A carrier device includes a conveyor configured to carry objects supplied continuously; an object detection unit configured to detect the positions and orientations of the objects disposed in a predetermined area on the conveyor; a combination calculation unit, when a robot grasps multiple objects, out of the objects, with a hand and places the grasped objects in a container, configured to calculate combinations of sequences to grasp the objects by the hand; an index calculation unit configured to calculate an index for each combination using the distances and rotation amounts between the objects to be grasped by the hand based on the positions and orientations of the objects; and a robot control unit configured to determine the sequences to grasp the objects by the hand based on the indexes, and grasping the objects and placing the objects in the containers in accordance with the determined sequences.

An adaptable end effector useful to accommodate a wide variety of components, component geometries and variations in component geometries. In one example, the end effector includes a movable arm and at least three fingers each having a gripping tool for engagement of the component with variable and/or programmable holding force preventing relative movement.

An end effector is an end effector to be grasped by a robot including a hand having a plurality of first movable parts and a second movable part using the hand, including an operation unit operated by movements of the second movable part in first directions, and an actuation unit actuated by an operation of the operation unit, wherein concave portions into which the first movable parts are inserted are formed.

A robot hand according to the present invention controls finger units by a central processing unit (CPU) based on two or more types of gripping mode tables for different purposes when a gripping object is gripped by the finger units.

Force sensors capable of measuring only forces in xyz coordinate axis directions are installed in fingertips, respectively, and forces and moment forces acting on a robot hand are calculated based on positional information about each fingertip. This structure eliminates the need for using large force sensors to thereby enable downsizing of each fingertip, and enables detection of loads and moment forces acting on the robot hand.

An object gripping system includes a position and orientation measurement unit configured to measure a position and an orientation of at least one target object based on an image obtained by capturing the at least one target object. A selection unit is further provided to select at least one holdable target object based on the position and orientation. A determination unit determines, as an object to be held, a holdable target object based on a priority set, when assembling the holdable target object to an assembly destination object, and a controlling unit controls a holding unit to hold the object to be held, which is determined by the determination unit.

A method of controlling a holding apparatus configured to hold plural kinds of target objects by plural fingers in plural relative postures includes calculating, on a basis of information about holding force of the fingers in a relative posture for a target object, an amount of positional deviation of the target object held by the fingers, and correcting, on a basis of the amount of positional deviation calculated in the calculating, a position of the target object held by the fingers.

A carrier device includes a conveyor configured to carry objects supplied continuously; an object detection unit configured to detect the positions and orientations of the objects disposed in a predetermined area on the conveyor; a combination calculation unit, when a robot grasps multiple objects, out of the objects, with a hand and places the grasped objects in a container, configured to calculate combinations of sequences to grasp the objects by the hand; an index calculation unit configured to calculate an index for each combination using the distances and rotation amounts between the objects to be grasped by the hand based on the positions and orientations of the objects; and a robot control unit configured to determine the sequences to grasp the objects by the hand based on the indexes, and grasping the objects and placing the objects in the containers in accordance with the determined sequences.

An adaptable end effector useful to accommodate a wide variety of components, component geometries and variations in component geometries. In one example, the end effector includes a movable arm and at least three fingers each having a gripping tool for engagement of the component with variable and/or programmable holding force preventing relative movement.

The disclosure provides a communication system and a gripping system. When two or more nodes transmit the frames at the same time, a communication system performs, among the nodes starting transmission at the same time, communication arbitration by stopping transmission except for the node transmitting the frame having a highest priority. The frame ID includes a type ID indicating a type of the node that is a transmission source, a change ID changeable by the node that is the transmission source, and a fixed ID specific to the node that is the transmission source. The type includes a master and slaves. When the type ID is the master, a priority of the frame is set higher than when the type ID is the slave. The master node is capable of transmitting to the bus an instruction signal instructing the slave node to change the change ID.