JPH0740267A - Controller for plural robots - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a plurality of robots to perform same work regardless of machine error without using expensive controller by which maintenance of individual robots can be easily performed. CONSTITUTION:An assembling FA personal computer 22 stores basic programs MP1, MP2,... including inherent items into which eigenvalues of individual robots are substituted, and selects any one basic program according to the work so as to transmit it to exclusive controllers 20 respectively provided on a plurality of robots. The exclusive controllers 20 store the eigenvalue data for performing same work regardless of machine error and substitute the eigenvalue data into the inherent item of the basic program transmitted from the FA personal computer 22, so as to operate the robots.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control device for causing a plurality of robots to perform the same work, and more particularly to a technique for preventing positional deviation due to machine differences peculiar to robots.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Robots are frequently used in various work fields such as assembling processes and processing processes in the manufacturing industry. However, when performing mass production, a plurality of robots sometimes perform the same work. In that case, it is considered that each robot is connected to a common main controller and a common program is output from the main controller to perform the same work.

[0003]

However, since a plurality of robots have their own machine differences due to errors in assembling and errors in assembling, if they are controlled by a common program, misalignment and the like will occur, which is high. It is difficult to perform accurate work in the field where positional accuracy is required.
To cope with this, it is conceivable to store a unique program for each robot in the main controller, or to store machine difference data for each robot to correct the program for each robot. In this case, the position shift due to the machine difference can be prevented, but there is a disadvantage that a large storage capacity is required, the cost becomes high, and the program transfer time becomes long and the signal processing becomes complicated. In addition, every time the robot is repaired or replaced, the stored data in the main controller must be rewritten, which requires complicated work.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. An object of the present invention is to maintain a plurality of individual robots easily and without using an expensive main controller, regardless of machine differences. The goal is to allow the robot to do the same work.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the first invention is a control device for causing a plurality of robots to perform the same work, and (a) the robot is predetermined. A main controller that operates in a procedure and stores a common basic program having an eigenvalue in which an eigenvalue is substituted for each robot, and outputs the basic program to each of the plurality of robots; and (b) each of the plurality of robots. It stores the preset unique value of the robot so that the same work can be performed regardless of the machine difference of the robot, and the basic program is supplied from the main controller to It has a dedicated controller that operates the robot by substituting the eigenvalues into the eigenvalues of the program.

[0006]

In such a controller for a plurality of robots, a common basic program is output from the main controller to the dedicated controller of each robot, and each dedicated controller to which the basic program is supplied has a unique value in the unique term of the basic program. Substitute to activate the robot. The eigenvalues stored in the dedicated controller are set so that the same work can be performed regardless of the machine difference unique to the robot, which allows each robot to perform the same work with high accuracy regardless of the machine difference. Will be done.

[0007]

As described above, according to the first invention, a plurality of robots can be made to perform the same work regardless of the machine difference. Further, since it is sufficient to output a common basic program from the main controller, a large storage capacity is not required, the program transfer time is short, and signal processing is simple. Even when each robot is repaired or replaced, it is only necessary to rewrite the unique value of the dedicated controller provided for each robot, so that the work can be performed quickly and easily.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a second invention is a control device for causing a plurality of robots to perform a plurality of types of the same work. (A) The plurality of robots And a dedicated controller that stores a plurality of predetermined basic operation programs so that the same work can be performed regardless of the machine difference of the robot, and that operates the robot according to the basic operation programs, (B) A job that specifies the execution order of the plurality of basic operation programs is stored for each of the plurality of types of work, and a job corresponding to the work to be performed is selected to be a dedicated controller for the plurality of robots. It is characterized by having a main controller for outputting each.

[0009]

In such a multi-robot control device, a plurality of basic operation programs are stored in advance in a dedicated controller provided for each robot, and the execution order of the basic operation programs is designated for each of a plurality of types of work. When the job is supplied from the main controller, the robot sequentially performs basic operations according to the execution order and performs a predetermined work. The basic operation program is predetermined so that the same work can be performed regardless of the machine difference unique to the robot, whereby each robot can perform a plurality of types of the same work with high accuracy regardless of the machine difference. Will be done.

[0010]

As described above, also in the second invention, a plurality of robots can be made to perform the same work regardless of the machine difference. Also, since a common job can be output from the main controller according to the work content, a large storage capacity is not required and the transfer time of the program is short,
Signal processing is also easy. Even when each robot is repaired or replaced, it is only necessary to rewrite the basic operation program of the dedicated controller provided for each robot, so the work can be performed quickly and easily.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a part of a robot control system for manufacturing a mold in the lost wax precision casting method. A plurality of assembly robots 10 and a molding robot 12 are shown.
Is designed to control the operation of. Each of the plurality of assembly robots 10 and the molding robot 12 is a multi-axis robot such as an articulated robot. The assembly robot 10 attaches a large number of wax models 14 to the outer peripheral portion of the sprue 16 as shown in FIG. For this purpose, the molding robot 12 grips the upper end of the sprue 16 to which the wax model 14 is attached and immerses it in the refractory slurry while adhering the refractory particles, as shown in FIG. Model 14
It is for forming the refractory coating 18 around the.
The wax model 14 is then eluted by heating and the refractory coating 18 is used as a mold.

Returning to FIG. 1, the above-mentioned plurality of assembly robots 1
0 is controlled by the dedicated controller 20, and the plurality of dedicated controllers 20 are connected to a common FA personal computer for assembly 22. Each of the plurality of molding robots 12 is also controlled by a dedicated controller 24, and the plurality of dedicated controllers 24 are connected to a common molding FA personal computer 26. FA personal computer for assembly 22, FA personal computer for molding 26
Is supplied with production instruction information SS1 and SS2 from the host computer 28 through the process computer 30, and the production instruction information SS1 and SS2 are supplied to the production instruction information SS1 and SS2.
Then, the robots 10 and 12 are caused to carry out predetermined work respectively. The production instruction information SS1 and SS2 indicate a plurality of types of work contents that differ depending on the type of work, that is, the type of wax model 14 and the progress of work in each process, and the process computer 30 is conveyed with the work. The component information and the like stored in the data carrier is read from the data carrier antenna (not shown) provided in each unit via the sequencer 32.

As shown in FIG. 3, the assembling FA personal computer 22 functionally includes a program selection block 34 and a basic program memory 36. The basic program memory 36 stores a plurality of types of basic programs MP1, M in accordance with the work content represented by the production instruction information SS1.
.. are stored, and the program selection block 34 selects and reads one of the basic programs from the basic program memory 36 in accordance with the work content represented by the production instruction information SS1 and assembles each of the basic programs. It is transferred to the dedicated controller 20 of the robot 10. The basic programs MP1, MP2, ... Are used to operate the plurality of assembly robots 10 in a predetermined procedure, and are commonly used by each assembly robot 10. In order to eliminate positional deviations and the like due to inherent machine differences due to errors and errors during installation, as shown in FIG.
The eigenvalues are assigned for each of the eigenvalues A1, A2, and the like.

Dedicated controller 2 for each assembly robot 10
0 is functionally provided with an eigenvalue substitution block 38, an eigenvalue data memory 40, and a robot drive block 42. In the eigenvalue data memory 40, the eigenvalue data unique to the robots, that is, the correction values, are assigned to the eigenvalues A1, A2, etc. of the basic program so that the assembling robots 10 perform the same work regardless of machine differences. Etc. are stored, and the eigenvalue substitution block 38 is
The eigenvalue data memory 40 is added to the eigenvalues A1, A2, etc. included in the basic program transferred from the A personal computer 22.
Substitute the eigenvalue data stored in. As the eigenvalue data, for example, a correction value or the like may be written by teaching or the like when a position shift or the like occurs while operating the assembly robot 10 according to a basic program.
In addition, the robot drive block 42 follows the assembly robot 1 according to the basic program into which the eigenvalue data is substituted.
The drive shaft of each unit of 0 is operated, whereby the plurality of assembly robots 10 can perform the same work with high accuracy regardless of the respective machine differences.

The portion for controlling the operation of the plurality of assembling robots 10 by the assembling FA personal computer 22 is an embodiment of the first invention, and the assembling FA personal computer 22 corresponds to the main controller of the first invention, and is the assembling FA personal computer. By transferring the common basic program from the personal computer 22 to the dedicated controller 20 of each assembling robot 10, the plurality of assembling robots 10 perform the same work regardless of their respective machine differences. Since it is sufficient to output the common basic program from the assembling FA personal computer 22, a large storage capacity is not required, the program transfer time is short, and signal processing is simple. Further, even when the individual assembly robot 10 is repaired or replaced, it is only necessary to rewrite the eigenvalue data of the dedicated controller 20 provided for each robot by teaching, so that the work can be performed quickly and easily. .

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the FA personal computer 26 for molding has a functional job selection block 44.
And a job memory 46. Job memory 4
The job selection block 44 stores jobs Job1, Job2, ... Designating the execution order of the basic operation programs Pr1, Pr2, ... In accordance with the work content represented by the production instruction information SS2. Is the production instruction information SS
Depending on the work content indicated by 2, any job is selected and read from the job memory 46, and the job is output to the dedicated controller 24 of each molding robot 12. The basic operation programs Pr1, Pr2, ...
In order to be able to execute all of the multiple types of work performed by 2
The operation is decomposed into a plurality of basic operations and programmed, and the specific program content is the dedicated controller 24.
Remembered in.

Dedicated controller 2 of each molding robot 12
4 is functionally a basic operation program reading block 4
8, a basic operation program memory 50, and a robot drive block 52. The basic operation program memory 50 includes the basic operation programs Pr1, Pr2, ...
The basic operation program reading block 48, which stores the specific contents of, reads the basic operation program from the basic operation program memory 50 according to the execution order of the basic operation program represented by the job supplied from the molding FA personal computer 26. , The basic operation program is sequentially output to the robot drive block 52. The basic operation programs Pr1, Pr2, ... Are provided for each molding robot 12 so that each molding robot 12 performs the same work regardless of inherent machine differences due to errors during robot assembly or errors during installation. It is set. This basic operation program P
When setting r1, Pr2, ..., For example, it is possible to set by teaching or the like for each individual molding robot 12, but a program set by teaching or the like for one molding robot 12 is obtained in advance by experiments or the like. Alternatively, the data may be converted based on the individual machine difference data and stored in the dedicated controller 24 of each molding robot 12. Then, the robot drive block 52 operates the drive shafts of the respective parts of the molding robot 12 in accordance with the basic operation program sequentially supplied from the basic operation program reading block 48, so that the plurality of molding robots 12 are concerned about the respective machine differences. Do the same work with high accuracy.

The portion for controlling the operation of the plurality of molding robots 12 by the molding FA personal computer 26 is one embodiment of the second invention, and the molding FA personal computer 26 corresponds to the main controller of the second invention. By supplying a common job from the personal computer 26 to the dedicated controller 24 of each molding robot 12, the plurality of molding robots 12 can perform the same work satisfactorily regardless of the respective machine differences. Since a common job may be output from the FA personal computer 26 for molding in accordance with the work content, a large storage capacity is not required, the program transfer time is short, and signal processing is simple. Further, even when the individual molding robot 12 is repaired or replaced, it is only necessary to rewrite the basic operation programs Pr1, Pr2, ... Of the dedicated controller 24 provided for each robot, so the work is quick and easy. Can be done.

Here, the FA computer for molding 26 has a plurality of jobs Job for designating the execution order of the basic operation programs.
, Job2, ... are stored, the storage capacity is smaller than that of the assembling FA personal computer 22, but the dedicated controller 24 stores a plurality of basic operation programs Pr1, Pr2 ,. Therefore, a large storage capacity is required as compared with the dedicated controller 20. However, the basic operation program Pr1,
Pr2, ... is a molding robot 1 depending on the combination thereof.
Since it is required to carry out two or more kinds of work on the second computer, the storage capacity thereof can be smaller than that in the case where a plurality of basic programs for carrying out a series of work are stored as in the FA personal computer for assembly 22.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the present invention can be implemented in other modes.

For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the robot control at the time of manufacturing the mold in the lost wax precision casting method has been described, but the present invention is also applied to the robot control in other various manufacturing fields. Can be applied to.

In the above embodiment, the first invention is applied to the control of the assembly robot 10 and the second invention is applied to the control of the molding robot 12, but the second invention is applied to the control of the assembly robot 10. First for controlling the modeling robot 12
The invention can also be applied. The first invention is preferably applied when the main controller has a large storage capacity and the dedicated controller has a small storage capacity, and the second invention is preferably applied when the main controller has a small storage capacity and the dedicated controller has a large storage capacity. To be done.

Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, a multiplexer 60 is provided between the assembling FA personal computer 22 and the dedicated controller 20 of each assembling robot 10, and each dedicated controller 2 is switched by switching the multiplexer 60.
It is also possible to separately perform data transmission with 0. The same applies to the molding side.

Although not specifically exemplified, the present invention can be carried out in variously modified and improved modes based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a robot control system to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating work contents of the assembly robot and the molding robot of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating functions of a dedicated controller of the assembly robot and an FA personal computer for assembly in FIG.

4 is a diagram illustrating the contents of a basic program stored in a basic program memory of FIG.

5 is a block diagram illustrating the functions of the dedicated controller of the molding robot and the FA personal computer for molding in FIG. 1. FIG.

6 is a block diagram when the FA personal computer for assembly in FIG. 1 and a plurality of dedicated controllers are connected via a multiplexer.

[Explanation of symbols]

10: Assembly robot (robot of the first invention) 12: Molding robot (robot of the second invention) 20: Dedicated controller (first invention) 22: FA personal computer for assembly (main controller of the first invention) 24: Dedicated controller ( Second invention) 26: FA personal computer for molding (main controller of the second invention)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A control device for causing a plurality of robots to perform the same work, wherein a common basic program having a proper term in which a proper value is substituted for each robot is stored while the robot is operated in a predetermined procedure. However, a main controller that outputs the basic program to each of the plurality of robots, and a robot specific to each of the plurality of robots, which is set in advance so that the same work can be performed regardless of the machine difference of the robots, While storing the eigenvalue,
A controller for a plurality of robots, comprising: a dedicated controller that operates the robot by substituting the eigenvalue into the eigenvalue of the basic program when the basic program is supplied from the main controller. 2. A control device for causing a plurality of robots to perform a plurality of types of the same work, wherein the control device is provided in each of the plurality of robots and is predetermined so that the same work can be performed regardless of the machine difference of the robots. A plurality of basic operation programs stored therein, a dedicated controller for operating the robot according to the basic operation programs, and a job for designating an execution order of the plurality of basic operation programs for each of the plurality of types of work. And a main controller that selects a job corresponding to the work to be performed and outputs the selected job to the dedicated controllers of the plurality of robots, respectively.