Terminal support device, teaching operation device, and robot control system

Abstract

A terminal support device is provided with: a mounting base on which a portable communication terminal for commanding the operation of a robot to a control device of the robot via wireless communication on the basis of teaching operation content is removably mounted; a safety switch that outputs a safety signal for the control device; an interface unit connected to an electrical cable comprising a signal line for transmitting a safety signal to the control device and a power line for transmitting power supplied from the control device; and a wireless power transmission unit that wirelessly supplies, to the portable communication terminal, a portion of the power received from the control device via the power line of the electrical cable and the interface unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a terminal support device, a teaching operation device and a robot control system. Background Art

[0002] In order to teach industrial robots, a teaching operation device called a teaching pendant connected to the robot's control device is used. The operator can use the teaching operation device to register, edit, set conditions, display status, teach the robot, and perform manual operations. In order to avoid unexpected robot movements and ensure the safety of surrounding machines and operators, safety switches such as an enabling switch and an emergency stop button are provided in the teaching operation device.

[0003] In recent years, from the perspective of reducing costs and ensuring versatility, a teaching operation device that performs teaching operations on a robot through a universal portable communication terminal such as a tablet is used instead of using dedicated hardware for the teaching operation device. In this teaching operation device, a portable communication terminal is detachably mounted on a terminal support device, which is a base member provided with a safety switch.

[0004] For example, the following is recorded in paragraph

[0025] of Patent Document 1: "On the other hand, the operating device 18 can be installed in the state of the control device 12 or in the state of Figure 1 In addition, when the operating device 18 is separated, the maintenance manager of the system 10 supports the operating device 18 with one hand and operates the switch 18a arranged on the surface, the touch switch displayed on the display unit 22, etc. with the other hand to operate the system 10 and teach the multi-joint robot 16. ".

[0005] For example, the following is recorded in paragraph

[0018] of Patent Document 2: “The charging device 2 may be, for example, Figure 2 , Figure 3 The charging station, such as the bracket shown, on which the portable operating device 1 is placed during charging may also be a device connected to the portable operating device 1 via a cable or the like during charging. ".

[0006] Prior art literature

[0007] Patent Literature

[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-154085

[0009] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-006115 Summary of the invention

[0010] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0011] In a teaching operation device composed of a general-purpose portable communication terminal and a terminal support device, a terminal support device provided with a safety switch is generally connected to a control device of a robot via wired communication, thereby ensuring the safety of the robot control system. In addition, since the portable communication terminal has a wireless communication function, it is also relatively easy to make wireless communication between the portable communication terminal used for teaching operation using the portable communication terminal and the control device of the robot. On the other hand, when implementing a teaching operation using a portable communication terminal, it is particularly important to stably ensure the driving power of the portable communication terminal. In a teaching operation device composed of a portable communication terminal and a terminal support device, it is desirable to easily ensure the driving power of the portable communication terminal.

[0012] Means for solving problems

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a terminal support device comprises: a mounting base on which a portable communication terminal is mounted in a detachable manner, and the portable communication terminal instructs the robot's movements to a control device of the robot via wireless communication according to the teaching operation content; a safety switch that outputs a safety signal to the control device; an interface portion that is connected to an electric cable, the electric cable being composed of a signal line that transmits a safety signal to the control device and a power line that transmits power supplied from the control device; and a wireless power transmission portion that wirelessly supplies power to the portable communication terminal with a portion of the power received from the control device via the power line of the electric cable and the interface portion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing a robot control system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing a terminal support device in a robot control system according to the first and second embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing a portable communication terminal in the robot control system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 4 It is a diagram for explaining wireless power supply and power distribution in the robot control system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing a robot control system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 6 This is a block diagram showing a portable communication terminal in a robot control system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 7It is a diagram for explaining wireless power supply and power distribution in the robot control system according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Hereinafter, the terminal support device, the teaching operation device and the robot control system of the embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in the following description, the same symbols are marked for structures with the same or similar functions. In addition, the repeated description of these structures is sometimes omitted. In addition, in the following description, "wireless power supply" refers to power supply that is not performed via a cable (i.e., wireless).

[0022] <First embodiment>

[0023] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing a robot control system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing a terminal support device in a robot control system according to the first and second embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 2 The block diagram shown is also applied to the second embodiment in addition to the first embodiment. Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing a portable communication terminal in the robot control system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] According to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, the robot control system 1000 includes a teaching operation device 100 and a control device 200 .

[0025] The robot 300 and the control device 200 are connected via a cable 41 (hereinafter referred to as "robot cable 41") in a manner that enables wired communication and power transmission. The movement of the robot 300 is controlled by the control device 200. An operation processing device (at least one processor) and a storage device (at least one memory) are provided in the control device 200. As the operation processing device, there are, for example, IC, LSI, CPU, MPU, DSP, etc. As the memory, there are, for example, non-volatile memory that can be electrically erased / recorded such as EEPROM (registered trademark), or random access memory that can read and write at high speed such as DRAM, SRAM, etc. The control device 200 having the operation processing device is, for example, a functional module implemented by control software (computer program) executed on a processor. By making the operation processing device operate according to the control software program, each process of the control device 200 that controls the movement of the robot 300 can be implemented. The control software program for executing the process of the control device 200 can be provided in the form of a computer-readable recording medium such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium. Alternatively, the control device 200 may be realized as a semiconductor integrated circuit in which a computer program realizing the functions is written.

[0026] The control device 200 is connected to an external commercial power source (not shown). The control device 200 distributes the power supplied from the commercial power source into the driving power of the control device 200 itself and the power supplied to the terminal support device 1. A part of the power supplied from the commercial power source to the control device 200 is supplied to the terminal support device 1 via a power line 31-2 of the electric cable 31 described later. In addition, the control device 200 can supply a part of the power supplied from the commercial power source to the robot 300 as driving power.

[0027] The teaching operation device 100 is composed of a portable communication terminal 2 and a terminal support device 1 .

[0028] The terminal support device 1 includes a mounting base 11 , a safety switch 12 , an interface unit 13 , and a wireless power transmission unit 14 .

[0029] The terminal support device 1 is connected to the control device 200 via an electric cable 31 in a manner that enables wired communication and power transmission. The electric cable 31 is composed of a signal line 31-1 that transmits a safety signal from the safety switch 12 to the control device 200 and a power line 31-2 that transmits power from the control device 200 to the terminal support device 1. The electric cable 31 is connected to the interface unit 13.

[0030] The mounting base 11 is used to mount the portable communication terminal 2 on the terminal support device 1 in a detachable manner. The mounting base 11 has a holding mechanism 15 for holding the portable communication terminal 2. Figure 1 In one example, the holding mechanism 15 is composed of a spring mechanism that holds the portable communication terminal 2 in a sandwiched manner on the mounting base 11. Other examples of the holding mechanism 15 include an air spring mechanism that holds the portable communication terminal 2 on the mounting base 11 using air pressure, a magnet or an electromagnet that holds the portable communication terminal 2 on the mounting base 11 by magnetic force, a screw that screws the portable communication terminal 2 to the mounting base 11, and an adhesive component that adheres the portable communication terminal 2 to the mounting base 11.

[0031] The safety switch 12 outputs a safety signal to the control device 200. The safety signal output from the safety switch is transmitted to the control device 200 via a signal line of the electric cable 31. The safety switch 12 includes an enabling switch 12-1 and an emergency stop button 12-2.

[0032] While the enable switch 12-1 is continuously pressed (turned on), the control device 200 is allowed to control the action of the robot 300 via the portable communication terminal 2. By releasing the pressing (turning on), an enable signal that does not allow the control device 200 to control the action of the robot 300 via the portable communication terminal 2 is output as a safety signal. An enable signal corresponding to the operation content of the enable switch 12-1 is sent to the control device 200 via the interface portion 13 of the terminal support device 1 and the signal line 31-1 of the cable 31. For example, while the enable switch 12-1 is not pressed, the robot 300 will not move regardless of any operation performed via the portable communication terminal 2. While the enable switch 12-1 is pressed, the robot 300 can be operated via the portable communication terminal 2.

[0033] The emergency stop button 12-2 outputs an emergency stop signal as a safety signal to instruct the control device 200 to emergency stop the robot 300. When the emergency stop button 12-2 is pressed (turned on), the emergency stop signal is sent to the control device 200 via the interface 13 of the terminal support device 1 and the signal line 31-1 of the cable 31. When the control device 200 receives the emergency stop signal, it controls the robot 300 to emergency stop.

[0034] Regardless of whether the terminal support device 1 and the portable communication terminal 2 are installed, there is no direct electrical wired connection and wired communication between the terminal support device 1 and the portable communication terminal 2 via a cable. However, wireless power is supplied from the terminal support device 1 to the portable communication terminal 2. Wireless power supply refers to non-contact power supply without a cable (i.e., wireless). The terminal support device 1 has a wireless power transmission unit 14 for wireless power supply to the portable communication terminal 2.

[0035] The terminal support device 1 wirelessly supplies part of the power supplied from the control device 200 to the portable communication terminal 2 via the wireless power transmission unit 14. The portable communication terminal 2 is provided with a wireless power reception unit 21 for receiving the power wirelessly supplied from the terminal support device 1 as described later.

[0036] Examples of methods for wireless power supply between the terminal support device 1 and the portable communication terminal 2 include magnetic field coupling (electromagnetic induction), electric field coupling, magnetic field resonance coupling (magnetic field resonance), and electric field resonance coupling (electric field resonance).

[0037] For example, when magnetic field resonance coupling is used in wireless power supply between the terminal support device 1 and the portable communication terminal 2, the wireless power transmission unit 14 is composed of a resonant circuit, which is composed of a power transmission coil 141 and a power transmission resonant capacitor 142. The power transmission coil 141 resonates with the power receiving coil 211 described later by the power flowing into the wireless power transmission unit 14 at a predetermined resonant frequency. Thus, power is transmitted from the power transmission coil 141 to the power receiving coil 211 in a wireless manner.

[0038] In addition, magnetic resonance coupling is cited as an example here, and therefore the wireless power transmission unit 14 has a power transmission coil 141 and a power transmission resonance capacitor 142. When wireless power is supplied between the terminal support device 1 and the portable communication terminal 2 by magnetic field coupling, electric field coupling, or electric field resonance coupling, the wireless power transmission unit 14 has a structure corresponding to each coupling.

[0039] The portable communication terminal 2 is detachably mounted on the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1. The portable communication terminal 2 is a general-purpose mobile information communication terminal capable of wireless communication with an external device. Examples of the portable communication terminal 2 include a tablet terminal (tablet PC), a smartphone, and the like.

[0040] The portable communication terminal 2 includes a wireless power receiving unit 21 , a control unit 22 , a battery 23 , a touch panel 24 , and a wireless communication unit 25 .

[0041] The wireless power receiving unit 21 receives electric power wirelessly supplied from the wireless power transmitting unit 14 of the terminal supporting device 1 .

[0042] For example, in the case where magnetic field resonance coupling is used in wireless power supply between the terminal support device 1 and the portable communication terminal 2, the wireless power receiving unit 21 is composed of a resonant circuit, which is composed of a power receiving coil 211 and a power receiving resonant capacitor 212. Various parameters of the power receiving coil 211 and the power receiving resonant capacitor 212 (the outer diameter and inner diameter of the power receiving coil 211, the number of turns of the power receiving coil 211, the electrostatic capacitance of the power receiving resonant capacitor 212, etc.) are determined so that the resonant frequency of the wireless power receiving unit 21 is roughly consistent with the resonant frequency of the wireless power transmitting unit 14. If the deviation between the resonant frequency of the wireless power receiving unit 21 and the resonant frequency of the wireless power transmitting unit 14 is small, for example, if the resonant frequency of the wireless power receiving unit 21 is within the range of ±20% of the resonant frequency of the wireless power transmitting unit 14, the resonant frequency of the wireless power receiving unit 21 and the resonant frequency of the wireless power transmitting unit 14 do not necessarily need to be consistent. The numerical values ​​listed here are only an example, and other numerical values ​​may also be used.

[0043] In the first embodiment, magnetic resonance coupling is cited as an example, and therefore the wireless power receiving unit 21 includes a power receiving coil 211 and a power receiving resonance capacitor 212. When wireless power is supplied between the terminal support device 1 and the portable communication terminal 2 by magnetic field coupling, electric field coupling, or electric field resonance coupling, the wireless power receiving unit 21 has a structure corresponding to each coupling.

[0044] When the power receiving coil 211 is located at a distance where it can resonate with the power transmitting coil 141 in a magnetic field, the power receiving coil 211 receives the power transmitted from the power transmitting coil 141. The distance where the power receiving coil 211 can resonate with the power transmitting coil 141 in a magnetic field is preferably set to be longer than the distance between the power receiving coil 211 and the power transmitting coil 141 when the portable communication terminal 2 is installed on the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, for example, by several tens of percent. In addition, the numerical value cited here is only an example, and other numerical values ​​may be used. When the distance between the power receiving coil 211 and the power transmitting coil 141 is longer than the distance where the power receiving coil 211 can resonate with the power transmitting coil 141 in a magnetic field, the power receiving coil 211 cannot receive the power transmitted from the power transmitting coil 141.

[0045] The power received by the wireless power receiving unit 21 is distributed to each unit in the portable communication terminal 2 including the control unit 22 , the battery 23 , the touch panel 24 , and the wireless communication unit 25 .

[0046] The battery 23 is a rechargeable secondary battery, for example, a lithium-ion battery, a nickel-metal hydride battery, etc. The battery 23 stores the driving power required for the operation of the portable communication terminal 2. When the power received by the wireless power receiving unit 21 is supplied from the wireless power transmitting unit 14, the battery 23 is charged. When the battery 23 is charged, the charging rate (SOC: State Of Charge) of the battery 23 is restored. According to the charging status (charging rate) of the battery 23, at least one of the power received by the wireless power receiving unit 21 and the power stored in the battery 23 is used as the driving power of each part in the portable communication terminal 2 including the control unit 22, the touch panel 24 and the wireless communication unit 25.

[0047] The touch panel 24 has both the function of displaying a screen and accepting input operations. Examples of the touch panel 24's function of accepting input operations include electrostatic capacitance, electromagnetic induction, resistance film, surface acoustic wave, and infrared.

[0048] The wireless communication unit 25 performs wireless communication with an external device. A wireless communication interface (not shown) is also provided in the control device 200, and the wireless communication unit 25 can perform wireless communication with the control device 200. As the wireless communication between the wireless communication unit 25 and the control device 200, for example, narrow-area wireless communication is used. Narrow-area wireless communication refers to communication with a shorter communication distance than wide-area wireless communication, and specifically refers to communication with a communication distance of, for example, less than 10 meters. In addition, the numerical values ​​listed here are only examples, and other numerical values ​​may be used. As narrow-area wireless communication, various short-range wireless communications with short communication distances can be used, for example, communication based on any communication standard established by IEEE, ISO, IEC, etc. (for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), etc.). In Figure 1 The example shown shows a case where communication is performed in accordance with Wi-Fi (registered trademark) as an example. In addition, as a technology for performing narrow-area wireless communication, for example, DSRC (dedicated Short Range Communication) and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) are used.

[0049] In addition, the wireless communication unit 25 can also be connected to an Internet line via a mobile phone communication system (LTE, 3G line, 4G line, 5G line, etc.) which is wide area wireless communication, and perform data communication with an external device on the Internet line.

[0050] The control unit 22 performs various controls on the portable communication terminal 2. The control unit 22 controls various circuits including the touch panel 24 and the wireless communication unit 25 in the portable communication terminal 2.

[0051] The control unit 22 includes a communication interface 221, a memory 222, and a processor 223. The communication interface 221, the memory 222, and the processor 223 are electrically connected to each other via a bus.

[0052] The communication interface 221 has an interface circuit for electrically connecting the control unit 22 to various devices (for example, the touch panel 24 and the wireless communication unit 25 ) constituting the portable communication terminal 2. The control unit 22 communicates with other devices via the communication interface 221 .

[0053] The memory 222 is composed of, for example, an electrically erasable / recordable nonvolatile memory such as EEPROM (registered trademark), or a high-speed readable and writable random access memory such as DRAM, SRAM, etc. The memory 222 stores an operation program for executing various processes in the processor 223, various application software programs, and various data used when the processor 223 executes various processes.

[0054] The processor 223 may be, for example, an IC, an LSI, a CPU, an MPU, or a DSP. The processor 223 may also include a calculation circuit such as a logical calculation unit or a numerical calculation unit. The processor 223 executes various processes according to the program stored in the memory 222 .

[0055] The portable communication terminal 2 is a general-purpose information communication terminal, and therefore, various application software programs can be installed in the memory 222. One of them is a teaching software program that instructs the control device 200 to operate the robot 300 according to the content of the teaching operation for the robot 300. The teaching software program is an application software program for registering, editing, setting conditions, displaying states, teaching the robot 300, and manually operating the operation program related to the robot 300.

[0056] The control unit 22 executes the teaching software program, which controls the control device 200 so that the robot 300 moves according to the operation content related to the teaching operation for the robot 300. If the operator operates the portable communication terminal 2 in the teaching operation device 100, the portable communication terminal 2 instructs the control device 200 to move the robot 300 according to the teaching operation content via wireless communication. The portable communication terminal 2 performs calculation processing according to the teaching software program installed in the memory 222 in the control unit 22 through the processor 223, thereby realizing the wireless teaching operation function of operating (teaching) the robot 300.

[0057] Figure 4 This is a diagram for explaining wireless power supply and power distribution in the robot control system of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 In FIG. 1 , the touch panel 24 and the wireless communication unit 25 in the portable communication terminal 2 are omitted from illustration.

[0058] The control device 200 supplies part of the power supplied from the external commercial power source to the terminal support device 1 via the power line 31-2 of the electric cable 31. The terminal support device 1 uses part of the supplied power as driving power for each part in the terminal support device 1, wherein the terminal support device 1 includes an enabling switch 12-1 and an emergency stop button 12-2. In addition, the terminal support device 1 transmits the remaining part of the supplied power to the wireless power transmission unit 14.

[0059] By mounting the portable communication terminal 2 on the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, a state is achieved in which wireless power supply can be performed between the wireless power transmission unit 14 of the terminal support device 1 and the wireless power reception unit 21 of the portable communication terminal 2. For example, in the case of using magnetic field resonance coupling in the wireless power supply between the terminal support device 1 and the portable communication terminal 2, by mounting the portable communication terminal 2 on the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, the power reception coil 211 of the wireless power reception unit 21 is located at a distance that can resonate with the power transmission coil 141 of the wireless power transmission unit 14 in the magnetic field. The power transmission coil 141 of the wireless power transmission unit 14 resonates with the power reception coil 211 of the wireless power reception unit 21 in the magnetic field by the power flowing into the wireless power transmission unit 14 at a predetermined resonance frequency. Thus, power is wirelessly supplied from the wireless power transmission unit 14 to the wireless power reception unit 21. In addition, magnetic resonance coupling is cited as an example here. When wireless power is supplied between the terminal support device 1 and the portable communication terminal 2 by magnetic field coupling, electric field coupling or electric field resonance coupling, wireless power is supplied by the operation principle corresponding to each coupling. When the power received by the wireless power receiving unit 21 is supplied from the wireless power transmitting unit 14, the battery 23 is charged. In addition, according to the charging condition (charging rate) of the battery 23, at least one of the power received by the wireless power receiving unit 21 and the power stored in the battery 23 is used as the driving power of each part in the portable communication terminal 2, wherein the portable communication terminal 2 includes a control unit 22, a touch panel 24 and a wireless communication unit 25. In addition, according to the charging condition (charging rate) of the battery 23, the power received by the wireless power receiving unit 21, which exceeds the driving power of each part in the portable communication terminal 2, can also be used for charging the battery 23, wherein the portable communication terminal 2 includes a control unit 22, a touch panel 24 and a wireless communication unit 25.

[0060] When the portable communication terminal 2 is removed from the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, the power receiving coil 211 of the wireless power receiving unit 21 is not located at a distance that can resonate with the power transmission coil 141 of the wireless power transmission unit 14. Therefore, wireless power is not supplied from the wireless power transmission unit 14 to the wireless power receiving unit 21. When the portable communication terminal 2 is removed from the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, the power stored in the battery 23 is used as driving power for each unit in the portable communication terminal 2 including the control unit 22, the touch panel 24, and the wireless communication unit 25.

[0061] According to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, wireless power is supplied from the terminal support device 1 to the portable communication terminal 2 , so there is no need to connect the terminal support device 1 and the portable communication terminal 2 with a power cable, and driving power for the portable communication terminal 2 can be easily ensured.

[0062] According to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, a power cable is not required for supplying power to the portable communication terminal 2. Therefore, the teaching operation device 100 can be made lighter. In addition, power failures such as unexpected battery exhaustion due to accidental detachment or disconnection of the power cable can also be avoided.

[0063] In addition, according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, a power cable is not required, and therefore, a connector for connecting a power cable does not need to be provided in both the terminal support device 1 and the portable communication terminal 2. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a dustproof structure and a waterproof structure for the connector in the terminal support device 1 and the portable communication terminal 2, respectively. Therefore, it is possible to reduce manufacturing costs, improve convenience during use, and expand the usable environment.

[0064] For example, industrial robots are sometimes placed in explosion-proof spaces depending on their intended use. Generally speaking, if a cable that can carry electricity is plugged or unplugged relative to a connector, not limited to a power cable, a tiny electric spark may be generated at the terminal portion of the connector. If an electric spark is generated in an explosion-proof space, there is a risk of causing an explosion. Therefore, for safety reasons, plugging or unplugging cables relative to connectors is prohibited in explosion-proof spaces. Therefore, if a portable communication terminal is charged using a power cable, the portable communication terminal must be temporarily taken outside the explosion-proof space, during which time the portable communication terminal cannot be used. In contrast, according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, since the power cable is not plugged or unplugged relative to the connector, the portable communication terminal 2 can be charged in the explosion-proof space where the industrial robot is placed, and the portable communication terminal 2 can continue to be used.

[0065] <Second embodiment>

[0066] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing a robot control system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 1 is a block diagram showing a portable communication terminal in a robot control system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 .

[0067] The second embodiment of the present disclosure is different from the first embodiment in that the portable communication terminal 2 does not include a battery.

[0068] According to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, a robot control system 1000 includes a teaching operation device 100 and a control device 200 .

[0069] Regarding the control device 200 connected to the robot 300 via the robot cable 41, as described in the first embodiment, Figure 1 as well as Figure 4 As described above. The control device 200 is connected to an external commercial power source (not shown). The control device 200 distributes the power supplied from the commercial power source into the driving power of the control device 200 itself and the power supplied to the terminal support device 1. A part of the power supplied from the commercial power source to the control device 200 is supplied to the terminal support device 1 via the power line 31-2 of the cable 31. In addition, the control device 200 may also supply a part of the power supplied from the commercial power source to the robot 300 as the driving power.

[0070] The teaching operation device 100 is composed of a portable communication terminal 2 and a terminal support device 1 .

[0071] Regarding the terminal support device 1, as in the first embodiment, Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 As described. The terminal support device 1 uses part of the supplied power as driving power for each part in the terminal support device 1 including the enabling switch 12-1 and the emergency stop button 12-2. In addition, the terminal support device 1 wirelessly supplies the remaining part of the supplied power to the portable communication terminal 2 via the wireless power transmission unit 14. In the second embodiment, as an example, magnetic field resonance coupling is also used in the wireless power supply between the terminal support device 1 and the portable communication terminal 2.

[0072] The portable communication terminal 2 is detachably mounted on the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1. The portable communication terminal 2 is a general-purpose mobile information communication terminal capable of wireless communication with an external device. Examples of the portable communication terminal 2 include a tablet terminal (tablet PC), a smartphone, and the like.

[0073] The portable communication terminal 2 includes a wireless power receiving unit 21, a control unit 22, a touch panel 24, and a wireless communication unit 25. The wireless power receiving unit 21, the control unit 22, the touch panel 24, and the wireless communication unit 25 are described in detail in the first embodiment. Figure 1 , Figure 3 as well as Figure 4As described. In the second embodiment, as an example, magnetic field resonance coupling is also used in the wireless power supply between the terminal support device 1 and the portable communication terminal 2, and therefore, the wireless power receiving unit 21 is composed of a resonant circuit, and the resonant circuit is composed of a power receiving coil 211 and a power receiving resonant capacitor 212. The relationship between the resonant frequency of the wireless power receiving unit 21 and the resonant frequency of the wireless power transmitting unit 14, and the positional relationship between the power receiving coil 211 and the power transmitting coil 141 are as described in the first embodiment. In addition, in the second embodiment, magnetic resonance coupling is also cited as an example, and therefore, the wireless power receiving unit 21 has a power receiving coil 211 and a power receiving resonant capacitor 212. In the case of wireless power supply between the terminal support device 1 and the portable communication terminal 2 by magnetic field coupling, electric field coupling or electric field resonance coupling, the wireless power receiving unit 21 has a structure corresponding to each coupling.

[0074] In the second embodiment, the power received by the wireless power receiving unit 21 is distributed to each unit in the portable communication terminal 2 including the control unit 22 , the touch panel 24 , and the wireless communication unit 25 .

[0075] Figure 7 This is a diagram for explaining wireless power supply and power distribution in a robot control system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 7 In FIG. 1 , the touch panel 24 and the wireless communication unit 25 in the portable communication terminal 2 are omitted from illustration.

[0076] The control device 200 supplies part of the power supplied from the external commercial power source to the terminal support device 1 via the power line 31-2 of the electric cable 31. The terminal support device 1 uses part of the supplied power as driving power for each part in the terminal support device 1 including the enabling switch 12-1 and the emergency stop button 12-2. In addition, the terminal support device 1 transmits the remaining part of the supplied power to the wireless power transmission unit 14.

[0077] When the portable communication terminal 2 is mounted on the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, wireless power is supplied between the wireless power transmission unit 14 of the terminal support device 1 and the wireless power reception unit 21 of the portable communication terminal 2. For example, when magnetic field resonance coupling is used in the wireless power supply between the terminal support device 1 and the portable communication terminal 2, by mounting the portable communication terminal 2 on the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, the power reception coil 211 of the wireless power reception unit 21 is located at a distance that can resonate with the power transmission coil 141 of the wireless power transmission unit 14 in the magnetic field. The power transmission coil 141 of the wireless power transmission unit 14 resonates with the power reception coil 211 of the wireless power reception unit 21 in the magnetic field by the power flowing into the wireless power transmission unit 14 at a predetermined resonance frequency. Thus, power is wirelessly supplied from the wireless power transmission unit 14 to the wireless power reception unit 21. The power received by the wireless power reception unit 21 from the wireless power transmission unit 14 is used as driving power for each unit in the portable communication terminal 2 including the control unit 22, the touch panel 24, and the wireless communication unit 25.

[0078] When the portable communication terminal 2 is removed from the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, the power receiving coil 211 of the wireless power receiving unit 21 is not located at a distance that can resonate with the power transmitting coil 141 of the wireless power transmitting unit 14. Therefore, wireless power is not supplied from the wireless power transmitting unit 14 to the wireless power receiving unit 21. Therefore, driving power is not supplied to each part of the portable communication terminal 2 including the control unit 22, the touch panel 24, and the wireless communication unit 25, and therefore, the portable communication terminal 2 does not operate. That is, the control unit 22 does not execute the teaching software program. In addition, the wireless communication unit 25 does not perform wireless communication with an external device, and of course does not perform wireless communication with the control device 200.

[0079] In this way, when the portable communication terminal 2 is mounted on the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, the portable communication terminal 2 is wirelessly powered from the terminal support device 1, so the portable communication terminal 2 is operated. Therefore, the operator can use the portable communication terminal 2 to perform teaching operations on the robot 300. If the operator removes the portable communication terminal 2 from the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, the portable communication terminal 2 is not wirelessly powered from the terminal support device 1, so the portable communication terminal 2 does not operate, and the wireless communication between the wireless communication unit 25 and the control device 200 is forcibly disconnected. Therefore, the operator cannot use the portable communication terminal 2 to perform teaching operations on the robot 300. Afterwards, if the portable communication terminal 2 is mounted on the terminal support device 1 again, the portable communication terminal 2 is wirelessly powered from the terminal support device 1, so the portable communication terminal 2 is operated, so the operator can use the portable communication terminal 2 to perform teaching operations on the robot 300.

[0080] According to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, as in the first embodiment, wireless power is supplied from the terminal support device 1 to the portable communication terminal 2, so there is no need to connect the terminal support device 1 and the portable communication terminal 2 with a power cable, and the driving power of the portable communication terminal 2 can be easily ensured.

[0081] According to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, no battery is provided in the portable communication terminal 2, so that the portable communication terminal 2 can be made lighter and cheaper. In addition, a power cable is not required for supplying power to the portable communication terminal 2. Therefore, the teaching operation device 100 can be made lighter.

[0082] Furthermore, according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, no battery is provided in the portable communication terminal 2, so there is no need to worry about unexpected battery exhaustion, and no battery replacement work due to battery deterioration is required.

[0083] In addition, according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, as in the first embodiment, a power cable is not required, and therefore, a connector for connecting a power cable does not need to be provided in both the terminal support device 1 and the portable communication terminal 2. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a dustproof structure and a waterproof structure for the connector in the terminal support device 1 and the portable communication terminal 2, respectively. Therefore, it is possible to reduce manufacturing costs, improve convenience during use, and expand the usable environment. In addition, the power cable is not plugged in and out of the connector, and therefore, the portable communication terminal 2 can be charged in an explosion-proof space where an industrial robot is installed, and the portable communication terminal 2 can continue to be used.

[0084] In addition, according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, only by the operator removing the portable communication terminal 2 from the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, the wireless communication between the wireless communication unit 25 and the control device 200 is forcibly cut off, and the operator is prohibited from performing the teaching operation of the robot 300 using the portable communication terminal 2. Therefore, for example, in the case of a dangerous situation in which the teaching operation of the robot 300 using the portable communication terminal 2 must be stopped immediately, safety can be easily ensured only by the operator removing the portable communication terminal 2 from the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1. The teaching operation device 100 composed of the terminal support device 1 and the portable communication terminal 2 of the second embodiment of the present disclosure is suitable for example for the safety standard EN62745 (IEC62745) related to wireless control of machinery.

[0085] <Modification of Second Embodiment>

[0086] As described above, the second embodiment of the present disclosure does not include a battery in the portable communication terminal 2. As a modification of the second embodiment, a capacitor for temporarily holding the power received by the power receiving unit may be provided for the purpose of stabilizing the operation of the portable communication terminal 2.

[0087] <Securing driving power for mobile communication terminals>

[0088] According to at least one embodiment described above, in the teaching operation device 100 composed of the portable communication terminal 2 and the terminal support device 1 and the robot control system 1000 having the teaching operation device 100, it is possible to easily ensure the driving power of the portable communication terminal 2. That is, it is possible to eliminate various difficulties in ensuring power supply, such as unexpected battery exhaustion of the portable communication terminal 2 or use in an environment where it is difficult to ensure driving power.

[0089] The present disclosure has been described in detail above, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. These embodiments can be variously added, replaced, changed, partially deleted, etc. without departing from the scope of the spirit of the present disclosure, or without departing from the scope of the spirit of the present disclosure derived from the contents recorded in the claims and their equivalents. In addition, these embodiments can also be implemented in combination. For example, in the above-mentioned embodiments, the order of each action and the order of each processing are shown as an example, which is not limited to this. In addition, the same is true for the case where numerical values ​​or mathematical formulas are used in the description of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0090] The following supplementary notes are further disclosed with respect to the above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples.

[0091] (Note 1)

[0092] A terminal support device 1, comprising:

[0093] The mounting base 11 is provided with a portable communication terminal 2 mounted thereon in a detachable manner, and the portable communication terminal 2 instructs the control device 200 of the robot 300 on the action of the robot 300 via wireless communication according to the teaching operation content;

[0094] A safety switch 12 that outputs a safety signal to the control device 200;

[0095] an interface unit 13 connected to an electric cable 31 composed of a signal line 31 - 1 for transmitting a safety signal to the control device 200 and a power line 31 - 2 for transmitting power supplied from the control device 200 ; and

[0096] The wireless power transmission unit 14 wirelessly supplies a part of the power received from the control device 200 via the power line 31 - 2 of the power cable 31 and the interface unit 13 to the portable communication terminal 2 .

[0097] (Note 2)

[0098] The terminal support device 1 according to Supplement 1, wherein:

[0099] The safety switch 12 has:

[0100] an enable switch, which outputs an enable signal as a safety signal, wherein the enable signal is used to: allow the control device 200 to control the action of the robot 300 when the enable switch is pressed, and not allow the control device 200 to control the action of the robot 300 when the enable switch is released; and

[0101] The emergency stop button outputs an emergency stop signal as a safety signal, wherein the emergency stop signal is used to instruct the control device 200 to urgently stop the robot 300 during operation.

[0102] (Note 3)

[0103] A teaching operation device 100, comprising:

[0104] a portable communication terminal 2 for instructing the operation of the robot 300 to the control device 200 of the robot 300 via wireless communication according to the teaching operation content; and

[0105] The terminal support device 1 described in Supplementary Note 2,

[0106] The portable communication terminal 2 includes a wireless power receiving unit 21 that receives power wirelessly supplied from the wireless power transmitting unit 14 of the terminal supporting device 1 .

[0107] (Note 4)

[0108] The teaching operation device 100 according to Supplement 3, wherein:

[0109] The portable communication terminal 2 includes a battery 23 for storing the power received by the wireless power receiving unit 21.

[0110] Depending on the charging status of the battery 23 , at least one of the power received by the wireless power receiving unit 21 and the power stored in the battery 23 is used as driving power for the portable communication terminal 2 .

[0111] (Note 5)

[0112] The teaching operation device 100 according to Supplement 3, wherein:

[0113] The power received by the wireless power receiving unit 21 is used as driving power for the portable communication terminal 2 .

[0114] (Note 6)

[0115] The teaching operation device 100 according to any one of Supplementary Notes 3 to 5, wherein:

[0116] The portable communication terminal 2 includes a control unit 22 that executes a teaching software program that controls the control device 200 so that the robot 300 operates according to the contents of the teaching operation to the robot 300 .

[0117] (Note 7)

[0118] The teaching operation device 100 according to any one of Supplementary Notes 3 to 6, wherein:

[0119] The portable communication terminal 2 is any of a tablet terminal and a smartphone.

[0120] (Note 8)

[0121] A robot control system 1000, comprising:

[0122] a control device 200 of the robot 300; and

[0123] The teaching operation device 100 according to any one of Supplementary Notes 3 to 7.

[0124] Explanation of symbols

[0125] 1 Terminal support device

[0126] 2 Portable communication terminal

[0127] 11 Install the pedestal

[0128] 12 Safety switch

[0129] 12-1 Enable switch

[0130] 12-2 Emergency stop button

[0131] 13 Interface

[0132] 14 Wireless power transmission unit

[0133] 15. Holding mechanism

[0134] 21 Wireless power receiving unit

[0135] 22 Control Department

[0136] 23 Batteries

[0137] 24 Touch Panel

[0138] 25 Wireless Communications Department

[0139] 31 Electric cables

[0140] 31-1 Signal line

[0141] 31-2 Power cord

[0142] 41 Cables for robots

[0143] 100 Teaching operating device

[0144] 141 Power transmission coil

[0145] 142 Resonant capacitor for power transmission

[0146] 200 Control device

[0147] 211 Receiving coil

[0148] 212 Resonant capacitor for power receiving

[0149] 300 Robots

[0150] 1000 robot control systems.

Claims

1. A terminal support device, characterized in that: have: A mounting base on which a portable communication terminal is mounted in a detachable manner, and the portable communication terminal instructs the robot's action to a control device of the robot via wireless communication according to the teaching operation content; A safety switch that outputs a safety signal for the control device; an interface portion connected to an electric cable, the electric cable being composed of a signal line for transmitting the safety signal to the control device and a power line for transmitting power supplied from the control device; as well as A wireless power transmission unit wirelessly supplies a part of the electric power received from the control device via the power line of the electric cable and the interface unit to the portable communication terminal.

2. The terminal support device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The safety switch has: an enable switch, which outputs an enable signal as the safety signal, wherein the enable signal is used to: allow the control device to control the action of the robot when the enable switch is pressed, and not allow the control device to control the action of the robot when the enable switch is released; and An emergency stop button outputs an emergency stop signal as the safety signal, wherein the emergency stop signal is used to instruct the control device to urgently stop the robot during operation.

3. A teaching operation device, characterized in that: The teaching operation device comprises: a portable communication terminal for instructing a control device of the robot to perform actions of the robot via wireless communication according to the teaching operation content; and The terminal support device according to claim 2, The portable communication terminal includes a wireless power receiving unit that receives power wirelessly supplied from the wireless power transmitting unit of the terminal supporting device.

4. The teaching operation device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The portable communication terminal includes a battery for storing the power received by the wireless power receiving unit. At least one of the power received by the wireless power receiving unit and the power stored in the battery is used as driving power for the portable communication terminal according to the charging status of the battery.

5. The teaching operation device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The power received by the wireless power receiving unit is used as driving power for the portable communication terminal.

6. The teaching operation device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: The portable communication terminal includes a control unit that executes a teaching software program that controls the control device so that the robot operates according to the content of a teaching operation for the robot.

7. The teaching operation device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that: The portable communication terminal is any one of a tablet terminal and a smart phone.

8. A robot control system, characterized in that: have: the robot's controls; and The teaching operation device according to any one of claims 3 to 7.

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