# US 11,992,962 B2 · Robot and robot system

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- Number: US 11,992,962 B2
- Document ID: US11992962B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/498,524
- Filed: 2021-10-11
- Published: 2022-01-27
- Granted: 2024-05-28
- Earliest claimed: 2017-11-28
- Assignees: Fanuc Corporation
- Applicants: Fanuc Corporation
- Inventors: Keita Suyama
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11992962B2

## CPC

- B25J 9/1697: {Vision controlled systems}
- B25J 5/007: {mounted on wheels}
- B25J 9/046: {Revolute coordinate type}
- B25J 9/1641: {compensation for backlash, friction, compliance, elasticity in the joints}
- B25J 17/02: Wrist joints
- B25J 19/023: {including video camera means}
- 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})

## Abstract

A robot includes a wrist unit that has a tool attached to a distal end face thereof and that changes the orientation of the tool, the tool performing work on a work target device secured to an installation surface; and a movable unit that changes the three-dimensional position of the wrist unit. The movable unit includes an arm that has a longitudinal axis and the wrist unit is attached to the distal end thereof, and a visual sensor that has a field of view oriented in a direction intersecting the longitudinal axis of the arm is attached to the a positon closer to the base end than the distal end face of the wrist unit is.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A robot system comprising:
a controller;
a visual target provided on a predetermined surface where a relative position with respect to a work target device is predetermined, the work target device being secured to an installation surface;
a robot that is operated according to a teaching program executed by the controller and includes a tool, performing work on the work target device, a wrist unit, and a movable unit, the tool being attached to a distal end of the wrist unit, and the wrist unit being attached to a distal end of the movable unit;
wherein the visual target and the work target device are separate targets;
wherein the teaching program is preliminarily generated on the basis of a first relative positional relationship between the robot and the work target device in a state in which the robot is disposed at a predetermined position; and
a visual sensor that is attached to the movable unit or a portion except for a distal end face of the wrist unit;
wherein the controller is configured to:
when the robot is disposed at any position, before executing the teaching program, cause the visual sensor to capture the predetermined surface from a plurality of positions so as to acquire a plurality of images; determine whether or not the visual target is included in each of the plurality of images; and
in response to determining that the visual target is included in each of the plurality of images, measure a second relative positional relationship between the robot and the work target device from the plurality of images and compensate an operating position of the robot in the teaching program on the basis of the measured second relative positional relationship.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The robot system according to claim 1, wherein the movable unit includes:
a swivel body rotatable about a first axis;
a first arm connected to the swivel body and rotatable about a second axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis; and
a second arm connected to a distal end of the first arm and rotatable about a third axis parallel to the second axis, the second arm having a longitudinal axis perpendicular to the third axis;
wherein the wrist unit is attached to a distal end of the second arm,
wherein the visual sensor is attached to the second arm, and
wherein, in response to determining that the visual target is not included in each of the plurality of images, the controller is configured to move at least one of the swivel body, the first arm, and the second arm so that the visual sensor captures the visual target.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The robot system according to claim 2, wherein the visual sensor is attached to the second arm such that the visual sensor includes a field of view oriented in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and in a direction substantially parallel to the installation surface.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The robot system according to claim 1, wherein:
in response to determining that the visual target is included in each of the plurality of images, the controller is configured to detect a coordinate of the visual target from the plurality of images and measure the second relative positional relationship by using the detected coordinate.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The robot system according to claim 1, wherein:
the visual target comprises a plurality of visual targets provided in positions different from each other on the predetermined surface; and
the controller is configured to determine that the visual target is included in each of the plurality of images when all the plurality of visual targets are included in each of the plurality of images.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The robot system according to claim 1, further comprising a truck that moves the robot with respect to the work target device.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The robot system according to claim 6, wherein the truck is a self-contained moving truck.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The robot system according to claim 6, wherein the truck is a hand truck.