JP3530263B2 - Work replacement method for broken robot - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method in which the operable areas of a plurality of working robots are overlapped by means such as using the same rail. The present invention relates to the creation of a work program for an alternative operation robot in a robot device installed so as to be replaced by another robot. 2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a system in which work is performed by a plurality of robots using the same traveling rail, when a hand effector of one of the robots fails, the other robot substitutes for the work. This is an important technique for reducing the downtime of the time. [0003] As a method of substituting a work in the event of a robot failure, there is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 02-3585. However, this is characterized by an apparatus configuration in which a traveling range of a bogie on which a robot is mounted is shared, and does not relate to work of a program given to a robot that substitutes for a failure. If a failure occurs in one of the robots while a plurality of robots are working in accordance with a predetermined program, (1) the failed robot whose work has been interrupted does not disturb other robots. retracted so, and, (2) failure after another robot to replace the work of the robot ended his work quota, performs an operation left behind the failed robot, two operations after occurrence of a failure of, Newly needed. Generally, in order to change the operation of the robot, a method of changing the program during execution, such as correction of the operation path of the robot during execution of the program or jumping to another routine in the program by inputting a condition from the outside, and There are two ways to replace and change a separately created program with a running program. First, a technique for changing a program during execution of an operation is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 05-265536 and 05-265536.
No. 233055 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 56-33175, all of which recognize the deviation between the actual work and the teaching by a sensor or the like, and determine the operation path based on the data recognized during the execution of the program. It is a correction method and cannot be used as a method of changing the robot to perform an alternative operation in response to a sudden failure of the robot itself. [0007] On the other hand, it is possible to replace the faulty robot by changing the program by the conventional technique. However, in this method, all the robots sharing the operation area can be mutually subject to the fault. An alternative program for the same work as the other robots and used only in the event of a failure must be prepared in advance. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, in addition to the evacuation program, the controllers (RC1 and RC2) of the robots (R1 and R2) perform operations (operations) after a failure in each of several types of failure patterns assumed in advance. An alternative program for performing a possible alternative operation is prepared, and the alternative program is executed in response to a failure pattern. However, since the substitute operation by this is a so-called emergency operation or operation of the failed robot, the operation cannot be completed normally in many cases. Supervisor controller 1
0 allows the position of the faulty robot to be defined in advance, even if another normal robot is executed instead of the faulty robot, because the teaching points of the robot created as a robot program are discrete. If the program is not started at the start of the program or the representative position is not determined in advance, there is a problem that continuity or continuity cannot be obtained in the operation or the robot posture due to the exchange of the program. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a system using a plurality of robots, in which, when a failure occurs suddenly, the work of one failed robot is performed by another healthy robot. A first object is to replace the preceding operation in a manner substantially continuous from any fault position, and a second object is to minimize the scale of a program to be prepared for such a fault replacement. And According to the present invention, a plurality of robots are provided such that the operable areas of the robots overlap each other, and when one of the robots is inoperable, the robots are in an operable area overlapping the robot. In the operation of a robot device installed so that another robot can substitute for this robot's work, the actual work program and the evacuation program in case of failure are stored and copied inside the robot, and these copied programs are stored in the robot. Update based on the current work position data during work, and if this robot breaks down, execute the remaining work based on the updated copy program.
Start the retreat with start from the work starting position of the fault robot, a creation for saving programs continue saving operation until the fault point, the starting position of the failure point, and to the creation actual work program finishes actual work, the Evacuation pro for creation
Characterized in that the Gram then alternative program synthesized in the order of the creation actual work program created inside the robot, given to the robot to replace the program to substitute in the form of continuous substantially advanced operation from any fault location And A specific working robot automatically edits, in real time, a save program and a creation program in a reproduction program based on performance data during the reproduction of the robot. When this robot breaks down, the robot automatically creates a retreat operation program and a program to be executed by the substitute robot, and transplants them to the substitute robot. That is, when one robot breaks down, a program for completing the remaining work is automatically generated and transferred to another robot, and the other robot completes the remaining work in place of the failed robot. In an embodiment described later of the present invention, the work program of each robot is composed of two programs: an actual work program and a save program relating to the operation when the robot itself breaks down. Further, each robot separately stores the work program in two storage areas. The program in one of the storage areas is used by the robot itself to reproduce the work, and is called a reproduction program. The program in the other storage area is used to create a program for another alternative robot to perform an alternative operation when it fails, and to give it to the alternative robot. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a system that embodies the invention in one aspect. The plurality of robots R1, R2,... Are connected to robot controllers RC1, RC2,. The robots R1, R2,... Have the same structure and the same function.
C2 have the same structure and the same function. Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the controller RC1 will be mainly described, but the same applies to the other controllers RC2,. The inside of the robot controller RC1 includes:
A controller 3 for giving an operation command to the robot RC1, a reproducing memory 4 for storing a reproducing program, a producing memory 6 for storing a producing program, a register 5 for temporarily storing data sent from the controller, and A program creator 7 updates and saves the save program in the storage for reproduction 4, the actual work program in the storage 6 for creation, and the save program at any time according to the data in the register 5. Before operation of the robot is started, retreat switched upon malfunction same real working program for both the reproduction storage device 4 and creates storage unit 6 avoid program is recorded. Further, a DMA for directly reading and writing a record
(Direct memory access) 9b allows the program in the storage device 6 to be transferred to the other robots R2,... Via the data transmission / reception device 8 and the data communication line.
.. Can be directly transferred to the controllers RC2, RC3,. The general controller 10 supervises the operations of a plurality of robots via a data communication line, selects a program to be operated by each robot, instructs the robot (controller thereof) to execute the program, and starts the program. As for work replacement in the event of a failure, when the occurrence of a failure is received from the robot, a robot to perform the replacement work is selected, and this robot is instructed to replace the work. To transfer FIGS. 2 and 3 show the operation and procedure of the present invention by the robot controller RC1 of the robot R1, and the horizontal axis of FIG. 2 shows the progress of the work of each program in a band graph. is there. 2A shows a state before the robot is started, and FIG. 2B shows a state after the robot is started. Before starting, the reproduction storage unit 4 stores the actual work
And two evacuation programs. The evacuation program has a work start posture that is similar to the work start posture of the actual work program, and a work end posture that is the same as that of the real work program so that the robot can respond to a robot failure immediately after the start of the actual work program. The posture is set so as not to interfere with the work end posture, and this is to prevent interference with the operation of the substitute robot. The evacuation program includes an alternative program when the substitute robot (R2), which performs the work remaining in place of the work left by the failed robot (R1), starts the substitute work. The step corresponding to the end of the actual work program includes a step of receiving a signal (cooperation signal) from the outside so that the starting point of evacuation in cooperation with the robot (R2) is known. Further, generator 7, above, among the programs in reproducing the storage device 4, creates storage device the two programs save programs and actual work program excluding the part of the coordination signal subsequent evacuation program Duplicate to 6. FIG. 3 mainly shows a robot controller RC1.
3 shows the control operation. FIG. 3A shows a control operation when the work is normally performed, and FIG. 3B shows a control operation when a failure occurs in the robot R1. When a start command is given from the outside, such as a push button switch, the robot controller RC1 is started, the actual work program in the reproduction memory 4 is called to the controller 3, and the work of the robot R1 is started (step S1). , S
2). In the following, the word “step” is omitted in parentheses, and step No. Only symbols are shown. After the work is started, the steps of the program that have been executed by the controller 3 and the posture data of the robot R1 are successively transferred to the register 5 and are temporarily recorded (S3). On the other hand, the creator 7 repeatedly changes the following program while the robot R1 is executing the program (S4 to S7). First, the creator 7 stores the reproduction memory 4
The work start posture of the robot in the evacuation program is updated to the latest actual work robot posture recorded in the register 5 based on the data recorded in the register 5. The creator 7 is provided in the storage 6 for creation.
Register the robot work end posture in the evacuation program in register 5.
Is updated to the latest actual working robot posture recorded in the register 5 based on the recorded data of (1). The creator 7 deletes the program data up to the executed step based on the data in the register 5 from the actual work program in the creator storage 6,
The operation start posture of the robot R1 of the remaining program is updated to the latest robot posture data from the register 5. During execution of the actual work program, these three program edit works are repeated in real time. If the actual work program is completed without failure,
The program created in the creating memory 6 ends without being executed. However, if a failure occurs in the robot R1 during execution of the actual work program, the controller RC1 of the robot (hereinafter referred to as a failed robot) interrupts the execution of the program and transmits an output signal indicating the occurrence of the failure. The information is transmitted to the general controller 10 via the receiving device 8 and notified. The processing at this time is shown in FIG. The overall controller 10 is provided with a failed robot R
The interrupted actual work program is stopped, and the evacuation program in the reproduction storage device 4 is immediately activated via the transmission / reception device 8 (S11). At this time, since the failed robot R1 executes the evacuation program in the reproduction storage device 4, which has been updated until immediately before, the last step of the interrupted actual work program is the evacuation program start step. For this reason, the failure robot R1 can smoothly retreat without taking an unusual posture and without interference with peripheral devices. The general controller 10 further specifies another robot (R2) having a common working area with the failed robot R1, and substitutes the remaining work of the failed robot R1. Hereinafter, the description of the alternative robot will be continued as R2. The overall controller 10 waits for the end of the actual work program of the alternative robot R2, causes the robot controller RC1 to start the following alternative program, and instructs the transfer to the robot controller RC2. Here, the substitute program is a program that combines the evacuation program of the robot R1 and the actual work program that have been edited in the controller RC1 of the failed robot R1 and stored in the storage 6 for creation (S17). ), From the controller RC1 of the failed robot R1, the DM
A9b, the work of the failed robot R1 is transferred to the robot R2 to be replaced through the transmission / reception device 8 (S1).
9, S20). As shown in FIG. 2B, the substitute program transferred from the robot controller RC1 to the robot controller RC2 is a save program which has not been executed by the failed robot R1 by the time of the failure (the (Y) of the save program for reproduction). Steps in charge), namely, a creation evacuation program Y that starts evacuation from the work start posture of the failed robot R1 together with activation and continues the evacuation operation until the failure point, and an actual work program left over by the failed robot after the failure point (Step in charge of (X) of the actual work program for reproduction), that is, the actual work program X for creation starting from the posture at the time of the failure and ending until the actual work is synthesized, in the order of Y and then X It is. The substitute robot R2 executes the substitute program Y, and then executes X (S22). The alternative program is a program that is executed from the start step of the evacuation program by connecting the end step of the evacuation program and the start step of the actual work program in the storage 6 for creating the failed robot R1, and according to this program, the alternative robot R2 In the operation of the failed robot R1, the step which has already completed the operation of the operation of the failed robot R1 and the operation of which the operation has been interrupted can be replaced with the operation to be performed by the failed robot R1. The transfer path of the program is not limited to the above, and the general controller 10
May be used as a communication path to be managed and passed. According to the present invention described above, the failed robot (R1 + RC1) itself creates an evacuation program and a substitute program for the robot (R2 + RC2) that substitutes for work at a healthy time before the failure. This eliminates the need for each robot to prepare redundant robot programs in advance in case of failure. Further, when a failure occurs at any point in the actual work program, a corresponding substitute robot program can be automatically created.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration for implementing the present invention in one embodiment. FIGS. 2A and 2B are block diagrams showing the concept of creating a robot program according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 2A shows a state before starting the robot, and FIG. 2B shows a state after starting the robot. FIG. 3 shows robot controllers RC1 and R shown in FIG.
8 is a flowchart showing a procedure for changing the program of C2, in which (a) is the one when the robot R1 is normal, and (b)
Is when the robot R1 breaks down. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an outline of a configuration of a conventional robot controller and items of main programs. [Description of References] R1, R2: Work robots RC1 to RC4: Robot controller 3: Controller 4: Reproduction storage unit 5: Register 6: Creation storage unit 7: Creation unit 8: Transmission / reception devices 9a, 9b: DMA (Direct memory access) 10: General controller

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-3-10780 (JP, A) JP-A-63-110691 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G05B 19/18 G05B 19/4093 B25J 13/00

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] [Claim 1] A plurality of robots are overlapped in the operable area of each robot, and when one of the robots is inoperable, another robot in an operable area overlapping with this robot is used. In the operation of the robot device installed so that the robot can substitute for this robot's work, the actual work program and the evacuation program in case of failure are copied and stored inside the robot, and these copied programs are being worked on by the robot The robot is updated based on the current work position data, and if this robot breaks down, it executes the remaining work based on the updated duplication program. The evacuation program for creation that continues the evacuation operation until the actual work program that starts from the posture at the time of failure until the end of the actual work And the lamb, the creation for saving program then the created for real work
A faulty robot is characterized in that an alternative program synthesized in the order of the work program is created inside the robot, this program is given to the alternative robot, and the faulty robot is replaced in a form that is substantially continuous with the preceding operation from any fault position. Work alternative method.