Robot Controller and Its Control Method

Abstract

A robot controller and its control method provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The controller includes a joystick, a knob, a display screen, a communication module, a power module, and a main controller. The joystick is connected to the main controller and is used to receive joystick signals. The display screen is connected to the main controller and is used to display the current operation interface. The knob is connected to the main controller and is used to receive rotation signals, so that the main controller can perform preset operations on the current operation interface according to the rotation direction of the knob. The communication module is connected to the main controller and is used to communicate with the robot. The main controller is used to receive the joystick signals and / or the knob signals, and control the movement of the robot according to the joystick signals and / or the knob signals, so as to achieve flexible control of the robot, which is convenient to carry and operate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of control technology, and particularly to a robot controller and its control method. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of robot technology, the application fields of robots are also constantly expanding, gradually extending from the early applications on factory production lines to many fields such as industrial inspection, disaster relief and rescue, environmental exploration, medical services, home entertainment, military, and aerospace.

[0003] For pipeline inspection and ultrasonic non-destructive testing robots in the field of industrial inspection, users send instructions to the robot through the controller to remotely control the movement and operation of the robot. The controller usually uses an industrial computer or a specially customized control box, which generally has a large volume and weight, is not convenient to carry, and is not flexible enough to use. Summary of the Invention

[0004] An embodiment of the present invention provides a robot controller and its control method to achieve flexible control of the robot, which is convenient to carry and operate.

[0005] On the one hand, an embodiment of the present invention provides a robot controller, including: a joystick, a knob, a display screen, a communication module, a power supply module, and a main controller;

[0006] The joystick is connected to the main controller and is used to receive joystick signals;

[0007] The display screen is connected to the main controller and is used to display the current operation interface;

[0008] The knob is connected to the main controller and is used to receive rotation signals, so that the main controller performs preset operations on the current operation interface according to the rotation direction of the knob;

[0009] The communication module is connected to the main controller and is used to communicate with the robot;

[0010] The main controller is used to receive the joystick signal and / or the knob signal, and control the movement of the robot according to the joystick signal and / or the knob signal;

[0011] The power supply module is electrically connected to the joystick, the knob, the display screen, the communication module, and the main controller, and is used to provide power for the joystick, the knob, the display screen, the communication module, and the main controller.

[0012] Further, the joystick includes a potentiometer joystick, which is provided with at least two-axis analog outputs;

[0013] At least two axes of the analog output signals are connected to the main controller and used to control the forward, backward, leftward, and rightward movement of the robot.

[0014] Further, it further includes: a joystick calibration module, configured to record and store the original position information of the joystick in a free state, so that the main controller uses the original position information for position calibration.

[0015] Further, the joystick is provided with an analog-to-digital conversion module; the analog-to-digital conversion module is configured to convert at least two axes of the analog output signals into digital output signals, and the output end of the analog-to-digital conversion module is connected to the main controller.

[0016] Further, it further includes: a housing, and the housing includes an upper housing and a lower housing;

[0017] The joystick, the knob, the display screen, the communication module, the power supply module, and the main controller are fixedly connected to the lower housing;

[0018] The upper housing is detachably connected to the lower housing through a connecting member.

[0019] Further, the knob includes a rotary encoder;

[0020] The rotary encoder has two-phase pulse digital signal outputs;

[0021] After the main controller receives the two-phase pulse digital signals output by the rotary encoder, it judges the rotation direction of the rotary encoder according to the phase of the two-phase pulse digital signals, and performs an upward or downward function selection operation or a numerical value adjustment operation on the current operation interface.

[0022] Further, the knob is provided with a switch button, and when the knob is pressed, the switch button outputs a digital signal for information confirmation.

[0023] Further, the communication module is a serial communication module;

[0024] Information is transmitted between the serial communication module and the main controller through an SPI interface.

[0025] Further, the display screen is a touch display screen;

[0026] The touch display screen is further configured to receive touch signals.

[0027] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present invention provides a robot control method, which is applied to any one of the above robot controllers, and includes:

[0028] Receiving operation instructions of the joystick and the knob;

[0029] Control the movement of the robot according to the operation instructions.

[0030] A robot controller and its control method provided by an embodiment of the present invention are used to achieve flexible control of the robot, which is convenient to carry and operate. The movement of the robot is controlled by a joystick, and a knob is used to select functions on the operation interface, which can effectively control the robot, realizing flexible control of the robot, convenient to carry and operate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0032] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the composition structure of a robot controller provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the composition structure of a robot controller provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 3 It is a flowchart of a robot control method provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Reference numerals:

[0036] Joystick 101, knob 102, display screen 103, communication module 104, power supply module 105, main controller 106, upper housing 107, lower housing 108, data line 109. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0037] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0038] The following will describe Figure 1 - Figure 2 A robot controller according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the composition structure of a robot controller provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the composition structure of a robot controller provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, an embodiment of the present invention provides a robot controller 100, including: a joystick 101, a knob 102, a display screen 103, a communication module 104, a power supply module 105, and a main controller 106; the joystick 101 is connected to the main controller 106 for receiving a joystick 101 signal so that the main controller 106 controls the movement of the robot; the display screen 103 is connected to the main controller 106 for displaying the current operation interface; the knob 102 is connected to the main controller 106 for receiving a rotation signal so that the main controller 106 performs a preset operation on the current operation interface according to the rotation direction of the knob 102; the communication module 104 is connected to the main controller 106 for communicating with the robot; the main controller 106 is used for receiving the joystick signal and the knob signal, and controlling the movement of the robot according to the joystick signal and / or the knob signal; the power supply module 105 is electrically connected to the joystick 101, the knob 102, the display screen 103, the communication module 104, and the main controller 106 for supplying power to the joystick 101, the knob 102, the display screen 103, the communication module 104, and the main controller 106.

[0040] The hardware system of the robot controller 100 provided in this embodiment consists of a housing, internal electronic components, input devices for manipulation, such as a joystick 101 and a knob 102, a display screen 103, such as a display screen 103 / touch screen, and electrical interfaces, communication interfaces, etc. If a touch screen is used as the display screen 103, information can also be input on the touch screen.

[0041] The joystick 101 will be specifically described below. The joystick 101 can specifically use a potentiometer joystick 101, which is provided with at least two-axis analog output signals; at least two-axis of the analog output signals are output to the main controller 106 for controlling the front, back, left, and right movement of the robot. Specifically, the signal generated by the joystick 101 can control the movement direction of the robot, and can control at least two degrees of freedom, that is, control the forward and backward movement and left and right rotation of the robot, so that the robot can realize free movement on a plane. Of course, the joystick 101 can also control other movable components. For example, the joystick 101 can also be used to control the movement of observation devices or detection devices on the robot, such as controlling the viewing angle of the camera on the pipeline inspection robot or the movement of the ultrasonic probe on the ultrasonic nondestructive testing robot.

[0042] More specifically, when the joystick 101 is in the form of a potentiometer, if it has a two-axis analog output signal, the output voltage is linearly proportional to the angle of the joystick 101. The analog output of the joystick 101 module can be connected to the analog-to-digital conversion (AD conversion) pin of the main controller 106, and the position of the joystick 101 can be read out according to the quantization relationship. A microprocessor (MCU) can also be added to the joystick 101 module to perform AD conversion in advance, filter the data to reduce noise, and then transmit the digital information of the position of the joystick 101 through the serial communication bus (such as the I2C bus, which is a simple, two-way, two-wire synchronous serial bus. It only requires two wires to transmit information between devices connected to the bus) between the microprocessor and the main controller 106. This reduces the workload of the main controller 106 and improves the signal transmission quality and the position feedback accuracy of the joystick 101.

[0043] Since the joystick 101 is prone to drift after being used for a period of time, resulting in a decrease in position accuracy. Therefore, a joystick 101 calibration module can be set up to record and store the original position information of the joystick 101 in the free state, so that the main controller 106 can use the original position information for position calibration. Specifically, a joystick 101 calibration module can be set in the main controller 106 to record and store the value when the joystick 101 is in the middle position in the free state, and then subtract this offset value from the collected original data to eliminate the position error and improve the positioning accuracy of the joystick 101.

[0044] Of course, since the signal generated by the joystick 101 is an analog signal while the main controller 106 requires a digital signal, a digital-to-analog conversion module can be set on the joystick 101; the digital-to-analog conversion module is used to convert at least two-axis analog output signals into digital output signals, and the output end of the digital-to-analog conversion module is connected to the main controller 106. Of course, the analog-to-digital conversion module of the main controller 106 can also be directly used for the conversion between analog signals and digital signals.

[0045] Such as Figure 2As shown, the robot controller 100 can also be provided with a housing, which is convenient for the user to hold. Specifically, the housing of the controller includes two parts, an upper housing 107 and a lower housing 108, which can be manufactured by means such as 3D printing or injection molding. The upper and lower housings can be fixed together by threaded connection. The split design of the housing facilitates the later maintenance of the controller. The rocker 101 module and the knob 102 module are installed at the lower part of the controller housing by threaded connection. That is to say, the housing includes an upper housing 107 and a lower housing 108; the rocker 101, the knob 102, the display screen 103, the communication module 104, the power module 105, and the main controller 106 are fixedly connected to the lower housing 108; the upper housing 107 is detachably connected to the lower housing 108 through a connecting member. When the controller is repaired, only the screws between its upper and lower housings need to be loosened, and the upper part of the housing can be conveniently disassembled for maintenance.

[0046] It is worth noting that for some industrial sites with relatively harsh environments, there may be problems with using a touch screen for information input and human-machine interaction. For example, the presence of oil stains or other liquids on the user's hands will affect the accuracy and reliability of touch operations, and it is not convenient enough to operate with industrial labor protection gloves. Therefore, a knob 102 module is added to the controller for human-machine interaction. Different operation pages and function knobs in the program interface can be selected through the knob 102, and the input numerical value can be adjusted.

[0047] Specifically, a rotary encoder can be used for the knob 102; the rotary encoder has two-phase pulse digital signal outputs; when the main controller 106 receives the two-phase pulse digital signals output by the rotary encoder, it judges the rotation direction of the rotary encoder according to the phase of the two-phase pulse digital signals, and performs upward or downward function selection operations or numerical value adjustment operations on the current operation interface. A switch button can also be provided on the knob 102. When the knob 102 is pressed, the switch button outputs a digital signal for information confirmation.

[0048] Using a rotary encoder as the information generation component of the knob 102 module can directly output pulse digital signals. At the same time, the knob 102 module also has the function of a switch button, that is, it can output digital signals of 0 or 1 for information confirmation. The rotary encoder on the knob 102 can output AB two-phase pulse digital signals. According to the different phases of the pulse signals received by the main controller 106 (such as ABAB… or BABA…), the rotation direction of the encoder can be judged. The two-way pulse signals and one-way button switch signal on the knob 102 module are connected to the digital IO pins of the main controller 106 through wires for reading.

[0049] For different button rotation directions, different operations can be correspondingly implemented in the program of the main controller 106. For example, if the knob 102 is rotated counterclockwise, different operation buttons can be sequentially selected upward within the robot control program interface, and vice versa for downward selection. After the selection is made, the button module can be pressed to confirm the selection and enter the relevant operation page. That is, after the selection is made, the switch signal on the knob 102 is triggered to confirm the operation.

[0050] In some usage scenarios, specific numerical parameters need to be input in the control interface, such as numerical quantities like the robot's movement speed and movement distance. The size of the numerical parameter can be set through the knob 102. For example, after selecting the numerical input box, rotating the knob 102 counterclockwise increases the value, and rotating the knob 102 clockwise decreases the value. After pressing the switch, the value is confirmed.

[0051] As the center of the control system, the main controller 106 realizes the reading and processing of input information from external devices, internal logic control, and the output display of the graphical operation interface on the display screen 103.

[0052] The display screen 103 can be connected to the main controller 106 through communication interfaces such as HDMI or SPI to transmit video signals. If the display screen 103 uses a touch screen, touch signals can also be transmitted through the USB interface between it and the main controller 106.

[0053] The normal operating voltage of the main controller 106 is 5V or 3.3V. A power supply module 105 can be provided inside the controller to convert the externally input power supply voltage into a voltage suitable for the operation of the main controller 106. Of course, an external power supply can also be used to convert a suitable voltage to supply the main controller 106.

[0054] Considering the requirements for the rate and reliability of long-distance communication between the main controller 106 and the robot, as well as the networking needs, an external communication module 104 can be used to send and receive robot control information, such as using a serial communication module 104 like CAN / RS485. The serial communication module 104 communicates with the main controller 106 through a peripheral interface such as SPI. That is, the control signal on the main controller 106 is sent to the serial communication module 104 through the SPI interface, converted into a CAN signal or RS485 signal, etc., and sent to the robot through the data line 109. At the same time, various feedback information sent back by the robot can also be received through the serial communication module 104, and the main controller 106 performs corresponding processing after receiving the feedback signal.

[0055] To enable communication between the robot and the controller, the communication module 104 can be set as a serial communication module 104; information is transmitted between the serial communication module 104 and the main controller 106 through an SPI interface. The display screen 103 can be set as a touch display screen 103; the touch display screen 103 can also be used to receive touch signals, thus enabling more convenient control input for the robot.

[0056] The electrical interface of the main controller 106 is set at the lower part of the housing, and a Lemo connector or other plug-in connectors can be used to facilitate the connection of the cable. The cable includes the power supply line and the serial communication line of the controller. During use, the cable is plugged between the robot and the controller. After the controller is powered on, it automatically starts running the control program and displays the control interface. Communication is carried out with the robot or multiple robot networks through the serial communication cable.

[0057] The robot control method provided by the embodiments of the present invention will be described below. A robot control method described below can be mutually referred to with a robot controller 100 described above.

[0058] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 which is a flowchart of a robot control method provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] In another embodiment of the present invention, an embodiment of the present invention provides a robot control method, which is applied to the robot controller 1 in any of the above embodiments and includes:

[0060] Step S31: Receive the joystick signal and / or the knob signal;

[0061] Step S32: Control the movement of the robot according to the joystick signal and / or the knob signal.

[0062] A robot controller and its control method provided by the embodiments of the present invention are used to achieve flexible control of the robot, which is convenient to carry and operate. The movement of the robot is controlled by a joystick, and a knob is used to select functions on the operation interface, enabling effective control of the robot, achieving flexible control of the robot, being convenient to carry and operate.

[0063] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A robot controller, characterized in that, Comprising: A joystick, a knob, a display screen, a communication module, a power module, and a main controller; The joystick is connected to the main controller for receiving joystick signals; The display screen is connected to the main controller for displaying the current operation interface; The knob is connected to the main controller for receiving rotation signals, so that the main controller performs preset operations on the current operation interface according to the rotation direction of the knob; The communication module is connected to the main controller for communicating with the robot; The main controller is used for receiving the joystick signals and / or the knob signals, and controlling the movement of the robot according to the joystick signals and / or the knob signals; The power module is electrically connected to the joystick, the knob, the display screen, the communication module, and the main controller for supplying power to the joystick, the knob, the display screen, the communication module, and the main controller; The joystick includes a potentiometer joystick provided with at least two-axis analog output signals; the at least two-axis analog output signals are used for controlling the front, back, left, and right movement of the robot; The joystick is provided with an analog-to-digital conversion module; the analog-to-digital conversion module is used for converting the at least two-axis analog output signals into digital output signals, and the output end of the analog-to-digital conversion module is connected to the main controller; The main controller is provided with a joystick calibration module for recording and storing the original position information of the joystick in a free state, so that the main controller uses the original position information for position calibration.

2. The robot controller according to claim 1, wherein, Further comprising: A housing, the housing including an upper housing and a lower housing; The joystick, the knob, the display screen, the communication module, the power module, and the main controller are fixedly connected to the lower housing; The upper housing is detachably connected to the lower housing through a connecting member.

3. The robot controller according to claim 1, characterized in that The knob includes a rotary encoder; The rotary encoder has two-phase pulse digital signal output signals; When the main controller receives the two-phase pulse digital signals output by the rotary encoder, it judges the rotation direction of the rotary encoder according to the phase of the two-phase pulse digital signals, and performs upward or downward function selection operations or numerical value adjustment operations on the current operation interface.

4. The robot controller according to claim 3, wherein, The knob is provided with a switch button, and when the knob is pressed, the switch button outputs a digital signal for information confirmation.

5. The robot controller according to claim 1, wherein The communication module is a serial communication module; Information is transmitted between the serial communication module and the main controller through an SPI interface.

6. The robot controller according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The display screen is a touch display screen; The touch display screen is further used for receiving touch signals.

7. A robot control method, applied to the robot controller according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Comprising: Receiving the joystick signals and / or the knob signals; Controlling the movement of the robot according to the joystick signals and / or the knob signals.

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