JP2005301365A - Operation controller equipped with simulator function - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable simulation for checking a robot operation program easily in a work site where the robot is installed. <P>SOLUTION: An operation controller 1 of the present invention that is connected to an operation controller 4 of a robot 2 and performs various operation commands comprises: a touch panel type display part 11 having a screen 10 capable of displaying a robot's pseudo-image 2A and various kinds of operation keys by touch operation; a simulation program 12 that is equivalent to a robot operation program 42 for executing operation control of the robot 2; a dynamic image generating means 13 that creates a dynamic image of the robot's pseudo-image 2A to be displayed on the screen 10 of the display part 11; and a simulation processing means 14 that starts the dynamic image generating means 13, displays the robot's pseudo-image 2A dynamically on the screen 10 based on the simulation program 12, and executes simulation for checking the robot operation program 42. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation controller with a simulator function capable of performing a simulation for checking a robot operation program on a screen of an operation controller connected to a robot.

Conventionally, various works on workpieces have been performed by industrial robots, and the operation of the robot is controlled by a robot operation program stored in an operation control controller provided in the robot. For example, the same applies to a take-out robot that takes out a molded product from a mold of a molding machine.
As shown in FIG. 5, the robot operation program is created by a simulator 505 such as a terminal device connected to the operation controller 507 of the robot via the Ethernet (registered trademark) 506 and installed away from the robot. The simulator 505 appropriately corrects the program by teaching (Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). Then, the newly created or modified robot operation program is subjected to a simulation on the display 503 of the simulator 505 to operate the robot pseudo image 504 with a moving image, and the presence or absence of a program error or the like is confirmed. If the moving image of the robot pseudo image 504 is operated as designed by this simulation, the completed robot operation program is read into the robot operation control controller 507 via the communication line (506) or the recording medium. In this way, by confirming the completed robot operation program by simulating the robot operation on the display 503 of the simulator 505 in advance, the robot operation program that has been misprogrammed is stored in the operation control controller 507 of the robot. Thus, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the robot is automatically driven by a robot operation program that has been misprogrammed.
JP 2002-36156 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-81218

  However, since the simulator 505 is installed at a location away from the site where the robot is installed, whether or not the simulator 505 is a correct robot operation program free from program errors or the like due to the simulation at the site where the robot is installed. Cannot be confirmed. Therefore, since the simulator 505 does not exist at the actual site, when the robot operation program is newly input or corrected by teaching, an operation controller for remote operation connected to the robot operation control controller 507 is installed. The robot is slowly operated by manual operation, and it is carefully checked whether the robot operation program is a correct robot operation program that does not cause a program error and does not interfere with peripheral equipment.

  Therefore, when a robot operation program is newly introduced or modified by teaching, it is necessary to check whether the robot operation program is correctly programmed by carefully operating the on-site robot. It took time and effort to get it up and running. As a result, in the take-out robot, it is difficult to realize early docking between the take-out robot and the molding machine, and it is difficult to operate the molding machine quickly and continuously.

In addition, since it is necessary to check the operation state by carefully operating the robot on site, it is necessary to perform work after ensuring safety for the operator on site.
As a simulator 505, a computer with a display screen such as a notebook computer is brought to the site and connected to the robot motion control controller, and a simulation is performed on the site to check the robot motion program. However, in this case, there is a problem that it is necessary to prepare a computer with a display screen that becomes the simulator 505 only when a robot operation program is newly input or changed.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to perform a simulation for confirming a robot operation program easily while ensuring safety at a site where a robot is installed. Let it be an issue.

The operation controller with a simulator function according to the present invention,
In the operation controller that is connected to the robot motion control controller and performs various operation commands,
A touch panel-type display unit having a screen for displaying a robot pseudo image and various operation keys so that the touch operation is possible;
A simulation program equivalent to a robot motion program for controlling the robot motion;
A moving image generating means for creating a moving image of a robot pseudo image to be displayed on the screen of the display unit;
And a simulation processing unit that activates the moving image generation unit, displays a moving image of the robot on the screen based on the simulation program, and performs a simulation for checking the robot operation program. Is.

  As described above, according to the operation controller with a simulator function according to the present invention, the simulation for confirming the robot operation program can be performed at the site where the robot is installed. Therefore, when a robot operation program is newly input or corrected by teaching, it is not necessary to check whether the robot operation program is correctly programmed by carefully operating the robot on site, as in the prior art. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time for starting the robot to a state where it can be officially operated, and to greatly reduce the time and effort. As a result, in the take-out robot, early docking between the take-out robot and the molding machine can be realized, and the molding machine can be operated quickly and continuously to improve productivity.

  In addition, it is possible to check the validity of whether or not the robot operation program newly set according to the mold change or the like is appropriate by a simulation in the operation controller with the simulator function. Therefore, when a robot operation program is newly set due to a mold change, etc., it is not necessary to check whether there is an error in selecting the robot operation program by driving the on-site robot carefully as before. Become. Therefore, even in this case, it is possible to shorten the time for starting up the robot to a state where it can be officially operated, and to greatly reduce the effort. As a result, even if a robot operation program is newly set for a take-out robot when the mold is changed, the take-out robot is brought up in a state where it can be operated quickly and the molding machine can be operated quickly and continuously. Productivity can be improved.

In addition, since it is not necessary to check the operation state by carefully operating the on-site robot, it is possible to ensure safety for the on-site operator.
Furthermore, there was a case where a computer with a display screen as a simulator was brought to the site and a simulation for confirming the robot operation program was performed. However, it is not necessary to prepare such a computer, and the above simulation can be easily performed. It can be carried out.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present embodiment, the molded product take-out robot 2 installed in the molding machine will be described as a control target.
FIG. 1 shows an installation state at an installation site of the take-out robot 2 in the operation controller 1 with a simulator function according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the operation controller 1 is attached to a take-out robot 2 that is installed on a molding machine 3 and takes out a molded product, and the take-out robot 2 is operated by an operation command from the operation controller 1. Start, stop operation, etc. The take-out robot 2 shown in FIG. 1 is a traverse type and includes a molded product take-out head 21 that can be moved by a drive source (not shown) provided for each of the XYZ axes. When the mold 31 is opened, the molded product take-out head 21 in the standby position is accurately moved into the molded product take-out position in the mold 31 by a driving source (not shown) provided on each of the XYZ axes, and separated from the mold 31. The molded product is gripped at the timing of molding, and in that state, the molded product take-out head 21 is moved out of the mold 31 to release the grip of the molded product at a predetermined molded product collection position and collect the molded product. Thereafter, the operation of returning the molded product ejection head 21 to a predetermined standby position is repeated. In addition, 32 in FIG. 1 is an operation panel for operating the molding machine 3.

  FIG. 2 shows a block configuration of the take-out robot 2 and the operation controller 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the take-out robot 2 has a built-in operation control controller 4 that controls the above-described operation. The operation control controller 4 includes a robot operation program 42 that describes the operation of the take-out robot 2, Teaching data 43 for teaching the operation of the take-out robot 2 and a central for receiving the operation command from the operation controller 1 and performing an operation command based on the robot operation program 42 and the teaching data 43 to control the operation of the take-out robot 2 And a processing unit 41.

  On the other hand, the operation controller 1 with the simulator function according to the embodiment is connected to the operation control controller 4 of the take-out robot 2 with a connection cable 5 and performs a touch operation on the front screen 10 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, it is mainly used for outputting an operation command signal to the operation controller 4 to remotely operate the take-out robot 2. In addition to this, the take-out robot pseudo image is displayed as a moving image on the screen 10 to display the above robot. It can also be used for simulation for confirmation of the operation program 42.

As shown in FIG. 2, the operation controller 1 with a simulator function includes a display unit 11, a simulation program 12, teaching data 15, moving image processing software 13 as a moving image generating unit, and a central processing unit 14 that also serves as a simulation processing unit. Prepare.
The display unit 11 is configured by a touch panel having a screen 10 (see FIG. 1) that displays a robot pseudo image and various operation keys so that the touch operation is possible. The display unit 11 graphically displays an extraction robot pseudo image, various operation keys, and the like on the screen 10 based on a command signal from the central processing unit 14 based on GUI (Graphical User Interface) information from the units 12 and 13. At the same time, the touch operation on the screen 10 is sensed by a touch sensor and an operation signal is output to the central processing means 14. The screen 10 displays an initial screen at the time of power input to the operation controller 1, a menu screen, various operation screens of the take-out robot 2, and a simulation screen of the take-out robot 2. The menu screen is shifted by a touch operation from the initial screen, and various operation screens and simulation screens are shifted by a touch operation from the menu screen.

  Then, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the simulation screen displays a three-dimensional pseudo image 2A of the take-out robot 2 viewed from the operation side of the molding machine 3 on which the operation panel 32 is provided. 2A is touched with an operation key (not shown in FIG. 3) on the screen 10, and a moving image is displayed so as to perform the same movement as the actual operation of the take-out robot 2. Thereby, the actual operation of the take-out robot 2 can be simulated on this screen 10.

  The simulation program 12 is a program equivalent to the robot operation program 42 for controlling the operation of the take-out robot 2. That is, the simulation program 12 is used when the robot operation program 42 is newly developed, or when the robot operation program 42 is corrected by teaching or upgrading according to individual characteristics of the take-out robot 2. This is a program created by extracting a description of the operation such as coordinate data and velocity data in the completed robot operation program 42. The simulation program 12 is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM, for example, and this recording medium is removably held in a program reading device (not shown) of the operation controller 1.

  The teaching data 15 is similar to the teaching data 43 stored in the operation controller 4 and is various data for teaching the operation of the robot 2. The teaching data 15 teaches the operation position and the like in the pseudo operation of the take-out robot pseudo image displayed on the screen 10 of the display unit 11 in cooperation with the simulation program 12. The teaching data 15 is also recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM, for example, in the same manner as the simulation program 12, and this recording medium is detachably held in a program reading device (not shown) of the operation controller 1. Is done. At this time, the teaching data 15 may be recorded together on the same recording medium on which the simulation program 12 is recorded.

  The moving image processing software 13 is a moving image generating means provided with a program for creating a moving image of the extracted robot pseudo image 2A to be displayed on the screen 10 of the display unit 11. The moving image processing software 13 has a pseudo image 2A of the take-out robot 2 to which the operation controller 1 is connected. Coordinate data, speed data, and the like from the simulation program 12 according to a command from the central processing means 14 are provided. The take-out robot pseudo image 2A is displayed as a moving image according to the above.

  The central processing means 14 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), displays various screens on the screen 10 of the display unit 11, and the units 11 to 13 and the operation control controller by touch operations on the screen 10. Various controls are performed by exchanging various signals with 4. The central processing unit 14 includes a function unit that remotely operates the take-out robot 2 by outputting a command signal to the operation controller 4 by touching the screen 10 of the display unit 11. A function unit is provided as a simulation processing unit that activates the software 13 and displays a moving image of the robot pseudo image 2A on the screen 10 based on the simulation program 12 to perform a simulation for checking the robot operation program 42. Is.

Next, the simulation operation by the operation controller with a simulator function 1 will be described. The following simulation work is controlled by the simulation processing means in the central processing means 14.
First, a simulation screen is called by a touch operation from a menu screen displayed on the screen 10 (see FIG. 1) of the display unit 11. Then, the moving image processing software 13 is activated and a simulation screen is displayed on the screen 10 of the display unit 11. On the simulation screen, a pseudo image 2A of the take-out robot 2 is displayed (see FIG. 3), and an execution button for determining whether to execute the simulation is displayed. Before the execution button is touched, a recording medium storing the simulation program 12 equivalent to the robot operation program 42 and teaching data 15 for teaching the operation of the take-out robot 2 is inserted and held in the program reader. Keep it.

  Next, when the execution button on the simulation screen is touched, the coordinate data, speed data, etc. of the extracted robot pseudo image 2A are read from the simulation program 12 and teaching data 15, and the moving image processing software 13 is read according to these coordinate data. The moving robot pseudo image 2A is displayed as a moving image. Thereby, it is possible to simulate the operation of the take-out robot 2 by the robot operation program 42 newly created or corrected by teaching or the like.

  On the other hand, when the mold 31 is changed when changing the model of the molded product in the molding machine 3, the robot operation program 42 is changed to change the operation of the take-out robot 2 in accordance with the changed mold 31. Select and set the one corresponding to. The program setting may be performed by exchanging a recording medium such as a ROM in which the robot operation program 42 and teaching data 43 are recorded in the operation controller 4 of the take-out robot 2, or the operation controller A program setting screen is displayed on one display unit 11, and a desired operation is selected from the robot operation program group stored in the storage unit of the operation controller 4 by an operation command from the central processing unit 14 by a touch operation on the program setting screen. The robot operation program 42 and its teaching data 43 may be selected and set.

  In this case, whether or not there is a selection error in the robot operation program 42 or the like has conventionally been confirmed by slowly operating the take-out robot 2 by manual operation from the operation controller 1. Therefore, conventionally, it took time to start up the take-out robot 2 to a state where it can be officially operated. Moreover, since it is necessary to check the operation status by carefully operating the robot on site, it is necessary to perform work after ensuring the safety for the operator at the site.

Accordingly, it is possible to confirm whether the robot operation program 42 set in accordance with the mold change of the molding machine 3 is appropriate or not by performing simulation on the simulation screen in the operation controller 1 with the simulator function. .
In other words, the selection operation key displayed on the simulation screen, that is, the operation key for selecting a simulation of a new program or a program accompanying a mold change is touch-operated, and a program simulation accompanying a mold change is performed. select. Then, in addition to the robot operation program 42 set in the operation controller 4 and its teaching data 43, in addition to the program portion related to the operation of the take-out robot 2, coordinate data, speed data, etc. are read out, and the operation controller with this simulator function is read. 1 is temporarily stored in a buffer (not shown). The coordinate data, speed data, and the like temporarily stored in the buffer constitute the above-described simulation program 12 and teaching data 15.

  Next, an execution button indicating whether or not to execute the simulation is displayed on the simulation screen. When the execution of the simulation is selected from the confirmation display, the program portion related to the operation of the take-out robot 2 in the buffer, coordinate data, speed data, etc. The moving image processing software 13 displays the extracted robot pseudo image 2A as a moving image according to the coordinate data and the like. As a result, it is possible to simulate the operation of the take-out robot 2 by the robot operation program 42 set in the operation controller 4 when the mold of the molding machine 3 is changed.

  As described above, according to the operation controller 1 with the simulator function according to the present embodiment, the simulation for confirming the robot operation program 42 can be taken out at the site where the robot 2 is installed. Accordingly, when the robot operation program 42 is newly introduced or modified by teaching or upgrading, it is determined whether or not the robot operation program 42 is correctly programmed by carefully operating the take-out robot 2 on the site as in the past. Confirmation is not required. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time for starting the take-out robot 2 to a state where it can be officially operated, and to greatly reduce the effort. As a result, early docking between the take-out robot 2 and the molding machine 3 can be realized, and the molding machine 3 can be operated quickly and continuously to improve productivity.

In addition, since it is not necessary to check the operation state by carefully operating the robot at the site, safety for the operator at the site can be ensured.
In addition, the validity of whether or not the robot operation program 42 set in accordance with the mold change of the molding machine 3 is appropriate can be confirmed by simulation on the simulation screen in the operation controller 1 with the simulator function. . Therefore, when the robot operation program 42 is newly set as the mold of the molding machine 3 is changed, there is no mistake in selecting the robot operation program 42 by carefully operating the on-site take-out robot 2 as in the prior art. It is not necessary to check whether or not Therefore, even in this case, it is possible to shorten the time for starting the take-out robot 2 to a state where it can be officially operated, and to greatly reduce the time and improve the productivity by operating the molding machine 3 quickly and continuously. be able to.

  Further, conventionally, a computer having a display screen such as a notebook personal computer has been brought to the site as a simulator and a simulation for confirming the robot operation program 42 has been performed. According to the operation controller 1, it is not necessary to prepare such a computer, and the above simulation can be easily performed.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the thing of the said embodiment.
In the above embodiment, the take-out robot pseudo image 2A displayed on the simulation screen is a pseudo image 2A of the take-out robot 2 viewed from the operation side as shown in FIG. The pseudo image of the robot is viewed from various angles by rotating it 360 degrees by providing a scroll operation key on the simulation screen and touching the scroll operation key. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, from the non-operation side on the side where there is no operation panel 32 (see FIG. 1) of the molding machine 3 opposite to the operation side by 180 degrees. The simulated image 2B of the taken out robot 2 may be displayed so that the simulation can be executed.

In addition, the pseudo image of the take-out robot 2 is composed of a three-dimensional image, a scroll operation key is provided on the simulation screen, and the scroll operation key is touch-operated to rotate 360 degrees from various angles. The taken-out robot pseudo image may be displayed.
The robot may be a traverse type take-out robot 2 in addition to the traverse type take-out robot 2. In addition to these take-out robots, for example, an insert member loading robot, a product arrangement robot, and a product transfer robot. For example, a robot that performs various operations in conjunction with the molding operation of the molding machine 3 may be used.
The molding machine 3 may be either a vertical type or a horizontal type as long as the clamping and opening operations are performed. The molded product is not only made of resin but also a metal such as aluminum. It may be made.

It is a perspective view which shows the installation state in the taking-out robot installation field of the operation controller with a simulator function by embodiment. It is a block block diagram which shows the internal structure of the operation controller with a simulator function by embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example (operation side) of the taking-out robot pseudo image in a simulation screen. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other example (reverse operation side) of the taking-out robot pseudo image in a simulation screen. It is a schematic diagram which shows the conventional simulator.

Explanation of symbols

1 Operation controller with simulator function 2 Takeout robot 2A Takeout robot pseudo image (operation side)
2B Take-out robot pseudo image (non-operation side)
3 Molding Machine 4 Operation Controller 5 Connection Cable 10 Screen 11 Display Unit 12 Movie Processing Software (Movie Generation Means)
13 Simulation program 14 Central processing means (simulation processing means)
15 Teaching data 41 Central processing unit 42 Robot operation program 43 Teaching data

Claims (1)

In the operation controller that is connected to the robot motion control controller and performs various operation commands,
A touch panel-type display unit having a screen for displaying a robot pseudo image and various operation keys so that the touch operation is possible;
A simulation program equivalent to a robot motion program for controlling the robot motion;
A moving image generating means for creating a moving image of a robot pseudo image to be displayed on the screen of the display unit;
And a simulation processing unit that activates the moving image generation unit, displays a moving image of the robot on the screen based on the simulation program, and performs a simulation for checking the robot operation program. Operation controller with simulator function.

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