KR20150086168A - Control system for controlling industrial robot, control apparatus, method for fabricating weldment and program recorded in recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to reduce tasks of creating a program when a robot and peripheral devices are interlocked. A welding robot system comprises: a first control device (30) to control a first welding robot and peripheral devices; and a second control device (60) connected to the first control device (30) through a network to control a second welding robot. The first control device (30) includes: a first teaching program memory unit (31) to store a teaching program wherein operation of executing the first welding robot and peripheral devices is described; a first path calculating unit (33) to generate information on operation of the first welding robot and peripheral devices based on the teaching program; and a first robot driving unit (34) to control the first welding robot and peripheral devices. The second control device (60) includes: a second command analyzing unit (62) to acquire the teaching program; a second path calculating unit (63) to generate information on operation of the second welding robot in order to operate the second welding robot while being interlocked with peripheral devices based on the teaching program; and a second robot driving unit (64) to control the second welding robot.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a control system for controlling an industrial robot, a control device, a method for manufacturing a welding material, and a program recorded on a recording medium.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control system for controlling an industrial robot, a control device, a method for manufacturing a welded material, and a program.

Industrial robots such as welding robots that perform welding and peripheral devices thereof operate to execute tasks set by the teaching data by giving teaching data. The teaching data is composed of, for example, a set of programs describing an operation to be performed by a robot or a peripheral device.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a control method of a robot that controls each robot so that a plurality of robots controlled by independent control units move in synchronism with a movement path connecting a plurality of teaching points provided for each robot . In this control method, movement information of one of the plurality of robots is supplied from the control unit of the robot to the control unit of the remaining robots at least once in the process of moving between two adjacent teaching points of the plurality of robots An information supplying step and a speed adjusting step of adjusting the speed of the remaining robots based on the movement information such that all the robots arrive at the next teaching point at the same time.

Patent Document 2 discloses an industrial robot system having a tool handling device having a first joint means for moving a work and a work and a tool moving device having a second joint means for moving a tool and a tool, , A control method for moving a work and a tool on an orbit between two consecutive teaching points is described.

(Prior art document)

(Patent Literature)

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-285287

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent No. 3098618

In a system constituted by an industrial robot or its peripheral device, there is a case where each device is controlled to operate in conjunction with each other. In such a case, a program is prepared in consideration of the operation of the industrial robot and the peripheral device. However, it is desirable to shorten the time taken to create such a program.

An object of the present invention is to alleviate the work of creating a program when an industrial robot and a peripheral device are interlocked.

A first control device for controlling the first robot and a peripheral device; and a second control device connected to the first control device via a communication line and controlling the second robot, Wherein the first control device includes: storage means for storing a teaching program describing an operation to be performed by the first robot and the peripheral device; and a control unit for controlling, based on the teaching program stored by the storage means, And the peripheral device are operated in cooperation with each other; first generating means for generating information on the operation of the first robot and the peripheral device so that the first robot and the peripheral device operate in cooperation with each other; And a first control means for controlling the first robot and the peripheral device on the basis of information about operation of the first robot, Wherein the second robot connected to the apparatus itself is connected to the apparatus itself based on the teaching program acquired by the program acquiring means, and acquiring the teaching program based on the teaching program or the teaching program A second generation means for generating information on an operation of the second robot so as to operate in cooperation with the peripheral device which is not provided with the second robot; And a second control means for controlling the second robot.

The first control device may further include a first control device that notifies the first control terminal that the first robot is in the standby state before the first robot is controlled when an input to start the control of the first robot is made at the first control terminal connected to the device itself And the second control device further includes a notification unit that notifies the second operating terminal of the second operating terminal connected to the device itself after the first notification means notifies that the first robot is in the standby state, And second notification means for notifying that the standby state of the first robot is released when an input for starting the control is made.

The first notification means notifies that the operation of the first robot is stopped when the operation of the first robot is stopped and the second control means notifies the first notification means that the operation of the first robot is stopped by the first notification means, And when it is notified that the operation of the robot is stopped, the operation of the second robot is stopped.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a robot apparatus comprising: program acquisition means for acquiring a teaching program in which an operation to be performed by a robot and a peripheral device is described; and means for acquiring, based on the teaching program acquired by the program acquisition means, A generation means for generating information about an operation of the robot so that the robot connected to the robot itself operates in conjunction with a peripheral device not connected to the device itself; And a control means for controlling the robot connected to the apparatus itself based on the control information.

The control device may further include positional information acquiring means for acquiring information on the position of the peripheral device from a control unit that controls the peripheral device before the control of the robot by the control means is started, The generating means generates information on the operation of the robot on the basis of the information of the position of the peripheral device acquired by the position information acquiring means.

The position information acquiring means may acquire the information of the position where the peripheral device is present based on the teaching program acquired by the program acquiring means after the control of the robot is started by the control means .

In addition, from a different point of view, the present invention is characterized in that a first robot and a peripheral device controlled by a first control device, and a second robot controlled by a second control device connected to the first control device via a communication line, A method for manufacturing a welded product using a robot, the method comprising the steps of: causing the first robot and the peripheral device to operate in cooperation with each other, based on a teaching program describing an operation to be performed by the first robot and the peripheral device; A step of generating information on the operation of the peripheral device, and a step of controlling the first robot and the peripheral device based on the information about the operations of the first robot and the peripheral device, Based on the teaching program or a teaching program prepared on the basis of the teaching program, A step of generating information on an operation of the second robot so that the robot operates in conjunction with the peripheral device not connected to the second control device based on the generated information about the operation of the second robot; And controlling the second robot to perform welding on the welding object.

The present invention provides a computer program for causing a computer to execute a function of acquiring a teaching program describing an operation to be performed by a robot and a peripheral device, A function of generating information on the operation of the robot so that the robot operates in conjunction with a peripheral device not connected to the apparatus itself and a robot connected to the apparatus itself based on the information on the operation of the robot And a control function.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the work of creating a program when the industrial robot and the peripheral device are interlocked.

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a welding robot system according to the present embodiment.
2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example of the first control device and the second control device according to the present embodiment.
3 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure by the first control device.
4 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure by the second control device.
5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a series of processes until the first welding robot, the second welding robot, and the positioner reach the first teaching point.
6 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a series of processes executed in the confirmation operation of the first welding robot and the second welding robot.
7 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the first control device and the second control device according to the present embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the outline of the present embodiment will be described.

In a welding robot system, a peripheral device may be controlled together with a welding robot. Examples of the peripheral device include a positioner as a device for determining the position of a workpiece by moving and rotating a workpiece to be welded, a slider as a device for moving the welding robot, and the like.

Here, the operation to be performed by the welding robot and the peripheral device is defined in the teaching program. For example, when the peripheral device and the welding robot are linked, a teaching program for making the operations of the respective devices interlocked is created. The teaching program created here includes information of the peripheral device in addition to the information of the welding robot, and a single welding robot may not operate even if the teaching program is used as it is. That is, when a single welding robot is interlocked with a peripheral device and a welding robot, the operator separately creates a teaching program for a welding robot connected to the peripheral device and a teaching program for a single welding robot I can think. Further, in order to interlock a single welding robot with a peripheral device, the operator is required to prepare a teaching program for a single welding robot after considering the operation of a peripheral device not connected to a single welding robot.

Therefore, the procedure for realizing the relief of the preparation work of the teaching program will be described below.

<System configuration>

First, the welding robot system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a view showing an example of a schematic configuration of a welding robot system 1 according to the present embodiment.

1, the welding robot system 1 as an example of a control system includes a first welding robot 10 for performing various welding operations, a workpiece 21 as an example of a welding object, A first control device 30 for controlling the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20 and a second control device 30 for controlling the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20, A teach pendant 40 is provided. The welding robot system 1 further includes a second welding robot 50 for performing various welding operations, a second control device 60 for controlling the second welding robot 50, And a second time pendant 70 used for setting or preparing a teaching program. Further, the first control device 30 and the second control device 60 are connected via the network 80.

The first welding robot 10 as an example of the first robot has an arm having a joint, and performs various welding operations based on the teaching program. A welding torch 11 is provided at the tip of the arm of the first welding robot 10 for welding work to the work 21.

The positioner 20 has a joint and adjusts the position of the work 21 based on the teaching program.

The first control device 30 stores a teaching program that has been taught in advance and reads the stored teaching program to control the operation of the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20. [ The teaching program may be transmitted, for example, from the teaching pendant 40 or may be created by a teaching program producing device (not shown) and transmitted by data communication. Further, the instruction program may be passed to the first control device 30 via a detachable storage medium such as a memory card, for example.

The first-time pendant 40 as an example of the first operating terminal is used for an operator to make settings relating to welding work or to create a teaching program in order to carry out welding work by the first welding robot 10 . In addition, the first-time pendant 40 has an input button for operating the first welding robot 10. The input button includes, for example, a start button for starting the operation of the first welding robot 10, a forward key for advancing the first welding robot 10, and the like. Further, for example, when the operator presses the start button and the advancing key, the first welding robot 10 performs a confirmation operation for confirming the movement path or the like during the welding work on the work 21. In the confirming operation, the first welding robot 10 operates based on the teaching program and determines whether the first welding robot 10 moves along the teaching point of the welding operation, the welding operation is normally performed by the welding torch 11 And the like are confirmed by the operator.

The second welding robot 50 as an example of the second robot has the same function as the first welding robot 10 and has an arm having joints and performs various welding related operations based on the teaching program. A welding torch 51 for welding the workpiece 21 is provided at the tip of the arm of the second welding robot 50.

The second control device 60 receives the teaching program from the first control device 30 via the network 80 as an example of the communication line and controls the second welding robot 50 based on the received teaching program, . However, it is assumed that the teaching program is passed from the first control device 30 to the second control device 60 via a detachable storage medium such as a memory card, for example.

The second time pendant 70 as an example of the second operating terminal has the same function as the first time pendant 40 and has the same function as the first time pendant 40. In order to perform the welding work by the second welding robot 50, Or to create a teaching program. The second-time pendant 70 has input buttons such as a start button and a forward key, as in the case of the first-time pendant 40. When the start button and the advancing key are pressed by the operator, for example, the second welding robot 50, like the first welding robot 10, Is performed.

The network 80 is a communication means used between the first control device 30 and the second control device 60 and is a LAN (Local Area Network) based on, for example, ethernet (registered trademark) Can be configured.

Here, in the present embodiment, the first welding robot 10 and the second welding robot 50 move in synchronism with a plurality of teaching points provided in the moving path by the conventional technique, and each of the respective welding robots And controlled so as to arrive simultaneously at the teaching point.

For example, the first control device 30 calculates the travel time from the point at which the first welding robot 10 is located to the point at which the first welding robot 10 reaches the next teaching point, And notifies the second control device 60 of the calculated movement time. When the first welding robot 10 and the second welding robot 50 receive the movement time of the first welding robot 10 from the first control device 30, The speed of the second welding robot 50 is adjusted based on the received movement time so as to arrive at the teaching point of the second welding robot 50 at the same time.

However, the first welding robot 10, the second welding robot 50, and the second welding robot 50 are not limited to the configuration in which the first control device 30 calculates and notifies the movement time every predetermined period, It may be notified at least once in the process of moving between the two teaching points. The second control device 60 controls the speed of the second welding robot 50 in consideration of the time required for communication between the first control device 30 and the second control device 60. [ May be adjusted to adjust the speed of the vehicle.

As described above, the first control device 30 notifies the second control device 60 of the movement time of the first welding robot 10, so that the second control device 60 determines that the two welding robots The speed of the second welding robot 50 is adjusted so as to arrive at the teaching point of the second welding robot 50 at the same time. In addition, since the notification of the moving time is performed until each welding robot arrives at the next teaching point, for example, even if the speed or travel path of the first welding robot 10 or the second welding robot 50 is changed , Each welding robot is controlled to arrive at each teaching point at the same time.

In the present embodiment, the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20 move in synchronism with a plurality of teaching points provided in the movement path by the conventional technique, And to be controlled in linkage to arrive at the same time.

For example, the first control device 30 controls the first welding robot 10 in a coordinate system (hereinafter referred to as a work coordinate system) based on the work 21 moved or rotated by the positioner 20, The position and the path of the welding torch 11 are calculated. The first control device 30 updates the position of the welding torch 11 in the work coordinate system at regular intervals and sets the position of the welding torch 11 on the basis of the position of the updated welding torch 11, And the position of the positioner 20 are calculated to drive each joint. In this way, the first control device 30 maintains the attitude and speed of the welding torch 11 with respect to the workpiece 21 while simultaneously operating the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20, And controls the welding robot 10 and the positioner 20 to arrive at the respective teaching points at the same time.

<Functional Configuration of Control Device>

Next, functional configurations of the first control device 30 and the second control device 60 will be described. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example of the first control device 30 and the second control device 60 according to the present embodiment.

First, the functional configuration of the first control device 30 will be described. 2, the first control device 30 includes a first instruction program storage unit 31 for storing a instruction program, a second instruction program storage unit 31 for storing instructions of the instruction program to the first path calculation unit 33, A command analyzing unit 32 and a first path calculating unit 33 for calculating information about a movement path of the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20 (hereinafter, . The first control device 30 includes a first robot driving part 34 for moving the first welding robot 10 to a target position based on the calculated movement information and a second robot driving part 34 for positioning the positioner 20 ) To the target position.

The first-time-program storage unit 31 as an example of the storage means stores a pre-taught teaching program. The stored instruction program is output to the first instruction interpreting section 32 upon request from the first instruction interpreting section 32. [ Here, the teaching program includes information on the target position of movement, the moving speed, and the like with respect to the apparatus to be controlled.

The first command analyzing unit 32 as an example of the first notifying means receives the input from the operator and acquires the teaching program according to the accepted input from the first teaching program storage unit 31. [ The input from the operator is, for example, a case where the operator operates the first control device 30 directly, or a case where the operator operates the first-time pendant 40 (see Fig. 1) have. Then, the first command interpreting section 32 outputs the instruction of the acquired teaching program to the first path calculating section 33. [

The first instruction interpreting section 32 also supplies the teaching program used in the second control device 60 among the teaching programs stored in the first teaching program storage section 31 to the network 10 based on the input from the operator (80) to the second control device (60). However, as described above, it is assumed that the teaching program is passed to the second control device 60 via a storage medium such as a memory card, for example.

When the first command analyzing unit 32 receives an input for pressing the start button and the advance key of the teaching pendant 40 by the operator as the confirming operation, the first welding analyzer 32 determines whether the first welding robot 10 is in the waiting state To the second control device (60). When the first command analyzing unit 32 is notified from the second controller 60 to release the waiting state, the first command analyzing unit 32 releases the standby state of the first welding robot 10, Acquires the teaching program from the storage unit (31), and outputs it to the first path calculation unit (33).

After the second welding robot 50 is notified that the second welding robot 50 is in the waiting state of the confirming operation, the first command interpreter 32 instructs the start button and advance key 40 of the teaching pendant 40, The second welding robot 50 notifies the second control device 60 to release the waiting state of the second welding robot 50. [ The first instruction analysis unit 32 acquires the instruction program from the first instruction program storage unit 31 for the confirmation operation and outputs it to the first path calculation unit 33. [

The first command analyzing unit 32 notifies the second controller 60 that the first welding robot 10 is stopped when the first welding robot 10 stops in the confirming operation. When the second welding robot 50 receives a notification from the second control device 60 that the welding robot 50 is stopped in the confirming operation, the first command analyzing unit 32 instructs the first robot driving unit 34 to perform the first Notifies the welding robot 10 to stop, and informs the positioner driving section 35 to stop the positioner 20.

The first path calculating unit 33 as an example of the first generating means calculates the position of the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20 so that the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20 operate in an interlocking manner based on the command acquired from the first command interpreting unit 32, Movement information of the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20 is calculated. Here, the first path calculating section 33 calculates movement information until movement of the first welding robot 10 to the target position based on the command acquired by the first welding robot 10 is performed. The first path calculating unit 33 calculates the movement information until the positioner 20 moves to the target position based on the command acquired by the positioner 20 as the movement information of the positioner 20. [

As described above, since the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20 are controlled to move synchronously, the first path calculating section 33 calculates the movement information of the first welding robot 10 The movement of the positioner 20 is also considered. That is, the first path calculating section 33 calculates the position and the path of the welding torch 11 in the work coordinate system with reference to the work 21, and calculates the position and the path of the welding torch 11 on the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20 And calculates movement information.

Here, the movement information is information such as a target position, a movement path to a target position, a movement time, a movement speed, and the like for each device such as the first welding robot 10, the positioner 20 and the like. The first path calculating unit 33 outputs the calculated movement information of the first welding robot 10 to the first robot driving unit 34 and outputs the calculated movement information of the positioner 20 to the positioner driving unit 35 .

Since the first welding robot 10 and the second welding robot 50 are controlled to move in synchronism with each other as described above, the first path calculating section 33 calculates the position of the first welding robot 10, To the second control device 60 every predetermined period, for example, until the next teaching point is reached.

The first path calculating section 33 also transmits the information of the current position of the positioner 20 to the second controlling device 60 in accordance with the request of the second controlling device 60. [ The current position of the transmitted positioner 20 is used for calculation of the movement information by the second path calculating section 63, and the details will be described later.

The first robot driving unit 34 as an example of the first control means executes the first welding operation based on the movement information of the first welding robot 10 acquired from the first path calculating unit 33, To the target position of the welding robot 10. When the first robot driving unit 34 is notified to stop the first welding robot 10 from the first command analysis unit 32 in the confirming operation of the first welding robot 10, The robot 10 is stopped.

The positioner driving section 35 as an example of the first control means moves the positioner 20 to the target position of the positioner 20 based on the movement information of the positioner 20 acquired from the first path calculating section 33 . The positioner driving section 35 stops the positioner 20 when the first command analyzing section 32 is notified to stop the positioner 20 in the confirming operation of the first welding robot 10.

Next, the functional configuration of the second control device 60 will be described. 2, the second control unit 60 includes a second instruction program storage unit 61 for storing a teaching program, a second instruction program storage unit 61 for storing a second instruction for instructing the instruction program to the second path calculating unit 63, A command interpreting section 62 and a second path calculating section 63 for calculating the movement information of the second welding robot 50 and the positioner 20. [ The second control device 60 further includes a second robot driving part 64 for moving the second welding robot 50 to the target position based on the calculated movement information and a second robot driving part 64 for moving the calculated position information of the positioner 20 And a positioner path storage unit 65 for storing the positioner path.

The second-time-program storage unit 61 stores a teaching program transmitted from the first control unit 30. [ The stored instruction program is output to the second instruction interpreting section 62 upon a request from the second instruction interpreting section 62. [

The second instruction interpreting section 62 as an example of the program acquiring means and the second notifying means accepts the input from the operator in the same manner as the first instruction interpreting section 32, From the two-time program storage unit 61. The second command interpreter 62 converts the teaching program in accordance with the operation of the second welding robot 50 and then outputs the instruction of the teaching program after the conversion to the second path calculator 63. [

For example, when the first welding robot 10 and the second welding robot 50 perform a symmetrical operation with respect to the workpiece 21, And the operation of the second welding robot 50 is symmetrical. However, the second command interpreting section 62 may convert the teaching program in accordance with the operation of the second welding robot 50 desired by the operator, and may convert the teaching program. When the teaching program of the first control device 30 is to be operated as it is as the operation of the second welding robot 50, the second instruction analysis section 62 can use the teaching program without conversion .

The second command analyzing unit 62 accepts an input of setting by the operator so as to calculate the movement information of the positioner 20 that is not the object of control by the second control device 60. [ Therefore, the second command interpreting section 62 acquires the teaching program and outputs it to the second path calculating section 63 even if the teaching program includes information of the positioner 20 that is not the object of control.

Similarly to the first command analyzing unit 32, the second command interpreting unit 62, as a confirming operation, accepts an input for pressing the start button of the teaching pendant 70 and the advance key by the operator, And notifies the first controller 30 that the two-welding robot 50 is in the waiting state of the confirming operation. When the second command interpreter 62 is informed by the first controller 30 to release the waiting state, the second command interpreter 62 releases the standby state of the second welding robot 50, Acquires the teaching program from the storage unit 61, and outputs it to the second path calculating unit 63. [

After the first welding robot 10 is informed from the first control device 30 that the first welding robot 10 is in the standby state for the confirming operation, the second command interpreter 62 instructs the start button of the teaching pendant 70 and the forward key The first welding robot 10 is notified of the release of the standby state of the first welding robot 10 by the first control device 30. The second instruction interpreting section 62 acquires the teaching program from the second teaching program storage section 61 for the confirmation operation and outputs it to the second path computing section 63. [

The second command analyzing unit 62 notifies the first controller 30 that the second welding robot 50 is stopped when the second welding robot 50 stops in the confirming operation. When the first welding robot 10 receives a notification from the first control device 30 that the first welding robot 10 is stopped in the confirming operation, the second command analyzing unit 62 instructs the second robot driving unit 64 to perform the second And notifies the welding robot 50 to stop.

The second path calculating unit 63 as an example of the generating means, the second generating means and the position information obtaining means calculates the position of the second welding robot 50 based on the command acquired from the second command interpreting unit 62, Movement information of the second welding robot 50 and the positioner 20 is calculated so as to operate in conjunction with the first welding robot 20 and the second welding robot 20. Here, as the movement information of the second welding robot 50, the second path calculating section 63 calculates the movement information until the second welding robot 50 moves to the target position based on the acquired command . The second path calculating section 63 calculates the movement information until the positioner 20 moves to the target position based on the acquired command as the movement information of the positioner 20. [

The second path calculating section 63 acquires the current position of the positioner 20 from the first control device 30 while the second control device 60 and the positioner 20 are not connected, The movement of the positioner 20 is calculated by moving the positioner 20 from the current position toward the target position. The second path calculating section 63 also takes into consideration the movement of the positioner 20 in calculating the movement information of the second welding robot 50 as in the first path calculating section 33. [ That is, the second path calculating section 63 calculates the position and path of the welding torch 51 in the work coordinate system with reference to the work 21, and calculates the position and the path of the welding torch 51 on the basis of the position of the second welding robot 50 and the positioner 20 And calculates movement information. Next, the second path calculating unit 63 outputs the calculated movement information of the second welding robot 50 to the second robot driving unit 64, and stores the calculated movement information of the positioner 20 in the positioner path storage (65).

As described above, since the first welding robot 10 and the second welding robot 50 are controlled to move in synchronism, the second path calculating unit 63 calculates the distance between the first welding robot 10 and the second welding robot 50 The speed of the second welding robot 50 is adjusted based on the moving time of the first welding robot 10. [

The second robot driving unit 64 as an example of the control means and the second control means executes the second welding operation of the second welding robot 50 based on the movement information of the second welding robot 50 acquired from the second path calculating unit 63, To the target position of the second welding robot (50). When the second robot driving unit 64 is informed by the second command analyzing unit 62 to stop the second welding robot 50 in the confirming operation of the second welding robot 50, The robot 50 is stopped.

The positioner path storage unit 65 stores the movement information of the positioner 20 output from the second path calculation unit 63. [

&Lt; Processing sequence of the first control device &

Next, the processing procedure of the first controller 30 for operating the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20 will be described. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure by the first control device 30. Fig. It is assumed that a plurality of teaching points are defined as the target positions of the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20 in the teaching program used in the processing of Fig.

First, the first command analyzing unit 32 receives the input of the operation start from the operator (step 101), and acquires the teaching program according to the received input contents from the first teaching program storage unit 31 (step 102 ). Then, the first command interpreting section 32 outputs the instruction of the acquired teaching program to the first path calculating section 33. [ Next, the first path calculating section 33 calculates movement information of the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20 based on the acquired command (step 103). The first path calculating unit 33 outputs the calculated movement information of the first welding robot 10 to the first robot driving unit 34 and outputs the calculated movement information of the positioner 20 to the positioner driving unit 35 .

Next, the first robot driving unit 34 moves the first welding robot 10 to the teaching point, which is the target position of the first welding robot 10, based on the obtained movement information of the first welding robot 10 . The positioner driving section 35 moves the positioner 20 to the teaching point which is the target position of the positioner 20 based on the movement information of the obtained positioner 20 (step 104). Here, if the teaching program includes an instruction to perform welding, the welding torch 11 is used to weld the work 21, and the welding material is produced. After the movement of the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20 is completed, the first path calculating section 33 acquires the current position of the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20 (step 105 ).

The first path calculating section 33 also requests the first command interpreting section 32 to move the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20 to the next teaching point. Then, the first command interpreting section 32 judges whether or not the current teaching point that has arrived is the last teaching point (step 106). If it is the last teaching point (Yes in step 106), since the first controller 30 and the positioner 20 have reached the final target position, this processing flow ends. On the other hand, if it is not the last instruction point (No in step 106), the process proceeds to step 102, and the first instruction analysis unit 32 continues to acquire the instruction program from the first instruction program storage unit 31. [

&Lt; Processing sequence of the second control device &

Next, the processing procedure of the second control device 60 for operating the second welding robot 50 will be described. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure by the second control device 60. Fig. In parallel with the second controller 60 controlling the second welding robot 50 in the order shown in Fig. 4, the first controller 30 controls the first welding robot 50 in the order shown in Fig. (10) and the positioner (20). It is assumed that a plurality of teaching points are defined as target positions of the second welding robot 50 in the teaching program used in the processing of Fig.

First, the second command interpreting section 62 receives the input of the operation start from the operator (step 201), and acquires the teaching program according to the received input contents from the second teaching program storage section 61 (step 202 ). The instruction program acquired by the second instruction interpreting section 62 is the same program as the instruction program acquired by the first instruction interpreting section 32 in step 102. [ It should be noted that the input from the operator in step 201 is performed almost simultaneously with the input from the operator in step 101. However, since the first welding robot 10 and the second welding robot 50 are controlled so as to move in synchronism, even if the timing of the input from the operator deviates, they arrive at the respective teaching points almost at the same time do. The second command interpreter 62 converts the acquired teaching program in accordance with the operation of the second welding robot 50 and then outputs the command of the teaching program after the conversion to the second path calculator 63 do.

Next, the second path calculating section 63 requests information on the current position of the positioner 20 (Step 203) to the first controller 30, Information on the current position of the positioner 20 is acquired from the path calculating section 33 (step 204). Based on the command acquired from the second command interpreting section 62 and also taking into consideration the current position of the positioner 20 thus acquired, the second path calculating section 63 calculates the position of the second welding robot 50, (Step 205).

The second path calculating section 63 outputs the calculated movement information of the second welding robot 50 to the second robot driving section 64 and outputs the calculated movement information of the positioner 20 to the positioner path storing section 62. [ (65). The movement information of the positioner 20 calculated by the second path calculating section 63 in step 205 is the same as the movement information of the positioner 20 calculated by the first path calculating section 33 in step 103 And the second welding robot 50 moves in conjunction with the positioner 20 controlled by the first control device 30. [

Next, the second robot driving section 64 moves the second welding robot 50 to the teaching point, which is the target position of the second welding robot 50, based on the movement information of the acquired second welding robot 50 (Step 206). Here, if the teaching program includes an instruction to perform welding, welding to the work 21 is performed by the welding torch 51, and the welding is produced. After the movement of the second welding robot 50 is completed, the second path calculating section 63 acquires the current position of the second welding robot 50, and acquires the current position of the teaching robot from the positioner path storing section 65, Which is the target position based on the command of the positioner 20, and reflects it as the current position of the positioner 20 (step 207).

The second path calculating section 63 also requests the second command interpreting section 62 to move the second welding robot 50 to the next teaching point. Then, the second command interpreting section 62 judges whether or not the presently-arrived teaching point is the last teaching point (step 208). If it is the last teaching point (Yes in step 208), since the second welding robot 50 has reached the final target position, this processing flow ends. On the other hand, if it is not the last instruction point (No in step 208), the second instruction interpreting section 62 continues to acquire the instruction program from the second instruction program storage section 61 (step 209)

&Lt; Example of processing relating to operation of each device &gt;

Next, a series of processes for operating the first welding robot 10, the second welding robot 50, and the positioner 20 will be described. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a series of processes until the first welding robot 10, the second welding robot 50, and the positioner 20 reach the first teaching point. In the process shown in Fig. 5, the first welding robot 10 moves from the moving start point A0 to the first teaching point A1, and the second welding robot 50 moves from the moving start point B0 to the first teaching point B1 . It is assumed that the positioner 20 moves from the movement starting point C0 to the first teaching point C1. It is assumed that the teaching program transmitted from the first control device 30 is stored in advance in the second teaching program storage section 61. [

First, the first command analyzing unit 32 receives the input of the operation start from the operator, and acquires the teaching program according to the accepted input from the first teaching program storage unit 31 (step 301). Similarly to the first instruction analyzing unit 32, the second instruction interpreting unit 62 receives the input of the operation start from the operator and outputs the same instruction program as that acquired by the first instruction interpreting unit 32, From the two-time program storage unit 61 (step 302). Then, the first command interpreting section 32 outputs the instruction of the acquired teaching program to the first path calculating section 33. [ The second command interpreter 62 converts the acquired teaching program in accordance with the operation of the second welding robot 50 and then outputs the instruction of the teaching program after the conversion to the second path calculator 63 do.

Next, the second path calculating section 63 requests the first controller 30 for the information of the current position of the positioner 20 (Step 303), and the first path calculating section 33 calculates, According to the request, the information on the current position (point C0) of the positioner 20 is transmitted to the second path calculator 63 (step 304). Then, the second path calculating unit 63 acquires the information of the current position (point C0) of the positioner 20 (step 305).

Next, the first path calculating section 33 calculates movement information of the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20 based on the command acquired from the first command analyzing section 32 (step 306) . Here, the first path calculating unit 33 calculates the movement distance of the first welding robot 10 from the current position (point A0) to the teaching point (point A1) as movement information of the first welding robot 10 And calculates movement information. The first path calculating section 33 calculates movement information from the current position (point C0) to the point of departure (point C1) as the movement information of the positioner 20.

The first robot driving unit 34 moves the first welding robot 10 to the teaching point (point A1) of the first welding robot 10 and the positioner driving unit 35 moves the positioner 20 to the positioner To the teaching point (point C1) of the learning unit 20 (step 307). After the movement of the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20 is completed, the first path calculating section 33 calculates the current position (point A1) of the first welding robot 10 and the current position (point C1) (Step 308). Then, the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20 are continuously controlled until reaching the final teaching point.

The second path calculating unit 63 calculates movement information of the second welding robot 50 and the positioner 20 based on the command acquired from the second command interpreting unit 62 (step 309). Here, the second path calculating section 63 calculates the movement distance of the second welding robot 50 from the current position (point B0) to the teaching point (point B1) as the movement information of the second welding robot 50 And calculates movement information. The second path calculating unit 63 calculates the position of the positioner 20 from the current position (point C0) of the positioner 20 acquired from the first controller 30 as the movement information of the positioner 20, (Point C1).

Then, the second robot driving unit 64 moves the second welding robot 50 to the teaching point (point B1) of the second welding robot 50 (step 310). After the completion of the movement of the second welding robot 50, the second path calculating section 63 acquires the current position (point B1) of the second welding robot 50, and based on the instruction of the teaching program (Point C1), which is the target position of the positioner 20, to the positioner 20 (step 311). Then, the second welding robot 50 continues to be controlled until reaching the final teaching point. At this time, the second path calculating section 63 does not request the information of the current position of the positioner 20 as in step 303, and outputs the positioner 20 to the target position based on the instruction of the teaching program as in step 311 And the movement information of the second welding robot 50 and the positioner 20 is calculated.

It should be noted that the processing of the first control device 30 in steps 301 and 304 to 308 is performed in parallel with the processing of the second control device 60 in steps 302, 303, 305, and 309 to 311.

As described above, the first control device 30 controls the operation of the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20, and the second control device 60 controls the operation of the second welding robot 50 . The second control device 60 does not control the operation of the positioner 20 but calculates the movement information of the positioner 20 based on the teaching program of the first control device 30, It is assumed that the positioner 20 is moving and the operation of the second welding robot 50 is controlled. In order to operate the first welding robot 10, the second welding robot 50 and the positioner 20 in cooperation with each other, the second welding robot 50 is operated by using the teaching program of the first welding robot 10 The operation of creating the teaching program is reduced.

Since the second path calculating section 63 requests the first controller 30 for the current position of the positioner 20 at the time when the second welding robot 50 starts operating, (50) can be easily interlocked with other devices, and inconveniences such as contact between the devices can be suppressed. The second path calculating section 63 does not require the first controller 30 to determine the current position of the positioner 20 after the start of the operation of the second welding robot 50, The movement information of the second welding robot 50 and the positioner 20 is calculated based on the assumption that the positioner 20 has arrived at the target position. Therefore, as compared with the configuration in which the second path calculating section 63 always requests the current position of the positioner 20, the influence of the communication failure such as communication delay is suppressed.

The first path calculating unit 33 transmits the information of the moving start point C0 as the current position of the positioner 20 in step 304, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, when the first path calculating section 33 transmits the current position of the positioner 20, the movement of the positioner 20 may be already started by the process of step 307. [ In this case, the first path calculating section 33 calculates the position information of the positioner 20 (for example, the point C2 between the point C0 and the point C1) instead of the information of the moving start point C0 by using the positioner 20 As the current position of the mobile station.

&Lt; Sequence of processing of confirmation operation &gt;

Next, a confirmation operation by the first welding robot 10 and the second welding robot 50 will be described. Fig. 6 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a series of processes executed by the confirmation operation of the first welding robot 10 and the second welding robot 50. Fig. It is assumed that the start button and the forward key are operated by the first time pendant 40 in a state where the first welding robot 10 and the second welding robot 50 are stopped. In a state where the first welding robot 10 and the second welding robot 50 are operating, the first welding robot 10 is stopped first.

First, when the start button and the advance key (input button) of the first-time pendant 40 are pressed by the operator (step 401), the first welding robot 10 performs the waiting state before starting the confirmation operation . Then, the first command analyzing unit 32 notifies the second controller 60 that the first welding robot 10 is in the standby state of the confirming operation (step 402).

Next, when the operator presses the start button and the advance key (input button) of the second teaching pendant 70 (step 403), the second instruction analyzing unit 62 judges whether or not the first welding robot 10 To the first control device 30 (step 404). The first command analyzing unit 32 releases the waiting state of the first welding robot 10 (Step 405) upon receipt of the notification from the second command analyzing unit 62 to cancel the waiting state. The first instruction analysis unit 32 acquires the instruction program from the first instruction program storage unit 31 and outputs the instruction of the acquired instruction program to the first path calculation unit 33. [ The first robot driving unit 34 drives the first welding robot 10 and the second welding robot 10 based on the movement information of the first welding robot 10 and the positioner 20 calculated by the first path calculating unit 33, The positioner 20 is moved to execute the confirmation operation (step 406).

The second instruction interpreting unit 62 acquires the teaching program from the second teaching program storage unit 61 after notifying the first control unit 30 that the waiting state is canceled in step 404, And outputs the instruction of the program to the second path calculating section 63. [ The second robot driving unit 64 drives the second welding robot 50 on the basis of the movement information of the second welding robot 50 and the positioner 20 calculated by the second path calculating unit 63 And executes a confirming operation (step 407).

When the first welding robot 10 stops, the first command analyzing unit 32 notifies the second controlling apparatus 60 that the first welding robot 10 is stopped (step 408) . The second command interpreting unit 62 notifies the second robot driving unit 64 to stop the second welding robot 50 upon receiving the notification that the first welding robot 10 is stopped, The second robot driving unit 64 stops the second welding robot 50 (step 409).

As described above, in the confirming operation by the first welding robot 10 and the second welding robot 50, the notification of the waiting state and the cancellation of the waiting state are performed, whereby the first welding robot 10 and the second welding robot 50 The timing of starting the operation of the microcomputer 50 is matched. In addition, by notifying that the welding is stopped, the timings of stopping the operation of the first welding robot 10 and the second welding robot 50 are matched. Therefore, in the confirming operation, inconveniences such as contact of the respective apparatuses are suppressed because the operation start timing and the operation stopping timing of the first welding robot 10 and the second welding robot 50 are different.

6, the first welding robot 10 is brought into the standby state by the operation of the first-time pendant 40. However, by the operation of the second-time pendant 70, (50) may be in a standby state. 6, the first welding robot 10 stops faster than the second welding robot 50, but the second welding robot 50 may be stopped first.

In the present embodiment, the second command interpreting section 62 of the second control device 60 performs the conversion of the teaching program, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the first command interpreting section 32 of the first control device 30 may perform the conversion of the teaching program, and the first control device and the second control device 60 may be provided separately from the PC Computer) or the like may perform the conversion.

In the present embodiment, the second instruction program storage unit 61 of the second control device 60 stores the instruction program transmitted from the first control device 30; however, for example, 1 may be used to store the corrected teaching program modified by the operator based on the teaching program of the control device 30. [ In this case, the teaching program acquired by the second instruction analysis unit 62 in step 202 of FIG. 4 and step 302 of FIG. 5 is obtained by modifying the teaching program acquired by the first instruction analysis unit 32. Further, the second-time-program storage unit 61 may store a teaching program directly created by the operator for controlling the second welding robot 50. [ At this time, the operator may create a teaching program to be stored in the second-teaching-schedule storage section 61 based on the teaching program stored in the first control device 30.

In this embodiment, the second control device 60 may determine whether or not the positioner 20 is actually moving based on the calculated movement information. Here, for example, the second control device 60 periodically obtains the current position of the positioner 20 from the first control device 30, and based on the movement information calculated by the second control device 60, It may be determined whether or not the position of the positioner 20 that is in contact with the current position matches the actual current position. When determining that the position of the positioner 20 based on the movement information does not match the actual current position, the second control device 60 causes the operator to notify the operator of the occurrence of the error, for example .

In the present embodiment, the first welding robot 10 and the second welding robot 50 are controlled to arrive at the respective teaching points at the same time. However, instead of arriving at all the teaching points at the same time, It may be controlled so as to arrive at the same time. For example, at the start of arc generation for the workpiece 21, the processes of the welding robots are simultaneously controlled so that each welding robot arrives separately at a point of time far from the workpiece 21 It may be controlled.

In the present embodiment, the welding robot system 1 is provided with the positioner 20 as a peripheral device, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the welding robot system 1 may be provided with a peripheral device such as a slider in addition to the positioner 20 or in addition to the positioner 20. [ Further, the first control device 30 controls the peripheral devices, but in addition, the second control device 60 may control other peripheral devices.

In the present embodiment, the welding robot system 1 is provided with two welding robots, that is, the first welding robot 10 and the second welding robot 50. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, Three or more welding robots may be provided.

<Hardware configuration of control device>

Next, the hardware configuration of the first control device 30 and the second control device 60 will be described. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the first control device 30 and the second control device 60 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in the figure, the first control device 30 and the second control device 60 include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 91 serving as a calculation means, a volatile memory 92 serving as storage means, And a volatile memory 93. Here, the CPU 91 executes various programs such as an OS (Operating System) and application software. The nonvolatile memory 93 stores input data for various programs and output data from various programs and the like for storing various programs and data used for the execution thereof. It is a memory area.

The first control device 30 and the second control device 60 include a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as &quot; communication I / F &quot;) 94 for performing communication with the outside, And a driver 95 for reading / writing data from / 7 is merely an example of a hardware configuration, and the first control device 30 and the second control device 60 are not limited to the configurations shown in the drawings.

In the first control device 30 and the second control device 60, a program for realizing the respective functions shown in Fig. 2 is stored in the nonvolatile memory 93. Fig. This program is loaded into the volatile memory 92 and processing based on this program is executed by the CPU 91 so that in the first control device 30 and the second control device 60, As shown in Fig. The first instruction program storage unit 31 and the second instruction program storage unit 61 are implemented by a storage area such as the nonvolatile memory 93 and the like and the positioner path storage unit 65 stores For example, a volatile memory 92 or the like.

<Description of program>

As described above, the process performed by the second control device 60 in the present embodiment described above is prepared as a program such as application software, for example.

Therefore, the processing performed by the second control device 60 includes a function of allowing the computer to acquire a teaching program describing an operation to be performed by the robot and the peripheral device, and a function of connecting to the apparatus itself A function of generating information on the operation of the robot so that the robot is operated in conjunction with a peripheral device not connected to the apparatus itself and a function of controlling the robot connected to the apparatus itself As a program for realizing a function of executing the program.

The program for realizing the embodiment of the present invention can be stored in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM as well as provided by a communication means.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiment, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or alternatives may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1: Welding Robot System
10: First welding robot
20: Positioner
30: first control device
31: First-time program storage unit
32: first command interpreting section
33: First path calculating unit
34: First robot driving section
35: Positioner driving part
40: Pendant of the first period
50: Second welding robot
60: second control device
61: second-time program storage unit
62: second instruction interpretation section
63: Second path calculating section
64: second robot driving section
65: Positioner path memory unit
70: Pendant of the second period

Claims (8)

A first control device for controlling the first robot and the peripheral device,
And a second control device connected to the first control device via a communication line and controlling the second robot,
The first control device includes:
Storage means for storing a teaching program describing an operation to be performed by said first robot and said peripheral device;
First generating means for generating information on the operation of the first robot and the peripheral device so that the first robot and the peripheral device operate in cooperation with each other based on the teaching program stored by the storage means;
And first control means for controlling the first robot and the peripheral device based on information about operations of the first robot and the peripheral device generated by the first generating means,
The second control device includes:
Program acquisition means for acquiring a teaching program created based on the teaching program or the teaching program stored by the storage means;
Based on the teaching program acquired by the program acquisition means, information on the operation of the second robot so that the second robot connected to the apparatus itself operates in conjunction with the peripheral apparatus not connected to the apparatus itself Second generating means for generating,
And second control means for controlling the second robot based on the information about the operation of the second robot generated by the second generating means
.
The method according to claim 1,
The first control device is provided with a first notifying means for notifying that the first operating terminal connected to the apparatus itself is in the waiting state before the first robot is controlled when an input for starting the control of the first robot is made, Respectively,
The second control device performs an input to start the control of the second robot at the second operation terminal connected to the apparatus itself after the first notification means notifies that the first robot is in the standby state A second notification means for notifying the first robot to release the standby state of the first robot.
3. The method of claim 2,
The first notification means notifies that the operation of the first robot is stopped when the operation of the first robot is stopped,
Wherein the second control means controls to stop the operation of the second robot when the first notification means is notified that the operation of the first robot is stopped.
Program acquisition means for acquiring a teaching program in which an operation to be performed by the robot and a peripheral device is described,
Generating means for generating information on an operation of the robot so that the robot connected to the apparatus itself operates in conjunction with a peripheral device not connected to the apparatus itself based on the teaching program acquired by the program acquiring means; ,
And control means for controlling the robot connected to the apparatus itself based on the information about the operation of the robot generated by the generating means
.
5. The method of claim 4,
Further comprising position information acquisition means for acquiring information on a position of the peripheral device from a control unit that controls the peripheral device before the control of the robot is started by the control means,
Wherein the generating means generates information on the operation of the robot on the basis of information of a position where the peripheral device acquired by the position information acquiring means exists.
6. The method of claim 5,
Characterized in that the position information acquiring means acquires information of a position where the peripheral device is present based on the teaching program acquired by the program acquiring means after the control of the robot is started by the control means Lt; / RTI &gt;
A method of manufacturing a welded product using a first robot and a peripheral device controlled by a first control device and a second robot controlled by a second control device connected to the first control device via a communication line,
Information about the operation of the first robot and the peripheral device so that the first robot and the peripheral device operate in cooperation with each other based on a teaching program describing an operation to be performed by the first robot and the peripheral device A step of generating,
Controlling the first robot and the peripheral device based on the generated information about the operation of the first robot and the peripheral device,
The second robot connected to the second control device operates in conjunction with the peripheral device not connected to the second control device based on the teaching program or the teaching program created on the basis of the teaching program, A step of generating information on an operation of the second robot,
And controlling the second robot based on the generated information about the operation of the second robot to perform welding to the welded object
&Lt; / RTI &gt;
The computer,
A function of acquiring a teaching program in which an operation to be performed by the robot and a peripheral device is described,
A function of generating information on the operation of the robot so that the robot connected to the apparatus itself operates in conjunction with a peripheral device not connected to the apparatus itself based on the acquired teaching program,
A function of controlling a robot connected to the apparatus itself based on the generated information about the operation of the robot
A program recorded on a recording medium.

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