Robot control device

Abstract

A robot control device is provided that can easily set a robot's operating speed that is safe for an operator. The robot control device includes: a selection unit for selecting a part constituting a human body; an allowable speed storage unit for storing the part constituting the human body in association with the allowable speed of the robot corresponding to the part; and a robot control unit for reading the allowable speed associated with the part selected by the selection unit from the allowable speed storage unit and setting the minimum value of the read allowable speeds as the maximum speed of the robot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a robot control device. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, collaborative robots (cooperative robots) have become increasingly common, enabling workers to work in shared workspaces with others. These robots use sensors to detect contact with people or peripheral equipment and then stop or change their movements (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The robot described in Patent Document 1 predicts whether it will come into contact with a person based on its movements. If contact is predicted, the robot's movements are restricted to prevent contact with the person's vital parts.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-137127 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] For safety reasons, collaborative robots must be able to operate at a speed that does not affect the operator's body when the robot comes into contact with the operator. Therefore, a robot control device is required that can easily set the robot's operating speed to a level that is safe for the operator.

[0008] Solutions for solving problems

[0009] The robot control device involved in the present disclosure includes: a selection unit, which is used to select parts that constitute a human body; an allowable speed storage unit, which stores the parts that constitute the human body in association with the allowable speeds of the robot corresponding to the parts; and a robot control unit, which reads the allowable speed associated with the part selected by the selection unit from the allowable speed storage unit and sets the minimum value of the read allowable speeds as the maximum speed of the robot.

[0010] Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, the operation speed of the robot that is safe for the operator can be easily set. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing an overview of a robot system according to this embodiment.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing an overview of the robot control device according to this embodiment.

[0014] Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of first image information and second image information.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of a speedometer.

[0016] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of a threshold value table. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the robot system 100 according to this embodiment. Figure 1 As shown, the robot system 100 includes a robot 1 and a robot controller 2 .

[0018] The robot 1 has any structure. For example, the robot 1 may be a six-axis multi-jointed robot. Furthermore, the robot 1 is capable of working in collaboration with the operator 3. Such a robot capable of working in collaboration with the operator 3 is called a collaborative robot.

[0019] The robot control device 2 is a control device that controls the robot 1 to cause the robot 1 to perform predetermined operations and the like.

[0020] Figure 2 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the robot control device 2 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 As shown, the robot control device 2 includes a control unit 21 , a storage unit 22 , a display unit 23 , an input unit 24 , and an operator information acquisition unit 25 .

[0021] The control unit 21 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and executes various processes by executing programs stored in the storage unit 22. The control unit 21 includes a display control unit 211, a selection unit 212, and a robot control unit 213.

[0022] The storage unit 22 is a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores an OS (Operating System) and application programs, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk drive that stores other various information, or an SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0023] Furthermore, the storage unit 22 includes an allowable speed storage unit 221 and a threshold value storage unit 222 .

[0024] The display unit 23 is composed of a liquid crystal display or the like, and displays various information.

[0025] The input unit 24 is composed of buttons, keys, switches, etc., and receives various input operations from the operator.

[0026] Furthermore, the display unit 23 and the input unit 24 may be a teaching operation panel having an integrated touch panel, etc. Furthermore, the teaching operation panel may be constituted by a tablet terminal.

[0027] The operator information acquisition unit 25 acquires operator information of the operator 3 who is present in the operating range of the robot 1. The operator information includes information indicating that a body part of the operator 3 is present in the operating range of the robot 1.

[0028] Specifically, the worker information acquisition unit 25 includes an imaging device such as a camera, and acquires the worker information by capturing an image of the worker 3 with the imaging device.

[0029] Alternatively, the operator 3 may carry a wireless terminal capable of transmitting wireless signals at a predetermined frequency, and the operator information acquisition unit 25 may be a wireless device capable of receiving wireless signals transmitted from the wireless terminal. In this case, the operator information acquisition unit 25 acquires the operator information by receiving the wireless signals transmitted from the wireless terminal.

[0030] Next, the processing of the robot control device 2 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0031] The display control unit 211 causes the display unit 23 to display first image information simulating parts constituting the human body and second image information for selecting a part of the human body.

[0032] Figure 3 : is a diagram showing an example of first image information and second image information. Figure 3 As shown, the display control unit 211 causes the display unit 23 to display first image information 41 simulating parts constituting the human body. In addition, the display control unit 211 causes the display unit 23 to display check boxes 42 to 46 for selecting parts constituting the human body as second image information.

[0033] In more detail, the display control unit 211 causes the display unit 23 to display a check box 42 for selecting the head and neck of the human body, a check box 43 for selecting the arms, hands and fingers, a check box 44 for selecting the torso, a check box 45 for selecting the thigh, and a check box 46 for selecting the calf.

[0034] Furthermore, the display control unit 211 may cause the display unit 23 to display a list for selecting parts constituting the human body, an input box for inputting and designating the name of a part, etc., instead of the first image information and the second image information.

[0035] The selection unit 212 is used to select the parts constituting the human body. Specifically, the selection unit 212 specifies the parts of the human body by using the input unit 24 or the like. Figure 3 Select at least one of the check boxes 42 to 46 shown in the figure to select a part that constitutes the human body. Figure 3 In the example shown, in response to the check box 43 being designated, the selection unit 212 selects the arm, hand, and finger of the human body.

[0036] The permissible speed storage unit 221 stores a speed table 2211 that associates parts of the human body with the permissible speeds of the robot 1 corresponding to the parts. The permissible speed of the robot 1 indicates the movement speed of the robot 1 at which the robot 1 can operate without damaging the parts of the human body when the robot 1 contacts them.

[0037] Figure 4 2211 is a diagram showing an example of the speedometer 2211. Figure 4 In the example shown, the allowable speed of the robot 1 corresponding to the head and neck is 0 (mm / s), the allowable speed of the robot 1 corresponding to the calf is 250 (mm / s), the allowable speed of the robot 1 corresponding to the arms, hands and fingers is 700 (mm / s), and the allowable speed of the robot 1 corresponding to other parts of the human body (such as the torso and thighs) is 300 (mm / s).

[0038] The robot control unit 213 reads the permissible speed associated with the human body part selected by the selection unit 212 from the speed table 2211 of the permissible speed storage unit 221. The robot control unit 213 sets the minimum value of the permissible speed read from the speed table 2211 as the maximum speed of the robot 1.

[0039] Specifically, when the arm and the trunk are selected by the selection unit 212, the robot control unit 213 reads the permissible speed associated with the arm and the permissible speed associated with the trunk from the speed table 2211. Figure 4 As shown in the speed table 2211, the allowable speed of the robot 1 corresponding to the arm is 700 (mm / s), and the allowable speed of the robot 1 corresponding to the torso (other parts of the human body) is 300 (mm / s). Therefore, the robot control unit 213 sets the minimum allowable speed value of 300 (mm / s) read from the speed table 2211 as the maximum speed of the robot 1.

[0040] The input unit 24 can also be used to input the weight and height of the worker 3 sharing the work area with the robot 1. The robot control unit 213 calculates the permissible speed of the robot 1 corresponding to the body part based on the input weight and height. The robot control unit 213 then stores the calculated permissible speed of the robot 1 in the speed table 2211 of the permissible speed storage unit 221.

[0041] Here, the contact force when robot 1 contacts a human body is primarily determined based on the robot's velocity, the mass of the human body part, and the body's spring constant. While spring constants rarely vary from person to person, the mass of the human body part can vary. Therefore, the robot's permissible velocity is calculated using experimental data or computer simulation.

[0042] The calculated allowable speed of the robot 1 is associated with each part of the human body and stored in the allowable speed storage unit 221 as a mass table 2212. That is, the mass table 2212 stores the mass of the parts of the human body and the allowable speed of the robot 1 in association with each other.

[0043] The robot control unit 213 calculates the mass of each part of the worker 3 based on the worker's weight input through the input unit 24 and the composition ratio of each part of the general human body. In addition, the robot control unit 213 may add a certain value (margin) to the input worker's weight in consideration of the safety of the worker 3.

[0044] The robot control unit 213 then refers to the mass table 2212 to determine the permissible speed corresponding to the calculated mass of each part of the worker 3 . The robot control unit 213 associates the determined permissible speed with each part of the worker 3 and stores it in the speed table 2211 .

[0045] Alternatively, the robot control unit 2 may create a sample database (not shown) storing sample data including the height, weight, and mass of each part of a plurality of workers (e.g., thousands of workers), and store the created database in the storage unit 22. Then, when the height and weight of the worker are input via the input unit 24, the robot control unit 213 may refer to the sample database and calculate the mass of each part corresponding to the values ​​closest to the input height and weight, as the mass of each part of the worker.

[0046] In this case as well, the robot control unit 213 refers to the mass table 2212 to determine the permissible speed corresponding to the calculated mass of each part of the worker 3 . The robot control unit 213 associates the determined permissible speed with each part of the worker 3 and stores it in the speed table 2211 .

[0047] Furthermore, when the operator information acquiring unit 25 acquires operator information, the robot control unit 213 reads the allowable speed associated with the human body part selected by the selecting unit 212 from the allowable speed storage unit 221. The robot control unit 213 then sets the minimum value of the read allowable speeds as the maximum speed of the robot 1.

[0048] Specifically, the operator information acquisition unit 25 acquires operator information indicating that a body part of the operator 3 is within the operating range of the robot 1, and the selection unit 212 selects the body part. For example, if the operator information acquisition unit 25 includes an imaging device, the operator information acquisition unit 25 acquires the operator information by capturing an image of the operator with the imaging device.

[0049] In addition, when the operator information acquisition unit 25 is a wireless device capable of receiving a wireless signal transmitted from a wireless terminal, the operator information acquisition unit 25 acquires the operator information by receiving the wireless signal transmitted from the wireless terminal.

[0050] The robot control unit 213 reads the permissible speed associated with the arm and the permissible speed associated with the trunk from the speed table 2211. Figure 4 As shown in the speed table 2211, the allowable speed of the robot 1 corresponding to the head is 0 (mm / s), and the allowable speed of the robot 1 corresponding to the arm is 700 (mm / s). Therefore, the robot control unit 213 sets the minimum allowable speed value read from the speed table 2211, that is, 0 (mm / s), as the maximum speed of the robot 1. In other words, the robot control unit 213 stops the robot 1.

[0051] In addition, when the operator information includes information indicating that a part of the operator 3 is within the range of motion of the robot 1, the robot control unit 213 reads the allowable speed associated with the part of the operator included in the operator information acquired by the operator information acquisition unit 25 from the speed table 2211, and sets the minimum value of the read allowable speed as the maximum speed of the robot 1.

[0052] Specifically, the operator information acquisition unit 25 acquires operator information including information indicating that the operator 3's arms and legs are within the operating range of the robot 1. For example, if the operator information acquisition unit 25 includes an imaging device, the operator information acquisition unit 25 acquires the operator information by capturing an image including the operator's arms and legs with the imaging device.

[0053] In this case, the robot control unit 213 reads the permissible speed associated with the arm of the operator 3 and the permissible speed associated with the lower leg of the operator 3 from the speed table 2211. Figure 4In the speed table 2211 shown, the allowable speed of the robot 1 corresponding to the arm is 700 (mm / s), and the allowable speed of the robot 1 corresponding to the calf is 250 (mm / s). Therefore, the robot control unit 213 sets the minimum allowable speed, 250 (mm / s), as the maximum speed of the robot 1.

[0054] In addition, when the operator information does not include information indicating that the part of the operator 3 is within the movement range of the robot 1, that is, when the operator 3 does not exist within the movement range of the robot 1, the robot control unit 213 sets a value that is faster than the allowable speed in the speed table 2211 (for example, 750 (mm / s)) as the maximum speed of the robot 1.

[0055] The threshold storage unit 222 also stores a threshold table 2221 in which parts constituting the human body, the motion speed of the robot 1 , and thresholds of contact force when the robot 1 contacts the parts constituting the human body are associated with each other.

[0056] Figure 5 2221 is a diagram showing an example of the threshold value table 2221. Figure 5 In the example shown, in threshold table 2221, for the calf, when the movement speed is 250 (mm / s), the threshold is 150 (N), when the movement speed is 750 (mm / s), the threshold is 50 (N), and when the movement speed is 1000 (mm / s), the threshold is 37 (N).

[0057] In addition, in threshold table 2221, for the arm, when the movement speed is 250 (mm / s), the threshold is 450 (N), when the movement speed is 750 (mm / s), the threshold is 150 (N), and when the movement speed is 1000 (mm / s), the threshold is 112 (N).

[0058] The robot control unit 213 reads, from the threshold value table 2221, the contact force threshold values ​​associated with the location selected by the selection unit 212 and the movement speed of the robot 1 input by the input unit 24. The robot control unit 213 then sets the minimum value of the read contact force threshold values ​​as the stop threshold value for the robot 1.

[0059] Specifically, if the parts selected by the selection unit 212 are the calf and arm, and the movement speed of the robot 1 inputted via the input unit 24 is 250 (mm / s), the robot control unit 213 reads 150 (N) and 450 (N) from the threshold value table 2221 as the contact force thresholds. The robot control unit 213 then sets the minimum of the read contact force thresholds, 150 (N), as the stop threshold for the robot 1. Thus, if the contact force when the robot 1 contacts the worker 3 exceeds the stop threshold of 150 (N), the robot control unit 213 stops the movement of the robot 1.

[0060] Furthermore, the robot control unit 213 reads from the threshold value table 2221 the motion speed of the robot 1 associated with the location selected by the selection unit 212 and the threshold value of the contact force input by the input unit 24. The robot control unit 213 sets the minimum value of the read motion speed of the robot 1 as the maximum motion speed of the robot 1.

[0061] Specifically, when the parts selected by the selection unit 212 are the calf and the arm, and the contact force threshold input by the input unit 24 is 150 (N), the robot control unit 213 reads 250 (mm / s) and 750 (mm / s) from the threshold value table 2221 as the motion speeds of the robot 1. The robot control unit 213 then sets the minimum value of the read motion speeds of the robot 1, i.e., 250 (mm / s), as the maximum motion speed of the robot 1.

[0062] As described above, according to this embodiment, the robot control device 2 includes: a selection unit 212, which is used to select parts that constitute the human body; an allowable speed storage unit 221, which stores the parts that constitute the human body in association with the allowable speeds of the robot 1 corresponding to the parts; and a robot control unit 213, which reads the allowable speeds associated with the parts selected by the selection unit 212 from the allowable speed storage unit 221, and sets the minimum value of the read allowable speeds as the maximum speed of the robot 1.

[0063] In this manner, the robot control device 2 sets the minimum value of the allowable speed of the robot 1 as the maximum speed of the robot 1 , thereby making it possible to easily set a safe operation speed for the worker 3 who works in cooperation with the robot 1 .

[0064] The robot controller 2 also includes a display control unit 211 that causes the display unit 23 to display first image information 41 representing a human body part and check boxes 42 to 46 representing second image information for selecting a part. This allows the robot controller 2 to appropriately select parts of the human body that may come into contact with the robot 1.

[0065] The robot control device 2 also includes an input unit 24 for inputting the weight and height of the worker 3 who shares the work area with the robot 1. The robot control unit 213 calculates the allowable speed of the robot 1 corresponding to the position based on the weight and height of the worker 3 and stores the calculated allowable speed of the robot 1 in the speed table 2211 of the allowable speed storage unit 221. This allows the robot control device 2 to calculate the allowable speed that takes into account the height and weight of the worker 3.

[0066] The robot control device 2 also includes an operator information acquisition unit 25 that acquires operator information of an operator within the operating range of the robot 1. When the operator information acquisition unit 25 acquires the operator information, the robot control unit 231 reads the allowable speed associated with the portion selected by the selection unit 212 from the speed table 2211. The robot control unit 231 then sets the minimum value of the read allowable speed as the maximum speed of the robot 1.

[0067] Thus, when the operator information is acquired, that is, when the operator 3 is present around the robot 1, the robot control device 2 sets the minimum value of the permissible speed to the maximum speed of the robot 1. Therefore, when the operator 3 is present around the robot 1, the robot control device 2 can easily set a safe operating speed for the operator 3 working in cooperation with the robot 1.

[0068] Furthermore, the operator information includes information indicating that a part of the operator 3 is within the operating range of the robot 1. If the operator information includes information indicating that a part of the operator 3 is within the operating range of the robot 1, the robot control unit 213 reads the allowable speed associated with the part of the operator 3 included in the operator information acquired by the operator information acquisition unit 25 from the speed table 2211. The robot control unit 213 then sets the minimum value of the read allowable speed as the maximum speed of the robot 1. This allows the robot control device 2 to easily set a safe operating speed for the operator 3 performing work in collaboration with the robot 1, provided that a part of the operator 3 is within the operating range of the robot 1.

[0069] The robot control device 2 also includes a threshold value table 2221, which stores, in association, human body parts, the robot 1's motion speed, and contact force thresholds when the robot 1 contacts the parts. The robot control unit 213 reads from the threshold value table 2221 the contact force threshold associated with the part selected by the selection unit 212 and the robot 1's motion speed input via the input unit 24. The robot control unit 213 then sets the minimum of the read contact force thresholds as the stopping threshold for the robot 1. This allows the robot control device 2 to set a stopping threshold for the robot 1 that is safe for the worker 3 working in collaboration with the robot 1.

[0070] Furthermore, the robot control unit 213 reads from the threshold value table 2221 the motion speed of the robot 1 associated with the location selected by the selection unit 212 and the threshold value of the contact force input by the input unit 24. The robot control unit 213 then sets the minimum value of the read motion speed of the robot 1 as the maximum motion speed of the robot 1. This allows the robot control device 2 to set a maximum motion speed of the robot 1 that is safe for the worker 3 working in collaboration with the robot 1.

[0071] While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the robot control device 2 described above can be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, the control method performed by the robot control device 2 described above can also be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Here, implementation using software means implementation by a computer reading and executing a program.

[0072] The program can be stored and provided to the computer using various types of non-transitory computer-readable media. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (such as hard disk drives), optical magnetic recording media (such as optical magnetic disks), CD-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R, CD-R / W, semiconductor memories (such as mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (random access memory)).

[0073] The above-described embodiments are preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the present invention can be implemented in various ways with various modifications within the scope of the present invention.

[0074] Description of Reference Numerals

[0075] 1: Robot; 2: Robot control device; 3: Operator; 21: Control unit; 22: Storage unit; 23: Display unit; 24: Input unit; 25: Operator information acquisition unit; 211: Display control unit; 212: Selection unit; 213: Robot control unit; 221: Allowable speed storage unit; 222: Threshold storage unit; 2211: Speed ​​table; 2221: Threshold table.

Claims

1. A robot control device comprising: a selection unit for selecting a part constituting a human body; an allowable speed storage unit for storing the parts constituting the human body in association with the allowable speeds of the robot corresponding to the parts; a threshold value storage unit for storing, in association with the part constituting the human body, the movement speed of the robot, and a threshold value of a contact force when the robot contacts the part; a robot control unit that reads out the allowable speed associated with the portion selected by the selection unit from the allowable speed storage unit and sets a minimum value of the read allowable speeds as a maximum speed of the robot; and an input unit for inputting the weight and height of an operator who shares a working area with the robot; The robot control unit calculates the allowable speed of the robot corresponding to the part based on the weight and the height, and stores the calculated allowable speed of the robot in the allowable speed storage unit. The robot control unit reads the contact force threshold associated with the part selected by the selection unit and the movement speed of the robot input by the input unit from the threshold storage unit, and sets the minimum value of the read contact force threshold as the stop threshold of the robot.

2. The robot control device according to claim 1, wherein: The device further includes a display control unit configured to cause a display unit to display first image information simulating the parts constituting the human body and second image information for selecting the parts.

3. The robot control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The robot further includes an operator information acquisition unit configured to acquire operator information of an operator within the operating range of the robot. When the operator information acquisition unit acquires the operator information, the robot control unit reads the allowable speed associated with the part selected by the selection unit from the allowable speed storage unit and sets the minimum value of the read allowable speeds as the maximum speed of the robot.

4. The robot control device according to claim 3, wherein: The operator information includes information indicating that the part of the operator is within the operating range of the robot. When the operator information includes information indicating that the part of the operator is within the range of motion of the robot, the robot control unit reads the allowable speed associated with the part of the operator included in the operator information acquired by the operator information acquisition unit from the allowable speed storage unit, and sets the minimum value of the read allowable speed as the maximum speed of the robot.

5. The robot control device according to claim 1, wherein: The robot control unit reads out the movement speed of the robot associated with the part selected by the selection unit and the threshold value of the contact force input by the input unit from the threshold storage unit, and sets the minimum value of the read movement speed of the robot as the maximum movement speed of the robot.

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