JP7186498B2 - I/O device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an input/output device provided on a robot arm.

Conventionally, direct teaching has been put into practical use as a teaching method for a robot arm (see Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example).

JP-A-5-192885 JP-A-10-156772

In some cases, the robot arm is provided with an input device having an operation button or the like for the purpose of enabling direct teaching, for example, at a specific location on the peripheral surface. Note that an increase in the number of operation buttons leads to an increase in cost, so normally only one operation button is provided for one or a plurality of functions. However, with this configuration, depending on the position and posture of the hand of the robot arm, the operation button may face the opposite side of the user, or may face a direction or position that makes it difficult for the user to operate the operation button, making it difficult for the user to operate the operation button. .
In addition, the robot arm is provided with an output unit having a light-emitting element or the like for outputting information indicating the state of the robot arm, such as whether or not direct teaching is enabled, at a specific location on the peripheral surface in the same manner as described above. may have been However, in this configuration, depending on the position and posture of the hand of the robot arm, the light-emitting element may face the opposite side of the user, and the user may not be able to reliably confirm whether or not direct teaching is enabled. There is

Also, there is a method in which an operator and a display are provided on the root side (fixed portion) of the robot arm, and the positional relationship between the operator and the display and the user is maintained regardless of the position and orientation of the tip side of the robot arm. However, this method has the same problem as the above when the user performs work at a position away from the operation device and the display device, such as when the user operates near the robot hand during teaching. occur.

On the other hand, since direct teaching to a robot arm is an important task that determines the motion of the robot arm, there is a demand for further improvement in convenience.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. An object of the present invention is to provide an input/output device in which points are visible.

An input/output device according to the present invention is provided around an axis, has one or more input points operated by a user, and has an interval of less than 180 degrees around the axis where there are no input points. An input device provided on an arm and one or more output points that are provided at the same position as the input device around the axis and in the direction of the axis and output information, and a space around the axis where the output point does not exist is less than 180 degrees, and includes an output device provided on the robot arm, and a control unit that controls the output device according to an operation on the input point , and the input device has an electrode provided with a groove around the axis and the output device is arranged closer to the axis than the electrodes .

According to the present invention, since it is configured as described above, regardless of the position and posture of the robot arm, it is possible to visually recognize and operate the input point operated by the user, and it is possible to visually recognize the output point for outputting information. Become.

1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of an input/output device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of an input/output device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an assembly example of an input/output device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing another assembly example of the input/output device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of an input/output device 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 1, in addition to the input/output device 1, a robot arm 2, a robot hand (end effector) 3, and a robot controller 4 are also illustrated.
The input/output device 1 is provided on a robot arm 2, receives an input to the robot arm 2 (for example, input of a request to enable direct teaching), and receives information (for example, whether or not the direct teaching is enabled). information) is output. Below, the case where the input/output device 1 is provided between the robot arm 2 and the robot hand 3 will be described. A robot controller 4 that controls the operation of the robot arm 2 is also connected to the input/output device 1 .

The input/output device 1 includes an electrostatic sensor (input device) 11, a light emitting unit (output device) 12 such as an LED, and a control unit 13, as shown in FIG. In the input/output device 1 shown in FIG. 2, a mounting portion 14 for mounting the input/output device 1 on the robot arm 2 and a mounting portion 15 for mounting the robot hand 3 on the input/output device 1 are also provided. .

The electrostatic sensor 11 has one or more electrodes (input points) 111 that are touched (operated) by a user, and a capacitance detection unit 112 that detects the capacitance of the electrodes 111 . The input/output device 1 shown in FIG. 2 shows a case where one electrode 111 is provided.
The electrodes 111 are provided around the axis of the input/output device 1 . Further, the input device is configured such that the interval around the axis of the input/output device 1 where the electrodes 111 are not present is less than 180 degrees.

Here, when the electrode 111 is single, the electrode 111 is provided in a planar shape over 180 degrees or more around the axis of the input/output device 1 . Moreover, when there are a plurality of electrodes 111 , the electrodes 111 are provided at intervals of 180 degrees or less around the axis of the input/output device 1 .
Further, in the input/output device 1 shown in FIG. 2, an insulating member 16 for electrically insulating the electrode 111 from the mounting portion 14 and the mounting portion 15 is provided.

The light emitting unit 12 has one or more light emitting elements (output points) 121 that emit light. The light emitting unit 12 also has a driving circuit 122 that receives an output signal from the control unit 13 and drives the light emitting element 121 depending on the type of the light emitting element 121 . The input/output device 1 shown in FIG. 2 is provided with two light emitting elements 121 and a drive circuit 122 .
The light emitting element 121 is provided around the axis of the input/output device 1 . Further, the output unit is configured such that the interval around the axis of the input/output device 1 at which the light emitting element 121 does not exist is less than 180 degrees.

Here, when the light emitting element 121 is a single light emitting element 121, the light emitting element 121 is provided in a planar shape over 180 degrees or more around the axis of the input/output device 1. FIG. In this case, for example, a surface emitting LED can be used as the light emitting element 121 . Moreover, when there are a plurality of light emitting elements 121, the light emitting elements 121 are provided around the axis of the input/output device 1 at intervals of 180 degrees or less. In this case, the light-emitting element 121 can be, for example, a normal point-emitting LED.

The control unit 13 controls the light emitting unit 12 according to the contact (operation) of the electrostatic sensor 11 with respect to the electrode 111 . The control section 13 has a comparison section 131 , a determination section 132 and an output section 133 . Note that the control unit 13 is implemented by a processing circuit such as a system LSI, or a CPU or the like that executes a program stored in a memory or the like.

The comparison unit 131 compares the capacitance detected by the capacitance detection unit 112 of the electrostatic sensor 11 with a preset threshold value. Thereby, the comparison unit 131 detects whether or not an object is in contact with the electrode 111 of the electrostatic sensor 11 .

The determination unit 132 determines whether or not it is in an input state (a state in which the user is in contact with the electrode 111) based on the comparison result of the comparison unit 131, and determines whether direct teaching to the robot arm 2 is enabled. It determines whether or not the operation or state of the robot arm 2 needs to be changed, and whether or not the state of the output section 133 needs to be changed. At this time, for example, when the comparison unit 131 detects that an object is in contact with the electrode 111 continuously for a specified number of times or continuously for a specified time, the determination unit 132 determines that the user is definitely in contact with the electrode 111 . It may be set to determine that it is in the input state. Further, for example, the determining unit 132 may be set to perform an alternate operation in which, after the user touches the electrode 111, it continues to determine that the input state is present even after the contact is stopped. Further, for example, the determination unit 132 may be set to perform a momentary operation for determining that the input state is present only while the user continues to touch the electrodes 111 .
Further, for example, the determination unit 132 detects an operation (double tap) of the user touching the electrode 111 twice in succession from the comparison result by the comparison unit 131, and responds to this operation by some kind of robot arm 2. or whether or not the state of the output unit 133 needs to be changed.

The output unit 133 controls the light emitting unit 12 based on the determination result by the determination unit 132 . Also, the output unit 133 notifies the robot controller 4 of information indicating the result of determination by the determination unit 132 .

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an assembly example of the input/output device 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Note that FIG. 3 also shows the robot hand 3 in addition to the input/output device 1 .
In the input/output device 1 shown in FIG. 3, the unit 17 is attached to the lower surface of the attachment portion 14 . The unit 17 has the capacitance detection section 112 , the light emission section 12 and the control section 13 of the electrostatic sensor 11 . The upper surface of the attachment portion 14 is attached to the tip of the robot arm 2 . Thereby, the input/output device 1 is arranged on the same (substantially the same meaning) axis as the robot arm 2 .

Also, in FIG. 3, the insulating member 16 is divided into an annular upper insulating member 161 and an annular lower insulating member 162 . If the upper insulating member 161 is configured to be transparent or translucent, even if the light emitting element 121 is mounted inside the unit 17, it can be confirmed from the outside that the light is emitted inside. The unit 17 is covered with this upper insulating member 161 .
Electrodes 111 of the electrostatic sensor 11 are arranged outside the upper insulating member 161 . FIG. 3 shows the case where the electrode 111 is annular. Further, grooves 113 are provided in the electrode 111 at intervals of 180 degrees or less around the axis of the input/output device 1 . A portion of the upper insulating member 161 is exposed to the outside by the groove portion 113 so that the light emitted by the light emitting portion 12 can be emitted to the outside through the transparent or translucent upper insulating member 161 . Moreover, the electrode 111 is electrically insulated from the mounting portion 14 and the mounting portion 15 by being sandwiched between the lower insulating member 162 and the upper insulating member 161 . Accordingly, when the electrostatic sensor 11 is used, the electrostatic capacitance of the electrode 111 is stabilized without being affected by the electrostatic capacitance of the robot arm 2 or the robot hand 3 .

Also, the upper surface of the attachment portion 15 is attached to the lower insulating member 162 . The robot hand 3 is attached to the lower surface of the attachment portion 15 .

Next, an operation example of the input/output device 1 according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the input/output device 1 receives an input request for enabling direct teaching to the robot arm 2 and outputs information indicating whether the direct teaching is enabled.
First, when the user touches the electrode 111 of the electrostatic sensor 11, the capacitance of the electrode 111 changes, and the comparison unit 131 compares the capacitance detected by the capacitance detection unit 112 with the threshold value. It is determined that the electrode 111 is in contact with an object. Then, the determination unit 132 determines whether or not it is in the input state based on the comparison result by the comparison unit 131, and determines whether or not direct teaching to the robot arm 2 is enabled.

When the determination unit 132 determines that direct teaching is enabled, the output unit 133 causes the light emitting unit 12 to emit light so that the user can recognize that direct teaching is enabled. Information indicating the determination result is output. At this time, the output unit 133 may, for example, switch the light emitting unit 12 from a non-extinguishing state to a light emitting state. The color of emitted light may be changed. As a result, the light emitting unit 12 emits light, and the robot controller 4 enables direct teaching. After that, the user executes direct teaching to the robot arm 2 .

Here, in the input/output device 1 according to Embodiment 1, the input device has one or more electrodes 111 provided around the axis of the input/output device 1, and It is configured such that the interval around which the electrode 111 does not exist is less than 180 degrees. Therefore, the electrode 111 of the electrostatic sensor 11 can be seen from the user's position regardless of the position and posture of the robot arm 2 . Therefore, the user's operation on the electrostatic sensor 11 becomes easy.
Further, in the input/output device 1 according to Embodiment 1, the output device has one or more light emitting elements 121 provided around the axis of the input/output device 1, and It is configured so that the space around which the light emitting element 121 does not exist is less than 180 degrees. Therefore, the light emitting element 121 of the light emitting unit 12 can be seen from the position of the user regardless of the position and posture of the robot arm 2 . Therefore, the user can reliably confirm whether or not direct teaching is enabled.

Note that FIG. 3 shows the case where the input/output device 1 is provided on the tip side of the robot arm 2 . However, the configuration is not limited to this, and the input/output device 1 may be provided anywhere from the base to the tip of the robot arm 2 .
On the other hand, in direct teaching to the robot arm 2, the user often touches the vicinity of the robot hand 3. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, by providing the input/output device 1 on the distal end side of the robot arm 2, the operability can be improved and work efficiency can be improved.

Note that the configuration shown in FIG. 3 shows the case where the electrode 111 is single. On the other hand, when there are a plurality of electrodes 111, for example, a configuration as shown in FIG. 4 can be employed.
Further, the determination unit 132 may determine that the input state is present only when the user touches the plurality of electrodes 111, for example. As a result, it is possible to suppress erroneous operations by the user, and when the user performs an operation that temporally straddles a plurality of electrodes 111, it is determined that the operation is a swipe of a smartphone, and the operation is performed according to the operation. It is possible to change the state of the robot arm 2 by pressing the

In the above, as shown in FIG. 1, the case where the input/output device 1 is configured in a cylindrical shape is shown. However, the shape of the input/output device 1 is not limited to this. For example, the input/output device 1 may be configured in a prismatic shape.

Moreover, the above description shows the case where the electrostatic sensor 11, the light emitting unit 12, and the control unit 13 are integrally configured. However, not limited to this, the capacitance detector 112, the drive circuit 122 and the controller 13 may be separate from the electrodes 111 and the light emitting element 121, and may be incorporated in the robot controller 4, for example.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, one or more input points (electrodes 111) are provided around the axis, and the interval around the axis where there is no input point is less than 180 degrees. has an input device (electrostatic sensor 11) provided on the robot arm 2 and one or more output points (light emitting elements 121) provided around the axis, and the output points exist around the axis Since the interval between the contact points is less than 180 degrees, and the robot arm 2 includes the output device (light emitting unit 12) and the control unit 13 that controls the output device according to the operation (touch) on the input point, the robot arm The input point can be visually recognized and operated, and the output point can be visually recognized regardless of the position and posture of 2.

In the above description, the case where the electrostatic sensor 11 is used as the input device is shown. However, not limited to this, the input device is provided around the axis and has one or more input points operated by the user, and the interval around the axis where the input points do not exist is less than 180 degrees. For example, a pressure sensor or a push button switch may be used.

When a pressure-sensitive sensor is used as the input device, the electrodes 111 are replaced with a pressure-sensitive sheet or the like, and the capacitance detection section 112 detects a change in electrical resistance or an electrostatic charge in the pressure-sensitive sheet or the like. It is replaced by a detector that detects changes in capacitance.
Also, if a push button switch is used as the input device, the comparison unit 131 is not required.

Moreover, the above description shows the case where the light emitting unit 12 is used as the output device. However, not limited to this, the output device is provided around the axis, has one or more output points that output information, and the interval around the axis where the output points do not exist is less than 180 degrees. For example, a sounder or speaker that outputs information to the user's sense of hearing may be used.

It should be noted that, within the scope of the present invention, any component of the embodiment can be modified or any component of the embodiment can be omitted.

1 input/output device 2 robot arm 3 robot hand 4 robot controller 11 electrostatic sensor (input device)
12 Light-emitting part (output device)
13 Control part 14 Mounting part 15 Mounting part 16 Insulating member 17 Unit 111 Electrode (input point)
112 capacitance detector 113 groove 121 light emitting element (output point)
122 drive circuit 131 comparison unit 132 determination unit 133 output unit 161 upper insulating member 162 lower insulating member

Claims (6)

an input device provided on a robot arm, provided around an axis and having one or more input points operated by a user, and having an interval of less than 180 degrees around the axis where the input points do not exist;
having one or more output points for outputting information provided at the same position as the input device around the axis and in the direction of the axis, and an interval around the axis at which the output points do not exist is less than 180 degrees; an output device provided on the robot arm;
a control unit that controls the output device according to the operation on the input point ;
The input device has an electrode provided with a groove around its axis,
The output device is arranged closer to the axis than the electrode
An input/output device characterized by : 2. The input/output device according to claim 1, wherein the input point is single and provided in a plane over 180 degrees or more around the axis. 2. The input/output device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said input points are provided at intervals of 180 degrees or less around the axis. 2. The input/output device according to claim 1, wherein the output point is single and provided in a plane over 180 degrees or more around the axis. 2. The input/output device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said output points are provided at intervals of 180 degrees or less around the axis. The input/output device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the input device and the output device are provided on a tip side of the robot arm.

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