JP6379921B2 - Robot operation device, robot system, and robot operation program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a robot operation device used when manually operating a robot, a robot system including the robot operation device, and a robot operation program used in the robot system.

  For example, in an industrial robot system, it is possible to manually operate the robot (manual operation). Such an operation is used when, for example, teaching work (teaching) is performed. In this case, the user manually operates the robot using a pendant (teaching pendant) connected to a controller that controls the robot. For this reason, the pendant is provided with various operation keys (keys composed of mechanical switches) dedicated for manual operation (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-142480 A

  A touch panel that can be touch-operated is often used for the display part of the pendant. If the above manual operation can be performed by a touch operation using such a touch panel, there is no need to provide a dedicated operation key, and the pendant can be downsized (or the screen size of the display unit can be increased) and the price can be reduced. The effect that can be realized is expected. However, the following problem arises only by a simple replacement such as forming a touch switch similar to a dedicated operation key on the touch panel.

  That is, in the case of a physical operation key, the user can grasp the position of the operation key to be operated by groping without looking directly at the pendant, depending on the skill level of the operation. On the other hand, the position of the touch switch formed on the touch panel cannot be grasped by groping unlike the operation keys. When manual operation of the robot is performed, it is extremely important in terms of safety that the user does not turn his / her line of sight from the robot, that is, does not look directly at the pendant. However, if the operation key is simply replaced with a touch switch, the user will need to look at the display of the pendant every time the operation is performed. There is a risk.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a robot operation device that can realize manual operation of a robot by touch operation without causing a decrease in safety, and the robot operation device. Another robot system and a robot operation program used for the robot system.

(Claim 1)
The robot operation device according to claim 1 is a touch panel that receives an input of a touch operation from a user, a touch operation detection unit that can detect a touch operation in a planar direction input to the touch panel, and a detection of the touch operation detection unit. An operation command generating unit that generates an operation command for operating the robot based on the result. That is, the robot operation device realizes manual operation of the robot by touch operation. The robot to be operated by this robot operating device is an articulated robot having a plurality of drive axes. In the case of manually operating such an articulated robot, either of a combination of driving a plurality of drive axes based on the hand of the robot or driving each drive axis individually is conceivable. . In the following description, an aspect based on the hand of the former robot is referred to as an operation of the hand system, and an aspect of individually driving each of the drive axes is referred to as an operation of each axis system.

  In the industry, a 4-axis robot having four drive axes and a 6-axis robot having six drive axes are frequently used. In general, such manual operation of the robot is often used for fine adjustment in the final stage of adjustment of the robot, for example. Therefore, in the manual operation of the robot, it is sufficient if a fine operation based on the hand of the robot is possible.

  In this case, in the operation of the hand system, both the 4-axis type robot and the 6-axis type robot move the robot hand in a horizontal plane direction with respect to the robot operation reference plane, which is referred to as a horizontal movement operation, It is sufficient that an operation of moving the robot hand called a moving operation in the vertical axis direction orthogonal to the operation reference plane and an operation of rotating the robot hand called a rotating operation around the vertical axis can be performed. it is conceivable that. Therefore, the robot operating device is capable of operating at least three types of operation modes, that is, in the case of executing a hand system operation regardless of whether a 4-axis type robot or a 6-axis type robot is to be operated. It is necessary to switch between a horizontal movement operation, a vertical movement operation, and a rotation operation as appropriate.

  Further, when performing the operation of each axis system, the robot operating device needs to be able to operate by appropriately switching each drive axis. In this case, for example, when a four-axis type robot is to be operated, the number of types of operation inputs required for the robot operation device is four. In addition, in the case where a six-axis type robot is an operation target, the number of operation inputs required for the robot operation device is six.

  However, many common touch panels detect inputs in the X direction and the Y direction when the screen is an XY plane, that is, two-dimensional inputs such as a user tracing the screen, that is, two types of operation inputs. . Therefore, when a touch panel is adopted as the robot operation device, it is necessary to switch and execute a plurality of types of operations with a two-dimensional operation input. In addition, the operation is required to be intuitive to the user and to be performed without looking directly at the screen as much as possible.

  Therefore, the operation command generation unit of the robot operation device according to claim 1 can perform an operation determination process, an operation target determination process, and an operation command generation process. In the operation determination process, when the touch operation detected by the touch operation detection unit is a drag operation, whether or not a segment point that divides the drag operation into the first half section and the second half section is included in all sections of the drag operation. This is a process for determining whether or not. The operation target determination process is a process of determining the drive axis or drive mode of the robot to be operated based on the operation direction in the first half section when the drag operation includes a division point. In the motion command generation process, when the drag operation includes a dividing point, the movement direction of the robot is determined based on the operation direction in the second half section and the movement amount of the robot is determined based on the operation amount in the second half section. It is the process which produces | generates the operation command for moving.

  In this case, the drag operation may be performed by determining the start point and end point of the operation on the touch panel. The start point of the operation is a position where the user touches the finger on the touch panel. The end point of the operation is a position where the user releases the finger from the touch panel. In this case, the drag operation includes a so-called flick operation in which the user flips his / her finger on the touch panel.

  According to this, for example, when the operation of the hand system is the operation target, the robot operation device performs the drag operation in the first half section in different operation directions for the horizontal movement operation, the vertical movement operation, and the rotation operation. Can be assigned. Further, for example, when the operation of each axis system is an operation target, the robot operation device can assign the drag operation of the first half section to different operation directions for each drive axis. Thereby, the user can set the drive axis or the operation mode as the operation target by setting the operation direction of the drag operation in the first half section to the direction corresponding to the drive axis or the operation mode to be operated. The user can move the robot by determining the amount of movement of the robot by performing a drag operation in the second half section. In this case, the movement amount of the robot includes not only the actual movement amount of the robot, that is, the movement distance of the robot, but also the movement speed or movement time of the robot. This is because the movement distance is determined if the movement speed and the movement time are determined.

  According to the robot operation device of the first aspect, the user can select the drive axis or the operation mode to be operated by changing the direction of the drag operation in the first half section. Then, the user can move the robot by determining the moving direction and moving amount of the robot by a drag operation in the latter half section. Therefore, the robot operation device can use the touch panel and enable an intuitive operation without the user looking directly at the screen. As a result, the operability is improved, and the manual operation of the robot can be realized by the touch operation without deteriorating the safety. In addition, since the operability is improved, the time required for teaching can be shortened.

  Here, for example, in some robot operation devices, once a drive shaft or operation mode to be operated is selected, a manual operation can be performed without selecting the operation target again unless the operation target is changed. However, in a situation where manual operation of the robot is performed, it is also conceivable that the user performs the manual operation of the robot again after temporarily suspending the manual operation of the robot and performing other work. In this case, if the user misunderstood and memorizes the operation target selected last time, when the robot is operated again, an operation unintended by the user may be performed. On the other hand, according to the robot operation device of the first aspect, the user selects a drive axis or an operation mode to be operated every time the operation is performed. Therefore, it is easy for the user to be aware of which drive shaft or operation mode is currently targeted for operation. Thereby, malfunction due to misunderstanding of the user can be suppressed, and as a result, safety is improved.

  Moreover, this robot operation device is also advantageous in that an input operation can be easily performed with one finger. This advantage is also effective when using a pointing device such as a so-called touch pen or stylus pen. In other words, considering the operating environment of industrial robots, the user may be wearing gloves to ensure the user's safety, or a substance that obstructs the touch operation such as lubricating oil may adhere to the user's fingers. There is sex. In this case, even if the user performs a touch operation with a finger, the robot operation apparatus may not recognize the touch operation accurately. On the other hand, even when the user is wearing gloves or when the user's fingers are attached with lubricating oil or the like, the user can perform an accurate touch operation by using the pointing device described above. Can do. For these reasons, when the robot operating device is an industrial robot, the above pointing device can be easily used.

In the robot operation device according to claim 1 , the division point is a point where an operation direction of the drag operation changes or a point where the drag operation is temporarily stopped. In the following description, a point where the operation direction of the drag operation changes is referred to as a change point. A point where the drag operation is paused is referred to as a pause point. According to this, when the drag operation is performed, the operation command generation unit determines that the section from the start point of the drag operation to the change point or the pause point is the first half section, and the change point or the pause point. To the end point of the drag operation is determined to be the second half. Therefore, the user can divide the drag operation into the first half section and the second half section by changing the direction of the drag operation or temporarily stopping the drag operation during the drag operation. As a result, the distinction between the first half section and the second half section of the series of drag operations becomes clear and operability is improved.

  In addition, by providing a change point or a temporary stop point between the first half section and the second half section, the user can simply change the operation direction in the middle of the drag operation or temporarily stop the drag operation. Will perform different operations. Thereby, the user can be aware that the drive axis or the operation mode to be operated is switched by the drag operation having the division point. For this reason, it is suppressed that a user switches to the drive shaft or operation | movement mode which is not intended accidentally, and the improvement of safety | security is achieved.

(Claim 2 )
In the industry, a 4-axis horizontal articulated robot having four drive axes and a 6-axis vertical articulated robot having six drive axes are frequently used. When a 4-axis horizontal articulated robot is manually operated to operate each axis system, it is desirable that the operation command generator can determine four types of operation inputs in order to individually operate each drive axis. In the 4-axis horizontal articulated robot, there are four types of movements of the hand system: X direction, Y direction, Z direction, and Rz direction. Therefore, when a hand-operated system is manually operated on a 4-axis horizontal articulated robot, it is desirable that the operation command generator can determine four types of operation inputs in order to operate these four types of operations individually. . As described above, when the robot operation device targets a four-axis horizontal articulated robot for manual operation, it is desirable that the operation command generation unit can determine at least four types of operation inputs.

  Similarly, when a 6-axis vertical articulated robot is manually operated for each axis system, the operation command generator can determine 6 types of operation inputs in order to operate each drive axis individually. desirable. In the six-axis vertical articulated robot, there are six types of movements of the hand system: X direction, Y direction, Z direction, Rx direction, Ry direction, and Rz direction. Therefore, when a 6-axis vertical articulated robot is manually operated by a hand system, it is desirable that the operation command generator can determine six types of operation inputs in order to operate these six types of operations individually. . As described above, when the robot operation device targets a six-axis vertical articulated robot for manual operation, it is desirable that the operation command generation unit can determine at least six types of operation inputs.

Therefore, in the robot operation device according to claim 2 , the operation direction of the drag operation in the first half section is the vertical direction or the horizontal direction among the eight directions set at 45 ° intervals on the basis of the vertical direction or the horizontal direction on the touch panel. It is set to one of six directions excluding. Also, the operation direction of the drag operation in the second half section is set to a direction that is not included in the six directions of the horizontal direction or the vertical direction. In this case, the horizontal direction means two directions on the touch panel in the left-right direction. Further, the vertical direction means two directions on the touch panel, the vertical direction. In other words, the lateral direction means a direction parallel to the user's chest surface in a state where the user holds the robot operation device. Further, the vertical direction means a direction orthogonal to the horizontal direction.

  According to this, one of six directions is set for the drag operation in the first half section for selecting the drive axis or operation mode to be operated. Therefore, the operation command generation unit can distinguish and determine a maximum of six types of operation modes. According to such a robot operation device, the manual movement of the hand system and the operation of each axis system is performed in both the 4-axis horizontal articulated robot and the 6-axis vertical articulated robot which are widely used in the industry. Can correspond to the operation.

  Furthermore, the operation direction of the drag operation in the second half section is set to a direction not included in the operation direction of the first half section in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction. That is, the operation direction of the drag operation in the second half section is the horizontal direction or the vertical direction. In this case, since the drag operation in the first half section is an operation for determining the operation target, it is sufficient if the operation direction is determined. On the other hand, since the drag operation in the second half section includes an operation for determining the movement amount of the robot, the operation amount is also important. Here, in general, most of the touch panels employed in the robot operation device have a rectangular shape. Therefore, since the drag operation in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction can be performed with reference to the sides around the rectangular shape of the touch panel, the operation direction is clear and easy to operate compared to the oblique direction. In this robot operation device, the operation direction of the drag operation in the latter half section where the operation amount is important is set to a horizontal direction or a vertical direction that is relatively easy to operate. Thereby, the operability can be further improved, and as a result, the safety can be further improved.

(Claim 3 )
According to a third aspect of the present invention , the robot operation device can perform an operation determination process, a speed calculation process, and an operation command generation process. The operation determination process is a process of determining a finger movement amount by a drag operation when the touch operation detected by the touch operation detection unit is a drag operation. The speed calculation process is a process for calculating the movement speed of the robot based on the finger movement amount determined in the operation determination process. The motion command generation process is a process for generating a motion command for moving the robot at the moving speed calculated in the speed calculation process.

  According to this, the movement amount of the finger by the user's drag operation and the movement speed of the robot have a correlation. Therefore, the user can adjust the moving speed of the robot by adjusting the movement amount of the finger by the drag operation. Therefore, the user can perform an intuitive operation, and the operability is improved. As a result, safety can be improved and the time required for teaching can be reduced.

(Claim 4 )
According to the robot operation device of the fourth aspect , the motion command generation unit can perform the movement amount calculation process for calculating the movement distance of the robot based on the movement amount of the finger. According to this, the user can adjust the movement amount of the robot, that is, the movement distance by adjusting the movement amount of the finger by the drag operation. Further, in this robot operation device, the speed calculation process is a process of determining the movement speed of the robot based on a value obtained by dividing the movement amount of the finger by the time required for the input of the drag operation. According to this, the user can adjust the moving speed of the robot by adjusting the time required for the input of the drag operation.

  Therefore, when inputting the drag operation, the user can adjust both the movement speed and the movement amount of the robot by adjusting the movement amount and input time of the drag operation. That is, the user can adjust both the moving speed and the moving amount of the robot by one drag operation. Thereby, the user can perform an intuitive operation. Further, according to this, in order to determine the movement speed and movement amount of the robot, the user performs a plurality of operations, for example, an operation for determining the movement speed of the robot and an operation for determining the movement amount of the robot. There is no need to do it. Therefore, the operation is simplified and the operability is improved. As a result, the safety can be improved and the time required for teaching can be reduced.

(Claim 5 )
According to the robot operation device of the fifth aspect , the operation command generation unit can perform the operation determination process and the movement amount determination process. In the movement amount determination process, the magnification for determining the movement amount of the robot by enlarging or reducing the actual operation amount of the drag operation in the latter half section is determined until the drag operation passes through the first section from the dividing point. Is set to the first magnification which is a constant value smaller than 1, and after the drag operation passes the first section, the magnification is set to a value larger than the first magnification to determine the movement amount of the robot. .

  According to this, the user can move the robot at the first magnification which is a constant magnification smaller than 1 by performing the drag operation in the first interval with respect to the drag operation related to the latter half interval. That is, the user can cause the robot to perform a minute operation (fine movement) by repeating the drag operation related to the latter half section within the first section. In addition, the user can move the robot at a magnification larger than the first magnification with respect to a portion beyond the first section by dragging the first half of the drag operation related to the second half section. . That is, the user can cause the robot to perform a relatively large motion (coarse motion) by performing the drag operation related to the latter half section beyond the first section. As described above, the user can move the robot at different magnifications by one drag operation. That is, according to this, for example, both fine movement and coarse movement of the robot can be realized by a single drag operation. Therefore, the user can realize both fine movement and coarse movement without performing a special operation for switching between fine movement and coarse movement of the robot. As a result, the operation is simplified and the operability is improved. As a result, the safety is improved and the time required for teaching can be reduced.

(Claim 6 )
According to the robot operation device of the sixth aspect , in the movement amount determination process, the magnification is set to the second magnification until the finger movement of the drag operation passes through the first section and then passes through the second section. After the movement of the finger of the drag operation passes through the second section, the magnification is set to the third magnification which is a constant value, and the movement amount of the robot is determined. According to this, the user can move (finely move) the robot at the first magnification smaller than 1 by repeating the drag operation related to the second half section within the first section. Further, the user can move (roughly move) the robot at a second or third magnification larger than the first magnification by performing a drag operation related to the latter half of the section beyond the first section.

  Further, the second magnification is a value that continuously increases in accordance with the movement amount of the finger of the drag operation in the range from the first magnification to the third magnification. According to this, the second magnification, which is the magnification between the fine movement by the first magnification and the coarse movement by the third magnification, corresponds to the movement amount of the finger of the drag operation within the range from the first magnification to the third magnification. Increase continuously. That is, the first magnification and the third magnification, which are constant values, are connected by the second magnification that continuously changes. Therefore, the magnification for determining the movement amount of the robot with respect to the operation amount of the user's drag operation is switched from the first magnification to the third magnification through the gradually changing second magnification. Thereby, the magnification for determining the movement amount of the robot is prevented from rapidly switching from the first magnification to the third magnification. That is, it is possible to prevent the movement of the robot from rapidly changing from fine movement to coarse movement. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a rapid change (rapid movement) of the robot caused by a sudden change in magnification that is not intended by the user. As a result, the safety can be further improved.

(Claim 7 )
A robot system according to a seventh aspect includes a four-axis horizontal articulated robot, a controller that controls the operation of the robot, and the robot operation device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects. . A 4-axis horizontal articulated robot can perform operations of each axis system. On the other hand, as described above, the robot operating device can generate an operation command for operating each axis system in accordance with a manual operation by the user. Therefore, according to this means, the operation required for the robot to be operated can be realized by manual operation.

(Claim 8 )
A robot system according to an eighth aspect includes a six-axis vertical articulated robot, a controller that controls the operation of the robot, and the robot operation device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects. . A 6-axis vertical articulated robot can also operate in each axis system. On the other hand, as described above, the robot operating device can generate an operation command for operating each axis system in accordance with a manual operation by the user. Therefore, according to this means, the operation required for the robot to be operated can be realized by manual operation.

(Claim 9 )
A robot operation program according to a ninth aspect realizes the robot operation device according to the first aspect. According to this, by executing the robot operation program according to claim 9 by, for example, a general-purpose tablet PC having a touch panel, the function as the robot operation device described above is added to the general-purpose tablet PC. Can do.

1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an example of a 4-axis robot system according to a first embodiment. The block diagram which shows an example of the electrical structure of the teaching pendant by 1st Embodiment The figure which shows an example of drag operation with respect to teaching pendant about 1st Embodiment The figure which shows an example of drag operation which has a change point about 1st Embodiment The drag operation by 1st Embodiment is shown, (1) is a figure which shows the operation direction of the first half area, (2) is a figure which shows the operation direction of the second half area. The figure which shows the relationship of two adjacent operation directions about the drag operation of the first half area by 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the specific example of drag operation corresponding to the operation | movement of a hand system or the drive axis of each axis system about 1st Embodiment The flowchart which shows an example of the content of the various processes which an operation command generation part performs about 1st Embodiment (A) is a figure which shows an example of the erroneous touch by the hand holding a case about 1st Embodiment, (b) is a figure which shows an example of the detection exclusion area | region for preventing the erroneous touch. The figure which shows an example of drag operation which has a pause point about 2nd Embodiment The figure which shows a different part from FIG. 7 about the specific example of operation | movement of a hand system or the drag operation corresponding to the drive shaft of each axis system about 2nd Embodiment. Overall configuration diagram showing an example of a six-axis robot system according to a third embodiment The figure which shows the specific example of drag operation corresponding to the operation | movement of a hand system or the drive axis of each axis system about 3rd Embodiment The figure which shows an example of the drag operation which concerns on the latter half area input into a touch panel about 4th Embodiment The flowchart which shows an example of the content of the various processes which a control part performs about 4th Embodiment. The figure which shows the movement of the finger in a certain period among drag operations which concern on 5th Embodiment and are input into the latter half area input on a touch panel. Flowchart showing an example of the contents of various processes performed by the control unit in the fifth embodiment The figure which shows the movement amount | distance of the finger | toe by the drag operation which concerns on the latter half area input into a touch panel about 6th Embodiment Regarding the sixth embodiment, (1) is a diagram showing the correlation between the finger movement amount by the drag operation and the operation magnification, and (2) is a diagram showing the correlation between the finger movement amount by the drag operation and the robot movement amount. FIG. 20 shows another example of the sixth embodiment that is different from FIG. 20, in which (1) shows the correlation between the amount of finger movement by the drag operation and the operation magnification, and (2) shows the finger movement by the drag operation. Showing the correlation between the amount of movement and the amount of movement of the robot

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9.
FIG. 1 shows a system configuration of a general industrial robot. A robot system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a robot 2, a controller 3, and a teaching pendant 4 (corresponding to a robot operation device). The robot 2 is configured as, for example, a 4-axis horizontal articulated robot. The robot 2 operates based on a unique robot coordinate system (a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system including an X axis, a Y axis, and a Z axis). In this embodiment, the robot coordinate system is defined with the center of the base 5 as the origin O, the upper surface of the work table P as the XY plane, and the coordinate axis orthogonal to the XY plane as the Z axis. The upper surface of the work table P is an installation surface for installing the robot 2. In this case, the installation surface corresponds to the operation reference surface. Note that the operation reference plane is not limited to the installation plane, and may be an arbitrary plane.

  The robot 2 can rotate around a base 5 fixed to the upper surface of the work table P (hereinafter also referred to as an installation surface) and a first axis J11 having an axis in the Z-axis (vertical axis) direction on the base 5. A first arm 6 coupled to the second arm 7, a second arm 7 coupled to the tip of the first arm 6 so as to be rotatable about a second axis J12 having an axis in the Z-axis direction, and a second arm 7 It is comprised from the shaft 8 provided in the front-end | tip part so that it could move up and down and was able to rotate. The axis when moving the shaft 8 up and down is the third axis J13, and the axis when rotating the shaft 8 is the fourth axis J14. A flange 9 is positioned and attached to the tip (lower end) of the shaft 8 so as to be detachable.

  The base 5, the first arm 6, the second arm 7, the shaft 8 and the flange 9 function as arms of the robot 2. Although not shown, an end effector (hand) is attached to the flange 9 which is the arm tip. For example, when a part inspection or the like is performed using the robot 2, a camera or the like for photographing a target part is used as the end effector. A plurality of axes (J11 to J14) provided in the robot 2 are driven by motors (not shown) provided corresponding to the respective axes. In the vicinity of each motor, a position detector (not shown) for detecting the rotation angle of each rotation shaft is provided.

  A controller 3 that controls the robot 2 is connected to the robot 2 via a connection cable. The teaching pendant 4 is connected to the controller 3 via a connection cable. Data communication is performed between the controller 3 and the teaching pendant 4 via a communication interface (indicated by reference numeral 10 in FIG. 2). As a result, various types of operation information input in response to user operations are transmitted from the teaching pendant 4 to the controller 3. The controller 3 transmits various control signals and display signals to the teaching pendant 4 and supplies driving power.

  The controller 3 performs control so that the robot 2 operates manually when a signal for instructing manual operation is given from the teaching pendant 4. Further, when a signal for instructing an automatic operation is given from the teaching pendant 4, the controller 3 controls the robot 2 to automatically operate by starting an automatic program stored in advance.

  The teaching pendant 4 is, for example, a size that can be operated by being carried by a user or held by a hand, and includes, for example, a thin, substantially rectangular box-shaped case 11 as shown in FIG. The teaching pendant 4 includes a display unit 12 made of, for example, a liquid crystal display at the center of the surface side of the case 11. The display unit 12 includes a touch panel 17 and displays various screens. The teaching pendant 4 has a key switch 13 as various physical switches around the display unit 12. 1 and 3, one key switch 13 is shown. The key switch 13 may be substituted with a button displayed on the display unit 12 of the touch panel 17. The user executes various input operations from the touch panel 17 or the key switch 13 of the display unit 12.

  The user (operator) can execute various functions such as operation and setting of the robot 2 by using the teaching pendant 4, and calls the control program stored in advance to start the robot 2 and set various parameters. Etc. can be executed. Also, various teaching operations can be performed by operating the robot 2 by manual operation, that is, manual operation. For example, a menu screen, a setting input screen, a status display screen, and the like are displayed on the display unit 12 as necessary.

Next, the electrical configuration of the teaching pendant 4 will be described with reference to FIG.
The teaching pendant 4 includes a control unit 14, a touch operation detection unit 15, and an operation command generation unit 16 in addition to the communication interface 10, the display unit 12, and the key switch 13 described above. The control unit 14 is mainly configured by a microcomputer having a storage area 142 such as a CPU 141, a ROM, a RAM, and a rewritable flash memory, and controls the teaching pendant 4 as a whole. The storage area 142 stores a robot operation program. The control unit 14 virtually implements the touch operation detection unit 15 and the operation command generation unit 16 by software by executing a robot operation program in the CPU 141. The touch operation detection unit 15 and the operation command generation unit 16 may be realized in hardware as an integrated circuit integrated with the control unit 14, for example.

  The touch operation detection unit 15 detects a touch operation on the touch panel 17. Specifically, the touch operation detection unit 15 can detect the presence / absence of the touch operation, the position on the screen where the touch operation is performed (touch position), the time and type of the touch operation, and the like. That is, the touch operation detection unit 15 can detect the time of the touch operation, the direction of movement of the finger by the touch operation, the amount of movement of the finger, etc., including whether or not the touch operation is a drag operation. In the present embodiment, since the drag operation of one finger is targeted, the touch operation detection unit 15 does not need to distinguish the number of fingers by the touch operation, but is configured to distinguish and detect the number of fingers. But you can. A two-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system is set on the touch panel 17. The touch operation detection unit 15 detects the touch position, the type of touch operation, the movement direction (operation direction or drag direction), the movement amount (operation amount or drag amount), and the like based on the two-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system. be able to. The drag operation is an operation of moving a finger while being touched.

  The operation command generating unit 16 generates an operation command for manually operating the robot based on the touch operation detected by the touch operation detecting unit 15. The operation command generated by the operation command generation unit 16 is given to the controller 3 through the communication interface 10. By using the teaching pendant 4 having such a configuration, the user can perform manual operation of the robot 2 by touch operation.

  Here, the vertical direction and the horizontal direction with respect to the touch panel 17 are defined as follows. The vertical direction with respect to the touch panel 17 refers to the vertical direction in a state where the user operates with the teaching pendant 4, that is, the vertical direction, in this case, the vertical direction of the paper surface of FIG. Moreover, the horizontal direction with respect to the touch panel 17 means a direction orthogonal to the above-described vertical direction, that is, a horizontal direction, in this case, a horizontal direction on the paper surface of FIG. In other words, the horizontal direction with respect to the touch panel 17 refers to a direction parallel to the front surface of the user's body when the user operates with the teaching pendant 4. In this case, the vertical direction and the horizontal direction of the touch panel 17 mean relative directions with respect to the touch panel 17 as viewed from the user. That is, even if the orientation of the touch panel 17 is changed by rotating the teaching pendant 4 or the like, the relative relationship between the vertical direction and the horizontal direction with respect to the user does not change.

  That is, the vertical direction and the horizontal direction with respect to the touch panel 17 are not absolute with respect to the touch panel 17 and may be determined by a relative positional relationship between the user and the teaching pendant 4. Therefore, for example, the teaching pendant 4 can be configured as follows. The teaching pendant 4 is equipped with means for detecting its own posture such as an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor. The teaching pendant 4 determines a vertical direction (vertical direction) and a horizontal direction (horizontal direction) on the touch panel 17 with reference to the gravity direction and the initial posture. According to this, even if the attitude of the teaching pendant 17 changes, the vertical direction (vertical direction) and the horizontal direction (horizontal direction) on the touch panel 17 are maintained in a fixed direction as viewed from the user.

  The teaching pendant 4 has a horizontal movement operation in the X direction on the XY plane, a horizontal movement operation in the Y direction on the XY plane, and a vertical movement (Z direction) in the manual operation of the hand system of the robot 2. And the robot 2 can be made to perform a rotation operation (an operation in the Rz direction). The horizontal movement operation is an operation of moving the hand of the robot 2 in the XY plane direction that is horizontal with respect to the installation surface P. The vertical movement operation is an operation of moving the hand of the robot 2 in the Z-axis direction orthogonal to the installation surface P that is the operation reference plane. The rotation operation is an operation for rotating the hand of the robot 2 around the Z axis. In addition, the teaching pendant 4 can individually operate each of the first axis J11 to the fourth axis J14 in the manual operation of each axis system of the robot 2.

  The user performs a drag operation on the touch panel 17 when manually operating the robot 2. At that time, as shown in FIG. 3, the user changes the operation direction in the middle of the drag operation. When the touch operation detected by the touch operation detection unit 15 is a drag operation, the operation command generation unit 16 determines whether or not the segment point G is included in all sections of the drag operation. As shown in FIG. 4, the dividing point G is a point that divides the entire section D of the drag operation into the first half section D1 and the second half section D2. That is, the first half section D1 is a section from the start point Ks of the drag operation to the segment point G. The latter half section D2 is a section from the segment point G to the end point Ke of the drag operation. In the present embodiment, the division point G is a point where the operation direction of the drag operation changes (hereinafter referred to as a change point G1).

  When the drag operation includes the change point G1, the motion command generation unit 16 determines the drive axis or drive mode to be operated by the robot 2 based on the operation direction of the first half section D1. Thereafter, the motion command generation unit 16 determines the movement direction of the robot 2 based on the operation direction of the second half section D2, and determines the movement amount of the robot 2 based on the operation amount of the second half section D2. Then, the operation command generator 16 generates an operation command for moving the robot 2 with the determined movement direction and movement amount.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the operation direction of the drag operation in the first half section D1 excludes the horizontal direction among the eight directions set at 45 ° intervals with respect to the horizontal direction (left-right direction) on the touch panel 17. One of the directions, or one of the six directions excluding the vertical direction (vertical direction) orthogonal to the horizontal direction (horizontal direction) is set. In the case of this embodiment, the operation direction of the drag operation in the first half section D1 is the downward direction indicated by the arrow A1, the diagonally downward left direction indicated by the arrow A2, the diagonally upward left direction indicated by the arrow A3, and the upward direction indicated by the arrow A4. And is set to. The operation direction of the drag operation in the second half section D2 is set to a direction not included in the six directions of the horizontal direction (left-right direction) or the vertical direction (up-down direction). In the case of this embodiment, the operation direction of the drag operation in the second half section D2 is set in the horizontal direction (left-right direction) as shown by arrows B1 and B2 in FIG.

  Here, the reason why the operation direction of the drag operation in the first half section D1 is set at 45 ° intervals with reference to the horizontal direction (left-right direction) or the vertical direction (vertical direction) will be described with reference to FIG. The drag operation in the first half section D1 is an operation for determining a drive axis or operation mode to be operated. In this case, in a four-axis robot, there are four types of movements of the hand system to be manually operated: an X direction, a Y direction, a Z direction, and an Rz direction. In the 4-axis robot, the number of drive axes to be driven is four. In the six-axis vertical articulated robot, there are six types of movements of the hand system: X direction, Y direction, Z direction, Rx direction, Ry direction, and Rz direction. On the other hand, in a six-axis robot, the number of drive axes to be operated is six.

  Further, since it is necessary to distinguish the first half section D1 and the second half section D2, it is necessary to set the operation direction of the first half section D1 and the operation direction of the second half section D2 to be different operation directions. The drag operation in the second half section D2 is also for determining the moving direction of the robot. In this case, there are two robot movement directions, a positive direction (+ direction) and a negative direction (− direction). Therefore, two directions are required as the operation direction of the second half section D2.

  From the above, the operation directions of the drag operation need only be a total of eight directions including the six directions necessary for the first half section D1 and the two directions necessary for the second half section D2. This is the reason why the operation direction of the drag operation in the first half section D1 is set at 45 ° intervals with reference to the horizontal direction (left-right direction) or the vertical direction (up-down direction). In the operation of the hand system, the XYZ coordinate system shown in FIG. Further, in the operation of each axis system, the directions are positive (+) and negative (−) shown in FIG. In this case, the direction indicated by the arrow B1 shown in FIG. 5, that is, the right direction is the positive (+) direction, and the direction indicated by the arrow B2, that is, the left direction, corresponds to the negative (−) direction.

  Further, by setting the operation direction of the drag operation in the first half section D1 at 45 ° intervals, it is possible to reduce erroneous operations while ensuring the necessary operation direction. The reason is as follows. That is, the drag operation in the first half section D1 only needs to be determined in the operation direction, and the operation amount (operation distance) does not matter. Therefore, it is considered that the user intends to shorten the time required for operation input by shortening the operation distance of the drag operation in the first half section D1 as much as possible. However, if the operation distance of the drag operation in the first half section D1 is too short, it becomes difficult to determine the operation direction. Therefore, it is considered that the distance for the drag operation in the first half section D1 is required to be at least about 20 mm to 30 mm.

  Here, for example, it is assumed that a drag operation with an operation distance of 30 mm is performed for the drag operation in the first half section D1. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the distance between the starting point Ks of the drag operation and the 30 mm point in a certain operation direction, in this case, the change point G1 and the 30 mm point in another operation direction adjacent to the operation direction is About 23 mm. That is, with respect to the start point Ks of the drag operation, the distance from the 30 mm point (change point G1) in a certain operation direction to the boundary F with another adjacent operation direction is about 12 mm. For example, if the thickness of the fingertip of the user's index finger is 15 mm, the diameter of the finger contact portion H during the touch operation is approximately 10 mm. Therefore, as a distance until the contact portion H reaches the boundary F, a margin of about 7 mm larger than the radius 5 mm of the contact portion H is secured. As described above, if the interval is 45 °, a sufficient margin is ensured for the contact portion of the finger, so that an erroneous operation is unlikely to occur.

  Next, a specific example of the drag operation combining the first half section D1 and the second half section D2 will be described with reference to FIG. The white circle in FIG. 7 indicates the position of the touch operation, that is, the start position of the drag operation, and the white arrow indicates the direction of the drag operation. In this case, the change point G1 is not shown in FIG. 7 corresponds to the vertical direction (vertical direction) and the horizontal direction (horizontal direction) of the touch panel 17 in FIG. Although not shown in detail, for example, when the user performs a predetermined operation such as operating the key switch 13, the operation of the hand system and the operation of each axis system can be switched.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the plane movement operation in the X direction and the selection of the first axis J11 correspond to the downward drag operation of the first half section D1. That is, when the operation command generation unit 16 detects a downward drag operation, and then detects a left drag operation without the user's finger being separated from the touch panel 17, the plane movement operation in the X direction is performed. Alternatively, an operation command for moving the robot 2 to the negative (−) side by driving the first axis J11 is generated. In addition, when the operation command generation unit 16 detects a downward drag operation and then detects a right drag operation without the user's finger being separated from the touch panel 17, the X direction movement operation is performed. Alternatively, an operation command for moving the robot 2 to the positive (+) side by driving the first axis J11 is generated.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, the plane movement operation in the Y direction and the selection of the second axis J12 correspond to a drag operation in the diagonally downward left direction of the first half section D1. That is, when the operation command generation unit 16 detects a drag operation in the diagonally lower left direction and then detects a drag operation in the left direction without the user's finger being separated from the touch panel 17, the plane in the Y direction is detected. An operation command for moving the robot 2 to the negative (−) side is generated by the movement operation or driving of the second axis J12. In addition, when the operation command generation unit 16 detects a drag operation in the diagonally lower left direction and then detects a drag operation in the right direction without the user's finger being separated from the touch panel 17, the plane in the Y direction is detected. An operation command for moving the robot 2 to the positive (+) side is generated by the movement operation or driving of the second axis J12.

  As shown in FIG. 7 (3), the vertical movement operation in the Z direction and the selection of the third axis J13 correspond to a drag operation in the diagonally upper left direction of the first half section D1. That is, when the operation command generation unit 16 detects a drag operation in the upper left direction and then detects a drag operation in the left direction without the user's finger being separated from the touch panel 17, the vertical operation in the Z direction is performed. An operation command for moving the robot 2 to the negative (−) side is generated by the movement operation or driving of the third axis J13. In addition, when the operation command generation unit 16 detects a drag operation in the upper left direction and then detects a drag operation in the right direction without the user's finger being separated from the touch panel 17, the motion command generation unit 16 performs vertical operation in the Z direction. An operation command for moving the robot 2 to the positive (+) side is generated by the movement operation or driving of the third axis J13. In the 4-axis robot 2, the vertical movement operation in the Z direction is synonymous with the driving of the third axis J13.

  As shown in FIG. 7 (4), the rotation operation in the Rz direction and the selection of the fourth axis J14 correspond to the upward drag operation of the first half section D1. That is, when the operation command generation unit 16 detects an upward drag operation and then detects a drag operation in the left direction without the user's finger being separated from the touch panel 17, An operation command for moving the robot 2 to the negative (−) side is generated by driving the fourth axis J14. In addition, when the operation command generation unit 16 detects the upward drag operation and then detects the right drag operation without the user's finger being separated from the touch panel 17, An operation command for moving the robot 2 to the positive (+) side is generated by driving the fourth axis J14. In the four-axis robot 2, the rotation operation in the Rz direction and the driving of the fourth axis J14 are synonymous.

  In order to realize each operation as described above, the operation command generation unit 16 can execute an operation determination process, an operation target determination process, and an operation command generation process. In the operation determination process, when the touch operation detected by the touch operation detection unit 15 is a drag operation, it is determined whether or not the segment point G, in this case, the change point G1 is included in all sections of the drag operation. It is processing. The operation target determination process is a process of determining the drive axis or operation mode of the robot 2 to be operated based on the operation direction in the first half section D1 when the segment operation point G is included in the drag operation. The motion command generation process determines the moving direction of the robot 2 based on the operation direction in the second half section D2 and includes the robot 2 based on the operation amount in the second half section D2 when the segment operation point G is included in the drag operation. This is a process of determining an amount of movement and generating an operation command for moving the robot 2.

  When the touch operation detection unit 15 detects a drag operation, the operation command generation unit 16 executes the process shown in FIG. That is, the operation command generator 16 first executes step S11 as the operation determination process. In step S11, the operation command generation unit 16 determines whether or not the changing point G1 is included in all the sections of the drag operation detected by the touch operation detection unit 15. The operation command generator 16 determines whether or not the change point G1 is included, for example, as follows. That is, the motion command generating unit 16 detects the vector of the drag operation in all sections of the drag operation, and determines that the change point G1 is included when the vector changes beyond the threshold. In this case, the change point G1 is a point where the vector changes.

  For example, when the user starts the drag operation and then finishes the operation by releasing the finger from the touch panel 17 without changing the direction of the drag operation, the drag operation does not include the change point G1. In this case, since the change point G1 is not detected (NO in step S11), the operation command generator 16 ends the process. On the other hand, when the change command G1 is detected (YES in step S11), the operation command generator 16 executes steps S12 and S13 as the operation target determination process. In step S12, the operation command generator 16 determines the operation direction of the first half section D1. Further, in step S13, the motion command generator 16 determines the drive shaft or motion mode to be operated according to the content of FIG. 7 based on the operation direction of the first half section D1 determined in step 12.

  Thereafter, the operation command generation unit 16 executes steps S14 to S16 as the operation command generation process. In step S14, the operation command generation unit 16 determines the operation direction and the operation amount in the second half section. Next, in step S15, the motion command generator 16 calculates the movement direction and movement amount of the robot 2 based on the operation direction and operation amount determined in step S14. In step S16, the operation command generation unit 16 generates an operation command for moving the robot 2 with the calculated movement direction and movement amount, and ends the process. The operation command generated in step S16 is transmitted to the controller 3. Then, the controller 3 controls the operation of the robot 2 based on the operation command.

  According to this, the user can select the drive axis or drive mode to be operated by changing the direction of the drag operation in the first half section D1. Then, the user can move the robot 2 by determining the moving direction and moving amount of the robot 2 by a drag operation in the latter half section. That is, the user can manually operate the robot 2 by a so-called gesture operation (drag operation combining a plurality of operation directions). Therefore, such a teaching pendant 4 can use the touch panel 17 and enable an intuitive operation without the user looking directly at the screen. As a result, the operability is improved, and the manual operation of the robot 2 can be realized by the touch operation without deteriorating the safety. In addition, since the operability is improved, the time required for teaching can be shortened.

  In addition, some conventional teaching pendants store the operation target once the drive shaft or operation mode to be operated is selected, unless the operation target is changed. In such a conventional configuration, for example, the following inconvenience can be considered. That is, in a scene where the robot is manually operated, it is also conceivable that the user manually interrupts the robot's manual operation and performs another operation, and then performs the robot's manual operation again. In this case, if the user misunderstood and memorizes the operation target selected last time, when the robot is operated again, an operation unintended by the user may be performed. On the other hand, according to the teaching pendant 4 of the present embodiment, the user needs to select the drive shaft or operation mode to be operated every time the operation is performed. Therefore, it is easy for the user to be aware of which drive shaft or operation mode is currently targeted for operation. Thereby, malfunction due to misunderstanding of the user can be suppressed, and as a result, safety is improved.

  In the present embodiment, the segment point G is a change point G1 where the operation direction of the drag operation changes. According to this, when the drag operation is performed, the motion command generation unit 16 determines that the section from the drag operation start point Ks to the change point G1 is the first half section D1, and the section to the change point G1. Is determined to be the latter half section D2. Therefore, the user can divide the drag operation into the first half section D1 and the second half section D2 by changing the direction of the drag operation in the middle of the drag operation. Thereby, the distinction between the first half section D1 and the second half section D2 in the series of drag operations becomes clear, and the operability is improved.

  Also, by providing the change point G1 between the first half section D1 and the second half section D2, the user can change the operation direction in the middle of the drag operation, which is different from a simple straight drag operation. Will do. As a result, the user can be aware that an operation for switching the drive axis or operation mode to be operated is performed. For this reason, it is suppressed that a user switches to the drive shaft or operation | movement mode which is not intended accidentally, and the improvement of safety | security is achieved.

  Here, as described above, when the teaching pendant 4 targets a four-axis horizontal articulated robot as a manual operation target, it is desirable that the operation command generation unit can determine at least four types of operation inputs. In addition, when the teaching pendant 4 targets a six-axis vertical articulated robot for manual operation, it is desirable that the operation command generation unit can determine at least six types of operation inputs. According to the present embodiment, the drag operation in the first half section D1 includes any one of six directions excluding the vertical direction or the horizontal direction among the eight directions set at 45 ° intervals with respect to the vertical direction or the horizontal direction. Is set. That is, the operation command generation unit 16 can distinguish and determine up to six types of operation modes. According to this, in both the 4-axis type horizontal articulated robot and the 6-axis type vertical articulated robot that are widely used in the industry, it corresponds to the manual operation of the movement of the hand system and the operation of each axis system. Can do.

  Furthermore, the operation direction of the drag operation in the second half section D2 is set to a direction not included in the operation direction of the first half section D1 in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction. That is, the operation direction of the drag operation in the second half section D2 is the horizontal direction or the vertical direction. In this case, since the drag operation in the first half section D1 is an operation for determining the operation target, it is sufficient if the operation direction is determined. On the other hand, since the drag operation in the second half section D2 includes an operation for determining the movement amount of the robot 2, the operation amount is also important. In general, the touch panel 17 employed in the teaching pendant 4 has a rectangular shape. Therefore, since the drag operation in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction can be performed with reference to the sides around the rectangular shape of the touch panel 17, the operation direction is clear and easy to operate compared to the oblique direction. In the teaching pendant 4, the operation direction of the drag operation in the latter half section D2 where the operation amount is important is set to the horizontal direction or the vertical direction that is relatively easy to operate. Thereby, the operability can be further improved, and as a result, the safety can be further improved.

  Looking at the operating direction of the first half section D1 of each axis system, the first axis J11 is downward, the second axis J12 is diagonally downward to the left, the third axis J13 is diagonally upward to the left, and the fourth axis is upward. Is set. That is, the operation direction of the first half section D1 of each axis system is rotated in 45 ° increments clockwise with the increase of the axis number of each axis except for the horizontal direction. Therefore, the user can easily remember the operation direction of the first half section D1 and the drive shaft selected by the operation.

  The drag operation on the teaching pendant 4 is a so-called one-stroke drag operation with one finger. Therefore, the teaching pendant 4 has an advantage that an input operation can be easily performed with one finger. This advantage is also effective when using a pointing device such as a so-called touch pen or stylus pen. In other words, considering the operating environment of industrial robots, the user may be wearing gloves to ensure the user's safety, or a substance that obstructs the touch operation such as lubricating oil may adhere to the user's fingers. There is sex. In this case, even if the user performs a touch operation with a finger, the touch operation detection unit 15 may not accurately recognize the touch operation. On the other hand, even when the user is wearing gloves or when the user's fingers are attached with lubricating oil or the like, the user can perform an accurate touch operation by using the pointing device described above. Can do. For these reasons, when the robot operating device is an industrial robot, the above pointing device can be easily used.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the touch operation detection unit 15 detects a touch operation on the touch panel 17 provided on the case 11 that can be held by the user. In such a configuration, the user holds the case 11 with one hand and then performs each operation with the finger of the other hand. At this time, the finger of one hand holding the case 11 may accidentally touch the touch panel 17. As a result, an operation not intended by the user may be executed.

  Therefore, the touch operation detection unit 15 is adjacent to a grip part (shown with reference numeral 11a in FIG. 9A) that is assumed to be gripped when the user holds the case 11 on the touch panel 17. A touch operation on a predetermined range area (hereinafter referred to as a detection exclusion area) is excluded from the detection target. In this way, even if an erroneous touch is performed by the hand on the side of gripping (for example, the left hand), the erroneous touch is not detected, and thus an erroneous operation such as an operation unintended by the user is performed. It can be surely prevented.

  The present inventor conducted an operation test for a plurality of evaluators, in which the case 11 is gripped with one hand and a drag operation is performed with one finger using the other hand. In this operation test, two types of teaching pendant 4 were used: a device having a display unit 12 of about 7 inches and a device having a display unit 12 of about 4 inches. When the result was analyzed, when an apparatus having the display unit 12 of about 7 inches was used, the evaluator often held the case 11 as shown in FIG. That is, in the case of a right-handed evaluator, the lower left part (gripping part 11a) of the case 11 is gripped with the left hand. At this time, among the fingers of the left hand, the thumb touches the surface of the case 11 (the surface on which the touch panel 17 is provided). At that time, the thumb may accidentally touch an area adjacent to the grip portion 11 a of the touch panel 17.

  Therefore, when the size of the display unit 12 is about 7 inches, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the user grips the case 11, the radius around the position where the base of the thumb is likely to be located. An area within 50 mm is set as a detection exclusion area. The reason why the radius is within 50 mm is that the average length of the Japanese thumb is about 60 mm, and it is considered that the thumb's belly (fingerpad) comes into contact when touching incorrectly. Also in this case, when the user is left-handed, there is a high possibility that an erroneous touch will occur at a place where right and left are reversed, so that the detection exclusion region is also reversed left and right. Furthermore, analysis of the results of the operation test revealed that the angle of the thumb when the evaluator grips the case 11 (the angle with respect to the side surface of the case 11) is often about 65 degrees. . Therefore, the detection exclusion area may be changed to a fan shape of 65 degrees (an area indicated by hatching in FIG. 9B) instead of a semicircle having a radius of 50 mm.

  As a result of the operation test, when a device having a display unit 12 of about 4 inches was used, the finger of the hand holding the case 11 did not touch the touch panel 17. This is considered due to the fact that the entire case 11 is large enough to fit in one hand. Accordingly, when the size of the display unit 12 is about 4 inches, that is, when the case 11 is large enough to fit in one hand, it is considered unnecessary to set the detection exclusion region. On the other hand, when the size of the display unit 12 is about 7 inches, that is, when the case 11 is large enough to fit in one hand, it is necessary to set a detection exclusion region. Accordingly, the above-described detection exclusion area setting may be validated or invalidated according to the size of the case 11.

  In the robot system 1, malfunction due to the robot 2 is a particular problem, and it is necessary to reliably prevent its occurrence. On the other hand, due to the nature of touch operations, there is a relatively high possibility of erroneous determinations regarding touches. However, according to the present embodiment, since the above-described device is applied, it is possible to reliably prevent the malfunction of the robot 2 while realizing the manual operation of the robot 2 by the touch operation. .

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 11, a white arrow indicates the direction of the drag operation. A white circle at the base end of one of the two white arrows indicates a drag operation start position Ks. A white circle between the two white arrows indicates a point where the drag operation is paused (pause point G2).

  In the first embodiment, the dividing point G that divides the first half section D1 and the second half section D2 out of all the sections D of the drag operation is the change point G1 where the operation direction of the drag operation changes. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the segment point G employs a temporary stop point G2 shown in FIG. 10 instead of the change point G1 or together with the change point G1. The pause point G2 is a point where the drag operation is paused. In this case, the pause of the drag operation means that after the drag operation is started, the movement of the finger is stopped while the user's finger is touching the touch panel 17 without being released from the touch panel 17.

  In this case, when it is detected that the drag operation includes the pause point G2, the motion command generator 16 determines that the interval from the drag operation start point Ks to the pause point G2 is the first half interval D1. Further, the operation command generation unit 16 determines that the section from the temporary stop point G2 to the end point Ke of the drag operation is the second half section D2.

  According to this, the operation command generation unit 16 detects the first half section D1 and the second half section D2 separately without setting the operation direction of the first half section D1 and the operation direction of the second half section D2 to be different directions. Can do. That is, the operation direction of the first half section D1 and the operation direction of the second half section D2 may be different directions or the same direction. Therefore, for example, when the operation direction of the drag operation is set to 8 directions at 45 ° intervals as in the first embodiment, the operation directions of all the 8 directions are the operation direction of the first half section D1 and the operation direction of the second half section D2. Can be set to Thereby, the first half section D1 and the second half section D2 can be input linearly.

  In this case, for example, when viewing the plane movement operation in the X direction and the Y direction in the hand system of the four-axis robot 2, an operation method as shown in FIG. 11 can be realized. That is, in FIG. 11, the movement of the robot 2 to the negative (−) side in the plane movement operation in the X direction corresponds to an upward drag operation. In other words, the motion command generation unit 16 detects the upward drag operation, detects a pause of the drag operation, and then detects the upward drag operation again, and then moves the robot 2 in the plane movement operation in the X direction. An operation command for moving to the negative (-) side is generated. The movement of the robot 2 to the positive (+) side in the plane movement operation in the X direction corresponds to a downward drag operation. In other words, the motion command generation unit 16 detects the downward drag operation, detects the pause of the drag operation, and then detects the downward drag operation again, and then moves the robot 2 in the plane movement operation in the X direction. An operation command for moving to the positive (+) side is generated.

  Further, the movement of the robot 2 toward the negative (−) side in the plane movement operation in the Y direction corresponds to a drag operation in the left direction. That is, the motion command generation unit 16 detects the drag operation in the left direction, detects the suspension of the drag operation, and then detects the drag operation in the left direction again, then moves the robot 2 in the plane movement operation in the Y direction. An operation command for moving to the negative (-) side is generated. The movement of the robot 2 to the positive (+) side in the plane movement operation in the Y direction corresponds to a drag operation in the right direction. That is, the motion command generation unit 16 detects the drag operation in the right direction, detects the suspension of the drag operation, and then detects the drag operation in the right direction again, then moves the robot 2 in the plane movement operation in the Y direction. An operation command for moving to the positive (+) side is generated.

  According to this, the same effect as the first embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, the operation direction of the first half section D1 and the operation direction of the second half section D2 can be set in the same direction. Therefore, in order to determine the moving direction of the robot 2, it is not necessary to set the operation direction of the second half section D2 to be different from the operation direction of the first half section D1. Therefore, a linear operation is possible, and a more intuitive operation for the user is possible. Further, according to this, as described above, the operation direction of the first half section D1 and the operation direction of the second half section D2 can be set in the same direction. Therefore, the operation direction of the first half section D1 and the operation direction of the second half section D2 can be set. A wide variety of combinations with. Therefore, even if the teaching pendant 4 is a two-dimensional operation input to the touch panel 17, the types of operations that can be input are increased, and as a result, it is possible to cope with various operation modes of the robot.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the third embodiment, the type of the target robot is changed with respect to each of the above embodiments. The meanings of the white circles and white arrows in FIG. 13 are the same as those in FIG. The definition of the direction in FIG. 13 is the same as that in FIG. In FIG. 13, the change point G1 is not shown.

  The robot system 21 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 12 differs from the robot system 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in that a robot 22 is provided instead of the robot 2. The robot 22 is configured as, for example, a 6-axis vertical articulated robot. In other words, the shoulder portion 26 is coupled to the base 25 so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction via a first axis J21 having an axis in the Z-axis direction. A lower end portion of a lower arm 27 extending upward is connected to the shoulder portion 26 via a second axis J22 having an axis in the Y-axis direction so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. A first upper arm 28 is coupled to the distal end portion of the lower arm 27 via a third axis J23 having an axis in the Y-axis direction so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. A second upper arm 29 is coupled to the distal end portion of the first upper arm 28 via a fourth axis J24 having an axis in the X-axis direction so as to be able to rotate. A wrist 30 is connected to the distal end of the second upper arm 29 via a fifth axis J25 having an axis in the Y-axis direction so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. A flange 31 is connected to the wrist 30 via a sixth axis J26 having an axis in the X-axis direction so as to be able to rotate.

  The base 25, the shoulder portion 26, the lower arm 27, the first upper arm 28, the second upper arm 29, the wrist 30 and the flange 31 function as an arm of the robot 22. Although not shown, a tool such as an air chuck is attached to the flange 31 (corresponding to the hand) that is the tip of the arm. The plurality of axes (J21 to J26) provided in the robot 22 are driven by motors (not shown) provided corresponding to the respective axes, similarly to the robot 2 of the first embodiment. Further, in the vicinity of each motor, a position detector (not shown) for detecting the rotational position of each rotating shaft is provided.

  The six-axis vertical articulated robot 22 has six types of movement modes as the movement of the hand system. That is, the 6-axis vertical articulated robot 22 has four types of movements (X-direction plane movement operation, Y-direction) that can be performed by the 4-axis horizontal articulated robot 2 in the first embodiment. In addition to the above-mentioned plane movement operation, Z-direction vertical movement operation, and Rz-direction rotation operation, two types of operations, that is, the rotation operation in the Rx direction and the rotation operation in the Ry direction can be executed. In this case, the X axis and the Y axis are two axes that are orthogonal to each other and are horizontal to the installation surface P, as shown in FIG. The rotation direction around the X axis is the Rx direction, and the rotation direction around the Y axis is the Ry direction. The six-axis vertical articulated robot 22 includes six drive axes.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 13 (5) and (6), the operation for the rotation operation in the Rx direction and the Ry direction or the driving of the fifth axis J25 and the sixth axis J26 with respect to the first embodiment. An operation has been added. In this embodiment, the operation modes or the operation methods for the drive shaft shown in FIGS. 13 (1) to (4) are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 13 (5), the rotation operation in the Rx direction and the selection of the fifth axis J25 correspond to the drag operation in the upper right direction of the first half section D1. That is, the motion command generation unit 16 detects a drag operation in the upper right direction, and then detects a drag operation in the left direction without the user's finger being separated from the touch panel 17, and then rotates in the Rx direction. An operation command for moving the robot 2 to the negative (−) side is generated by the operation or driving of the fifth axis J25. In addition, when the operation command generation unit 16 detects a drag operation in the upper right direction and then detects a right drag operation without the user's finger being separated from the touch panel 17, the rotation in the Rx direction is detected. An operation command for moving the robot 2 to the positive (+) side by the operation or driving of the fifth axis J25 is generated.

  As shown in FIG. 13 (6), the rotation operation in the Ry direction and the selection of the sixth axis J26 correspond to a drag operation in the diagonally downward right direction of the first half section D1. That is, the motion command generation unit 16 detects a drag operation in the diagonally lower right direction, and then detects a drag operation in the left direction without the user's finger being separated from the touch panel 17, and then rotates in the Ry direction. An operation command for moving the robot 2 to the negative (−) side by the operation or driving of the sixth axis J26 is generated. Further, when the operation command generation unit 16 detects a drag operation in the diagonally lower right direction and then detects a drag operation in the right direction without the user's finger being separated from the touch panel 17, the rotation in the Ry direction is performed. An operation command for moving the robot 2 to the positive (+) side by the operation or driving of the sixth axis J26 is generated.

  According to this, the same effects as those in the first embodiment can be obtained for the six-axis robot 22. Also. The 6-axis robot 22 may be configured by combining the first embodiment and the second embodiment. That is, the 6-axis robot 22 may also employ the temporary stop point G2 as in the second embodiment.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment relates to determination of the moving speed and moving amount of the robots 2 and 22 by the operation in the second half section D2. In the present embodiment, the operation command generation unit 16 can perform an operation determination process, a speed calculation process, and an operation command generation process. The operation determination process is a process of determining the finger movement amount related to the drag operation in the second half section D2. The speed calculation process is a process for calculating the movement speed of the robots 2 and 22 based on the finger movement amount determined in the operation determination process. The motion command generation process is a process of generating a motion command for moving the robots 2 and 22 at the moving speed calculated in the speed calculation process.

  The motion command generation unit 16 can perform a movement amount calculation process for calculating the movement distances of the robots 2 and 22 based on the movement amount of a finger in a drag operation (hereinafter simply referred to as a drag operation) in the second half section D2. For example, in FIG. 14, the start point of the drag operation is indicated by a point Sp, and the end point of the drag operation is indicated by a point Ep. In this case, the starting point Sp of the drag operation in the second half section D2 corresponds to the dividing point G in each of the above embodiments. The end of the drag operation is when the user's finger leaves the touch panel 17. In this case, the movement amount of the finger of the drag operation is the distance L from the start point Sp to the end point Se. The control unit 14 calculates the movement distance Lr of the robots 2 and 22 based on the movement distance L of the drag operation. Further, the control unit 14 calculates the average speed Vr of the robots 2 and 22 based on a value obtained by dividing the movement distance L by the input time of the drag operation, that is, the average speed V related to the finger movement in the drag operation.

  The control unit 14 executes the control of the contents shown in FIG. 15 in order to realize the above-described configuration. In the following description, processing by the control unit 14 includes processing by the touch operation detection unit 15 and the operation command generation unit 16. Further, the XY coordinate system on the touch panel 17 shown in FIG. 14 and the coordinate systems of the robots 2 and 22 do not necessarily match.

  When the control unit 14 detects the drag operation and starts the control shown in FIG. 15, the control unit 14 detects the start point Sp (Xs, Ys) and the end point Ep (Xe, Ye) of the drag operation in steps S21 and S22. To do. Next, in step S23, the control unit 14 detects the time required for the drag operation, that is, the input time Ti of the drag operation. Next, in step S24, the control unit 14 determines, from the start point Sp (Xs, Ys) and the end point Ep (Xe, Ye), the finger movement amount L by the drag operation, the average finger velocity V by the drag operation, and The operation direction of the drag operation is calculated. This step S24 includes an operation determination process.

  Thereafter, in step S25, the control unit 14 calculates the movement amount Lr, the average speed Vr, and the movement direction of the robots 2 and 22 from the movement amount L, the average speed V, and the operation direction of the drag operation calculated in step S24. To do. This step S25 includes a speed calculation process. In step S26, the control unit 14 generates an operation command based on the movement amount Lr, the average speed Vr, and the movement direction (operation command generation process). Then, the operation command is transmitted to the controller 3, and the controller 3 controls the operations of the robots 2 and 22 based on the operation command. Thereby, the control part 14 complete | finishes a series of processes.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 14 can perform a speed calculation process for calculating the movement speed Vr of the robots 2 and 22 based on the finger movement amount L by the drag operation. According to this, the finger movement amount L by the user's drag operation and the movement speed Vr of the robots 2 and 22 have a correlation. Therefore, the user can adjust the movement speed Vr of the robot by adjusting the movement amount L of the finger by the drag operation. Therefore, the user can perform an intuitive operation, and the operability is improved. As a result, safety can be improved and the time required for teaching can be reduced.

  Further, the control unit 14 can perform a movement amount calculation process for calculating the movement distance Lr of the robots 2 and 22 based on the movement amount L of the finger by the drag operation. According to this, the user can adjust the movement amount Lr of the robots 2 and 22, that is, the movement distance Lr, by adjusting the movement amount L of the finger by the drag operation. Furthermore, the speed calculation process is a process of determining the moving speed Vr of the robots 2 and 22 based on a value obtained by dividing the finger movement amount L by the drag operation by the time required for the input of the drag operation. According to this, the user can adjust the moving speed Vr of the robots 2 and 22 by adjusting the time required for the input of the drag operation.

  Therefore, the user can adjust both the moving speed Vr and the moving amount Lr of the robot 2 and 22 by adjusting the moving amount L and the input time Ti of the drag operation when inputting the drag operation. That is, the user can adjust both the moving speed Vr and the moving amount Lr of the robots 2 and 22 by one drag operation. Thereby, the user can perform an intuitive operation. Also, according to this, in order to determine the movement speed Vr and the movement amount Lr of the robots 2 and 22, the user performs a plurality of operations, for example, an operation for determining the movement speed Vr of the robots 2 and 22 and the robot 2. , 22 need not be performed for determining the movement amount Lr. Therefore, the operation is simplified and the operability is improved. As a result, the safety can be improved and the time required for teaching can be reduced.

  Note that the start point Sp, the end point Ep, and the white arrow indicated by circles on the display unit 12 in FIG. 14 are described for convenience in explaining the drag operation. It is not actually displayed on the display unit 12. However, the teaching pendant 4 may display the start point Sp, the end point Ep, and the white arrow on the display unit 12 in accordance with the drag operation. According to this, it is useful when the user confirms his / her operation content.

(Fifth embodiment)
Next, a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the operation of the robots 2 and 22 is executed in almost real time with respect to operation inputs. That is, in the fourth embodiment, the robots 2 and 22 are operated after the input of the drag operation related to the second half section D2 is completed. Therefore, the operations of the robots 2 and 22 are after the end of the drag operation related to the second half section D2. Accordingly, there is a time difference between the input of the drag operation related to the second half section D2 by the user and the actual operation of the robots 2 and 22. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the control unit 14 appropriately generates operation commands for the robots 2 and 22 even before the drag operation related to the second half section D2 ends. Therefore, the actual operations of the robots 2 and 22 are performed almost in real time in response to the input of the drag operation related to the second half section D2 by the user.

  Specifically, the control unit 14 can perform an operation determination process, a speed calculation process, and an operation command generation process at a constant period S while the drag operation related to the second half section D2 is performed. The period during which the drag operation related to the second half section D2 is being performed means a period from when the drag operation related to the second half section D2 is started to when the user's finger leaves the touch panel 17. In this case, as shown in FIG. 16, the period during which the drag operation of the distance L between the start point Sp and the end point Ep of the drag operation related to the latter half section D2 is input is the drag operation related to the latter half section D2. Is the period during which

  The control unit 14 executes the control of the contents shown in FIG. 15 in order to realize the above-described configuration. In the following description, processing by the control unit 14 includes processing by the touch operation detection unit 15 and the operation command generation unit 16. The control unit 14 executes the processing content shown in FIG. 17 while detecting the input of the drag operation. When the control unit 14 starts the control shown in FIG. 17, in step S31, the control unit 14 detects the current finger point P1 (X1, Y1) by the drag operation. Next, in step S32, the control unit 14 waits until a predetermined time S has elapsed (NO in step S32). When the time S has elapsed (YES in step S32), the control unit 14 detects the current finger point P2 (X2, Y2) by the drag operation in step S33.

  Next, in step S34, the control unit 14 calculates the operation direction of the drag operation, the movement amount dL of the drag operation per certain time S, and the movement speed dV from the points P1, P2 and the time S. This step S34 includes an operation determination process. Next, in step S35, the control unit 14 determines the movement direction dLr of the robots 2 and 22 and the movement amount dLr per fixed time S from the movement amount dL and movement speed dV of the drag operation calculated in step S34 and the operation direction. And the moving speed dVr is calculated. This step S34 includes a speed calculation process.

  Next, in step S36, the control unit 14 generates an operation command based on the moving amount dLr per certain time S, the average speed dVr, and the moving direction (operation command processing). Then, the operation command is transmitted to the controller 3, and the controller 3 controls the operations of the robots 2 and 22 based on the operation command. Thereafter, in step S37, the control unit 14 determines whether or not the input of the drag operation has been completed. If the control unit 14 determines that the input of the drag operation has not ended (NO in step S31), the control unit 14 proceeds to step S31 and repeats step S31 to step S37. On the other hand, when the control unit 14 determines that the input of the drag operation has ended (YES in step S31), the control unit 14 ends the series of processes. In this manner, the control unit 14 repeats the operation determination process, the speed calculation process, and the operation command generation process at a certain time S, that is, at a certain period S while the drag operation is being performed.

  According to the present embodiment, the control unit 14 can generate an operation command without waiting for the end of the drag operation by the user. Therefore, the operation command generator 16 can generate an operation command for operating the robots 2 and 22 in almost real time in response to a drag operation from the user. Therefore, the time difference between the input of the drag operation by the user and the actual operation of the robots 2 and 22 can be reduced as much as possible. Therefore, the user can perform a more intuitive operation, and as a result, the safety can be improved and the teaching time can be shortened.

(Sixth embodiment)
Next, a sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment relates to a magnification between the operation amount of the drag operation related to the second half section D2 and the movement amounts of the robots 2 and 22. In FIG. 18, the operation amount of the drag operation from the start point Sp to the end point Ep of the drag operation related to the second half section D2 is L.

  The teaching pendant 4 sets a magnification between the operation amount of the drag operation and the movement amount of the robot 2 and 22 in order to cause the robots 2 and 22 to perform a precise operation that is greater than the input operation amount of the drag operation. Can be considered. For example, when the magnification is set to 0.1, the user can move the robots 2 and 22 by 0.1 mm by performing a drag operation of 1 mm. However, simply setting a fixed magnification causes the following problems. That is, there is a case where it is desired to perform a large movement (coarse movement) of several to several tens of mm while performing a fine movement (fine movement) in units of 0.1 mm, for example. However, for example, when the magnification is set to 0.1, the robot can move only 20 mm even with a drag operation of 200 mm (corresponding to the length of the long side of the 10-inch screen). Therefore, for example, if the user tries to move the robot by 1000 mm, the 200 mm drag operation is repeated 50 times, which is complicated and not easy to operate.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the operation command generation unit 16 can perform an operation determination process and a movement amount determination process. In the operation determination process, the movement amount of the finger of the drag operation detected by the touch operation detection unit 15 is determined. As shown in FIG. 18, the movement amount determination process sets the magnification to the first magnification until the drag operation related to the second half section D2 passes the first section L1 from the operation start point Sp, and sets the first section L1 to After passing, the magnification is set to a value larger than the first magnification, and the movement amounts of the robots 2 and 22 are determined. The magnification is for determining the movement amount of the robot 2 or 22 by enlarging or reducing the movement amount of the finger of the drag operation determined in the operation determination process. The first magnification is a constant value smaller than 1.

  In the present embodiment, the movement amount determination process sets the magnification to the second magnification until the finger movement of the drag operation related to the second half section D2 passes through the first section L1 and then passes through the second section L2. Then, after the finger movement of the drag operation related to the second half section D2 passes through the second section L2, the magnification is set to the third magnification which is a constant value, and the movement amount of the robot is determined. The second magnification is a value that continuously increases in accordance with the movement amount of the finger of the drag operation in the range from the first magnification to the third magnification.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 18, the first section L1 is a section having a predetermined length (for example, 50 mm) from the start point Sp of the drag operation. That is, in this case, as shown in FIG. 19, the first section L1 is a section from the operation amount 0 mm (start point Sp) to the operation amount 50 mm (end point L1p of the first section L1). It is constant regardless of the length of the first section L1 and the operation amount L of the drag operation. The first magnification f1 is set for the drag operation in the first section L1. The first magnification f1 is a constant value smaller than 1, for example, 0.1 times (f1 = 0.1) as shown in FIG.

  The second section L2 is a section having a predetermined length (for example, 100 mm) from the end point L1p of the first section L1. That is, in this case, as shown in FIG. 19, the second section L2 is a section from the operation amount 50 mm (end point L1p of the first section L1) to the operation amount 150 mm (end point L2p of the second section L2). The length of the second section L2 is constant regardless of the operation amount L of the drag operation. The second magnification f2 is set for the drag operation in the second section L2. The second magnification f2 is larger than the first magnification f1 and smaller than the third magnification f3. That is, the second magnification f2 is a fluctuation value that continuously increases in accordance with the movement amount of the finger of the drag operation, that is, the distance L from the start point Sp, in the range from the first magnification f1 to the third magnification f3.

The second magnification f2 can be expressed by the following (Formula 1). In the present embodiment, the second magnification f2 increases proportionally within the range of the first magnification f1 to the third magnification f3, but is not limited thereto. The second magnification f2 may increase in a quadratic function or may increase in an exponential function within the range of the first magnification f1 to the third magnification f3, for example.
f2 = 0.099 × (L−50) +0.1 (Expression 1)

  The third section is a section after the end point L2p of the second section L2. That is, in this case, the third section L3 is a section after the operation amount 150 mm (end point L2p of the second section). The length of the third section L3 varies depending on the operation amount L of the drag operation. That is, the length of the third section L3 is a value obtained by subtracting the lengths of the first section L1 and the second section L2 from the operation amount L of the drag operation. The third magnification f3 is set for the drag operation in the third section L3. The third magnification f3 is a constant value larger than the first magnification and the second magnification. In this case, the third magnification f3 is set to 10 times larger than 1 (f3 = 10), for example, as shown in FIG.

  The movement command generation unit 16 sets a value obtained by multiplying the operation amount L by the first magnification f1 as the movement amount of the robots 2 and 22 for the drag operation in the first section L1. In addition, for the drag operation in the second section L2, the motion command generation unit 16 sets a value obtained by multiplying the operation amount L by the second magnification f2 as the movement amount of the robots 2 and 22. In addition, for the drag operation in the third section L3, the operation command generation unit 16 sets a value obtained by multiplying the operation amount L by the third magnification f3 as the movement amount of the robots 2 and 22. For example, when the user wants the robots 2 and 22 to perform a fine movement (fine movement) in units of 0.1 mm, the drag operation is repeated within the range of the first section L1. On the other hand, for example, when the user wants the robots 2 and 22 to perform a large movement (coarse movement), the user performs a drag operation beyond the first section L1 and the second section L2 to the third section L3.

  The change in the movement amount of the robots 2 and 22 with respect to the operation amount L of the drag operation is as shown in FIG. For example, if the operation amount L of the drag operation is 200 mm, the movement amounts of the robots 2 and 22 with respect to the operation in the first section L1 are 0.1 × 50 = 5 mm. Further, the movement amount of the robots 2 and 22 with respect to the operation in the second section L2 is ((10−0.1) × 100/2) + (0.1 × 100) = 505 mm. Further, the movement amount of the robots 2 and 22 with respect to the operation in the third section L3 is 10 × 50 = 500 mm. That is, the movement amounts of the robots 2 and 22 in all the sections of the first section L1, the second section L2, and the third section L3 are 1010 mm. Therefore, the user can move 1010 mm with respect to the robots 2 and 22 by a drag operation of 200 mm.

  In this case, the movement amounts of the robots 2 and 22 change as follows in each section. That is, the movement amount of the robots 2 and 22 increases in a linear function with respect to the operation in the first section L1 (the section in which the operation amount is 0 mm to 50 mm). Further, the movement amounts of the robots 2 and 22 increase in a quadratic function with respect to the operation in the second section L2 (the section from the operation amount of 50 mm to 150 mm). Further, the movement amount of the robots 2 and 22 increases in a linear function with respect to the operation in the third section L3 (section in which the operation amount is 150 mm or more).

  According to this, the user can move the robots 2 and 22 at the first magnification f1, which is a constant magnification smaller than 1, by performing a drag operation in the first section L1. That is, the user can cause the robots 2 and 22 to make a fine movement by repeating the drag operation in the first section L1. In addition, the user can move the robots 2 and 22 at a magnification larger than the first magnification for a portion beyond the first interval L1 by performing a drag operation beyond the first interval L1. That is, the user can cause the robots 2 and 22 to perform coarse movement by operating beyond the first section L1.

  Thus, the user can move the robots 2 and 22 at different magnifications by a single drag operation. According to this, for example, both the fine movement and the coarse movement of the robots 2 and 22 can be realized by a single drag operation. Therefore, the user can realize both fine movement and coarse movement without performing a special operation for switching between the fine movement and the coarse movement of the robots 2 and 22. As a result, the operation is simplified and the operability is improved. As a result, the safety is improved and the time required for teaching can be reduced.

  Also, according to the present embodiment, the movement amount determination process sets the magnification to the second magnification f2 until the finger movement of the drag operation passes through the first section L1 and then passes through the second section L2. After the finger movement of the drag operation passes through the second section, the magnification is set to the third magnification f3 which is a constant value, and the movement amounts of the robots 2 and 22 are determined. According to this, the user can finely move the robot with the first magnification f1 smaller than 1 by repeating the drag operation in the first section L1. Further, the user can roughly move the robots 2 and 22 at the second magnification f2 or the third magnification f3 larger than the first magnification f1 by performing the drag operation beyond the first section L1.

  Further, the second magnification f2 is a value that continuously increases in accordance with the movement amount L of the finger of the drag operation in the range from the first magnification f1 to the third magnification f3. According to this, the second magnification f2 which is a magnification between the fine movement by the first magnification f1 and the coarse movement by the third magnification f3 is within the range from the first magnification f1 to the third magnification f3. Continuously increases according to the amount of movement L. That is, the first magnification f1 and the third magnification f3, which are constant values, are connected by the second magnification f2 that changes continuously. Therefore, the magnification for determining the movement amount of the robots 2 and 22 with respect to the operation amount L of the user's drag operation is switched from the first magnification f1 to the third magnification f3 through the second magnification f2 that gradually changes. As a result, the magnification for determining the movement amount of the robot 2 or 22 is prevented from being rapidly switched from the first magnification f1 to the third magnification f3. That is, the movement of the robots 2 and 22 can be prevented from changing suddenly from fine movement to coarse movement. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a rapid speed change (rapid movement) of the robots 2 and 22 caused by a sudden change in magnification unintended by the user. As a result, the safety can be further improved.

As shown in FIGS. 20 (1) and 20 (2), the first magnification f1 is 0.01 times, the third magnification f3 is 1.0 times, and the second magnification f2 is the first magnification f1 = 0. Within the range of 01 to the third magnification f3 = 1.0, the value expressed by the following (Expression 2) may be used. According to this, since magnifications of 0.01 times and 0.1 times can be used in combination, a finer operation can be easily performed.
f2 = 0.0099 × (L−50) +0.01 (Expression 2)

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings, and can be applied to various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. The present invention can be modified or expanded as follows, for example.

  In the above embodiments, the configuration in which the robot operating device is applied to the dedicated teaching pendant 4 used in the robot system has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, by installing a dedicated application (robot operation program) on a general-purpose tablet terminal (tablet PC) or smart phone (multifunctional mobile phone), the same function as that described in each of the above embodiments Can also be realized.

The articulated robot includes not only the 4-axis horizontal articulated robot 2 and the 6-axis vertical articulated robot 22 described in the above embodiments, but also, for example, an orthogonal type robot having a plurality of drive axes. . In this case, the drive shaft is not limited to a mechanical rotary shaft, and includes a method of driving by a linear motor, for example.
The robot operating device of the present invention is not limited to the 4-axis horizontal articulated robot 2 and the 6-axis vertical articulated robot 22, and can be used when manually operating various robots.

  In the drawings, 1 and 21 are robot systems, 2 and 22 are robots, 4 is a teaching pendant (robot operating device), 15 is a touch operation detecting unit, 16 is an operation command generating unit, and 17 is a touch panel.

Claims (9)

A touch panel that receives input of a touch operation from the user;
A touch operation detection unit capable of detecting a touch operation in a planar direction input to the touch panel;
And an operation command generating unit for generating an operation command for operating the articulated robot having a plurality of drive shafts on the basis of the detection result of the touch operation detection section,
The operation command generator is
When the touch operation detected by the touch operation detection unit is a drag operation, the drag operation is changed when the operation direction of the drag operation is changed or the drag operation is temporarily stopped in all sections of the drag operation. An operation determination process for determining whether or not a division point that divides the operation into a first half section and a second half section is included;
When the drag operation includes the segment point, an operation target determination process for determining a drive axis or a drive mode of the robot to be operated based on the operation direction in the first half section;
When the drag operation includes the dividing point, the movement direction of the robot is determined based on the operation direction in the second half section, and the movement amount of the robot is determined based on the operation amount in the second half section. An operation command generation process for generating an operation command for moving the robot;
Robot operating device that can perform. The operation direction of the drag operation in the first half section is set to any one of six directions excluding the vertical direction or the horizontal direction among eight directions set at 45 ° intervals on the touch panel. Has been
The operation direction of the drag operation in the latter half section is set to a direction not included in the six directions of the horizontal direction or the vertical direction.
The robot operation device according to claim 1. The operation command generator is
A speed calculation process for calculating the movement speed of the robot based on the movement amount of the finger in the second half section;
The robot operating device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein The operation command generation unit can perform a movement amount calculation process for calculating a movement distance of the robot based on a movement amount of a finger in the second half section.
The speed calculation process is a process of determining a movement speed of the robot based on a value obtained by dividing a finger movement amount in the second half section by a time required for an operation input in the second half section. Robot operating device. The operation command generator is
Regarding the magnification for determining the movement amount of the robot by enlarging or reducing the actual operation amount of the drag operation related to the latter half section, the magnification is used until the drag operation passes through the first section from the segment point. The first magnification which is a constant value smaller than 1 is set, and after the drag operation passes through the first section, the magnification is set to a value larger than the first magnification to determine the movement amount of the robot. Movement amount determination process,
The robot operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The movement amount determination process sets the magnification to the second magnification from the time when the drag operation passes through the first section to the time when the drag operation passes through the second section, and after the drag operation passes through the second section. Is a process of setting the magnification to a third magnification, which is a constant value, and determining the movement amount of the robot,
The second magnification is a value that continuously increases in accordance with the operation amount of the drag operation in a range from the first magnification to the third magnification.
The robot operation device according to claim 5 . A 4-axis horizontal articulated robot;
A controller for controlling the operation of the robot;
The robot operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A robot system characterized by comprising: A 6-axis vertical articulated robot;
A controller for controlling the operation of the robot;
The robot operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A robot system characterized by comprising: A touch panel that receives input of a touch operation from the user;
A touch operation detection unit capable of detecting a touch operation in a planar direction input to the touch panel;
A robot operation program for operating an articulated robot having a plurality of drive axes, which is executed by a computer incorporated in a robot operation device comprising:
In the computer,
When the touch operation detected by the touch operation detection unit is a drag operation, the drag operation is changed when the operation direction of the drag operation is changed or the drag operation is temporarily stopped in all sections of the drag operation. An operation determination process for determining whether or not a division point that divides the operation into a first half section and a second half section is included;
When the drag operation includes the segment point, an operation target determination process for determining a drive axis or a drive mode of the robot to be operated based on the operation direction in the first half section;
When the drag operation includes the dividing point, the movement direction of the robot is determined based on the operation direction in the second half section, and the movement amount of the robot is determined based on the operation amount in the second half section. An operation command generation process for generating an operation command for moving the robot;
Robot operation program to execute.

Images