# US 10,870,205 B2 · Robot system

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- Number: US 10,870,205 B2
- Document ID: US10870205B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/101,638
- Filed: 2018-08-13
- Published: 2019-03-28
- Granted: 2020-12-22
- Earliest claimed: 2017-09-27
- Assignees: Fanuc Corporation
- Applicants: Fanuc Corporation
- Inventors: Yuuji Taira
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10870205B2

## CPC

- B25J 9/1697: {Vision controlled systems}
- B25J 9/1612: {characterised by the hand, wrist, grip control}
- B25J 9/1669: {characterised by special application, e.g. multi-arm co-operation, assembly, grasping}
- G05B 2219/39476: Orient hand relative to object
- G05B 2219/40607: Fixed camera to observe workspace, object, workpiece, global
- B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50})
- G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G)

## Abstract

A robot system includes workpiece phase detection units that detects a phase of a workpiece around an axis in a substantially vertical direction; a robot including a hand that holds the workpiece, and a wrist capable of rotating the hand around a rotation axis in the substantially vertical direction; and a control unit that controls the robot, wherein the control unit controls the robot based on the phase of the workpiece detected by the workpiece phase detection units, in such a way that the workpiece is held and picked by the hand in a reference phase, among a plurality of predetermined reference phases, closest to a current relative phase of the hand and the workpiece and the phase of the workpiece is aligned with a predetermined target phase by rotation of the wrist.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A robot system comprising:
a robot including a hand that holds a workpiece, and a wrist capable of rotating the hand around a rotation axis in a substantially vertical direction; and
a control unit that controls the robot so as to rotate the wrist to pick up the workpiece by the hand,
wherein the control unit comprises a processor configured to:
detect a phase of the workpiece around an axis in the substantially vertical direction;
acquire a current phase of the hand based on a current rotation angle of the wrist;
select, based on the acquired current phase of the hand and the detected phase of the workpiece, any one of a plurality of reference phases previously set for a relative phase of the hand with respect to the phase of the workpiece; and
control the robot so as to rotate the wrist until the relative phase becomes the selected reference phase to pick up the workpiece by the hand.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The robot system according to claim 1, further comprising a camera that acquires an image of the workpiece, wherein the processor is configured to detect the phase of the workpiece based on the image acquired by the camera.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The robot system according to claim 1, wherein the hand holds the workpiece by suction.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The robot system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of reference phases comprise two reference phases of 0° and 180°, and the processor is configured to select one of the two reference phases based on whether or not the acquired current phase of the hand and the detected phase of the workpiece are within ±90°.