# US 9,616,571 B2 · Robot, control apparatus, robot system, and control method

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- Number: US 9,616,571 B2
- Document ID: US9616571B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/532,366
- Filed: 2014-11-04
- Published: 2015-05-07
- Granted: 2017-04-11
- Earliest claimed: 2013-11-05
- Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Applicants: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Inventors: Yukihiro Yamaguchi; Taro Ishige
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9616571B2

## CPC

- B25J 9/1692: {Calibration of manipulator}
- B25J 9/1697: {Vision controlled systems}
- G05B 2219/39012: Calibrate arm during scanning operation for identification of object
- G05B 2219/39343: Force based impedance control
- G05B 2219/39391: Visual servoing, track end effector with camera image feedback
- G05B 2219/39394: Compensate hand position with camera detected deviation, new end effector attitude
- Y10S 901/02: Arm motion controller
- Y10S 901/28: Joint
- 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)
- Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

## Abstract

A robot performs, after i-th (i is a natural number) work, i+1-th work different from the i-th work and performs, after j-th (j is a natural number satisfying j≠i) work, j+1-th work different from the j-th work. The robot performs the i+1-th work after the i-th work without changing information concerning correction in a joint of the robot during the i-th work, performs robot calibration after the j-th work, and performs the j+1-th work after performing the robot calibration.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A robot that performs i+1-th work after performing i-th work, wherein the i-th work being different from the i+1-th work, that determines whether a robot calibration was performed between the i-th work and the i+1-th work, and, in response to a determination that the robot calibration was not performed between the i-th work and the i+1-th work, the robot performs the i+1-th work by visual servo.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The robot according to claim 1, wherein the robot performs j+1-th work after performing j-th work that is different from the j+1-th work,
i and j are both natural numbers and j is not equal to i, and
when the robot calibration is performed between the j-th work and the j+1-th work, the robot performs the j+1-th work without visual servo.

### Claim 3

A control apparatus that actuates a robot that performs i+1-th work after performing i-th work, wherein the i-th work being different from the i+1-th work, that determines whether a robot calibration was performed between the i-th work and the i+1-th work, and, in response to a determination that the robot calibration was not performed, between the i-th work and the i+1-th work, the control apparatus controls the robot to perform the i+1-th work by visual servo.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control apparatus is configured to actuate the robot to perform j+1-th work after actuating the robot to perform j-th work that is different from the j+1-th work,
i and j are both natural numbers and j is not equal to i, and
when the control apparatus determines that the robot calibration is to be performed between the j-th work and the j+1-th work, the control apparatus instructs the robot to perform the j+1-th work without visual servo.

### Claim 5

A robot control method comprising:
performing i-th work;
after performing the i-th work, performing i+1-th work, the i-th work being different from the i+1-th work;
determining whether a robot calibration was performed between the i-th work and the i+1-th work; and
in response to a determination that the robot calibration was not performed between the i-th work and the i+1-th work, performing the i+1-th work by visual servo.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The robot control method according to claim 5, further comprising:
performing j-th work;
performing j+1-th work after performing the j-th work, the j-th work being different from the j+1-th work, i and j are both natural numbers, and j is not equal to i; and
when the robot calibration is performed between the j-th work and the j+1-th work, performing the j+1-th work without visual servo.