JP2021122898A - Robot system and operating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a robot system capable of improving the efficiency of robot operation verification.
A robot system 100 according to the present embodiment is transmitted and received between a robot 1, a program for controlling the operation of the robot, and an external device 2 for performing work on the robot and the work, and the robot is based on the program. A control signal for controlling the external device and a display unit 7 for displaying information on the operation of the robot side by side are provided.
[Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to robot systems and operating devices.

The operation of the robot is verified before the actual operation is started. For example, in operation verification, it is known that a program is first created while simulating the operation of a robot on a personal computer. After that, adjustments that are difficult in simulation such as timing adjustment with an external device are performed while operating the actual robot.

However, the adjustment using the actual robot is usually performed while the user visually confirms the operation of the robot. In this case, it is difficult to efficiently verify the operation of the actual robot because it depends on the user's sensory judgment.

JP-A-2019-98409

It is an object of the present invention to provide a robot system capable of improving the efficiency of robot operation verification.

The robot system according to the present embodiment is a control that is transmitted and received between the robot, a program that controls the operation of the robot, and an external device that performs work on the robot and the work, and controls the robot and the external device based on the program. It is provided with a display unit that displays a signal and information on the operation of the robot side by side.

The block diagram which shows an example of the structure of the robot system by 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the display example of the display part by 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the display example after the timing adjustment of the display part by 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows an example of the structure of the robot system by the modification. The figure which shows the display example of the display part by the modification. The figure which shows the display example after the timing adjustment of the display part by the modification example. The block diagram which shows an example of the structure of the robot system by 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment is not limited to the present invention.

The drawings are schematic or conceptual, and the ratio of each part is not always the same as the actual one. In the specification and the drawings, the same elements as those described above with respect to the existing drawings are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

(First Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the robot system 100 according to the first embodiment. The robot system 100 includes a robot 1, a sensor 3, a robot controller 4, an operation device 5, a storage unit 6, and a display unit 7.

The robot 1 is, for example, a robot having an arm. Although the robot 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a SCARA robot, the robot 1 may be a robot having a similar function such as a vertical articulated robot.

When the robot 1 is operated, an external device 2 provided outside the robot 1 and performing work on the work may be used. Control signals are transmitted and received between the robot 1 and the external device 2. The control signal is, for example, a digital input / output signal. In the first embodiment, as an example, the external device 2 will be described as a grip portion (hand 2) for gripping the work. Hereinafter, the external device 2 is also referred to as a hand 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the hand 2 is provided at the tip of the arm of the robot 1. For example, the robot 1 sends an activation signal to start the operation to the hand 2. The hand 2 that receives this signal grabs the work. Further, the sensor 21 provided on the hand 2 detects that the hand 2 has grasped the work and sends an operation completion signal to the robot 1. The robot 1 that receives this signal starts moving. The control signal may be transmitted and received directly, or may be performed via a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) or the like. The control signal is also sent to the robot controller 4. The external device 2 is not limited to the hand, and may be a tool or the like used for work such as machining.

The sensor 3 detects the operation data of the operating robot 1. The sensor 3 is provided inside the robot 1, for example. The sensor 3 detects motion data, for example, while the robot 1 is executing the motion program. The motion data is, for example, the motion speed of the tip (hand 2) of the robot 1. In this case, the sensor 3 is a speed sensor. Further, the sensor 3 sends the detected operation data to the robot controller 4.

The robot controller (robot control unit) 4 is connected to the robot 1 and controls the robot 1. The robot controller 4 performs calculations related to the control of the robot 1. The robot controller 4 sends, for example, calculation information including numerical values of a process for calculating the speed of the robot 1 to the storage unit 6. Further, the robot controller 4 sends a control signal and operation data to the storage unit 6. As will be described later, the "operation information" related to the operation of the robot 1 including the "operation information" used for performing the operation and the "operation data" of the robot 1 detected during the operation is called. In some cases.

The operation device 5 is connected to the robot controller 4 and has an operation unit 51. The operation unit 51 receives the operation of the robot 1 from the operator (user). As a result, the user can manually operate the robot 1. Further, the operating device 5 is, for example, a so-called teaching pendant. In this case, the user can create an operation program of the robot 1 by robot teaching while operating the robot 1. Further, the operation device 5 may display information necessary for operation and an operation screen.

The storage unit 6 receives the operation program, the control signal, and the operation information from the robot controller 4 and stores them. For example, the storage unit 6 stores an operation program, a control signal, and an operation information in a time series. In this case, the storage unit 6 may also store the time such as when each program line of the operation program is executed, when the control signal is acquired, and when the operation information is acquired. The storage unit 6 may be provided in the robot controller 4.

Further, the operation program stored in the storage unit 6 includes a program created by a preliminary simulation on a personal computer (personal computer) or the like, and a program created by teaching. In the simulation on the personal computer, it may be difficult to adjust the timing of the operation between the robot 1 and the hand 2. This is because the control signal may be delayed in the actual machine. Therefore, it is necessary to verify the operation of the actual robot 1 using the program created by the simulation, find the problem, and make adjustments.

The display unit 7 relates to an operation program that controls the operation of the robot 1, a control signal that is transmitted and received between the robot 1 and the hand 2 and controls the robot 1 and the hand 2 based on the operation program, and an operation of the robot 1. Display the operation information side by side. As described above, the operation information includes operation data and calculation information. For example, the operation program, control signal, and operation information are displayed side by side on one screen. More specifically, the display unit 7 displays the program line of the operation program, the timing chart of the control signal, and the time change of the operation information in the same time series (see FIG. 2). The display unit 7 displays the operation program, the control signal, and the operation information after the operation of the robot 1. Therefore, the user can perform the operation verification while viewing the operation program, the control signal, and the operation information in parallel. As a result, the efficiency of operation verification of the robot 1 can be improved. The display unit 7 is, for example, a display of a terminal such as a personal computer. In this case, a personal computer may be provided between the display unit 7 and the robot controller 4. Further, for example, the robot controller 4 may perform a process of displaying the time series of the operation program, the control signal, and the operation information on the display unit 7.

Next, the display contents by the display unit 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. 2 and 3 show an example in which the work is moved by using, for example, the hand 2 which is an external device.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display example of the display unit 7 according to the first embodiment. The vertical axis shows the operating speed of the robot 1, the output signal OUT_1, and the input signal IN_2, respectively. The output signal OUT_1 and the input signal IN_2 are, for example, the above-mentioned start signal and operation completion signal. That is, the output signal OUT_1 is a signal sent from the robot 1 to the hand 2 to activate the hand 2 and grab the work. The input signal IN_2 is sent from the sensor 21 to the robot 1 and indicates that the gripping of the work by the hand 2 is completed. The output signal OUT_1 and the input signal IN_2 shown in FIG. 2 are timing charts showing an ON state (high value) or an OFF state (low value) of the control signal. The horizontal axis indicates time. The horizontal axis also shows the program lines that are executed at each time.

First, at t10, the robot 1 executes the program line MOVE_P1. The program line MOVE_P1 is, for example, a command to move the robot 1 to the position P1 on which the work is placed. When the program line MOVE_P1 is executed, the operating speed of the robot 1 starts accelerating from zero speed v0 at t10, becomes constant at speed v10, and then decelerates to zero speed v0 at t20. At this time, the robot 1 moves from the initial position to the position P1 and stops so that the work is positioned between the hands 2.

Next, at t20, the robot 1 executes the program line OUT_1 (ON). The program line OUT_1 (ON) is, for example, a command to turn on the output signal OUT_1 from the robot 1 to the hand 2. When the program line OUT_1 (ON) is executed, the robot 1 sends an output signal OUT_1 in the ON state to the hand 2. In this case, the hand 2 is activated and starts gripping the work located between the hands 2.

Next, at t30, the robot 1 executes the program line WAIT_IN_2 (ON). The program line WAIT_IN_2 (ON) is, for example, a command to make the robot 1 stand by until the input signal IN_2 from the hand 2 is turned ON.

Next, at t40, for example, when the hand 2 completes gripping the work, the input signal IN_2 is turned on. That is, the sensor 21 sends the input signal IN_2 in the ON state to the robot 1 at t40. After that, the robot 1 that receives the input signal IN_2 in the ON state executes the program line MOVE_P2. The program line MOVE_P2 is, for example, a command to move the robot 1 to the position P2 while holding the work by the hand 2.

After the operation of the robot 1, the user sees the graph of FIG. 2 displayed on the display unit 7 to verify the operation. For example, the user can notice that the robot 1 is stopped for a long time from t20 to t40. Further, from the relationship between the operating speed, the program line, and the input signal IN_2, the user can see at a glance that the cause of the stop of the robot 1 is waiting for the input of the input signal IN_2.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display example after timing adjustment of the display unit 7 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 differs from FIG. 2 in that, as shown by arrow A1, the program line MOVE_P2 is executed at t35, which is earlier than t40.

The user, for example, increases the operation speed of the hand 2 and changes the setting so that the time until the operation is completed is shortened. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, the timing of the input signal IN_2 is accelerated from t40 to t35 by changing the setting of the hand 2. That is, the stop time of the robot 1 was the period from t20 to t40 in FIG. 2, but is shortened to the period from t20 to t35 in FIG. This leads to a reduction in the time of the entire work process. Therefore, the display of the display unit 7 can improve the efficiency of operation verification and facilitate the optimization of the operation of the robot 1.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the display unit 7 displays the operation program of the robot 1, the control signals transmitted and received between the robot 1 and the hand 2, and the operation information side by side on one screen. do. As a result, the user can confirm the information necessary for the operation verification side by side (in parallel) on one screen. Therefore, the efficiency of operation verification of the robot 1 can be improved. As a result, it is possible to improve the efficiency of integration work such as timing adjustment between the robot 1 and the hand 2 and optimization of the operation of the robot 1. In addition, since the operation program, control signal, and operation information are displayed in the same time series, the relationship between them can be understood at a glance.

If the operation program of the robot 1 is displayed on a screen separate from the control signal and operation information, or if the operation program is not displayed, the correspondence between the operation program command and the control signal or operation information becomes unclear. The operation verification relies on the user's visual judgment. In this case, the optimization of the operation of the robot 1 may depend on the skill level of the user. In addition, the user needs to verify the operation program, control signal, and operation information individually (on separate screens and display units), and it may be difficult to sufficiently optimize the operation of the robot 1. there were.

On the other hand, in the first embodiment, the operation can be verified while viewing the operation programs, control signals, and operation information arranged in chronological order on one screen in parallel. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of sensory judgments and to facilitate the optimization of the operation of the robot 1.

Not limited to the setting of the hand 2, it may take a long time for the input signal IN_2 to be turned on due to an abnormality such as a malfunction of the hand 2 or an abnormality such as friction and catching between the hand 2 and the work. be. This is because it takes time for the hand 2 to grab the work. In this case, the user may shorten the stop time of the robot 1 by improving the abnormality of the hand 2, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the display of the display unit 7 makes it easy to detect an abnormality in the robot 1 or the hand 2. The malfunction of the hand 2 is, for example, an air leak of an air chuck that opens and closes by the pressure of gas to grip the work.

Further, the operation information includes, for example, the position of the tip of the robot 1, the speed of the tip of the robot 1, the angle of the joint of the robot 1, the torque of the motor that drives the robot 1, the angle of the motor, the speed and storage of the motor. It may include at least one of the information stored in the part 6. That is, the motion information is not limited to the motion speed of the robot 1, and the displayed motion information may be plural. In this case, the sensor 3 may be a sensor that detects each operation data. Further, the information stored in the storage unit 6 is information used for operation control calculation, such as calculation information. The operation information may include, for example, acceleration, vibration, temperature, pressure, etc. of each part of the motor or robot 1, and also includes the flow rate, flow velocity, etc. of oil, air, etc. used in the hand 2. It may be.

Further, in FIGS. 2 and 3, only the output signal OUT_1 and the input signal IN_2 are shown as control signals, but control signals of other devices that affect the operation of the robot 1 may also be displayed. In this case, the operation of the robot 1 can be optimized in consideration of a plurality of control signals.

(Modification example)
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the robot system 100 according to the modified example. The modification of the first embodiment is another example of optimizing the operation of the robot 1. Hereinafter, a case where the operation of the robot 1 is optimized by modifying the operation program of the robot 1 will be described.

In the modified example, as an example, the external device 2 will be described as an inspection device 2 for inspecting the work. Hereinafter, the external device 2 is also referred to as an inspection device 2. The inspection device 2 performs a work different from that of the robot 1. The external device 2 may be a processing device for processing a work or the like.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display example of the display unit 7 according to a modified example.

First, at t110, the robot 1 simultaneously executes the program line OUT_1 (ON) and the program line MOVE_P1. The program line OUT_1 (ON) is, for example, a command to turn on the output signal OUT_1 from the robot 1 to the inspection device 2. When the program line OUT_1 (ON) is executed, the robot 1 sends an output signal OUT_1 in the ON state to the inspection device 2. In this case, the inspection device 2 starts and starts the inspection of the work. Further, for example, the robot 1 moves from the initial position to the position P1 and stops by executing the program line MOVE_P1. The robot 1 performs a task different from that of the inspection device 2, for example.

Next, at t120, the robot 1 executes the program line WAIT_IN_2 (ON). The program line WAIT_IN_2 (ON) is, for example, a command to make the robot 1 stand by until the input signal IN_2 from the inspection device 2 is turned ON.

Next, at t130, for example, when the inspection device 2 completes the inspection of the work, the input signal IN_2 is turned on. That is, the sensor 21 sends the input signal IN_2 in the ON state to the robot 1 at t130. After that, the robot 1 that receives the input signal IN_2 in the ON state executes the program line MOVE_P2. The program line MOVE_P2 is, for example, a command to move the robot 1 to the position P2. For example, the robot 1 works on a work whose inspection has been completed.

The user verifies the operation by looking at the graph of FIG. 5 displayed on the display unit 7. For example, the user can notice that the robot 1 is stopped for a long time from t120 to t130. Further, from the relationship between the operating speed, the program line, and the input signal IN_2, the user can see at a glance that the cause of the stop of the robot 1 is waiting for the input of the input signal IN_2.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example after timing adjustment of the display unit 7 according to a modified example. As shown by the arrow A2, FIG. 6 is different from FIG. 5 in that the operating speed of the robot 1 is v5, which is slower than v10, in the program line MOVE_P1. Since the moving time becomes longer as the operating speed is decelerated, the moving distance in the program line MOVE_P1 may be the same as in the case of FIG.

For example, when the timing of the input signal IN_2 cannot be accelerated as in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the user modifies the program line MOVE_P1 so that the operating speed of the robot 1 becomes slow. That is, since there is a margin of time until the input signal IN_2 is turned on, the operating speed of the robot 1 is slowed down and the moving time of the robot 1 is extended. This leads to the reduction of the power consumption of the robot 1.

The robot system 100 according to the modified example can obtain the same effect as that of the first embodiment. Further, since each program line is displayed on the display unit 7, the program line that needs to be modified can be known at a glance. Therefore, the operation program can be easily modified.

As in the first embodiment described above, the operation information may include torque. When the torque is displayed, the user changes the operating speed by looking at the torque during the operation of the robot 1. For example, if there is a margin of torque for the load, the user may modify the operating program to increase the operating speed to shorten the operating process time. On the other hand, when there is no margin in torque, the user may modify the operation program so as to reduce the operation speed to prevent the robot 1 from being broken.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the robot system 100 according to the second embodiment. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the operating device 5 displays the display unit 7.

The operation device 5 includes an operation unit 51 and a display unit 52. The operation unit 51 according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. The display unit 52 according to the second embodiment displays the same contents as the display unit 7 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, in the second embodiment, a display device such as the display unit 7 in FIG. 1 is unnecessary.

Since the other configurations of the robot system 100 according to the second embodiment are the same as the corresponding configurations of the robot system 100 according to the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the second embodiment, the display unit 52 of the operation device 5 displays the program, the control signal, and the operation information. Therefore, the user can perform operation verification on the operating device 5. After that, the user may modify the operation program by teaching using the operation unit 51. Therefore, the user can perform operation verification and modification of the operation program only by the operation device 5 regardless of other devices. As a result, the user can efficiently optimize the operation of the robot 1.

The robot system 100 according to the second embodiment can obtain the same effect as that of the first embodiment. Further, a modified example may be combined with the robot system 100 according to the second embodiment.

At least a part of the robot system 100 and the operation device 5 according to the present embodiment may be configured by hardware or software. When configured by software, a program that realizes at least a part of the functions of the robot system 100 and the operating device 5 may be stored in a recording medium such as a flexible disk or a CD-ROM, read by a computer, and executed. .. The recording medium is not limited to a removable one such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and may be a fixed recording medium such as a hard disk device or a memory. Further, a program that realizes at least a part of the functions of the robot system 100 and the operation device 5 may be distributed via a communication line (including wireless communication) such as the Internet. Further, the program may be encrypted, modulated, compressed, and distributed via a wired line or wireless line such as the Internet, or stored in a recording medium.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, as well as in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

100 Robot system, 1 Robot, 2 External device, 3 Sensor, 4 Robot controller, 5 Operation device, 51 Operation unit, 52 Display unit, 6 Storage unit, 7 Display unit

Claims (5)

With a robot
A program that controls the operation of the robot, a control signal that is transmitted and received between the robot and an external device that performs work on the work, and controls the robot and the external device based on the program, and a control signal of the robot. A robot system equipped with a display unit that displays motion information related to motion side by side. The robot system according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays a program line of the program, a timing chart of the control signal, and a time change of the operation information in the same time series. The operation information includes the position of the tip of the robot, the speed of the tip of the robot, the angle of the joint of the robot, the torque of the motor that drives the robot, the angle of the motor, the speed of the motor, and the storage unit. The robot system according to claim 1 or 2, comprising at least one of the information stored in the robot system. The robot system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a sensor for detecting the operation information. An operation unit that accepts robot operations from the operator,
A program that controls the operation of the robot, a control signal that is transmitted and received between the robot and an external device that performs work on the work, and controls the robot and the external device based on the program, and a control signal of the robot. An operation device including a display unit that displays operation information related to the operation side by side.

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