A robot control device is configured to perform, during movement of an end effector of a robot in a movement direction of a target object, force control by which a force acts on the target object based on an output of a force detection unit included in the robot to cause the robot to perform work on the target object by the end effector. Whether the work is able to be started is determined in a process where the end effector follows the movement of the target object, and when it is determined that the work is able to be started, the work is caused to start.

A method for measuring an axial-force of a bolt fastened to a component to be fastened, includes temporarily fastening the bolt to the component to be fastened with a temporarily-tightening torque, the temporarily-tightening torque being a torque which is determined in advance and by which a depression is formed on a head of the bolt, measuring a first axial force of the temporarily-fastened bolt, regularly fastening the bolt to the component to be fastened with a regularly-tightening torque, the regularly-tightening torque being torque which is determined in advance and larger than the temporarily-tightening torque, measuring a second axial force of the regularly-fastened bolt, and measuring an estimated axial force of the regularly-fastened bolt by using the torque with which the bolt is temporarily fastened, the torque with which the bolt is regularly fastened, and a difference between the first and second axial forces.

A control device which controls a robot having a moving part includes: a processor which is configured to cause an end effector provided on the moving part to move an insertion object, bring the insertion object into contact with an insertion hole provided in an insertion target object in the state where the insertion object is tilted from a center axis of the insertion hole, and subsequently insert the insertion object into the insertion hole.

A wheel nut engagement checking system for a vehicle delivered by a conveyor includes: a moving member disposed at one side of the conveyor; a wheel lifting apparatus disposed on the moving member, and lifting a wheel of the vehicle from the conveyor to a predetermined height; a wheel nut torque checking apparatus provided on an arm of a robot disposed on the moving member, engaging a nut runner to a wheel nut of the wheel, and checking an engage torque of the wheel nut by rotating the nut runner; and a controller controlling a speed of the moving member, lifting the wheel to the predetermined height using the wheel lifting apparatus, moving the wheel nut torque checking apparatus using the robot so as to engage the nut runner to the wheel nut, and detecting an engage torque of the wheel nut by rotating the nut runner.

A robot system includes a robot to which a screw tightening driver for screw tightening is attached as an end effector and a controller that controls the robot. The controller includes a first command generation module that generates a command for rotation of the screw tightening driver in accordance with a predetermined operation profile and a second command generation module that generates a command to move the screw tightening driver along a predetermined direction by displacement calculated in accordance with the command generated by the first command generation module.

The invention relates to a method of controlling a movable robot manipulator for screwing in a screw at least already plugged into a thread, wherein the screw has a screw head with a tool engagement interface, the robot manipulator has at its distal end a tool designed to engage the tool engagement interface, the screw has a screw central axis, and the tool has a tool central axis about which the tool of the robot manipulator is rotatable. The proposed method includes the following steps of: defining a position of the tool engagement interface of the screw at least plugged into the thread, positioning the tool over the tool engagement interface and orienting the tool central axis with a maximum deviation of 8 concentrically with the screw central axis, with force-regulated and/or impedance-regulated closed tilting movement of the tool central axis, moving the tool along the tool central axis into the tool engagement interface until there is a connection between the tool and the tool engagement interface, screwing in the screw in a first direction of rotation of the tool until a defined limit value G1 of a torque/force acting on the tool has been reached or exceeded, once the limit value G1 has been reached or exceeded, turning back the tool counter to the first direction of rotation through a defined angle in the range of [0.01 to 10], and removing the tool from the tool engagement interface along the tool central axis.

A tool-support system for working on holes of a surface. The tool-support system includes two rails fixed to the surface and having imprints regularly distributed over their length, and a mobile tool-support including a mobile optical system capturing an image of the surface. For each rail, at least one wheel is adapted to be moved on the rail, and includes on its rolling strip counter-imprints complementary to the imprints. A mobile tool carries a working tip, and a control unit is configured to control the movement of the mobile tool-support, of the tool and of the optical system to analyze an image captured by the optical system and to detect the presence of a hole. A tool-support system of this kind can therefore move along the rails without slipping while detecting the holes to work on them.

A control device adapted to control a robot including a robot arm provided with a force detector includes a processor that is configured to execute computer-executable instructions so as to control the robot, wherein the processor is configured to: operate the robot arm to move a screw gauge which is disposed on a tip side of the force detector of the robot arm, used for an inspection of a screw hole, and provided with an external thread, to make the external thread have contact with the screw hole; then detect force applied to the screw gauge using the force detector to perform force control in a direction perpendicular to a direction of an axis of the screw hole based on detection information of the force detector; and operate the robot arm to move the screw gauge based on the force control.

A system for locating the center line of a bolt which extends through an aircraft part, including a robot which carries a nut or collar placement device and a stereo camera. A control system operates the camera to produce two images of the fastener at a specified angle. A processor then transforms the image information to control information for the robot to align the nut or collar placement device with the centerline of the fastener and then to place the nut or collar on the end of the fastener.

A control device includes a processor that is configured to execute computer-executable instructions so as to control driving of a robot capable of performing work including a screw-tightening process for tightening a screw, wherein the processor is configured to: receive an input of at least one of characteristics of an object including the screw used in the screw-tightening process; calculate, on the basis of the characteristics received, a value concerning screw-tightening torque at a time of the tightening of the screw by the robot; and cause a display to display the value concerning the screw-tightening torque.