KR102025100B1 - System and method for monitoring robot motion - Google Patents

Abstract

A robot motion monitoring system and method thereof are disclosed.
Robot motion monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to the front end of the articulated robot motion detection module for measuring a three-dimensional movement trajectory; A collection module for collecting the movement trajectory according to the operation of the robot from the motion detection module; A transmission / reception module for transmitting the movement trajectory to a gateway connected through wireless communication; And storing the three-dimensional movement trajectory measured during the normal operation of the robot as reference data according to the behavior of the tip portion, and comparing the movement trajectory received through the gateway with the reference data so as to malfunction. It includes the server to determine.

Description

Robot motion monitoring system and its method {SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING ROBOT MOTION}

The present invention relates to a robot motion monitoring system and method thereof, and more particularly, to a robot motion monitoring system and method for observing a motion state of the robot to detect a malfunction.

In general, with the development and automation of industrial technology, industrial sites are installing and using articulated robots such as human arms for sophisticated work such as welding or product transfer work.

For example, Figure 1 schematically shows the configuration of a conventional industrial robot.

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional robot is equipped with six servo motors for driving a six-axis joint, and a robot equipped with a power supply unit for supplying power and a servo driver for controlling each servo motor outside the robot. The controller is configured.

However, the conventional robot transmits only the operation end signal to the robot controller through a power line communication (PLC), and there is no external sensor capable of detecting the abnormal operation of the robot.

As a result, when an unexpected failure of the robot occurs in the manufacturing process using the robot, there is a problem that a line stop is issued to the entire factory, causing a huge loss in the productivity of the product.

Meanwhile, conventionally, there is a technique for predicting a failure by calculating a difference between a command signal and a feedback signal of a servo motor, which is a main part of the robot, but this detects an error limited to the corresponding part and determines whether there is an abnormality in the overall operation of the robot. Can not.

For example, even if an error of a servo motor is found, it is difficult to determine whether the line should be stopped or maintained since it is not known how the error affects the overall operation of the robot.

If the line is stopped in order to prevent a larger error or an accident from occurring in the associated work when the error occurs, the frequent stoppage of the line causes a great obstacle to productivity even though there is no problem in the overall operation of the robot.

On the contrary, if it is overlooked and the line is not stopped, the error may lead to a larger accident, which does not guarantee safety.

Matters described in this Background section are intended to enhance the understanding of the background of the invention, and may include matters other than the prior art already known to those skilled in the art.

An embodiment of the present invention stores a normal movement trajectory according to the peculiar behavior of the robot distal end during operation as reference data, and detects a malfunction in which the movement trace of the robot distal end collected through the motion detection module is mismatched with the reference data. An operation monitoring system and method thereof are provided.

According to an aspect of the invention, the robot motion monitoring system, the motion detection module is attached to the front end of the articulated robot for measuring a three-dimensional movement trajectory; A collection module for collecting the movement trajectory according to the operation of the robot from the motion detection module; A transmission / reception module for transmitting the movement trajectory to a gateway connected through wireless communication; And storing the three-dimensional movement trajectory measured during the normal operation of the robot as reference data according to the behavior of the tip portion, and comparing the movement trajectory received through the gateway with the reference data so as to malfunction. It includes the server to determine.

In addition, the motion detection module measures the movement trajectory through an acceleration sensor for measuring the position change of the tip portion over time and an angular velocity sensor for measuring the rotation angle change, and the measured movement trajectory through the wireless communication module Transmit to the collection module.

The collection module and the transmission / reception module may be mounted in a robot controller that stores kinematic information for driving the robot and controls the overall operation of the robot according to a work type.

In addition, the movement trajectory is a movement unit connected to the start point (Start Point) and the end point (End Point) where the movement ends of the movement of the robot tip, the starting point is the time when the acceleration is increased from 0, the end point is It may be classified as a time point when the acceleration decreases to zero.

In addition, the transmission and reception module may include at least one wireless communication module of wireless LAN (WiFI), Zigbee, Bluetooth and mobile communication.

In addition, the gateway may include a plurality of relay antennas forming a wireless network.

In addition, the server stores the three-dimensional graph of the plurality of movement trajectories included in one work cycle of the robot as the reference data, and the three-dimensional graph based on the movement trajectory data collected during one work period in the motion detection module. It may generate and overlap with the reference data.

In addition, the server may determine that the first movement trajectory start point and the last movement trajectory end point of each 3D graph coincide with each other when there is at least one movement trajectory out of the allowed range.

The server may further include a communication unit configured to perform wireless communication through the gateway and support communication with an administrator terminal that operates the server; A robot manager for matching and storing a robot ID installed in a factory and a motion detection module ID attached to each robot; A database storing programs and data for operating the server and storing data generated according to the operation; And a controller for preparing a diagnosis result report of the servo motor and the servo driver related to the movement trajectory in which the malfunction occurred in the work sequence of one work cycle for each robot.

The controller may generate event information including a target robot ID according to the malfunction determination, an installation position, and a malfunction diagnosis result report, and transmit the event information to the administrator terminal.

In addition, the control unit divides the allowed range into a plurality of levels according to the severity of the malfunction, and when the deviation is outside the allowed first level range, a first event alert is detected that a failure is anticipated in the future but is prevented in the future. A second event alert may occur that immediately occurs and goes out of an allowed second level range that is greater than the allowed first level range.

On the other hand, according to an aspect of the present invention, the robot motion monitoring method of the server for managing the robot installed in the factory, a) wireless communication by using the three-dimensional movement trajectory measured in the motion detection module attached to the front end of the articulated robot Collecting through; b) extracting the reference data stored in the movement trajectory measured by the behavior of the tip portion during the normal operation of the robot; c) comparing the movement trajectory with the reference data and determining that a malfunction occurs when it is out of an allowable range; And d) generating event information according to the malfunction occurring and transmitting the generated event information to an administrator terminal.

The method may further include matching and storing a plurality of movement trajectories measured by the motion detection module as reference data for each robot ID according to a work order of one work cycle for each robot before the step a). have.

The step b) may include identifying a robot ID matched with the ID of the motion detection module and extracting the reference data stored in the identified robot ID.

In addition, the step c) is a three-dimensional graph of a plurality of movement trajectories included in one work cycle of the robot according to the reference data, and 3 generated based on the movement trajectory data collected during one work cycle in the motion detection module It may include overlapping the dimensional graph.

In addition, the step c) may include the step of identifying the movement trajectory according to the occurrence of the malfunction, and diagnosing the state of the equipment related to the identified movement trajectory.

In addition, the step c) includes the step of identifying at least one joint operated at the time point of the movement trajectory in which the malfunction occurred, and generating a diagnosis result report of the servo motor and the servo driver related to the region in which the malfunction occurred. How to monitor robot motion.

In addition, the step d), the step of transmitting the first event that does not interfere with the current work, but the failure is predicted in the future if it is outside the allowed first level range according to the severity of the malfunction; Or generating a second event alert requiring immediate action upon departure from an allowed second level range of greater severity than the allowed first level range.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, by detecting the occurrence of the malfunction by monitoring the movement trajectory of the robot in operation through the motion detection module it can be predictive maintenance before the failure of the robot.

In addition, it is possible to facilitate the maintenance of the robot by grasping the diagnostic information of the equipment related to the movement trajectory in which the malfunction of the robot is generated and transmitting it to the manager terminal.

In addition, depending on the severity of the malfunction can be divided into a plurality of levels to report the weight of the event information to determine whether the line is stopped or not, thereby preventing unnecessary line stops and improve plant utilization and productivity. .

1 schematically shows a configuration of a conventional industrial robot.
2 schematically illustrates a robot motion monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a spatial coordinate system showing a movement trajectory of a robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a server according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a robot motion monitoring method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly describe the present invention, and like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to "include" a certain component, it means that it can further include other components, without excluding other components unless specifically stated otherwise. In addition, the terms “… unit”, “… unit”, “module”, etc. described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented by hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software. have.

Throughout the specification, terms such as first or second may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another, for example, without departing from the scope of the rights according to the inventive concept, the first component may be named a second component, and similarly The second component may also be referred to as the first component.

Now, a robot motion monitoring system and method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 schematically illustrates a robot motion monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the robot motion monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a robot 10, a motion detection module 11, a robot controller 20, a gateway 31, a server 30, and a manager terminal. And 40.

The robot 10 is composed of a multi-joint manipulator having a fixed six-axis degree of freedom and is fixedly installed at an industrial site such as a manufacturing process. Here, the number of joints is not limited to six axes, but may be increased or decreased as necessary.

The robot 10 has a mechanical coupling structure so that additional equipment, such as a welding machine, a forceps, an electromagnet, and the like can be mounted at the tip portion according to a work purpose.

The motion detection module 11 is attached to the tip of the robot 10 to measure three-dimensional movement trajectory data (hereinafter, referred to as movement trajectory for convenience) according to a specific operation of the robot 10.

The motion detection module 11 measures the movement trajectory through an acceleration sensor for measuring a position change of the tip portion over time and an angular velocity sensor for measuring a change in rotation angle, and measures the measured movement trajectory through a wireless communication module. Send to collection module 22.

The robot controller 20 controls overall operations for the operation of the corresponding robot 10, and includes a control module 21, a collection module 22, and a transmission / reception module 23. In addition, although omitted in the drawings, the robot 10 may further include a servo driver and a power supply unit interlocked with a servo motor for driving each axis of the robot 10.

The control module 21 stores kinematic information for driving the robot 10 and controls the operation and posture of the robot 10 according to the work type.

The collection module 22 collects the movement trajectory according to the motion of the robot from the motion detection module 11. In this case, the movement trajectory means a movement unit connected to a start point at which the movement of the front end of the robot 10 starts and an end point at which the movement ends. Here, the starting point is a time point when the acceleration increases from 0, and the end point may be divided into a time point when the acceleration decreases to 0. In addition, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the robot 10 may also be classified into a time point at which a posture or a movement trajectory is changed.

For example, Figure 3 is a three-dimensional graph showing the movement trajectory of the robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the movement trajectory includes a straight line, a curve, and a rotation, and only one movement trajectory data is collected at the same time. For example, since the robot 10 has a multi-joint structure, even if the tip portion rotates in the second axis direction while moving in the first axis direction, and simultaneously rotates in the third axis direction, only one movement trajectory in which the result is combined is obtained. Collect.

The transmission and reception module 23 is connected to the server 30 through wireless communication through the gateway 31 to transmit the movement trajectory collected by the collection module 22 to the server 30.

For example, the transmission / reception module 23 may be configured as a wireless communication module such as wireless LAN (WiFI), Zigbee, Bluetooth, and mobile communication.

The gateway 31 transmits the movement trajectory received by the transmission / reception module 23 of the robot controller 20 to the server 30, and transmits the data received from the server 30 to the transmission / reception module 23. ) Is a wireless communication interface.

The gateway 31 may itself be a repeater, or further include a plurality of repeaters (relay antennas) forming a wireless network in a factory, thereby communicating with the transmission / reception module 23.

Server 30 is a control system for monitoring the robot according to an embodiment of the present invention serves to detect the malfunction by observing the operating state of the robot (10).

The server 30 stores the movement trajectory of the distal end according to the unique behavior as reference data based on the work of the robot 10 installed in the factory, and the movement trajectory of the distal end collected through the motion detection module 11 is the reference data. And detect mismatched mismatches.

For example, the server 30 stores three-dimensional graphs of a plurality of movement trajectories included in one work cycle of the robot 10 as reference data as shown in FIG. 3, and the motion detection module 11 stores the three-dimensional graphs as reference data. The 3D graph is generated and overlapped based on the movement trajectory data collected during one work cycle.

At this time, the server 30 may match the first moving trajectory start point and the last moving trajectory end point of each 3D graph and compare and analyze it, and determine that there is a movement trajectory out of at least one allowed range.

On the other hand, Figure 4 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the server 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a communication unit 32, a robot manager 33, a database (DB) 34, and a controller 35.

The communication unit 32 performs wireless communication through the gateway 31 and supports communication with the manager terminal 40 operating the server.

The robot manager 33 matches and stores the robot ID installed in the factory and the motion detection module ID attached to each robot.

In addition, the robot management unit 33 stores the reference data of the tip of the robot according to the unique behavior of each robot, and stores and manages information such as the type, work, operation status and maintenance history of the robot.

The database 34 stores programs and data for operating the server, and stores data generated according to the operation.

The control unit 35 controls the operation of each unit for monitoring the robot operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The controller 35 attaches the motion detection module 11 to the front end of the robot 10 and sends the 3D movement trajectory data according to the normal operation to the robot manager 33 as reference data for determining whether the robot 10 is malfunctioning. Save it.

The reference data stores a plurality of three-dimensional movement trajectories according to the work order of one work cycle for each robot as spatial coordinates showing the movement trajectories of FIG. 3. In addition, the operation time of one work cycle for each robot, the movement time for each movement trajectory, and the stop time between the movement trajectory and the movement trajectory may be further stored in the reference data.

The controller 35 compares the 3D movement trajectory data of the robot received through the motion detection module with the reference data stored in the robot manager 33 and determines that the robot is out of the allowed range.

In addition, the controller 35 may identify at least one joint that is operated at the time of the movement trajectory in which the malfunction occurs in the work sequence of the work cycle, thereby causing the malfunction region and related equipment (eg, a servo motor and a servo). Driver) can make a report of the diagnosis result. And, it is possible to analyze the malfunction of the control signal and the feedback signal of the related equipment.

The controller 35 may generate event information including a target robot ID, an installation position, and malfunction diagnosis information according to the malfunction determination, and transmit the generated event information to the manager terminal 40.

In this case, the controller 35 may classify the weight of the event information by dividing the allowed range into a plurality of levels according to the severity of the malfunction.

For example, if the controller 35 is out of the allowed first level range, the controller 35 may count the number of deviations during a predetermined time or a predetermined period and transmit the first event information. The first event is information in which a malfunction is minor and does not interfere with the current work, but a failure is predicted in the future.

In addition, the controller 35 may immediately transmit the second event information when it is out of the allowed second level range. The second event is information in need of immediate action due to a serious malfunction.

On the other hand, the robot motion monitoring method according to an embodiment of the present invention based on the configuration of the above-described robot motion monitoring system will be described with reference to Figure 5 below, the subject will be described by the server (30).

5 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a robot motion monitoring method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the server 30 collects 3D movement trajectory data measured by the motion detection module 11 attached to the tip of the robot 10 through wireless communication. S1).

The server 50 determines the robot ID matched to the ID of the motion detection module 11 through the robot manager 33 (S2), and extracts reference data stored in the identified robot ID (S3).

The server 50 compares and analyzes the movement trajectory and the reference data to determine normal operation (S5; NO), and returns if it does not deviate from the allowed range.

On the other hand, the server 50 compares the movement trajectory with the reference data and determines that there is a malfunction when it is out of the allowed range (S5; Yes), and identifies the movement trajectory according to the malfunction and diagnoses the state of the related equipment. (S6). In this case, the server 50 may identify at least one joint operated at the time of the movement trajectory in which the malfunction occurs, and generate diagnostic information of the servo motor and the servo driver related to the region in which the malfunction occurs.

The server 50 generates event information according to the occurrence of the malfunction (S7) and transmits it to the manager terminal 40 (S8).

At this time, the server 50 divides the movement trajectory into a plurality of levels according to the severity of the malfunction outside the allowed range, thereby distinguishing the first event information for predicting future failure or the second event information requiring immediate response. Can transmit

As described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, by detecting the occurrence of the malfunction by monitoring the movement trajectory of the robot in operation through the motion detection module, it is possible to perform the maintenance before the failure of the robot.

In addition, it is possible to facilitate the maintenance of the robot by grasping the diagnostic information of the equipment related to the movement trajectory in which the malfunction of the robot is generated and transmitting it to the manager terminal.

In addition, depending on the severity of the malfunction can be divided into a plurality of levels to report the weight of the event information to determine whether the line is stopped or not, thereby preventing unnecessary line stops and improve plant utilization and productivity. .

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited only to the above embodiments, and various other changes are possible.

For example, in the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the motion detection module 11 transmits the movement trajectory to the server through the robot controller 20, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The motion detection module 11 may include the gateway 31. Through the server 30 can be sent directly.

Through this, there is an advantage that the server 30 can directly monitor the entire robot 10 installed in the factory without going through the robot controller 20.

An embodiment of the present invention is not implemented only through the above-described apparatus and / or method, but may be implemented through a program for realizing a function corresponding to the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention, a recording medium on which the program is recorded, and the like. In addition, such an implementation may be easily implemented by those skilled in the art from the description of the above-described embodiments.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements of those skilled in the art using the basic concepts of the present invention defined in the following claims are also provided. It belongs to the scope of rights.

10: robot
11: motion detection module
20: robot controller
21: control module
22: acquisition module
23: transmit / receive module
30: server
31: gateway
32: communication unit
33: robot management unit
34: Database
35: control unit

Claims (18)

A motion detection module attached to the front end of the articulated robot to measure a three-dimensional movement trajectory;
A collection module for collecting the movement trajectory according to the operation of the robot from the motion detection module;
A transmission / reception module for transmitting the movement trajectory to a gateway connected through wireless communication; And
The 3D movement trajectory measured during the normal operation of the robot is stored as reference data according to the behavior of the tip portion, and the movement trajectory received through the gateway is compared with the reference data to determine a malfunction if it is out of the allowed range. Server,
The motion detection module measures the movement trajectory through an acceleration sensor for measuring a change in position of the tip portion over time and an angular velocity sensor for measuring a change in rotation angle, and transmits it to the collection module through a wireless communication module.
The collection module classifies a start point at which the acceleration of the acceleration sensor increases from 0 and an end point at which the acceleration decreases to 0, so that a start point at which the movement of the front end starts and an end point at which the movement ends are finished. Collecting the movement trajectory divided by the movement unit connected to), wherein the movement trajectory includes at least one of a straight line, a curve and a rotation, and collects only one three-dimensional movement trajectory data at the same time. delete The method of claim 1,
The collection module and the transmission and reception module
And a robot motion monitoring system mounted on a robot controller that stores kinematic information for driving the robot and controls the overall motion of the robot according to a work type. delete The method of claim 1,
The transmission and reception module
Robot motion monitoring system comprising a wireless communication module of at least one of wireless LAN (WiFI), Zigbee, Bluetooth and mobile communication. The method of claim 1,
The gateway is
Robot motion monitoring system comprising a plurality of relay antennas forming a wireless network. The method of claim 1,
The server is
The three-dimensional graph of a plurality of movement trajectories included in one work cycle of the robot is stored as the reference data, and the three-dimensional graph is generated based on the movement trajectory data collected during one work cycle by the motion detection module. Robot motion monitoring system overlapping with. The method of claim 7, wherein
The server is
A robot motion monitoring system for matching a first movement trajectory start point and a last movement trajectory end point of each three-dimensional graph and determining that there is at least one movement trajectory out of an acceptable range and determining a malfunction. The method of claim 1,
The server is
A communication unit for performing wireless communication through the gateway and supporting communication with an administrator terminal operating a server;
A robot manager for matching and storing a robot ID installed in a factory and a motion detection module ID attached to each robot;
A database storing programs and data for operating the server and storing data generated according to the operation; And
A control unit for preparing a diagnosis result report of the servo motor and the servo driver related to the movement trajectory in which a malfunction occurs in a work sequence of one work cycle for each robot;
Robot motion monitoring system comprising a. The method of claim 9,
The control unit
And a robot motion monitoring system generating event information including a target robot ID, an installation location, and a malfunction diagnosis result report according to the malfunction determination, and transmitting the event information to an administrator terminal. The method of claim 9,
The control unit
The allowed range is divided into a plurality of levels according to the severity of the malfunction, and when the allowed range is out of the allowed first level range, a first event alarm is generated that does not interfere with the current operation but is predicted to have a failure in the future. A robotic motion monitoring system that generates a second event alert that immediately requires a corresponding action upon exiting an allowed second level range that is greater than the first level range. In the robot motion monitoring method of the server for managing the robot installed in the factory,
a) collecting through the wireless communication the three-dimensional movement trajectory measured by the motion detection module attached to the distal end of the articulated robot;
b) extracting the reference data stored in the movement trajectory measured by the behavior of the tip portion during the normal operation of the robot;
c) comparing the movement trajectory with the reference data and determining that a malfunction occurs when it is out of an allowable range; And
d) generating event information according to the malfunction occurrence and transmitting the generated event information to an administrator terminal;
In the step a), the motion detection module measures the movement trajectory through an acceleration sensor for measuring a change in position of the tip portion over time and an angular velocity sensor for measuring a change in rotation angle, and collects the data through the wireless communication module. Send to the module,
The collection module of the server divides a starting point of which the acceleration of the acceleration sensor increases from 0 and an end point of which the acceleration decreases to 0, thereby starting the start point of the movement of the tip portion and the ending point of the end of the movement ( Collect the movement trajectory divided by the movement unit connected to the end point, wherein the movement trajectory includes at least one of a straight line, a curve and a rotation, and collects only one three-dimensional movement trajectory data at the same time. Robot motion monitoring method. The method of claim 12,
Before step a),
And matching and storing a plurality of moving trajectories measured by the motion sensing module as reference data for each robot ID according to a work order of one work cycle for each robot. The method according to claim 12 or 13,
B),
Identifying a robot ID matched with the ID of the motion detection module, and extracting the reference data stored in the identified robot ID. The method of claim 12,
C),
Overlapping a three-dimensional graph of a plurality of movement trajectories included in one work cycle of the robot according to the reference data, and a three-dimensional graph generated based on the movement trajectory data collected during one work cycle by the motion detection module; Robot motion monitoring method. The method of claim 12,
C),
Identifying a movement trajectory according to the occurrence of the malfunction, and diagnosing a state of equipment related to the identified movement trajectory. The method of claim 16,
C),
And detecting at least one joint operated at the time point of the movement trajectory in which the malfunction occurred, and generating a diagnosis result report of the servo motor and the servo driver related to the region in which the malfunction occurred. The method of claim 12,
Step d),
Transmitting a first event that does not interfere with the current task but is predicted to have a failure in the future if it is outside the allowed first level range according to the severity of the malfunction; or
Generating a second event alert that requires an immediate response if it exits an allowed second level range of greater severity than the allowed first level range;
Robot motion monitoring method comprising a.

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