JPH0390901A - Robot controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the capacity of a power unit and to attain a compact and light-weight robot by providing a circuit switch means which turns on and off a power circuit for each slave module with the command of a master module. CONSTITUTION:A slave power switch module 18 fetches the command of a CPU module 1 via a bus 7. A relay contact is provided to individually turns on and off the power circuits of a D/A conversion output module 2, a pulse counter module 3, and A/D conversion input module 4, a digital I/O module 5, and a communication module 6 against a power unit 9 based on the command of the module 1. In other words, no power is supplied to the unnecessary modules despite the increase of the number of slave modules. As a result, the power consumption is extremely reduced compared with a conventional device. Thus it is possible to obtain a compact and light-weight mobile robot which requires no large capacity accumulator nor a large capacity engine generator.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Objective of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) This invention provides a system in which a master module that manages the entire system and a plurality of slave modules that manage the system for each function exchange data with each other. This relates to a control device for a robot that gives and receives data.

(Prior Art) FIG. 2 is an electric circuit diagram showing the configuration of a conventional robot control device of this type. In the figure, a CPU module 1 as a master module, a D/A conversion module 2, a counter module 3, an A/D conversion module 4, a digital I10 module 5, and a communication module 6 as slave modules. bus 7
It is connected to the.

Among these, a servo driver 8 is connected to the D/A conversion module 2, and when this servo driver 8 controls a motor 10 to drive a robot arm 14, a tacho generator 11 coupled to this motor 10 is activated. The rotational speed signal is fed back to the servo driver 8.

Further, an encoder 12 that detects the t-th firing position and a potentiometer 13 that detects the absolute position of the robot arm 14 are coupled to the motor 10, and the pulses of the encoder 12 are manually inputted to the pulse counter module 3, and the position of the potentiometer 13 is The signal is output to the A/D conversion module 4.

Furthermore, the digital I10 module 5 includes a sensor 15 for detecting the robot and its surroundings, and a surroundings interface 1.
Other equipment is connected via 6.

Further, a terminal 17 is connected to the communication module 6.

On the other hand, in order to drive the CPU module 1, the D/A conversion module 2, the bus counter module 3, the A/D conversion module 4, the digital ■/○ module 5, and the communication module 6, It is connected to the. In this case, the bus 7 includes a power line 19, a control bus 20, and a control bus 20, as shown in detail in FIG.
It consists of an address bus 21 and a data bus 22, and the power supply 9 connects the CPU modules 1 and D
/A conversion converter module 2 pulse counter module 3, A/D converter converter module 4, and is further connected to CPU module 1, D/A conversion output module 2, pulse counter module 3, The conversion module 4 has a control bus 20. It is commonly connected to address bus 21 and data bus 22.

With the above configuration, when a robot operation command is given, the CPU module 1 imports data from the potentiometer tachometer 3 through the A/D conversion module 4 in order to detect the current position of the robot arm 14. continue,
The CPU module 1 takes in surrounding information from the sensor 15 via the digital I10 module 5. Next, the CPU
Module 1 clears the count value of pulse counter module 3 used for position feedback, and outputs a motion command for robot arm 14 through D/A conversion module 2, and servo driver 8 forms a minor loop. The motor 10 is controlled by referring to the output of the tacho generator 11, thereby driving the robot arm 14.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) In recent years, the number of slave modules tends to increase as robot functions become more sophisticated or work becomes more complex. The conventional robot control device described above has a configuration in which operating power is supplied from the power supply device 9 to all slave modules even when no signals are exchanged. In this case, for industrial robots that can be constantly connected to commercial electrolytic corrosion, such a configuration poses no problem.

However, in so-called mobile robots that are operated remotely, it is not possible to connect them to a commercial power source, and they cannot store electricity.
l! 2 or an engine generator is common.

Particularly in robots that are remotely controlled in environments where humans cannot approach, depletion of storage batteries can lead to serious accidents, and to prevent this, large-capacity storage batteries and engine generators are required. This led to efforts to make robots smaller and lighter.

This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it can be handled with a small capacity power supply device.
Objective 1 is to obtain a robot control device that can make the robot smaller and lighter.

[Structure of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides a robot control device that exchanges data between a master module that manages the entire system and slave modules of orders that manage the system for each function. A circuit opening/closing means capable of opening and closing a power supply circuit for each slave module according to a command from the master module is provided, and the power supply circuit of the master module or the slave module to which data is to be exchanged is closed immediately before data exchange is started, and data exchange is performed. It is characterized in that a command is given to the circuit opening/closing means to open immediately after the termination.

(Function) In this invention, the power supply circuit of either the master module or the slave module to which data is to be exchanged is closed immediately before the start of data exchange, and is opened immediately after the end of data exchange, so the number of slave modules is increased. However, the power consumption of these slave modules can be minimized, which means that a power supply with a small capacity can be used.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is an electric circuit diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same elements as those in FIG. 2 are given the same reference numerals and their explanations are omitted. Here, the power supply device 9 is
1) directly connected to module 1 (D/A conversion module 2, counter module 3, A/D conversion module 4, digital I10 module 5, communication module 6...), slave It is an open circuit connected via the power switch module 18;
Here, the slave power supply opening/closing module 18 takes in a command from the CPU module 1 via the bus 7, and according to this command, the D/A conversion conversion module 2, the signal counter module 3, the A/D conversion It is equipped with relay contacts that individually open and close the power circuits of the conversion module 4, digital I module 5, communication module 6, and so on.

The operation of this embodiment configured as described above will be explained with particular focus on the slave power supply switching module 18.

First, when a robot movement command is given, the power supply device 9
directly supplies operating power to the CPU module 1 and the slave power switch module 18. The CPU module 1 gives a power cutoff command for all slave modules to the slave power supply opening/closing module 18. As a result, the slave power supply switching module 18 opens all the relay contacts inserted into the power supply circuit of each slave module (hereinafter, opening is referred to as OFF).

Next, the CPU module 1 gives a command to turn on the A/D conversion module 4 to the slave power supply opening/closing module 18 in order to detect the position of the robot arm 14 . In response to this command, the slave power supply opening/closing module 18
The relay contact suppressed in the four-source circuit of the D-conversion converter module is closed (hereinafter, opening is referred to as "on"). The CPU module 1 takes in the current position data of the A/D conversion module 4 via the bus 7 after a period of time for the A/D conversion module 4 to stabilize. Then, the CPU module 1 stores this data in the internal memory, and then sends an A/D conversion module power cutoff command to the slave power supply opening/closing module 18.

The slave power supply opening/closing module 18 operates according to this command.
/D conversion converter module 4 source circuit is turned off.

Next, the CPU module 1 gives a power-on command for the digital 110 module 5 to the slave power supply opening/closing module 18 in order to input the surrounding information of the robot/to. The slave power switch module 18 operates a relay to turn on the power circuit of the digital I10 module 5. Then, the CPU module 1 inputs the data of the sensor 15 from the digital I10 module 5 when the operation of the digital I10 module 5 becomes stable.

After storing this data in the internal memory, a power cutoff command is output to the slave power switch module 8 to turn off the power circuit.

Next, based on the data stored in the internal memory, the CPU module 1 issues a power-on command to the D/A converter module 2 and pulse counter module 3 to the slave power switch module in order to control the position of the robot arm 14. Give to 18.

The slave power switch module 18 turns on the power circuits of these slave modules. Then, when the operation of these slave modules becomes stable, the count value of the pulse counter module 3 used for position feedback is cleared, and the D/A conversion module 2 outputs a movement command for the robot arm 14. do. The servo driver 8 operates the robot arm 14 in response to this operation command.

After this operation is completed, the CPU module 1 issues a power cutoff command for the D/Ai exchange module 2 and pulse counter module 3 to the slave power supply opening/closing module 18. Therefore, the slave power supply opening/closing module 18 turns off the power supply circuits of these slave modules and ends the series of operations.

Thus, according to this embodiment, when data is exchanged between the master module and the plurality of slave modules,
Since operating power is supplied only to the slave module to which data is to be exchanged, power consumption can be kept to a minimum.

In the above embodiment, a slave power switch module 18 was used that processes digital data from the CPU module and finally operates the relay, but other switching elements such as a GTO may be used instead of this relay. The same operation as described above can be performed.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, even if the number of slave modules increases, power is not supplied to unnecessary slave modules, thereby significantly reducing power consumption compared to conventional devices. This has the effect of realizing a small, lightweight mobile robot that does not require a large-capacity storage battery or a large-capacity engine generator.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an electric circuit diagram showing 1111 of an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an electric circuit diagram showing 1111 of a conventional robot control device, and Fig. 3 is an electric circuit diagram of this device. It is an electric circuit diagram showing details of the system. 1... CPU module, 2... D/A conversion output module, 3... Pulse counter module, 4.A
/D conversion conversion module...Digital I10 module, 6...Communication module, 7...Has, 8...
...Servo driver, 9...Power supply device, 4...Robot arm, 18...Slave power supply opening/closing module, 19...Power line, 20...Control bus, 21...Address bus.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a robot control device in which a master module that manages the entire system and a plurality of slave modules that manage the system for each function exchange data with each other,
A circuit opening/closing means capable of opening and closing a power supply circuit for each of the slave modules according to a command from the master module, wherein the master module closes the power supply circuit of the slave module to which data is to be exchanged immediately before starting data exchange;
A robot control device characterized in that a command is given to the circuit opening/closing means to open the circuit immediately after data exchange is completed.