Manipulator tracking apparatus and method for accurately tracking a path for sensors in low reliability conditions
AssigneeNippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
InventorsAkira Umeno, Kiyoshi Nonaka, Takao Kakizaki
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tracking apparatus and method for controlling the position and movement of a manipulator which holds an effector. An actual work path drawn on a workpiece is detected by a sensor. Predetermined taught path data is amended according to the detected work path, and the effector held by the manipulator is drawn to exactly track the work path on the workpiece. The effector is controlled so that the effector tracks the work path accurately even under conditions when detection data from the sensor has low reliability or contains errors.
Claims18
A tracking device for a manipulator which holds an effector for processing objects, comprising:
- a sensor, attached to an end of said manipulator along with said effector, for measuring actual work path information which leads in a path direction of said effector:
- a memory device for storing predetermined taught data;
- and
- a calculation device for managing information;
- wherein said tracking device sequentially corrects movement instructions for said manipulator and moves said manipulator such that said effector tracks an actual work path in real time, utilizing:
- means for calculating a measurement reliability indicating an accuracy of the information measured by said sensor;
- means for calculating conversion information for converting a taught path to an actual work path by comparing actual work path information for sensing points obtained from multiple sets of measurement information of said sensor weighted by said measurement reliability, and taught path information corresponding to sensing points calculated from taught information generated from said taught data;
- means for calculating correction information for correcting a taught path to an actual work path using multiple sets of said conversion information obtained for each sensing;
- and
- means for correcting said taught information using said correction information.
A tracking method for a manipulator which holds an effector for processing objects, comprising the steps of:
- measuring measurement data using a sensor;
- calculating measurement reliability indicating an accuracy of the measurement data from the sensor;
- sequentially correcting movement instructions of said manipulator by:
- storing predetermined taught data;
- measuring actual work path information leading in a path direction of said effector;
- calculating conversion information for converting a taught path to an actual work path by comparing the actual work path information for sensing points obtained from multiple sets of measurement information of said sensor weighted by said measurement reliability, and taught path information corresponding to sensing points calculated from taught information generated by said taught data;
- calculating correction information for correcting taught information based on multiple sets of conversion information;
- and
- correcting said taught information using said correction information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.