JP7151713B2 - robot simulator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to robot simulators.

It is known to teach the motion of a robot and to simulate the motion taught to the robot using a three-dimensional model of the robot. For example, Patent Literature 1 describes simulating the movement of a robot having a grinding tool attached to its arm.

Japanese Patent No. 4961447

By the way, when a series of work performed by a robot to be taught includes a plurality of work elements, there is a demand to confirm each of the plurality of work elements with respect to the robot's execution result of the series of work. Here, the "work element" means the minimum unit of work performed by the robot in a series of work, such as "taking" or "placing" an object. By paying attention to the state of the robot for each work element, it is possible to improve the teaching of a series of work by the robot and/or the arrangement of the robot and the work target.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to support the examination of each work element with respect to the result of execution of a series of works by a robot.

A program execution unit that executes a robot program including tasks that are information related to work elements of the robot; a control signal for the robot based on the execution result of the program execution unit; a state information acquiring unit for acquiring state information, which is information indicating a state according to the progress of the work element of the task on the time axis, based on the state information obtained by the state information acquiring unit A display control unit that displays a first timing chart indicating the state of the robot on a display device so that a period corresponding to is identifiable, and based on the execution result of the program execution unit, according to the passage of time A state information calculation unit that calculates state information that is information indicating the state of the robot, and the display control unit calculates the state information on the time axis based on the state information obtained by the state information calculation unit. A robot simulator that displays a second timing chart showing the state of the robot on the display device so that periods corresponding to work elements of a task can be identified.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to support examination of each work element with respect to the result of execution of a series of works by a robot.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the robot simulator of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of each device included in the robot simulator of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a three-dimensional CAD window according to an example of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a teaching window according to an example of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram for conceptually explaining a job. FIG. 6 is a diagram for conceptually explaining tasks. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing transition of teaching windows according to an example of the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a task list. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a timing chart displayed by the robot simulator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a three-dimensional CAD window according to an example of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of the robot simulator according to the first embodiment; FIG. 12 is an example of a sequence chart showing processing of the robot simulator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the robot simulator of the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of each device included in the robot simulator of the second embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a timing chart displayed by the robot simulator according to the second embodiment. FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram of the robot simulator according to the second embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a timing chart displayed by the robot simulator according to the third embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a timing chart displayed by the robot simulator according to the third embodiment.

An embodiment of the robot simulator of the present invention will be described below.
In the following description, a "work element" means a minimum unit work performed by a robot in a series of work such as "taking" or "placing" an object.
"Object" means an object to be worked by the robot, and is not limited to an object gripped by the robot (e.g., a work that is an object to be processed), but also an object related to the work of the robot (e.g., shelves on which objects to be grasped are placed).

(1) First Embodiment The robot simulator of the first embodiment simulates the operation of the actual robot without connecting to the actual robot, and displays the state of the robot on a timing chart.

(1-1) Configuration of Robot Simulator According to Present Embodiment Hereinafter, the configuration of the robot simulator 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a robot simulator 1 of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of each device included in the robot simulator 1 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the robot simulator 1 includes an information processing device 2 and a robot control device 3 . The information processing device 2 and the robot control device 3 are communicably connected by, for example, a communication network cable EC.
The information processing device 2 is a device for instructing motions to robots installed in a factory line. The information processing device 2 is provided for off-line teaching by an operator, and is arranged at a location (eg, operator's work place) away from the factory where the robot is installed, for example.

The robot control device 3 executes the robot program transmitted from the information processing device 2 . In this embodiment, the robot control device 3 is not connected to the robot, but when connected to the robot, it can send a control signal to the robot according to the execution result of the robot program to operate the robot. Therefore, preferably, the robot control device 3 is arranged near the actual robot.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the information processing device 2 includes a control section 21 , a storage 22 , an input device 23 , a display device 24 and a communication interface section 25 .
The control unit 21 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The ROM stores a three-dimensional CAD application program and teaching software. The CPU develops three-dimensional CAD application software (hereinafter referred to as "CAD software" as appropriate) on the ROM and teaching software on the RAM and executes them. The teaching software and the CAD software execute processing in cooperation via an API (Application Program Interface).
The control unit 21 continuously displays images in units of frames in order to reproduce moving images using CAD software.

The storage 22 is a large-capacity storage device such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive), and is configured to be sequentially accessible by the CPU of the control unit 21 . As will be described later, the storage 22 stores a task database 221, a hierarchical list database 222, a three-dimensional model database 223, and an execution log database 224. FIG.
The storage 22 stores three-dimensional model data that is referred to when executing CAD software. In the example of this embodiment, the storage 22 stores three-dimensional model data of robots and objects (for example, pens, caps, products, pen trays, cap trays, product trays, which will be described later).
The execution log data acquired from the robot control device 3 is stored in the storage 22 . The execution log data includes execution results of the robot program and robot state data, which will be described later.
The robot state data is used for creating a timing chart, which will be described later. The robot state data may also be used by 3D CAD to reproduce the motion of the robot in virtual space by animation.

The input device 23 is a device for receiving operation input by an operator, and includes a pointing device.
The display device 24 is a device for displaying the execution results of teaching software and CAD software, and includes a display driving circuit and a display panel.
The communication interface unit 25 includes a communication circuit for network communication with the robot control device 3 .

The robot control device 3 includes a control section 31 , a storage 32 and a communication interface section 33 .
The control unit 31 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, and control circuit. The control unit 31 executes the robot program received from the information processing device 2 and outputs execution log data. As described above, the execution log data includes the execution result of the robot program and the robot state data of the robot executing the work described in the robot program.
The storage 32 has model data of a robot manipulator (a robot body including an arm 51 and a hand 52). Based on the execution result of the robot program, the control unit 31 calculates physical quantities (for example, angular displacement of the joint angle of the arm 51, angular velocity, position etc.). Such physical quantity data is included in the robot state data.

The storage 32 is a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD or SSD, and is configured to be sequentially accessible by the CPU of the control section 31 . The storage 32 stores the robot program and execution log data in addition to the robot manipulator model data.
The communication interface unit 33 includes a communication circuit for network communication with the information processing device 2 .

(1-2) User Interface in Offline Teaching Before executing the robot simulation, the operator uses the information processing device 2 to perform offline teaching of the robot and create a robot program. In creating a robot program, in a preferred example of the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus 2 is caused to execute CAD software and teaching software.
The execution result of the CAD software is displayed in the CAD window, and the execution result of the teaching software is displayed in the teaching window. The operator causes the information processing device 2 to display both the CAD window and the teaching window, or causes the information processing device 2 to display the CAD window and the teaching window while switching between them, and performs operations related to teaching and CAD moving image reproduction. I do.

FIG. 3 shows a CAD window W1 according to an example of this embodiment. FIG. 3 shows an image (hereinafter referred to as “CAD image”) is displayed.
In the example shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that the robot R performs a series of tasks of fitting a pen with a cap and assembling a product (a finished product in which the pen is fitted with the cap). A pen group P consisting of a plurality of pens is arranged on the pen tray 11, and a cap group C consisting of a plurality of caps is arranged on the cap tray 12. - 特許庁The jig 13 is a member for the robot R to temporarily place the pen and fit the cap. The product tray 14 is a member for placing products.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, each pen included in the pen group P, each cap included in the cap group C, the pen tray 11, the cap tray 12, the jig 13, and the product tray 14 are objects to be worked by the robot R. It is an example of an object. A product in which a cap is fitted to a pen is also an example of the object.

(1-2-1) Hierarchical List FIG. 4 shows a teaching window W2 according to an example of this embodiment. What is displayed in the teaching window W2 is a hierarchical list showing the hierarchical relationship between the robots R and objects included in the CAD image of FIG.

Teaching software can work with CAD software to create a hierarchical list. A tree-structured data format is prepared by teaching software as a hierarchical list. With the CAD window and the teaching window displayed, the operator selects the robot R and the object in the CAD image with the pointing device and drags them to the desired node in the tree structure data format. . By sequentially performing this operation on all the objects required for teaching the robot R, the hierarchical list can be completed. For the name of each node displayed in the hierarchical list, the name of the original three-dimensional model may be applied as it is, or the name may be changed later.

In the following description, including the robot R and the object in the CAD image in one of the nodes of the hierarchical list is referred to as "registering the robot R or the object in the hierarchical list". FIG. 3 illustrates a CAD image when there is one robot, but when there are two or more robots, the two or more robots can be registered in the hierarchical list.

In the hierarchical list shown in FIG. 4, three nodes related to hands are provided below the node of robot R (Robot_R). The reason why a plurality of nodes are provided for the hand is to consider the work state assumed for the hand. That is, nodes 61 to 63 mean the following contents.

Node 61 (Pen): A hand for holding a pen Node 62 (Cap): A hand for holding a cap Node 63 (Pen_with_Cap): For holding a pen with a cap Corresponding hand

Right-click on any of the nodes 61 to 63 and select "hand sequence operation" to set the hand sequence related settings such as the actuation method (single solenoid, double solenoid, etc.), sensor type, etc. be able to.
Since the hand sequence depends on the object grasped by the hand 52 of the robot R, it is set for each object grasped by the hand 52 . If a task, which will be described later, is created when the hand sequence is not set, a warning display may be output to the display device 24 because the program based on the task cannot be executed.

The components of the object include jigs (JIG), pen trays (PenTray), cap trays (CapTray), product trays (ProductTray), pens (Pen1, Pen2, ..., Pen12), caps (Cap1, Cap2, ..., Cap12), and products (PenProduct1, PenProduct2, ..., PenProduct12).
Below the node of the jig (JIG), for example, the following nodes are provided corresponding to the work for the jig.

・Node 64 (PenProduct): A jig that holds a product (PenProduct) ・Node 65 (PenJ): A jig that holds a pen ・Node 66 (CapJ): A jig that holds a cap condition jig

Nodes corresponding to pens Pen1, Pen2, . Each node corresponding to caps Cap1, Cap2, . . . , Cap12 is provided under the node of the cap tray (CapTray). Each node corresponding to the products PenProduct1, PenProduct2, .

Robot R (Robot_R in FIG. 4) in the hierarchical list, and objects (jig (JIG), pen tray (PenTray), cap tray (CapTray), product tray (ProductTray), pen Pen1, Pen2, . . . , Pen12 , caps Cap1, Cap2, . . . , Cap12, and products PenProduct1, PenProduct2, . Therefore, even if the robot R and the three-dimensional model of the object in the hierarchical list are changed after the hierarchical list is created, there is no need to register them in the hierarchical list again.

(1-2-2) Jobs and Tasks Next, jobs and tasks will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for conceptually explaining a job. FIG. 6 is a diagram for conceptually explaining tasks.

A job is a series of operations that the robot R performs. A task is information about a work element that is the smallest unit of work performed by the robot R in a series of work. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, a period corresponding to a job (JOB) includes a period of a plurality of work elements corresponding to a plurality of _{tasks T 1} , T ₂ , . movement between work elements of R (ie, "intertask movement"). As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, a plurality of tasks are defined for jobs that the robot R performs.

Each task includes a plurality of motions (meaning “movements of robot R”) M ₁ to M _n . Tasks may include hand sequences (HS) as well as motions. A hand sequence is a series of processes for gripping an object by the hand 52 of the robot R. FIG. A waiting time WT may be set between adjacent motions due to an interlock or the like, which will be described later.

In FIG. 6, lines with arrows conceptually indicate the trajectory of the robot R's hand 52 . The trajectory includes approach points AP1 and AP2 that are passing points before reaching the target point TP of the work element, target point TP, and departure points DP1 and DP2 that are passing points after reaching the target point TP. include. The target point TP indicates the position of the object that is the target of the work element.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, the motion of the robot R before reaching the approach point AP1 corresponds to movement between work elements (that is, movement between the previous work element and the work element shown in FIG. 6). The movement of the robot R after the departure point DP2 corresponds to movement between work elements (that is, movement between the work element and the next work element shown in FIG. 6). The movement of the robot R from the approach point AP1 to the departure point DP2 corresponds to one work element and one task, and the movement of the robot R between adjacent points within the work element corresponds to one motion.
That is, the task may include information about the work element and at least one of the target point TP, the approach point AP, and the departure point DP.

FIG. 6 illustrates a case where interlocks are set at approach points AP1 and AP2. In order to avoid interference with other robots, etc., the interlock prevents the robot R from moving at least one of the target point TP, the approach point AP, and the departure point DP until a predetermined signal is input. This is the waiting process.
The task may include information about interlock settings, including points to set interlocks and timeout values for waiting time due to interlocks.

(1-2-3) Creation of Task Next, a method of creating a task using a hierarchical list will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 7. FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing transition of teaching windows according to an example of the present embodiment.
In order to create a task in the hierarchical list shown in FIG. , right-click, and select "Create Task". In other words, a node is selected from objects to be grasped by the hand of the robot R in the work element corresponding to the task, based on the operator's operation input.

When "task creation" is selected, a teaching window W3 for task creation in FIG. 7 is displayed. The teaching window W3 is a screen for performing detailed settings of the task, and displays items such as the task name (Name), the work element type (Function), and the work element target (Target). Here, by left-clicking a node corresponding to one of the objects in the target object area PA of the hierarchical list with the pointing device, the item of the target object (Target) in the teaching window W3 is left-clicked. A selected object is entered. In the work element type (Function) column, select one of the work elements from a pull-down menu consisting of candidates for multiple types of preset work elements (for example, Pick up, Place, etc.). It is configured so that elements can be selected.

Next, by selecting an object to be worked on from the object area PA of the hierarchical list with the pointing device and performing a left-click operation, the selected object (Target) item of the teaching window W3 is displayed. object is input.
When data is input for each item of the work element type (Function) and the target (Target), the task name (Name) is automatically determined and displayed based on the data.

For example, in order to create a task corresponding to the work element "Take pen Pen1 from the pen tray" in a state where the hand of robot R is not holding anything, the operator selects node 61 in robot area RA with the pointing device Right-click and select Create Task. Next, by left-clicking the node 67 corresponding to the pen tray (PenTray) from the object area PA of the hierarchical list with the pointing device, the pen tray is added to the target item (Target) of the teaching window W3. (PenTray) is entered. In the work element type (Function) column, select "Pick up" from among multiple types of work element candidates. Then, by left-clicking with the pointing device on the node 68 corresponding to the pen Pen1 to be worked on from the object area PA of the hierarchical list, the teaching window W3 shown in FIG. 7 is displayed. .

As a result of the above operation, a task named "Pickup_Pen1_From_PenTray" is created as information related to the work element "Pickup Pen1 from the pen tray".
In this embodiment, the operator can intuitively perform the task by specifying the target of the work element (here, "pen Pen1") and the start point (for example, "pen tray") or end point of the work element on the hierarchical list. can be created. Also, the name of the task is the work content of the work element (eg "Pickup"), the work target (eg "Pen Pen1"), the object that is the starting point of the work element (eg "pen tray"), or the end point. Since it is automatically created to include the object, the content of the task can be understood immediately from the name of the task.

When creating a task, information about the approach point AP, target point TP, and departure point DP included in the task may be created automatically. Alternatively, the operator may operate the button b1 ("detailed setting") of the teaching window W3 to set one or more approach points and/or departure points. When the approach point AP, the target point TP, and the departure point DP are automatically generated, the center of gravity of the object is set as the target point TP, and a predetermined An approach point AP and a departure point DP may be set on the axis (for example, on the Z axis).

Referring to FIG. 7, by operating the button b1 ("detailed setting") of the teaching window W3, the operator can set "approach point and departure point setting", as well as "motion parameter setting" and "interlock setting". You can choose either
A motion parameter is a parameter relating to the movement of the hand 52 of the robot R between adjacent approach points AP, between the approach point AP and the target point TP, and between the target point TP and the departure point DP included in the task. is. For example, such parameters include movement speed, acceleration, acceleration time, deceleration time, posture of the robot R, and the like. By selecting "set motion parameters", the above motion parameters can be changed from the default values.
By selecting "interlock setting", it is possible to change the timeout value of the interlock standby time and the setting of the operation when the standby time exceeds the timeout value and an error is determined from the default value.

A teaching window W3 in FIG. 7 is provided with a button b2 (“create”). By operating the button b2 (“Create”), the task set by the teaching window W3 is registered in the task list described later.

(1-2-4) Creation of Program Based on Task For example, a program for executing work elements corresponding to tasks shown in FIG. It is described by a program for executing motions.
Note that move (AP1) below may be defined separately as a move between work elements.

・move(AP1) … move to approach point AP1 ・interlock(IL1) …wait by interlock (IL1) at approach point AP1 ・move(AP2) … move to approach point AP2 ・interlock(IL2) … approach point AP2 Standby by interlock (IL2) at . ・move(TP)…Move to target point TP ・handSequence()…Hand sequence processing ・move(DP1)…Move to departure point DP1 ・move(DP2)…To departure point DP2 In the interlock(IL1) and interlock(IL2) functions, when checking the operation of each task, the program is created, but the timeout value for the waiting time due to interlock is invalid.

(1-2-5) Task List A task list is information of a list of multiple tasks corresponding to each of multiple work elements included in a job performed by the robot R. FIG. Tasks created by the teaching window W3 for a specific job are sequentially registered in the task list corresponding to the job. For job management, it is preferable that the order of the plurality of tasks included in the task list indicates the execution order of the plurality of work elements corresponding to the plurality of tasks.

The teaching window W4 in FIG. 8 displays an example of a task list corresponding to a job (“Pen Assembly”), which is a series of tasks “putting the cap on the pen and assembling the product”. An example of this task list includes tasks corresponding to the following six work elements (i) to (vi). In this case, a task with a name shown in parentheses is created by the teaching window W3 for task creation.
(i) Pickup Pen from Pen Tray (Pickup_Pen1_From_PenTray)
(ii) Place the picked pen in the jig (Place_to_PenJ_in_PenProduct)
(iii) Pick up cap from cap tray (Pickup_Cap1_From_CapTray)
(iv) Place Cap on Pen on Jig (Place_to_CapJ_in_PenJ)
(v) Pick up capped pen (Pickup_PenProduct_From_JIG)
(vi) Place capped pen in product tray (Place_to_PenProduct1_in_ProductTray)

The operator can set the selected tasks in any order in the task list by performing a drag operation while selecting one of the tasks in the task list with the pointing device.

As shown in Fig. 8, if any task in the task list is selected with a pointing device and right-clicked, one of "task edit", "task addition", and "task deletion" can be selected. . Here, when "task edit" is selected, it is possible to return to the teaching window W3 of the selected task and change the information about the task. If "Add task" is selected, read and insert the created task immediately after the selected task, or return to the teaching window W3 to create and insert the task. can do. When "delete task" is selected, the selected task can be deleted from the task list.

In FIG. 8, when an arbitrary position within the teaching window W4 is right-clicked and "program output" is selected, two types of robot programs, a simulation program and an actual machine program, are generated corresponding to the job. Output the program. The two are different in that the timeout value of the waiting time due to the interlock is valid in the program for the actual machine, but the waiting time due to the interlock is invalidated in the program for the simulation.

(1-2-6) Job Simulation When the button b3 is operated in the teaching window W4 of FIG. 8, the job of the robot R corresponding to the task list is simulated.
In executing a job simulation, first, a robot program corresponding to the job is created. That is, the program based on each task included in the task list is expressed as a collection of functions in which programs for executing a plurality of motions corresponding to the robot R are described, as described above. Note that the motion parameters (movement speed, acceleration, acceleration time, deceleration time, etc.) for the movement of the robot R between work elements corresponding to successive tasks may be predetermined as default values, or may be determined by the operator. You may enable it to set.
When combining programs based on each task, a branching process such as switching the program to be executed according to an input signal or condition, a process of repeating a specific program, or the like may be incorporated.

In this embodiment, the information processing device 2 creates a robot program, and the robot control device 3 executes the robot program. In this embodiment, the simulation program is executed.
In this embodiment, since the actual robot is not connected to the robot control device 3 , the control unit 31 of the robot control device 3 controls the manipulator model of the robot R based on the data of the manipulator model of the robot R recorded in the storage 32 . (for example, the angular displacement of the joint angle of the arm 51, the angular velocity, etc.) according to the passage of time of each part constituting the robot is calculated as robot state data.

Execution log data including job execution results and robot state data is transmitted from the robot control device 3 to the information processing device 2 . The information processing device 2 creates and displays a timing chart based on the robot state data. In this embodiment, the job is simulated while the actual robot R is not connected to the robot control device 3, so the timing chart created by the information processing device 2 is also called an "offline timing chart". The offline timing chart is an example of a second timing chart.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a timing chart displayed on the display device 24 of the information processing device 2. As shown in FIG.
The timing chart illustrated in FIG. 9 shows a timing chart corresponding to the task named "Pickup_Pen1_From_PenTray" in the job ("Pen Assembly") illustrated in the teaching window W4 of FIG. ing.
The timing chart of FIG. 9 includes a portion A that displays a graph and a portion B that displays the status of task execution. At the top, the time from the job start time is displayed. ing. In the example shown in FIG. 9, cursors CU1 to CU3 are provided. Each cursor can be moved left and right by the pointing device. The cursor CU1 indicates the time from the start time of the job, and the cursors CU2 and CU3 indicate the time when the time indicated by the cursor CU1 is set to 0.

Part A in FIG. 9 displays a waveform (graph) plotting changes in the following robot state data of the robot R for each reference time (for example, 1 ms). The position of the robot R is, for example, the position of the tip flange of the manipulator.
・Command value (“posX”) for the X coordinate (world coordinate system) position of robot R
・Command value (“posY”) for the Y coordinate (world coordinate system) position of robot R
・Command value (“posZ”) for the Z coordinate (world coordinate system) position of robot R
・Command value of angular velocity of joint angle of arm 51 (“Angular Velocity”)

It should be noted that the graph displayed in part A of FIG. 9 is only data of a part of the plurality of types of robot state data. The operator can select the type of robot state data to be displayed from among a plurality of types of robot state data.

In part B of FIG. 9, the task name (“Task Function”) and motion status (“Motion status”) are displayed. The task name (“Task Function”) is “Pickup_Pen1_From_PenTray” as described above, and the period (start time and end time) of the task included in the job can be seen from FIG.
The motion status ("Motion status") corresponds to the motions involved in the task. That is, in the motion status ("Motion status"), the periods (start time and end time) of the following three types of motion (including hand sequences here) can be known. The start time and end time of each motion match the execution start time and end time of the function corresponding to each motion. The start time of each task matches the start time of the first motion among multiple motions included in each task, and the end time of each task matches the end time of the last motion among multiple motions included in each task. matches.

・Move (PTP): Arc movement. It is mainly used for movement between approach points AP and movement between departure points DP.
・Move (Line) … Straight line movement. It is mainly used for either movement from the approach point AP to the target point TP or movement from the target point TP to the departure point DP.
・HandSequence(): hand sequence processing

If an error occurs when calculating the robot state data of the robot R, the cause of the error may be displayed in the Status column of the teaching window W4 in FIG. Error causes include, for example, excessive speed, failure to reach a target point, and arrival at a singular point.

Preferably, in the present embodiment, the information processing device 2 operates the robot R and the three-dimensional model of the object in the virtual space based on the robot state data, and outputs the motion of the robot R corresponding to the task as the simulation output. video (animation) is displayed. Thereby, the operator can confirm the simulation result of the job in the CAD window.

FIG. 10 shows an example of the CAD window W5 for reproducing the result of job simulation as a moving image. In the example shown in the CAD window W5, buttons b4 to b8 are provided as objects to be operated by the operator.
The button b4 is an operation button for operating the robot R and the object in the virtual space so that the robot state data changes in the same manner as in the timing chart shown in FIG. 9 (that is, at normal speed). The button b5 is an operation button for moving the robot R and the object in the virtual space so that the robot state data changes at twice the normal speed. The button b6 is an operation button for moving the robot R and the object in the virtual space so that the robot state data changes at a speed lower than the normal speed. The button b7 is an operation button for temporarily stopping the robot R and the object that are operating in the virtual space. The button b8 is an operation button for causing the robot R and the object to move in the virtual space by changing the robot state data so that the progress of time is reversed (that is, reverse playback).

(1-3) Functions of Robot Simulator 1 Next, functions of the robot simulator 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of the robot simulator 1 according to the embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 11, the robot simulator 1 includes a display control unit 101, a task creation unit 102, a program creation unit 103, a program execution unit 104, a state information calculation unit 105, a simulation unit 107, and an interlock setting unit 108. Prepare.
The robot simulator 1 further comprises a task database 221 , hierarchical list database 222 , 3D model database 223 and execution log database 224 .

In the following description, when referring to the processing of the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2, the processing is performed by the CPU included in the control unit 21 executing teaching software and/or CAD software.

The display control unit 101 controls the display device 24 to display execution results of the teaching software and the CAD software. In order to realize the function of the display control unit 101 , the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 generates image data including outputs of teaching software and CAD software, buffers the image data, and transmits the image data to the display device 24 . The display device 24 drives the display drive circuit to display an image on the display panel.

The task creating unit 102 has a function of creating a task, which is information related to the work elements of the robot with respect to the object, based on the operation input by the operator.
In order to realize the function of the task creation unit 102, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 receives an operation input from the operator from the input device 23, and based on the operation input, determines the type of work element (Function) shown in FIG. and a task is created as a file containing target information of the work element and recorded in the storage 22 . The control unit 21 determines a task name according to a predetermined rule based on the type (Function) of the work element and the target (Target) of the work element. The storage 22 stores a task database 221 including tasks created by the task creating section 102 .
The control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 sequentially creates tasks corresponding to a plurality of work elements included in a job performed by the robot, thereby creating a task list of a plurality of tasks associated with the job. In the task database 221, each task is recorded in association with a specific job.
The display control unit 101 refers to the task database 221 of the storage 22 and displays a task list, which is a list of multiple tasks, on the display device 24 . By displaying the task list, it is possible to manage the jobs performed by the robot in an easy-to-understand manner when teaching the robot. In this embodiment, the name of each task in the displayed task list is configured so that the work content of the work element of the robot can be recognized, so that the operator can intuitively understand the series of work content. It's becoming

The display control unit 101 displays on the display device 24 hierarchical data in which the constituent elements of the robot and the constituent elements of the object are hierarchically described.
The control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 creates a hierarchical list through cooperation between teaching software and CAD software. That is, the control unit 21 accepts an operation input of dragging a robot and an object in the CAD image to a desired node in the tree-structured data format with the pointing device of the input device 23 selected. Create a list. The control unit 21 records the created hierarchical list in the hierarchical list database 222 of the storage 22 . In the hierarchical list, each node corresponding to the robot component and the object component in the tree structure data is associated with the corresponding data of the three-dimensional model recorded in the three-dimensional model database 223. It has become.

Preferably, the task creating unit 102 has a function of creating a task based on an operator's operation input specifying the robot component and the object component of the hierarchical data. In order to realize this function, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 selects a node indicating a robot hand corresponding to a task of gripping a specific object and a node corresponding to the object from a hierarchical list. Create a task based on the operational input of the selected operator. By using the hierarchical list, the operator can intuitively create tasks according to the contents of the work elements.

The program creating unit 103 has a function of creating a program, based on the task created by the task creating unit 102, for causing the robot 5 to execute a work element corresponding to the task.
In order to realize the function of the program creation unit 103, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 controls the types of work elements included in the task, targets of the work elements, approach points, departure points, motion parameters, and interlocks. Based on the settings, create a function in which a program is written to cause the robot to execute the work element corresponding to the task. For example, the program creation unit 103 automatically creates a program by referring to the information included in the task and rewriting the coordinate positions and the like in a predetermined program format according to the type of work element stored in the storage 22. do.

The program execution unit 104 has a function of executing a robot program including tasks that are information related to the work elements of the robot.
In order to realize the function of the program execution unit 104, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 executes a robot program (simulation program) created based on at least one task via the communication interface unit 25 to the robot control device. Send to 3.
As described above, one job includes multiple work elements described by tasks and movements between the work elements. A task includes multiple motions and optionally hand sequences, and a program for executing work elements corresponding to the task is defined by multiple functions. Movements between robot work elements are defined by programmatically written functions that include predetermined default motion parameters.
Upon receiving the robot program, the control unit 31 of the robot control device 3 executes the robot program for one job by sequentially executing a plurality of functions corresponding to each motion and hand sequence.

The state information calculation unit 105 has a function of calculating robot state data (an example of state information), which is information indicating the state of the robot over time, based on the result of execution by the program execution unit 104 . Then, based on the robot state data obtained by the state information calculation unit 105, the display control unit 101 displays a timing chart showing the state of the robot so that the periods corresponding to the work elements of the task can be identified on the time axis. (that is, offline timing chart) is displayed on the display device 24 .

In order to realize the function of the state information calculation unit 105, the control unit 31 of the robot control device 3 sequentially executes the programs created based on each task as described above. Execute the received robot program. Then, the control unit 31 calculates the robot state data for the entire job and sequentially records it in the storage 32 as the execution result of the robot program.
The robot state data is data of physical quantities (for example, arm joint angles, arm speeds and accelerations, hand positions, etc.) indicating the state of the robot over time calculated based on the model of the manipulator 50. .
When the execution of the robot program for the entire job is completed, the control unit 31 reads robot state data for each predetermined reference time (for example, 1 ms) along the time axis of the progress of the job from the storage 32 . The control unit 31 transmits execution log data including the read robot status data and the execution result of the robot program to the information processing device 2 via the communication interface unit 33 .

When the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 acquires execution log data including robot state data from the robot control device 3 , it records the execution log data in the execution log database 224 .
Based on the acquired robot state data for each reference time, the control unit 21 generates an image including an offline timing chart in a predetermined format, and displays the image on the display device 24 . The timing chart is configured so that it is possible to identify a period corresponding to a specific work element for a series of work of the robot.

The robot state data may include multiple types of information for the robot. In this case, the display control unit 101 displays the offline timing chart on the display device 24 based on some types of robot state data selected from a plurality of types by the operator's operation input. good too. As a result, the operator can display the type of robot state data that the operator wants to check on the offline timing chart. Although the method for selecting the type of robot state data is not limited, it is preferable that the display screen of the timing chart is configured to include a menu that allows the type of robot state data to be selected by an operator's operation.

The storage 22 (an example of a storage unit) stores a 3D model database 223 including 3D models of robots in virtual space and information on 3D models of objects.
The simulation unit 107 has a function of operating a three-dimensional model in a virtual space and displaying it on the display device 24 based on the robot state data obtained by the state information calculation unit 105 .
In order to realize the function of the simulation unit 107, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 reads out the execution log data recorded in the execution log database 224, and based on the robot state data included in the execution log data, executes the robot state data in the virtual space. A three-dimensional model of the robot and the object is operated and displayed on the display device 24 . This allows the operator to visually check the robot motion for each task, so that the set values (for example, approach points, departure points, motion parameters, etc.) and the placement of objects (for example, diagrams) for each task can be checked. 3, the placement of the cap tray 12, etc.).

The simulation unit 107 causes the motion of the three-dimensional model to be faster or slower than the speed based on the robot state data, or to reverse the progress of time. may be displayed in The operator can thereby reproduce the results of the simulation at the operator's desired speed or by playing in reverse.
In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the control unit 21 of the information processing apparatus 2 increases or decreases the normal speed according to the operator's operation on the buttons of the CAD window so that the robot and the object are displayed three-dimensionally. The model is reproduced as a moving image, or the three-dimensional model is reversely reproduced and displayed on the display device 24 . Since the execution log database 224 records robot state data for each reference time of 1 ms, for example, the control unit 21 creates frames for reproduction according to the operator's operation.

The interlock setting unit 108 has a function of setting a timeout value of the waiting time for the robot to wait at least one of the target point, the approach point, and the departure point set for the task, based on the operation input by the operator. Prepare.
In order to implement the function of the interlock setting unit 108, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 performs the The storage 22 is accessed to rewrite the timeout value of the interlock waiting time set at the specific approach point or departure point included in the tasks included in the task database 221 .
The interlock setting unit 108 allows the operator to easily set the timeout value of the waiting time due to the interlock for each work element when off-line teaching of the robot is performed.

Note that the simulation unit 107 may disable the waiting time due to the interlock and operate the three-dimensional model in the virtual space. In other words, when executing the simulation program, the three-dimensional model is operated without waiting due to an interlock. Thereby, the operator can check the execution result of the program by paying attention to the movement of the robot without stopping the robot in the virtual space.

(1-4) Job Simulation Execution Processing Next, job simulation execution processing by the robot simulator 1 will be described with reference to a sequence chart with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is an example of a sequence chart showing job execution processing of the robot simulator according to this embodiment.

When the operation input (simulation execution instruction) by the operator with respect to the button b3 in the teaching window W4 of FIG. 8 is received (step S10: YES), the program creation unit 103 creates a robot program for executing the job on the robot R. (step S12). This robot program includes a plurality of functions describing a program for causing the robot R to execute work elements corresponding to each task in the task list corresponding to the job.

The created robot program is transmitted from the information processing device 2 to the robot control device 3 (step S14) and executed in the robot control device 3. FIG. That is, the program execution unit 104 executes the robot program on a task-by-task basis (step S16). The state information calculation unit 105 calculates robot state data, which is information indicating the state of the robot R over time, based on the execution results of the program execution unit 104, and stores execution log data including the robot state data. 32 (step S18). The processing of steps S16 and S18 is performed until all tasks included in the task list are completed.
When processing for all tasks is completed (step S20: YES), the robot control device 3 transmits execution log data to the information processing device 2 (step S22). The execution log data includes robot status data for each predetermined reference time (for example, 1 ms) along the time axis of the progress of the job, and execution results of the robot program. The information processing device 2 records the received execution log data in the execution log database 224 .
Next, the display control unit 101 generates a timing chart (offline data) in a predetermined format based on the robot state data (that is, the robot state data obtained by the state information calculation unit 105) included in the execution log data received in step S22. timing chart) is displayed on the display device 24 (step S24). The simulation unit 107 operates the three-dimensional model in the virtual space based on the robot state data and displays it on the display device 24 (step S26).

As described above, the robot simulator 1 of this embodiment calculates the robot state data based on the execution result of the robot program corresponding to the job, and based on the robot state data, the work element of the task on the time axis. The offline timing chart is displayed so that the corresponding period can be identified. Therefore, when displaying the simulation results for a series of tasks of the robot, it is possible to identify a period corresponding to a specific task element, and to support consideration of each task element.

(2) Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

(2-1) Configuration of Robot Simulator According to Present Embodiment Hereinafter, the configuration of the robot simulator 1A according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the robot simulator 1A of this embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of each device included in the robot simulator 1A of this embodiment.
Components similar to those of the robot simulator 1 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 13, the robot simulator 1A includes an information processing device 2 and a robot control device 3A. The information processing device 2 and the robot control device 3A are communicably connected by, for example, a communication network cable EC.
The robot control device 3A is similar to the robot control device 3 of the first embodiment in that it executes a robot program transmitted from the information processing device 2, but is connected to the robot R by a cable WC. Differs from device 3. Preferably, the robot control device 3A is arranged near the actual robot.

As shown in FIG. 14, the robot control device 3A includes a control section 31A, a storage 32, and a communication interface section 33.
The controller 31A of the robot controller 3A generates control signals for the robot R by executing the robot program. A control signal for the robot R is a signal (for example, a pulse signal) indicating a command value for the robot R. FIG. Command values for the robot R are, for example, target values of the robot R's position, speed, acceleration, and the like.
The controller 31A acquires robot state data, which is data indicating the state of the robot R, from the robot R. As shown in FIG. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the robot state data acquired by the controller 31A is acquired from the robot R instead of the calculated value. Further, the robot state data of this embodiment includes input/output signals for the robot R. FIG. The controller 31A sequentially records the robot state data acquired from the robot R in the storage 32 .
The control unit 31A reads the robot state data for each predetermined reference time (for example, 1 ms) along the time axis of the progress of the job from the storage 32, and performs execution including the read robot state data and the execution result of the robot program. The log data is transmitted to the information processing device 2 .

As shown in FIG. 14 , the robot R includes a manipulator 50 serving as a robot body, a control device 55 , a sensor group 56 and an input/output unit 57 .
The manipulator 50 is the main body of the robot R, and includes an arm 51 and a hand 52 and a plurality of motors that control the positions and angles of the arm 51 and hand 52 .
The control device 55 has a servo mechanism that controls the motor provided in the manipulator 50 so as to follow the command value received from the robot control device 3A.
The sensor group 56 may include a plurality of sensors that detect the position, velocity, acceleration, angle of each joint, angular velocity, etc. of the manipulator 50 .

The robot state data that the control device 55 transmits to the robot control device 3A may be the physical quantity of the manipulator 50 detected by one of the sensors of the sensor group 56, or the physical quantity that can be estimated from the control current value for the motor. may be For example, the data of the angular velocity of the joint angle of the arm 51 may be the detected value of the angular velocity sensor if an angular velocity sensor of the joint angle of the arm 51 is provided, or the data of the servo that controls the motor of the manipulator 50 . It may be a control current value in the mechanism.

The input/output unit 57 is an input/output interface with a system outside the robot R. FIG. For example, examples of input signals include an interlock signal from an external system, and a signal for correcting the position of an object when the robot R is placed on the line as described later. .

(2-2) Timing chart of this embodiment In this embodiment, the actual robot R is connected to the robot control device 3A, and a timing chart is created in the information processing device 2 based on the robot state data acquired from the robot R. be done. In the following description, the timing chart created in this embodiment will also be referred to as an "online timing chart" as appropriate. The online timing chart is an example of the first timing chart.

FIG. 15 shows an example of a timing chart of this embodiment. The timing chart of FIG. 15 includes a portion A that displays a graph, a portion B that displays the execution status of tasks, and a portion C that displays input/output signals. That is, the robot status data included in the online timing chart may include the input/output signal status of the robot. It is preferable that the input/output signals displayed in the online timing chart can be selected from the input/output signals provided for the robot R by the operator's operation input.

Part A displays a waveform (graph) in which changes in the following robot state data obtained from the robot R are plotted for each reference time (for example, 1 ms).
・ Acquisition value (“posX”) of the position of the X coordinate (world coordinate system) of robot R
・Acquisition value of the Y coordinate (world coordinate system) position of robot R (“posY”)
・Acquisition value of the Z coordinate (world coordinate system) position of robot R (“posZ”)
Acquisition value of angular velocity of joint angle of arm 51 (“Angular Velocity”)

In part B, similarly to the offline timing chart of the first embodiment, the start time and end time of each motion match the execution start time and end time of the function corresponding to each motion. The start time of each task matches the start time of the first motion among multiple motions included in each task, and the end time of each task matches the end time of the last motion among multiple motions included in each task. matches.

In part C of FIG. 15, the I/O (input/output signal) state (ON (H level) or OFF (L level)) is displayed. The numbers in [ ] are predetermined I/O numbers, and the characters following [ ] indicate the contents of the I/O. Input/output signals included in the C part may indicate indefiniteness.
The example shown in FIG. 15 shows I/O with the following contents.

・[09] Pen Set … A camera is provided in the work environment of the actual robot R, and is turned ON when the camera recognizes the pen tray. It is always ON when the pen tray is fixedly placed, but when the pen tray is brought in line, it switches from OFF to ON when the camera recognizes the pens in the pen tray.
[10] Vision lockon . . . Indicates the correction timing for correcting the command value for the robot R based on the position of the pen tray recognized by the camera installed in the working environment of the actual robot R. It turns ON when the correction timing is reached. Correction timing is set in advance for each task.
・[16] Hand1 grasp … Turns ON when the hand grasps the pen. The ON timing differs depending on the hand sequence.
・[17] Hand1 release … Turns ON when the hand releases the pen. In the actual robot R, when it is turned ON during the work of picking up an object, it can be understood that the object has been dropped due to failing to pick it up.

As shown in FIG. 15, in the online timing chart as well as in the offline timing chart of the first embodiment, the period (start time and end time) of each task included in the job of the robot R and the time period included in each task. You can see the duration of the motion (start time and end time).
In the example of the online timing chart of FIG. 15, the time t3, which is the correction timing of the command value for the robot R, is later than the time t2, which is the start time of the motion corresponding to the command value. I know there is.

(2-3) Functions of Robot Simulator 1A Next, functions of the robot simulator 1A of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram of the robot simulator 1A according to the embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 16, the robot simulator 1A includes a display control unit 101, a task creation unit 102, a program creation unit 103, a program execution unit 104, a state information acquisition unit 106, a simulation unit 107, and an interlock setting unit 108. Prepare. In other words, the robot simulator 1A of the present embodiment differs from the robot simulator 1 of the first embodiment in that the state information acquisition section 106 is provided instead of the state information calculation section 105 .

In order to realize the program execution unit 104 of the present embodiment, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 recognizes, for example, an operation input to the button b3 of the teaching window W3 (FIG. 8), and executes a robot program (actual machine program). and transmits the robot program to the robot controller 3A. The controller 31A of the robot controller 3A executes the received actual machine program.

The state information acquisition unit 106 generates a control signal for the robot based on the result of execution by the program execution unit 104, and obtains robot state data, which is information indicating the state of the robot operating according to the control signal over time. It has a function to acquire from the robot.
In this embodiment, the display control unit 101 changes the state of the robot based on the robot state data obtained by the state information acquisition unit 106 so that the period corresponding to the work element of the task can be identified on the time axis. The timing chart shown (that is, the online timing chart) is displayed on the display device 24 .

In order to realize the function of the state information acquisition unit 106, the control unit 31A of the robot control device 3A sequentially executes the programs created based on each task as described above. Execute the received robot program. Then, the control unit 31A generates a control signal including a command value for the robot R and transmits the control signal to the robot R each time a function included in the robot program is executed.
The control device 55 of the robot R controls the motor provided in the manipulator 50 so as to follow the command value received from the robot control device 3A, and also transmits robot state data to the robot control device 3A. The robot state data is a physical quantity of the manipulator 50 detected by one of the sensors of the sensor group 56 or an estimated value of the physical quantity of the manipulator 50 (eg, control current value, etc.). The control unit 31A of the robot control device 3A records the robot state data acquired from the robot R in the storage 32 one by one.
The control unit 31A reads the robot state data accumulated in the storage 32 every predetermined reference time (for example, 1 ms), and transmits execution log data including the read robot state data for each predetermined reference time to the information processing device 2. do.
The control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 records the received execution log data in the execution log database 224 . Furthermore, as in the first embodiment, the control unit 21 generates an image including a timing chart (online timing chart) in a predetermined format based on the robot state data included in the execution log data, and displays it on the display device 24 . to display. With the timing chart, it is possible to identify a period corresponding to a specific work element for a series of work of the robot.

As in the first embodiment, the robot state data may include multiple types of information for the robot. In this case, the display control unit 101 displays the online timing chart on the display device 24 based on a part of the robot state data selected from a plurality of types by the operator's operation input. good too.

In this embodiment, the simulation unit 107 may have a function of operating a three-dimensional model in a virtual space and displaying it on the display device 24 based on the robot state data obtained by the state information acquisition unit 106 . At that time, the simulation unit 107 causes the motion of the three-dimensional model to be faster or slower than the speed based on the robot state data, or to reverse the progress of time. It may be displayed on the display device 24 .
In this embodiment, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 operates the three-dimensional model of the robot and the object in the virtual space based on the robot state data for each reference time acquired from the robot R, and displays the three-dimensional model on the display device 24. indicate. This allows the operator to visually check the robot motion for each task, so that the set values (for example, approach points, departure points, motion parameters, etc.) and the placement of objects (for example, diagrams) for each task can be checked. 3, the placement of the cap tray 12, etc.).

In this embodiment, the process of displaying the online timing chart and playing back the moving image of the three-dimensional model is generally the same as the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. The difference is that the

As described above, the robot simulator 1A of this embodiment transmits a command value to the robot based on the execution result of the robot program corresponding to the job, and acquires robot state data from the robot. Then, the robot simulator 1A displays the online timing chart so that the period corresponding to the work element of the task can be identified on the time axis based on the acquired robot state data. Therefore, when displaying the results of a series of operations performed by the actual robot, it is possible to identify a period corresponding to a specific operation element, thereby supporting consideration of each operation element.

(3) Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment will be described.
The robot simulator of this embodiment has the functions of the robot simulator 1 of the first embodiment and the functions of the robot simulator 1A of the second embodiment, and displays both the offline timing chart and the online timing chart on the display device 24. indicate. That is, in the present embodiment, the display control unit 101 displays the offline timing chart (example of the second timing chart) and the online timing chart (example of the first timing chart) as the state of the robot during the period corresponding to the work element of the task. are displayed on the display device 24 so that they can be compared. With such a display, it is possible to compare and examine the robot status data for the same job with and without connecting to the robot for each work element included in the job.

In the execution log database 224 of the information processing apparatus 2 of the present embodiment, robot state data obtained by executing a robot program created for the same job (calculated robot state data and Acquired robot state data) is recorded. Then, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 displays the offline timing chart based on the calculated robot state data and the online timing chart based on the robot state data acquired from the robot on the display device 24 that can be compared. .

The display mode in which the offline timing chart and the online timing chart can be compared is not limited. For example, the offline timing chart is displayed on the upper side of the display screen and the online timing chart is displayed on the lower side of the display screen. may
Preferably, the display control unit 101 displays the offline timing chart and the online timing chart in a switchable manner, or displays the offline timing chart and the online timing chart superimposed on the common time axis on the display device 24. . By adopting such a display mode, it becomes easy to compare the offline timing chart and the online timing chart.

FIG. 17 shows an example in which an offline timing chart and an online timing chart are superimposed and displayed on a common time axis. In the example shown in FIG. 17, the offline timing chart shown in FIG. 9 is superimposed on the online timing chart shown in FIG. 15 on the common time axis.

FIG. 18 shows an example in which the off-line timing chart and the on-line timing chart are switchably displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 18, a tab named "Result #1 (robot not connected)" corresponding to the offline timing chart and a tab named "Result #2 (robot connected)" corresponding to the online timing chart are displayed at the top. tabs are provided so as to be switchable. FIG. 18 shows a case where a tab named "result #1 (robot disconnected)" is selected, and has the same display contents as the offline timing chart of FIG.

(4) Modifications Modifications of the above embodiments will be described below.

(4-1) Modification 1
The display control unit 101 may display an offline timing chart or an online timing chart on the display device 24 so that robot states of different work elements can be compared. Thereby, the states of the robot can be compared between different work elements among a plurality of work elements included in the job of the robot.
In order to implement this modification, for example, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 controls the information processing device 2 based on an operator's operation input for selecting two tasks from a plurality of tasks included in a job. The unit 21 creates a timing chart in which the periods of the two selected tasks are arranged in parallel. Preferably, the timing chart is created so that the start times of the periods of the two selected tasks match.

(4-2) Modification 2
The simulation unit 107 operates the three-dimensional model based on the robot state data during a part of the period specified based on the operation input by the operator among the periods displayed in the offline timing chart or the online timing chart. It may be displayed on the display device 24 . As a result, the operator can confirm the operation of the robot during the period that the operator wants to pay attention to during the entire period of the job.
In order to implement this modification, the offline timing chart or the online timing chart is provided with a button b4 (operation button for operating the robot and the object at normal speed) as illustrated in FIG. The control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 reproduces the moving image corresponding to the offline timing chart or the online timing chart based on the operation input of the button b4. At this time, by operating the cursors CU1 to CU3 provided on the timing chart, it is possible to designate a period for which the moving image is to be reproduced to be a part of the periods displayed on the timing chart.

(4-3) Modification 3
In the second embodiment, the display control unit 101 may display an online timing chart on the display device 24 so that robot states in different execution results can be compared even for the same work element. This makes it possible to grasp the variation in the state of the robot when the same task is attempted multiple times. In order to implement this modification, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 plots a plurality of pieces of robot state data acquired by executing the robot program a plurality of times so that the job start times match. Create a timing chart.

A plurality of embodiments of the robot simulator of the present invention have been described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Also, the above embodiments can be modified and modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, technical matters referred to in each embodiment may be appropriately combined between different embodiments as long as there is no technical contradiction.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the information processing device 2 may provide useful information based on robot state data acquired from the robot control device 3 .
For example, by providing information obtained by statistically processing the movement distance and the number of movement times between work elements in a job, it is possible to support consideration of the location, orientation, etc. of supply and/or discharge of objects on the line.
Also, the time ratio between the operation time and the waiting time of the robot in the job may be calculated and presented. As a result, it is possible to support considerations such as improving the order of work within a job or slowing down unnecessary high-speed operations.

The robot simulator according to the embodiment described above need not have all the functions described in the functional block diagram of FIG. 11 or FIG. 16, and may have at least some of the functions.
In the above-described embodiment, the robot simulator includes two devices, namely, the information processing device and the robot control device.
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the pointing device is included in the input device of the information processing apparatus has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this and other devices may be used. For example, a display panel with a touch input function may be used to receive touch input from the operator.
In the above-described embodiment, an example of creating a task list included in a job based on a hierarchical list has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. There is no need to define the tasks to be included in a job based on a hierarchical list as long as multiple work elements to be included in the job are specified.

According to the above description, a program for causing a computer to implement at least some of the functions described in the functional block diagrams of FIGS. ) is disclosed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1A... Robot simulator, 2... Information processing apparatus, 21... Control part, 22... Storage, 23... Input device, 24... Display device, 25... Communication interface part, 3, 3A... Robot control device, 31, 31A... Control part 32... Storage 33... Communication interface part 11... Pen tray P... Pen group 12... Cap tray C... Cap group 13... Jig 14... Product tray A1 to A12... Product, EC... Communication network cable, WC... cable, R... robot, 50... manipulator, 51... arm, 52... hand, 55... control device, 56... sensor group, 57... input/output unit, 61 to 68... node, 101... display control Unit 102 Task creation unit 103 Program creation unit 104 Program execution unit 105 State information calculation unit 106 State information acquisition unit 107 Simulation unit 108 Interlock setting unit 221 Task database , 222... hierarchical list database, 223... three-dimensional model database, 224... execution log database, RA... robot area, PA... object area, W1 to W6... window, b1 to b8... button, AP... approach point, TP ... target point, DP ... departure point, T ... table

Claims (9)

a program execution unit that executes a robot program that includes tasks that are information about work elements of the robot;
A state in which a control signal for the robot is generated based on an execution result by the program execution unit, and state information, which is information indicating a state of the robot operating according to the control signal over time, is acquired from the robot. an information acquisition unit;
Based on the state information obtained by the state information acquisition unit, a first timing chart showing the state of the robot is displayed on a display device so that periods corresponding to work elements of the task can be identified on the time axis. a display control unit for displaying;
a state information calculation unit that calculates state information, which is information indicating the state of the robot over time, based on the result of execution by the program execution unit;
Based on the state information obtained by the state information calculation unit, the display control unit displays a second state of the robot so that a period corresponding to the work element of the task can be identified on the time axis. A robot simulator that displays a timing chart on the display device. a storage unit that stores information of the three-dimensional model of the robot in virtual space;
a simulation unit that operates the three-dimensional model and displays it on the display device based on the state information obtained by the state information acquisition unit;
A robot simulator as recited in claim 1, further comprising: The display control unit displays the first timing chart and the second timing chart on the display device so that states of the robot during periods corresponding to work elements of the task can be compared. 1. The robot simulator described in 1. The display control unit displays the first timing chart and the second timing chart in a switchable manner, or displays the first timing chart and the second timing chart by overlapping them on a common time axis. 4. The robot simulator according to claim 3, wherein The display control unit makes it possible to compare the states of the robot between different work elements, or to make it possible to compare the states of the robot in different execution results even for the same work element. 2. The robot simulator according to claim 1, wherein said first timing chart is displayed on said display device. The state information obtained by the state information acquisition unit includes a plurality of types of information,
The display control unit controls the first timing based on information of a part of the state information obtained by the state information acquisition unit , selected from among the plurality of types by an operation input by an operator. 6. The robot simulator according to claim 1, wherein a chart is displayed on said display device. 6. The robot simulator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said state information obtained by said state information acquisition unit includes states of input/output signals of said robot. Based on the state information obtained by the state information acquisition unit during a part of the period specified based on the operation input by the operator, among the periods displayed in the first timing chart, the simulation unit 3. The robot simulator according to claim 2, wherein said three-dimensional model is operated and displayed on said display device. The simulation unit causes the motion of the three-dimensional model to be faster or slower than the speed based on the state information obtained by the state information acquisition unit , or to reverse the progress of time. 3. The robot simulator according to claim 2, wherein the display device displays the direction.

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