplies the power required to drive the motors 35a-37a, 44a, 55a-57a. The IO unit 83 is an I/O port that inputs various signals such as position signals from the encoders 35b-37b, 44b, 55b-57b, current signals from current sensors that detect the current flowing through each of the motors 35a-37a, 44a, 55a-57a, and command signals (control signals) from the robot control unit 81 to each of the motors 35a-37a, 44a, 55a-57a.

The robot 20 has three robot statuses: control off, control on, and robot on. Control off is a state in which the robot control unit 81 has stopped supplying power to the amplifiers 35c to 37c, 44c, and 55c to 57c, making the robot arm 21 (motor) uncontrollable. Control on is a state in which the robot control unit 81 is supplying power to the amplifiers 35c to 37c, 44c, and 55c to 57c, making the robot arm 21 controllable. In this state, it is possible to change the posture of the robot arm 21 by directly touching it. Robot on is a state in which the robot control unit 81, in the control on state, outputs a control signal to the amplifiers 35c to 37c, 44c, and 55c to 57c to control the robot arm 21. The robot status is changed based on the operator's instructions and based on the monitoring results of the monitoring unit 82.

Next, the monitoring function of the monitoring unit 82 of the robot control device 80 will be described. The functions of the monitoring unit 82 include a monitoring function, a fault detection function, and a safety IO function. When the monitoring unit 82 of the robot control device 80 determines that an abnormality has occurred in any of the functions, it transitions the state of the robot 20 to a safe state (e.g., control off).

The monitoring functions include sensor monitoring, microcomputer monitoring, and direct teaching switch monitoring. Sensor monitoring is to determine failures in sensors such as the encoders 35b-37b, 44b, 55b-57b and current sensors. Microcomputer monitoring is to determine the voltage supplied to the microcomputer (robot control unit 81, monitoring unit 82), the ambient temperature of the microcomputer, and failures in the microcomputer. Direct teaching switch monitoring is to determine failures in the direct teaching switch 61. As described above, the direct teaching switch 61 is provided with two independent detection circuits, each including a terminal contact and a movable contact, and the two detection circuits output different pulse signals to the robot control device 80. The monitoring unit 82 monitors the pulse signals output from the two detection circuits, and if the two pulse signals are the same, it determines that a failure has occurred in the direct teaching switch 61. The monitoring unit 82 also determines that a failure has occurred in the direct teaching switch 61 if a pulse signal is output from only one of the two detection circuits.

The obstacle detection function includes a torque obstacle detection function, a speed obstacle detection function, a position obstacle detection function, and an external force obstacle detection function. The torque obstacle detection function detects a state in which a torque exceeding a set torque is output to each axis or hand of the robot arm 21. The speed obstacle detection function detects a state in which each axis or hand of the robot arm 21 operates at a speed exceeding a set speed. The position obstacle detection function detects a state in which each axis or hand of the robot arm 21 is positioned outside a set range. The external force obstacle detection function detects a state in which each axis or hand of the robot arm 21 is subjected to an external force exceeding an allowable range.

The safety IO function includes the function of detecting the operation of an emergency stop switch (not shown) and monitoring various other signals input to the robot control device 80.

Next, the operation modes of the robot 20 will be described. In this embodiment, the operation modes of the robot 20 include a direct teaching mode and a playback mode in which points recorded in the direct teaching mode are played back.

In the direct teaching mode, the operator can directly operate the robot arm 21 by applying force by grasping the gripping portion 603 or the operating handle 66 of the hand portion 60, and the motor of each axis generates an assist force in the direction of the force applied so that the operator can operate with less force. The direct teaching mode is executed only while the direct teaching switch 61 is on. When the direct teaching switch 61 is turned off, the motor assist is stopped, making it difficult for the operator to manually operate the robot arm 21. In the direct teaching mode, the operator (surgeon) manually operates the robot arm 21 and can determine points (images) to be reproduced during surgery while checking the ultrasonic echo image obtained by placing the ultrasonic probe 101 held by the robot arm 21 on the patient and registering them in the memory of the robot control device 80 (point registration). Point registration can be performed by operating the operation panel 90 or the remotely connected tablet terminal 93, or by stepping on the foot switch 91 (for example, the first switch 911). This allows the operator to reliably perform point registration operations even if both hands are occupied while manually operating the robot arm 21.

The playback mode is a mode in which registered points are played back. By executing point playback during surgery, ultrasound echo images for each point are automatically acquired, and the surgeon can operate the catheter while viewing the images. The surgeon can move the point from the current point to the next point or the previous point by operating the operation panel 90 or the remotely connected tablet terminal 93, or by depressing the foot switch 91. For example, the surgeon can move the point from the current point to the next point by depressing the third switch 913 of the foot switch 91, and can move from the current point to the previous point by depressing the second switch 912 of the foot switch 91.

Next, the switching operation between the direct teaching mode and the playback mode will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a robot control process executed by the robot control unit 81 of the robot control device 80. In the robot control process, the robot control unit 81 first determines whether the direct teaching switch 61 is on or not (S100). When the robot control unit 81 determines that the direct teaching switch 61 is on, it sets the operation mode of the robot 20 to the direct teaching mode (S102) and disables the external force obstacle detection function among the obstacle detection functions described above (S104). Here, other functions executed by the monitoring unit 82 (including the direct teaching switch monitoring function and the remaining obstacle detection functions) are enabled. Next, the robot control unit 81 determines whether an external force is detected by the force sensor 65 (S106). When the robot control unit 81 determines that an external force is detected, it executes assist control to generate an assist force in the direction of the detected external force (S108). In the direct teaching mode, the operator manually operates the robot arm 21 by gripping the gripper 603 or the operating handle 66, so that the assist control detects the operating force of the operator using the force sensor 65 and controls the motors 35a to 37a, 44a, 55a to 57a of the robot arm 21 so that the assist force acts in the direction of the operating force. On the other hand, if the robot control unit 81 determines that no external force has been detected, it skips S108. Then, the robot control unit 81 determines whether or not a point registration has been instructed (S110). As described above, the point registration can be instructed by operating the operation panel 90, the remotely connected tablet terminal 93, or the foot switch 91 (first switch 911). If the robot control unit 81 determines that a point registration has not been instructed, it ends the robot control process, and if it determines that a point registration has been instructed, it stores the current point in the storage unit 85 based on the detection values of the encoders 35b to 37b, 44b, 55b to 57b (S112) and ends the robot control process. The registered points include the position and orientation of the ultrasound probe 101 (X, Y, Z coordinate values and angle values around the X, Y, and Z axes), the position of each axis of the robot arm 21 (angle values and elevation coordinate values), etc.

When the robot control unit 81 determines in S100 that the direct teaching switch 61 is in the off state, not the on state, it sets the operation mode of the robot 20 to the playback mode (S114) and activates the external force failure detection function (S116). This activates all functions executed by the monitoring unit 82. The robot control unit 81 then determines whether or not a point regeneration command has been issued (S118). As described above, a point regeneration command can be issued by operating the operation panel 90, the remotely connected tablet terminal 93, or the foot switch 91 (second switch 912, third switch 913). When the robot control unit 81 determines that a point regeneration command has not been issued, it ends the robot control process. When it determines that a point regeneration command has been issued, it controls the axis motors 35a to 37a, 44a, 55a to 57a of the robot arm 21 so that the recorded points are regenerated (S120), and ends the robot control process.

In this way, the operation mode of the robot 20 is the direct teaching mode when the direct teaching switch 61 is in the on state, and the playback mode when the direct teaching switch 61 is in the off state. This allows the operator to smoothly switch between modes without the need for special operations. In addition, since the external force obstacle detection function is disabled in the direct teaching mode, it is possible to avoid the external force obstacle detection function malfunctioning and the monitoring unit 82 determining that the robot arm 21 has collided with an obstacle, even if the operator is gripping the gripping unit 603 or the operating handle 66 and manually operating the robot arm 21 appropriately. Furthermore, since other obstacle detection functions (torque obstacle detection function, speed obstacle detection function, position obstacle detection function) are enabled even in the direct teaching mode, collisions with obstacles, etc. can be properly detected by the other obstacle detection functions, and safety can be ensured. In addition, since the direct teaching switch monitoring function is also provided as a monitoring function, it is possible to properly respond to failures of the direct teaching switch 61. As a result, it is possible to improve usability while ensuring safety.

Here, the correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the present disclosure described in the claims will be explained. That is, the robot arm 21 of this embodiment corresponds to the arm section of the present disclosure, the hand section 60 corresponds to the hand section, the monitoring section 82 corresponds to the monitoring section, the direct teaching switch 61 corresponds to the switch, and the robot control section 81 corresponds to the control section. Also, the gripping section 603 corresponds to the gripping section. The base section 601 corresponds to the base, and the holding section 602 corresponds to the holding section. The housing 54 corresponds to the housing, the cable 62 corresponds to the cable, and the cable guide 63 corresponds to the cable guide.

It goes without saying that this disclosure is in no way limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms as long as they fall within the technical scope of this disclosure.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the robot 20 is configured as a seven-axis articulated robot capable of translational movement in three directions and rotational movement in three directions. However, the number of axes can be any number. The robot 20 may also be configured as a so-called vertical articulated robot or horizontal articulated robot.

As described above, in the robot disclosed herein, the external force monitoring function is disabled while the switch is on, so that it is possible to prevent the monitoring function from malfunctioning during direct teaching, even when the operator is manually operating the hand portion appropriately. Of course, direct teaching can be performed only while the switch is on, so safety during direct teaching can be guaranteed.

In such a robot disclosed herein, the robot may include a gripping portion formed on the hand and gripped by the operator when performing direct teaching, and the switch may be provided on the gripping portion. In this way, the switch can be easily operated by the operator during direct teaching, even while the operator is manually operating the hand. In this case, the hand may have a base, a holding portion provided on one surface of the base and holding an ultrasonic probe, and the gripping portion formed on the other surface of the base opposite to the one surface. In this way, the operator can easily operate the ultrasonic probe. In these cases, the gripping portion may be formed in a convex shape that protrudes outward, and the switch may be provided on the apex of the convex portion. In this case, the switch may be a push button that is incorporated into the convex portion and can be pressed in a direction opposite to the protruding direction of the gripping portion. In this way, the operator can easily operate the switch. In addition, if the switch is an enable switch, the switch may have a structure in which the switch body is embedded in a structure.

The robot of the present disclosure may also include a housing connected to the tip of the arm, the hand connected to the housing, the switch provided on the hand, a cable having one end connected to the switch and the other end connected to the housing, and a cable guide that is fixed to a position on the hand closer to the housing than the switch and that guides one end of the cable to the switch. This makes it possible to make the housing compact and to position the switch in an easy-to-operate position.

Furthermore, in the robot of the present disclosure, the robot may have a direct teaching mode in which direct teaching is performed, and a playback mode in which points recorded in direct teaching are played back, and when the switch is turned on during the playback mode, the mode may be switched to the direct teaching mode. In this way, the mode can be switched smoothly.

Furthermore, in the robot of the present disclosure, the switch may be a three-position enable switch. In this way, the operator can turn off the switch as a reflex response in the event of an unexpected situation.

Furthermore, in the robot of the present disclosure, the switch may be equipped with two independent detection circuits whose contacts are opened and closed by the operation of the operator. In this way, even if the contacts of one of the two detection circuits are welded, it is possible to prevent the switch from malfunctioning.

　This specification also discloses the technical idea of changing "the robot described in claim 2" to "the robot described in claim 2 or 3" in claim 4 as originally filed, the technical idea of changing "the robot described in any one of claims 1 to 5" to "the robot described in any one of claims 1 to 6" in claim 7 as originally filed, the technical idea of changing "the robot described in any one of claims 1 to 5" to "the robot described in any one of claims 1 to 7" in claim 8 as originally filed, and the technical idea of changing "the robot described in any one of claims 1 to 5" to "the robot described in any one of claims 1 to 8" in claim 9 as originally filed.

This disclosure can be used in the robot manufacturing industry, etc.

10 robot system, 20 robot, 21 robot arm, 22 first arm, 23 second arm, 24 base, 25 base, 26 caster, 27 lever, 28 locking section, 29 housing, 31 first joint shaft, 32 second joint shaft, 33 attitude maintaining shaft, 35 first arm driving device, 35a motor, 35b encoder, 35c amplifier, 36 second arm driving device, 36a motor, 36b encoder, 36c amplifier, 37 attitude maintaining device, 37a motor, 37b encoder, 37c amplifier, 40 lifting device, 41 first Slider, 42, first guide member, 43, first ball screw shaft, 44a, motor, 44b, encoder, 44c, amplifier, 45, height adjustment mechanism, 46, second slider, 47, second guide member, 48, second ball screw shaft, 49, rotating handle, 50, three-axis rotating mechanism, 51, first rotating shaft, 52, second rotating shaft, 53, third rotating shaft, 54, housing, 54b, first surface, 54t, second surface, 54r, third surface, 54f, fourth surface, 55, first rotating device, 55a, motor, 55b, encoder, 55c, amplifier, 56, second rotating device, 56a, motor, 56b, encoder, 56c amplifier, 57 third rotation device, 57a motor, 57b encoder, 57c amplifier, 60 hand, 61 direct teaching switch, 62 cable, 63 cable guide, 64 snap lock, 65 force sensor, 66 operation handle, 67 stop switch, 71 motor control unit, 72 drive power supply unit, 73 IO unit, 80 robot control device, 81 robot control unit, 82 monitoring unit, 83 IO unit, 84 communication unit, 85 memory unit, 90 operation panel, 91 foot switch, 93 tablet terminal, 100 ultrasound diagnostic device, 10 1 ultrasonic probe, 102 cable, 110 ultrasonic diagnostic device main body, 111 ultrasonic diagnostic control unit, 112 image processing unit, 113 image display unit, 541, 542 opening, 572 rotating shaft, 573 belt, 574 transmission shaft, 575 action shaft, 576 support shaft, 577, 578 bearing, 601 base, 602 holding part, 603 gripping part, 611 pressing member, 621 connector, 651 action part, 652 support part, 911 first switch, 912 second switch, 913 third switch, 914 fourth switch, D1 detection circuit, D2 detection circuit.

Claims

An arm portion;
A hand portion provided at a tip portion of the arm portion;
a monitoring unit capable of executing an external force monitoring function for monitoring an external force acting on the hand;
A switch operated by an operator;
a control unit that permits execution of direct teaching and disables the external force monitoring function while the switch is on;
A robot comprising:
The robot according to claim 1 ,
a gripping portion formed on the hand portion and gripped by an operator when performing direct teaching,
The switch is provided on the grip portion.
robot.
The robot according to claim 2,
The hand portion has a base portion, a holding portion provided on one surface of the base portion and holding an ultrasonic probe, and the grip portion formed on the other surface of the base portion opposite to the one surface.
robot.
The robot according to claim 2,
The gripping portion is formed in a convex shape that protrudes outward,
The switch is provided at the top of the convex portion.
robot.
The robot according to claim 4,
The switch is a push button incorporated in the convex portion and can be pressed in a direction opposite to the protruding direction of the grip portion.
robot.
The robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A housing connected to a tip portion of the arm portion;
The hand part connected to the housing;
The switch provided on the hand part;
a cable having one end connected to the switch and the other end connected to the housing;
a cable guide that is fixed to a position on the hand tip that is closer to the housing than the switch and that guides one end of the cable to the switch;
A robot comprising:
The robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The robot has a direct teaching mode for performing direct teaching and a replay mode for replaying points recorded in the direct teaching,
When the switch is turned on during the playback mode, the mode is switched to the direct teaching mode.
robot.
The robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The switch is a three-position enable switch.
robot.
The robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The switch has two independent detection circuits whose contacts are opened and closed by the operation of an operator.
robot.