JP2024095395A - Gripping system, gripping method, control device, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To make, when an object gripped by a robot is released, the state of the released object more appropriate.SOLUTION: A gripping system 1 comprises an articulated robot 30 having a gripping member 31a that opens and closes, and a control device 40 for controlling operation of the articulated robot 30. The control device 40 forces the articulated robot 30 to perform a gripping operation in which an object to be gripped is gripped by the gripping member 31a by closing the gripping member 31a, a releasing operation in which the gripped object gripped by the gripping operation is released from the gripping member 31a by opening the gripping member 31a, and a leveling operation in which the surface of the released object is leveled by opening the gripping member 31a in a state where the gripping member 31a is brought into contact with the released object released by the releasing operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to a gripping system, a gripping method, a control device, and a program.

In recent years, robots equipped with a gripping function have been used to perform various tasks. For example, when a robot is used to arrange prepared food, the robot grasps a predetermined amount of ingredients stored in a container such as a tray, transports them to a specified area of the prepared food container, and releases them to arrange the ingredients (placement).
Such a technology relating to a plating robot is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-233996.

JP 2021-30407 A

However, when a food is plated by a robot, the condition of the ingredients after plating may not be appropriate.
For example, if the ingredients are released from the center of the container, they will pile up in a high mountain shape in the center of the container. However, the ingredients may not reach the edge of the container, and the bottom of the container will be visible after the ingredients are piled up. When the bottom is visible, the total amount of ingredients will seem smaller to customers who purchase the product.
To avoid this, there is a demand in food factories and the like to arrange ingredients evenly so that the bottom of the container is not visible, but with conventional technology it has been difficult to meet such a demand.

Furthermore, this issue is not limited to cases where the target object is foodstuffs, but is common to a wide variety of fields in which gripping is performed by robots, such as the industrial field.
That is, in the conventional technology, when an object grasped by a robot is released, there is still room for improvement in terms of putting the released object into an appropriate state.

The objective of the present invention is to make the state of the released object more appropriate when releasing an object grasped by a robot.

In order to solve the above problem, a gripping system according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises:
A gripping system including a robot having a gripping member that opens and closes, and a control device that controls the operation of the robot,
The control device includes:
a gripping operation in which the gripping member is closed to grip an object to be gripped by the gripping member;
a release operation in which the gripping member is opened to release the gripped object from the gripping member; and
a smoothing operation of smoothing the surface of the release object by opening the gripping member in a state where the gripping member is in contact with the release object released by the release operation;
The present invention is characterized in that the robot is caused to execute the above.

According to the present invention, when an object grasped by a robot is released, the state of the released object can be made more appropriate.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a plurality of gripping systems 1 according to the present invention are arranged. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of a gripping system according to the present invention; 3A to 3C are schematic diagrams showing examples of the shape of a gripping member 31a installed at the tip of a hand 31. 1 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the storage space 10A, the hand 31, the gripping member 31a, the robot arm 32, and the ingredient when performing an operation such as a gripping operation. FIG. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating the opening and closing of a pair of gripping members 31a. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the hardware configuration of a control device 40. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a control device 40. 1A to 1C are schematic diagrams showing an example of a gripping operation by the articulated robot 30. 10A to 10C are schematic diagrams showing an example of a releasing operation and a leveling operation performed by the articulated robot 30. 10A to 10C are schematic diagrams showing an example of a leveling operation performed by the articulated robot 30. 10A to 10C are schematic diagrams showing an example of a dropping operation performed by the articulated robot 30. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of an ingredient plating process executed by the gripping system 1. 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams showing an example of a release operation accompanied by a sudden stop by the articulated robot 30.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[Embodiment]
[composition]
1 and 2 are schematic diagrams showing the overall configuration of a gripping system 1 according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is an oblique view showing a state in which multiple gripping systems 1 are arranged, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged oblique view of the main parts of the gripping system 1.
The gripping system 1 in this embodiment is intended to be applied to a system for plating ingredients. In the following description, an example will be given in which the gripping system 1 grips ingredients such as side dishes as objects and plates the ingredients in individual side dish containers. Note that plating individual side dishes in containers is merely an example, and the present embodiment can also be applied to other applications, such as plating multiple side dishes individually in corresponding areas of a lunch box container. In the following description, weight will be used as an example of the amount of ingredients to be plated, but the present invention can be applied to physical quantities other than weight, such as volume, bulk, mass, and other various names.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the gripping system 1 includes an ingredient storage unit 10, a container supply unit 20, an articulated robot 30, a control device 40, and a shielding unit 50. In addition, a belt conveyor 2 that automatically transports containers of side dishes is installed adjacent to the gripping system 1.

The ingredient storage unit 10 has a storage space 10A that stores ingredients such as side dishes to be served in the gripping system 1. This storage space 10A may be, for example, formed by the ingredient storage unit 10 itself, or may be formed by a general-purpose container such as a large tray or tray that can be installed in the ingredient storage unit 10. In addition, this storage space 10A stores, for example, a paste salad such as potato salad (a salad containing ingredients with viscosity or stickiness), side dishes such as soybean pulp, dried daikon radish strips, pickled radish, hijiki seaweed, boiled beans, and buttered corn. In this embodiment, the ingredient storage unit 10 stores multiple servings (for example, tens to hundreds of servings) of one type of ingredient. Then, the multiple gripping systems 1 serve ingredients such as side dishes in the corresponding side dish containers, thereby completing the work of serving the side dishes. The storage space 10A of the ingredient storage section 10 can be replaced manually by an operator or automatically by the articulated robot 30.

The container supply unit 20 supplies containers of side dishes to a predetermined position in the gripping system 1 where ingredients are to be plated (plating position P1 in FIG. 2). The container supply unit 20 stores multiple containers of side dishes, and when the gripping system 1 starts operating, it supplies the containers one by one to the plating position P1. A weight sensor 21 that measures the weight of the side dish container is also installed at the plating position P1, and when ingredients are plated at the plating position P1, the weight of the plated ingredients (i.e., the weight increased by plating) is measured. The weight data measured at this time is output to the control device 40. Then, when the weight measurement is completed, the container of side dishes is carried out to the belt conveyor 2 by a push-out mechanism provided in the container supply unit 20.

The articulated robot 30 is, for example, a horizontal articulated robot or a vertical articulated robot, and is equipped with a hand 31 capable of grasping the ingredients to be plated, and a robot arm 32 that moves the hand 31 to any position within its movable range.
A weight sensor 30A for measuring the weight of the ingredient held by the hand 31 of the articulated robot 30 is provided at the joint that holds the hand 31 of the articulated robot 30 as an example of a means for acquiring the physical quantity of the ingredient held by the hand 31 with the gripping member 31a. A force sensor 30B for measuring the reaction force (including the force sense obtained by touching the surface) from the ingredient that has been touched is provided at the joint that holds the hand 31 of the articulated robot 30 as an example of a means for detecting that the hand 31 has come into contact with the ingredient. Data on the weight of the ingredient (i.e., the weight of the gripped ingredient) measured by the weight sensor 30A and data on the reaction force from the ingredient (i.e., the detection result of contact with the ingredient) measured by the force sensor 30B are output to the control device 40.

Furthermore, the joint that holds the hand 31 has an axis that rotates the hand 31 in a twisting direction relative to the robot arm 32. Therefore, when the hand 31 grasps an ingredient, the direction in which the hand 31 opens and closes can be adjusted by changing the orientation of the hand 31. This makes it possible to change the orientation of the hand 31 so that when the hand 31 reaches the vicinity of the inner wall surface of the container, the hand 31 opens and closes in a direction parallel to the inner wall surface of the storage space 10A, making it easier to grasp ingredients near the inner wall surface of the container.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the shape of the gripping member 31 a installed at the tip of the hand 31 .
In FIG. 3, only one of the pair of gripping members 31a is shown.
As shown in Fig. 3, the gripping member 31a in this embodiment is composed of a top plate portion, a main plate portion, a first side plate portion, and a second side plate portion. The top plate portion has a rectangular flat surface. When the flat surface of the top plate portion is in a horizontal state, the main plate portion extends at an angle from one end of the flat surface in the longitudinal direction to a position spaced vertically below the other end of the flat surface. When the flat surface of the top plate portion is in a horizontal state, the first side plate portion and the second side plate portion extend vertically downward from both ends of the flat surface.
In the following description, when the pair of gripping members 31a is not to be distinguished from one another, they will simply be referred to as "grip members 31a."

Figure 4 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the storage space 10A, the hand 31, the gripping member 31a, the robot arm 32, and the ingredient when performing an operation such as a gripping operation. In Figure 10, the vertical direction is referred to as the Z direction, a first horizontal direction perpendicular to the Z direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface) is referred to as the Y direction, and a second horizontal direction perpendicular to each of the Z direction and the Y direction is referred to as the X direction. In other words, the Z direction, Y direction, and X direction are each perpendicular to one another.

The hand 31 is disposed at the tip of the robot arm 32. The gripping member 31a is connected to the hand 31 by a connecting member and is thereby supported by the hand 31. The hand 31 and the gripping member 31a connected thereto can move within a movable range in each of the X, Y, and Z directions in accordance with the operation of the robot arm 32 controlled by the control device 40. The hand 31 achieves a gripping operation by opening and closing the pair of gripping members 31a in the Y direction by an actuator (not shown).
In addition, the hand 31 and the gripping member 31a connected thereto are capable of rotating about the Z direction as a rotation axis.
With this configuration, in this embodiment, the position and orientation of the hand 31 and the gripping member 31a can be changed as desired, making it possible to appropriately perform operations such as gripping movements with a variety of movements.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing the opening and closing of a pair of gripping members 31a. The gripping members 31a shown in Figure 3 are connected to the hand 31 by a connecting member so that their openings face each other. The X, Y, and Z directions in Figure 5 are the same as the directions defined in Figure 4. The pair of gripping members 31a are opened in an opening operation along the opening and closing direction (Y direction) as shown in Figure 5(a) to reach an open state. The pair of gripping members 31a are closed in a gripping operation by closing in the opening and closing direction (Y direction) as shown in Figure 5(b).

Then, the pair of gripping members 31a are closed and come into contact with each other, so that the inner surface with at least the closed tips and side plate portions becomes a container shape for gripping ingredients. With such a shape of the gripping members 31a, the tips of the gripping members 31a are inserted vertically from the surface of ingredients such as a paste salad, and the pair of gripping members 31a are closed at a predetermined depth to lift up the ingredients, so that an approximately fixed amount of ingredients can be gripped and removed from the storage space 10A.
In addition, after the pair of gripping members 31a are transferred onto the container of side dishes at the presentation position P1, the pair of gripping members 31a are opened and the container shape opens, thereby releasing the ingredients that have been grasped and allowing an approximately fixed amount of ingredients to be presented on the container of side dishes.

1 and 2, the control device 40 is configured with an information processing device such as a PC (Personal Computer) or a programmable controller, and controls the entire gripping system 1 by executing various programs. For example, the control device 40 controls the operation of the container supply unit 20 to supply containers, and the operation of the articulated robot 30 to grasp ingredients from the ingredient storage unit 10 and release them into the prepared food containers to arrange the ingredients. In more detail, for example, the control device 40 controls the drive of the robot arm 32 to move the hand 31 to a predetermined position along a predetermined route and at a predetermined speed, and controls the drive of the actuator of the hand 31 to realize the operation of gripping and releasing ingredients by the gripping member 31a.

The shielding unit 50 is composed of a plate-like member that surrounds and encloses the area in which the ingredient storage unit 10, the container supply unit 20, and the articulated robot 30 are installed in the gripping system 1. The plate-like member that constitutes the shielding unit 50 is made of a transparent material such as glass or resin, making it possible to visually check the operating status of the gripping system 1 from the outside. In addition, an openable and closable door is installed on a part of the side wall that constitutes the shielding unit 50. When replacing the storage space 10A of the ingredient storage unit 10, adding containers of prepared foods to the container supply unit 20, or performing maintenance on the gripping system 1, an operator can open the door of the shielding unit 50 to perform various tasks.

[Hardware configuration of the control device 40]
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the hardware configuration of the control device 40. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6 , the control device 40 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 711, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 712, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 713, a bus 714, an input unit 715, an output unit 716, a storage unit 717, a communication unit 718, and a drive 719.

The CPU 711 executes various processes according to a program recorded in the ROM 712 or a program loaded from the storage unit 717 to the RAM 713 .
The RAM 713 also stores data and the like necessary for the CPU 711 to execute various processes.

The CPU 711, ROM 712, and RAM 713 are interconnected via a bus 714. An input unit 715, an output unit 716, a memory unit 717, a communication unit 718, and a drive 719 are connected to the bus 714.

The input unit 715 includes input devices such as a mouse and a keyboard, and receives input of various information to the control device 40. The input unit 715 may include a microphone, and may receive input of various information by voice input from the worker.
The output unit 716 is composed of a display, a speaker, etc., and outputs images and sounds.
The storage unit 717 is configured with a hard disk or a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or the like, and stores various data managed by each server.
The communication unit 718 controls communication with other devices via the network.

Removable media 731, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, is appropriately loaded into the drive 719. A program read from the removable media 731 by the drive 719 is installed in the storage unit 717 as necessary.
It should be noted that the above hardware configuration is the basic configuration of the control device 40, and it is possible to have a configuration that does not include some of the hardware, to include additional hardware, or to change the implementation form of the hardware.

[Functional configuration]
Next, the functional configuration of the control device 40 will be described.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control device 40.
7, by executing a program for controlling the operation of the gripping system 1, a sensor information acquisition unit 151, an ingredient state determination unit 152, an ingredient amount determination unit 153, an articulated robot control unit 154, a container supply control unit 155, and a record control unit 156 function in a CPU 711 of the control device 40. In addition, a parameter storage unit 171 and a history database (history DB) 172 are formed in the storage unit 717.

The parameter storage unit 171 stores various parameters used when the gripping system 1 operates. For example, the parameter storage unit 171 stores the position of the storage space 10A of the ingredient storage unit 10, the position of the container of prepared food supplied from the container supply unit 20, the position of the area in the container of prepared food where the ingredients are served, the relationship between the amount of insertion of the hand 31 into the ingredient when gripping the ingredient and the weight of the gripped ingredient (function or table-format data, etc.), and parameters that define the operation pattern of the articulated robot 30. In this embodiment, the amount of insertion of the hand 31 into the ingredient is an index for estimating the weight (physical amount) of the ingredient. In other words, from the relationship between the amount of insertion of the hand 31 into the ingredient and the weight of the gripped ingredient, the actual weight of the gripped ingredient (target gripping weight) is estimated based on the amount of insertion of the hand 31 into the ingredient.

History DB 172 stores control parameters acquired when gripping system 1 operates, or measurement data of the weight of ingredients arranged by gripping system 1, as history. History DB 172 also stores an ingredient status map showing the status of ingredients in storage space 10A of ingredient storage unit 10. Details of this ingredient status map will be described later together with an explanation of recording control unit 156 that creates and updates the ingredient status map.

The sensor information acquisition unit 151 acquires sensor information, which is information detected by various sensors installed in the gripping system 1. For example, the sensor information acquisition unit 151 acquires data on the weight of ingredients measured by a weight sensor 30A installed in a joint of the articulated robot 30, data on the reaction force from the ingredients measured by a force sensor 30B, and data on the weight of ingredients measured by a weight sensor 21 of the container supply unit 20.

The ingredient state determination unit 152 recognizes the state of the ingredients based on the data of the reaction force from the ingredients measured by the force sensor 30B. For example, the ingredient state determination unit 152 recognizes the depth of the ingredients in the storage space 10A (the depth from the surface of the ingredients in the storage space 10A to the bottom surface of the storage space 10A) and the flatness of the surface (how rough the surface is) from the data of the reaction force from the ingredients measured by the force sensor 30B. In this embodiment, a method of measuring the state of the ingredients based on the reaction force using the force sensor 30B is used, rather than a method of determining the state of the ingredients by image analysis using a camera. Therefore, for example, the introduction cost and management cost of the camera can be reduced, and since there is no need to consider the blind spot of the camera, the arrangement of the multi-joint robot 30 and the storage space 10A, etc. can be selected more flexibly. In addition, since a camera is not used, there is no need to consider the influence of steam generated from the ingredients and lighting on the shooting.

Furthermore, when the ingredient condition determination unit 152 recognizes the depth of the ingredient and the flatness of the surface, it determines whether these meet the conditions for gripping the ingredient (for example, whether the depth and flatness of the ingredient are equal to or greater than a set threshold value). The flatness of the ingredient's surface can be defined, for example, based on the absolute value of the magnitude of the unevenness of the surface, and can be defined so that the flatter the ingredient's surface is, the higher the value. The flatness may also be determined for each part of the ingredient's surface. The ingredient condition determination unit 152 also determines whether the condition of the ingredients in the storage space 10A is such that a specified amount of ingredients can be gripped in one gripping operation.

The ingredient amount determination unit 153 determines whether a specified amount of ingredients has been grasped and whether a specified amount of ingredients has been placed in the prepared food container based on the weight data of the ingredients measured by the weight sensor 30A of the articulated robot 30 and the weight data of the ingredients measured by the weight sensor 21 of the container supply unit 20.

The articulated robot control unit 154 controls the operation of the articulated robot 30, and causes the articulated robot 30 to execute a series of operations for arranging ingredients according to the operation pattern defined in the gripping system 1. For example, the articulated robot control unit 154 causes the articulated robot 30 to execute an operation of gripping ingredients with the hand 31 of the articulated robot 30 (gripping operation), an operation of transferring the gripped ingredients to a side dish container (transfer operation), an operation of releasing the gripped ingredients (releasing operation), an operation of leveling the released ingredients (leveling operation), an operation of dropping ingredients attached to the gripping member 31a onto the surface of the released ingredients (dropping operation), etc.

The container supply control unit 155 controls the container supply unit 20 to supply containers of prepared food in which ingredients are to be arranged in the gripping system 1 to the arrangement position P1 at a predetermined timing. The container supply control unit 155 also controls the container supply unit 20 to transport the prepared food containers in which ingredients are arranged to the belt conveyor 2.

The recording control unit 156 stores the control parameters acquired when the gripping system 1 performs the gripping operation and the measurement data of the weight of the ingredients arranged by the gripping system 1 in the history DB 172. The recording control unit 156 also creates and updates an ingredient condition map showing the state of the ingredients in the storage space 10A of the ingredient storage unit 10, and also stores this ingredient condition map in the history DB 172. More specifically, the recording control unit 156 detects the state of the ingredients in each area of the storage space 10A based on the measurement data of the weight of the ingredients and the reaction force of the ingredients acquired when the gripping system 1 performs the gripping operation, the determination result by the ingredient condition determination unit 152 described below, and the measurement data of the weight of the ingredients arranged by the gripping system 1, and generates an ingredient condition map by linking it to the identification information that identifies each area and storing it. In this case, the state of the ingredients is the remaining amount of ingredients in each area, and the depth and flatness of the ingredients determined by the ingredient condition determination unit 152 described below. In addition, if the storage space 10A is replaced after the ingredients in the storage space 10A have been arranged, the ingredient status map is updated assuming that a predetermined amount of ingredients (e.g., a sufficient amount of ingredients for the storage space 10A) is stored in a predetermined state (e.g., with a flat surface).

Next, we will explain in detail each operation performed by the articulated robot 30 based on the control of the articulated robot control unit 154.

[Grasp operation]
In the gripping system 1 according to the present embodiment, the relationship between the depth (insertion amount) of the gripping member 31a inserted into the ingredient and the weight of the ingredient gripped at that time is known in advance depending on the ingredient and the type of gripping member 31a used. For example, the density of the ingredient to be gripped (a parameter representing the weight per unit depth) is measured in advance, and the gripped weight can be calculated (estimated) by a function whose element is the product of the ingredient density and the depth to which the gripping member 31a is inserted. This allows the weight of the ingredient to be estimated by a simple calculation.

The weight calculated in this way can also be stored as data in table format. Furthermore, since it is possible to grasp the range of the surface of the ingredient where the flatness decreases with one gripping operation, a pitch is set for shifting the gripping position for each gripping operation on the surface of the ingredient in the storage space 10A. Furthermore, a gripping operation pattern is set based on the predetermined depth and pitch for inserting the gripping member 31a, which indicates from which position on the surface of the ingredient and how the ingredient is to be gripped. Then, the gripping operation is performed as follows according to this gripping operation pattern.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a gripping operation by the articulated robot 30. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, when the articulated robot 30 grasps an ingredient, the following steps are taken to grasp the ingredient: (1) approach the ingredient; (2) detect the surface of the ingredient; (3) insert the grasping member 31a into the ingredient; (4) close the grasping member 31a to close the grasping member 31a; and (5) measure the weight (physical quantity) of the grasped ingredient. If the grasped weight matches the specified amount, the ingredient is transferred to a side dish container and released. Note that the grasped weight matches the specified amount means, for example, that the weight of the grasped ingredient is within a specified error (within ±15%, etc.) with respect to the target weight. However, in consideration of a case where the ingredient sticks to the grasping member 31a and cannot be released, the error when the grasped weight is more than the specified amount may be set to be larger than the error when the grasped weight is less than the specified amount. On the other hand, if the grasped weight does not conform to the specified amount, the ingredients are gripped again in the following order: (6) the ingredient is released (the ingredient is returned) to the grasped position in the storage space 10A; (7) if the weight of the grasped ingredient is excessive (for example, if the weight of the grasped ingredient exceeds the upper limit of the range of the specified amount), the ingredient is gripped by inserting the gripping member 31a into the ingredient to a shallower depth than the previous time; and (8) if the weight of the grasped ingredient is insufficient (for example, if the weight of the grasped ingredient is below the lower limit of the range of the specified amount), the ingredient is gripped again in the following order.

The surface of the ingredient can be detected in step (2) by using the force sensor 30B to measure the reaction force received when the gripping member 31a of the articulated robot 30 comes into contact with the ingredient.
Furthermore, when inserting the gripping member 31a into the ingredient in step (3), it is possible to calculate the amount of insertion from the control parameters of the articulated robot 30 (such as the rotation angle of the joints), or to calculate the amount of insertion from the elapsed time since the surface of the ingredient was detected in step (2) and insertion began.

In step (8), even if the gripping member 31a is inserted deeper into the ingredient than the previous time, if the specified amount of ingredient cannot be gripped (if the ingredient is inserted less deeply at the intended gripping position than the required insertion depth to obtain the specified amount), it is possible to control the total amount of ingredient gripped in multiple attempts to be the specified amount by gripping the ingredient from multiple points on the ingredient's surface. In this case, for example, the total depth to which the gripping member 31a is inserted at multiple points on the ingredient's surface (total insertion amount) can be controlled to be the same as the depth to which the gripping member 31a is inserted into the ingredient when gripping a specified amount of ingredient at one time. In addition, for example, when gripping the second or subsequent points, it is also possible to release the already gripped ingredient at the next intended gripping position, and then insert the gripping member 31a into the ingredient to the depth to which it would be inserted when gripping a specified amount of ingredient at one time against the surface of the ingredient where the released ingredient is located, and grip the specified amount of ingredient again at one time.

The relationship between the depth (insertion amount) at which the gripping member 31a is inserted into the ingredient and the weight of the ingredient gripped at that time can be calculated (estimated) from the density of the ingredient, or the weight can be estimated by machine learning the data on the depth at which the gripping member 31a is inserted and the measured data on the weight of the ingredient gripped at that time, and using a machine learning model generated by machine learning. The density of the ingredient can also be calculated during this machine learning process, and the weight of the gripped ingredient can be calculated from the depth (insertion amount) at which the gripping member 31a is inserted into the ingredient using the calculated density.

[Release action]
9A and 9B are schematic diagrams showing an example of a releasing operation by the articulated robot 30. FIG.
In Fig. 9(a), the Y direction is the opening/closing direction when gripping and releasing by the gripping members 31a, the X direction is the direction perpendicular to the opening/closing direction in the horizontal plane, and the Z direction is the height direction. That is, Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cross section perpendicular to the X direction of a pair of gripping members 31a (i.e., the YZ plane). The X, Y, and Z directions in Fig. 9(a) are the same as those defined in Fig. 4.
In addition, since Figures 9(b) and 9(c), as well as Figures 10, 11, and 13 described below, all illustrate a similar vertical cross section (i.e., the YZ plane), illustration of each direction is omitted in these figures.

The articulated robot 30 grasps the ingredients contained in the storage space 10A by performing a grasping operation as shown in FIG. 8. Then, as shown in FIG. 9(a), the articulated robot 30 transfers the pair of grasping members 31a onto the container of side dishes at the serving position P1. The articulated robot 30 then lowers the grasping members 31a to a height at which they can be released. In the figures and in the following description, the ingredients grasped by the grasping members 31a are appropriately referred to as "grasped ingredients."

Next, as shown in FIG. 9(b), when the articulated robot 30 descends to the height at which the release will be performed, it stops the descent and opens the gripping members 31a in the opening/closing direction to an open state, thereby releasing the gripped ingredients from the gripping members 31a. This release is performed, for example, at a height close to the bottom of the container, in the center of the horizontal plane of the container. Releasing at such a position can prevent the released ingredients from scattering outside the container.

In this case, the released ingredients released in the center of the container are piled high in the shape of a mountain in the center of the container. In contrast, the released ingredients do not reach the edges of the area of the container where they should be piled, and the bottom of the container is visible when the container is viewed vertically from above. As described above, when the bottom is visible in this way, customers who purchase the piled product will perceive the total amount of released ingredients piled as small. Therefore, in this embodiment, after the releasing operation, a leveling operation, which will be described below, is performed.

In addition, if the ingredients are viscous or sticky, as shown in the figure, some of the held ingredients may adhere to the inner surface of the gripping member 31a. However, in this embodiment, this adhered ingredient can be dropped by a dropping action described below. In the figures and in the following description, the ingredients released by the gripping member 31a will be referred to as "released ingredients" as appropriate. Also, the ingredients attached to the gripping member 31a will be referred to as "attached ingredients" as appropriate.

[Smoothing operation]
9C and 10 are schematic diagrams showing an example of the leveling operation by the articulated robot 30. FIG.
As shown in Fig. 9(c), after performing the releasing operation, the articulated robot 30 raises the gripping member 31a to a position vertically above the plated released ingredients while maintaining the open state of the gripping member 31a. Next, as shown in Fig. 10(d), the articulated robot 30 closes the gripping member 31a at a position vertically above the plated released ingredients to a closed state. That is, the gripping member 31a is raised and closed so as not to come into contact with the plated released ingredients.
In this way, since the gripping member 31a is not in contact with the released ingredient, the presentation state of the released ingredient at this point in time remains unchanged from the presentation state immediately after release.

10(e), the articulated robot 30 lowers the gripping member 31a, while keeping it in the closed state, toward the surface of the center of the piled up release ingredients (i.e., the center of the container). This brings the outer surface of the tip of the gripping member 31a into contact with the apex of the piled up release ingredients at the center of the container.
In this case, the height to which the gripping member 31a is lowered can be appropriately set according to the properties of the release ingredient (e.g., viscosity, adhesion, density), the shape of the release ingredient, the amount of the release ingredient, the size of the container, etc. As an example, the gripping member 31a is lowered until the tip of the gripping member 31a is positioned at a height lower than the height of the apex of the release ingredient in the center of the container and higher than the height assumed as the height after smoothing. In order to facilitate understanding of the height of the apex of the release ingredient and the height assumed as the height after smoothing, these heights are each shown by dashed lines in the figure.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10(f), the articulated robot 30 opens the gripping member 31a to an open state while the outer surface of the tip of the gripping member 31a is in contact with the release ingredient. As a result, a smoothing operation is performed on multiple regions on the surface of the release ingredient that are relatively higher than other regions.

As a result, due to the characteristics of the releasing action of the opening and closing gripping member 31a, the ingredients in an area that is inevitably relatively high in height (here, the center of the container) can be moved to an area that is inevitably relatively low in height (here, the edge of the container), thereby leveling the surface and making the height uniform.
Furthermore, by leveling the surface of the released ingredients in this manner, the ingredients can be spread to the edge of the area of the container to be served. This eliminates the problem of the bottom of the container being visible after serving. In addition, the surface state of the ingredients served in the container can be made to be flat and attractive. In other words, the shortcomings of the release operation by the opening and closing gripping member 31a can be compensated for, and the released released ingredients can be made to be in a more appropriate state.

In addition, this smoothing operation can be realized simply by operating the gripping member 31a, which has the effect of eliminating the need for a dedicated member or mechanism for smoothing the surface of the release material.
Furthermore, according to the gripping system 1, by releasing the container based on the center of the container, it is possible to prevent ingredients from scattering outside the container when the container is released.
Furthermore, according to the gripping system 1, the gripping member 31a is opened with the outer surface of the gripping member 31a in contact with the apex of the mountain-shaped release ingredient at the center of the container. This allows the smoothing operation to be performed after the container is in a state where it can be efficiently smoothed.

[Dropping motion]
11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a dropping operation by the articulated robot 30. By performing the gripping, releasing, and leveling operations as described above, the ingredients can be arranged and the released ingredients can be placed in a more appropriate state. However, the gripping and releasing operations cause the attached ingredients to adhere to the inner surface of the gripping member 31a. In addition, the leveling operation causes the attached ingredients to adhere to the outer surface of the gripping member 31a.
If the gripping member 31a is transferred to the storage space 10A in this state, the attached ingredients may fall along the transfer path and scatter. If the attached ingredients scatter in this way, an operator will need to clean up the scatter manually. In addition, the scattered ingredients will have to be discarded, resulting in a loss of ingredients. Therefore, in this embodiment, after the smoothing operation, the dropping operation described below is performed.

As shown in FIG. 11(g), after performing the release operation, the articulated robot 30 raises the gripping member 31a together with the attachment material.

Next, as shown in Fig. 11(h), the articulated robot 30 moves the gripping member 31a together with the attached ingredient, thereby dropping the attached ingredient onto the surface of the released ingredient in the container. In this case, the movement can be, for example, repeated up-down motion. Alternatively, it can be, for example, repeated left-right motion, or a combination of up-down motion and left-right motion. The range of movement (stroke) and the number of times these motions are repeated can be set in advance, taking into consideration the size and shape of the ingredient, the speed required for plating, etc.
Also, instead of setting it in advance like this, it is possible to control according to the actual falling situation. For example, the weight of the attached ingredient attached to the gripping member 31a may be measured by the weight sensor 30A, and the movement may be repeated until the weight of the attached ingredient falls below the threshold. In this case, if the weight of the attached ingredient does not fall below the threshold even after repeating the movement several times, the movement range may be expanded and the attached ingredient may be dropped with a larger movement.
As a result, the released ingredients attached to the gripping member 31a during the smoothing operation, gripping operation, and release operation fall onto the surface of the released ingredients already arranged on the container. Therefore, for example, on the path of transfer to the storage space 10A, the attached ingredients can be prevented from falling and scattering.
As shown in Fig. 11(g), if the gripping member 31a is raised higher than necessary, the adhesive ingredient may be scattered outside the container during the dropping operation described above with reference to Fig. 11(h). Therefore, it is advisable to raise the gripping member 31a only to the extent that it does not interfere with this operation.

[Overall operation]
Next, the overall operation of the gripping system 1 will be described.
12 is a flowchart showing the flow of an ingredient plating process executed by the gripping system 1. The ingredient plating process is started, for example, when an operation for starting the ingredient plating process is performed by an operator.
When the ingredient plating process is started, in step S11 of FIG. 12, the articulated robot control unit 154 reads operation data (such as data on the movement pattern and data on the insertion amount of the hand 31) for executing a series of operations in the ingredient plating process from the parameter memory unit 171, thereby preparing to grasp the ingredients.

In step S12, the articulated robot control unit 154 transfers the hand 31 to the storage space 10A according to the operation pattern data.

In step S13, the ingredient status determination unit 152 recognizes the status of the ingredients in the storage space 10A by reading from the history DB 172 an ingredient status map showing the status of the ingredients in the storage space 10A of the ingredient storage unit 10. The ingredient status determination unit 152 continues to recognize the status of the ingredients based on the data of the reaction force from the ingredients measured by the force sensor 30B acquired by the sensor information acquisition unit 151.

In step S14, the depth to which the gripping members 31a are to be inserted into the ingredients is determined based on the data of the operation pattern read in step S11 and the state of the ingredients in the storage space 10A recognized in step S13.
In step S15, the articulated robot control unit 154 inserts the gripping member 31a into the ingredient to the determined insertion depth.
In step S16, the articulated robot control unit 154 closes the gripping members 31a to grip the ingredient.

In step S17, the ingredient amount determination unit 153 measures the weight (physical amount) of the ingredient being held and determines whether or not a specified amount of ingredient is being held. If the specified amount of ingredient is being held, step S17 is determined as Yes, and processing proceeds to step S18. On the other hand, if the specified amount of ingredient is not being held, step S17 is determined as No, and processing is performed again from step S14. In this case, if the amount of ingredient being held exceeds the specified amount, the insertion depth is re-determined to be shallower in step S14 that is performed again. On the other hand, if the amount of ingredient being held is less than the specified amount, the insertion depth is re-determined to be deeper in step S14 that is performed again. The processing from step S14 to step S17 corresponds to the gripping operation described with reference to FIG. 8.

In step S18, the articulated robot control unit 154 moves the gripping member 31a to the position of the container of prepared food.
In step S19, the articulated robot control unit 154 releases the gripping material gripped by the gripping member 31a in a predetermined area within the container (for example, the center of the container in the horizontal plane).

In step S20, the articulated robot control unit 154 raises the gripping members 31a while keeping them open.
In step S21, the articulated robot control unit 154 closes and lowers the gripping member 31a.
In step S22, the articulated robot control unit 154 smoothes the surface of the release ingredient by opening the gripping members 31a while they are in contact with the release ingredient.
The process from step S20 to step S21 corresponds to the smoothing operation described with reference to FIGS.

In step S23, the articulated robot control unit 154 drops the attachment material by a dropping operation.

In step S24, the record control unit 156 stores the control parameters acquired in the ingredient plating process and the measurement data (history data) of the weight of the plated ingredients in the history DB 172. The record control unit 156 also updates an ingredient status map showing the status of the ingredients in the storage space 10A of the ingredient storage unit 10, and also stores this updated ingredient status map in the history DB 172. In this case, if the weight of the plated ingredients is excessive or insufficient, an alert may be output to the operator.

In step S25, the articulated robot control unit 154 determines whether or not a condition for terminating the ingredient plating process is met. In this case, the condition for terminating the ingredient plating process can be defined as when ingredients have been plated into the planned number of side dish containers, when an operation for terminating the ingredient plating process has been performed by the worker, or the like.
If the condition for terminating the ingredient plating process is not met, the result in step S25 is No, and the process is repeated from step S12. On the other hand, if the condition for terminating the ingredient plating process is met, the result in step S25 is Yes, and the ingredient plating process is terminated.

As described above, when releasing an ingredient grasped by the articulated robot 30, the grasping system 1 according to this embodiment can make the released ingredient in a more appropriate state. In addition, the grasping system 1 according to this embodiment also provides various effects as described above when explaining the smoothing operation and the dropping operation.

[Modification 1]
In the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9(a) and Fig. 9(b), the gripping member 31a is lowered, and then opened in a stopped state to release the gripped material. This is not limited to this, and the gripped material may be released by other methods. For example, the gripping member 31a may be lowered and stopped at the same time, and the release operation may be performed while the gripping member 31a is suddenly stopped so that the value of the change in speed before and after the stop is greater than a predetermined value. This allows the gripped material to be efficiently dropped. Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a release operation accompanied by an abrupt stop by the articulated robot 30.

First, as shown in Fig. 13(a), the articulated robot 30 lowers the gripping member 31a gripping the gripping tool at a predetermined speed or faster. Then, as shown in Fig. 13(b), the articulated robot 30 opens the gripping member 31a in the lowered state to set it in an open state, releasing the gripping tool, and stops the descent of the gripping member 31a.
In this case, the articulated robot 30 does not simply stop, but rather stops the descent of the gripping member 31a suddenly so that the change in speed before and after the stop is greater than a predetermined value, causing the gripped material to fall from the gripping member 31a.
As a result, the downward inertial force is cancelled for the gripping member 31a supported by the articulated robot 30 during a sudden stop, while the downward inertial force is maintained for the gripped ingredient, so that the gripped ingredient can be dropped efficiently. In this case, the released ingredient that has fallen will be piled up in a mountain shape as a single lump. However, this is not a problem because the released ingredient can be made into a more appropriate state by performing the leveling operation as described above afterwards.

[Modification 2]
In the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9(a) and Fig. 9(b), the gripping member 31a is lowered, and then opened in a stopped state to release the gripped material. Also, as shown in Fig. 10(e) and Fig. 10(f), the gripping member 31a is opened in a state of contact with the released material to perform the smoothing operation. In this case, the gripping member 31a may be opened in a different manner when performing the releasing operation and when performing the smoothing operation.

For example, when performing the leveling operation, if the gripping member 31a is opened in the same manner as when performing the releasing operation, the horizontal movement of the gripping member 31a (i.e., the movement in the Y direction) may gain too much momentum, causing the released ingredients that should be leveled within the container to fly out of the container.
Therefore, if the hand 31 has a mechanism for varying the speed of the horizontal movement of the gripping member 31a, it is preferable to control the speed of the smoothing operation to be slower than that of the releasing operation, thereby preventing the released ingredients from scattering outside the container during the smoothing operation.

Also, for example, if the hand 31 has a mechanism that can change the horizontal opening width of the gripping member 31a, it is preferable to control the opening width to be narrower during the smoothing operation than during the releasing operation. This also prevents the released ingredients from scattering outside the container during the smoothing operation. In this case, even if the mechanism opens the gripping member 31a with an air cylinder using an ON/OFF controlled solenoid valve, the opening width can be changed by arranging multiple sensors that detect the opening width corresponding to multiple opening widths.
The speed of the horizontal movement and the opening width can be adjusted depending on, for example, the size of the container in which the ingredients are to be served. For example, if the container is large, the opening width when performing the opening operation may not be enough to spread the ingredients to the edge of the container. In such a case, it is advisable to control the opening width when performing the smoothing operation to be wider than when performing the opening operation. This allows the ingredients to be spread to the edge of the container even if it is a large container.

[Modification 3]
In the above embodiment, it is assumed that a pair of gripping members 31a (i.e., two gripping members 31a) is used, but this is not limited thereto. Three or more gripping members 31a may be used. The gripping operation may be performed by bringing the openings of the gripping members 31a closer to each other, and the release operation may be performed by moving the openings of the gripping members 31a away from each other.
In this case, for example, if three gripping members 31a are used, when viewed vertically from above, the tips of the three gripping members 31a, each with a central angle of 120°, are moved closer to or farther away from the center.
Even in this manner, the above-mentioned smoothing operation and other operations can be performed.

[Modification 4]
In the above-described embodiment, the ingredient state determination unit 152 determines the state of the ingredient based on data on the reaction force from the ingredient measured by the force sensor 30B (i.e., the detection result of contact with the ingredient), but this is not limited to this.

If the installation cost of the camera is not an issue, the state of the ingredients may be determined by taking pictures with a camera (i.e., an imaging device). In the above embodiment, the weight of the ingredients held by the articulated robot 30 or the weight of the ingredients placed in the prepared food container is measured by the weight sensor 30A, 21, but this is not limited to the above.
For example, it is possible to estimate the volume of an ingredient from an image of the ingredient captured by an imaging device, and calculate the weight of the ingredient by multiplying the density by the estimated volume, etc.
In this case, a means for calculating the weight of the ingredient can be implemented without using the weight sensors 30A and 21.

[Configuration example]
As described above, the gripping system 1 in this embodiment includes the articulated robot 30 having the gripping member 31 a that opens and closes, and the control device 40 that controls the operation of the articulated robot 30 .
The control device 40 is
a gripping operation in which the gripping member 31a is closed to grip an object to be gripped by the gripping member 31a;
a release operation in which the gripping member 31 a is opened to release the gripping object gripped by the gripping operation from the gripping member 31 a;
The gripping member 31a is brought into contact with the object to be released by the release operation and is put into an open state, thereby performing a smoothing operation for smoothing the surface of the object to be released;
The articulated robot 30 executes the above.
This makes it possible to level the surface of the object to be released and spread the ingredients to the edge of the area of the container to be served. This solves the problem of the bottom of the container being visible after serving. In addition, the surface of the ingredients served in the container can be made flat and attractive.
In other words, according to the gripping system 1, when an object gripped by a robot is released, the state of the released object can be made more appropriate.
In addition, this smoothing operation can be realized simply by operating the gripping member 31a, which has the effect of eliminating the need to separately prepare a dedicated member or mechanism for smoothing the surface of the object to be released.

The control device 40 is
In response to the release operation, a leveling operation is executed on a region that is relatively higher than other regions among a plurality of regions on the surface of the release object.
This allows the object to be moved from an area where the height is relatively high (e.g., the center of the container) to an area where the height is relatively low (e.g., the edge of the container) to level the surface and make the height uniform. In other words, the disadvantages of the release operation using the gripping member 31a that opens and closes can be compensated for.

The control device 40 is
In the release operation, the gripped object is released to the center of the horizontal plane of the predetermined container;
In the leveling operation, the gripping members 31a are brought into an open state with the gripping members 31a in contact with the object to be released at the center of the horizontal plane of a predetermined container.
This allows the release to be performed based on the center of the container, thereby preventing the object from scattering outside the container and allowing the object subsequently piled in the center of the container to be leveled out.

The control device 40 is
After the release operation is performed, the gripping member 31a is raised while remaining in the open state,
The raised gripping member 31a is brought into a closed state,
The gripping member 31a, which has been raised and then closed, is lowered to open the gripping member 31a with the outer surface of the gripping member 31a in contact with the object to be released.
The smoothing operation is carried out in the above manner.
This allows the smoothing operation to be performed after the smoothing operation is completed in a state where the smoothing operation can be performed efficiently.

The control device 40 is
After performing the leveling operation, the gripping member 31a is moved, and the articulated robot 30 is further caused to perform a dropping operation in which the object to be released that has adhered to the gripping member 31a as a result of the leveling operation is dropped onto the surface of an object to be released that is not adhered to the gripping member 31a.
This allows the object to be released that has adhered to the gripping member 31a during the smoothing operation, gripping operation and releasing operation to fall onto the surface of the object to be released that has already been placed on the container, thereby preventing the object from scattering outside the container.

The control device 40 is
The gripping member 31a is lowered, and when the descent is stopped, the gripping member 31a is suddenly stopped so that the value of the change in speed before and after the stop is greater than a predetermined value, and a release operation is performed.
As a result, when the robot suddenly stops, the downward inertial force on the gripping member 31a supported by the articulated robot 30 is canceled, while the downward inertial force on the attached ingredients is maintained, so that the gripped ingredients can be dropped efficiently.

The above-described embodiment and modifications are merely examples of the present invention, and various embodiments that realize the functions of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.
For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment and modified example, the present invention has been described as being applied to a gripping system for serving prepared foods, but the present invention can be applied to systems for gripping various objects. For example, the present invention can be applied to a system for gripping highly viscous or adhesive materials such as kneaded mortar, concrete, plaster, clay, etc. The present invention is suitable for gripping objects having a viscosity of medium viscosity or higher (5000 mPa·s) at working temperature or room temperature.
Furthermore, the examples described in the above-described embodiments can be appropriately combined to implement the present invention.
The above-described series of processes can be executed by hardware or software.
In other words, the functional configuration in Fig. 7 is merely an example and is not particularly limited. In other words, it is sufficient that the grasping system 1 is provided with a function capable of executing the above-mentioned series of processes as a whole, and the type of functional block used to realize this function is not particularly limited to the example in Fig. 7.
Furthermore, one functional block may be configured as a single piece of hardware, a single piece of software, or a combination of both.

When the series of processes is executed by software, the program constituting the software is installed into a computer or the like from a network or a recording medium.
The computer may be a computer built into dedicated hardware, or may be a computer capable of executing various functions by installing various programs, such as a general-purpose personal computer.

The storage medium that stores the program is composed of removable media distributed separately from the device body, or storage media that is pre-installed in the device body. Removable media is composed of, for example, a magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or flash memory. Optical disks are composed of, for example, CD-ROMs (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), DVDs (Digital Versatile Disks), Blu-ray Discs (registered trademark), etc. Magneto-optical disks are composed of, for example, MDs (Mini-Disks), etc. Flash memory is composed of, for example, USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or SD cards. Storage media pre-installed in the device body is composed of, for example, a ROM or hard disk in which the program is stored.

In this specification, the steps of describing a program to be recorded on a recording medium include not only processes that are performed chronologically according to the order, but also processes that are not necessarily performed chronologically but are executed in parallel or individually.
In addition, in this specification, the term "system" refers to an overall device that is composed of a plurality of devices, a plurality of means, etc.

The above embodiment shows an example of the application of the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. In other words, the present invention can be modified in various ways, such as by omission or substitution, without departing from the gist of the present invention, and various embodiments other than the above embodiment can be adopted. The various embodiments and modifications that the present invention can adopt are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

1 gripping system, 2 belt conveyor, 10 ingredient storage section, 10A storage space, 20 container supply section, 21, 30A weight sensor, 30 articulated robot, 30B force sensor, 31 hand, 31a gripping member, 32 robot arm, 40 control device, 50 shielding section, 151 sensor information acquisition section, 152 ingredient state determination section, 153 ingredient amount determination section, 154 articulated robot control section, 155 container supply control section, 156 recording control section, 171 parameter storage section, 172 history database (history DB), 711 CPU, 712 ROM, 713 RAM, 714 bus, 715 input section, 716 output section, 717 storage section, 718 communication section, 719 drive, 731 removable media

Claims (9)

A gripping system including a robot having a gripping member that opens and closes, and a control device that controls the operation of the robot,
The control device includes:
a gripping operation in which the gripping member is closed to grip an object to be gripped by the gripping member;
a release operation in which the gripping member is opened to release the gripped object from the gripping member; and
a smoothing operation of smoothing the surface of the release object by opening the gripping member in a state where the gripping member is in contact with the release object released by the release operation;
The gripping system is characterized in that the robot is caused to execute the above. The control device includes:
In response to the release operation, the smoothing operation is performed on a region that is relatively higher than other regions among a plurality of regions on the surface of the release object.
The gripping system of claim 1 . The control device includes:
In the releasing operation, the gripped object is released to the center of a predetermined container in a horizontal plane;
In the leveling operation, the gripping member is brought into an open state while the gripping member is in contact with the object to be released at the center of the horizontal plane of the predetermined container.
The gripping system of claim 2 . The control device includes:
After the release operation is performed, the gripping members are raised while remaining in an open state,
The raised gripping member is brought into a closed state,
The gripping member, which has been raised and then closed, is lowered to open the gripping member while the outer surface of the gripping member is in contact with the object to be released.
The smoothing operation is carried out in the following steps.
A gripping system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The control device includes:
and causing the robot to further execute a dropping operation of dropping at least the object to be released that has been attached to the gripping member due to the leveling operation onto a surface of the object to be released that is not attached to the gripping member by moving the gripping member after the leveling operation is executed.
A gripping system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The control device includes:
The gripping member is lowered, and when the descent is stopped, the release operation is performed while the descent is suddenly stopped so that a value of a change in speed before and after the stop is larger than a predetermined value.
A gripping system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A gripping method performed by a robot having a gripping member that opens and closes under the control of a control device that controls the operation of the robot, comprising:
a gripping step of gripping an object to be gripped by the gripping member by closing the gripping member;
a releasing step of releasing the object grasped in the grasping step from the grasping member by opening the grasping member;
a smoothing step of smoothing a surface of the release object by opening the gripping member in a state where the gripping member is in contact with the release object released in the releasing step;
A gripping method comprising: A control device including a control means for controlling an operation of a robot having a gripping member that opens and closes,
The control means
a gripping operation in which the gripping member is closed to grip an object to be gripped by the gripping member;
a release operation in which the gripping member is opened to release the gripped object from the gripping member; and
a smoothing operation of smoothing the surface of the release object by opening the gripping member in a state where the gripping member is in contact with the release object released by the release operation;
A control device that causes the robot to execute the above. A program for causing a computer to realize a control function for controlling the operation of a robot having a gripping member that opens and closes,
The control function is
a gripping operation in which the gripping member is closed to grip an object to be gripped by the gripping member;
a release operation in which the gripping member is opened to release the gripped object from the gripping member; and
a smoothing operation of smoothing the surface of the release object by opening the gripping member in a state where the gripping member is in contact with the release object released by the release operation;
A program for causing the robot to execute the above.

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