IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,207,775
Granted Patent B2
US 11,207,775 · App. 16/469,184 · Granted Dec 28, 2021

Method of teaching robot

Inventors: Takeshi Shibata (Akashi, JP); Yukimasa Yamada (Himeji, JP); Takao Yamaguchi (Fremont, CA); Tomokazu Arita (San Jose, CA); Eric Chan (San Francisco, CA); Francisco J. Duran, Jr. (San Jose, CA); Hajime Nakahara (San Jose, CA); Avish Ashok Bharwani (Santa Clara, CA); Ming Zeng (San Jose, CA)
Assignees: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA; KAWASAKI ROBOTICS (USA), INC.
B25J9/163B25J9/1664
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,207,775
App. No.
16/469,184
Granted
Dec 28, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of teaching a robot, the robot including a first and second end effector that are mounted to a robotic arm wrist, the first and second end effector being rotatable about a same rotational axis independently of each other. The method includes: a first step of, in a state where rotational positions of the first and second end effectors about the rotational axis coincide with each other, attaching a relative motion preventing device to the first and second end effector, the relative motion preventing device preventing the first and second end effector from moving relative to each other; and a fourth step of generating a teaching point of the second end effector based on: a teaching point of the first end effector; and rotational position information about the first and second end effector that are stored in a storage unit in association with each other in a third step.

Claims (21)

1. A method of teaching a robot,

the robot including:

a robotic arm;

a first end effector and a second end effector that are mounted to a wrist of the robotic arm, the first end effector and the second end effector being rotatable about a same rotational axis independently of each other;

a first driving motor and a second driving motor, the first driving motor being configured to rotate the first end effector about the rotational axis, the second driving motor being configured to rotate the second end effector about the rotational axis;

a first rotational position sensor and a second rotational position sensor, the first rotational position sensor being configured to detect a rotational position of the first end effector, the second rotational position sensor being configured to detect a rotational position of the second end effector;

a memory configured to store rotational position information about the first end effector and rotational position information about the second end effector, the rotational position information about the first end effector being based on an output from the first rotational position sensor, the rotational position information about the second end effector being based on an output from the second rotational position sensor; and

a robot controller configured to control the robotic arm, the first end effector, the second end effector, the first driving motor the second driving motor, and the memory,

the method comprising:

a first step of, attaching a relative motion preventing device together to both the first end effector and the second end effector in a state where the rotational position of the first end effector and the rotational position of the second end effector about the rotational axis coincide with each other, the relative motion preventing device preventing the first end effector and the second end effector from moving relative to each other;

a second step of rotating the first end effector and the second end effector after the first step, with the relative motion preventing device being attached to the first end effector and the second end effector;

a third step of, while performing the second step, storing rotational position information about the first end effector for a plurality of rotational positions of the first end effector and rotational position information about the second end effector for rotational positions of the second end effector in the memory, the rotational positions of the second end effector corresponding to the plurality of rotational positions of the first end effector, respectively, such that the rotational position information about the first end effector and the rotational position information about the second end effector are stored in the memory in association with each other for each of the plurality of rotational positions of the first end effector; and

a fourth step of generating a teaching point of the second end effector based on:

a teaching point of the first end effector, the teaching point being stored when teaching of the first end effector is performed; and

the rotational position information about the first end effector and the rotational position information about the second end effector that are stored in the memory in association with each other in the third step.

2. The method of teaching a robot according to claim 1 , wherein:

generating the teaching point of the second end effector is performed based on the teaching point of the first end effector by using an approximation equation that is an equation for deriving, from a rotational position of the first end effector, a corresponding rotational position of the second end effector, and

the approximation equation is created based on the rotational position information about the first end effector and the rotational position information about the second end effector that are stored in the memory in association with each other in the third step.

3. The method of teaching a robot according to claim 1 , wherein the relative motion preventing device is configured to hold the first end effector and the second end effector in a sandwiching manner from one side and another side with respect to the rotational axis.

4. The method of teaching a robot according to claim 1 , wherein the first end effector and the second end effector have a same contour when seen in a plan view.

5. The method of teaching a robot according to claim 1 , wherein the robot is a transfer robot for holding and transferring a semiconductor wafer in a clean room that is a semiconductor manufacturing site.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 9, 2019
From: SHIBATA, TAKESHI; YAMADA, YUKIMASA; YAMAGUCHI, TAKAO; ARITA, TOMOKAZU; NAKAHARA, HAJIME; BHARWANI, AVISH ASHOK; ZENG, MING
To: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA; KAWASAKI ROBOTICS (USA), INC.
Reel/Frame 050663/0729 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62433289 · Dec 13, 2016
Related Publication 20190389059A1 · Dec 26, 2019