A method and device for sharing emergency stops of dual collaborative robots

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and device for sharing emergency stops for two collaborative robots. The method includes: connecting the emergency stop input interface of a first collaborative robot to the emergency stop output interface of a second collaborative robot; connecting the emergency stop output interface of the first collaborative robot to the emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot; sending a first emergency stop input signal to a first microcontroller unit and sending a second emergency stop input signal to a second microcontroller unit; performing input cross-validation on the received first and second emergency stop input signals, and when both the first and second emergency stop input signals are valid signals, controlling the first and second microcontroller units to generate first and second emergency stop control signals. The present invention enables sharing of emergency stop information between collaborative robots and improves the safety of emergency stop control by improving the connection relationship between the collaborative robots and the microcontroller units.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of circuit technology, and in particular to a method and device for sharing emergency stops of dual collaborative robots. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of technology, industrial robots are evolving from traditional industrial robots to collaborative robots. Compared with traditional industrial robots, collaborative robots are more flexible, maneuverable, and safer. They can work seamlessly with humans without the need for isolated working environments or complex safety measures. Multi-robot collaboration is currently a key development direction in the field of industrial robots, which can effectively improve the work efficiency of robots.

[0003] However, most existing collaborative robots share a single emergency stop button with other devices. This means multiple wires are connected to the same button to different devices, with relays used to control the emergency stop of each device. However, when more than three devices are connected to the emergency stop button, wiring difficulties can occur, hindering the sharing of emergency stop information between devices, leading to equipment failures and posing safety risks. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention aims to provide an emergency stop sharing method and device for dual collaborative robots to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, realize the sharing of emergency stop information between collaborative robots by improving the connection relationship between the collaborative robots and the microcontroller unit, and improve the safety of emergency stop control.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides an emergency stop sharing method for two collaborative robots, each collaborative robot includes two emergency stop input interfaces and two emergency stop output interfaces, including:

[0006] Connect the first emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot to the first emergency stop output interface of the second collaborative robot, and connect the second emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot to the second emergency stop output interface of the second collaborative robot; wherein, the first collaborative robot is used to receive the first emergency stop input signal, and the second collaborative robot is used to receive the second emergency stop input signal;

[0007] Connect the first emergency stop output interface of the first collaborative robot to the first emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot, and connect the second emergency stop output interface of the first collaborative robot to the second emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot;

[0008] Sending the first emergency stop input signal to a first microcontroller unit, and sending the second emergency stop input signal to a second microcontroller unit; wherein the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are configured to generate an emergency stop control signal according to the received emergency stop input signal;

[0009] When both the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit receive emergency stop input signals, input cross-verification is performed on the received first emergency stop input signal and the second emergency stop input signal. When both the first emergency stop input signal and the second emergency stop input signal are valid signals, the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are controlled to generate a first emergency stop control signal and a second emergency stop control signal.

[0010] Different from the prior art that only uses one emergency stop button to perform emergency stop control on multiple devices, in the above solution, two microcontroller units are used to perform emergency stop control on a collaborative robot with two emergency stop input interfaces, thereby realizing the processing of multiple emergency stop input signals. The emergency stop input interfaces and emergency stop output interfaces of the two collaborative robots are interconnected. When the emergency stop input interface of any collaborative robot receives an emergency stop input signal, based on the interconnection relationship of the interfaces, the other collaborative robot will also receive the emergency stop input signal synchronously, thereby realizing the sharing of emergency stop information between the collaborative robots, without the need for signal transmission and conveying through the microcontroller unit, and with higher accuracy. Furthermore, the microcontroller unit performs input cross-verification on the received emergency stop input signal and then generates an emergency stop control signal, which can avoid the generation of an erroneous emergency stop control signal due to an invalid emergency stop input signal, causing an emergency stop failure of the collaborative robot, thereby improving the safety of the emergency stop control.

[0011] In one implementation, the sending of the first emergency stop input signal to the first microcontroller unit and the sending of the second emergency stop input signal to the second microcontroller unit are specifically:

[0012] Connecting the first emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot and the first emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot to the input end of the first microcontroller unit;

[0013] Connect the second emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot and the second emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot to the input end of the second microcontroller unit.

[0014] In one implementation, performing input cross-validation on the received first emergency stop input signal and the received second emergency stop input signal further includes:

[0015] When any one of the first emergency stop input signal and the second emergency stop input signal is an invalid level signal, the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are controlled not to output an emergency stop signal.

[0016] In one implementation, before controlling the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit to generate the first emergency stop control signal and the second emergency stop control signal, the method further includes performing an emergency stop output diagnosis on the first emergency stop control signal and the second emergency stop control signal, specifically:

[0017] performing a first diagnosis on a first output signal of the first microcontroller unit, and when the first output signal is a first valid level signal, feeding back the first valid level signal to the first microcontroller unit;

[0018] When the first output signal is consistent with the first effective level signal, it is determined that the first output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is normal;

[0019] performing a second diagnosis on the first output signal of the first microcontroller unit, and when the first output signal is a second valid level signal, feeding back the second valid level signal to the second microcontroller unit;

[0020] controlling the second microcontroller unit to receive the first output signal of the first microcontroller unit, and determining that the second output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is normal when the first output signal is consistent with the second effective level signal;

[0021] performing a first diagnosis on a second output signal of the second microcontroller unit, and when the second output signal is a third valid level signal, feeding back the third valid level signal to the second microcontroller unit;

[0022] When the second output signal is consistent with the third effective level signal, it is determined that the first output diagnosis of the second emergency stop control signal is normal;

[0023] performing a second diagnosis on a second output signal of the second microcontroller unit, and when the second output signal is a fourth valid level signal, feeding back the fourth valid level signal to the second microcontroller unit;

[0024] controlling the first microcontroller unit to receive the second output signal of the second microcontroller unit, and determining that the second output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is normal when the second output signal is consistent with the fourth effective level signal;

[0025] When the first output diagnosis and the second output diagnosis of the two emergency stop control signals are both normal, it is determined that the emergency stop output diagnosis is normal.

[0026] In one implementation, performing emergency stop output diagnosis on the first emergency stop control signal and the second emergency stop control signal further includes:

[0027] When any one of the first output diagnosis and the second output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is abnormal, the output signals of the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are cut off and the first microcontroller unit is controlled to feedback error information;

[0028] When any one of the first output diagnosis and the second output diagnosis of the second emergency stop control signal is abnormal, the output signals of the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are cut off and the second microcontroller unit is controlled to feedback error information.

[0029] In one implementation, after determining that the emergency stop output diagnosis is normal, the method further includes:

[0030] Controlling the first microcontroller unit to generate the first emergency stop control signal and sending the signal to the first collaborative robot;

[0031] Control the second microcontroller unit to generate the second emergency stop control signal and send it to the second collaborative robot.

[0032] In one implementation, the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are any one of ARM with different architectures, FPGA with different architectures, and single-chip microcomputer with different architectures.

[0033] In a second aspect, the present application further provides an emergency stop sharing device for two collaborative robots, each collaborative robot comprising two emergency stop input interfaces and two emergency stop output interfaces, including a first connection module, a second connection module, a signal input module, and a signal generation module;

[0034] The first connection module is used to connect the first emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot with the first emergency stop output interface of the second collaborative robot, and to connect the second emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot with the second emergency stop output interface of the second collaborative robot; wherein, the first emergency stop input interface is used to receive a first emergency stop input signal, and the second emergency stop input interface is used to receive a second emergency stop input signal;

[0035] The second connection module is used to connect the first emergency stop output interface of the first collaborative robot with the first emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot, and to connect the second emergency stop output interface of the first collaborative robot with the second emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot;

[0036] The signal input module is used to send the first emergency stop input signal to the first microcontroller unit, and send the second emergency stop input signal to the second microcontroller unit; wherein the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are used to generate an emergency stop control signal according to the received emergency stop input signal;

[0037] The signal generating module is used to perform input cross-verification on the received first emergency stop input signal and the second emergency stop input signal when both the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit receive emergency stop input signals, and control the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit to generate a first emergency stop control signal and a second emergency stop control signal when both the first emergency stop input signal and the second emergency stop input signal are valid signals.

[0038] Different from the prior art that only uses one emergency stop button to perform emergency stop control on multiple devices, in the above solution, two microcontroller units are used to perform emergency stop control on a collaborative robot with two emergency stop input interfaces, thereby realizing the processing of multiple emergency stop input signals. The emergency stop input interfaces and emergency stop output interfaces of the two collaborative robots are interconnected. When the emergency stop input interface of any collaborative robot receives an emergency stop input signal, based on the interconnection relationship of the interfaces, the other collaborative robot will also receive the emergency stop input signal synchronously, thereby realizing the sharing of emergency stop information between the collaborative robots, without the need for signal transmission and conveying through the microcontroller unit, and with higher accuracy. Furthermore, the microcontroller unit performs input cross-verification on the received emergency stop input signal and then generates an emergency stop control signal, which can avoid the generation of an erroneous emergency stop control signal due to an invalid emergency stop input signal, causing an emergency stop failure of the collaborative robot, thereby improving the safety of the emergency stop control.

[0039] In one implementation, the sending of the first emergency stop input signal to the first microcontroller unit and the sending of the second emergency stop input signal to the second microcontroller unit are specifically:

[0040] Connecting the first emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot and the first emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot to the input end of the first microcontroller unit;

[0041] Connect the second emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot and the second emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot to the input end of the second microcontroller unit.

[0042] In one implementation, performing input cross-validation on the received first emergency stop input signal and the received second emergency stop input signal further includes:

[0043] When any one of the first emergency stop input signal and the second emergency stop input signal is an invalid level signal, the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are controlled not to output an emergency stop signal.

[0044] In one implementation, before controlling the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit to generate the first emergency stop control signal and the second emergency stop control signal, the method further includes performing an emergency stop output diagnosis on the first emergency stop control signal and the second emergency stop control signal, specifically:

[0045] performing a first diagnosis on a first output signal of the first microcontroller unit, and when the first output signal is a first valid level signal, feeding back the first valid level signal to the first microcontroller unit;

[0046] When the first output signal is consistent with the first effective level signal, it is determined that the first output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is normal;

[0047] performing a second diagnosis on the first output signal of the first microcontroller unit, and when the first output signal is a second valid level signal, feeding back the second valid level signal to the second microcontroller unit;

[0048] controlling the second microcontroller unit to receive the first output signal of the first microcontroller unit, and determining that the second output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is normal when the first output signal is consistent with the second effective level signal;

[0049] performing a first diagnosis on a second output signal of the second microcontroller unit, and when the second output signal is a third valid level signal, feeding back the third valid level signal to the second microcontroller unit;

[0050] When the second output signal is consistent with the third effective level signal, it is determined that the first output diagnosis of the second emergency stop control signal is normal;

[0051] performing a second diagnosis on a second output signal of the second microcontroller unit, and when the second output signal is a fourth valid level signal, feeding back the fourth valid level signal to the second microcontroller unit;

[0052] controlling the first microcontroller unit to receive the second output signal of the second microcontroller unit, and determining that the second output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is normal when the second output signal is consistent with the fourth effective level signal;

[0053] When the first output diagnosis and the second output diagnosis of the two emergency stop control signals are both normal, it is determined that the emergency stop output diagnosis is normal.

[0054] In one implementation, performing emergency stop output diagnosis on the first emergency stop control signal and the second emergency stop control signal further includes:

[0055] When any one of the first output diagnosis and the second output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is abnormal, the output signals of the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are cut off and the first microcontroller unit is controlled to feedback error information;

[0056] When any one of the first output diagnosis and the second output diagnosis of the second emergency stop control signal is abnormal, the output signals of the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are cut off and the second microcontroller unit is controlled to feedback error information.

[0057] In one implementation, after determining that the emergency stop output diagnosis is normal, the method further includes:

[0058] Controlling the first microcontroller unit to generate the first emergency stop control signal and sending the signal to the first collaborative robot;

[0059] Control the second microcontroller unit to generate the second emergency stop control signal and send it to the second collaborative robot.

[0060] In one implementation, the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are any one of ARM with different architectures, FPGA with different architectures, and single-chip microcomputer with different architectures.

[0061] In a third aspect, the present application also provides a terminal device comprising a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processor, wherein when the processor executes the computer program, the emergency stop sharing method of the dual collaborative robots as described above is implemented.

[0062] In a fourth aspect, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which includes a stored computer program, wherein when the computer program is running, the device where the computer-readable storage medium is located is controlled to execute the emergency stop sharing method of the dual collaborative robots as described above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0063] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a flow chart of an emergency stop sharing method for dual collaborative robots provided in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0064] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an emergency stop shared connection relationship of a collaborative robot provided in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0065] Figure 3 This is a principle block diagram of an emergency stop sharing system provided in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0066] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a flow chart of emergency stop output diagnosis provided in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0067] Figure 5 This is a module schematic diagram of an emergency stop sharing device for dual collaborative robots provided in one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0068] The following embodiments of the present invention are described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. The following examples are used to illustrate the present invention but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0069] The terms "first," "second," and the like in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish between different objects, not to describe a particular order. Furthermore, the terms "including," "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus comprising a series of steps or elements is not limited to the listed steps or elements, but may optionally include steps or elements not listed, or may optionally include other steps or elements inherent to the process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0070] References herein to "embodiments" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of this phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor does it constitute an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It is understood, both explicitly and implicitly, by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0071] Example 1

[0072] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 The figure is a flow chart of a method for sharing an emergency stop of two collaborative robots provided in one embodiment of the present invention. The present invention provides a method for sharing an emergency stop of two collaborative robots, wherein each collaborative robot includes two emergency stop input interfaces and two emergency stop output interfaces, and includes steps 101 to 104. The specific steps are as follows:

[0073] Step 101: Connect the first emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot to the first emergency stop output interface of the second collaborative robot, and connect the second emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot to the second emergency stop output interface of the second collaborative robot; wherein, the first collaborative robot is used to receive the first emergency stop input signal, and the second collaborative robot is used to receive the second emergency stop input signal.

[0074] Step 102: Connect the first emergency stop output interface of the first collaborative robot to the first emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot, and connect the second emergency stop output interface of the first collaborative robot to the second emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot.

[0075] See also Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the emergency stop shared connection relationship of a collaborative robot provided in one embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment of the present invention, the first emergency stop input interface EI1 input of the first collaborative robot A is connected to the first emergency stop output interface EO1 output of the second collaborative robot, and the second emergency stop input interface EI2 input is connected to the second emergency stop output interface EO2 output of the second collaborative robot B; wherein, the first collaborative robot A is used to receive the first emergency stop input signal, and the second collaborative robot B is used to receive the second emergency stop input signal. The first collaborative robot A and the second collaborative robot B receive the first emergency stop input signal and the second emergency stop input signal respectively, and each emergency stop signal has two emergency stop input interfaces EI1 and EI2. Furthermore, the first emergency stop output interface EO1 output of the first collaborative robot A is connected to the first emergency stop input interface EI1 of the second collaborative robot B, and the second emergency stop output interface EO2 of the first collaborative robot A is connected to the second emergency stop input interface EI2 of the second collaborative robot B. Based on the above connection relationship, when the first collaborative robot receives the first emergency stop input signal, it can synchronously stop the second collaborative robot B through the connection relationship between the emergency stop output interface and the emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot, without pulling the emergency stop switch on the second collaborative robot B. Similarly, when the second collaborative robot receives the second emergency stop input signal, it can send the emergency stop input signal to the first collaborative robot A, realizing the sharing of emergency stop between the two collaborative robots.

[0076] Step 103: Send the first emergency stop input signal to the first microcontroller unit, and send the second emergency stop input signal to the second microcontroller unit; wherein the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are used to generate an emergency stop control signal according to the received emergency stop input signal.

[0077] In one embodiment, the first emergency stop input signal is sent to the first microcontroller unit, and the second emergency stop input signal is sent to the second microcontroller unit, specifically: the first emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot and the first emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot are connected to the input end of the first microcontroller unit; the second emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot and the second emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot are connected to the input end of the second microcontroller unit.

[0078] In this embodiment of the present invention, the first emergency stop input interface EI1 of the first collaborative robot A and the first emergency stop input interface EI1 of the second collaborative robot B are connected to the input of the first microcontroller unit MCU1; the second emergency stop input interface EI2 of the first collaborative robot A and the second emergency stop input interface EI2 of the second collaborative robot B are connected to the input of the second microcontroller unit MCU2. Based on these connections, the emergency stop input signal received by the collaborative robot is sent to the microcontroller unit, which generates an emergency stop control command to implement emergency stop control of the collaborative robot.

[0079] Step 104: When both the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit receive emergency stop input signals, input cross-verification is performed on the received first emergency stop input signal and the second emergency stop input signal. When both the first emergency stop input signal and the second emergency stop input signal are valid signals, the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are controlled to generate a first emergency stop control signal and a second emergency stop control signal and feed them back to the first collaborative robot and the second collaborative robot.

[0080] In this embodiment of the present invention, when both the first microcontroller unit MCU1 and the second microcontroller unit MCU2 receive an emergency stop input signal, they need to cross-validate the received emergency stop input signals. Only when both emergency stop input signals are valid will the two microcontroller units generate an emergency stop control signal. That is, when the first microcontroller unit MCU1 receives the input signal EI1 and the second microcontroller unit MCU2 also receives the input signal EI2, both microcontroller units output an emergency stop control signal.

[0081] In one embodiment, the input cross-verification of the received first emergency stop input signal and the second emergency stop input signal further includes: when either the first emergency stop input signal or the second emergency stop input signal is an invalid level signal, controlling the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit to not output an emergency stop signal. When either emergency stop input signal is an invalid level signal, neither microcontroller unit outputs an emergency stop control signal. That is, when the first microcontroller unit MCU1 does not receive the input signal EI1 and the second microcontroller unit MCU2 receives the input signal EI2, after cross-verification between the first microcontroller unit MCU1 and the second microcontroller unit MCU2, neither microcontroller unit outputs an emergency stop control signal; when the first microcontroller unit MCU1 receives the input signal EI1 and the second microcontroller unit MCU2 does not receive the input signal EI2, after cross-verification between the first microcontroller unit MCU1 and the second microcontroller unit MCU2, neither microcontroller unit outputs an emergency stop control signal.

[0082] In one embodiment, before controlling the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit to generate the first emergency stop control signal and the second emergency stop control signal, it also includes performing an emergency stop output diagnosis on the first emergency stop control signal and the second emergency stop control signal, specifically: performing a first diagnosis on the first output signal of the first microcontroller unit, and when the first output signal is a first valid level signal, feeding back the first valid level signal to the first microcontroller unit; when the first output signal is consistent with the first valid level signal, determining that the first output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is normal; performing a second diagnosis on the first output signal of the first microcontroller unit, and when the first output signal is a second valid level signal, feeding back the second valid level signal to the second microcontroller unit; controlling the second microcontroller unit to receive the first output signal of the first microcontroller unit, and when the first output signal is consistent with the second valid level signal, determining that the first output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is normal. When the second output signal of the second microcontroller unit is consistent with the third effective level signal, the second output diagnosis of the second emergency stop control signal is determined to be normal; a first diagnosis is performed on the second output signal of the second microcontroller unit, and when the second output signal is a third effective level signal, the third effective level signal is fed back to the second microcontroller unit; when the second output signal is consistent with the third effective level signal, the first output diagnosis of the second emergency stop control signal is determined to be normal; a second diagnosis is performed on the second output signal of the second microcontroller unit, and when the second output signal is a fourth effective level signal, the fourth effective level signal is fed back to the second microcontroller unit; the first microcontroller unit is controlled to receive the second output signal of the second microcontroller unit, and when the second output signal is consistent with the fourth effective level signal, the second output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is determined to be normal; when the first output diagnosis and the second output diagnosis of the two emergency stop control signals are both normal, the emergency stop output diagnosis is determined to be normal.

[0083] See also Figure 3 , Figure 3This is a block diagram of the principle of emergency stop sharing provided in one embodiment of the present invention. Before controlling the two microprocessor units to output emergency stop control signals, emergency stop output diagnosis must be performed on both the first and second microcontroller units. For ease of description and brevity, the emergency stop output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is used as an example. The first diagnosis involves directly acquiring the output signal of the first microcontroller unit MCU1 and performing a diagnosis. When the output signal is a valid level signal, the detection result is fed back to the first microcontroller unit MCU1. If the value of the output signal of the first microcontroller unit MCU1 matches the value of the fed-back valid level signal, the first output diagnosis of the first emergency stop signal is determined to be normal. The output signal of the first microcontroller unit MCU1 is synchronously sent to the second microcontroller unit MCU2. The second diagnosis involves diagnosing the output signal of the first microcontroller unit. If the signal is still a valid level signal after re-diagnosis, the output signal received by the second microcontroller unit MCU2 from the first microcontroller unit MCU1 is acquired. If the value of the received output signal matches the value of the valid level signal after diagnosis, the output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is determined to be abnormal. If both the first and second output diagnoses of the two emergency stop control signals are normal, the emergency stop output diagnosis is determined to be normal. In this embodiment of the present invention, a microsecond pulse signal is applied to the output of the microprocessor unit as a diagnostic signal to detect the output signal of the microprocessor unit. As an alternative to this embodiment of the present invention, diagnosis can also be performed by measuring the level of the output interface of a device such as a logic analyzer, oscilloscope, logic signal analyzer, or signal generator.

[0084] As an optimization scheme of an embodiment of the present invention, the emergency stop output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal and the second emergency stop control signal also includes: when any one of the first output diagnosis and the second output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is abnormal, the output signals of the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are cut off and the first microcontroller unit is controlled to feedback error information; when any one of the first output diagnosis and the second output diagnosis of the second emergency stop control signal is abnormal, the output signals of the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are cut off and the second microcontroller unit is controlled to feedback error information.

[0085] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 This figure is a flow chart illustrating an emergency stop output diagnostic process provided in one embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, two microprocessor units perform dual output diagnostics on the emergency stop control signal, preventing the erroneous output of the emergency stop control command due to a single diagnostic anomaly. If either diagnostic anomaly occurs, the microcontroller unit's output is shut off, and the microprocessor unit is controlled to provide feedback and error reporting, facilitating anomaly detection.

[0086] In one embodiment, after determining that the emergency stop output diagnosis is normal, the system further includes: controlling the first microcontroller unit to generate the first emergency stop control signal and sending it to the first collaborative robot; and controlling the second microcontroller unit to generate the second emergency stop control signal and sending it to the second collaborative robot. When the emergency stop output diagnoses of both emergency stop control signals are normal, controlling the two microcontrollers to normally output the emergency stop control command, and sending the generated emergency stop control command to the collaborative robot, thereby achieving shared emergency stop for the collaborative robots.

[0087] In one embodiment, the first and second microcontroller units are any one of heterogeneous ARM architectures, heterogeneous FPGA architectures, and heterogeneous single-chip microcomputer architectures. To avoid emergency stop information sharing anomalies caused by common cause failures, as an optimization solution of this embodiment of the present invention, the first and second microprocessors are configured as heterogeneous ARM architectures, heterogeneous FPGA architectures, or heterogeneous single-chip microcomputer architectures.

[0088] In an embodiment of the present invention, an emergency stop sharing device for two collaborative robots is also provided, including a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, the above-mentioned emergency stop sharing method for two collaborative robots is implemented.

[0089] In an embodiment of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, which includes a stored computer program, wherein when the computer program is running, the device where the computer-readable storage medium is located is controlled to execute the above-mentioned emergency stop sharing method of the dual collaborative robots.

[0090] Exemplarily, the computer program may be divided into one or more modules, which are stored in the memory and executed by the processor to implement the present invention. The one or more modules may be a series of computer program instruction segments capable of performing specific functions, and the instruction segments are used to describe the execution process of the computer program in the emergency stop shared device of the dual collaborative robots.

[0091] The shared emergency stop device for the dual collaborative robots can be a computing device such as a desktop computer, a notebook, a PDA, or a cloud server. The shared emergency stop device for the dual collaborative robots may include, but is not limited to, a processor, a memory, and a display. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the aforementioned components are merely examples of the shared emergency stop device for the dual collaborative robots and do not constitute a limitation on the shared emergency stop device for the dual collaborative robots. The shared emergency stop device for the dual collaborative robots may include more or fewer components than those described above, or may combine certain components, or may include different components. For example, the shared emergency stop device for the dual collaborative robots may also include input / output devices, network access devices, buses, and the like.

[0092] The processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The processor is the control center of the emergency stop shared device of the dual collaborative robots, and utilizes various interfaces and lines to connect the various parts of the emergency stop shared device of the dual collaborative robots.

[0093] The memory can be used to store the computer programs and / or modules. The processor implements the various functions of the emergency stop shared device of the dual collaborative robots by running or executing the computer programs and / or modules stored in the memory and calling the data stored in the memory. The memory can mainly include a program storage area and a data storage area, wherein the program storage area can store an operating system, at least one application required for a function (such as a sound playback function, a text conversion function, etc.); the data storage area can store data created based on the use of the mobile phone (such as audio data, text message data, etc.). In addition, the memory can include a high-speed random access memory and can also include a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk, a memory, a plug-in hard disk, a smart memory card (Smart Media Card, SMC), a secure digital (Secure Digital, SD) card, a flash card (Flash Card), at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, or other volatile solid-state storage device.

[0094] If the dual collaborative robot emergency stop shared integrated module is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the present invention can implement all or part of the process of the above-mentioned embodiment method by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed by a processor, it can implement the steps of each of the above-mentioned method embodiments. The computer program includes computer program code, which can be in source code form, object code form, executable file or some intermediate form. The computer-readable medium can include: any entity or device capable of carrying the computer program code, recording medium, USB flash drive, mobile hard disk, magnetic disk, optical disk, computer memory, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), electric carrier signal, telecommunication signal and software distribution medium. It should be noted that the content contained in the computer-readable medium can be appropriately increased or decreased according to the requirements of legislation and patent practice in the jurisdiction. For example, in some jurisdictions, according to legislation and patent practice, computer-readable media does not include electric carrier signals and telecommunication signals. Those skilled in the art can understand and implement the present invention without any creative work.

[0095] Different from the prior art that only uses one emergency stop button to control multiple devices in an emergency, an embodiment of the present invention provides an emergency stop sharing method for dual collaborative robots, which uses two microcontroller units to perform emergency stop control on a collaborative robot with two emergency stop input interfaces, thereby realizing the processing of multiple emergency stop input signals. The emergency stop input interface and the emergency stop output interface of the two collaborative robots are interconnected. When the emergency stop input interface of any collaborative robot receives an emergency stop input signal, based on the interconnection relationship of the interfaces, the other collaborative robot will also receive the emergency stop input signal synchronously, thereby realizing the sharing of emergency stop information between the collaborative robots, without the need for signal transmission and relaying through the microcontroller unit, and with higher accuracy. Furthermore, the microcontroller unit performs input cross-verification on the received emergency stop input signal and then generates an emergency stop control signal, which can avoid the generation of an erroneous emergency stop control signal due to an invalid emergency stop input signal, causing an emergency stop failure of the collaborative robot, thereby improving the safety of the emergency stop control.

[0096] Example 2

[0097] See also Figure 5 , Figure 5This is a schematic diagram of a module of a shared emergency stop device for two collaborative robots provided in one embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment of the present invention provides a shared emergency stop device for two collaborative robots, wherein each collaborative robot comprises two emergency stop input interfaces and two emergency stop output interfaces, including: a first connection module 201, a second connection module 202, a signal input module 203, and a signal generation module 204;

[0098] The first connection module 201 is used to connect the first emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot with the first emergency stop output interface of the second collaborative robot, and to connect the second emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot with the second emergency stop output interface of the second collaborative robot; wherein, the first emergency stop input interface is used to receive a first emergency stop input signal, and the second emergency stop input interface is used to receive a second emergency stop input signal;

[0099] The second connection module 202 is used to connect the first emergency stop output interface of the first collaborative robot to the first emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot, and to connect the second emergency stop output interface of the first collaborative robot to the second emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot;

[0100] The signal input module 203 is used to send the first emergency stop input signal to the first microcontroller unit and send the second emergency stop input signal to the second microcontroller unit; wherein the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are used to generate an emergency stop control signal according to the received emergency stop input signal;

[0101] The signal generating module 204 is used to perform input cross-verification on the received first emergency stop input signal and the second emergency stop input signal when both the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit receive emergency stop input signals, and when the first emergency stop input signal and the second emergency stop input signal are both valid signals, control the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit to generate a first emergency stop control signal and a second emergency stop control signal.

[0102] In one embodiment, the first emergency stop input signal is sent to the first microcontroller unit, and the second emergency stop input signal is sent to the second microcontroller unit, specifically: the first emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot and the first emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot are connected to the input end of the first microcontroller unit; the second emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot and the second emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot are connected to the input end of the second microcontroller unit.

[0103] In one embodiment, the input cross-verification of the received first emergency stop input signal and the second emergency stop input signal further includes: when any one of the first emergency stop input signal and the second emergency stop input signal is an invalid level signal, controlling the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit to not output an emergency stop signal.

[0104] In one embodiment, before controlling the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit to generate the first emergency stop control signal and the second emergency stop control signal, it also includes performing an emergency stop output diagnosis on the first emergency stop control signal and the second emergency stop control signal, specifically: performing a first diagnosis on the first output signal of the first microcontroller unit, and when the first output signal is a first valid level signal, feeding back the first valid level signal to the first microcontroller unit; when the first output signal is consistent with the first valid level signal, determining that the first output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is normal; performing a second diagnosis on the first output signal of the first microcontroller unit, and when the first output signal is a second valid level signal, feeding back the second valid level signal to the second microcontroller unit; controlling the second microcontroller unit to receive the first output signal of the first microcontroller unit, and when the first output signal is consistent with the second valid level signal, determining that the first output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is normal. When the second output signal of the second microcontroller unit is consistent with the third effective level signal, the second output diagnosis of the second emergency stop control signal is determined to be normal; a first diagnosis is performed on the second output signal of the second microcontroller unit, and when the second output signal is a third effective level signal, the third effective level signal is fed back to the second microcontroller unit; when the second output signal is consistent with the third effective level signal, the first output diagnosis of the second emergency stop control signal is determined to be normal; a second diagnosis is performed on the second output signal of the second microcontroller unit, and when the second output signal is a fourth effective level signal, the fourth effective level signal is fed back to the second microcontroller unit; the first microcontroller unit is controlled to receive the second output signal of the second microcontroller unit, and when the second output signal is consistent with the fourth effective level signal, the second output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is determined to be normal; when the first output diagnosis and the second output diagnosis of the two emergency stop control signals are both normal, the emergency stop output diagnosis is determined to be normal.

[0105] In one embodiment, the emergency stop output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal and the second emergency stop control signal further includes: when any one of the first output diagnosis and the second output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is abnormal, cutting off the output signals of the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit and controlling the first microcontroller unit to feedback error information; when any one of the first output diagnosis and the second output diagnosis of the second emergency stop control signal is abnormal, cutting off the output signals of the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit and controlling the second microcontroller unit to feedback error information.

[0106] In one embodiment, after determining that the emergency stop output diagnosis is normal, it also includes: controlling the first microcontroller unit to generate the first emergency stop control signal and sending it to the first collaborative robot; controlling the second microcontroller unit to generate the second emergency stop control signal and sending it to the second collaborative robot.

[0107] In one embodiment, the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are any one of ARM with different architectures, FPGA with different architectures, and single-chip microcomputer with different architectures.

[0108] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working process of the device described above can refer to the corresponding process in the aforementioned method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0109] Different from the prior art that only uses one emergency stop button to control multiple devices in an emergency, an embodiment of the present invention provides an emergency stop sharing device for dual collaborative robots, which uses two microcontroller units to perform emergency stop control on a collaborative robot with two emergency stop input interfaces, thereby realizing the processing of multiple emergency stop input signals. The emergency stop input interface and the emergency stop output interface of the two collaborative robots are interconnected. When the emergency stop input interface of any collaborative robot receives an emergency stop input signal, based on the interconnection relationship of the interfaces, the other collaborative robot will also receive the emergency stop input signal synchronously, thereby realizing the sharing of emergency stop information between the collaborative robots, without the need for signal transmission and relaying through the microcontroller unit, and with higher accuracy. Furthermore, the microcontroller unit performs input cross-verification on the received emergency stop input signal and then generates an emergency stop control signal, which can avoid the generation of an erroneous emergency stop control signal due to an invalid emergency stop input signal, causing an emergency stop failure of the collaborative robot, thereby improving the safety of the emergency stop control.

[0110] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and substitutions can be made without departing from the technical principles of the present invention. These improvements and substitutions should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for sharing emergency stops of two collaborative robots, characterized in that: Each collaborative robot contains two emergency stop input interfaces and two emergency stop output interfaces, including: Connect the first emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot to the first emergency stop output interface of the second collaborative robot, and connect the second emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot to the second emergency stop output interface of the second collaborative robot; wherein, the first collaborative robot is used to receive the first emergency stop input signal, and the second collaborative robot is used to receive the second emergency stop input signal; Connect the first emergency stop output interface of the first collaborative robot to the first emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot, and connect the second emergency stop output interface of the first collaborative robot to the second emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot; Sending the first emergency stop input signal to a first microcontroller unit, and sending the second emergency stop input signal to a second microcontroller unit; wherein the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are configured to generate an emergency stop control signal according to the received emergency stop input signal; When both the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit receive emergency stop input signals, input cross-verification is performed on the received first emergency stop input signal and the second emergency stop input signal. When both the first emergency stop input signal and the second emergency stop input signal are valid signals, the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are controlled to generate a first emergency stop control signal and a second emergency stop control signal.

2. The method for sharing emergency stops of two collaborative robots according to claim 1, wherein: The sending of the first emergency stop input signal to the first microcontroller unit and the sending of the second emergency stop input signal to the second microcontroller unit is specifically: Connecting the first emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot and the first emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot to the input end of the first microcontroller unit; Connect the second emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot and the second emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot to the input end of the second microcontroller unit.

3. The method for sharing emergency stops of two collaborative robots according to claim 1, wherein: The performing input cross-verification on the received first emergency stop input signal and the received second emergency stop input signal further includes: When any one of the first emergency stop input signal and the second emergency stop input signal is an invalid level signal, the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are controlled not to output an emergency stop signal.

4. The method for sharing emergency stops of two collaborative robots according to claim 1, wherein: Before controlling the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit to generate the first emergency stop control signal and the second emergency stop control signal, the method further includes performing an emergency stop output diagnosis on the first emergency stop control signal and the second emergency stop control signal, specifically: performing a first diagnosis on a first output signal of the first microcontroller unit, and when the first output signal is a first valid level signal, feeding back the first valid level signal to the first microcontroller unit; When the first output signal is consistent with the first effective level signal, it is determined that the first output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is normal; performing a second diagnosis on the first output signal of the first microcontroller unit, and when the first output signal is a second valid level signal, feeding back the second valid level signal to the second microcontroller unit; controlling the second microcontroller unit to receive the first output signal of the first microcontroller unit, and determining that the second output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is normal when the first output signal is consistent with the second effective level signal; performing a first diagnosis on a second output signal of the second microcontroller unit, and when the second output signal is a third valid level signal, feeding back the third valid level signal to the second microcontroller unit; When the second output signal is consistent with the third effective level signal, it is determined that the first output diagnosis of the second emergency stop control signal is normal; performing a second diagnosis on a second output signal of the second microcontroller unit, and when the second output signal is a fourth valid level signal, feeding back the fourth valid level signal to the second microcontroller unit; controlling the first microcontroller unit to receive the second output signal of the second microcontroller unit, and determining that the second output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is normal when the second output signal is consistent with the fourth effective level signal; When the first output diagnosis and the second output diagnosis of the two emergency stop control signals are both normal, it is determined that the emergency stop output diagnosis is normal.

5. The method for sharing emergency stops of two collaborative robots according to claim 4, wherein: The performing emergency stop output diagnosis on the first emergency stop control signal and the second emergency stop control signal further includes: When any one of the first output diagnosis and the second output diagnosis of the first emergency stop control signal is abnormal, the output signals of the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are cut off and the first microcontroller unit is controlled to feedback error information; When any one of the first output diagnosis and the second output diagnosis of the second emergency stop control signal is abnormal, the output signals of the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are cut off and the second microcontroller unit is controlled to feedback error information.

6. The method for sharing emergency stops of two collaborative robots according to claim 4, wherein: After the emergency stop output diagnosis is determined to be normal, it also includes: Controlling the first microcontroller unit to generate the first emergency stop control signal and sending the signal to the first collaborative robot; Control the second microcontroller unit to generate the second emergency stop control signal and send it to the second collaborative robot.

7. The method for sharing emergency stops of two collaborative robots according to claim 1, wherein: The first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are any one of ARM with different architectures, FPGA with different architectures and single-chip microcomputer with different architectures.

8. An emergency stop sharing device for dual collaborative robots, characterized in that: Each collaborative robot includes two emergency stop input interfaces and two emergency stop output interfaces, including a first connection module, a second connection module, a signal input module and a signal generation module; The first connection module is used to connect the first emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot with the first emergency stop output interface of the second collaborative robot, and to connect the second emergency stop input interface of the first collaborative robot with the second emergency stop output interface of the second collaborative robot; wherein, the first emergency stop input interface is used to receive a first emergency stop input signal, and the second emergency stop input interface is used to receive a second emergency stop input signal; The second connection module is used to connect the first emergency stop output interface of the first collaborative robot with the first emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot, and to connect the second emergency stop output interface of the first collaborative robot with the second emergency stop input interface of the second collaborative robot; The signal input module is used to send the first emergency stop input signal to the first microcontroller unit, and send the second emergency stop input signal to the second microcontroller unit; wherein the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit are used to generate an emergency stop control signal according to the received emergency stop input signal; The signal generating module is used to perform input cross-verification on the received first emergency stop input signal and the second emergency stop input signal when both the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit receive emergency stop input signals, and control the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit to generate a first emergency stop control signal and a second emergency stop control signal when both the first emergency stop input signal and the second emergency stop input signal are valid signals.

9. A terminal device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, the emergency stop sharing method of the dual collaborative robots as described in any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium includes a stored computer program, wherein when the computer program is running, the device where the computer-readable storage medium is located is controlled to execute the emergency stop sharing method of the dual collaborative robots as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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