JP2008158928A - Teach pendant with deadman switch - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a teach pendant with deadman switch, reducing an operator's fatigue. <P>SOLUTION: In the teach pendant with a deadman switch which outputs an OFF signal in no operation, ON signal in normal operation, and OFF signal in perfect operation, an operation member 14 is attached to an opening part 2 provided in the teach pendant 1, and the member comprises a grip part 11 to be gripped by the operator and a finger insert part 12 for inserting a finger 40 when gripping the grip part, which is provided adjacently to the grip part. A first switch 21 determines a normal operation when the finger is inserted to the finger insert part, and outputs an ON signal. A second switch 22 determines a perfect operation when the grip part is strongly gripped, and outputs an OFF signal. Since a conventional second position can be attained in teaching operation or the like only by inserting the finger to the finger insert part, and a servo power source can be easily continuously turned ON, the operator's fatigue can be reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a teach pendant provided with a deadman switch used as a teaching operation device such as an industrial robot.

  In the teaching playback type industrial robot, teaching work is mainly performed using a teaching operation device (hereinafter referred to as a teaching pendant). More specifically, while the operator directly looks at the control points of the welding torch, hand, and other tools attached to the wrist of the industrial robot, the robot body is moved by the key operation of the teach pendant to set the movement target position, etc. Teach. Many teach pendants are provided with a grip portion for gripping with one hand or both hands, and an operator grips the teach pendant with his / her hand and, in some cases, approaches the robot body to perform teaching work. The grip portion of the teach pendant is provided with a deadman switch for ensuring the safety of the operator.

  The deadman switch is electrically connected to an emergency stop circuit for turning on / off the servo power supply that is the drive power supply of the robot body. When the deadman switch is gripped, the servo power supply is turned on, and when it is released, the servo power supply is turned off. It is configured as follows. Furthermore, in recent years, a deadman switch having three positions has become common, and the servo power supply is configured to be turned off when the deadman switch is gripped more strongly. In other words, in addition to operating during normal operation with the teach pendant gripped and stopping during non-operated operation when the hand is released, the safety of the worker is also ensured to stop during full operation when the user feels dangerous (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

  This 3-position deadman switch will be described. FIG. 4 is a front sectional view of a conventional 3-position deadman switch. FIG. 4A shows a non-operating state, FIG. 5B shows a normal operation state, and FIG. 4C shows a complete operation state with a strong force. In the figure, a switch 64 is provided inside a housing 60 and is electrically connected to an emergency stop circuit (not shown). An operation member 61 for operating the switch 64 is attached to the inside of the housing 60 via a spring 62. The rotating lever 63 has a lever portion that receives a force from the operation member 61 and a lever portion that presses the switch 64.

  Next, the operation will be described. In a state where the operator does not hold the operation member 61, that is, in the first position shown in FIG. 5A, the switch 64 is not pressed and the servo power supply is OFF. In the state where the operator holds the operation member 61, that is, in the second position shown in FIG. 5B, the servo lever is turned on because the rotating lever 63 presses the switch 64. Furthermore, in a state where the operator has squeezed the operation member 61, that is, in the third position shown in FIG. 5C, the operation member 61 is pushed with a large force. It rotates, and the lower end of the operation member 61 exceeds the rotation lever 63. As a result, the switch 64 is not pressed, and the servo power supply is turned off.

  As described above, the conventional 3-position deadman switch turns on the servo power while holding the operation member 61, turns off when the hand is released, and turns off even when the hand is strongly gripped in danger. The safety of workers is improved. However, it has the following problems.

JP 2002-334625 A

  During the teaching operation, it is necessary to manually move the robot body frequently, so it is desirable to keep the servo power ON. Therefore, after grasping the operation member 61 with an appropriate amount of force and setting it to the second position, the operator needs to maintain the appropriate amount of force while paying attention so as not to accidentally enter the first or third position. However, since the weight of the teach pendant main body and the connected control cable is not light, there is a problem that if the second position is maintained for a long time, fatigue tends to occur.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the teach pendant provided with the deadman switch which reduces a worker's fatigue.

In order to achieve the above object, the first invention is a teach pendant provided with a deadman switch that outputs an OFF signal during non-operation, an ON signal during normal operation, and an OFF signal during complete operation according to the operation state. ,
A finger that is attached to an opening provided in the teach pendant and is gripped by an operator, and a finger that is provided adjacent to the grip and is inserted when the grip is held. An operating member having an insertion portion;
A first switch that outputs an ON signal as if the normal operation was performed when a finger was inserted into the finger insertion portion;
A second switch that outputs an OFF signal as if the complete operation was performed when the gripping portion was strongly gripped;
A teach pendant provided with a deadman switch.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the operation member is attached via an elastic member so as to be displaceable from the opening toward the inside of the teach pendant, and the finger insertion portion is inserted and disposed in the opening. Is arranged inside the teach pendant and outputs the OFF signal when pressed by the finger insertion portion when the gripping portion is strongly gripped and the operation member is displaced in the internal direction. A teach pendant comprising the deadman switch according to the first aspect of the invention.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the finger insertion portion has a hollow for inserting a finger and an open / close lid that is pivotally supported at one end and can tilt in the hollow, and the first switch includes the finger insertion portion A teach pendant provided with a deadman switch according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein the teach pendant is a detection sensor that detects that a finger has been inserted and the opening / closing lid has tilted to a predetermined position.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the detection sensor includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element that are disposed to face each other with a tilt range of the opening / closing lid interposed therebetween, and whether the light emitted from the light emitting element is received by the light receiving element. A transmissive optical sensor that detects whether or not the light is emitted, and the ON signal is output when the emitted light is blocked by the opening / closing lid and is no longer received by the light receiving element. A teach pendant including the deadman switch according to the third aspect of the invention.

  According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the opening / closing lid is a plate-like body having a glossy surface on at least one side, and the detection sensor has the same direction with respect to the glossy surface when the opening / closing lid is tilted to a predetermined position. A reflective optical sensor comprising: a light emitting element and a light receiving element arranged so as to face; and a circuit board configured to detect whether light emitted from the light emitting element is reflected by the glossy surface and received by the light receiving element. The deadman switch according to the third aspect of the invention, wherein the ON signal is output when the emitted light is reflected by the glossy surface of the opening / closing lid and received by the light receiving element. Teach pendant.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the opening / closing lid is a metal plate or a plate-like body having a metal layer formed on at least a surface facing the opening direction, and the detection sensor is a sensing element disposed on a side wall on the opening direction side. And a circuit board that detects whether or not the opening / closing lid approaches the side wall, and outputs the ON signal when the opening / closing lid approaches the side wall within a predetermined distance. A teach pendant including the deadman switch according to the third aspect of the invention.

  According to a seventh invention, in any one of the first to sixth inventions, the opening is provided in at least one of the rear side edge of the teach pendant or at least one of the side surfaces. It is a teach pendant provided with the described deadman switch.

  According to the first invention, the operation member operated by the operator is provided with a gripping part for gripping and a finger insertion part for inserting a finger at a position adjacent to the gripping part. When the finger is inserted, an ON signal is output as a normal operation is performed, and an OFF signal is output when a complete operation is performed when the gripping part is strongly gripped. In other words, when it is necessary to maintain the second position, such as during teaching operations that frequently move the robot body manually, it is only necessary to insert a finger into the finger insertion portion, and maintain an appropriate amount of force as in the prior art. Since it is not necessary to continue, it can reduce the fatigue of the operator. Furthermore, since it becomes the same as the conventional third position when the gripping part is strongly squeezed and when the finger is pulled out from the finger insertion part, the safety of the operator can be ensured.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, since the operation member does not protrude greatly from the teach pendant by inserting and arranging the finger insertion part into the teach pendant from the opening, it is compact in addition to the effects of the first invention. The configuration can be realized. In addition, the operating member is attached via an elastic member so as to be displaceable in the inside direction of the teach pendant, and the second switch is pressed by the finger insertion portion when the gripping portion is strongly gripped and the operating member is displaced inside the teach pendant. Since it was made to do, compared with providing the another member for pressing a 2nd switch, a number of parts can be reduced.

  According to the third aspect, since the detection sensor is applied as the first switch and the opening / closing lid provided in the finger insertion portion is used as the detection trigger, the predetermined position where the sensor detects the opening / closing lid after inserting the finger. The second position can be realized simply by tilting to the right. That is, since the second position can be realized with a weaker force than before, in addition to the effects of the first or second invention, the worker's fatigue can be further reduced.

  According to the fourth invention, a transmissive optical sensor is applied as a detection sensor, and an ON signal is output when light emitted from the light emitting element is blocked by the opening / closing lid and is not received by the light receiving element. Therefore, the second position can be realized with a simple operation in addition to the effect of the third invention.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a reflection type optical sensor is applied as the detection sensor, and an ON signal is output when light emitted from the light emitting element is reflected by the glossy surface of the opening / closing lid and received by the light receiving element. Therefore, the second position can be realized with a simple operation in addition to the effect of the third invention.

  According to the sixth invention, the proximity sensor is applied as the detection sensor, and the ON signal is output when the opening / closing lid approaches the side wall of the finger insertion portion within a predetermined distance. In addition to the effect, the second position can be realized with a simple operation.

  According to the seventh aspect, since the opening for attaching the operation member is provided in at least one of the rear side edge of the teach pendant or at least one of the side surfaces, in addition to the effects exhibited by the first to sixth aspects of the invention. This has the effect that the operator can easily hold the teach pendant body.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on examples with reference to the drawings.

[Embodiment 1]
FIG. 1 is a front sectional view of the vicinity of a switch of a teach pendant having a deadman switch according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In the figure, an opening 2 is an opening provided in the teach pendant 1. The opening 2 is provided on at least one of the rear side edges of the teach pendant 1 or at least one of the side faces so that the operator can easily hold the opening 2.

  The operation member 14 is attached to the opening 2 via the elastic member 16 and is displaceable from the opening 2 toward the inside of the teach pendant 1. Although the figure shows an example in which one end of the operation member 14 is attached via the elastic member 16 and the other end is fixed by the support member 15, the other end may also be attached via the elastic member 16. . Further, the operation member 14 includes a grip portion 11 that is gripped by the operator and a finger insertion portion 12 that is provided adjacent to the grip portion and for inserting the finger 40 when the grip portion 11 is gripped. I have. The finger insertion portion 12 is inserted and arranged in the opening 2, and has a hollow 17 for inserting the finger 40 and an opening / closing lid 31 that is pivotally supported at one end and can be tilted in the hollow 17. The opening / closing lid 31 is provided with a spring and a stopper having a weak elastic force at the shaft support portion, and is always urged toward the closing direction by the spring and closes the hollow 17 with the stopper when no external force is applied.

  The first switch 21 is a transmissive optical sensor including a light emitting element 23, a light receiving element 24, and a circuit board (not shown). The light emitting element 23 and the light receiving element 24 are arranged to face each other so as to sandwich the tilting range of the opening / closing lid 31. A circuit board (not shown) constantly monitors whether or not the light emitted from the light emitting element 23 is received by the light receiving element 24 at a predetermined cycle interval. When the monitoring result changes, an ON signal or an OFF signal is sent. Output. The second switch 22 is a contact opening / closing switch attached to the bottom surface of the opening 2 via a spring or the like, and this switch also monitors the contact state at a predetermined cycle interval like the first switch. When there is a change, an ON signal or an OFF signal is output.

  Next, an operation in which an ON / OFF signal is output by the first switch 21 and the second switch 22 will be described.

  In the first position of the deadman switch, that is, when both the first switch 21 and the second switch 22 are not operated, the light emitted from the light emitting element 23 in the first switch 21 is always received by the light receiving element 24. There is no change, and no contact is opened or closed in the second switch 22, so that no ON / OFF signal is output.

  When the operator sets the deadman switch to the second position so as to perform teaching work or the like, the gripping part 11 is gripped and the finger 40 is inserted into the finger insertion part 12. When the finger 40 is inserted, the opening / closing lid 31 tilts in the hollow 17 in the opening direction. The circuit board detects that the light emitted from the light emitting element 23 is blocked by the opening / closing lid 31 and is not received by the light receiving element 24, and outputs an ON signal. As a result, the servo power supply is turned on. Further, when the opening / closing lid 31 tilts in the closing direction from the state of the second position and the light emitted from the light emitting element 23 is received by the light receiving element 24, the circuit board detects that fact and outputs an OFF signal. To do. As a result, the servo power supply is turned off.

  When the operator feels danger during the teaching work at the second position and enters the third position, the gripping part 11 is strongly gripped and the operation member 14 is displaced in the direction of the second switch 22 to insert the finger. It is pressed by the part 12 and outputs an OFF signal. As a result, the servo power supply is turned off.

  According to the first embodiment described above, the operation member operated by the operator is provided with the grip insertion portion for gripping and the finger insertion portion for inserting a finger at a position adjacent to the gripping portion, When a finger is inserted into the part, an ON signal is output as if the normal operation was performed, and an OFF signal is output as a complete operation was performed when the gripping part was strongly held Yes. In other words, when it is necessary to maintain the second position, such as during teaching operations that frequently move the robot body manually, it is only necessary to insert a finger into the finger insertion portion, and maintain an appropriate amount of force as in the prior art. Since it is not necessary to continue, it can reduce the fatigue of the operator. Furthermore, since it becomes the same as the conventional third position when the gripping part is strongly squeezed and when the finger is pulled out from the finger insertion part, the safety of the operator can be ensured.

  In addition, since the operation member is prevented from projecting greatly from the teach pendant by inserting the finger insertion portion into the teach pendant from the opening, a compact configuration can be realized in addition to the above effects. In addition, the operating member is attached via an elastic member so as to be displaceable in the inside direction of the teach pendant, and the second switch is pressed by the finger insertion portion when the gripping portion is strongly gripped and the operating member is displaced inside the teach pendant. Since it was made to do, compared with providing the another member for pressing a 2nd switch, a number of parts can be reduced.

  Further, since the detection sensor is applied as the first switch and the opening / closing lid provided in the finger insertion portion is used as a trigger for detection, the second switch can be obtained simply by inserting a finger and tilting the opening / closing lid to a predetermined position detected by the sensor. A position can be realized. That is, since the second position can be realized with a weaker force than before, in addition to the above effects, the worker's fatigue can be further reduced.

  In addition to the above effects, a transmissive optical sensor is applied as the detection sensor, and an ON signal is output when light emitted from the light emitting element is blocked by the opening / closing lid and is no longer received by the light receiving element. The second position can be realized with simple operation.

[Embodiment 2]
FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of the vicinity of a switch of a teach pendant provided with a deadman switch according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment is that a reflective photosensor is applied as a detection sensor that is a first switch.

  In the figure, the teach pendant 1, the opening 2, the gripping part 11, the finger insertion part 12, the operation member 14, the support member 15, the elastic member 16, the second switch 22 and the finger 40 are given the same reference numerals as in FIG. Therefore, the description is omitted. Hereinafter, the first switch 21 and the opening / closing lid 31 different from those in FIG. 1 will be described.

  The opening / closing lid 31 is a plate-like body having a glossy surface on at least one side, and in the same figure, the opening / closing lid 31 has a glossy surface 32 on the surface in the closing direction.

  The first switch 21 is a reflective optical sensor including a light emitting element 23, a light receiving element 24, and a circuit board (not shown). The light emitting element 23 and the light receiving element 24 are arranged so as to face the same direction with respect to the glossy surface 32 when the opening / closing lid 31 is tilted to a predetermined position. A circuit board (not shown) constantly monitors whether the light emitted from the light emitting element 23 is reflected by the glossy surface 32 and is received by the light receiving element 24 at predetermined intervals, and when the light reception result changes. An ON signal or an OFF signal is output to.

  Next, an operation in which an ON / OFF signal is output by the first switch 21 and the second switch 22 will be described.

  In the first position of the deadman switch, that is, when both the first switch 21 and the second switch 22 are not operated, the light emitted from the light emitting element 23 in the first switch 21 is received by the light receiving element 24. In addition, since the contact is not opened and closed in the second switch 22, no ON / OFF signal is output.

  When the operator sets the switch to the second position in order to perform teaching work or the like, the gripping part 11 is gripped and the finger 40 is inserted into the finger insertion part 12. When the finger 40 is inserted, the opening / closing lid 31 tilts in the hollow 17 in the opening direction. The circuit board detects that the light emitted from the light emitting element 23 is reflected by the glossy surface 32 of the opening / closing lid 31 and is received by the light receiving element 24, and outputs an ON signal. As a result, the servo power supply is turned on. Further, when the opening / closing lid 31 tilts in the closing direction from the state of the second position, and the light emitted from the light emitting element 23 is not received by the light receiving element 24, the circuit board detects that and outputs an OFF signal. To do. As a result, the servo power supply is turned off.

  Since the operation when the operator feels danger during the teaching work at the second position and enters the third position is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  According to the second embodiment described above, the reflection type photosensor is applied as the detection sensor, and an ON signal is output when the light emitted from the light emitting element is reflected by the glossy surface of the opening / closing lid and received by the light receiving element. As a result, the second position can be realized with a simple operation.

[Embodiment 3]
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a teach pendant switch having a deadman switch according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment is that a proximity sensor is applied as the detection sensor that is the first switch.

  In the figure, the teach pendant 1, the opening 2, the gripping part 11, the finger insertion part 12, the operation member 14, the support member 15, the elastic member 16, the second switch 22 and the finger 40 are given the same reference numerals as in FIG. Therefore, the description is omitted. Hereinafter, the first switch 21 and the opening / closing lid 31 different from those in FIG. 1 will be described.

  The opening / closing lid 31 is a metal plate or a plate-like body in which a metal layer is formed at least on the surface facing the opening direction, and a metal plate is used in the figure.

  The first switch 21 is a magnetic or capacitive proximity sensor comprising a sensing element 26 and a circuit board (not shown). The detection element 26 is disposed on the side wall 35 on the opening direction side of the opening / closing lid 31. A circuit board (not shown) constantly monitors whether the open / close lid 31 has approached the side wall 35 at a predetermined cycle interval, and outputs an ON signal or an OFF signal when the monitoring result changes.

  Next, an operation in which an ON / OFF signal is output by the first switch 21 and the second switch 22 will be described.

  In the first position of the deadman switch, that is, when both the first switch 21 and the second switch 22 are not operated, the opening / closing lid 31 does not approach the detection element 23 in the first switch 21 and the second switch Since the contact is not opened or closed in the switch 22, the ON / OFF signal is not output.

  When the operator sets the switch to the second position in order to perform teaching work or the like, the gripping part 11 is gripped and the finger 40 is inserted into the finger insertion part 12. When the finger 40 is inserted, the opening / closing lid 31 tilts in the hollow 17 in the opening direction. Then, the circuit board detects that the open / close lid 31 has approached the side wall 35 within a predetermined distance, and outputs an ON signal. As a result, the servo power supply is turned on. When the opening / closing lid 31 tilts in the closing direction from the state of the second position and the opening / closing lid 31 moves away from the side wall 35 by a predetermined distance, the circuit board detects that fact and outputs an OFF signal. As a result, the servo power supply is turned off. The predetermined distance is determined in advance on the circuit board of the proximity sensor.

  Since the operation when the operator feels danger during the teaching work at the second position and enters the third position is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  According to the third embodiment described above, the proximity sensor is applied as the detection sensor, and the ON signal is output when the opening / closing lid approaches the side wall of the finger insertion portion within a predetermined distance. The second position can be realized.

  Moreover, in all the embodiments described above, the opening for attaching the operation member is provided in at least one of the rear side edge of the teach pendant or at least one of the side surfaces. It has the effect of easily holding the teach pendant body.

In addition, what is necessary is just to provide two 1st switches and 2nd switches mentioned above, respectively, in order to make a dead man switch double in order to improve safety | security. For example, in the case of the first switch of the first embodiment, two light emitting sensors are mounted horizontally and at a close distance on one side wall, and two light receiving sensors are mounted horizontally and at a close distance on opposite side walls, and the opening / closing lid is tilted. The two lights emitted at this time may be configured to be blocked at the same time. In the case of the second switch, two contact opening / closing switches are mounted in close proximity and in parallel to the operation member so that when the gripping part is strongly gripped, these are simultaneously pressed by the finger insertion part. It may be configured as follows. The teach pendant provided with the doubled deadman switch is also included in the scope of the present invention.

It is a front sectional view near the switch of the teach pendant provided with the deadman switch showing the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a front sectional view near the switch of the teach pendant provided with the deadman switch showing the second embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the switch vicinity of the teach pendant provided with the deadman switch which shows 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a front sectional view of a conventional 3-position deadman switch.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Teach pendant 2 Opening part 11 Gripping part 12 Finger insertion part 14 Operation member 15 Support member 16 Elastic member 17 Hollow 21 1st switch 22 2nd switch 23 Light emitting element 24 Light receiving element 26 Detection element 31 Opening / closing lid 32 Glossy surface 35 Side wall 40 Finger 60 Case 61 Operation member 62 Spring 63 Rotating lever

Claims (7)

In a teach pendant equipped with a deadman switch that outputs an OFF signal during non-operation, an ON signal during normal operation, and an OFF signal during complete operation according to the operation state.
A finger that is attached to an opening provided in the teach pendant and is gripped by an operator, and a finger that is provided adjacent to the grip and is inserted when the grip is held. An operating member having an insertion portion;
A first switch that outputs an ON signal as if the normal operation was performed when a finger was inserted into the finger insertion portion;
A second switch that outputs an OFF signal as if the complete operation was performed when the gripping portion was strongly gripped;
A teach pendant with a deadman switch.   The operation member is attached via an elastic member so as to be displaceable from the opening toward the inside of the teach pendant, the finger insertion part is inserted and arranged in the opening, and the second switch is connected to the teach pendant. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the OFF signal is output by being pressed by the finger insertion portion when the gripping portion is firmly gripped and the operation member is displaced in the internal direction. Teach pendant with the described deadman switch.   The finger insertion part has a hollow for inserting a finger and an opening / closing lid that is pivotally supported at one end and can be tilted in the hollow. The first switch has a finger inserted from the finger insertion part. The teach pendant having a deadman switch according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the teach pendant is a detection sensor that detects that the opening / closing lid is tilted to a predetermined position.   The detection sensor includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element that are arranged to face each other with a tilt range of the opening / closing lid interposed therebetween, and a circuit that detects whether or not the light emitted from the light emitting element is received by the light receiving element. 4. A transmission type optical sensor having a substrate, wherein the ON signal is output when the emitted light is blocked by the opening / closing lid and is no longer received by the light receiving element. Teach pendant with a deadman switch.   The opening / closing lid is a plate-like body having a glossy surface on at least one side, and the detection sensor is arranged to face the same direction with respect to the glossy surface when the opening / closing lid tilts to a predetermined position. A reflective optical sensor comprising: a light emitting element and a light receiving element; and a circuit board that detects whether or not the light emitted from the light emitting element is reflected by the glossy surface and received by the light receiving element. 4. The teach pendant with a deadman switch according to claim 3, wherein the ON signal is output when the reflected light is reflected by the glossy surface of the opening / closing lid and received by the light receiving element.   The opening / closing lid is a metal plate or a plate-like body having a metal layer formed on at least a surface facing the opening direction, and the detection sensor includes a detection element disposed on a side wall on the opening direction side and the opening / closing lid. 4. A proximity sensor having a circuit board for detecting whether or not the side wall is approached, and outputs the ON signal when the open / close lid approaches the side wall within a predetermined distance. Teach pendant with a deadman switch. The said opening part was provided in at least one of the back surface side edge part of the said teach pendant, or at least one side part, The deadman switch of any one of Claims 1-6 characterized by the above-mentioned. Teach pendant.

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