JP4470814B2 - Robot hand, robot using the same, and control method therefor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a robot hand of a robot that operates based on teaching data, a robot using the robot hand, and a control method thereof.

10A and 10B, the robot hand that is currently used generally grips an object by driving the electric motor 20 and opening and closing the finger link 50 on one side of the robot hand 3. As shown in FIGS. Or a gripper 51 that opens and closes finger links on both sides of the object 10 to be grasped as shown in FIGS. 10 (c), 10 (d), and 10 (e).
Since such a robot hand has a fixed gripping posture and a contact surface with the object, it is necessary to replace the hand with a tool changer or the like in order to grip an object of different shape or material under appropriate conditions. However, there are problems that it takes a long time and the apparatus becomes complicated and large, resulting in a strange appearance.
In order to solve this problem, a robot hand is disclosed in which the finger link arrangement of the robot hand is changed in accordance with the shape of the object by moving the base of the finger link in parallel (for example, patents). Reference 1).
This robot hand will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the configuration and operation of a conventional robot hand.
FIGS. 11A and 11C are views showing the operation of the robot hand when gripping the cylindrical object 107 shown in FIG. In FIG. 11A, 100 is a hand base, and 105 is an upper plate of the hand. The fixed finger 102 has at least one joint 106 and is fixed to the hand base 100. The first moving finger 103 and the second moving finger 104 are fixed to the hand base 100 through the parallel moving tool 101 so as to be movable in parallel. As shown in FIG. 11C, the fixed finger 102 and the moving finger 103 are moved and gripped with respect to the cylindrical object 107 so that the fixed finger 102 and the moving fingers 103 and 104 face each other.
FIGS. 11B and 11D are views showing the operation of the robot hand when the spherical object 108 shown in FIG. 11B is gripped. The object 108 is gripped by moving the fixed finger 102 and the moving finger 103 so that the fixed finger 102 and the moving fingers 103 and 104 come into contact with the center of the sphere at equal intervals as shown in FIG. To do.
In this way, the arrangement of the finger links of the robot hand is changed according to the shape of the object, and a plurality of objects having different shapes can be stably gripped.
JP 2003-275984 (pages 10-13, FIG. 1)

However, in Patent Document 1, the shape of the robot hand changes, but since there is only one contact surface with the object, a tool changer or the like is required to stably hold a plurality of objects having different materials and physical properties. Therefore, there is a problem that it is necessary to change the hand, and it takes a long time to grasp and the apparatus becomes complicated and large.
The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and a robot hand and a robot that can stably hold a plurality of objects having different states, materials, and physical properties in a short time with a simple structure. The purpose is to provide.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is configured as follows.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the robot hand that grips an object by opening and closing a finger link connected to the hand base via a joint, the finger link connects the joint from one end of the hand base. a thumb link linked via the a thumb end link linked via a joint to the tip of the thumb link, both sides of the hand base portion said Ri Do from the other end to finger links are linked through an articulated hand base of Each surface is provided with contact members made of different materials .
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the rotation axis of the joint of the thumb link is inclined with respect to the central axis of the arm.
According to a third aspect of the present invention , there is provided a robot including an arm and a control unit for controlling the entire operation , wherein the robot hand according to the first or second aspect is provided at a tip of the arm. There is .
Invention of Claim 4 is a control method which controls a robot provided with the arm, the control part which controls whole operation | movement, and the robot hand of Claim 1 or 2 , Comprising: The material of the said target object Depending on the surface state and physical property value, either one side surface of the hand base of the robot hand and one side surface of the finger link or the other side surface of the hand base and the other side surface of the finger link Select and hold the object .

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the gripper can be gripped on both sides of the hand base and the contact surface can be selected, the contact surface can be easily and quickly switched according to the state, material, and physical properties of the object. Can be transported.
In addition , it can be gripped on both sides of the hand base where different contact members are arranged on both sides, and the contact member can be selected, so the contact member can be switched easily and in a short time according to the material and physical properties of the object, gripping and transporting it can.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the rotation axis of the thumb link can be tilted with respect to the central axis of the arm, and the portion where the fingertip link 7 and the hand base 4 protrude from the extension region of the arm 2 is reduced or eliminated. Therefore, the same effect as that of the robot hand according to the first aspect can be obtained, and the appearance discomfort can be reduced.
According to the invention described in claim 3 or 4 , an appropriate contact surface can be selected for the object to be grasped and can be grasped by the selected contact surface, so that the contact surface can be easily selected according to the state, material and physical properties of the object. In addition, it can be switched, gripped and transported in a short time.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1A and 1B are schematic views showing the overall configuration of a robot that performs gripping and carrying operations according to the present invention, where FIG. 1A is a side view and FIG. 1B is a front view. In FIG. 1, 1 is a robot, 2 is an arm, 3 is a robot hand, 13 is an interface panel provided on the front surface of the robot 1, 14 is a camera, 30 is a motor amplifier, 31 is a control unit, and 32 is a storage unit. The robot hand 3 is controlled by the hand control unit 31 a of the control unit 31. The storage unit 32 is provided with an object data storage unit 32a, and stores data such as the material, surface state, and physical property values related to the object 10 to be grasped. FIG. 3 shows an example stored in the object data storage unit 32a. The object data 32b describes the name of the object and the setting of which contact surface of the robot hand 3 is to hold the object.
Details of the robot hand 3 are shown in FIG. 2A and 2B are configuration diagrams of the robot hand showing Embodiment 1 of the present invention, in which FIG. 2A is a side view, FIG. 2B is a top view showing a gripping state, and FIG. 2C is a side view showing the inside of the hand base. . In FIG. 2, 4 is a hand base, 5 is a thumb link, 6 is a thumb tip link, 7 is a fingertip link, 8 is a joint, 10 is an object to be gripped, and 20 is an electric motor.
The hand base 4 is fixed to the arm 2 of the robot 1 as shown in FIG. 2 (a). One end of the hand base 4 is provided with a thumb link 5 via a joint 8a and the tip thereof via a joint 8b. The fingertip link 6 is rotatably connected to the other end of the hand base 4 via a joint 8c.

The present invention is different from Patent Document 1 in that the robot hand 3 can be gripped on both sides of the hand base 4 by disposing the thumb link 5 and the thumb tip link 6 so as not to interfere with the arm 2. This is the point that can select the contact surface.
Next, the operation of the robot hand of the present invention will be described.
Now, when grasping the object 10, when the object 10 is recognized by the camera 14 on the interface panel 13, the hand control unit 31 a refers to the data (FIG. 3) in the object data storage unit 32 a and sends it to the motor amplifier 30. The operation command of the robot hand 3 is output. The motor amplifier 30 drives the electric motor 20 provided in the hand base 4 according to the operation command of the robot hand 3 input from the hand control unit 31a. Then, the joint 8 is driven via the belt 24c shown in FIG. 2 (c), and the thumb link 5, the thumb tip link 6 and the fingertip link 7 are opened and closed, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 (b). The object 10 is gripped.
By configuring in this way, the contact surface can be selected, so that the contact surface can be easily switched in a short time according to the state, material, and physical properties of the object, and can be gripped and conveyed.

Further, the operation of the entire robot will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state of the robot 1 that holds the object 10 on the table 15. The object data 32b (FIG. 3) includes objects such as trays, cans, clean dishes, and clean cups that are clean and free of dirt and are gripped on the back side of the robot hand 3, and used dishes and cups. It is described that the object to which dirt is attached is gripped by the surface of the robot hand 3. The hand control unit 31a recognizes the object 10 with the camera 14, and according to the object data 32b stored in the object data storage unit 32a, the contact surface when gripping the object 10 is shown in FIG. The robot hand 3 is switched to the front surface of the robot hand 3 or the rear surface of the robot hand 3 as shown in FIG.

  By controlling in this way, the contact surface for gripping a clean target object and the contact surface for gripping a contaminated target object can be easily and according to the state, material and physical properties of the target object. Switching in a short time enables gripping and transport. Here, not only switching between a clean contact surface and a contact surface with dirt attached, but also switching between a contact surface that may be damaged or deformed by contact with an object and a contact surface that should not occur. Good.

FIG. 5 is a top view of a robot hand showing a second embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 11 is a first contact member and 12 is a second contact member. Other reference numerals are the same as those in the first embodiment.
This embodiment is different from the robot hand of the first embodiment in that the first contact member 11 and the second contact member are different in types on both sides of the hand base 4, the fingertip link 7, the thumb link 5 and the thumb tip link 6. 12 is arranged.
By adopting such a configuration, the contact member can be selected, so that the contact member can be easily switched in a short time according to the material and physical properties of the object, and can be gripped and conveyed.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
In the object data 32b, as shown in FIG. 6, a solid object such as a can or a tray is grasped on the surface of the robot hand 3 on which the relatively hard first contact member 11 is disposed, and a paper cup is obtained. It is described that the easily deformable or fragile object 10 such as the egg or the egg is gripped by the back surface of the robot hand 3 on which the relatively soft second contact member 12 is arranged. Similar to the first embodiment, the contact surface to be gripped is gripped by the front surface or the back surface of the switching robot hand 3 according to the target object data 32b stored in the target object data storage unit 32a (FIG. 4).

  By controlling in this way, the contact surface of the robot hand 3 can be switched easily and in a short time according to the material and physical properties of the object, and the object 10 can be gripped and transported stably and without damage. become. Here, it is not limited to switching between a hard contact surface and a soft contact surface, but may be switched between a smooth contact surface and an uneven contact surface according to an object.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a robot hand showing Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In FIG. 7, 21 is a first pulley, 22 is a second pulley, 23 is a third pulley, 24a and 24b are belts, and 25 is a bevel gear.
A thumb link 9 and a fingertip link 7 are fixed to the hand base 4 via a rotatable joint 8 a to constitute a robot hand 3. Here, this embodiment is different from Patent Document 1 and Embodiment 1 in that the rotation axis of the thumb link 9 is inclined with respect to the central axis (longitudinal direction) of the arm 2. The electric motor 20 rotates the first pulley 21 and the bevel gear 25. The hand control unit 31 a outputs an operation command for the robot hand 3 to the motor amplifier 30. The motor amplifier 30 drives the electric motor 20 in accordance with the operation command of the robot hand 3 input from the hand control unit 31a. The thumb link 9 operates when the driving force of the electric motor 20 is transmitted to the joint 8a fixed to the third pulley 23 and the third pulley 23 via the bevel gear 25, the second pulley 22 and the belt 24b. The fingertip link 7 operates when the driving force of the electric motor 20 is transmitted from the first pulley 21 to the joint 8 to which the fingertip link 7 is fixed via the belt 24a. As described above, the object is grasped by opening and closing the robot hand 3. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, different first contact members 11 and second contact members 12 on both surfaces of the robot hand 3 may be arranged on the surface of the hand base 4, the thumb link 9, and the fingertip link 7.

  Since the control method of the robot hand 3 configured in this way is the same as in the first and second embodiments, the description thereof is omitted.

  The present invention is different from the robot hand described in Patent Document 1, Claim 1 and Claim 2 in that the rotation axis of the thumb link 9 is arranged to be inclined with respect to the central axis of the arm 2, so that FIG. As described above, the fingertip link 7 and the hand base 4 are configured to be able to reduce or eliminate the portion protruding from the extension region of the arm 2.

  At the same time, the point where the fingertip link 7 and the hand base 4 face the thumb link 9 when the object 10 is gripped is that the extension region of the arm 2 shown in FIG. The point B deviating from the above point is the point where it is configured to be on the extension region of the arm 2 as indicated by the point A in FIG. By adopting such a configuration, the same effects as those of the robot hands of claim 1 and claim 2 can be obtained, and the appearance discomfort can be reduced.

  The present invention can be applied not only to a robot hand of a robot but also to industrial machines, stationery, toys, and the like.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the robot of this invention, (a) is a side view, (b) is a front view. It is a figure which shows the robot hand of Example 1 of this invention, (a) is a side view, (b) is a top view, (c) is a side view which shows a drive. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the target object data in Example 1 of this invention. It is a top view which shows the holding state of the robot in Example 1 of this invention. It is a top view which shows the robot hand of Example 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the target object data in Example 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the robot hand in Example 3 of this invention, (a) is a side view, (b) is a top view, (c) is a top view which shows a holding state, (d) is an internal side surface which shows a drive. FIG. It is a top view which shows the state which hold | gripped the target object with the robot hand of Example 3 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the robot hand which installed the contact member which differs in both surfaces of the robot hand in Example 3 of this invention. It is a top view which shows the structure of the conventional robot hand. It is a top view which shows the structure of the other conventional robot hand.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Robot 2 Arm 3 Robot hand 4 Hand base part 5, 9 Finger link 6 Finger tip link 7 Finger tip link 8, 8a, 8b, 8c Joint 10 Target object 11 1st contact member 12 2nd contact member 13 Interface panel 14 Camera 15 Table 20 Electric motor 21 First pulley 22 Second pulley 23 Third pulleys 24a, 24b, 24c Belt 25 Bevel gear 30 Motor amplifier 31 Control unit 31a Robot hand control unit 32 Storage unit 32a Object data storage unit 33 Arm extension region 50 Finger link 51 Gripper 100 Hand base 101 Parallel moving tool 102 Fixed finger 103 First moving finger 104 Second moving finger 105 Axis controller 106 Upper plate 107 Object (cylindrical type)
108 Object (Spherical)

Claims (4)

In a robot hand that grips an object by opening and closing a finger link connected to a hand base via a joint,
The finger link includes a thumb link connected through a joint from one end of the hand base, a thumb tip link connected through a joint to the tip of the thumb link, and a joint from the other end of the hand base. Do from the fingertip link linked Te Ri,
A robot hand characterized in that contact members of different materials are arranged on both side surfaces of the hand base . The axis of rotation of thumb link joints, claim 1 Symbol placement of the robot hand, characterized in that arranged inclined with respect to the central axis of the arm. A robot including an arm and a control unit that controls the entire operation ;
A robot hand according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the robot hand according to claim 1 or 2 is provided at a tip of the arm . An arm, and a control unit for controlling the entire operation, a control method for controlling a robot having a robot hand according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,
Depending on the material, surface state, and physical property value of the object, one side of the hand base of the robot hand and one side of the finger link, or the other side of the hand base and the other side of the finger link A robot control method comprising selecting one of side surfaces and gripping the object.

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