TW202403480A - Control program generation device, control program generation method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

In the present invention, by dividing an operation period from the start to the end of operation of an automatic manufacturing machine (1) into a plurality of partial periods, also dividing the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine into basic operations (206) of a plurality of actuators, and by assigning the basic operations to one of the partial periods, the operations of the automatic manufacturing machine are described in an operation chart (200). The basic operations on the operation chart are each described by using: an operation description (206a) in which operation is qualitatively described; and a numerical table (206b) or a plurality of numerical parameters (206c). Subsequently, the operation chart in which the operations of the automatic manufacturing machine are described is read, a plurality of the operation descriptions in the operation chart are converted to program elements stored in association with the operation descriptions, numerical values set to the numerical table or the plurality of numerical parameters are set to the program elements, and thereafter, the program elements are combined in accordance with the order of the partial periods in the operation chart.

Description

Control program generation device, control program generation method, program

The present invention relates to a technology for generating a control program for an automatic manufacturing machine equipped with a plurality of actuators.

Today, across all industries, there is a strong demand for labor saving at manufacturing sites such as factories, and this trend is expected to increase in the future. In order to promote labor saving at the manufacturing site, it is necessary to utilize automatic manufacturing machines that automatically perform actions such as holding the object to be processed or manufactured, transporting the object, performing various processes on the object, or heating the object.

Therefore, various types of automatic manufacturing machines have been developed depending on the object to be processed or manufactured, the processing content (for example, cutting processing, bending processing), the degree of heating in the case of food, etc. (for example, Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2).

In addition, the size, shape, material, etc. of the objects to be processed or manufactured are different at each manufacturing site. Furthermore, the processing content and heating degree are also different depending on the manufacturing site. Therefore, when automatic manufacturing machines are introduced to a manufacturing site, it is difficult to misappropriate automatic manufacturing machines used at other manufacturing sites, and it is generally necessary to newly develop dedicated automatic manufacturing machines for each manufacturing site. [Prior Technical Document] 〔Patent documents〕

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-245602 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-192570

[Technical problem to be solved by the invention]

However, when developing a new automatic manufacturing machine, it is also necessary to create a new control program for controlling the automatic manufacturing machine. This situation becomes a huge obstacle when introducing a new automatic manufacturing machine to a manufacturing site. The reason for this will be described later.

When developing a new automatic manufacturing machine, first of all, the mechanical design technician understands the various functions required by the automatic manufacturing machine and then creates a drawing of the automatic manufacturing machine that can realize the required functions. Next, a technician (so-called programmer) who has the technology to create a program must understand the operations of the various actuators and mechanical parts described in the diagram, and then coordinate and operate the various actuators simultaneously to create the implementation. Control program for the required functions.

In this way, since the production of the control program must be started by a programmer with specialized skills after the design of the automatic manufacturing machine is completed, there is a time delay in starting the production of the control program. In addition, programmers also need time to understand the actions of various actuators and mechanical parts. As a result, it takes a long time from the start of development of the automatic manufacturing machine to shipment to the manufacturing site. This situation becomes a huge obstacle to the introduction of new automatic manufacturing machines at the manufacturing site.

The present invention is made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and aims to provide a technology that can significantly shorten the time required to develop a new automatic manufacturing machine by automatically generating a control program for the automatic manufacturing machine. [Technical means]

In order to solve the above problems, the control program generating device of the present invention adopts the following structure. That is, the control program generating device of the present invention is A control program generating device (100a, 110) that generates a control program for an automatic manufacturing machine (1) equipped with a plurality of actuators (10~20), and is characterized by: The basic action storage unit (102) corresponds to and stores the basic action representing the action of each degree of freedom of the actuator and the program element that implements the basic action; The operation diagram reading unit (103) reads the operation diagram (200); the operation diagram (200) is obtained by dividing the operation period from the beginning to the end of the automatic manufacturing machine into a plurality of partial periods, and dividing the operation diagram (200) into a plurality of partial periods. While decomposing the action of the automatic manufacturing machine into a plurality of the basic actions, allocating the basic action to any of the plurality of partial periods, thereby describing the action of the automatic manufacturing machine; and The control program generation unit (105) combines the program elements of the plurality of basic actions allocated to the plurality of partial periods on the action diagram in accordance with the order of the partial periods on the action diagram, thereby generating the The control program for automatic manufacturing of mechanical movements; The basic action storage unit divides the content of the basic action into an action description (206a) that describes the qualitative description, and a numerical description that describes the quantitative matters of the basic action through numerical values, and then stores the action description corresponding to the basic action. The program component, and the value table corresponding to the value description (206b); The action diagram reading unit reads the action diagram that records the basic action using the action description and the numerical value table; The control program generation unit, when combining a plurality of the program components, sets the value of the program component according to the value table recorded simultaneously with the action description of the program component.

In addition, the control program generation method corresponding to the above-mentioned control program generation device of the present invention is A method for generating a control program, which enables a computer to generate a control program for an automatic manufacturing machine (1) equipped with a plurality of actuators (10~20), and is characterized by: The operation diagram reading step (STEP1) reads the operation diagram (200); the operation diagram (200) is divided into a plurality of partial periods from the beginning to the end of the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine, and The action of the automatic manufacturing machine is decomposed into a plurality of basic actions representing the action of each degree of freedom of the actuator, and the basic action is allocated to any of the plurality of partial periods, thereby describing the action of the automatic manufacturing machine, Furthermore, the action diagram (200) records the basic action using an action description (206a) that qualitatively describes the action and a numerical value table (206b) that describes the quantitative matters of the basic action using numerical values; Action graph analysis step (STEP 2): by analyzing the action graph, extract a plurality of the basic actions included in the action graph and the partial period allocated to a plurality of the basic actions; and In the control program generation step (STEP 3), by referring to the corresponding relationship between the action description of the basic action and the program element used to realize the action description, and converting the action description into the program element, according to The numerical value table recorded simultaneously with the action description sets the value of the program element, and then the control program for causing the automatic manufacturing machine to operate is generated by combining the program elements according to the sequence of the partial period.

In the control program generation device and the control program generation method of the present invention, the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine is described in advance in the operation diagram, and an operation description that qualitatively describes the content of the operation is used, and a numerical value that sets a quantitative matter describing the operation is used. A numerical table that records the basic actions in the action diagram. Further, the action description is associated with the program element that implements the action representing the action description and is stored in advance. Next, when generating the control program of the automatic manufacturing machine, the operation diagram describing the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine is read, and the operation description of the basic operation recorded in the operation diagram is converted into a program element, and the program element is set to The value set in the value table recorded at the same time as the action description. Then, a control program is generated by combining the program components in the order of partial periods.

Since the action description qualitatively describes the basic action of a simple action of the actuator, a program element that causes the actuator to perform the action described in the action can be created in advance. Of course, in order to use a program element to operate an actuator, quantitative matters such as an amount of operation or an operation speed must be specified, and these values are set separately as a numerical table and an operation description. Such an operation diagram can be easily created by a mechanical design technician who has designed automatic manufacturing machines or a technician who has sufficient knowledge of the structure of automatic manufacturing machines. Next, read the created action diagram, and while converting the action description in the action diagram into a program element, set the value of the program element according to the numerical table recorded at the same time as the action description, and then combine the other program elements according to the action diagram , then the control program that controls the movement of the automatic manufacturing machinery can be automatically generated. In addition, when basic actions are described in action diagrams, they are divided into action descriptions and numerical tables. Therefore, the number of incorrect contents recorded in action diagrams (YOGO diagrams) can be greatly reduced for the following reasons. That is, since the action description only directly expresses the actions that humans want the actuator to perform, the operation of recording the action description on the action diagram is only the operation that directly expresses the human intention, so the recording can be greatly reduced. Possibility of erroneous content. Of course, since only the description of the operation is recorded without setting specific numerical values, the actuator cannot be operated, but these can be used for the numerical values set in the numerical value table. Furthermore, even when a specific numerical value is corrected, it is only necessary to correct the numerical value set in the numerical value table, so there is no need to correct the operation diagram. Therefore, the operation diagram will not be changed incorrectly during correction. As a result, the number of incorrect content recorded in action diagrams (YOGO diagrams) can be significantly reduced.

In addition, in the control program generation device of the present invention understood in the above aspect, a plurality of values including at least one of the movement amount, movement speed, or movement load of the basic movement can be set in the numerical value table.

The amount of movement, speed of movement, load of movement, etc. of the basic movement are necessary values for the actuator to perform the basic movement as expected, but they cannot be described by movement description. Therefore, if these are set in the numerical table in advance, the actuator can perform basic operations as expected, and as a result, the automatic manufacturing machine can operate appropriately.

In addition, in the control program generating device of the present invention understood in the above aspect, when the numerical value table is not set with numerical values, it is possible to refer to the reference table in which appropriate numerical values are set in advance.

In this way, even if the value is not set in the value table in advance, the actuator can be operated using the value set in the reference table. Therefore, if appropriate values can be set in the numerical table as necessary, the automatic manufacturing machine can be operated appropriately.

In addition, in the control program generation device of the present invention understood in the above aspect, the action waiting time waiting for the start of the basic action can also be set in the numerical table.

In this way, by setting the action standby time in the numerical table in advance, the actuator can be made to perform the basic action after the action standby time has elapsed. In addition, in the case of causing a plurality of actuators to perform basic operations, by adjusting the operation waiting time set in the numerical table of each actuator, it is also possible to simply describe the timing of causing each actuator to start basic operations one after another. Small movements that make a difference bit by bit.

In addition, the control program generation method of the present invention understood in the above aspect can also be understood as a program for realizing the control program generation method using a computer. That is, the formula of the present invention understood in the above aspect is A program that uses a computer to realize a method of generating a control program for an automatic manufacturing machine (1) equipped with a plurality of actuators (10~20). Its characteristics are realized using a computer: The action diagram reading function (STEP1) reads the action diagram (200); the action diagram (200) is divided into a plurality of partial periods from the beginning to the end of the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine, and then The action of the automatic manufacturing machine is decomposed into a plurality of basic actions representing the action of each degree of freedom of the actuator, and the basic action is allocated to any of the plurality of partial periods, thereby describing the action of the automatic manufacturing machine, Furthermore, the action diagram (200) records the basic action using an action description (206a) that qualitatively describes the action and a numerical value table (206b) that describes the quantitative matters of the basic action using numerical values; Action graph analysis function (STEP 2), by analyzing the action graph, extracts the plurality of basic actions included in the action graph and the partial period allocated to the plurality of basic actions; and The control program generation function (STEP 3) refers to the corresponding relationship between the action description of the basic action and the program element used to realize the action description and stores it, while converting the action description into the program element, according to The numerical value table recorded simultaneously with the action description sets the value of the program element, and then the control program for causing the automatic manufacturing machine to operate is generated by combining the program elements according to the sequence of the partial period.

By causing a computer to read and execute such a program, a control program for controlling the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine can be automatically generated from the operation diagram. Furthermore, a situation in which erroneous content is recorded in the operation diagram can be prevented.

A. Device composition: FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the general appearance of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 according to this embodiment. The automatic manufacturing machine 1 of this embodiment performs automatic bending processing on long-sized pipes to form a working machine of a desired shape (that is, a so-called pipe bender). Of course, the automatic manufacturing machine 1 of this embodiment can be equipped with a plurality of actuators to automatically perform a plurality of actions such as holding, transporting, processing, and heating the object, and can also be a manufacturing machine other than a pipe bender. For example, it may be a manufacturing machine for automatically manufacturing food. Alternatively, it may be a manufacturing system that combines a robot arm with a plurality of joints and a handling device.

As shown in Figure 1, the automatic manufacturing machine 1 of this embodiment is roughly in the shape of a horizontally long rectangular parallelepiped. Two rails 2 are set up on the top side of the cuboid in the long direction. One end side of the rails 2 (the left side in Figure 1 ), equipped with a transport unit 3 that holds and transports a pipe (not shown) to be processed. In addition, a processing unit 4 that performs processing such as bending on a pipe material (not shown) is mounted on the side opposite to the side where the transport unit 3 is mounted. In the transport unit 3, a cylindrical holding shaft 3a is protrudingly provided, and a chuck 3b for holding a pipe (not shown) is installed at the front end of the holding shaft 3a. Therefore, by moving the transport unit 3 on the rail 2 while holding the pipe material with the chuck 3b, the pipe material can be supplied to the processing unit 4, and the processing unit 4 can perform bending processing on the pipe material.

The automatic manufacturing machine 1 of this embodiment can control the transportation amount of the pipe material by the movement amount of the transportation unit 3, and therefore can freely control the position where the pipe material is bent, etc. In addition, the pipe material can be bent in a desired direction by axially rotating the holding shaft 3a to which the chuck 3b is attached (that is, a so-called twisting operation). In order to realize this, the transport unit 3 is equipped with an actuator 10 for opening and closing the chuck 3b, an actuator 11 for axially rotating the grip shaft 3a, and an actuator 11 for axially rotating the grip shaft 3a. An actuator 12 that moves forward and backward in the axial direction, an actuator 13 that moves the transport unit 3 forward and backward on the rail 2, and the like. In the automatic manufacturing machine 1 of this embodiment, the actuators 10 to 13 all use servo motors operated by AC power. However, according to the required performance of the actuators, actuators with other driving methods (such as oil, etc.) can be used. cylinder, solenoid, stepper motor, etc.). Furthermore, the transport unit 3 is also equipped with sensors such as an encoder and a limit switch for detecting the rotational position of the holding shaft 3a and the movement position of the transport unit 3. However, in order to avoid making the diagram complicated, The illustration is omitted in FIG. 1 .

Inside the processing unit 4, there are installed an actuator 17 for bending the pipe; an actuator 18 for moving the position where force is applied to the pipe when bending the pipe; and an actuator 18 for moving the entire processing unit 4 in the up and down direction. The actuator 19; and the actuator 20 used to form a flat end surface called a flange and an annular convex portion called a protrusion on the pipe, etc. Furthermore, the machining unit 4 is also equipped with switches and sensors such as encoders and contact switches, but these are omitted in FIG. 1 in order to avoid complicating the diagram.

In addition, a plurality of drive circuits (not shown) for driving the above-mentioned various actuators 10 to 13 and 17 to 20 are mounted inside the processing unit 4 . Here, the drive circuit means an electronic component having the following functions. In order for the actuators 10 to 13 and 17 to 20 to perform desired actions, the actuators 10 to 13 and 17 to 20 must be supplied with driving currents of appropriate waveforms. However, the driving currents that should be provided to the actuators 10 to 13 and 17 to 20 are different depending on the driving methods of the actuators 10 to 13 and 17 to 20. Furthermore, even if they are actuators of the same method, the driving current The current value also varies depending on the actuator. Therefore, dedicated electronic components called drive circuits are prepared for the actuators 10 to 13 and 17 to 20. When the drive amount is specified to the drive circuit, the drive circuit outputs appropriate drive to the actuators 10 to 13 and 17 to 20. As a result, the actuators 10~13 and 17~20 are driven.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, various mechanical parts are also mounted in the space below the two rails 2, but this space is a space for wiring. The wiring is from a plurality of drive circuits (not shown) mounted in the processing unit 4 to Power cables (not shown) that supply driving current to the various actuators 10 to 13 in the transport unit 3, and signals from various switches and sensors mounted on the transport unit 3 to the processing unit 4 Signal cables (illustration omitted), etc. As the transport unit 3 moves forward and backward on the track 2, these power cables and signal cables move in the space, and there is a possibility that they will become entangled with each other or get stuck on something. Therefore, in order to avoid such a situation from happening, actuators 14~16 are also installed in the space below the track 2, which are used to remove the power cables and signal cables by pulling the cables when there is unused margin. When the power cables and signal cables are strongly tightened, the cables are pulled out to maintain an appropriate margin. In the automatic manufacturing machine 1 of this embodiment, pneumatic cylinders are used as actuators 14 to 16, and the movements of these pneumatic cylinders are also controlled by drive circuits not shown in the figure.

As explained above, the automatic manufacturing machine 1 is equipped with a large number of actuators 10 to 20 . Next, in order to automatically process the object to be processed (here, a pipe) into a desired shape, the actuators 10 to 20 must be made to perform appropriate actions at appropriate time points. What drives these actuators 10 to 20 is the drive circuit of each actuator 10 to 20. However, the action of the drive circuit to drive each actuator 10 to 20 is based on the pre-read instructions of the automatic manufacturing machine control device 10 described later. Control by control program.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram conceptually showing how the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 of this embodiment controls the operations of the actuators 10 to 20 mounted on the automatic manufacturing machine 1 . Furthermore, in Figure 2, the illustrations of switches and sensors necessary for control are also omitted. As shown in the figure, a drive circuit 10d for driving the actuator 10 is provided between the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 and the actuator 10, and the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 directly controls the drive circuit 10d. Likewise for the actuators 11 to 20 , drive circuits 11 d to 20 d for driving the actuators 11 to 20 are provided between the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 and the actuators 11 to 20 . In this way, the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 indirectly controls the actuators 10 to 20 through the drive circuits 10d to 20d.

In addition, as mentioned above using FIG. 1 , in the automatic manufacturing machine 1 of this embodiment, servo motors are used as actuators 10 to 13 and 17 to 20 , and pneumatic cylinders are used as actuators 14 to 16 . Here, a servo motor refers to a motor controlled by a servo. It is a motor that uses feedback control to control the current value flowing in the motor to drive the position (or angle, or speed, etc.) to a target value. In addition, the pneumatic cylinder is an actuator that uses air pressure to move a movable part linearly, and operates by opening and closing a port connected to a compressed air supply source. In addition, the port opening and closing uses sequence control.

In this way, in the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 of this embodiment, the servo-controlled actuators 10 to 13, 17 to 20, and the sequence-controlled actuators 14 to 16 are connected. In the figure, the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 and the actuators 10 to 13 and 17 to 20 are connected by solid lines, indicating that these actuators 10 to 13 and 17 to 20 are controlled by servo. In addition, the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 and the actuators 14 to 16 are connected by dotted lines, indicating that the actuators 14 to 16 are sequentially controlled. Of course, actuators controlled by means other than servo control and sequence control can also be connected.

The automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 controls the actuators 10 to 20 through the drive circuits 10 d to 20 d according to the control program. The control program must be prepared in advance and read by the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 in advance. Here, it is not easy to create a control program for causing a large number of actuators 10 to 20 to perform appropriate operations at appropriate points in time as shown in FIG. 2 . In particular, when actuators with different control methods such as servo control and sequence control are mixed, it takes a long time to create a control program. Therefore, the current situation is that more than half of the development period for manufacturing a new automatic manufacturing machine 1 is spent on creating control programs.

B. How to create control program B-1. Summary: FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing the general steps for developing the new automatic manufacturing machine 1. Figure 3(a) shows the development steps that have been performed historically. In addition, Figure 3(b) shows a new development step developed by the inventor of the present invention and has filed a patent application.

In the conventional development step, as shown in Fig. 3(a) , first, the mechanical design technician understands the various functions required by the automatic manufacturing machine 1, and then creates a drawing of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 equipped with a mechanism for realizing these functions. . When making drawings, mechanical design technicians must discuss and decide one by one what kind of movable parts are necessary, what kind of movements these movable parts must perform, and what degree of torque, amount of movement, and accuracy are required to realize their movements. actuators, where to locate them, how many to install, and whether they are necessary. Then, after deciding on the actual actuator to be mounted, and also considering the mounting and maintainability of the actuator, the drawing is finally completed.

After the mechanical design of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 is completed in this way, the control program for controlling the automatic manufacturing machine 1 is produced. Since the production of control programs requires software-related professional skills, they must be produced by technicians (i.e. programmers) with such professional skills. Therefore, when the mechanical engineer completes the mechanical design, he or she creates a flow chart showing the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 that he or she has personally thought about, and then discusses and explains the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 with the programmer. Up to this point is the work of the mechanical design technician.

On the other hand, the programmer who discusses with the mechanical design technician starts to create the automatic manufacturing machine 1 after understanding the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 based on the required diagrams and other data by familiarly reading the flow chart produced by the mechanical design technician. A control program for controlling the movements of various actuators mounted on the automatic manufacturing machine 1. Programmers use high-level programming languages that can be read by humans to create control programs, but computers cannot directly execute control programs in high-level programming languages. Therefore, after the programmer completes the control program, he finally completes the control program by converting the control program described in a high-level programming language into a control program in a computer-executable machine language. Furthermore, the operation of converting a control program in a high-level programming language into a control program in a machine language is called compilation. This operation is completed in a short time by using a special program called a compiler.

As shown in Figure 3(a), in the development process that has been carried out historically, the production of control programs usually takes about 1.5 times to 2.5 times the time required for machine design. Furthermore, due to the mechanical design and control program production, it is difficult to carry out most of the steps at the same time, thus prolonging the overall development time of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 . In addition, it is necessary to ensure that there are experts with different technologies such as mechanical design technicians and programmers, which is also a huge obstacle in the development of new automatic manufacturing machinery 1 .

On the other hand, FIG. 3(b) shows the steps of developing the automatic manufacturing machine 1 using the new method proposed by the inventor of the present invention. Even where new methods are used, the mechanical design itself remains the same as the conventional method. That is, after understanding the various functions required by the automatic manufacturing machine 1, the mechanical design technician creates a drawing of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 equipped with a mechanism for realizing these functions. At this time, after considering the movable parts necessary to realize the function, the action content of the movable parts, and the performance of the actuator used to activate the movable parts, and deciding on the actuator, the mountability and maintenance of the actuator are also considered. Sex, etc., and finally complete the picture.

After completing the diagram, in a new development step, the mechanical design technician creates a YOGO diagram to replace the flow chart (see Figure 3(b)). The YOGO diagram is a special action diagram uniquely conceived by the inventor of the present invention. It describes in the form of a diagram the actions of each actuator that mechanical design technicians consider during mechanical design. Furthermore, the YOGO diagram in this embodiment corresponds to the "action diagram" in the present invention.

The YOGO diagram will be explained in detail later, but it only expresses the movements of each actuator that a mechanical design technician considers during mechanical design, as he or she would like. Therefore, a mechanical design technician can create the flow chart in about half the time (see Figure 3(b)). In addition, YOGO diagrams can be converted into control programs that can be executed by the computer's CPU through a dedicated compiler. The reason why the YOGO diagram can be converted into a control program will be described later. In this way, since the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 is described in the YOGO diagram, the control program of the machine language can be generated from the YOGO diagram. Therefore, as shown in Figure 3, compared with the conventional method, the development of the new automatic manufacturing machine 1 can be The time is shortened to at least half (typically about 1/3). In addition, YOGO diagrams can be easily produced by mechanical design technicians, and there is no need to have a programmer. Therefore, various situations that hinder the development of the new automatic manufacturing machine 1 can be almost completely solved. In addition, even when the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 is changed or a new actuator is added to the automatic manufacturing machine 1, the control program can be generated immediately by simply rewriting the YOGO diagram and passing it through a dedicated compiler. The following explains the reasons why this may be the case.

B-2.YOGO diagram Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram on the principle of automatically generating a control program for the automatic manufacturing machine 1 from an action diagram (YOGO diagram). Figure 4(a) shows the original YOGO diagram before implementing various improvements. The YOGO diagram of this embodiment described later is a development and improvement of the original YOGO diagram shown in Figure 4(a), but the principle of automatically generating a control program is the same as the original YOGO diagram. Therefore, for easy understanding, the original YOGO diagram shown in Figure 4(a) is used to illustrate the principle of automatically generating a control program from the YOGO diagram. In addition, in order to avoid complicating the description, the actuators mounted on the automatic manufacturing machine 1 are only two motors A and B, and two cylinders A and B.

As shown in Figure 4(a), the YOGO diagram expresses the movement of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 by combining the basic movements of these actuators (here, motors A and B and cylinders A and B). Here, the basic movement of the actuator is the movement in the direction of the degree of freedom the actuator has (hereinafter referred to as the basic movement). For example, if it is an actuator that rotates like a motor, the rotational action is the basic action, and if it is an actuator that moves forward and backward like a cylinder, the action of forward and backward movement is the basic action. In addition, in the case of an actuator that rotates a ball screw by a motor and moves a component engaging the ball screw forward and backward, either the rotational action of the motor or the forward and backward movement of the component is the basic action. In this way, the basic movement of the actuator is a simple movement in which the actuator moves in the direction of the actuator's degree of freedom by the specified movement amount.

In addition, in the YOGO diagram, the operation period from the beginning to the end of the automatic manufacturing machine operation is divided into a plurality of partial periods, and the basic operation of each actuator is allocated to each basic operation. Select from these plural partial periods. any part of the period. In the example shown in FIG. 4(a) , the operation period of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 is divided into five partial periods 1 to 5. Partial period 1 is allocated with the motion of the cylinder A moving forward and backward by the operation amount (a). In addition, in the partial period 2, the operation of the motor A rotating by the operation amount (b) is allocated. Multiple actions can be assigned to a partial period. That is, in partial period 3, two actions are allocated: the action of motor B rotating with an action amount (c), and the action of cylinder B moving forward and backward with an action amount (d). In part period 4, three actions are allocated: motor A The action of rotating with the action amount (-b), the action of motor B rotating with the action amount (-c), and the action of cylinder B moving forward and backward with the action amount (-d). Then, in the last partial period 5, cylinder A is assigned an action of moving forward and backward with an action amount (-a).

In this way, by allocating the basic actions of the actuator in part of the period, the following actions performed by the automatic manufacturing machine can be described. First, make the cylinder A move forward and backward with the action amount (a). When the action of the cylinder A ends, make the cylinder A rotate with the action amount (b). Then, when the operation of the motor A is completed, the motor B is rotated by the operation amount (c), and the cylinder B is moved forward and backward by the operation amount (d). When the action of motor B and cylinder B ends, while motor A and motor B are rotated by the action amount (-a) and action amount (-c) respectively, cylinder B is moved forward and backward by the action amount (-d). . Then, when all movements of motor A, motor B and cylinder B are completed, and cylinder A is finally moved forward and backward by the movement amount (-a), all movements are completed. In this way, as long as the basic operation of the actuator mounted on the automatic manufacturing machine 1 is allocated to any part of the period, the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 can be described.

Furthermore, it can be clearly understood from the above description that the partial period represents the period during which the assigned actuator operates, rather than indicating a long time. For example, the length of partial period 1 is the time required for cylinder A to operate, the length of partial period 2 is the time required for motor A to operate, and the length of partial period 3 is the time required for motor B to operate and cylinder B to operate. The longer of the required times. Therefore, generally speaking, the length of each partial period is different.

In addition, the basic operation of the actuator allocated to the partial period is, for example, a simple operation of rotating the motor by a certain amount or moving the cylinder forward and backward by a certain amount. Therefore, a small program (program element) for causing the actuator to perform basic operations can be created in advance. In Figure 4, there are four actuators mounted on the automatic manufacturing machine 1: cylinders A, B, and motors A, B. Therefore, as shown in Figure 4(b), a program for operating the motor A can be created in advance. Component prog1, program component prog2 for operating motor B, program component prog3 for operating cylinder A, and program component prog4 for operating cylinder B.

Therefore, as long as these program elements are connected as described in the original YOGO diagram shown in FIG. 4(a) , a control program for operating the automatic manufacturing machine 1 can be automatically generated. That is, as shown in Figure 4(c), first the program element prog3 is started, when the program element 3 ends, the program element prog1 is started, and when the program element 1 ends, the program element prog2 and program element prog4 are started. The action quantities of program element prog3, program element prog1, program element prog2, and program element prog4 are respectively (a), (b), (c), and (d) according to the specifications on the YOGO diagram. Further, when the program element prog2 and the program element prog4 are both terminated, the program element prog1, the program element prog2, and the program element prog4 are started. The amount of movement at this time is determined by (-b), (-c), and (-d) as specified on the YOGO chart. When these program elements prog1, program element prog2, and program element prog4 are all terminated, the last program element prog3 is started. The amount of movement at this time is used as specified on the YOGO chart (-a). Next, when the program element prog3 ends, the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 described in the YOGO diagram of Figure 4(a) ends.

As explained above, as long as the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 is described in advance in the form of the YOGO diagram shown in Fig. 4(a), the control program shown in Fig. 4(c) can be generated and the automatic manufacturing machine 1 action. However, in order for the automatic manufacturing machine 1 to operate as expected, the YOGO diagram must be accurately created. From this point of view, the YOGO diagram of this embodiment described below is the result of various improvements to the original YOGO diagram illustrated in FIG. 4(a) .

B-3.YOGO diagram: FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the outline of the YOGO diagram 200 of this embodiment. Furthermore, since the entire YOGO chart 200 would be damaged and unreadable if it was reduced in size and contained in the figure, a part of the YOGO chart 200 (the upper left corner part) is shown in FIG. 5 . As shown in FIG. 5 , the YOGO diagram 200 is in the shape of a large table in which a plurality of horizontal lines intersect with a plurality of straight lines. Hereinafter, within the plurality of intersecting lines, the horizontal line is called the "dividing line" 201, and the straight line is called the "trigger line" 202.

The trigger line 202 is assigned consecutive numbers starting from No. 1. In the example shown in FIG. 5 , in the upper column of the YOGO chart 200 , the consecutive numbers of the trigger lines 202 below are recorded. In addition, the area between mutually adjacent trigger lines 202 uses the partial periods described in FIG. 4 , and the partial periods are also assigned consecutive numbers starting from No. 1 (hereinafter referred to as partial period numbers). Furthermore, in the YOGO diagram 200 illustrated in FIG. 5 , the trigger line 202 is pulled in the vertical direction, so the trigger line 202 and the trigger line 202 are aligned in the horizontal direction during the interval. However, the trigger line 202 can also be pulled in the transverse direction, in which case the plurality of portions are aligned vertically.

In addition, the YOGO diagram 200 of this embodiment is divided into a plurality of rectangular areas by a plurality of dividing lines 201, and consecutive numbers starting from No. 1 (hereinafter referred to as actuator numbers) are assigned to these rectangular areas. The actuator mounted on the automatic manufacturing machine 1 is allocated to any area. In the example shown in FIG. 5 , the actuator 10 is allocated to the area with the actuator number 1 (refer to FIG. 1 ), and the actuator 11 is allocated to the area with the actuator number 2 (refer to FIG. 1 ), the actuator 12 is allocated to the area with the actuator number 3 (refer to Figure 1), and the actuator 13 is allocated to the area with the actuator number 4 (refer to Figure 1). Since the automatic manufacturing machine 1 of this embodiment is equipped with 11 actuators 10 to 20, all of these actuators are distributed one by one in the rectangular area in this way.

Next, the basic movements of the actuators 10 to 20 are recorded on the areas where the actuators 10 to 20 are allocated. For example, if you want the actuator 10 to perform the basic operation in partial period 4, on the YOGO diagram 200, record the desired operation at the specified grid coordinate position where the actuator number is No. 1 and the partial period number is No. 4. The basic actions performed by the actuator 10. In addition, in order to cause the actuator 10 to perform the basic operation in the partial period 4 and the partial period 8, the grid coordinate position where the actuator number is 1 and the partial period number is 4, and the actuator number is 1 The coordinate position numbered No. 8 and the partial period number is No. 8 records the basic movement to be performed by the actuator 10 . In this way, it is as if the basic movement of the actuator 10 is recorded on the rectangular area with the actuator number 1 on the YOGO diagram 200, and the basic movement of the actuator 11 is recorded in the rectangular area with the actuator number 2. As above, the basic operations of the actuators 10 to 20 are recorded on the areas allocated to the actuators 10 to 20 on the YOGO diagram 200 . The YOGO diagram 200 of this embodiment describes the basic operations in this way for the following reasons.

First, the original YOGO diagram illustrated in Figure 4(a) will be described. In the original YOGO diagram, the operations of multiple actuators are mixed and described. For example, it is difficult to immediately understand the operation of cylinder A in part period 1. During which action will be performed next. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine how each actuator operates, and it is also difficult to interpret the number of operations of each actuator. As a result, for example, there is a possibility that the presence of an actuator that has not returned to its original position is not detected, or that the presence of an actuator whose operation is forgotten is not detected.

In contrast, in the YOGO diagram 200 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 , since the areas described for each action of the actuators are separated, it can be visually understood and easily imagined which actuator operates during which part. And the number of actions of each actuator can be easily judged. Therefore, even if there is an actuator that has not returned to its original position, or there is an actuator whose operation has been forgotten, this can be easily understood. As a result, the YOGO diagram 200 for causing the automatic manufacturing machine 1 to operate as desired can be easily created.

Furthermore, as described later in the YOGO diagram 200 of this embodiment, the actions of machines other than actuators (for example, heaters, etc.) can also be described, and the machines can also be allocated to rectangular areas one by one.

In addition, in the YOGO diagram 200 of this embodiment, basic operations are described as follows. As an example, the basic operation of the actuator 13 that operates first will be described using the YOGO diagram 200 in FIG. 5 . Since the actuator that operates is actuator 13, the corresponding actuator number is No. 4, and since it is the first to operate, the corresponding partial period number is No. 1. Therefore, the position of the basic operation recorded on the YOGO diagram 200 is the coordinate position of the actuator number 4 and the partial period number 1. In the square corresponding to the coordinate position numbered No. 1 in the partial period, since there is trigger line No. 1 202 on the left and trigger line No. 2 202 on the right, the mark from trigger line No. 1 202 to trigger line No. 2 202 indicates agreement. Action line 203 of actuator action. Next, mark the starting point 204 indicating the start of the action on the left end of the action line 203 (so it is on the trigger line No. 1 202), and mark the end point 205 showing the end of the action on the right end of the action line 203 (so it is on the trigger line No. 2 202). In the example shown in FIG. 5 , the action line 203 is represented by a thick solid line, the starting point 204 is represented by a black circle mark with a white background, and the end point 205 is represented by a black circle mark.

Further, on the action line 203, the basic action to be performed by the actuator is marked. Here, in the YOGO diagram 200 of this embodiment, the basic actions are marked using two elements: "action description" and "numeric value table". In the example shown in Figure 5, on the operating line 203 with the actuator number 4 and the partial period number 1, there are two marks: "Ω-AC" and "AC-B11", among which the mark "Ω-AC" is the action description 206a, and the label "AC-B11" is the numerical value table 206b. The action description 206a and the numerical value table 206b will be described in detail later, but roughly speaking, the action description 206a is an indication describing the qualitative content of the basic action (for example, forward, backward, rotation, etc.). In addition, the numerical value table 206b is a table in which numerical values indicating the quantitative content of the basic movement (for example, movement amount, speed, torque, etc.) are set.

Therefore, on the YOGO diagram 200 of FIG. 5 , the marks "Ω-AC" and "AC-B01" marked at the coordinate positions where the actuator number is No. 4 and the partial period number is No. 1 represent the following contents, and That is, the actuator with the actuator number 4 (actuator 13 in the example of Figure 5) performs the basic operation according to the operation description 206a "Ω-AC" at the time point with the partial period number 1. , and the specific numerical value used when performing basic actions is the value set in the numerical value table 206b "AC-B01".

In addition, as shown in the YOGO diagram 200 of FIG. 5 , the operation description 206a "Ω-AA" is written for the actuator 10, but the operation description 206a "Ω-AB" is written for the actuator 11, and the operation descriptions 206a are different. The reason is that as described above using FIG. 1 , the actuator 10 is an actuator for opening and closing the chuck 3 b, and the actuator 11 is an actuator for rotating the grip shaft 3 a around the axis. That is, since the action description 206a of the basic action of the actuator 10 is "opening and closing action" and the action description 206a of the basic action of the actuator 11 is "rotating action", the actuator 10 and the actuator 11 use Different action description 206a. For the same reason, the actuator 11 and the actuator 12 also use different action descriptions 206a.

In contrast, the actuator 12 and the actuator 13 use the same operation description 206a "Ω-AC". As mentioned above using FIG. 1 , the actuator 12 is an actuator for moving the holding shaft 3 a forward and backward in the axial direction, and the actuator 13 is an actuator for moving the entire transport unit 3 forward and backward. Although the size, weight, movement amount, etc. of the moving object are greatly different, from the perspective of moving the object forward and backward, they are the same. Therefore, actuator 12 and actuator 13 can use the same action description 206a. In addition, the actuator 17 is an actuator used to move the entire processing unit 4 up and down. However, since the up and down movement can be understood as a kind of forward and backward movement, the actuator 17 can also be combined with the actuator 12 and the actuator 17 . 13 Use the same action description for 206a "Ω-AC". Furthermore, since the actuators 14 to 16 are all actuators that move the pneumatic cylinder forward and backward, they all use the action description 206a "Ω-CA".

In this way, in the YOGO diagram 200 of this embodiment, in principle, the action description 206a and the value table 206b are used to describe the basic action of the actuator. In this way, the operation description 206a can be common to a plurality of actuators. As shown in FIG. 1 , the automatic manufacturing machine 1 of this embodiment is equipped with 11 actuators 10 to 20 , but there are four types of operation descriptions 206 a used in the YOGO diagram 200 .

The above is the basic method of describing the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 using the YOGO diagram 200. However, in order to make the description of the operation easier, various description methods are prepared in the YOGO diagram 200.

Figure 6 shows a YOGO chart 200 that is different from the above-mentioned Figure 5 and includes the lower range of the chart. However, in the YOGO chart 200 shown in Figure 6, the trigger line No. 13 202 and the trigger line No. 15 202 are dotted trigger lines 202. . This means that the action assigned to the partial period between trigger line 202 No. 13 to No. 15 (that is, the partial period numbered No. 13 and No. 14) is repeated. Below the No. 13 trigger line 202 that appears first among the two trigger lines 202, the repeat condition is marked in the dotted rectangle 208. In the example shown in FIG. 6 , the operation assigned to a part of the period from trigger line 202 to trigger line 15 is repeatedly executed until the value of variable VC becomes 0. Then, when the repetition condition marked below the trigger line 202 No. 13 (here, the variable VC=0) is established, the action marked by the starting point 204 on the trigger line 202 No. 15 starts (that is, the partial period number is allocated It is an action during part of the 15th).

In addition, in the YOGO chart 200 shown in FIG. 6 , the trigger line 202 No. 16 and the trigger line 202 No. 19 are the trigger lines 202 of the one-point chain line. These indicate different conditions. In addition, below the No. 16 trigger line 202 and below the No. 19 trigger line 202, each represents a rectangle 208 with a one-point chain line, which represents a divergence condition. In the example shown in Figure 6, the rectangle 208 below the trigger line 202 No. 16 is marked with "A>B", and the rectangle 208 below the trigger line 202 No. 19 is marked with "ELSE". This means that when If the condition of "A>B" is established, then the action marked by the starting point 204 on the trigger line 202 of No. 16 (that is, the action allocated to the partial period with the partial period number 16) starts, and when "A>B" If the condition is not met (ELSE situation), then the action marked by the starting point 204 on the trigger line 202 of No. 16 (that is, the action assigned to the partial period with the partial period number 16) starts.

As explained in summary above, the YOGO diagram 200 describes the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 by recording basic operations in grid-like coordinate positions specified by actuator numbers and partial period numbers. The YOGO diagram 200 of this embodiment uses action description 206a and value table 206b to specify basic actions. The reason for this is to minimize the possibility of erroneous content being recorded on the YOGO chart 200 . In the following, in order to explain this reason, the operation description 206a and the numerical value table 206b will be described.

B-4. Action description: FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the action description 206a used in the YOGO diagram 200 of this embodiment. The operation description 206a "Ω-AA" is an operation description 206a indicating that the actuator performs an opening and closing operation. This operation description 206a assumes that the actuator has a chuck mechanism combined with an AC servo motor. On the contrary, in the case of an actuator that is not combined with an AC servo motor and has a chuck mechanism, even if the action of the actuator is an opening and closing action, the action description 206a "Ω-AA" cannot be used.

In addition, since the action description 206a "Ω-AA" describes the simple action content of causing the actuator combined with the chuck mechanism to open and close the AC servo motor, a small device for realizing the action content can be created in advance. Program (i.e. program component). Therefore, the action description 206a is stored in association with a serial number (hereinafter referred to as a program element number) for specifying a program element that realizes the action content. Furthermore, even if it is an actuator that performs the same opening and closing operation, the action description 206a "Ω-AA" cannot be used unless it is an actuator with a chuck mechanism combined with an AC servo motor. The reason is that the program element number is stored in a corresponding manner in the action description 206a. That is, the reason is: considering that if the structure of the actuator is different, the program components used to operate the actuator are also different, and when the corresponding program components are different, it is also necessary to describe the action in advance 206a is different.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7 , the operation description 206a "Ω-AB" represents an operation description 206a assuming that an AC servo motor is combined with a deceleration mechanism and the actuator is rotated, and the program The corresponding component number is stored as No. 7. Similarly, the action description 206a "Ω-AC" represents the action description 206a assuming that an AC servo motor is combined with a ball screw mechanism and causing the actuator to perform forward and backward movements, and the program element number is stored accordingly for number 4. Furthermore, the action description 206a "Ω-CA" represents the action description 206a assuming that an actuator using a pneumatic cylinder is used and causing the actuator to perform a forward and backward action, and the program element number corresponds to and is stored as No. 2.

Furthermore, since the program component No. 2 only switches the opening and closing state of the port of the pneumatic cylinder, it should be realized by a simpler method (such as relay, logic circuit, sequence control, etc.). However, by realizing this simple content using a program component, simple control assuming a pneumatic cylinder can be operated in the same manner as other complex control assuming an AC servo motor.

B-5. Numerical table: The above action description 206a only qualitatively describes the content of the action, such as opening and closing actions, rotation actions, forward and backward actions, etc. Therefore, the action description 206a is basically used in combination with the value table 206b. For example, in the YOGO diagram 200 shown in FIG. 5, the action description 206a used for the actuator 10 with the actuator number 1 is "Ω-AA", and the numerical table 206b is used when the partial period number is 4. "AA-B01" uses numerical table 206b "AA-B01" when the partial period number is No. 6, and uses numerical table 206b "AA-B01" when the partial period number is No. 10. Here, the name "AA-B01" indicates the value table 206b "B01" used in combination with the action description 206a "Ω-AA". Similarly, the name "AA-B02" represents the value table 206b "B02" used in combination with the action description 206a "Ω-AA".

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the numerical value table 206b used in combination with the action description 206a "Ω-AA". Fig. 8(a) shows the numerical value table 206b "AA-B01", and Fig. 8(b) shows the numerical value table 206b "AA-B02". Furthermore, two numerical tables 206b are illustrated in FIG. 8, but more numerical tables 206b can be set as needed. The numerical value table 206b illustrated in FIG. 8 is set with four items: "numeric value table number", "opening and closing speed", "opening and closing load", and "reference table". The "numeric value table number" is the consecutive number of the numerical value table 206b. For example, when the value table number is designated as No. 5, it will be specified as the value table 206b "AA-B01" in Figure 8(a), and when the value table number is designated as No. 6, it will be designated as Figure 8(b) Numerical value table 206b "AA-B02". The "reference table" will be explained later.

In addition, the numerical value table 206b illustrated in FIG. 8 is set with four items, but for the user to combine with the action description 206a to describe the basic action, there are two items: "opening and closing speed" and "opening and closing load". Here, the reason why the two items of "opening and closing speed" and "opening and closing load" are set is because this numerical table 206b is used in combination with the action description 206a "Ω-AA" indicating the opening and closing action. That is, the action description 206a "Ω-AA" can only know the qualitative content of the opening and closing action, but cannot know the quantitative content such as the speed of the opening and closing action and the load during opening and closing. Therefore, the items "opening and closing speed" and "opening and closing load" are set in the numerical value table 206b, and these values are set in advance. Furthermore, setting the "opening and closing speed" of the numerical value table 206b to a positive value indicates that the closing action is performed (see FIG. 8(a) ), and setting the "opening and closing speed" to a negative value indicates that the opening action is performed (refer to FIG. 8(b) ).

In addition, in the YOGO diagram 200 of FIG. 5, an action description 206a "Ω-AB" is used for the actuator 11 with the actuator number 2, and a numerical table 206b "AB-" is used in combination with the partial period number 2. B01", when the partial period number is No. 8, the value table 206b "AB-B02" is used in combination. The names "AB-B01" and "AB-B02" respectively represent the numerical tables 206b "B01" and "B02" used in combination with the action description 206a "Ω-AB".

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the numerical table 206b used in combination with the action description 206a "Ω-AB". Fig. 9(a) shows the numerical value table 206b "AB-B01", and Fig. 9(b) shows the numerical value table 206b "AB-B02". Furthermore, FIG. 9 illustrates two numerical tables 206b, but more numerical tables 206b can be set as needed. The numerical value table 206b illustrated in FIG. 9 has a total of five items including "rotation angle", "rotation speed", and "rotation torque" in addition to "numerical table number" and "reference table". Among them, the items "rotation angle", "rotation speed", and "rotation torque" are items used to describe the basic action in combination with the action description 206a. In addition, the reason why the items of "rotation angle", "rotation speed", and "rotation torque" are set in the numerical value table 206b in FIG. 9 is because this numerical value table 206b is used in combination with the action description 206a "Ω-AB" indicating the rotation action. . That is, since the action description 206a "Ω-AB" can only determine the rotational action, the angle at which it rotates, the speed at which it rotates, and the torque at which it rotates are expressed as "rotation angle", The items of "rotation speed" and "rotation torque" are set in the numerical value table 206b in advance. Furthermore, there are cases where the "rotation angle" of the numerical value table 206b is set to a positive numerical value, and when it is set to a negative numerical value, this means that the rotation direction is opposite.

Further, in the YOGO diagram 200 of FIG. 5 , the actuator 12 with the actuator number 3, the actuator 13 with the actuator number 4, and the actuator 8 with the actuator number 17, both use action description 206a "Ω-AB". On the other hand, different values are used for the actuator 12 with the actuator number 3, the actuator 13 with the actuator number 4, and the actuator 17 with the actuator number 8. Table 206b. That is, for the actuator 12 whose actuator number is No. 3, use the numerical table 206b "AC-B01" or "AC-B02" in combination, and for the actuator 13 whose actuator number is No. 4, use the combination The numerical value table 206b "AC-B11" or "AC-B12" is used in combination with the numerical value table 206b "AC-B21" or "AC-B22" for the actuator 17 whose actuator number is No. 8. Here, the names "AC-B01", "AC-B02", "AC-B11", "AC-B12", "AC-B21", and "AC-B22" respectively represent and describe the actions 206a "Ω -AC" numerical table 206b used in combination with "B01", "B02", "B11", "B12", "B21", and "B22".

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the numerical value table 206b used in combination with the action description 206a "Ω-AC". Furthermore, FIG. 10 illustrates six numerical tables 206b, but more numerical tables 206b can be set as needed. The numerical value table 206b illustrated in FIG. 10 has a total of five items including "moving amount", "moving speed", and "moving load" in addition to "numerical table number" and "reference table". Among them, the items of "moving amount", "moving speed", and "moving load" are items used to describe the basic action in combination with the action description 206a. In addition, the reason why the items of "moving amount", "moving speed" and "moving load" are set in the numerical value table 206b in Figure 10 is because this numerical value table 206b is used in combination with the action description 206a "Ω-AC" indicating the forward and backward action. . Furthermore, there are cases where the "movement amount" of the numerical value table 206b is set to a positive value and a negative value, which means that the moving direction is opposite.

Further, in the YOGO diagram 200 of FIG. 5 , the actuator 14 with the actuator number 5, the actuator 15 with the actuator number 6, and the actuator 7 with the actuator number 16, all use action description 206a "Ω-CA". This system corresponds to the fact that the actuators 14 to 16 are all pneumatic cylinders, and the basic action content is "forward and backward action". In addition, the numerical value table 206b is not combined with the action description 206a "Ω-CA". The reason for this is that the actuators 14 to 16 are pneumatic cylinders, and the pneumatic cylinder operates by switching the action port that applies air pressure among the two action ports, so there is no need to use quantitative numerical values to describe the content of the action.

As described in detail above, in the YOGO diagram 200 of this embodiment, the basic motion is marked at the coordinate position specified by the combination of the partial period number and the actuator number, thereby specifying the actuator and the actuator that perform the basic motion. Give it the opportunity to perform basic actions. Furthermore, in principle, the basic action is represented by a combination of action description 206a and numerical value table 206b. This can avoid a situation in which erroneous content is recorded in the YOGO chart 200 . The reason is as follows.

For example, in the case of describing the basic motion of an actuator, describing "only forward 55 mm" or "only rotating 35 degrees in the forward direction" will greatly increase the difficulty compared to just describing "forward" or "rotation" Spend. This reason is because the qualitative description of "making the actuator advance" or "making the actuator rotate" only directly expresses the content of human thinking, and adds the quantitative content of "only 55mm" or "only 35 degrees" , it can no longer be said that it directly expresses the content of thinking. As shown in FIG. 5 , since a large number of basic actions are marked in the YOGO diagram 200 , as the difficulty of marking each basic action increases, the possibility of erroneous content being marked in the YOGO diagram 200 as a whole increases.

In contrast, in the YOGO diagram 200 of this embodiment, since the basic operation is described by a combination of the action description 206a and the numerical value table 206b, when making the YOGO diagram 200, you can focus on marking the action description 206a, and about The value table 206b may be marked in advance. In this way, since the operation of creating the YOGO diagram 200 is essentially the same as the operation of directly expressing human thinking content, the possibility of marking wrong content in the YOGO diagram 200 can be greatly reduced. In addition, even when correcting the movement amount of the actuator, etc., it is only necessary to correct the numerical value table 206b, and there is no need to correct the YOGO diagram 200. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the YOGO chart 200 from being mistakenly corrected.

In addition, when the basic actions of the actuator are divided into action descriptions 206a and numerical tables 206b, then the action descriptions 206a that each actuator can perform are naturally limited. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 5 , the action description 206a that the actuator 10 can perform is only "Ω-AA". This is because the actuator 10 is an actuator for opening and closing the chuck 3b. As a basic As for the qualitative description content of the action (that is, the action description 206a), one category of opening and closing actions is sufficient. Of course, the chuck 3b can also be opened and closed in a plurality of modes and an action description 206a of each mode can be prepared. However, even in this case, the types of action descriptions 206a that each actuator can perform are at most only There are several species.

As a result, in the YOGO diagram 200, the same action description 206a is repeatedly marked at the coordinate position with the same actuator number (even if they are different, there are at most only a few types of action descriptions 206a). Therefore, if an incorrect action description 206a is marked, only the action description 206a is a different action description 206a, so that the error can be easily discovered and corrected.

B-6. Reference table: As illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 10 , the item "reference table" is also set in the numerical value table 206b of this embodiment. This reference table is also used to make the YOGO chart 200 easy to create.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the reference table set in the numerical value table 206b shown in FIG. 8 . FIG. 11(a) shows the reference table (AA-A01) set in the numerical value table 206b (AA-B01) of FIG. 8(a). In addition, FIG. 11(b) shows the reference table (AA-A02) set in the numerical value table 206b (AA-B02) of FIG. 8(b). In the reference tables shown in Figure 11, there are six settings: "Maximum speed", "Maximum load", "Opening and closing speed standard value", "Opening and closing load standard value", "Clamp mechanism reduction ratio", " The collet mechanism corresponds to the diameter range."

Among them, the items "Maximum speed", "Maximum load", "Opening and closing speed standard value", "Opening and closing load standard value" correspond to these reference tables (AA-A01, AA-A02) from the value table shown in Figure 8 206b (AA-B01, AA-B02). In other words, the numerical value table 206b (AA-B01, AA-B02) is a table in which the numerical values of "opening and closing speed" and "opening and closing load" are set (see Figure 8), and the maximum value of the opening and closing speed and the maximum value of the opening and closing load can be set. , respectively, are set in the reference table as "maximum speed" and "maximum load". In addition, the "opening and closing speed standard value" and the "opening and closing load standard value" are the standard values used when no values are set in the "opening and closing speed" and "opening and closing load" of the numerical value table 206b.

Next, when creating the numerical value table 206b (AA-B01) in FIG. 8(a) , "AA-A01" is set in advance in the item "reference table". In addition, when creating the numerical value table 206b (AA-B02) in FIG. 8(b), "AA-A02" is set in advance in the item "reference table". In this way, when setting the value of the item "opening and closing speed" or "opening and closing load" of the numerical value table 206b (AA-B01, AA-B02), refer to the "maximum speed" of the reference table in Figure 11(a) or Figure 11(b) ” or “maximum load” items, so that inappropriate values that exceed the maximum speed or maximum load will not be set. Therefore, an appropriate numerical value table 206b can be easily created.

In addition, even if no value is set in the items of the numerical value table 206b (AA-B01, AA-B02), the standard value set in the corresponding item in the reference table will be used. Therefore, by first letting the automatic manufacturing machine 1 action, and modify the values in the value table 206b as needed, and finally the appropriate YOGO chart 200 can be completed.

In addition, the items "collet mechanism reduction ratio" and "collet mechanism corresponding diameter range" are also set in the reference table of Figures 11(a) and 11(b). These describe the mechanical characteristics of the actuator. That is, the reference table is referenced from the numerical value table 206b, and the numerical value table 206b is set assuming a specific actuator. Therefore, the reference table is also set assuming a specific actuator. For example, the reference tables of FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b) are referenced from the numerical tables 206b of FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b). Since these numerical tables 206b are used for the actuator 10, Therefore, the reference tables of FIG. 11( a ) and FIG. 11( b ) are also used for the actuator 10 .

In this way, the reference table applies individually to the respective actuator. Therefore, the mechanical characteristics of the actuator are set in the reference table in advance. The reference table illustrated in FIG. 11 is applicable to the actuator 11 which has a chuck mechanism combined with an AC servo motor and opens and closes the chuck 3b. Correspondingly, mechanical characteristics such as the reduction ratio of the collet mechanism and the diameter range of the parts that can be held by the collet mechanism are set in the reference table. By setting the characteristic values in the reference table in advance in this way, even if these mechanical characteristics are required in the program element for controlling the AC servo motor, the reference table can be referred to and the characteristic values can be read out, so the use of wrong characteristic value control can be avoided. motor, and incorrectly controls the actuator state.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the reference table set in the two numerical tables 206b shown in FIG. 9 . Fig. 12(a) shows the reference table (AB-A01) set in the numerical value table 206b (AB-B01) of Fig. 9(a), and Fig. 12(b) shows the numerical value table 206b (AB-B01) of Fig. 9(b) Reference table (AB-A02) set in AB-B02). In these reference tables, there are seven settings: "Angle range", "Maximum rotation speed", "Maximum rotation torque", "Rotation angle standard value", "Rotation speed standard value", "Rotation torque standard value", and "reduction ratio".

Among them, the items "angle range", "maximum rotation speed", "maximum rotation torque", "standard value of rotation angle", "standard value of rotation speed", "standard value of rotation torque" correspond to the reference table (AB -A01, AB-A02) refer to the numerical table 206b (AB-B01, AB-B02) shown in FIG. 9 . That is, the numerical table 206b (AB-B01, AB-B02) is a table in which the numerical values of "rotation angle", "rotation speed", and "rotation torque" are set (see FIG. 9). Corresponding to this, it is actually possible to perform The maximum angle range, maximum rotation speed, and maximum rotation torque are respectively set in the reference table. In addition, the "standard value of rotation angle", "standard value of rotation speed" and "standard value of rotation torque" are the values that have not been set in the "rotation angle", "rotation speed" and "rotation torque" of the value table 206b. The standard value used in the situation.

Next, when creating the numerical table 206b (AB-B01, AB-B02) in Figure 9(a) and Figure 9(b), set "AB-A01" or "AB-A02" in the item "Reference Table" in advance . In this way, when setting the value of the "rotation angle" of the value table 206b (AB-B01, AB-B02), refer to the item "angle range" of the reference table, so that it cannot set a value exceeding the angle after rotation ±180 degrees. . In addition, when setting the values of "rotation speed" and "rotation torque" of numerical value table 206b (AB-B01, AB-B02), you can also refer to the items "maximum rotation speed" and "maximum rotation torque" of the reference table, and This prevents it from setting inappropriate values that exceed the maximum rotation speed and maximum rotation torque.

In addition, even if no numerical value is set in the items of numerical value table 206b (AB-B01, AB-B02), the standard value set for the corresponding item in the reference table can be used. Furthermore, in the reference table illustrated in FIG. 12 , the "reduction ratio" of the reduction mechanism is set as the mechanical characteristic value of the actuator (actuator 11 in this case) used in the reference table.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the reference table set in the six numerical table 206b shown in FIG. 10 . Fig. 13(a) shows the reference table (AC-A01) set in the numerical value table 206b (AC-B01) of Fig. 10(a), and Fig. 13(b) shows the numerical value table 206b (AC-B01) of Fig. 10(b) Reference table (AC-A02) set in AC-B02). Further, FIG. 13(c) summarizes the references set in the four numerical tables 206b (AC-B11, AC-B12, AC-B21, AC-B22) shown in FIGS. 10(c) to 10(f). Table (AC-A11, AC-A12, AC-A21, AC-A22). In these reference tables, there are eight settings: "Moving range", "Maximum moving speed", "Maximum moving load", "Moving amount standard value", "Moving speed standard value", "Moving load standard value", "Reduction ratio" and "pitch".

Among them, the items "moving range", "maximum moving speed", "maximum moving load", "moving amount standard value", "moving speed standard value", and "moving load standard value" correspond to the values shown in Figure 10 Table 206b refers to the situation of these reference tables. That is, the numerical value table 206b in Fig. 10 is a table in which the numerical values of "movement amount", "movement speed" and "movement load" are set (see Fig. 10). Corresponding to this, the actual possible movement range and maximum movement are Speed and maximum moving load are respectively set in the reference table. In addition, the "standard value of movement amount", "standard value of movement speed", and "standard value of movement load" are the cases where values are not set in the "movement amount", "movement speed", and "moving load" of the value table 206b The standard value used.

When creating the numerical value table 206b illustrated in FIG. 10, if an appropriate reference table is set in advance in the item "reference table" of each numerical value table 206b, inappropriate numerical values can be prevented from being set in the numerical value table 206b. . In addition, even if no numerical value is set in an item of the numerical value table 206b, the standard value set for the corresponding item in the reference table can be used. Furthermore, in the reference table illustrated in FIG. 13 , the "reduction ratio" of the reduction mechanism, the "pitch" of the ball screw mechanism, etc. are set as mechanical characteristic values of the actuator used in the reference table.

Furthermore, in Figure 13, the reference tables "AC-A01" and "AC-A02", the reference tables "AC-A11" and "AC-A12", and the reference tables "AC-A21" and "AC-A22" , the values set for "reduction ratio" and "pitch" that represent the mechanical characteristics of the actuator are different. The reason is that the reference tables are applied to different actuators. That is, the reference tables "AC-A01" and "AC-A02" in Figure 13 are applicable to the actuator 12, the reference tables "AC-A11" and "AC-A12" are applicable to the actuator 13, and the reference table " AC-A21" and "AC-A22" are suitable for actuator 17. In this way, if the applicable actuators are different, the mechanical characteristic values of the actuators will also change, so the values set in the reference table will also be different.

As described in detail above, in the YOGO diagram 200 of this embodiment, the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 is described by marking the basic operation of the actuator at the coordinate position specified by the actuator number and the partial period number. However, in the automatic manufacturing machine 1, there is a case where a certain time interval is left before starting the operation of the actuator, or, for example, the actuator is operated only after confirming that a certain number of parts have been supplied. Furthermore, there are cases where a sound (including sound effect) is outputted before the operation of the actuator is started to draw the attention of surrounding workers, and the lights are turned on and off after a certain period of time. Even so, the action of using a timer to count a certain amount of time, the action of using a counter to count a certain number, the action of outputting sound from a loudspeaker, and the action of turning on or off the light to make the light shine are not actions of the actuator, but can be regarded as actions of the actuator. Compare its movements and operate in the same way as the basic movements. Therefore, in the YOGO diagram 200 , although it is not the movement of the actuator, it is possible to describe a movement that can be operated in the same manner as the basic movement (hereinafter referred to as a movement that is compared to the basic movement).

B-7. Compare the basic movements: FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an aspect of actions that can be operated similarly to basic actions on the YOGO diagram 200 . In Figure 14(a), the action of calculating the elapsed specified time (timing action) is described. In the YOGO diagram 200, the timing action of the timer can also be represented by marking the action description 206a of the timer on the action line 203 with the starting point 204 at the left end and the end point 205 at the right end (here it is Ω-TM1). And the timer is described by the value table 206b (here T-15). In the value table 206b for the timer, the elapsed time measured by the timer is set in advance.

In FIG. 14(b) , an aspect of an action (counting action) of counting a specified number (or a specified number of times) is illustrated. The counting action of the counter can also be achieved by marking on the action line 203 having the starting point 204 at the left end and the end point 205 at the right end, indicating the action description 206a (here Ω-CT1) of the counting action of the counter and the value table 206b for the counter ( This is described as N-12). In the value table 206b for the counter, a designated number or a designated number of times for calculation is set.

In FIG. 14(c), an example is described of monitoring the state of the switch during a specified time and detecting the switch switching operation (switch detection operation). Here, the switch may be a switch such as an operation button, a proximity switch, or an optical switch such as a photoelectric coupler. This kind of switch detection action can also be achieved by marking an action description 206a (here, Ω-SW1) of the switch detection action and a numerical table 206b for switch detection on the action line 203 having a starting point 204 at the left end and an end point 205 at the right end. to describe. In the value table 206b for switch detection, a time for monitoring the status of the switch is set.

FIG. 14(d) illustrates an operation of outputting sound from a loudspeaker (sound output operation). In the YOGO diagram 200, the sound output action of the loudspeaker is also represented by a mark on the action line 203 having a starting point 204 at the left end and an end point 205 at the right end indicating the action description 206a of the driving of the loudspeaker (here Ω- SP1) and the sound output are described by the numerical table 206b. The sound data output from the loudspeaker is set in the value table 206b for sound output.

In FIG. 14(e) , a state of the light-emitting operation for causing the lamp to light is exemplified. The light-emitting action of the lamp is also marked on the action line 203 having the starting point 204 at the left end and the end point 205 at the right end, indicating the action description 206a of the light-emitting action of the lamp (here Ω-LL1) and the numerical table 206b of the light-emitting action. to describe. In the value table 206b of the light-emitting action, the state of making the lamp light up (for example, the state of turning the light on or off) is set.

FIG. 14( f ) illustrates a heating operation in which a heater is used to heat an object or to heat and prepare ingredients. The heating action of the heater is also marked on the action line 203 having the starting point 204 at the left end and the end point 205 at the right end, indicating the action description 206a of the heater's heating action (here, Ω-HT1) and the numerical value of the heating action. Table 206b to describe. The heating temperature and heating time are set in the numerical value table 206b of the heating action.

As mentioned above, in the YOGO diagram 200 of this embodiment, the automatic manufacturing machine 1 is described by using the action description 206a and the numerical table 206b to mark the basic actions (or actions based on the basic actions) at the coordinate positions on the YOGO diagram 200 action. Next, when such a YOGO diagram 200 is created, the YOGO diagram 200 can be read in the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 to generate a control program. As a result, the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 can be controlled.

C. Automatic manufacturing machinery control device 100 of this embodiment: FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing the functions of the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15 , the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 of this embodiment includes a YOGO diagram creation part 101 , a basic action storage part 102 , a YOGO diagram reading part 103 , a YOGO diagram analysis part 104 , a control program generation part 105 , and Control execution unit 106 and so on. In addition, these "parts" are used to express the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 in order to use the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 to create the YOGO diagram 200 and generate a control program from the YOGO diagram 200 to control the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine 1. An abstract concept with multiple functions that should be provided in advance. Therefore, it does not mean that the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 is formed by combining parts corresponding to these "parts". In fact, these "parts" can be realized in the form of programs executed by a central processing unit (CPU), or in the form of electronic circuits that combine IC chips, LSIs, etc., and further, can be realized in the form of electronic circuits such as IC chips and LSIs. It can be realized in various forms such as the form of mixed existence.

The YOGO diagram making unit 101 is connected to the display screen 100m and the operation input buttons 100s, etc., and a mechanical technician or the like with knowledge related to the automatic manufacturing machine 1 can create a diagram by operating the operation input buttons 100s while viewing the display screen 100m. 5 illustrates the YOGO diagram 200. As mentioned above, the YOGO diagram 200 describes the movement of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 using the basic movements of a plurality of actuators mounted on the automatic manufacturing machine 1 . Since during machine design, mechanical design technicians fully explore how to optimally combine the basic movements of a plurality of actuators in order to realize the movement of the automatic manufacturing machine 1, therefore as long as they are mechanical design technicians who have performed mechanical design, Then, the YOGO diagram 200 describing the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 can be easily created. Of course, as long as a person has relevant knowledge about the structure or operation of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 , even a person who is not skilled in designing the automatic manufacturing machine 1 can easily create the YOGO diagram 200 .

In addition, in this embodiment, when marking basic actions in the YOGO diagram 200, in principle, the action description 206a and the numerical value table 206b are used to mark the basic actions, and the usable action description 206a is determined according to the actuator (see FIG. 7). Therefore, in the basic action storage unit 102, the name of the actuator is associated with the action description 206a that can be used by the actuator and stored in advance.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the name of the actuator is associated with the usable action description 206a and stored in the basic action storage unit 102. As shown in the figure, the basic action storage unit 102 stores action descriptions 206a that can be used by each actuator. Furthermore, each action description 206a stores a program element number. As mentioned above, the program element number is the number of the program element that is specifically used to implement the action of the action description 206a using the actuator. For example, the actuator 18 and the actuator 19 can select two action descriptions 206a with different action modes, and store the program element number in each action description 206a. In addition, for each actuator, the actuator structure and the content of the actuator's basic movement are also stored. Furthermore, the numerical value table 206b illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 10 and the reference table illustrated in FIGS. 11 to 13 are also stored in the basic action storage unit 102.

The above-mentioned basic action storage unit 102 is connected to the YOGO chart creation unit 101. Therefore, mechanical technicians can refer to the basic motion storage unit 102 when creating the YOGO diagram 200 . Next, as long as a mechanical technician with relevant knowledge of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 can understand how to operate which actuator, the appropriate operation description 206a can be selected according to the actuator. In addition, as mentioned above, since the operation description 206a qualitatively describes the content of the basic operation, the operation marked with the operation description 206a on the YOGO diagram 200 is only an operation that directly describes the operation to be performed by the automatic manufacturing machine 1. Unmarked content. In addition, regarding the numerical value table 206b, it is only necessary to set the temporary numerical value table 206b in advance. That is, as described above using Figures 8 to 10, since the name of the numerical value table 206b is a combination of the designated part of the name of the action description 206a used in combination with the consecutive number, the name of the numerical value table 206b can be determined in advance and Mark the YOGO chart 200, and then later correct the values in the value table 206b, or change the value table 206b. In addition, when the value table 206b of a new name is created, a new value table number is automatically numbered in the value table 206b (see Figures 8 to 10).

The YOGO chart reading unit 103 reads the YOGO chart 200 created by the YOGO chart creating unit 101 and outputs it to the YOGO chart analyzing unit 104 . Furthermore, in this embodiment, the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 is used to create the YOGO chart 200 . Correspondingly, the YOGO chart reading unit 103 reads the YOGO chart 200 from the YOGO chart creating unit 101 . On the other hand, the YOGO diagram 200 can be prepared in advance by the computer 50 provided separately from the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 and the YOGO diagram 200 can be read by the YOGO diagram reading unit 103 .

The YOGO diagram analysis unit 104 generates intermediate data by analyzing the YOGO diagram 200 received from the YOGO diagram reading unit 103, and then outputs the intermediate data to the control program generation unit 105. The processing of generating intermediate data from YOGO graphs will be explained in detail later.

When the control program generation unit 105 receives the intermediate data, it generates a control program from the intermediate data by referring to the basic action storage unit 102 . The method of generating the control program from the intermediate data is explained in detail later. Then, the obtained control program is output to the control execution unit 106 .

When the control execution unit 106 receives the control program from the control program generation unit 105, it obtains the program element stored corresponding to the program element number in the control program from the basic action storage unit 102. In addition, by referring to the basic action storage part 102, the value table 206b stored corresponding to the value table number in the control program is retrieved, and the values set in the value table 206b are obtained as parameters of the program element. By executing the program element that reads and sets the parameters in this way, the actuators 10 to 20 are controlled. As a result, the actuators 10 to 20 mounted on the automatic manufacturing machine 1 operate as described in the YOGO diagram 200 .

Furthermore, the YOGO diagram reading unit 103 of this embodiment corresponds to the "action diagram reading unit" of the present invention. In addition, the YOGO diagram reading unit 103, the YOGO diagram analysis unit 104, and the control program generation unit 105 described above in FIG. 9 are used to integrate them to realize the function of generating a control program from the YOGO diagram 200. Therefore, in the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 of this embodiment, the YOGO diagram reading unit 103, the YOGO diagram analysis unit 104, and the control program generation unit 105 correspond to the "control program generation device 110" of the present invention.

D. Control program generation processing: FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an outline of the control program generation process for executing the portion corresponding to the control program generation device 110 in the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 of this embodiment. As shown in the figure, in the control program generation process, YOGO diagram 200 is first read (STEP1). In this embodiment, since the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 creates the YOGO chart 200, it reads the data of the YOGO chart 200 created by itself. Of course, the data of the YOGO chart 200 created by other computers 50 can also be read.

Next, the read YOGO graph 200 is analyzed and intermediate data is output (STEP 2). FIG. 18 is a flowchart of the process of analyzing the YOGO diagram 200 and outputting intermediate data (YOGO diagram analysis processing) by the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 of this embodiment. This processing is performed by the YOGO diagram analysis unit 104 shown in FIG. 15 .

As shown in Fig. 18, when the YOGO diagram analysis process is started, the partial period number N and the actuator number M are first initialized to "1" (STEP 10). Next, it is determined whether the position of coordinates (N, M) on the YOGO diagram 200 is marked with a basic movement (STEP 11). Here, the coordinates (N, M) on the YOGO diagram 200 represent grid-shaped coordinate positions specified by the combination of the partial period number N and the actuator number M on the YOGO diagram 200 . During the initialization part of STEP 10, after the number N and the actuator number M, since N and M are both "1", it is determined whether the position of coordinates (1, 1) on the YOGO diagram 200 is marked with a basic action.

In the case of the YOGO diagram 200 illustrated in FIG. 5 , since the coordinates (1,1) do not mark the basic action, STEP 11 determines "no" and determines whether the actuator number M has reached the final value (STEP 14 ). Since the automatic manufacturing machine 1 of this embodiment is equipped with 11 actuators 10 to 20, the final value of the actuator number M is 11. Therefore, since the judgment in STEP 14 after confirming whether there is a basic movement at coordinates (1,1) is "no", the actuator number M is increased by 1 (STEP 15). Then, use the increased actuator number M to determine again whether there is a basic action marked at the coordinate position (N, M) (STEP 11).

In this way, while maintaining the partial period number N as "1" and increasing the actuator number M one by one, it is judged whether the coordinate (1, M) is marked with a basic action. Finally, it becomes the coordinate (1, M) marked with a basic action. ,M), STEP11 determines as "yes".

Next, if the judgment of STEP11 is "yes", the action description 206a of the basic action marked at the coordinate is read. Furthermore, if the value table 206b of the basic action is also marked, the value table 206b is read (STEP12) . In the YOGO diagram 200 illustrated in Figure 5, when the coordinates (1, 4) are reached, STEP11 is judged as "yes", and the action description 206a "Ω-AC" and the value table 206b "AC-B11" are read as the basic action.

Next, store the intermediate data (N, M, action description, numerical table) in the memory (STEP1). In the case of the coordinates (1,4) of the YOGO diagram 200 illustrated in FIG. 5 , the intermediate data (1,4,Ω-AC,AC-B11) is stored in the memory. Therefore, this intermediate data represents the position where the partial period number is No. 1 and the actuator number M is No. 4 on the YOGO diagram 200. It is marked with the action description 206a "Ω-AC" and the numerical table 206b "AC- Basic actions specified in B11".

In this way, after the intermediate data retrieved from the YOGO diagram 200 is stored in the memory (STEP 13), it is determined whether the actuator number M reaches the final value (11 in this case) (STEP 14). As a result, if the final value is not reached (STEP14: no), increase the actuator number M by 1 (STEP15), return to STEP11, and judge again whether the coordinates (N, M) on the YOGO diagram 200 are Basic actions are marked.

On the other hand, when the actuator number M reaches the final value (STEP14: yes), it is next determined whether the partial period number N reaches the final value (STEP16). For example, on the YOGO diagram 200, if the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 is described using 100 partial periods, then the final value of the partial period number N is 100.

As a result, when the partial period number N does not reach the final value (STEP16: no), increase the partial period number N by 1 (STEP17) and initialize the actuator number M to "1" (STEP18) , return to STEP11, and judge again whether the coordinates (N, M) on the YOGO diagram 200 are marked with basic actions. That is, on the YOGO chart 200 (refer to FIG. 5 ), the partial period whose partial period number N is No. 1 is sequentially confirmed from the top until it is confirmed to the bottom, and then the part whose partial period number N is No. 2 is confirmed. The periods are confirmed sequentially from the top. When the confirmation of the partial period of No. 2 is completed, the partial period number N is the partial period of No. 3. In this way, the partial period number N is the smaller partial period to the larger part. During this period, the basic actions marked in the YOGO diagram 200 are read, and the intermediate data is stored in the memory.

Then, this operation is repeated. Finally, when the judgment part period number N reaches the final value (STEP16: yes), all the basic actions marked in the YOGO diagram 200 are read. Next, the intermediate data stored in the memory in advance is read and output to the control program generation unit 105 (STEP 19). FIG. 19 illustrates the intermediate data obtained by analyzing the YOGO graph 200 shown in FIG. 5 . When such intermediate data is output, the YOGO diagram analysis process of Figure 18 ends, and returns to the control program generation process of Figure 17.

In the control program generation process of Fig. 17, a control program is generated based on the intermediate data obtained in this way (STEP 3). Fig. 20 shows a control program generated from the intermediate data illustrated in Fig. 19. Comparing the intermediate data in Figure 19 and the control program in Figure 20, it is obvious that in the control program, the action description 206a and the numerical value table 206b of the intermediate data are replaced with numerical values. This is because the action description 206a is replaced with the program element number (see FIG. 16) that realizes the action description 206a, and the numerical table 206b is replaced with the numerical table number of the numerical table 206b.

The operation of replacing the action description 206a and the numerical table 206b in the intermediate data with the program element number and the numerical table number respectively is performed by the control program generation unit 105 in FIG. 9 by referring to the basic action storage unit 102. That is, in the basic action storage unit 102, the action description 206a is stored in association with the program element number (see FIG. 16). Furthermore, the basic action storage unit 102 stores the numerical table 206b illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 10 , and a numerical table number is set in each numerical table 206b. Therefore, the control program generation unit 105 refers to the correspondence relationship in FIG. 16 stored in the basic action storage unit 102 and the numerical value table 206b illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 10, thereby generating the action description 206a and the numerical value table in the intermediate data. 206b, replaced by the program component number and the numerical table number.

As described above, when the control program is generated from the intermediate data (STEP 3 in FIG. 17 ), the generated control program is output to the control execution unit 106 (STEP 4 ), and the control program generation process in FIG. 17 is completed.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 20 , the control program of this embodiment is a set of data (hereinafter referred to as " data group"). Therefore, in the data group, the first data representing the partial period number N is called the "first element", the second data representing the actuator number M is called the "second element", and the program element is represented The third data of the number is called the "third element", and the fourth data representing the numerical table number is called the "fourth element". In addition, the control program of this embodiment is only the data of a plurality of consecutive data groups. However, the control execution unit 106 of the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 controls the operations of the actuators 10 to 20 of the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 as follows based on such a control program.

E. Action control processing: FIG. 21 is a flowchart of an operation control process in which the control execution unit 106 of the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 controls the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 according to the control program. As shown in FIG. 21, when the action control process starts, the partial period number N is first initialized to "1" (STEP 50). Next, obtain the data group whose first element is N from the control program (STEP51). After the operation process is started, the partial period number N is set to "1", so the data group (1, 4, 4, 19) is read from the control program illustrated in FIG. 20 .

Next, based on the value of the second element of the read data group, the actuator to be the control target is specified (STEP 52). If the data group read in STEP51 is (1,4,4,19), then the value of the second element is "4", so the actuator whose actuator number M is "4" becomes the control target. device. In addition, when a plurality of data groups are read in STEP 51, each actuator to be the control target is specified based on the value of the second element of each data group.

Furthermore, the program component number for causing the actuator to perform the basic movement is obtained by retrieving the program component number stored in the basic movement storage unit 102 based on the value of the third element of the read data group (STEP 53 ). If the data group read in STEP51 is (1,4,4,19), then the value of the third element is "4", so the program component used to perform basic operations is the program component number "4" Program component number.

Finally, in the case where a fourth element exists in the data group, its value represents the value table number of the parameter specified in the program element. Therefore, after specifying the numerical table 206b having the numerical table number by retrieving the numerical table 206b stored in the basic action storage unit 102, the numerical value set in the numerical table 206b is set as a parameter in the program element (STEP 54).

By performing the above operations of STEP51~STEP54, each actuator is made to perform the basic operation marked in a certain partial period on the YOGO diagram (after the start of the motion control process, the partial period number N is the partial period "1") Preparation for the action is complete. That is, since the actuator to be controlled has been specified (STEP 52), the program element for control has been acquired (STEP 53), and the parameters of the program element have been set (STEP 54), the program element is executed (STEP 55). For example, if the actuator is a servo motor and the basic action is to rotate the motor 180 degrees in the positive direction, the execution is to detect the rotation angle of the motor and repeatedly drive the motor in a specified control cycle until the rotation angle A program component that achieves 180 degree motion. In addition, if there are multiple program components, these program components will be executed simultaneously.

Next, it is judged whether the execution of all program components has ended (STEP56). That is, when STEP 55 executes multiple program components, since the execution of these program components may not end at the same time, it is determined whether the execution of all program components has ended. Of course, when only one program element is executed in STEP 55, it is determined whether the execution of the program element has ended.

As a result, if there are program components being executed remaining, STEP56 determines "no", and the same determination is repeated again (STEP56). Thereby, the system is in a standby state until the execution of all program components is completed. Then, when the execution of all program elements ends (STEP56: yes), it is judged whether the partial period number N has reached the final value (STEP57). For example, in the case where 100 partial periods are used to describe the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 on the YOGO diagram 200, it is determined whether the partial period number N has reached "100".

As a result, when the partial period number N does not reach the final value (STEP57: no), the partial period number N is increased by 1 (STEP58). Then, return to STEP51. After reading the data group whose first element is consistent with the new partial period number N from the control program, perform the above-mentioned operations of STEP52~STEP55 on the read data group. Thereby, one partial period is advanced from the partial period in which the previous basic action was executed, and all the basic actions marked in the new partial period are executed. Then, when all the basic operations of the new partial period are completed and STEP56 determines "yes", it is judged whether the partial period number N of the partial period has reached the final value (STEP57). As a result, if the partial period number N does not reach the final value (STEP57: no), increase the partial period number N by 1 (STEP58) and return to STEP51. For the new partial period number N, repeat the above STEP51~ Operation of STEP57.

In this way, in the operation control process of FIG. 21 , from the first partial period of the YOGO diagram 200 (that is, the partial period in which the partial period number N is No. 1) to the last partial period (the partial period in which the partial period number N is the final value) ), select part of the period one by one, and repeatedly perform the basic actions recorded in that part of the period. Then, when the basic action of the last part of the period is completed, STEP57 determines "yes" and ends the action control process.

As described in detail above, the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 of this embodiment can describe the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 in the YOGO diagram 200, automatically generate a control program from the YOGO diagram 200, and make the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 actions. In addition, as long as the structure and operation of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 are understood, the YOGO diagram 200 can be easily created even if there is no relevant knowledge of the program. Therefore, there is no need for a programmer to create a control program. Therefore, the time required to develop a new automatic manufacturing machine 1 can be significantly shortened (at least to less than half), and there is no need to secure a programmer in advance. As a result, it will be easier to introduce new automatic manufacturing machines at manufacturing sites, and the industry's demands for labor saving will be fully met.

In addition, in the YOGO diagram 200 of this embodiment, the basic actions of the actuator are marked separately in the action description 206a and the value table 206b. Since the action description 206a only qualitatively expresses the content of the basic action, simply marking the action description 206a in the YOGO diagram 200 is essentially the same as directly marking the content of human thinking. Therefore, the possibility of marking wrong content in the YOGO chart 200 can be greatly reduced. Next, if the action description 206a is correctly marked in the YOGO diagram 200 in advance, then the values set in the value table 206b can be modified later without changing the YOGO diagram 200 itself. As a result, the YOGO diagram 200 that accurately describes the basic operation of the actuator can be easily obtained.

The automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 of this embodiment has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist.

For example, the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 of the above embodiment has the function of creating a YOGO diagram 200 and generating a control program from the YOGO diagram 200 (corresponding to the YOGO diagram creation part 101, the basic action storage part 102, and the YOGO diagram reading part of FIG. 15 In addition to the acquisition unit 103, the YOGO diagram analysis unit 104, and the control program generation unit 105), it also has a function of executing control based on the control program (corresponding to the control execution unit 106 in Fig. 15). However, the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 as a whole can also be formed by combining a plurality of devices equipped with some of these functions.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 22 , the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 may be divided into a YOGO image processing device 100 a and a control execution device 100 b. Next, the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 is equipped with a series of functions from the creation of the YOGO diagram 200 to the generation of the control program (that is, the YOGO diagram creation part 101, the basic operation storage part 102, the YOGO diagram reading part 103, the YOGO diagram Analysis unit 104, control program generation unit 105). In addition, the control execution device 100b may be equipped with a function of executing program components according to the control program (that is, the control execution unit 106 and the program component storage unit 107).

In this way, the YOGO diagram processing device 100a installed in the office can be used to create the YOGO diagram 200 and generate the control program, and the generated control can be read in the control execution device 100b installed near the automatic manufacturing machine 1 program, thereby making the automatic manufacturing machinery move. Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 22, the YOGO image processing device 100a corresponds to the "control program generating device" of the present invention.

In addition, various items can also be set as needed in the numerical value table 206b shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 . For example, in addition to the items illustrated in Figures 8 to 10, the item "action waiting time" can also be set. Set the following time for this "action waiting time". First, a basic action is defined by combining the numerical value table 206b and the action description 206a as described above, and the basic action is marked on the YOGO diagram 200, thereby specifying the actuator that performs the action and the timing of the action. That is, the basic operation marked at the coordinate position (N, M) on the YOGO diagram 200 indicates that the actuator numbered N performs the basic operation during the partial period numbered M. However, in the case where the value table 206b includes the item "action waiting time", even when the partial period number becomes M, the actuator will not start operating immediately, but will act after the time set by the action waiting time has elapsed. .

FIG. 23 illustrates a case where the item "action waiting time" is set in the numerical value table 206b used in combination with the action description 206a "Ω-AA". In the numerical table 206b illustrated in FIG. 23(a), the "operation waiting time" is set to 5 seconds. Here, the operation description 206a "Ω-AA" combined with the operation description 206a represents the opening and closing operation of the chuck. Therefore, by combining the action description 206a "Ω-AA" with the value table 206b of Figure 23(a), the action of causing the chuck to start closing after 5 seconds can be described. Of course, as long as the "action waiting time" is set to 0 seconds in the numerical table 206b as shown in FIG. 23(b) in advance, the action of immediately starting to close the chuck can also be described.

1: Automatic manufacturing machinery 2: Orbit 3:Handling unit 3a:Hold shaft 3b:Chuck 4: Processing unit 11~20: Actuator 10d~20d: drive circuit 50:Computer 100: Automatic manufacturing machinery control device 100a:YOGO image processing device 100b: Control execution device 100m:Monitor screen 100s: Operation input button 102:Basic action storage department 105: Control program generation department 106:Control Execution Department 107: Program component storage department 110: Control program generation device 200:YOGO chart 201:Divider line 202:Trigger line 203: Action line 204: starting point 205:End point 206a: Action description 206b: Numerical table

[Fig. 1] is an explanatory diagram showing the appearance of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 controlled by the automatic manufacturing machine device 100 of this embodiment. [Fig. 2] A block diagram conceptually showing how the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 controls the operations of the various actuators 10 to 20 mounted on the automatic manufacturing machine 1. [Fig. 3] An explanatory diagram conceptually showing the general steps for developing a new automatic manufacturing machine 1. [Fig. 4] An explanatory diagram of the basic principle of the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 in this embodiment to automatically generate the control program of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 from an operation diagram (YOGO diagram). [Fig. 5] An explanatory diagram illustrating a part of the operation diagram (YOGO diagram) of the automatic manufacturing machine 1 read by the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 of this embodiment. [Figure 6] An explanatory diagram illustrating an action diagram (YOGO diagram) with repeated actions or conditional branching actions. [Fig. 7] An explanatory diagram of the action description 206 of the basic action. [Fig. 8] An explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the numerical value table 206b corresponding to the operation description 206a "Ω-AA". [Fig. 9] An explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the numerical value table 206b corresponding to the operation description 206a "Ω-AB". [Fig. 10] An explanatory diagram illustrating the numerical value table 206b corresponding to the operation description 206a "Ω-AC". [Fig. 11] An explanatory diagram illustrating a reference table of the numerical value table 206b corresponding to the operation description 206a "Ω-AA". [Fig. 12] An explanatory diagram illustrating a reference table of the numerical value table 206b corresponding to the operation description 206a "Ω-AB". [Fig. 13] An explanatory diagram illustrating a reference table of the numerical value table 206b relative to the operation description 206a "Ω-AC". [Fig. 14] An explanatory diagram illustrating actions that can be operated in the same way as basic actions on an action diagram (YOGO diagram). [Fig. 15] An explanatory diagram showing the functions of the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 of this embodiment. [FIG. 16] is an explanatory diagram showing how the actuator and action description 206a are associated with program element numbers through the correspondence relationship stored in the basic action storage unit 102 of this embodiment. [Fig. 17] A flowchart of the control program generation process of the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 of this embodiment to generate a control program from an action diagram (YOGO diagram). [Figure 18] Flowchart of the YOGO diagram analysis process executed in the control program generation process. [Fig. 19] An explanatory diagram illustrating intermediate data generated by YOGO graph analysis processing. [Fig. 20] An explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a control program generated by converting intermediate data. [Fig. 21] A flowchart of an action control process in which the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 of this embodiment controls the action of each actuator based on the control program data. [Fig. 22] An explanatory diagram of a modification of the automatic manufacturing machine control device 100 using the YOGO image processing device 100a and the control execution device 100b. [Fig. 23] An explanatory diagram illustrating a numerical value table 206b in which the action waiting time can be set.

200:YOGO chart

201:Divider line

202:Trigger line

203: Action line

204: starting point

205:End point

206a: Action description

206b: Numerical table

Claims (6)

A control program generating device (100a, 110) that generates a control program for an automatic manufacturing machine (1) equipped with a plurality of actuators (10~20), and is characterized by: The basic action storage unit (102) corresponds and stores the basic actions (206a, 206b) representing the actions of each degree of freedom of the actuator with the program elements that implement the basic actions; The operation diagram reading unit (103) reads the operation diagram (200); the operation diagram (200) is obtained by dividing the operation period from the beginning to the end of the automatic manufacturing machine into a plurality of partial periods, and dividing the operation diagram (200) into a plurality of partial periods. While decomposing the action of the automatic manufacturing machine into a plurality of the basic actions, allocating the basic action to any of the plurality of partial periods, thereby describing the action of the automatic manufacturing machine; and The control program generation unit (105) combines the program elements of the plurality of basic actions allocated to the plurality of partial periods on the action diagram in accordance with the order of the partial periods on the action diagram, thereby generating the The control program for automatic manufacturing of mechanical movements; The basic action storage unit divides the content of the basic action into an action description (206a) that describes the qualitative description, and a numerical description that describes the quantitative matters of the basic action through numerical values, and then stores the action description corresponding to the basic action. The program component, and the value table corresponding to the value description (206b); The action diagram reading unit reads the action diagram that records the basic action using the action description and the numerical value table; The control program generation unit, when combining a plurality of the program components, sets the value of the program component according to the value table recorded simultaneously with the action description of the program component. The control program generation device as described in claim 1, wherein, The value table stored in the basic movement storage unit is set with a plurality of values including at least one of the movement amount, movement speed, or movement load of the basic movement. The control program generation device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The basic action storage unit stores a reference table that is referenced when no numerical value is set in the numerical value table. The control program generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The action waiting time for waiting for the start of the basic action is set in the value table stored in the basic action storage unit. A method for generating a control program, which enables a computer to generate a control program for an automatic manufacturing machine (1) equipped with a plurality of actuators (10~20), and is characterized by: The operation diagram reading step (STEP1) reads the operation diagram (200); the operation diagram (200) is divided into a plurality of partial periods from the beginning to the end of the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine, and The action of the automatic manufacturing machine is decomposed into a plurality of basic actions representing the action of each degree of freedom of the actuator, and the basic action is allocated to any of the plurality of partial periods, thereby describing the action of the automatic manufacturing machine, Furthermore, the action diagram (200) records the basic action using an action description (206a) that qualitatively describes the action and a numerical table (206b) that describes the quantitative matters of the basic action through numerical values; Action graph analysis step (STEP 2): by analyzing the action graph, extract a plurality of the basic actions included in the action graph and the partial period allocated to a plurality of the basic actions; and In the control program generation step (STEP 3), by referring to the corresponding relationship between the action description of the basic action and the program element used to realize the action description, and converting the action description into the program element, according to The numerical value table recorded simultaneously with the action description sets the value of the program element, and then the control program for causing the automatic manufacturing machine to operate is generated by combining the program elements according to the sequence of the partial period. A program that uses a computer to realize a method of generating a control program for an automatic manufacturing machine (1) equipped with a plurality of actuators (10~20). Its characteristics are realized using a computer: The action diagram reading function (STEP1) reads the action diagram (200); the action diagram (200) is divided into a plurality of partial periods from the start to the end of the operation of the automatic manufacturing machine, and the Decompose the action of the automatic manufacturing machine into a plurality of basic actions representing the action of each degree of freedom of the actuator, and allocate the basic action to any of the plurality of partial periods, thereby describing the action of the automatic manufacturing machine, and , the action diagram (200) uses an action description (206a) that qualitatively describes the action and a numerical table (206b) that describes the quantitative matters of the basic action through numerical values to record the basic action; Action graph analysis function (STEP 2), by analyzing the action graph, extracts the plurality of basic actions included in the action graph and the partial period allocated to the plurality of basic actions; and The control program generation function (STEP 3) refers to the corresponding relationship between the action description of the basic action and the program element used to realize the action description and stores it, while converting the action description into the program element, according to The numerical value table recorded simultaneously with the action description sets the value of the program element, and then the control program for causing the automatic manufacturing machine to operate is generated by combining the program elements according to the sequence of the partial period.