JPH0122119B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a remote control method intended to improve the accuracy of a robot's work on a workpiece, particularly when the workpiece has a complex shape or changes shape frequently. suitable.

When the object to be worked on is dangerous, the working environment is poor, or monotonous repetitive work is to be performed, it is desirable to use robots to perform these tasks in order to improve the working conditions of the workers. Therefore, robots must be controlled by a human operator by remote control, or, for simple tasks, must be operated automatically by numerical control.

Conventionally, as a remote control method for a robot, a method has often been used in which a worker operates the robot while using a telescope, an industrial television, or directly observing the workpiece and the robot with the naked eye.
However, with this method, when high precision is required or when the work is complex, it is difficult to operate the robot and highly skilled workers are required. Robots operated by numerical control do not have this problem at all, but if the shape of the workpiece or the content of the work changes frequently, new data must be created each time. It has the disadvantage of being lacking in sexuality.

In view of the above-mentioned problems with remote control of conventional robots, the present invention provides a remote control method for robots that can maintain high work accuracy without using an expensive numerical control device and can easily operate a robot even with complex work. The purpose is to provide

The configuration of the remote control method for a robot of the present invention that achieves this object automatically operates a work robot that works on a work object by following the operation of the operating robot, and displays an image of the work object. A pair of imaging devices that respectively form images are made integrally movable in correspondence with the distance between the pupils of the driver, and a pair of semi-transparent mirrors is used to create three-dimensional virtual images of the two images, and the operating robot is formed through these semi-transparent mirrors. The present invention is characterized in that the driver operates the operating robot on the three-dimensional virtual image while simultaneously and overlappingly observing the three-dimensional virtual image.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the method for remotely controlling a robot according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in FIG. 1, which shows the basic concept of this embodiment, a work robot 12 that performs work on a work object 11 is equipped with a follow-up device 1 connected to an operating robot 14 operated by a driver 13.
5, it is designed to imitate the same movement as this operating robot 14. Work on the work object 11 includes various processing, assembly, measurement, movement, etc., and tools, gripping tools, or measuring instruments corresponding to these work forms are selectively attached to the tips of the work robot 12 and the operating robot 14. However,
Since the operating robot 14 does not perform actual work, the operating robot 14 may be equipped with a model of a tool, gripping tool, or measuring instrument.
Note that the work robot 1 with respect to the operation robot 14
As the follow-up device 15 of No. 2, it is preferable to use a conventionally well-known mechanical copying device using an electrical copying device, a hydraulic device, or the like. Two identical industrial television cameras 16, 17 each obtaining an image of the workpiece 11
The distance between the optical axes of those photographic lenses is
The work objects 11 are arranged parallel to each other so that the pupillary distance PD of 3 is equal to
move in unison along the The above image is stereoscopic mirror 1
By observing the images of the two work objects 11 displayed on the projection image receiving screen assembled in the robot 9 and through the image stereoscopic device 19, the operator 13 can operate the robot 14 as if it were a robot 14. The illusion is created that the work is being performed on a three-dimensional virtual image 20 of the object 11. As shown in FIG. 2a showing the structure of the image stereoscopic device 19 according to this embodiment, each of the driver's 13 and the driver's 13 45 in the opposite direction to the observation direction of
A pair of semi-transparent mirrors 23 and 24 tilted by degrees are fixed, and the two industrial television cameras 1
The mirror housing 22 is placed so that two picture tubes (braun tubes) 25 and 26 connected to the mirrors 6 and 17 face each other so that they face the semi-transparent mirrors 23 and 24.
is attached to. Note that the optical path lengths from the eyepiece section 21 to the left and right picture tubes 25 and 26 must be set equal. In this embodiment, a pair of semi-transparent mirrors 23 and 24 are used so that the actual operating robot 14 and the three-dimensional virtual image 20 of the work object 11 can be observed at the same time. A similar effect can be expected by using a total reflection mirror with numerous small holes or a total reflection mirror equipped with an extremely short-period flicker mechanism. In addition,
Industrial television camera 1 used as an imaging device
Instead of 6 and 17, an image fiber may be used as the image transmission path, and the optical signal may be directly projected onto the screen.

In this way, the three-dimensional virtual image 20 of the work object 11 and the work robot 12 is created using the semi-transparent mirrors 23, 24, etc.
and the actual operating robot 14 are observed at the same time, so that the three-dimensional virtual image of the operating robot 12 and the operating robot 14 can be observed at the same size.
6, 17 or the distance between the eyepiece 21 and the picture tube 2.
If the industrial television cameras 16 and 17 are equipped with zoom lenses, this adjustment can be easily performed by operating the zoom lenses. Therefore, when the zoom lenses of the industrial television cameras 16 and 17 are operated to enlarge the three-dimensional virtual image 20, highly accurate work can be performed, but at the same time, the operation of the eyepiece section 21 and the It is possible to perform more precise and complex work by bringing the distance between the robot 14 closer and matching the sizes of the operating robot 14 and the three-dimensional virtual image of the work robot 12. In addition, in this embodiment, a reflective stereoscopic mirror 1 is used.
Since 9 is used, the 3D virtual image is 20 as it is.
Since this is a left-right inverted image, an erect image of the workpiece 11 is obtained by reversing the sweeping directions of the receivers 25 and 26 connected to the industrial television cameras 16 and 17. Also, pupillary distance PD is driver 1
3, but unless the work is of very high precision, the distance between the optical axes of the photographing lenses of the industrial television cameras 16 and 17 and the distance between the pupils of the driver 13.
There is no problem even if the PD is a little crazy.

As described above, according to the remote control method for a robot of the present invention, the operator moves the operating robot to follow the three-dimensional virtual image of the work object using a pair of translucent mirrors. Therefore, there is no need to make a model for copying,
Excellent versatility. In addition, it is possible to perform work while matching the virtual image of the work robot with the operating robot, and the three-dimensional virtual image of the work object can be enlarged as necessary, making it possible to perform highly accurate work even on complex work objects. This can be done reliably.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the principle structure of an embodiment of the robot remote control method according to the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a principle diagram showing the structure of the image stereoscopic device. Object, 12 is a work robot, 13
is a driver, 14 is an operating robot, 15 is a tracking device, 16 and 17 are industrial television cameras, 19 is an image stereoscopic device, 21 is an eyepiece, 23 and 24 are semi-transparent mirrors, and 25 and 26 are picture tubes. , PD is the pupillary distance.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A work robot that works on a work object is automatically operated following the operation of the operating robot, and a pair of imaging devices that respectively form images of the work work object are arranged to correspond to the distance between the pupils of the driver. The driver can simultaneously and overlappingly observe the three-dimensional virtual images of the two images through a pair of semi-transparent mirrors and the operating robot through these semi-transparent mirrors. A remote control method for a robot, characterized in that the operation robot is used to perform the work.