Apparatus and method of controlling robot arm

An apparatus for controlling a robot arm, the apparatus comprising:

• a calibration board on which calibration marks for self-diagnosis are shown;
• a distance sensor mounted on the robot arm;
• an image sensor mounted on the robot arm;
• and
• a processor to control the robot arm to move a position for the self-diagnosis, obtain a distance, measured by the distance sensor, from a predetermined part of the robot arm to the calibration board, obtain an image of the calibration board taken by the image sensor, and output a signal indicating a malfunction of the robot arm in response to the distance measured by the distance sensor being outside a distance error range, and an image measurement value of the obtained image being within an image error range,
• wherein the processor is further configured to output a signal indicating a malfunction of the image sensor in response to the measured distance being within the distance error range, and the image measurement value of the obtained image being outside the image error range.

An apparatus for controlling a robot arm, the apparatus comprising:

• a communication interface configured to communicate with a distance sensor and an image sensor mounted on the robot arm;
• and
• a processor configured to move the robot arm to a position for self-diagnosis and output a signal indicating a malfunction of the robot arm in response to a distance, from a part of the robot arm to a predetermined location around the robot arm, measured by the distance sensor being outside a distance error range, and at least one of a plurality of image measurement values of an image obtained by the image sensor being outside at least one of a plurality of image error ranges, respectively,
• wherein the processor is further configured to output a signal indicating a malfunction of the distance sensor in response to the measured distance being outside the distance error range, and all of the image measurement values of the obtained being within the image error ranges, respectively, and output a signal indicating a malfunction of the image sensor in response to the measured distance being within the distance error range and at least one of the image measurement values of the obtained image being outside at least one of the image error ranges, respectively.

A method of controlling a robot arm, the method comprising:

• controlling, by a processor, to move the robot arm to a positon for self-diagnosis;
• measuring, by a distance sensor mounted on the robot arm, a distance from a predetermined part of the robot arm to a calibration board;
• determining, by the processor, whether the measured distance is outside a distance error range;
• in response to the measured distance being outside the distance error range, obtaining, by an image sensor mounted on the robot arm, an image of the calibration board;
• determining, by the processor, whether an image measurement value of the obtained image is outside an image error range;
• in response to the image measurement value of the obtained image being outside the image error range, outputting, by the processor, a signal indicating a malfunction of the robot arm;
• in response to the measured distance being within the distance error range, obtaining, by the image sensor, the image of the calibration board;
• determining, by the processor, whether the image measurement value of the obtained image is outside the image error ranges;
• and
• in response to the image measurement value of the obtained image being outside the image error range, outputting, by the processor, a signal indicating a malfunction of the image sensor.