JP2018079514A - Cable laying method and cable laying apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cable laying method and a cable laying apparatus, and to enhance a cable forming quality.SOLUTION: There are prepared a first hand 1 having a support part 3 for supporting a cable 20, and a second hand 2 having a holding part 4 for taking-up or letting-off while gripping the cable 20. A relative distance between the support part 3 and the holding part 4 is calculated, and the taking-up extent or the letting-off extent of the cable 20 is controlled according to the variation of the relative distance when the first hand 1 and the second hand 2 move.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a cable laying method and a cable laying device for laying (forming) a cable on a target device with a robot arm.

  Conventionally, in an assembly process of various devices such as an electronic device and an optical communication device, a cable forming operation for laying a cable such as an electric wiring material or an optical fiber on the target device and connecting the wires is sometimes performed. The cable to be laid is routed and arranged in the target device (or on the circuit board) so as to pass through a preset route, and is connected, fixed, and locked to the components and connectors in the target device. The Such cable forming work is often performed manually from the viewpoint of preventing interference and damage between the cable and other parts. On the other hand, by automating cable forming work using a robot arm instead of manual work, work time can be shortened and work efficiency can be improved, and productivity can be improved (for example, Patent Document 1, Patent Document 1). 2).

JP-A-61-117899 JP 60-212911 A

  Known methods of robot arm trajectory control include CP (Continuous Path) control and PTP (Point To Point) control. The former is a technique for designating the moving path and moving speed of the robot arm, and is applied to, for example, arc welding work and painting work. The latter is a method for designating the operation of the robot arm by setting a plurality of teaching points, and is applied to, for example, spot welding work or parts conveyance work. When cable forming work is performed using the latter method, the movement path of the robot arm in the section between the teaching points is automatically set. There are things to do. In particular, when cables are routed using robot arms with two or more arms, the movement of each robot arm may cause the cables to become loose or over-tensioned, and the cables and mounted parts may be caught or damaged. is there.

  In one aspect, the object is to improve cable forming quality.

  In one embodiment, a cable for laying the cable by using a first hand having a support portion for supporting the cable and a second hand having a grip portion for winding or unwinding while holding the cable. Disclose the laying method. In this cable laying method, the relative distance between the support portion and the grip portion is calculated. Further, when the first hand or the second hand moves, the winding amount or feeding amount of the cable is controlled according to the change amount of the relative distance.

  In one aspect, cable forming quality can be improved.

It is a mimetic diagram showing composition of a cable laying device as one embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the principal part structure of a 1st hand. (A), (B) is a schematic diagram which shows the principal part structure of a 2nd hand. It is a schematic diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of a control apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows the software structure of a control apparatus. (A), (B) is a schematic diagram which shows the installation object apparatus of a cable. It is a schematic diagram which shows the movement locus | trajectory of a robot arm. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the calculation in a calculation part. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the cable laying method.

  Hereinafter, a cable laying method and a cable laying device as embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment described below is merely an example, and there is no intention of excluding various modifications and technical applications that are not explicitly described in the embodiment. In other words, the present embodiment can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present embodiment (for example, by combining the embodiment and the modified examples).

[1. Constitution]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a cable laying device 9 for laying a cable 20 with a robot arm. The cable 20 is, for example, an electrical wiring material or an optical fiber, and the laying target device 22 is, for example, an electronic device or an optical communication device. The number of robot arms is at least two arms. FIG. 1 shows an apparatus configuration example in the case where a multi-joint type first arm 41 and a second arm 42 are used. The laying target device 22 of the cable 20 is disposed in the vicinity of the first arm 41 and the second arm 42.

  Each of the first arm 41 and the second arm 42 is provided with a plurality of arm portions 43 and 44 and joint portions 45 and 46. The first hand 1 is provided at the tip of the first arm 41, and the second hand 2 is provided at the tip of the second arm 42. Each of the joint portions 45 and 46 incorporates a sensor that detects a relative operation amount (angle, direction, etc.) of the arm portions 43 and 44 connected to the joint portions 45 and 46.

  The first hand 1 is provided with a support portion 3 that supports the cable 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the support 3 is provided with a base 51, an actuator 52, and a pair of half pipes 53 fixed to the first hand 1. The half pipe 53 is obtained by dividing a hollow cylindrical member along a plane including the cylinder axis. The actuator 52 is a part connecting between the pair of half pipes 53 and the base 51, and drives the pair of half pipes 53 in the direction of separation. By sandwiching the cable 20 between the pair of half pipes 53, the cable 20 is supported by the support portion 3 in a loosely inserted state.

  The second hand 2 is provided with a grip portion 4 that winds or feeds the cable 20 while gripping the cable 20. As shown in FIG. 3A, the grip portion 4 is provided with a base 54, an actuator 55, a pair of half pipes 56 fixed to the second hand 2, and a motor 57 and a pair of rollers 58. . The actuator 55 and the half pipe 56 are the same members as the actuator 52 and the half pipe 53 provided in the first hand. FIG. 3A illustrates the grip portion 4 having two sets of actuators 55 and a pair of half pipes 56.

  The pair of rollers 58 rolls (culls) the cable 20 from the first hand 1 side or feeds (pushes out) the cable 20 toward the first hand 1 side by rotating with the cable 20 sandwiched therebetween. The cable 20 is gripped by the grip portion 4 by sandwiching the cable 20 between the pair of rollers 58. Further, by controlling the rotation amount of the roller 58, the tension of the cable 20 on the first hand 1 side relative to the grip portion 4 is adjusted.

  The posture of the first arm 41 is controlled by the first controller 17. The position and angle (posture) of the first hand 1 are calculated based on the angle of the joint 45 included in the first arm 41 and the length of the arm 43. Similarly, the posture of the second arm 42 is controlled by the second controller 18. The position and angle (posture) of the second hand 2 are calculated based on the angle of the joint portion 46 included in the second arm 42 and the length of the arm portion 44. The operating states of the first controller 17 and the second controller 18 are controlled by the control device 10.

[2. hardware]
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the control device 10. The control device 10 is a computer (electronic control device) connected to the first controller 17 and the second controller 18. The control device 10 controls the operating state of the first arm 41 and the second arm 42, and winds up the cable 20. , And a function for controlling the state of feeding (for example, the tension of the cable 20). As shown in FIG. 4, the control device 10 includes a processor 11 (CPU, central processing unit), a memory 12 (main memory, main storage device), an auxiliary storage device 13, an interface device 14, a recording medium drive 15, and the like. And are communicably connected to each other via the internal bus 16.

  The processor 11 is a central processing unit including a control unit (control circuit), an arithmetic unit (arithmetic circuit), a cache memory (register group), and the like. The memory 12 is a storage device for storing programs and data during work, and includes ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). On the other hand, the auxiliary storage device 13 is a storage device that stores data and firmware that are held for a longer period of time than the memory 12, and a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory or an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). include. The interface device 14 controls input / output (I / O) between the control device 10 and the outside.

  The recording medium drive 15 is a reading device that reads information recorded and stored in a recording medium 19 (removable medium) such as an optical disk or a semiconductor memory. The program (for example, cable forming program 30) executed by the control device 10 may be recorded and stored in the memory, or may be recorded and stored in the auxiliary storage device 13. Alternatively, the cable forming program 30 may be recorded and stored on the recording medium 19, and the cable forming program 30 written on the recording medium 19 may be read into the control device 10 via the recording medium drive 15.

[3. software]
FIG. 5 is a block diagram for explaining the processing contents of the cable forming program 30. The cable forming program 30 is provided with a calculation unit 31 and a control unit 32. These are the functions of the cable forming program 30 which are classified for convenience, and each element may be described as an independent program, or may be described as a composite program having these functions. Good.

  The calculation unit 31 is used to calculate how much the cable 20 is pulled when at least one of the first hand 1 and the second hand 2 moves, or to know how much the cable 20 is loosened. Perform the calculation. Here, the amount of change in the relative distance M between at least the support 3 of the first hand 1 and the grip 4 of the second hand 2 is calculated. Hereinafter, a position where the cable 20 is fixed to the laying target device 22 (for example, a position where the cable 20 is connected to a connector or a position where the cable 20 is locked to another component) is referred to as a reference point 21. In the calculation unit 31 of the present embodiment, the distance L from the reference point 21 to the support unit 3 is also calculated.

  For example, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the cable 20 is connected to the fiber connection portion 24 attached to the laying target device 22, and the cable 20 is connected to the plurality of pins 25 while avoiding the mounting component 23. Assume cable forming to route while hooking. In a state where the cable 20 connected to the fiber connection portion 24 is not locked to the pin 25, the fiber connection portion 24 becomes the reference point 21. Therefore, the calculation unit 31 of the present embodiment calculates the distance L from the fiber connection unit 24 to the support unit 3 and the relative distance M from the support unit 3 to the grip unit 4. On the other hand, when the cable 20 is locked to the pin 25, the position of the pin 25 becomes the reference point 21. Therefore, the calculation unit 31 of the present embodiment calculates the distance L from the pin 25 to the support unit 3 and the relative distance M from the support unit 3 to the grip unit 4. Thus, the position of the reference point 21 varies depending on the cable 20 routing state. The calculation unit 31 calculates the distance L and the relative distance M repeatedly at a predetermined calculation cycle.

  Further, the calculation unit 31 compares the distance L and the relative distance M calculated in the previous calculation cycle with the distance L and the relative distance M calculated in the current calculation cycle, so that the change amount of the distance L and the relative distance M The change amount of the distance M is calculated. Further, the calculation unit 31 calculates the total value of the change amount of the distance L and the change amount of the relative distance M. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the support part 3 of the first hand 1 moves from the first teaching point to the second teaching point, the movement path of the support part 3 is set to a straight line indicated by a white arrow. Otherwise, it may be set in a curved shape indicated by a black arrow or a hatched arrow. The same applies to the path along which the grip portion 4 of the second hand 2 moves from the third teaching point to the fourth teaching point. In the PTP control, the movement path of the support part 3 and the grip part 4 cannot be predicted. Also in CP control, an error may occur in the movement path of the support part 3 and the grip part 4. On the other hand, by calculating the total value of the change amounts of the distance L and the relative distance M by the calculation unit 31, it is possible to accurately grasp whether the length of the cable 20 is excessive or insufficient.

  The amount of change in the distance L is calculated by subtracting the distance L obtained in the previous computation cycle from the distance L obtained in the current computation cycle. Similarly, the amount of change in the relative distance M is calculated by subtracting the relative distance M obtained in the previous computation cycle from the relative distance M obtained in the current computation cycle. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the position of the support portion 3 of the first hand 1 in the previous calculation cycle is the first point P1, and the position of the support portion 3 of the first hand 1 in the current calculation cycle is the second point. Let P2. Both the first point P1 and the second point P2 are points through which the support portion 3 of the first hand 1 passes when moving from the first teaching point to the second teaching point. Here, if the distance from the reference point 21 to the first point P1 is L1, and the distance from the reference point 21 to the second point P2 is L2, the amount of change in the distance L is expressed as (L2-L1). The

  Similarly, the position of the grip portion 4 of the second hand 2 in the previous calculation cycle is set as a third point P3, and the position of the grip portion 4 of the second hand 2 in the current calculation cycle is set as a fourth point P4. Both the third point P3 and the fourth point P4 are points through which the grip portion 4 of the second hand 2 passes when moving from the third teaching point to the fourth teaching point. Here, if the relative distance from the first point P1 to the third point P3 is M1, and the relative distance from the second point P2 to the fourth point P4 is M2, the amount of change in the relative distance M is (M2- M1). Therefore, the total value A of the change amounts of the distance L and the relative distance M is expressed as A = (L2-L1) + (M2-M1).

  When at least one of the first hand 1 and the second hand 2 moves, the control unit 32 controls the winding amount and the feeding amount of the cable 20 according to at least the amount of change in the relative distance M. . When the position of the first hand 1 is fixed, the winding and unwinding of the cable 20 may be controlled according to only the change amount of the relative distance M. On the other hand, when the position of the first hand 1 is changing, it is preferable to control the winding amount and the feeding amount of the cable 20 according to the change amount of the distance L and the change amount of the relative distance M.

  The control unit 32 according to the present embodiment controls winding and unwinding of the cable 20 based on the total value A calculated by the calculation unit 31. When the total value A is positive, it is determined that the cable 20 is stretched (excessively pulled), and the motor 57 is controlled so that the cable 20 is drawn out to the first hand 1 side. At this time, the feeding amount of the cable 20 is set to a size corresponding to the value of the total value A. On the other hand, when the total value A is negative, it is determined that the cable 20 is loosened (becomes loosened), and the motor 57 is controlled so that the cable 20 is wound from the first hand 1 side. At this time, the winding amount of the cable 20 is set to a size corresponding to the absolute value | A | of the total value A.

[4. flowchart]
FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the cable laying method of the present embodiment. This flow is a flow for controlling the winding amount and feeding amount of the cable 20 when the support portion 3 of the first hand 1 moves from the first teaching point to the second teaching point as shown in FIG. It is. First, the current coordinate values (position and angle in the three-dimensional coordinate system) of the first hand 1 and the second hand 2 are acquired (step A1). The current coordinate value of the first hand 1 can be calculated based on the angle of the joint portion 45 controlled by the first controller 17 and the length of the arm portion 43. Similarly, the current coordinate value of the second hand 2 can be calculated based on the angle of the joint portion 46 and the length of the arm portion 44 controlled by the second controller 18.

  Subsequently, the amount of change in the distance L from the reference point 21 to the support portion 3 of the first hand 1 is calculated (step A2). For example, the change amount (L2-L1) is calculated by subtracting the distance L1 calculated in the previous calculation cycle from the distance L2 calculated in the current calculation cycle. Further, the amount of change in the relative distance M from the support portion 3 of the first hand 1 to the grip portion 4 of the second hand 2 is calculated (step A3). For example, the amount of change (M2-M1) is calculated by subtracting the relative distance M1 calculated in the previous calculation cycle from the relative distance M2 calculated in the current calculation cycle. Thereafter, the total value A = (L2−L1) + (M2−M1) of the change amount is calculated (step A4).

  Here, it is determined whether the sign of the total value A is positive or negative (steps A5 and A7). When the total value A is negative, it is determined that the cable 20 is loosened (becomes loosened) on the first hand 1 side relative to the grip portion 4, and the cable 20 is wound from the first hand 1 side. The motor 57 is controlled (step A6). The winding amount of the cable 20 is set to a size corresponding to the absolute value | A | of the total value A (that is, a size corresponding to -A). On the other hand, when the total value A is positive, it is determined that the cable 20 is stretched (excessively pulled) on the first hand 1 side than the grip portion 4, and the cable 20 is fed out to the first hand 1 side. Thus, the motor 57 is controlled (step A8). The feeding amount of the cable 20 is set according to the value of the total value A.

  When the total value A is zero, it is determined that the length (tension) of the cable 20 does not change, the motor 57 does not rotate, and the gripping state at the gripping portion 4 is simply maintained (step A9). ). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the support part 3 of the first hand 1 has reached the second teaching point (step A10), and this flow is repeated until the support part 3 reaches the second teaching point. In addition, after the support part 3 reaches | attains a 2nd teaching point, when moving to another teaching point, you may implement this flow again. At this time, if the cable 20 is locked and fixed at the second teaching point, the second teaching point may be set to the reference point 21.

[5. effect]
(1) According to the above-described embodiment, the cable 20 is loosened and excessively controlled by controlling the winding amount and feeding amount of the cable 20 according to the amount of change in the relative distance M between the support portion 3 and the grip portion 4. Tension can be suppressed. In particular, even when the cable 20 is laid using a robot arm whose movement path is designated by PTP control (for example, a robot arm of a type that can automatically generate a curved movement path), the robot arms 41 and 42 are used. It is possible to suppress slack and over-tension of the cable 20 during the movement process. Therefore, the breakage of the cable 20 and the occurrence of defective forming can be suppressed, and the cable forming quality can be improved.

  (2) In the above-described embodiment, the cable 20 is wound and unwound in consideration of not only the relative distance M but also the distance L from the reference point 21 to the support portion 3. Thereby, the slack and over tension of the whole cable 20 can be suppressed with high precision. In particular, it is possible to efficiently suppress slack and over tension of the cable 20 that may occur when the first arm 41 (first hand 1) and the second arm 42 (second hand 2) are moved simultaneously. .

  (3) In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, (L2-L1) is calculated as the change amount of the distance L when the support unit 3 moves from the first point P1 to the second point P2. . At this time, the change amount (M2-M1) of the relative distance M when the gripping part 4 moves from the third point P3 to the fourth point P4 is also calculated, and these total values A = (L2-L1) + ( M2-M1) is calculated. By controlling the winding and unwinding of the cable 20 according to the sign of the total value A, it is possible to improve the effect of suppressing the slack and over-tension of the cable 20.

[6. Modified example]
In the above-described embodiment, the method for controlling the motor 57 of the gripper 4 using the control device 10 independent of the first controller 17 and the second controller 18 has been described in detail. However, the functions of the present embodiment (for example, cable forming) The program 30) may be built in the first controller 17 or the second controller 18. The location where the cable forming program 30 is recorded and saved can be arbitrarily set. For example, the cable forming program 30 may be installed in a server, workstation, or the like arranged on a network to which the control device 10 is connected. It is also possible to divide the cable forming program 30 into a plurality of components, and record and save each in another location. Thus, the subject that executes the cable forming program 30 can be changed as appropriate.

[7. Addendum]
The following additional notes are disclosed regarding the embodiment including the above-described modification.
(Appendix 1)
In a cable laying method for laying the cable, using a first hand having a support part for supporting a cable and a second hand having a gripping part for winding or feeding while holding the cable,
Calculating a relative distance between the support part and the grip part;
A cable laying method, wherein when the first hand or the second hand moves, a winding amount or a feeding amount of the cable is controlled according to a change amount of the relative distance.

(Appendix 2)
Calculate the distance from the reference point, which is the position where the cable is fixed to the laying target of the cable, to the support part,
When the first hand or the second hand moves, the winding amount or feeding amount of the cable is controlled according to the change amount of the distance and the change amount of the relative distance. The cable laying method according to 1.

(Appendix 3)
When the support part of the first hand moves from the first point to the second point, and simultaneously the grip part of the second hand moves from the third point to the fourth point,
Calculate the distance L1 from the reference point to the first point, and the distance L2 from the reference point to the second point,
Calculate the relative distance M1 from the first point to the third point, and the relative distance M2 from the second point to the fourth point,
Calculate the total value of the value obtained by subtracting the distance L1 from the distance L2 and the value obtained by subtracting the relative distance M1 from the relative distance M2,
When the total value is positive, control the amount of feeding of the cable according to the total value,
The cable laying method according to appendix 2, wherein the winding amount of the cable is controlled according to the total value when the total value is negative.

(Appendix 4)
In the cable laying device for laying the cable with the robot arm,
A first hand having a support for supporting the cable;
A second hand having a gripping part that winds or pays out while holding the cable;
A calculation unit that calculates a relative distance between the support unit and the gripping unit;
When the first hand or the second hand moves, a control unit that controls a winding amount or a feeding amount of the cable according to a change amount of the relative distance;
A cable laying device comprising:

(Appendix 5)
The calculation unit calculates a distance from a reference point which is a position where the cable is fixed to the laying target of the cable to the support unit,
When the control unit moves the first hand or the second hand, the control unit controls the winding amount or the feeding amount of the cable according to the change amount of the distance and the change amount of the relative distance. The cable laying device according to appendix 4, which is characterized.

(Appendix 6)
The calculation unit
When the support part of the first hand moves from the first point to the second point, and simultaneously the grip part of the second hand moves from the third point to the fourth point,
Calculate the distance L1 from the reference point to the first point, and the distance L2 from the reference point to the second point,
Calculate the relative distance M1 from the first point to the third point, and the relative distance M2 from the second point to the fourth point,
Calculate the total value of the value obtained by subtracting the distance L1 from the distance L2 and the value obtained by subtracting the relative distance M1 from the relative distance M2,
The control unit is
When the total value is positive, control the amount of feeding of the cable according to the total value,
The cable laying device according to appendix 5, wherein when the total value is negative, the winding amount of the cable is controlled according to the total value.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st hand 2 2nd hand 3 Support part 4 Grasp part 9 Cable laying apparatus 10 Control apparatus 20 Cable 30 Cable forming program 31 Calculation part 32 Control part

Claims (4)

In a cable laying method for laying the cable, using a first hand having a support part for supporting a cable and a second hand having a gripping part for winding or feeding while holding the cable,
Calculating a relative distance between the support part and the grip part;
A cable laying method, wherein when the first hand or the second hand moves, a winding amount or a feeding amount of the cable is controlled according to a change amount of the relative distance. Calculate the distance from the reference point, which is the position where the cable is fixed to the laying target of the cable, to the support part,
When the first hand or the second hand moves, a winding amount or a feeding amount of the cable is controlled in accordance with a change amount of the distance and a change amount of the relative distance. Item 5. A cable laying method according to item 1. When the support part of the first hand moves from the first point to the second point, and simultaneously the grip part of the second hand moves from the third point to the fourth point,
Calculate the distance L1 from the reference point to the first point, and the distance L2 from the reference point to the second point,
Calculate the relative distance M1 from the first point to the third point, and the relative distance M2 from the second point to the fourth point,
Calculate the total value of the value obtained by subtracting the distance L1 from the distance L2 and the value obtained by subtracting the relative distance M1 from the relative distance M2,
When the total value is positive, control the amount of feeding of the cable according to the total value,
The cable laying method according to claim 2, wherein, when the total value is negative, the winding amount of the cable is controlled according to the total value. In the cable laying device for laying the cable with the robot arm,
A first hand having a support for supporting the cable;
A second hand having a gripping part that winds or pays out while holding the cable;
A calculation unit that calculates a relative distance between the support unit and the gripping unit;
When the first hand or the second hand moves, a control unit that controls a winding amount or a feeding amount of the cable according to a change amount of the relative distance;
A cable laying device comprising:

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