Robot management system, robot management device, and robot management method

Abstract

The present application provides a robot management system, a robot management device, and a robot management method, which can easily select desired backup data. A robot management system (100) includes a control device (2) that controls a robot (1), a management device (3) that manages the control device (2), and a terminal device (4) that has a display device (45), the management device (3) includes a backup storage unit (37) that stores backup data acquired from the control device (2), an operation information generation unit (35) that generates operation information indicating an operation state of the robot (1), and a backup management unit (36) that associates the operation information with the backup data stored in the backup storage unit (37), and the backup management unit (36) causes the display device (45) to display identification information and the operation information, the identification information being used to identify a plurality of backup data stored in the backup storage unit (37).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a robot management system, a robot management device, and a robot management method. Background Technology

[0002] For robots used in the production of goods, control is based on control programs and various settings provided by the control device. When these control programs and settings are changed, it is preferable to back them up each time so that they can be restored later. Patent Document 1 describes an automatic backup device that automatically saves the change history of the device being backed up and can restore it to its state before the change. In this automatic backup device, by specifying a date and time, the device can be restored to the state corresponding to that date and time.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-18429

[0004] However, it is difficult to determine the state the device will return to based solely on the date and time. Therefore, it is necessary to perform confirmation operations such as having the robot actually move after the recovery, and sometimes this operation must be repeated multiple times. Summary of the Invention

[0005] A robot management system includes: a control device for controlling a robot; a management device for managing the control device; and a terminal device having a display device. The control device includes: a program storage unit for storing a control program for controlling the robot; and a backup processing unit for generating backup data of the control program and sending it to the management device. The management device includes: a backup storage unit for storing the backup data obtained from the control device; an operation information acquisition unit for acquiring operation information indicating the robot's operating status; and a backup management unit for establishing a correspondence between the operation information and the backup data stored in the backup storage unit. The backup management unit causes the display device to display identification information and the operation information, wherein the identification information is used to identify multiple backup data items stored in the backup storage unit.

[0006] A robot management device is characterized in that it manages a control device for controlling a robot and comprises: a backup acquisition unit for acquiring backup data of a control program for controlling the robot from the control device; a backup storage unit for storing the acquired backup data; an operation information acquisition unit for acquiring operation information indicating the operation status of the robot; and a backup management unit for establishing a correspondence between the operation information and the backup data stored in the backup storage unit, wherein the backup management unit causes a display device to display identification information and the operation information, and the identification information is used to identify multiple backup data stored in the backup storage unit.

[0007] A robot management method is characterized in that the robot management method is a method for managing a control device that controls a robot, and the robot management method includes the following steps: obtaining backup data of a control program that controls the robot from the control device; saving the obtained backup data; obtaining operation information indicating the operating status of the robot; establishing a correspondence between the operation information and the saved backup data; and displaying identification information and the operation information, wherein the identification information is used to identify multiple saved backup data. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the general structure of a robot management system.

[0009] Figure 2 This is a block diagram representing the internal structure of a robot management system.

[0010] Figure 3 This is a diagram representing the selection screen displayed on the display device.

[0011] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the actions of the robot management system during backup.

[0012] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the actions of the robot management system when restoring control procedures and setting information.

[0013] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0014] 1…Robot; 2…Control device; 3…Management device; 4…Terminal device; 10…Robotic arm; 11 to 16…Arm; 17…Handler; 18…Base; 21…First control unit; 22…First storage unit; 23…First interface unit; 25…Robot control unit; 26…Performance information processing unit; 27…Backup processing unit; 28…Program storage unit; 31…Second control unit; 32…Second storage unit; 33…Second interface unit; 35…Operation information generation unit; 36…Backup management unit; 37…Backup storage unit; 38…Performance information storage unit; 41…Third control unit; 42…Third storage unit; 43…Third interface unit; 44…Input device; 45…Display device; 50…Selection screen (WEB page); 51…Operation information designation unit; 52…Backup list; 53…Resume execution button; 100…Robot management system; 1000…Robot system; NW…Network. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The robot management system involved in the embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] Figure 1This is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of the schematic structure of the robot management system 100 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the robot management system 100.

[0017] like Figure 1 As shown, the robot management system 100 includes a control device 2 for controlling the movements of robot 1, a management device 3 for managing the control device 2, and a terminal device 4 operated by a user. At least one robot 1 is connected to this robot management system 100. Robot 1 performs various tasks such as holding, handling, assembling, and inspecting work objects. The robot management system 100 and robot 1 constitute robot system 1000. The robot system 1000 of this embodiment is a production system for producing articles. That is, the robot 1 of this embodiment is used for producing articles.

[0018] Figure 1 The robot management system 100 shown has multiple control devices 2, which are connected to a management device 3 via a network NW such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet. A robot 1 is connected to each control device 2. Additionally, a terminal device 4 is connected to the network NW and can access the control devices 2 and the management device 3 via the network NW. It should be noted that the connection between the devices can be either wired or wireless. Furthermore, the number of control devices 2 in the robot management system 100 is not limited to multiple; it can also be a single device. The control device 2 is also referred to as a robot controller.

[0019] The following is a detailed description of each part of the robot system 1000.

[0020] The robot 1 in this embodiment is a so-called six-axis vertical joint robot, having a base 18 and a robotic arm 10 connected to the base 18. The base 18 is the part that mounts the robot 1 at any mounting location. In other words, the base 18 connects the mounting location and the robotic arm 10.

[0021] The robotic arm 10 has arms 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. These arms 11 to 16 are connected sequentially from the base end side, i.e., the base 18 side, toward the front end side, i.e., the opposite side of the base 18. Each arm 11 to 16 is rotatable relative to an adjacent arm or base 18. For example, arm 16 is rotatable relative to arm 15.

[0022] A gripper 17 for holding the work object is connected to the front end of the robotic arm 10. It should be noted that the gripper 17 is replaceable, or it can be replaced by an adsorption gripper, magnetic gripper, thread fastening tool, clamping tool, etc.

[0023] Robot 1 has a drive unit comprising a motor (not shown) and a reducer (not shown) for rotating one arm relative to an adjacent arm or base 18. Additionally, robot 1 has a position sensor (not shown) for detecting the rotation angle of the motor or reducer's axis. The drive unit and position sensor are, for example, disposed on base 18 and each of the arms 11 to 16, and are capable of independently driving each of the arms 11 to 16. Each drive unit and each position sensor is electrically connected to a control device 2.

[0024] It should be noted that, in addition to this, any components or devices can be installed on robot 1. Specifically, examples include the object to be photographed, the photographing unit of robot 1 or its surroundings, and various sensors such as force sensors that detect external forces applied to robot 1. Furthermore, the number of arms of robot 1 can be 1 to 5 or more than 7. In addition, robot 1 can be a horizontal multi-joint robot or a dual-arm robot with two or more robotic arms 10.

[0025] like Figure 2 As shown, the control device 2 includes a first control unit 21, a first storage unit 22, and a first interface unit 23. The first storage unit 22 and the first interface unit 23 are connected to the first control unit 21 via a bus or the like.

[0026] The first control unit 21 is configured with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and RAM (Random Access Memory), and controls the actions of the control device 2 and the robot 1 by operating according to a program (not shown) stored in the first storage unit 22. The program stored in the first storage unit 22 includes firmware for controlling the basic actions of the control device 2 and control programs for controlling the robot 1. The first control unit 21 has a robot control unit 25, a performance information processing unit 26, and a backup processing unit 27 as functional units implemented by these programs. Details of each of these functional units will be described later.

[0027] The first storage unit 22 is composed of a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) which is a non-volatile memory. A program storage unit 28 is provided in the first storage unit 22, which stores the main body of the control program and various setting information referenced by the control program. The control program and setting information stored in the program storage unit 28 can be appropriately modified for purposes such as improving quality and productivity. For example, the user can modify the control program and setting information by operating the terminal device 4. In addition, the first storage unit 22 stores basic information related to the firmware and control device 2, as well as an action log indicating the robot 1's action history. The basic information related to the control device 2 includes, for example, the name, type, and serial number of the control device 2.

[0028] The first interface section 23 includes various interface circuits for communicating with external devices. In this embodiment, the first interface section 23 includes interface circuits for communicating with the robot 1 and interface circuits for communicating via the network NW.

[0029] The robot control unit 25, which is included in the first control unit 21, executes the control program stored in the program storage unit 28 to perform control of the robot 1's drive, various calculations, various judgments, and other processing. As an example, by controlling the drive of the aforementioned drive unit, the robotic arm 10 and the gripper 17 are driven to perform tasks such as gripping, transporting, assembling, and inspecting objects used for producing items.

[0030] The performance information processing unit 26 processes the performance information of the robot 1. Performance information refers to information corresponding to the operational performance of the robot 1 under the control of the robot control unit 25. Specifically, the performance information processing unit 26 measures the operating time of the robot 1 and the cycle time representing one operation cycle based on timing performed by a timer (not shown). Additionally, the performance information processing unit 26 counts the production quantity produced by the robot 1 and counts the number of qualified products that pass inspection. Furthermore, the performance information processing unit 26 counts the number of errors occurring in the robot 1 and measures the time of stoppage due to errors. The performance information processing unit 26 acquires these operating times, cycle times, production quantities, number of qualified products, number of errors, and error stoppage times as performance information and sends the acquired performance information to the management device 3.

[0031] The backup processing unit 27 performs various processes related to backing up the control program and setting information stored in the program storage unit 28. Specifically, when a predetermined event occurs that requires a backup, the backup processing unit 27 generates backup data of the control program and setting information and sends it to the management device 3, accumulating the backup data in the management device 3. Furthermore, when backup data is sent from the management device 3, the backup processing unit 27 restores the control program and setting information based on that backup data. In addition to the control program and setting information, the backup data generated by the backup processing unit 27 also includes basic information about the control device 2 and its operation log.

[0032] Events that should be backed up include, for example, events that occur periodically at predetermined time intervals, events that occur when the control program or setting information is updated, events that occur when the robot 1 stops or pauses its movement, events that occur when errors or warnings occur in the robot 1 or control device 2, events that occur when certain conditions are met, such as when the variable value of the control program deviates from the normal value, events that occur when the user interface such as the operation button or operation panel connected to the control device 2 is operated, and events that occur when an instruction to perform backup processing is output from the management device 3 or terminal device 4.

[0033] The management device 3 is, for example, a general-purpose computer, and includes a second control unit 31, a second storage unit 32, and a second interface unit 33. The second storage unit 32 and the second interface unit 33 are connected to the second control unit 31 via a bus or the like. The management device 3 manages the control device 2 and also functions as a server, performing various actions based on requests from terminal devices 4 or the like, which act as clients. The management device 3 is analogous to a robot management device.

[0034] The second control unit 31 is configured to include a CPU and memory such as RAM and ROM. It controls the operation of the management device 3 by performing actions according to an OS (Operating System) stored in the second storage unit 32 (not shown) and various application programs. The second control unit 31 has an operation information generation unit 35 and a backup management unit 36 ​​as functional units implemented by application programs. Details of these functional units will be described later.

[0035] The second storage unit 32 is composed of storage devices such as hard disk drives and SSDs (Solid State Drives), and stores the aforementioned OS and various applications. In addition, the second storage unit 32 is provided with a backup storage unit 37 and a performance information storage unit 38. The backup storage unit 37 accumulates backup data sent from the control device 2, and the performance information storage unit 38 accumulates performance information sent from the control device 2.

[0036] The second interface section 33 includes various interface circuits for communication with external devices. In this embodiment, the second interface section 33 includes interface circuits for communication via network NW.

[0037] The operation information generation unit 35 of the second control unit 31 receives performance information sent from the control device 2 and stores it in the performance information storage unit 38. Based on the performance information accumulated in the performance information storage unit 38 and various information input by the user, it generates various types of operation information. Operation information refers to information representing the operating status of the robot 1, such as operation rate, cycle time, pass rate, number of errors, and error stop time. The operation rate is the ratio of actual operating time to the predetermined operating time. The operation information generation unit 35 calculates the operation rate based on the operating time obtained from the control device 2 as performance information and the predetermined operating time input by the user. The predetermined operating time is, for example, input by the user to the terminal device 4 and sent to the management device 3 via the network NW. Furthermore, the operation information generation unit 35 calculates the pass rate, the ratio of the number of qualified products to the number of production products, based on the production quantity and the number of qualified products obtained from the control device 2 as performance information. For cycle time, number of errors, and error stop time, the values ​​obtained as performance information are used directly. Since the operation information generation unit 35 acquires operation information by generating it itself or receiving it from the control device 2, it is equivalent to an operation information acquisition unit.

[0038] The backup management unit 36 ​​acquires and manages the backup data sent from the control device 2. When acquiring backup data, the backup management unit 36 ​​functions as a backup acquisition unit. Specifically, the backup management unit 36 ​​saves the backup data acquired from the control device 2 as a file in the backup storage unit 37 of the second storage unit 32. Since multiple backup data sets are accumulated in the backup storage unit 37, the backup management unit 36 ​​establishes a correspondence between the backup data and identification information used to identify each backup data set. This identification information includes, for example, the filename of the backup data and the backup date and time indicating the date and time the backup data was generated. Furthermore, the backup management unit 36 ​​performs processing to establish a correspondence between the operation information generated by the operation information generation unit 35 and the saved backup data. The establishment of this correspondence for the operation information will be described later.

[0039] In addition, the backup management unit 36 ​​also functions as a web server, causing the display device 45 of the terminal device 4 to display a web page 50 containing a list of managed backup data (see reference) upon request from the terminal device 4. Figure 3When restoring control procedures and settings, the user can access web page 50 and select a backup data to be restored from the list of backup data. Therefore, in the following text, web page 50 is also referred to as selection screen 50.

[0040] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the selection screen 50 displayed on the display device 45.

[0041] like Figure 3 As shown, the selection screen 50 includes an operation information specification unit 51, a backup list 52, and a resume execution button 53. The operation information specification unit 51 displays operation information generated by the operation information generation unit 35, namely "operation rate," "cycle time," "pass rate," "number of errors," and "error stop time," with checkboxes set for each piece of operation information. Users can select one or more checkboxes using the input device 44 to specify the operation information displayed in the backup list 52 from various operation information.

[0042] The backup list 52 displays various information related to the backup data stored in the backup storage unit 37 in a list format. The displayed information includes the name and type of the backup control device 2, i.e., the robot controller, as well as the filename and backup date and time, which serve as identification information for the backup data. Furthermore, the backup list 52 displays operation information for the period during which the robot 1 operates using the control programs and setting information included in each backup data set. Specifically, the operation information generated by the operation information generation unit 35, along with the operation information specified by the operation information specification unit 51, is displayed along with the operation period. The user can select one backup data set to be restored from among the multiple backup data sets stored in the backup storage unit 37 by referring to the displayed operation information and using the input device 44.

[0043] The restore execution button 53 is a button-shaped image that can be operated by the user. The user can operate the restore execution button 53 using the input device 44 to instruct the process of restoring the backup data.

[0044] Return to Figure 2 The terminal device 4 is composed of, for example, a personal computer or a tablet-type portable terminal. The terminal device 4 includes a third control unit 41, a third storage unit 42, a third interface unit 43, an input device 44, and a display device 45.

[0045] The third control unit 41 is configured to include a CPU and memory such as RAM and ROM. It controls the operation of the terminal device 4 by operating according to an OS (not shown) and various application programs stored in the third storage unit 42. The third storage unit 42 is configured as a storage device such as a hard disk drive, SSD, or memory, and stores various data in addition to the aforementioned OS and application programs. The third interface unit 43 includes various interface circuits for communication with external devices. In this embodiment, the third interface unit 43 includes interface circuits for communication via a network NW.

[0046] The input device 44 consists of a keyboard and a pointing device, etc., and receives input operations from the user and transmits them to the third control unit 41. The display device 45 consists of a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display, etc., and displays images controlled by the third control unit 41. It should be noted that the input device 44 can also be integrated with the display device 45, such as a touch panel. Alternatively, it can be structured like a desktop computer, where the input device 44 and display device 45 are separate from the main body of the terminal device 4.

[0047] In the third storage unit 42 of this embodiment, at least a web browser is installed as an application, and the selection screen 50 described above is displayed on the display device 45 through the web browser.

[0048] Next, the robot management method of the robot management system 100 will be explained.

[0049] Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing the actions of the robot management system 100 during backup, including steps S101 to S104 showing the actions of the control device 2 and steps S201 to S209 showing the actions of the management device 3.

[0050] like Figure 4 As shown, in the control device 2, during the operation of the robot 1 under the control of the robot control unit 25, the performance information processing unit 26 updates the performance information each time according to the operation performance of the robot 1, and sends the updated performance information to the management device 3 in step S101.

[0051] In step S102, the backup processing unit 27 determines whether an event requiring backup has occurred. If the event has occurred (step S102: Yes), the processing moves to step S103; if the event has not occurred (step S102: No), the processing returns to step S101, and the update and transmission of performance information are repeated.

[0052] If an event occurs that requires backup and the processing is transferred to step S103, the backup processing unit 27 retrieves the control program, setting information, basic information of the control device 2, and operation logs, which are the backup targets, from the first storage unit 22, and generates backup data containing these. Then, in step S104, the backup processing unit 27 sends the generated backup data to the management device 3 and ends the processing.

[0053] On the other hand, in step S201, the operation information generation unit 35 of the management device 3 determines whether performance information has been sent from the control device 2. Then, if performance information has been sent (step S201: Yes), the process moves to step S202; if performance information has not been sent (step S201: No), the process moves to step S204.

[0054] If the processing is transferred to step S202 after the performance information has been sent, the operation information generation unit 35 receives the sent performance information, and in the next step S203, saves the received performance information in the performance information storage unit 38 and moves the processing to step S204.

[0055] In step S204, the backup management unit 36 ​​determines whether backup data has been sent from the control device 2. Then, if backup data has been sent (step S204: Yes), the process moves to step S205; if backup data has not been sent (step S204: No), the process returns to step S201.

[0056] When the processing is transferred to step S205, the backup management unit 36 ​​receives the backup data sent.

[0057] In step S206, the backup management unit 36 ​​determines whether the control program and setting information included in the received backup data are the same as the control program and setting information of the backup data saved in the backup storage unit 37 during the last backup. Then, if the control program and setting information are different from the last time (step S206: No), that is, if the content of the control program and setting information has changed compared to the content when the backup data was last saved, the process moves to step S207. On the other hand, if the control program and setting information are the same as the last time (step S206: Yes), the backup management unit 36 ​​ends the process without saving the received backup data in the backup storage unit 37. It should be noted that, although the illustration is omitted, in this case, the backup management unit 36 ​​extracts the action log from the received backup data and adds it to the previously saved backup data.

[0058] If the control program and setting information of the received backup data differ from the previous one, and the processing is transferred to step S207, the operation information generation unit 35 generates operation information based on the performance information accumulated in the performance information storage unit 38 and various information input by the user. The generated operation information represents the operation status from the time the previous backup data was stored in the backup storage unit 37 until the current backup data is stored in the backup storage unit 37. In other words, it represents the operation status during the period when the robot 1 was operated using the control program and setting information prior to the current change, i.e., the control program and setting information included in the previous backup data. Therefore, in the next step S208, the backup management unit 36 ​​performs a process to establish a correspondence between the operation information generated by the operation information generation unit 35 and the backup data previously stored in the backup storage unit 37. Furthermore, the backup management unit 36 ​​clears all performance information accumulated in the performance information storage unit 38. It should be noted that when the previous backup data is set as the first backup data, the current backup data saved in the next iteration is equivalent to the second backup data.

[0059] In step S209, the backup management unit 36 ​​saves the received backup data in the backup storage unit 37 of the second storage unit 32 and ends the process. The control program and setting information included in the backup data saved this time are modified here, and in the subsequent period, the actual performance information of the robot 1 when it is operated with the control program and setting information is acquired. Then, when the backup data is saved again after modifying the control program and setting information, operation information is generated based on the actual performance information acquired so far, and a correspondence is established between it and the current backup data.

[0060] Next, the control procedure and settings for restoring from backup data will be explained.

[0061] Figure 5 It is a flowchart representing the actions of the robot management system 100 when restoring the control program and setting information, including steps S321 to S324 representing the actions of the terminal device 4, steps S221 to S224 representing the actions of the management device 3, and steps S121 and S122 representing the actions of the control device 2.

[0062] In step S321, the third control unit 41 of the terminal device 4 requests the backup management unit 36 ​​of the management device 3 to display the selection screen 50 based on the user's input operation on the web browser.

[0063] After receiving the request from the terminal device 4, the backup management unit 36 ​​of the management device 3 generates page information representing the selection screen 50 in step S221, based on the backup data accumulated in the backup storage unit 37 and the corresponding operation information. Then, in step S222, the backup management unit 36 ​​sends the generated page information to the terminal device 4.

[0064] In step S322, the third control unit 41 of the terminal device 4 receives page information from the management device 3 and displays a selection screen 50 based on the page information via a web browser on the display device 45. When the selection screen 50 is displayed, the user can use the input device 44 to perform operations such as specifying the operation information to be displayed in the backup list 52 by the operation information specification unit 51, and selecting a backup data to be restored from the backup data displayed in the backup list 52.

[0065] In step S323, after selecting any backup data, the third control unit 41 determines whether there is an operation performed on the restore execution button 53 via the input device 44, i.e., an operation by the user instructing to restore. Then, if there is an operation on the restore execution button 53 (step S323: Yes), the process moves to step S324; if there is no operation on the restore execution button 53 (step S323: No), this step is repeated until an operation is performed.

[0066] If the process is transferred to step S324 by operating the restore execution button 53, the third control unit 41 requests the management device 3 to restore the control program and setting information included in the selected backup data and ends the process.

[0067] In step S223, the backup management unit 36 ​​of the management device 3 determines the backup data to be restored based on the request from the terminal device 4, and reads it from the backup storage unit 37. Then, in step S224, the read backup data is sent to the corresponding control device 2, and the process ends.

[0068] In step S121, the backup processing unit 27 of the control device 2 receives the transmitted backup data. Then, in step S122, the backup processing unit 27 executes the recovery control program and setting information processing based on the received backup data. Specifically, the backup processing unit 27 saves the control program and setting information included in the received backup data in the program storage unit 28 and ends a series of processes.

[0069] As described above, the following effects can be obtained according to this embodiment.

[0070] (1) According to this embodiment, when selecting backup data to be restored, since the operation information indicating the operation status of robot 1 is displayed on the selection screen 50, the user can easily select the desired backup data by referring to the operation information.

[0071] (2) According to this embodiment, since the operation information displayed in the backup list 52 of the selection screen 50 can be specified by the operation information specification unit 51, the user can select the operation information he / she wants to refer to and display it.

[0072] The above-described embodiments can also be modified as follows.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the filename and backup date and time are displayed as identification information for the backup data in the backup list 52 of the selection screen 50, but the identification information that should be displayed is not limited to the above information. For example, the firmware version of the control device 2 can also be obtained and displayed as identification information, or the conditions for generating the backup data, i.e., information indicating which event the backup data was generated based on, can also be displayed as identification information. Thus, the identification information displayed in the backup list 52 preferably includes at least one of the following: filename, backup date and time, firmware version of the control device 2, and conditions for generating the backup data.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the operation information generation unit 35 generates operation rate, cycle time, pass rate, number of errors, and error stop time as operation information that can be displayed in the backup list 52. However, it may also generate operation information other than those mentioned above, or it may not generate any of the above. However, the operation information generated by the operation information generation unit 35 preferably includes at least one of operation rate, cycle time, pass rate, number of errors, and error stop time.

[0075] In the above embodiment, the backup data generated by the backup processing unit 27 includes, in addition to the control program and setting information, basic information and operation logs of the control device 2, but the composition of the backup data is not limited to this. For example, information other than that mentioned above may be added, and information other than the control program mentioned above may not be included in the backup data. Furthermore, the backup is not limited to backing up the entire control program each time; it may also be a backup based on the differences between the previous backup and the current backup.

[0076] In the above embodiment, a configuration is shown where the management device 3 generates operation information based on performance information obtained from the control device 2, but this configuration is not limited to this one. For example, the control device 2 may generate the operation information, and the management device 3 may obtain that operation information. Alternatively, the management device 3 may obtain operation information input by a user using a terminal device 4 or the like.

[0077] In the above embodiment, a configuration in which the selection screen 50 is displayed on the display device 45 of the terminal device 4 is shown, but it is not limited to this configuration. For example, it may also be displayed on a display device connected to the management device 3.

[0078] In the above embodiment, the name and form of the control device 2, i.e., basic information related to the control device 2, are displayed on the selection screen 50, but basic information related to the robot 1 connected to the control device 2 may also be displayed.

[0079] In the above embodiment, the robot management system 100 is designed for robots 1 used for producing articles, but it can also be designed for robots used for purposes other than production.

[0080] In the above embodiments, the functions of each device constituting the robot management system 100 are not limited to those described above. For example, the management device 3 may perform a part of the actions performed by the control device 2 or the terminal device 4, the control device 2 may perform a part of the actions performed by the management device 3 or the terminal device 4, and the terminal device 4 may perform a part of the actions performed by the control device 2 or the management device 3.

Claims

1. A robot management system, characterized in that, have: A control device for controlling the robot; a management device for managing the control device; and a terminal device having a display device. The control device includes: The program storage unit stores the control program for controlling the robot; and The backup processing unit generates backup data for the control program and sends it to the management device. The management device includes: The backup storage unit stores the backup data obtained from the control device; The operation information acquisition unit acquires operation information indicating the operating status of the robot; as well as The backup management department establishes a correspondence between the operational information and the backup data stored in the backup storage department. The backup management unit causes the display device to display identification information and the operation information in a corresponding manner, wherein the identification information is used to identify multiple backup data stored in the backup storage unit.

2. The robot management system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of backup data stored in the backup storage unit includes first backup data and second backup data saved after the first backup data. The operation information corresponding to the first backup data is operation information that indicates the operation status from the time the first backup data is saved in the backup storage unit until the second backup data is saved.

3. The robot management system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The control device also includes a performance information processing unit, which acquires performance information corresponding to the robot's operational performance and sends it to the management device. The operation information acquisition unit generates the operation information based on the performance information.

4. The robot management system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The robot in question is used to produce goods. The operational information includes at least one of the following: operating rate, cycle time, pass rate, number of errors, and error stop time.

5. The robot management system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The identification information includes at least one of the following: the filename of the backup data, the date and time the backup data was generated, the firmware version of the control device, and the conditions under which the backup data was generated.

6. The robot management system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The operation information acquisition unit acquires various types of operation information. The operational information displayed by the backup management department can be specified from a variety of operational information.

7. A robot management device, characterized in that, The robot management device manages the control devices that control the robot and has the following features: The backup acquisition unit acquires backup data of the control program that controls the robot from the control device; The backup storage unit stores the acquired backup data; The operation information acquisition unit acquires operation information indicating the operating status of the robot; as well as The backup management department establishes a correspondence between the operational information and the backup data stored in the backup storage department. The backup management unit causes the display device to display identification information and the operation information in a corresponding manner, wherein the identification information is used to identify multiple backup data stored in the backup storage unit.

8. A robot management method, characterized in that, The robot management method is a method for managing the control device that controls the robot, and the robot management method includes the following steps: Backup data of the control program used to control the robot is obtained from the control device; Save the acquired backup data; Obtain operational information indicating the robot's operational status; Establish a correspondence between the operational information and the saved backup data; as well as The identification information and the operation information are displayed in a corresponding manner, and the identification information is used to identify the multiple backup data that are saved.

Images