JP3948329B2 - Robot controller simulation device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a robot controller simulation apparatus in which a robot controller software is installed in a computer.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, when constructing a production line, it is necessary to assume the selection of the robot model from the size of the object to be worked on, the number of robots to be arranged from the target cycle time, the control time timing with peripheral external devices, etc. is there. Further, as a simulation for improving the robot's trajectory accuracy, RRS (Realistic Robot Simulation) standard is provided to improve the trajectory accuracy. A robot simulation apparatus for solving these problems is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-150373. This will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, the robot controller 100 is connected to a computer 105 by communication means 101 such as a network. For example, a workstation is used as the computer 105, and includes a display 102, a main body 103, and a keyboard 104. The robot controller 100 is configured around a processor and controls the robot operation based on basic software and a robot program. The robot operation control command signal is originally sent to the robot, but here is transferred to the computer 105 via the communication means 101. The computer 105 simulates the robot operation based on the command signal.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, according to the RRS standard, which is a conventional technique, even if the accuracy related only to the operation of the robot is improved, the entire production line including the external peripheral device cannot be simulated.
Further, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-150373, since simulation is performed by receiving data from the robot controller, high-precision simulation is possible because the control of the robot controller is used as it is. However, since a function for operating an actual robot such as a servo is attached, there is a problem of cost and space, and there is a problem that it is not realistic in considering a production line.
In order to solve the above problem, the present invention uses a functional software installed in a robot controller that drives a manipulator without connecting a robot controller that drives the manipulator, and simulates the robot controller with high accuracy. A simulation apparatus is provided.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The robot simulation apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention is a robot controller simulation apparatus that simulates the function of a robot controller that drives a manipulator by a single computer including a storage memory and an operating system, and the computer is connected to the robot controller. An operating system connection unit that installs the same type of function software as the installed function software , converts a system call commanded by the function software into a system call for the operating system of the computer, and commands the operating system A memory address conversion unit that converts a memory address to be accessed by the functional software into an address of the storage memory, and It is characterized in further comprising a same type of job as to be mounted on the robot controller to the memory. In the robot simulation apparatus according to claim 2 of the present invention, the computer connects a programming pendant of the same type as the programming pendant connected to the robot controller , and mediates communication between the programming pendant and the functional software. And a pendant communication processing unit. In the robot simulation apparatus according to claim 3 of the present invention, the computer includes a processing speed adjustment unit that adjusts a difference in processing speed between the robot controller and the computer, and the processing speed adjustment unit includes the computer The execution of the function software instruction is delayed. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the robot simulation apparatus according to the present invention, the computer has a servo delay input unit configured to input a delay time of a servo control device provided in the robot controller in advance, and the servo delay input. wherein based on the value entered in the section and a servo simulation unit for simulating the servo controller, said servo simulation unit to the instruction from the functional software, the delay said predetermined input to the servo delay input The response is delayed based on the time value . In the robot simulation apparatus according to claim 5 of the present invention, the computer includes an external device connection unit that connects an external device, and an external device control time input unit that inputs a scan time for the external device of the robot controller. And an external connection function unit that accesses the external device connected to the external device connection unit based on a value input to the external device control time input unit. Further, in the robot simulation apparatus according to claim 6 of the present invention, the computer includes a function resource access unit that connects a user interface device having a display and mediates communication between the user interface device and the function software. The functional resource access unit transmits a command regarding the operation of the manipulator to the functional software according to a user operation on the user interface device, and accesses and transmits data held by the functional software to the user interface device. It is characterized by. The robot simulation apparatus according to claim 7 of the present invention, the computer, characterized in that to display the operating status of the manipulator determined by the function software to the display connected via the functional resource access unit It is what.
[0005]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the present invention. The computer 1 includes a storage memory 10 and an operating system 11. The operating system 11 is software that directly controls the hardware of the computer 1. The function software 2 installed in the robot controller that drives the manipulator is software that executes commands for performing robot operations such as the position and speed of the robot, commands for communicating with external devices, and the like. The function software 2 accesses the operating system 11 through the operating system connection unit 3 and finally controls the hardware of the computer 1. For the address of the robot controller that drives the manipulator designated by the function software 2, the storage memory 10 included in the computer 1 is accessed through the memory address conversion unit.
[0006]
FIG. 2 shows a configuration diagram of software installed in the robot controller that drives the manipulator. Usually, a robot controller that drives a manipulator needs real-time characteristics to drive a servo motor or the like. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 2, it is composed of two pieces of software, that is, an operating system 20 for robot control and function software 2. The function software 2 of the robot controller that drives the manipulator includes a system call for the operating system 20 for robot control. The system call is a general term for processing for calling an operating system. A flow in which the function software 2 executes a system call will be described with reference to FIG. In step 1, the function software 2 commands a system call of the operating system 20 for robot control. In step 2, the operating system connection unit 3 receives this command. There is a system call correspondence table 12 in which system calls of the operating system 11 of the computer 1 are associated with system calls of the operating system 20 for robot control in advance. In step 3, processing is instructed to the operating system 11 of the computer 1 using this table 12.
[0007]
In addition, the function software 2 includes a command for accessing the memory in the robot controller that drives the manipulator. A processing flow in which the function software 2 accesses the storage memory 10 of the computer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In step 1, the function software 2 commands to access the memory in the actual robot controller . In step 2, the command is received by the memory address conversion unit 4. There is a memory address correspondence table 13 in which the memory address of the computer 1 is associated with the memory address in the robot controller that drives the manipulator in advance. In step 3, the memory of the computer 1 is accessed using this table 13.
[0008]
Next, FIG. 5 shows a simulation of the job 21 to be moved by the robot. The job 21 includes a MOV command that is a robot movement command. The function software 2 commands processing for reading the job 21. At this time, the function software 2 instructs the memory address conversion unit 4 to read 100 bytes from the memory address 1000 in the robot controller that drives the manipulator in which the job 21 exists. The memory address conversion unit 4 reads the memory address correspondence table 13. The memory address 11000 of the computer 1 corresponding to the memory address 1000 in the robot controller that drives the manipulator is obtained. Then, 100 bytes are read from the memory address 11000 of the computer 1. The job 21 is read, and the function software 2 interprets the command. As a method of interpreting the instruction, the instruction is once converted as an intermediate code, and the control of the CPU is shifted to a processing function corresponding to the intermediate code. Here, for the MOV instruction, a command position is generated at a constant cycle in the robot calculation unit of the function software 2. Usually, in a robot controller that drives a manipulator, the created command position is transmitted to a servo control unit to drive a servo motor. The function software 2 writes the position command at address 2000 of the communication unit with the servo controller in the robot controller that drives the manipulator. The memory address conversion unit 4 obtains the memory address 30000 of the computer 1 from the memory address correspondence table 13. Since this address is not actually physically connected to the outside, it does not control the servo control device.
[0009]
Further, in a normal general robot controller, a command is generated at regular intervals, and the command position of the next MOV command is calculated before the next cycle arrives. This is called look-ahead and is programmed with the concept of tasks. That is, in order to finally issue a position command to the servo control device, this prefetching must be completed. In this case, whether or not the prefetching is completed is determined by mail which is a system call of the robot control operating system 20. This process will be described with reference to FIG. The function software 2 instructs the operating system connection unit 3 to use mail that is a system call. The operating system connection unit 3 instructs a system call of the operating system 11 of the computer 1 using the system call correspondence table 12. In this way, the function software 2 can create a mail that is a system call.
As described above, in this embodiment, by using the function software of the robot controller that drives the manipulator, the robot controller simulation apparatus using a computer can be realized accurately and inexpensively.
[0010]
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The programming pendant 5 is used for a robot controller that drives a manipulator. The pendant communication processing unit 6 that performs data communication with the programming pendant 5 connects the function software 2 and the programming pendant 5. In general, the substrate and the programming pendant in the robot controller use data communication such as a serial transmission processing method. On this substrate, communication circuit elements and programs are mounted. In this embodiment, the pendant communication processing unit 6 assumes this substrate. When the communication with the programming pendant 5 can use a function prepared in advance in the external device connection unit of the computer 1, the pendant communication processing unit 6 is only software. For example, when the (X +) key 51 installed on the programming pendant 5 is pressed, the robot controller that drives the manipulator moves the robot relative to the X axis of the base coordinate system (the unique coordinate system possessed by the robot). Move the robot control point in the positive direction. In this embodiment, when the (X +) key 51 is pressed, the key information is transmitted to the pendant communication processing unit 6. The transmitted key information is stored in the key information storage area designated by the function software 2 through the memory address conversion 4. Further, the response time of the actual programming pendant, in other words, the time until the function software 2 recognizes the key by pressing the key once is designated in advance in the pendant communication processing unit 6, thereby calculating the computer. The processing speed of 1 can be delayed, and a response sensation equivalent to that of an actual machine can be realized. As described above, in this embodiment, since the programming pendant used for the robot controller that drives the manipulator can be used, the robot controller can be actually simulated with the same feeling.
[0011]
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The processing speed of the function software 2 installed in the computer 1 depends on the processing speed of the CPU of the computer 1. That is, there is a difference between the CPU processing speed of the robot controller that drives the manipulator and the CPU processing speed of the computer 1. Due to this difference, there is a problem in a case where the processing speed of the command affects the accuracy (for example, trajectory interpolation of a movement command). In order to solve this, in the present embodiment, the processing speed adjustment unit 7 delays the processing of the CPU of the robot controller simulation apparatus. For example, it is assumed that the CPU processing speed of the computer 1 is twice the processing speed of the CPU of the robot controller that drives the manipulator. If 1 msec is required to execute the instruction, the computer 1 stops the execution of the CPU for 1 msec after the instruction is completed. This instruction is completed when 2 msec from the start of the instruction execution.
In this embodiment, since the processing speed is the same as that of the robot controller that drives the manipulator, the trajectory accuracy is the same as that of the robot controller that drives the manipulator.
[0012]
A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The servo delay time is set in advance in the servo delay input unit 8. In this method, a robot controller that drives the manipulator gives a command to the servo control device, and based on the command, a delay time until the robot moves is set. The function software 2 issues a pulse to the servo simulation unit 9 as a command . The servo simulation unit 9 delays the response by that time based on the value set by the servo delay input unit 8. After the set time has elapsed, the servo simulation unit 9 assumes a feedback pulse and returns it to the function software 2. For this feedback pulse, there are a method in which a simple command is directly used as a feedback pulse, a method in which a random number is added to a command to be used as a feedback pulse, a method in which load inertia that can be calculated from the mechanism of the robot and gravity is taken into consideration, and a method in which a feedback pulse is used. is there. According to this embodiment, it is possible to accurately grasp the actual operation of the robot and accurately simulate the trajectory accuracy and the tact time.
[0013]
A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The computer 1 is connected to an external device 30 via an external device connection unit 31. The external device connection unit 31 may be either inside or outside the computer 1. The connection with the external device is an industrial network such as a fieldbus. The function software 2 is connected to an external device via I / O or a network. The I / O scan time of the robot controller that drives the manipulator is input to the external device control time input unit 32. At each time, the external connection function unit 33 executes an I / O scan of the external device. The function software 2 accesses the I / O data through the memory address conversion unit and the external connection function unit 33. According to the present embodiment, the simulation with the external device can be performed at the same timing as the actual machine, and the interlock with the external device can be confirmed very easily.
[0014]
A sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. A display is connected to the computer 1 . An operation panel 72 is displayed on this display. On the operation panel 72, operation buttons relating to the start / stop of the robot such as emergency stop, servo power ON, start, hold and the like are displayed. This display is a touch panel, and a command can be given to the robot by touching this button. The mode is for selecting a teaching mode or a play mode. The command on the operation panel 72 accesses the function software 2 through the function resource access unit 34. Thereafter, the function software 2 performs a robot trajectory calculation and sequentially returns the results to the data display panel 73 and the operation display panel 74. The data display panel displays data desired by the user, such as the current position, cycle time, and robot operation time. Further, the position of the robot can be acquired at regular intervals, and the robot model can be displayed on the operation display panel 74. Thereby, the operation of the actual robot can be confirmed by the simulator device. According to the present embodiment, the user can perform desired data display and simulation through the functional resource access unit.
[0015]
As another embodiment, it is possible to easily give a command to the robot simulation apparatus from another computer and acquire data via a network by using a network driver. Similarly, when considering the installation of a plurality of robots, a plurality of robot controller simulation apparatuses can be communicated via a network.
[0016]
【The invention's effect】
According to the apparatus of the present invention, since the function software installed in the robot controller that drives the manipulator is used as it is, the robot controller that drives the manipulator can be accurately simulated.
Further, by providing a programming pendant that is actually connected to the robot controller, the operability can be made the same as that of the actual machine.
Further, since the processing speed of the robot controller that drives the manipulator and the computer can be adjusted, the user can use a commercially available computer and has a special effect that can be realized at low cost. Since the user can use a general computer when creating software using the functional resource access means, a software development environment (compiler, assembler, etc.) preferred by the user can be used.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a software configuration diagram of a robot controller that drives a manipulator. FIG. 3 is a system call flow. FIG. 4 is an address access flow. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the third embodiment. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the sixth embodiment. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of the prior art.
1: computer 2: function software 3: operating system connection unit 4: memory address conversion unit 5: programming pendant 6: pendant communication processing unit 7: processing speed adjustment unit 8: servo delay input unit 9: servo simulation unit 11: operating system 12: System call correspondence table 13: Memory address correspondence table 20: Robot control operating system 30: External device 31: External device connection unit 32: External device control time input unit 33: External connection function unit 34: Function resource access unit

Claims (7)

In a robot controller simulation device for simulating the function of a robot controller that drives a manipulator with a single computer including a storage memory and an operating system,
The computer is equipped with the same type of function software as the function software installed in the robot controller ,
An operating system connection unit that converts a system call commanded by the functional software into a system call for the operating system of the computer and commands the operating system;
A memory address conversion unit that converts a memory address to be accessed by the functional software into an address of the storage memory;
A robot controller simulation apparatus comprising: the same type of job as that installed in the robot controller in the storage memory. The computer includes a pendant communication processing unit that connects a programming pendant of the same type as the programming pendant connected to the robot controller and mediates communication between the programming pendant and the functional software. Robot controller simulation device. The computer includes a processing speed adjustment unit that adjusts a difference in processing speed between the robot controller and the computer,
The robot controller simulation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing speed adjustment unit delays execution of instructions of the functional software in the computer. The computer includes a servo delay input unit that presets and inputs a delay time of a servo control device provided in the robot controller;
A servo simulation unit that simulates the servo control device based on the value input to the servo delay input unit;
4. The robot controller simulation according to claim 1, wherein the servo simulation unit delays a response based on a value of the delay time input in advance to the servo delay input unit in response to a command from the function software. apparatus. The computer includes an external device connection unit for connecting an external device;
An external device control time input unit for inputting a scan time for the external device of the robot controller;
5. The robot controller according to claim 1, further comprising an external connection function unit that accesses the external device connected to the external device connection unit based on a value input to the external device control time input unit. Simulation device. The computer includes a functional resource access unit that connects a user interface device having a display and mediates communication between the user interface device and the functional software,
The functional resource access unit transmits a command regarding the operation of the manipulator to the functional software according to a user operation on the user interface device, and accesses and transmits data held by the functional software to the user interface device. The robot controller simulation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein Wherein the computer, the robot controller simulation apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the displaying the operation status of the manipulator determined by the function software to the display connected via the functional resource access unit.

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