JP7368195B2 - Control device, control method and management device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a control device, a control method, and a management device for controlling a robot equipped with a multi-joint arm having a plurality of joints.

Grease, which is used to lubricate and rotate the joints of a multi-joint arm, deteriorates more rapidly at high temperatures. In order to suppress deterioration of grease, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses an invention in which a motor is provided with a cooling means.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-182182

However, providing the motor with a cooling means increases costs, and the motor may have to be made larger to accommodate the cooling means. Here, as a method for cooling the joints without providing a cooling means for each of the joints, a joint that is closer to the base that supports the multi-joint arm than the joint to be cooled is rotated, and air is applied to the joint to be cooled. One possible method is to apply In this method, when there are multiple joints closer to the base than the joint to be cooled, if the joint with the greatest degree of grease deterioration is rotated, the lifespan of the rotated joint will be shortened. There is a tendency to In other words, there is a tendency for variations in lifespan among multiple joints to increase.

An object of the present invention is to provide a control device, a control method, and a management device that can reduce variations in the lifespan of a plurality of joints.

The first aspect of the present invention is
A control device for controlling a robot having a multi-joint arm having at least two or more joints and a base supporting the multi-joint arm,
a program analysis unit that analyzes a program that includes, as steps, each of a plurality of motions for the multi-joint arm and at least one standby state in which the next motion is waited between the temporally adjacent motions;
Based on the analysis result of the program analysis unit, calculate the future remaining life of each of the plurality of joints when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the unexecuted step, or when a predetermined number of steps have elapsed. a life estimator for estimating;
a joint identifying unit that identifies one of the joints ranked second or later from the side closest to the base as a joint to be cooled that requires cooling, based on the future remaining life of each of the plurality of joints;
In the standby state, the joint that is closer to the base than the joint to be cooled is set so that the difference in future remaining life between the joint to be cooled and the joint that is closer to the base than the joint to be cooled is smaller. a motor control unit that controls a motor that rotates the joint;
Equipped with

Moreover, the second aspect of the present invention is
A control method for a control device that controls a robot including a multi-joint arm having at least two or more joints and a base that supports the multi-joint arm, the method comprising:
an analysis step of analyzing a program that includes, as steps, each of a plurality of motions for the multi-jointed arm and at least one standby state in which the next motion is waited between the temporally adjacent motions;
Based on the analysis result of the analysis step, estimate the future remaining life of each of the plurality of joints when a predetermined time has elapsed or a predetermined number of steps have elapsed since the start of the unexecuted step. a life estimation step;
a joint specifying step of specifying one of the joints ranked second or later from the side closest to the base as a joint to be cooled that requires cooling, based on the future remaining life of each of the plurality of joints;
In the standby state, the joint that is closer to the base than the joint to be cooled is set so that the difference in future remaining life between the joint to be cooled and the joint that is closer to the base than the joint to be cooled is smaller. a motor control step of controlling a motor that rotates the joint;
including.

Moreover, the third aspect of the present invention is
A management device for managing a plurality of robots including a multi-joint arm having a plurality of joints that rotate by driving a motor and a base supporting the multi-joint arm, the management device comprising:
For each of the plurality of robots, a program is analyzed that includes, as steps, each of a plurality of motions for the multi-jointed arm and at least one standby state in which the next motion is waited between the temporally adjacent motions. Program analysis department,
For each of the plurality of robots, based on the analysis result of the program analysis unit, the plurality of joints are detected when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the unexecuted step, or when a predetermined number of steps have elapsed. a life estimation unit that estimates the future remaining life of each of the
For each of the plurality of robots, based on the future remaining life of each of the plurality of joints, one of the joints ranked second or later from the side closest to the base is set as a joint to be cooled that requires cooling. a joint identification part to be identified;
For each of the plurality of robots, during the standby state, the joints to be cooled are set such that the difference in future remaining life between the joints to be cooled and the joints closer to the base than the joints to be cooled is smaller. a motor control unit that controls the motor that rotates the joint closer to the base than the base;
Equipped with

According to the aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce variations in the lifespan of a plurality of joints, and as a result, it is possible to extend the future remaining lifespan of the joint that deteriorates the fastest.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a robot control system according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing functional blocks of a control device. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an operating program. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing an operating program having a branch instruction. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of processing of a control device. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of a robot control system according to modification 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

[Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a robot control system 10 according to an embodiment. The robot control system 10 includes a robot 12 and a control device 14 that controls the robot 12.

The robot 12 includes a multi-joint arm 16 and a base 18 that supports the multi-joint arm 16. The multi-joint arm 16 has a plurality of joints 20. Each of the plurality of joints 20 has a joint shaft, a bearing that rotatably supports the joint shaft, and grease (lubricant) that reduces friction between the joint shaft and the bearing.

Each of the plurality of joints 20 has a motor 22 that is driven in a forward or reverse direction according to the control of the control device 14, and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor 22 to the joint shaft. When the motor 22 is driven in the forward direction, the joint 20 corresponding to the motor 22 rotates in the forward direction through the power transmission mechanism and the joint shaft. On the other hand, when the motor 22 is driven in the opposite direction, the joint 20 corresponding to the motor 22 rotates in the opposite direction through the power transmission mechanism and the joint shaft. That is, each of the plurality of joints 20 rotates according to the drive of the motor 22 that it has.

The control device 14 specifies one joint to be cooled from among the plurality of joints 20, and executes processing to lower the temperature of the grease of the specified joint to be cooled. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing functional blocks of the control device 14. The control device 14 includes a processor 30 and a storage section 32. Specific examples of the processor 30 include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and specific examples of the storage unit 32 include a hard disk.

The storage unit 32 stores a basic program, an operation program, the remaining life of each of the plurality of joints 20, and the like. The basic program is system software that controls operations. The motion program is a program for causing the multi-joint arm 16 to perform the motion necessary for the assigned work. Remaining life means the remaining amount of life that can be used in the future.

The processor 30 functions as a program analysis section 34, a measurement section 36, a life estimation section 38, a joint identification section 40, a condition determination section 42, and a motor control section 44 by executing the basic program stored in the storage section 32. .

The program analysis section 34 reads out the operation program stored in the storage section 32 and analyzes the read operation program. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the operating program. The motion program includes each of a plurality of motions for the multi-joint arm 16 as a step. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the operation program includes four operations as steps: "operation A," "operation B," "operation C," and "operation D." Note that the motion included in the motion program is specifically indicated by a command value for controlling each of the plurality of joints 20 so that the motion is performed.

Further, the operation program includes at least one standby state as a step in which the next operation is waited between temporally adjacent operations. In the example shown in FIG. 3, a standby state of "standby A" is included as a step between "action A" and "action B", and a "standby state of standby B" is included between "action C" and "action D". The standby state of is included as a step. In the standby state, the operation included in the operation program is not performed, but other robots or devices that work in cooperation with the robot 12 operate. Since the time required for the operation of other robots or devices is unknown on the side of the control device 14 that controls the robot 12, the time of the standby state (time for maintaining the standby state) is not defined in the operation program.

An operating program may have branch instructions. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an operating program having branch instructions. When an operating program has a branch instruction, any one of two or more steps branching from the branch instruction is selected, so a plurality of progress patterns exist in the operating program. In the example shown in FIG. 4, "Movement B" and "Waiting B" each include a standby instruction, and the motion program has three progress patterns: "Pattern 1," "Pattern 2," and "Pattern 3." .

The program analysis unit 34 analyzes the number of steps, branch structure, etc. as the contents of the operating program. When the operating program has a branch instruction, the program analysis section 34 may store the step selected for branching in the branch instruction in the storage section 32 as history information.

The measurement unit 36 measures the time in the standby state. The measurement unit 36 measures the time from the time when the robot 12 receives a notification of the end of the operation immediately before the standby state to the time when it receives from the outside a command to start the next action in the standby state. Note that the target to which the command to start the next operation is output is another robot or device that works in cooperation with the robot 12, as described above.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the measuring unit 36 starts measurement when receiving from the robot 12 a notification of the end of "action A" immediately before "standby A", and starts measurement for "action B" after "standby A". Measurement ends when a start command is received from the outside. The measurement unit 36 also starts measurement when it receives a notification from the robot 12 of the end of "motion C" immediately before "standby B", and sends an external command to start "motion D" following "standby B". The measurement ends when received from

When the measurement unit 36 finishes measuring the time, the measurement unit 36 stores the time measured for each unique ID of the standby command (here, “standby A” or “standby B”) in the storage unit 32 as history information.

The life estimation unit 38 estimates the future remaining life of each of the plurality of joints 20 based on the analysis result of the program analysis unit 34. The future remaining life is the future remaining life. Every time one step of the motion program is executed, the life estimation unit 38 estimates the future remaining life of each of the plurality of joints 20 after the start of the unexecuted step after the executed step. .

The life estimation unit 38 may estimate the future remaining life of each of the plurality of joints 20 when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the unexecuted step, or may estimate the future remaining life of each of the plurality of joints 20 when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the unexecuted step. The future remaining life of each of the plurality of joints 20 after the number of steps has elapsed may be estimated. The following description will be made assuming that the future remaining life is estimated when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of an unexecuted step. If the predetermined time is set as long as possible, it will be possible to estimate the remaining life in the distant future. It cannot be set. Note that since the content of the processing by the lifespan estimating unit 38 for each of the plurality of joints 20 is the same, here, the processing of the lifespan estimating unit 38 for one joint 20 will be explained.

There is a correlation between the amount of heat generated by the joint 20 and the degree of deterioration of the grease in the joint 20, and the greater the amount of heat generated by the joint 20, the higher the degree of deterioration of the grease. The relationship between the amount of heat generated and the deterioration of grease is shown in JP-A-2018-146561. The degree of deterioration of the grease has a direct correlation with the life expectancy of the joint 20. In other words, the greater the amount of heat generated by the joint 20, the longer the life expectancy of the joint 20 becomes. Note that the consumption life means the amount of life consumed, which is how much life is consumed.

The life estimation unit 38 obtains the amount of heat generated in the joint 20 when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the unexecuted step, based on the analysis result of the motion program. The life estimating unit 38 calculates the amount of heat generated by the joint 20 from the sum of the command values (rotation speed) of each of the plurality of motions specified by the motion program, using a database or a relational expression that shows the correlation between the amount of heat generated and the rotation speed. You may obtain it. Note that the amount of heat generated in the database or the relational expression may include at least one of the amount of heat generated by the motor 22 and the amount of heat generated due to the load torque.

After acquiring the calorific value of the joint 20, the life estimation unit 38 acquires the consumable life corresponding to the calorific value of the joint 20 using a database or relational expression that shows the correlation between the calorific value and the consumable life. The life estimation unit 38 estimates the future remaining life by subtracting the obtained consumed life of the joint 20 from the remaining life indicated by the remaining life information stored in the storage unit 32.

When the operating program has a branch instruction, the lifetime estimating unit 38 estimates the future remaining lifetime of each of a plurality of progress patterns existing in the operating program. In this case, the life estimating unit 38 calculates the probability of progressing to each of the plurality of progress patterns existing in the operating program based on the history information stored in the storage unit 32 as a branch selected step in the branch instruction, Each estimated future remaining life may be weighted. Note that the probability of progressing to each of a plurality of progress patterns existing in the operation program may be determined using the operating state of peripheral equipment, a learning device, or the like.

By the way, if a standby state is defined in the operation program, the robot 12 controlled by the control device 14 according to the operation program remains stationary from the end of the previous operation in the standby state until the start of the next operation. are doing. Therefore, in the standby state, the heat generated in the joints 20 tends to be radiated and the joints 20 to cool down. The life estimating unit 38 may estimate the future remaining life considering the amount of heat dissipation in the standby state.

That is, the life estimation unit 38 calculates the average value of the times of a plurality of standby states for each unique ID of the standby command stored in the storage unit 32 as history information. Further, the life estimating unit 38 uses a database or a relational expression showing the correlation between the standby state time and the heat radiation amount to calculate the heat radiation amount of the joint 20 corresponding to the obtained average value from the obtained heat radiation amount of the joint 20. Subtract and obtain the consumption life corresponding to the calorific value obtained as a result of the subtraction. Thereby, it is possible to estimate the future remaining life close to the true value, and the estimation accuracy is improved. Although we have shown the case where the consumption life is estimated using the average value of the standby time, it is also possible to estimate the standby time using statistical indicators other than the average such as variance, the operating status of peripheral devices, a learning device, etc. However, the consumption life can be estimated from there.

When one operation specified by the operation program is actually executed, the life estimation section 38 updates the value of the remaining life stored in the storage section 32 using the actual life consumed for that operation. That is, the life estimation unit 38 subtracts the actual consumed life from the remaining life indicated by the remaining life information stored in the storage unit 32, and stores the value obtained as a result of the subtraction in the storage unit 32 as the current remaining life. Remember. Note that the actual consumption life can be obtained in the same manner as the consumption life explained when estimating the future remaining life.

The joint identifying unit 40 identifies one joint 20 of the plurality of joints 20 as a joint to be cooled that requires cooling, based on the future remaining life estimated by the life estimating unit 38. Note that the joint 20 ranked first from the side closest to the base 18 is a candidate to be used for cooling the joint to be cooled, so the joint identification unit 40 excludes the first joint from the joints to be cooled. do.

The joint identification unit 40 selects one joint 20 with the shortest future remaining life among the joints 20 ranked second or later from the side closest to the base 18, or one with the future remaining life shorter than a predetermined threshold. Two joints 20 are identified as joints to be cooled. Note that if there is a joint 20 with the shortest future remaining life, or a plurality of joints 20 with future remaining life shorter than a predetermined threshold, the joint identification unit 40 cools the joint 20 closest to the base 18, for example. Identify as target joint.

Here, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the number of joints 20 is four. Further, the joint 20 ranked first from the side closest to the base 18 is joint 20A, the joint 20 ranked second is joint 20B, the joint 20 third ranked is joint 20C, and the joint 20 ranked second from the side closest to the base 18 is joint 20A. The fourth joint 20 is assumed to be joint 20D. Further, it is assumed that the joint specifying unit 40 specifies the third joint 20C as the joint to be cooled.

The condition determining unit 42 determines conditions for a cooling operation to cool the joint to be cooled. The condition determining unit 42 sets the joints 20A, 20B so that the difference in future remaining life between the joint to be cooled (joint 20C) and the joints 20A and 20B on the base 18 side relative to the joint to be cooled (joint 20C) is small. determining cooling operation conditions for at least one of the following: The conditions include the rotation angle, rotation direction, and rotation speed of the motor 22 that rotates at least one of the joints 20A, 20B. For example, the rotation angle, rotation direction, And the rotation speed is determined.

The motor control unit 44 controls the motor 22 of each of the plurality of joints 20 according to an operation program. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the motor control unit 44 controls at least one motor 22 of the plurality of joints 20 using the command value for "motion A", thereby causing the multi-joint arm 16 to perform "motion A". Execute. Further, the motor control unit 44 causes the multi-joint arm 16 to sequentially execute "action B", "action C", and "action D" in the same manner as "action A".

When in the standby state, the motor control unit 44 controls at least one motor 22 of the joints 20A and 20B closer to the base 18 than the joint to be cooled, according to the cooling operation conditions determined by the condition determination unit 42. , causes the multi-joint arm 16 to perform a cooling operation. That is, in the standby state, the motor control unit 44 controls the motor 22 according to the conditions of the cooling operation to move at least one of the joints 20A and 20B in the forward direction and the reverse direction within a predetermined rotation angle range. Rotate alternately at a predetermined rotation speed. Thereby, the joint to be cooled (20C) can be cooled by applying air to it.

In the case of this embodiment, the motor control unit 44 controls the joint to be cooled (joint 20C) and the joints 20A and 20B that are closer to the base 18 than the joint to be cooled (joint 20C) in accordance with the conditions of the cooling operation. At least one motor 22 of the joints 20A, 20B is controlled so that the difference in lifespan is reduced. As a result, while cooling the joint to be cooled (joint 20C) and the joint 20D on the opposite side of the base 18 from the joint to be cooled, the joints 20A and 20B on the side of the base 18 from the joint to be cooled used for cooling are cooled. It is possible to reduce the variation in the future remaining life of the As a result, variations in the lifespan of the plurality of joints 20A to 20D can be reduced.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, two standby states, "standby A" and "standby B", are included in the operation program. If the operation program includes a plurality of standby states, the motor control unit 44 may perform the cooling operation during at least one of the plurality of standby states.

Next, a method of controlling the control device 14 will be explained using FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing by the control device 14.

In step S1, the program analysis section 34 reads the operating program stored in the storage section 32, and analyzes the number of steps, branch structure, etc. as the contents of the read operating program. When the analysis by the program analysis section 34 is completed, the process of the control device 14 moves to step S2.

In step S2, the program analysis unit 34 stores the analysis result of the operating program in an internal memory or the like. Note that the analysis result of the operating program includes the number of steps when a predetermined time has elapsed since the unexecuted step was started. When the analysis result of the operating program is stored, the process of the control device 14 moves to step S3.

In step S3, the life estimation unit 38 calculates the future residual value of each of the plurality of joints 20 when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the unexecuted step, based on the analysis result of the motion program stored in step S2. Estimate lifespan. When the estimation by the life estimator 38 is completed, the process of the control device 14 moves to step S4.

In step S4, the joint identifying unit 40 identifies one joint 20 as a joint to be cooled based on the future remaining life of each of the plurality of joints 20 estimated in step S3. When the joint identification unit 40 completes the identification, the process of the control device 14 moves to step S5.

In step S5, the condition determination unit 42 determines that the base 18 is lower than the joint to be cooled based on the future remaining life of each of the plurality of joints 20 estimated in step S3 and the joint to be cooled specified in step S4. Conditions for cooling operation for at least one of the side joints 20 are determined. When the determination by the condition determination unit 42 is completed, the process of the control device 14 moves to step S6.

In step S6, the motor control unit 44 controls the motor 22 of each of the plurality of joints 20 according to the movement program to cause the multi-joint arm 16 to perform one of the plurality of movements specified in the movement program. Let it run. When the control of the motor control unit 44 for executing one operation is completed, the processing of the control device 14 moves to step S7.

In step S7, the life estimation unit 38 acquires the actual life consumption consumed in the operation of step S6, and updates the value of the remaining life stored in the storage unit 32 using the acquired life consumption. When the value of the remaining life stored in the storage unit 32 is updated, the process of the control device 14 moves to step S8.

In step S8, the motor control unit 44 recognizes whether the operation program specifies a standby state in which the motor waits for the next operation after the operation executed in step S6. Here, if the standby state is not defined in the operation program, the process of the control device 14 returns to step S1. On the other hand, if the standby state is specified in the operation program, the process of the control device 14 moves to step S9.

In step S9, the measurement unit 36 measures the time from the time when it receives from the robot 12 the notification of the end of the operation according to the control of the motor control unit 44 at step S6 to the time when it receives the command to start the next operation from the outside. measure. Further, the motor control unit 44 operates at least one motor 22 of the joint 20 closer to the base 18 than the joint to be cooled, according to the cooling operation conditions determined in step S5, until receiving the command to start the next operation. The control causes the multi-joint arm 16 to perform a cooling operation. When the control device 14 receives an instruction to start the next operation from the outside, the motor control unit 44 stops the cooling operation, and the process of the control device 14 moves to step S10.

In step S10, the life estimation unit 38 acquires the actual life consumption consumed in the cooling operation in step S9, and updates the value of the remaining life stored in the storage unit 32 using the acquired life consumption. When the value of the remaining life stored in the storage unit 32 is updated, the process of the control device 14 returns to step S1.

In this manner, the control device 14 repeatedly performs each process of steps S1 to S10 until all steps of the operating program are completed or until an emergency stop command is received from the outside.

[Modified example]
The following modifications can be made to the above embodiment.

(Modification 1)
The condition determining unit 42 may set the conditions for the cooling operation such that the longer the future remaining life of the motor 22 for cooling the joint to be cooled, the greater the drive amount when the motor 22 performs the cooling operation. The motor control unit 44 controls the motor 22 in accordance with the conditions of the cooling operation so that the longer the future remaining life, the greater the amount of drive of the motor 22. Thereby, it is possible to cool the joints 20 on the distal side of the joints 20 with shorter future remaining lives, while reducing variations in the future remaining lives of the joints 20 used for cooling. As a result, variations in the plurality of joints 20 can be reduced.

(Modification 2)
The condition determining unit 42 may obtain, as a condition for the cooling operation, a rotation angle at which the multi-joint arm 16 does not operate in an area other than the operation permitted area. That is, the condition determining unit 42 obtains the rotation angle within a range in which the multi-joint arm 16 does not operate in a region other than the predetermined motion permission region. Thereby, during the cooling operation of the robot 12, it is possible to avoid contact between the robot 12 and members around the robot 12.

(Modification 3)
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of a robot control system 10 according to modification 3. Note that components equivalent to those of the robot control system 10 of the above embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

The robot control system 10 of this modification includes a plurality of robots 12, a plurality of control devices 14, and a management device 50. In the robot control system 10 of this modification, one robot 12 is connected to each of the plurality of control devices 14. Each of the plurality of control devices 14 holds an operation program and controls the corresponding robot 12 according to the operation program. The operation program held by each of the plurality of control devices 14 may be common to the plurality of control devices 14 or may be different for each of the plurality of control devices 14.

Note that a plurality of robots 12 may be connected to at least one of the plurality of control devices 14. When a plurality of robots 12 are connected to at least one of the plurality of control devices 14, the control device 14 to which the plurality of robots 12 are connected individually controls each of the plurality of robots 12 according to an operation program. do. In this case, the operation program may be common to the plurality of robots 12 or may be different for each of the plurality of robots 12.

The management device 50 manages the plurality of robots 12. The management device 50 manages the plurality of robots 12 by exchanging various information with the control device 14 connected to each of the plurality of robots 12 via the network 52.

The management device 50 includes the program analysis section 34, measurement section 36, life estimation section 38, joint identification section 40, condition determination section 42, and motor control section 44 of the above embodiment. Note that a servo amplifier that drives the motor 22 under the control of the motor control unit 44 is provided in each of the plurality of robots 12.

In the third modification, the management device 50 rotates the joints 20 that require cooling in the multi-joint arms 16 for each of the plurality of robots 12, thereby increasing the lifespan of the joints 20 for each of the plurality of multi-joint arms 16. Variations can be reduced all at once.

Note that the management device 50 had all of the program analysis section 34, measurement section 36, life estimation section 38, joint identification section 40, condition determination section 42, and motor control section 44. However, each of the control devices 14 connected to the plurality of robots 12 has a part of the program analysis section 34, the measurement section 36, the life estimation section 38, the joint identification section 40, the condition determination section 42, and the motor control section 44. You may.

Further, one robot 12 among the plurality of robots 12 may function as the management device 50. In this case, the control device 14 connected to one robot 12 functioning as the management device 50 includes a program analysis section 34, a measurement section 36, a life estimation section 38, a joint identification section 40, a condition determination section 42, and a motor control section 44. has. Note that a servo amplifier that drives the motor 22 under the control of the motor control unit 44 is provided in each of the plurality of robots 12.

(Modification 4)
In the third modification described above, one control device 14 is directly connected to one robot 12. However, one control device (hereinafter referred to as an overall control device) 14 may be connected to a plurality of robots 12 via the network 52. The overall control device 14 controls each of the plurality of robots 12 individually.

The control content for controlling each of the plurality of robots 12 may be common to the plurality of robots 12, or may be different for each of the plurality of robots 12, as described above. Note that the overall control device 14 may be incorporated into the management device 50 or may be provided separately from the management device 50. However, a servo amplifier that drives the motor 22 under the control of the motor control unit 44 is provided in each of the plurality of robots 12.

[invention]
A first invention and a second invention will be described below as inventions that can be understood from the above embodiments and modifications.

<First invention>
A first invention provides control for controlling a robot (12) that has a multi-joint arm (16) having at least two or more joints (20) and a base (18) that supports the multi-joint arm (16). It is a device (14). The control device (14) analyzes a program that includes, as steps, each of a plurality of motions for the multi-jointed arm (16) and at least one standby state in which the next motion is waited between temporally adjacent motions. Based on the analysis results of the program analysis unit (34) and the program analysis unit (34), multiple Based on the life estimation unit (38) that estimates the future remaining life of each joint (20) and the future remaining life of each of the plurality of joints (20), the ranking from the side closest to the base (18) is 2. A joint identification unit (40) that identifies one joint (20) after the th joint (20) as a joint to be cooled that requires cooling; A motor control unit (44) that controls a motor (22) that rotates a joint (20) closer to the base (18) than the joint to be cooled so that the difference in future remaining life between the joint (20) and the joint (20) to be cooled is reduced. ) and.

As a result, while cooling the joint to be cooled and the joint (20) on the opposite side of the base (18) from the joint to be cooled, the future of the joint (20) on the side of the base (18) used for cooling is cooled. Variations in remaining life can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to reduce variations in the lifespan of the plurality of joints (20), and it is possible to extend the future remaining lifespan of the joint that deteriorates the fastest.

The program analysis unit (34) stores the branch selection at the step having the branch instruction in the storage unit (32) as history information, and the life estimation unit (38) stores the history information stored in the storage unit (32). The future remaining life may be estimated based on the analysis result of the program analysis section (34). This makes it possible to estimate the future remaining lifespan by taking branch selection in a branch instruction into consideration.

The control device (14) includes a measuring unit (14) that measures the time from the time when it receives from the robot (12) a notification of the end of the operation immediately before the standby state to the time when it receives from the outside a command to start the next action in the standby state. 36), and the life estimation section (38) may estimate the future remaining life based on the time measured by the measurement section (36) and the analysis result of the program analysis section (34). Since the heat generated in the joint (20) is radiated during the standby state, the life span of the joint (20), which is correlated with the amount of heat generated by the joint (20), tends to change depending on whether or not the joint (20) is in the standby state. Therefore, by estimating the future remaining life based on the actually measured standby time, the estimation accuracy can be improved compared to the case where the future remaining life is simply estimated from multiple operations. .

The life estimation unit (38) may estimate the future remaining life each time one step is executed. As a result, the future remaining life can be brought closer to the true value than when the future remaining life is estimated every time a plurality of steps are executed, and as a result, the estimation accuracy can be improved.

The joint specifying unit (40) may specify, as the joint to be cooled, one of the joints (20) that are second or subsequent in rank from the side closest to the base (18) and have the shortest future remaining life. Thereby, the joint (20) with the shortest future remaining life can be cooled.

The motor control unit (44) controls the motor (22) so that the longer the future remaining life of the motor (22) for cooling the joint to be cooled, the greater the drive amount when the motor (22) performs the cooling operation. You may. Thereby, it is possible to reduce variations in the future remaining life of the joint (20) on the side of the base (18) used for cooling.

<Second invention>
A second invention provides control for controlling a robot (12) that includes a multi-joint arm (16) having at least two or more joints (20) and a base (18) that supports the multi-joint arm (16). This is a method of controlling the device (14). The control method includes an analysis step of analyzing a program that includes each of a plurality of motions for the multi-joint arm (16) and at least one standby state in which the next motion is waited between temporally adjacent motions. S1) and the analysis of the plurality of joints (20) when a predetermined time has passed since the start of the unexecuted step or when a predetermined number of steps have passed, based on the analysis results of the analysis step (S1). Based on the life estimation step (S3) of estimating the future remaining life of each joint and the future remaining life of each of the plurality of joints (20), one A joint identification step (S4) of identifying the joint (20) as a joint to be cooled that requires cooling, and a joint (20) closer to the base (18) than the joint to be cooled and the joint to be cooled in the standby state. a motor control step (S9) for controlling a motor (22) that rotates a joint (20) closer to the base (18) than the joint to be cooled so that the difference in future remaining life between the joint and the joint to be cooled is reduced; .

As a result, while cooling the joint to be cooled and the joint (20) on the opposite side of the base (18) from the joint to be cooled, the future of the joint (20) on the side of the base (18) used for cooling is cooled. Variations in remaining life can be reduced. As a result, variations in the lifespan of the plurality of joints (20) can be reduced.

The analysis step (S1) stores branch selection in a step having a branch instruction as history information in the storage unit (32), and the life estimation step (S3) stores the history information stored in the storage unit (32) and analysis. The future remaining life may be estimated based on the analysis result of step (S1). This makes it possible to estimate the future remaining lifespan by taking branch selection in a branch instruction into consideration. Therefore, the estimation accuracy can be improved compared to the case where the future remaining life is simply estimated from a plurality of operations.

The control method includes a measuring step (S9) of measuring the time from the time when a notification of the end of the operation immediately before the standby state is received from the robot (12) to the time when the start command for the next action in the standby state is received from the outside. The life estimation step (S3) may estimate the future remaining life based on the time measured in the measurement step (S9) and the analysis result in the analysis step (S1). Since the heat generated in the joint (20) is radiated during the standby state, the life span of the joint (20), which is correlated with the amount of heat generated by the joint (20), tends to change depending on whether or not the joint (20) is in the standby state. Therefore, by estimating the future remaining life based on the actually measured standby time, the estimation accuracy can be improved compared to the case where the future remaining life is simply estimated from multiple operations. .

The life estimation step (S3) may estimate the future remaining life each time one step is executed. As a result, the future remaining life can be brought closer to the true value than when the future remaining life is estimated every time a plurality of steps are executed, and as a result, the estimation accuracy can be improved.

In the joint identification step (S4), one of the joints (20) ranked second and subsequent to the base (18) with the shortest future remaining life may be identified as the joint to be cooled. Thereby, the joint (20) with the shortest future remaining life can be cooled.

The motor control step (S9) controls the motor (22) so that the longer the future remaining life of the motor (22) for cooling the joint to be cooled, the greater the drive amount when the motor (22) performs the cooling operation. You may. Thereby, it is possible to reduce variations in the future remaining life of the joint (20) on the side of the base (18) used for cooling.

<Third invention>
A third invention provides a plurality of robots ( 12). The management device (50) controls, for each of the plurality of robots (12), each of the plurality of motions for the multi-jointed arm (16) and at least one standby state in which the next motion is waited between temporally adjacent motions. A program analysis unit (34) that analyzes a program including as a step, and a program analysis unit (34) for each of the plurality of robots (12), based on the analysis results of the program analysis unit (34), a predetermined period of time after the start of an unexecuted step. or a predetermined number of steps. Based on the future remaining life of each joint (20), a joint (20) that is ranked second or later from the side closest to the base (18) is identified as a cooling target joint that requires cooling. (40), and for each of the plurality of robots (12), the difference in future remaining life between the joint to be cooled and the joint (20) on the base side of the joint to be cooled is made smaller during the standby state. , a motor control unit (44) that controls a motor (22) that rotates a joint (20) closer to the base (18) than the joint to be cooled.

As a result, for each of the plurality of robots (12), the joint to be cooled and the joint (20) on the opposite side of the base (18) from the joint to be cooled are cooled, while the base (18) used for cooling is cooled. ) side joint (20) can reduce variations in future remaining lifespan. As a result, it is possible to reduce variations in the lifespan of the plurality of joints (20) for each of the plurality of robots (12), and it is possible to extend the future remaining life of the joint that deteriorates the fastest.

10...Robot control system 12...Robot 14...Control device 16...Multi-joint arm 18...Base 20, 20A to 20D...Joint 22...Motor 30...Processor 32...Storage unit 34...Program analysis unit 36...Measurement unit 38...Life span Estimating unit 40...Joint identifying unit 42...Condition determining unit 44...Motor control unit 50...Managing device

Claims (11)

A control device for controlling a robot having a multi-joint arm having at least two or more joints and a base supporting the multi-joint arm,
a program analysis unit that analyzes a program that includes, as steps, each of a plurality of motions for the multi-joint arm and at least one standby state in which the next motion is waited between the temporally adjacent motions;
Based on the analysis result of the program analysis unit, calculate the future remaining life of each of the plurality of joints when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the unexecuted step, or when a predetermined number of steps have elapsed. a life estimator for estimating ;
Cooling one of the joints having the shortest future remaining life among those ranked second or later from the side closest to the base, or one joint having the future remaining life shorter than a predetermined threshold . a joint identification unit that identifies joints to be cooled that require cooling;
In the standby state, the joint that is closer to the base than the joint to be cooled is set so that the difference in future remaining life between the joint to be cooled and the joint that is closer to the base than the joint to be cooled is smaller. a motor control unit that controls a motor that rotates the joint;
A control device comprising: The control device according to claim 1,
The program analysis unit stores branch selection at the step having a branch instruction as history information in a storage unit,
The life estimation unit is a control device that estimates the future remaining life based on the history information stored in the storage unit and the analysis result of the program analysis unit. The control device according to claim 1 or 2,
comprising a measuring unit that measures the time from the time when a notification of the end of the operation immediately before the standby state is received from the robot to the time when a start command for the next operation after the standby state is received from the outside;
The life estimation unit is a control device that estimates the future remaining life based on the time measured by the measurement unit and the analysis result of the program analysis unit. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The life estimating unit is a control device that estimates the future remaining life each time one of the steps is executed. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The motor control unit controls the motor such that the longer the future remaining life of the motor for cooling the joint to be cooled, the greater the drive amount when the motor performs a cooling operation. A control method for a control device that controls a robot including a multi-joint arm having at least two or more joints and a base that supports the multi-joint arm, the method comprising:
an analysis step of analyzing a program that includes, as steps, each of a plurality of motions for the multi-jointed arm and at least one standby state in which the next motion is waited between the temporally adjacent motions;
Based on the analysis result of the analysis step, estimate the future remaining life of each of the plurality of joints when a predetermined time has elapsed or a predetermined number of steps have elapsed since the start of the unexecuted step. a life estimation step ;
Cooling one of the joints having the shortest future remaining life among those ranked second or later from the side closest to the base, or one joint having the future remaining life shorter than a predetermined threshold . a joint identification step of identifying a joint as a target joint that requires cooling;
In the standby state, the joint that is closer to the base than the joint to be cooled is set so that the difference in future remaining life between the joint to be cooled and the joint that is closer to the base than the joint to be cooled is smaller. a motor control step of controlling a motor that rotates the joint;
control methods including. 7. The control method according to claim 6 ,
The analysis step stores branch selection in the step having a branch instruction as history information in a storage unit,
In the control method, the life estimation step estimates the future remaining life based on the history information stored in the storage unit and the analysis result of the analysis step. The control method according to claim 6 or 7 ,
a measuring step of measuring the time from the time when a notification of the end of the operation immediately before the standby state is received from the robot to the time when an instruction to start the next operation after the standby state is received from the outside;
In the control method, the life estimation step estimates the future remaining life based on the time measured in the measurement step and the analysis result in the analysis step. The control method according to any one of claims 6 to 8 ,
The life estimation step is a control method in which the future remaining life is estimated each time one of the steps is executed. The control method according to any one of claims 6 to 9 ,
In the motor control step, the motor is controlled such that the longer the future remaining life of the motor for cooling the joint to be cooled, the larger the drive amount when the motor performs a cooling operation. A management device for managing a plurality of robots including a multi-joint arm having a plurality of joints that rotate by driving a motor and a base supporting the multi-joint arm, the management device comprising:
For each of the plurality of robots, a program is analyzed that includes, as steps, each of a plurality of motions for the multi-jointed arm and at least one standby state in which the next motion is waited between the temporally adjacent motions. Program analysis department,
For each of the plurality of robots, based on the analysis result of the program analysis unit, the plurality of joints are detected when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the unexecuted step, or when a predetermined number of steps have elapsed. a life estimation unit that estimates the future remaining life of each of the
For each of the plurality of robots , one of the joints having the shortest future remaining life among those ranked second or later from the side closest to the base, or the joint having the future remaining life shorter than a predetermined threshold value. a joint identification unit that identifies one of the joints as a joint to be cooled that requires cooling;
For each of the plurality of robots, during the standby state, the joints to be cooled are set such that the difference in future remaining life between the joints to be cooled and the joints closer to the base than the joints to be cooled is smaller. a motor control unit that controls the motor that rotates the joint closer to the base than the base;
A management device comprising:

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