JPH09323278A - Action teaching method and device of industrial robot as well as controlling method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a teaching method that is excellent in the operation efficiency of an industrial robot, especially a handling robot. SOLUTION: Teaching of an industrial robot acting as the continuation of operating points and information of each position of these operating points are stored in an operating position storage part 3 at the time of teaching one operating point, while information pertaining to the order of these operating points is stored in an operating route storage part 4, whereby these two kinds of information on the operating points are dividedly stored, through which the teaching of an approach route 1 and a return route 2 tracing the same route is made so as to be performable by one time teaching action.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention sequentially stores in advance information such as the position of an operating point related to the operation of transferring an article by an industrial robot and other information necessary for the operation, and the robot is controlled based on the stored information. The present invention relates to a motion teaching method for an industrial robot to be operated.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a work such as a work robot is transferred to an industrial robot such as a handling robot, a teaching playback method is used to previously teach a route to be operated by the robot. It is being appreciated. The teaching is that the operator actually operates the handling robot for all operating points on the operating path of the robot by operating the teaching box, etc., and after moving to each position of each operating point, For each of the operating points described above, the operation is performed by storing the position of each point.

The conventional teaching of the operation of the robot will be specifically described below. As shown in FIG. 7, considering the movement of the robot when the robot transfers the work C from the point A to the point B, the transfer from the point A to the point B cannot be performed in a straight line like a route. . Therefore, first, the arm 8 of the robot 7 moves from the reference point O to the point A, and the hand 9 of the robot grips the work C here. Next, the robot arm 8 moves to point B, where the robot hand 9
Releases work C. After performing these operations, the robot arm 8 returns to the reference point O.

As described above, with respect to the series of movements of the robot 7, one or more reference points O described above are set, and the movements are decomposed into a plurality of movement units like a route, and each unit movement is performed. An operation program is created for each, and the robot 7 is controlled by a combination of these programs. Therefore, the teaching for causing the robot 7 to perform the above operation is also performed for each unit operation described above.

Explaining in detail with reference to the drawings, a unit operation constituting a series of movements of the robot is composed of four movements shown in to. Is an operation of moving from the reference point O to the point A. Is an operation of returning from the point A to the reference point O. Is an operation of moving from the reference point O to the point B. Is an operation of returning from the point B to the reference point O.

The teaching of these four movements of the robot is performed for each of the movements 1 to 4 as described above. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 8, points P1 to P7 for the route and points P8 to P14 for the route are stored one by one.
Then, the operation point is stored in the operation control unit 2 of the robot.
Under the control of, the operation is performed by sequentially storing in the storage area of the operation position storage unit 3 of the robot in accordance with the order of the operation points at which the teaching is performed.

[0007]

With respect to the motion path of the robot shown in FIG. 8 above, and
Although the order in which the robot moves to each operation point on the operation path is different, the positions of the operation points forming each operation path are in the same relationship. However, according to the conventional teaching method described above, even if the positions of the operation points forming the operation path are the same, if the order of operating the robot to the operation point is different, it is necessary to repeatedly teach the operation path. There is. As mentioned above, the teaching of the robot operation is that the operator actually operates the robot at all the operation points,
It is necessary to move to the position you want to memorize and then memorize each point. Therefore, the task of teaching the operation of the robot consumes a lot of time and requires a lot of labor. Therefore, it is desirable to store as few operating points as possible in the teaching work, but according to the above-mentioned conventional teaching method, even if the operating paths have the same operating point position, the order in which the robots operate is set to the same. If they are different, it is necessary to repeatedly teach the operating point that has already been taught, and the efficiency of the teaching work is very poor.

The above-mentioned problem is caused in the above-mentioned conventional teachings.
The information that can be stored according to the operator's intention is limited to the position of the operating point, and the order of operating to each operating point is determined by a unique correspondence with the order in which the teaching to store the operating point is performed. It was caused by what was happening.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention teaches an industrial robot, in the work of teaching one operating point, in addition to the position of the operating point, the order of operation It is stored and has the following features.

In order to solve the above problems, a teaching method according to a first aspect of the present invention is to teach an industrial robot that operates as a series of operating points, by providing information on the position of the operating point when teaching one of the operating points. , And information about the order of the operating points is stored separately. Thus, the position of the operating point and the order in which the robot operates to the operating point are stored as two types of information for operating the robot by the teaching work of one time.

According to a second aspect of the teaching method, in the teaching method according to the first aspect, the industrial robot is a handling robot that transfers an article, and the position of the operating point is on the path for the robot to perform the operation. It is characterized in that it teaches in the case of including those having the same but different order of tracing. Thereby, regarding the handling robot, two kinds of information, that is, the position of the operating point and the operating order of each operating point of the relevant portion are stored by teaching the portion of the operating route having the same operating point but different order. .

A teaching device according to a third aspect of the present invention is a teaching device that teaches an operation of an industrial robot as a series of operating points, and includes an operating position storage section for the positions of the operating points and an operation path storage for the order of the operating points. And the position of the operating point is the same, the position storage unit stores the position of the operating point and the operation route storage unit when teaching one operating point. Provides a motion teaching apparatus for an industrial robot, which simultaneously stores the order of paths having different operation points. Thus, when teaching an industrial robot that needs to teach its motion as a series of motion points, when the positions of the motion points are the same and the paths to be traced are different, when teaching one motion point, The position of the operating point is stored in the operating position storage unit, and the order of the operating points is stored in the operating path storage unit.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method, wherein the control of an industrial robot that reproduces the operation of the industrial robot as a series of previously taught operating points is performed by using information on the position of the operating point.
Information relating to the order of the operating points is separately stored, and the position information and the order information are combined to perform a reproducing operation at a predetermined operating point. Thereby, the control of the industrial robot whose operation is reproduced as a series of previously taught operating points is stored as two kinds of information, that is, information on the position of the operating point and information on the order of the operating points. This is performed by combining the two types of information described above and performing a reproducing operation at a predetermined operating point.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. A series of operations from teaching to reproduction according to the example of the present embodiment is performed using the system illustrated in FIG. 1.

The teaching box 1 is for the operator to directly instruct a series of movements from the teaching process of the robot operation to the reproducing process by operating a plurality of keys provided therein. . The teaching box control unit 5 controls the input / output generated between the teaching box 1 and the robot control unit 2.

The robot control unit 2 controls the movement of the robot such as teaching of the movement of the robot and reproduction, and has an arithmetic unit and the like not shown in the drawing. The robot control unit 2 includes an operation position storage unit 3 that is an area that stores information about the position of the operation point of the robot, and an operation path storage that is an area that stores information about the order in which each operation point is traced for each operation path of the robot. It has a part 4.

The robot 7 is an object for teaching its operation by the teaching method according to the present invention, and a typical example is a handling robot.

The teaching box 1 may be configured to include the following keys not shown in FIG. The first key is a key for moving the robot to a predetermined position to teach the operating point. The second key is a key for storing the position of the operating point by teaching, and the third key is a key for storing the order of tracing the operating point. The fourth key is a key for selectively switching the teaching method according to the present invention and another teaching method. The fifth key has a key for selectively switching between the teaching process and the reproducing process.

The teaching box control section 5 is provided in the teaching box 1 and converts it into a predetermined signal according to an input by a key operation of the teaching box 1 and transmits it to the robot control section 2. , Communicates with the robot control unit 2, such as limiting input by operating specific keys on the teaching box 1 while the robot is operating.

The control of the robot control unit 2 for various movements of the robot is performed by operating a key on the teaching box 1. For example, the operation of the robot control unit 2 is changed from the teaching process control to the reproduction process control. When switching, the fifth key is operated. In the teaching process,
When the fifth key is operated, the robot control unit 2 that has performed the control operation so as to store the information about the operation point of the robot in the operation position storage unit 3 and the operation path storage unit 4 has the above two storage areas. The information about the operating point of the robot is read out and the operation of the robot is controlled based on the information. In this way, the control of the robot control unit 2 regarding the movement of the robot is switched.

The process of teaching the operation of the robot for transferring a work or the like using the method according to the invention of the present application will be specifically described below with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 2 and 3.
First, when teaching the operation of the robot, the operator presupposes the route to be taught in advance before actually performing the teaching work (S1). Since the motion of the robot is composed of a plurality of motion paths as motion units, a teaching method of individual teaching or interlocking teaching is selected for each motion route by operating the fourth key of the teaching box 1 ( S2).

Although a specific procedure for teaching the operation of the robot will be described later, when the teaching process is completed (S1
(3, NO), the operation of the robot is controlled to reproduce the operation taught by the above steps as the actual operation of the robot (S14). The specific procedure of the regeneration process will be described later.

Next, details of the flow of S3 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the motion path is the motion path for the purpose of improving the efficiency of the teaching work by the teaching method according to the present invention, that is, the positions of the motion points constituting the motion path are the same,
Operation routes that follow different orders (this route is called "specific route")
It is determined (S4). If the operation route is the specific route (S4, YES), the procedure after S7 and the procedure after S9 are selected. If the route is not the specific route, the operation route is not stored, and therefore the procedure from S9 is not executed. In this case, only the procedure after S7 is executed,
The motion position is stored according to the taught order.

The teaching procedure when it is determined in S4 that the route is the specific route will be described below. Here, the route shown in FIG. 3 will be described as an example of the specific route.
When teaching a specific route, the fourth key of the teaching box 1 is operated to carry out the teaching method according to the present invention.

The first key of the teaching box 1 is operated to move the robot 7
The robot 7 is located at the position of the reference point O of (S7).
Here, by operating the second key of the teaching box 1, the position of the point P1 is stored in the area 3a of the operation position storage unit 3 via the robot control unit 2 (S10). For the representation of the stored position, for example, Cartesian coordinates (X, Y, Z) whose origin is a reference point O which is the initial position of the robot 7 are used.

Next, by operating the third key of the teaching box 1, the order of movement to the position of point P1 is stored in the movement path storage section 4 (S9).

The position of point P1 is, as shown in FIG. 3, the first operating point on the route and also the seventh operating point which is the last operating position on the route.
As shown in FIG. 1, the operation path storage unit 4 is provided with a storage area 4a so as to be able to store the operation order of the operation points for each path, and the point P1 stores the operation order of the paths. An area 4b (S11a) at the beginning of the area and an area 4c (S11b) at the end of the area that stores the order of operation of the route.
Is stored.

After P2, when the same operation is repeated up to P7 (S12), as a result of this series of teaching work, the positions of all the operating points are stored in the operating position storage section 3, as shown in FIG. The order of each path to be operated to the position of the operation point is stored in the operation path storage unit 4. These steps are advanced, and the teaching process is completed.

Next, the control of the robot 7 for reproducing the motion taught by the above process will be described with reference to FIG. It is assumed that the route for which the motion is to be reproduced is the specific route described in the teaching process. As described above, the control of the robot 7 is switched from the teaching process to the reproducing process by operating the fifth key of the teaching box 1 (FIG. 2, S13).

First, it is judged that the route to be reproduced is a specific route (S15). When the route is the specific route (S15, YES), the procedure after S16a and the procedure after S16b are selected. When the route to be reproduced is not the specific route, the procedure of S16a is selected and executed. That is, the operation position is read by executing the procedure of S16a → S17, and the robot 7 operates one point at a time. If the route to be reproduced is not the specific route, S19
Subsequent steps are not executed.

Next, the robot controller 2 determines the path to be operated first from the point P1 to the path P7.
The positions of seven points up to the point are read from the operation position storage unit 3 (S17). Next, the order in which these operation points are traced is read from the area in which the operation order of the path is stored in the storage area of the operation path storage unit 4 (S18).

The robot control unit 2 reads the position information of the operating point read from the operating position storage unit 3 and the operating route storage unit 4
By combining the information on the order of the operating points read from the above, the robot is operated point by point in order from point P1 to point P7 (S19).

When the operation of the path is completed, the position of the operation point and the order of the operation of the path are read from the operation position storage unit 3 and the operation path storage unit 4 as described above, and the information on the position of the operation point and the operation point are read. Combining information about the order of
The robot is operated (S20).

In this embodiment, the case where the route is in the forward route and the route is in the backward route and the route is operated and then the route is subsequently operated has been described as an example of the specific route. As another example of teaching the operation route including the specific route, after operating the route as shown in FIG. 6, a position completely unrelated to this is operated, and the same position as the route is set as the route again, and P7 is sequentially operated from P1. There is an example of tracing to.
Even with such a route, teaching for a specific route,
This can be dealt with by appropriately setting the operation of the teaching box 1. In addition, in this embodiment, regarding the control of the robot, all of the switching of the teaching process and the reproducing process and the like are described as being performed by the operation of the teaching box 1, but the overall management of such a system will be described separately. A so-called main frame may be installed.

[0035]

According to the invention of claim 1 of the present application, in teaching an industrial robot that operates as a series of operating points, when teaching one operating point, information on the position of the operating point, and The configuration is such that the information regarding the order of the operating points is stored separately. As a result, when teaching an industrial robot that operates as a series of operating points, the same position is followed when teaching the operation of a robot that operates on a path that has the same operating point but a different order. With respect to operating points having different orders, by teaching once for one operating point, it is possible to obtain an effect equivalent to teaching the position of the operating point in duplicate. Further, due to this effect, it is possible to avoid unnecessary duplication of teaching work with respect to paths having the same operating point position but different order to be traced. Therefore, the teaching work time can be shortened, and simple and efficient operation can be achieved. It also has the effect of being able to teach.

The invention according to claim 2 is the case where the industrial robot is a handling robot for transferring articles, in particular. When the article is transferred, the handling robot has a high rate of passing through a route in which the positions of the operating points are the same, and the effect of claim 1 of simplifying the teaching work is effectively exhibited.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, when a path having the same position of the operating point but a different order to be traced is included, the information of the position of the operating point is stored in the operating position storage unit when teaching one operating point. At the same time, the order regarding the routes having different operating points is stored in the operating route storage unit. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the control of the industrial robot is performed by reproducing the information on the position of the operating point and the information on the order of the operating point stored by the above-described configuration to a predetermined operating point. This is done by doing. These inventions have the same effects as those of claim 1.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view of a system for carrying out a teaching method according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall flowchart for controlling a robot.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing teaching points of the operation of the robot.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a teaching process of a robot operation.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a reproducing process of the operation of the robot.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a motion path of a robot including a path other than a specific path.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an operation path of a robot when transferring an article.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating teaching of operating points of a conventional robot and a state in which the teaching points are stored.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Teaching box 2 Robot motion control unit 3 Robot motion position storage unit 3a Area for storing the position of each motion point 4 Motion path storage unit 4a Region for storing the order of motion for each motion path 4b Motion at the beginning of the path Area for storing points 4c Area for storing the last operating point of the path 5 Teaching box control unit 7 Handling robot 8 Robot arm 9 Robot hand

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A teaching method for teaching a motion of an industrial robot as a sequence of operating points, wherein when teaching one said operating point, information on the position of said operating point and information on the order of said operating points are provided. A method for teaching an industrial robot, characterized in that the individual instructions are stored separately. 2. The teaching of an industrial robot according to claim 1, wherein the industrial robot is a handling robot for transferring an article, and the operation of the robot includes paths in which the positions of the operating points are the same and the order of tracing is different. Method. 3. A teaching device for teaching the operation of an industrial robot as a series of operating points, comprising an operating position storage section for the position of the operating point and an operating path storage section for the order of the operating points. In the case of teaching a single operating point, the position storage unit stores the position of the operating point, and the operation route storage unit stores the order of the routes having different operating points when the same And a motion teaching device for an industrial robot, which stores the same at the same time. 4. A method for controlling an industrial robot that reproduces the operation of an industrial robot as a series of pre-teached operating points, wherein information on the position of the operating point and information on the order of the operating points are provided. A method of controlling an industrial robot, characterized in that the information is stored separately, and the position information and the order information are combined to perform a reproduction operation at a predetermined operation point.