JP2010188458A - Robot control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure the safety of a worker by stopping or decelerating the robot without using a plurality of sensors for each use when the worker and the robot come close to each other.
SOLUTION: A worker carries a portable device 8 that communicates via a human body, and a robot control device 1 controls a robot 2 that can communicate via the human body. When the worker and the robot 2 approach each other, human body communication is started between the portable device 8 and the robot 2, and the robot control device 1 that detects this starts to stop or decelerate the robot according to a preset operation command, and displays alarm information. This is sent to the portable device 8 to notify the worker of an alarm.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a robot control system in which a robot control device and a teaching device are connected. In particular, the present invention relates to a robot control system using human body communication.

A conventional robot control system will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional robot control system.
In FIG. 7, reference numeral 102 denotes a robot, and 4 denotes a work table. Both the robot 102 and the work table 4 are surrounded by a safety protection fence 5 that surrounds the operation area of the robot 102. A safety door 6 is provided at the doorway of the safety protection fence 5. The worker enters and exits from the safety door 6.
The robot controller 101 controls the operation of the robot 102. The robot control device 101 is connected to the robot 102. A work tool 7 such as a torch tip for performing arc welding work is attached to the tip of the wrist of the robot 102. Further, a teaching device 103 is connected to the robot control device 101. The teaching device 103 operates the robot 102 by an operator's operation, performs position registration, or registers a work procedure, thereby editing a work program or editing a registered work program. Is for.

The robot 102 performs a predetermined work described in the work program by playing back the work program registered and edited in the teaching mode by the teaching device 103 in the playback mode.
In the teaching work performed by the teaching device 103, the operator performs a work (referred to as a jog operation) to move the robot 102 closer to the vicinity of the robot 102 in order to confirm the position of the tip of the work tool of the robot 102. Register the location to be changed or change the location. As described above, in the teaching work, a work that frequently approaches the robot 102 is performed. That is, in the teaching work, the worker performs work in the safeguard fence 5.

On the other hand, the predetermined work performed by the robot 102 (predetermined work described in the work program) is performed within an area surrounded by the safety protection fence 5 so that the robot 102 does not harm the worker. It is supposed to work. When the robot performs a work operation by reproducing the work program, the worker leaves the safeguard fence 5 in advance.

Many occupational accidents involving robot-related workers are contact accidents between robots and workers. For this reason, safety protection measures are defined by laws and regulations such as the occupational safety and health rules based on the Industrial Safety and Health Act. As a result, a technique related to safeguarding has been invented.

Patent Document 1 discloses a robot using a contact detection device capable of detecting contact at high speed. In the technique described in Patent Document 1, when the conductive surfaces of two conductive sheets are arranged to face each other through an insulating spacer having a large number of openings (holes) and a contact force acts, these conductive surfaces are Contact is detected by touching and short-circuiting.

  Further, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, by using a light-type safety device or a mat switch, one or more intrusion devices each including a robot intrusion detection device and an operator intrusion detection device are provided. It arrange | positions so that the opening part into which an operator can invade in the operating range is covered. If either the robot or the operator enters the area between the robot's intruder and the worker's intruder, the robot operation is stopped or the operation speed is limited to prevent a collision with the operator. is doing.

By the way, in recent years, a communication method using a human body, which is a dielectric instead of a cable, as a communication medium, that is, so-called “human body communication” has been put into practical use. In human body communication, there is an “electric field method” in which a signal is given to a static electricity layer on a body surface originally possessed by a human body, which is a dielectric, to perform communication. Since the static electricity layer covers a few centimeters of the surface of the body, communication is possible from above shoes or clothes, that is, in a non-contact state. Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for providing a human body communication system that transmits a sound broadcast from a transmitter to a receiver via a human body, and the receiver can receive the sound broadcast even if the receiver is not in contact with the human body. Yes.
JP 2007-102719 A (6th page, FIG. 6) JP 2007-283450 A (page 5-8, FIG. 2-4) JP 2006-303736 A (page 6-7, FIG. 1)

In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, it takes time to construct a collision detection device for the robot, and many collision detection devices must be constructed to eliminate the blind spot for collision detection. Further, since the robot stops after contacting the object, for example, an operator approaching the vicinity of the robot always comes into contact with the robot, and there is a risk of injury.
Since the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2 uses a light beam safety device and a mat switch, it is necessary to make settings for installing and functioning them, which requires cost and time.
The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and provides a robot control system for stopping or decelerating a robot from the timing when an operator approaches the vicinity of the robot using communication via a human body. With the goal.

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention is configured as follows.
The invention according to claim 1 is a robot control system comprising a robot, a robot control device that controls the operation of the robot, and a portable device that is carried by an operator who operates the robot. A first human body communication unit configured to perform human body communication, wherein the robot control device includes a first storage unit that stores a predetermined operation command of the robot, and the portable device stores a second storage unit that stores identification information And a second human body communication unit for transmitting the identification information by human body communication, and the robot control device, when the worker approaches the robot, from the portable device via the robot by human body communication The identification information is received, and the robot is controlled in accordance with the predetermined operation command.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the portable device further includes first warning means for notifying an operator of an emergency situation, and the first warning means operates when the start of the human body communication is detected. It was.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the robot control device includes a second storage unit that stores a predetermined operation command of the robot, and reads the predetermined operation command when the robot control device receives the identification information. The robot is controlled in accordance with the predetermined operation command.
The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the predetermined operation command is a stop operation or a deceleration operation.
The invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that, when the robot control device receives the identification information, it generates alarm information and transmits it to the portable device.
The invention according to claim 6 includes a teaching device provided with a third human body communication unit for performing human body communication with the portable device, and the teaching device receives the identification information received from the portable device by the human body communication. The recognition state is displayed.
The invention described in claim 7 includes an interlock device that operates the robot when a predetermined condition is satisfied, and the predetermined condition is that the teaching device can recognize the identification information. It was a feature.

  According to the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, when a worker carrying a portable device equipped with a human body communication unit performs various operations, when a robot equipped with human body communication approaches the worker, The robot controller detects the start of communication through the worker's body and stops or decelerates the robot with a preset operation command, thus preventing contact between the worker and the robot in advance. it can. Worker safety can be ensured without installing a plurality of sensors for human detection, robot detection, and the like.

According to the invention described in claim 6, since the teaching device displays the communication state with the portable device carried by the worker, the worker can easily check the state of the portable device and work safely. be able to.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when the portable device is not functioning, the robot does not operate, so it is safe.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a robot control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the work table 4, the safety protection fence 5, and the safety door 6 are the same as those in the conventional example, and thus description thereof is omitted.

The portable device 8 is carried by a worker who performs a predetermined work within the safety protection fence 5. The predetermined work includes a work of operating the robot 2 using the teaching device 3 and a work of exchanging the work tool 21 of the robot 2.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the portable device 8 in the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, the portable device 8 includes at least a non-contact IC 81, a human body communication unit 82, an alarm notification unit 83, a control unit 84, a power switch 85, and a battery 86.
The non-contact IC 81 is a storage unit for storing identification information such as a worker ID. This identification information can be rewritten by an IC writer (not shown). The identification information may not be meaningful information such as the worker ID but may be meaningless information.
The human body communication unit 82 is a communication means for performing human body communication. More specifically, the human body communication unit 82 is a signal processing circuit for performing human body communication.
The alarm notification unit 83 is for notifying an operator of an emergency by using an indicator light, a warning sound, vibration, or the like. When the robot 2 provided with the human body communication unit approaches the worker, communication with the human body communication unit 82 is started via the worker's body.
The control unit 84 reads the identification information from the non-contact IC 81 and transmits the read identification information through the human body communication unit 82. The control unit 84 is connected to a battery 86 via a power switch 85. When the control unit 84 detects a low battery, the control unit 84 notifies the worker using the alarm notification unit 83.

The teaching device 3 includes a human body communication unit. Therefore, the teaching device 3 can receive the identification information from the portable device 8 through the body of the worker who carries the portable device 8.

The robot 2 and the robot control device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the robot 2 and the robot controller 1 in the first embodiment of the present invention.
The robot 2 includes at least a human body communication unit 22 and a drive shaft motor 23. The human body communication unit 22 is a communication means for performing human body communication. More specifically, the human body communication unit 22 is a signal processing circuit for performing human body communication. When a worker approaches the arm of the robot 2, identification information from the portable device 8 can be received via the worker's body and arm. The drive shaft motor 23 is a motor that drives the arm, and specifically, is a servo motor that can accurately control the rotation angle.
The robot control device 1 includes at least a control unit 11, a communication unit 12, a storage unit 13, and a servo amplifier 14.
The control unit 11 operates the robot 2 by outputting a predetermined operation command to the drive shaft motor 23 via the servo amplifier 14.
The communication unit 12 communicates with the teaching device 3 by receiving an operation command. The robot 2 is electromagnetically connected to the human body communication unit 22 of the robot 2.
The storage unit 13 stores a predetermined operation command of the robot output from the control unit 11.

The operation of the robot control system according to the present invention will be described below.
When the worker moves to the vicinity of the robot 2, communication is started between the portable device 8 and the robot 2 via the worker's body.
Since the human body communication unit 22 of the robot 2 is connected to the communication unit 12 of the robot control device 1, the robot control device 1 can detect the start of human body communication. When detecting the start of human body communication, the robot control device 1 gives a predetermined operation command stored in the storage unit 13 to the robot 2, for example, a command such as stop or deceleration. The robot 2 stops or decelerates according to this command. At this time, the portable device 8 that has started communication with the human body communication unit of the robot 2 quickly notifies the worker of the approach of the robot 2 through the alarm notification unit 83.
The teaching device 8 displays that the portable device 8 is functioning effectively on the operation display unit 37 on the teaching device based on the identification information received from the portable device 8 through human body communication. This is because the worker does not carry the portable device 8, the portable device 8 is not turned on, or the portable device 8 is out of function, such as when the portable device 8 is out of battery. Notify the worker by not displaying the display. Details of this operation will be described in another embodiment described later.

FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram when the robot 2 and the worker approach in the first embodiment of the present invention. When the robot and the worker carrying the portable device 8 approach each other, communication by the portable device 8 and the human body communication unit of the robot 2 is started.
First, the portable device 8 transmits identification information (S501), and the robot control device 1 receives the identification information via a robot (S502) (S503).
Next, the robot control apparatus 1 that has received the identification information reads the operation command stored in the storage unit 13 and causes the robot to stop or decelerate. Also, the robot control device 1 generates alarm information (S511) and transmits it via the robot 2. The mobile device 8 that has received the alarm information notifies the worker of the approach of the robot 2 using the alarm notification unit 83 (S512).
Instead of notifying the worker of the approach of the robot 2 after receiving the alarm information, when the control unit 84 detects the start of human body communication between the portable device 8 and the robot 2, the alarm notification unit 83 is used. You may comprise so that a worker may be notified. If comprised in this way, the time which notifies an operator of danger will be shortened.

Thereby, it becomes possible to cope with the approach of the worker and the robot from all directions. Further, when the worker and the robot approach each other, not only the robot control but also the worker is informed so that the worker can quickly respond.

When the portable device 8 is not functioning, there is a possibility that the worker may come into contact with the robot when the worker carelessly approaches the robot. Moreover, there is a possibility that work efficiency may not be improved because the worker is concerned about running out of the battery of the portable device 8. Therefore, it is necessary to be able to easily check whether the portable device 8 is functioning. This is taken into consideration in the second embodiment of the present invention.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the teaching device 3 includes a human body communication unit 36, and when the worker holds the teaching device 3, identification information is received from the portable device 8 through the worker's body. In addition, the dotted line of a figure is a schematic diagram showing human body communication.
The teaching apparatus 3 that has received the identification information uses the recognition display unit 37 to change, for example, the “ID” display from the unlit state to the lit state. Thereafter, the teaching device 3 continues to monitor the identification information. The teaching device 3 uses the recognition display unit 37 when, for example, the identification information cannot be recognized due to the worker releasing the teaching device 3 or the battery voltage of the portable device 8 dropping. The “ID” display is changed from a lighted state to a blinking state and then turned off. In addition, when the identification information cannot be recognized, there are other cases where the portable device 8 itself is not carried, the portable device 8 is not turned on, or the like.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the teaching device 3 in the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 6, the teaching device 3 includes at least a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a display unit 33, an operation unit 34, a communication unit 35, a human body communication unit 36, and a recognition display unit 37.
The control unit 31 processes information from the operation unit 34 and causes the display unit 33 to display necessary information.
The storage unit 32 stores the information processing result of the control unit 31.
The display unit 32 displays the information processing result of the control unit 31.
The operation unit 34 is an operation unit for inputting information by key input or the like.
The communication unit 35 has a communication interface function with the robot control device 1 and exchanges operation commands and monitor information.
The human body communication unit 36 receives the identification information from the human body communication unit of the portable device 8.
The recognition display unit 37 is for presenting the state of human body communication. The identification status of the identification information is displayed to the worker. Note that the recognition display unit may be any warning means such as warning sound output and vibration output, as well as visual display. In addition, when the communication state with the portable device 8 changes, that is, when the recognition state of the identification information changes, the recognition display unit 37 performs work each time, for example, by flashing the “ID” display or outputting a warning sound (not shown) Inform staff.

When the worker picks up the teaching device 3, human body communication is started via the worker's body. The human body communication unit 35 receives identification information from the portable device 3 carried by the worker. When the mobile device 3 normally recognizes the received identification information, it uses the recognition display unit 37 to change, for example, the character display of “ID” from the unlit state to the lit state.
In this way, the teaching device 3 can display the recognition state of the identification information from the portable device 8. Therefore, the worker can continue the work without being aware of whether or not the portable device 8 functions effectively.
An interlock device that operates the robot when a predetermined condition is satisfied may be provided, and the condition may be when the teaching device 3 can recognize the identification information. That is, the teaching device 3 or the robot control device 1 may be provided with an interlock device that does not operate the robot when the teaching device 3 cannot recognize the identification information.

The communication unit 35 of the teaching device 3 can obtain the same effect regardless of wired communication or wireless communication.

The block diagram of the robot control system which shows 1st Example of this invention The block diagram of the portable apparatus in 1st Example of this invention. The block diagram of the robot control apparatus in 1st Example of this invention. Sequence diagram when the robot and the worker approach in the first embodiment of the present invention The block diagram of the robot control system which shows 2nd Example of this invention The block diagram of the teaching apparatus in 2nd Example of this invention. Configuration diagram of a conventional robot control system

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Robot control apparatus 2 Robot 3 Teaching apparatus 4 Worktable 5 Safeguard fence 6 Safety door 7 Work tool 8 Portable apparatus 11 Control part 12 Communication part 13 Memory | storage part (1st memory | storage part)
14 Servo amplifier 22 Human body communication part (1st human body communication part)
23 drive shaft motor 31 control unit 32 storage unit 33 display unit 34 operation unit 35 communication unit 36 human body communication unit (third human body communication unit)
37 Recognition display section (second warning means)
81 Non-contact IC (second storage unit)
82 Human Body Communication Department (2nd Human Body Communication Department)
83 Alarm notification section (first warning means)
84 Control unit 85 Power switch 86 Battery

Claims (7)

In a robot control system comprising a robot, a robot control device that controls the operation of the robot, and a portable device carried by an operator who operates the robot,
The robot includes a first human body communication unit for performing human body communication,
The robot control device includes a first storage unit that stores a predetermined operation command of the robot,
The portable device includes a second storage unit for storing identification information, and a second human body communication unit for transmitting the identification information by human body communication,
When the operator approaches the robot, the robot control device receives the identification information from the portable device via the robot by human body communication, and controls the robot according to the predetermined operation command. Characteristic robot control system. The portable device further includes first warning means for notifying an operator of an emergency situation,
The robot control system according to claim 1, wherein the first warning unit operates when the start of the human body communication is detected. The robot control device includes a second storage unit that stores a predetermined operation command of the robot,
2. The robot control system according to claim 1, wherein when the robot control device receives the identification information, the robot controller reads the predetermined operation command and controls the robot according to the predetermined operation command. The robot control system according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the predetermined operation command is a stop operation or a deceleration operation. When the robot controller receives the identification information,
The robot control system according to claim 1, wherein alarm information is generated and transmitted to the portable device. A teaching device provided with a third human body communication unit for performing human body communication with the portable device;
The robot control system according to claim 1, wherein the teaching device displays a recognition state of identification information received from the portable device through the human body communication. An interlock device for operating the robot when a predetermined condition is satisfied,
The robot control system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is when the teaching apparatus can recognize the identification information.

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