A screwing device including: a container for screws; a manipulator having an effector to pick up a screw; an isolating unit connected to the container to provide the screw from the container at an interface such that a head of the screw is accessible to the effector; and a control unit to control the manipulator in executing a control program to perform operations including: guiding the effector along a trajectory having an orientation to the screw head at the interface, wherein the orientation is defined for locations along the trajectory; and executing force-regulated, impedance-regulated, and/or admittance-regulated periodic and closed tilting movements of the effector in relation to its orientation until a condition for a torque, a force, or a time for carrying out the tilting movements is reached or exceeded, and/or a force/torque and/or a position/speed signature at the effector is reached or exceeded, indicating successful pick-up of the screw.

There is provided a robot simulation part device which can facilitate the setting of parameters of force control. A robot simulation device for simulating a force control operation which is performed while bringing a tool part mounted on a robot manipulator into contact with a target workpiece includes a memory which stores a motion program and a force control parameter, which is a set parameter related to the force control operation, and a force control simulation execution part which executes a simulation of the force control operation based on the motion program and the force control parameter, wherein the force control simulation execution part has a virtual force generation part configured to generate, based on position information of the tool part obtained from results of the simulation of the force control operation, a virtual force received by the tool part from the target workpiece in a state in which the tool part is in contact with the target workpiece, and executes the simulation of the force control operation based on the virtual force and a target force set as the force control parameter.

A robot includes: an end effector including a tubular structure and a force sensor; and a controller, the controller to: control the robot holding a terminal to insert the terminal into an insertion hole; control the robot to, after the inserting, position an outer peripheral surface of a distal end of the tubular structure horizontally and bend the tubular structure at a predetermined angle; and control the robot to, after the positioning and bending, advance the end effector through a first distance that is predetermined.

A robot apparatus includes a robot, an image pickup portion, and a controller configured to control the robot. The controller obtains information about force by comparing a predetermined image with a captured image obtained by the image pickup portion imaging the robot, and performs force control of the robot on a basis of the information about force.

An embodiment provides a method of operating wire harness manufacturing equipment, including: adding, using the manufacturing equipment, an element to a wire to form a combination of the element and the wire; capturing, using an imaging device, one or more of an upper image and a lower image of the combination; analyzing, using one or more processors operatively coupled to the imaging device, the one or more of the upper image and the lower image to detect a defect; and thereafter indicating that the defect has been detected. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

A robot system has a manipulator that conveys a conveying object to a conveyance destination having a bottom surface and a wall surface connected to the bottom surface. The system includes: a first process in which the manipulator puts a first conveying object on the bottom surface of the conveyance destination; a second process in which the manipulator conveys a second conveying object to a position that does not come into contact with the first conveying object on the bottom surface of the conveyance destination; and a third process in which the manipulator moves the second conveying object in the direction of the first conveying object from the position that does not come into contact with the first conveying object, and moves the first conveying object by further moving the second conveying object after coming into contact with the first conveying object.

An embodiment provides a method of operating wire harness manufacturing equipment, including: adding, using the manufacturing equipment, an element to a wire to form a combination of the element and the wire; capturing, using an imaging device, an upper image and a lower image of the combination; analyzing, using one or more processors operatively coupled to the imaging device, the upper image and the lower image to detect a defect; and thereafter indicating that the defect has been detected. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

A control apparatus includes a processor that is configured to control a robot, and receive an object coordinate system set for an object not an end effector and not moving or rotating with the end effector. The processor is configured to execute a first control mode in which the end effector is moved and rotated according to a detected force while the force is detected by a force detector, and execute a second control mode in which, when a relative angle between a predetermined first axis of a moving coordinate system moving and rotating with the end effector and a predetermined second axis of the object coordinate system is smaller than an angle threshold value, the end effector is rotated to make magnitude of the relative angle closer to zero.

Systems and methods for controlling robots including industrial robots. A method includes executing (402) a program (550) to control a robot (102) by the robot control system (120, 500). The method includes receiving (404) robot state information (554). The method includes receiving (406) force torque feedback (556) inputs from a sensor (554) on the robot (102). The method includes producing (410) a robot control command for the robot (102) based on the robot state information (554) and the force torque feedback (556) inputs. The method includes controlling (412) the robot (102) using the robot control command.

An embodiment provides a method of operating wire harness manufacturing equipment, including: adding, using the manufacturing equipment, an element to a wire to form a combination of the element and the wire; capturing, using an imaging device, an upper image and a lower image of the combination; analyzing, using one or more processors operatively coupled to the imaging device, the upper image and the lower image to detect a defect; and thereafter indicating that the defect has been detected. Other embodiments are described and claimed.