JPH09261618A - Remote controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain safe operation control with high reliability by allowing the controller to realize a quick countermeasure. SOLUTION: A simulator section 13 simulates an operation based on operation information entered by an operation section 10, an image generating section 14 generates composite image data between the simulated image and operation image data by a manipulator 4 and generates comparison data resulting from comparing the operation information data from the manipulator 4 and the simulated image. The comparison data are image-processed to be comparison image data and the composite image data and the comparison image data are displayed on a monitor 18.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote control device suitable for operating a remotely operated object such as a manipulator system used for assembling a space station or the like constructed in outer space from a long distance.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the field of space development, there is a concept of constructing a structure such as a space station in outer space. And, as a means for constructing such a structure such as a space station in outer space, since the working environment is different from the ground and it is an extreme environment of outer space, it is considered to use a manipulator system. There is.

In such a manipulator system, for example, the manipulator is mounted on a working machine that freely navigates in outer space, and the manipulator is remotely operated from another space navigation body to perform a desired work. The method of executing the menu is adopted.

By the way, as a remote operation device for remotely operating such a manipulator, as shown in FIG. 6, an operation body provided with an operation part is arranged remotely from the manipulator 4, and the operation part 1 is operated. Accordingly, the operation body 2 generates an operation control signal, and the operation control signal is transmitted via the transmission / reception system 3 to the working machine 5 on which the manipulator 4 is mounted.
Send to The operation control signal is received by the transmission / reception system 6 of the work machine 5, and the drive system (not shown) of the manipulator 4 is drive-controlled based on the operation control signal to control the operation of the manipulator 4.

Further, the work machine 5 has a monitoring image pickup camera 7
Is mounted, the operation state of the manipulator 4 is photographed by the imaging camera 7, and the operation image data is acquired. At the same time, the manipulator 4 has its motion information data (motion status of joints, etc.) detected by a detection unit (not shown). The motion image data and motion information data of the manipulator 4 are transmitted to the transmission / reception system 3 of the operation main body 2 via the transmission / reception system 6 and displayed on the monitor 8 of the operation main body 2 as an image.

Here, the operator operates the operation unit 1 based on the work menu while inputting the next operation information while checking the display screen of the monitor 8 and remotely operates the manipulator 4 to obtain a desired operation information. Work is done.

However, in the above remote control device, when the distance between the operation unit 1 and the manipulator 4 increases, the signal transmission distance increases, which causes a time delay between the operation of the operation unit 1 and the response. In addition, when operating the operation unit 1 while checking the monitor 8, if the user operates the operation unit 1 while looking at the screen of the monitor 8, there is a possibility that the time difference may cause an erroneous operation and it becomes difficult to respond promptly in an emergency. Have a problem.

Such a problem is that various remotely operated objects including manipulators constructed in outer space, including space working machines, are far away from each other due to the nature of the extreme environment such as space environment. This is one of the important issues because it is premised on remote operation from a navigation body and the safety requirements are very strict.

[0009]

As described above, the conventional remote control device has the problems that it may cause an erroneous operation and that it may be difficult to quickly respond to an emergency situation. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a remote operation device that realizes reliable and safe operation control with a simple structure and quick response. And

[0010]

According to the present invention, there is provided a remote controlled object driven and controlled based on a motion control signal, and remotely arranged with respect to the remote controlled object. Operating means for inputting, data generating means for generating the operation control signal based on the operation information input by the operating means, and a signal for transmitting the operation control signal generated by the data generating means to the remote controlled object. Transmission means, signal receiving means for receiving the operation control signal transmitted by the signal transmission means and supplying the operation target signal to the remote controlled object, and operation of the remote controlled object operated based on the operation control signal. Data transmitting means for acquiring and transmitting result data and motion image data, and data receiving means for receiving the motion result data and motion image data transmitted by the data transmitting means, The simulator means for executing the simulation based on the operation control signal generated by the data generating means, and acquiring the simulated value and the estimated time data of the time unit, and the operation result data received by the data receiving means for the simulator. Data comparing means for comparing the expected time data acquired by the means with the closest simulated value to generate comparison data including the comparison information and the difference information representing the operating condition of the remote controlled object; and the simulator means for simulating. Value is converted into image data corresponding to the coordinate system of the motion image data received by the signal receiving means for each predicted time data to generate composite image data combined with the motion image data, and the data comparing means Image generation means for generating the comparison data of as the comparison image data and the image generation means. Is obtained by constituting the remote control device and a monitor means for displaying the formed image data and the comparison image data.

According to the above arrangement, the monitor means includes the comparison image data obtained by comparing the operation result data of the remote controlled object with the simulation value based on the operation control signal, and the operation image data based on the simulation value. The composite image data with the motion image data of the remote controlled object is displayed. By this, the operator can confirm the display image displayed on the monitor means to grasp the time difference such as the response time delay and also the operation status of the remote-controlled object, and thus the operation can be performed without malfunction. It is possible to respond quickly.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a remote control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. An operation unit 10 is composed of, for example, a keyboard input unit and a joystick, and selectively inputs operation information of a remote operation target. To be done. However, here, although the case where the manipulator 4 shown in FIG. 6 is applied as a remotely operated object that is remotely arranged with respect to the operation unit 10, it is not shown in FIG. 1 for convenience of the drawing. The imaging camera 7, the transmission / reception unit 6, and the detection unit (not shown) that are configured in substantially the same manner are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

That is, the data generation unit 11 is connected to the operation unit 10. The transmission unit 12 is connected to one output end of the data generation unit 11, and performs signal processing of operation information input through the operation unit 10 to generate an operation control signal and outputs the operation control signal to the transmission unit 12. The transmitter 12 transmits the input operation control signal to the transmitter / receiver 6 of the manipulator 4.

The simulator section 13 is connected to the other output terminal of the data generating section 11. The first input end of the image generation unit 14 is connected to one output end of the simulator unit 13, and the simulation of the manipulator 4 based on the operation control signal from the data generation unit 11 is executed in time units. , The simulated value is acquired and output to the image generation unit 14.

Further, one input end of the data comparison unit 15 is connected to the other output end of the simulator unit 14. The data comparison unit 15 is connected to the data processing unit 16 at the other input end thereof, and is connected to the second input end of the image generation unit 14 at the output end thereof. The data comparison unit 15 compares the motion information data of the manipulator 4 signal-processed by the data processing unit 16 with the simulated value from the simulator unit 13 to obtain the difference information, and the difference information and the motion information data. The comparison data including the determination information for determining whether or not the value belongs to the preset allowable range is generated and output to the image generation unit 14.

One output terminal of the receiving section 17 is connected to the input terminal of the data processing section 16. And the receiving unit 1
7 shows the third output of the image generation unit 14 at the other output end.
Of the manipulator 4 is connected, and the operation image data and the operation result data transmitted from the transmitter / receiver 3 of the manipulator 4 are received and output to the image generator 14 and the data processor 16. Of these, the data processing unit 16 performs signal processing on the input operation result data and outputs it to the data comparison unit 15.

The image generation unit 14 receives the input motion image data, the simulation value and the comparison data from the simulator unit 13, generates the composite image data and the comparison image data described later, and outputs them to the monitor 18. To do. The monitor 18 displays the combined image data and the comparison image data input from the image generation unit 14 as an image.

In the above configuration, when the manipulator 4 is remotely operated, first, the operation information corresponding to the work menu of the manipulator 4 is input from the operation unit 10.
Then, the data generation unit 14 generates an operation control signal according to the operation information and transmits the manipulator 4 via the transmission unit 12.
To the transceiver unit 6 (see FIG. 6), and the manipulator 4 is remotely controlled in response to the operation control signal.

The data generation section 11 also outputs an operation control signal to the simulation section 13. Simulator unit 13
Simulates the operation of the manipulator 4 based on the operation control signal at regular time units, and outputs a simulation value representing the simulation result to the image generation unit 14 and the data comparison unit 15. This simulation unit 1
The response time delay with the operation of the operation unit 10 is used as the time unit for performing the simulation of No. 3.

Then, the manipulator 4 includes a transmitting / receiving unit 6
When it is driven based on the operation control signal received in, the operation image data associated with the operation is acquired by the imaging camera 7 (see FIG. 6). At the same time, in the manipulator 4, the operation information data of each part associated with the operation is detected by the detection part (not shown).

These motion image data and motion information data are transmitted from the transmitting / receiving unit 6 to the receiving unit 17 on the operation unit side. Then, the receiving unit 17 outputs the received motion image data (see FIG. 2) to the image generating unit 14, and outputs the motion information data to the data processing unit 16. Data processing unit 1
The data comparison unit 15 performs signal processing on the motion information data.
Output to

Here, the data comparison section 15 compares the motion information signal data with the above-mentioned simulated value, and judges whether or not the difference belongs to a preset allowable range. Image generation unit 14 for generating data
Output to

The image generation unit 14 determines that the motion information data with respect to the comparison data falls within an allowable range, for example.
The blue comparison image data is generated, and when it is out of the allowable range, the yellow comparison image data is generated. The comparison image data also includes the difference information between the motion information data and the simulated value.

Further, the image generating section 14 is based on the simulated value from the simulator section 13, and as shown in FIG. 3, image data for each predicted time data in the same coordinate system as the motion image data (in FIG. 3, The first joint is shown as a single circle and the second joint is shown as a double circle).

Further, the image generation unit 14 synthesizes the image data for each predicted time data based on the simulated value with the motion image data shown in FIG. 2 to generate synthetic image data (see FIG. 4). The composite image data is output to the monitor 18. The image generation unit 14 then uses the data comparison unit 15
The comparison data from the above is subjected to signal processing to generate the comparison image data as described above, and output to the monitor 18. here,
The monitor 18 displays the composite image data and the comparative image data as an image as shown in FIG.

As a result, the operator confirms the operation status of the manipulator 4 by looking at the composite image data and the comparison image data on the monitor 18 to judge the status of erroneous operation and the like, while operating the operation unit 10 based on the work menu. The operation information is input to control the operation of the manipulator 4, and the desired work is executed.

When the comparison image data on the monitor 18 changes from blue to yellow, the operator judges that the operating condition of the manipulator 4 is out of the allowable range, and based on the error information of the comparison image data. Perform the corresponding operation,
Correct the motion to the normal motion position.

As described above, the remote control device has the simulator unit 13 based on the operation information input by the operation unit 10.
And generate synthetic image data of the simulator value and the motion image data of the manipulator 4, and also generate comparison data comparing the motion information data of the manipulator 4 and the simulation value, and generate the comparison data. The image processing is performed to generate the comparative image data, and the composite image data and the comparative image data are displayed on the monitor 18.

According to this, the operator confirms the display image displayed on the monitor 18 and
It is possible to easily realize a time difference such as a response time delay between the input of and the manipulator 4, and also to easily determine a deviation of the operation status, so that there is no erroneous operation and a quick response operation depending on the situation. It is realized and the safety can be improved.

That is, the comparison image data displayed on the monitor 18 is operated by operating the operation unit 10 by color-coding whether the operation information data of the manipulator 4 is within the allowable range with respect to the simulator value. Since the operator can easily judge the situation, a reliable and reliable handling operation is realized.

Further, the comparison image data displayed on the monitor 1 can be judged as to the cause of the response time delay or the cause of the abnormality based on the image data based on the difference information. Highly reliable remote control can be realized and safety can be improved.

In the above embodiment, the case where the display of the motion information data on the monitor 18 is color-coded within the allowable range and outside the allowable range has been described. It can be changed and various configurations are possible, and the same effect is expected in all cases.

In the above embodiment, the case where the manipulator 4 is applied as a remote controlled object has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a remote operation for performing rendezvous docking of a spacecraft by using a monitor is performed. It is possible to apply to the system.

Further, the remote controlled object is not limited to the one used in outer space, but in the ground environment,
It can also be applied to a system that operates a remotely operated object such as a manipulator while looking at a monitor. Therefore, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0035]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, a remote control device having a simple structure and a quick response and a highly reliable and safe operation control is provided. can do.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a remote control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing motion image data of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing image data based on the simulated values of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing composite image data of FIG. 1.

5 is a diagram showing a display image on the monitor of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram shown for explaining a problem of a conventional remote control device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4. Manipulator. 5 ... Working machine. 6 ... Transceiver. 7 ... Imaging camera. 10 ... Operation part. 11 ... Data generation unit. 12 ... Transmitter. 13 ... Simulator section. 14 ... Image generation unit. 15 ... Data comparison unit. 16 ... Data processing unit. 17 ... Receiver. 18 ... Monitor.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical display location G05B 23/02 0360-3H G05B 23/02 R H04Q 9/00 301 H04Q 9/00 301B // G09B 9/00 G09B 9/00 Z

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A remote-controlled object which is drive-controlled based on a motion control signal, an operation means which is remotely arranged with respect to the remote-controlled object, and which inputs the motion information, and this operation. Data generating means for generating the motion control signal based on the motion information input by the means, signal transmitting means for transmitting the motion control signal generated by the data generating means to the remote controlled object, and the signal transmitting means Signal receiving means for receiving the operation control signal transmitted in step S3 and supplying it to the remote controlled object, and acquiring the operation result data and the operation image data of the remote controlled object whose operation is controlled based on the operation control signal. And a data receiving means for receiving the operation result data and the operation image data transmitted by the data transmitting means, and the data generating means for generating the data. The simulator means for executing the simulation based on the operation control signal to obtain the simulated value and the expected time data in units of time, and the expected time when the operation result data received by the data receiving means is obtained by the simulator means. Data comparing means for generating comparison data including comparison information and difference information representing the operation status of the remote controlled object by comparing the simulated value with the closest data, and the simulated value of the simulator means for the predicted time data. The image data corresponding to the coordinate system of the motion image data received by the signal receiving unit is converted for each time to generate the composite image data combined with the motion image data, and the comparison data of the data comparing unit is compared image. Image generating means generated as data, combined image data generated by this image generating means and comparison A remote control device comprising a monitor means for displaying image data. 2. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the simulator means simulates during a time delay of a response time of the operation information input by the operation means. 3. The comparison image data displayed on the monitor means is set such that the comparison information is displayed in different display modes depending on whether the comparison result is within a predetermined allowable range or outside the allowable range. The remote control device according to claim 1 or 2. 4. The remote control device according to claim 3, wherein the display form of the comparison information of the comparison image data is such that the comparison result has different colors depending on whether the comparison result is within an allowable range or outside the allowable range. 5. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the remote control target is a manipulator. 6. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the operating means is mounted on a spacecraft that is separate from the remote control target.