Patent ID: 8170719
Filing Date: 2012-05-01
Classification: B25J,G05B

Abstract:
1. A control apparatus for a robot arm, which controls an operation of the robot arm so as to execute a job including a plurality of operations by the robot arm, comprising: a force control unit configured to carry out the control while pressing an object with a force corresponding to the operation information acquired from the operation information database in which forces to be applied to the object by the robot arm corresponding to the operations are stored as pieces of time-sequential operation information; a correction method setting unit configured to set presence or absence of correction of the operation information; a control parameter managing unit configured to switch modes between (i) a force hybrid impedance control mode for automatically force-controlling the robot arm based upon operation information stored in the operation information database, which is used when the correction method setting unit determines that no correction is required for the operation information, and (ii) a high-rigidity position control mode for allowing a person to hold the robot arm and perform teaching of a force to be applied to the robot arm, which is used when the correction method setting unit determines that a correction is required for the operation information; an information acquiring unit configured to acquire correction operation information relating to the force to be applied to the robot arm, upon correcting the operation of the robot arm, by allowing the person to hold the robot arm and apply a force thereto in the high-rigidity position control mode; and an operation correction unit configured to correct the operation information in accordance with the correction operation information, at each point of time acquired by the information acquiring unit, wherein the operation information database has a correction parameter flag used for specifying a direction of a force that corresponds to the operation information, after the control parameter managing unit has made a switch to the high-rigidity position control mode, midway during the automatic force control of the robot arm in the hybrid impedance control mode, the information acquiring unit acquires the correction operation information of the robot arm made by the person, relating to a direction of the force specified by the correction parameter flag, the operation correction unit corrects the operation information in accordance with the correction operation information, the force control unit force-controls the robot arm based upon the corrected operation information, and the correction method setting unit is configured to set a method for correcting the operation information by the operation correction unit, and in accordance with the correction method set by the correction method setting unit, the operation information is corrected by the operation correction unit, and wherein in a case where, after the correction in the operation correction unit based upon the setting that the correction of the operation information is required, a setting is made so that the correction of the operation information is not required, the correction method setting unit sets a correction method as to whether the corrected operation is carried out or the operation is returned to a previous operation before the correction, and in a case where, after the correction in the operation correction unit based upon the setting that the correction of the operation information is required, referring to the correction method set by the correction method setting unit, by the operation correction unit, a setting is made so that the correction of the operation information is not required, the correction method setting unit switches the operation as to whether the corrected operation is carried out or the operation is returned to a previous operation before the correction, and in a case where, after the correction in the operation correction unit carried out by controlling the operation of the robot arm based upon the operation information corrected by the operation correction unit, a setting is made so that the correction of the operation information is not required, the operation of the robot arm is controlled in accordance with the operation switched by the correction method set in the correction method setting unit.