JPH079372A - Cooperative work robot and its operation control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable automatic operation and manual operation to be cooperatively operated by operationally controlling a drive source for moving a support means in a horizontal surface by either of a manual operation command and an automatic operation command. CONSTITUTION:When an intensifying means is to be manually operated, at least the motor 12c of a take-up mechanism 12 is drivingly controlled by manually operating a handle 12, and meanwhile, other motors 5, 6' and 9 are not energized at all, or a clutch is cut off so as to allow them to be freely rotated. On the other hand, in order to operate the intensifying means as an automatic robot, an angle sensor 13 by an angle detector such as an encoder and the like and distance sensors 14 and 15 by a distance detector are provided for a motor 5 for the turning shaft VI of an arm mechanism A', a horizontal slider 61 and a vertical slide member 8, so that a control system is made up for drivingly controlling the motor 12c of the take-up mechanism 12, the motor 6' of the horizontal slider 61 and the motor 5. In this place, a sensor 16 detects the turning angle of a support section 10.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used as a power assisting device or a power boosting device (hereinafter referred to as a power assisting device) that is operated by a manual operation, and by switching from a manual operation to an automatic operation to operate as an automatic robot. The present invention relates to a collaborative work robot and an operation control method therefor capable of collaborative operation by automatically or manually switching between the manual operation and the operation as an automatic robot, or by using together. .

Specifically, an intensifying device originally formed as a manual operation type can be used as an intensifying device by an inherent manual operation, and by automatic operation, for example, in palletizing, picking, handling, and flat automatic warehouse. The present invention relates to a work robot that can be used as a picker or the like and that can perform the above-mentioned manual operation and automatic operation in cooperation with each other, and a method for operating the work robot.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Up to now, a power assisting device called a load handling device is a manually operated power assisting device called a balancer or a small arm crane, or a welding robot or an assembly robot. It is manufactured and provided by being classified as one of so-called automatic robots that automatically operate according to the program contents that have been pre-taught and input, as shown in, etc., and it is used in various industrial fields where robots and intensifiers are used. Also selects and installs one of the devices.

Among the conventional devices described above, the device designed as an intensifying device supports the load by suspending the load against gravity due to the driving force and the arm structure and supporting the load in the air. Since the movement in the horizontal direction is the movement to apply the pushing force or the pulling force by the hand, the heavy movement of a heavy load or the large movement of a large load is not easy. Even when the horizontal movement is performed by the driving force, the horizontal movement is performed by operating the switch of the operation box, so that the horizontal positioning with high accuracy and the horizontal movement can be performed. It is not suitable for fine movement in a direction (for example, inching operation).

On the other hand, since the automatic robot automatically repeats the same operation once the operation program is taught and inputted, there is no difficulty in the above-mentioned assisting device, but it is basically constructed so that it can be manually operated. However, it is useful as a dedicated machine but inferior in versatility because it is necessary to change the above program in order to change the operation pattern.

[0006]

In view of the above points, the present invention operates one device as a manually operated type assisting device such as a conventional balancer or a small arm crane. Of course, it is possible to improve the usability as a manually operated assisting device, and to form a manually operated assisting device so that it can be operated as a general-purpose or dedicated automatic robot, if necessary. It is an object of the present invention to provide a collaborative work robot that can be used not only as a general-purpose robot or a dedicated robot from an assisting device but also as a coordinated operation thereof, and an operation control method thereof.

[0007]

The structure of the robot of the present invention made for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned problems makes it possible to move in the vertical axis direction by supporting means such as gripping, suspending, sucking, and placing. In a load handling mechanism that supports and can move the supported load in a horizontal plane by a driving force, a drive source for moving the support means in the horizontal plane is manually operated and automatically operated. It is characterized in that the operation is controlled by any of the commands.

Further, in the construction of the operation control method of the cooperative work robot, the load held by the supporting means such as gripping, suspending, sucking and placing is supported so as to be vertically movable in the vertical axis direction and is supported. In the operation of the load handling mechanism capable of moving the load in the horizontal plane by the driving force, the driving source for moving the supporting means in the vertical direction or in the horizontal direction has a manual operation command and an automatic operation command. Are arranged in an appropriate order in a time series and supplied, and the operation of the drive source is controlled.

[0009]

The device of the present invention, as an intensifying device, moves the load in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction by manual operation and, following this movement, moves it to a place or space where a person cannot enter, such as a liquid or a harmful environment space. The work of moving the luggage can be executed as an automatic robot. Further, in the device of the present invention, the assisting device by manual operation and the automatic robot by automatic operation can be independently operated, and the work can be performed in a coordinated manner by appropriately combining both functions. it can.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a side sectional view of a first example of a known assisting device to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the same second example, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a third example, and FIG. 4 is a fourth example. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the fifth example, FIG. 6 is an enlarged view taken along the line XX of FIG. 1, FIG. 7 is a view taken along the line RR of FIG. 6, and FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a control system for horizontally moving the support portion 10 in the apparatus of FIG. 1, FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of an example of a control system for automatic robot operation of the apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the device, FIG. 11 is an enlarged plan view of a main part of the device of FIG.
FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram of an example of a control system for horizontally moving the support portion 10 of the apparatus of FIG. 2, and FIG. 13 is an example of a function of a control system for operating the power assisting apparatus of FIG. 2 as an automatic robot. It is a block diagram.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a first arm and 2 is a first arm.
Second arm, 1 ', whose rear end is pivotally attached 1P to the front end of arm 1.
Is a third arm parallel to the first arm 1 and 2'is a second arm 2
Of the fourth arm parallel to the first arm 1 and the third and fourth arms 1 ', 2'of which the respective tips are pivotally attached to the second arm 1 and the first arm 1'P, 2'. At the same time, the rear ends of both arms 1 ', 2'are pivotally attached 3P to the bracket-shaped machine 3 at a fixed position, and the pivot points 1P, 1'P, 2'P and 3P are formed in a parallelogram and are formed in the arm mechanism A '.

In the arm mechanism A ', for the first and second arms 1 and 2, sub-arms 1'a,
2'a is provided, and a vertical slide guide 7 is pivotally attached to the tip of the second arm 2 and its sub-arm 2'a in a vertical posture.
It is 2P. On the other hand, the first arm 1 and its sub-arm 1'a
The rear end has an inverted T shape here as an example,
The lower part thereof is pivotally attached 61P, 61P to a horizontal slider 61 slidably supported by a horizontal slide guide 51 provided horizontally in the machine casing 3. In addition, 1n is two sub-arms 1 '
a and 2'a are the pivot points 1P and 1'P of the first arm and the second arm 2
Is a link to connect to.

With the above structure, the arm mechanism A'expands and contracts as the horizontal slider 61 moves back and forth along the guides 51, so that the arm mechanisms 2'and 2 '. The vertical slide guide 7 pivotally attached to the tip of the 2P can be moved back and forth in the horizontal direction. In the present invention, since the back-and-forth movement of the horizontal slider 61 is performed by the driving force of the motor 6 ',
The chain 6'b is hung around the guide sprocket 6'a arranged so as to surround the horizontal slide guide 51 of the machine casing 3, and the slider 61 is inserted and connected to both ends of the chain 6'b. Has been done. One of the guide sprockets 6a is
It is formed so that the driving force of the drive 6'is transmitted.

On the other hand, the pivot 2 is attached to the tip of the arm 2 or 2'a.
A vertical slide member 8 having a horizontal concave cross section is held by the P and 2P vertical slide guides 7 so as to be movable up and down, and is fed into the slide member 8 from a winding cylinder of a hoisting mechanism 12. A cord 11 such as a belt is inserted, and a load support portion 10 is provided at the lower end of the cord 11 via a motor 9. Therefore, the slide member 8 integrated with the support portion 10 is formed so as to be moved up and down in the guide 7 by feeding and winding the cord 11.

In FIG. 1, 12a is a winding cylinder of a hoisting mechanism, and 12b.
Is a lever for operating the hoisting mechanism provided on the support portion, 12c is a motor for the hoisting mechanism, and 10a is a hook provided on the support portion 10. Here, the machine casing 3 is mounted on the upper end of the support column 4 so as to be freely rotatable, and can be freely rotated left and right by the rotational force of the motor 5. As described above, an example of the assisting device using the arm mechanism A'is configured.

In the intensifying device shown in FIG. 1, the load is moved up and down, that is, moved on the Z-axis by moving the slide member 8 having the support portion 10 at the lower end up and down by the forward and reverse rotations of the motor 12c. The movement in the plane is carried out by expanding and contracting and turning the arm mechanism A'by the forward and reverse rotations of the motor 6'and the motor 5, but the conventional usage is the above-mentioned motors. The rotation of 12c, 6 ', and 5 was performed by the button operation etc. which were provided in the operation box. In this respect, according to the present invention, the movement in the horizontal direction is performed by activating the motor 5 or 6'by pushing the supporting portion 10 in the desired direction and pushing it.
Hereinafter, this example will be described.

First, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a motor 9 fixed to the lower end of the vertical slide member 8 and a support portion 10 rotatably supported around the Z axis by the motor 9. Pressure sensors YP1, YP2, XP1 and XP2 are arranged on the + and-sides of the X and Y axes, respectively, at the junction with and to detect the pushing force or pulling force manually applied to the support portion 10. .

Outputs of the four sensors YP1 to XP2 are processed by a control system shown as an example in FIG.
The control signals of the motors 5 and 6'for horizontally moving the 10 in the + and-directions of the Y-axis or the + and-directions of the X-axis are formed. An example of this will be described below.

In FIG. 8, the output of any of the sensors YP1 to XP2 is first supplied to the axis discriminating section 71, and it is discriminated which of the axes YP1 to XP2 of both X and Y axes is operating. It For example, the Y-axis side pressure sensor YP1 or YP2
If any of the above is operating, a signal to that effect is output from the determination unit 71, and the Y-axis direction determination unit that has received this output
72Y operates to determine which of the Y-axis sensors YP1 or YP2 outputs, and the direction in which the motor 6'should be rotated is determined.

The discrimination signal in the direction discrimination section 72Y is
The following Y-axis calculation unit is used as a signal for discriminating the rotation direction of the motor 6 '.
In addition to being supplied to the sensor 73Y,
A signal having a magnitude proportional to the output of YP1 or YP2 is arithmetically formed. This calculation is performed in a predetermined sampling cycle according to a command from the control unit 76, and successively forms a signal proportional to the sensor output.

The output signal of the computing unit 73Y is sequentially supplied to the motor command signal forming unit 74Y in the above sampling period to form the command signal of the motor 6 ', and is supplied to the next servo amplifier 75Y. To be done. The motor 6'is rotated in the forward or reverse direction by the output of the servo amplifier 75Y with an output proportional to the output of the sensor YP1 or YP2.

The forward or reverse rotation of the motor 6'moves the slider 61 in the arm mechanism A'of FIG. The supporting portion 10 connected to the slider 61 through the arm mechanism A'formed by the above-mentioned means horizontally moves by itself in the left and right directions in FIG. Moreover, the speed of the sliding operation of the slider 61, that is,
Since the rotation speed or speed of the motor 6'is controlled so as to be proportional to the output of the sensor YP1 or YP2, if the sensor output increases, the moving speed increases, and if the sensor output disappears, the motor 6'rotates. The rotation of the 6'stops and stops moving.

The above description is about the horizontal movement of the support portion 10 with respect to the Y-axis by the output of either the pressure sensor YP1 or YP2. In the intensifying device of FIG. 1, the horizontal movement with respect to the X-axis direction is the X-axis. The output of sensors XP1 and XP2 allows motor 5
Is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise. Here, since the motor 5 about the X axis merely pivots the bracket-shaped casing 3 on the column 4, the support portion 10 cannot perform linear movement in the X axis direction only by this operation. However, if the sliding movement about the Y-axis is added to the turning of the machine 3 on the support column 4, the supporting portion 10 can be linearly moved horizontally on the X-axis.

Next, in the present invention, in order to operate the power assisting device of FIG. 1 as an automatic robot, the control system shown in FIG. 9 is mounted on the power assisting device of FIG. 1 as an example. explain.

In the intensifying device shown in FIG. 1, when manually operating the intensifying device, at least the motor 12c of the hoisting mechanism 12 is driven and controlled by manually operating the handle 12b, while the other motor 5 is operated. , 6 ', 9 are in a state in which they can be freely turned with the power not turned on or with the clutch disengaged. In this case, it is optional to drive and control the other motors 5, 6 ', 9 manually, but in any case, the intensifier shown in FIG. 1 is manually operated. It can be used as a type of intensifier.

On the other hand, in order to operate the intensifying device of FIG. 1 as an automatic robot, in the present invention, the turning axis V1 of the arm mechanism A'is used.
The motor 5 and the horizontal slider 61 and the vertical slide member 8 are provided with an angle sensor 13 by an angle detector such as an encoder and distance sensors 14 ', 15 by a distance detector, respectively. Motor 12c of mechanism 12 and motor of horizontal slider 61
A control system for driving control of 6'and the motor 5 is constructed. Reference numeral 16 is a sensor for detecting the turning angle of the support portion 10.

In FIG. 9, the sensors 13, 14 'and 15 are, for example, the first and second arms 1 and 2 shown in FIG.
When the support portion 10 is in the posture shown in Fig. 1 and the orientation shown in Figs. 1 and 7 is the origin of each axis, and when moving or moving each movable part from their origin position, The turning angle or the movement amount is provided so that the turning angle or the movement amount can always be detected by, for example, a pulse signal.

The detection signals of the sensors 13, 14 ', 15 and 16 are the arm mechanism A', the horizontal slider 61, the vertical slide member 8, the turning direction, the turning angle, and the sliding direction with respect to the supporting portion 10. , To form a command value for the slide amount or to form a feedback signal for the command value. Below, the manner of utilizing the signals of the sensors 13, 14 ', 15, 16 will be explained with reference to the control system diagram of FIG. For example, the motors 5, 6 ', 9 and the arm mechanism A'and the slider 61 which are swung or slid by the motors 5, 6', 9 are shown.
And each sensor for detecting the turning angle of the support portion 10, respectively.
The relationship between 13, 14 ', 16 and the motor 12c for moving the vertical slide member 8 and the distance sensor 15 for detecting the amount of movement is configured as follows in the control system of FIG. 9 as an example. ing.

That is, the output signal of the sensor 15 is formed so as to be supplied to the command value setting section 17a or the current value detection section 17b via the switching section 15a. On the other hand, the numerical data of the setting unit 17a and the detection unit 17b are first stored in the arithmetic unit 18 at the same time as the data of the setting unit 17a are temporarily stored in the control unit.
19 and is supplied to the motor 12 by the servo amplifier 20, for example.
drive c. When the motor 12c is driven, the numerical data of the detection unit 17b detected by the sensor 15 is compared and calculated with the data from the setting unit 17a in the calculation unit 18, and the control unit 19 is operated by the calculated value. Output is controlled and the motor 12c is stopped and controlled via the servo amplifier 20.

The motors 5, 6 ', 9 and the sensors 13, 14, 16 other than the above have the same configuration as the above. 13a, 14a and 16a are switching circuits, 21a, 25a and 29a are command value setting parts, 21b, 25b and 29b are present value detecting parts, 22, 26 and 30 are calculating parts, 23, 27 and 31 are controlling parts, 24 , 28 and 32 are servo amplifiers. Reference numeral 33 is an operation sequence switching sequence control unit for setting the operation sequence for each of the control units 19, 23, 27 and 31. The operation sequence for each motor 5, 6 ', 9, 12c can be set in advance arbitrarily and can be changed later. Further, as for the input of the set values to the respective command setting sections 17a, 21a, 25a, 29a, the moving or turning direction and the numerical data may be directly inputted by the input means 34 such as a digital switch.

For each of the above motors 5, 6 ', 9, 12c,
As an example, the cooperative work robot of the present invention including the drive control system shown in FIG. 9 can selectively perform manual operation and automatic operation. Therefore, this point will be described below.

In the manual operation, for example, the motor 5,
6 ', 9 is not started, or the clutch (not shown) is disengaged when the motors 5, 6', 9 are stopped or started,
The posture deformation of the arm mechanism A ', that is, the sliding and swinging of the slider 61 and the swinging of the load supporting portion 10 are manually performed, and only the operation command for the motor 12c is operated. The operation can be performed by the handle 12b or a manual operation switch (not shown).

With this configuration, the arm mechanism A'has the hook 10 of the supporting portion 10 in the same manner as the conventionally known manually operated assisting device.
The load suspended and supported on a is vertically moved to a desired height by the forward or reverse rotation of the motor 12c, and is suspended and held,
At this height, the arm mechanism A'can be manually swiveled on the column 4 or the support 10 can be swung on the spot to manually position the load on a desired horizontal plane. it can. In this manual operation, the motor 5 for rotating the arm mechanism A'or the motor 6'of the slider 61 is operated by a manual switch (not shown) or the like. Alternatively, the configuration of the embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 1, 6, 7, and 8 is arbitrary.

On the other hand, in order to operate the arm mechanism A'as an automatic robot, the following can be taken as an example. First, the control system for each of the motors 5, 6 ', 9, 12c including the sensors 13-16 is made operable. Here, each of the motors 5, 6 ', 9 and 12c is in a state where the clutch is disengaged, or when the clutch is engaged and each motor is operated by a manual switch or the like, each movable part is an arm. The frame mechanism A ′, the slider 61, and the support portion 10 are actually slid or swung from their respective origins.
The slide distance and the turning angle detected by 13 to 16 are set and stored in the respective setting units 17a, 21a, 25a and 29a as command values.

When the setting of the slide amount or the turning angle with respect to the horizontal slider 61 ', the horizontal slide member 8, the arm mechanism A', and the supporting portion 10 is completed as described above, the respective motors 12c, 5, 12c.
By setting the sequence of operation of 6'and 9 in the sequence control unit 33, the control units 1 of the respective motors 12c, 5, 6'and 9 are set.
An operation command signal is supplied to 9, 23, 27, 31 and each of these motors 12c, 5, 6 ', 9 is driven in accordance with the operation sequence and the respective command values set in the above. is there. The respective motors 12c, 5, 6 ', 9 are driven in sequence or at the same time so that the horizontal slider 61, the vertical slide member 8, the arm mechanism A', and the current movement position or current of the support portion 10 can be obtained. The turning angle is detected by each sensor 13, 14 ′, 15, 16 and supplied to each computing unit 18, 22, 26, 30 and compared with the previous command value, for example, each command value becomes zero. By doing so, the respective motors 5, 6 ', 9, 12c are stopped in order, and the supporting portion 10 is automatically positioned at a desired position in a desired direction. After such automatic positioning, for example, a predetermined time has elapsed, or by the following command value, each movable part is returned to the original origin, or the operation for the next positioning of the support part 10 is performed on the movable part. Let it be done.

An example of the operation as the above-mentioned automatic robot is for the motors 5, 6 ', 9, 12c which are the driving sources for the arm mechanism A', the support portion 10, the slider 61, and the slide member 8. The command value to be the control command is set by the detected values of the turning angle and the slide amount detected by the sensors 13 to 16 during the operation by the manual operation, but in the present invention, these numerical values are input from the input means 34 to the respective commands. In the value setting parts 17a, 21a, 25a, 29a,
Since it is possible to input the respective numerical data, it is possible to do so.

If such a command value setting method is adopted, the motors 5, 6 ', 9 other than the motor 12c are stopped, or the object to be driven is actuated by the action of a clutch or the like in the driving state. In a state where the robot of the present invention is separated from the above, the robot of the present invention is operated as a supplementary device by a manual operation, and following this manual operation, a slide or a turning operation after a predetermined slide point or a turning angle is driven by a preset command value. Can be allowed to. That is, the operation as a robot that automatically operates according to the manually operated intensifier and the set command value is performed in a time-series manner or on the total movement distance of each axis in an appropriate order in a combined and coordinated manner. It will be possible.

That is, when the support part 10 is moved and turned in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction by the operation control of the respective motors 5, 6 ', 9, 12c by the above-mentioned manual operation, the amount of movement and the turning angle are , The movement amount and the turning angle of the supporting portion 10 by the automatic operation are set in advance in the movement amount and the turning angle setting unit, and the movement by the manual operation, the turning and the movement by the automatic operation, the turning are described above. It is possible to continuously execute within the set total movement amount and all turning angles.

In the collaborative work robot of the present invention, the control operation for rotating and stopping each motor 5, 6 ', 9, 12c is performed by wire control using a manual operation switch, or by radio waves. It is arbitrary to perform the wireless control using the above.

As described in the above embodiment, the device of the present invention is designed so that the assisting device function is used by manual operation, and the support part 10 is moved by setting the moving direction and the moving amount in advance with respect to each moving axis. The automatic robot function can be independently operated, and the above two functions can be appropriately combined in time series or within the moving distance of each axis. Therefore, it can be used in the following modes.

That is, in the entire movable range of the supporting portion 10, for example, the end of the moving distance of each axis and its vicinity are preset as a safety zone, and this safety zone is excluded. The load handling device is automatically operated by setting a set value for each axial movement distance for automatic operation in the movable range. In this case, before starting the operation by the automatic operation and after the operation by the automatic operation is completed, the supporting portion 10 of the load handling device is located in the safety zone and the zone. Set the above command value so that it will be set so as to return to −.
When the support portion 10 is located in the safety zone, the support portion 10 in the entire movable range is manually operated.
It is set so that it can be moved.

The apparatus of the present invention capable of causing the supporting portion 10 to take the above-mentioned operation mode is a palletizing machine by an automatic operation, a picking machine,
While it can function as an automatic robot that operates as a handling machine or a picker for a flat automatic warehouse, when it is not functioning as such an automatic robot, it can be used as a manual assisting device. Become.

Next, an example in which the above-described present invention is applied to the assisting device by the arm mechanism A of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 10 to 13. In FIG. 2, the first arm member 1 and the second arm member 2
It is connected to the arm member 2 via a vertical axis V1 so as to be foldable and extendable in a horizontal plane. The rear end of the first arm member 1 is
It is fixed to a short tubular machine casing 3, and is mounted so as to be rotatable together with the machine casing 3 on a column 4 via a vertical axis V2. Each axis V1,
Motors 5 and 6 for arm rotation are connected to V2 via a clutch or the like so that they can be freely connected and disconnected.

At the tip of the second arm member 2, there is a load supporting portion.
A vertical slide guide 7 for guiding the vertical movement of 10 is provided, and a rod-shaped vertical slide member 8 having a laterally concave cross section is mounted on the guide 7 so as to be vertically slidable, and at the lower end of the member 8. A load supporting portion 10 is provided with a hook 10a via a turning motor 9.

As an example, the structure for moving the slide member 8 up and down is constructed as follows. That is,
On the lower end of the slide member 8, a tape-shaped or string-shaped cord member 11 having its tip fixed is provided at the rear end of the second arm member 2 via the tip of the second arm member 2. Since the rope member 11 is wound around the winding drum 12a of the upper mechanism 12, and thus the rope member 11 is rolled up or fed out by the winding drum 12a of the winding mechanism 12, the slide member 8 supports the load. It moves up and down on the vertical axis, that is, the Z axis, together with 10. 12b
Is an operation handle for hoisting and unwinding the rope member 11, 12
c is a hoisting cylinder that is normally or reversely rotated by operating the handle 12b.
This is a 12a motor.

The intensifying device shown in FIG. 2 to which the present invention is applied has at least a hoisting mechanism when the intensifying device is manually operated.
The 12 motors 12c are driven and controlled by the manual operation of the handle 12b, while the other motors 5, 6 and 9 are not turned on.
Alternatively, disengage the clutch in the activated state so that the player can freely turn. In this case, the other motors 5, 6 and 9 may be manually driven and controlled. In any case, the power assisting device shown in FIG. 1 is used as a manually operated power assisting device.

On the other hand, in order to operate the intensifying device to which the present invention shown in FIG. 2 is applied as an automatic robot, in the present invention, the motors 5 and 6 of the respective pivots V1 and V2 and the slide member 8 are respectively A hoisting mechanism provided with angle sensors 13 and 14 and a distance sensor 15.
A control system for driving and controlling the 12 motors 12c and the respective motors 5 and 6 is configured. Reference numeral 16 is a sensor for detecting the turning angle of the support portion 10. An example of this control system will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 6, the sensors 13, 14, 15 are, for example, in a posture in which the first and second arms 1 and 2 shown in FIG. 1 have a right angle shape as shown in FIG. And the support part 10
Is the origin of each axis when
When the movable parts are turned or moved up and down from their origin positions, the turning angle or the amount of movement can be detected by, for example, a pulse signal.

The detection signals of the above-mentioned sensors 13, 14, 15, 16 are the first and second arms 1 and 2, the slide member 8, and the supporting portion.
It is used to form a command value of a turning direction, a turning angle, and a sliding direction and a sliding amount with respect to 10, or to form a feedback signal for the command value. The usage of the signals from the sensors 13, 14, 15 and 16 will be described below with reference to FIG.
The control system diagram will be described. For example, motors 5, 6,
9 and the first that can be turned by these motors 5, 6, 9
Sensors 13, 14, 16 for detecting the turning angle of the arm 1, the second arm 2, and the support portion 10, and a motor 12c for moving the slide member 8 up and down and its movement. The relationship with the distance sensor 15 that detects the amount is configured as follows in the control system of FIG. 13 as an example.

That is, the output signal of the sensor 15 is configured to be supplied to the command value setting unit 17a or the current value detection unit 17b via the switching unit 15a. On the other hand, the numerical data of the setting unit 17a and the detection unit 17b are first stored in the arithmetic unit 18 at the same time as the data of the setting unit 17a are temporarily stored in the control unit.
19 and is supplied to the motor 12 by the servo amplifier 20, for example.
drive c. When the motor 12c is driven, the numerical data of the detection unit 17b detected by the sensor 15 is compared and calculated with the data from the setting unit 17a in the calculation unit 18, and the control unit 19 is operated by the calculated value. Output is controlled and the motor 12c is stopped and controlled via the servo amplifier 20.

The motors 5, 6, 9 and the sensors 13, 14, 16 other than the above also have the same construction as described above. In FIG. 13, 13a, 14a and 16a are switching circuits, and 21a and 25a.
a, 29a are command value setting parts, 21b, 25b, 29b are current value detecting parts, 22, 26, 30 are calculating parts, 23, 27, 31 are control parts, 24, 2
8 and 32 are servo amplifiers. In addition, 33 is each control unit 19, 2
It is an operation sequence switching sequence control unit for setting the operation sequence for 3, 27 and 31. Each motor 5, 6, 9, 12
The operating order for c can be set in advance arbitrarily,
It is possible to change it later. In addition, each command setting unit 17a, 2
The set values may be input to 1a, 25a and 29a by inputting the moving or turning direction and numerical data directly by the input means 34 such as a digital switch.

For each of the above motors 5, 6, 9, 12c,
The collaborative work robot of the present invention equipped with the drive control system shown in FIG. 13 can selectively perform manual operation and automatic operation. Therefore, this point will be described below.

In the manual operation, for example, the motor 5,
6 or 9 is not started, or the clutch (not shown) is disengaged when the motors 5, 6 and 9 are started or stopped.
The rotation of the first arm 1, the second arm 2, and the supporting portion 10 for the load can be freely performed by obtaining the motor 12.
Only the operation command for c can be issued by the operation handle 12b or a manual operation switch (not shown).

With this configuration, the arm mechanism A, like the conventionally known manually operated intensifier, applies the load suspended and supported by the support portion 10 by rotating the motor 12c in the forward or reverse direction. It is slid up and down to a desired height and held under suspension. At this height, the first arm 1 and the second arm 2 are manually swung, and the support portion 10 is put on the spot. The load can be pivoted to manually position the load at a desired horizontal position. In this manual operation, the motors 5 and 6 for turning the first arm 1 and the second arm 2 in the arm mechanism A are manually switched (not shown).
It is optional to be configured to operate by means such as.

On the other hand, in order to operate the arm mechanism A as an automatic robot, the following can be given as an example. First, the control system for each of the motors 5, 6, 9 and 12c including the sensors 13 to 16 is made operable. Here, the first parts, which are the movable parts of the respective motors 5, 6, 9 and 12c, which are movable parts, are operated by disengaging the clutches, or by engaging the clutches and operating the respective motors by a manual switch or the like. -The arm 1, the second arm 2, and the supporting portion 10 are operated from the respective origins by the amounts or angles at which they are actually to be slid or swung, so that the sliding distance or swivel angle detected by the sensors 13 to 16 can be determined. As a command value, each setting section
Set to 17a, 21a, 25a, 29a and store.

After the slide amount, the arm 1, 2 and the supporting portion 10 have been set as described above for the slide amount or the turning angle, the order of operation of the motors 12c, 5, 6, 9 is changed. By setting the sequence control unit 33, each motor 12
The operation command signals are supplied to the respective control units 19, 23, 27, 31 of c, 5, 6, 9, and these motors 12c, 5, 6, 9 are respectively provided.
Are respectively driven according to the operation order and the respective command values set in the above. Each motor 12c, 5
The current movement amount and the current turning angle of each of the slide members 8, the arms 1 and 2, and the support portion 10 by driving 6 and 9 sequentially or simultaneously are determined by the sensors 13, 14, 15 and 16. Each of the motors 5, 6, 9, 9 is detected and supplied to each of the arithmetic units 18, 22, 26, 30 and compared with the previous command value. For example, when the respective command values become zero, the respective motors 5, 6, 9, The 12c are stopped in order, and the supporting part 10 is automatically positioned at a desired position in a desired direction. After such automatic positioning, each movable part is returned to the origin, or an operation for the next positioning of the support part 10 is performed on the movable part, for example, after a lapse of a predetermined time or the next command value. Let

The operation as the above-mentioned automatic robot is performed by controlling the motors 5, 6, 9 and 12c which are drive sources of the first and second arms 1 and 2, the support portion 10 and the slide member 8. Although the command value to be the command is set by the detected values of the turning angle and the slide amount detected by the sensors 13 to 16 during the operation by the manual operation, in the present invention, these numerical values are input means 34.
From the command setting section 17a, 21a, 25a, 29a to the respective numerical data
It is also possible to do so, since it is possible to input it with the keypad.

When such a command value setting method is adopted, the motors 5, 6 and 9 except the motor 12c are stopped, or the object to be driven is actuated by the action of a clutch or the like in the driving state. In the separated state, the robot of the present invention is manually operated as an intensifying device, and following this manual operation, a slide or a turning operation after a predetermined slide point or a turning angle is driven by a preset command value. You can In other words, it is possible to continuously use the assisting device of the manual operation and the operation of the robot that automatically operates according to the command value in a coordinated manner.

In the collaborative work robot of the present invention, control of rotation and stop for each motor 5, 6, 9, 12c may be carried out by wire control by means of a manual operation switch, or radio waves may be transmitted. It is optional to perform the wireless control used.

Next, in the present invention, when the load supporting portion 10 in the embodiment for the intensifying device of FIG. 2 is moved in the horizontal direction, the horizontal biasing force applied to the supporting portion 10 by hand is distorted. It is detected by a sensor such as a pressure sensor or a pressure sensor, and the motor 5 or 6 serving as a drive source for the horizontal movement is drive-controlled by this detection signal. Figure about this point
This will be described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11 and 12.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, at the connecting portion between the tip of the second arm member 2 and the load supporting portion 10, the phantom line L is indicated by X when the arm mechanism A is viewed from the plane. An orthogonal coordinate as an axis is set, and the origin on this coordinate, that is, the central axis (Z axis) of the support portion 10 is the origin, the + and-sides of the Y axis and the + and-of the X axis.
Pressure sensors YP1, YP2, XP1 and XP2 are installed on the respective sides. Then, as an example, when the load supporting portion 10 is biased to the + side of the Y axis, the pressure sensor YP1 detects this, and the motor 5 in FIG. 7 is rotated clockwise, and the motor 6 is rotated counterclockwise. In the opposite direction, the support portions 10 are moved to the + side of the Y axis by reversing each other. Also,
At the position after the above movement, the Y-axis is
When it is urged to the side, the sensor YP2 outputs its detection signal, so that the motors 5 and 6 are reversed in the opposite directions to move the support portion 10 horizontally to one side of the Y axis. You can do that.

Similarly, when a biasing force is applied to the load supporting portion 10 in the + direction or one direction of the X axis, the above-mentioned force is applied to the pressure sensor XP1 or XP2 on the X axis. The direction is detected and the motor 5 is normally or reversely rotated, and the motor 6 is reversely or normally rotated to horizontally move the support portion 10 to the + or − side of the X axis. In the horizontal movement of the support portion 10, the rotation of the motor 5 or 6 is stopped, that is, the support portion
As an example, to stop the horizontal movement of 10,
If the force applied to 10 is removed, no detection signal is generated in any of the sensors, so the motors 5 and 6 stop rotating.

Next, the detection signals from the four sensors YP1, YP2, XP1 and XP2 for forming the above-mentioned horizontal movement command signal and the rotation speed, rotation direction and rotation angle of the motors 5 and 6 are shown. The relationship will be described with reference to the control system in FIG.

Whether the signal is formed in any of the sensors YP1, YP2, XP1 and XP2 is detected by the discriminating sections 51 and 52 for the X and Y axes. The signals from the discriminating units 51 and 52 of the respective axes are supplied to a direction discriminating command unit 53 which forms a signal for discriminating the rotational direction of the motor and a rotational direction command.

On the other hand, the discrimination command section 53 has the present angles (from the origin) of the first arm 1 and the second arm 2 which are swung by the motors 5 and 6 from the angle sensors 13 and 14, respectively. Since the signal indicating the angle is supplied, the direction discriminating command section 53 described above outputs a signal of a rotational speed command in each of the motors 5 and 6 and a rotational speed command in that direction. Is formed on the basis of the current angle as viewed from the origin and the speed reference value. Reference numerals 54 and 55 are arithmetic units for that purpose, and 56 and 57 are present angle detection units for the respective motors 5 and 6.

Reference numerals 58 and 59 are rotation command signal forming portions. In this embodiment, since the turning limit angle is set in advance in each of the arms 1 and 2, the calculating portion 54 uses the limit angle as a reference. ， 55
The command signals of the turning angle and the rotation speed output from the motor are formed into the rotation command signals of the motors 5 and 6. Each motor 5,6
Is the rotation command signal forming unit 58 or 59,
As long as the detection output is input from YP1 to YP2, the control signal based on the above rotation command (turning angle and speed) signal
Rotate to the turning limit of the arms 1 and 2. Sensor YP1 to XP2
If there is no output from any of the above, it will stop. Therefore,
In order to stop the motors 5 and 6 before the turning limit of the arms 1 and 2, it is sufficient to stop applying the force for urging the support portion 10 in the direction in which the motors 5 and 6 are to be moved in parallel.

In the control system shown in FIG. 12, the arm 1,
The motors 5 and 6 may be controlled without setting the turning limit angle of 2. By doing so, the motor 5 or 6 rotates according to the signal detected by any of the sensors YP1 to XP2 by the above control algorithm until the detection signal of any of the sensors YP1 to XP2 on the support unit 10 disappears. Will continue.

The present invention can be applied to the intensifiers shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 almost as it is, the respective control contents applied to the intensifiers shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. . Hereinafter, the outline of the structure of the intensifier of FIGS. 3 to 5 will be described. In the following description, the same symbols as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 indicate the same members.

First, in the intensifying device shown in FIG. 3, the machine casing 3 having a tubular bracket is rotatably mounted on the support column 4, and the machine casing 3 is rotatable by the motor 5. It is similar to the previous embodiment. Two arms 1'which are parallel to each other in a plane are attached to the machine 3 in a horizontal posture at their base ends. The upper surfaces of the two arms 1 ', 1'are formed on guide surfaces 6'g, 6'g by a rack or the like, and the rolling wheels 6'f are arranged on the lower surface side of the guide surfaces 6'g. A trolley-like slider 61 ′ is provided on which the wheel 6 ′ f is supported and guided by the guide surface 6 ′ g.

The slider 61 'is provided with a vertical slide guide 7 penetrating almost the center thereof, and
A vertical slide member 8 is inserted in the guide 7.
Further, the hoisting mechanism 12 is attached to the slider 61 ',
The cord 11 is connected to the support portion 10 (not shown in FIG. 3) provided at the lower end of the slide member 8 via the slide member 8. Therefore, the vertical slide member 8
Is vertically moved along the guide 7 via the rope 11 by the operation of the motor 12c of the hoisting mechanism 12, and as a result, the support portion 10 can be moved vertically as in the above two examples. is there.

The slider 61a is a guide surface for the arm 1 '.
In order to move back and forth on 6'g, a drive mechanism such as a motor 6 ', a speed reducer (not shown), etc. is connected to the wheel 6'f of the slider 61'. As a result, the slider 61 'can be moved back and forth in the longitudinal direction of the arm 1'.

Therefore, even in the intensifying device shown in FIG.
The 10 can be moved up and down and moved in the horizontal plane by three motors 5, 6 ', 12c, and therefore the control algorithm described by the intensifiers of FIGS. It can be applied.

The intensifier of FIG. 4 is similar to the arm mechanism of the intensifier of FIG. 1 in that the arm mechanism A "is formed mainly of the arms 1 and 2. However, the intensifier of FIG. In the device of FIG. 4, the third
The pivot 3P of the arm 1'and the fourth arm 2'is supported and guided by the horizontal guide 51, and the rear end of the first arm 1 is supported and guided by the vertical guide 7 '. 1 is different from the device of FIG.

In the apparatus shown in FIG. 4, the arm mechanism A "is supported and guided by the two guides 7'and 51 to change its posture, whereby the support portion 10 can move vertically and laterally. Therefore, as in the previous examples, the vertical slide member 8
Is unnecessary.

The power assisting device of FIG. 5 is equivalent to the power assisting device shown in FIG. 2 in which the arms 1'and 1'are movably mounted on a gantry type frame 4F. Is. Therefore, in FIG. 5, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2 indicate the same members.

The arm placed on the horizontal beam 4h of the frame 4F
The traveling carriage 1B, which is substantially the same as 1 ', 1', is provided with a wheel 1r, and the motor 5 ', a speed reducer (not shown in FIG. 5) is provided on the wheel 1r.
Are connected so that the carriage 1B can move horizontally along the cross beam 4h of the frame 4F. As a result,
The support portion 10 in the device of (1) is movable on the X, Y axis plane by the operation of the motors 5 ', 6', and on the Z axis by the action of the motor 12c of the hoisting mechanism 12. It can move up and down, and in addition, by the action of the motor 9, it can freely turn around the Z axis. Then, in the assisting device in which the supporting portion 10 can operate in such an operating range, the operation control can be applied in the manual operation and the automatic operation as in the above-described embodiments.

In the above embodiments, the movement of the support portion 10 was carried out mainly by driving the chain or belt by the motor. However, in the present invention, the driving force output and its transmission medium are used. In addition to the above chains and belts, a feed screw (screw) driven by a motor, a rack, a pinion, or a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder may be used.

[0078]

As described above, the present invention is configured such that a power assisting device formed as a manually operated power assisting device can be operated as an automatic robot.
Since the operation of the manually operated robot and the automatic robot can be cooperatively operated in various modes, the advantages of the single-function machine as the intensifying device or the single-function machine as the automatic robot can be improved. It becomes possible to operate in a linked manner in a fully utilized manner, which is extremely useful in many industrial fields.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a first example of a known assisting device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second example of a known assisting device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a third example of a known assisting device.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a fourth example of the known assisting device.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a fifth example of a known assisting device.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view taken along the line QQ of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a view taken along the line RR of FIG.

8 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a control system for horizontal movement of a support portion 10 in the apparatus of FIG.

9 is a functional block diagram of an example of a control system for operating the automatic robot of the apparatus of FIG.

10 is a plan view of the device of FIG. 2.

11 is an enlarged plan view of the main part of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram of an example of a control system for horizontally moving the support unit 10 of the apparatus of FIG.

13 is a functional block diagram of an example showing a control system for operating the power assisting device of FIG. 2 as an automatic robot.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 1st arm 2 2nd arm 3 Machine housing 4 Support 5 Motor 6 Motor 7 Vertical slide guide 8 Vertical slide member 9 Motor 10 Support part 11 Cable member 12 Hoisting mechanism 13,14 , 15, 16 sensors

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A load is supported so as to be movable in the vertical axis direction by a supporting means such as gripping, suspending, sucking, placing, etc., and the supported load can be moved in a horizontal plane by a driving force. In the load handling mechanism described above, the collaborative work robot is characterized in that the drive source for moving the support means in a horizontal plane is operated and controlled by either a manual operation command or an automatic operation command. 2. The movement of the supporting means in a horizontal plane is provided with a sensor for detecting a pressure applied to the supporting means or a minute displacement of the supporting means on a plane coordinate with the vertical axis of the supporting means as an origin. A vector for indicating a horizontal movement manually applied to the supporting means is detected by the sensor, and the output of the drive source for the horizontal movement is controlled in proportion to the detection output of the sensor. 1 collaborative work robot. 3. The cooperative work robot according to claim 1, wherein the load supporting means is moved up and down by a driving force in a vertical axis direction. 4. A displacement member for displacing the supporting member such as a chain, a belt, a screw, a rack, a cylinder rod, etc. along its moving axis and a displacement driving for the displacement member. The cooperative work robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is formed by a drive source for inputting a force. 5. The collaborative work robot according to claim 1, wherein the movement of the supporting means is always detected by a distance detector or an angle detector at its current position. 6. A load held by a supporting means such as gripping, hanging, sucking, placing, etc. is supported so as to be vertically movable in the vertical axis direction, and the supported load is moved in a horizontal plane by a driving force. In the operation of the load handling mechanism capable of performing the above, a manual operation command and an automatic operation command are supplied in a time-sequential order to a drive source for moving the supporting means in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction. Thus, the operation control method of the collaborative work robot characterized by controlling the operation of the drive source. 7. The operation control method for a cooperative work robot according to claim 6, wherein the manual operation command and the automatic operation command are supplied in combination with respect to the moving axis of the load supporting means within the total moving distance on the moving axis. 8. A load supported by a supporting means such as gripping, hanging, sucking, placing, etc. is supported so as to be vertically movable in the vertical axis direction, and the supported load is moved in a horizontal plane by a driving force. In the operation of the load handling mechanism capable of performing the above, the movable range in which the supporting means is operated by an automatic operation command and which is narrower than the entire movable range is set in the entire movable range of the supporting means. , The load handling mechanism is automatically operated within the set automatic operation range, and the load handling mechanism is automatically operated within the entire movable range at the start and end of the automatic operation. An operation control method for a collaborative work robot characterized by being positioned outside the range.