JP3598262B2 - Multifunctional robot - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a multifunctional robot attached to a product processing device for taking out a molded product of a molding machine.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a resin molding factory, a transfer robot is used for processing such as taking out a molded article from a molding machine and packing the molded article into a box. There are various types of resin molded articles from small-volume high-volume production to multi-volume small-volume production. In high-mix low-volume production, the size and shape of molded products differ from product to product. The removal or packing of such molded products results in different movement routes for each product type due to demands for improved work efficiency and safety, and therefore, it is necessary for the transfer robot to make adjustments corresponding to the movement routes. is there.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, conventional transfer robots have been developed for mass-produced products, and there are no problems with functions such as removal and transfer of molded products. However, there is a problem that a very troublesome setting process is required, and the moving route cannot be easily changed. Therefore, it is not suitable for high-mix low-volume production products, and setting processing for each production product may reduce production efficiency.
[0004]
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a multifunctional robot that realizes simplification of a transfer process and a shortest movement path according to a movement path of an article to be transferred and that has improved safety.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The multifunctional robot of the present invention is a multifunctional robot attached to a product processing device such as a molding machine or a product processing, and is a conveyed object to be discharged from the product processing device or a supply to the product processing device. Gripping means (hand unit 20) for gripping an object to be transported, operating means (teaching box 44) for setting the transport path and its position, storage means (memory 36) for storing the transport path through this operating means, position and movement path Control means (main control unit 32, control unit 102) for controlling the moving means within a preset control area, thereby facilitating the setting of the transfer route of the transferred object, the shortest transfer and the improvement of safety, etc. ing.
[0006]
The multifunctional robot according to the first aspect of the present invention is a multifunctional robot that transports an object to be transported along a predetermined transport path, and includes a gripping unit, a moving mechanism, an operating unit, a storage unit, and a control unit. The gripping means grips the object to be transported on the transport path, and the moving mechanism moves the gripping means at least on the X axis, Y axis or Z axis on the transport path, and The means includes an axis selection switch for selecting the X-axis, the Y-axis, or the Z-axis corresponding to a position to be moved by the gripping means, a handle for commanding a movement position of the gripping means by rotation, Display means for displaying the position of the gripping means in response thereto, a storage command switch for instructing storage of the position displayed on the display means, and a magnification for selecting a magnification of a movement amount of the gripping means with respect to rotation of the handle. Selection switch The storage means writes information indicating a position and a path to which the gripping means should be moved by operating the storage command switch for each position indicating a preset storage location, and the control means Connected to the control means, the control area of the gripping means is set and the moving mechanism is controlled, and at the time of manual operation, according to the rotation of the handle, and according to the magnification selected by the magnification selection switch. The gripping means is moved to a desired position by the moving mechanism at a moving speed, and when the movement of the gripping means exceeds the control area, the movement is stopped and the rotation of the handle is returned to the control area only. Enabled, and the position and path of the gripping means moved within the control area are stored in the storage area by a command of the storage instruction switch for each storage location. Is stored in, during automatic operation, a structure for moving said gripping means by said moving mechanism according to the position and route is set in the storage means.
[0007]
That is, the transported object is gripped on the transport path by the gripping means. The gripping means is moved by the moving means, and its movement path is specified by an X axis, a Y axis, or a Z axis. Therefore, the gripping means arbitrarily moves on the X axis, Y axis or Z axis, and as a result, the transferred object moves on the transport path. Then, at the time of manual operation, by moving or stopping the gripping means according to the input information from the operating means, the position is stored in the storage means as the transport information. At the time of automatic operation, the moving means is controlled based on the transport information, and the gripping means can be moved. It is not necessary to numerically input the position of the moving path of the gripping means, but simply move or stop the gripping means in the control area according to the transport path of the object to be transported, and input the position as necessary. Is set by That is, the transport information can be input by the simulation operation itself, and the transported object can be automatically transported based on the information.
[0008]
At the time of manual operation, the position and the moving direction of the gripping means can be instantaneously determined according to the skill of the operator, can be quickly moved to a desired position, and the setting work can be made more efficient. .
[0009]
The gripping and release of the transported object by the gripping means can also be grasped as information on the transport. Therefore, in the present invention, if information indicating grip and release thereof is input to the control means at the time of manual operation and stored in the storage means, the grip means can be controlled based on the information at the time of automatic operation. .
[0010]
Also, multifunctional robot of the present invention according to claim 2, before Symbol Display unit (display section 86, teaching point display unit 92, the magnification display 94, the display device 100), the gripping means and the control region when it exceeds, the movement of the gripping means, characterized in that intends line display of ultra-El effect the control region. That is, when the user departs from the control area, the operator can be notified of departure from the control area by stopping the display of the gripping means or issuing a warning deviating from the area.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings.
[0012]
1 and 2 show an embodiment of the multifunctional robot according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view thereof, and FIG. 2 is a side view thereof. This multifunctional robot is installed as a fixed member on the molding machine main body 2, for example, and is used for transporting a molded article as an article to be transported. An X-axis traveling rail 6 is installed on the robot body 4, and an X-axis moving base 8 is installed on the X-axis traveling rail 6. A Y-axis traveling rail 10 that is orthogonal to the X-axis traveling rail 6 in a horizontal plane is fixed to the X-axis moving base 8. A Y-axis moving base 12 is installed on the Y-axis traveling rail 10, and a Z-axis moving arm 14 that moves in a vertical direction is attached to the Y-axis moving base 12. Further, in this embodiment, the Y-axis traveling rail 10 is provided with an α-axis moving table 16 as an auxiliary transfer means, and the α-axis moving table 16 is provided with a β-axis moving arm 18 which moves vertically. . A hand unit 20 serving as a holding unit for holding an object to be transferred is attached to a tip end of the Z-axis moving arm 14. The gripping of the transferred object by the hand unit 20 includes various types of gripping such as mechanical gripping in addition to vacuum suction and magnetic force.
[0013]
Next, FIG. 3 shows a basic configuration of a moving mechanism of the X-axis moving base 8. Drive output V _O from the motor driver the motor 22X as a drive source is applied. A timing pulley 24 is attached to a rotation shaft of the motor 22X, and the rotation of the timing pulley 24 is transmitted to a timing pulley 28 on the ball screw 26 side on the X-axis traveling rail 6 via a timing belt 30. The ball screw 26 is provided with an X-axis moving table 8 that moves horizontally by rotation, that is, moves in the X-axis direction.
[0014]
Such a configuration is the same in the moving mechanism of the Y-axis moving table 12 and the Z-axis moving arm 14. The same applies to the moving mechanism of the α-axis moving base 16 and the β-axis moving arm 18.
[0015]
Next, FIG. 4 shows a control system in the multifunctional robot. In this control system, a main control unit 32 is installed as control means for controlling all the systems, and the main control unit 32 is linked to a host computer 34 as external control means. The main control unit 32 includes a central processing unit (CPU) for performing arithmetic processing, and a memory 36 as storage means for writing various data and transport information. The memory 36 includes a read-only memory (ROM) storing a control program and the like, a write-once memory (RAM) storing data being processed, and an EPROM or the like as a unit for writing transport information. An IC card 38 is provided as external storage means. The IC card 38 is a data storage memory outside the controller.
[0016]
The main control unit 32 is connected to a CRT 40 as a display means, is provided with an operation panel 42, and is connected to a teaching box (T.BOX) 44 as an operation means. Further, a peripheral device 48 and a drive control unit 50 of a hand unit on the robot body 4 side are connected to the main control unit 32 via an external interface (I / O) 46.
[0017]
The axis control output of the main control unit 32 includes a first axis control unit 52 for controlling the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis sides, and a second axis control unit for controlling the α-axis and β-axis sides. 54.
[0018]
The axis control unit 52 obtains X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis axis drive outputs according to the control output of the main control unit 32. The X-axis drive output is applied to the motor driver 56X, and the output is applied to the motor 22X. The rotation of the motor 22X is detected by a rotation detector (PG) 58X, and the detection output is fed back to the axis control unit 52, and the output of the adder 60 provided on the output side of the axis control unit 52 is negative. It is added as an ingredient. The Y-axis drive output is applied to the motor driver 56Y, the output of which is applied to the motor 22Y, and the Z-axis drive output is applied to the motor driver 56Z, whose output is applied to the motor 22Z. The rotation of the motors 22Y, 22Z is detected by rotation detectors (PG) 58Y, 58Z, and the detection output is fed back to the axis control unit 52 as in the case of the X-axis side. Is added as a negative electrode component to the adder provided in the above.
[0019]
5 and 6 show an embodiment of the teaching box (T.BOX) 44. FIG. FIG. 5 shows an operation panel surface. The operation panel surface of the teaching box 44 includes an emergency stop switch 61, a spare switch 62, an α-axis designation switch 64, a spare switch 66, a β-axis designation switch 68, and a product chuck. Switches 70, X axis designation switch 72, suction switch 74, Y axis designation switch 76, spool chuck switch 78, Z axis designation switch 80, manual selection switch 82, axis selection switch 84, emergency stop, servo alarm and overrun A display unit 86, an overrun escape switch 88, a position storage switch 90, a teaching point display unit 92, a magnification display unit 94, a magnification selection switch 96, and a handle 98 are provided. The switch is provided with a display element 100 that is turned on when the switch is operated.
[0020]
FIG. 6 shows the configuration of the teaching box 44. In the teaching box 44, a microcomputer is used as control means independent of the computer on the main control unit 32 side and cooperating with the main control unit 32. That is, the control unit 102 forms a central part thereof, and performs various controls according to a control program stored in the ROM 104. The main control unit 32 is connected to the control unit 102 via a buffer 106, and the handle 98, the switches 62 to 96, and the display element 100 are also connected to the control unit 102.
[0021]
Next, FIGS. 7 and 8 show generation of a control output by the handle 98 in the teaching box 44. FIG. The handle 98 includes a rotor 110 that rotates with the handle 98 with respect to the stator 108. The stator 108 has contacts 112a and 112b, and the rotor 110 has contacts 114a and 114b. By the rotation of the rotor 110, the contacts 112a and 112b and the contacts 114a and 114b come into contact alternately. Pulses are generated in these contact contact sections, and FIGS. 8A and 8B show the output pulses. The forward or reverse relationship of the handle 98 can be distinguished from the forward or reverse relationship by the order in which the contacts 114a and 114b arrive. As shown in FIG. 8, arrows indicate forward rotation and reverse rotation. The pulses generated by the rotation of the handle 98 are applied to the control unit 102, and the number of the pulses becomes position information by software processing. That is, the handle 98 is a position input unit for inputting the position of the hand unit 20 as the grip unit.
[0022]
Next, the operation of the multifunctional robot will be described.
[0023]
In this multifunctional robot, as shown in FIG. 9, an operable area is set on the X-axis moving table 8, the Y-axis moving table 12, the Z-axis moving arm 14, and the like, and a mechanical stopper is provided at the limit point. Then, minus OT and plus OT are set for the safety area inside, and overrun is detected by these proximity switches. OT is an abbreviation for overtravel, and is an overrun area on each of the X, Y, and Z axes. The positions of these areas are set by numbers as position information. In this case, at the time of position setting, that is, at the time of teaching, when each axis exceeds the position of each OT by operating the handle, even if the handle 98 is turned as the position information, the pulse count and the driving of the motors 22X, 22Y, 22Z are performed. Is performed, an alarm is displayed (OT display), and an automatic avoidance program is operated so that the counter is not counted even if the handle 98 is further turned.
[0024]
Here, the origin as a reference of the position information will be described. The types of the motor include a type that outputs rotation information, rotation angle information, and position information of the motor itself, and a type that outputs rotation angle and position information from an encoder (increment type). This increment type is used for the motor 22X, 22Y or 22Z of this embodiment. Therefore, the origin is set by moving each axis in the minus direction, rotating the motor 22X, 22Y or 22Z in the reverse direction at the point of minus OT (FIG. 9), and outputting a zero-phase pulse from the motor 22X, 22Y or 22Z as positional information. Is stored as the origin. This is the origin setting.
[0025]
In the position information, “16” is displayed as a teaching point in the teaching box 44 shown in FIG. 5, and this “16” indicates a sixteenth storage location. This position information is information from 1 to 99. For example, if the X-axis is stored at a position of 100 mm, the Y-axis is 100 mm, and the Z-axis is 50 mm, the position information is set to “1” and the subsequent information is set. Each position is stored as position information of 2 to 99.
[0026]
Therefore, in the position setting, the X-axis moving base 8, the Y-axis moving base 12, or the Z-axis moving arm 14 is moved by operating the handle 98 to a target position through an operation such as a magnification change for each axis. Each position of each axis is determined, and the position is stored as a teaching point. After the position setting is completed, the X-axis moving table 8, the Y-axis moving table 12, or the Z-axis moving arm 14 moves the stored position during operation, that is, the coordinates, and moves the hand unit 20 to the set position. be able to. In this case, the setting information other than the position such as the moving speed can be set arbitrarily by the external controller, and the moving magnification and the moving speed at the time of setting are irrelevant. That is, the moving speed at the time of setting is arbitrary according to the skill of the operator, and the speed at the time of operation can be increased by the speed information.
[0027]
FIG. 10 shows a program for setting a transfer route of the hand unit 20. When the power is turned on, initialization of all the systems is performed. As shown in step S1, mode selection is performed. This mode selection is a selection of a manual mode, that is, a teaching mode or an automatic operation. The setting of the teaching mode is performed by the manual selection switch 82. By the operation, the display element 100 in the manual selection switch 82 is turned on to display the light. After this mode selection, a determination is made in step S2. Here, it is determined whether or not the teaching mode is set. If the teaching mode is not set, the process returns to step S1. If it is determined in step S2 that the teaching mode is set, the process proceeds to step S3, and axis selection is performed. For this axis selection, the user operates the axis selection switch 84 and operates the desired X-axis designation switch 72, Y-axis designation switch 76, or Z-axis designation switch 80. By this axis selection, the movement route of the hand unit 20 is selected.
[0028]
In step S4, a magnification is selected. The magnification selection is performed by a magnification selection switch 96, and in this embodiment, selection of 1 ×, 10 ×, and 100 × is performed cyclically by repeating the operation. Such a tour setting contributes to speeding up the processing.
[0029]
Then, in step S5, the handle 98 is rotated. With this rotation, the movement of the X-axis moving table 8, the Y-axis moving table 12, or the Z-axis moving arm 14 is started in advance. This movement is preparation for specifying a movement route, and in step S6, a teaching point (TP) is selected. The teaching point is position information indicating the movement position of the hand unit 20. This position information is displayed on the teaching point display section 92. “16” in the embodiment indicates the storage point number at that position.
[0030]
In step S7, when the position storage switch 90 is operated with respect to the displayed teaching point, the position is stored in the memory 36 of the main control unit 32. In this case, “16” is stored as the position storage information number.
[0031]
Based on the position information set in this way, at the time of automatic operation, the transferred object can be held by the hand unit 20 by suction or the like, and can be conveyed through the set path.
[0032]
Next, FIG. 11 shows a magnification selection program for movement of the X-axis moving base 8, the Y-axis moving base 12, the Z-axis moving arm 14, and the like. According to this program, when a pulse is input by operating the handle 98, three types of magnifications, x1, x10, and x100, are selected by operating the magnification selection switch 96. Here, the magnification selection by the teaching box 44 is set to determine the specific gravity of the moving speed on the X, Y, and Z axes for one pulse generated by the handle 98, and is effective only in the manual operation. . That is, when "x1" is selected by the magnification selection switch 96 as shown in step S11, a movement of 1 pulse x 1/100 mm is obtained, and then "x10" is selected as shown in step S12. Then, a movement of 1 pulse × 1/10 mm is obtained. Next, as shown in step S13, when “× 100” is selected, a movement of 1 pulse × 1/1 mm is obtained. Is operated, the pulse input is ignored, and the process returns to step S11. That is, by sequentially operating the magnification selection switch 96, magnifications x1, x10, x100 and pulse input disregard are cyclically selected.
[0033]
Next, FIG. 12 shows a program at the time of soft overrun (overtravel) in the teaching mode. By setting the soft overtravel, it is possible to prevent the hardware servo mechanism from shifting to the shut-off state, to eliminate the switch operation of the controller main body at the time of the teaching operation, and to contribute to the improvement of workability. In step S21, a pulse is generated by operating the handle 98 of the teaching box 44. In step S22, it is determined whether or not a soft overtravel (OT) is performed. If it is not a soft overtravel, the process proceeds to step S23, a pulse is generated, and the gate is opened. In the case of soft overtravel in step S22, or after step S23, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S24, a pulse is generated, and the gate is closed. In step S25, the overtravel (OT) area entry display is turned on. In step S26, OT area avoidance control is performed, and the axis is returned to the position immediately before the OT area. In step S27, it is determined whether or not the OT area avoidance operation has been completed. If the operation has not been completed, the process returns to step S23. If the operation has been completed, the process proceeds to step S28 to display the OT display. After turning off the light, the process returns to step S21.
[0034]
Next, FIG. 13 shows a program at the time of overrun of the X-axis moving base 8, the Y-axis moving base 12, and the Z-axis moving arm 14. In step S31, it is determined whether or not OT has occurred. If not, the process proceeds to step S32 to turn off the OT display. In step S33, the rotation direction display is turned off, and the process returns to step S31.
[0035]
If OT has occurred in step S31, the process proceeds to step S34, where the OT display is turned on, and it is assumed that an overrun state has occurred. In step S35, the overrun escape switch 88 is pressed. In step S36, it is determined whether or not it is plus OT. In the case of plus OT, the process proceeds to step S37. In step S37, the rotation of the handle 98 is enabled only in the minus direction. The process returns to step S31 as a display.
[0036]
If it is not plus OT in step S36, the process proceeds to step S39. In step S39, it is determined whether or not it is minus OT. If it is not minus OT, the process returns to step S31. If it is minus OT, the process goes to step S40 to enable the handle 98 only in the plus direction. The flow shifts to S41, where the rotation direction display is set to a positive display, and the flow returns to step S31.
[0037]
By such an operation, overrun can be escaped, and the safety of the transport operation is maintained.
[0038]
In this embodiment, the transfer of the molded article has been described as an example. However, the multifunctional robot of the present invention can be used for the transfer of various objects to be transferred, and is limited to this embodiment. is not.
[0039]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
a. Attached to a product processing device such as a molding machine or product processing, the position and moving path of the transferred object can be set arbitrarily, and the transferred object can be transferred along a desired or shortest path. It is possible to realize simplification and transportation efficiency.
b. It is not necessary to input the position of the gripping means numerically, and the operator moves or stops the gripping means in the control area according to the transport path of the transported object, and changes the position as necessary. Can be set by simply inputting the information, and the conveyed object can be conveyed based on the set position information, and the safety and the conveyance efficiency can be improved.
c. The display of the position of the gripping means is displayed on the display means, and when an operation input is performed such that the gripping means exceeds the control area, a display indicating that the movement of the gripping means exceeds the control area is displayed. The deviation of the position and the control area can be notified, and the safety can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of a multifunctional robot according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view showing the multifunctional robot.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a moving mechanism of the multifunctional robot.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a control system of the multifunctional robot.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a teaching box.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a control system in the teaching box.
FIG. 7 is a view showing a pulse generation mechanism of a handle in the teaching box.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a pulse generated by operating the steering wheel and a rotation direction thereof.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an operable area and the like of the multifunctional robot.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a program for setting the position of the multifunctional robot.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a magnification selection program by a magnification selection switch.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a program for operating the handle of the teaching box.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a program for avoiding overrun.
[Explanation of symbols]
20 Hand part (gripping means)
32 Main control unit (control means)
36 memory (storage means)
44 Teaching box (operation means)
84 axis selection switch 86 display unit (display means)
90 Position memory switch 92 Teaching point display section (display means)
94 Magnification display section (display means)
96 Magnification selection switch 98 Handle 100 Display element (display means)
102 control unit (control means)

Claims (2)

A multi-functional robot that conveys a conveyed object along a predetermined conveyance path,
A gripping unit, a moving mechanism, an operating unit, a storage unit, and a control unit,
The gripping means grips the transported object on the transport path,
The moving mechanism moves the gripping means at least along the X axis, the Y axis, or the Z axis on the transport path,
The operation means includes an axis selection switch for selecting the X-axis, the Y-axis, or the Z-axis corresponding to a position to which the gripping means is to be moved, a handle for commanding a movement position of the gripping means by rotation, Display means for displaying the position of the gripping means in accordance with the rotation, a storage command switch for instructing storage of the position displayed on the display means, and selection of a magnification of the amount of movement of the gripping means with respect to rotation of the handle Equipped with a magnification selection switch
The storage unit writes information indicating a position and a path to be moved by the gripping unit by operating the storage command switch for each position indicating a preset storage location,
The control means is connected to the operation means, and controls the moving mechanism while a control area of the gripping means is set,
At the time of manual operation, the gripping means is moved to a desired position by the moving mechanism according to the rotation of the handle and at a moving speed according to the magnification selected by the magnification selection switch, and the movement of the gripping means When the position exceeds the control area, the movement is stopped and only the direction in which the rotation of the handle is returned to the control area is enabled, and the position and path of the gripping means moved in the control area are stored in the storage location. Each position is stored in the storage means by a command of the storage command switch,
At the time of automatic operation, the gripping means is moved by the moving mechanism according to the position and the route set in the storage means.
A multifunctional robot characterized by having a configuration . The multi-function robot according to claim 1, wherein the display means displays, when the gripping means exceeds the control area, that the movement of the gripping means exceeds the control area.

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