JP4842664B2 - Industrial robot controller - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an industrial robot control apparatus that performs ON / OFF control of a servo power supply of a plurality of connected robots for each robot.

  Conventionally, industrial robots for carrying out processing / transport operations in manufacturing plants for automobile parts and the like have been widely adopted. Further, productivity has been further improved by shifting from a configuration in which one robot control device is connected to a single robot control device to a configuration in which a plurality of robots are connected to one robot control device and operated simultaneously. It is improving. For robots with multiple robots connected, if manual operation of the robot is required, such as during teaching work or tool replacement work, a robot that is manually operated with the manual operation robot selection key provided on the teach pendant Selection is performed each time (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  On the other hand, in order to improve safety during manual operation, a deadman switch that turns on the servo power to operate the robot while touching with the hand and turns off the servo power when the hand is released on the teach pendant It is generally performed (see, for example, Patent Document 2). The deadman switch functions as the only switch effective for the servo power supply of all robots even when a plurality of robots are connected to one robot controller. That is, the servo power of all robots is turned on while touching with the hand, and all servo powers are turned off when the hand is released.

  In recent years, there has been a strong demand for improving safety for workers, and a robot control device has been disclosed in which only the servo power of a robot that needs to be moved is turned on, and the servo power of other robots that do not need to be moved is turned off. (For example, see Patent Document 3). Patent Document 3 discloses a configuration example in which a servo ON / OFF button for turning ON / OFF the servo power of each robot is provided on an operation panel provided as a part of the robot control device. And if manual operation of the robot is necessary, work to turn on only the servo power of the robot that you want to move using the above buttons and turn off the servo power of other robots before manual operation. I do.

  However, in general, the robot control device is often installed at a position away from the robot. On the other hand, the teach pendant used for teaching work is brought to a position close to the robot. In other words, when teaching work is performed, the operator first moves to a robot control device installed at a position away from the robot, switches the servo power of the robot ON / OFF, and then carries the teach pendant to the vicinity of the robot. The process of performing teaching work is required. For this reason, there was a problem that there was a lot of wasted time.

  Therefore, the teach pendant having a manual operation robot selection key and a deadman switch is further provided with a servo switching robot selection key for selecting a robot that is the target of servo power ON / OFF. Proposals have been made to turn the servo power ON / OFF. Hereinafter, this prior art will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the processing flow of the robot control device performed in accordance with the input from the teach pendant. Steps S1 to S3 and step S6 indicate input from the teach pendant.

  In step S1 in the figure, first, a robot that is the target of servo power ON is input from the servo switching robot selection key. In step S2, a robot to be manually operated is input from the manually operated robot selection key. In step S3, the operation result of the deadman switch is input. In general, the deadman switch recognizes that the servo is turned on when it is gripped and the servo is turned off when it is released, and an operation signal (ON operation signal or OFF operation signal) according to the state is input. Yes.

  In step S4, it is determined whether an ON operation signal is input from the deadman switch. When it is input (in the case of Yes), the process proceeds to step S5. If it is not input (in the case of No), nothing is performed assuming that the ON operation has not been performed. In step S5, a servo control signal for turning on the servo power of the robot that is the target of servo-on and turning off the servo power of other robots is output. In step S6, a movement direction signal of the robot is input from the movement direction instruction key. In step S7, a control signal for moving the robot that is the target of manual operation is output. In this way, the servo power supply of the robot selected by the operator is individually turned ON / OFF.

  The prior art described above has the advantage that the servo power supply can be switched on / off only with the teach pendant at hand of the operator without going to the robot control device installed at a position away from the robot. However, there are problems to be described later.

JP-A-6-198584 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-134585 JP-A-6-318108

  In the prior art described above, the teach pendant is provided with a servo switching robot selection key and a manual operation robot selection key. Since these two independent selection means are provided, there are two operational steps until the servo power is turned on / off, and there is a problem that wasteful work time occurs. Further, due to an operator's operation error, a robot with the servo power turned off may be selected for manual operation. In this case, since an error message or the like is output, there is a problem that work for canceling the error is required.

  Furthermore, in order to prevent these unnecessary operations and error canceling operations from being performed, the worker often takes a means to turn on the servo power of all the connected robots in advance. That is, the safety consideration may be forgotten, and the servo ON / OFF operation for each robot may not be performed. As a result, an unintended robot may be moved by mistake. Moreover, there is a problem in that useless energy is used by turning on the servo power of the robot that does not move.

  In the present invention, when manually operating the servo power supply of a plurality of connected robots by turning them on and off for each robot, the power can be efficiently turned on / off with a small number of steps, and the servo power supply is not turned on unnecessarily. An object of the present invention is to provide an industrial robot control device having an effect.

In order to achieve the above object, the first invention provides:
In an industrial robot control apparatus that selects a robot that is manually operated from among a plurality of connected robots, and that controls ON the servo power of the selected robot.
Servo control means for switching ON / OFF of a servo power source connected to each of the plurality of robots according to a servo control signal;
A robot selection unit that outputs a robot selection signal for selecting a robot to be manually operated;
A deadman switch that outputs an ON operation signal or an OFF operation signal according to the switch operation state;
A movement direction instruction unit for outputting a movement direction signal for instructing the movement direction of the robot;
When the ON operation signal and the movement direction signal are input from the deadman switch, the servo power source corresponding to the robot selected by the robot selection signal is turned ON, and the servo power sources corresponding to other robots are turned OFF. A servo state transition control unit that outputs a servo control signal;
An industrial robot control device characterized by comprising:

The second invention is
It is determined whether the servo power supply provided for each robot and connected to each of the plurality of robots is in a servo-on state, a servo-off state, or a servo-on preparation state indicating a state where servo-on is possible. An informing means for,
When an ON operation signal from the deadman switch is input, the servo ON preparation state is notified to the notification means of the robot selected by the robot selection signal, and the servo OFF state is notified to the notification means of other robots. When the ON operation signal and the movement direction signal from the deadman switch are input, the servo ON state is notified to the notification unit of the robot selected by the robot selection signal, and the servo unit is notified to the notification unit of other robots. A notification control unit for notifying the OFF state and notifying all the notification means of the servo OFF state when an OFF operation signal from the deadman switch is input;
The industrial robot control device according to the first invention, further comprising:

  According to the first aspect of the invention, instead of omitting the means for selecting the robot to be switched with the servo power supply, the ON operation signal and the moving direction signal of the deadman switch are input after selecting the robot to be manually operated. The servo power is turned on for the first time at the stage. As a result, the servo power supply can be efficiently turned on with fewer procedures than in the past. In addition, since the selection means of the robot is made one, the possibility of an error due to an operation error is reduced, and unnecessary error canceling operation becomes unnecessary. Further, the servo power supply is turned on when the movement direction signal is input. This eliminates the need to turn on the servo power while the robot is not moving, and can save energy.

  According to the second invention, the notification means for identifying the state of the servo power supply is provided for each robot. As a result, it is possible to easily grasp whether the servo power supply of each robot is in a servo-on state, in an off-state, or in a servo-on ready state indicating a state where the servo can be turned on. For example, since it is servo ON ready state illustrated servo ON possible state at the stage of performing the ON operation of the deadman switch is shown in the informing means, the operator which advance in operating the moving direction instructing section You can easily determine whether the robot moves. That is, safety can be further improved.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described based on examples with reference to the drawings.
[Embodiment 1]

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an industrial robot showing a first embodiment of the present invention. Although the number of robots that can be connected to one robot controller is not limited, in order to simplify the following explanation, two robots are connected to one robot controller in the same figure. Shows the case.

  In the figure, the teach pendant TP has a robot selection key RS, a deadman switch DS, and a movement direction instruction key MD, and each signal is output when the operator operates them. More specifically, a robot selection signal Rs is output from the robot selection key RS, an operation signal Ds (ON operation signal or OFF operation signal) is output from the deadman switch DS, and a movement direction signal Md is output from the movement direction instruction key MD. Is output. These signals are input to the servo state transition control unit SJ via the teach pendant interface Tif of the robot controller RC.

  The servo state transition control unit SJ performs processing to be described later, and outputs the servo control signal Sj1 to the servo amplifier SC1 and the servo control signal Sj2 to the servo amplifier SC2. The servo amplifiers SC1 to SC2 are servo control means for turning on / off the servo power of each of the robot R1 and the robot R2 and outputting an operation control command for driving. The servo amplifier SC1 outputs a signal Sc1 for turning on / off the servo power supply to the robot R1 in accordance with the servo control signal Sj1. Similarly, the servo amplifier SC2 outputs a signal Sc2 for turning on / off the servo power supply to the robot R2 in accordance with the servo control signal Sj2.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing processing of the servo state transition control unit SJ. Steps S1 to S3 show input from the teach pendant.

  In step S1 in the figure, a robot selection signal Rs for selecting a robot to be manually operated is input. In step S2, an operation signal Ds (ON operation signal or OFF operation signal) of the deadman switch DS is input. Step S1 and step S2 may be in the reverse order.

  In step S3, a robot movement direction signal Md is input from the movement direction instruction key MD. In step S4, it is determined whether or not an ON operation signal from the deadman switch DS and a movement direction signal Md from the movement direction instruction key MD are input. When it is input (in the case of Yes), the process proceeds to step S5. If it is not input (in the case of No), nothing is performed assuming that the ON operation has not been performed.

  In step S5, a servo control signal Sj for turning on the servo power of the robot selected in step S1 and turning off the servo power of other robots is output to the servo amplifier SC. For example, if the robot R1 is selected, a servo control signal Sj1 for servo-on of the robot R1 is output to the servo amplifier SC1, and a servo control signal Sj2 for turning off the robot R2 is output to the servo amplifier SC2. To do.

  In step S6, a servo control signal Sj for driving the robot selected in step S1 in the direction specified by the movement direction instruction key MD is output to the servo amplifier SC.

  Thus, after the means for selecting the robot to be switched by the servo power supply with the teach pendant is omitted and the robot to be manually operated is selected, the dead man switch ON operation signal and the moving direction signal are input for the first time. The servo power is turned on. As a result, the servo power supply can be efficiently turned on with fewer procedures than in the past. In addition, since the selection means of the robot is made one, the possibility of an error due to an operation error is reduced, and unnecessary error canceling operation becomes unnecessary. Further, the servo power supply is turned on when the movement direction signal is input. This eliminates the need to turn on the servo power while the robot is not moving, and can save energy.

  In this embodiment, the servo power supply of the selected robot is turned on when the ON operation signal and the movement direction signal Md from the deadman switch are input. As processing after this, it is necessary to consider a case where the input of the movement direction signal Md is canceled after the servo power is turned on. In this case, the servo power supply may be turned off immediately, or the servo power supply may be kept on.

When the servo power supply is turned off when the input of the movement direction signal Md is released, the servo control signal Sj for turning the servo off when it is determined that the input of the movement direction signal Md has been released by monitoring the input for a predetermined time. May be output to the servo amplifier SC. In order to keep the servo power ON even when the input of the movement direction signal Md is canceled, it is not necessary to output the servo control signal Sj even if it is determined that the movement direction signal Md is released. Then, a servo control signal Sj for turning the servo off when an OFF operation signal from the deadman switch is input may be output to the servo amplifier SC.
[Embodiment 2]

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an industrial robot showing a second embodiment of the present invention. In the same figure, since it is the same as that which attached | subjected the same code | symbol as FIG. 1 except the indicator lights PL1-PL2, alerting | reporting control part SP, and servo status signals Sp1-Sp2, description is abbreviate | omitted. Hereinafter, a configuration different from FIG. 1 will be described.

  The indicator lights PL1 and PL2 are rotating lights provided at appropriate positions of the robots, and are used to make the operator recognize the state of the servo power supply of each robot. The notification controller SP receives as input the robot selection signal Rs from the robot selection key RS, the operation signal Ds (ON operation signal or OFF operation signal) from the deadman switch DS, and the movement direction signal Md from the movement direction instruction key MD. Servo state signals Sp1 to Sp2 indicating the servo ON state, servo OFF state, and servo ON preparation state are generated and output to the indicator lamps PL1 and PL2, respectively.

  Next, the operation of the notification control unit SP will be described. When an ON operation signal is input from the deadman switch, in order to notify that the servo is ready, the power supply is supplied to the indicator lamp PL of the robot selected by the robot selection signal Rs. Blink. The other robots turn off the indicator light PL in order to notify that the servo is OFF. When the movement direction signal Md is input in the state where the ON operation signal from the deadman switch is input, in order to notify that the servo is ON, the robot display light PL selected by the robot selection signal Rs is displayed. The power is continuously supplied to turn on the indicator light PL. The other robots turn off the indicator light PL in order to notify that the servo is OFF. When an OFF operation signal is input from the deadman switch, all the indicator lights PL are turned off in order to notify that all the robots are in the servo OFF state.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the input from the teach pendant and the display mode of the indicator lamp. This figure shows how the display mode (off / flashing / on) of the indicator lamp PL is determined by the combination of the robot selection signal Rs, the operation signal Ds and the movement direction signal Md from the teach pendant. Yes.

  For example, pattern 1 in the figure shows a display mode of the indicator lamp PL when the robot R1 is selected, the deadman switch is turned OFF, and the movement direction signal Md is not input. In this case, the display mode is that both the indicator lamps PL1 and PL2 are turned off, indicating that the servo is OFF. Pattern 2 shows a case where the deadman switch is turned on from the state of pattern 1. The display mode in this case indicates that the indicator lamp PL1 is “flashing” and the indicator lamp PL2 is “extinguished”, indicating that the robot R1 is in a servo-on preparation state and the robot R2 is in a servo-off state. Furthermore, pattern 3 shows a case where the movement direction signal Md is input from the state of pattern 2. The display mode in this case indicates that the indicator lamp PL1 is “lit” and the indicator lamp PL2 is “extinguished”, indicating that the robot R1 is in the servo-on state and the robot R2 is in the servo-off state. Description of patterns 4 to 5 is omitted because only the robot selected in patterns 1 to 3 is changed to robot R2.

  The indicator lights PL1 and PL2 are used for making the worker recognize the state of the servo power supply of each robot, so that the lighting state is given to the worker from any position where the robots P1 and P2 are in the worker's field of view. As long as the position can be easily and reliably recognized, the indicator lights PL1 to PL2 may be attached to arbitrary positions of the robots P1 to P2. In addition, the display modes of the indicator lamps PL1 and PL2 are off, lit, and blinking. However, the indicator lamp may be notified by changing the lighting color, for example, from “blue” to “red” or by voice. You may make it alert | report audibly. Further, the indicator lamp is not limited to the rotating lamp, and various light sources such as a light emitter made of a light emitting element group such as a lamp and an LED may be used.

In this way, a notification means for identifying the state of the servo power supply is provided for each robot. As a result, it is possible to easily grasp whether the servo power supply of each robot is in a servo-on state, in an off-state, or in a servo-on ready state indicating a state where the servo can be turned on. For example, when performing the ON operation of the deadman switch the servo ON ready state illustrated servo ON possible state as demonstrated by the notifying means, the operator of the advance which the robot when performing the operation of moving direction instruction key moves Can be easily determined. That is, safety can be further improved.

It is a block diagram of the industrial robot which shows 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process of a servo state transition control part. It is a block diagram of the industrial robot which shows 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between the input from a teach pendant, and the display mode of an indicator lamp. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the flow of a process of the robot control apparatus performed according to the input from a teach pendant.

Explanation of symbols

Ds Operation signal MD Movement direction instruction key Md Movement direction signal PL1 Indicator lamp PL2 Indicator lamp R1 Robot R2 Robot RC Robot controller RS Robot selection key Rs Robot selection signal SC1 Servo amplifier SC2 Servo amplifier Sc1 Signal Sc2 Signal SJ Servo state transition controller Sj1 Servo control signal Sj2 Servo control signal SP Notification control unit Sp1 Servo status signal Sp2 Servo status signal Tif Teach pendant interface TP Teach pendant

Claims (2)

In an industrial robot control apparatus that selects a robot that is manually operated from among a plurality of connected robots, and that controls ON the servo power of the selected robot.
Servo control means for switching ON / OFF of a servo power source connected to each of the plurality of robots according to a servo control signal;
A robot selection unit that outputs a robot selection signal for selecting a robot to be manually operated;
A deadman switch that outputs an ON operation signal or an OFF operation signal according to the switch operation state;
A movement direction instruction unit for outputting a movement direction signal for instructing the movement direction of the robot;
When the ON operation signal and the movement direction signal are input from the deadman switch, the servo power source corresponding to the robot selected by the robot selection signal is turned ON, and the servo power sources corresponding to other robots are turned OFF. A servo state transition control unit that outputs a servo control signal;
An industrial robot control device comprising: It is determined whether the servo power supply provided for each robot and connected to each of the plurality of robots is in a servo-on state, a servo-off state, or a servo-on preparation state indicating a state where servo-on is possible. An informing means for,
When an ON operation signal from the deadman switch is input, the servo ON preparation state is notified to the notification means of the robot selected by the robot selection signal, and the servo OFF state is notified to the notification means of other robots. When the ON operation signal and the movement direction signal from the deadman switch are input, the servo ON state is notified to the notification unit of the robot selected by the robot selection signal, and the servo unit is notified to the notification unit of other robots. A notification control unit for notifying the OFF state and notifying all the notification means of the servo OFF state when an OFF operation signal from the deadman switch is input;
The industrial robot control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

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