Rebar tying robot

Abstract

A rebar tying robot disclosed herein may be configured to perform a rebar tying operation in which the rebar tying robot performs alternately and repeatedly an operation of moving over a primary rebar and a secondary rebar and an operation of tying the primary rebar and the plurality of secondary rebar together at points where the primary rebar and the plurality of secondary rebar intersect. The rebar tying robot may include a control unit, a longitudinal movement mechanism, a lateral movement mechanism, and a positional information detection mechanism configured to detect a current position of the rebar tying robot. The control unit may be configured to execute a return process in which the control unit control the rebar tying robot to move from the current position of the rebar tying robot to a specific position without performing the rebar tying operation.

1 . A rebar tying robot configured to perform a rebar tying operation in which the rebar tying robot performs alternately and repeatedly an operation of moving over a plurality of primary rebars and a plurality of secondary rebars intersecting the plurality of primary rebars and an operation of tying the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars together at points where the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars intersect, the rebar tying robot comprising:
 a rebar tying unit;   a conveying unit configured to convey the rebar tying unit; and   a control unit configured to control an operation of the conveying unit,   wherein   the conveying unit comprises:
 a longitudinal movement mechanism configured to move the rebar tying robot in a front-rear direction; 
 a lateral movement mechanism configured to move the rebar tying robot in a left-right direction; and 
 a positional information detection mechanism configured to detect a current position of the rebar tying robot relative to the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars, 
   the control unit is configured to execute a return process in which the control unit drives at least one of the longitudinal movement mechanism and the lateral movement mechanism such that the rebar tying robot moves from the current position of the rebar tying robot detected by the positional information detection mechanism to a specific position without performing the rebar tying operation, and   when a predetermined condition is met during the rebar tying operation, the control unit executes the return process.   
     
     
         2 . The rebar tying robot according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the control unit is further configured to execute a continuation possibility determining process in which the control unit determines whether it is possible to continue the rebar tying operation, and   the predetermined condition includes a first predetermined condition that the control unit determines in the continuation possibility determining process that it is not possible to continue the rebar tying operation.   
     
     
         3 . The rebar tying robot according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the control unit is configured to receive a command signal from an external, and   the predetermined condition includes a second predetermined condition that the control unit receives the command signal from the external.   
     
     
         4 . The rebar tying robot according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the specific position includes a position designated by a user.   
     
     
         5 . The rebar tying robot according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the specific position includes a position of a rebar end designated by a user.   
     
     
         6 . The rebar tying robot according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the specific position includes a position of a rebar end where a movement path from the current position is the shortest.   
     
     
         7 . The rebar tying robot according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the positional information detection mechanism is further configured to detect a tied region and an untied region across the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars, and   the specific position includes a position of a rebar end where a movement path from the current position is the shortest among rebar ends within the tied region.   
     
     
         8 . The rebar tying robot according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the rebar tying robot is further configured to perform alternately and repeatedly an operation of moving over the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars in a direction in which the plurality of primary rebars extends and an operation of tying the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars together at the points where the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars intersect in the rebar tying operation, and   the specific position includes a position of a rebar end where a movement path from the current position is the shortest among rebar ends located in the front-rear direction as viewed from the current position.   
     
     
         9 . The rebar tying robot according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the rebar tying robot is further configured to perform alternately and repeatedly an operation of moving over the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars in a direction in which the plurality of primary rebars extends and an operation of tying the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars together at the points where the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars intersect in the rebar tying operation,   the positional information detection mechanism is further configured to detect a tied region and an untied region across the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars, and   the specific position includes a position of a rebar end where a movement path from the current position is the shortest among rebar ends that are located in the front-rear direction as viewed from the current position and within the tied region.   
     
     
         10 . The rebar tying robot according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the control unit is further configured to execute a specific position specifying process in which the control unit calculates, for each of at least one candidate position that is a candidate for the specific position, a cost for the rebar tying robot to move from the current position to the candidate position and specifies the specific position from among the at least one candidate position based on calculated costs of the at least one candidate position, and   in the return process, the control unit is configured to drive at least one of the longitudinal movement mechanism and the lateral movement mechanism such that the rebar tying robot moves from the current position to the specific position.   
     
     
         11 . The rebar tying robot according to  claim 10 , wherein
 the control unit is configured to specify a candidate position whose cost is the lowest among the at least one candidate position as the specific position.   
     
     
         12 . The rebar tying robot according to  claim 10 , wherein
 the control unit is configured to calculate, for each of at least one first candidate movement path that is a candidate for a movement path from the current position to the at least one candidate position, a cost for the rebar tying robot to move from the current position to the candidate position and calculate the costs of the at least one candidate position based on calculated costs of the at least one first candidate movement path.   
     
     
         13 . The rebar tying robot according to  claim 12 , wherein
 the control unit is configured to calculate a cost of a first candidate movement path whose cost is the lowest among the at least one first candidate movement path as the cost of the candidate position.   
     
     
         14 . The rebar tying robot according to  claim 10 , wherein
 in the specific position specifying process, the at least one candidate position is selected from positions of a plurality of rebar ends.   
     
     
         15 . The rebar tying robot according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the control unit is further configured to execute a specific movement path specifying process in which the control unit calculates, for each of at least one second candidate movement path that is a candidate for a movement path from the current position to the specific position, a cost for the rebar tying robot to move from the current position to the specific position and specifies a specific movement path from among the at least one second candidate movement path based on calculated costs of the at least one second candidate movement path, and   in the return process, the control unit is configured to drive at least one of the longitudinal movement mechanism and the lateral movement mechanism such that the rebar tying robot moves from the current position to the specific position along the specific movement path.   
     
     
         16 . The rebar tying robot according to  claim 15 , wherein
 the control unit is configured to specify a second candidate movement path whose cost is the lowest among the at least one second candidate movement path as the specific movement path.   
     
     
         17 . The rebar tying robot according to  claim 10 , wherein
 the positional information detection mechanism is further configured to detect a tied region and an untied region across the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars, and   the control unit is configured to set a cost for the rebar tying robot to move in the untied region higher than a cost for the rebar tying robot to move in the tied region.   
     
     
         18 . The rebar tying robot according to  claim 10 , wherein
 the rebar tying robot is further configured to perform alternately and repeatedly an operation of moving over the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars in a direction in which the plurality of primary rebars extends and an operation of tying the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars together at the points where the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars intersect in the rebar tying operation, and   the control unit is configured to set a cost for the rebar tying robot to move in the left-right direction higher than a cost for the rebar tying robot to move in the front-rear direction.   
     
     
         19 . The rebar tying robot according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the control unit is configured to receive a command signal from an external,   the predetermined condition includes a second predetermined condition that the control unit receives the command signal from the external,   the specific position includes a position designated by a user,   the specific position includes a position of a rebar end designated by a user,   the specific position includes a position of a rebar end where a movement path from the current position is the shortest,   the positional information detection mechanism is further configured to detect a tied region and an untied region across the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars,   the specific position includes a position of a rebar end where a movement path from the current position is the shortest among rebar ends within the tied region,   the rebar tying robot is further configured to perform alternately and repeatedly an operation of moving over the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars in a direction in which the plurality of primary rebars extends and an operation of tying the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars together at the points where the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars intersect in the rebar tying operation,   the specific position includes a position of a rebar end where a movement path from the current position is the shortest among rebar ends located in the front-rear direction as viewed from the current position,   the specific position includes a position of a rebar end where a movement path from the current position is the shortest among rebar ends that are located in the front-rear direction as viewed from the current position and within the tied region,   the control unit is further configured to execute a specific position specifying process in which the control unit calculates, for each of at least one candidate position that is a candidate for the specific position, a cost for the rebar tying robot to move from the current position to the candidate position and specifies the specific position from among the at least one candidate position based on calculated costs of the at least one candidate position,   the control unit is configured to specify a candidate position whose cost is the lowest among the at least one candidate position as the specific position,   the control unit is configured to calculate, for each of at least one first candidate movement path that is a candidate for a movement path from the current position to the at least one candidate position, a cost for the rebar tying robot to move from the current position to the candidate position and calculate the costs of the at least one candidate position based on calculated costs of the at least one first candidate movement path,   the control unit is configured to calculate a cost of a first candidate movement path whose cost is the lowest among the at least one first candidate movement path as the cost of the candidate position,   in the specific position specifying process, the at least one candidate position is selected from positions of a plurality of rebar ends,   the control unit is further configured to execute a specific movement path specifying process in which the control unit calculates, for each of at least one second candidate movement path that is a candidate for a movement path from the current position to the specific position, a cost for the rebar tying robot to move from the current position to the specific position and specifies a specific movement path from among the at least one second candidate movement path based on calculated costs of the at least one second candidate movement path,   in the return process, the control unit is configured to drive at least one of the longitudinal movement mechanism and the lateral movement mechanism such that the rebar tying robot moves from the current position to the specific position along the specific movement path,   the control unit is configured to specify a second candidate movement path whose cost is the lowest among the at least one second candidate movement path as the specific movement path,   the control unit is configured to set a cost for the rebar tying robot to move in the untied region higher than a cost for the rebar tying robot to move in the tied region, and   the control unit is configured to set a cost for the rebar tying robot to move in the left-right direction higher than a cost for the rebar tying robot to move in the front-rear direction.