JP2015041269A - Industrial machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an industrial machine capable of realizing reduction in a size of a remote controller from the perspective of a charging circuit.SOLUTION: A machine tool 1 includes: a work unit 11; a remote controller 30; and a control device 20. The remote controller 30 includes an operation unit 31; and a chargeable battery 32, and functions to wirelessly transmit a work unit instruction signal that is an instruction to the work unit 11 in response to operation on the operation unit 31 and to wirelessly transmit a charge start signal for a request to start charging the chargeable battery 32. The control device 20 includes a charge circuit 24 charging the chargeable battery 32, and functions to issue an instruction to the work unit 11 on the basis of the work unit instruction signal received from the remote controller 30 and to charge the chargeable battery 32 via a feed cable 40 in response to the charge start signal received from the remote controller 30.

Description

  The present invention relates to an industrial machine including a remote controller capable of wireless communication.

  Conventionally, in an industrial machine such as a machine tool, a configuration including a remote controller is known. The remote controller is connected to the control device of the machine tool, and an operator can give an instruction to the working unit of the machine tool by operating the remote controller.

  In the past, a remote controller for an industrial machine was connected to a control device by a cable, and an instruction was transmitted by the cable (that is, wired). However, in recent years, a remote controller capable of wireless communication has been adopted from the viewpoint of improving the workability of the operator. Patent document 1 discloses this kind of technique.

  Patent Document 1 describes a remote controller (teaching device) for teaching industrial robots. The remote controller described in Patent Document 1 can teach an industrial robot wirelessly. Moreover, the rechargeable battery of the remote controller can be charged by connecting the remote controller to the industrial robot controller with a cable.

  Also, Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration in which a remote controller is connected to an industrial robot control device with a cable for charging.

Japanese Patent No. 4697116 Utility Model Registration No. 2555847

  By the way, in the conventional industrial machine, the charging circuit for charging the rechargeable battery of the remote control is naturally arranged on the remote control side. However, the size of the charging circuit increases depending on the required charging current or voltage. For this reason, the presence of the charging circuit has become an obstacle to downsizing the remote controller.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a main object thereof is to provide an industrial machine that realizes miniaturization of a remote controller from the viewpoint of a charging circuit.

Means and effects for solving the problems

  The problems to be solved by the present invention are as described above. Next, means for solving the problems and the effects thereof will be described.

  According to an aspect of the present invention, an industrial machine having the following configuration is provided. That is, this industrial machine includes a working unit, a remote controller, and a control device. The remote controller includes an operation unit and a rechargeable battery, and has a function of wirelessly transmitting a work unit instruction signal that is an instruction to the work unit in accordance with an operation performed on the operation unit, and charging of the rechargeable battery. And a function of wirelessly transmitting a charge start signal for requesting start. The control device includes a charging circuit for charging the rechargeable battery, and receives a function for instructing the working unit based on the working unit instruction signal received from the remote control and the charging start signal received from the remote control. And charging the rechargeable battery via a power supply cable.

  Thereby, a remote control can be reduced in size by arrange | positioning a charging circuit in a control apparatus. Further, by making it possible to request the start of charging from the remote controller, charging can be started at an appropriate timing even in a configuration in which the charging circuit is arranged in the control device.

  In the industrial machine, it is preferable that when the remote controller detects that the power supply cable is disconnected, the remote controller wirelessly transmits a charge stop signal requesting to stop charging to the control device.

  Thereby, it can prevent operating a charging circuit wastefully.

  In the industrial machine, it is preferable that the control device stops the charging of the rechargeable battery when the wireless communication with the remote controller is detected.

  If the control device cannot wirelessly communicate with the remote controller, it cannot receive the charge stop signal. Therefore, by stopping the charging when the interruption of the wireless communication is detected, it is possible to prevent heat generation due to overcharging or a decrease in lifetime.

  In the industrial machine, it is preferable that the remote controller is directly operated by electricity supplied from the control device when connected to the control device by the power supply cable.

  Thereby, a remote control can be operated, without applying a load to a rechargeable battery. In addition, the remote control can be operated even when the rechargeable battery is not remaining.

  In the industrial machine, it is preferable that the remote controller wirelessly transmits a charge stop signal requesting to stop charging to the control device after a preset charging time has elapsed after the start of charging.

  As a result, it is possible to prevent the remote controller from being continuously charged, and thus it is possible to prevent heat generation due to overcharging or a decrease in service life.

  In the industrial machine, it is preferable that the charging circuit included in the control device includes a constant current circuit.

  Accordingly, since the constant current circuit generally tends to have a large component size, the remote controller can be significantly reduced in size by arranging the constant current circuit in the control device.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, an industrial machine having the following configuration is provided. That is, this industrial machine includes a working unit, a remote controller, and a control device. The remote control includes an operation unit and a rechargeable battery, and has a function of wirelessly transmitting a work unit instruction signal that is an instruction to the work unit in accordance with an operation performed on the operation unit, and a power supply cable attachment / detachment state And a function of transmitting wirelessly. The control device includes a charging circuit that charges the rechargeable battery via the power supply cable, and receives a function to instruct the working unit based on the working unit instruction signal received from the remote control and the remote control. The charging of the rechargeable battery is started or stopped based on the attachment / detachment state of the power feeding cable.

  Thereby, even if it is a case where a remote control does not have a function which transmits a charge start signal, the effect of this application that charging can be started at an appropriate timing can be exhibited.

1 is a front view of a machine tool according to an embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram which shows the electric power feeding and signal flow of a machine tool when the electric power feeding cable is connected. The block diagram which shows the electric power feeding and signal flow of a machine tool when the electric power feeding cable is not connected. The flowchart which shows the process which a remote control performs regarding charge of a rechargeable battery. The flowchart which shows the process which a control apparatus performs regarding charge of a rechargeable battery. The flowchart which shows the process which the remote control which concerns on another embodiment performs. The flowchart which shows the process which the control apparatus which concerns on another embodiment performs.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the outline of the machine tool 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a front view of the machine tool 1.

  The machine tool 1 of the present embodiment is a lathe capable of numerical control (NC lathe). As shown in FIG. 1, the machine tool 1 includes a working unit 11, a control device 20, and a remote controller 30.

  The working unit 11 processes a workpiece. Specifically, the working unit 11 has two spindles, and workpieces are attached to the tips of the spindles, respectively. In this state, the workpiece can be cut by bringing the tool of the working unit 11 into contact with the workpiece while rotating the spindle.

  The control device 20 is electrically connected to each part of the machine tool 1 and performs overall control of the machine tool 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the control device 20 includes an input key 21 and a display unit 22. The operator of the machine tool 1 can display the state of the machine tool 1 on the display unit 22 by performing a predetermined operation on the input key 21.

  Processing by the machine tool 1 includes an automatic operation mode and a manual operation mode. The automatic operation mode is a mode in which the control device 20 instructs the working unit 11 based on a set machining program (NC program) to machine a workpiece. In the manual operation mode, the control device 20 instructs the working unit 11 to process the workpiece based on an operator's operation (operation on the input key 21 of the control device 20 or the operation unit 31 of the remote controller 30). Mode.

  The remote controller 30 is a device that operates the working unit 11 without operating the input key 21. The remote controller 30 includes an operation unit 31 as shown in FIG. The operation unit 31 includes, for example, a handle for adjusting the above-described workpiece feed amount, a progress button for advancing the machining program to the next stage, a power switch for turning on the remote controller 30, and a stop for emergency stop Buttons etc. are included.

  When an operation is performed on the handle or the advance button of the operation unit 31, a signal corresponding to the operation is wirelessly transmitted to the control device 20 as a work unit instruction signal. The control device 20 gives an instruction to the working unit 11 based on the working unit instruction signal. As described above, the working unit 11 can be operated using the remote controller 30.

  In addition, when the remote control 30 and the control apparatus 20 are connected by the power feeding cable 40 indicated by a chain line in FIG. 1, the remote control 30 is charged via the power feeding cable 40.

  Next, an electrical configuration of the machine tool 1, particularly a configuration related to charging of the remote controller 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. 2 and 3 are block diagrams showing power supply and signal flow of the machine tool. 2 and 3, the flow of power supply is indicated by a thick line, and the flow of signals is indicated by a thin line.

  The machine tool 1 includes a power source 12. The power supply 12 supplies electricity to the working unit 11 and the control device 20.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 20 includes a transformer 23, a charging circuit 24, a main body side control unit 25, a wireless processing unit 26, and a wireless antenna 27 in addition to the input key 21 and the display unit 22 described above. And comprising.

  The transformer 23 is, for example, an insulation type DC-DC converter, and steps down the electricity supplied from the power supply 12 to the control device 20 to a voltage suitable for the control device 20. The electricity supplied from the power supply 12 is supplied to the charging circuit 24, each part of the control device 20, and the remote controller 30 as indicated by reference signs A to C in FIG. 2 after passing through the transformer 23.

  The charging circuit 24 is a circuit for charging the remote controller 30 and includes a constant current circuit. By disposing the charging circuit 24 including the constant current circuit that tends to be large in the control device 20 instead of the remote controller 30, the remote controller 30 can be downsized. In the case where the charging circuit 24 is arranged in the control device 20, in the normal configuration, the start or stop of charging cannot be directly controlled by the remote controller 30. In this respect, in the present embodiment, this problem is solved by processing described later performed by the remote controller 30.

  The main body side control unit 25 performs control of the control device 20 described above (display of the state of the machine tool 1 or an instruction to the working unit 11 or the like). The wireless processing unit 26 performs wireless communication with the remote controller 30 via the wireless antenna 27.

  The wireless processing unit 26 periodically performs a survival check to the remote controller 30 and outputs a message to that effect to the main body control unit 25 when there is no reply to the survival check. Thereby, the main body side control unit 25 can detect that the wireless communication with the remote controller 30 is interrupted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the remote control 30 includes a rechargeable battery 32, a transformer 33, a switch 34, an operation side control unit 35, a wireless processing unit 36, a wireless antenna 37, in addition to the operation unit 31 described above. .

  The rechargeable battery 32 is a battery capable of storing electricity. The rechargeable battery 32 is charged by the charging circuit 24 connected via the power supply cable 40. The transformer 33 can step down the electricity supplied by the rechargeable battery 32.

  The switch 34 is a device that opens and closes an electric circuit. When the switch 34 is closed, the electricity stored in the rechargeable battery 32 is supplied to each part (reference numeral D in FIG. 3) of the remote controller 30. On the other hand, when the switch 34 is opened, the electricity stored in the rechargeable battery 32 is not supplied to each part of the remote controller 30.

  The operation side control unit 35 performs overall control of the remote controller 30. For example, the operation side control unit 35 can detect the remaining amount of the rechargeable battery 32 by measuring the voltage of the rechargeable battery 32 using an AC-DC converter or the like.

  Further, the operation side control unit 35 can detect the voltage of electricity supplied through the path indicated by the above reference C. When this voltage is detected, it can be seen that the power supply cable 40 is connected and electricity is supplied via the power supply cable 40. The operation side control unit 35 opens the switch 34 when this voltage is detected (FIG. 2), and closes the switch 34 when this voltage cannot be detected (FIG. 3).

  Thereby, the electricity stored in the rechargeable battery 32 can be used only when electricity is not supplied via the power supply cable 40 (FIG. 3). Therefore, the remote controller 30 can be operated without applying a load to the rechargeable battery 32. Further, the remote controller 30 can be operated even when the remaining amount of the rechargeable battery 32 is not present.

  Note that the operation side control unit 35 opens the switch 34 when the remote control 30 is operated by the rechargeable battery 32 and the operation unit 31 is not operated for a certain period of time. Thereby, the fall of the residual amount of the rechargeable battery 32 by natural discharge can be prevented. Note that when the remote controller 30 is used again, the power switch of the operation unit 31 may be operated.

  The wireless processing unit 36 can perform wireless communication with the control device 20 via the wireless antenna 37.

  The operation side control unit 35 can wirelessly transmit a charge start signal for requesting the start of charging to the control device 20 via the wireless processing unit 36 and the wireless antenna 37. When receiving the charging start signal, the main body side control unit 25 of the control device 20 controls the charging circuit 24 to start charging the rechargeable battery 32.

  Further, the operation side control unit 35 can wirelessly transmit a charge stop signal for requesting stop of charging to the control device 20 via the wireless processing unit 36 and the wireless antenna 37. When receiving the charging stop signal, the main body side control unit 25 of the control device 20 controls the charging circuit 24 to stop the charging of the rechargeable battery 32.

  Next, conditions for starting or stopping charging of the rechargeable battery 32 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. First, with reference to FIG. 4, the process which the remote control 30 performs regarding charge of a rechargeable battery is demonstrated.

  The remote controller 30 can detect the remaining amount of the rechargeable battery 32 as described above. When the rechargeable battery 32 is not charged, the remote controller 30 determines whether or not the remaining amount of the rechargeable battery 32 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (S101). This threshold is a value for determining whether or not charging is necessary, and is determined in advance based on, for example, the remaining available time of the remote controller 30 or the usage mode of the remote controller 30.

  When the remaining amount of the rechargeable battery 32 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, the remote controller 30 determines whether or not the power feeding cable 40 is connected (S102). When the power supply cable 40 is not connected, the remote controller 30 notifies that the remaining amount of the rechargeable battery 32 is low, for example, on the display unit 22 (S103). The notification means is arbitrary, and other display units, sound, light, or the like can be used.

  On the other hand, when the remaining capacity of the rechargeable battery 32 is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value and the power supply cable 40 is connected, the remote controller 30 wirelessly transmits a charge start signal to the control device 20 (S104). Thereby, charging of the rechargeable battery 32 by the charging circuit 24 of the control device 20 is started.

  The remote controller 30 determines whether or not the power supply cable 40 has been disconnected while the rechargeable battery 32 is being charged (S105). The remote controller 30 counts the time that has elapsed since the start of charging (S106), and when a predetermined time has elapsed without the power supply cable 40 being disconnected, the remote controller 30 wirelessly transmits a charge stop signal to the control device 20 (S107). ). Thereby, it is possible to prevent the remote controller 30 from being continuously charged, and thus it is possible to prevent heat generation due to overcharging or a decrease in life. The predetermined time depends on the charging current or the capacity of the rechargeable battery, but is about 10 to 16 hours, for example.

  The remote controller 30 also wirelessly transmits a charge stop signal to the control device 20 when detecting the disconnection of the power feeding cable 40 during charging of the rechargeable battery 32 (S107). Thereby, it can prevent operating the charging circuit 24 wastefully.

  By performing the above processing, the remote controller 30 can appropriately charge the remote controller 30 even when the charging circuit 24 is disposed on the control device 20 side.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the process which the control apparatus 20 performs regarding charge of the rechargeable battery 32 is demonstrated.

  When the rechargeable battery 32 is not charged, the control device 20 determines whether or not a charge start signal has been received from the remote controller 30 (S201). If the charge start signal is received, the control device 20 controls the charging circuit 24. Then, charging of the rechargeable battery 32 is started (S202).

  The control device 20 determines whether or not the wireless communication with the remote controller 30 is interrupted as described above during charging of the rechargeable battery 32 (S203). Further, the control device 20 determines whether or not a charge stop signal has been received (S204), and when receiving the charge stop signal, controls the charging circuit 24 to stop charging (S205). Thereby, charging can be stopped at the timing when charging of the rechargeable battery 32 is completed.

  In addition, when the control device 20 detects the interruption of the wireless communication with the remote controller 30 during the charging of the rechargeable battery 32, the control device 20 controls the charging circuit 24 to stop the charging without waiting for the charging stop signal (S205). When wireless communication is not possible, a charge stop signal cannot be received. Therefore, by stopping charging, it is possible to prevent heat generation due to overcharging or a decrease in service life.

  As described above, the machine tool 1 according to the present embodiment includes the working unit 11, the remote controller 30, and the control device 20. The remote controller 30 includes an operation unit 31 and a rechargeable battery 32, and has a function of wirelessly transmitting a work unit instruction signal that is an instruction to the work unit 11 according to an operation performed on the operation unit 31. And a function of wirelessly transmitting a charging start signal for requesting the start of charging. The control device 20 has a charging circuit 24 for charging the rechargeable battery 32, and receives a function for instructing the working unit 11 based on the working unit instruction signal received from the remote control 30 and a charging start signal received from the remote control 30. And a function of charging the rechargeable battery 32 via the power supply cable 40.

  Thereby, the remote controller 30 can be reduced in size by arranging the charging circuit 24 in the control device 20. Further, by making it possible to request the start of charging from the remote controller 30, charging can be started at an appropriate timing even in the configuration in which the charging circuit 24 is arranged in the control device 20.

  Next, another embodiment of the above embodiment will be described. In the description of the other embodiment, the same or similar members as those in the above embodiment may be given the same reference numerals as the element names, and the description may be omitted.

  The control device 20 of the above embodiment starts charging based on a charging request signal from the remote controller 30. On the other hand, the control device 20 of the present embodiment receives the presence / absence (attachment / detachment state) of the power supply cable 40 from the remote controller 30, and starts or stops charging based on the connection. This will be specifically described below.

  First, processing performed by the remote controller 30 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the remote controller 30 counts time with an internal clock or the like and determines that it is time to transmit the presence / absence of connection of the power supply cable 40 (S301), the remote control 30 determines whether the power supply cable 40 is connected or not by the same processing as in the above embodiment. Judgment is made (S302).

  When the power supply cable 40 is connected, the remote control 30 wirelessly transmits that fact to the control device 20 (S303), and when the power supply cable 40 is not connected, wirelessly transmits that fact to the control device 20. (S304). When the remote controller 30 repeats the processing of steps S301 to S304, the control device 20 can grasp the attachment / detachment state of the power supply cable 40.

  Next, processing performed by the control device 20 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When determining that the power supply cable 40 is connected from the remote controller 30 (S401), the control device 20 determines whether or not the rechargeable battery 32 needs to be charged (S402). This determination can be made based on the past charge history, the remaining amount of the rechargeable battery 32, or the like.

  When it is determined that charging is necessary, the control device 20 starts charging the rechargeable battery 32 of the remote controller 30 by the charging circuit 24 (S403). Further, when the control device 20 determines that the power supply cable 40 is not connected during charging of the rechargeable battery 32 (S404), the control device 20 stops charging (S405). In this way, the control device 20 starts or stops charging the rechargeable battery 32 depending on whether or not the power supply cable 40 is connected. Although not described in the flowchart of FIG. 7, the control device 20 also stops charging when it is determined that the rechargeable battery 32 is sufficiently charged by measuring the time from the start of charging or the like. .

  Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above-described configuration can be changed as follows, for example.

  The flowchart described above is an example, and a part of the process may be omitted, replaced with another process, or another process may be added.

  The working unit 11 may be configured to be operable only from the remote controller 30 and not from the control device 20.

  The wireless communication method between the control device 20 and the remote controller 30 is arbitrary, and the standard or frequency can be changed as appropriate.

  In the above, a survival confirmation is sent from the control device 20 to the remote controller 30 and it is detected whether or not the wireless communication is interrupted based on the presence or absence of the reply, but a survival notification may be sent from the remote controller 30 to the control device 20. In this case, the control device 20 determines that the wireless communication is interrupted when the survival notification cannot be received from the remote control 30 for a certain time or more.

  In the above description, the remote controller 30 measures the elapsed time after the start of charging. However, the control device 20 may measure the elapsed time after the start of charging instead of or in addition to the remote controller 30. In this case, the control device 20 stops the charging of the rechargeable battery 32 even when the charging stop signal is not received from the remote controller 30 when the predetermined time has elapsed.

  The charging circuit 24 may include a circuit for performing trickle charging or intermittent charging, for example, instead of the constant current circuit.

  In the above, the remote controller 30 detects the presence / absence of the connection of the power feeding cable 40 using voltage, but other methods may be adopted. For example, the presence / absence of connection of the power supply cable 40 may be detected by a physical switch provided in the connector of the power supply cable 40.

  The method of detecting the remaining amount of the rechargeable battery 32 by the remote controller 30 is arbitrary, and current instead of voltage may be used. Further, the rechargeable battery 32 may be provided with a circuit for detecting the remaining amount, and the remaining amount may be output from the rechargeable battery 32 to the main body side control unit 25.

  In the above description, the remote controller 30 transmits a charge stop signal according to the time when the rechargeable battery 32 is charged, but may transmit a charge stop signal according to the remaining amount of the rechargeable battery 32.

  In the above, the remote controller 30 transmits a charge stop signal when the rechargeable battery 32 is being charged and it is detected that the power supply cable 40 has been disconnected. Instead of this, the remote controller 30 may transmit a charge stop signal when it is detected that the power feeding cable 40 is disconnected regardless of whether or not the rechargeable battery 32 is being charged. Thereby, the control regarding a charge stop signal becomes simple. If the rechargeable battery 32 is not being charged, the control device 20 may ignore the charge stop signal.

  Although the example which applies this invention to a machine tool was demonstrated above, it can also be applied to another industrial machine. For example, it can be applied to a textile machine, a transport machine, and the like.

1 Machine tools (industrial machines)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Work part 12 Power supply 20 Control apparatus 21 Input key 22 Display part 23 Transformer 24 Charging circuit 25 Main body side control part 26 Wireless processing part 27 Wireless antenna 30 Remote control 31 Operation part 32 Rechargeable battery 33 Transformer 34 Switch 35 Operation side control part 36 Wireless processing unit 37 Wireless antenna 40 Power supply cable

Claims (7)

A working section;
It has an operation unit and a rechargeable battery, and requests the start of charging of the rechargeable battery, and a function of wirelessly transmitting a work unit instruction signal that is an instruction to the working unit according to an operation performed on the operation unit. A remote control having a function of transmitting a charging start signal wirelessly;
A charging circuit for charging the rechargeable battery; a function for instructing the working unit based on the working unit instruction signal received from the remote controller; and a charging start signal received from the remote controller via the charging cable. A control device having a function of charging the rechargeable battery,
An industrial machine comprising: The industrial machine according to claim 1,
When the remote controller detects that the power supply cable has been disconnected, the remote controller wirelessly transmits a charge stop signal requesting to stop charging to the control device. The industrial machine according to claim 1 or 2,
The industrial device according to claim 1, wherein when the wireless communication with the remote controller is detected, the control device stops charging the rechargeable battery. An industrial machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
When the remote controller is connected to the control device by the power supply cable, the remote control is directly operated by electricity supplied from the control device. An industrial machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An industrial machine characterized in that the remote controller wirelessly transmits a charge stop signal requesting to stop charging to the control device after a preset charging time has elapsed after the start of charging. An industrial machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The industrial machine, wherein the charging circuit of the control device includes a constant current circuit. A working section;
A function having an operation unit and a rechargeable battery and wirelessly transmitting a work unit instruction signal, which is an instruction to the work unit in accordance with an operation performed on the operation unit, and a power supply cable attachment / detachment state A remote control having a function;
A charging circuit for charging the rechargeable battery via the power supply cable; a function for instructing the work unit based on the work unit instruction signal received from the remote control; and a detachment of the power supply cable received from the remote control A control device having a function of starting or stopping charging of the rechargeable battery based on a state;
An industrial machine comprising:

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